The Best Movies and TV Shows That Explain Villains’ Origin Stories

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - December 2nd 2025, 23:45 GMT+1

Xmen first class magneto cropped processed by imagy — 15. X-Men: First Class (2011)

Nothing hits harder in this story than the image of a terrified boy discovering his powers under the worst conditions imaginable. Erik Lehnsherr’s life starts in a concentration camp, where loss and coercion twist his mutation into a scar instead of a gift. The adult he becomes carries that trauma like metal filings under the skin, reacting to the world with a constant awareness of danger. His hunt for the man who tormented him isn’t framed as villainy so much as the obsession of someone who never got justice. Even his alliance with Charles feels fragile, haunted by the sense that hope is something earned in pieces, not granted freely. Watching his worldview solidify makes his shift into Magneto feel less grandiose and more like someone choosing certainty after a lifetime of instability. | © 20th Century Fox

Cropped cruella 2021 — 14. Cruella (2021)

Long before the black-and-white hair and theatrical entrances, Estella is just a kid trying to survive a world that keeps telling her she’s “too much.” Losing her mother in a moment she can’t fully grasp leaves her trying to reinvent herself faster than she can grieve. That instinct to adapt becomes her sharpest tool as she breaks into the fashion world, where cruelty hides behind polished smiles. Learning the truth about her origins hits with the kind of emotional whiplash that forces her to rethink every relationship she’s ever had. The bolder persona she adopts isn’t simply rebellion – it’s a shield built from frustration, ambition, and the need to reclaim space in a life that never felt stable. The woman known as Cruella takes shape through that mix of hurt and hunger rather than pure malice. | © Walt Disney Pictures

Cropped maleficent 2014 — 13. Maleficent (2014)

Before the horns and the thorns, this winged protector believes in harmony so deeply that betrayal seems impossible. That illusion shatters once Stefan exploits her trust, leaving her mutilated and stripped of the freedom she once cherished. The loss of her wings becomes the kind of trauma that reshapes her understanding of power, safety, and vulnerability. Anger becomes a survival tool, not a personality trait, and the curse she casts is rooted in pain rather than theatrical wickedness. Yet the bond that forms between her and Aurora complicates everything, nudging her toward emotions she thought she’d buried for good. What emerges is less the caricature of a fairytale villain and more someone trying to navigate the wreckage of a life upended. | © Walt Disney Pictures

Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith Anakin cropped processed by imagy — 12. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Anakin Skywalker’s collapse starts long before his lightsaber ever turns red, shaped by the loneliness of a childhood spent as property and the fear of losing the few people he’s allowed to love. His loyalty to the Jedi is constantly undercut by an institution that distrusts his emotions while demanding obedience. Palpatine spots that vulnerability immediately, whispering solutions that feed on Anakin’s desperation rather than easing it. The visions of Padmé’s death push him into a corner where every option feels like a trap. What unfolds is a chain reaction fueled by anxiety, manipulation, and the pressure of a destiny he never asked for. Vader emerges not as a triumphant persona but as the shell left over after that emotional implosion. | © Lucasfilm

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 caesar cropped processed by imagy — 11. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Life begins gently for Caesar, raised in a home where intelligence is nurtured and affection is plentiful. Yet the circumstances of his birth – a mother killed after exhibiting heightened cognition – cast a shadow he can’t escape. Once he’s forced into a shelter that treats him like an object instead of an individual, that early kindness feels like a distant memory. Every injustice he witnesses there becomes a lesson in how power is weaponized and how dignity can be stripped away with frightening ease. Finding belonging among other apes gives him a new sense of purpose, even as it pulls him from the human family he once trusted. His rise as a leader comes from hurt, loyalty, and the dawning realization that safety won’t be handed to him – he’ll have to build it himself. | © 20th Century Fox

The Many Saints of Newark cropped processed by imagy — 10. The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

The roots of Newark’s chaos stretch straight into the lives of young people who never stood a chance at normalcy, and Tony Soprano’s early years are a swirl of mixed loyalties and emotional landmines. Growing up around Dickie Moltisanti means being shaped by a mentor who inspires affection and fear in equal measure. Every argument at home, every moment of instability, nudges Tony toward the idea that violence solves problems faster than conversation ever could. Watching his mother’s volatility and his father’s absence carve into him gives painful context to the man he eventually becomes. The film doesn’t offer excuses so much as a map of how dysfunction becomes inherited behavior. By the end, Tony looks less like a budding kingpin and more like a kid absorbing all the wrong lessons. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Wicked elphaba cropped processed by imagy — 9. Wicked (2024)

The woman the world will later call the Wicked Witch begins as someone just trying to survive being born different in a society that treats difference like a flaw. Her green skin becomes a target long before she has a chance to understand her own abilities. School life introduces her to friendships that feel like lifelines, even as jealousy and political games twist every good intention. Elphaba’s sense of justice becomes her compass, pushing her to challenge systems built to keep her powerless. Each attempt to do the right thing only reinforces how easily the powerful rewrite the narrative to protect themselves. What follows is the painful slide from idealism to isolation, showing how a so-called villain can be created by the very people who claim to stand for good. | © Universal Pictures

Batman Returns 1992 penguin cropped processed by imagy — 8. Batman Returns (1992)

Oswald Cobblepot’s life begins with a rejection so harsh it sets the tone for everything that follows – cast aside by his wealthy parents and left to survive in the sewer. Growing up in darkness, raised by creatures instead of people, he learns early that affection is something others get but he is not owed. When he finally emerges into Gotham’s spotlight, the hunger for belonging mixes with a bitterness sharpened over decades. His attempts at acceptance crumble the moment he realizes the city sees him as a curiosity, not a human being. The rage that erupts afterward isn’t sudden; it’s the release of a lifetime spent feeling like an unwanted secret. His descent feels tragic because every step is fueled by a need he’s never been allowed to fulfill. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Hannibal 2013 mads mikkelsen cropped processed by imagy — 7. Hannibal (2013)

