Friend of a Hero

Though not as dramatic as being related to heroes, villains being one of a hero’s former friends is a recurring trait in stories. This is because the idea of people the hero trusted as friends turning on them can have a psychological effect on the heroes and make them reluctant to stand against those people or in some cases, make them sneak revenge on the friend who used them or even worse, murdered anyone else who was close to them.

The friend frequently joins the side of evil because of being brainwashed and/or possessed so as to be used against the hero which makes the hero even more reluctant to go up in a fight with them. These characters can also be in an on & off status, changing between good and evil at random times (e.g. Duncan, Kevin Levin and Mr. Krabs). In these examples when the friends of the heroes are not busy being villains, they can get along rather well with the heroes and are as likely to help them out as they are to oppose them.

On the flip side, these villains' betrayals or other acts can otherwise make the heroes despise and want nothing more than to dispose of their old friends.

This can also count for redeemed villains who actually become friends with the heroes they fought and remorseful villains if they still feel friendship towards any heroes, but consider themselves too far gone.

IMPORTANT: This is only for villains who were (or still are) genuine friends with any heroes (e.g. Scuttlebutt and Doug Judy). Fake friendship for manipulation, pragmatism and achieving goals (i.e. Emperor Palpatine, Lord Voldemort, Dick Hardly, Bill Cipher, Jafar, Lil' Lightning, Mal, Chucky, Yami Bakura, Utrom Shredder, Vuk, Simon Doonan, Ego, Samuel Norton, Terry Silver, Dawn Bellwether, Judge Claude Frollo, Miles Axlerod, Dimitri Rascalov, William Afton, Leo Kasper, Janson, Gary Smith, Dolores Umbridge, Lord Cutler Beckett, Barty Crouch Jr, The Duke, Cozy Glow, General Lunaris, Cliff Vandercave, Stewart Swinton and Stromboli) is NOT ACCEPTED, save those for the Faux Affably Evil‏‎, Liars‏‎, Charismatic, Cheater‏, and Trickster‏‎ categories instead.

However, even Pure Evil villains can qualify if they were once true friends of the heroes (i.e. Alejandro Sosa, Donald Love, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, Commodus, Doctor Doom, Koba, Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, Griffith, Dark Danny, Tenjuro Banno, Idi Amin, John Bosley, Madison Lee, Obadiah Stane, Mysterio, Cobra Commander, Brixton Lore, Quervo, Makuta Teridax, Hadrian, Yuuki Terumi, King Runeard, Albert Wesker, Herrscher of the Void, Eli Raphelson and Zhan Tiri).