Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Villains Were Far More Interesting Than Their Story's Hero

People Explain Which Villains Were Far More Interesting Than Their Story's Hero
Ember Navarro on Unsplash

Who doesn't love the bad boys? And girls?

They are the most delicious. The most fun I ever had on stage was the few times I got to play the villain.


And in my personal writings, my more shady characters are just helplessly intriguing, and their development comes easier. Which tends to make my challenge great and my work better because I have to make sure the villain doesn't outshine the hero.

In the end though, villains are far more complex.

Now don't get me wrong I adore a good hero, and we need our heroes. But a strong villain always makes the good guy that much more compelling.

Evil is just so seductive.

Redditor sodibit wanted to compare notes on the battle of good vs evil.

They asked:

"What villain is 10x more interesting than the hero?"

I love all the villains.

Even the weekly ones on shows like Criminal Minds.

Figuring out the bad guy keeps me invested.

How could they not?

Forget Clarice

"Hannibal Lecter is onscreen for 15 minutes of a 2 hour Silence of the Lambs. But he's the character that haunts everyone for life." ~ onajurni

Giphy

Deceit is Fun

"All of the Decepticons. Psychologists were deeply concerned that the kids watching the original cartoons liked the bad guys."

"Turns out they were more interesting and more realistic. They failed and tried again."

"Unlike the autobots that were always winning." ~ GunnerForeman

Bad Instructions

"HAL 9000. He was basically given conflicting instructions." ~ FinestTreesInDa7Seas

"It's important to remember that when you're fighting a machine, you're really fighting the person who designed and controls that machine."

"HAL is the cold, clinical manifestation of an anonymous committee who decided that the mission objective was more important than human life." ~ L1P0D

The God Complex

"Dr Doom." ~ OldHolly

"The thing that makes him most interesting these days is that time travelers (more than one) have visited Doom and said 'I just wanted to meet the man who saved the planet and brought peace to earth when no one else could'."

"So if he's got a big head about being in charge, at least there's fairly competent reasoning behind that. People come from the future to say thanks and ask to meet you, it's kind of hard NOT to develop a God complex."

"And he already had one BEFORE the visits." ~ LochNessMansterLives

Evil

"Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men." ~ WhenTardigradesFly

Giphy

Javier Bardem in that movie haunts people's dreams.

And Anthony Hopkins?

There are really no words for that performance. It was flawless.

It's like Clarice who?

Scream

"90% of all horror movie antagonists, seriously why would I want to know about some entitled kid who serves no purpose other than to scream."

"I wanna see how the killer came to be." ~ BaconLover500

Giphy

He has Reasons

"Pagan Min, from "Far Cry 4". Not only was he more interesting, but he gave you the option for the best ending." ~ SilverSpotter

"Seriously Pegan Min sometimes felt to me like the least worst option between the 3. Sabal wants a religious and traditional region but also a not progressive one and Amita wants a progressive place but without care for the people and she relies on drugs to progress." ~ nave1235

you're a total witch...

"Handsome Jack." ~ AstroZombie29

"City's burning, people are dying left and right, yada yada yada. This jackhole rushes me with a spoon."

"A FRICKIN' SPOON! And I'm dying laughing, right?"

"So I scoop his stupid little eyeballs out with it and his kids are all like WAAHHHH! And he's runnin' into stuff and... hahaha!"

"And, oh... I don't know, maybe you had to be there. Anyway, the moral is you're a total witch." ~ Puzzleheaded_Rate_73

Oh Lord

"Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2." ~ Stitch_03

"I know that it's been done to death, but I still found his prophecy motivation compelling. He was already a jerk, but when he overheard the prophecy, he was driven to desperation to save his own life, leading a genocide that ultimately engineered his own defeat."

"And then he just knew he was going to die and accepted it in the final scene. Just way too good." ~ botbattler30

Oh Alan...

"Hans Gruber."

"John McClane was probably my favorite action movie hero when I was a kid, but honestly Gruber is actually a much more interesting character." ~ spatialflow

Giphy

Alan Rickman!

How he didn't earn an Oscar for his villains alone, is a travesty and miscarriage of justice.

And as far as horror goes...

there is only one...

Michael Myers!!

Giphy

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

screenshot of MS NOW interview of Texas voters
MS NOW

Texas Woman Has Blunt Correction For Her Conservative Husband After He Backs MAGA Senate Candidate During TV Interview

MS NOW correspondent Rosa Flores was in Brenham County, Texas, on Sunday to speak to voters about the Tuesday Republican Senate candidate runoff between incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn and controversial Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Flores spoke with a married couple, Gayla and Michael Stefan. Gayla is described as an independent voter while Michael is conservative.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drew Carey; Spencer Pratt
Frazer Harrison/WireImage; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Drew Carey Urges People Not To Vote For 'Serial Scammer' Spencer Pratt For LA Mayor In Blistering Viral Post

Comedian and Price is Right host Drew Carey sounded off on people who plan to vote for or endorse Spencer Pratt—the former reality TV star of The Hills—for mayor of Los Angeles, calling Pratt "some serial scammer without a soul or moral compass."

Pratt announced his mayoral campaign roughly a year after his home was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire. He traveled to Washington to meet with then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and other federal officials about pursuing an investigation into California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, whom he criticized over their handling of the disaster.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Evan Vucci/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The White House Is Getting Dragged Hard After Bragging About Trump's 'Perfect' Physical

Following President Donald Trump's latest physical examination, the White House was called out for using its official X account to gloat about his "perfect bill of health."

Trump, who turns 80 next month, said on social media yesterday that “everything checked out PERFECTLY” following the fourth publicly-disclosed medical examination of his second term. It was not immediately clear whether the White House would release detailed findings from the president’s physician to back up the claim or specify what tests were included.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump sleeping while Pete Hegseth speaks
@HQNewsNow/X

Video Of Trump Appearing To Fall Asleep During Memorial Day Ceremony For Fallen Soldiers Has People Outraged

President Donald Trump is facing criticism after video footage showed he closed his eyes and appeared to fall asleep at a Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Trump, who earlier that day faced criticism for Truth Social posts attacking Democrats and defending the war in Iran, marked the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence by calling it a “historic milestone” and saying “there could be no Independence Day without Memorial Day,” in tribute to fallen service members.

Keep ReadingShow less
Francesca Scorsese and Martin Scorsese (left)  attend a red carpet event as the actor addresses online criticism in a TikTok video (right).
John Shearer/FilmMagic via Getty Images; @francescascorsese/TikTok

Martin Scorsese's Daughter Responds To Cruel Comments About Her Looks With Viral Video—And Fans Aren't Having Any Of The Hate

Francesca Scorsese isn't letting internet trolls have the final word. The content creator and daughter of Martin Scorsese responded to appearance-shaming comments in a viral TikTok, prompting an outpouring of support from fans across the platform.

Last week, it was reported that the actor will appear in Season 2 of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Keep ReadingShow less