20 hated characters that everyone ends up rooting for

Sue Sylvester is, without a doubt, the primary antagonist of Glee, as she repeatedly tries to destroy New Directions. The show might encourage viewers to hate her, but she’s also the kind of character that invites viewers to cheer for her, too. After all, there’s a particular kind of pleasure to be had in watching someone like Sue act like a villain and not care that she’s making enemies. It’s no wonder that she’s become the subject of numerous memes, the ultimate sign that a character has become beloved.

For better or worse, Skyler White of Breaking Bad became the character that everyone hated, largely because she was an impediment to Walt’s slide into darkness. With each passing season, though, she became a much more fully-developed character, to such an extent that even her critics had to admit that she really did have it more together than Walt. When it came down to it, she was as formidable as he was, and in some ways, she remains one of the series’ best and certainly most heroic characters.

When Downton Abbey began, Thomas Barrow was definitely one of its most hated characters, and he fit neatly into the gay villain stereotype. As time went on and more aspects of his personality were revealed, however, he became someone who was fully fleshed out in his own right. In fact, he even became something of a hero, particularly when he started to stand up for himself. He finally managed to get his own happy ending in the movies, where he finally got the love that he’d so long been denied.

House of the Dragon clearly intends its viewers to align with Rhaenyra in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Her half-brother, Aegon II, is definitely a petulant and insufferable character in the first season, but as the second season goes on, he becomes more fully developed and even somewhat sympathetic. This is particularly true given how he is much saner than his brother Aemond, who is a grave danger to both his own brother and the realm as a whole.

Game of Thrones excelled at creating characters who occupied morally gray spaces. Jaime Lannister is particularly notable in this regard, particularly since he began the series by pushing Bran out a window in order to protect his sister and keep their affair a secret. As the series went on, though, he became someone who had many depths. He was certainly more lovable than his sister, Cersei, and the series traces his gradual development and growth as a man, before his unfortunate demise during Daenerys’ sack of King’s Landing.

Whether played by Rachel McAdams or Reneé Rapp, Regina George of Mean Girls is clearly someone that the viewer is supposed to hate, particularly since she is one of the titular mean girls. As so often happens in movies like this one, it’s precisely the things that are supposedly least likable about Regina, particularly her bossiness and her command of the entire school, are precisely those things that make one end up cheering for her. When it comes down to it, one can’t help but admire a girl boss. 

Whether portrayed by Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender, Magneto of X-Men is both terrifying and compelling. He’s obviously meant to be seen as a dangerous and perhaps even hated character in the beginning, particularly given how ruthless he can be when it comes to pursuing his aims. As the franchise goes on, however, Magneto becomes someone that everyone can love and understand, at least to a degree. He just wants what is best for his mutant brethren, even though his methods often become extreme. 

Hannibal Lecter is arguably one of Anthony Hopkins’ finest roles, and it’s certainly one of his best-known ones. The irony, of course, is that in some ways he’s supposed to be a sort of secondary villain, a terrifying serial killer who’s as ruthless as Buffalo Bill. However, there’s no denying that Hopkins imbues the character with a sinister charisma. It’s not at all surprising that both Clarice Starling and the audience would begin to fall in love with him, and it’s even less surprising that he would star in several more movies.

Tom Hiddleston is undeniably charismatic as Loki, the villain of several MCU movies. He’s obviously meant to be hated, especially considering how much mayhem, damage, and death he manages to cause, but there’s something appealing about him, too. He’s handsome, and he makes no apologies for who he is. The Avengers, and even his own family, might at times despise him, but the viewer can’t help but love him, even before he became the star of his own TV show.

While Sauron might be the big bad of The Lord of the Rings, there’s something more than a little menacing about Gollum, too. When the viewer first meets him, it’s clear that he’s a danger to both Frodo and Sam, but when it comes down to it, his own life has been as tragic as anyone else’s in the saga. It’s thus no wonder that one starts to cheer for him and even to hope that, despite all evidence to the contrary and despite everything that he’s done, he might yet find a way out of the Ring’s dark vortex.

