History IneffectualSympatheticVillain / Film

* Peter Lorre -- as he was frequently typecast the "Sad Monster" after ''Film/{{M}}'' -- got to play quite a few of these in his career. ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'', ''ArsenicAndOldLace'', and in pretty much all of his later career, particularly in his team-ups with Vincent Price.
* On the other hand, Elisha Cook, Jr. made Peter Lorre look lucky. At least Lorre survived most of the above examples (and in ''ArsenicAndOldLace'', he even pulled off a KarmaHoudini). The same can't be said for poor Elisha in ''Phantom Lady'', ''Film/TheBigSleep'', ''BornToKill'' (where, shortly before his character's death, he tries to menace a little old lady, only to have the little old lady kick his ass!), or ''Film/TheKilling''. In ''Film/{{Shane}}'', [[InvertedTrope he's practically a good guy version of this trope.]] But the best example of how much worse off Cook is compared to Lorre is in ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'', where they're both [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain ISVs]]. Sam Spade disarms and humiliates Cook's Wilmer far more often than he does Lorre's Joel Cairo, despite the fact that Wilmer's a multiple murderer and Cairo isn't. And at the end, their mutual boss ([[HoYay and possibly more]]) Casper Guttman sells out Wilmer to the authorities while happily walking off arm in arm with Cairo (although they all end up in jail). Joel Cairo may be more pathetic than you, but Wilmer is even more pathetic than Cairo.

* [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', like many of his other incarnations, commits many of his crimes (like blowing up Gotham and sending the debris into [[CallBack the Abyss of Nothingness]]) just to get Batman's attention and impress him. Here though, none of Joker's plans have ever worked to the point of Gotham's citizens not really taking him seriously any more. Batman even tells him that he has ''no'' investment in their antagonistic relationship, claiming that he has more emotional investment against Bane and ''Superman'' than he does Joker.

* [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', like many of his other incarnations, commits many of his crimes (like blowing up Gotham and sending the debris into [[CallBack the Abyss of Nothingness]]) just to get Batman's attention and impress him. Here though, none of Joker's plans have never worked to the point of Gotham's citizens not really taking him seriously any more. Batman even tells him that he has ''no'' investment in their antagonistic relationship, claiming that he has more emotional investment against Bane and ''Superman'' than he does Joker.

* ''Film/TheEliteSquad'': Fábio Barbosa is a DirtyCop yet unlike other antagonists in the series who are violent and realistic depictions of Brazilian drug lords and corrupt policemen, he comes across as a pathetic, spineless ButtMonkey who gets beaten and berated in the first movie, and in the second one, he is bossed around by his [[DragonInChief own subordinate]] [[BigBad Major Rocha]].

* ''Film/TheEliteSquad'': Fábio Barbosa is a DirtyCop yet unlike other antagonists in the movies who are violent and realistic depictions of Brazilian drug lords and corrupt policemen, he comes across as a pathetic, spineless ButtMonkey who gets beaten and berated in the first movie, and in the second one, he is bossed around by his [[DragonInChief own subordinate]] [[BigBad Major Rocha]].

* [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', like many of his other incarnations, commits many of his crimes (like blowing up Gotham and sending the debris into [[CallBack the Abyss of Nothingness]]) just to get Batman's attention and impress him. Here though, none of Joker's plans have ever worked to the point of Gotham's citizens not really taking him seriously any more. Batman even tells him that he has ''no'' investment in their antagonistic relationship, claiming that he has more emotional investment against Bane and ''Superman'' than he does Joker.

* "Bowler Hat Guy" in ''Disney/MeetTheRobinsons''. He becomes dramatically more sympathetic as the movie progresses, [[spoiler:and by the end of it he isn't even the villain]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''. You start to root for him since, despite his ''numerous'' failures against BoringInvincibleHero Metro Man, he never gives up. He always bounces back from his latest plot being foiled, ready to go at it again.

* Jerry Londegaard in ''Film/{{Fargo}}''. You can't help but feel something for him when you understand his situation, [[spoiler:although, considering ended up getting his wife murdered, he's not entirely sympathetic.]]
* Creator/VincentPrice as Shelby Carpenter in ''Film/{{Laura}}.'' This is how his ''own girlfriend'' sums him up:
-->"He's no good, but he's what I want. I'm not a nice person, Laura, and neither is he. He knows I know he's just what he is. He also knows that I don't care. We belong together because we're both weak and can't seem to help it. That's why I know he's capable of murder.[[note]]Keep in mind that she says he's ''capable'' of murder. [[spoiler:He doesn't actually do it.]][[/note]] He's like me."
* Muerte ("name for death!") in ''Film/UndercoverBlues''. Muerte's reputation on the streets is hinted at as being formidable, but his utterly humiliating defeat at the hands of Jeff Blue quickly turned him into one of these. Every lost tooth just makes him that much more lovable.

