From when we were little, we have been taught that we should like the "good guys" in the stories and hate the "bad ones." Then, as we grow up, we start to realize that sometimes those "bad guys" aren't as bad as the story portrays them.
So, when someone on Reddit asked people to share which villains—in their opinion—aren't wicked, netizens didn't hold back. So, let's look through the examples they shared and decide whether we agree with them or not!
More info: Reddit
Dennis the Menace. The older I get the more I sympathize with Mr Wilson. Get off my lawn, you little s**t.
Image credits: redesckey
The mother in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” For years, she’d been dealing with a man-child who undermined her, upstaged her, and caused messes which she wound up having to clean up.
Then, instead of making serious efforts to clean up his life, he decides to make her look like the bad guy and disguise himself to sneak back into her home.
In the end, the movie makes the mother look like she learned a lesson, when it should have been him.
Image credits: definitely_alphaz
The older I get the more I realise that the mean parents were 100% justified. Baby's dad in Dirty Dancing was actually a decent guy. He still helped that girl after her botched abortion. No one corrected him when he assumed who the father was. What dad wants his teenage daughter seeing an older man who he thinks just got another girl pregnant?
Image credits: AriasK
Every story has a protagonist—the main character—the one that the people consuming the story should care about the most.
Then, there’s the antagonist—the character that opposes the protagonist. While the antagonists are usually viewed as the villains of the story, they do not always have to be. Sometimes the main character is the evil one.
Jaws from... well Jaws, the poor shark just be sharking.
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The Jungle Book. Shere Kahn didn't want the man cub around because "he'll set the jungle on fire." By the end of the story, what does Mowgli do? Set the jungle on fire.
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Ferris is a manipulative narcissist and the teacher was right.
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It’s called the anti-hero trope. This character lacks traditional heroic qualities, such as a strong moral code, making them far from a good person. Such characters include Walter White from Breaking Bad or The Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Vastly different examples here, but they show how varied anti-heroes can be.
Yet, even if the protagonist is considered to be the good force in the story, that doesn’t mean that the antagonist is bad. In fact, from time to time, antagonists are portrayed as the villains of the story, but when you consider their actions and motivations, you realize they aren’t so bad.
SpongeBob. Every feeling Squidward has is completely valid and once you’ve realized you’ve now reached adulthood.
Image credits: Transman5000
The dude in Bee Movie. He had his girlfriend stolen by a bee.
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The insurers requiring additional proof of safety at Jurassic Park.
Image credits: SwansBeDancin
That brings us to today’s topic. A few days ago, a Reddit user went to r/AskReddit and asked: “What's a story where the 'bad guys' are actually, completely, 100% right, to the point where it's weird the story keeps calling them the bad guys?”
Apparently, there are many characters like this, as the comment section was filled pretty quickly by netizens giving their answers. So, we compiled a list of the most intriguing examples given.
Hermione trying to give the elves rights in Harry Potter. The books portray her as in the wrong but she's 100% right.
Image credits: Chagdoo
Bugs Bunny. Rewatched some of the old cartoons and Bugs is a total a*****e in nearly every episode.
Image credits: Its_in_neutral
Sarah Silverman character in school of rock.
Jack black is a sponge who takes advantage of her fiance. He then steals his identity and puts his whole career at risk, but then she calls the police she's portrayed as some kind of major a*****e..
Image credits: coolhotcoffee
Without giving too much away, we can say that the list includes the man from the infamous Bee Movie, The Wicked Witch of the West (or simply Elphaba) in The Wizard of Oz, and many others. Check it out for yourself and upvote those you agree with!
At the same time, in many stories, the villains are actually villainous, and still, people love them, sometimes even more than they do the hero. Here, just remember that characters like The Joker, Maleficent, and Pennywise are such a variety, right?
But why are people drawn to “the bad guys”? Well, sometimes villains are simply fun. They are shameless, confident, and have a flamboyance that the protagonists lack, so the people consuming their stories are more entertained by watching them than by the boring main character.
Emily from Friends. She was made out to be over-controlling and possessive, but wouldn’t you be if your husband said his ex-girlfriend’s name at the alter, tried to go on your honeymoon with said ex-girlfriend, and then kept lying about hanging out with her? Then Ross ultimately ends his marriage because he doesn’t want to stop hanging out with his ex-girlfriend. He literally put an ex over his wife. Emily was totally justified to be pissed imo.
Image credits: RabbitHutch321
The Wicked Witch of the West was certainly nasty, but on the other hand, just wanted her dead sister's shoes! That b***h Glinda comes floating in in her bubble and steals the shoes off a fresh corpse, and when the dead woman's sister wants the only thing that survived a house falling on them, Glinda's like "they must be powerful because she wants them so bad".
No! You just denied a grieving woman an heirloom that belonged to her sister, you absolute monster. Glinda's the real villain of The Wizard of Oz.
Image credits: Gneissisnice
Not so much a “bad guy” as he was an antagonist, but Ice Man was totally right about Maverick in Top Gun.
