20 Film/TV Villains Who Were Just Misunderstood

12) Frankenstein’s Monster – Various

Appearing on film many times since the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley in 1818, the unnamed monster is created by scientist Dr Victor Frankenstein who – horrified by the result of his experiment – leaves the creature and flees. This act of callousness sets the monster on a murderous path, as it becomes clear to him that his creator has abandoned him to a cruel and unkind world.

Desiring only love and acceptance, the Monster is blamed by Frankenstein for the murder of his brother William, and the consequent hanging of his nanny, Justine. Fleeing to the woods, the Monster educates himself by watching a family living in a cottage, but is rejected when he tries to introduce himself. As the family escape in terror, the Monster burns the cottage to the ground and swears bloody revenge on his creator and all humankind.

The Monster’s rampage continues with the murders of Dr Frankenstein’s close friend, Henry, and his wife, Elizabeth. The murders directly result in the death of Dr. Frankenstein’s father, and the ‘wrongful’ imprisonment and mental breakdown of Dr. Frankenstein. On release, Dr Frankenstein and his creation head toward an inevitable showdown.

While Frankenstein’s Monster is certainly responsible for the death and destruction of life and property, he is perhaps the archetypal ‘Misunderstood Villain’ as his behaviour stems entirely from his initial rejection by his creator. In an early depiction of the ‘nature vs nurture’ debate, this scientific experiment faces only coldness and intolerance in every human encounter from the moment he opens his eyes.

Seeking only connection and companionship, even his pleas for a ‘female’ to live out his days with provide opportunity for more psychological torture, as Frankenstein creates her, then destroys her in front of him, before she can be animated. Though Frankenstein believes he is protecting the world from the procreation of these abominations, he is reluctant to accept his own role in the destiny of his creature, and therefore, the deaths of his loved ones.