Well... they have a point. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the bad guys with the best reasons for doing what they do. We’re not saying we condone their actions – just that we understand their motivations.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the bad guys with the best
00:11reasons for doing what they do.
00:14We're not saying we condone their actions, just that we understand their motivations.
00:28Number 30.
00:29Clyde Shelton – Law-Abiding Citizen The lines between right and wrong really blur
00:35when looking at a man like Clyde Shelton.
00:38The villain of Law-Abiding Citizen spends the movie viciously murdering many corrupt
00:42individuals.
00:50But those motives are only because he seeks revenge for his family after their killer
00:54received a short prison sentence.
00:57It's pretty understandable why he'd be so ticked off at everyone.
01:00While the amount of violent crimes he commits is obviously concerning, he's not wrong
01:05in wanting to clean up the rotten judicial system.
01:15At the end of the day, Clyde's a broken man who lost his family.
01:19We won't excuse his actions, but it's clear that the pain he's suffered is something
01:24no one should ever have to deal with.
01:33Number 29.
01:35Jonas Miller – Twister For a movie all about devastating tornadoes,
01:46isn't it funny that the so-called villain is someone who's trying to stop them?
01:51Yes, Jonas Miller is kind of a jerk, and yes, he's mainly in storm chasing for the money.
01:57But does that really matter?
02:07He refined the Dorothy technology by making the DOT-3, creating a better version of Bill
02:12Harding's tornado warning system in the process.
02:14We'll admit that stealing Bill's idea isn't cool, but they both wanted to find
02:19ways to combat these tornadoes and would undeniably save lives in the process.
02:24It's the exact same goal our heroes have.
02:27If you ask us, the real villain is the Twister itself.
02:35Number 28.
02:37Walter Simmons – Godzilla vs. Kong Say what you want about evil tech CEOs, but
02:47Walter Simmons had the right idea when it came to creating Mechagodzilla.
02:53Obviously, he didn't intend for the gigantic robot Kaiju to go haywire, but it proved to
03:04be an effective weapon against Godzilla.
03:06And that's kind of important for the MonsterVerse, because not all of its titans are well-intentioned.
03:13Even the heroic ones like Godzilla and Kong cause tons of collateral damage.
03:17It might seem cynical, but humans need to be able to defend themselves against monsters
03:22if necessary.
03:25Walter's ambition might have cost him his life, but hopefully other humans follow in
03:35his footsteps and create a Mechagodzilla 2.0.
03:40Number 27.
03:41Dracula – Bram Stoker's Dracula He may be the baddest vampire of them all,
03:54but with Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, he's mostly just a heartbroken man trying
04:00to get over his grief.
04:01His wife, Elisabetta, tragically took her own life after believing he died, and that
04:07act sent her to hell.
04:15Filled with hatred, Vlad the Impaler turned his back on faith and became the Dracula we
04:20all know.
04:31He suffered a great loss, and the worst part was that his wife's death was completely
04:36avoidable.
04:37It's not too surprising that he went down such a dark path.
04:42Number 26.
04:44Vulture – Spider-Man Homecoming There's no doubt that this is a great Spider-Man
04:57film, but it's weird how Homecoming tries to convince us that blue-collar workers are
05:02evil.
05:03Maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but Adrian Toomes was totally right to be
05:09ticked off.
05:16He was the one hired to clean up the wreckage of New York, after all.
05:20But then Stark's business waltzed right in and stole his job.
05:23It's no wonder he had to turn to a life of crime as the Vulture after this.
05:27He just wanted to provide for his family, and while Tony Stark probably didn't mean
05:32for it to happen, he took that opportunity away.
05:43Number 25.
05:44D-16 – Megatron – Transformers 1 Though he wasn't necessarily the main villain,
05:59D-16's journey would eventually lead him to becoming the villainous Megatron.
06:02His heel turn has got to be one of the most justified there is.
06:06Sentinel Prime, a leader he looked up to, was actually rotten to his core.
