Villains are generally supposed to be horrid and reviled by the audience, who usually see them through the eyes of the hero of the story. Not all villains are particularly villainous, however.
Some are fairly relatable from the start, while others grow throughout the story and become more sympathetic over time.
Still others seem more relatable as we get older and learn how the real world works.
Reddit user NorthCatan asked the denizens of r/AskReddit for info on the villains they sympathize with most.
"Which villain do you sympathize for, and why?"
20.
GiphyCarrie - cause when you're a sixteen year old teenager girl and everyone treats you like sh*t for no reason and when it's prom and you find out you win prom queen but it's just a cruel joke and pig blood is dumped on you , who wouldn't do what she did.
Jason - being bullied by a group of kids cause of how you look then pushed into a lake and drown when counsellors are supposed to help you.
19.
Galactus, The Devourer of Worlds. He destroys worlds and saps up the life-force of entire populations but after all he's just an integral part of the universe and as required as other primal forces.
18.
Sandman from Spider-Man 3. Yes, he killed Uncle Ben, but damn. His last scene in the movie makes me emotional when I remember it. Dude just wanted to help his daughter, man. His confession with Peter just shows how remorseful he is for doing that to Peter.
17.
Robby Rotten. How dare that damn Sportacus try to get me off the couch and be active!!!
What's really heartfelt is what Stefan Karl (late actor for Robbie Rotten) said in an AMA a few years ago to this question:
" Way deep down inside, what does Robbie really think about the residents of LazyTown?"
"I wish I could be their friend"
16.
Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets."
People don't understand how bad real OCD is and how it changes people and the pain they suffer.
If you hate which side of the bed you sleep on and think it's OCD, maybe it is, but you have no idea how bad it gets.
15.
Spoilers for a 24 year old movie ahead. The villain from "The Rock", General Hummel, was just trying to secure military benefits for his soldiers killed in black ops authorized by the US government. This money was supposed to come from a slush fund from illegal weapon sales also perpetrated by the government itself, AND his threat against San Francisco was initially a bluff. He was basically trying to look after his men,but became desperate after exhausting the proper channels.
General Hummel was an antihero, rather than a villain. I think he was probably one of the most conflicted (and well written/performed) movie antagonists of the nineties.
14.
The Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy killed her sister, stole her shoes and refused to give them back
13.
The Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3, because she was only a villain because she had to be. That was the role assigned to her. She was loyal to her mission and to her country until the very end.
"Snake, history will never know what she did. No one will ever learn the truth. Her story... her debriefing, will endure only in your heart. Everything she did, she did for her country. She sacrificed her life and her honor for her native land. She was a real hero. She was a true patriot."
These Gestures Are Offensive In Other Countries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
People explain the friendly gestures in one country that are offensive in another. It's imperative to do a little research about the destinations and culture...12.
Whaa? Nobody has said Wile E Coyote?? That poor guy's entire purpose in life is to fail
11.
Doofenshmirtz, he was a hard working man in a difficult childhood always being overshadowed by his younger brother and a baking soda volcano. He has broke the boundaries of science that almost seems impossible but is ignored throughout his career as a scientist. As every man does, he seems to have trouble finding a place in the world, so he tries to commit to poetry only for that dream to be snatched away and crushed in front of him. He was a man with a vision, a dream to take control of a small government, to change the lives of many surroundings and many people. But desperate times call for desperate measures as he's forced to take drastic measures to fulfill his dreams. He wanted to be a loving father and give his child the childhood he never had. He was a visionary at his time that society didn't allow which demonizes him to a gross pulsating image of a man that could've brought hope and light to a better future.
10.
GiphyPain/Nagato. He was being manipulated from the very start, lost his parents and friends to a war being fought in his village, and thought his whole mission was to change the world when in reality it was just to do someone else's dirty work
9.
Zuko. My first time watching, even before his arc, it was just so heart wrenching seeing him doing everything just to be loved and accepted by his people, his father.
8.
Kronk. The man just pulled the wrong lever...
Kronk wasn't a villain. He was a sweet man. Kuzco wasn't the good guy either.
7.
Captain Hook
Captain Hook must remember
Not to scratch his toes.
Captain Hook must watch out
And never pick his nose.
Captain Hook must be gentle
When he shakes your hand.
Captain Hook must be careful
Openin' sardine cans
And playing tag and pouring tea
And turnin' pages of his book.
Lots of folks I'm glad I ain't--
But mostly Captain Hook!
-Shel Silverstein
Just recently watched Disney's Peter Pan for the first time since I was a child. Not sure if it is a sign I am old but my girlfriend and I both agreed that we didn't think Hook was that bad and that maybe Peter is actually the real villain. He just bullies Hook and antagonizes him the whole time!
