12 TV Villains That We Can’t Help But To Root For

Goodbye TV heroes, hello TV villains. I don’t know about you, but when I watch a show it’s all about the baddies -- I just can’t get enough of them. From kickass females showing us who’s boss to men being so evil that we just can’t help side with them, TV villains are where it’s at. Not every villain begins life as a villain though. Usually, they encounter someone or something that turns them into the evil character we know best. Digging into their pasts and learning who they once were, or what pushed them to become a big bad, shines an innocent light on these characters, resulting in us TV fans transforming them from villains into heroes -- well, anti-heroes, I guess you could say. Before we know it, we’re falling in love with these villains and having their backs every step of the way. With that said, here are 12 current TV villains that we can’t help but to root for whenever we see them on screen. 1) Oswald Cobblepot - Gotham He’s picked on. He’s mocked. He’s underestimated. Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin on FOX’s Gotham is one of the best new villains currently on network TV. Much credit should be given to the amazingly talented Robin Lord Taylor for his work here - he’s so evil it’s delicious. Because he’s seen as weak, useless and repeatedly teased (especially for his “penguin” walk), it’s easy for viewers to relate to Cobblepot. Yes, he might be evil and a killer willing to go the extra mile to work his way up the criminal chain, but a part of him has been pushed to seek vengeance for past treatments and the continuation of being bullied. We’ve all been talked down to or called names at least once in our lives, so is it really that difficult to understand why we’d root for someone like Cobblepot? Plus, if Gotham didn’t have the luxury of this ruthless villain, why tune in every week? 2) Regina Mills/The Evil Queen - Once Upon a Time Once Upon a Time isn’t just about blissful fairy tales showcasing the romance of heroes and heroines (ahem...Snow and Charming), it’s also about digging into the minds of villains. Enter Regina Mills aka The Evil Queen. Over the past three seasons, Regina has grown from a loathed villain into a beloved underdog/woman turning a new leaf. Not only is she trying to better herself for her son and former love Robin Hood, but she’s finally seeing the good in herself. Regina’s despicable mother, Cora, and even the adored Snow White pushed her to become the villain we all know and love, which is why many fans are rooting for her to prove everyone, including the book, wrong. As she said in the Season 4 premiere, “It’s time for villains to get their happy ending.” Let’s hope she continues her good streak (and maybe a little bad too, because who doesn’t love when Regina is a badass?) this season. 3) Klaus Mikaelson - The Originals He might be an ancient hybrid (half vampire, half werewolf) who goes on killing sprees and drains bodies without a care in the world, but there’s so much more to Klaus Mikaelson on The Originals than him being a ruthless Original. A lot of his anger and resentment toward others actually stems from the hatred he shares with his father, Mikael. From Mikael not being Klaus’ biological father (his mother had an affair with a werewolf) to Mikael belittling Klaus since he was a little boy to Mikael killing Klaus’ real father to Mikael calling Klaus a “beast” and an “abomination,” Klaus continues to be one angry man. But can you blame him? All he wants is love and a family, which has never been within his reach, because he pushes everyone away. It’s pretty obvious that Vampire Diaries and Originals fans root for Klaus (played by the fantastic Joseph Morgan) consistently; after all, he has his own show in which he's actually the “good” guy. 4) Dash Gardiner - Witches Of East End Oh, Dash. What are we going to do with you? After how the second season of Witches of East End closed, aka Dash swapping bodies with his brother Killian, it’s hard to root for this character, but there’s still hope. First, just look at that face. How can you not be attracted want the best for Eric Winter/Dash? Think about it: his brother “stole” his fiancée, he found out his dead mother was a witch, he learned that he’s a warlock and that he might’ve killed his own brother, essentially all at once. That’s a lot to deal with, so when Ingrid enters the picture and tries to help Dash cope, you definitely want him to pull through. Let’s hope that he can, once again, find his goodness when/if the Lifetime hit returns. 5) Adalind Schade - Grimm Yes, she might’ve pretended to be Juliette and stole Nick’s Grimm powers, put Juliette into a coma, made Juliette forget her memories of Nick, got Hank to obsessively fall in love with her and slept with Renard’s brother, among a slew of other villainous things, but Claire Coffee is so good at being bad on NBC’s Grimm that it’s hard not to want her to continue her evil streak. Partly to blame for her villain side is that she’s a Hexenbiest, but her mother is also at fault -- she was awful, right? And who can blame her for being pissed now that Nick’s mother has her baby? We can’t argue with a loving mother who just wants to take care of her child. Don’t mess with a mama Hexenbiest! 