Fictional villains can be relatable, in some pretty stark ways. For example, is it any wonder the Grinch is miserable? Or that the Wicked Witch of the West hated Dorothy?
stenotype0 asked Reddit: Which villain actually had a point?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
He'd be better a better leader than Donald Trump too.
Dr. Doofinsmirtz, he would've ruled the tri-state area better than his stupid brother.
He was also actually a really great dad spending years searching for a toy his daughter wanted when she was younger just to make her happy.
Jerry is the heel... or is he?
Tom from Tom and Jerry was just trying to be a normal house-cat and taking care of pests. Most people don't want mice in their homes, so they kill them or set them free, so it's perfectly normal for him to want to kill Jerry.
Jerry is the villian in my eyes.
They're actually friends and don't actually hurt each other. If you pay attention during some points in the show, you realize neither of them actually want to kill each other. If one of them isn't waking up, the other gets extremely worried because they're friends. They enjoy chasing each other and their shenanigans. Jerry is just as much justified as Tom either way. Jerry is in his home, hes just trying to protect himself.
Being a lizard can't be all bad.
The Lizard from Spider-man that wanted to turn everyone into lizards because being a lizard is so great
"I don't want to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs."
I just want his powers.
Magneto. I don't condone his methods, but the man has a valid point.
Especially after Logan. It's literally the exact thing he feared would happen.
The older I get, the more the Grinch's anger makes sense.
The Grinch!
I'd be f*cking pissed to If I was an outcast from the only city in the world, and they won't f*cking shut up. I have no problem with celebrating Christmas, but all f*cking year?
The Grinch has serious heart problems and the whos are a bunch of assh*le neighbors who wont shut up. In the movie Christmas day is depicted with beautiful singing, but had he not "stolen" Christmas it would have been a cacophony of noise. This is a being that just wants peace for his few remaining years and not one Who gives a damn.
He's my favorite Christmas character. Think about it- he doesn't hate Christmas, he hates the consumer culture surrounding Christmas. This is evidenced by the fact that he saw the beauty of human connection at the end, when all the consumerism was stripped away and he saw the Whos banding together and singing. I f*ck with the Grinch.
Humanity is an environmental nightmare.
Recyclops. Humans ARE bad for the environment.
The hero we deserve.
Elphaba's pain is understandable, go see "Wicked."
The Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy did kill her sister and steal her ruby slippers, plus she was instigating rebellion in Munchkin Land.
Have you read Wicked by Gregory Maguire? Good book. The musical is great, too (well, I can only speak for the soundtrack). It's a lot more complex and interesting than The Wizard of Oz, which is more of a children's book, so it is what it is. I never cared much for the original but I really liked the retelling.
Barbosa was not a bad guy. He just wants to eat an apple.
Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean just wanted to have the curse on his crew lifted. He honestly could have just asked for Will to give a bit of his blood to cure them instead of taking him hostage and trying to kill him. It would have been a much more peaceful ending to that movie though.
Barbossa isn't "just" trying to cure his crew. He's still a pirate. He has plenty of wealth but he'd not want to pay someone to come spill their blood like a normal person would. He wants to take what he wants and he has the power to do it.
Not to mention that he can't just walk up port royale and ask for a chat with the governers daughter. They'd (attempt to) kill him and sink the pearl. Even if they didn't shoot on site, what makes you think any respecting citizen of port royale cares whether a filthy pirate is cursed. Even if he was paying, that's stolen money, they can't accept that.
Sideshow Bob is a sociopath.
Sideshow Bob.
"I thought I was your mortal enemy!"
"I have a life outside you, Bart."
He's just like Trump.
Lord Farquaad.
"Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
One of the best villain lines.
Redditor Tight_Anywhere6794 wanted to hear about the things parents have said in the past that haunts everyone still, so they asked:
"What insult have your parents said, that is stuck in your head as an adult?"
I've been blessed with the mother I had.
So I can't speak from experience.
But I've heard parenting horror stories.
Bad Expressions
Sad Kid GIF by 1tvGiphy“'You’re so annoying.' Said to me as a young kid while I was expressing enthusiasm over some new interest. Later my father complains I never tell him anything."
foppishyyy
Mean Spirited
"What did I do to deserve a fat kid?"
Silosolo
"My parents also mocked me for being fat, and outright physically abused me as in forcefully grabbed my fat child manboobs or slapped me while calling me fat-related names."
"A lot of people at school did it too, so obviously I have a lot of self-image issues like I never let anyone see me without clothes these days. The worst part is that I legitimately internalized a lot of hate, I could never care for myself enough to actually get fit."
FoeWithBenefits
What's My Name?
"My parents divorced when I was young and they hate each other. My mom would call me my dad's name when she was really upset. What makes it worse is that I confided in her that I never wanted to be like my dad. She used that ammunition against me."
Discarded_Pariah
"That's awful. You are your own person. You aren't your father."
blksmnr
Unfunny
"'You can't even laugh right.'"
"My mom in a weird moment I thought we were bonding. There's something inherently extra evil when someone tells you your joy is wrong. Told her I'm engaged and hoped she could at least be happy I'm happy and she ghosted everyone to the point the family thought died. She's a mess."
