5 Movie Villains Who Lived Long Enough To Become Heroes

We are all familiar with the "you either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain" trope, as seeing the protagonist you know and love fall into darkness can provide a wide range of unforgettable emotions.

But the opposite situation, where the hero joins forces with his nemesis against an even greater threat, can be an equally powerful moment, giving you a whole new perspective on the person you once perceived as the villain, so let's take a look at five such cases.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

2004's Spider-Man 2 is still hailed as one of the greatest superhero films nearly two decades later, thanks in no small part to Alfred Molina's stellar performance as Otto Octavius.

When it was announced that the actor would be reprising the role in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans were pretty excited, but seeing him switch sides halfway through the story was an unexpected, but welcome, twist.

Seeing Otto freed from the control of his tentacles and reconciled with Tobey Maguire 's Peter Parker brought some closure to their story arc and showed a different side of the character that we barely saw in the 2004 film.

Rocky III (1982)

While you could argue that Apollo Creed, portrayed by Carl Weathers, was never the villain, he was still the nemesis of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa in the first two films of the franchise.

So when Rocky III came out in 1982, many fans were shocked to see Balboa's greatest rival putting aside his differences with Rocky and actually becoming his trainer to help him defeat the new rising star of boxing.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Days of Future Past was an incredible experience for fans of the X-Men franchise, serving as a link between the original and new films and featuring old and young versions of both Magneto and Professor X.

While Michael Fassbender's young Magneto became the film's antagonist halfway through, it was incredibly satisfying to see his old version, played by Ian McKellen, finally work with Patrick Stewart's Professor X to save all mutants from impending doom.

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Darth Vader is considered one of the most iconic movie characters of all time for a reason, but his journey would not have been complete without finally returning to the light at the end of Episode VI.

Though the scene was brief, the moment when Vader reunited with his son Luke and put an end to Emperor Palpatine, bringing balance to the Force and proving that he was indeed the Chosen One, has become legendary.

Sadly, the sequel trilogy made his sacrifice much less meaningful, with the "somehow Palpatine returned" thing in Episode IX, leading many fans to pretend the new movies don't exist so as not to tarnish their memories of the moment.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

With the conclusion of Loki Season 2, the titular god has become a massively important figure within the MCU, but he's actually a different version of the character we've come to love over the years.

The biggest turning point for the "original" Loki came in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, where he united with his brother against Hela after years of being the villain, though it didn't last long as he was killed off at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War.