Redeemed Villains

Many villains walk a thin line between good and evil; indeed, many villains have been redeemed into remorse, sympathy or even empathy, and once arrogant villains ascend further into the path of good, often protecting or fighting alongside people they once fought against. They begin to turn away from their old villainous self/ways and change for the better.

Originally villains, these characters turn good due to events in their lives, such as an idealism or encouragement from another hero, their positive change of heart, a good relationship with others (perhaps a successful love story), recognizing their own inner goodness and capacity for good, betrayal or any other unresolved traumatic experience in which they question whether or not the dark side is worth fighting for. However, some villains may turn for more satisfying reasons.

A redeemed villain, otherwise known as a villain turned to the good side, or former villain is usually the end result of a villain exposed to a Purely Good hero, a Messiah, a Hope Bringer, and occasionally a Charismatic Hero.

They are the exact inverted opposite of Fallen Heroes; they change for the worse & corrupt themselves.

Some of these characters committed villainous acts at the time the story takes place in, but some have redeemed themselves prior to the events of the story.

There are various scenarios why these individuals turned to the good side, though the said individual often redeems into multiple scenarios altogether:

• From Possessed/Brainwashed to Freedom: Snapping out of a possessed or brainwashed state and deciding to aid the hero who freed them. The villains are hypnotized, brainwashed or possessed pawns who do not know they are being controlled until they are free. Grateful to whatever hero freed them, they ally with them. Baroness (in the 2009 film, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), Cyrax, Sindel, and Koragg (in Power Rangers: Mystic Force) are very good examples.
• Righteousness: Being exposed to the Messiah, role model or incorruptible type of hero that helps them to see their errors. Usually done with delusional, honorable, or insecure characters (the villain can also have all those traits) who believe they are doing right, or just want to be loved. The hero reveals to them that their actions are actually causing harm, or tries to comfort them. The individual chooses their desire for righteousness over what they have done, and/or decides the hero had helped them see what they were doing was wrong, and becomes a full-time hero. Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha are prime examples of this.
• From Abandoning Evil to Good Honor: Choosing honor before evil. Honorable villains decides that their own honor, or the honor of something or someone else is more important than what they are doing and decide to abandon their evil actions. Often done with supporting antagonists who value the lives of innocent people over working with their evil/cruel masters such as Jeanne from the first Bayonetta game and Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption II.
• Hostility turned Friendship: Becoming friends with someone and decide to help them over being evil, such as Axel. He had planned on betraying Organization XIII with Saïx, but over time he builds a friendship with 2 other members, Roxas and Xion and decided he was happier being with them rather than plotting with Saïx, with Saïx himself eventually atoning for his past mistreatment of the afromentioned by reviving Roxas and Xion with the help of Vexen and secretly assisting the others in defeating Xehanort. Pupa (in the 2014 film, Let's Be Cops), he explains to Justin Miller and Ryan O'Malley (the fake police officers) that he hates Mossi Kasic and his thugs; he explains to them that he doesn't know about what's inside those crates at Mossi's party, he decides to forget about being bad and wants to be a good friend of Justin and Ryan and El Tigre, who learns that friendship is more important than hurting people. Vegeta, despite being envious of Goku due to him surpassing the former at every opportunity despite being a supposed lower-class warrior, eventually turned good after realizing Goku truly wishes to be friends with him and accepted the power-gap between the two.
