When you’re writing a book or a script, you have complete control over that world and the characters who live inside it. You decide who’s bad, who’s good, and who is going to be the winner in the end.
Once you put that book or movie out into the world, though, everyone else gets to weigh in – and sometimes they really don’t agree with your reasoning.
These 15 people have more sympathy for the villain than the hero in these cases, and have pretty good reasons for thinking they should have won.
15. Sharks are gonna shark.
Jaws…
My man was just hungry- did not deserve to be disrespected like that!
Those people were in his natural habitat- yet they were so shocked when he attacked. Not like he climbed out of the water, went knocking on peoples doors and killed them.
14. Pirates gotta pirate.
Captain Barbossa. He was vilified for being a better pirate than anyone else, and he only wanted to escape eternal damnation and a hell on earth. I’d be pretty ruthless in that situation too.
Yes, he mutinied Jack, but he’s a pirate! And even then, he has much more class and honor than most of the other pirates.
13. His daughter loves him.
Dr Doofenshmirtz.
I always liked that even though his ex-wife Charlene paid a huge amount of alimony towards him, they were on friendly terms and that he was trying to be a good father for Vanessa.
The best moment was some guy on a motorcycle hitting on her in front of him and he says “She’s SIXTEEN!” and uses a zapinator on the guy.
12. If only they could have seen the future.
In the social network.
Anyone that could have stopped Zuckerberg.
11. Kind of like the Joker.
The Phantom of the Opera was ostracized and abused for having a facial deformity.
If others had accepted him, he could have been amazing for the theater, both as a teacher and in leading roles.
10. He just wanted to be left alone.
The Grinch.
In the real world his plan would have worked.
In the real world if everyone woke up Christmas morning and Christmas was just gone, they wouldn’t hold hands and sing songs… there would be blood in the streets.
9. I think the U.S. government is the real villain here.
General Francis Hummel, from The Rock.
Even he knew they only care about exploiting our deaths for political capital.
That scene in the shower room with the Seal Team tells you everything you need to know about the US military.
The US government sent military personnel to kill other military personnel that they had driven to the brink. Michael Biehn’s line, “We’ve spilled the same blood in the same mud” is an implicit acknowledgement that he recognizes the betrayals of the government as valid. But, he’s still a victim of the indoctrination process that Hummel has been shocked out of. So, you end up with an absolutely tragic, senseless slaughter of young men who probably signed up just out of high school.
Hummel’s only misstep was his unshakeable belief in the loyalty of individual Marines. He assumed that everyone on the mission was as principled as he was, when most of them were just doing what the government had trained them to do – follow orders, and kill people for money.
8. Our kingdom for a different ending.
Night King, he could’ve prevented Game of Thrones ending.
Night King wins. Humans have to move south after they lose the north. New wall is created out of fire from Daenerys’ dragons.
John Snow becomes King bc he’s the only one with enough expertise to lead the humans against their common enemy, and bangs Daenerys to continue the Targaryen bloodline.
Tyrion becomes hand of the King. Jamies murders Cersei, and leaves to take care of House Lannister.
7. He did get a win.
Greed from FMA. Technically not the villain but ya know I just wanted to see that guy succeed in his endeavors.
He did kind of, greed was insatiable and could never really win, but he went out satisfied and kind of happy that he achieved one of the things he never expected to get, and he got revenge all at once
He didn’t live to see his win but he did get it
6. We can sympathize.
Michael Myers in Halloween Kills I hated everyone in that town.
I’m fairly certain he was the hero in that film. Hell it didn’t have a protagonist.
5. He broke his own code.
Robert De Niro’s character in Heat … he should have killed Pacino and gotten away …. I cant watch that movie because of the ending !!!
He broke his own code. He said he will drop anything if he feels the heat, except apparently revenge.
4. It’s just bad writing.
Any story where the villain was defeated at the last moment by the hero pulling some deus ex machina out of their ass, or trying some desperate million-to-one chance. Particularly where the villain has been shown to be intelligent, competent, not prone to emotional outbursts, and smart enough to have multiple backup plans.
It’s rather annoying when the author then proceeds to hand them the idiot ball purely so that the hero can win a fight they should never even have been able to make it to in the first place.
Interestingly enough, I don’t actually put the destruction of the first Death Star in Star Wars into this category. The Rebels found a weakness, based an attack plan on it, followed it, and even if Luke hadn’t been there with a skillset very well suited to the plan, any other Rebel pilot might have been able to make the shot.
The end result might have been assisted by Han showing up unexpectedly, but the original idea was still solid.
3. Open and shut.
The Fiend Bray Wyatt against Randy Orton at Wrestlemania.
I honestly thought this would’ve been open and shut. Fiend’s a great character, and he could use some revenge after being (checks notes) burned alive. Also, the Firefly Funhouse Match against Cena last year is praised as one of the best cinematic matches ever, mainly because it covers basically Cena’s entire career, AND an alternative universe where he turns heel.
I thought “okay, Fiend vs Orton, Firefly Funhouse. Fiend wins. Should be good.”
Somehow, it wasn’t a Funhouse match, but instead a normal match. Okay, I can deal. Then Alexa Bliss distracted The Fiend, Orton hits a single RKO, 1-2-3.
Baffling booking, that.
2. He’s really earned it.
Magneto. A Jewish concentration camp kid who grew up in a Nazi filled environment, only to be tortured. Parents gone. Family none. Lost his only real friend over politics. And spent the rest of his life making sure mutants were safe and free from human experimentation.
He only wanted what was best for his people that suffered like he did for having abilitys they never asked for. In the end he got his safe haven, but unfortunately it was all in vain.
1. We have questions.
Lex Luthor in Superman Returns.
Superman’s one weakness is kryptonite, but he can still throw a continent made of it into space?
I know it’s a long time ago but wow, that is some bulls*%t.
It definitely makes you think, right? Though I don’t know how anyone could argue that Captain Hook deserved that revenge.
What villain would you like to see get his day? Tell us in the comments!