06:11Not only that, Sentinel killed Megatronus Prime, D-16's idol.
06:20If you ask us, he was right to take Sentinel down.
06:24While his methods were violent, he gave the people of Cybertron a chance to fight back
06:28against their oppression.
06:29From a societal misfit to the face of a revolution, D-16 took charge of his own destiny by becoming
06:36Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.
06:42Number 24.
06:44The Riddler – The Batman This classic comic villain may be shrouded
06:49in mystery, but his goals aren't.
06:58Right from the jump, it's pretty clear that The Riddler is targeting Gotham's corrupt
07:02underbelly and for good reason.
07:04Considering how the Gotham Renewal Fund, a program that a young Edward was supposed to
07:09benefit from, was taken and exploited, it makes sense that he'd want to fight back.
07:19His quest for vengeance causes him to kill as many corrupt politicians and police officers
07:24as he can find.
07:25Flooding nearly all of Gotham in the process was a bit excessive, we'll admit, but Riddler
07:30exposed the rottenness of Gotham and made those responsible for it pay.
07:42Number 23.
07:43The Wicked Witch of the West – The Wizard of Oz
07:47If an entire house dropped onto your sister, wouldn't you be just a little upset?
07:52Not only that, what if the killer also stole your sister's magic shoes while everyone
07:56practically cheered her on?
08:05No wonder the Witch of the West was so mad at Dorothy.
08:09She might have wanted to rule Oz, but she also wanted to get revenge for her sister,
08:14as she should.
08:18We're not the only ones who think she's at least partly in the right.
08:24Numerous Wizard of Oz projects have further fleshed out her backstory and made her a sympathetic
08:29character.
08:37In the eyes of many, she's hardly even a villain anymore, so maybe this Wicked Witch
08:42isn't so wicked after all.
08:44Number 22.
08:45Raoul Silva – Skyfall Abandonment can cause some serious issues.
08:58Just look at Silva for example.
09:00The hacker was sold out by MI6.
09:10Granted he went a little bit rogue when he hacked into the Chinese government, but the
09:14agency completely turned its back on him afterward.
09:17It's like the concept of loyalty means nothing these days.
09:27This betrayal led to his imprisonment and eventual facial scarring.
09:31MI6 left him for dead and that resentment caused him to become a powerful cyber-criminal.
09:36Silva is not motivated by wanting to take over the world or anything as grand as that,
09:41he just wants pure revenge.
09:43And his eyes, MI6 deserves what's coming to it.
09:53Number 21.
09:55Syndrome – The Incredibles They say never meet your heroes and Syndrome
10:06found out why.
10:07He just wanted to help out his favorite superhero, Mr. Incredible, and become his sidekick.
10:12But he was quickly rejected and that caused him to turn from superhero to supervillain.
10:25Just like Incredibles 2 villain Screenslaver, Syndrome essentially wants to give heroes
10:30a reality check.
10:31However, he also wants to look like a hero.
10:39He plans to give citizens the chance to gain powers themselves through his tech.
10:44Is it really that nefarious?
10:45Yeah, he'd be diluting what it means to be a hero, but some of his incredibly advanced
10:51technology would undeniably change the world.
11:01Number 20.
11:02Cypher – The Matrix Wanting to return to blissful ignorance in
11:07The Matrix, Cypher betrays the crew of the Nebidkinezer.
11:21We're definitely not defending those actions.
11:23He turns on his friends and smiles while doing it.
11:27But we do understand where he's coming from.
11:39Morpheus doesn't really paint a clear picture of what you're getting into by taking the
11:43red pill.
11:44He romanticizes it, making it seem cool and badass that you're going down the rabbit
11:49hole.
11:50He doesn't mention the part where he's actually recruiting you to join a war that
11:53you otherwise could have remained blissfully unaware of.
11:57Cypher deserved a real choice in the matter.
12:09Number 19.
12:10Sandman – Spider-Man 3 For all of its shortcomings, one thing that
12:15the third installment in Sam Raimi's trilogy does well is tell the heartbreaking story
12:20of Flint Marko.
