History Main / MoreInterestingAsAVillain

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'': In the remake, ''New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow'', the reveal that [[spoiler:orphan trafficker and slaver, Eremiya]], was a good person simply under brainwashing from [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent an evil man]] wasn't well received by the fandom. Many considered the reveal with [[spoiler:Eremiya]] to be unbelievable, inconsistent and [[spoiler:her actions far too heinous to be tragic and sympathetic]]. [[spoiler:Eremiya]] was also viewed as unique as a villain for being attractive, youthful and female, hence the reveal that her villainy was all the fault of the old, all the fault of the old, [[BeautyEqualsGoodness hideously deformed]] male [[spoiler:Gharnef]] was badly received.

*** After pre-release teasers and early chapters heavily played them up as a villain with their RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver color scheme and SlasherSmile, [[spoiler:Past Alear turns out to be a NobleTopEnforcer who was ForcedIntoEvil]]. Some fans, out of interest of seeing a particularly devastating case of AmnesiacDissonance and/or [[spoiler:playing as a potential VillainProtagonist]], have expressed that they would've preferred the character being exactly as monstrously evil as they were initially hinted to be.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': In this case, an entire ''nation'' gets this treatment, though it is more of an example of "More Interesting as Morally Gray". One of the biggest criticisms of ''Fates'' is that Hoshido comes across as the blatantly good faction (and thus the "obviously correct choice" in the [[StoryBranching route split]]) in the war between it and Nohr despite advertisements for the game promising a GrayAndGrayMorality story. While there are brief implications of Hoshido being xenophobic and isolationist to a toxic degree, they aren't touched on enough to make an impact. Fans wish the game expanded on these flaws and brought them the forefront so as to make the conflict between Hoshido and Nohr more balanced and nuanced with no clear good side. As a result, it is common for fan works (especially {{Fix Fic}}s) to play more into Hoshido's implied darker side.

* ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'': The original and ''[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheChatoverse Chatoverse]]'' stories portrayed the ponies as benevolent and heroic, as per canon, but there was a lot of [[FridgeHorror unintentionally disturbing]] messages in the stories ([[DesignatedHero especially the latter]]). The RecursiveFanfiction that [[AscendedFridgeHorror embraced]] those elements and [[AdaptationalVillainy portrayed the ponies more villainously]] proved far more popular as they allowed allowed for more action, drama and moral complexity as well as exploring the ramifications and reasons for the ponies acting so differently than canon. Meanwhile, even otherwise well received fics like ''[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureauNotJustPonies Not Just Ponies]]'' that addressed and removed those aspects to keep the ponies heroic failed to get the same popularity or influence.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': In an interesting case, an entire ''nation'' gets this treatment, though it is more of an example of "More Interesting as Morally Gray". One of the biggest criticisms of ''Fates'' is that Hoshido comes across as the blatantly good faction (and thus the "obviously correct choice" in the [[StoryBranching route split]]) in the war between it and Nohr despite advertisements for the game promising a GrayAndGrayMorality story. While there are brief implications of Hoshido being xenophobic and isolationist to a toxic degree, they aren't touched on enough to make an impact. Fans wish the game expanded on these flaws and brought them the forefront so as to make the conflict between Hoshido and Nohr more balanced and nuanced with no clear good side.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': In an interesting case, an entire ''nation'' gets this treatment, though it is more of an example of "More Interesting as Morally Gray". One of the biggest criticisms of ''Fates'' is that Hoshido comes across as the blatantly good faction (and thus the "obviously correct choice" in the [[StoryBranching route split]]) in the war between it and Nohr despite advertisements for the game promising a GrayAndGrayMorality story. While there are brief implications of Hoshido being xenophobic and isolationist to a toxic degree, they aren't touched on enough to make an impact. Fans wish the game expanded upon these flaws and brought them the forefront so as to make the conflict between Hoshido and Nohr more balanced and nuanced with no clear good side.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Between the releases of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', it became popular to theorize a scenario where Sora was successfully turned into one of Master Xehanort's vessels.

* *''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'': [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven Quartz Universe]] himself ended up subjected to this due to him going on a downward spiral that has him [[spoiler:shatter Jasper and consider doing the same to White Diamond before eventually having a meltdown and corrupting into a monster. Some fans were disappointed that Monster Steven was able to be reverted to normal with a group hug]], and believe that Steven SlowlySlippingIntoEvil after [[spoiler:shattering Jasper]] would've been an interesting idea to work with as shown in fanfictions such as ''Fanfic/PinkDoesntReallyExistAndOtherExistentialTruths'', or ''Fanfic/StevenUniverseAlternateFuture'' or even a FanMusic VillainSong such as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtlle3uIag Only One Way]]".

