10 Evil TV Villains We Still Can’t Believe Actually Redeemed Themselves

TV shows often try to redeem their antagonists rather than defeating them outright, but some villains are so evil that their redemption arc comes as a huge surprise. The potential upside of a redemption arc is obvious. It allows a show to use interesting characters differently without dragging their story on for too long. It also means that the show can introduce a new villain to take their place, and this changes the whole dynamic.

However, a bad TV redemption arc will come across as insincere or even nonsensical. The truth is that some characters are beyond redemption, and their past deeds shouldn’t be forgiven so quickly. Some truly evil characters can gradually earn redemption, but even then it’s surprising to see how far they travel from evil toward working alongside the protagonists. A surprise redemption arc can make or break a villain’s story.

11

Michael

Played by Ted Danson in The Good Place

The Good Place‘s season 1 twist was perfectly executed. It revealed that Michael was the villain all along, trapping Eleanor and her friends in a never-ending loop of self-inflicted social torture. Although it’s still one of the show’s most memorable moments, The Good Place changed course soon after. Rather than being the omnipotent villain that Eleanor must overcome, Michael is eventually redeemed, and he becomes a trusted ally.

Despite being a Bad Place demon who concocts novel ways to torture human souls, Michael isn’t the most evil character in The Good Place. One way that the show redeems him is by gradually unveiling the true depths of evil in the Bad Place hierarchy, with Trevor and Shawn showing that Michael was secretly a blessing in disguise for Eleanor. Michael’s redemption reflects one of the show’s most important themes: that everyone is capable and worthy of change.

10

A-Train

Played by Jessie T. Usher in The Boys

A-Train makes his first appearance in The Boys in the most shocking way possible. As Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin, takes a step out into the street, A-Train runs directly through her, and she is immediately obliterated into a mist of blood. This accident, brought on by A-Train’s abuse of Compound-V, doesn’t reveal as much about his character as his response does. Vought forces him to apologize to Hughie, and he does so with the petulance of a child being made to apologize for pushing someone in the playground.

A-Train’s redemption has just begun, but there are clear signs that he’s moving in the right direction. His waning powers have wiped away most of his super-powered smugness. He offers Hughie a more genuine apology at Herogasm, and he’s also trying to hold corrupt Supes accountable, despite the irony of his own problematic past. The Boys season 4 could push A-Train further toward redemption.

9

Ice King

Played by Tom Kenny in Adventure Time

Ice King doesn’t really change much throughout Adventure Time, but there are two key factors which allow audiences to see him in a different light. The first is that Adventure Time gets much darker and more twisted. Villains like the Lich and GOLB make Ice King’s princess-kidnapping schemes seem tame in comparison. He’s still evil and selfish, but at least he isn’t trying to destroy the universe.

The other factor contributing to Ice King’s redemption is the steady reveal of his backstory. Adventure Time‘s lore episodes show over time how the planet fell into chaos and war. It also shows how a humble scientist known as Simon Petrikov was corrupted by maddening power, when he only resorted to the crown to protect himself and young Marcie from mutants. This makes Ice King a much more tragic figure. He’s a lonely man trapped inside a prison of his own making.

8

Sylar

Played by Zachary Quinto in Heroes

Sylar is a super-powered serial killer. He tracks down other superhumans so that he can steal their powers and make himself stronger. Throughout the first season of Heroes, he seems like the main antagonist who has to be killed to bring about peace, but his false death in the season finale sets in motion an unusual redemption arc. Despite occasionally professing that he wants to be a hero, Sylar often relapses into his old habits.

Sylar suffers memory loss, and he is horrified when confronted with his past actions. This starts his redemption arc in earnest, but he has a long way to go before he can be absolved of his many murders. Sylar only manages to change when he is imprisoned within his own mind for what feels like three years, and he manages to reconcile with Peter in the process. Although it may feel like three years for him, Sylar’s transformation still feels abrupt.

7

Sue Sylvester

Played by Jane Lynch in Glee

Sue is consumed by her hatred for William McKinley High School’s glee club, and she tries to sabotage them at every possible opportunity. She infiltrates the club with her “Cheerios” and leaks their set list to a rival school, but her plans usually fail. Although Sue remains a constant menace throughout Glee, there are some moments which show a softer side to her, and she’s responsible for some of Glee‘s most emotional moments.

