Halloween Special - Top 25 Good Guys that Turned Bad

 

I find that sometimes what makes for an interesting villain is the people that we once thought were the good guys. But then something happens to them that makes them go bad and they either find some kind of redemption in the end, or stay bad. As a wise bat once said, you either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain. So for Halloween this year, we're going to take a look at my personal favourite heroes that went bad and either stayed bad or redeemed themselves. So its heroes that became villains, not the other way around. And of course, all from things I have seen and/or played. Let's take a look before we too become villains (and for obvious reasons, there will be spoilers):

25 - Jonny and Plank (Ed, Edd N Eddy)

Let's start the list by looking at a character who never really got his chance to play the part of the villain. Now, throughout his time on the Cul-De-Sac, Jonny has been somewhat of a dimwit. Remaining oblivious to pretty much everything alongside his inanimate friend Plank. Towards the final episodes of the show, the pair took on a more heroic way of things and became heroes. But it wasn't until the Big Picture Show (which ended up being the feature length finale of Ed, Edd N Eddy) that he felt betrayed by his friends when they beat him up following a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding being that Eddy's brother is the reason why Eddy is the way he is and all the kids finally coming to accept him despite the screw-up he and his fellow Eds did on the latest scheme. It's a shame we will never get to see Jonny and Plank be the villains in the show as depicted during the credits, but it would have been pretty funny and interesting to see.

24 - Syndrome (The Incredibles)

One of the most difficult things fans of their heroes may come across, is rejection from the people they look up to. This was the case for Buddy Pine who looked up to Mr. Incredible and desperately wanted to be his sidekick. But he rejected him stating that he works alone which set up the foundation of what he would end up becoming. A supervillain called Syndrome who is hellbent on ridding the world of heroes by tasking them to, quote on quote, kill deadly robots that are "attacking" a facility on an uncharted island. All so that he can be the only hero on the planet. So I guess the moral of this story is to appreciate your fans and don't reject them. Because they may idol you at first, but soon turn on you in the long run.

23 - Dr. Jekyll (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide)

One of the more classic examples of a good guy turned bad is Dr. Jekyll. A man who is a good doctor, but is forced to repress the evil urges that live within him. He makes a serum that he hopes will keep his evil side at bay, but this ends up having him fully succumb to his Hyde persona with possibly no turning back. Of course there are other characters that are basically two characters in one such as Bruce Banner who turns into Hulk whenever he gets angry or excited. Truly one of the classic ways to turn evil and one of the most iconic characters of all time to do so.

22 - Henry J. Waternoose (Monsters Inc.)

Mr. Waternoose is the sort of character that you can at first sympathize with. All he wants to do is get out of the power crisis and do whatever it takes to do so. But that's the problem right there. Doing whatever it takes has caused him to kidnap children to force screams out of them. Plus with all the monsters falling under the assumption that kids carry germs and diseases, his big plans are eventually exposed by his top employees Sully and Mike. Sometimes it's OK to be a little desperate, but doing evil deeds to get what you want, doesn't bold well with many people.

21 - Tighten (Megamind)

Tighten is one of those characters who is created for some kind of purpose. But this purpose, which is being a superhero, is not what he wants to do, and he becomes a supervillain. One that is built around jealousy because the girl he fancies, is actually in love with Megamind. But then again, this sort of thing is bound to happen when you get rejected and all that. Still, though, very rare to see Jonah Hill play a villain, and he does a great job of it in one of those times when it's just perfect casting.

20 - Adam Mitchell (Doctor Who)

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Adam Mitchell was never trully a guy that went bad, but that's when you may be wrong. Often fans of things like Doctor Who and Star Wars tend to not account for everything besides the films and TV shows and for many Whovians out there, Adam Mitchell's story does in fact continue in comic book form. After trying to acquire information to send to the past, he is abandoned by the Ninth Doctor and Rose which leads to him forming a plan to capture nearly all the Doctors from his/her first regeneration cycle and their companions at the time. Though in the end and despite giving in to greed and temptation, he would ultimately make a sacrifice to save the universe and thus redeem himself for being a bit of a dimwitted one time companion.

