Top 10 Times the Hero Accidentally Helped the Villain
top 10 times the hero accidentally helped the villain
Top 10 Times Movie Villains Trolled the Hero
Maybe these protagonists should’ve stayed home. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the top 10 times the hero accidentally helped the villain. For this list, we’ll be looking at movies where the protagonist unintentionally assisted the antagonist. Since we’ll be talking about major plot details, a spoiler warning is in effect.
#10: Many Watch the Cursed Videotape
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“The Ring” franchise (2002-) The rules in this horror franchise are simple. If you watch a cursed videotape, a ghostly girl named Samara will kill you in seven days. All you have to do to avoid a grisly death is resist the urge to watch this deadly VHS. But throughout the franchise, dozens of people manage to fall victim to the curse. Whether they watch it willingly out of morbid curiosity or are tricked into viewing the videotape, every person who lays eyes on it unintentionally helps Samara keep killing. The moral of the franchise is as black and white as the tape itself. If someone asks you to watch a creepy videotape, just say no.
#9: Tony Stark Helps Fix Extremis
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“Iron Man 3” (2013) In the 1990s, Dr. Maya Hansen was working on extremis, a formula that would allow living beings to regenerate their bodies. Unfortunately, her test subjects tended to heat up or explode. Things started to turn around when she met Tony Stark. After a late-night hook up, he helped her improve the formula. But before Tony finished fixing the explosive glitch, he left and didn’t contact her for over a decade. His abandonment forced Maya to take the improved formula to the vengeful Aldrich Killian. Killian used the research to give himself fiery superpowers, arrange people’s deaths and endanger Tony’s loved ones. The villain’s reign of terror could’ve been avoided if Tony hadn’t helped Maya with her research.
#8: Charles Helps Erik Become Magneto
“X-Men: First Class” (2011) When Erik Lehnsherr was a child, his mother was executed by a powerful mutant named Sebastian Shaw. The murder intially set Erik down a dark path of vengeance. However, he started to become a better person after befriending Professor Charles Xavier. This came to a crashing halt when the duo confronted Shaw. After Shaw nearly killed Erik with overwhelming power, Charles used his telepathic powers to freeze Shaw in place. Upon seeing his old nemesis was rendered helpless, Erik brutally murdered him and stole his anti-telepathy helmet. Both actions made it easier for Erik to transition into the supervillain Magneto. Charles only interfered in the battle to help his friend live in the light. Unfortunately, the professor’s actions furthered Erik’s descent into darkness.
#7: Peter Gives Mysterio E.D.I.T.H.
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“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) Tony Stark's E.D.I.T.H system allows the user to command an advanced weapons system with a pair of glasses. Upon his death, he entrusted this advanced technology to the teenage Peter Parker. But after nearly assassinating a classmate with E.D.I.T.H, Spider-Man gave the glasses to his new ally Quentin Beck, AKA Mysterio. Unfortunately for Peter, Mysterio used the system to launch a vicious attack in London before framing Spider-Man for homicide. Peter definitely should’ve hidden the E.D.I.T.H. glasses in a secure case. However, we also think the heroic Tony Stark deserves to share the blame here. Who gives a 16-year-old access to an incredibly dangerous weapons system?
#6: Star-Lord Helps Thanos Keep the Gauntlet
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) There was no one Peter Quill loved more in the galaxy than Gamora. When she was taken by the wicked Thanos, he became desperate to get her back. Unfortunately, Thanos sacrificed her as part of his plan to complete the weapon known as the infinity gauntlet. Peter only found out about Gamora’s death when he and his allies were trying to remove the weapon from the villain’s hand. Overcome by rage, Peter attacked. His fit of rage ruined the plan and allowed Thanos to reacquire the gauntlet. The villain later used the weapon to decimate billions of lives. While Peter’s rage was more than understandable, every Marvel fan wishes he waited until the heroes had the gauntlet before getting his revenge.
#5: Hammond Makes His Dinosaurs Fertile
“Jurassic Park” franchise (1993-) Eccentric CEO John Hammond made plenty of mistakes when he ran Jurassic Park. But his biggest blunder boiled down to biology. Hammond intended to keep the dinosaur population low by making them all female. But his researchers gave the prehistoric creatures DNA from West African frogs. The DNA allowed the animals to change their genders and reproduce. Allowing the dinosaurs to breed has already caused issues throughout the series. And since dinosaurs escaped into the human world in the last movie, they may be able to reproduce and run amok in the future. All Hammond had to do was use different frog dna. But since he didn’t, the world has to worry about raptor families leaping into their backyards.
#4: Elizabeth Swann Signals Barbossa
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“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) After stealing magical Aztec medallions from a chest, Barbossa and his crew were cursed with a twisted immortality. The only way to end their torture was to restore everything they stole from the chest. Although the pirates found most of the treasure, they couldn’t find one piece, which Elizabeth had on land...until one fateful morning. Elizabeth woke up and decided to wear the medallion as a necklace before being strapped into a corset. When the restraining garment caused her to faint and fall into the ocean, the medallion sent a magical pulse to Barbossa’s crew. The pirates cut down tons of innocent people in Elizabeth’s town to get their chance at breaking their curse. If only she had worn a different accessory.
#3: Neo Makes Smith More Powerful
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“The Matrix” franchise (2003-) At the end of “The Matrix,” Neo had one final showdown with his nemesis agent Smith. Neo used his powers to literally jump inside the evil computer program’s body and blow him up. In the sequel, agent Smith returned with increased strength and the ability to clone himself. The villain revealed that he gained these powers due to the way the hero killed him. Smith eventually becomes such a threat that Neo has to sacrifice himself to end the villain. If the One had just shot the evil computer program, he might be enjoying retirement with Trinity on a digital beach. Unfortunately, Neo’s flashy method of killing agent Smith only created a much worse enemy.
#2: Marty Makes Biff Rich
“Back to the Future Part II” (1989) Marty originally traveled 30 years into the future to save his family, but his goals changed when he finds “Gray’s Sports Almanac.” Marty planned to use the book’s future knowledge of how various sports events ended to bet on games when he returned to the past. But when his friend Doc Brown catches on, Marty’s forced to throw the almanac away. Both heroes were unaware that the devious Biff was watching them. He took the almanac, stole their time machine and made his past self into a corrupt mogul. Marty and Doc spent the rest of the movie trying to undo an alternate reality where Biff reigns with his riches. The bully would’ve never tasted power if the heroes had burned that almanac to begin with. Before we stumble upon our top pick, here are a few honorable or in this case, dishonorable mentions. Dana & Marty Unleash Ancient Gods “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012) Cobb’s Subconscious Attacks His Teammates “Inception” (2010) Ethan Loses Plutonium Ores “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (2018) Odin Banishes Thor “Thor” (2011) Harry Retrieves Prophecy for Voldemort “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
#1: Indy Helps the Nazis
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) During the first “Indiana Jones” movie, Nazis sought the legendary Ark of the Covenant in the hopes of gaining untold power. But they can only find it by decoding the writing on an ancient headpiece. Fortunately, Indy got to the headpiece before the Nazis, decoded it and discovered exactly where to look. He kept this information hidden and...just kidding. He immediately went out and found the Ark himself. Shortly after his discovery, the Nazis stole it from him. If Indy hadn’t uncovered the Ark, the Nazis may not have found it before the war ended. And even if they had, the artifact’s powers would’ve killed them all when they opened it. Indy would’ve done everyone a favor if he kept the Ark’s location to himself.
