When movies and TV shows cross the thin line between love and hate, sometimes heroes fall for villains. It might not happen often, but the transition is fascinating to watch because of the changing dynamic between the two. Sometimes they get their happily-ever-after ending, but other times love doesn't conquer all.
There are all kinds of protagonists and antagonists across genres with varying motivations. While thrillers and action films lean typically feature a big bad who steals, lies, and destroys, other genres—like teen movies—depict villains as bullies or the "mean kid" who are more selfish than evil. In contrast, the heroes are those who stand up to them and fight for the greater good. In any genre, the instances where the hero falls in love with the villain are always compelling and make the movies they are in more memorable.
9 James Bond & Pussy Galore - Goldfinger (1964)
In Goldfinger, James Bond (Sean Connery) met Pussy Galore, one of the most memorable badass Bond girls, while investigating Auric Goldfinger. Pussy Galore worked for Goldfinger as his personal pilot until James Bond persuaded her to abandon her amoral stance and help him stop Goldfinger.
While James Bond was indeed the hero, Pussy Galore was only working for the antagonist and didn't have any nefarious intentions beyond being a little greedy. Her connection with Bond and the ensuing relationship convinced her to disrupt the villain's plans and prevent Goldfinger from stealing all the gold from Fort Knox. In this instance, Bond fell in love with a villain who quickly developed into a heroine in her own right.
8 James Bond & Elektra King - The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Despite his popularity as a ladies man, Agent 007 doesn't always get the girl. In The World Is Not Enough, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) was tasked with protecting Elektra, one of the most intelligent Bond girls, after her father was killed on their watch. However, she was responsible for the oil tycoon's death and was working with the antagonist, Renard.
The relationship with Bond was a ruse to distract him from discovering their plan to destroy Istanbul with a nuclear bomb, so the pipeline she inherited would be the only source of oil. Their ill-fated love story ended with Bond shooting and killing Elektra. Unlike Pussy in Goldfinger, Bond failed to inspire a change of heart in the nominal female villain. It was also one of Bond's worst relationships throughout the franchise as Elektra manipulated and tortured him before being assassinated by the British agent.
7 Batman & Catwoman - Batman Returns (1992)
When Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle developed a romantic relationship in Batman Returns, neither of them was aware of the other's secret identity. Once Selina (Catwoman) realized that Bruce (Batman) was the Caped Crusader, she was determined to incapacitate him so he wouldn't interfere with her plans to destroy Max Shreck, the man who murdered her.
Banking on their intimate connection, Batman pleaded with Catwoman to abandon her quest for revenge. His pleas fell on deaf ears and the movie ended with Selina electrocuting Max and the two former lovers going their separate ways. Although this love story didn't have a happy ending then, it was a realistic outcome for these characters. This trope leans on the romantic notion that love can soften even the hardest of hearts, but sometimes bad people simply don't change.
6 Mina & Dracula - Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a version of the story where the traditionally evil count was not so vile and the leading lady, Mina, fell in love with him. As he laid dying at the end of the film, they shared one last kiss before she ended his suffering by stabbing him through the heart so he could find peace.
This more romantic version gave Dracula a love story with the woman who eventually killed him instead of a predatory monster who eventually sucked the life out of her. Although it's still tragic, it's less sad than the original as the love between the hero, Mina, and the villain, Dracula, eventually restored the latter's soul.
5 Lizzie & Paolo - The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
During a school trip to Rome, high school senior Lizzie was asked by a famous singer named Paolo to impersonate his former singing partner Isabella due to their similar appearance. Lizzie eventually is charmed by Paolo, whose nefarious intentions are gradually revealed when Isabella returned and exposed his plan to discredit her music career.
Paolo wasn't a traditional villain but his selfish intentions toward Isabella were enough to categorize him as the teen movie's central antagonist. As a result, his relationship with Lizzie ended once she found out the truth. Paolo's climactic comeuppance occurred when Lizzie and Isabella exposed his terrible singing, which drove him away and cemented the bond between the two female leads.
4 Amy & Lucy Diamond - D.E.B.S (2004)
D.E.B.S. is an action-comedy film where Amy, one of the best recruits of an intelligence agency, falls in love with Lucy Diamond, a criminal mastermind that she's been surveilling. Lucy also develops feelings for Amy and returns everything she ever stole to win her lover back after their third-act breakup.
In this movie, the protagonist fell in love with the villain and influenced her to change so they'd be together. Despite the odds initially stacked against them because one was good and the other was "bad," they got their happily-ever-after ending.
3 Anna & Hans - Frozen (2013)
Anna fell in love with Hans at first sight in Disney's Frozen and they immediately got engaged. After her heart was struck by Elsa's ice powers, she went to Hans so he could save her with true love's kiss. He refused, revealing his true nature and nefarious agenda.
For most of the movie, Hans possessed such a convincing pretense of being the good guy that Anna didn't realize she'd fallen for a crook. Elsa and Kristoff, however, questioned the logic of Anna wanting to marry someone she met that same day. Her blind infatuation almost cost her her life, but her act of true love that saved Elsa's life also spared her from the consequences of Hans' false affections.
2 Aurora & Maleficent - Maleficent (2014)
Like the fairytale it was based on, Maleficent had a dark fairy who cursed a princess to fall into a deep slumber. The only thing that could break it was true love's kiss. As Aurora grew up, Maleficent kept an eye on her and the two of them ended up caring deeply for each other. When the curse eventually happened, it wasn't a kiss from a prince that saved Aurora, but one from Maleficent that proved how much they loved each other.
Maleficent is not a traditional romantic love story; instead, it's a movie about the affection between a reformed villain and her surrogate daughter. It gave the Disney villain a sympathetic backstory and understandable motivations for her actions. The sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, explored their bond further and reinforced the loving mother-daughter relationship between them.
1 Rey & Ben - Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)
The relationship between Rey and Ben was a complex one with an intriguing transition. They started out on opposite sides, fighting and nearly killing each other several times. Later, the discovery that they were Force-bound initiated a connection between them and a less hostile relationship. This led to Ben sacrificing himself to bring Rey back to life in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
That heartwarming moment ended with Ben and Rey's only kiss—one of the best Reylo scenes across the Star Wars franchise. Sadly, Ben faded out of existence after that and never got a chance to atone for his past or explore a relationship with Rey. Despite the sad ending, this is a great example of the protagonist and antagonist working through their differences and seeing the best in each other.
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