A lot of actors say they have more fun playing the bad guy. But what happens when the bad guy they’re portraying actually has a point and their actions are just misunderstood?
Is it still fun? Seeing as how I’m not an actor, I can’t answer that question. But this makes me think: are there famous TV/movie villains who may have not really been villains after all? I mean, nobody is just born bad, right? They evolved and grow into evil, right?
Regardless of if you agree, you have to admit that across the different mediums, you’ve unfortunately found yourself nodding in agreement with their motives even if you had a problem with their methods.
Keeping that in mind, let’s look at a handful of Black “heroes” who were simply misunderstood.
Kicking things off strong, “Black Panther’s” Erik Killmonger, pictured above, was rightfully supposed to be king. After finding his father dead and witnessing the horrible treatment of Black and brown folks in America, all he really wanted to do was get what he was owed and get ahead as a people. Is that so wrong?!
Scar
Movie: “Mufasa: The Lion King”
Why He’s Misunderstood: Scar was next in line to the thrown after his brother Mufasa before Simba showed up and was exiled by him. (If you watch the new iteration of the franchise you’ll see why). It made sense that he would have an attitude and want to get back what
(Yes, we know Scar isn’t Black but it’s “The Lion King,” which was set in Africa, which makes this an inherently Black film. I won’t be hearing any arguments.)
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West
Movie: “Wicked”
Why She’s Misunderstood: If you’ve seen “Wicked” the play or the film, then you know that the title of being a witch was unjustly bestowed upon Elphaba simply because she was trying to go against the status quo and fight against the oppression of others. If fighting for what’s right makes her wrong, so be it!
(Yes, Elphaba is green but she’s being played by a Black woman which makes her Black. If you’re mad about it, go take it up with the Wizard.)
Macrinus
Movie: “Gladiator II”
Why He’s Misunderstood: OK, so while Macrinus was a mastor manipulator—he was simply a product of his environment after being formerly enslaved and forced to fight in the Roman army. Once he gained freedsom, he did whatever he could to make sure he’d never be under anybody’s thumb again. That sounds like a man hellbent on freedom and freedom is good, right? Right.
Hancock
Movie: “Hancock”
Why He’s Misunderstood: The only reason why Hancock became such a bad “hero” was because he was severely injured and lost the love of his life in the same day. After 80+ years of greif, that might make you grumpy and skeptical to help people, too!
Rowan Pope a.k.a. Papa Pope
TV Show: “Scandal”
Why He’s Misunderstood: While Rowan Pope served as the head of B613, a covert CIA sub-division, he was really only looking out for his child Olivia and their legacy—even if she didn’t realize it and even when his methods were a bit extreme.
Maya Lewis a.k.a Mama Pope
TV Show: “Scandal”
Why She’s Misunderstood: OK, so while Maya began selling government secrets at a young age, she truly only wanted to position herself and Olivia in a better spot—just like Rowan. And he not locked her up and kept her away from their daughter, maybe she wouldn’t have been radicalized so much in the later years. Just sayin’.
Electro
Movie: “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″
Why He’s Misunderstood: Maxwell Dillion didn’t even mean to be a villain! It was a freak accident at work that turned him into Electro and that compounded with his years of rejection, ostracizing and Spider-Man not initially recognizing him was just more fodder for him to feel dejected and angry. He’s a good example as to why the world should stop looking down on others!
Elijah Price a.k.a. Mr. Glass
Movie: “Unbreakable”
Why He’s Misunderstood: It wasn’t Elijah’s fault that he was born with the rare genetic disease that set him up for failure within society. All he ever wanted to do was connect with others and find others who stood on the opposite ends of society so he could eventually realize his own innate power. He was dealt a bad hand, man!
John Q
Movie: “John Q”
Why He’s Misunderstood: HIS SON NEEDED A HEART DAMMIT! THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM WAS (AND STILL IS) FLAWED! They messed with John at every turn and provided little to no recourse. HE DID WHAT HE HAD TO DO!!
“Frankie” Sutton
Movie: “Set It Off”
Why She’s Misunderstood: Had Frankie never been unjustifiably fired, she never would’ve felt so desperate enough to convert over to a life of crime. She fell down that path through no fault of her own!
Amanda Waller
Movie: “Suicide Squad”
Why She’s Misunderstood: All Amanda is trying to do is keep the world safe from further calamity. If she has to lock up anti-heros and force them to do good—is that really a bad thing?
Brian Easley
Movie: “Breaking”
Why He’s Misunderstood: $892 of a federally owed check. That’s all it would’ve taken for Marine veteran Brian Easely to still be alive today and not taken hostages at a Wells Fargo bank in order to get somebody to hear about the struggles he was facing. Did he have to do that to get the attention? No. But did the system have to fail him after he served honorably and defended this country. The answer is also no.
Honorable Mention: Thanos
Movie: “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame”
Why He’s Misunderstood: At the end of the day, all Thanos wanted was balance in the universe. Nobody fighting over resources and pillaging everything everywhere due to scarcity. While he might have gone about it in a grandiose way, his reasoning makes sense!
(OK, yes we know he’s not Black either but it felt like a HUGE miss not to include him.)
Honorable Mention: Darth Vader
Movie: “Star Wars” franchise
Why He’s Misunderstood: He saved his son to defeat the Emperor! Would a truly evil person do that? I think not.
(OK, so we know Darth Vader isn’t technically Black but he’s voiced by James Earl Jones and dressed in black so argue with your plant.)
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