12:27Who could have better predicted that we would be feeling for the guy that killed Uncle Ben?
12:32But that's just what happens.
12:34Flint is more of a victim of circumstance than a straight up villain.
12:38Yes, he is a criminal, but he turned to a life of crime to try to take care of his sick
12:42daughter.
12:49Who among us can't sympathize with that?
12:52If the story was told from his point of view, we might even regard him as a hero, fighting
12:56for his family in an unjust world.
13:11Even Peter eventually forgives him.
13:14Number 18.
13:15Zemo – Captain America Civil War While there was already a rift forming between
13:21the Avengers over the Sokovia Accords, Zemo tore it right open by framing Bucky for murdering
13:27King T'Chaka.
13:35A major narrative thread throughout the MCU involves the Avengers dealing with the consequences
13:40of their actions, and Zemo plays an important role.
13:43Yes, the Avengers saved everyone they could in Sokovia when they took on Ultron.
13:48But who created Ultron in the first place?
13:50Oh yeah, Tony Stark.
13:53The battle destroyed Zemo's home and left his family dead.
13:56It's not difficult to understand why he holds a bit of a grudge.
14:12Number 17.
14:13Pre-Crime Department – Minority Report This may be an unpopular opinion.
14:19Obviously, the Pre-Crime Department proved to be flawed when it was revealed that the
14:23Precogs' visions aren't as authoritative as they seemed.
14:32The inhumane way in which the Precogs were treated was also a horrible abuse of power.
14:37But there were some good intentions behind the idea.
14:41Imagine you're about to be attacked on the street, and just in the nick of time a team
14:45of agents descends on the scene and saves your life.
14:48Ideally, such a department wouldn't just prevent crimes before they happen, but also
14:53deter crime.
14:54Who would decide to plan a murder or robbery when they could be arrested before it even
14:58happened?
15:06Number 16.
15:08Victor Drago – Creed II For fans of the original Rocky movies, this
15:14is the match of a lifetime.
15:16The son of Apollo Creed fighting the son of the man that killed his dad.
15:20But while Victor Drago's father Ivan deserves every bit of shade thrown his way, Victor
15:24deserves better.
15:36When you look at things from his perspective, all the anger and darkness he has built up
15:40inside of him is understandable.
15:43His father came home, disgraced, to a country that pretty much disowned him.
15:55Victor's mother abandoned him, and his father, let's just say tough love was his preferred
16:00method of parenting.
16:02No wonder Victor was so driven not just to defeat Creed, but to destroy him.
16:06Number 15.
16:08JoBoo Tupaci – Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
16:12JoBoo Tupaci is a terrifying figure who wants to destroy the entire multiverse.
16:28However, deep down, she's also the daughter of a woman who pushed her too hard, splintering
16:32her mind and leading to a hopeless, nihilistic worldview.
16:37After her mother Alpha Evelyn discovered verse jumping, she experimented using her own child.
16:42JoBoo jumps through universes searching for meaning, but afoot in all worlds is afoot
16:47in none.
16:48She creates the black hole-like everything bagel, not with the primary aim of ending
16:53the multiverse, but of ending her own suffering.
17:04Knowing her story, it's easy to sympathize with her.
17:07Who doesn't want to find a place where we belong?
17:16Number 14.
17:18The Tethered – Us If you were experimented on by the government,
17:22then abandoned in an underground facility, you'd probably be pretty angry too.
17:27Now of course, we aren't condoning all the brutal killing and what not, but we definitely
17:31understand the Tethered's motives.
17:42They just want to live their own lives and enjoy the world like we do.
17:45Can you imagine spending your whole life linked to another, unable to fully control your own
17:51actions?
17:52In order to escape this fate, the Tethered revolt against their unwitting captors.
17:56It's not their fault that the only way to become untethered is to kill their counterparts.
18:09Number 13.
