Line #145 Main/EvenEvilCanBeLoved


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6	->''"Your father wasn't the love of my life. \
7	You were. From the second you came out \
8	and looked at me with that furrowed brow, \
9	I loved all of you, Dandy. Even the madness."''
10	-->-- '''Gloria Mott''', ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow''
11
12	This is an inversion of sorts of EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: the villain is humanized (i.e. [[GrayingMorality becomes painted more grey than black]]), or at least demystified in case the feeling is not mutual, not by them worrying about others' well-being, but by others worrying about theirs.
13
14	This other character is usually (but certainly not always) a fundamentally decent individual, often a family member, a former friend or student, or even just an [[NobleTopEnforcer honorable underling]] who is on speaking terms with the heroes. Where the heroes usually just want the bad guy dead (the AllLovingHero notwithstanding), this character will often acknowledge the latter's villainy (unlike in in the case of MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal) but, depending on their affiliation, either sees it as NecessarilyEvil or wants instead to [[LoveRedeems redeem]] [[ICanChangeMyBeloved the villain]]. Either way, the internal conflict between their morals and their attachment to the villain mirrors their conflict of interests with the good guys who start off without such second thoughts.
15
16	ProtectedByAChild and VillainousFriendship are specific subtropes, although the latter is also a subtrope of EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. If even this character gives up on the villain, it is a telltale sign that the latter has crossed the MoralEventHorizon. Alternatively, [[KickTheDog killing or irreparably harming the supporter]] is a good way to show that villain has (or already had) crossed it, even if the supporter [[MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal doesn't give up on them]]. For when the character who loves them is not virtuous, but equally evil instead, it's the subtropes UnholyMatrimony and PsychoSupporter that apply. Compare also SaveTheVillain, which may stem from this just as well as from the plain ChronicHeroSyndrome or SympathyForTheDevil. This trope is to MoralityPet what LickedByTheDog is to PetTheDog.
17
18	Heavily overlaps with CriminalFoundFamily.
19	----
20	!!Examples:
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22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25	* In ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', Tetsuo spends most of the first half of the comic being vilified. Even his friends are fairly quick to turn against him (to be fair, [[{{jerkass}} he kinda deserves almost all of it]], especially after killing one of them). And then [[LoveInterest Kaori]] shows up during the second half, and suddenly Tetsuo doesn't seem ''so'' Satanic. [[AdaptationalHeroism While he's even less so in the movie]], this is still established by having Kaori as his girlfriend from the start, and Kaneda not giving up on him just yet, even when they face off.
26	* ''Anime/CrossAnge'' has [[ArcVillain Prince Julio]]. His younger sister Ange gets mad at Embryo for killing him, despite all the terrible things Julio has done - including trying to hang Ange. Probably because Embryo [[EvilerThanThou ended up being even worse than him]].
27	* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Light is adored by Misa, though this is arguably part of a VillainousFriendship. Otherwise, his family love him dearly (though they don't know he is Kira).
28	* ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly''
29	** Despite being [[AbusiveParents an abusive father]], the new version of Broly deeply cares about Paragus, [[spoiler:and flies into an UnstoppableRage when he's killed]]. Tragically, Paragus did truly love his son in the past, but after getting stranded on [[DeathWorld Vampa]] became an angry, bitter man. Throughout the film, Paragus' desire for revenge conflicts with his desire to keep Broly alive, and he goes back and forth from demanding his son fight harder, to worry for Broly's safety.
30	** [[GalacticConqueror Frieza]] of all people is revealed to have a warm relationship with his nanny and [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas implied mother figure]] Berryblue, who's the only person that he has no problems with teasing him about and bringing up his insecurities. She's shown to be fond of her master, and in turn she's the closest anyone has come to Frieza caring about them.
31	* The title character's mission in ''Manga/{{Enma}}'' (no, not Anime/HellGirl) mission is to punish evildoers across time and space by ''pulling out their entire skeleton'', minus as many bones as there were people who still loved them. One tyrant who was working thousands of slaves to death building the TowerOfBabel had a single finger bone left when it turned out [[spoiler:he was still loved by his son, for whose sake he built that tower in the first place]].
32	* Dewey Novak, the BigBad of ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', is hands-down the most evil and unsympathetic character in the entire series, yet Holland, who's [[CainAndAbel both his brother and his nemesis]], still loves him because they were family. [[spoiler:When Dewey dies, Holland is one of the only non-villainous characters who mourns him and laments his madness.]]
33	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Makarov loves, or at the very least still has faith in, his wayward son Ivan (who he exiled from the guild for recklessly endangering his comrades) and his grandson Laxus (who he banished for similar reasons, though only in the latter case do we see him break down in tears over it). The difference is that Laxus [[HeelRealization sees the error in his ways]] and returns those feelings, while Ivan [[ShutUpKirk seems to find the idea that Makarov has faith in him disgusting]], a fact Laxus calls his old man out on.
34	-->'''Laxus''': Hurts, huh? After everything you've done, the old geezer still managed to have a little faith in you...'cause you're his son.
35	* ''Manga/HonooNoAlpenRose'': Count Georges de Garmont is a French Nazi collaborator and an ebhibophile (being attracted to 13-year-old Jeudi), but in spite of this his wife Françoise still loves him. She expresses envy at little Jeudi for being able to stand up to him, being too scared to do so herself, (and even helps her escape the Count's clutches), but never leaves his side, even though she acknowledges that he's a horrible, toxic ManipulativeBastard. She has loved him since they were children and never stopped loving him even when he had eyes for other women, [[spoiler: and [[DrivenToSuicide dies]] [[AteHisGun happily]] after he affirms his love for her.]]
36	* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
37	** The NobleTopEnforcer Fate Testarossa in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' genuinely loves her insane and abusive mother and believes she can still redeem her despite everyone -- from her own familiar to her new best friend and the SpacePolice -- telling her otherwise. Even ten years later, she keeps a picture of her right next to one of her [[HappilyAdopted adoptive family]].
38	** In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', the only thing that prevents the MadScientist Jail Scaglietti from being completely evil is that all twelve of his [[RobotGirl Combat Cyborgs]] -- even the ones who question and eventually reject his evil plans -- view him as a loving father (and he returns their affection).
39	* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Even with his abandonment and stubborn nature, it's shown that Kanna cares deeply about her father and wants to have a more healthy relationship with him. Just anything else but the status-quo might do, but the guy is immovable.
40	* William of ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' is a serial mass murderer, and his subordinates' deep and boundless affection for him nearly ruins his entire plan. One of his brothers loves him so much he agrees to care for the entire world in William's absence, and the other loves him so much he goes to prison to attempt to spare his reputation. Even Sherlock Holmes, William's greatest rival and antagonist, cares for William so much he [[spoiler:jumps off the Tower Bridge after him hoping to save his life]].
