I would refuse to believe that none of us cheered for the bad guy, at least once. There have been times when I had hoped that the bad guy will triumph.
Yes most of the times, we root for the good guy only because of the whole good triumph over evil thing, but often the character of the villain is complex, has a painful past, which does garner some sympathy for him or her, and more than often the bad guy is played by Alan Rickman, which also tips the scales in the favour of the bad guys.
Anyways, here’s a list of some villains that we secretly like.
*this list is in no particular order, and the list may contain spoilers*
Enjoy.
- Severus Snape ( Harry Potter series)
So technically he is not a ‘bad guy’, but till the 7th book came out, Severus Snape was considered as one. Greasy haired, cold as ice and a death eater, Severus Snape bullied Harry Potter throughout his years in school and Spoiler! *gasp* kills Dumbledore!.
But even before the ‘Prince’s Tale’, there has always been speculations that he might not be as twisted as it seems. Plus the bullying he had to face in school, by none other than Harry’s father and best friend, does gain him a few sympathy points. It does NOT exonerate hi of his wrong-doings though, but it just lends him a more greyer shade.
- Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: The demon Barber of Fleet Street)
Yes, he killed more than a dozen innocent people and nothing can justify that, but once again, he has been presented in such a human light, which leads us to forgive his heinous acts of crime. And he sings.
He has been driven to this demonic state by a thirst of revenge for the life he lost, for his wife and daughter. All this lends us to view him in a much kinder light, which also helps swallowing his butchering down.
- Tom Marvolo Riddle a.k.a Lord Voldermort (Harry Potter series)
That he should have been defeated, is not even a question. He was BAD in every true sense of the word. Although he might not have amassed a great appreciation for his acts, we do tend to have a little more understanding of his past and what he had become.
His thirst for absolute power and invincibility stemmed from the Slytherine inside of him, but he had no ‘love’ in his childhood, and as Dumbledore puts it, Love is the most powerful thing in the world, it might have played a part in the twisted creature that Tom had become.
- Count Dracula (Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
He was a vampire before vampires became glittering, vegetarian fairies. He is the original dark and brooding blood sucker.
Count Dracula was sent to fight the Turks. During this time, believing that he had died, his bride, Elizabeta, commits suicide. But due to the nature of her death, the Bishop declares her soul to be damned, hearing this, an enraged Dracula renounces God and the Church.
Cut to the future, Mina, an Elizabeta doppleganger, is seduced by the mysterious Dracula and is almost converted into a vampire. Watch the movie to know what happens next, but once again, Count Dracula evokes a slight sympathy in our hearts, for his lost love and damned soul.
- Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter series)
She redefines crazy. With her wild hair and cackling laughter, and a disturbing affinity towards the Cruciatus Curse, Bellatrix Lestrange makes bad looks good.
She is madly in love with her Dark Lord, which justifies her crimes ( in her eyes at least! ) She’s just so bad that she is good.
- Regina George (Mean Girls)
In Janis Ian’s words, ‘Evil takes a human form in Regina George’.
The words couldn’t be more true!. Regina George is the queen bee. She is a bully and even terrifies the teachers. But she’s equally awesome and not just because ‘..She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus..’
Regina is unashamedly evil, but you cannot help but like her.
- Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
Anthony Hopkins, with those eyes, manages to scare the audience without uttering a single word. He has a brilliant mind, and despite his cannibalistic tendencies, the audience are not against him at any point of the movie.
From the moment Jodie Foster visits him in his cell and he is just sitting there with that ‘look’ on his face, you get the hint that he is a dangerous man.
- Mrs.Lovett (Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
Mrs. Nellie Lovett is the accomplice and only friend of fabled serial killer Sweeney Todd. In some versions of the story, she is also his lover. She is not necessarily evil, but is a twisted, crazed woman who feels no qualms about making her meat pies out of Sweeney Todd’s freshly murdered victims. In fact, it is she that develops the gruesome plan.
Helena Bonham Carter once again makes crazy look good.
She might have been the main villain of the story, as it was her lie that caused Sweeney to go insane, but he was vengeful way before he met her.
Either way, Mrs.Lovett is awesome. Period.
(By Salva Mubarak)
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