“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” That’sHarvey Dent fromThe Dark Knight, of course. And yes, he’s on this list of major characters who have displayed true heroism only to, by their own volition, throw that away. In other words, there’s no Jack Torrance fromThe Shininghere. Because to call him a “hero” even in the first act of Stanley Kubrick’s film is quite the stretch.
Furthermore, characters who seemed like heroes towards the beginning of the film only to be revealed as villainous towards the end, e.g. Ra’s Al Ghul inBatman Beginsor Ikaris inEternals, were not subject to inclusion. There must be some sort of progression, so they also can’t be characters that have their minds warped by a villain, e.g. Hawkeye inThe Avengers.
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20Michael Corleone — The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather
Often heralded as one of thebest films ever made, Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Godfatheris a dynamo. And that includes the lead performance by Al Pacino as much as it includes Brando’s, or the film as a whole.
Why Does He Turn?
For the first half ofThe Godfather, Michael Corleone wants nothing to do with bloodshed. He tries to extricate himself from the family business many times. But then, his brother is killed. And, after that, so is his father. So Michael finds himself thrust into the life he’s always avoided like the plague. Slowly, he becomes everything he always hated.
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19Carrie White — Carrie (1976)
Like in Stephen King’s source material, Brian De Palma’sCarrieputs its protagonist through some rough paces. But, then, she puts all of her bullies (and, unfortunately, the innocents that surround them) through worse. It’s a horrifying turn because Carrie White is such a sweet person, especially when brought to life by the great Sissy Spacek.
What Causes Carrie’s Shift?
Carrie’s overbearing, extremely religious mother has been abusing her for years. So, when she’s home, she’s miserable. When she’s at school, bullies make sure it’s the same thing. Then, when they dump pigs blood on her in a cruel joke during prom — all hell breaks loose.
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Dawn of the Dead
George A. Romero’s legendaryDawn of the Deadmanaged to be as big atrendsetter for the subgenreas the film that preceded it. And, like in that movie, not all the protagonists live. And, also like in that movie, their deaths are a process.
Who Gets Zombified?
There are four main characters, two of whom don’t make it to the credits. For David Emge’s Stephen “Flyboy” Andrews, death is a fairly quick process in the third act.
But the decline of Scott Reiniger’s Roger “Trooper” DeMarco takes far longer than “Flyboy’s” fateful elevator ride. His death takes half the movie, and as soon as he rises it’s clear what he wants (in that, he and the zombified “Flyboy” are the same).
17Kevin Lomax — The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
The Devil’s Advocate
At the beginning ofThe Devil’s Advocate, Keanu Reeves' lawyer character, Kevin Lomax, isn’t the nicest guy in the world. But, he’s relatively normal, not yet tempted by lust. Though, he’s still quite tempted by cash.
Why Does He Change and Does He Stay That Way?
Enter John Milton, Lomax’s new boss. Milton leads Lomax down a road of depravity, and before long, Lomax’s marriage is falling apart. Perhaps Milton sleeping with her had something to do with that.
By the end, Lomax attempts to reject Milton, but Milton relays a simple fact: he onlyledLomax, Lomax made his own choices. He neglected his marriage and he turned his back on ethics. No one forced him. Even though, by the end, he makes the right choice, the film hints that he will go down a similar path soon.
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16The Narrator — Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club
The narrator of both David Fincher’sFight Cluband its source material is quite an interesting guy. And he doesn’t even really realize it. Now, the narrator doesn’t start out as a saint. After all, he goes to support groups and soaks in the grief even though he himself is not ill, ailing, or going through loss.
How Does He End Up?
By the film’s end, the narrator has both changed drastically, and not at all. He encounters Tyler Durden, who guides him down a path of crafting explosives, basement brawls, and meaningless sex.
But as it turns out, he is Tyler Durden and Tyler Durden is him. So, whether he was consciously aware of it or not, the narrator turns himself into a violent, mostly-thoughtless person by the film’s end (even if the non-Durden personality does fight its more depraved counterpart).
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15John Allerdyce — X2: X-Men United (2003)
X2: X-Men United
Pyro is introduced inX2, a sequel far superior to the film that preceded it. And, midway through, this bullying mutant confirms his true colors. How? He joins Magneto, blowing up a few cop cars in the process.
Does Anyone Else Join Him?
No, multiple people joining Magneto was reserved forFirst Class. But, Pyro’s turn is still pretty big, going from student under Professor X to being in league with Magneto. Especially when one considers his triangle with Iceman and Rogue.
Stream X2: X-Men United on Starz
14Richard B. Riddick — The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
The Chronicles of Riddick
The Richard B. Riddick that audiences find at the beginning ofThe Chronicles of Riddickis far different from the one they met inPitch Black. If anything, he’s an outright hero. And, after facing some bad folks, winning, and getting a throne, the hero turns to anti-hero.
Related:10 Reasons Riddick is the Most Underrated Sci-Fi Franchise Ever
Is It His Fault?
WhatThe Chronicles of Riddickshows is that Riddick isn’t just a career criminal. He’s not even just a stoic anti-hero. He’s a leader who was betrayed and thrown into a wasteland. No wonder he got so angry.
Rent The Chronicles of Riddick on Prime Video
13Anakin Skywalker — Star Wars: Episode III − Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
If there’s an iconicdescent from protagonist to antagonist, it’s Anakin Skywalker. And what was once just hinted at is shown in full inStar Wars: Episode III − Revenge of the Sith. That said, he also had an equally iconic redemption, decades later.
Why Does Anakin Turn?
Put simply, a combination of love and deception. Palpatine has many abilities, and one of them is most likely being able to see into the future. He knew that by taking Anakin under his wing, he’d basically be killing everything within the young man. Perhaps his most powerful ability was not Force-related, but was rather his ability to manipulate the young promising Jedi.
Stream Star Wars: Episode III − Revenge of the Sith on Disney+
12Harvey Dent — The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight
The best superhero film ever made really isn’t even a superhero film.The Dark Knightis a crime epic. And, when it comes to political hopeful Harvey Dent, a tragedy.
Was There Much Hope for Him?
For a guy who always prided himself on being such a strong fighter for ethics, Dent turned fairly quickly. All it took was the loss of a loved one (and half his face) for him to lose sight of himself.
After that, all bets were off. So, once Joker entered the picture, Dent’s chances for a normal life were decimated, whether he was aware of it or not.
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11Nina Sayers — Black Swan (2010)
Black Swan
Black Swan’s Nina Sayers is passionate and troubled. She lives a tough life in expensive NYC as a ballerina, and being that comprises the vast majority of her focus and concern.
But Nina isn’t your average dance movie protagonist, nor isBlack Swanyour averagetoe-tapping dance film. It’s as much about obsession asSingle White Female, but far more grimly cerebral.
Has She Fully Embraced Evil?
Evil is not the right word. Nina is sick, and while that means she doesn’t end up committing murder, as the movie leads the viewer to believe, she does still take a life — specifically, her own.
