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Some of the most entertaining characters in the history of film have been villains. The bad guy is often on the wrong end of movie climaxes, but there are times when they finish on top. However, what if we told you that the ‘villain’ isn’t always wrong? Here are 25 examples of when the ‘Movie Villain Was Right All Along’.
Roy Batty (Blade Runner)
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Imagine having been alive for less than four years, but every waking moment of your existence was engineered for slave labor on space colonies or brutal off-world military campaigns – this is the life of Roy Batty, an on-the-run Replicant. Replicants are bio-engineered humanoids, used and treated as livestock for whatever humans need in the dystopian world of Blade Runner. Nexus-6 Replicants die at four years old, but genius-level Roy is ready to do whatever is required to extend his lifespan – how can you argue with a villain that simply wants to live although his life has been far from a gift? People are murdered in his quest to extend his remaining time, but Roy’s quest is a noble one as he tries to create a new world for all Replicants.
Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)
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If you have sat in Los Angeles traffic since the release of 2018’s Infinity War, then you’ve perhaps thought – and perhaps more than once – “Thanos was right.” The purple warlord menaced the Avengers to the point of oblivion, but his infamy was not without reason. Growing up on the world of Titan, Thanos saw how any advanced enough race – not just humans – will exhaust all available resources without any thought of the future. Believing himself to be a balancing force in the universe, Thanos’ journey to eliminate half of all life was an act he felt was merciful – our real world is still plagued by issues of consumption, nonrenewable energies, and there doesn’t seem to be a plan in sight to turn it around.
Terrence Fletcher (Whiplash)
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Ends, means, and their justification – it’s all the same swirling tornado that is Terrence Fletcher, the erratic and near-psychopathic jazz teacher from Whiplash. Fletcher is a terribly abusive mentor, an ardent believer that greatness is only a product of true commitment and arduous suffering. Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is the latest student to endure his volcanic tutelage, soon becoming the victim of verbal, mental, and physical abuse – but he also attains greatness in the film’s thrilling finale. Fletcher’s methods are abhorrent, but the stage performance in the climax proves that his unique brand of teaching pushed Andrew to achieve the legendary status that the latter so desperately wanted.
Agent Smith (The Matrix)
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The machines of The Matrix may seem cold and unemotional, but their calculations and reasonings about humanity are quite intuitive. In a battle with Morpheus, Agent Smith – the Matrix’s security program – asserts that our consumption, greed, and desire for expansion led to the downfall of our species. Smith taunts that we only survive by entering other environments rather than finding equilibrium with our current ones. According to Agent Smith, we are “a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.” This type of automated activity is what led us to develop machines that could overtake us, destroy, and enslave us as living batteries.
Ozymandias (Watchmen)
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In the fictional world of Watchmen, the Cold War is ready to explode in a boiling, white-hot fury of nuclear warfare. Despite being filled with superpowered individuals, their combined abilities are nothing compared to the threat of atomic weapons. Ozymandias, the smartest man in the world and most respected superhero sees the world on the brink – and executes a master plan to save it. Framing the near-omnipotent Doctor Manhattan for an explosion that kills fifteen million – yes, million – people, all of the world’s warheads are now focused on a common enemy. Ozymandias was terribly wrong in how he went about this plan but was right that a greater, superpowered threat could unite the world, bring the Cold War to an end, and ultimately save the lives of billions.
Colonel Jessep (A Few Good Men)
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“You can’t handle the truth!” It is the most famous line from A Few Good Men, in part because it defines the character of Colonel Jessep (Jack Nicholson) so perfectly. On trial for ordering a “code red” – a hush-hush way of disciplining soldiers by literally beating it into them – against a Private, Jessup asserts that civilians have no understanding of what is required to keep our nation safe. Jessep accurately expresses that a dangerous world needs soldiers of fortitude to defend a nation and that ordinary people have no understanding of what a luxury their ability to criticize his methods is. His abuse of power is wrong and inflammatory, but he’s not incorrect about the heart of the matter – we want to be defended, but never want to accept the methods by which we remain that way.