41	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Despite all the terrible crimes he's committed as Dabi and the fact that he seeks to destroy their family in the name of revenge, [[spoiler:none of the Todorokis can move past their love for him, still viewing him as his previous identity of Toya Todoroki. Ultimately, despite the many issues they still need to work through, they come together in order to ''save'' Toya, not stop him]].
42	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
43	** While he is ultimately redeemed at the end of the series, for the time Sasuke spent as the villain rival to Naruto, his former teammates still cared about him and were devoted to bringing him back home.
44	** This is also the case for Orochimaru but rather than his former teammates, it was his former teacher that still cared for him and wished things would have turned out differently for his student instead of having to fight him to protect everyone else he cared about.
45	* ''VideoGame/TribeNine'': This trope is Kazuki's motivation for everything he does in the series -- he still values [[spoiler:his friendship with [[TheDragon Ojiro]], and wishes to save him from himself. This persistence pays off in the finale, where the non-fatal HeroicSacrifice he performs ends up triggering Ojiro's HeelFaceTurn]].
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Comic Books]]
49	* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': Baron Zemo, the original NaziNobleman version, was married at the start of the war. His wife remained devoted to him even after the unfortunate incident with Adhesive X, so clearly she wasn't interested in him for his money or his looks. Naturally, her death via falling rubble was just another reason for Heinrich and Helmut to want to kill Captain America.
50	* ''ComicBook/DarkTimes'': Jennir killing [[ChildEater Dezono Qua]] causes him to have a bounty placed on his head by the man's vengeful family, despite the fact that Qua was a murderous cannibal scumbag.
51	* The first recounting of the origins of Marvel Comics' ComicBook/DoctorDoom is told by Boris, the faithful servant of the Von Doom family who served as surrogate father to young Victor Von Doom after his family was slain by an arrogant aristocrat. Boris sees Doom as the champion of Baltic gypsies, after turning medieval Latveria into a showpiece of Europe. Latverians are shown heartily supporting Doom as well.
52	* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Despite being a vile, abusive monster, Brian Banner noted Rebecca did love him at first, an impossible thing to a man who'd grown up in an abusive household himself. Brian's descent into alcoholism and abuse, and then actual ''murder'' put the kibosh on that one. However, in ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'' Brian mentions Rebecca's shade (or possibly an echo of her) occasionally visits him in the Below Place, even if she never says anything.
53	* ''ComicBook/NewGods'':
54	** ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, the self-proclaimed GodOfEvil and the AnthropomorphicPersonification of Tyranny, once loved a good woman named Sulli and was loved in return. Darkseid's evil mother Heggra had Sulli poisoned so she couldn't soften him up, and any good in him died with her. Their son Kalibak [[WellDoneSonGuy lives for Darkseid's approval]], [[TheUnFavourite but Darkseid is dismissive of]] [[AbusiveParents and abusive towards him]]. The fact he's all that he has left of Sulli is why he always keeps him around.
55	** As much of an EvilMatriarch that Heggra was, her husband and even worse GodOfEvil Yuga Khan loved her. When Yuga Khan escapes from the Source Wall, he angrily berates Desaad for having poisoned her and vaporizes Desaad despite his pleas that [[{{Matricide}} Darkseid]] made him do it, and he was JustFollowingOrders.
56	* During DC's ''One Year Later'' event, several minor ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villains were killed off, one of them a mutated biologist named Orca. During the storyline, it's revealed that Orca was married to a normal human, who's interviewed by the police regarding the circumstances around her death. While a little humor is taken from the relationship (the man remarking that he had a thing for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orca_batman.jpg big women]]), the pain of loss is treated seriously.
57	* ''[[Characters/SupermanSuperboyPrime Superboy Prime]] '' : {{Averted\|Trope}}. When Superboy-Prime finally comes home, he is shocked to discover that his parents and girlfriend read "ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis," "ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar," "ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis", and "ComicBook/FinalCrisis" - "ComicBook/LegionOfThreeWorlds", and are now terrified of him. It is implied that he killed Laurie Lemmon, and his parents let him live with them out of fear. While he becomes more possessive and controlling of his parents, he still wants them to love him. However, it is clear that all the love they had for him has been replaced by fear. This is best shown in Adventure Comics #4 when Superboy-Prime demands that his parents take him to Jet's Comics, as it is a matter of life and death. They do as he commands, and along the way, his father, Jerry Kent, begs Prime not to hurt them. Prime asks why in the world they would think that he would hurt them. His father points out what he had done to Laurie, to which Prime responds that he had done it because she didn't like him anymore. Prime then asks Naomi, his mother, if she loves him, to which she replies that she is terrified of him. Upon arriving at Jet's Comics, Prime tells Naomi he loves her, apparently ignoring her previous comment. When Prime leaves the car, Naomi tells Jerry to drive away to anywhere. Jerry refuses, pointing out that he would just find them like he did last time. This was ultimately averted in his final appearance when he was sent home and had his girlfriend was happy to see him, with it being implied that his home world has been reset with his previous actions being unknown to his girlfriend, meaning it's likely that his parents have forgotten about his previous actions also and love him like they previously did before.
58	* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': {{Deconstruction}} as this trope causes nothing but grief for Roy and Lian Harper because of [[PsychoForHire Cheshire]], Roy's ex-girlfriend and Lian's mom. Roy fell in love with Cheshire while he was investigating her for the C.B.I., leaving her because he couldn't bring himself to turn her in. Neither of them knew at the time she was pregnant with their daughter. Roy and Lian both love Cheshire to varying degrees, but it's a very strained type of love because she's an unrepentant psychopath and responsible for [[NukeEm destroying an entire country with a nuclear weapon]] [[ForTheEvulz because she felt like it]]. So they know Cheshire's a horrible person, but she's still Lian's mom and Roy doesn't want Lian to endure having a mother who'll spend the rest of her life locked away in prison (though father and daughter both know she deserves it). The worst part is the mounting evidence Cheshire doesn't love ''either'' of them and manipulates their emotions to keep them under her control.
59	* In ''ComicBook/TheUmbrellaAcademy'', most of the siblings who fight [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Vanya]] take the opportunity to insult her...Except for Diego, who insists until the end that he loves her and he's sure she doesn't ''really'' want to do what she is doing.
60	* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Hypnota's twin sister still loves them even though they've turned to using their mental powers to brainwash people into subservient slaves and sell them to the Empire of Saturn to help the Empire prepare for their invasion of Earth. It doesn't help that the brain damage and paranoia that turned Hypnota villainous were caused by their sister accidentally shooting them in the head, which Hypnota does not believe was an accident.
