Villains are an important component in every television show because they give the protagonists endless quagmires to deal with. These individuals can either be evil by nature or simply unlikable, hence fans have every reason to hope for their downfall. However, sometimes the villains don’t get punished by the protagonists. They, instead, turn good — even become heroes — and either live life happily ever after or suffer a tragic and sad death.
The change of heart in TV villains tends to be influenced by various factors. An unexpected incident might cause them to reexamine their beliefs or the emergence of another enemy might cause them to team up with the heroes. Whatever the reason,these redemption arcsare normally useful to the shows because they either allow things to stay fresh or help the showrunners navigate a storyline that appears to have hit a cul-de-sac.
Here are 10 TV villains who became heroes over time.
10Juice Otiz — Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)
A major reason whySons of Anarchyis adored is how it turns evil characters into likable individuals. However, SAMCRO motorcycle club memberJuice Ortiz(Theo Rossi) was one of the few characters whom fans just couldn’t get behind. He was careless, cowardly, unreasonably murderous, and didn’t even have an intriguing relationship arc like everyone else. Worse still, he ratted on the organization.
Thankfully, he redeemed himself by revealing that Gemma, the mother of SAMCRO President Jax Teller, was responsible for the murder of his wife, Tara. In addition to that, he killed one of the club’s biggest enemies, Henry Lin.
Why His Redemption Arc Was Important
A bloody gang war had erupted between SAMCRO and the Chinese-dominated Lin Triad because Gemma had falsely accused a member of the gang of being the culprit. Lots of innocent people were killed, so with Juice coming clean and exposing her, the bloodshed came to an end.
Killing Henry Lin was also important because the villain had terrorized SAMCRO for a long time. One of the most despicable things he had done was staging a massacre at one of the club’s affiliate businesses, the escort service, Diosa Nostre. For that reason, he needed to be taken out, and Juice gladly did the job, earning himself the respect of his colleagues for the first time in his career.Stream on Hulu
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) was ahard character to likeduring the first few seasons ofMad Men. He tried to blackmail his boss, Don Draper, after finding out his true identity, cheated on his wife, Trudy, and kept feuding with his colleagues simply because he was jealous of them. Surprisingly, he morphed into a better character after taking on an airline job. He became a responsible man, begged his wife to take him back, and began showing greater affection for his family.
Some ofMad Men’s fans might find it unfair that Pete never got to pay for all the bad things he did, but his story is proof that someone can always change before it’s too late. Pete acknowledged his previous wrongs and realized he had been childish and immature all along. He also realized that his character had been partly influenced by his previous life goals, so he adjusted them accordingly.Stream on AMC+
8Eric Northman — True Blood (2008-2014)
Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) was extremely controlling in the first few seasons ofTrue Blood.Using his powers, he kept manipulating his love interest, Sookie, making her subservient to him. He never hesitated to enforce his will on others either, and even turned Pam into a vampire against her consent. Thankfully, Eric became a better vampire in later seasons, especially after he lost all memory of his past life. He stopped hurting people and became Sookie’s protector.
Northman constantly topped the list of fan favorites, and for a show that ran for seven seasons, it was important for the most popular individuals to be granted proper character development. If he had stayed evil during his entire existence, he would have become boring. At the moment, there are debates about whether the plannedTrue Bloodreboot is abetter choice than a spinoff, but whatever decision gets made, fans will be hoping that Northman makes a return.Stream on Max
7Dwight Schrute — The Office (2005-2013)
Rainn Wilson’s Dwight was an entertaining character who will always be remembered for causing panic after deliberately starting a fire in one ofThe Office’sfunniest episodes, “Stress Relief.”However, he wasn’t a nice person. He found pleasure in cuckolding Andy, tried to sabotage Jim so that he could lose his managerial position, and tricked Angela into marrying him. Thankfully, he realized the error of his ways and became a better person after Andy became the new Scranton Branch manager.
Dwight’s metamorphosis proved that dirty office politics doesn’t pay off. He spent most of his time in the series using Machiavellian tactics to try and get ahead of his colleagues, only for him to see them surpass him. Because of the events that transpired, he learned to appreciate the importance of honesty and hard work. And as a result of the change in character, fans also got to witness a new wholesome friendship between Dwight and his arch-enemy, Jim.Stream on Peacock
6Rollo — Vikings (2013-2020)
In the early seasons ofVikings, the concept of loyalty was an alien one to Rollo (Clive Standen). He tried to hit on his brother Ragnar’s wife and went on to betray him twice, first by teaming up with the notorious Jarl Borg and then choosing to help King Charles of Frankia during his battle against the Norsemen. The latter betrayal would especially crush Ragnar, driving him to a path of self-destruction. Rollo would redeem himself later in the series by offering land and assistance to his alleged son Bjorn and Ragnar’s ex-wife, Lagertha.
