Villainously Lovely: Whose Side Are They On, Anyway?

From Moriarty and Loki to Draco and the Joker, villains are everywhere, and they definitely get us talking. That's why we at Character's Shadow are starting another new series, this one focusing on our favorite types of villains. First up, we have those not-so-villainy antagonists. Those characters who sometimes act as double agents, or who sometimes change sides at the middle or end of the story. Maybe they're sympathetic, maybe they're hard to understand, but it's these characters that make my favorite type of antagonist.

Who are these villains, anyway?

Note: Spoilers will probably follow, but I'll try to warn you just before, and hide (the best I can) them. A lot of them, I think, are probably just minor spoilers, but it's better safe than sorry.

• Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter

I love Draco. He's one of my favorite characters in the series (mind you, all of my opinions on HP are based on the movies since I have yet to read the books), next to, of course, Luna, Dobby, and Snape. If J.K. Rowling were to write one of the HP books from a different character's POV, I would be ecstatic if it were from Draco's POV (and, of course, it probably push me to actually read the series).

Why do I love Draco so much? Because he's so complex, of course! SPOILER ALERT FOR HARRY POTTER!!! HIGHLIGHT TO READ.I get it, the first 3/4 of the series, he was a complete and total jerk, but then in the end, the pressure was put on him to be this Bad Dude for the Deatheaters, and he didn't want to turn away from his parents; he wanted to please them, and he didn't know what to do. You could really see this struggle in the end of the series, and it made me love Draco as a great and complex character. 

• Severus Snape from Harry Potter

Again, in the first half of the series, you think that Snape is a Total Jerk. But then, you start to see his backstory. You start to catch glimpses of his story. SPOILER ALERT FOR HARRY POTTER AGAIN!!! HIGHLIGHT TO READ.You start to realize that he wasn't really working against Harry, per se, the entire time. You find out that he's really been a DOUBLE AGENT THIS WHOLE TIME WHICH IS TOTALLY AMAZING. He's a super duper complex character who not only manages to trick the reader but who also manages to trick half of the characters in the book!!

• Peter from Divergent

Maybe it's because I read the books a while back, but I didn't appreciate Peter's characters in the books as much as I appreciated in the movies, specifically Insurgent. He's a great, super complex character. SPOILER ALERT FOR DIVERGENT!!! HIGHLIGHT TO READ.I don't know how many times he changes sides, and it seems that he's always got some trick up his sleeve. You just never know with this guy! And that makes me love him.

• Caleb from Divergent

I love Caleb for the same reasons I love Peter. He's so complex, and you never know what he's going to do. Also, he's such a coward, but he's not a terrible person. I think this is what makes him such a complex character- cowardly without actually being a complete jerk. He's so unpredictable, but I think, for the most part, it seems that his heart's in the right place. Sometimes he just lets his self-preservation and fears get the better of him. 

• Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon A Time

This isn't from a book, but he's a great example of this type of antagonist. He is probably one of the most unpredictable (fictional) antagonists I've ever read/seen. SPOILER ALERT FOR ONCE UP A TIME!!! HIGHLIGHT TO READ.  He changes sides so many times as well throughout the series, much like Peter. He started off a villain, changed, apparently, for the better, and now he's back to being a villain, with possibly some sympathetic traits (if he isn't acting, of course!). I've never been able to fully say whether I like him or not (but of course, as a character, of course, I like him, or else he wouldn't be on this list, but that's just my writerly brain kicking in. XD) and stick to that opinion for more than a few weeks.

In Summary....

Basically, I, personally, love those antagonists that are unpredictable, changing sides, or are double agents. I love the not necessarily sympathetic antagonists, but those who never make it clear whose side they're really on. If they can keep me guessing, they're a great antagonist, in my opinion! 

What about y'all? Do you guys agree with me? Disagree with me? What's your favorite type of antagonist?