33 TV Characters Who Started Out As Villains But Ended Up Being Better Than The Heroes

    Katherine Pierce was one of the best Vampire Diaries characters ever.

    Nora Dominick
    by Nora Dominick

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV antagonists they ended up loving. Here are just a few of the best responses:

    🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead!🚨

    1. Villanelle from Killing Eve

    Villanelle saying that she's her "mother's daughter" and then telling her mom she's going to have to kill her
    BBC America

    "The episode where she visited her family and ended up killing her mother was amazing. I actually sympathized with her about WHY she needed to do it. I thought something was wrong with me for a moment. I also loved how she helped the kid out by giving him money to go see Elton John. She's a big ol' softy who could also kill you."

    —HoneyBrunette09

    2. Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal

    Hannibal asking Will if he'll forgive him
    NBC

    "Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal would be one of the most deplorable men you could ever meet in real life, but in the fantastical TV world, you just cannot help but root for him a little bit. He was so suave and intelligent, and clearly in love with Will Graham. I constantly found myself wanting him to outsmart the FBI."

    —functional_fangirl

    3. Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Zuko telling Sokka about his girlfriend and Sokka saying his first girlfriend turned into the moon
    Nickelodeon

    "I know his backstory is too complex to be really considered a villain, but he was still the main antagonist of the first two seasons. The fact that he joins everyone in Season 3 only made me root for him more."

    —marie-francel

    4. Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Azula lying to Toph and saying she's a 400-foot-tall purple platypus bear
    Nickelodeon

    "She was the true villain (don't @ me), and she was so powerful and truly evil, but for some reason I really loved her. Maybe it was because she represented a female villain who was actually scary and hell-bent on destroying everyone in her path."

    —maverickchiefeditor

    5. Moriarty from Sherlock

    Moriarty on a throne with crown jewels saying, "No rush"
    BBC

    "Andrew Scott’s Moriarty was absolutely mesmerizing. He was sexy and terrifying. I was rooting for Sherlock to lose the whole time."

    —cgallaghernovember

    6. Addison Montgomery from Grey's Anatomy

    Addison arriving at Seattle Grace and meeting Meredith
    ABC

    "I wanted to hate her so badly, but she was so charming and badass. I almost wanted her and Derek to work out."

    —allisonbway

    7. Negan from The Walking Dead

    Negan wanting to die so that he can be reunited with his wife
    AMC

    "I know he did some messed-up stuff, but if the show had been told from his point of view instead of Rick's, I’m 100% certain we would all have been on his side. Plus, it’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, so..."

    —victoriagraceg

    8. Regina/the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time

    The Evil Queen saying, "I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do"
    ABC

    "She was such an interesting character, and she deserved so much better! I was rooting for her from the beginning and always liked her better than Snow and Charming."

    —dogluver15

    9. Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries

    Katherine comforting Nadia before she dies
    The CW

    "She was badass, her quotes were iconic, and she wasn't always a villain, only a girl who believed in true love, had her daughter taken away from her at birth, and had the rest of her family killed because she wanted to survive. I was rooting both for the girl who suffered so much and for the woman who would manipulate and kill anyone to survive and get what she wants. Nina Dobrev also played a large part in making Katherine such an amazing character."

    —silverhera

    10. Klaus Mikaelson from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals

    Klaus smiling with Hayley while holding Hope
    The CW

    "I know that if I accidentally tripped over his foot, he would probably kill me and my whole family, but the accent, the soft side, and his love for his daughter still made me love him. Don’t care if he’s scary or sweet, I just wanted him to get his happy ending!"

    —emmaloveschocolate

    11. Crowley from Supernatural

    Crowley saying he's going to torture everyone who betrayed him
    The CW

    "Yes, he was technically an anti-hero, but you can’t hate his witty sarcasm, his intelligence when he outsmarted Lucifer, and his cat-and-mouse friendship with the Winchesters. He always fought fair but was willing to cut ties when necessary, and his estranged relationship with Rowena was honestly relatable."