Image credits: cascadianwizard
In other cases, some people find villains more relatable, and more similar to themselves. If you’re worried about people who can relate to villains, don’t be. The study found that while they tend to like fictional bad guys, choosing real-life criminals doesn’t seem appealing to them.
Tragic backstories that make viewers/readers sympathize with them, iconic dialogue lines that people remember for a long time, and many other things make the villains likable. After all, to each their own when it comes to the kind of people we find charming on screen (or on the page)—and it’s completely okay, as long as the crimes in the story remain there and aren't brought to reality.
In your opinion, which story portrays a reasonable character as a villain? Share with us in the comments!
Jack and the Beanstalk. First he irresponsibly trades in his mother’s cow for some beans. Then he steals a bunch of s**t from the giant who he then murders. Jack is an a*****e.
Edit: most of you understood what I was trying to say here, so thank you. For those who didn’t, I was actually trying to defend the giant as not a bad guy- I should have been more clear. And yes, I know this does not apply to all versions of the story: some actually depict him as a more evil character.
Image credits: Bay-Area-Tanners
Magneto was right.
Image credits: Ryuain
Emily in The Devil Wears Prada
She worked hard at Runway Magazine and lived and breathed fashion. She still deserved to go to Paris.
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Thomas the Tank Engine: Day of the Diesels. The diesel engines rebel because they've been totally neglected and all they get is a lecture about being jerks.
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Ever seen what about Bob?
Loved it growing up. As a kid you think bob is harmless and funny.. as an adult.. i would have punted him of a cliff. And the movie paints the therapist as the bad guy for not wanting to obsessed over by his mental patient with no boundaries.
Image credits: Spiteful_sprite12
The duck from the duck song is such a d**k dude.
He goes to this man selling lemonade and harasses him for grapes when he’s obviously selling lemonade. The man is actually a saint and buys the duck some grapes and then the duck says f**k you, i wanted lemonade, not even from your stand.
A personal rant i’ve been thinking about.
Image credits: Micheybun
The hyenas in The Lion King, I think. I don't remember well, but... Weren't they starving? If that was the case, it's normal they would support a new king that promise them food.
Image credits: Raquel_1986_
That children’s book about the Rainbow Fish. You don’t want to give away body parts to appease the other fish who don’t even like you? A*****e.
Image credits: TetralogyOfHello
The EPA in Ghostbusters!!
The bank in the movie Sing.
Buster Moon borrowed money against his building, and makes the llama seem like she's the bad person for collecting on the debt?
Also don't forget the people he hires, then pays with bad checks. Or the fact that he steals electricity from his neighbor.
That guy is a complete a*****e and piece of s**t.
Image credits: Old-Rough-5681
“My Best Friend’s Wedding” Cameron Diaz’s character isn’t the villain, and Julia Roberts realizes that she is the villain.
Tim Curry in Home Alone 2. He is literally doing his job. He should have just had the police arrest Kevin for using a stolen Credit Card
The parents in Freaks and Geeks. They aren’t necessarily bad guys, but they only want their daughter to have a good future, and she has no appreciation for it..
Trix bunny. Always felt bad for him.
Old School. The wives were correct. Tank was a man baby hanging out with college kids and the godfather was banging a high schooler.
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The Dunlendings in Lord of the Rings.
The Numenoreans pushed them out of their lands and ravaged their forests for lumber in the Second Age. Then, Gondor gifted their ancestral homelands to the Rohirrim because of an alliance that didn't consider the Dunlendings whatsoever in the Third Age. When the Dunlendings resisted this, they were the bad guys from the perspective of "the West." They were forced off of their fertile land and into a wretched existence by colonizers. Yes, they were fooled by Saruman, but what option did they really have when no other powers in Middle Earth aided them whatsoever?
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28 weeks later. Firebomb that kid.
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Benny from the play RENT. He helped everyone out, paid for mimi's rehab, wasn't charging any rent at all for a while, and still hung around despite the constant disrespect. He was using his resources to build up the lower east side that was overrun by d**g addicts and homeless people, but that's bad.
Image credits: EggCold6792
The Rock. All General Hummel wanted was justice and compensation for his men who died fighting for their country. He was never going to launch the missiles.
Starship Troopers if you misunderstand it.
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To some extent, I'd rank Francisco Scaramanga, because the primary reason Her Majesty sends 007 to stop him from selling a 99% solar efficient chip, is because it would tank the oil market and send the world into financial chaos.
High school musical. Ryan and Sharpay worked so hard for those roles.
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Now You See Me
The "good" guy's Dad literally died because of his own stupidity. Safe companies don't design their products around underwater escape acts and insurance companies justifiably won't pay out of you die doing something so stupid.
Also, some of the heros' stunts could have easily [ended] bystanders (e.g. the staged car crash).
Image credits: ImNotHere2023
I kinda think Jumper. They really only got caught because they were using their powers to steal. Plus, it's not like you can put a person who can teleport in prison.
There’s entire videos about how Daniel is the true villain of Karate Kid.
