5 Superhero Movies That Make You Secretly Root For The Villain (#1 Isn’t Marvel Or DC)

It’s no secret that superhero movies have become one of the most dominant forces in modern cinema. The combination of classic good versus evil stories with various genre tropes makes for compelling movies, but the adaptation of characters who are already iconic in their own right only serves to enhance the experience for many. This has seen superhero cinema completely dominate the modern box office, completely changing the landscape of the movie industry in little more than two decades. Some superhero movies stay true to the comics, while others go out of their way to deliver unexpected developments, but the simple fact is that, generally speaking, they dominate the conversation around modern movies more often than not.

While the typical parameters of superhero stories are pretty neatly defined — the hero is good, the villain is bad — many of the best superhero movies toy with that formula. In many cases, the villains are given motivations and stories so understandable and relatable that we quietly find ourselves rooting for them on some level, despite the movie clearly painting them as the bad guy. While there are movies that focus solely on the villain, these are all examples of times when a character written to be the antagonist actually made us secretly root for their schemes to work.

5) Captain America: Civil War

The MCU has had many great villains, but there’s something about Zemo in Captain America: Civil War that makes him stand out as especially sympathetic. For the majority of the movie, the villain’s motives are unknown, with only vague hints as to what he’s doing and why. The third act reveals the full truth: Zemo’s family, including his young child, were killed during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron in the aftermath of the Battle of Sokovia. His plan being revealed as an elaborate way to turn the Avengers on one another and hurt the superhero team not only makes sense, but feels not entirely disproportionate to his loss. He’s clearly a brilliant man with an incredibly devious mind for tactics, and he sets out to use them to avenge the death of his family. While the audience might know that the Avengers’ actions didn’t deliberately cause their deaths, it’s easy to see how Zemo would blame them, and that makes it hard not to root for him just a little on some level.

4) Spider-Man 2

2004’s Spider-Man 2 is often named as one of the best superhero movie sequels of all time, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment. Every aspect of the movie is an excellent representation of why Spider-Man is such a beloved Marvel hero, and why his rogues’ gallery is one of the best in the Marvel Universe. The movie pits him against Doctor Octopus, establishing the villain’s origin story before placing him at odds with Spider-Man. However, when you really consider how the movie handles the villain’s story, it’s hard not to sympathize with him just a little. His goal to provide the world with clean energy is a noble one, and his creation of tentacle-like arms to assist in his work is brilliant. It’s only the malfunctioning inhibitor that sends him down a path of villainy, and that’s because he’s corrupted by the technology. What’s more, he sacrifices himself in the end to save New York, so it’s hard to even consider him a true villain.

3) The Dark Knight

Over the years, we’ve seen many live-action versions of the Joker, but none are quite as iconic as Heath Ledger’s iteration of the villain in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Ledger’s Joker is a dark reimagining of Batman’s infamous nemesis, and he’s by far one of the greatest comic book movie villains ever to feature on the big screen. Throughout the movie, the Joker repeatedly commits horrific acts of what can only be considered a form of terrorism, murdering and horrifying Gotham’s citizens on numerous occasions. While his actions make it impossible to fully root for him, Ledger’s undeniably charismatic performance quietly sways us to his side at least a little. Particularly in comparison to Christian Bale’s self-serious Batman, Ledger’s Joker is exceptionally magnetic, and at least for a while, we’re pretty much on board with his plan to give Gotham City a better breed of criminal. Yes, he’s insanely evil, but he also boasts a bizarre hypnotic charm that makes us want to take his side.

2) Black Panther

When considering the best MCU villains, Erik Killmonger is always a part of the discussion. The main antagonist of Black Panther is introduced as T’Challa’s estranged cousin who grew up in the US after his father was killed for treasonous acts against Wakanda. Returning to his parental homeland, Killmonger takes the throne from the titular hero with a single goal: to share Wakanda’s power with impoverished Black communities around the world. Michael B. Jordan delivers an exceptional performance as the villain, and his clear communication of his commendable intentions makes it all but impossible to argue with what he hopes to achieve. The only place where our support of Killmonger wanes is when he begins indiscriminately killing those who stand in his way, because that really is undeniable villain behavior. However, his forward-thinking plans and desire to help level the balance of power in the world are more than just understandable; they’re almost heroic.

1) The Incredibles

Across the history of superhero cinema, there have been many villains who were right, but few manage to strike an emotional chord as strongly as Syndrome. Introduced in The Incredibles, Syndrome started out as a young megafan of Mr. Incredible named Buddy, who, despite having no superpowers, just wanted to help people like his hero. The hero roughly dismisses him, cruelly sending him away by effectively telling him he’s not special enough. It’s a harsh lesson for an idealistic kid to learn, particularly when it comes from your idol. With that in mind, it’s pretty easy to see why Buddy grew up wanting to prove himself superior to heroes born with powers. The sheer level of rejection he had to contend with at a young age (after simply doing his best to help, no less) is enough to make anyone act a little strange, and while his pursuit and murderous treatment of heroes is admittedly pretty evil, Mr. Incredible is basically to blame for his actions. He might be the villain, but Syndrome’s origin story makes it hard not to root for him a little when watching The Incredibles.