20 Film/TV Villains Who Were Just Misunderstood

2) CGB Spender/The Smoking Man/Cancer Man – The X-Files

TV audiences were first introduced to CGB Spender as a sinister, shadowy figure, lurking behind closed doors at the FBI and chain-smoking his Morley cigarettes in The X-Files. By the time season two hit its stride, however, he was a fully fledged arch-nemesis of Special Agent Fox Mulder in his unrelenting quest for The Truth.

Spender is revealed to be a leading member of a government conspiracy, referred to as The Syndicate – the purpose of which is to hide the existence of alien life from the general public and prepare the Earth for colonization.

During the course of The X-Files, Spender’s terrible crimes are suggested, in some cases, and confirmed in others. For example, it is suggested that he was assigned the task of assassinating President John F. Kennedy, and that he actually assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. He is said to have had a long history in ‘Black Ops’ for the American Intelligence community and almost certainly betrayed his close friend, Bill Mulder, by fathering a child with his wife – the child that would grow up to be Agent Mulder. He forced his own then-wife to undergo many horrific medical treatments, which ultimately led to her mental breakdown and, after attempting to kill his own son, Jeffrey Spender, subjected him to medical experiments, too.

He is also the dark figure behind the abduction of Agent Scully, her subsequent cancer, the murder of her sister and also the murder of Agent Mulder’s father. His actions also, allegedly, directly contributed to the disappearance of Agent Mulder’s younger sister, Samantha.

Make no mistake, this is an evil and dastardly villain, if ever there was one. But, his explanation for his actions paints him as the only true hero. His approach to “the game” is one of acceptance of the inevitable, and simply finding the most effective way to ease the transition that he knows is coming. He presents himself as the defender of Earth and all the people on it – as the keeper of secrets that would destroy civilized society. He is the person that makes the terrible choices others cannot face.

But still, he is a contradiction unto himself. For, while he is condemning those closest to him to death and torture, he is working for his definition of the greater good – trying to develop a vaccine to protect people from the Black Oil used by the alien colonists. With such a complex resume of evil deeds and questionable motives, it is easy to see why he is a misunderstood villain.