Her movie might be delayed, but Black Widow is still on our minds! The ultimate reformed villain, Black Widow, AKA Natasha Romanova, went from mindless assassin to a true hero. We’ve put together a list of 10 complicated characters who also have some “red in their ledgers.” Call them anti-heroes, call them reformed, call them villains, call them bad at being good, but more than anything they are complicated characters that leave us wanting more!
Natasha Romanova
Black Widow herself! Natasha debuted as an unnamed villain in a 1964 Iron Man comic. From there, her prestige has grown to being one of the most recognized characters of Marvel!
Rodion Raskolnikov
The protagonist of the classic Crime and Punishment. The novel takes you through Rasnikov’s reasoning for a heinous crime, and his spiral of guilt after the deed.
Mark Renton
The protagonist of the Trainspotting series, Mark Renton fights to be better. He makes multiple attempts to kick a heroin addiction that makes him steal and lie. The novels follow his life as he matures.
Dexter Morgan
The ultimate villain protagonist, Dexter lives by his own code. He kills, and saves, and kills, feeding what he calls the “dark passenger” in him with violence against those who commit violence.
Loki
Trickster Loki has appeared alongside Black Widow in The Avengers. Loki debuted in 1949, as a villain locked in the underworld. Good news for us, he got out and has been causing all sorts of mischief since!
Severus Snape
A hotly debated double agent, JK Rowling’s Severus Snape has spawned many an essay on his motivations and morality. We won’t spoil it, but this pernicious professor has a few tricks up his sleeve and might not be as bad as he seems.
Selina Kyle
AKA, the notorious Catwoman. From her first appearance in 1940, she has stolen the show and been a staple of the Batman franchise. She’s first and foremost a thief, but has also been a murderer and a hero in turns.
Tyrion Lannister
George R. R. Martin is a master at creating complex, morally gray characters, but none entrances us as much as Tyrion. Ostracized and bullied from a young age, Tyrion tries to help a community that hates him, but doesn’t always make the right choices.
Okonkwo
Driven to prove himself, Okonkwo will do whatever it takes to be a leader that he thinks his tribe needs. Whether that means unspeakable violence or not.
Gilgamesh
And where would we be without the original protagonist? Gilgamesh craves fame and glory, not unlike a lot of us today. Being driven to bad deeds by desire is definitely a tale as old as…well, ancient Sumeria apparently!
