Rooting for the main character in a movie always feels exhilarating. Watching them beat the odds, become stronger, get “the girl,” and all that good stuff is what gets us excited. Villains, on the other hand, are despicable! We hate seeing them get their way, but there are rare instances when the bad guys actually help the good guys in one way or another. Those instances can be very confusing for the viewer, but usually, it results in a satisfying redemption arc for the villain.
The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss’ famous furry monster, who absolutely despises Christmas for some reason, is a perfect example of a villain going soft in the end. First, the Grinch takes away the presents, food, and shiny decorations from the Whos. But, upon meeting a little girl, who made his heart grows three sizes, the Grinch finally understood what Christmas was all about.
Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok
Skurge in the comics is quite different from the MCU Skurge, but they’re both villains. In Thor: Ragnarok, he doesn’t stop Hela, nor does he oppose her in any way when she tells him to hunt down the Asgardians. At some point, his conscience wakes up, and he helps the refugees board the ship right before the Asgard goes kaboom. In that final battle, he double-wields two assault riffles — Dess and Troy — to fight off the undead warriors, and dies off-screen like a hero.
Darth Vader in Star Wars
Perhaps one of the wildest twists in the movie history was Darth Vader’s confession to Luke, which then lead to one of the biggest betrayals — the fight between the two greatest villains of all time, Palpatine and Vader. Nobody saw that coming, and everyone loved it. The power of fatherly love brought Anakin back to the Light Side of the Force.
