One of the best tropes in fiction is the villain who ends up righting their wrongs and coming into their own, and is revealed as a hero at the end of a story. And that trope brings reality into a piece of art, whether that be a villain who doesn’t really believe in the cause they are serving, or they understand that their way is the wrong way — or sometimes it’s even for self-preservation. Regardless, these characters typically gain a cult following, and audiences fall in love with their determination to be better and even relate to the struggle between good and bad.
Nothing is more exciting as an audience than seeing the bad guys in movies realize they could do something good, and, in that split second, decide it is worth risking their lives and turning their back on what they previously knew. Now, unfortunately, this decision is sometimes followed up by their demise, but we are left to believe it was worth it. This article lists bad guys in movies who became heroes with a sacrifice or a decision, and does not include morally gray heroes, or those that always toe the line between hero and villain all the time, like Harley Quinn, Mystique, or Thomas Shelby. From supervillians to zombie killers to boxers, here are some of the greatest bad guys in movies who found their path to the good side.
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8 Maleficent — Maleficent
Disney
From the Disney classic of the evil dragon woman snatching sweet Aurora, the 2014 live action movie Maleficent turns the story on its head. Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie, sets out to punish her old lover and curses his only daughter with a death spell set to happen on her 16th birthday. She seeks revenge and definitely has the theatrics of an evil villain. As Aurora ages, Maleficent grows fond of her and tries to warn her of the curse, and ultimately seeks a way to reverse it. She ends up being the one to break the curse on Aurora, and in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, she sacrifices herself for her, proving to become the “good guy” whether she liked it or not.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Severus Snape — Harry Potter Franchise
Warner Bros. Pictures
Now, this character is a very interesting one. Fans of the Harry Potter series either love or hate him. Severus Snape, the evil professor, initially sided with Voldemort, but had his reasons for why. Snape spent the entirety of Harry Potter’s school career practically bullying the boy because he hated James Potter, Harry’s father. However, at the end, Snape sacrifices himself for Harry and reveals that he was madly in love with Lily Potter, Harry’s mother. So, did Snape save Harry because he cared for him, as posed by Screen Rant, or just for his mother? Perhaps the Potterhead community will never know. That said, what we do know is that Snape was painted as the bad guy, but made a choice at the end to become the hero and save Harry himself.
6 Kylo Ren — Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Lucasfilm
One of the most interesting characters in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, tries to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, joining the Dark side and wrecking havoc across the galaxy. Along with his rage issues, he destroys and murders, trying to prove himself to dark leader after leader. He tries to get Rey, the emerging Jedi opposer, to join him and conquer the galaxy, but she refuses. Time and time again, Kylo Ren follows the villain checklist and molds to the dark side. In the end, though, in a moment that ultimately ends up costing his life, he makes the decision to answer Rey’s call for help and turn against his followers, aiding in the survival of the Rebellion and saving Rey’s life by giving her his own life-Force. Beautiful and tragic, and a wonderful homage to the Star Wars way of redeeming villains.
5 Loki — MCU Franchise
Disney Platform Distribution
Throughout the MCU, Loki went from trying to take over New York City with the Chitari army, bringing on the first Avengers-level threat, to unpacking his trauma, saving his brother countless times, getting his own television show about time travel, and falling in love with himself, metaphorically and literally. From the sniveling villain to one of the most heartbreaking (almost) deaths, Loki toes the line of morally grey hero, but ultimately makes the list of the best bad guys in movies who turned good in the end.
4 Nebula — Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios
One of the most unsung and overlooked characters in the MCU, who deserves so much more hype, Nebula is the abused, half-bionic adopted daughter of the Mad Titan Thanos. She goes from being a vicious murdering machine, molded to be the perfect assassin, in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies to being one of the most important parts of Avengers: Endgame. She follows in her sister’s footsteps and learns that she can be a part of something so much better and not have to endure the torture from Thanos. In a hand to hand “talk” with Gamora, she airs out her quarrels and unloads her trauma, but ultimately has the best character arc and learns to work with a team to help save the rest of the world from her evil adoptive father.
3 Anton Ego — Ratatouille
The food critic whose whole purpose was to be the menacing force driving Remy and Linguini to be the chefs they were meant to be, in Ratatouille, turned all of its viewers nostalgic for a meal they had never had before. He begins as the physical villain, the cause of the demise of the restaurant, but ends as one of its main supporters and a seemingly overall happier man in the process. The third bad guy on this list, solely because you can never forget the sign of relief after he enjoys the dish and remembers his mother.
2 Apollo Creed — Rocky
MGM
In Rocky, Apollo Creed starts off as the menacing opponent to the beloved Rocky Balboa, who beats him terribly. As a result, Rocky builds up this resentment for the American Flag-wearing, grand entrance-having bad guy. Of course, once he discovers that Creed may be his only hope at getting back in the ring and fighting again, he turns to Apollo for help, and they spark an unlikely and strong bond in the end.
1 Darth Vader — Star Wars Original Trilogy
LucasFilm Ltd.
One of the most famous bad guys in movies of all time, Darth Vader turns away from his years following the Dark side and taking orders from the evil Emperor Palpatine, and kills him in order to save his son. It’s one of the most iconic villain redemption arcs in cinema history, and the reason why he’s at the top of our list.