18:11Barbossa – Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl
18:25It's not easy to sympathize with the murderous, kidnapping captain of a ship that he stole
18:30from his former friend, leaving him for dead on a deserted island.
18:34But we do get Barbossa.
18:44After years of never feeling anything and not being able to die, anyone would go a little
18:50bit mad.
18:51His speech to Elizabeth Swann might be terrifying, but it is also insightful.
18:56Now of course, all of the plundering and the murdering still seems like a bit of overkill.
19:00we do understand.
19:02Barbossa just wants to be a real boy again.
19:21Number 12.
19:22Khan – Star Trek Into Darkness
19:29Khan is easily one of the most formidable villains the crew of the Enterprise has ever
19:34faced.
19:35He's basically superhuman, and nothing motivates someone, whether they're a villain or a
19:40hero, more than friends in peril.
19:42Kirk and Spock probably understand that better than anyone.
19:46They go to extreme lengths to save each other, as well as the rest of the crew.
19:50That's really all Khan is doing, too.
19:53His people have been pretty much held captive, or more like held hostage by Starfleet.
19:58Khan's means might be brutal, but he's doing what he thinks is necessary to free
20:02his people.
20:11Number 11.
20:12Wilford – Snowpiercer Okay, yes, Wilford is a tyrannical leader who
20:18keeps himself in power by controlling the population and teaching children that he's
20:22practically a god.
20:31Not good, but the dude did kind of save all of humanity, at least what was left of it.
20:37When the New Ice Age occurred, he was the only person with the means to survive.
20:42He opened up his train to other people.
20:44Granted, he segregated the haves from the have-nots and ruled with an iron fist.
21:00And the way he keeps the training running is absolutely heinous.
21:04But without him, everyone would be dead.
21:07That's gotta count for something, right?
21:16Number 10.
21:17Thanos – Avengers Infinity War A common theme in many movies is that humans
21:23are a threat to themselves, and the Earth in general.
21:33believes that humans should be controlled or even culled.
21:37The Mad Titan operates on this premise except on a much larger scale.
21:42In Thanos' mind, he's the hero, a savior who will rescue advanced species from themselves.
21:48The snap is a quick fix.
21:59Of course, fortunately, not all of us want to commit mass murder to resolve the issue.
22:04The end here doesn't justify the means.
22:07He did get one thing right though.
22:08We do seem to be destroying our own environment, and something's gotta give.
22:13Just not, you know, half of all life.
22:24Number 9.
22:26Old Joe – Looper So, trying to slay a young person is impossible
22:31to defend.
22:32However, let's look for a moment at Old Joe's motivation.
22:49It harks back to that old question.
22:51If you could go back in time and kill someone responsible for countless deaths before they
22:56committed any wrongs, would you?
22:58Old Joe is trying to stop the Rainmaker, who will become a criminal boss, kill all the
23:03loopers and murder Joe's wife.
23:06Even if you don't agree with his actions, it's easy to understand his reasons.
23:10Ending the Rainmaker's life before he becomes the Rainmaker will save a lot of lives.
23:24Number 8.
23:26Lab Employees – The Cabin in the Woods Though the college students are attacked by
23:31all sorts of monsters, the true villains here are the lab employees pulling all the strings
23:36from their underground facilities.
23:45And it certainly seems cruel to lure people into their sacrificial ritual, especially
23:49given their callous attitude towards it all.
23:58However, when you think about what's at stake, you can kind of understand where they're
24:07coming from.
24:08Without the ritual, the world will literally end.
24:16The lab employees, along with other organizations around the world, are tasked with keeping
24:21ancient gods at bay.
24:23In fact, it could be argued that these gods are actually the true villains, more than
24:27the lab employees.
24:35Number 7.
24:36Magwa – The Last of the Mohicans Sometimes things are all about perspective.
24:50From Magwa's perspective, he is at war with the British and Colonel Munro specifically.
24:56And when you think about how Magwa was kidnapped by the Mohawks, tortured by Munro, and basically
25:01had his life ruined, it's no surprise why the guy is so upset.
