1. HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
If there were any film that could validate motion pictures as an art form, 2001: A Space Odyssey might be it. The plot and dialogue take a back seat to innovative cinematic techniques and thematic storytelling. At the center of all this is HAL, an on board computer who malfunctions and murders its ship's crew. HAL's entire existence was Stanley Kubrick's way of commenting on our obsession with technology, HAL was programmed to be flawless and inevitably, like all our creations, he was flawed. It is literally impossible to blame HAL for anything that he does, simply because we made him that way. We can only blame ourselves as we created him and programmed him with artificial intelligence that was so sophisticated he was capable of human emotions, including the desire to inflict pain. The real villains here are us, we created a monster and can't point the finger at anyone but ourselves when that monster lashes out. HAL is like a futuristic Frankenstein's Monster, and if you've seen Frankenstein then you'll know that the Monster is easy to understand: HAL is no different.
Well, there's the list: what villains can you really get behind because they have understandable motives? Be sure to let us know in the comments and you can follow me on Twitter @TBroomey if you want to send me verbal threats or give me advice on how to improve my ever-growing tea-making abilities.