A hero falling from grace is a story as old as time, and fans love to see it happen in their favorite franchises, as long as it is appropriate to the character’s arc. Many characters turn to the dark side as writers find new paths for them to take, often leading to exciting and dangerous consequences.
Some characters are destined to fall to the dark side, but others are steered that way by their writers as the story becomes more twisted. Either way, it is sometimes fun to watch usually heroic characters step out of their comfort zone and become a villainous version of themselves.
Daenerys Targaryen – Game Of Thrones
Daenerys was a contender for the Iron Throne in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Fans followed her as she powered through her traumatic childhood, gained the advantage in the Game by acquiring dragons, and became determined to end slavery throughout the world. Daenerys was set up to become a hero at the end of the story, but the show’s later seasons followed her descent into villainy, as she became maddened by the curse of her family House, Targaryen.
Although some moments in the show foreshadowed her descent into villainy, Daenerys’s character arc in season 8 caused a lot of controversy amongst fans who felt that she deserved better. Daenerys established herself as a powerful and ruthless leader, but earlier seasons demonstrated her strong moral compass and the ultimate goal of bringing peace to the realm.
John Mitchell – Being Human
Mitchell is a vampire trying to abstain from blood and become more human with the help of his friends, Annie (a ghost) and George (a werewolf). Mitchell is established throughout the series to be unable to control his bloodlust, but the character is still sympathetic as he tries to control himself and intends to defeat a gang of truly evil vampires who want to take over the world.
Mitchell struggles throughout the series to be a good person but sinks further into villainy as the show continues. His darkest moment comes when he massacres 20 people on a train, apparently written into the show because Mitchell’s actor, Aidan Turner, had accepted a role in The Hobbit as the dwarf Kili and intended to leave the show. However, if Mitchell had stayed on the cast list, he could easily have become the season 4 villain.
Walter White – Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad show creator Vince Gilligan wanted Walter White to be a protagonist that turns into an antagonist over the course of the show. Walter goes from mild-mannered, rule-abiding chemistry teacher to a Scarface-like kingpin of the drug world, becoming one of the most iconic characters in TV history for his one-liners and intimidating presence.
Some fans are divided on whether Walter was a good father or not, but certainly, his motivations changed from providing for his family to becoming one of the most feared figures in the drug trade, often putting his family at risk. Walter comes up with many justifications for his actions, but the audience can see how much he is truly enjoying being the villainous Heisenberg.
William – Westworld
Switching between timelines in the first season of the show, William and “The Man in Black” seemed to be two different people due to their completely distinct personalities. However, eager and wide-eyed William is twisted into the villainous Man in Black over time, becoming cruel towards the Host robots that inhabit Westworld.
Although William came to the park as a selfless man, eager to help Dolores when she reaches out to him for help, he ends the series as a villain that enjoys danger and sadism, and is not above torturing, murdering, and kidnapping the Hosts.
Will Graham – Hannibal
Will Graham starts out as a conflicted character, deeply troubled and reluctant to return to a life solving murders since the crimes he was solving had begun to get into his head. His first kill is a man named Hobbs, and Will later admits that he “felt terrified, and then powerful” after killing him, symbolizing his steady descent into villainy.
Over the series, Dr. Hannibal Lecter lets Will’s condition worsen and manipulates him into committing even more murders, eventually leading Will down a very dark path.
Eren Jaeger – Attack On Titan
In a world where humanity is penned into walls and fear the giant humanoid monsters that hunt them, Eren Jaeger enlists as part of the Survey Corps, a group of humans that venture outside the walls and attempt to kill the cannibalistic Titans. Eren starts the series as an angry and overly emotional child, having seen his mother eaten by a Titan in front of him, but soon grows into a capable soldier that does his best for his friends.
However, Eren’s path takes a turn when he learns the secrets of the outside world and finds long-lost family members that introduce him to a new mission, ensuring that no more Titans are born into the world. Eren becomes distant and malicious, a deadly shell of the soldier he used to be.
Jack Bauer – 24
Jack Bauer is a good guy, but certainly not a nice guy. He keeps to his word and will hunt anyone down, but sometimes he can be his own worst enemy, and towards the end of the show he becomes a greater threat than the actual terrorists. He often says “I did what I had to do,” and is obliged to torture people and endanger innocent lives in order to achieve his goal.
Jack is an unstoppable force and crosses the line between hero and villain very frequently. However the show justifies his final season rampage, Jack has always had the ability to go rogue, and finally does so when his entire life crashes down around him.
Sam Winchester – Supernatural
Sam Winchester hunts supernatural creatures alongside his brother Dean. In season 4, Sam gains the ability to use demonic psychic powers to exorcise demons and save innocent people, one of the many times that Sam has been possessed by some demonic force. However, in the season 4 finale, Sam becomes addicted to these powers that he gained via drinking demon blood, spurring events that lead to Sam brutally murdering someone and letting Lucifer walk free of his cage.
Sam spends most of season 5 searching for redemption, but his moral compass getting skewed in season 4 was a change of pace from his usual heroic nature. Turning against Dean and lying to him was the biggest indication of this since Sam and Dean usually worked well together.
Cassandra – Tangled: The Series
Cassandra first appears as Rapunzel’s lady-in-waiting in the TV series set after the events of Tangled. Later in the series, it is revealed that Cassandra was the biological child of Rapunzel’s kidnapper, Mother Gothel, but Gothel was obsessed with obtaining Rapunzel and never gave Cassandra attention. Cassandra becomes villainous at the end of the series, blaming Rapunzel for Gothel’s neglect.
Cassandra dreams of joining the Royal Guard and consistently demonstrates that she is a tough person with a driven personality. Her villainous, vengeful persona at the end of the series is completely different from her original sarcastic, witty personality as Rapunzel’s maid.
Lex Luthor – Smallville
Smallville follows a young Clark Kent as he attends high school with various other comic book characters. At the beginning of the series, Lex is actually kind and uses his wealth to help others, maintaining a friendship with Clark and striving to be a good person.
However, Lex’s villainy was inescapable, and he soon became hungry for power, willing to do anything to obtain it. He desires control, he is ruthless and self-obsessed, and he sees himself as a great man. He only steps up to become a leader if it can serve his own selfish desires, leading Clark and his friends to eventually despise him.