Killmonger (Black Panther)
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A common criticism of Marvel Studios has always been the motivations of their villains – but Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger set a new and frighteningly high standard. A secret member of Wakandan royalty abandoned by King T’chakka, Killmonger is not only out to claim his rightful place in the African court – his harsh, poverty-stricken, racially discriminated upbringing could have in part been prevented by the greater equality that Wakandan technology could create. Though his methods to become king are brutal, his goal of bringing Wakanda out of secrecy and sharing its advanced medicine, science, and yes, weaponry, to the rest of the world is inherently noble.
Magneto (the X-Men film series)
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Both the archenemy and best friend of Charles Xavier, Magneto is the Malcolm X to the Professor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. As both a mutant and survivor of the Holocaust, Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto, has seen the worst of humanity – how can one question why he believes mutantkind will always be a target of hate, discrimination, and violence? Despite every time the X-Men stopped his more destructive plans, despite all the goodwill they presented to the world, the United States government ultimately authorized the Sentinel program – the creation of frightening machines that targeted both mutants and human carriers of the mutant-x gene. Among the most sympathetic villains in movie history, we can only hope the eternally optimistic Xavier told Magneto – even once – that he was right.
Brigadier General Francis Hummel (The Rock)
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The Rock is Michael Bay’s best and most nuanced film, and a massive part of its critical success comes from Ed Harris’ portrayal of the complex military man. Hummel and his men go rogue, capturing a stockpile of chemical weapons and taking Alcatraz and its tourists hostage. Hummel immediately demands $100 million from the U.S. government – it seems normal for a villain to do so, but the money is not for himself. Hummel led dozens of covert missions throughout his career, but families of his fallen soldiers were never compensated for their deaths, just another way the government tried to keep the operations a secret. Our nation’s treatment of veterans has always been deplorable, and it feels justified for Hummel to say “enough is enough” – his methods are dangerous, but it felt good for the bureaucracy of government to feel the fear that soldiers are required to endure every day.
The Joker (The Dark Knight Rises)
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There is no typo above – the Joker only appears in The Dark Knight, but his eerie dialogue becomes prophetic in the third film of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Under intense interrogation from Batman, the Joker shares his admiration for the Caped Crusader’s conviction and unwillingness to break his morality. As for the rest of the world? The Joker believes that we are all on the edge of chaos, and that “when the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other.” When Bane takes over Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises, the Joker’s words may as well be written on the screen – police and criminals are imperceptible in the struggle to survive in a city that has been cut off from the rest of the world.
Skinner (Ratatouille)
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We’re going to keep this one simple – a RAT was residing in this man’s kitchen. Remy may be absurdly cute, but every millimeter of his paws that carry germs (pause and Google “the plague”) is suddenly slicing and dicing your food. If any patron of Gusteau’s witnessed this ludicrous health code violation, their feet would be out the door before they spat their food on the floor.
Matt Graver (Sicario)
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Sicario presents a host of dark, shady characters that could be classified as villains, all fighting for a side or an organization that they believe to be right. By the time the film comes to a haunting conclusion, Josh Brolin’s CIA operative Matt Graver stands out as perhaps the most villainous character surrounding naïve FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) – but his justification for his actions is somewhat understandable. Graver initially presents himself as someone ready to take on and defeat the Mexican drug gangs but in reality, is trying to reinstall the Columbian cartel. He admits the United States’ war on drugs was a failure – until everyone can be convinced to give up drug use, the only chance for relative peace is to work with drug lords who aren’t as gruesome and frighteningly violent and uncontrollable as the Mexican cartels. The reality of the situation is a terrible one, but Graver presents a reasonable argument of how it can be manageable.
