I just read Chuck Klosterman's I Wear the Black Hat, a book about villainy and what it means to be a villain. It got me thinking about television characters that reverse Harvey Dent's famous line from The Dark Knight.
“You either die a villain or remain on a TV series long enough to become a hero.”
Some shows where a villain becomes good or partners with the protagonist:
The Office- Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)
Breaking Bad- Mike Ehrmantraut, Saul Goodman
Mad Men- Pete Campbell, Ted Chaough
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air- Carleton Banks (in season 1 he and Will have an adversarial relationship)
Dexter- Joey Quinn
Weeds- Guillermo
Sons of Anarchy- Black Guerilla Family (gang that offered them protection in prison)
The Wire- Bubbles (starts as a straight up criminal, later becomes a police informant)
The Leftovers- Reverend Matt Jamison
Dragon Ball Z- Vegeta, Piccolo
Who have I missed? What other characters can you think of?
I’m not a Game of Thrones fan myself but I imagine that there are some characters that fit the bill.
“You either die a villain or remain on a TV series long enough to become a hero.”
Some shows where a villain becomes good or partners with the protagonist:
The Office- Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)
Breaking Bad- Mike Ehrmantraut, Saul Goodman
Mad Men- Pete Campbell, Ted Chaough
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air- Carleton Banks (in season 1 he and Will have an adversarial relationship)
Dexter- Joey Quinn
Weeds- Guillermo
Sons of Anarchy- Black Guerilla Family (gang that offered them protection in prison)
The Wire- Bubbles (starts as a straight up criminal, later becomes a police informant)
The Leftovers- Reverend Matt Jamison
Dragon Ball Z- Vegeta, Piccolo
Who have I missed? What other characters can you think of?
I’m not a Game of Thrones fan myself but I imagine that there are some characters that fit the bill.