Buzz
Movies often miss the mark when villains are written with weak or no motivations at all. Villains who are simply evil for the sake of it tend to drain the tension and drama from a story. However, the opposite can be a problem as well: sometimes villains are too relatable or reasonable, making us question whether the heroes actually deserved to win. Some villains blur the lines between good and evil, right and wrong, challenging our perceptions of morality in today’s complex world. This list highlights ten such villains—characters who leave us wishing they could have come out on top.
10. The EPA from Ghostbusters
That’s right: in Ghostbusters, the true villains are the Environmental Protection Agency. We’re meant to dislike them simply because they want to regulate the Ghostbusters, and because their representative, Walter Peck, is a bit of a jerk. But despite his unpleasant personality, he was right all along.
Peck’s crime was simply asking to inspect the ‘Busters' hazardous waste storage—a perfectly reasonable request that was well within his jurisdiction and absolutely necessary. His concern was that the proton packs and ghost containment units might be dangerous, requiring safety measures. That’s it: his 'crime' was a genuine concern for public safety. As Egon explains about the containment unit, 'turning it off would be like dropping a bomb on the city,' and regarding the proton packs, 'Don’t cross the streams… It would be bad… Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.' And yet, they cross the streams on purpose. Maybe a little regulation wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
9. Tony Perkis from Heavyweights
Heavyweights, possibly the most underrated film ever, tells the story of a group of overweight children sent to a camp to lose weight, get healthier, and develop better habits. The movie’s antagonist is Tony Perkis, the camp leader and self-proclaimed fitness guru. His true villainy is revealed when he starts enforcing better diets and physical activity for the campers. Wait, did I get that wrong?
It’s true. Perkis is demonized simply for doing his job, a job that could genuinely save these children's lives. And yes, Perkis does have a meltdown at the end of the movie, but only after being subjected to months of torment by these cruel children. They lock him in a shed, starve him, mock him relentlessly, and even shock him when he attempts to escape. His fury is entirely justified, especially considering he was kidnapped, humiliated, and tortured—just for trying to help these kids become healthier.
8. Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron
Alright, no one is going to argue that Ultron was a 'good guy,' or even really a 'guy' at all. His ultimate goal was to eradicate most of humanity and either force the few survivors to evolve into something stronger, or simply replace them with copies of himself. Not exactly the definition of a hero, but if Ultron had emerged victorious, the entire conflict over the Infinity Stones would have unfolded in a completely different way.
If Ultron had triumphed, his factory systems would have swiftly replaced humanity with hyper-intelligent, vibranium-enclosed battlebots, creating a society governed by an ultra-efficient hive mind focused on strength and survival. On top of that, he would have collected all the Infinity Stones on Earth at the time: the Mind Stone, Time Stone, and Space Stone. When Thanos inevitably showed up, the time, space, and mind-controlling Ultron, along with his army of millions of war-bots, would have given the Mad Titan the most challenging battle of his life.
7. Jurassic Park from Jurassic Park
In Jurassic Park, the obvious villains are the dinosaurs—the velociraptors, T-Rex, and even the dilophosaurus—but the real antagonist is hubris. It’s the theme Jeff Goldblum’s character can’t stop harping on throughout the film: overly confident humans like John Hammond try to control forces they shouldn't. But in the end, they succeed. And fail. Repeatedly.
Various dinosaur parks continue to thrive throughout the franchise, offering a mix of entertainment and scientific advancements. This is Hammond’s vision—the parks are like a biologist’s dream come true—and their value to genetic research is unmatched. The dream only falters when humans mess it up. Without Dennis Nedry, the human obstacle, Hammond’s vision would have endured, and he would have come out on top. The world might actually be better off with his parks and technology. Every great scientific leap involves some level of hubris, but I think we’re all glad we pushed the limits to invent the airplane, the telephone, and the medicine that lets us live past 30.
6. The Replicants from Blade Runner
Blade Runner stands as a monumental work in the realms of science fiction and cyberpunk. Visually stunning and masterfully scored, the film creates an atmosphere that's nothing short of immersive, while simultaneously presenting a story that’s literally about a bounty hunter tracking down runaway slaves and executing them. Yes, I said literally.
Replicants in Blade Runner are androids so sophisticated they appear to be 'real' humans, even made from biological (human) material. They possess human-like intelligence, genuine emotions, and are consistently tested to prove they're no different than the rest of us. Yet they are almost entirely relegated to slave labor. If one of these 'slaves' dares to escape, or seek the freedom inherent in their existence, specialized agents known as Blade Runners hunt them down and end their lives. The most perplexing part? We're encouraged to sympathize with these slave-catchers and masters, simply because they share a tiny bit more in common with us. It's difficult to argue that the plot hasn't aged poorly, especially given that slavery was already widely seen as immoral by 1982.