    —florabelm

    12. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    Spike drinking blood from a "kiss the librarian" mug
    Warner Bros.

    "Obviously I never rooted for him in the sense that I wanted him to succeed in killing Buffy, but he was such an amazing character and had such a great arc. Even though he was technically evil up until the last season, he became my favorite character. His 'I don't give a fuck' attitude and the change in dynamic he brought to the Scooby Gang were just two reasons he was a bad guy you just had to root for."

    —Lauren Pulsford

    13. Rowan Pope from Scandal

    Rowan telling Olivia, "Olivia, you’re getting on that plane come hell or high water. And to be clear, I am the hell and the high water"
    ABC

    "I LOVED him despite all the terrible stuff he was involved in. When he told Liv that '[she was] getting on that plane come hell or high water, and to be clear, [he was] the hell AND the high water'? I screamed."

    —courtneychappelle

    14. Morgana from Merlin

    Arthur telling Morgana that he thought they were friends, and Morgana saying she thought the same
    BBC One

    "It really wasn't her fault she went bad — she was abandoned by her friends. Honestly, if anything, they were the true bad guys. If they had just supported and embraced her magic abilities, she could've used her powers for good. So they made her into what she became. Plus, Morgana was played by Katie McGrath, so how can you not root for her?!"

    —katemac324

    15. Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

    Catra asking Adora to stay and then both of them saying, "I love you"
    Netflix

    "Even before her redemption in the final season, I was always kind of rooting for her and hoping she'd make it out okay. I feel like a lot of her villainous acts came from a place of self-loathing, which is very millennial of her, tbh."

    —Razmatini

    16. Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars

    Mona saying, "I Won't let you do that to my friends"
    Freeform

    "She was so smart and clever that you almost admired her. Mona was one of those characters that you wouldn’t trust in person, but she was really fun to watch. By the end, I truly wanted the best for Mona."

    —OpalsOcean

    17. Joe Goldberg from You

    Joe telling Love that he loves her
    Netflix

    "I hate that I wanted a murderer to find love."

    —addi

    18. Love Quinn from You

    Love telling Joe that they both learned how to survive really young
    Netflix

    "Yeah, she's as messed up as Joe, but I love that she challenges Joe's gender misconceptions. He assumed that his stalking was just being 'the nice guy' and he's 'protecting,' yet he acted disturbed when Love committed his same crimes. I love that Love puts him in his place."

    —hiitsnicetomeetyou

    19. Gus Fring from Breaking Bad

    AMC

    "Gus Fring is still my all-time favorite villain, and probably my favorite character ever. He was power hungry but cunning and collected, peak 'lawful evil.' Had Walt never come into the picture, Gus would likely have dismantled the cartel’s presence and operated the largest meth operation in the world, all because the cartel killed his partner. I especially loved how he could be a civically engaged community saint in Albuquerque but also wield a box cutter. His death was both satisfying and sad because Walt couldn’t handle the power Gus had."

    —NoTeaNoShade

    20. Lorne Malvo from Fargo

    Malvo saying, "Lester, is this what you want?"
    FX

    "Scrupulous, enigmatic, and genuinely terrifying, Billy Bob Thornton stole every scene he was in. Maybe the scariest thing about Malvo was how you never knew how deep the charade he was playing went or when he could pull back the veneer to bare his teeth."

    —august_prim

    21. Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones

    Cersei telling Sansa "The only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy"
    HBO

    "I absolutely LOVE her character. The fact that she was a woman (in medieval-like times) who managed to make it to the top and end everyone who ever wronged her without having dragons or magic or being resurrected or trained as an assassin...just awesome. I won't make excuses for her villainy. She was definitely an evil person, but damn, I adore her!"

