21 Female Characters Who I Thought Were Villains, But They're Really Just Misunderstood

    *Jo March voice* "WOMEN!"

    Ehis Osifo
    by Ehis Osifo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Meredith Blake from The Parent Trap:

    Walt Disney Pictures

    It's time we appreciate Meredith for the #badbitch that she truly is. As a kid, I just thought she was in Liz's way, but now that I am a Meredith-aged adult, I understand why she was TAKEN ABACK by her hot, older fiancé dropping the bomb that he has TWINS.

    2. Sharpay Evans from High School Musical:

    Disney Channel

    Her one and only flaw was being too dedicated to her craft.

    3. Isis from Bring It On:

    Universal Pictures

    Even though Isis isn't technically a "villain," the issue is that we were introduced to Torrance and the Toros first, so we were conditioned to root for them. It's 2021, let's get a Bring It On reboot from the POV of Isis and the Clovers.

    4. Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada:

    20th Century Fox

    Is it too much to ask for a capable assistant who can recognize two different belt buckles from one another? Methinks not.

    5. Narcissa Malfoy from Harry Potter:

    Warner Bros.

    Is it great that she's associated with Death Eaters? No. However, I can't fault her for being a caring mother to her son!

    6. Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones:

    HBO

    At the end of the day, I feel like Cersei was acting in the best interest of her children and her family name. Would I have done what she did — e.g., blow up an entire church — def not, but like Narcissa, I can't 100% fault her for protecting her children.

    7. Amy Dunne from Gone Girl:

    Amy looking up at her good-for-nothing husband as he brushes her hair
    20th Century Fox

    TALK ABOUT A LONG CON! I ain't mad. I ain't mad at all.

    8. Regina George from Mean Girls:

    Paramount Pictures

    Things were going FINE AND DANDY until this new girl came in and fucked things up. It's not Regina's fault she wanted to get back together with her own boyfriend. I'm only judging Reg by what I've seen on screen, and I personally think Cady committed more offenses than Regina did.

    9. Ursula from The Little Mermaid:

    Walt Disney Pictures

    You say villain, I say someone trying to uphold their contract. If anything, she taught us all the valuable life lesson to ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT!

    10. Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries:

    The CW

    As a messy bitch who lives for the drama, I too appreciate a messy bitch who lives for the drama.

    11. Emily Waltham from Friends:

    Emily looking shocked at Ross on their wedding day
    NBC

    I CANNOT BLAME THIS GIRL FOR BEING WARY ABOUT HER BOYFRIEND/FIANCÉ/HUSBAND HANGING WITH HIS EX/FRIEND WHO HE'S STILL HUNG UP ON. NOT TO MENTION, HE SAID THAT AFOREMENTIONED EX/FRIEND'S NAME AT THEIR WEDDING, WHICH IS UNFORGIVABLE!!

    12. Wilhelmina Slater from Ugly Betty:

    Wilhelmina talking to her assistant about disappointing, white males.
    ABC

    Look at things from her point of view: She is a strong, Black woman at the top of her field, and the job she's been working toward/is the most qualified for is then given to a privileged white man due to nepotism.

    13. O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill:

    Miramax Films

    This may be due to my personal bias for Lucy Liu, but the woman can do no wrong in my book.

    14. Jennifer Check from Jennifer's Body:

    20th Century Fox

    She's not a villain, but a VICTIM!

    15. Mellie Grant from Scandal:

    Mellie looking at someone offscreen
    ABC

    Not only is her husband openly cheating on her, she has to be OK with it, and then is made to be seen as "the bad guy" for not being alright with the adultery happening under her nose. #I'mWithHer

    16. Baroness Elsa Schraeder from The Sound of Music:

    20th Century Fox

    You know what kinda lady steps aside when she sees that the man she's dating has very blatant feelings for someone else? A classy one!

    17. Emily Gilmore from Gilmore Girls:

    The WB

    Does she have flaws? OFC she does! But, at the end of the day, she wants what's best for her family. [See: Narcissa Malfoy and Cersei Lannister.]

    18. Skyler White from Breaking Bad:

    AMC

    I have nothing but sympathy for the woman who had to deal with a DRUG DEALER!

    19. Martha Jones from Doctor Who:

    BBC

    Can someone explain to me why I wasn't supposed to like her? Because I saw no flaws.

    20. Lydia Bennet from Pride & Prejudice:

    Lydia Bennet in her bonnet
    Focus Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

    I think people are a lil' too concerned about the fact that she almost "ruined" the family name and aren't concerned enough with the fact that a late-twenties foot soldier just up and married this 15-year-old child without any care in the world.

    21. Last, but not least, Cho Chang from Harry Potter:

    Warner Bros.

    I'll be first to admit that I was on the anti-Cho train, but she was just a kid juggling a lot of emotions!

    Who are some females in pop culture that you think get a bad rep? Sound off in the comments below!