The mark of a truly well-written and iconic villain in any story is that their motivations low-key make a lot of sense. In short—they’re relatable. Someone who twirls their mustache and is evil for the sake of being evil is boring. Meanwhile, a flawed character, in whom we can see a part of ourselves reflected back at us, might just become a huge hit in the entertainment industry. Sometimes, they even overshadow the heroes.
Inspired by user u/Sparkjoy4ever, the members of the sprawling r/AskReddit online group spilled the tea about which villains they personally rooted for over the protagonists. Scroll down to check out their opinions, and upvote the ones you agree with.
Bored Panda reached out to the person who sparked the entire discussion, u/Sparkjoy4ever, and they were happy to share their thoughts on well-written villains. Check out our full interview with them, including which villains and heroes they personally love the most!
Image credits: Sparkjoy4ever
#21
Gustavo Fring. His best friend was killed and seeing him get his revenge against the cartel was immensely satisfying. Seems like a chill boss for a d**g lord. Just don’t f**k around and you won’t get f*****g murdered. All Walt had to do was do his f*****g job and it would have been smooth sailing. Not to mention he’s an extremely fair boss, he pays his civilian employees well and goes to bat for them and protects them against his other life.
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99points
In the end, some members of the audience will usually end up cheering for well-written characters, whoever they are. But they, their aspirations, and their mindset have to be believable for them to be relatable.
Who are your favorite villains of all time and why, dear Pandas? On the flip side, what movie, game, or book heroes do you like the most? We can't wait to hear your thoughts on this! Tell us all about it in the comments.
#22
Captain hook. he's interesting and cool; that spoiled boy is as twisted as him but boring as f**k. i really can't stand peter pan. just grow up you little s**t.
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97points
#24
Swiper, he was just a sly fox raised on the wrong side of the fence and wanted to be included but noooooo Dora had to keep the fun for herself.
SleepyPoodleMomma:
My husband is convinced he swipes because he needs the money to feed his wife and 4 kids at home. He's just trying to be a good father....
My husband is convinced he swipes because he needs the money to feed his wife and 4 kids at home. He's just trying to be a good father....
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84points
#25
Hades in Disney’s Hercules. I just always thought he was super cool.
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83points
#27
Imhotep from The Mummy (1999). He just wants to get his girlfriend back.
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72points
#29
Sometimes the joker. He wins if Batman kills him, but he would also be saving so many lives if he could just get him to kill all the villains.
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70points
#30
Dracula, every movie, because he should never be that easy to kill.
DentrassiEpicure:
Tbf he was difficult af to kill in Van Helsing the movie. Dude had to change into a werewolf to fight him and even then it was hard.
Tbf he was difficult af to kill in Van Helsing the movie. Dude had to change into a werewolf to fight him and even then it was hard.
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69points
#31
The Phantom, Phantom of the Opera. Partially because I'm insane, partially because Raul is a joke, and partially because Gerard Butler is f*****g hot.
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68points
#33
Team Rocket. (Jessie and James)
When I was younger I got super fed up with the fact that team Rocket never won.
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64points
#35
Mojo Jojo, he never really seemed like he wanted to do anything super evil but the PPG repeatedly beat the stupid out of him for pretty much no reason.
nola_throwaway53826:
It's been a while, but I remember one episode where he was just minding his own business, not doing anything to anyone and the PPG just showed up and beat the living sh*t out of him.
It's been a while, but I remember one episode where he was just minding his own business, not doing anything to anyone and the PPG just showed up and beat the living sh*t out of him.
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52points
#36
Lowkey sometimes I wanted Mr crocker to win because Timmy can be a real a*****e in some episodes.
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48points
#38
Tracy Flick in Election. She was groomed by a teacher and then her social studies teacher tried to cheat her out of the class presidency because he’s a small man who hates overachievers and felt like she got his best friend (who statutory-raped her) unfairly fired.
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38points
#40
Macho Man Randy Savage.
Hulk Hogan always cheap shots his friends (especially in the Royal Rumble), he includes himself in all of his ally’s achievements so he can hotdog and grandstand, and he had lust in his eyes for Miss Elizabeth.
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33points
