21 Misunderstood Movie Villains Who Don't Deserve To Be Hated

If this is the definition of being bad, then who is actually good?

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community which movie villain got the short end of the stick. Here are some of those famous baddies who deserved more compassion than hate.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

1. Severus Snape from Harry Potter

Warner Bros. Pictures

"He was a very young adult with unresolved trauma from years of parental neglect and abuse. When he was targeted by a cult, he told the Dark Lord about Trelawney's prophecy in order to gain some sort of belonging and trust. When it all went wrong, he spent THE REST OF HIS LIFE trying to make it right, (SPOILER ALERT) DYING in the process.

He was a bullied student who wasn't given the chance to heal and change, and he continued that cycle of pain as an adult. Severus Snape was responsible for a lot of shit, but it wasn't his fault."

—SarahDaugherty

2. Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad

Warner Bros. Pictures

"She was abused her whole childhood and never knew what it was like to be loved. Then, she meets The Joker, he pretends to love her, and she develops Stockholm syndrome because she doesn't know what love is — she only knows abuse. Harley didn't really want to hurt anyone; The Joker forced her to.

—starbucks8307

3. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Disney

"She was deliberately left uninvited to the social event of the year, and when she shows up, she's insulted! So, she snapped. 🤷"

—catperson3492

4. Mother Gothel from Tangled

Disney

"All she wanted to do was survive. She didn't originally plan on kidnapping Rapunzel; she only wanted a piece of her hair. Even after she took Rapunzel, she gave her everything she could ever want (besides going outside). Mother Gothel was even going to take a three-day trip to get Rapunzel's favorite paint as a birthday present."

—onlyheretocomment91

5. Bane from The Dark Knight Rises

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The writers only threw in the scene where Bane blew up a football field to make him a villain. Otherwise, the uprising against the elite is what many people are feeling today."

—mikew419319685

6. Anastasia from Cinderella

Disney

"She was just following her sister's example, and she never started any of the attacks on Cinderella. Anastasia only followed them because she knew that Stepmother and Drizella would pick on her if she didn't.

SPOILER ALERT: She does get a redemption arc in the other movies."

—anonymous12358

7. The Joker from The Dark Knight

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I know he’s Batman’s enemy and all, but the movie with Joaquin Phoenix showed why he is the way he is, and his origin story is kinda sad and depressing."

—brookeyamada_

8. Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter

Warner Bros. Pictures

"He was raised to believe awful things, and he slowly transformed from a schoolyard bully into a seriously cruel teen. However, he never had it in him to truly hate. If he genuinely hated non-purebloods and non-human magical creatures, Draco would have had no problem being a Death Eater. He was undoubtedly an asshole who loved feeling superior, but he was also a kid who wasn’t prepared for the realities of evil."

—sofien

"He was only following in his father’s footsteps, but as the series went on, you got the feeling that he was doing so because he feared for his mother’s life."

—agowan6373

9. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast

Disney

"Terrible human? Yes. But if the girl you were in love with was being held captive by a wolf/bear thing, wouldn't you try to woo her by killing it and protecting her? On top of that, imagine getting to the castle and discovering that the furniture and appliances are possessed. Honestly, I don’t blame him for trying to win over Belle by freeing her."

—emstrode

10. Melinda from Acrimony

Tyler Perry Studios

"It's true that she went a little too far, but she kind of had a point."

—aimlesslygera

11. Kylo Ren from Star Wars

Disney

"I know this is controversial, but if his parents didn't leave him, he wouldn't have fallen to the dark side. He felt abandoned by his family."

—valegrant99

"He wasn't evil for the sake of 'being evil.' He had been manipulated and mentally abused by Snoke, literally from inside the womb. Also, with his uncle trying to kill him, you can understand why he unraveled."

—gfeltes

12. Roy Batty from Blade Runner

Warner Bros. Prictures

"When watching, you think that Roy is the villain, but by the end it is revealed that he's not. Roy is a replicant and was given four years to live, but he wants to live more because he values life. His final dialogue proves he is one of the most sympathetic characters EVER."

—valegrant99

13. Thanos from The Avengers

Disney

"He wanted to stop overpopulation, which is a real problem. It was a good cause with a bad solution."

—djonellsamara

14. Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda

Paramount Pictures

"He was made to believe that he was the Dragon Warrior and he worked for the Dragon Scroll his whole life. He had high hopes, until they told him that he wasn't the Dragon Warrior."

—djonellsamara

15. Loki from Thor

Disney

"He is not evil; he just wanted to feel the love Thor felt from Odin. Yes, he is a trickster and the God of Mischief, but it was mostly harmless. He wanted Asgard to be under competent leadership, and he did what he thought was necessary to get that. Odin was too stuck in his ways, and Thor was unfit to lead, leaving Loki as the only other option. I don't understand how people see him as a villain."

—sarahh4503365fa

16. Magneto from X-Men

Marvel/20th Century

"He's a Holocaust survivor, so he recognizes the parallels between that and the anti-mutant agenda. He doesn't want such a tragedy to happen again, though he doesn't go about ending the war against mutants in the best way."

—takerbobpooh

17. Ursula from The Little Mermaid

Disney

"She wanted her voice to be heard."

—sunflower76

"She offered legs via contract, which Ariel broke. Ursula wanted respect and their agreement to be fulfilled."

—evad45033d217

"She was trying to show Ariel that you shouldn’t give up your voice for a man."

—tiffanyr40116845e

18. Javert from Les Miserables

Universal Pictures

"He was just doing his job and fell victim to French law and his duty as a captain. Javert truly thought he was doing what was right; he just didn't know that it WASN'T right, and that justifies his actions."

—clarecolored1

19. Scar from The Lion King

Disney

"He was told and shown his entire life that Mufasa was better than him. When Simba was born and he got knocked down the line of succession, Scar just got fed up."

—sashae1

"Also, Scar's original name, Taka, means 'trash' in Swahili. His parents named him 'trash.'"

—viciousxvenom

20. Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron

Disney

"Tony Stark created Ultron to bring peace to the world. Ultron found a way to do it. It wasn't the best way to do it, but he found a way to accomplish the objective he was created for. Ultimately, it was truly Tony Stark who was the villain of this movie, while Ultron was trying to be the hero Tony wanted."

—centralcitycitizen

21. And Commodus from Gladiator

DreamWorks/Universal Pictures

"He's my favorite villain. We know he's bad, but he has a purpose. He wanted to do something good and tried the only way he knew how. However, he chose the wrong path. I can't help but to sympathize with him."

—kjorn

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.