Have you ever found yourself re-watching a movie or re-reading a book that you first encountered years ago, but now see the whole plot totally differently? Very often in such cases, we see some of the characters in a different light. Suddenly, we want to justify those who we hated or thought to be villains, realizing why they chose a certain path. Reddit user @u/Chadderbug123 decided to ask others online “What villain was terrifying because they were right?” and received more than 25k answers. People online soon started giving interesting answers, naming villains from well-known movies, TV shows, books, games, and even commercials. These were followed by explanations and elaborate backstories of some of the characters.
Which one of these were you terrified of? And if you don’t see your favorite villain on this list, don’t forget to leave their name in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
#1 Agent Smith (The Matrix, 1999)
The Matrix’s Agent Smith: “I tried to classify your species. I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with their surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to another area, and you multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.”
Image source: Littlefield54, youtube.com
#2 Ultron (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Ultron, browsed the internet for 30 seconds and decided humanity had to go.
Image source: saucyboi9000, youtube.com
#3 Maleficent (Maleficent, 2014)
Maleficent. The king was a peice of s**t and deserved everything she did to him.
Image source: Romirose86, youtube.com
#4 Squidward Q. Tentacles ( Spongebob Squarepants, 1999 – Present)
Not a true villain but Squidward. Damn is SpongeBob an annoying neighbor I’d hate him too
Image source: JeffreyHugh, youtube.com
#5 Ken (Bee Movie, 2007)
Ken from The Bee Movie. I too would go absolutely berserk if a talking bee stole my girlfriend and gaslit me into thinking I was crazy
Image source: _shes_a_jar, youtube.com
#6 Joker (The Dark Knight, 2008)
Heath Ledger’s Joker. Specifically with this quote: “Their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. You’ll see. when the chips are down, these civilized people, they’ll eat each other. See I’m not a monster, I’m just ahead of the curve”. I felt this quote is super relevant based on the state of the world right now
Image source: r2celjazz, youtube.com
#7 Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Apocalypse Now, 1979)
Colonel Kurtz. “We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won’t allow them to write “f**k” on their airplanes because it’s obscene.”
Image source: Big-Leadership5185, youtube.com
#8 Magneto (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Magneto is my favorite villain of all time. Every time his motives are brought to light I get that “yeah, I kinda get it” moment
Image source: IdentifiesAsATroll, Marvel
#9 King Kong (King Kong, 2005)
King Kong. Not even because he was right. He was just alive. Minding his own business and blam….taken out of his home and made to be the villain without any choice. A real good example of human nature. Edit a word
Image source: rocopotomus74, youtube.com
#10 Mojo Jojo (The Powerpuff Girls, 1998–2023)
None of you said the most terrifying one.
Mo jo jo jo from the Powerpuff girls. He wanted to bring free energy and advanced technology to the people. And in one episode he actually did. He made the world an amazing place. And then the Powerpuff girls ruined it all.
Image source: TheMustardisBad, youtube.com
#11 Poison Ivy (Dc Comics)
Poison Ivy is an environmentalist at heart and Raj Al Ghul is a humanitarian. Both were pushed into extremism after the broken system they’re trying to fix simply refused to change for so long that they decided the system itself needed to be torn down
Image source: Chasingtheimprobable, youtube.com
#12 Red Queen (Resident Evil, 2002)
Red Queen resident evil, I have locked down this facility to prevent a world ending virus, please could you ‘good guys’ pay attention and not blow holes in the doors.
Image source: Not_invented-Here, youtube.com
#13 Roy Batty (Blade Runner, 1982)
Roy Batty. What was done to him and his kind was wrong and he had righteous anger.
Image source: Basic_Distribution11, youtube.com
#14 The Hamburglar (McDonald’s Commercials, 1971)
The Hamburglar was just trying to save children from childhood obesity!
Image source: mybeepoyaw, youtube.com
#15 The Replicants (Blade Runner, 1982)
The Replicants from Blade Runner. Used as slaves and given artificially short lives. They just wanted to live and be free.
Image source: Chatty_Monkey_Don, youtube.com
#16 Screenslaver (Incredibles 2, 2018)
Screenslaver from The Incredibles 2. The monolog given during that movie regularly rings in my head. I’m sure the creepy bass robotic voice doesn’t help too.