As barbaric as they were, the Norsemen were the protagonists, so it was important for the writers to ensure that Rollo didn’t get to live in peace after betraying everyone. Though he had now been crowned a Duke, a part of him regretted what he did, and that’s why he offered help to Bjorn and Lagertha. By coming back, Rollo proved that the Viking way of life was better than the Frankia way of life. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t received so warmly, forcing him to reluctantly go back to where he came from.Stream on Prime Video
5Spike — Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
The ruthless and stylish Spike (James Marsters) had already murdered two slayers before he arrived in the town of Sunnydale inBuffy the Vampire Slayer. He planned on killing Buffy, too, but failed miserably and was forced to flee the town. Spike would eventually return, this time forming an alliance with his nemesis and becoming a member of the Scooby Gang. He would then sacrifice himself to save the town in the series finale.
Many shows get ruined because they pack in too many villains. After Angelus became a major threat,Buffy the Vampire Slayerrisked being overstuffed with baddies, but the writers were wise enough to turn Spike good. This made sense becauseBuffy needed an ally. In addition to that, Spike wasn’t the kind of villain who was keen on destroying things. He leaned more towards preservation, so it was natural for him to fight against someone keen on destruction.Stream on Hulu
Rumors of aPrison Breakreboot have divided fans, with many wondering if it will be anywhere near as good as the original. The Fox series had many strong pillars, notably its relentless villains. One of them was the Fox River Penitentiary warden, Brad Bellick (Wade Williams). Brad had been brutal to the inmates, and once they fled, he spent days and nights trying to capture them. Interestingly, he chose to team up with the protagonist, Michael Scofield, later on, and even sacrificed his life to take down the evil organization known as The Company.
Bellick had been a popular character in the show’s first season, but, with time, the prison escape storyline ran its course, which meant he was left with nothing to do. He could no longer keep hunting Scofield, who had proved to be too smart. Teaming up with him was, therefore, the only logical thing for him to do. Thanks to sacrifice, Michael and his gang managed to create a route into The Company’s headquarters.Stream on Hulu
The thrill-seeking, misogynistic, and abrasive Merle Dixon (played by Michael Rooker) never understood the importance of unity during a zombie apocalypse. He constantly antagonized other characters ofThe Walking Deadbefore becoming The Governor’s henchman. In his new position, he went on to commit several acts of savagery before experiencing a moral awakening and standing up against his boss. His newfound righteousness got him killed, but he at least bowed out as an honorable man.
The Governor was quite the powerful villain, and for the beginning of his downfall to make sense, it had to start with him losing some of the things that made him strong. Merle was one of those things. Most importantly,The Walking Deadneeded to create room for other villains, so Merle had to make way. It could be argued that he should have taken over The Governor’s position, but the series still fared well with this particular choice of arc.Stream on Netflix
2Roland Pryzbylewski — The Wire (2002-2008)
Some officers give the force a bad name, and Roland Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost) was precisely this kind of person inThe Wire.He only became a detective because of his family’s connections, and, after acquiring the position, he did unforgivable things, such as killing an undercover officer and injuring a civilian. Because of his incompetence, he had to look for another career, but such a move made him better. By the fourth season, he was a math teacher seeking to change the lives of the Baltimore youngsters.
The officers often had a hard time breaking cases because the Baltimore gangs had instilled fear in almost everyone. However, the children were always willing to talk to anyone that was nice to them, so Roland ended up getting a lot of useful information from his students. He would then pass on the information to his former colleagues, and they would act on it.Stream on Max
1George Mason — 24 (2001-2012)
In24, Mason (Xander Berkeley) started as the overbearing and micromanaging boss of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). Because of him, numerous bureaucratic obstacles kept popping up, preventing Jack Bauer from doing his job properly. After coming into contact with plutonium and being told he only had a week to live, Mason changed for the better. He became more willing to help his team and when the threat of a nuclear bomb became apparent, he sacrificed his life by flying the weapon to the Mojave Desert.
There was only a limited number of ways that the show could deal with the nuclear threat without making things look unrealistic. Jack definitely wouldn’t have managed to transport the weapon in the desert and then come back in one piece. Furthermore, Mason had every reason to turn good, and to sacrifice his life because he had nothing more to live for. Realizing he had been a jerk all along, he chose to do the right thing.Stream on Hulu
