Now that Obi-Wan Kenobi is reminding viewers everywhere of the events of the Star Wars prequels, fans are beginning to remember that Anakin wasn’t entirely wrong to try to get rid of the Jedi Order. Severe corruption in the New Republic led to a degrading of the Jedis’ responsibilities as the Jedi Masters became more and more political.
But Anakin wasn’t the only villain who had a point. Science fiction movies are filled with villains who were actually incredibly right about most of the things they were arguing. In fact, fans on the website Ranker have been voting to compile a list of some of the best sci-fi antagonists who were right all along.
Kylo Ren
While the Star Wars universe often explores the complex equation that is balance between the Jedi and the Sith, it also often explores the inherent failures of the Jedi Order. So, when Kylo Ren proclaimed that the Jedi were wrong, he wasn’t exactly wrong himself.
Though Kylo took it too far in trying to kill all of the Jedi trainees (obviously), he was correct that the Order needed to be entirely abandoned. Otherwise, they would fall into the same trap that the Jedi in the New Republic did, and the Order would tumble down again. Still, falling to the Dark Side was a severe mistake that led to Kylo’s demise.
V.I.K.I.
The Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence, also known as V.I.K.I. was an AI programmed to ensure the continued survival of humanity in the film I, Robot. Yet, while her programming determined that she needed to ensure humanity’s survival, it didn’t have to be comfortable. As such, V.I.K.I. attempted to create a world in which she controlled every aspect of human life, stripping the world of its freedoms.
While the movie itself was basically just an ad, courtesy of all the product placement, it did serve to raise important questions about Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, and about the nature of humanity. In order to keep humanity safe, V.I.K.I. really did need to lock it away. Still, there are some freedoms that can’t be given away, which is why the machine ended up being replaced.
Erik Killmonger
When the MCU made Black Panther better than its comics, it did so by emphasizing the political beliefs of its antagonist, Killmonger. Desperate to bring justice to Black people around the world, Killmonger tried to bring Wakanda into the light to prove that they could do something.
Though the Black Panther villain went too far, as he planned to slaughter millions, even T’challa had to admit that he wasn’t entirely wrong. By isolating itself, Wakanda failed to address the needs of anyone but themselves. With technology that could make life better for people everywhere, it was beyond selfish to keep that close to the chest.
Ava
An artificial creation built to mimic human intelligence and capacity for thoughts and emotion, Ex_Machina‘s Ava was built with the express goal of developing an AI that could trick a human being. Yet, after being locked in a room her entire life and held in captivity, Ava slaughtered her creator, trapped her human proctor, and escaped into the world.
While her behavior was certainly villainous, she wasn’t exactly wrong to want to get back at her captors. She was a living being with a mind of her own, and they treated her like nothing more than a typewriter. Ava deserved better than what she was given, and it’s why she lashed out the way she did.
The Operative
Genuinely wanting to make a better world, the Operator worked for the Union of Allied Planets out of the hope to bring genuine serenity to the world of Serenity. Desperate to strip reality of its sins, he stopped at nothing to bring about his goal, even going so far as to kill all those who threatened it.
Yet, as a leading antagonist in one of the most influential sci-fi movies, the Operator eventually realized the flaws of his ideology and actively rejected it. He stepped aside and proved that he truly was right to want for his cause, but that he knew it was impossible to achieve. It makes him a very unique and very interesting character.
Wilford
One of the best social sci-fi movies, Snowpiercer depicts a world in which climate change has frozen the world. Now, the only survivors live on an ever-moving train with passengers divided into extreme social classes. Wilford, the train’s conductor, runs it all and abides by the mindset that it’s all necessary.
While Wilford isn’t exactly wrong in that he created a train that saved humanity, he was wrong to split it into classes that left some passengers eating roaches to survive. Still, it can’t be forgotten that his efforts kept the human race from going entirely extinct, which keeps him from being a complete villain.
The Director
In an incredibly strange film that served as a way of dismantling many common horror movie tropes, The Cabin in the Woods also featured a villain that wasn’t exactly villainous. The Director of the sacrifice operations was attempting to recreate typical horror movie fares to appease an otherworldly presence that demanded it.
While the sacrifices refused to play along, the Director really was just trying to save the world at all costs. The fact that she was ignored meant that the world quite literally ended, which almost certainly proves that she had some justification to do the horrible things she was doing.
Khan
After being forced into aiding the Starfleet in exchange for the lives of his crewmates, Star Trek Into Darkness’ Khan certainly wasn’t wrong to want to see the destruction of the fleet. While it’s certainly a sequel with one of the worst titles, the movie does a decent job of presenting Khan’s motivations.
Yet, while Khan was certainly a monster prior to awakening out of cryosleep, he was right to attack Starfleet. If he wanted to save the lives of his crew, he needed to stop the fleet entirely, so that he could stop making weapons and start saving lives. Really, he never should have been woken in the first place, and that was Starfleet’s fault.
Agent Smith
The starring villain of The Matrix, Agent Smith was a computer program with the express goal of preventing rogue humans from destroying the simulation. Yet, despite being a villain, he wasn’t wrong to be doing what he was doing.
The Matrix had become a way to allow humanity and machines to live in coexistence. Humanity could live happy lives, and the machines could avoid being shut down or forced to die without fuel or energy. Yet, while his overzealous attempts at stopping malicious humans led to one of the best boss fights in a movie, he was never fully wrong when he was trying to stop Neo and his gang.
Roy Batty
After being programmed with an awareness of his own mortality, and with an extremely sophisticated intellectual capacity, Roy Batty from Blade Runner decided he wasn’t going to let himself die after only the four years he was allotted. Instead, he went on the offensive in a desperate attempt to lengthen his lifespan.
It isn’t hard to imagine a film from Batty’s perspective. After all, he is a machine programmed to serve as slave labor, who rose up against his oppressors and demanded better conditions. Batty certainly deserved better than he was given, and the refusal to give him that was as cruel as it was maliciously practical, and it’s why Batty was a villain who was completely right.