Stepping into this version of the character means diving straight into the mind of a man whose brilliance and trauma are so tightly woven that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The series hints at a childhood shaped by loss, displacement, and violence, experiences that sit quietly beneath his impeccably controlled exterior. His empathy (or the convincing imitation of it) becomes both a tool and a mask, hiding a worldview shaped by suffering he never processed. As his relationship with Will Graham deepens, those buried wounds surface in ways that blur manipulation, curiosity, and something almost tender. Each elegant meal and philosophical aside acts as a reminder that his civility is built atop memories he’d rather carve away. | © NBC Universal

Cropped Pearl — 6. Pearl (2022)

The bright colors and cheerful farm setting make the darkness underneath Pearl’s life feel even sharper. Stuck caring for a strict, unyielding mother and an ailing father, she dreams big but feels permanently trapped in a world too small for her ambition. That suffocation becomes a pressure cooker, feeding the resentment she’s too afraid to voice. Every disappointment chips away at her grasp on reality until fantasy becomes her main escape. When those fantasies curdle, what’s left is someone terrified of mediocrity and desperate to be seen, no matter the cost. Her unraveling lands with a sting because her desires are painfully human – it’s her methods that slide into horrifying territory. | © A24

Bates Motel 2013 cropped processed by imagy — 5. Bates Motel (2013)

Peering into Norman’s adolescence is like watching a slow-motion disaster you can’t look away from, especially once his relationship with his mother reveals its unsettling cracks. Their bond begins as protective and oddly tender, shaped by years of dependence that blur emotional boundaries. Every hardship – the moves, the secrets, the trauma they refuse to name – tightens that bond until it becomes a kind of cage. Norman’s worsening blackouts and fractured identity feel like the inevitable result of a home built on denial rather than healing. His transformation isn’t a leap into madness but a quiet unraveling shaped by love, guilt, and the inability to cope with loss. By the time he clings to a version of Norma that exists only in his mind, it’s clear tragedy was stitched into his life long before anyone checked into the motel. | © Universal Television

The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance 2019 cropped processed by imagy — 4. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

Long before the Skeksis become the tyrants carved into Gelfling nightmares, their origins lie in a cosmic division that split one being into two incomplete halves. The Skeksis inherit greed, vanity, and fear, but the show reveals that corruption didn’t start as malice. It began as desperation to cling to power they were never meant to possess. Their abuse of the Crystal becomes a slow poisoning that reshapes their bodies and minds, each crack in their morality mirrored in their decaying forms. Watching them manipulate entire clans while battling their own fragility adds a strange sadness to their cruelty. Their villainy grows from the terror of losing what little strength they have left. Beneath all the theatrics and decadence, there’s a tragic fear of becoming irrelevant in a world moving beyond them. | © Netflix

Cropped joker 2019 — 3. Joker (2019)

Arthur Fleck’s downward spiral begins with a childhood spent in a home where love is offered one moment and torn away the next. The abuse he endures leaves scars that never quite fade, and adulthood only adds fresh layers of humiliation and isolation. Every attempt to seek help is met with budget cuts, indifference, or outright cruelty, leaving him alone in a city that treats vulnerability like an inconvenience. The discovery of lies in his own past further unravels the fragile identity he clings to. Each setback nudges him toward a version of himself that feels less like a choice and more like an escape. When he finally embraces the Joker persona, the transformation lands with a sting because it grows out of real pain rather than theatrical ambition. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Cropped the penguin — 2. The Penguin (2024)

The Penguin’s rise through Gotham’s criminal underbelly isn’t fueled by grandeur so much as a lifetime spent feeling invisible. His loyalty to men who never saw him as an equal shapes every decision he makes, creating an inner conflict between ambition and the need to prove he belongs. The series digs into the years of mockery, marginalization, and survival tactics that hardened him long before Batman was even a rumor. Every new betrayal reinforces his belief that power is the only shield worth having. His criminal evolution grows out of wounds he’s learned to hide behind sarcasm and bravado. Watching him seize opportunities others overlook reveals how tragedy and determination can mix into a dangerous formula. | © Warner Bros. Television

Most Iconic Movie Quotes of All Time The Godfather Part II — 1. The Godfather Part II (1974)

Tracing Vito Corleone’s early life reveals a story defined by loss before it ever becomes one of power. As a child, he watches his family murdered by a local don, a moment that forces him into exile and strips him of everything familiar. Arriving in America with nothing but his name, he learns quickly how the world treats those without protection. His quiet resolve turns into a methodical pursuit of justice that blurs into vengeance. Each step he takes – helping neighbors, confronting predators, building alliances – grows from the need to prevent anyone from suffering the kind of helplessness he endured. His transformation into a feared and respected figure never loses the shadow of the boy who once hid from violence he couldn’t escape. | © Paramount Pictures

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Peeking behind the curtain of a great villain is one of storytelling’s guilty pleasures. There’s something irresistible about learning what twisted turn, heartbreak, or cosmic joke pushed someone from ordinary life into full-blown menace. Whether it plays out in a two-hour film or across a whole season, a well-crafted origin story turns fear into fascination.

Across big screens and small ones, these stories dig into the messy pasts that shaped some of pop culture’s most memorable antagonists. Some of them earn your sympathy, others confirm they were always one bad day away from chaos, but each one proves that unforgettable villains aren’t born – they’re made, forged by the kind of moments that change everything.