Yahoo News 7 TV villains who totally won us over
Movie franchises have taught us that if you create a badass villain, they don't stay villainous for too long. Whether it's Loki in the MCU, or The Stath in the Fast & Furious series, we just love anti-heroes.
TV is no different. While some baddies are simply too evil to ever root for, there are some which have that little glint in their eye which makes us either feel sorry or fall in love with them. Or in some cases, both…
1. Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones)
It's easy to forget that at the beginning of Game of Thrones, Jaime was a total and utter bastard. Whether it was pushing Bran out of a window, killing Ned's men or just being a smug bastard, he wasn't a nice guy.
However, after being captured by the Starks, getting pushed around by Brienne, losing his hand and getting a sweet haircut, he became... well, nice.
Sure, he still has mean Lannister blood in him, but each episode brings him close to the light side. We now can't get enough of his bromance with Bronn, and we hope he finally cuts loose from his sister/lover just in time.
2. Ben Linus (Lost)
When Ben first arrived in season 2 of Lost and pretended to be 'Henry Gale', we didn't know whether we could trust him, but there was something about him we didn't like. But it wasn't until season 3 that we realised that he was in fact the leader of 'The Others', and a complete git.
We then had to endure three seasons of Ben messing our heroes about, casually killing or threatening to kill countless people and generally being a snivelling and untrustworthy soul.
But after he realised his whole life following Jacob was a lie, he began to see the error of his ways. And by the end of the show, he had suddenly become a cuddly bloke who we cheered for. Let's just forget all the evil you did years before, eh?
3. Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)
Considering that the show is named after him, it was always expected that TV's favourite cannibal killer was going to be something of an anti-hero.
But when you cast the irresistible Mads Mikkelsen in any role, you're going to end up weirdly rooting for him. Sure, his Dr Lecter might brutally murder loads of people, eat them, and generally mess with the minds of anyone he comes into contact with, but... it's our boy Mads.
Whenever it looked like Hannibal was going to get found out or taken down, there was always that part of us that hoped he'd get away with it.
4. Sue Sylvester (Glee)
The tracksuit-wearing cheerleading coach was essentially the show's main antagonist throughout its run.
Sue was pretty much a bully to everyone around her, and made it very hard for anyone to like her. But every now and then, she would show a softer side to her personality, and all would be alright in the world. Well, until the next episode, at least.
By the fifth season, not only was Sue the principal, but she saved her loyal steed Becky from being expelled, and in season six she even helped convince Kurt and Blaine to marry, provided them with rings, AND gave them their dream honeymoon. Not only that, but by 2020 she becomes the ruddy President. What a turnaround.
5. Sylar (Heroes)
If there's one TV character which sums up 'so evil he's cool so let's make him a goodie', it's this guy.
Real name Gabriel Gray, Sylar was Heroes' main villain in season one, and did some pretty awful things. He was a bona fide serial killer. But because everyone loved Zachary Quinto so much, the writers did whatever they could to make things better.
Over the next few seasons, he slowly mellowed into a recurring antagonist, and then would-be hero. In the penultimate episode, he experienced over three years of penitence within a mental prison, and came out identifying himself as a hero. Convenient.
6. Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Come on, look at him. Like we were going to stay mad at him for long. While Giles thought Spike got his nickname as due to his preferred method of torturing people with railroad spikes, it was later revealed that it was because his poetry was "so bad you could stick a railroad spike through your head". And that sums up loveable rogue Spike.
But he was a pretty evil vampire when he wanted to be. He had already killed two vampire slayers in his lifetime, and was looking to make it three when he found Buffy.
Over the course of the series, he forged an unlikely alliance with the Scooby Gang, and even fell in love with Buffy. He also reacquired his soul to prove himself, and died a hero in the finale. He was so good, he was resurrected for the fifth season of spin-off Angel.
7. Julie Cooper (The OC)
In the early days of The OC, Julie was simply a cartoon character. She was Marissa's evil mum, who kept treating her badly and only cared about herself and money.
She looked like she was only going to last a few episodes, but she stuck around, and in time became one of the show's most popular characters. This was down to Julie becoming the show's ultimate diva, but with a heart of gold deep down.
By season 3, several divorces saw Julie losing the lavish lifestyle she had grown accustomed to, and by heading back to her trailer park roots, she became more of a human, and genuinely loveable character. Though, that didn't stop her from almost marrying a billionaire in season 4.
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