19 - Jean Grey (X-Men)

Ignoring the films, Jean Grey is of course a key hero within the X-Men. She is what Counsellor Troy is to the Enterprise in Star Trek: Next Generation, a hero who wants to solve people's problems and be there for her fellow mutants during their most difficult times. It was for this reason that the events of Dark Phoenix made her go bad and turn against her friends and family in what is arguably considered one of the most devastating moments in comic books. A moment that has so far been butchered twice in films, but done pretty well in the animated series. It should always be something of a journey to the event. Never used as a means to make money.

18 - Rose (Get Out)

Get Out is one of those rare examples of a horror film that is not just done right, but is also very much original. I mean I never would've expected racism to be used as the basis of a film like that and it works really well. So Rose is one of those girlfriends people will have that is basically a big lie. Making out that she is this and that, but never revealing her true intentions until its too late. Her true intentions being to bring African Americans to her family's estate so that they can use them to be the vessels of various people. A clever plan for sure, but one that would ultimately see her downfall when her latest "boyfriend" Chris, manages to see through her plan and as the name of the film implies, tries to get out of the situation. Now this film has at least two different endings, but regardless of which one you believe is the true ending, Rose gets her comeuppance in the end. It would've been interesting to see if the truth about what went down, became public knowledge. But hey ho.

17 - Scrappy Doo (Scooby-Doo)

You've heard so many people say that Scrappy is one of the most annoying characters to come from Scooby-Doo and you would be right. Now since his debut on the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, he's never really be seen beyond those cartoons due to the negative reception he has had. So when this film came out, it was a complete surprise to everyone to see him and be the true main villain. I guess the writers (among them being the once great, but now disgraced Joss Whedon) wanted to take advantage of the negative reception of the character to make him the villain. And although over-the-top, Scrappy does well as a villain who really just wanted to be part of the Mystery Gang, but like Buddy Pine, was ultimately rejected and abandoned because of his behaviour.

16 - Prince Hans (Frozen)

By the time the first Frozen film came out, it was already quite well known that good guys can turn bad which makes Prince Hans reveal as the villain to not really be all that original. But a surprise all the same. He even does the classic villain cliché where a good person says to him "You'll never get away with this" and he says "I already have". Hans goes to Arendelle and manages to woo Anna successfully, which leads to Elsa being suspicious and ultimately forced to leave her kingdom when her powers are revealed. Then as Anna goes to save her, Hans sets about his plans to take over the kingdom with the two sisters out of the way. Though, ultimately, he meets his downfall. But honestly, you can't blame him for wanting this because of how his brothers have treated him.

15 - Harry Osborn (Sam Rami's Spider-Man trilogy)

Throughout Sony's first trilogy of Spider-Man films, we watch a story arc revolving around Harry Osborn who in the first film is pretty much happy and being good friends with both Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson. But when his father dies, he makes it known that he wants to take down Spider-Man. In the second film, he's at the point where he wants to kill Spider-Man and comes close to doing so even when he finds out his identity. But ultimately lets him go to save Mary-Jane and becoming the New Goblin in the third film where he puts his revenge plan into motion. That is until he realizes that Spider-Man never killed his father when his butler reveals the truth of the matter and finally redeems himself to help deal with Sandman and Venom at the cost of his own life. So yes he was a villain with good and understandable intentions, but ultimately died a hero in the end.

14 - Tony Almeida (24)

The entirety of 24 has had so many great villains, all of which can range from terrorists to currupt government officials and even the president of the United States. Tony Almeida was for a time, an agent for CTU and often the go to guy when the higher ups are out of action. That is until his wife gets killed and he goes rogue to take action upon those he felt were responsible. Unlike many 24 villains, he has good intentions for what he does and is considered a tragic character. Not to mention that he mirrors the main protagonist and former best friends Jack Baur in almost every known way. Who knows what became of him after Legacy, but he remains as one of the most complex villains to come out of the show.

