Villains you root for

Aren't there villains you find yourself kind of rooting for? Maybe because there is something to their personality, or some kind of an appreciation of their outlook?

Maybe they straddle a line between villain and anti-hero, so that shade of grey brings you in...

I don't think I really want them to win, but I'm always interested in seeing Thanos & Darkseid achieve their goals.

Doom.

Doom
Bullseye
Joker
Helmut Zemo
Luthor
Kang

Black Adam & Sinestro have been around that anti-hero strata for some years now: Geoff Johns deserves credit for finding different sides of their personality.

Maybe Dr. Doom is the best example. His 1990's comic was terrific.

Doom and Kang for me.

Also, am I the only one who thinks Thanos is more interesting as an anti-hero than outright villain?

Thanos, but like Harbinger, I prefer him as an anti-hero.
Does Galactus count? If so, I root for him too.

DC: Captain Nazi.
Marvel: Red Skull.

Originally posted by Galan007
DC: Captain Nazi.
Marvel: Red Skull.

lawl.

Originally posted by Galan007
DC: Captain Nazi.
Marvel: Red Skull.

Seriously? 🙄

Rhino. I find him a very sympathetic villain and IMO he has some of the best villaincentric stories (ie Flowers for Rhino, and Joe Kelly's Rage of the Rhino / Endangered Species from the Gauntlet a few years ago).

That's funny, considering is one of the few characters hear to get a disrespect thread, for being such an underachiever.

Juggernaut - let him be the biggest ego in the room, and you can get along with him.

Originally posted by roughrider
That's funny, considering is one of the few characters hear to get a disrespect thread, for being such an underachiever.

Juggernaut - let him be the biggest ego in the room, and you can get along with him.

He terribly ineffective as a villain and even a human being... but he has been the focus of some great stories.

Norman Osborn. Watching him almost succeed, get thwarted, then have a complete mental meltdown never gets old.

Loki. It seems like he always gets some small redemption from his schemes.

Red Hood. Been liking the series a lot. His deeds always end up on the side of good.

Black Adam. Dude's just a badass.

I honestly think of Adam as an anti-hero more than a villain, but if he counts then yeah, he'd be on my list.

Others:

Catwoman.
Jason Todd.
Sinestro at times.
Arkillo.
Darkseid at times.

On the Marvel side, tbh I don't really like the villains in the sense that I would root for them at times. Galactus doesn't count either, not sure Thanos does.

The Anti-Reg side?

Catwoman and Jason Todd are barely villains, if they are at all IMO. Could make a better case for Punisher being a villain and he is pretty much universally considered and anti hero.

Always rooted for... *sob* The Secret Six. RIP. 🙁

Originally posted by Badabing
Norman Osborn. Watching him almost succeed, get thwarted, then have a complete mental meltdown never gets old.

👆

Originally posted by srankmissingnin
Catwoman and Jason Todd are barely villains, if they are at all IMO. Could make a better case for Punisher being a villain and he is pretty much universally considered and anti hero.

Always rooted for... *sob* The Secret Six. RIP. 🙁

That's why I was unsure.

The Joker, Atrocitus and Doom

Bane, because he's such a complicated man.

Add Larfleeze to my list.