    —pennyguide

    22. Dan Scott from One Tree Hill

    Dan asking Nathan to play a game on the River Court, but not to keep score
    The CW

    "He did absolutely unforgivable things and was a vile human being, but somehow I ended up rooting for him and his redemption arc?! I mean, he DID save Jamie and Nathan!"

    —Th3FatPanth3r

    23. Doug Judy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine

    Doug Judy telling Jake, "You’re the most consistent person in my life, Peralta. I can always count on you"
    NBC

    "His character arc has been flawless, and I now love his friendship with Jake. Talk about an enemies-to-friends arc."

    —lucyhalpern

    24. Norman Bates from Bates Motel

    Norman saying that it's actually really hard to love people and being lonely isn't the worst
    AE

    "We know from the movie who he became, but his origin story showed a deeply damaged human with lifelong mental health issues. I couldn’t help but root for him to find happiness even though I knew it would end in murder."

    —Jbdnco

    25. Petra Solano from Jane the Virgin

    Petra sobbing about JR broke up with her even though she was about to propose
    The CW

    "She just wanted to be seen and loved so badly. It just took her a few seasons to find herself. I loved her transformation, and I rooted for her every week!"

    —Alison M

    26. Ben Linus from Lost

    Ben telling Hurley that he just needs to continue to help people
    ABC

    "Yes, he was a horrible person who did some horrible things, but he was also doing them because he had been extremely manipulated by the idea of the island. And his dad was a piece of shit who was abusive to him as a kid. I liked in the finale how he refused John’s offer to come into the church because he realized that he had been wrong and needed to work out his mistakes."

    —marchsunshine100

    27. Lenny Busker from Legion

    Lenny sitting on David's lap
    FX

    "Aubrey Plaza playing the villain? Sign me up! The most fun and versatile character in a show full of oddballs with superpowers. Lenny took Aubrey's usual energy and cranked it up to 13."

    —august_prim

    28. Wilhelmina Slater from Ugly Betty

    Wilhelmina saying, "Well, I could make an effort to be liked, but I’d rather be hated than inconvenienced"
    ABC

    "Not only did she truthfully deserve the job she schemed for, but she was rightfully bitter for not receiving it due to nepotism. Plus, she was hilarious, creative, and the authority on fashion within the magazine. I loved her."

    —intercept

    29. Georgina Sparks from Gossip Girl

    Georgina saying, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get drunk enough to make you all seem interesting"
    The CW

    "Her scenes were always my favorite. She brought so much fun, drama, and humor to every moment she was part of."

    —taylor nealy

    30. Cole Turner from Charmed

    Cole proposing to Phoebe
    Warner Bros.

    "He started out targeting the sisters and trying to turn them against each other, but then he fell in love with Phoebe. Their love was just so amazing, and their chemistry was flawless! As much as I loved his character arc, he made such a phenomenal villain. Also, it didn't hurt that Julian McMahon is gorgeous!"

    —rachelj43312bbe2

    31. The Master/Missy from Doctor Who

    Missy revealing herself to the Doctor as the Master
    BBC

    "I love the dynamic and how, like the Doctor, the Master regenerates, so you don’t always know who the Master is! Some of the best storylines and twists have come from the Master episodes too! I also always got a little excited whenever the background drumbeat started up."

    —megana459810788

    32. Josephine Lightbourne from The 100

    Josephine telling Clarke that she has all night to find a memory or kill her
    The CW

    "She was a teenage girl who never grew up and didn’t know right from wrong because she had a terrible role model and just wanted to survive. Her personality was so charming. I couldn’t help but want both her and Clarke to make it out alive."

    —monikaaat

    33. And finally, Tate Langdon from American Horror Story

    Tate explaining to Violet that he tried to save her but she died
    FX

    "He was just so complex and full of teenage angst that I couldn't help but root for him. You could see what led to him becoming who he was. Also, it's as simple as Evan Peters being flawless. I always found myself rooting for Tate."

    —bravetyper

    What other TV "villains" did you ultimately root for? Tell us in the comments below!

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