Bad Guys Gone Good: Our Favorite TV Villains Who Turned Over a New Leaf

Photo: HBO

Jaime Lannister – Game of Thrones

If just being handsome was enough to make you a good guy, then this guy wouldn’t even have made this list. Dashing and rugged, Jaime Lannister started out as a bit of a rake. It’s not even the incest that lands him on the list. That’s the least of his problems.

When we first met Jaime, he was pushing poor unsuspecting boys out of windows and conspiring with the Queen to betray the King. Not a great guy. However, as the series wore on, Jamie faced a lot of struggles.

Taken prisoner, tortured, losing a limb, and separation from his precious Cersei really softened him. No longer as arrogant or self-assured, Jamie’s journey turned him into a different man. His role as protector and diplomat wasn’t as important as the realization that he had to be a father to Cersei’s children, and he evolved into one of the most complex characters on the show.

His relationship with Brienne of Tarth further illustrates the type of man he became in those later episodes. Although he was at her mercy for most of their time together, and he couldn’t quite cipher what he could use her for, he came to love her nonetheless. Jamie may have been a total cad in those early days, but he is certainly a gentleman now.