10 Movies That Accidentally Made You Love The Villains
You're really not supposed to like someone who eats children or murders people.
There aren’t many things in cinema that compare to watching your favourite protagonist defy all the odds to defeat a villain. Yet sometimes you can’t help but feel a kinship for those on the side of evil. Don’t worry though, you’re not alone on this one. There are plenty of films out there that blur the line between good and evil to the point where it’s easy to forget that you’re not supposed to love the character.
The way a film makes you grow fond of their villain can vary. Sometimes the reasoning for their actions is completely relatable. Sometimes the comedic aspects of the character completely outshines the evil things they do. The result is always the same though and you leave the picture with an odd sense of disparity after rooting for the villain the entire time.
There are, of course, films where the protagonist is also the villain of the story, with subtle clues throughout that you may miss the first time. You may even get through this list and discover your favourite movie hero was actually the big bad the whole time.
10. Avengers: Infinity War - Thanos
It's no secret that the main focus of Infinity War was the Mad Titan, rather than the Avengers themselves. The Russo brothers even went on record to say as much during the promotional run. So it came as little surprise than fans came out of the cinema thinking, “Good for him”.
Rarely does a superhero film end with a villain winning out against any hero, never mind the Earth’s mightiest heroes. Yet that is exactly what we ended up with in the film’s incredible cliff hanger.
The entire movie had spent a lot of time establishing the character of Thanos but what was particularly heart breaking was his relationship with Gamora. The adopted daughter meant the world to him, so to watch the relationship fall apart gave an emotional depth to the character that most comic book villains don’t often get.
The well fleshed out backstory as to why he was obsessed with his plan was equally as rooted in emotion and loss. Suffering from regret and guilt after failing to save his home planet, the plan to wipe out half of the universe in order for it to continue was based on science and past experiences. It’s hard to say that the plan was bad, aside from the billions of lives that would be lost.
Maybe love is a strong word, but the Russo's ability to make us relate and feel for this genocidal mad man made the viewers show the utmost respect for Thanos.