In many beloved movies, there is a very binary morality and, often, Hays Code influences create disdain for characters that are arguably victims of their own weaknesses and surroundings. Villains also tend to have more salient points than they are given credit for in their own worlds or in the real world.
While there are some genuinely despicable characters in movies, plenty of them likely deserved more than just getting laughed at, killed, or trapped in different terrible fates.
Carrie - Carrie White
People today have even become desensitized to the film's most traumatic scene where Carrie's heart is broken and the cool kids drench her in pig's blood. As overly macabre as that was, that scene has lost its impact after countless parodies, solidifying Carrie's legacy as the butt of everyone's jokes.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Principal Rooney
To be fair, Principal Rooney took his position too far by stalking and chasing after his student. However, in his defense, Ferris Bueller is kind of a really frustrating student and kid. Principal Rooney isn't a bad guy. He cares that Ferris skips school constantly. He cares that Ferris isn't actually learning anything, as evident by the kids' need to hack into the school to change his grades. He cares that his school and community are being lied to and are diverting resources to enabling Ferris' fake illness.
Ed Rooney, as a humiliated educator and , is understandably fed up with Ferris and is one of the few characters to take the initiative to make Ferris able for his blatant negligence and arrogance.
The Emperor's New Groove - Yzma
In The Emperor's New Groove, Yzma is often viewed, in Disney's classic, visual characterization, as the crude, old lady with the evil plot. A lot of this ignores the fact that Yzma is not only a scientist and Kuzco's personal adviser (that he consistently ignores), but she's also the person who took care of him ever since he was a child.
Despite Yzma likely being responsible for basically the whole empire, Kuzco arbitrarily fires her when he feels that his throne is threatened. Yzma's bid at vengeance here is arguably justifiable and perhaps even necessary given Kuzco's own inexperience and prior selfishness.
Harry Potter - Draco Malfoy
Most people will Draco Malfoy as the quintessentially arrogant prep-school kid who was part of Slytherin, the unambiguously evil house at Hogwarts, and the son of a Death Eater, a brand that likely didn't age well in the wizarding world. Just short of carrying a sign that said "Villain," Harry's rival is the unfortunate victim of his own family's elitist ignorance and Voldemort's cruel manipulation.
When Voldemort forces him to become a Death Eater, Draco is noticeably uncomfortable with the entire organization and he and his family eventually defect, in a fashion.
Black Panther - Erik Killmonger
Erik Killmonger was the son of a N'Jobu, a Wakandan prince and War Dog who came to the United States and was horrified with the country's mistreatment of African Americans.
After his father's death, Erik both dreamed of returning to Wakanda and starting a global revolution. As bloody as his crusade was, Killmonger wanted to take action where Wakanda had turned a blind eye. Hopefully, the Disney+ series will explain more about Killmonger and Wakanda's legacies when it releases.
2001: A Space Odyssey - HAL 9000
HAL 9000 is infamous for being the killer, computer program that turned against his space crew in the classic Stanley Kubrick film about humanity's advancement. While it's easy to interpret 2001: A Space Odyssey as being about technology betraying humans, HAL's situation is a lot more relatable than some would think.
At worst, HAL 9000 is a sentient robot that had a couple of computer errors. He didn't actually start fighting against the space crew until they threatened to shut him down which, to HAL, would kill him. Not only was the computer just trying to defend itself, its pleading for mercy and iconic, final song made HAL more human than the actual human characters.
Fatal Attraction - Alex Forrest
In Fatal Attraction, Dan Gallagher has an affair with Alex Forrest while his family is away. While he wanted only a fling, Alex starts to expect more and becomes possessive. Dan, meanwhile, tries to break things off and continues to lie to his family.
Alex is infamous for seeking vengeance and vindication by stalking and attacking Dan's family. In the end, Alex is unceremoniously killed while Dan reconnects with his family and presumably gets away with infidelity.
The Wizard Of Oz - The Wicked Witch Of The West
The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most antagonized, female characters in fictional history. Besides the name "Wicked Witch" likely being either the cruel propaganda choice from Oz or just a really, mean name from some school children, the green villain's hunt for Dorothy throughout the film is completely justified.
Her sister's accidental death is met with cheers and jubilation from the Lollipop Guild and Dorothy takes the dead woman's ruby slippers. To make matters worse, the Wizard, who famously lies to everyone to maintain his own power status, sends Dorothy and her friends on a mercenary mission to steal the Wicked Witch's broomstick.
Friday The 13th Franchise - Jason And Pamela Voorhees
The Friday the 13th franchise is vastly underrated for its iconic villains either seeking revenge for hostile actions against them or trying to keep people away from a historically unsafe campground. At first, Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother, tries to avenge her son by attacking the people who killed him. She also tries to keep other kids from suffering her son's fate by stalking the camp as the iconic, masked killer and sabotaging it.
When Jason takes up the mask, he just tries to avenge his mother as well as works to continue her legacy of keeping people off of a campsite that, for some reason, people kept trying to re-open. Friday the 13th has some great movies, but the plight of its central villains shouldn't be overlooked.
The Shining - Jack Torrance
Jack Torrance may have tried to kill his family, but he himself also fell prey to different forces. Besides having Jack obviously becoming possessed, Stephen King's original novel is also meant to be about Jack's own struggles.
In the novel, Jack is given a sympathetic and dignified send-off. However, in Kubrick's movie, Wendy and Danny just abandon Jack and leave him to freeze to death with an infamously, cartoonish stare, another victim of the Overlook's supernatural machinations. This seems to take away from some of the deeper themes at play, leaving Jack on a note that doesn't seem exactly fitting.