BlindEditor
"I'll never understand parents that are so hard on their own children that they can't even be happy for them. So their sole function is to bring misery to their offspring?"
macabre_irony
Evil
Oh My God Wow GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphy"My little brother was drowning, I tried to save him but also almost drowned, we got rescued by a neighbor. My mom told me that they should've left me in the pond. I haven't spoken to her in many years."
Ilookbetterthanyou
Good Lord. How do people like this exist?
Tragic.
HIM
"She told me I was acting just like my father when I would get upset. I would just get kinda pissy and sulk. He would go on rampages and scream and hit and throw things. He pushed her down the stairs once. I would never lay a finger on my current partner. The worst part is I look just like him. I was wondering if my mother always expected me to turn into my dad. I prove her wrong every day."
rot_grl
10 Years Old
"When I was ~10 years old, my mum once said 'If I could go back in time and make sure I never gave birth to you, I would in a heartbeat.'"
"Never forgot it. Talked to her about it a couple of times years later and her responses ranged from 'That never happened' to 'Oh yeah and I suppose I’m just the worst mother ever' and finally 'Yeah but I didn’t mean it, you know that.'"
"Messed me up tho tbh. Another one was '[older sibling] was the only child we actually planned for, the rest of you were accidents.' I don’t think it was intended as an insult, but being told your entire existence was an accident as a child kinda stung."
SpiderP*bes
Failures
“'You’re the biggest mistake I ever made.' - my mother when I was 5. I’m 32 now and it’s been the undercurrent for our relationship ever since, constantly wondering if anything I’ve achieved or struggled for is something she’s genuinely proud of or just relieved to say I wasn’t a total failure on her part."
thefaehost
Generational Issues
"Not a parent but a grandparent, I was adopted when I was 12 years old (my parents were both drug addicts so I was in and out of foster care most of my life) my adopted mother's father turned to me on Christmas Eve when no one else was around and said 'My daughter should have never adopted you, she should have let you stay on the streets where you belong'… he got nicer as he got older and sicker but I couldn’t find it in myself to forget what he said even almost 10 years later. Went to the funeral for moral support but was indifferent about his passing."
samweather227
Just Me
Sad Kids GIF by Cian DucrotGiphy"I was an only child and lonely. When I asked for a sibling, the response was 'If you want to know why we don't have more kids, go look in the mirror.'"
Responsible_Fly_3565
Some people should never have children.
Awful.
"What is something you no longer have patience for?"
Off The Clock Means OFF THE CLOCK!
"Working outside of work hours."
"I used to go above and beyond, now I only put in what is required."
"Life is too short to live only to work."- Chesterfieldcat
"The working world."
"My life doesn’t revolve around working here and it never will."
"It will never be a part of my identity."
"I come in, do the job, make money, go home."
"Don’t expect me to come to all the work happy hours so I can pretend how much I love working here."- nuclearsalt
Some Things Just Don't Get A Free Pass
"Sh*tty people getting a pass 'because they're family'."- cgulash
angry homer simpson GIFGiphySay What You Mean, Not What You Feel
"Having to guess what people REALLY mean by something they said."
"I take everything people say at face value now and don't replay conversations in my head to find out the real meaning anymore."
"Be passive-aggressive if you want to but talk to me like an adult if you really have a problem."- WateredDownSalt
EYES ON THE ROAD!
"People who text and drive."
"You're driving a giant piece of metal propelled by explosive liquid."
"Pay attention."- MasterfulNothasie
The Only Life That Should Concern You Is Your Own
"People and groups of people that only talk about other people."- Turf98
"People who can’t mind their fucking business and are always worried about what other people are doing."
"If it doesn’t effect you, f*ck off."
"It’s literally free."- wackwackwackjpg
GIF by WWEGiphySome People Didn't Mind Social Distancing
"People invading my personal space."- Mighty-Foreskin
Influence Can Be Dangerous
"Anything that has “influencer” in it."- chemistcarpenter
Indoor Voices People...
"Streamers screaming, losing their sh*t, breaking things, and having tantrums."
"I used to think this was so funny now I just can't stand it; I can't even watch a streamer if I notice they're not using their normal talking voice." - Reddit
Fail Oh No GIF by G2 EsportsGiphyTaking Responsibility Is A Sign Of Maturity
"People who constantly blame others for the situation they are in."- SuvenPan
Time Is Precious And Shouldn't Be Wasted
"Waiting on people who are constantly late to plans."
"I will wait 15 minutes then excuse myself."- Dabbles-In-Irony
There's Multi-Tasking, And Then There's Just Being Rude...
"People being on their phone while in a conversation with you."
"Seriously."
"Put your phone away!"- rosieblinkstime
Phone GIF by Poehlmann FitnessGiphyIt Takes So Much More Effort To Be Nasty...
"Bad manners, unkindness and general rudeness."
"It costs nothing to be a nice person and from someone who works in a customer-facing industry, attitudes, sadly, appear to be getting worse."
"It really makes me cross."- Bellamiles85
At Least They're Being Transparent
"Medicine commercials with worse side-effects than the thing being cured."- mrbbrj
Wasting our time and thoughts about things that we know can only bring us down is simply no way to get through life.
It's essential to live our lives by taking the present moment for what it is: a present.