61	* There have been a few ''ComicBook/XMen'' stories in which a young ComicBook/KittyPryde gets to know ComicBook/{{Magneto}} a bit better and humanizes him as a result, during the time period in which he tries to serve as headmaster to the Xavier school in respect of Charles' last wishes.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Fan Works]]
65	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3822327/6/A-Friend-Indeed A Friend Indeed]]'':
66	-->'''Harry:''' Yes, I helped to rid the world of evil, but even evil people have families and friends who did nothing wrong, people who will miss those who died yesterday when all the Death Eaters died. Those are the ones I'm concerned about.
67	* ''Fanfic/GrowingUpImpish'': George's little sister Micole is the WhiteSheep of her family, and loves her brother dearly... making it all the worse when she's forced to accept that he's BeyondRedemption and simply ''will not stop'' trying to "reclaim" [[EntitledToHaveYou his ex-boyfriend Moxxie]].
68	* ''Fanfic/HeNeverToldYou'': In spite of Simon murdering Tuba, mistreating Hazel, becoming insane and trying to kill Grace, and even still trying to kill her after she saved his life, Grace was still horrified and heartbroken by his death. The reason Grace seeks out The Cat to talk with her was because she is the only other person on the train that would care about his death.
69	* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'': While Yeardley Lobelia is a misogynist bully in the story, it would be extreme to call him evil. Rather he an unpleasant bully taking out his issue on someone else. His little sister still cares about him deeply, calling Ash to ask if her brother is a bad guy after he locks himself in his room to cry. However, his sister appears to be in the dark about his bad behavior. After the trial, where his little sister learns of his treatment of Chloe, she becomes scared that he'll start harming her because she's a girl and refuses to hold his hand. However, when Yeardley was taken hostage with Class 5-E, his little sister shows that she still very most loves him, and he regains her trust when Yeardley sacrifices himself to save her from Ms. Turner.
70	* In ''Fanfic/KaraOfRokyn'', ComicBook/LexLuthor's family mourns his death, even though he had just attempted to murder them on the grounds of "betraying him" (i. e., not supporting his murderous goals), and his wife Ardora remembers that he used his scientific acumen to improve her subjects' lives before he let his hatred towards Franchise/{{Superman}} consume him again.
71	* ''Fanfic/MastermindRiseOfAnarchy'': Whilst acknowledging that both of them are members of the League of Villains, [[spoiler:Rei Todoroki]] is fully supportive of [[spoiler:Touya and Shouto, her two sons]], due to them finding a supportive family within the League. Rei also [[LampshadeHanging acknowledges how crazy she sounds]].
72	* The ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204761 Nightmares]]'' deconstructs the AssholeVictim archetype [[spoiler:Justice Wargrave]] was looking for. After [[SparedByTheAdaptation Vera and Lombard escape the island]], they learn that ''everyone'' who was on the island had someone who cared about them and [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes vice-versa]], be it a girlfriend (Marston), a son (the Rogers), close friends (General Macarthur), or an older person they were providing for (Armstrong and Blore).
73	* In the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' one-shot ''[[https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10754023/1/ No Need for School Day]]'', Mayuka builds a headstone for her "mother"(creator) Yuzuha at the Masaki shrine and visits it every day, despite knowing that Yuzuha was a hateful, jealous, bitter demoness who [[AbusiveParent treated her horribly]].
74	* In the ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/34938136/chapters/91170232 The Queen's Sins]]'', the Proper Human History version of Morgan was a ruthless woman that plotted to take the throne away from her sister Artoria, and she is willing to fight her own children for siding against her. Her sons Agravain and Gaheris loathe her, while Gawain and Mordred want nothing to do with her. Despite all this, her daughter Gareth still sees Morgan as her mother that loved her. Gareth admits to Barghest that part of the reason she wants to help Lostbelt Morgan is because its the closest chance she has to speaking with her version of her mother.
75	* ''Fanfic/TemporalAnomaly'': This is the reason why One couldn't bring herself to kill the rest of the Intoners (sans Zero); despite how clearly they've been SlowlySlippingIntoEvil and causing all sorts of havoc, she loved her sisters too much to put them down herself and had to rely on Zero to do the job.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
79	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': The Prowler is a ruthless enforcer for [[BigBad Kingpin]], but he has [[spoiler:Miles, a nephew who loves him and looks up to him, and a brother who, in spite of their estrangement, still wishes him well. Even after [[BrokenPedestal Miles finds out the truth]], he's still utterly devastated by his death, especially since he died [[HeelFaceDoorSlam because he]] [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes refused to kill him]]. Likewise, his brother finds his corpse in an alley, still in full supervillain costume, and begins crying. The epilogue shows Miles and his father painting a memorial mural for him, with the words, "Rest in Power," showing that despite becoming aware of his worst acts, they still love him very much]].
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
83	* In the 1966 ''Film/BatmanTheMovie'', the Penguin uses a dehydration machine to temporarily turn a group of minions into powder (so as to be rehydrated later to attack Batman). As the powdered remains are collected for transport, the Penguin takes pains to tell his mooks to be careful because "every one of them has a mother" (which actually makes their later implied deaths during a later fight scene a little disturbing).
84	* Vogel, the Nazi war criminal in ''Film/TheDebt'', is married to a nurse at his office, who is horrified when told that her husband has had a heart attack.
85	* ''Film/FallingDown'': When the gangbangers' car crashes and they are killed or injured, their friend Angie (who is implied to be the girlfriend of one of them) races up to the scene, crying.
86	* In ''Film/TheFly1986'', Seth's unwitting SlowTransformation into a HalfHumanHybrid after a TeleporterAccident involves a SplitPersonalityTakeover and initially manifests itself in ways that give him a DrunkWithPower feeling. As a result, he grows increasingly selfish and nasty towards his lover Veronica, especially once she starts pointing out that he didn't act this way ''before'' he teleported himself so his invention ''must'' have had something to do with it, and finally tosses her (almost literally) out of her apartment. However, her love for him never flags because she knows that he's ''sick''. When he finally reestablishes contact with her after a month, having realized what's actually happening to him and reclaimed his better self, she becomes a faithful LivingEmotionalCrutch to him even though he's now TheGrotesque -- until he sends her away because he knows that his mind will eventually fully succumb to the instincts of an insect and he ''will'' be dangerous to her. Alas, he learns afterward that she's pregnant and doesn't intend to keep the child, and [[spoiler:goes on to kidnap her before she can have an abortion, and maims her ex-lover when he comes to rescue her]]. Even then she still sees good in him and wants to help him with his last-ditch plan to save himself. [[spoiler:Too bad it involves Romantic Fusion.]] In the end, [[spoiler:after she's rescued from this fate while Seth is turned into a twisted Clipped-Wing Angel for his trouble, she's ''still'' reluctant to fulfill his request to end his misery by blowing his head off with a shotgun. But she does]].
