Sometimes, even if the hero is the best person ever, with a truly nice and heartwarming personality, there’s just something else about the villains that makes us like them. It can be their backstory, their funny, sarcastic or charming personality or even just the fact that they are so insane you can’t help but like them.
So here’s a list of 10 villains (or antagonists) that everyone loves.
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Starting with the best of all. Star Wars is one of the most loved franchises ever, and part of that is because of Darth Vader. The character construction is so great you start liking him even before knowing how he became a villain. With episodes IV through VI being the first ones to be released, he started as a completely evil and cruel being who had no mercy for any other character, and ever since then, the way he is portrayed caught the public.
Later on, with episodes I through III, his history was revealed and we got to meet Anakin Skywalker, who turned out to be such a sweet child and loving partner to Padmé, and it’s shown how he only learned about the dark side to try and save her life. If you didn’t love him before, seeing Hayden Christensen’s charming performance makes you fall for him and forget every bad thing he’s ever done.
Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Thor’s younger brother, Loki has an impeccable sense of humour that makes him annoyingly likeable. His relationship with his brother is also very interesting to follow through Marvel’s movies. What’s weird about him is that, even when you hope he loses, you hope he stays alive and comes back for another fight, and you kinda never know if he is really dead or not.
Loki’s sarcastic lines and remarkable scenes throughout the movie made him so many people’s favorite character. From the first time Iron Man told him “We have a Hulk” to the scene in which he tells Thanos the same thing, a lot changed. He was smashed on the floor, transformed a bunch of times, discovered he is not Asgardian and did a lot of “get helps”, and he was loved through all that.
Cruella (101 Dalmatians and Cruella)
If you say you have never heard of Cruella DeVil, yes you did. Her iconic look made her one of the most remarkable Disney villains of all time, gaining even a solo movie in which we explored more of her story from her point of view, and everyone has seen the famous grief scene, in which she says “They say there are five stages of grieve: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Well, I’d like to add one more. Revenge.”
Even though the movie shows a new perspective on how the character turned evil, she says herself that she is not Estella, she is Cruella, born bad, brilliant and an absolute icon. She likes being mad and causing a scene, she fights for what she wants and she needs the world to see her shine no matter what. Estella is simply a mask she tried to wear to disguise who she really is, and when she shows her true self, that’s when you start loving her.
Regina George (Mean Girls (2004 and 2024)
At the end of the day, she is right, everyone is obsessed with her. She is a diva, she is an icon and she is the moment. No one is hotter than her, because she is the Barbie doll everyone dreams of. Regina George is a true mean girl, but that and her iconic looks and lines are what makes her so amazing.
Rachel McAddams played Regina in the 2004 Mean Girls movie, and brought her to life in such a unique way, she influenced an entire generation to wanna look like her and to this day, thousands of girls still wear pink on Wednesdays because of her. In 2024, a new version of the movie, this time a musical, had Reneé Rapp as Regina George, and they couldn’t have made a better choice, her revenge scenes became even more notable and her solo songs made the public love her even more, even when she’s singing songs with mean lyrics, you can’t help but focus on her outstanding beauty.
Joe Goldberg (You)
What’s to say about the most enchanting murderer-stalker in the whole world? He is one of the worst characters ever, but having a show narrated from his perspective and listening to his thoughts makes you question everything you believe in, especially because he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong.
It’s impressive how so many people like him and find him irresistible just because he said he did everything for love. The number of lines that went viral because they were considered attractive is unbelievable. Even if you haven’t watched You, you’ve probably heard of “Call me whatever you want! Call me Will. You can call me Joe. Call me a fucking liar. Call me in the middle of the night, call me happy, sad, sick, for favors, for sex, for a laugh, a cry. Don’t ever stop calling me.” And to be honest, that would be one of the most romantic lines I’ve ever heard if it wasn’t for all the murders behind it.
Joker (The Dark Knight)
This character is different from every other villain in this list, and probably in all movies, ever. Heath Ledger’s performance is one of the most brilliant acting pieces you can find. The way he makes a nuanced and captivating act provokes indescribable feelings. He makes it so that you can’t see him as the Joker, as if there was no actor, just the character coming to life on its own.
He was unhinged and crazy in ways you couldn’t expect, even having read the comics or knowing the character. There is just something very special about him that makes us root for him regardless of the fact that he is completely and absolutely insane. He is psychotic and maniac and that’s his thing.
Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)
There is something about Miranda that makes her character very compelling, and I believe is how she shows, slightly, behind a facade of a highly demanding and strict perfectionist, emotions that put her in a very human position, as opposed to what she wants to let out.
Between several interactions with Andy, there are moments in which she shows that she can be vulnerable in a non-obvious way and what is beautiful about her character is that the message we get is that it’s okay to be flawed. Even a complex, strong leader as powerful as her has her own story and sacrifices, she’s not just a bad person or a mean boss. She is human and she has a purpose of her own.
Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent)
When you think of villains, there is a great chance one of the firsts to come to mind is Maleficent. She seems evil in kind of an obvious way, she sets a curse on a baby to get revenge on the baby’s father. It seems cruel, and I’m not saying it isn’t, but when watching her solo movie, we learn her story is much deeper than just not getting invited to baby Aurora’s christening.
A long time before, the king had betrayed Maleficent and cut her wings, as he became the king. After betraying her, he was so scared and paranoid he made sure everyone in the kingdom thought she was evil, and when she cursed Aurora, he promised revenge. Although Maleficent’s actions were considered evil, no one knew what caused them was their own king.
Snape (Harry Potter)
Snape’s bitter personality through the movies sent a message that he should be a cruel person, specially because of his actions towards students, that were considered mean, but what makes people sympathize with him is how it’s revealed, later on, that he actually had a crucial role in protecting Harry Potter and fighting Lord Voldemort.
His past as a boy who was bullied and who fell in love with Harry’s mom, Lily Potter, made him a neglected child and it turned him into a reserved and cold adult, who did not deal with his trauma. His loyalty to Albus Dumbledore made people start looking at him with different eves and learn that, even though he had a lot of resentment, he was not a bad person.
Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Jordan Belfort is an absolute terrible person. Cheating, spending money on drugs, strippers and everything that’s illegal and partying way too hard is how he took his life. While for some he is a financial genius, the guy did some really bad things, but it’s hard to focus on that with Leonardo DiCaprio’s fine performance. He captures nuances of the character that makes you connect with him and understand what he is going through even if no normal person would end up in a situation like his.
With every terrible thing he does, you still get sad when he says he’s gonna retire and you still hope, at the end of the movie, everything will work out. It’s crazy how a good actor can completely change how you watch a movie. He is a criminal and a fraudster and it’s important to learn how to differentiate the true story from the movie. Liking the movie character for his funny moments and remarkable lines doesn’t mean you agree with this type of actions in real life.
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The article above was edited by Sarah Pizarro.
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