Television and movie villains tend to get a lot of flack for their behavior toward more pious on-screen characters when in fact, it’s often their drive, outsider’s perspective, or plain old-fashioned desire for revenge that fuels their misdeeds or fosters their reputation as a villain.
While some characters are just plain rotten, others, like Darth Vader or Severus Snape, tend to be misguided or hurt from past experiences. Others, like Miranda Priestly or Sharpay Evans, are just on a mission to live a life above average.
Whether misunderstood or power-hungry, here are the 50 best television and movie villains we love to root for—from Disney’s “The Lion King” to the “Saw” franchise (and everything in between).