87	* Downplayed with Padmé in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequels, who is the only one still believing in Anakin's inherent goodness after his fall to TheDarkSide -- too bad she doesn't stick around to influence the Rebels, and the only person she expresses her belief to (Obi-Wan) already views Anakin as irredeemable. Luke from the original trilogy also counts, as his desire to redeem him in Episode VI stems from his newfound knowledge that they're father and child, as well as Anakin's past as a heroic Jedi, and falls under an IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight.
88	** In the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren (formerly Ben Solo) is still deeply loved by his parents Han and Leia, and Han even [[spoiler:gives his life trying to reach out to his son.]] In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', his uncle Luke encourages Leia not to give up on him, and even [[TheHero Rey]] grows to empathize and care for him, to the point that she actively tries to reach out and encourage the light she still senses in him.
89	* Loki in ''Film/{{Thor}}''. Despite everything that happened with his brother Thor, his parents and his friends still love and care for him. It's eventually a combination of his parents forgiveness and, in a subversion, Thor deciding that even though he still loves his brother Loki is probably never going to stop trying to betray him, that actually makes him complete his HeelFaceTurn in ''Film/ThorRagnarok''.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Literature]]
93	!!!By Author:
94	* The western novels of William Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone show this quite often. Quite a few HateSink outlaws and killers have brothers, parents, or cousins who hold them in high regard and generally come looking for revenge. Pete [=McLaren=] in ''Those Jensen Boys: Twelve Dead Men'' is a good example. He's a murderous YoungGun with practically no regard for anyone around him. Nonetheless, the local HookerWithAHeartOfGold thinks the world of him and Pete's execution for murder sends his outlaw brother on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
95
96	!!!By Title:
97	* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Torak is an evil god who seeks to rule the world through a religion that practices human sacrifice. But even after everything he's done, his father UL still loves him. So do his brothers, Aldur and the other gods, and his "mother", the Universe, for that matter. [[spoiler:When Torak dies, all lights in the universe briefly go out, and then UL and the other gods sadly gather around him to mourn his death and bring his body to a proper place to bury him.]] It's eventually revealed that he wasn't always like that.
98	* ''Literature/TheBloodGuard'': Even despite his father being a member of an organization that plans to end the world and having tried to kill him several times, Ronan still cares about his father and is heartbroken when he commits suicide.
99	* ''Literature/MercyThompson'' features [[spoiler:[[KillerCop Les Heuter]]]] and his father, senator [[spoiler:Benedict Heuter]]. [[spoiler:Les]] is a scumbag SerialKiller and SerialRapist who preys on innocent people and is thoroughly guiltless over his crimes and there isn't any indication that [[spoiler:Les]] cares about his father. Yet, his father still genuinely loves him enough to help him try and get away with said crimes via good lawyers and had a [[spoiler:breakdown after he was killed]].
100	* In the ''Literature/OctoberDaye'' novel, ''An Artificial Night'' after October [[spoiler:kills]] [[BigBad Blind Michael]], both his wife, Acacia and youngest daughter [[spoiler:mourn his death]] at least briefly. He was abusive to both of them and they both agree that [[spoiler:he had it coming]] but they still remember the years before his descent into evil and will always remember those memories even if he wasn't like that anymore.
101	* Aldo Rakan from ''Literature/ReflectionsOfEterna'' starts off a relatively likable individual but soon reveals himself as a [[JerkAss utterly repulsive]] and [[UnfitForGreatness power-hungry]] bastard who single-handedly brings about more evil and harm than any other villain in the series. Only his BestFriend Robert and his grandmother Mathilda, both fundamentally decent and honorable people, seem to harbor any sort of good will towards him at that point, despite realizing how morally bankrupt the guy has become.
102	* In the ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' novel ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'', the escaped SerialKiller Selden is still loved by his older sister Elisa. Upon seeing Elisa's completely heartbroken reaction after Selden is accidentally killed by the Hound, Watson comments, [[LampshadeHanging "Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him."]] Although Watson doesn't make the connection explicit, this tells us something about the villain of the novel, whose death at the end is mourned by nobody; the one woman who might have been expected to mourn him seems positively glad he's gone [[spoiler:and in fact helped to bring about his death]].
103	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
104	** Tywin Lannister is a grim, cold man responsible for widespread death and destruction throughout the series. In spite of that though, he's still loved by both [[NobleTopEnforcer his brother, Kevan]], and his sister, Genna. Tyrion -- his son who despises him -- has a very sobering moment when he realizes that the man who has abused him all his life is as beloved by his brother as much as Tyrion loves his own brother, Jaime. In Genna's case, Tywin was apparently a protective brother.
105	** Stannis Baratheon is another grim, cold man. The readers see him most often through the eyes of Davos, who is a good guy, and ''fiercely'' loyal to Stannis. Davos is a reformed criminal, who was granted a respectable position in the service of Stannis. Stannis seems to respect him, despite his shady past and lowly origins. Davos is willing to overlook many of Stannis' genuine faults in gratitude for this respect.
106	* Subverted in ''Literature/WingsOfFire''. Darkstalker only appears lovable to his girlfriend because he's been brainwashing her to ignore his manipulations and abuse. The future- true- version of him is exactly as sadistic in daily life as you would expect of a genocidal torturer.
107	* The final book of ''Literature/TheZodiacSeries'', ''Thirteen Rising'', reveals that [[spoiler:[[AntiVillain Ophiuchus]] and [[BigBad Aquarius]] were romantically involved before the former's initial death. In the present day, Aquarius, while [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned]], also destroys ''several'' planets, [[TheChessmaster manipulates everyone for his own ends]], and is willing to [[HumanSacrifice kill Ophiuchus]] ''[[HumanSacrifice again]]'' [[HumanSacrifice to open the portal to Earth]] (which he is well aware of)...and yet Ophiuchus still loves him, enough to outright lie about his identity to protect him even after [[HeelFaceTurn changing sides]].]]
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
111	* The page quote from ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow'' is about PsychopathicManchild, Dandy Mott. Throughout the season, he's shown to be a modern version of being RoyallyScrewedUp, which contributes to him becoming an AxCrazy murderer. Yet despite it all, his mother Gloria loves him, murderous intents and all. She even goes so far as to [[AccompliceByInaction instead of doing a thing about his murders,]] cover them up. [[spoiler:Tragically, his mother's love wasn't enough to stop him from [[{{Matricide}} killing her]].]]
112	* In ''Series/{{Angel}}'', the title character clearly cares deeply about Darla, who is evil for most of her time on the show. While [[TheSociopath Angelus]] didn't seem capable of loving her while he was evil, Angel continually tries to help and support Darla when she's human again and later when she's pregnant. He is distraught when she is bitten by Drusilla and when she stakes herself to "give birth" to their son (despite being soulless during the latter event).