The MCU doesn’t always knock it out of the park when it comes to its villains, but it has to be said that Killmonger is really among the best. Michael B. Jordan is intense and more than a little terrifying in the role, and though Killmonger is dangerous, one can’t help but also start to fall a little in love with him. Part of this is due to Jordan’s undeniable charisma, but it’s also the fact that, when it comes down to it, Killmonger does have a point, and there’s even something noble about his decision to die rather than accept defeat.

Even though Amazon’s The Wheel of Time only lasted three seasons, it managed to introduce a number of fascinating characters. Shohreh Aghdashloo was particularly compelling as the Red Ajah Aes Sedai Elaida, who established herself as a relentless foe of Siuan. The thing that’s most fascinating about Elaida is that she isn’t evil; instead, she’s just someone who is absolutely convinced she’s right. She’s very easy to hate, but Aghdashloo is so intense and charismatic that even the most bitter fan can’t help but also love her a little. 

Few fantasy villains are as recognizable or as evil as Sauron, the primary antagonist of both The Lord of the Rings and the Amazon series The Rings of Power. It’s clear from the moment he appears (as the human Halbrand) that he’s a villain, but such is the charisma of actor Charlie Vickers that neither the audience nor Galadriel is quite able to resist him, even when he reveals who he truly is. This remains true even once he sheds the deception and makes his full transition into Dark Lord. Evil has rarely been so beautiful.

When Game of Thrones began, Cersei Lannister was most definitely a villain, someone who was willing to destroy anyone she saw as a threat to her power or her children. As the series progressed, she became more of an antihero than a villain, per se. Even though she was capable of terrible things, the viewer couldn’t help but start to fall in love with her. Though she met a disappointing fate during Daenerys' sacking of King’s Landing, she still remains one of the most fascinating and complicated characters that fantasy TV has yet produced. 

BoJack Horseman certainly doesn’t shy away from dark thematic and emotional material, and its title character is someone who constantly contends with the darkness in his own soul. His opposite number is Mr. Peanut Butter, the ebullient Labrador retriever. Though his eternally optimistic demeanor makes him quite irritating at times, it’s impossible not to slowly fall in love with him, particularly as he reveals that there is far more to him than either BoJack or the audience at first realizes.

When The Nanny begins, C.C. Babcock is framed as Fran Fine’s nemesis, particularly since C.C. seems to have her own ambitions when it comes to dating Maxwell. As the series goes on, however, she becomes a more fully fleshed out character, and Lauren Lane gives a fully committed performance to the role. It’s particularly fun to watch C.C. spar with Butler Niles, and it didn’t come as much of a surprise when the two of them ended up together as the show’s other major couple.

Friends, like any classic sitcom, had a number of secondary characters who became beloved in their own right. One of the more unusual and unexpected of these is Janice, who is framed as irritating to both the characters and to the audience (particularly because of her nasally voice and thick New York accent). However, it’s impossible not to love her, especially since she seems to be a genuinely good person who really does have a good heart. Small wonder that she has remained a fan favorite, even long after the show ended.

When Regina first appeared in the long-running series Once Upon a Time, she was a villain, both in the real world and in the fantasy realm. However, such is the charisma of Lana Parilla that one can’t help but start to fall in love with the character. It certainly helps that so many of the supposed heroes are far less interesting than Regina. And, as it turns out, she has her own fair share of struggles and heartache. Unsurprisingly, she became a fan favorite, and she remains so, even after the series’ end.

Julia Garner first came to prominence due to her role as Ruth in the Netflix crime drama Ozark, and it remains one of her best roles. In the first season or two, she is definitely someone the show encourages viewers to hate, as she is a thorn in the side of the Byrdes. Gradually, though, she comes into her own, and she eventually becomes something of a tragic antihero. It’s hard not to root for her, even when her road leads to her eventual demise.

When he first appears in the fifth season of Game of Thrones, The High Sparrow immediately makes an impression, thanks to Jonathan Pryce’s memorable performance. He soon becomes an enemy of Cersei and the other powers in King’s Landing, due to his care for impoverished people and his efforts to force the nobility to become more aware of their actions. While he can be quite grating, he eventually becomes a character the audience can’t help but like, especially since he gives Cersei the comeuppance she often richly deserves.