20 Villains Who We Actually Liked Better Than The Main Character

    The ones we couldn't resist rooting for. Loki, we're looking at you.

    Hanifah Rahman
    by Hanifah Rahman

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which villains they found way too interesting to hate. Here's what they said!

    1. Regina George from Mean Girls.

    Paramount Pictures

    "Let's be real, she's the main character here: Cady was kind of two dimensional meanwhile Regina had LAYERS. I think we're long overdue a retelling of the story from her point of view."

    –hanifahrahman

    2. Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmations.

    Buena Vista Distribution.

    "Cruella is brilliant to watch and hugely entertaining – both versions, but especially Glenn Close in the live-action one

    —mrkbuzz

    3. Yyzma from The Emperor's New Groove.

    Buena Vista Pictures

    "Honestly, I feel like she's really underrated – she's such a funny diva."

    —galmartinez11

    4. Hades from Hercules.

    Buena Vista Pictures

    "He was so funny and relatable, my favourite villain to this day!"

    —jilliannem2

    "Don’t get me wrong, Hercules was likeable (and basically every character is awesome) but Hades was SERIOUSLY cool and had all the best lines. In his own words: Hades RULES!"

    —hannanora-p

    5. The Joker from The Dark Knight.

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "You go in loving and rooting for Batman, and come out obsessed and weirdly on the Joker's side."

    —rmcooper

    "Heath Ledger's joker is just *chef's kiss.*"

    —lafemmerequin

    6. The Master, AKA Missy, from Doctor Who.

    BBC

    "I love David Tennant as the Doctor but John Simms was just THAT good."

    —jonw45f7731ce

    "Now, I don't like him better than the Doctor, but it’s super interesting to see the dynamic between them, and see the possibility of what the Doctor could have become. Both of them being from Gallifrey gives them a connection that no other person has with the Doctor, and it makes for some great episodes and storylines."

    —megana459810788

    "Missy! Okay, okay, all the versions of the Master are awesome, but Missy is just so fun! The way she plays off Capaldi's Doctor is phenomenal, and I could watch her torment Clara all day. 'Oh Missy, you're so fine,' indeed!"

    —greyladybast

    7. Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "Don’t get me wrong, Thor grew on me over the years and by Thor Ragnarok, I loved his character development, but from the very start Loki just stole the show with his smirking sass.

    —jadda42

    "I refuse to call him a villain. He's a misunderstood, loveable mischief-maker. I mean, yeah, he tried to kill a bunch of people, but it was totally blown out of proportion..."

    —gem217

    "Even though it was about his brother, Loki stole the show and our hearts. No wonder he has his own special series coming up."

    —djonellsamara

    8. Killmonger from Black Panther.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "I understood his motivation, but just didn’t like the method of his execution."

    —liannateresag

    9. Scar from The Lion King.

    Buena Vista Distribution

    "Personally, I've always loved him. He just reminds me of me and I LOVE the song 'Be Prepared,'"

    —newlandserin

    "Jeremy Irons as him was just brilliant."

    —jonw45f7731ce

    10. Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter.

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "In the beginning, he was definitely the quintessential rich-kid bully type, but throughout the series, you saw him struggling with having his own identity vs being groomed as someone to serve Lord Voldemort. He was actually a very smart, capable student that excelled in his classes, but everyone only cared about him being a Malfoy. He has such an interesting, thought-provoking character development arc that lasts over the entire series into the Cursed Child play."

    —megana459810788

    "He wasn’t a psychopath. He was just raised terribly and was misunderstood."

    —lilithstormgoddess

    11. Princess Azula from Avatar.

    Nickelodeon

    "Yeah, her brother has the better character storyline, but she was just so fun to watch! She was a great fire bender, strategist, and her manipulative skills were crazy awesome. And then her mental breakdown in the last few episodes really showed the heartbreak and loss that laid beneath the surface. She really was one of the best, if not the BEST villain in Avatar."

    —megana459810788

    12. Morgana from Merlin.

    BBC

    "Before she was the villain she was lovely and smart if a bit naive (okay pretty annoying), then she became so much more badass, powerful, and independent. She had a great character arc and I loved the Merlin/Arthur/knights side and all but I would've liked her to win really."

    —kebmillbrae

    13. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

    Buena Vista Distribution

    "Her regal evil vibe is amazing and 100% of the reason I don't have any use for the live-action movie 'redeeming' her."

    —fabgay

    14. Emily from Gilmore Girls.

    The WB

    "While she definitely was horrible at some points, her overall character arc was so interesting, despite Lorelai always making her out to be the villain."

    —kpotterswift

    15. Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

    Buena Vista Distribution

    "From a young age, she always spoke to me as such a deeper character than Princess Ariel. Yes, Ursula was power-hungry and out to get the sea for herself, but I DARE anyone to find a more spine-tingling bop than 'Poor Unfortunate Souls'. Ursula also started my love of drag queens at a young age! And she led me to Divine!"

    —meganders

    16. Captain Barbossa from Pirates of the Caribbean.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "I loved how even though he is supposed to be a scummy pirate, he isn't necessarily evil, he just wanted to feel again and enjoy apples!! Also Geoffrey Rush made the character so incredibly charming!"

    —alysaurus688

    "I loved Barbossa! I was glad he got a redemption arc and continued to have a large role in the sequels. He was the perfect foil to Jack Sparrow!"

    —mira2018

    17. Victoria from Twilight.

    Summit Entertainment

    "I love the Twilight saga but I never liked Bella; I always found her kinda dumb and pathetic (until she became a vampire and actually gained fighting skills). I don't exactly root for Victoria because I'm a huge fan of Edward and the rest of the Cullens but I think she's cool."

    —corgiprincessvictoria

    18. Kylo Ren from Star Wars.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "He's really neat. I love how he goes ahead and kills Snoke even after years of being lied to and manipulated by him. He is a pretty complex character."

    —legoforest

    "Such an amazingly complex, deep, fascinating character. He had an incredible character arc and was (in my opinion) more three-dimensional than some of the others."

    —maddie_rose

    19. Aaron Burr from Hamilton.

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "Aaron Burr is far more interesting than Alexander Hamilton. Even though he's painted as the 'villian', I can't help but root for him."

    —blackbirdsinging20

    20. And finally, Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Lol.

    Orion Pictures

    "Hannibal Lecter over Clarice Starling any day of the week!"

    —emailemailemail123

    Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.

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