When it comes to movie villains, they're often cut and dry nasty pieces of work that we wouldn't want to bump into down a darkened corridor. For some however, the writing has been so slick that they've managed to go from a character we love to hate, to one we genuinely just love. Here are seven of our favourite Big Bads that have managed to steal the hearts of all watching...
7. Loki - Avengers Assemble
It may have something to do with the casting of Tom Hiddleston in the role, but Loki has pretty much always been adored by a huge chunk of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fanbase. Though he was the reason for much of the Avengers' bad luck in the first film, Avengers Assemble, we couldn't help but feel a little bad when Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) got his hands on him, and smashed him time and time again into the ground. Fortunately, he's a God, and so managed to make it through to appear throughout the MCU series!
6. Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada
She's selfish, unrelenting, and will do anything to get ahead. Despite that, Meryl Streep's incredible performance in the role of Miranda Priestly, in The Devil Wears Prada, meant that we adored her from the moment she stepped her glistening high heels onto the big screen. Plus, she showed her softer side towards the end of the film, so what's not to like? A true boss lady.
5. Helen Harris III - Bridesmaids
Played impeccably by Rose Byrne, Helen Harris III is unsufferable for the majority of Bridesmaids, doing her all to become the very best friend of Lillian (Maya Rudolph) no matter what she has to do to gain that position. Though we don't ever want her to make it for the first 90 minutes of the film, she shows just how caring she can be to everybody around her before the final credits roll, and we end up realising that she's just a regular, flawed human being like everybody else.
4. Joker - The Dark Knight
The late Heath Ledger gave the performance of a lifetime in The Dark Knight, bringing comic book villain Joker to life in a way unlike any we had seen in the past. The job of an actor tasked with tackling such an iconic role is to bring a unique and fresh take to proceedings, and that's exactly what Ledger did, under the direction of Christopher Nolan. It's a real shame we'll never get to see him step into the clown's shoes once again in the future, but he has certainly left a legacy that'll go untarnished for centuries.
3. Winifred - Hocus Pocus
Sure, she wants to suck the lives out of all of the children of Salem before Halloween comes to an end, but how could you not love Winifred (Bette Midler) when she performs such an incredible version of I Put A Spell On You to enchant the parents of the town? Along with her sisters, she's on a mission to stay young and beautiful forever, at the expense of the lives of youngsters. And, though we were supposed to want her to be caught and destroyed forever, there was always a part of us willing her on!
2. Maleficent - Maleficent
For decades, many have thought of Maleficent as a simple villain, evil at the core and unable to ever do anything good. So, when Disney delivered their live-action flick Maleficent, with Angelina Jolie taking the titular role, it was brilliant to see the character fleshed out and given a relatable and realistic backstory. She'll be making a return a little later this year for Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, but we imagine the sequel will see her further slip into her evil ways, rather than offer any further redemption.
1. Severus Snape - The Harry Potter series
The late Alan Rickman was haunting during his time as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series. Though we started off absolutely despising the Hogwarts teacher, when his motives for all of his cruel actions towards Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) became clear, we came to realise that he was one of the series' biggest heroes all along. Forever in love with Harry's mother, and working alongside Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris/Michael Gambon) to ensure good would prevail in the fight against Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the end, Snape ending up sacrificing himself so that Harry and co. stood a chance. His death in Deathly Hallows is without a doubt one of the most emotional movie moments of our generation.
MORE: Seven TV villains who stole our hearts
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