There are all kinds of villain-protagonist interactions in movies. Perhaps the oldest and most successful story theme is to have the hero not getting along with the villain. Whether it’s Light vs. Dark (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Superhero vs. Supervillain (Superman movies, Batman Movies), or Innocence vs. Evil (The Exorcist, Poltergeist), the most defined theme is Good vs. Evil. Usually, the villain comes off as the “mean kid” who is out to steal, lie, destroy, or wreak havoc. In contrast, the protagonist is depicted as someone who stands up and fights for the greater good.
Yet, there are occasions in movies where villains and heroes build a romantic bond and even start a relationship. This doesn’t happen all the time, and interestingly, it’s rarely the case that villains actively seduce protagonists—it’s usually the latter that starts romantic attachments. Sounds strange, right? However, the changing dynamic between the two is fascinating to watch. Producers use this technique to create a magical transition that makes movies more interesting and memorable. If you’re looking for movies or series in which the villain and protagonist fall in love, there are a few movies you should consider.
Updated on August 28th, 2023, by Yosra Ben lagha: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
10 The World Is Not Enough (1999)
James Bond & Elektra King
James Bond is known for being the ladies’ man. In The World Is Not Enough, the chemistry between James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Electra King (Sophie Marceau) is evident. James was assigned to protect Electra after her father, billionaire Sir Robert King, was assassinated by the antagonist, Renard.
However, she turns out to be a nutcase in love with Renard, who had planned for her father’s death together. Elektra’s relationship with Bond was a ploy to distract him from unraveling their plan to bomb Istanbul so that her inherited pipeline would be the only source of oil. Their star-crossed romance ended with Bond killing her. Bond was visibly disturbed for having to kill Elektra, telling her he’d miss her so much. But she had herself to blame anyway.
9 Frozen (2013)
Anna & Hans
In Disney’s Frozen, Anna falls in love with the seemingly charming prince Hans, despite having met the same day. She even went ahead and gave the nod to his marriage proposal. For most of the movie, Hans pretends to be such a good guy that Annadoesn’t realize he doesn’t love her and has ill intentions.
With time, however, Hans revealed his shady side of self and nefarious agenda, claiming that he only married Anna so that he could kill Elsa, her sister, and seize the power of Arendelle. Anna’s blind infatuation and willingness to marry someone she barely knew almost cost her life. Fortunately, Elsa saved her from the consequences of Hans’ evil intentions, proving that sometimes sisterly love carries more weight than romantic love.
8 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Rey Skywalker & Ben Solo
Kylo Ben and Rey had a complex relationship for the better part of the Star Wars trilogy. They started on opposing sides, often going up in arms against each other. Their intriguing transition happened in the third movie after discovering they were Forced-bound, prompting them to initiate a less hostile relationship.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ben puts his life on the line to save Rey. Sadly, he passed away after that incident, but not before the two had shared a passionate kiss. While we’d have loved to see how their romantic relationship unfolds, now that they’re on good terms, at least Kylo (or Ben Solo, really) got his inner peace and Rey got a second chance at life.
7 Batman Returns (1992)
Bruce Wayne/Batman & Selina Kyle/Catwoman
In Batman Returns, Selina’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) first encounter with Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) is when he rescues her after being taken hostage by a clown during the Red Triangle Gang attack. However, he is masked up, which only makes her become fascinated with Batman. Their second encounter is at Shreck's office when Bruce and Shreck are holding a meeting. Some attraction instantly develops between Bruce and Selina.
By the third encounter, Selina had already become Catwoman, a villain that Batman had to stop. They fight and injure each other, which leads to Catwoman joining forces with the Penguin. During their fourth encounter, emotions and intimacy prevailed, and they stopped themselves midway through a passionate moment when they realized their injuries from the Catwoman-Batman fight would be revealed. Their fifth encounter is as Batman and Catwoman, where Bruce removes his mask and pleads with Catwoman to abandon her quest for revenge, hoping their intimate connection would persuade her.
6 Dracula (1992)
Mina Harker & Dracula
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Dracula, a Gothic tale by Bram Stoker, depicts the villain, Dracula, infecting the hero, Mina, with vampirism and helping her fiancé Jonathan Harker, Professor Van, and others to destroy the powerful vampire. However, the more romantic version of Dracula is different. Mina falls in love with the charming Dracula.
