Gru from 'Despicable Me' and 9 Other Movie Villains Who Had a Change of Heart

Universal Pictures

A frequent formula in most action-packed movies features the triumphant hero and an oh-so sneaky villain. We all know that good always defeats evil, but what happens when the bad guy has a change of heart?
Despicable Me’s Gru is the perfect example of a villain ditching his diabolical ways and opting for a new life filled with friendship and love. Aww, now isn’t that nice?! To celebrate Gru’s quest to stay sweet in the box-office hit Despicable Me 2, we’ve rounded up the top ten movie villains who realize that being good is totally badass.
1. Gru, Despicable Me


During his successful mission of snatching up the moon, Gru came to love his three adopted daughters and realized that he wanted to change his wicked ways and live a happy life with his new family.
2. T-800, Terminator 2
Having spent the entire first movie attempting to murder Sarah Connor, movie-goers witnessed a change of heart when the new T-800 Model Terminator had been re-designed to protect her son John.
3. Severus Snape, Harry Potter



It’s still hard to believe but our least favorite potions professor was actually a sweetheart all along! At every opportunity, Snape tried to protect Harry from Voldemort, he was just pretending to make his life a living hell. That’s so sweet of him!
4. Copper, The Fox and the Hound



Sure, Copper and Todd grew up as the best of friends, but when Copper grew up he was trained that hound dogs and foxes could never be friends. Luckily, Copper learned the error of his ways and protected his childhood pal just in time.
5. Ralph, Wreck-it-Ralph


Ralph realized that he didn’t want to just be the bad guy all the time — he even went to a support group for it. So in his quest for goodness, Ralph did the unthinkable: he left his game! By the end of the movie he realized that it’s alright to just be himself.
6. Diego, Ice Age


Sure, Diego started out as a villainous saber-tooth tiger hell-bent on back-stabbing his new friends, but by the end of the movie he ends up saving everyone. He even fights off his old evil pack in order to do so — what a hero!
7. The Beast, Beauty and the Beast



Having been turned into a Beast after years of selfishness, the prince is only returned to his handsome self after falling for and protecting his beloved Belle. A fantastic u-turn for the man harshly labeled a “beast” for most of his life.
8. The Grinch, How the Grinch Stole Christmas



All the Who’s down in Whoville, were not upset when the Grinch stole all their Christmas presents, food and decorations. And by the end of the movie, their singing and selflessness made his small heart grow three sizes that day.
9. Stitch, Lilo and Stitch


Experiment 626, or more commonly known as Stich, was designed to be unstoppable. He is fire-proof, bullet-proof, and can think faster than super computer. He can see in the dark, and lift objects three thousand times his size. His only instinct is to destroy everything he touches. Luckily the love of having a family changed him and he became even more adorable than he looks.
10. Regina George, Mean Girls



Don't be fooled, Regina George may seem like your typical selfish, back-stabbing slut faced ho-bag, but in reality, she's so much more than that. After being hit with a bus, Regina George decided to channel all of her negative energy into sports instead of calling people “fugly whores” and hooking up with Shane Oman in the projection room above the auditorium. We’re proud of your progress Regina!