Top 10 Villains Who Believed They Were the Hero

I’ve Always Loved a Villain

I was ten years old when I realized the squeaky-clean image of a hero was just that—an image. It blew my mind: if heroes aren’t all good, then villains can’t be all bad. The world wasn’t black and white. And that realization didn’t come from a book or a movie. It came from a boy named Jeremy.

We were at the Evanston community recreation center when my father showed up, looking for me. I was a nervous child—trained to keep quiet, to obey, to disappear. Jeremy, a kid who was always in trouble, took one look at me and knew something was wrong. He threw a football at my father’s head. When my father lunged, the other kids followed Jeremy’s lead, hurling anything they could find. It created just enough chaos for an adult to intervene.

Later, Jeremy found me and said, “I know what that look meant. I couldn’t walk away. You know it won’t stop until you speak up—and maybe not even then. You’re going to have to be loud if you want help. You have to be bad. Doing the right thing will get you overlooked.”

That’s when I learned the truth: sometimes, the people we label villains are the ones who refuse to be silent. The ones who do what needs to be done, even if it breaks the rules. Here are ten villains from literature and media who did just that—and why they might be more heroic than we’re willing to admit.

1. Magneto – X-Men

Magneto is a Holocaust survivor, a man shaped by one genocide and determined to prevent another. His belief in mutant superiority isn’t rooted in vanity—it’s rooted in survival. Unlike Charles Xavier, who hopes for peace, Magneto has seen what happens when people trust the powerful to protect them. He chooses defense through dominance. While his methods are extreme, his motivation is not unlike the heroes we praise: protect your people at any cost. Magneto’s tragedy is that he becomes what he fears—oppressor rather than protector—but only because the world gave him no middle ground.

2. Cersei Lannister – Game of Thrones

Cersei is often vilified for her ruthlessness, but everything she does is for her children. In a world built for men, she wields her intelligence, beauty, and cunning to carve out a throne for herself. Cersei is a survivor of patriarchy, trauma, and grief. Her love is fierce, her fear greater still. She believes power is the only thing that ensures safety, and in Westeros, she’s right. If she were a man, we’d call her strategic. As a woman, we call her monstrous. Her story forces us to ask: who do we allow to fight back?

3. Killmonger – Black Panther

Erik Killmonger is a child of abandonment and systemic violence. Left behind by Wakanda, he grew up in Oakland witnessing the real cost of colonialism. His fury is righteous, his pain generational. When he finally reaches Wakanda, it’s not to destroy it—it’s to give its power to the oppressed. His tactics are militant, but his goals are revolutionary: liberation through strength. Killmonger doesn’t want to watch Black people suffer. He wants to arm them. He sees silence as complicity. His war is personal, and unlike the traditional villain, he dies having shaken the hero’s world.

4. Frankenstein’s Creature – Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s creature is not born evil. He is intelligent, eloquent, and kind. What corrupts him is not inner darkness—it’s rejection. Created by Victor Frankenstein and then abandoned, the creature is denied family, love, and companionship. Every door closed to him reinforces the lesson: monsters are made, not born. His descent into violence is a response to the cruelty of those who refuse to see his humanity. In many ways, Frankenstein is the true villain—a man who plays god and shirks responsibility. The creature only wants what we all do: to be loved, and to belong.

5. Javert – Les Misérables

Inspector Javert is the face of justice—but only the rigid, inflexible kind. He is utterly devoted to law and order, believing that the law is moral simply because it exists. When faced with Jean Valjean, a man who breaks the law but lives with compassion and grace, Javert’s worldview begins to collapse. He is not evil; he is a man of rules in a world that demands nuance. His tragic end isn’t due to cruelty, but to cognitive dissonance. Javert dies because he cannot reconcile the idea that mercy might be more just than punishment.

6. Light Yagami – Death Note

Light begins with a god complex disguised as a savior complex. With the Death Note, he seeks to create a perfect world by eliminating evil. But his definition of “evil” becomes broader the more power he holds. He convinces himself he’s righteous, even as he spirals into tyranny. What makes Light compelling is how eerily easy it is to follow his logic—at first. In a society obsessed with punishment over rehabilitation, Light reflects our darker desires for control. He starts with a moral goal but ends as a monster shaped by unchecked ego and a thirst for domination.

7. The Wicked Witch of the West – The Wizard of Oz

Before “Wicked” gave her a name—Elphaba—the Wicked Witch of the West was a green-skinned villainess obsessed with ruby slippers. But even in Baum’s original tale, there are hints of her grief and rage. She’s not evil for the sake of evil. She’s responding to loss, to betrayal, and to the way the world paints her as wicked without hearing her side. “Wicked” reframes her entirely: a misunderstood woman fighting corruption in Oz. She is feared because she challenges power, because she is different. Her downfall is a warning: perception creates reality, and history is written by the winners.

8. Tom Riddle / Lord Voldemort – Harry Potter

Voldemort is a cautionary tale about the fear of death, and the thirst for legacy. He is terrifying not just because of his power, but because of how human his fear is. Orphaned, isolated, and denied love, Tom Riddle became obsessed with immortality and control. He believes love is a weakness, and that power is the only protection against pain. His horror lies in what he’s willing to sacrifice—his soul, his humanity—to never feel helpless again. Voldemort is what happens when a wounded child is never shown another way.

9. Gone Girl (Amy Dunne) – Gone Girl

Amy Dunne is terrifying, yes. But she’s also razor-sharp, brutally observant, and deeply aware of how society treats women. Her actions are extreme—but so is the pressure to perform femininity, obedience, and perfection. Amy weaponizes the “Cool Girl” myth, the media, and the institution of marriage itself to expose how easily we buy into appearances. She is not a role model, but she is a mirror. Through Amy, Gillian Flynn asks: what happens when a woman refuses to be a victim? When she demands to be seen—even if it means becoming a monster?

10. Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader – Star Wars

Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villain arcs in pop culture. And it’s rooted in something heartbreakingly human: fear of loss. Anakin’s love for Padmé, his mother, and ultimately his children is manipulated by a system that sees emotions as weakness. When the Jedi demand detachment, and the Sith offer control, Anakin chooses what feels like the only option. His fall isn’t about ambition—it’s about grief. He becomes a tyrant trying to preserve what he’s already lost. And his redemption proves one thing: villains aren’t beyond saving—they’re just people who gave up too soon.

Final Thoughts: The Hero Isn’t Always Right

What all these characters have in common is conviction. Purpose. A belief in their cause so strong they’re willing to become the villain in someone else’s story to protect it. And maybe that’s why we love them. Because deep down, we know that morality isn’t about labels—it’s about choices. And sometimes, the “bad guys” are just the ones brave enough to make the hardest ones.

Written by: Hilary Smith