“The Screenslaver interrupts this program for an important announcement. Don’t bother watching the rest. Elastigirl doesn’t save the day; she only postpones her defeat. And while she postpones her defeat, you eat chips and watch her invert problems that you are too lazy to deal with. Superheroes are part of a brainless desire to replace true experience with simulation. You don’t talk, you watch talk shows. You don’t play games, you watch game shows. Travel, relationships, risk; every meaningful experience must be packaged and delivered to you to watch at a distance so that you can remain ever-sheltered, ever-passive, ever-ravenous consumers who can’t free themselves to rise from their couches to break a sweat, never anticipate new life. You want superheroes to protect you, and make yourselves ever more powerless in the process. Well, you tell yourselves you’re being ‘looked after’. That you’re inches from being served and your rights are being upheld. So that the system can keep stealing from you, smiling at you all the while. Go ahead, send your supers to stop me. Grab your snacks, watch your screens, and see what happens. You are no longer in control. I am.”
TLDR: you think everything will always be okay and while you remain distracted, the powers that be will continue to steal from you.
Image source: kickthefu*kit, youtube.com
#17 Peacemaker (Dc Comics)
Not really sure if you can consider him a villain.. but Peacemaker when he went on a rant about Batman causing countless deaths because he refuses to kill supervillains
Image source: TatsAndGatsX, youtube.com
#18 Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan. Spent the 80s telling us how awful and selfish Hulk Hogan was. Was proven absolutely correct in 1996. In hindsight, Heenan was trying to save us all from the inevitable scourge of “Hollywood” Hogan.
Image source: lel1988, youtube.com
#19 Frankenstein (Frankenstein, 1931)
Frankenstein’s “monster”. Adam. Created by a shortsighted, arrogant doctor as the first of his race, then denied the opportunity to be part of a community (of his own, manmade beings, or the human community). He only became monstrous after it became clear that Frankenstein would never create another of his kind, and was driven mad by his desire to punish Frankenstein’s hubris.
Image source: kingbad, youtube.com
#20 Miranda Hillard (Mrs. Doubtfire, 1993)
The mom in Mrs. doubtfire
Image source: nakedcupcake92, youtube.com
#21 Thanos (Marvel Universe)
Not terrifying, but Thanos had some good points, also Ultron had his heart in the right place and he was terrifying in the What If episodes
Edit: I’ll add Gorr the God-Butcher as well, even though the new movie was boring, he was pretty scary and his motives were fair, he was just giving the Gods what they have given others for centuries
Image source: ThePlatKnight, youtube.com
#22 Green Goblin (Marvel Comics)
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin from Spider-Man. “In spite of everything you’ve done for them, eventually, they will hate you.” Dude was right about how the perception of public figures changes over time.
Image source: bucketsz, youtube.com
#23 Count Dooku (Star Wars Franchise)
Count Dooku just straight up told Obi-Wan that the Sith control the Senate.
Image source: dmatred501, Lucasfilm Ltd.
#24 Byron And Ella Montgomery (Pretty Little Liars, 2010–2017)
Aria’s parents on Pretty Little Liars. They’re villainized for not letting their high school daughter date her teacher??
Image source: clarabelle220, youtube.com
#25 Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Phineas And Ferb, 2007–2015)
Dr.Doofenshmirtz
Image source: Claw_side, youtube.com
#26 The Three Bears (Robert Southey, 1837)
The bears from goldilocks and the tree bears
Image source: throwaway_0x90, youtube.com
#27 Syndrome (The Incredibles, 2004)
Syndrome – “When everyone’s super…nobody is.”
Image source: spoilingattack, youtube.com
#28 Glados (Portal, 2007)
GLaDOS – she was absolutely right, you are a terrible person
Image source: SquidlyVonDiddly, youtube.com
#29 Dexter Morgan (Dexter, 2006)
Dexter Morgan.
I wouldn’t say he was a villain, but what he did was right even if illegal.
Image source: DogIsBetterThanCat, youtube.com
#30 Q (Star Trek Franchise)
Where is Q from Star Trek? He introduced the Borg just to prove a point.
Image source: ScottTheMonster
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