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

Photo: SyFy (NBCUniversal)

Xena – Xena: Warrior Princess

Before Xena was in her own universe, she was a series regular on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She was a power-hungry warlord until Hercules showed her the error of her ways. She was an evil warrior in those days, ruthless and cunning.

She was bent on turning back to her old ways until she came upon a group of young women who were about to be sold into slavery. One of these women was Gabriella. She would go on to be her moral compass and guide her to do the right things going forward.

Once Xena turned from her evil ways, she went on to be mostly a good and honest force. For the entire series, she seeks to redeem herself for her dark and violent past. In the larger scheme of things, Xena went on to be a feminist icon, remarkable for her relationship with her soulmate and partner Gabriella.

While the writers and showrunner never came right out and declared Xena and Gabriella as lovers, it was understood that the two were partners in every sense of the word. She might have started out as murderous despot and warlord, but she wound up being a ground breaker for LGBTQ characters on TV.