13 - Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Yep, no good guys gone bad list would be complete without the mention of this guy. Breaking Bad is very much a show about Walter White. A man who decides to go into the drug making business to at first, secure money to cure his cancer and to ensure that his family will be financially stable. But as the show goes on, he develops a more darker and sinister persona that would make him someone to be feared in the drug dealing business. This puts him at odds with his own family and the allies that he has made which is kind of what happens when you tread into this dangerous world. Trully a show worthy of showing how a good guy can go bad just by being able to make a quality but illegal product and making millions of money in an instant just by doing that.

12 - Agent Whiskey (Kingsmen)

The Kingsmen films are no strangers to having good guys turn bad as it has been done in the two films we have had so far. But I'd say out of the two people, Agent Whiskey takes the cake as being the most dangerous. So dangerous that he would rather see those that take drugs, be killed than cured all because of what happened to his sweet heart. Plus he wants to make a profit with his Statesmen shares which apparently would've gone up had everything go his way. A shame that he would be up against two of Kingsmen's finest agents who were able to take him down. But if I'm being honest, some of us kind of picked up that he would wind up being a villain at the end. But at least the actor is now being the much more heroic Mandalorian in the world of Star Wars.

11 - Wheatley (Portal)

It is true that you should never trust a robot even if its trying to help you, such was the case with Wheatley. A robot who at first wanted to get Chell out, but would betray her out of jealousy and wanting to take credit for taking over things and overthrowing GLaDOS despite being purposedly built to be a moron. Eventually the two former enemies, would work together to stop his reign of terror and he would wind up in space. So yeah a bit of a weird one to add to this list, but like I say, robots should not be trusted espeically if they are a bit dumb.

10 - Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

Arguably the most iconic good guy turned bad. But thinking back to how it all played out, I can kind of understand things from both angles. Both the dark and light side want peace across the galaxy and will do whatever it takes to make that the case. Of course the methods both sides have, are very different and its not until Anakin joins the dark side that the Jedi realise their worst fears have been pulling the strings all along. It is unforgivable what Anakin did to have that oppurtunity to save Padme, but at least in the end as Darth Vader, he would fulfil his destiny to save his son, but at the cost of his own life. He is still to this day an iconic villain and the world would not be the same without him.

9 - CLU (Tron)

Robots is one thing, but programs or AIs that turn against their creators is another thing. CLU here was made by Kevin Flynn as a means to observe the growth of the Grid in his absence while seeking to make it as perfect as possible. But this task proved to be quite frustrating for CLU who needed certain directives to be approved by Flynn to do his program. He quickly rose to power and dominated the Grid while Flynn was forced into hiding. CLU also wanted to leave the Grid and enter the real world to turn that into perfection. A classic example of a good guy wanting more, but has to turn evil to do just that. Though he (or more accurately it) was eventually defeated in the end.

8 - Jack Torrance (The Shining)

It can happen. You go and live in a place and feel isolated to the point where you go mad. Such was the case for Jack here who was once a good man, but the empty Overlook Hotel with not much going on or happening, made him mad. So mad that he would start seeing things and want to kill something or someone even if its his own family. So I guess what we learn from this regardless of whether its the book, miniseries or film is that you should only take up these jobs if you can mentally and physically handle them. If nothing else.

7 - The Winter Solider (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

I do honestly feel that Bucky here didn't deserve all he went through. Like the Hydra programming that was implemented into him, made him a criminal to almost everyone for his actions. But this is what happens when you get recovered by someone other than SHIELD. Still though, at least he was able to redeem himself despite the guilt he has to carry as a result of it all. Thank the maker that Wakanda were willing to help get the programming out of him.

6 - Al Mualim (Assassin's Creed)

Of all the villains seen across the series, Al Mualim is in all honesty the one I felt should have never swapped alliegences. Now you could say to me that Haytham Kenway or Shay Cormac should be on this list, but one was a villain to begin with even before his reveal to be such and the latter had every right to swap alliegences when he did. Al Mualim simply wanted Altiar to eliminate the Templars so that he can use the Apple of Eden for himself as a Templar who was under the guise of an Assassin. Though his downfall would come at a price for Altiar who would work hard to ensure that the Assassins can move forward from this tragic event. I guess the lesson here is just because someone makes out to be trustworthy, that may not always be the case.