Despite having killed her best friend, Lucy, she still forgave him for his actions. In the end, as Dracula lay on the brink of death, Mina put a knife through his heart, so he could end his suffering. This version of the story gave Dracula a more romantic ending as Mina’s love eventually restored Dracula’s soul. Moreover, Mina lived on, which can’t be said of most movies where the hero falls in love with the villain.
5 Goldfinger (1964)
James Bond & Pussy Galore
Goldfinger is an action and thriller movie in which James Bond leads an investigation of the gold smuggler and tycoon, Auric Goldfinger, who plans to affectthe Fort Knox gold reserve. During his quest against Goldfinger, Bond meets Pussy, the antagonist's assistant who helps him carry out his destructive plans.
After the two of them wrestle in a barn, Bond ends up convincing her to abandon her amoral pursuits with her former boss and join him in his fight for the right cause. In most movies with this particular relationship dynamic, the protagonist is usually the one who falls for the magnetic, confident evil charms of the antagonist, however, James Bond quickly turned his beloved villain into a heroine who quit her greed for money and power to be with him. A villain turned into a hero for the sake of love is a story worth watching.
4 The Phantom Of The Opera (2004)
Erik & Christine
Based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom Of The Opera is a musical that tells the story of a disfigured phantom and musical genius, Erik, who hides beneath a 19th-century opera house in Paris and who falls in love with a vocalist named Christine Daae. Erik plots to get close to Christine and keep her by his side to relish her beauty and purity. They are opposites in every sense of the word. She is the epitome of gullible innocence and untarnished purity, and he is a sneaky, conniving control freak.
Erik loses control when he learns that Christine fell in love with another man in her likeness, Raoul. But despite everything, it's still hard to condemn Erik since the reason behind his erratic actions is his love and affection for Christine. Their relationship does not have a happy ending, as Erik gets sentenced to a lifetime of isolation and heartbreak. In a world where evil and good cannot be joined under the umbrella of love, this end could be a fair one.
3 X-Men: The First Class (2011)
Magneto & Mystique
In X-Men: The First Class, Erik (Magneto) the character whose pursuits are, to say the least, morally questionable helps Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), a mutant who finds it hard to connect with her true self, embrace her dark side, in other words, what Jung calls the Shadow Self. Even though there is a kind of liberation in their union, Magneto, not only reconnects Mystique with her dark side but more dangerously, unleashes her fear of hurting people.
Although there is a fragile balance to strike between pleasing society and expressing one's true self, Magneto and Mystique's relationship takes things to their extreme. Mystique fully releases her inhibitions, even the ones keeping her from becoming just another villain.
2 The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
Lizzie & Paolo
The 2003 rom-com The Lizzie McGuire Movie, tells the story of high school senior Lizzie, who meets the famous singer, Paolo, during a summer break in Rome, and immediately falls under his charm. Due to the huge resemblance between Lizzie and his former singing partner, Isabella, Paolo asks Lizzie to impersonate her at a concert and perform a playback.
Lizzie then makes the ultimate discovery of Paolo's dark intentions to steal Isabella's music record. Lizzie's good intentions and decent character made it hard for her to accept Paolo. The revealed truth was, certainly, a deal-breaker and the end of her summer romance. Paolo might not be evil in the usual sense of the word, but his conniving nature makes him fall into the category of antagonists that must be stopped.
1 Maleficent (2014)
Aurora & Maleficent
Maleficent tells the moving mother-daughter love story between an evil fairy, Maleficent, and a beautiful little girl called Aurora. Maleficent, herself, was a pure-hearted fairy living peacefully in a forest until she fell in love with the wrong man who ended up betraying her and taking her wings away. This betrayal turned Maleficent into a mistress of evil and revenge. Out of spite, she cursed baby Aurora to fall into a coma. The curse could only be broken with true love's kiss.
A beautiful plot twist makes Maleficent develop a soft spot for the lovable Aurora, who grows up in the forest under her protective eye. Maleficent's affection and love for her surrogate daughter grew stronger every day. She began to see herself as Aurora's real mother. They both develop an inseparable bond that ends up saving Aurora from her curse. The movie represents the power of goodness to reform evil and subside its destructive effects on self and others. It also represents the miraculous transformative and healing powers of pure and unconditional love. Both Maleficent and Aurora were healed from the curse of evil at the end.
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