6.
Medusa
Punished for being assaulted by Poseidon in Athena's Temple and being beautiful.
Her two sisters stood by her side through thick and thin and fought to keep her safe from all intruders.
Perseus creeps in while they were fast asleep on a bed and silently beheads Medusa.
He then cowardly escapes, leaving the cries of her sisters and becomes a hero.
I really wish this story didn't exist; or that she was accurately portrayed not as the villain, but a victim
The moral of this story is... the gods are a**holes.
5.
Baldur from God of War 4.
He was the product of an unloving and abusive marriage between Odin and Freya and Freya, after the end of their marriage to Odin, was stripped away of everything she had: her freedom, the trust of her people, her spirit. The only thing she had left was Baldur, but seeing that he would die a needless death in the future, she cursed him with immortality, resulting in him literally not being able to feel anything. This curse, while meant to protect him, drove him insane with rage against his mother.
4.
GiphySkeletor, the true heir to the throne and rightful ruler of Eternia. Passed up for being mixed-race, so he acted out - causing an accident that disfigured and fatally wounded him. He was left for dead by a family with magic powers, having to resort to serving evil and living out the rest of his days as a skeletal shadow of his former self.
3.
King Dedede from the kirby franchise
The dude gets possessed every Tuesday to the point where he's not doing any evil villain stuff, also he cares and tries to protect his kingdom, just take a look at Kirby's adventure, he took the star rod from the fountain of dreams to protect dreamland from Nightmare himself
1.
Invader Zim. I just want him to win so badly because I want every single member of his species, including the Tallest, to realize he is somewhat capable (although he is at times his own worst enemy). Also Doofenshmirtz because despite his increasingly tragic backstories he was an amazing father to Vanessa.
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Redditor onlyusemefeets wanted to hear about the worst of everyone's family, so they asked:
"When did you find out that someone in your family is evil?"
The Reddit community rose to the occasion to shed some light on their family skeletons.
Money Issues
Wild West Fighting GIF by Buyout FootageGiphy"When they ripped apart 3 generations of my family almost immediately after my dad died for a measly $37,000. He's a millionaire. That kinda money is pocket change to him."
Good Lord
"When my 11 year old cousin got cancer."
"Her mom and boyfriend were shooting up her pain medicine. My cousin was in so much pain, she told her Doctors. Thats when the doctors stopped giving her mom a prescription and the nurses dispensed her pain meds at the hospital. Unfortunately they could not keep track of medication while at home so they reported it."
"CPS removed her. She died shortly after in foster care. Parents were never charged."
dead-parrots
Death
"When my dad died of covid my Aunt tried to say she was entitled to some stuff of his since it belonged in the family. She even called a lawyer on us and it was big deal and my mom didn't need to deal with that trying to raise 3 kids on her own so f**k her. She still bothers us about stuff and all it is like plates and some pictures and some other things."
"Sunken Cost Fallacy"
"My brother's addiction has led to him spinning some ridiculous stories. I'm not sure if he is very convincing or if my father chooses to believe him because of some 'sunken cost fallacy,' or he genuinely refuses to give up. But my brother has told lies and stories about me and my siblings to the point that he's the only child who talks to my father anymore. He convinced my father that I forced him to do drugs."
"But I knew my brother was evil when scared away my sister with physical violence. Last month, he went missing for a weeks only to turn up after flipping his car high on pills. My father doesn't know it yet, but my mother is planning on leaving him because my father chooses my brother over her. No one can convince my father that he's enabling. No one can convince my brother to stop. Hard drugs really destroy entire families."
sleepypanda59
A New Family
Frustrated Skip Bayless GIFGiphy"When he purposely excluded his 4 year old son (from a previous relationship) from his wedding to his new spouse, deleted all photos of his son from his social media, and legally signed away all parental rights. He has since had 2 more kids with said new spouse."
FeminaCanadiana
How can parents act that way?
Failure...
"I don't know about evil, but my dad got remarried and has a kid and stepson with his new spouse. All of that would be fine if he didn't pretend that none of us (offspring from first marriage) exist so he can pretend this family is the first family and we never happened."
"Once this realization hit me, I stopped contacting him, and once I stopped putting in the effort, everything else dissipated. We haven't spoken at all. He does not care in the least. I honestly believe that he wishes we never even existed. He is a failure as a father and as a man."
Raindrops_On-Roses
Oh Brother
"When my husband's brother (1 of 5 siblings) said he couldn't make it to our house to plan their mother's funeral because he had to work. Meanwhile we found out he wasn't working because we caught him on ring doorbell entering the moms house to rifle through it while the rest of us were planning the funeral at my house."
