10 times Stephen King made you root for the actual villain

Stephen King is one of the most popular and successful authors of the contemporary period. He is famous for blending horror, suspense, fantasy, and strong emotions in his writing. King's writing style has revolutionized the perception of popular fiction.

The "King of Horror" attended Durham Elementary School and subsequently Lisbon Falls High School. In 1966, he began college at the University of Maine in Orono. In 1970, he graduated with an English degree and received a teaching certificate.

Following college, King struggled to find work as a teacher. He supported his family by working in an industrial laundry. He also wrote short stories and sold them to magazines. However, things were financially difficult. The family resided in a trailer, and they frequently went without money. Occasionally, the money from a short story was used to buy something like medicine or to repair the car.

It got better when King began to write a story of a shy, bullied girl with telekinetic abilities. He didn't think it was anything special. So, he threw the pages into the garbage. His wife, Tabitha, discovered them and instructed him to continue. The result was Carrie.

It came out in 1974 and was a massive success. King could now quit teaching and write for a living. The paperback rights to Carrie were sold for $400,000 — enough money to radically change their lives.

Despite his success, King struggled with severe personal demons. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he fought with alcoholism and drug addiction. He speaks candidly of it in his novel On Writing. He states that support from his family enabled him to become sober during the late 1980s and potentially saved his life.

Stephen King's contribution to books and culture is huge. He has authored more than 60 novels and over 200 short stories. More than 300 million copies of his books have been published globally.

His stories have been translated into numerous languages. Several have been made into films, television shows, and miniseries.

King has received numerous awards. He has received the Bram Stoker Award, the National Medal of Arts (in 2015), and the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

King's monsters, such as Pennywise or Randall Flagg, are well-known. Yet, many times, it is the human evil in his novels that lingers longest in readers' minds. Those bad guys may be complicated and even likable in unexpected ways.

And hence, sometimes readers find themselves rooting for the villain.

Let's take a look at ten instances where Stephen King made us root for the bad guy.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer’s opinions. Reader discretion is advised.

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Jack Torrance – The Shining

Jack Torrance is probably Stephen King's most well-known character and is both the hero and the antagonist. He begins as a struggling writer and alcoholic. But he genuinely wants to get his life together and be a better father and husband.

However, when he accepts employment at the Overlook Hotel, his life takes a disastrous turn. The hotel has supernatural, dark forces. Gradually, Jack loses his mind. He begins to become dangerous and violent.

But even when he is terrifying, King tells us what is going on inside Jack's head. We learn that he still cares about his son, Danny, and wants to do the right thing. He just can't resist the evil within the hotel—or himself.

Readers sympathize with Jack. He's doing his best. However, he's also broken in so many ways. From the look of it, it seems like what Jack does is more the result of mental illness and the power of the hotel than because he's evil.

That makes his tale feel more tragic than terrifying.

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Annie Wilkes – Misery

Annie Wilkes is considered one of Stephen King's most frightening characters. She kidnaps her favorite author, Paul Sheldon, and makes him write a new ending to her favorite book series. She's violent, controlling, and severely disturbed.

But King doesn't simply make her a monster—he also reveals her human side.

Annie is obviously lonely and mentally ill. She gets overjoyed like a child when Paul writes stories that she enjoys. She even feels hurt and rejected when things don't turn out her way. King makes us see all of this through the eyes of Paul. We may be afraid of her, but we also know where she hurts.

Annie is a combination of frightening and pitiful. She makes readers feel torn. They fear her, but they pity her too. That's what makes her such a strong and memorable villain.

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Greg Stillson – The Dead Zone

Greg Stillson is a ruthless man who begins with nothing and rises to be a congressman. He's intelligent, cunning, and willing to do awful things to succeed—including resorting to violence and threats. He even threatens the entire world by discussing nuclear war. But he's not a dull, one-dimensional villain.

King provides Stillson with a history that makes us understand him. He had a tough childhood and is extremely determined to get out of it. His ambition and intelligence are admirable, even though his behavior is terrible.

The biggest surprise comes when Stillson uses a baby as a human shield. His political career is destroyed not by the violence but by an incident that was taped on camera. It illustrates King's faith in the power of truth to conquer evil.

