We’ve all been there before, right in the middle of a movie, all prepared to see the plucky protagonist defeat the evil villain and save the day once and for all. But then the antagonist starts monologuing or does something you don’t expect, and you think about it for more than just a few seconds. What if they’re right? What if our hero is fighting for the wrong cause or the wrong team?
And then there’s that sinking feeling as you realize that you realize what the protagonist, and perhaps even the writer or director, does not: the villain’s methods may not be very heroic or morally good from an obvious angle, but their cause is just. I’m not only talking about sympathetic antagonists here, either, because that would be too easy. These are characters that test the boundaries of a polite society and still manage to convince with their messaging.
General Hummel from The Rock
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Okay, so we actually are going to start out with a sympathetic villain here, because he’s just such a fantastically layered character. Which is surprising given that The Rock is made by Michael Bay, a director not exactly known for three-dimensional characters. Yet General Frank Hummel, played by the brilliant Ed Harris, is a character doing a very bad thing for all the right reasons. He wants justice for his soldiers, and he’s seemingly willing to kill to get that.
But the surprising thing is how well The Rock never betrays Hummel’s character. When faced with defeat, Hummel doesn’t suddenly pull a 180 and become a monster out of nowhere. He’s fully prepared to not go too far for his goals, admirable as they are. It’s a rare explosion-heavy Hollywood action movie that has something of a brain somewhere underneath all the one-liners and cheesy action sequences, and Hummel is a big reason why. To me, this is one of those cult classics that one might consider so bad that they’re good.
Red Hood from Batman: Under the Red Hood
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When I was younger, I had a rather binary view of superheroes and supervillains, as I’m sure most of us did. That all changed for me when I was first introduced to Jason Todd, the Red Hood, a villain/antihero who routinely takes things way too far. While Batman refuses to kill, Red Hood has no such qualms. This should make him instantly detestable to audiences, but Todd’s tragic story and cogent points make it less clear-cut.
Batman spends his life locking up these powered supervillains, who just continue to escape and wreak havoc on Gotham while killing countless innocents. Yet he never takes that next step, even when it costs him. I’m not going to make judgment calls here and say outright that he should. I’m just saying that Todd’s reasoning makes a lot of sense, considering what he’s been through. It’s also a level of complexity that I hadn’t experienced with Batman stories before, though now it’s kind of the norm. Especially since there are many gory superhero movies like The Toxic Avenger.
Miranda from Mrs. Doubtfire
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As a child, there was no one I sympathized with less than Miranda (Sally Field) from Mrs. Doubtfire. Obviously, she’s not a villain at all, but she works at every point to undermine Robin Williams’ character’s efforts to be a cool dad and spend more time with his kids. As an adult, let’s just say that Miranda took a lot of heat for just being a responsible parent who wanted what was best for her kids.
Meanwhile, Williams’ Daniel is a wildcard character who tricks his ex-wife into letting him watch their kids by lying about who he is and disguising himself as someone else. He also completely sabotages her newfound relationship with Stu (Pierce Brosnan), a guy who hasn’t actually done anything wrong. I still love the movie, and Williams in the eponymous role, but as an adult, I have a difficult time not seeing things from Miranda’s point of view.
Screenslaver from Incredibles 2
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I easily could have included Syndrome (Jason Lee) from The Incredibles in this spot instead, but I think Screenslaver (Catherine Keener) from Incredibles 2 fits just a little better. Some of her motivations are a little murky compared to others on this list, and I don’t find her nearly as sympathetic as Syndrome, but what she represents is fascinating to me.
The big monologue from Screenslaver really hits hard, calling out a society that would rather watch life go by on a television than actually live. I mean, not exactly shocking given her villain name, but it’s a well-written monologue that instantly builds up that “Hey, maybe they’re on to something here” factor. I do wish Incredibles 2 had spent more time making her slightly more compelling, but for a kids’ movie, it’s incredibly well done. I would understand if you personally put Syndrome here, however.
I will always appreciate villains who test the concepts of good and evil
Sure, there’s something comforting about a villain who is just allowed to be a mustache-twirling representation of uncomplicated evil that’s just fun to witness. But I always look for complexity when I can, and to me, these are some movies with complex baddies—or at least antagonists—who don’t deserve the level of hate they get. But if you’re tired of thinking about good and evil, here are some terrifying new shows and movies you can check out before Halloween hits.