25:05It's not great that he pretends to be friends with our main characters only to ultimately
25:10betray them.
25:12And that part about him making one of Munro's daughters his wife is also pretty grim.
25:16But there are causes for all that hate inside.
25:30Number 6.
25:31Ozymandias – Watchmen Nothing brings people together like a common
25:36enemy.
25:41And nobody knows that better than Ozymandias.
25:43That's his whole plan.
25:46In the Watchmen universe, the Cold War has reached the point where nuclear war is imminent
25:50and mutually assured destruction is just around the corner.
25:54Ozymandias believes that the only way to stop us from fighting each other is by giving us
25:59someone else to fight together.
26:01He puts in motion a devastating attack on several cities, blaming it on Dr. Manhattan.
26:07And it actually works.
26:08The US and USSR do forge an alliance.
26:11It's another messed up case where the end clearly doesn't justify the means.
26:16But we do understand Ozymandias' motives.
26:25Number 5.
26:26General Francis Hummel – The Rock It's hard to believe that Hummel is considered
26:31the villain of this story at all.
26:44All he wants is for the families of his fallen comrades to be fairly compensated for their
26:48deaths.
26:49The US government sent them to war with the promise that their families would be taken
26:53care of, and then broke that promise.
27:05Hummel tries to do things the right way again and again, but eventually takes things into
27:10his own hands.
27:11Yes, he holds many innocent people hostage and threatens worse.
27:15But he doesn't actually intend on following through.
27:18He just wants the government to make good on its promises.
27:27Number 4.
27:28Roy Batty – Blade Runner Similar to Khan, this is another villain that
27:33is really just trying to fight for his people.
27:43Replicants are created to be worked as slaves, and programmed with a built-in four-year lifespan.
27:49Batty's main goal isn't to hurt anyone, although he's willing to.
27:53It's to prolong his life and fight for replicant rights.
27:57Imagine being used up for four years only to be discarded like trash.
28:05The Tyrell Company designed them to be as human as possible.
28:09Why are they surprised when they suddenly want to fight for their fundamental rights?
28:20Number 3.
28:21Killmonger – Black Panther While Killmonger might seem power-hungry at
28:26first glance, his motivations are truly honorable.
28:30He is of Wakandan descent, but abandoned by his own people.
28:34And then he grew up in a world that viewed him as a second-class citizen.
28:37We understand why Wakanda wants to keep their technology secret.
28:41Historically, humans abused power.
28:52But sitting back and watching people hurt when you have the power to help… well, that
28:56doesn't really fly either.
29:09Yes, Killmonger does horrible things to get what he wants, but it's easy to see where
29:13he's coming from.
29:23Number 2.
29:24Koba – The Planet of the Apes Franchise This is another villain who goes to extreme
29:29lengths to achieve his goal.
29:35But you can see why.
29:37Caesar's goal of peace between apes and humans is admirable.
29:40But Koba hasn't had the same experiences.
29:43Whereas Caesar became the adoptive son of a sympathetic human, Will Rodman, Koba was
29:48abused, tormented, and experimented on.
29:51Once Koba was given the intelligence to understand what had happened to him, and to escape, his
29:56response was to fight back in self-defense and in defense of all apes.
30:01Why would he trust humans after all that?
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30:25Number 1.
30:26Magneto – The X-Men Franchise Given his past and internment during World
30:38War II, Eric Lensherr doesn't exactly have fond memories of being put on lists or seen
30:43as dangerous.
30:45Magneto wants mutants to fight back against oppression and to have the same basic rights
30:49and freedoms.
30:52Granted, his methods cross a line.
31:01Using your powers to control and hurt people isn't a great way to prove that you're
31:05not scary.
31:06But why should he have to diminish himself to make others more comfortable?
31:09If you watch the movies in chronological order, you can see how his motives change over the
31:14years into a kind of mutant elitism.
31:17But at his core, he is just a guy fighting for his people.
31:30Which villain do you think is the most sympathetic?
31:33Let us know in the comments!