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Watching a movie as a kid and watching it again years later can completely change who you root for. Characters who once seemed mean, overly strict, or determined to ruin the hero’s fun suddenly make a lot more sense when you see the story from an adult perspective. Sometimes they were simply doing their jobs. Other times, they were reacting exactly as most people probably would in the same situation. They weren’t always perfect, but they also weren’t nearly as villainous as they first appeared.
Here are 15 movie characters many viewers eventually realized weren’t the real villains after all.
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Johnny Lawrence (The Karate Kid)
As kids, most viewers naturally rooted for Daniel LaRusso. Watching The Karate Kid years later, plenty of fans began questioning whether Johnny was really the biggest problem or just another teenager caught up in the rivalry.
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Sharpay Evans (High School Musical)
Sharpay spends years preparing for the school musical, only to watch two complete newcomers walk in and immediately compete for the lead roles. Looking back, her frustration feels a lot more understandable.
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Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)
She demands professionalism, expects people to take their jobs seriously, and refuses to lower her standards. As adults, many viewers realized she was often asking for competence more than perfection.
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Severus Snape (Harry Potter)
For most of the series, Snape comes across as cold, unfair, and determined to make Harry’s life miserable. Looking back after finishing the story, many viewers realized there was far more behind his actions than simple cruelty.
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Summer Finn (500 Days of Summer)
For years, plenty of viewers blamed Summer for Tom’s heartbreak. Watching the movie again as an adult, it’s much easier to see that she was honest about what she wanted from the very beginning. The real problem was Tom expecting her to become someone she never claimed to be.
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Principal Rooney (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
Ferris skips school constantly, lies to everyone around him, and somehow we’re supposed to think the principal is the bad guy for trying to stop him.
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Squidward Tentacles (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie)
As kids, Squidward just seemed grumpy. As adults, dealing with SpongeBob’s nonstop chaos every single day suddenly sounds exhausting.
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Anton Ego (Ratatouille)
Ego isn’t trying to tear Gusteau’s restaurant down out of spite. He’s a food critic whose job is to be honest, and when he experiences something truly extraordinary, he’s the first to admit it.
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Walter Peck (Ghostbusters)
Peck questions an unregulated business storing dangerous supernatural equipment in the middle of New York. Looking at the situation as an adult, his concerns don’t seem nearly as unreasonable.
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Tom (Tom and Jerry: The Movie)
Tom spends his days trying to catch a mouse that’s constantly wrecking the house and making his life miserable. As adults, many viewers find themselves sympathizing with the cat instead.
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Miranda Hillard (Mrs. Doubtfire)
As kids, Miranda often came across as the “mean” parent. Looking back, it’s much easier to understand why she was frustrated with Daniel’s constant irresponsibility.
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M (Casino Royale)
James Bond constantly ignores orders, causes expensive damage, and takes enormous risks. Watching the movie as an adult, it’s much easier to understand why M is always frustrated with him.
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Ken (Bee Movie)
As kids, Ken comes across as an obnoxious boyfriend. Looking back, his girlfriend really is spending all her time with a talking bee who’s clearly trying to win her over. His reactions suddenly seem a lot less ridiculous.
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Sid Phillips (Toy Story)
Sid looks like the neighborhood bully, but from his perspective, he’s just a kid taking toys apart to see how they work. Since he has no idea the toys are actually alive, his behavior suddenly seems a lot less sinister than it did growing up.
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Magneto (X-Men)
As kids, Magneto seemed like a straightforward supervillain bent on destroying humanity. Watching the X-Men movies as an adult, it’s easier to understand that his worldview comes from a lifetime of persecution. His methods are extreme, but his fears don’t come out of nowhere.
The post 15 Movie Characters Everyone Thought Were the Villains… Until They Grew Up appeared first on Den of Geek.