Behind Sue’s prickly facade, she grows to respect the members of the glee club. She’s also capable of extreme acts of generosity at times. There are signs early on that Sue isn’t as evil as she pretends to be. She supports Becky, a student with Down Syndrome, in joining the cheer squad, and she donates her money from her surprise collaboration with Olivia Newton-John to her sister’s care home. Sue redeems herself by supporting Brittany and Santana’s wedding, even when some of their own family members don’t.

6

5

Chang

Played by Ken Jeong in Community

Señor Chang is about as evil as a Spanish professor at a community college can be. He’s a total wildcard in Community, faking his own death to glorify his own ego and scurrying around in the school’s air vents. The monkey gas exarcebates his most self-centered tendencies, and he soon works his way into the role of an authoritarian dictator on campus, using an army of children to tighten his grip on the school.

Despite his Napoleon complex and his attempts to gaslight the study group into thinking Greendale is no more than a shared delusion, Chang is somehow redeemed. He returns to campus after his exile claiming to have “Changnesia,” but this is just a ruse to insert himself into the study group. The truth comes out, but he still hangs around for the rest of the show’s run, probably because Ken Jeong brought a frantic energy that Community couldn’t do without. His strange redemption is part of Community‘s “gas leak” season, so it can be easily forgiven.

4

Joel Maisel

Played by Michael Zegen in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

It would be harsh to call Joel Maisel truly evil, but he gets a lot of slack for a man who cheats on his wife and breaks up their family. His infidelity is the inciting incident that compels Midge to forge a better life for herself as a comic. Her early successes make it easy to forget about Joel, but their families are forever linked by their children, and she’s forced to see a lot more of him than she might otherwise want to.

For all Joel’s faults, he gradually tries to better himself. He abandons his narcicisstic dreams of being a famous comic and goes into business with Archie as a club owner. Throughout season 5, he and Midge rekindle some of their spark, without ever getting back together completely. His ultimate redemption comes in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s series finale, as he sacrifices himself to the mob to protect Midge. They leave their past behind them, and Midge regularly visits him in prison.

3

Lionel Luthor

Played by John Glover in Smallville

Lionel Luthor first achieves his immense fortune by killing his own parents for the inheritance and life insurance money, but this is just the beginning of his evil deeds. When his son Lex finds out about this, he drugs him and subjects him to electroshock therapy in an attempt to wipe his memory. Lex gets off lightly compared to some of Lionel’s other targets, as he leaves a trail of murder behind him in his business dealings and his personal life.

Lionel has such incalculable wealth that he believes nobody can touch him, and this gives him the confidence to act upon his evil desires. However, he eventually sees the error in his ways as Lex starts to take on some of his terrible traits. Lionel eventually becomes a close ally to Clark Kent. He tries his best to undo the actions of his past and salvage his son’s soul. It’s left up to the audience’s interpretation whether his redemption outweighs his lifetime of bad deeds.

2

Lil’ Gideon

Played by Thurop Van Orman in Gravity Falls

The people of Gravity Falls become obsessed with Lil’ Gideon Gleeful, the adorable young mind-reader who draws crowds to the Tent of Telepathy to either witness his incredible powers or watch him do a cute little dance. However, this facade conceals his true nature as a power-hungry despot with a mystic amulet that gives him the ability to move objects with his mind.

Gideon is at the heart of many of Gravity Falls‘ darkest episodes, and he can be partially blamed for bringing about Weirdmageddon. Gideon is the first person to make a deal with Bill Cypher, and he later agrees to serve him in exchange for his freedom. Despite almost collapsing the universe, Gideon redeems himself at the last possible minute. He joins the people of Gravity Falls in banishing Bill, and he denounces his evil ways once and for all.

1

Villanelle

Played by Jodie Comer in Killing Eve

In many ways, Villanelle is a victim of cruel circumstance. She’s raised from a young age to hone her killer instincts, and she’s thrust into a system which only values her based on her work as an assassin. There seems to be no escape route for her, but this doesn’t explain some of the psychopathic tendencies she displays. She even poses some of her victims and tries to pull off the most theatrical kills to mock law enforcement.

Villanelle is never completely redeemed, but she meets Eve somewhere in the middle of their moral spectrum. Just as she is softened by Eve’s influence, Eve is corrupted by hers. Their obsessive game of cat and mouse changes them both forever, and Villanelle starts to fantasize about a life free from the Twelve. Ultimately, Killing Eve‘s finale cuts her redemption story short, and she doesn’t get to enjoy the spoils of her long journey away from her dark side.