Legitimate_Energy257
The End
"When my ex said 'you've been a godsend, I want a divorce.' I had taken time off from work to take care of her parents. She told me this right before her dad died, and she inherited. She found a boyfriend while I was with her parents. She got the house by declaring I had abandoned it. I was with her parents."
rollercoaster_5
Evil
Season 5 Nickelodeon GIFGiphy"When my dad tried to throw my 6 month old sister when he was drunk. That man is a monster in disguise"
iinattanii
So many people really need to be screened for their abilities to raise kids.
Redditor thunderchild10 wanted to discuss everyone's thoughts on the friends with benefits scenario, so they asked:
"What's your opinion of friends with benefits?"
I've never done FWB.
I feel robbed.
After a while...
Friends With Benefits Herkenbaar GIF by GoPlayGiphy"Fun, and fine for a while, but less fulfilling than a relationship. Also, you both need to be good at compartmentalization, otherwise one of you will likely end up catching feelings."
Akiram
Be Clear
"My FWB caught feelings even though we were always clearly communicated as FWB. We were both in a big but really close friends group. I got a gf (she had recently had a bf as well) and she got mad. I ended up losing all my friends. It’s been 4 years, and she actually successfully managed to get 20+ ppl to forget I exist."
"Wouldn’t recommend."
sadbudda
The Rule of Three
"I had 3 throughout college. Two ended in us dating and then breaking up. The only one that worked and lasted two years was me and an ex from high school. We never hung out but were cool after our breakup. Didn’t speak for like three years and then when we were in college we saw each other at the bar, hooked up that night, then like two days later she asked if I wanted to meet up and I said sure."
"Then it just continues for two years. We rarely spoke outside of the bedroom other than like ‘pick me up from the bar’. Overall it was cool but I think it’s very rare. You have to find two people who just don’t have any desire for each other other than when horny, which a lot of times is not the case in one side"
InternationalMouse56
Confusion
"I honestly don't understand it at all. Having any sexual relation with a person whom I don't love and who doesn't love me seems pointless and even scary to me. I guess I am over-sensitive or something, because the thought of being so close to somebody without actually having a connection, an exclusivity, without knowing if this will ever happen again, is genuinely horrific to me."
"I don't care what others do in the bed and with whom, but this kind of relationship is just not for me."
ZidanSufuzki
For Life
Corona Snap GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphy"If they can provide Medical, Dental, Unemployment, and Retirement benefits then they’re a friend for life."
Stupify_Me
Benefits are benefits. I'm in.
Forever
married single ladies GIFGiphy"It didn't work out. We couldn't keep it just friends once we started the benefits. We will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary in 2 weeks."
dirtysecretsofmine
Hey Buddy
"Very messy. You gotta either be f"k buddies only, dating, or friends only. Trying to keep feelings out of FWB is too difficult."
MarthaTheTRex
"That's a great point. I agree that it's tough to keep feelings out of the equation. I think it's best to just be honest and open with your friend so that you both know the boundaries of the situation and can stick to them. That way, both parties can be sure that they're getting what they need out of the relationship."
Professional-Help114
Taking Chances
"Seems iffy to me if you want the friendship to lay long term. Doesn't someone usually catch feelings, so after the FWB finds a partner they want to keep, it leaves the other party out. Especially if the new bf/gf doesn't want you to be friends with someone you've had sex with."
"Yes? No? I'm not into casual sex for myself, so am I off base?"
lifehappenedwhatnow
Developments
"A lot of people are saying 'someone always inevitably develops feelings' and that it ends badly, but that's not been my experience. I'm still friends with a few of my FWB's that I'm no longer sleeping with over the last couple of years and I'm genuinely happy for them that they've found relationships that make them happy. And I know of quite a few others similar to me."
playswithf1re
In Sync...
Sacha Baron Cohen Thumbs Up GIF by Amazon Prime VideoGiphy"A great plan when both participants are on the same page. Whether that is 'stay FWB' or 'hey we caught feelings, let's give a relationship a try'. A mess when only one participant catches feelings."
Gwywnnydd
Don't get hurt...
"Terrible idea, someone always inevitably develops feelings and gets hurt."
"It can work sure, but in general, unless you're both 100% sure (which, how can you ever really be?) beforehand that you won't develop feelings for each other, I generally have seen it not work."
"In my personal experience, someone always had to break it off just as feelings were starting to arise. So yeah, be careful I guess."
PodcastingPodcastGuy
What have we learned?
Communication is key.
Do you have any WTF FWB experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.
