What is the definition of a ‘villain’?

vil·lain

Noun:

1. A person guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness.

2. The person or thing responsible for specified trouble, harm or damage.

Think: evil dictators… psychopaths… serial killers… last Rolo stealer…
But could it be possible that villains are not necessarily evil but in fact simply misunderstood? The boundaries between Good and Evil are increasingly being blurred, especially when it comes to our movie monsters; as our heroes are increasingly becoming vigilantes themselves.
Here are 10 completely misunderstood movie villains of all time, characters that made our guilty conscience want to huggle comfortingly, and perhaps offer a cup of tea and biscuits before they continue with their vengeful vendettas.

10. Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Hannibal the Cannibal.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) is one of my favourite villains of all time. I’m still unsure as to whether he is truly a villain or simply an anti-hero?

Yes, he is a cannibalistic serial killer, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of good, right? Afterall, the humans he deviously devoured were immoral beings such as paedophiles. So theoretically he was using his palate instead of pellets to cleanse society…

In the words of Oscar Wilde: “The only difference between saints and sinners is that every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.”

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