113	* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', a still-entirely-soulless Spike was partially humanized in season 5 by Dawn developing first a crush on him and then a [[BigBrotherInstinct brotherly]] OddFriendship with him when she realizes he's smitten with her big sister. She frequently affirms that she thinks he's cool, is generally the only Scooby who openly likes his company, and is horrified when he is severely injured and tortured by the season BigBad in order to protect her. This demonstration of his NobleDemon side also helps plant the seeds for this trope in his relationship with Buffy, as she sees how loyal and dedicated he really is for someone he cares about and starts treating him with a degree of trust and respect despite knowing that he's still a monster.
114	* In the third season finale of ''Series/TheFlash2014'', [[BigBad Savitar]]/[[spoiler:Future Flash]] is shocked to realize that even after all he's done, [[spoiler:Iris is still willing to support and be there for him as long as he comes back to Team Flash, even touching his face not an hour after he tried to kill her. However, he ultimately decides that he can't stand to live in a world where Iris and his past self will live happily together when ''he'' couldn't get Iris in the future, and so decides to splice himself across time and space.]]
115	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': [[Characters/GameOfThronesJoffreyBaratheon Joffrey Baratheon]] mother [[Characters/GameOfThronesCerseiLannister Cersei Lannister]] genuinely loves him despite all his horrid behavior, as she admits in "Mhysa", in one of her rare sympathetic moments:
116	-->'''Tyrion:''' You have children. How happy would you say you are?\
117	'''Cersei:''' Not very. But if it weren't for my children, I would have thrown myself from the highest tower in the Red Keep. They're the reason I'm alive.\
118	'''Tyrion:''' Even [[TeensAreMonsters Joffrey]]?\
119	'''Cersei:''' Even Joffrey. He was all I had once, before Myrcella was born. I used to spend hours looking at him. His wisps of hair. His tiny hands and feet. [[UsedToBeASweetKid He was such a jolly little fellow.]] You always hear the terrible ones were terrible babies. "We should have known. Even then, we should have known." It's nonsense. Whenever he was with me, he was happy. And no one can take that away from me. Not even Joffrey. How it feels to have someone. Someone of your own.
120	* The ''Series/MidsomerMurders'' episode "The House in the Woods" is driven by this trope. A murderer is shielded by his twin brother, who bitterly complains that the murderer was "born wrong" and can't help being what he is. [[spoiler:He even [[TakingTheHeat Took The Heat]] and served his brother's prison sentence for killing a police officer, then [[ExtremeDoormat doesn't defend himself]] against further murder charges that his brother [[FrameUp frames him for]]. For his pains, the murderer tries to garrote him as soon as he stops being a useful scapegoat.]]
121	* In ''Series/{{Narcos}}'', [[BigBad Pablo Escobar]] is sincerely loved by his family. And at first [[VillainWithGoodPublicity he]] is also loved by many poor Colombians for his generosity and various charitable deeds.
122	* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', this trope is instrumental in Ziva's HeWhoFightsMonsters breakdown and subsequent departure from NCIS. At the start of her time on the series, she assassinated her brother, Ari, after he had gone rogue and joined a terrorist organization. Eight years later, she returns to Israel and runs into Ari's fiance, who still sees him as the boy next door she loved, and holds resentment towards Ziva. Dina reminds Ziva of Ari's humanity, and Ziva is hit with the FridgeHorror that everyone she has ever assassinated working with Mossad and NCIS was loved by someone. And reminds her that ''she'' loved Ari, as her brother, once upon a time. No amount of insistence from Tony that she was right to take him out, because he wouldn't have stopped hurting people, is enough to pull her out of her HeroicBSoD, and she decides to leave law enforcement and discover who she was before being turned into a TykeBomb by her father.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Religion]]
126	* Literature/TheBible:
127	** In the Biblical ''Literature/BookOfJudges'', the Song of Deborah has an interesting example when, amidst celebrating the evil general Sisera's defeat and death, Deborah imagines Sisera's mother anxiously waiting for her son to return from battle. The contrast is reversed again when someone consoles Sisera's mother that her son is probably just late because of [[DeliberateValuesDissonance all the Israelite women he and his men are raping]].
128	** The Literature/BookOfRomans plays it more straight by saying this is true of {{God}}'s love for sinful people: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
129	** And, of course, [[Literature/TheFourGospels the Book of John]] famously contains this verse, about how much God loves ''everyone'', both good and bad:
130	---> '''John 3:16''': "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
134	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', the Abyssal Exalted are the earthly vessels of undead {{Eldritch Abomination}}s' SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum, granted power through the trapped, debased essence of Solar Exaltations -- except each has a Lunar Exalted somewhere in the world who is the bonded mate of the Solar Exalted they were ''supposed'' to be, and whose love is one of the few positive things that they can experience free from their masters' corruption.
135	* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' has this as an optional mechanic: a vampire in regular contact with a human who genuinely loves them can more easily resist the SanitySlippage and occasional UnstoppableRage that the {{Damaged Soul}}s of the undead are susceptible to. Those humans usually aren't aware that some vampires are mentally incapable of [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes reciprocating]].
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Theater]]
139	* ''Theatre/KingLear'': When Edmund realizes that both Goneril and Regan loved him (or at least as close to love as they could get), he resolves to save Cordelia's life. Unfortunately, her death already happened.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Video Games]]
143	* In ''VideoGame/AlfredHitchcockVertigo'', John Miller was a [[AbusiveParents violent father who unleashed his own self-esteem issues on his son Eddie]] and he also killed his wife and her daughter after learning that she cheated on him and planned to divorce him to get with her new lover, and then [[MurderSuicide killed himself]]. Eddie, sole survivor of his family was taken into custody by his aunt, John's sister Claire whom in spite of everything John did, still loved him and insist that he used to be a better person who got "lost". She brainwashed Ed by convincing him that John was a loving father and that his wife's death was an accident [[VillainWithGoodPublicity so he could keep a good memory of him]].
144	* In the ''VideoGame/DivineDivinity'' series:
145	** In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'', Icara [[spoiler:the White Witch]] reveals to the Source Hunters that the game's apparent BigBad, the Conduit, is her own estranged sister [[spoiler:Leandra]]. Icara blames herself for the Conduit's StartOfDarkness and begs the Source Hunters to find the means of restoring their long-severed PsychicLink so she can attempt to redeem her.
146	** ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': [[TheHeavy Dallis]]'s second in command, White Magister Reimond, is a PsychoSupporter, a vicious racist, and a literally frothing-at-the-mouth {{Sadist}}, but his cousin thinks he's a stand-up fellow and offers to refer the player character for a job. Her young son, however, wants nothing to do with Reimond.