• Deciding the Good Family for Care: Choosing their family over evil. Done with villains who have families and to care for them. They realize that their actions are actually hurting their spouses, children, siblings, or any other members in their family. Notable memorable examples are Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader), Nikki Pimvaire (aka Necrolai), John Marston, Sunday, Rolo Lamperouge, and Choso.
• Snapping out the memory-wiped/brainwashed: Being memory-wiped or brainwashed into becoming a hero and deciding that they like their new personality and life better then their old ones when they inevitably learn the truth. This is the rarest and most controversial form of a villain redeeming themselves since they did not turn good by their own free will and essentially had to be programmed into being good. Reserved only for villains who would normally be a Pure Evil under their circumstances, the audience or reader meets them as a hero first, not knowing they are brainwashed or have fake memories. The "hero" does not know this either and is just as horrified as the viewer when they learn the truth about the horrible things they have done or regain their real memories. But they have spent so much time as a hero and living with an artificial good personality that they choose their new life over their former one and become true heroes. famous example is Darth Revan and Xion.
• Betrayal of the Dark Side: Betrayed by their fellow villainous allies/bosses, which made them choose to transfer to the good side. After they were tasked to antagonize the hero and they were successful, their allies/bosses throw them under the bus or try to kill them straight away (in either way). Having see their errors (and in the worst case, hunted down by the Big Bad or their former ally), they choose to work for the good side by joining forces with heroes. Anakin Skywalker, Armando Aretas, Bad Cop/Good Cop, Discord, May Day, Other Father, and Owen Shaw are good examples.
• Retirement of Being Evil: Retiring from being a villain and realizing that living as a good guy is better than their previous lives as evil-doers. Deckard Shaw, Gru, Karone (aka Astronema), Megamind, Nebula and Scarlet Witch (in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) are good examples.
• Decide to Move On Forward: Some of them move on forwards, without going back; one memorable example is The Timekeeper from Spy Kids 4: All Time In The World and Dib from Invader Zim.
• Remorseful Correction: Learning the lesson of being evil from another villain (Usually a Necessary Evil, a Monger or in the worst of the cases a villain who is pure evil), in other words having a case of "taste of your own medicine", which leads them to understand that they are doing the very bad thing the other villain is doing and feel very horrified, disgusted and terribly bad for the actions of the latter villain and try to redeem themselves and fight against them (Similar but somewhat different to a case Evil Vs. Evil), in the end of the battle (Usually in the end of the very battle/episode/movie or in sequels) they try to join the heroes and search for pardon from everyone they had become enemies to. Zuko, Obito Uchiha, Sasha Waybright, Thorfinn, Shadow the Hedgehog and Riku are good examples.
• Simply Stopped Being Evil: There are rare cases where, though they have no real reason, a villain can just decide to stop being evil. Perhaps they tire of it or have successfully completed their goals and have no reason to antagonize anyone anymore. Some of these villains may not be remorseful like other redeemed villains, and instead are proud of what they have done but simply have "retired" from villainy. An example is James Earl Cash and Roxas.
• In the best possible cases, some former villains turned to the good side can even become Pure Good to add drama as they are willing to be good without any despair, corruption, or negative qualities at all (e.g. The Puppet, N (Murder Drones), Robert E. O. Speedwagon, Oogway, Wiz, Sae Niijima, Mika Misono, The Collector, Android 16, Edge, Mario Iroh, Big Man, Minion, AAARRRGGHH!!!, and Philomela Sargant). However, these are rare since redeemed villains tend to keep some of their corrupting qualities or their heinousness.