* Prince Edward in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''. He tries so hard to meet his father Longshanks' expectations, but he never does.
* The Newspaper Boy in "Better Off Dead."
* [=RoboGadget=], the evil android duplicate of the protagonist of the film version of ''Film/InspectorGadget''. He actually makes the iconic IdiotHero look competent when they confront each other.
* Justin Hammer from ''Film/IronMan2'', though more "ineffectual" (and [[LaughablyEvil humorous]]) than "sympathetic". More to the point he pretends to be an EvilCounterpart of Tony Stark, but is an ineffectual clown whose products are very poor quality, whose attempts to intimidate the actual villain of the movie would work better on a five-year old, and whose henchmen are incompetent rentacops who carry mace and tasers.

* Kaa, from Disney's ''Disney/TheJungleBook''. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything His interest in Mowgli]] occasionally bordered on the paedophilic, though. Unlike in [[Literature/TheJungleBook the book]], where he's a benevolent BadAss OldMaster.

** Inspector Clouseau, inverted this, as he originally was intended as an incompetent version of InspectorJavert in the original ''Film/ThePinkPanther'', but he managed to be so much more sympathetic than protagonist Charles "The Phantom" Lytton that he was retooled into the protagonist of the film's sequels who was still a moron but with lady luck on his side.

** How about Mr. Smee, a rotund nincompoop First Mate of Hook with a jovial voice, but eager to abet the most heinous deeds on the excuse of JustFollowingOrders.

** The captain's ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''. They tried to make him more cunning and unappealing, but yet, somehow winds up as ''more'' of a bumbling, unsuccessful fool than the original. His own ship even gets destroyed.

** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''. They tried to make him more cunning and unappealing, but yet, somehow winds up as ''more'' of a bumbling, unsuccessful fool than the original. His own ship even gets destroyed.

** Really though, you could count Captain Hook and his crew as a whole. They're not exactly angels, yes, but they do have their reasons and constantly get the short end of the stick, only getting close to victory ''somewhat'' and having it brutally taken away. Seems as though FailureIsTheOnlyOption.

** Captain Hook. Unlike other Disney villains, he has an understandable reason to want to destroy his nemesis (who seems to continually make his life miserable for no reason). He's constantly humiliated throughout the movie, seems unrespected by everyone in Never Land (besides Mr. Smee), and isn't feared in the slightest despite being clearly murderous. And there's the fact that the narrative oddly takes sadistic liking making him the butt of the many comical injuries.

** Captain Hook. Unlike other Disney villains, he has an understandable reason to want to destroy his nemises (who seems to continually make his life miserable for no reason). He's constantly humiliated throughout the movie, seems unrespected by everyone in Never Land (besides Mr. Smee), and isn't feared in the slightest despite being clearly murderous. And there's the fact that the narrative oddly takes sadistic liking making him the butt of the many comical injuries.

* Justin Hammer from ''Film/IronMan2'', though more "ineffectual" (and [[LaughablyEvil humorous]]) than "sympathetic".

** Inspector Clouseau, originally intended as an incompetent version of InspectorJavert in the original ''Film/ThePinkPanther'', managed to be so much more sympathetic than protagonist Charles "The Phantom" Lytton that he was retooled into the hero of the film's sequels.
** In the following film, ''Film/AShotInTheDark'', Clouseau transmitted this ISV condition to his boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (soon to become the ''former'' Chief Inspector Dreyfus). Dreyfus is actually a good detective who, it's implied, would never have gone AxCrazy [[NiceJobBreakingItHero if it hadn't been for Clouseau.]] After his FaceHeelTurn, poor Dreyfus has to look on helplessly as Clouseau survives all of Dreyfus' numerous murder attempts solely due to [[TheFool the dumbest of dumb luck.]]

** Really though, you could count Captain Hook and his crew as a whole. They're not exactly angels, yes, but they do have their reasons and constantly get the short end of the stick, only getting close to victory ''somewhat'' and having it brutally taken away. FailureIsTheOnlyOption, indeed.

** Really though, you could count Captain Hook and his crew as a whole. They're not exactly angels, yes, but they do have their reasons and constantly get the short end of the stick, only getting close to victory ''somewhat''. FailureIsTheOnlyOption, indeed.

** Really though, you could count Captain Hook and his crew as a whole. No matter how hard they try, FailureIsTheOnlyOption.

** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''. They tried to make him more cunning and unappealing, but yet, winds up as ''more'' of a bumbling, unsuccessful fool than the original. His own ship even gets destroyed.

** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''. They tried to make him more cunning and unsympathetic, but yet, winds up as ''more'' of a bumbling fool than the original.

** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''. They tried to make him more cunning and unsympathetic, but yet, winds up as ''more'' of a fool than the original.

** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''.

*** His ineffectiveness continues in the sequel, ''Return to Never Land''.