Stillson is horrible, but hauntingly interesting.

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Arnie Cunningham – Christine

Arnie is a withdrawn, bullied high school boy who discovers an old automobile named Christine. While he restores her to her former glory, he grows more assertive—but also nastier and more violent. "Christine" possesses a sinister energy, and Arnie gradually surrenders to it.

Initially, readers sympathize with Arnie. He's standing up to bullies and feeling good about himself. However, as Christine takes over, he transforms. He turns cold, furious, and even violent. Nevertheless, it is difficult not to pity him.

King assures us that Arnie isn't evil by design. He's a young kid who was drawn into something that he didn't comprehend. He's a villain and a victim, which explains why his life is tragic.

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Big Jim Rennie – Under the Dome

Big Jim is the primary villain of Under the Dome. He's a town politician who sees a mysterious dome that encloses his town as an opportunity to become more powerful. He manipulates, lies, and even murders to achieve his ends—but he does them all like they're for the people's own good.

What's interesting about Big Jim is that he really believes he's right. He feels he's doing the town a favor, even though he's harming it. He's clever, confident, and a very difficult person to defeat. Some readers respect his leadership abilities, despite the fact that he's clearly the bad guy.

Big Jim isn't merely evil, he is complex. King uses him to illustrate how potentially devastating it is when an individual becomes too powerful and will not relinquish control.

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Harold Lauder – The Stand

Harold is a misfit and never quite fits in. Once most of the world has been destroyed, Harold becomes part of a group of survivors attempting to rebuild. Initially, he appears as though he might be a hero. But eventually, he goes over to the dark side, following the evil Randall Flagg.

Harold is not evil at the beginning. He's lonely, insecure, and starved for love and respect. Readers can see his thoughts and fears. So, it's not hard to comprehend why he becomes different. He gets bitter and jealous, and that makes him do horrible things.

Nevertheless, Harold's fall feels tragic. He might have been a good person. Instead, he allows anger to get the best of him and turns into a traitor. Readers experience a combination of sorrow and wrath towards him.

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Percy Wetmore – The Green Mile

Percy is one of the prison guards who abuses his authority. He takes pleasure in torturing others and stirring up trouble. He botches executions and harasses both prisoners and guards. Even Percy, however, has some depth.

He is tough-acting, but really, Percy is insecure and afraid. He takes advantage of his family's political influence to keep out of trouble, but he knows that he is not respected. He wants to be important, and that motivates most of his cruelty.

King demonstrates that Percy is weak, rather than evil. That makes him somewhat human, even though he does awful things. Some readers pity him a little bit—particularly when he finally has to pay the price for his actions.

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Patrick Hockstetter – It

Patrick is one of the scariest kids in It. He kills animals, bullies other kids, and even kills his own baby brother. Unlike the other characters, Patrick doesn't require Pennywise to be bad—he's already there.

Stephen King, nevertheless, provides Patrick a reason for his existence. He thinks he's the only human being in the world, which makes it rather simple for him to hurt people. He was also neglected and ignored by his family.

This isn't an excuse for what Patrick does, but it does get people thinking. What if someone had helped him? Might he have been different? His death is horrific, but it also seems like justice.

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Rhea of the Cöos – The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass

Rhea is an ancient witch who does massive damage in Roland's history. She manipulates using magic and contributes to the death of Roland's true love, Susan. She's mean, devious, and full of hate—but interesting.

Rhea's magic is strong, but it also makes her lonely. She desires to be feared and respected. She acts selfishly, but out of pain and loneliness. She's more than a nasty old witch—she's a person forged by decades of agony.

Despite readers despising her, they may also be fascinated by her. She's a villain, but a complex one.

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André Linoge – Storm of the Century

Linoge is an enigmatic figure who shows up amid a horrific snowstorm. He says to the inhabitants of Little Tall Island: “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away.” What he desires is for them to give him one of their children, so he can bring up the child to replace him.

Linoge is creepy, but polite and calm. He never lies. He makes people make a horrific moral decision. He watches how they deal with it. He provides them with an escape route—but at a horrific cost.

Readers are left to ask themselves: What would they do in such a situation? Linoge is not merely a monster. He's a test. And that makes him one of King's most memorable and thought-provoking villains.