There are all kinds of villain-protagonist interactions in movies. Perhaps the oldest and most successful story theme is to have the hero not getting along with the villain. Whether it’s Light vs. Dark (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Superhero vs. Supervillain (Superman movies, Batman Movies), or Innocence vs. Evil (The Exorcist, Poltergeist), the most defined theme is Good vs. Evil. Usually, the villain comes off as the “mean kid” who is out to steal, lie, destroy, or wreak havoc. In contrast, the protagonist is depicted as someone who stands up and fights for the greater good.
Yet, there are occasions in movies where villains and heroes build a romantic bond and even start a relationship. This doesn’t happen all the time, and interestingly, it’s rarely the case that villains actively seduce protagonists—it’s usually the latter that starts romantic attachments. Sounds strange, right? However, the changing dynamic between the two is fascinating to watch. Producers use this technique to create a magical transition that makes movies more interesting and memorable. If you’re looking for movies or series in which the villain and protagonist fall in love, here are six movies you should consider:
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5 James Bond & Elektra King – The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Eon Productions
James Bond is definitely known for being the ladies’ man. In The World Is Not Enough, the chemistry between James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Electra King (Sophie Marceau) was evident. James was assigned to protect Electra after her father, billionaire Sir Robert King, was assassinated by the antagonist, Renard. However, she turns out to be a nutcase in love with Renard, who had planned for her father’s death together. Elektra’s relationship with Bond was a ploy to distract him from unraveling their plan to bomb Istanbul so that her inherited pipeline would be the only source of oil. Their star-crossed romance ended with Bond killing her. Bond was visibly disturbed for having to kill Elektra, telling her he’d miss her so much. But she had herself to blame anyway.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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4 Anna & Hans – Frozen (2013)
Walt Disney Pictures
In Disney’s Frozen, Anna falls in love with the seemingly charming prince Hans, despite having met the same day. She even went ahead and gave the nod to his marriage proposal. For most of the movie, Hans pretends to be such a good guy that Anna doesn’t realize he really doesn’t love her and has ill intentions. With time, however, Hans revealed his shady side of self and nefarious agenda, claiming that he only married Anna so that he could kill Elsa, her sister, and seize the power of Arendelle. Anna’s blind infatuation and willingness to marry someone she barely knew almost cost her life. Fortunately, Elsa saved her from the consequences of Hans’ evil intentions, proving that sometimes sisterly love carries more weight than romantic love.
3 Ben Kylo & Rey – Stars Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Kylo Ben and Rey had a complex relationship for the better part of the Star Wars trilogy. They started out on opposing sides, often going up in arms against each other. Their intriguing transition happened in the third movie after discovering they were Forced-bound, prompting them to initiate a less hostile relationship. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ben puts his life on the line to save Rey. Sadly, he passed away after that incident, but not before the two had shared a passionate kiss. While we’d have loved to see how their romantic relationship unfolds, now that they’re on good terms, at least Kylo (or Ben Solo, really) got his inner peace and Rey got a second chance at life.
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2 Batman & Catwoman (Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle) – Batman Returns (1992)
Warner Bros.
In Batman Returns, Selina’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) first encounter with Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) is when he rescues her after being taken hostage by a clown during the Red Triangle Gang attack. However, he is masked up, which only makes her become fascinated with Batman. Their second encounter is at Shreck’s office when Bruce and Shreck are holding a meeting. Some attraction instantly develops between Bruce and Selina.
By the third encounter, Selina had already become Catwoman, a villain that Batman had to stop. They fight and injure each other, which leads to Catwoman joining forces with the Penguin. During their fourth encounter, emotions and intimacy prevailed, and they stopped themselves midway through a passionate moment when they realized their injuries from the Catwoman-Batman fight would be revealed. Their fifth encounter is as Batman and Catwoman, where Bruce removes his mask and pleads with Catwoman to abandon her quest for revenge, hoping their intimate connection would persuade her.
1 Mina & Dracula – Dracula (1992)
American Zoetrope
Dracula, a Gothic tale by Bram Stoker, depicts the villain, Dracula, infecting the hero, Mina, with vampirism and helping her fiancé Jonathan Harker, Professor Van, and others to destroy the powerful vampire. However, the more romantic version of Dracula is different. Mina falls in love with the charming Dracula. Despite having killed her best friend, Lucy, she still forgave him for his actions. In the end, as Dracula lay at the brink of death, Mina put a knife through his heart, so he could end his suffering. This version of the story gave Dracula a more romantic ending as Mina’s love eventually restored Dracula’s soul. Moreover, Mina lived on, which can’t be said of most movies where the hero falls in love with the villain.
