Who are your favorite tragic villains in fiction?
A tragic villain is basically someone who was once a good person, and then something really emotionally fucked up happened to them, and then they became a villain.
Some of my favorite are:
- Magneto (X-Men)
- Mr. Freeze (Batman)
- Two-Face (Batman)
- Harley Quinn (Batman)
- Baby-Doll (Batman: TAS)
- Doc Ock (Spider-Man)
- Josh (Until Dawn)
- Harry Osborn (Spider-Man)
- The Stranger (TWD)
- Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
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Hannibal Lecter, his younger sister is murdered and cannibalised shortly after the rest of his family is killed.
Another one I'm surprised I forgot is Darth Vader.
Char Aznable: From Mobile Suit Gundam. 2 TV series, 1 Movie, and now 2 OVA short series later. Best darn Villain of all time. Political in fighting and war has literally taken everything he has ever cared about away from him, including his beliefs and ideology. By Gundam Unicorn the character known as Full Frontal (basically a ghostly remain of the man known as Char Aznable) is all that remains. Soldier, War Hero, Rival, Mentor, and Villain. Such a great story progression really. Char to me is the definition of the perfect antagonist. He isn't evil in the sense of "Mwuahaha," but evil in the sense he does it because he believes it must be done.
Wait a minute. If Magneto's entire family were executed, then why are Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver still alive? Anyway, onto my list.
Mr. Freeze
The unnamed stranger from The Walking Dead season 1.
Count Bleck from Super Paper Mario.
Ice King, although he's not technically a villain.
Does Midnight Sparkle count as one?
That's all I could think of.
Handsome Jack (Borderlands series)
The Joker (Batman)
Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Walter White (Breaking Bad)
Oz (Batman: The Telltale Series)
Because they had to throw a holocaust reference into the film because Holocaust = Oscars in Hollywood. Though that being said, according to the films, they only ever show his mother being killed, it could be very well the rest of his family survived. To be honest the entire narrative around Magneto in the films is just wonderful. The man becomes the very evil, he claimed to try to rid the world of. I like that, and in some respects, outside of Wolverine, in the movies Magneto is the 2nd most important character of all the films... in fact likely the most important if you include the Reboot First Class.
I'm going to be that dork. I have to go old school and mention Clyde Griffiths/George Eastman from An American Tragedy/A Place in the Sun. While his story in either version doesn't begin with him as an (obvious) villain, it is a compelling - and tragic - transformation into one. But maybe he was a villain from the beginning, with his character flaws already predisposing him to terrible deeds? And just how guilty was he really, dear reader/viewer? It's one of my favorite examples of the dilemma between whether the man made his circumstances, or the circumstances made him (or both, really). It's a classic, what can I say
Um... Loki? Goob from Meet the Robinsons? Dr. Calaghjan from Big Hero Six?
Wait, Magneto is related to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch? I had no idea...
I've only seen the movies and I've just started watching TAS.
(Lol sorry for the multiple edits, I'm trying to fix my post AMAF.
I've always been a sucker for tragic villains:
The Stranger (The Walking Dead: Season 1)
The Governor (The Walking Dead: AMC)
Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Mr. Freeze (Batman)
Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Doctor Octopus (Spider-Man 2)
Walter White (Breaking Bad) (Also this all depends on how you view the character...)
Edward Nygma from Gotham. I watched the episoded recently where he really took that turn towards darkness. It was really emotional for me.
Andrew Detmer (Chronicle)
Josh Washington (Until Dawn)
Alex Mercer (Prototype)
The cannibal guy from The Last Of Us
I was considering putting Walter for my list, but I changed my mind at the last second because he can be viewed as both the protagonist and the villain, depending on what point you are in the series.
David?
Obito Uchiha (Naruto)
Amon (Legend of Korra)
The Governor (TV Walking Dead)
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch being related to Magneto was also used in some TV series called "The Super Hero Squad Show".
Eto from Tokyo Ghoul. I will not reveal her back story or Identity. But if you know the Manga or Show you know why, or I hope you do.
Well a protagonist doesn't always mean the hero. In fact, the mere definition of protagonist is just simply, the main character.
Isn't every version of Doc Ock tragic?
Squidward.
The Joker is a tragic villain?
Read The Killing Joke
You fool. The Joker changes his origin story every time he tells it. And he's smart enough to admit it.
Joker's been either misremembering, or making it up. So if he's going to have a backstory, he'd prefer it to be multiple choice.
Don't believe me, then watch The Dark Knight, and the B:TAS episode, Mad Love.
@MetallicaRules has watched the Dark Knight. As for "Mad Love"...I dunno if he's watched it or not.
He's watched some episodes of B: TAS, but I dunno which specific ones.
And you do realize that many people cite The Killing Joke as the sort of official Joker backstory right? He's not making that story up, hell, he isn't even the one telling it. Ever since that came out, it has practically been the definitive Joker origin story.
how in the fuck is he a tragic villian?
the Governor (TWD)
Handsome Jack
The Stranger (TWDG)
Darth Vader.
(I'd name movies or TV shows but I can't think of any off the top of my head right now.)
His whole family got killed. He couldn't get over it and wanted to destroy everything.
Betrayed by his whole group who had the same goal. Betrayed by his true love, Cassidy. Got injetced with Venom by his own parrot.
Hated by the main characters, and betrayed by her group. Her boyfriend's parrot even deviced a plan to kill her, which suceeded.
A crazy person that lost contact with the world. How sadder can it be?
Wanted to help his clan but his father never agreed with his ways, captured his uncle. Then almost killed.
Everyone thought he was dead, he came back and presumed the identity of Madara. Too much to explin, watch the anime!
Watch the anime!
Watch the anime!
Sold his soul to a demon butler and arch rival of Ciel. Both Ciel and him are both tragic characters, but I cannot count Ciel as a bad guy. Watch the anime to know everything!
Definitely... C'mon, you know what I'm gonna say...
He came into contact with Ellie. Ugh... I tremble at the thought.
I wouldn't know. The only other version I'm familiar with is the one from the Ultimate universe and he was a complete and total asshole before the accident that turned him into Doc Ock.
EDIT:
Well actually, I guess you could consider Doc Ock from Spectacular Spider-Man to be a tragic villain as well.
Does... anyone even know what happened to him?
The TV series or the comic books?
Oh yeah, I remember that. He was indeed tragic.
Nobody's mentioned Gollum yet?
Alrighty,
Gollum!
I forgot about Gollum! It's been a while since I've seen Lord of the Rings, so I've forgotten.
EDIT: I've just added him to my list.
Char Aznable? =D
Comic books.
...No.
If you've seen most of my other comments you'll know what it is.
Davy Jones from POTC.
He was manipulated by a woman that he loved, who pretended to love him, and as a result he became a monster.