147	* ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'': The player character can fall in love with [[spoiler:Solas]], who is later revealed to be the GreaterScopeVillain responsible for not just the events of the game, but almost every problem plaguing the world of Thedas (albeit unintentionally in both cases). In the DLC story, ''Trespasser'', he reveals that he [[spoiler:plans to lead an army of Elven rebels to destroy the Fade which he himself created, even though he knows that this will kill most non-Elves.]] The PlayerCharacter can choose to say that she still loves him and wants to save him from himself, or she can even offer to throw away everything she believes to join him.
148	* ''VideoGame/DyztopiaPostHumanRPG'':
149	** Deconstructed. At the end of Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Chase admits that she feels some sadness over her mother Morgalia's death, but also wonders if Morgalia's abusive parenting instilled a feeling of Stockholm Syndrome in her]].
150	** If Fredek's sync is maxed out, he'll state that [[spoiler:he wished he kept Clyde from going off the deep end, showing that he misses their old friendship]].
151	* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' DLC "Dawnguard", Serana the FriendlyNeighbourhoodVampire does her best to humanize her father, the omnicidal vampire lord Harkon. Her tragedy is that even she realizes that the parent she had once loved has long been consumed by his hunger for power, and there is ultimately no way of redeeming him.
152	* In ''VideoGame/FableI'', the Hero can be a CardCarryingVillain with HornsOfVillainy and a miasma of flies, but if he marries a villager and doesn't mistreat them, they'll be vocally "thrilled with [their] man from the Guild", even while the neighbours run screaming from the sight of him.
153	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', [[AChildShallLeadThem Larsa]] genuinely loves his older brother [[BigBad Vayne]], even after he becomes a BrokenPedestal. [[spoiler: This makes it especially poignant when Larsa finally turns on Vayne in the end, sword shaking in his hand.]] Likewise, [[KnightInShiningArmor Basch]] genuinely loves his EvilTwin [[TheDragon Gabranth]], despite the fact that Gabranth framed him as TheKingslayer and locked him in a dungeon to be subjected to two years of ColdBloodedTorture, to the point where he [[spoiler: takes on Gabranth's identity after Gabranth dies in order to protect Larsa]]. (Basch is just that [[IdealHero good]], and also [[FailureKnight that]] [[MyGreatestFailure lacking in]] [[GuiltComplex self-esteem]].)
154	* ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'': In the third game, Eternal Lovers, even after discovering that Wein was a Valfasq and was only manipulating her for his own ends, Lushati can't help but cry for him after he sacrifices himself for her sake. It's heavily implied that [[BecomingTheMask Wein too developed genuine affection for her during the time he pretended to be her brother]], leading him to disobey his superiors when they ordered her execution.
155	* ''VideoGame/HeroKingQuestPeacemakerPrologue'': When the party opens up Princess Spidervenom's prison, the latter admits that she held out hope that her mother would have a change of heart and save her. Unfortunately, Dark Lord Spidergland is a selfish ruler who has no intention of saving her daughter, since she has the potential to take the throne.
156	* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuest2015'', Hagetha's nature as an AntiVillain is cemented by the reveal that [[spoiler:she was the original princess locked away in the tower, waiting for someone to rescue her. As time passed, nobody came for her, her looks faded and overuse of potions to maintain her beauty turned her into a hagged reptilian creature, so in her desperation Hagetha began tricking other princesses into getting trapped in the tower with her in the hopes that someone would come to rescue them all. Graham is able to redeem her by sympathising with her plight and using his love for her to break the spell trapping her there.]]
157	* Morinth from ''{{VideoGame/Mass Effect 2}}'' is an Ardat-Yakshi, an [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe asari]] with a rare genetic defect that means they kill their mates when they meld minds with them. Rather than spend her life cloistered away with the rest of her kind, Morinth fled across the galaxy and became an unrepentant SerialKiller. She grew addicted to the rush of killing, and each melding made her stronger. She was so bad that her own mother, Samara, became a [[KnightTemplar justicar]] and dedicated her life to finding and killing her. Yet when Samara finally does kill Morinth, she mourns her death, grieving that she was forced to kill the "bravest and smartest" of her daughters.
158	* Several times in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'', it's possible to find e-mails to enemies from loved ones (a group of terrorists being asked by their loved ones just what the hell's made them desert LaResistance, mooks trying to compose e-mails to their buddies they left behind when they got exiled, a krogan henchman being told his old boss is perfectly willing to give him his job back if he stops working for an AxCrazy asari). Usually, these e-mails are found ''after'' Ryder has killed them.
159	* In ''VideoGame/Mother3'' Fassad is a traitorous jerk who [[KickTheDog frequently abuses the captured monkey]] Salsa to do his bidding and enforces TheEmpire's tyranny. After Fassad's death, the player's can find his house in which a mouse is residing. The mouse says the man who lived in the house may have been hated by most people, but was a very dear friend who cared for him and states he's anxiously waiting his friend's return (unknowing of Fassad's death). Itoi says he added this to show everyone, no matter how awful, is loved by someone.
160	* [[TheHeavy Sho]] from ''{{VideoGame/Persona 4 Arena Ultimax}}'''s actions are partly motivated by wanting to [[AvengingTheVillain Avenge The Villain]], [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/Persona3 Shuji Ikutsuki, his adoptive father]],]] no matter how much he won't admit it. [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents Ikutsuki]]]], for his part, discarded him like trash after discovering Sho was useless for his purposes, and never once displays any sort of real affection for him.
161	--->'''Sho''': I already know that he was a goddamn bastard... so what!? It doesn't matter! He was all that I had in the world!
162	** Fortunately for Sho, ''he himself'' is also an example of this, as Minazuki, his other personality, clearly cares about him and wants to make him happy, to the point of wanting to PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery. But it took Yu/Labrys making a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech to get them to realize this. Yu and Labrys themselves go out of their way to try and [[SaveTheVillain get Sho to see reason]] after finding out his FreudianExcuse, and treat him with nothing but sympathy. It's all in service of the game's CentralTheme that no one is truly alone.
163	* [[BigBad Cyrus]] from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Platinum]]'' seems like a pretty cut-and-dry insufferable genius NietzscheWannabe. Until after you've finally defeated him, and you meet an old man who bemoans having not intervened in his brilliant grandson's childhood, instead simply standing by, silent, as the boy's parents pressured him into being absolutely perfect, demanding unrealistic expectations be met, and ultimately drove a once-happy child into a life of resentment and misanthropy. It's pretty obvious who the old man is talking about, [[CryForTheDevil and it is gut-wrenching to hear]].
164	** Later in ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'', Sophocles, implied to be similar to how Cyrus [[UsedToBeASweetKid was like as a child prior to his parents' abuse of him]], is able to befriend him. His young followers Saturn, Mars and Jupiter also show they care about him as a person and not just a leader, insisting that he engage with them honestly from now on. It's enough to even make Cynthia, Cyrus' greatest nemesis, decide that she shouldn't give up on trying to reach him and teach him the error of his ways.
