These Pixar Villains Were Actually Justified In The End

Included among the great characters from Pixar are the villains such as Stinky Pete and Sid Phillips. While many of the antagonists are irredeemable, some have understandable motivations or are not villainous altogether and simply oppose the protagonists. Considering the tone of Pixar installments, it comes as no surprise that even their villains are sympathetic in some way.

Surpassing sympathy is justification, in that the villains acted understandably. Some even behave correctly based on who they are and who the protagonists are. Although they are still classified as villains in the Pixar universe, these characters often have fair reasons for their actions in their respective films.

10 The Prospector Wants to Avoid Abandonment and Destruction

Toy Story 2

• His experiences shaped his resentment of children as well as his fear.

Stinky Pete, also known as the Prospector, became a villain due to his backstory. Despite being a toy from a widely-loved Western program, he was passed up by children in favor of space toys like Buzz Lightyear. Additionally, he heard about Jessie’s experience with Emily who gave her away after neglecting her for years.

The Prospector’s years of being alone on a shelf and Jessie’s story increased both his dislike and his fear of being owned by a child. With the information available to him, he was desperate to go to the museum to be safely adored, and he would do anything to make it happen. While Stinky Pete behaved in blatantly villainous ways towards Woody once his intentions were revealed, his reasoning made sense based on what he believed.

9 Chef Skinner Believed He Was Protecting Gusteau’s Reputation

Ratatouille

• He tries hard to keep his business alive.

Despite his aggressive outbursts and contempt for Linguini, Chef Skinner does not act without cause. He wants to prevent Linguini from inheriting the famous restaurant that was given to him, but his obvious opposition originates in part from Skinner’s knowledge that Linguini cannot cook. In the end, his suspicions proved correct because he discovered the true cook, Remy, on his own.

In addition to his sound intuition, Chef Skinner allowed Linguini to continue cooking in his kitchen before discovering the truth about Linguini and Gusteau. He also did not believe his frozen foods were damaging Gusteau’s reputation and cared very much about the image of the deceased cook and his restaurant. Skinner may have coveted the restaurant for himself, but it mattered to him a lot, and he did what he thought would preserve Gusteau.

8 Thunderclap Follows His Animal Instincts

The Good Dinosaur

• He searches for food like any other dinosaur.

In a movie about dinosaurs, it makes sense for the villain to be some kind of animal. Thunderclap, in particular, is a scavenger and utilizes storms to locate convenient food sources. Anything that prevents him from eating is perceived as a threat, considering the importance of food.

Before discovering Spot, Thunderclap was willing to assist Arlo in reaching his desired destination. One could perceive this as a ruse, but Thunderclap turned on Arlo after smelling Spot, implying his cooperation was initially genuine. His need to eat and his potential charitable nature make the Nyctosaurus an understandable antagonist.

7 Gabby Gabby Follows Through on Her Promise to Woody

Toy Story 4

• She lets Woody and Forky leave once she receives Woody’s voice box.

While several nefarious villains have appeared in the Toy Story franchise, Gabby Gabby is shown to be equally sympathetic yet far more fair than the rest. Her desire to retrieve Woody’s voice box knows no limits, and she demonstrates expertise in emotional manipulation to get what she wants, as seen by her discussing Andy to make Woody give in. However, her true nature is revealed after Woody helps her.

Upon having the voice box installed within her, Gabby Gabby expresses gratitude towards Woody for his sacrifice. Afterward, she allows Woody and Forky to return to their friends and Bonnie and wishes them a genuine farewell. Her ability to follow through on her promise to Woody and her friendship with Forky highlight her good nature and fairness, which all support her eventual redemption.

6 Terry Is Very Devoted to Her Job

Soul

• She corrects the anomaly caused by Joe’s antics.

For an entity in charge of monitoring humanity, it’s completely understandable for Terry to take her job seriously. As the accountant, it’s her job to make sure every soul is exactly where it needs to be. Because of this, Joe’s pursuit of returning to life becomes her problem to fix as he is attempting to break the rules.

