Vote up the villains who still ended up kind of good role models.
Heroes need to be on their toes when dealing with their archnemeses, but there's good advice from evil characters if they know where to look. In fact, there are plenty of villains who double as solid parental figures while also setting out to destroy protagonists' lives at the same time. A villain's plot might involve taking over the world, robbing a bank, or parenting a child better than anyone else in their life in hopes of swaying them to the dark side. Just because these villains have ulterior motives doesn't mean the guidance they gave was all bogus.Â
There are a lot of great villains out there, and some of them make great parents. Sure, maybe they're only nice because they need something from the kid. Or maybe they're only kind because they want to make their actual offspring jealous. In rare cases, the hero might even agree with what they're doing and willingly enter a mentee relationship with them, only to ultimately back off once they decide the ends don't justify the means. As they say - it takes a village. So, even if you're the evil sorcerer at the edge of the village, you've got to do your part.
For those of you who fondly remember Yondu for his final moments in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, make no mistake, he was definitely still a villain. In fact, Yondu was so villainous that he and his crew of Ravagers were exiled by the other Ravager crews for trafficking children. Yondu knowingly led children to their doom by bringing them to Peter Quill's father, Ego. This mission eventually brought Yondu and Quill together and began their long and tumultuous relationship.
For whatever reason, Yondu took an immediate liking to the young Quill. He decided to raise him as his own and taught him everything he knew about being a space scoundrel. Even though they eventually fought while looking for the Power Stone and Yondu even took a contract or two to bring Quill in, he always had a soft spot for his young ward. This eventually culminated in Yondu saving Quill from his birth father and sacrificing his own life to make things a little more right.
As a boy, Jim Hawkins's father abandoned his family. Jim grew up reckless, and when he was a bit older, he found a map to Treasure Planet and made his way onto a spaceship where he became a cabin boy and was placed under the supervision of the ship's cook, John Silver. At first, the two weren't close, but they eventually cultivated a father-and-son relationship - something Jim had never had. Sadly, throughout the film, greed and Silver's mutinous actions against the ship's command tore them apart.
Though, when it came down to it, and Silver had to choose between his treasure and Jim, he chose to save Jim. At the end of the film, when the two say goodbye, Jim told Silver how he taught him "he could chart his own course." Silver hugged Jim and told him he's going to "rattle the stars." Silver even gave his pet "Morph" to Jim to watch over.
Even though Silver had ulterior motives throughout the film, he made a great father figure to Jim and set him on a course that changed the course of his life.
Henri Ducard served as Bruce Wayne's primary mentor at the League of Shadows. While at the league, Ducard taught Wayne everything he needed to know to eventually become Batman. Ducard told Wayne that his parents' demise wasn't his fault, and it was clear that Ducard understood Wayne in a way few others ever did. While sitting around the fire, Ducard told Wayne, "I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief until that memory of your loved ones is just poison in your veins, and one day you catch yourself wishing the person you loved never existed, so you'd be spared your pain." This talk solidified their relationship, as Wayne had never had someone who truly understood him until then. He reminded Wayne that "his anger gives him great power, but if he lets it, it will destroy him."
Unfortunately, this mentorship was all part of Ducard's master plan to eradicate lawlessness. Ducard wasn't just a member of the League of Shadows; he was in fact its leader, Ra's al Ghul. As the leader of the League of Shadows, Ducard was willing to cross lines Wayne would never dream of to clean up the world, and the two became immediate enemies.
Norman Osborn was warm and encouraging when he first met Peter Parker on the steps to his high school. He encouraged Peter and seemed genuinely impressed that the high schooler understood his research into nanotechnology. As Peter and Harry Osborn walked up the school steps, Peter remarked, "He doesn't seem so bad."
Harry replied, "Yeah, not if you're a genius." The message is clear - Norman is kind to those he feels he can get something out of, which isn't always his own son.
After Peter lost Uncle Ben, Norman stepped in as a part-time father figure to Peter. He saw himself in his son's friend and gave him the warmth and encouragment that he withheld from Harry. Naturally, Peter enjoyed having a new father figure in his life. Neither of them were thrilled to find out they were each other's sworn enemies. Still, Norman tried to recruit Parker to the dark side before fully committing to destroying Spider-Man.
Peter Parker really needed a male role model when he first met Mysterio. Peter had lost his Uncle Ben and then Tony Stark, so he was getting a little desperate. When a high-flying superhero from another planet showed up to fight evil with him, Spider-Man was thrilled to have someone to share some of his great responsibility with.
After Nick Fury snapped at Peter, it was Mysterio who showed up on the roof to comfort him. Mysterio assured Peter that he's "not a jerk for wanting a normal life." Peter was consumed by the pressure of the "great responsibility" he felt he had to live up to. Mysterio took some of that pressure off by assuring Peter that he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do. Peter ultimately decided to give EDITH (his glasses that were a gift from Stark, which control defense satellites around the globe) to Mysterio.
While it was a good lesson for Peter that he isn't always responsible for everyone around him (something every version of Peter Parker needs to learn), Mysterio was only helping him as a way to get the glasses. Everything about their relationship was sadly a lie. That shouldn't stop Peter from applying a little bit of the experience to his work-life balance.
Richard Wilkins was the immortal mayor of Sunnydale from Buffy the Vampire Slayer's third season. His ultimate goal was to ascend and become an "Old One," which would basically make him an incredibly powerful demon.
Faith Lehane was a vampire slayer who grew up in a difficult home life. The mayor, needing a new right-hand after the demise of his old ally Mr. Trick, offered the role to Faith. Faith began to work for the mayor, and he became something of a father figure to her. He even helped support her financially by buying her a new apartment. The two grew close, and in time, Wilkins even viewed her as a daughter and became emotionally distraught after a fight with Buffy left Faith in a coma.
