History Main / JerksAreWorseThanVillains

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Vector is a smug, egotistical asshole who kidnaps the girls solely to spite Gru, but his wacky antics as well as his incompetence make him outright impossible to hate. Likewise, while there isn't much to talk about Mr. Perkins, the owner of the Bank of Evil [[spoiler:and Vector's father]], he's more of a StraightMan than anything; his reasons for not wanting to fund Gru's schemes are understandable. [[EvilOrphanageLady Miss Hattie]], on the other hand, is the most repugnant character in the film due to her callous nature (especially where the girls are concerned) and ending up a KarmaHoudini by the end.

There's also the fact that EvilIsCool; Jerkassery isn't cool. Villainous characters appeal to the desire to be rebellious and wild, or our [[ForbiddenFruit natural fascination with forbidden things]]. Creators often try to make their villains [[EvilIsCool cool]], badass, funny, charismatic, [[LargeHam full of ham and cheese]], audacious, perhaps even [[EvilisSexy sexy]] because an interesting or LikableVillain helps make a fun and interesting story. They also tend to have real goals and actually do things to attain them, often showing VillainousValour and other such EvilVirtues. Even when the audience ''does'' hate them, they [[LoveToHate love doing so]]. By contrast, Jerkasses typically lack the flair and charisma that makes the villain enjoyable or interesting as well as lacking any particular goals and just being assholes for no real reason, making them not only unpleasant and unlikable but also mundane and uninteresting.

* Despite being the BigBad of season two of ''WebVideo/EscapeTheNight'', The Sorceress is a fan favourite due to [[EvilIsHammy her hamminess]] and [[EvilIsSexy amazing outfit.]] The people who get all the hate in the fandom are Matt, a whiny but well-meaning {{Jerkass}}, and Colin, a SociopathicSoldier who might be a colossal {{Jerkass}} and TheScrooge, but isn’t exactly evil, in fact, he aides the heroes in their mission. It’s his serious LackOfEmpathy and the revelation that he willingly got many innocent people killed that makes him much more detestable then the sorceress.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Vector is a smug, egotistical asshole who kidnaps the girls solely to spite Gru, but his wacky antics as well as his incompetence make him outright impossible to hate. Likewise, while there isn't much to talk about Mr. Perkins, the owner of the Bank of Evil [[spoiler:and Vector's father]], he's more of a StraightMan than anything, and his reasons for not wanting to fund Gru's schemes are understandable. [[EvilOrphanageLady Miss Hattie]], on the other hand, is the most repugnant character in the film due to her callous nature (especially where the girls are concerned) and ending up a KarmaHoudini by the end.

* The entire world of ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'' runs on this logic. Every major character has murdered or at least recklessly endangered the lives of multiple people, and one of them is a genocidal dictator, but all of them are shocked and repulsed by acts of everyday rudeness. Vera, for example, is fine with slavery but takes a passionate moral stance against unpaid internships.

Some tropes that help provide explanations for this include EvilIsCool, EvilIsSexy, and the stereotype that AllGirlsWantBadBoys (plus [[GenderFlip any applicable variations of that concept]]). All of these are merely expressions of the truism that rebellious, forbidden, and even dangerous things have their own appeal to people. The logical outcome for ''that'' concept, of course, is DracoInLeatherPants.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Vector is a smug, egotistical asshole who kidnaps the girls solely to spite Gru, but his wacky antics as well as his incompetence make him outright impossible to hate. [[EvilOrphanageLady Miss Hattie]], on the other hand, is the most repugnant character in the film due to her callous nature (especially where the girls are concerned) and ending up a KarmaHoudini by the end.