165	* ''VideoGame/RaveHeart'': High King Arcturo Rave [[spoiler:is betrayed by his son Eryn, who has no problem letting Count Vorakia Estuuban perform dangerous experiments on him. Despite that, Arcturo simply apologizes to Eryn for failing him as a father. Ellemine also mourns Eryn when the latter dies from overdosing on elixir to power himself up]].
166	* The final mission of ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' involves [[KnightTemplar Edgar Ross]] being hunted down [[spoiler:by Jack Marston in revenge for him killing his father, John]]. During this mission, the player learns Ross' whereabouts by interrogating Ross' loving wife and his brother. Both of them end up showing off a slightly more humanizing side to Ross, that he never shows on his own, and even inadvertently reveal that he's similar to John in certain ways.
167	* ''VideoGame/SacredEarthAlternative'': In the flashback cutscenes, Konoe knows that she's hated by her sister and major antagonist, Kagura, but seeks to reconcile with her. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it's implied the reconciliation failed and Konoe's party had to kill her, leading to Konoe destroying the world in a mad attempt to bring Kagura and their family back.]]
168	* In ''VideoGame/Vampyr2018'', Seymour Fishburn is a sociopathic SerialKiller and one of the most despicable characters met in the game - he is one of the few potential victims whose death actually ''improves'' the district rather than make it worse - yet, the only people capable of loving him is his own mother Stella. Sadly, she is also deeply burdened by the fact he is a monster and is unable to turn him over to the police because he is still her son.
169	* ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' ends with Ichiban confronting the main antagonist Ryo Aoki [[spoiler:AKA, his former ward Masato Arakawa]] at [[spoiler:the coin lockers where their stories began]]. Aoki, having suffered a brutal HumiliationConga and undergoing a massive VillainousBreakdown bares his heart out to Ichiban as he laments that all the power he pursued meant nothing since he still feels as if no one truly cared for him as he prepares to blow his own brains out. Ichiban shoots back that Aoki was always surrounded by family who loved him unconditionally, [[spoiler:which includes Ichiban himself]], declaring that no matter how far he he fell they were always there for him, culminating in [[spoiler:him declaring that he still sees him as a brother and tearfully begging to not have to watch his own brother die]].
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
173	* In ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'', Dennis’s dad didn’t hate him; he just wanted to raise his son in is image of what a man should be. [[spoiler:He vows to avenge Dennis,]] and honors the protagonist’s request not to contact him or his friends ever again because of his (supposed) friendship with Dennis.
174	* Sibling example in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' with [[spoiler:Dahlia and Iris. Iris genuinely loves Dahlia, despite the fact that Dahlia is TheSociopath, that she more than once asked her to help in her criminal activities, and in the end only thought of her as a backstabber. Iris knows the kind of person Dahlia is (or rather, was, since was convicted for murder in the first case of the game and later executed before returning as a spirit in the final case) but pities her, wishing that their father had dropped the both of them off at Hazakura Temple when they were young instead of just Iris so Dahlia too would have found [[ParentalSubstitute a mother figure in Sister Bikini]] to replace their [[EvilMatriach power-hungry mother who never really loved them]]. She believes that if Dahlia had been treated with love growing up, she wouldn't have become so cruel, callous, and vindictive. She tells Phoenix that Dahlia was always strong, independent, and never once complained about her lot in life]].
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Web Comics]]
178	* Dark Pegasus is one of the principal villains in the ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' universe, having started a ZombieApocalypse to rule the world (which failed). Heroic Daniel Ti'Fiona was prepared to battle Dark Pegasus to the death, when his girlfriend Lorenda and her mother Kria intervened. Lorenda concedes that Dark Pegasus has an EvilPlan or two, but no more so than any other demon. Lorenda knows him as Uncle Aliph, a decent and honorable patriarch of the Soulstealer family.
179	* ''Webcomic/ImTheGrimReaper'': Liam never stops loving Ana, [[spoiler:not even after he finds out she'd killed her own son]].
180	** This could be interpreted as the case with Scarlet and Chase as well; despite being objectively terrible people, they're the most important people to each other.
181	* Elan in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has an exceptional amount of empathy for his evil twin brother Nale, despite Nale being an unrepentant CardCarryingVillain with almost no redeeming qualities who repeatedly threatens Elan's and his friends' lives. That they were SeparatedAtBirth, with Nale [[FreudianExcuse raised]] by their FauxAffablyEvil megalomaniac nutcase of a father, makes Elan question whether they would have grown up in each other's roles if their positions had been reversed (and he makes the connection about why growing up he'd sometimes find his mom alone in her room crying about a "lost nail"). [[spoiler:When Nale is murdered in front of him, Elan is devastated.]] In fact, Nale's ''only'' redeeming quality is his surprisingly sincere [[UnholyMatrimony relationship]] with the [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus Sabine]] who was originally sent to him to guide him into deeper evil, but genuinely fell in love with him. [[spoiler:When Nale is murdered, Sabine's reaction is ''unbridled vengeful fury!'']]
182	* Yug in ''JustForFun/TVTropesTheWebcomic'' does his best to convince JustForFun/{{Report\|Siht}} and the others that his brother Dab, the main antagonist of the Original Arc, is not beyond redemption and is still a good person inside. He is ultimately proven wrong, however.
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Western Animation]]
186	* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderPrincessAzula Azula]], despite all of her evil actions, was still loved by her mother Ursa. Azula continually tries to deny this, claiming Ursa only ever thought of her as a monster, but the subconscious knowledge that her mother really did love her in spite of her behavior winds up being a major factor in Azula's [[SanitySlippage descent into madness]]. In later comics, [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko]] is willing to try to make amends; but given Azula's mental state isn't stable enough to try to reciprocate, much less Zuko handling the issue very poorly the first time around; the two got driven further apart. Zuko comes to terms with the fact that Azula is hurting inside, and that he cannot change her, but it's his responsibility to be there for her when she's ready to get her life back together.
187	* Subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS1E13Ascension Ascension]]". BigBad Derek Powers' son Paxton initially seems concerned for his father's health and safety. Paxton later reveals that he purposely set up the protest by the Verdeza activists in order to expose his father as Blight. He then hired Batman to search for Blight pretending to plan to help him when he was actually intent on killing Blight and taking control of the company for himself.
188	** However, it's also played straight in a much more subtle way with Derek Powers' personal assistant, who is visibly upset at seeing her boss unhinged and in hiding. The comic book tie-in even had her become a supervillain, Vendetta, to take revenge for his fate.
