Our teachers always taught us that no one was evil by birth; it was the situation and experience that turned them bad. Similarly, even notorious people can have a change of heart when they are surrounded by kindness. Some movies and series adopted the same path. The intricate development of characters in the story inspired hope. These TV characters started as bad guys or bullies. But as the series proceeded, it dug into their past and compelled us to sympathize with them. Before we knew it, these evil men and women transformed and ended up joining the good guys. So, here are the 10 times when bad guys of TV shows joined the team of heroes.
Prudence – Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
This badass and clever witch was introduced as Sabrina’s foe in the magic school. Prudence relished in impeding Sabrina’s goals and subjecting her to torture and humiliation. But with time, she realized her father Blackwood’s ulterior motives and teamed up with Sabrina to stop him. Prudence remained the fierce and formidable witch, but now she channelized this talent to a good cause. She played a big part in defeating the sinister characters on the show.
Steve Harrington – Stranger Things
Steve was introduced as the cliché bully with great looks, popularity and inconsideration to others’ feelings. His insecurities pushed him to beat up Jonathan and raise questions about Nancy’s character. As the story proceeded, Steve turned into a joke for the other characters. He soon acknowledged his insecurities and promised to become a better man. By the following seasons, Steve evolved into a fan-favourite character regardless of his imperfections. His relationship with Dustin is endearing and his hard attempts to be brave and smart are cute.
Cheryl Blossom – Riverdale
Cheryl was the cruel cheerleader of Riverdale High School. She felt entitled to belittle everyone, especially Betty, only because she was pretty and wealthy. But the revelation of her brother’s death and other issues shed more light on Cheryl’s true nature and vulnerability. Though she doesn’t change completely, she becomes far more tolerable and eligible to join Southside Serpents.
Jamie Lannister – Game of Thrones
Out of all the bad dudes mentioned, Jamie Lannister’s change was the most shocking and delightful. We had no reasons to believe that he was capable of becoming good after watching him push Bran Stark from the tower to protect his incestuous secret. Loving a sinister woman like Cersei made it next to impossible to change but Brienne of Tarth helped him with redemption. When the time came, he abandoned Cersei to join the army in the North and fight against the White Walkers.
Rebekah Mikaelson – The Vampire Diaries
Rebekah started on “The Vampire Diaries” as a psychotic and sinister Original vampire. However, her gradual change over the course of the show was refreshing. The more we dug into the past, the more we learned that she was shackled to her loyalty towards Klaus. Growing under Klaus’ shadows could have turned anyone evil. All Rebecca ever wanted was to be loved and to relish in the simple things of human life. In the end, she joined Stefan, Damon, and Elena, though some animosity persisted.
Michael – The Good Place
Michael was introduced as the curator of the Good Place. It wasn’t until later that we discovered that he was a demon tormenting the souls of Bad Place. He tricked these souls to believe that they ended up in the Good Place but in reality, they were influenced to inflict harm upon one another for thousands of years. As time passes, he begins to understand the flaws of human nature and questions the way Afterlife judges them.
James ‘Sawyer’ Ford in Lost
James was kind of the man you immediately start loathing from the moment you see him. He was a con artist who thought about no one but himself. Apart from tormenting the fellow survivors with his condescending jokes, James also grabbed all the supplies in the plane for himself. Later on, the others had no option but to bargain with him for stock. He even had the blood of an innocent man in his hands as he confused him with the real “Tom Sawyer”. Ford started to manifest uncharted goodness after falling in love with Kate. He even took the leadership role in the third season and risked his life plenty of times for others.
Petra Solano – Jane the Virgin
We never imagined if a villain like Petra could ever change. She resorted to a long list of unforgivable and despicable schemes to prevent Rafael from divorcing her and to jeopardize his relationship with Jane. The most heinous one would probably be the time she pushed her evil twin Anezka from the building to frame Rafael of domestic abuse. It was motherhood and single parenthood that made her wiser and better as a person.
Captain Hook – Once Upon A Time
If you are familiar with Peter Pan, then you know better than trusting Captain Hook. He plays a big role in unleashing hell over Storybrooke by joining hands with Cora. Captain Hook had also killed innocents without any remorse. But something hits him by the end of season 2 and Captain Hook aka Killian Jones attempts to ditch his evil methods. He joins Emma Swan and the gang to save Henry from Neverland.
Cordelia in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Cordelia was the cliché mean cheerleader who poses as the villain of every high school story. Her hobbies included enjoying popularity and disparaging Buffy. When she and Buffy were competing for the Homecoming Queen in season 3, Cordelia used unfair methods to cripple her opponent. Her gradual character development and insight into her personal life ended up making her one of the most intriguing characters. The Angel Investigations wouldn’t have been half-successful without Cordelia’s contributions.
