5 Villainous Heroes Like Heathcliff

Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" is best suited for those who are always online and constantly arrested by by short attention spans.

So, a film that is aesthetically pleasant to the eyes, overtly erotic and simplistic in terms of its plot works wonders for social media junkies. And it does. The Aussie actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi starrer loose adaptation has grossed around $82 million worldwide and that is enough to speak volumes of how well it has been received by this decade of viewers.

Naturally, the focus purely on eroticism and the love story have made it the perfect date movie to watch. Matter of fact, Fennell’s Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) does emerges as a toxic, sadistic antihero yet he is far from the first morally twisted protagonist to dominate screens and far far away from the previous interpretations of the fictional character. Nevertheless, many are drawn to gold ear hoop and silver tooth bearing Heathcliff.

Across global cinema, audiences have been drawn to “villainous heroes”—characters whose charisma, intelligence, or sheer audacity makes them impossible to ignore, even as they commit unforgivable acts. They all are the toxic crushes we can’t stop watching. They’re charming, ruthless, obsessive, and downright sadistic.

Here’s a list of some of the most bizarrely devilish heroes in film and TV, deliberately excluding prior incarnations of Heathcliff:

Reynolds Woodcock in Phantom Thread

A master dressmaker whose obsessive control over women in his life borders on cruel, yet Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance keeps him hypnotically compelling. He is constantly scowling, extremely moody and easily angered by minor disruptions like clinking of the butter knife against the surface of the plate at breakfast.

Tom Ripley in Ripley

As charming and handsome Tom Ripley is, he is also a deceitful sociopath whose ability to manipulate and kill for social ascension is both terrifying and magnetic. He has an air about himself with that predatory smile and sloe eyes that if you are not part of the audience can be mistaken for charismatic.

Rahul Mehra in Darr

SRK as Rahul Mehra, a psychotically obsessed lover, whose stalking and violent tendencies make him a uniquely unsettling antihero. A landmark character in Bollywood, epitomising the "handsome" yet dangerously "villainous" obsessed lover, Mehra is nevertheless a menace.

Tony Montana in Scarface

The ultimate criminal antihero, whose ruthless pursuit of power is intoxicating yet tragic, Al Pacino embodies the dark side of ambition in Scarface and defines the bad boy.

Joe Goldberg in You

The Netflix series starring Penn Badgley as the psychopathic Joe Goldberg is modern internet-era antihero, whose obsession and violence are framed through social media and online voyeurism, echoing the digital-age focus of Fennell’s Heathcliff.