5 Fantasy Movies Where the Villain Is Cooler Than the Hero & Almost Makes You Root for Them

More often than you’d think, the hero isn’t the most interesting person in a lot of fantasy movies, no matter how hard they try. Sometimes, they’re too busy completing their mission while the villain shows up, steals the spotlight, and suddenly becomes the one everyone is watching. There are several reasons why this happens, whether it’s because they’re funnier, have a stronger personality, or just have a better look, which, somehow, always seems to overshadow the fact that we know they’re still a problem for the story. If a villain is charismatic, gets things wrong but does so with conviction, and shows that there are actual reasons behind their actions (and reasons you might even relate to), they can easily take over the film without even trying.

This is a pattern across pretty much every genre, but in fantasy, it feels even more special. And we’re not just talking about villains who are right all along or secretly misunderstood; some of them are really terrible and do things that make it impossible to defend. Still, there’s something about them that makes them hard to overlook and makes it difficult to root 100% for the hero. Here are some of the best examples.

5) Thor

Today, Thor is one of the most beloved heroes, but when his first solo movie hit theaters, there was another character who drew far more attention. In the story, after disobeying Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and starting a war with the Frost Giants, the protagonist (Chris Hemsworth) is banished from Asgard and sent to Earth without his powers, where he has to learn a few lessons in humility before he can wield Mjolnir again. However, while Thor is busy learning that he can’t solve everything with brute force, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is doing pretty much everything that makes the story more interesting to watch. Today, he’s basically an anti-hero (or a hero, considering how his series ends), but even back when he was a villain, he was easy to like.

In the movie, from the very beginning, he’s more calculating, more observant, and much better at understanding how people work. So when he discovers that he’s the son of Laufey, Loki starts seeing his relationship with Thor in a totally different way, and from that point on, his choices become harder to justify — but also more fascinating to follow. Of course, Hiddelston helps a lot with that, as his performance makes the antagonist feel threatening without losing his sarcastic and engaging energy. In Thor (and a few later movies), he’s that villain we love to hate, and he makes the whole film something it simply wouldn’t be without him.

4) Harry Potter Franchise

Putting Harry Potter on this list is a bit complicated, since when it comes to choosing between the protagonist (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the choice isn’t so difficult. Still, there’s no denying that the franchise’s villain is a pop culture icon who has even become a meme. Across eight movies, Harry spends much of the story trying to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from returning and, later, defeat him once and for all. But overall, the wizard is easier to understand and obviously designed to be likable: he wants to protect the people he loves and put an end to Voldemort. This villain, on the other hand, has such an imposing and memorable presence that whenever he’s on screen, all the attention automatically shifts to him.

Try to take this figure out of the story or replace him with another kind of enemy, and most of the fun is basically gone. With all his eccentricity, he’s the one constantly moving the game forward — and he does it so calculatedly that you find yourself looking forward to seeing what he’ll do the next time he shows up. And none of this is a coincidence, given that his appearance in the upcoming reboot series is being kept secret, with everyone eagerly waiting to see him. But there are also other villains worth talking about too, since Harry Potter is filled with Death Eaters, who, for a good portion of the fanbase, are the most interesting characters because of how complex they are: Draco (Tom Felton) and Snape (Alan Rickman), for example. They’re the ones with the strongest personalities and some of the most memorable arcs of them all.

3) Star Wars Franchise

Another pop culture icon, when you talk about Star Wars, Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) is usually the first character that comes to mind (even his Imperial March). While the original trilogy follows Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he finds out about the Force and gets involved in the Rebellion’s fight against the Empire, Vader already shows up fully formed as one of the most threatening figures in the universe. The black armor, the breathing, the red lightsaber, and even the way he walks into a room, for example, do a lot of the work before the character even says anything — so much so that they later tried to make him a reference point to Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), but the character never manages to reach the same level with audiences and the new generation.

And everything becomes even better when there’s a chance to understand how the villain ended up where he did. So, when the prequel trilogy comes along, we learn that Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), the former Jedi who fell to the dark side after allowing fear and his desire to protect the people he loved to control his decisions. So he’s not just the “bad guy,” but someone who knows what he lost and has to live with it. Luke is the hero, but Vader is the one who carries the weight of the entire franchise. If you end up paying more attention to him than the hero, honestly, you can’t say Star Wars didn’t do an incredible job with its antagonist.

2) Legend

Legend‘s reputation isn’t exactly the best depending on who you ask. The movie isn’t considered that great as a whole, which is probably why it has been largely forgotten, but it did win over part of the audience with its visuals and whole fairy-tale vibe, and especially because of its villain. In the story, we meet Jack (Tom Cruise), who is brave and pure of heart and sets out on a mission to save Princess Lili (Mia Sara) and stop the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) from plunging the world into darkness. In other words, it’s a very traditional fantasy setup, with no attempt to hide who’s on the right side and who’s on the wrong side, but Jack’s enemy is what makes that divide feel less boring or predictable in some way.

It’s very hard to compete with a villain who shows up wearing massive makeup, talks as if he’s commanding a show, and seems to be having way more fun than anyone else. In fact, there’s not a single good reason to root for Darkness, considering he wants to wipe out the unicorns, kidnaps Lili, and tries to convince her to join him, but here we get almost the same advantage as in Thor: the actor’s performance. Curry gives the character so much personality that you start looking forward to his scenes as the movie goes on. He’s funny, theatrical, and strangely charismatic, while Jack is just a very conventional hero. In Legend, Darkness is the real star and the most entertaining part of the whole film.

1) Labyrinth

The cult classic Labyrinth is closely associated with David Bowie and his character Jareth, but to the point that some people don’t even realize he’s the villain of the story. The idea here is to center the entire plot around Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a frustrated young girl who has to take care of her younger brother, Toby (Toby Froud), and, in a moment of anger, wishes for the goblins to take him away. And when that actually happens, she has to enter Jareth’s labyrinth and find the boy before he’s turned into a goblin. In theory, it’s a story about the protagonist having to grow up and realize the consequences of her own wishes. But it’s very hard to remember that when the Goblin King steals your attention from the very first second he appears, and does it so effortlessly.

Jareth is manipulative and has no intention of doing Sarah any favors, but he also has a confidence and sense of humor that make it easy to understand why that world might eventually seem so tempting to her. And he doesn’t need much to pull it off, just the attitude and, of course, the extravagant outfit. It’s almost as if he’s what Peter Pan would be like if he were the villain of his own story. So while Sarah spends much of the movie trying to learn more about the completely different world, Jareth knows everything about it and has fun playing with everyone trapped inside it. In Labyrinth, you end up rooting for the heroine, but it’s the villain who makes you question that choice every now and then.