Nowadays, good television is easy to come by. Across dozens of cable networks and streaming services, fans can pick and choose which show to invest hours upon hours watching and re-watching. For many of these programs, their biggest draws are with characters who have dubious morals and waning allegiances.
Some of the best shows of the 2010s and 2020s feature villains who betray the series' protagonists. Sometimes, it's for good reason, while other times it's out of sheer jealousy or bitterness. However, these ten characters proved that despite their complicated actions, they are inevitably worthy of fans' admiration and support, when they managed to redeem themselves.
10 Melisandre (Game Of Thrones)
Stabbing people in the back is the name of the game when it comes to one of the most celebrated TV dramas of all time. Game of Thrones ruled conversations throughout the 2010s, with fans arguing over which characters they rooted for. Many fans probably felt most betrayed by the actions of Melisandre, the red witch.
Melisandre is introduced on the show as the consort of Stannis Baratheon, luring him with her devotion to the Lord of Light. However, she truly took a turn towards evil when she sacrificed Stannis' daughter, Shireen, and from then on she was a villain. She returns to the fray, though, in Season 8 to assist Jon Snow and the living in their battle against the White Walker army.
9 John Walker (The Falcon & The Winter Soldier)
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier takes place following the events of Avengers: Endgame, where (spoiler alert!) Steve Rogers passes the mantle of Captain America onto Sam Wilson. However, Wilson's hesitance forces him to reject it. This decision leads the U.S. government to name John Walker as the new Captain America.
John Walker attempts to be Sam's ally as they investigate the Flag Smasher terrorist group. However, his violent outbursts result in a blood-stained shield, causing him to fight against Sam and Bucky later in the show. Eventually, he redeems himself by coming to the aid of innocent civilians while Sam takes on the Flag Smasher Karli Morgenthau.
8 Migs Mayfeld (The Mandalorian)
Comedian Bill Burr made a surprising debut into the Star Wars universe in the first season of Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian. The character Migs Mayfeld encounters the titular bounty hunter when they team up on a jailbreak mission. However, Mayfeld and his crew betray the Mandalorian, only to fail and be stranded on a prison ship.
Mayfeld returns in the second season, having faced hard time following his previous appearance. The Mandalorian recruits him to help track down Moff Gideon's ship. During the mission, Mayfeld is reminded of the bloodshed he saw at the hands of the New Republic, and gets revenge by killing his former superior and escaping.
7 Skylar White (Breaking Bad)
The average Breaking Bad fan probably doesn't have nice things to say about Skylar White. She was the loyal, if controlling, wife of series protagonist Walter White before discovering that he turned to crime. Numb to his manipulations, Skylar cheats on Walter with her boss, Ted, whose hospital bills she later pays with Walt's drug money.
However, by the end of the series, it's hard to not see Skylar as the victim of a crumbling marriage. Walter's threats against her get more deranged and vicious, and her priority becomes protecting their children from the consequences of his actions. During their last scene, viewers can feel the regret Skylar carries for enabling Walt; she has become a much more sympathetic character.
6 Rebecca Welton (Ted Lasso)
Rebecca is introduced in the pilot of Ted Lasso as the steadfast manager of AFC Richmond. She's the one who hires the titular Ted, though she does this as a ploy to destroy her ex-husband's beloved soccer team. Throughout season 1, she attempts to sabotage Ted's chances at succeeding as coach of AFC Richmond.
As the show progresses, however, Rebecca is eventually won over by Ted's charms. She eventually comforts Ted during his panic attacks, and starts a blossoming relationship with one of the players, Sam Obisanya. By the end of season 2, Rebecca is one of the show's stand-out characters, becoming warmer to Ted.
5 Michael (The Good Place)
Mike Schur's The Good Place has one of the best twist endings of any first season of network television in the past ten years. After an entire season of Kristen Bell's Eleanor believing she was accidentally placed in heaven, she has a lightbulb moment. She realizes that Michael, supposedly the leader of their Good Place neighborhood, has been lying to them, and her unease has been torture.
Ted Danson perfectly embodies Michael's sinister nature as he laughs off Eleanor's discovery. He nevertheless resets their memories to start the torture over again. Once the humans continue to prove they're capable of change, however, Michael has a similar change of heart and decides to help them escape the Bad Place. His is a story of learned humanity and being changed for the better by good friends.
4 Prince Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Zuko is one of the most iconic characters to come out of the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender. With his sights set on becoming Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko plots to capture Aang, the long-lost Avatar. He is introduced into the show as one of the primary antagonists, though he is eventually charmed by the naive Aang.
Zuko eventually betrays the Fire Nation, becoming sympathetic to those who have been wronged by his own family. Zuko goes on to teach Aang the ways of firebending, and the two work together to overthrow Zuko's father, Fire Lord Ozai. His character arc is one of the steadiest and most heart-wrenching in all TV history.
3 Villanelle (Killing Eve)
It's safe to say that Jodie Comer brought an explosion of charisma to her portrayal of Villanelle in Killing Eve. This psychopathic assassin begins the show as horrible as she is likable, taking a great amount of pleasure in her job. That is, until she meets an MI6 agent named Eve, and the two begin a cat-and-mouse game of crime and romance.
Villanelle's allegiance to the criminal organization known as the Twelve eventually sets her on a path of justice. While she never loses her violent tendencies, her deep affection for Eve makes her change sides often. She eventually teams up with Eve to help track down the Twelve, which proves to be an opportunity for more killing.
2 Steve Harrington (Stranger Things)
The first season of Stranger Things plays out like an 8-part movie, featuring a sprawling ensemble cast. Even the villains in the show are hard to pin down as good or evil, and that's certainly the case with high schooler Steve Harrington. When viewers first meet Steve, he's the cocky boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler.
However, Steve's morals are tested as Nancy teams up with Jonathan to investigate the disappearance of her friend Barb. He proves to be a pretty unlikable jock, until he eventually realizes his love for Nancy and comes to her rescue against the Demogorgon. Since then, Steve has been one of the show's best characters.
1 Jamie Lannister (Game Of Thrones)
Melisandre is far from the only character in Game of Thrones to switch allegiances. Jamie Lannister has been the king of this trope since Season 1, when he infamously pushes Bran Stark from a tower when the boy catches him having sex with his twin sister, Cersei. In the seasons to come, Jamie is a vile and hateful to others.
It's not until his capture and maiming in Season 3 that viewers begin to warm up to Jaime. He reveals to Brienne his motivations behind killing the Mad King, which was an act of heroism rather than betrayal. Season 4 finds him becoming a moral compass, before he eventually betrays viewers again before his death in Season 8.