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'': [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven Quartz Universe]] himself ended up subjected to this due to him going on a downward spiral that has him [[spoiler:shatter Jasper and consider doing the same to White Diamond before eventually having a meltdown and corrupting into a monster. Some fans were disappointed that Monster Steven was able to be reverted to normal with a group hug]], and believe that Steven SlowlySlippingIntoEvil after [[spoiler:shattering Jasper]] would've been an interesting idea to work with as shown in fanfictions such as ''Fanfic/PinkDoesntReallyExistAndOtherExistentialTruths'', or ''Fanfic/StevenUniverseAlternateFuture'' or even a FanMusic VillainSong such as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtlle3uIag Only One Way]]".

** Once it was revealed that [[TheMole a spy for the villains]] was planted in UA High, fans went wild with theories and fanfiction on who it could be. Popular candidates included [[TheChick Ochaco Uraraka]] and [[LargeHam Present Mic]], even Izuku himself was a possible candidate, sometimes as an UnwittingPawn or being framed as a spy.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Between the releases of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsDreamDropDistance'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', it became popular to theorize scenario where Sora was successfully turned into one of Master Xehanort's vessels.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', Jade becomes possessed by the dark power of the Shadowkhan in the episode [[Recap/JackieChanAdventuresS2E13QueenOfTheShadowkhan "Queen of the Shadowkhan"]]. Her SuperPoweredEvilSide became one of the most used plots in the Jackie Chan fanfiction community, many of which can be found in ''Fanfic/ProjectDarkJade''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Wish2023'': The concensus is that Queen Amaya lacked proper development for her [[spoiler:choice to join Asha's rebellion]] and she ended up feeling like a wasted presence in the final version of the movie. Most fans preferred the original concept where she was a villain along with her husband, out of finding the UnholyMatrimony approach a more interesting concept that what was done to her in the movie.

!! Examples

* ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau'': The original and [[Fanfic/TheConversionBureauTheChatoverse Chatoverse]] stories portrayed the ponies as benevolent and heroic, as per canon, but there was a lot of [[FridgeHorror unintentionally disturbing]] messages in the stories ([[DesignatedHero especially the latter]]). The RecursiveFanfiction that [[AscendedFridgeHorror embraced]] those elements and [[AdaptationalVillainy portrayed the ponies more villainously]] proved far more popular as they allowed allowed for more action, drama and moral complexity as well as exploring the ramifications and reasons for the ponies acting so differently than canon. Meanwhile, even otherwise well received fics like ''[[Fanfic/TheConversionBureauNotJustPonies Not Just Ponies]]'' that addressed and removed those aspects to keep the ponies heroic failed to get the same popularity or influence.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'': Spinel is considered to be a highlight of the movie from her VillainSong "Other Friends", her status as a villain who has it out for Steven ''personally'' which is topped off with a [[CrazyIsCool violent, unstable personality]] in contrast to her [[spoiler:heartbreak at being abandoned by Pink Diamond]], while being a solid threat that gives the movie its high stakes. It also helps that she's one of the strongest villains in the series, being physically strong enough to [[NasalTrauma actually make Steven bleed during their final fight]]. Suffice to say, some fans weren't too happy about her [[spoiler:becoming a ReplacementGoldfish for Pink Diamond at the end of the movie and her role in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' being someone who tries and fails to help Steven before he ends up going into a meltdown.]]

* One point of contention with ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' is that a good number of fans felt it portrayed Barbossa way too heroically in comparison to previous movies, with him being capable of putting the safety of his crew over his own when in the previous movies he was pretty much a BadBoss uncaring of members of his crew dying, [[spoiler: becomes a PapaWolf after re-encountering with his lost daughter, pulls a HeroicSacrifice and is fondly mourned by the rest of the characters ]]. The problem is that while Barbossa had a good amount of redeemable qualities in previous movies and was AffablyEvil, most of his popularity came from being a LoveToHate MagnificentBastard, as such most fans weren't fond of him being portrayed more positively without enough CharacterDevelopment to make up for it, feeling he had become a major KarmaHoudini that's treated as a hero by the narrative for one of his few good deeds after two lifetimes of proudly being a vile man.