Terry doing her job is a completely justified motivation considering its importance and how much she needs to monitor at all times. Additionally, one soul being allowed to go back to life despite dying because of a silly mistake could result in many more souls seeking resurrection, which would disrupt the established system. Terry is annoyed that Joe tries to cheat the universe, but accounting is her principal concern.

5 Ming Lee Cares Deeply About Her Daughter

Turning Red

• She engages in and pursues everything she thinks will help Mei succeed.

Love is the motivation that pushes Ming Lee forward. Hard work, dignity, and focus are the values she lives by, so she tries to instill them within her daughter, Mei. The conflict between the two is Ming’s intensity and inability to let Mei stray from the path of perfectionism as well as Mei’s fear of telling her mom about what she wants in life, which makes Mei’s childhood complicated.

Despite the stress she puts into Mei’s life, Ming wholeheartedly wants Mei to excel. Ming’s history with her mother and the stress of her Red Panda nature shaped her perspective on how to raise Mei, so she completely believes her child-raising strategy is the best option. Despite her overbearing and overprotective personality, Ming wants to always support Mei and goes to great lengths to ensure her daughter’s success.

4 Sid Phillips Views Toys Like Everyone Else

Toy Story

• He believes toys are inanimate objects.

Despite his devious nature, multiple factors vindicate Sid Phillips. His gleeful destruction of and experimentation on toys places him as the ideal villain of toys, but his world matches the real world in terms of perception. To him, and every other child like him, toys are inanimate objects meant to be played with by children, regardless of how and to what end.

Sid’s use of toys may be disturbing, but a child misusing or breaking toys is a daily occurrence. Additionally, his behavior towards his toys and his poor treatment of his sister Hannah may originate from his family’s potential domestic issues, as the film provides hints of an alcoholic and abusive father. Regardless of his behavior, Sid more than anything needs proper parenting and social care to improve his childhood.

3 Philip and Darla Sherman Are Predominantly Normal People

Finding Nemo

• They act as many others do with animals.

In most respects, Philip Sherman and his niece Darla are normal people placed in an antagonistic role. Philip is a dentist who should be more careful while Darla is a child with too much energy. The two are classified as villains simply because the heroes of Finding Nemo are fish, making the Shermans a danger to them.

Philip takes Nemo from the ocean, but he does so because he believes it will save him, which is supported by the sympathy he expresses towards his fish when something is wrong. Darla desperately wants a fish to take care of, but she doesn’t know how and typically ends up killing the fish by accident. Their good intentions and their inability to directly communicate with fish make them decent, normal people.

2 Bernie Lumen Thinks His Daughter Shares His Dream

Elemental

• He is not told the truth about what Ember wants in life.

Considering his relationship with his daughter, Bernie Lumen can barely be considered a villain. He loves Ember deeply and wants her to inherit his restaurant, which he mistakenly believes to be her dream. Additionally, the poor treatment he received from people of other elements shaped his initial dislike of Wade and his attempts to prevent him from being with Ember.

Further justifying his actions is the fact that Ember kept the truth from him. Had she informed him earlier of her disinterest in running the restaurant, Bernie might have accepted since he cares about her very much. Forcing his dream on Ember put a lot of pressure on her, but a little communication between the two and less prejudice on his part would remove his villain status altogether.

1 AUTO Was Programmed With a Major Error

WALL-E

• His robotic nature prevented him from correcting the mistake.

Robots follow the explicit instructions given to them, which explains AUTO’s actions. Faulty programming resulted in the Autopilot misinterpreting what he was supposed to do, thereby making him an antagonist because he believed he was tasked with preventing any return to Earth. He severely damaged WALL-E, but it was his directive to do so.

Had he been properly programmed and followed the correct instructions, AUTO would have done everything in his power to assist WALL-E and EVE. He might have been the ideal ally and supporter, but his status as a robot prevented any agency. A villain is categorically unable to make the right choice and possesses complete justification.