** From ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' gives us Byakuya Togami, who while not [[TheScrappy universally reviled like other examples listed here are]], manages to have a very vocal hatedom relative to his sheer {{Jerkass}} behavior towards other classmates. Highly elitist, condescending to everyone he meets, and extremely unpleasant, Togami is drawn more ire to him by some fans than ''the actual Mastermind themselves'', both for his sheer LackOfEmpathy and [[spoiler:tampering with the crime scene and Chihiro's corpse, arranging it in a way that makes it look like [[SerialKiller Genocide Jack]]'s doing, all for the sole reason of making the trial more ''interesting.'']] For some fans, this was a worse sin than what the Mastermind, [[spoiler:Junko Enoshima, did over the course of the story, as Junko is at least consistently a LaughablyEvil villain. Some players felt that Togami's abusive personality hits too close to home, and when combined with his treatment of Toko, even him [[CharacterDevelopment gradually getting slightly better]] felt too little, too late to fans.]]
** ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' has Hiyoko Saionji, who is an [[{{Jerkass}} unpleasant bitch]] that, with one exception, likes to mock her classmates, especially [[ShrinkingViolet Mikan Tsumiki]]. However, she doesn't tend to do much more than throw childish insults at others, and said insults don't even affect them at all with the exceptions of Mikan and Kazuichi. In fact, she is ''[[EveryoneHasStandards horrified]]'' [[EveryoneHasStandards at the idea of actually killing someone]] (though the way she voices this through mention of the students who ended up killing someone and were executed for it [[SpeakIllOfTheDead really doesn't tend to help her case]]). There also is [[FreudianExcuse a fairly harrowing reason]] for why she acts the way she does that's on par with many of the [[DarkAndTroubledPast most tragic backstories in the series]]. Judging from the way [[AmericansHateTingle the western fandom]] talks about her, however, you'd believe that she is morally lower than any of the students who end up becoming murderers and more detestable than even [[BigBad Mono]][[LaughablyEvil kuma]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'': The Spot may be a multiversal threat, but his [[LaughablyEvil goofy disposition]] coupled with his godlike superpower allow him to be a very entertaining (albeit terrifying) villain. Compare that to Miguel, who is so convinced of his righteousness that he actually came to the conclusion that Spider-Man should ''let'' people die. Not to mention the [[KickTheDog incredibly cruel things]] he says to Miles during their chase scene.

* ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'': Many people see Elliot as a terrible friend to Boog and a bad character in general, as, despite his claims that [[IJustWantToHaveFriends he only wants to be friends with Boog]], his actions still got him separated from his loving owner Beth, among other things. Shaw, meanwhile, gets a lot of praise from fans for being an [[LoveToHate entertaining villain]], having so many [[LaughablyEvil hilarious moments]], [[TakeThatScrappy targeting Elliot]], and displaying a significant amount of VillainousValour. This is also the case in ''Scared Silly'', where Elliot's negative qualities are {{Flanderized}}, while Shaw gets even ''more'' funny bits and shows his valour once again, up to and including [[spoiler:going one-on-one with Boog, a grizzly bear, even after his gun is destroyed]] in the climax.

** [[BewareOfViciousDog Francis the Dog]] counts for being a petty jerk who ruins the brothers' first plumbing job, [[DisproportionateRetribution all because Luigi accidentally stepped on his favorite bone.]] While he eventually drops his grudge after the Mario Bros [[spoiler:save Brooklyn,]] it looks more like he begrudgingly does it rather than being genuine.

*** Initially this was made an explicit point in the books, with a character remarking that as bad as Umbridge is, the world isn't divided into good people and Death Eaters. Not every cruel person is automatically a Nazi. This seemingly got nullified in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows the last book]] as Umbridge joins the Death Eaters after all.

* ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'': Max's treatment of Goofy (''especially'' with his lashing out at him midway through the film) makes him [[DesignatedHero too unlikable to root for]] in the eyes of many viewers. Bradley, on the other hand, is a cruel psychopath who has no issue having his opponents ''killed'' for the sake of winning and even leaving Tank, his right-hand man, to die, yet he is still considered [[LoveToHate quite an entertaining character]] in his own right. While Max ''does'' eventually apologize to Goofy, viewers still feel it doesn't quite make up for everything he did.

* ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'': Max's treatment of Goofy (''especially'' with his lashing out at him midway through the film) makes him [[DesignatedHero too unlikable to root for]] in the eyes of many viewers. Bradley, on the other hand, is a cruel psychopath who has no issue having his opponents ''killed'' for the sake of winning and even leaving his right-hand man to die, yet he is still considered [[LoveToHate quite an entertaining character]] in his own right. While Max ''does'' eventually apologize to Goofy, viewers still feel it doesn't quite make up for everything he did.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': Syndrome is a LaughablyEvil PsychopathicManchild whose hamminess makes him quite memorable and entertaining to watch, even as he commits heinous acts such as murdering dozens of superheroes or trying to abduct a toddler. Gilbert Huph, meanwhile, is shown to be a despicable CorruptCorporateExecutive who encourages his employees to avoid helping clients with their insurance claims to ensure low payouts and high profits for the stockholders. He shows a total LackOfEmpathy towards a mugging occurring right outside his window and threatens to fire Bob if the latter tries to intervene. Many audience members were quite satisfied when Bob threw him through a wall.

* ''WesternAnimation/OpenSeason'': Many people see Elliot as a terrible friend to Boog and a bad character in general as, despite his claims that [[IJustWantToHaveFriends he only wants to be friends with Boog]], his actions still got him separated from his loving owner Beth, among other things. Shaw, meanwhile, gets a lot of praise by fans for being an [[LoveToHate entertaining villain]]; having so many [[LaughablyEvil hilarious moments]], [[TakeThatScrappy targeting Elliot]], and displaying a significant amount of VillainousValour. This is also the case in ''Scared Silly'', where Elliot's negative qualities are {{Flanderized}}, while Shaw gets even ''more'' funny bits and shows his valour once again, up to and including [[spoiler:going one-on-one with Boog, a grizzly bear, even after his gun is destroyed]] in the climax.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': One of the main reasons Alma Madrigal has quickly become a BaseBreakingCharacter and RonTheDeathEater is because she reminds viewers so much of their own neglectful relatives with ControlFreak tendencies. Abuela not only put unrealistic pressures on her family for decades, but she also cherished their gifts over their well-being and treats as [[TheUnfavorite The Unfavorites]] those who mars her vision of perfection, [[ParentalNeglect including her only son]]. This combined with the fact that the conflict Abuela caused in the movie hit close to home for viewers that grew up with similar strict parental figures and suffer from great pressure because of it, meant that even though Alma gets her family's sympathy in the end, she doesn't get almost anyone in the audience. By contrast, the faceless Horsemen despite being the closest thing the film has to a villain and being remorseless killers, don't nearly get as many hate due to being a OneSceneWonder.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': One of the main reasons Alma Madrigal has quickly become a BaseBreakingCharacter and RonTheDeathEater is because she reminds viewers so much of their own neglectful relatives with ControlFreak tendencies. Abuela not only put unrealistic pressures on her family for decades, but she also cherished their gifts over their well-being and treats as [[TheUnfavorite The Unfavorites]] those who mars her vision of perfection, [[ParentalNeglect including her only son]]. This combined with the fact that the conflict Abuela caused in the movie hit close to home for viewers that grew up with similar strict parental figures and suffer from great pressure because of it, meant that even though Alma gets her family's sympathy in the end, she doesn't get almost anyone in the audience. By contrast, the faceless Horsemen despite being the closest thing the film has to an antagonist and being remorseless killers, don't nearly get as many hate due to being a OneSceneWonder.

* [[JerksAreWorseThanVillains/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': Alastor was a serial killer in life who became a demon overlord in hell. He seems to only help Charlie's rehabilitation program because he [[ItAmusedMe finds it funny]]. He's quite popular among the fans, thanks to his EvilIsCool factor, his radio-like voice, and his design. One character that few people would admit liking is Katie Killjoy, a {{jerkass}} reporter who mocks Charlie on screen, makes homophobic remarks to her ("I don't touch the gays"), and generally comes off as the most unpleasant character in the show.
* ''WebAnimation/EpithetErased'' has a colorful cast of villains and antagonists who are beloved by the audience for being [[LaughablyEvil funny]], [[AffablyEvil friendly]], [[FreudianExcuse sympathetic]], [[AntiVillain understandable]], or just plan [[EvilIsCool cool]]. However the same cannot be said for Molly's [[ParentalNeglect negligent dad]] Martin, whose irresponsible and idiotic nature is not played for laughs and causes untold strife for his youngest daughter while passively enabling his eldest Lorelai's toxic behavior. Many fans would even go so far as to say that the villains would be better parents than Martin.