** While [[spoiler:Ohlm]] is the BigBad of Season 2, many fans have wondered what would have happened if Otis had either still remained a villain or had gone back to villainy, due to his DarkAndTroubledPast. Supporting this, rumors of Otis originally being the BigBad (since Ohlm's actor had been bullied for playing a stupid character and thus the writers found it fit to give him a more serious role) floated around the fandom before Tim [=McKeon=] confirmed that the main villain had always been Ohlm from the start.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'': In the remake, ''New Mystery of the Emblem: Heroes of Light and Shadow'', the reveal that [[spoiler:orphan trafficker and slaver, Eremiya, was a good person simply under brainwashing from [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent an evil man]] wasn't well received by the fandom.]] Many considered the reveal with [[spoiler:Eremiya]] to be unbelievable, inconsistent and [[spoiler:her actions far too heinous to be tragic and sympathetic.]] [[spoiler:Eremiya]] was also viewed as unique as a villain for being attractive, youthful and female, hence the reveal that her villainy was [[spoiler:[[BeautyEqualsGoodness all the fault of the old, hideously deformed male Gharnef]] was badly received.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': [[spoiler:Aversa]]'s popularity fell ''massively'' once it was revealed that her backstory of [[spoiler:being RecruitedFromTheGutter by the ReligionOfEvil, the Grimleal, and their head, Validar]] was a [[FalseMemories fabrication magically put in her mind]] and [[spoiler:Aversa was really just a mind controlled victim that was forced to work for them.]] [[spoiler:Aversa's]] original backstory was also thought to add a bit of moral nuance to into an otherwise [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Black and White story]] in addition to making [[spoiler:Aversa]] a good {{foil}} to both Robin and Chrom.

* While Mari from ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'' is quite popular, several fans do take issue with her being a rather by the numbers CoolBigSis [[spoiler:treated as TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]. As a result, several fanfics, such as ''Fanfic/HandsOmori'', have depicted Mari in a more morally gray or even black manner to explore more complex relationships and more interesting fallouts regarding the circumstances surrounding her.

** Finally, many reacted negatively to ''Cold Steel 4'' revealing that [[spoiler: all Giliath Osborne's actions were a ZeroApprovalGambit to get rid of Ishmelga for good]], as it robbed the character of their EvilIsCool appeal that had been built up for over a ''decade'' out-of-universe.

** While some fans still hold a candle to a potential [[Characters/StevenUniverseJasper Jasper]] redemption arc, there are some who like her ''because'' she's a villain who made such a strong first impression as a violent BloodKnight, and whose presence finalized the change of the show's overall tone. In addition, her villainous nature allowed her to serve as an ArcVillain in Season 2 (as part of Malachite) and Season 3, being important in getting several concepts across about the show's concepts. Even in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'', she plays a key role in Steven's downward spiral, and some fans even believe she [[spoiler:should've stayed shattered in order to show that [[KilledOffForReal shattering has real consequences]] and to kickstart a [[FallenHero potential villain arc]] for Steven himself instead of being revived as someone who is now loyal to Steven [[MightMakesRight because she views him as her Diamond.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'': [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven Quartz Universe]] himself ended up subjected to this due to him going on a downward spiral that has him [[spoiler:shatter Jasper and consider doing the same to White Diamond before eventually having a meltdown and corrupting into a monster. Some fans were disappointed that Monster Steven was able to be reverted to normal with a group hug]], and believe that Steven SlowlySlippingIntoEvil after [[spoiler:shattering Jasper]] would've been an interesting idea to work with as shown in fanfictions such as ''Fanfic/PinkDoesntReallyExistAndOtherExistentialTruths'', or ''Fanfic/StevenUniverseAlternateFuture'' or even a FanMusic VillainSong such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtlle3uIag Only One Way]].

** The changelings were bug-like shapeshifters who fed on love, whose creepy appearance, that they [[ParanoiaFuel could impersonate without anyone knowing]], and their [[TragicMonster need to feed on love to survive]] made them great villains. When "To Where and Back Again" redeemed nearly all of them due to discovering they could satiate their hunger by sharing love instead of taking it, getting a LighterAndSofter appearance change to go with this, many fans hated either HeelFaceTurn, the new appearance, or both. Tellingly, a majority of fanworks and fanart, bar canon redeemed changelings, use their pre-redemption appearance and nature even if they're not evil-aligned.
** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicPrincessCelestia Princess Celestia]], the BigGood, is seen by many fans as a boring and weak character compared to her ExBigBad sister Luna. This invoked the three common meme trends in the MLP fandom of {{Troll}}estia, [[MemeticMolester Molestia]], and [[RonTheDeathEater Tyrantlestia]], preferring to see her as more villainous than she is in canon, helped by the appearance of her badass evil alter ego Daybreaker in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem A Royal Problem]]".

** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicStarlightGlimmer Starlight Glimmer]] was an seen as an intriguingly unique and [[RealismInducedHorror realistic]] villain who managed who represented an ideological challenge while posing a serious threat despite lacking the sheer power/scale of prior foes. Her redemption, which many saw as rushed and invalidated the traits that made her popular, at the end of Season 5 and {{Deuteragonist}} status in Season 6 resulted in a BrokenBase with many wishing she had stayed a villain, at least long enough to get a more plausible redemption, instead of taking some of the hero spotlight from the Mane 6.
** [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicDiscord Discord]] was a beloved, chaotic villain (helped by the fact that he was played by Creator/JohnDeLancie) when he appeared in the Season 2 premiere. But his Season 3 HeelFaceTurn split the fanbase between those who welcomed the change and those who preferred his chaos not be tamed by friendship. While Season 4 mitigated this by showing he [[TokenEvilTeammate kept what made him popular as a villain]] and gave him a better-received redemption, he became increasingly [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]] afterward for continued antagonism (messing with the heroes under the guise of being helpful, his poorly thought out actions causing harm) caused many to prefer he be one way or the other.

* One point of contention with ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' is that a good number of fans felt it portrayed Barbossa way too heroically in comparison to previous movies, with him being capable of putting the safety of his crew over his own when in the previous movies he was pretty much a BadBoss uncaring of members of his crew dying, [[spoiler: becomes a PapaWolf after re-encountering with his lost daughter, pulls a HeroicSacrifice and is fondly mourned by the rest of the characters ]]. The problem is that while Barbossa had a good amount of redeemable qualities in previous movies and was AffablyEvil, most of his popularity came from being a LoveToHate MagnificentBastard, as such most fans weren't fond of him being portrayed more positively without enough CharacterDevelopment to make up for it, feeling he had become a major KarmaHoudini that's treated as a hero by the narrative for one of his few good deeds after a lifetime of proudly being a vile man.

* One point of contention with ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' is that a good number of fans felt it portrayed Barbossa way too heroically in comparison to previous movies, with him being capable of putting the safety of his crew over his own when in the previous movies he was pretty much a BadBoss uncaring of members of his crew dying, [[spoiler: becomes a PapaWolf after re-encountering with his lost daughter, pulls a HeroicSacrifice and is fondly mourned by the rest of the characters ]]. The problem is that while Barbossa had a good amount of redeemable qualities in previous movies and was AffablyEvil, most of his popularity came from being a LoveToHate MagnificentBastard, as such most fans weren't fond of him watching him being portrayed more positively without enough CharacterDevelopment to make up for it, feeling he had become a major KarmaHoudini that's treated as a hero by the narrative for one of his few good deeds after a lifetime of proudly being a vile man.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Considering the number of villains who undergo HeelFaceTurn due to the PowerOfFriendship in the show, this was bound to happen:

** The changelings were bug-like shapeshifters who fed on love, whose creepy appearance, that they [[ParanoiaFuel could impersonate without anyone knowing]], and their [[TragicMonster need to feed on love to survive]] made them great villains. When "To Where and Back Again" redeemed nearly all of them due to discovering they could satiate their hunger by sharing love instead of taking it, getting a LighterAndSofter appearance change to go with this, many fans hated either HeelFaceTurn, the new appearance, or both.
** BigGood [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicPrincessCelestia Princess Celestia]] is probably the most divisive of the royal princesses on the show, with many fans finding her boring, uninteresting, and weak. This invoked the three common meme trends in the MLP fandom of {{Troll}}estia, [[MemeticMolester Molestia]], and [[RonTheDeathEater Tyrantlestia]], preferring to see her as more villainous than she is in canon, helped by the appearance of her badass evil alter ego Daybreaker in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem A Royal Problem]]".

* ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'': One of the few common criticisms that fans have of the show is that [[spoiler: Galza being revealed to have been brainwashed into evil by Emperor Yodon came almost out of nowhere and fans would have rather that Galza stayed as the main villain for the rest of the series due to being a much more personal and overall interesting antagonist for the team to deal since Galza's dynamic with them and history with them has had more much time to be fleshed out and explored since the very beginning of the show.]]