Just because a character isn’t the movie’s protagonist doesn’t mean they’re the hero of the story.
By definition, a protagonist is “the leading actor or principal character in a television show, movie, book, etc.” We normally see them as heroes because their counterpart is an antagonist (one that contends with or opposes another), who usually is your traditional villain.
We know that some film leads can be awful people. Others, however, are actually the real villain in disguise.
Despite them taking on the characteristics of the heroic lead, their plans can be nefarious. Sometimes they’re an insufferable person who doesn’t know how to let go of a former lover. Other times, they’re preparing to lead a jihad across the galaxy.
Whatever the reason, we’re here to call them out.
Patrick Bateman – American Psycho
It’s no secret that Patrick Bateman isn’t a good person. He’s superficial, he’s materialistic, oh, and he cheats on his girlfriend and kills people.
Yes, he’s the star of American Psycho, and on the surface level, it looks like he has the perfect life, but in reality, the story is a satirical take on consumerism and toxic masculinity.
Jordan Belfort – The Wolf of Wall Street
There are two things that make The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Jordan Belfort appear so likable: his charisma and the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio.
There’s just one thing: everything he was doing was highly illegal. The dude went to jail for a reason.
Frank Abagnale Jr. – Catch Me If You Can
You can honestly copy and paste everything I said about Jordan Belfort and have it apply to Frank Abagnale Jr.
Seriously, he’s charismatic, and Leo gives a great performance. You can’t help but root for him, aside from the fact that, you know, the entire movie is about how the FBI is chasing him for all of the crimes he’s committed.
Follow us on MSN for more content you love.
Louis Bloom – Nightcrawler
Okay, no more Leo. I promise. Instead, let’s explore another young, charismatic actor whose character is involved in criminal activities.
Nightcrawler follows Louis Bloom’s descent into madness as he exploits circumstance for personal gain and profit. It turns out that when you manipulate or even create your own crime scenes, you always have a story to sell.
Arthur Fleck – Joker
I mean, he’s the Joker (or at least the inspiration for the character), one of the most iconic comic book villains of all time.
Does the film try to paint him as a sympathetic character? Yes. Is he the villain? You bet. Arthur Fleck is no tragic hero; he’s an agent of chaos.
Daniel Plainview – There Will Be Blood
Speaking of sympathetic characters, that’s what Daniel Plainview wants to be viewed as, adopting a son to help portray himself as a family man.
At the end of the day, though, he’s cold, ruthless, and the living embodiment of greed.
Julianne Potter – My Best Friend’s Wedding
Here’s the plot for My Best Friend’s Wedding: Julianne Potter realizes that she’s in love with her best friend, Michael O’Neal. However, Michael is set to marry Kimmy Wallace. So, Julianne has a plan: sabotage the wedding.
Julianne is the “protagonist” of the movie, by the way. I don’t care how much you love someone, you don’t sabotage their wedding!
Tom Hammond – (500) Days of Summer
(500) Days of Summer begins with a warning to its viewers: “This is not a love story.”
It’s true. While the film appears to portray Tom Hammond as a sympathetic lead character who was slighted by his former lover, in reality, Tom is a man-child who needs to grow up and learn how to move on.
Michael Corleone – The Godfather
No matter how hard he tried, Michael Corleone couldn’t resist the temptation of power and the corruption that came with it.
While you can easily argue that Michael’s actions were all completely justified, there’s no denying that by the film’s end, he’s a ruthless mob boss. That doesn’t sound like a good guy to me.
Paul Atreides – Dune
Across two epic movies, Paul Atreides is portrayed as a chosen hero of destiny to save the Fremen.
Dune: Part Two ends with the fall of House Harkonnen, but it also ends with a group of Fremen preparing to carry out an intergalactic holy war in Paul’s name. Yeah, that’s some true villain stuff right there.
The Narrator – Fight Club
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen Fight Club, Tyler Durden and The Narrator are the same person.
Of course, this is a fact we don’t learn until the film’s third act. Still, now that we know all the chaos and destruction caused by Tyler Durden and his followers was actually the work of the movie’s protagonist, Edward Norton needs to do a bit more to win us back over, beyond just saying it’s a strange time in his life.
Annie Walker – Bridesmaids
The movie’s central theme revolves around Annie Walker being a jealous and self-destructive individual who tries to conceal her own insecurities.
That just so happens to mean she’s a lousy friend (and maid-of-honor) who doesn’t deserve the happy ending she received.
Scott Pilgrim – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
It should be a sign that Scott Pilgrim is actually the villain of his own story when the final boss he has to fight is himself.
Let’s put that aside for a second. I love this movie, but there’s something that can’t be ignored: Scott Pilgrim dated a high schooler who he then cheated on!
Ferris Bueller – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Ferris played hooky from school nine times.
He convinced his sick best friend to ditch school, steal his dad’s car, and scam their way through Chicago, all because he’s good-looking and charismatic. You don’t fool me, Ferris Bueller.
Grandpa Joe – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Oh, Grandpa Joe. I thought you were bedridden. I thought you couldn’t walk. One sniff of that Golden Ticket and you’re up and dancing, though.
Don’t forget the fact that he disobeyed the tour’s rules, too!
Follow us on MSN for more content you love.
Read More From Us:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.