5. Killmonger from Black Panther
Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Erik Killmonger was nothing short of ruthless, cold-blooded, and cunning. But he was also deeply empathetic, fiercely righteous, and self-sacrificing, and in many ways, he deserved to win.
Killmonger’s plan to take the throne of Wakanda was by the book: he had royal blood, and ritual combat is how the throne is claimed. He also intended to dismantle Wakanda’s isolationist policies and share its advanced technology and medicine with those less fortunate, particularly the descendants of African slaves who had suffered for generations. This doesn’t sound like the actions of a villain; rather, it sounds like the vision of a global hero. His main flaws were his violent methods and his thirst for dominance. But considering the potential for a massive technological leap for the world (which was on the brink of alien invasion) and the near-total eradication of systemic inequality, disease, and hunger, it’s hard not to forgive him.
4. The White Walkers from Game of Thrones
It's hard to argue that the White Walkers are purely innocent—they definitely rack up a body count throughout the series. But let’s not forget, the humans kill a lot too. The difference is, the White Walkers bring their victims back to life, granting them a kind of semi-immortality in the process. And while humans are constantly fighting amongst themselves, the White Walkers don’t seem to have that issue at all. They function in perfect unity, unlike the petty, self-serving, and often deceitful humans who treat life like a mere ‘game.’
So, who really has the superior society? Who truly deserved to win the war? As human beings, it's natural for us to lean toward humanity in these types of conflicts. But let’s face it, the people of Westeros and Essos are awful. They murder each other on a whim—sometimes for fun, other times for no reason whatsoever. In contrast, the White Walkers only kill to establish dominance over their species, and once that’s done, they likely would just chill in their icy thrones, sip some blue slushies, and enjoy the eternal winter sun.
3. Everyone but the X-Men From X-Men
The X-Men are without a doubt the coolest superheroes out there. A team of tough, stylish superheroes, clad in leather, with an arsenal of fun powers, jets, and motorcycles at their disposal. But let’s not forget, they’re essentially walking, unregulated nuclear bombs, living among ordinary humans. Every single villain the X-Men face has a point: they’re simply too powerful to be left unchecked.
Senator Kelley, a character we're designed to dislike, consistently presents legitimate concerns about the existence of mutants. If someone can phase through walls, what’s to stop them from robbing a bank? If they have the ability to control minds, what’s to prevent them from coercing someone into launching a nuclear missile? Charles Xavier could eliminate people with just a thought, Magneto could tear the metal from your body, and Cyclops constantly fires lasers from his eyes. The most terrifying part is that these mutants, like most others, developed their powers during puberty. Imagine a twelve-year-old with the ability to freeze your blood, summon lightning, or alter reality itself (all genuine X-Men powers). The world would be perpetually on fire, both literally and figuratively, until the mutant problem is resolved.
2. The Director from *Cabin in the Woods*
*The Cabin in the Woods* is a brilliant satire of the horror genre. A group of teenagers heads to a secluded cabin for vacation, only to be overrun by all kinds of supernatural creatures. As the story unfolds, we learn that a secret global organization called the Facility is controlling their fate, orchestrating the deaths of the teens as part of a ritual sacrifice meant to appease a pantheon of vengeful ancient gods. In other words, the so-called antagonists are actually working to save humanity.
The film concludes with two of the teens disrupting the Facility’s operations and halting the ritual, which would typically be considered a victory. It means that, for once, the heroes survive and overcome their tormentors. However, the Facility was serious: without regular human sacrifices, an ancient god quickly rises and annihilates the entire world. It’s difficult to argue against sacrificing five teenagers to save billions of people and their future descendants.
1. Gollum from *Lord of the Rings*
This isn’t a “he was right” discussion. Instead, like Ultron, a victory for the evil Gollum would actually result in a greater victory for the world’s greater good—along with the saving of tens of thousands of lives.
Gollum possessed the ring for nearly 500 years and... nothing happened. No Sauron, no war. Then Bilbo takes the ring, which sets off a series of events leading to the entire War of the Ring. Gollum wanders through Middle Earth, searching for the ring, eventually gets captured in Mordor, and reveals Bilbo’s supposed whereabouts. The Nazgul are unleashed, Frodo has to travel to Bree, then to Rivendell, and the Fellowship is formed to destroy the ring in Mount Doom. Alternatively, if Gollum had reclaimed the ring at any of his chances, it would have remained hidden in a dark cave beneath a mountain, far north of Mordor, just as concealed from Sauron and the Nazgul as it had always been. Then perhaps Sean Bean could have survived a few more films.