There's also the fact that EvilIsCool; Jerkassery isn't cool. Villainous characters appeal to the desire to be rebellious and wild, or our [[ForbiddenFruit natural fascination with forbidden things]]. Creators often try to make their villains [[EvilIsCool cool]], badass, funny, charismatic, [[LargeHam full of ham and cheese]], audacious, perhaps even [[EvilisSexy sexy]] because an interesting or LikableVillain helps make a fun and interesting story. They also tend to have real goals and actually do things to attain them, often showing VillainousValor and other such EvilVirtues. Even when the audience ''does'' hate them, they [[LoveToHate love doing so]]. By contrast, Jerkasses typically lack the flair and charisma that makes the villain enjoyable or interesting as well as lacking any particular goals and just being assholes for no real reason, making them not only unpleasant and unlikable but also mundane and uninteresting.

** ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'': Despite the reveal that the Illuminati (Iron Man, Mr Fantastic, Blackbolt, and Dr. Strange) did not plant the bomb that killed the Hulk's wife, they are still hated by fans [[ComicBook/PlanetHulk for sending the Hulk into space in the first place]] and other stuff Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic did during the ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' event. Fans make less of a big deal over the loyalists of the Red King planting the bomb or even Meek, one of Hulk's new friends, keeping this information from the Hulk because he wanted the Hulk to become the World Breaker.

Note that the 'villain' in question can also include the highest caliber of heinous evil villain, the CompleteMonster, making it somewhat kind of more acceptable in the audience's eyes rather than those mundane jerks. It's also possible that both tropes can cross with each other: When a CompleteMonster becomes known less about their large scale heinousness, but more about [[EvilIsPetty the petty little things]] against the heroes or their own subordinates.

Note that the 'villain' in question can also include the highest caliber of heinous evil villain, the CompleteMonster, making it somewhat kind of more acceptable in the audience's eyes rather than those mundane jerks.

** Roy's father, Eugene Greenhilt, is also almost universally despised despite technically being on the heroes' side because he's an emotionally abusive father who puts far too much expectation and pressure on his son and who abandoned an oath he swore to kill Xykon only to foist it off on his children rather than trying to fulfill it himself, not to mention constantly belittling his son for being a fighter instead of a wizard. He reached a new low when he was revealed to be impersonating his daughter, the only living family Roy has left and who he cares for, just to try and force more unwanted advice on his son. More people can relate to having an abusive parent in their lives who outright hates their life choices than the villains of the comic.

* ''WesternAnimations/{{Robots}}'': We can't really hate the villains Ratchet or his mother Madame Gasket, due to their comedic traits and their somewhat endearing-if smothering-dynamic, but we CAN hate Rodney and Herb's [[MeanBoss boss]] Mr. Gunk, who is a short-tempered bully. Tim the security guard also qualifies, forbidding Rodney to see Big Weld, and laughing at him when he gets magnetized.

* ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale'': Despite being the main protagonist and being intended as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, Oscar is near-unanimously hated for his constant lying, general insensitivity towards [[OnlyFriend Angie]] and his stupidity leading him to make reckless decisions (see: selling Angie's [[TragicKeepsake prized heirloom]] and betting the money on a horse race which he ends up losing). The BigBad, fish-eating mob boss Don Lino is viewed in a much more sympathetic light by comparison due to his [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes love for his sons]] and his motivations revolving around [[PapaWolf avenging the death of one of them]], while villainous GoldDigger Lola earned some love in the fandom by being played for {{Fanservice}} despite (or perhaps even because of) constantly abusing Oscar during their short-lived relationship.

* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Zeus is a brutal {{Hypocrite}} and UngratefulBastard who has an inflated opinion of his own intelligence and is far harder to like at all than most of the AxCrazy (but often AffablyEvil) villains from the first two series.