Raoul Silva (Skyfall)
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Casino Royale introduced us to a new kind of Bond, so it’s only appropriate that its sequels helped to reinvent the Bond villain. Javier Bardem’s Silva doesn’t cackle with schemes to take over the world – as a former MI6 agent, he simply wishes to take revenge on the organization that disavowed him and left him for dead. One of Skyfall’s overarching themes is the need for agents on the ground in an increasingly digital world, and Silva’s worldview proves this right – he shouldn’t have been erased like a piece of data on a hard drive, left to endure years of torture. It is thanks to his actions that M and MI6 as a whole gain a greater appreciation for agents like Bond, no matter how broken they might be.
The Director (The Cabin in the Woods)
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What value do we put on five lives versus the rest of the inhabitants of the Earth? The Cabin in the Woods is a hilarious and terrifying send-up of horror tropes, giving the reason why all horror films happen – our world is inhabited by subterranean deities who are appeased by the gruesome deaths of teenagers and young adults. The Director – a fantastic cameo from Sigourney Weaver – of an ominous organization ensures that the slaughters happen annually, effectively keeping all of humanity safe at the price of a few promiscuous teens. When remaining sacrifices Marty and Dana decide to forego finishing the ritual, they essentially seal humanity in its tomb – confirmed when a giant hand ensnares the floor from beneath them.
Godzilla (Godzilla, 2014)
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Even in the titular titan’s more heroic appearances, the massive lizard is always a lingering threat, if not about to launch a full-fledged attack. 2014’s Godzilla started the MonsterVerse and appropriately cast the King of the Monsters as a scourge of humanity alongside the multi-limbed, spider-like MUTOs. Though we cannot blame the Armed Forces for firing on Godzilla, his instinct was only to destroy the MUTOs, not all of humanity necessarily. Despite the staggering loss of life from Godzilla simply walking, the MUTOs would have rampaged through as much of the world as possible – Godzilla on the other hand is content to return to his ocean slumber once nature and his fellow Titans have been put back into balance.
Count Dooku (Attack of the Clones)
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The esteemed and stately Jedi Master Dooku eventually succumbed to the Dark Side and became known as Darth Tyrannus, but a thread of light clearly still ran through this fallen Jedi Master. Perhaps moved by their “familial” connection through Quin-Gon Jinn – Dooku’s apprentice and Obi-Wan’s master – Dooku reveals to a captured Kenobi that a dark shadowy figure known as Darth Sidious is controlling the Senate, the Separatists, and slowly corrupting the Jedi themselves. It might seem to be an interrogation tactic, but Dooku is right – the hubris of the Jedi in this era led to them ignoring the growing evil shadow that was right under their noses, one that could have easily been discovered had the Jedi not become overly involved in and obsessed with political positions. Dooku reveals all the future Emperor’s plans, but Obi-Wan assumes it is a trick – but for once, it is the absolute truth and not the machinations of the Dark Side.
The Xenomorph (Alien)
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As terribly frightening as nature can be – especially when it is found in the outer reaches of space – it is the function and purpose of nature to work as it was designed. Despite how it might endanger and affect us, nature simply is. The Xenomorph might not necessarily be “right” about anything, but can the crew of Nostromo really blame it and claim it was in the wrong? Awoken by their presence, the alien immediately begins the process of the prime directive of all living beings – to reproduce. Fear and suffering follow for the humans, but the Xenomorph is only following its genetic blueprint to do the small handful of things that it knows.
Koba (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
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A gnarled paw shakily points to a scar. “Human, work” the ape growls out. It points to another scar. “Human work.” The voice, though scratchy and menacing, has a tremble to it, as if recalling a painful memory. Koba the ape may betray the heroic Caesar, but there is no denying the former’s rage-fueled feelings toward our species. Koba was the victim of pharmaceutical experimentation and understands that no matter how much he wailed against the pain, the needles and jabs just kept coming – and now, Koba is ready to jab back. He may kickstart the attack that brings the apes and humans into a full-fledged war, but his discovery of armaments the human survivors have collected only proves that this conflict was inevitable – Koba may display some of our worst traits, but it is only because we taught him that.
Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Unbreakable)
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Born with a rare disease that has made his bones incredibly fragile and prone to breaks and fractures, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) felt shafted by his placement in the genetic lottery – but through this early setback, Price begins a journey worthy of a comic book supervillain. Believing that his fragility means there must be someone who is – you guessed it – unbreakable, Price orchestrates a series of “accidents” to observe the survivors to prove his theory. Enter David Dunn (Bruce Willis), the only survivor of a disastrous train crash. Price’s theory is not only proven right, but the accident he caused brought David’s fledgling superpowers to life, creating the real-life superhero of The Overseer – and simultaneously bringing life to Price’s new supervillain moniker, Mr. Glass.
Stu (Mrs. Doubtfire)
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Pierce Brosnan’s Stu may not be a villain necessarily, but he is portrayed as a roadblock in the way of Daniel (Robin Williams) reuniting with his family – yet he was completely within his rights to take every action that he did. Stu, though being an old friend of Daniel’s ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field), only begins to court her after the divorce is finalized. But above all, he never oversteps his boundaries with her children – as opposed to Daniel, who resorts to playing dress up as an old woman to spend time with his kids. Stu is respectful above all and has every right to be suspicious of a cartoonish nanny who wants to overly insert herself in the lives of people who should be strangers.
Howard Stambler (10 Cloverfield Lane)
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Michelle wakes up in an underground bunker belonging to Howard Stambler – he maintains a safe, respectable distance, claiming he will keep her safe because either Russians or perhaps aliens have launched attacks that left the atmosphere uninhabitable. As the weeks go on, Michelle gets to experience ease and safety but is increasingly unsettled by Howard’s claims and erratic behavior. Michelle soon realizes that she is a hostage, a mix of a daughter and wife for a deranged Howard who is unraveling from her attempts to escape. Michelle is eventually able to outsmart and escape Howard and get out of the bunker – only to find he was right. Aliens have descended on Earth, launching gas attacks that have left the world in disarray and chaos.
Sarah Marshall (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
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Infidelity is a despicable act, and the feeling of having been cheated on is one of the most sickening feelings that can creep up your spine and settle like poison in your stomach. When Peter confronts his famous ex Sarah Marshall about her cheating and how she gave up on their relationship, she is quick to retort that he gave up on them first. A series of flashbacks from Sarah’s perspective shows how complacent Peter had become – thanks to her success, he was able to lay around the house, jump in and out of whatever project he wanted, and let his physical shape morph into whatever sugary cereal turns you into. Sarah is at fault for never confronting him about it, but Peter’s complacency was the first step that pushed Sarah inward and seeking companionship elsewhere.
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest)
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Before he was transformed into the living embodiment of the sea, Davy Jones was a noble pirate, the chosen favorite of ocean goddess Calypso. The deity tasked Jones with ferrying souls lost at sea to the world beyond, a duty he would need to perform for ten years before coming back to land – and Calypso, his dearest love, would be there waiting for him. When Jones returned, Calypso was nowhere to be found. Can we blame Jones for giving into his anger and abandoning his post as shepherd of the seas? Despite the unbalance it created in the ocean, Calypso essentially acted as management giving a pizza party instead of a raise to a gifted and valued employee — the tentacle-faced menace of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel deserves far more for ten years of dedicated service with no return.
The Volturi (New Moon)
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As the enforcers of laws in the vampire world, imagine being the high council of Volturi and hearing that a family under your governance had exposed your secret world to a human high schooler – could you so suddenly and irrationally be considered the villains? Legions of Twilight fans rage against the Volturi for wanting to keep Edward and Bella apart and their love in shambles, but what reason do the ancient vampires have for trusting a teenager? Bella is a walking, breathing liability who carries a secret that could cause worldwide chaos – but Bella and her diamond-skinned boyfriend as just too pretty to get mad at.
The Sharks (Sharknado)
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Let’s ignore all the campy elements – you would be angry too if you got swept up in a tornado and landed in the middle of a city! Scared and confused, the sharks know nothing else other than to lash out – any of us would do the same in a frightening and unfamiliar situation!