189	* The ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode "[[Recap/DarkwingDuckS1E50TimeAndPunishment Time and Punishment]]" shows two examples, with varying results:
190	** Despite Darkwing having become [[KnightTemplar ruthless as a vigilante]] (to the point where he's all but directly stated to have a massive body count), Gosalyn still tries to reach and redeem him, believing that on some level he's still her father. [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes His love for her]] keeps ''her'' relatively safe (though he does throw her in prison after she pushes him a bit too hard), but doesn't much affect the way he treats others.
191	** To a somewhat lesser degree, Darkwarrior's version of [[HeterosexualLifePartners Launchpad]] still cares about him. He's clearly regretful that his former friend threw him out and when Darkwarrior softens upon seeing Gosalyn, he seems hopeful that things can go back to normal. However, he's (understandably) less trusting than Gosalyn that it's possible to reach whatever's left of Darkwing and knocks him out to protect her from him.
192	* Spildit is a more passive case in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone''. She doesn't so much defend the Urpneys as seem naive to the extent of their villainous actions, viewing them more as naughty playmates, and aiding them whenever they aren't up to no good, a stark contrast to the rest of the Land of Dreams, who abhor anything that serves Zordrak ([[NoSympathy willingly or not]]). Since Frizz and Nug are more recessive {{Slave Mook}}s, [[PragmaticVillainy they don't seem to bother Spildit's company]]. Sgt Blob however sometimes uses this to dupe Spildit into helping with schemes.
193	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAsamiSato Asami Sato]] understandably tries to disown [[EvilGenius her father, Hiroshi,]] after he is revealed as an Equalist and turns on her for siding with the Avatar, but deep down she still loves him because and is ultimately able to forgive him for his crimes. Tragically, however, she only fully admits this to herself just before [[spoiler:[[RedemptionEqualsDeath he dies saving her life]]]], leaving them unable to truly reconnect and make amends.
194	* Bat-Bat implores this of the Cow in the Bakshi ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse'' episode "Night of the Bat-Bat." The Cow acquiesces.
195	* Dr. Blowhole from ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' is a supervillain MadScientist, but he's [[spoiler:Doris's brother, and she seems to care for him enough to ask the Penguins to go on a mission to rescue him]]. Given how little they interact, it's left ambiguous if it's mutual or not, but he seems to care enough [[spoiler:to hide his villanous activities from his family]].
196	* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': [[spoiler:This trope leads to the defeat of [[BigBad Anti-Pops]]. Despite all the evil he's committed, deep down Pops still loves him because they're brothers and nothing will change that. Anti-Pops' powers are based entirely on destruction and misery, so [[GoodHurtsEvil positive emotions like kindness and love]] cause him to be BroughtDownToNormal. Thus, all it takes to destroy him forever is Pops hugging and reassuring him, followed by [[HeroicSacrifice hurling both himself and the weakened Anti-Pops]] [[HurlItIntoTheSun into a nearby star]].]]
197	* All over the place in ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''. Even the cases where both participants are in the Horde, generally one is either a MinionWithAnFInEvil or a TokenGoodTeammate. Most of them hit serious problems, [[spoiler:invariably because of Catra]].
198	** TheHero [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerAdora Adora]] still clearly cares about [[EvilFormerFriend Catra]], even as Catra continues down her spiral, continually offering her second chances even after Catra tries to kill her. [[spoiler:It's a major "oh shit" moment when Adora finally concludes that [[BeyondRedemption trying to redeem Catra is just wasting her time and dulling her edge]], and it takes Catra trying to end the world to push Adora that far, and even then Adora cannot bring herself to hate Catra and ultimately does love her in spite of everything. Adora understands that she cannot change Catra, but she will be there for her when she's ready to get her life together]].
199	** [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerCatra Catra]] is also the object of Scorpia's affections, although since Scorpia is kind of a pushover, she ultimately ends up as more of an enabler. [[spoiler:Catra burns this bridge too, when she backstabs Entrapta, has her thrown on a transport to Beast Island, and threatens Scorpia to keep her quiet about it; you can actually ''see'' Scorpia's heart being ripped out when it happens.]]
200	** TrueNeutral [[ForScience science nerd]] [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerEntrapta Entrapta]] (who's on the Horde's ''side'', but mostly indifferent to their actual plans) and BigBad [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerHordak Hordak]] become extremely close. Both characters show surprising vulnerability around each other in season 3. Hordak sees [[CrushFilter lights flash]] behind Entrapta when she talks about the beauty of imperfection (a sensitive topic for Hordak, being a [[CloneDegeneration flawed clone]]); Entrapta works the First One word for "loved" into an upgrade she makes to Hordak's life support armor. [[spoiler:Catra secretly has Entrapta exiled to Beast Island and lies to Hordak about it, telling him that Entrapta defected to the Princess Alliance. When Hordak discovers that this was a lie, he goes ''ballistic'' and attacks Catra with his arm cannon, destroying large swaths of the Fright Zone in the process.]]
201	* Mr. Burns in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a thoroughly irredeemable BadBoss and CorruptCorporateExecutive, whose only humanizing trait is that he has the UndyingLoyalty of his assistant Smithers.
202	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Characters/StevenUniversePinkDiamond Pink Diamond]] of the [[GreaterScopeVillain Diamond Authority]] is an unusual example of a villain humanized by the love of other villains and antagonists. While very little has been revealed as of this post, we DO know that [[LovedByAll her court adored her]], [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes her sister Diamonds loved her]], and even [[Characters/StevenUniverseRoseQuartz Rose Quartz]] ([[IDidWhatIHadToDo who shattered her]]) [[MyGreatestFailure shows deep regret for her actions]]. The writers give as much weight and legitimacy to her mourners' grief as they do for Rose's own loved ones, making this yet another [[EvilCounterpart point of contrast between the two]]. [[spoiler:{{Subverted\|Trope}} as she ''is'' the person everyone thinks shattered her and was GoodAllAlong (though her family and subjects don't know that).]]
203	* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': In Season 3, [[TheHero Rapunzel]] still clearly cares about [[spoiler:her ex-best friend Cassandra, even as Cassandra continues down her spiral, continually offering her second chances even after Cassandra tries to kill her]].
204	* Percy -- a blatantly good guy (if a sometimes misguided one) -- tends to have this sort of relationship with Diesel 10 and his QuirkyMinibossSquad in later episodes of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', while the other engines generally loathe them to the point of FantasticRacism. It only gets exploited in "Day Of The Diesels" though they show their gratitude when he helps out Sidney in "The Missing Christmas Tree Decorations".
205	* Flug from ''WesternAnimation/{{Villainous\|CartoonNetwork}}'' is a CardCarryingVillain and MadScientist who loves what he does, that being spreading mayhem and evil through his inventions, but his pride and joy is the [[MoralityPet genetically-engineered bear 5.0.5.]], who couldn't hurt a fly; he treats him with boundless kindness and dotes on him constantly, and 5.0.5. loves him just as much.
206	[[/folder]]

Context Main / EvenEvilCanBeLoved