The Ultimate Role Reversals
Some actors are so talented, they’ve mastered both sides of the moral compass. They’ve saved the world in one movie… and tried to destroy it in the next. From caped crusaders to diabolical masterminds, these stars have brought to life some of cinema’s most beloved heroes and its most iconic villains. This list dives into the surprising (and sometimes shocking) duality of performers who’ve played both sides — and done it brilliantly.
Christian Bale – Batman and Patrick Bateman
He embodied justice as Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight trilogy. But rewind a few years, and Bale chilled audiences as the psychopathic investment banker in American Psycho. From heroic brooder to blood-soaked narcissist, Bale's range is downright scary.
Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight Trilogy) • Starboy by VDeuxx
Denzel Washington – Eli and Alonzo Harris
He was the post-apocalyptic protector in The Book of Eli, a man carrying the last hope for humanity. But let’s not forget his Oscar-winning performance as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris in Training Day, where he flipped the “hero” script with terrifying charisma.
Tom Hardy – Venom and Bane
Tom Hardy plays antihero Eddie Brock in Venom, where his alien symbiote likes to snack on heads but still saves the day. Then there’s his ruthless villain turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, where he crushed Gotham — and Batman’s back — with brute strength and ideology.
Columbia Pictures, Venom (2018)
Scarlett Johansson – Black Widow and Lucy
As Natasha Romanoff, she fought alongside the Avengers. But in Lucy, she gains unlimited cerebral power and casually wipes out threats (and logic). Whether hero or superpowered force of nature, Johansson brings the intensity.
James McAvoy – Professor X and Kevin Wendell Crumb
In X-Men, McAvoy is the calming, intellectual Charles Xavier. But in Split and Glass, he plays 23 personalities — including the monstrous “Beast” — in a single body. It’s one of the most unsettling villain roles in recent memory.
X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer: James McAvoy Finally Becomes Bald Professor X, Entertainment Tonight
Charlize Theron – Furiosa and Aileen Wuornos
She was the one-armed badass Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, leading a rebellion against tyranny. On the flip side, she won an Oscar for portraying real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Both fierce — one redeeming, one terrifying.
Media 8 Entertainment, Monster (2003)
Harrison Ford – Indiana Jones and Norman Spencer
While he’s beloved as heroic adventurer Indiana Jones (and Han Solo, for that matter), Ford’s lesser-known turn as a gaslighting, murderous husband in What Lies Beneath is chilling — and shows his dark side.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Paramount Pictures
Michael Fassbender – Magneto and Steve Jobs
Magneto is a complex villain — sometimes heroic, mostly vengeful. In Steve Jobs (2015), Fassbender plays a different kind of antagonist: the egotistical genius behind Apple. Both roles blur the line between vision and villainy.
Steve Jobs - Official Trailer (HD) by Universal Pictures
Helena Bonham Carter – Bellatrix Lestrange and Marla Singer
Bellatrix was pure chaos in Harry Potter, a fanatical Death Eater with no moral compass. Marla in Fight Club (1999) isn’t exactly a hero, but she’s more grounded — a deeply flawed, oddly endearing human in a crazy world.
Fight Club (1999), Regency Enterprises
Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool and Hannibal King
Deadpool is a hero in his own unhinged way — quippy, lethal, and actually sweet beneath the sarcasm. Before that, Reynolds was vampire hunter Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity (2004). But let’s not forget his villainous turn as a morally corrupt CIA agent in Safe House (2012).
New Line Cinema, Blade- Trinity (2004)
Cate Blanchett – Hela and Galadriel
Blanchett is ethereal and noble as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings (2001). Then she flipped to full villain mode as Hela, goddess of death, in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), chewing scenery and smashing Mjolnir.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), New Line Cinema
Arnold Schwarzenegger – The Terminator(s)
He started as the relentless killing machine in The Terminator (1984) — pure evil wrapped in metal. But by Terminator 2 (1991), he was humanity’s protector. Same robot, opposite mission. Hasta la vista, moral clarity.