Notes[]

Please note that a character has to have been established as a villain before turning good.

• Pure Evil villains have no chance of any redemption since they're completely beyond it, no matter the circumstances. Likewise, it is impossible for redeemed characters to revert back to their evil ways unless they are possessed/brainwashed by another villain (or villains), but even then, the redeemed villain STAYS redeemed.
  • If some villains were considered as Pure Evil but eventually redeemed themselves, it means that they were never purely evil in the first place since Pure Evil villains are irredeemable.
    • While Pure Evil villains can go through any change and even character development, it's IMPOSSIBLE for them to possess ANY REDEEMING QUALITIES WHATSOEVER, otherwise they'd no longer be considered Pure Evil. Even if said villains had some redeeming qualities at one point in their lives, they would've eventually LOST ALL OF THEM over the course of these changes, making them completely irredeemable.
• Furthermore, Villains who join the heroes' sides out of PRAGMATIC and SELF-SERVING needs, but still retain their villainous nature, can NEVER count as Redeemed. It's highly likely that these types of villains WILL slip back into their evil ways once their needs are fulfilled.
• Morally neutral characters (a la "average joes") or characters initially un-involved with any side of the conflict do not count (e.g. James P. Sullivan, Michael Afton, Diego, Dan Kuso, Wreck-It Ralph, Yoko Minato, Nick Wilde, Shrek, Toothless, Knuckles the Echidna (SCU), Dug, Flynn Rider, Blaze the Cat (STH), Red (TABM), Doc Hudson, PC Albert Mackintosh, Shōya Ishida, King Triton (Disney), and Branch). They should usually go under False Antagonist and/or Reluctant Heroes‏‎ instead. Some, however, can still become purely good.
• False villains, if they never were evil, they do not count either (e.g. Cappy (Super Mario), Woody, Sirius Black, Papyrus, Horace Nebbercracker, John Coffey, Guy-Am-I, Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi, Old Man Marley, Pigeon Lady, Chris Redfield, Enfys Nest, Sweet Mayhem, and Bruno Madrigal). They should go under Antagonists, False Antagonist, Falsely Accused, and/or Scapegoat instead. However, some heroes who are false villains in the present story can still be actual villains in the past (e.g. Mr. Snake, Severus Snape, Vlad Dracula, King Gristle Jr., and the T-800 Terminator from T2).
• Servants/Pawns, Heroes who served on the villain's side but said circumstances have never done anything evil or bad do not count (e.g. Glamrock Freddy, Madoka Kaname, Shun Kazami, The Second Coming, Quasimodo, Queen Bridget, The Vicar, Trip the Sungazer, Soothsayer, Tala Durith, Galen Erso, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, Pinky, Cedric Sneer, Wormmon, Johnny (Sing), and Finn). They should go under Servant of a Villain‏‎, Related to Villain, Pawn of the Villain‏‎ and/or Defectors instead, unless they actually did genuine villainy (e.g. Jade Tusk, Gus Grav, Kyoya Tategami, Goldie Pheasant, and Zhen).
• Anti-Heroes, Heroes who do have dishonorable and/or corrupting qualities but were not villains to begin with do not count either (e.g. Guts, Gabi Braun, Katsuki Bakugo and Biff). They should go under Anti-Heroes instead, unless they actually were villains who turned to the good side and still contain their unpleasant qualities (e.g. Kevin Levin, Spectra Phantom, and Zuko).
• Jerks, heroes that were simply jerks before they became heroes also do not count (e.g. Metro Man, James P. Sullivan, Carl Fredricksen, Pacifica Northwest, Eddie Valiant, Lightning McQueen, Buck Cluck, Alex (from Madagascar), Kerchak (Disney), Imelda Rivera, Fox McCloud, Manny (Ice Age), and Mr. Potato Head) if they did nothing truly evil before they actually became heroes. They should go under Jerks and/or Arrogant‏‎ instead, unless they have become nice people as well (e.g. Daddy Topps and Michael Afton). Some however can become purely good if they lose all their corrupting traits.
• Heroes who simply lose all of their corrupting qualities do not count (e.g. Kovu, most versions of Spider-Man, Anne Boonchuy, Judy Hopps, Samurai Jack, Naruto, Kubo, Hilda, the Iron Giant and Hershel Greene), unless they were actually villains in the past (e.g. Charlotte Emily, Wiz, Mario, AAARRRGGHH!!!, Agent 8, Android 16, Lloyd Garmadon, and Iroh).
• Brainwashed or Forced into it, if a hero was forced into it by circumstance or were temporarily brainwashed into becoming villains (e.g. Buzz Lightyear, Norbot, Marcy Wu, Viper, Captain Rex, Koichi Kimura, Wrecker, Landia and Johnathan Loughran), they also do not qualify and should go under Possessed/Brainwashed and/or Pawn of the Villain instead. A redeemed villain must have been a genuine villain before becoming good. (e.g. Kohaku and Angel)
• Heroes that simply had bad reputation do not count. They should go under False Antagonist, Falsely Accused, Scapegoat and/or Unwanted instead, unless they actually were villains in the past. (e.g. Christopher Aonuma)
• Antagonists, heroes who are simply the adversary of the main character in the story do not count either (e.g. Henry Emily, Alma Madrigal, Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Commander Walters) They should go under Antagonists instead. The hero must be a real villain in order to qualify or formerly were actual villains before becoming good. (e.g. Trogolor, Boa Hancock, Zuko, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, A-Train, Sunday, Ming Lee, and Annie Leonhart)
• Adaptational heroes who are villains in their original work, heroes who are simply altered adaptations of villains do not count (e.g. Yoshikage Kira, Queen Elsa, John Rambo, John Hammond, Lex Luthor, Skynet, Dracula, Frankenstein, Woody, and Griffin). They should go under Adaptational Heroism instead, unless it is established they used to be villains in the continuity of said adaptation.

If the hero is currently in an On & Off status, they are NOT redeemed unless they stayed good right up to the very end of the story.

• Also, do not create pages based on this category, as villains who redeem themselves, but merely become average civilians or aren't well remembered as heroes that much do not count.

Note that this category is meant for heroes who used to actively work for the dark side. Also, this kind of villain is the polar opposite of Pure Evil Villains that are completely irredeemable.

Also, do NOT include real-life Wrestlers from the WWE universe as they can AND will always pull a face-heel turn to surprise the audience, regardless of their heroic actions prior to their face-heel turn.

External Links[]

• Redeemed on Villains Wiki
• Reform Wiki