5 Times Villains Were More Sympathetic Than Heroes

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There are, however, moments when the villain is more sympathetic than the hero. Sometimes characters do the wrong thing for the right reason or get caught up in a bad situation. When these comic book figures are defeated by the good guys, readers cannot help but feel sorry for them. They felt that they were truly right or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are moments that fans feel bad for the villain instead of cheering for the hero as they can understand what the character is going through.

5) Mr. Freeze

It is easy to feel bad for Mr. Freeze. The long-time Batman villain committed a number of crimes, but did it in an attempt to make money in order to find a cure for his wife, Nora. After the New 52 revamp, we find out that Victor Fries, the man who would become Mr. Freeze, worked for Wayne Enterprises as he researched cryogenics.

However, Bruce Wayne finds out that Fries was using company resources to put all of his focus on Nora and threatens to fire him. During the confrontation, Fries gets covered in chemicals that mutate him and require him to always be at sub-zero temperatures. While Bruce Wayne had the right to reprimand Fries for his actions, the scientist was doing everything out of love and was willing to go as far as he needed in order to save a life.

4) Bizarro

The original Bizarro was a clone of Superboy after the hero is exposed to an imperfect duplicator ray in Superboy #68. Bizarro is shunned by the people of Smallville, though he does befriend a blind girl named Melissa. However, due to the chaos that Bizarro caused in Smallville, Superboy has no choice but to destroy him using the duplicating machine. Bizarro lets himself get destroyed and Melissa’s eyesight is restored during the ensuing explosion.

This is an incredibly sad moment that can cause one to feel bad for Bizarro. Yes, he was a trouble maker, but he did manage to make one friend before he died who accepted him despite him being imperfect. This does make the character a bit sympathetic, especially due to the fact that Bizarro’s death healed the only friend that he had.

3) Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is a character who has lived a very tragic life. She grew up in a dysfunctional household and would eventually fall in love with a man who constantly abused her. Even though Harley kept a smile on her face through it all, she suffered for much of her life. Even in moments when she thought her actions would equal reward, she pays a severe price.

In the one shot The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, Harley manages to capture the Batman. She thought the Joker would be proud of her and reward her accomplishment. However, the Joker becomes furious and throws Harley out of a window, severely injuring her. Batman manages to escape and Harley is sent to Arkham Asylum. Even though comic book fans can cheer for Batman’s victory, one cannot help but feel sorry for Harley in the one shot.

2) Magneto

Magneto lived a sad life. He was a survivor of the Holocaust and was persecuted much of his existence for being a mutant. Despite this, Magneto had moments in his life where he experienced happiness. This includes when he escapes Auschwitz with a woman named Magda and managed to live a good life after the two have a baby named Anya. Sadly, this happiness was short lived.

After it is discovered that Magneto has mutant powers in Classic X-Men #12, a mob burns down his house and kills Anya. In his anger, Magneto kills the mob for what they had done to his family. Magda leaves him and soon after gives birth to the mutant twins Pietro and Wanda. This is just one sympathetic moment for Magneto that helps show that he is a tragic character when compared to many of the characters in the various X-Men series.

1) The Joker

The words sympathetic and Joker are rarely used within the same sentence. The Clown Prince of Crime is one of the most evil and chaotic characters to ever appear in comic books. He has committed incredibly dark and terrible crimes, making him Batman’s greatest nemesis. However, the character’s backstory can be seen as tragic, especially since it was the Batman who created him.

In The Killing Joke, we see that the Joker was an unnamed man doing what he has to in order to support his pregnant wife. The man joins in on a scheme in a desperate attempt to make money, but falls into a vat of chemicals when Batman shows up and stops the crime. When the man sees how the chemicals have disfigured him, he goes insane and the Joker is born. It is easy to feel bad for the man who became the Joker as he just wanted to support his family, especially when comic book readers can see that much of the villain’s creation can be blamed on the Caped Crusader.

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