12 Movie Villains Who Were Really the Heroes
Every compelling villain needs a strong motive, something that makes you question your own values and see the truth from multiple perspectives.
But some movies are a little too good with their backstories and a little too weak with their protagonists.
The result?
A movie where the bad guys are really the heroes.
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2. The Exterminator, The Ant Bully
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He’s just an exterminator called to do his job. Instead, he’s attacked by an army of insects.
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4. The Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz
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Dorothy inadvertently killed her sister and stole her shoes. The Witch had every right to hate her. And that’s without the “Wicked” backstory.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="329px" width="559px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="387px" width="360px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
7. Ice Man, Top Gun
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Ice Man is right, Maverick is dangerous. He is a threat to himself, his copilot, and every other friendly airplane out there.
8. Captain Hook, Peter Pan
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Peter Pan discards young men when they grow up, and Captain Hook leads those men against him. Tinkerbell also betrays them all because she's jealous that Wendy's getting all the attention.
9. Magneto, The X-Men Franchise
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Humans were never going to peacefully coexist with mutants. War against mutants WAS inevitable.
10. Poison Ivy, Batman & Robin
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Poison Ivy is right that the natural side of the Earth is in grave peril, thanks to humanity’s actions.
11. Gorr, Thor: Love and Thunder
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The God slayer was right. The Gods were selfish, pleasing themselves and for the most part ignoring the needs of their followers.
12. Loki, The Avengers
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="935.7702349869452px" width="700px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
“He thought that he was hot and should get to rule the world. He was right.”
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