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
#42
Boyd Crowder from Justified. I think it's because his character was acted so well he felt real. And the protagonist Raylan turned into a mega a*****e in the final season. .
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30points
#44
Nacho Varga in Better Call Saul. Dude shoulda used his networks and killed all the olds and taken over the Salamancas. They ruined his could be story in my head.
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27points
#45
In the last few episodes of The Clone Wars, I was rooting for Darth Maul. I'd seen Ahsoka get out of trouble dozens of times before, but seeing Maul scared for his life made me really feel for him.
mettrolsghost:
It's funny someone should mention this. I just watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and it occurred to me that it's basically just Deep Blue Sea from the perspective of the sharks.
It's funny someone should mention this. I just watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and it occurred to me that it's basically just Deep Blue Sea from the perspective of the sharks.
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26points
#46
Zemo. His motive was top-notch, and Daniel Bruhl knocked it out of the park.
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26points
#48
Hans Gruber.
Because he *deserved* to be on a beach earning 15%. Nakatomi corporation is the real villain.
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21points
#49
Lex Luthor.
Imagine growing up knowing that everything has to be earned. And then a "god" comes from the sky and completely decimates your world view. And that said god has everything you wanted.
I'm not justifying Lex, but dude is relatable.
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14points
#50
In Death Note, Light is the protagonist and the villain so I hope this counts. I don't like Near as much as L so I ended up rooting for Light even though he became completely consumed by his god complex.
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13points
