8 Movie Villains Who Turn Out To Be The Hero (Probably)

Sharon McFadden

Nowadays everybody likes relatable villains, maybe even more than heroes. We want to understand their twisted motives and what drove them to become evil. Sometimes their reasons are just so convincing that we go “hmm, they’re kinda right!” These villains’ actions are no doubt horrible, and in no way their tragic backstories can justify what they did. However, we audience can’t deny that they do have a point.
So let’s see the villains whose reasons actually make a lot of sense. Can you spot your favorite characters? The villains in the movie turned out to be heroes. Villains turn to be heroes all the time. 

1. Gorr From Thor: Love and Thunder

Villains turn to be heroesSource: Marvel

At the first glance, Gorr might appear as a cold-hearted villain in Thor: Love and Thunder. But once you understand his reasons for hating the gods, you just can’t help but agree with him. Gorr desperately prayed for the gods to help his people and his daughter, only to lose both. When he finally met the god he was praying to, turned out the guy was a huge a-hole. The god just laughed at his pain while mocking him.
And all the gods in Omnipotence City, especially Zeus, are just the same. They rule over all worlds but spent their time liaising and drinking rather than helping their worshipers. No wonder why Gorr hates them so much.

2. Erik Killmonger From Black Panther

Villains turn to be heroesSource: Marvel

Erik grew up poor, and his father was killed right in front of him by the Wankada people. He didn’t even know why his father had to die back then. His birthright was rejected by his isolated kingdom, which is a place that had the means and the technology to help people like him but refused to do so. No wonder why he is salty.
Although his actions might be guided by blind fury, Killmonger had a point. His reasons moved not only us but T’Challa as well. T’Challa ultimately chose to follow what Erik had always wanted but with compassion and diplomatic rather than militaristic means.

3. Magneto From X-Men

Villains turn to be heroesSource: Marvel

Magneto's mistrust of humanity is understandable. After all, he was a young boy who grew up witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust. He knew how cruel humans can be and how they tend to destroy what they don’t understand out of fear.
And his points kinda make sense. Humans in the X-Men Movies keep betraying the mutants. First Class proves it, and Days Of Future Past too. His methods might be extreme, but it keeps humanity’s worst instincts at bay.

4. Red Hood From The Batman

Villains turn to be heroesSource: DC Universe

Before Red Hood, Jason Todd used to be Batman’s most trusted sidekick. Then the Joker tortured and killed him. He was resurrected and came back, only to find that Batman didn’t kill the Joker to avenge him. The only thing he did is beat him up and throw him to Arkham again as he always did. And to add salt to the wound, Batman had a new Robin too.
Jason’s fury is understandable. He sees Batman’s way of dealing with villains as something inefficient. They will always come back and wreak more havoc. So the Red Hood just straight-up ends their life.

5. AUTO From WALL-E

Source: Pixar

AUTO from WALL-E is no doubt one of the best AI villains ever. He doesn’t have a malicious motive or anything. He did exactly what he was programmed to do: protect the humans and prevent them from going back to earth. And looking at the people on the spaceship, we doubt that they can survive on Earth.

6. Syndrome From The Incredibles

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

It’s safe to say that Syndrome becomes the villain because his hero rejected him. He was a kid with a dream to become like his idol one day, only to have his idol deny his dream because he didn’t have a superpower. Imagine how great young Buddy could have turned out if Bob had reacted differently back then. That kid had an incredible skill at inventing!

7. Ice King From Adventure Time

Source: Cartoon Network

We can all agree that Ice King isn’t really a villain. The only “evil” thing we most likely see him commit on the show is kidnapping princesses, but that's just because he’s lonely and desperate for friends. He’s just a scientist who has been driven mad by the crown with a very tragic backstory.

8. Ken From The Bee Movie

Source: Paramount Pictures

And last but not least, we have Ken, the boyfriend of the florist from the Bee Movie. The storytelling might make him appear as some evil antagonist who wants to kill out the main protagonist, but he’s not. In fact, he is the most normal person in the movie. If your girlfriend starts talking to a bee and breaking up with you because of him, you will probably react the same.