6) Crowley - Supernatural The King of Hell? More like the praised demon of Supernatural, who we hope never bites the dust. He first entered our lives during the episode “Abandon All Hope” with Everybody Play the Fool playing in the background, and it was an introduction we’ll never forget. Sure, he’s mostly not a good guy and is constantly battling with our favorite Winchester brothers, but without Crowley, there would be no steady villain stealing our hearts with his one-liners and nicknames for Sam (Moose, Samantha, Jolly Green). Can you imagine not rooting for Crowley? He’s become a huge part of our lives, and the show wouldn’t dare kill him off. Then again, that’s what fans thought about Bobby and look what happened to him (it still hurts - painfully). 7) Helena - Orphan Black “Hello, seestra.” No one says that better, or has a healthier appetite, than Helena from Orphan Black. She has a good heart and she’s Sarah’s twin, so we only want the best for her. After years of torture and brainwashing, Helena’s just a misunderstood girl trying to make it in the world as a trained killer. Upon setting eyes on Sarah, it all changed for Helena - and for the better. Yes, she might go to extremes, like when she slices off someone’s tail and dances with it, but Helena is a tortured soul who deserves everyone on her side, especially now that Gracie’s having her baby. Ultimately, she's the antagonist turned protagonist/anti-hero, who we just can’t get enough of. 8) Thomas Barrow - Downton Abbey He’s a schemer. He’s a liar. He’s a coward. He’s a gay man who’s frowned upon for being attracted to other men on Downton Abbey. Even Mr. Carson once called Thomas “foul.” It’s easy to despise Mr. Barrow for his devious ways, but it’s also easy to understand where he is coming from. He’s a misunderstood man living in judgmental times (unfortunately, we still are) wanting to be loved, but with all the rigid “rules” and moral standards, that’s almost impossible. All that stress is bound to transform anyone into a hard person, who wants to make others feel as bad as he does. This doesn’t make his sometimes horrific actions forgivable, but it’s easy to see why some of us favor Thomas. 9) Mona Vanderwaal - Pretty Little Liars She might’ve died during the most recent PLL finale, but seeing as Mona Vanderwaal will appear via flashbacks, she’s allowed to be included in this list. Yes, we all hated her when it was revealed she was (one of) the infamous “A” and tortured our favorite Liars, but can we blame her for hating Ali and wanting to destroy her life? Ali is a terrible, selfish person, who tortured Mona for years. Shouldn’t we all be bowing down and praising Mona for her freaking elaborate, creepy and well thought out actions? Yep, Mona deserves all the glory in the world. 10) Raymond “Red” Reddington - The Blacklist James Spader as criminal mastermind Raymond “Red” Reddington? How can you not root for this leading man on The Blacklist? He’s funny. He’s badass. He’s unapologetic. He takes down other criminals and he protects Lizzie. As one of the main characters, NBC just wants us to see the good in Red, right? His methods might be mad, but he means well, especially when there’s something in it for him. Also, if his wife and daughter were really killed, we should want all the happiness in the world for Red. 11) Mellie Grant - Scandal Yes, she’s not a villain now, but she once was, and how could I pass up an opportunity to write about the fabulous Bellamy Young? First Lady Mellie Grant started out on Scandal as one of the most hated characters. She was so loathed, in fact, that we all wanted Fitz to continue cheating on his wife with Olivia Pope (and still encourage him to). However, after learning about Fitz’s father raping Mellie, watching Fitz fall out of love with the woman who always stood by his side and still loves him, in addition to her losing her oldest son, Mellie (drunk, sober and smelly) continues to win over our hearts. She’s still living with so much pain that, as Mellie would say, it's her turn. 12) Enzo - The Vampire Diaries Lastly, we have the bloody handsome Enzo. That charm. That wit. That smile. Aren’t those reasons enough to root for Damon’s best friend? Ever since he entered the lives of Vampire Diaries fans last season, Enzo has become a fan-favorite. Similar to Klaus (mentioned earlier), Enzo is ruthless, but passionate, because it’s all about fighting for the ones he cares about, including himself. Oh, and you have to feel bad for him, as Damon did chop off his one true love’s head. Ouch. Plus, that accent is another reason that Enzo should never leave our lives. Tell us, who’s your favorite TV villain? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!

12 TV Villains That We Can’t Help But To Root For

10) Raymond “Red” Reddington – The Blacklist