Ian McKellen – Gandalf and Magneto
Sir Ian plays the ultimate wise mentor as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings (2001). But in X-Men (2000), he channels righteous rage as Magneto. Two powerful leaders — one guiding light, the other driven by vengeance.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), New Line Cinema
Natalie Portman – Padmé Amidala and The Black Swan
Padmé is idealistic and kind-hearted, fighting for democracy in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). In Black Swan (2010), Portman blurs the line between protagonist and antagonist — descending into madness and transforming into her own villain.
Black Swan (2010) 4K HDR 60fps, Motion Picture Reel
Will Smith – Hancock and Deadshot
In Hancock (2008), he’s a reluctant superhero — not evil, but definitely a jerk. As Deadshot in Suicide Squad (2016), he’s a hitman with a heart — a villain by trade, but a dad first.
Anthony Hopkins – Odin and Hannibal Lecter
Hopkins ruled Asgard with wisdom as Odin in the Thor (2011) series. But no one can forget his Oscar-winning portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) — brilliant, cultured… and a literal cannibal.
Orion, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Chris Evans – Captain America and Lucas Lee
We all know him as the earnest and noble Captain America in the MCU. But Evans had a blast playing cartoonish villain Lucas Lee in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) — a smug movie star with a killer skateboard.
Marvel's Captain America: Civil War - Trailer 2, Marvel Entertainment
Jake Gyllenhaal – Mysterio and Donnie Darko
As Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Gyllenhaal was a deceptive tech-genius with a thirst for attention. In Donnie Darko (2001), he played a tormented teen who might be a hero… or the world’s unraveling thread.
Adam Fields Productions, Donnie Darko (2001)
Nicole Kidman – Celeste Wright and Suzanne Stone
In Big Little Lies (2017), Kidman’s Celeste is a tragic hero navigating trauma. In To Die For (1995), she’s chillingly sociopathic as Suzanne, a fame-obsessed weatherwoman willing to kill for her 15 minutes.
Big Little Lies: I Want to Know (Season 2 Episode 7 Promo) | HBO by HBO
Robert Pattinson – Batman and Edward Cullen
Pattinson’s brooding take on The Batman (2022)made him a definitive dark knight. Yet Edward Cullen of Twilight (2008) fame — debatably a hero — had more villainous traits than we remember: obsessive, manipulative, and fond of blood.
Red Letter Media, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Tom Hiddleston – Loki and Jonathan Pine
Hiddleston played Loki, the ultimate trickster — sometimes evil, sometimes redemptive in Loki (2021). But in The Night Manager (2016), Hiddleston was pure hero: a former soldier turned spy who risked everything for justice.
Joaquin Phoenix – Johnny Cash and The Joker
He gave a soulful performance as country legend Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005), but Phoenix also delivered one of the most haunting villain roles in modern film with his Oscar-winning Joker (2019).
Twentieth Century, Walk the Line (2005)
Emma Thompson – Nanny McPhee and Baroness von Hellman
She’s the magical disciplinarian with a heart in Nanny McPhee (2005), turning chaos into order. But as the Baroness in Cruella (2021), she’s deliciously wicked — the fashion world’s icy queen of cruelty.
Disney's Cruella | Epic British Insults With Emma Thompson, Disney
Ewan McGregor – Obi-Wan Kenobi and Black Mask
The noble Jedi Master is a cinematic legend. But in Birds of Prey (2020), McGregor turns up the sleaze and sadism as Black Mask, a crime lord with style and a serious rage problem.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), Lucasfilm
Good, Evil, and Everything In Between
Actors who’ve mastered both heroism and villainy aren’t just versatile — they’re unforgettable. These role-switching stars remind us that the line between good and evil is razor-thin… and sometimes, the best performances happen when they dance on both sides of it.
JOKER - Final Trailer - Now Playing In Theaters by Warner Bros.
You May Also Like:
2025's Biggest Box Office Flops So Far
The Funniest Sit-Coms Of The 21st Century (So Far)