5 - Stinky Pete (Toy Story)

All the villains in Toy Story that are actually toys, can be sympathies with. Lotso wanted desperately to reunite with his owner, but felt betrayed when his owner bought a new Lotso, thus putting his plans to take over a day centre into motion. Gabby Gabby just wanted an owner and felt bitter when she never got picked which is kind of similar to Stinky Pete here. He was a toy who also never got picked and was forced to watch every other toy be sold. He would eventually be bought and become part of a collection of items to be sold to a toy museum in Japan. When we first meet him in the film, he's quite pleasant and warm, but little do we know that he wants to be at this museum and will take measures to make sure that happens. Framing Jessie for a crime she didn't commit and pursuading Woody to abandon Buzz and Andy. A villain in every way, but one that had good intentions and did get a happy ending in the end (well at least behind the scenes anyway).

4 - Peter Pettigrew (Wizarding World)

The Harry Potter books and films have plenty of characters that swap alegiances with the best known example being Severus Snape who became a double agent following Voldemort's attack on the Potters. But the one character that everyone except for perhaps Harry Potter hated was Peter Pettigrew. A man who was once friends with the Potters as well as Remus Lupin and Sirus Black. But was wooed to join up with Voldemort and became the man responsible for letting Voldemort kill Lily and James Potter and frame Sirus Black as the culprit. Despite this, Harry saw reason to have Wormtail (as he would later be known as) be sent to Azkaban rather than be killed by his former friends, but he escaped and became a loyal servent to Voldemort. Killing Cedric Diggory before performing a ritual to retsore Voldemort to his former glory. But he would ultimately die by his own hands. Though had things be different, maybe he would have stayed as a good guy. Oh well.

3 - Harvey Dent (Batman)

No matter how many times his story is told, we all know that Harvey Dent will always end up becoming Two-Face. Once the district attorney for Gotham, he would soon given in to his split personality and become Two-Face. But Two-Face isn't completely evil as many would make out. In fact much of his actions are determined on the flip of a coin (at least in most versions of the character). But regardless, he becomes an enemy to Batman who as Bruce Wayne, lost him as a friend due to the tragic transformation that he endured.

2 - Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

You've all heard people say how they hate how Game of Thornes ended and it really all comes down to one Daenerys Targaryen. A character that may be quite the intimidating force to get what she wants, but until the last two episodes is considered heroric in a way. But it wouldn't last as she would give in to the sickness that took her family and would burn King's Landing to the ground. To be fair, much of what happened in her life may have turned her into the show's final antagonist. But at the same time, King's Landing did surrender long before she burned it to the ground. Even Emilia Clarke (who played Daenerys) was horrified by how her character would go. But then again this is what happens when the writers have to create something original when the book series is still being made. Very much a huge deal when one of the show's most beloved characters, goes bad in an instant.

1 - Superman (Injustice)

So interesting story for you all; Superman when he was first created, was actually going to be a supervillain. But he then become the beloved hero that he is, though some of the things he does puts him at odds with the likes of Batman and Lex Luthor just to name a couple of people that fear what would happen if he ever went bad. Which is what happens in the Injustice universe. Superman lost his wife and unborn son thanks to Joker who used fear toxin to make Supes think its Doomsday he is fighting. That and the destruction of Metropolis, then begins Superman's downfall into being a supervillain as he would then kill the Joker (something that Batman would never do no matter what) and start thinking like a dictator so he can rid the world of criminals and evil. But the way he does it, makes himself become evil which shatters the Justice League as they start their own Civil War with Superman wanting to kill every known criminal until all criminals activity is no longer an issue and Batman wanting to keep things as they are because killing is never the answer. This makes this Superman at least to me, the best known example of a good guy that turned bad and even an alternate Superman who would end up defeating him, questioned what would happen if he too lost his own family to criminals.

And that's my list. Happy Halloween to you all, stay safe out there and make sure to leave comments below of your favourite kinds of good guys that turned bad.