Every TV show has its villain, but sometimes, as the dangers and stakes of a series start to rise, some of the most immoral people can become the most unlikely of allies. Just like in real life, characters also change and evolve as they get older and learn more about themselves.
While a TV show villain becoming best friends with the main protagonist isn't extremely common, it is still a somewhat prevalent trope that audiences love to watch. There are a few characters, in particular, that stand out as having changed from enemy to ally in a TV series.
Peter - Teen Wolf
Peter Hale, Derek's uncle, was an antagonistic force throughout the early seasons of Teen Wolf. He is the one who originally turned Scott and he also is unafraid to harm others for the sake of self-preservation.
But when it was revealed that Peter was the father of Malia, the were-coyote, his malevolent nature towards Scott and the rest of his friends shifted. He became less of an evil, selfish force, as he tried to have a relationship with his daughter and protect her in his own way.
Randy The Cameraman - Bob's Burgers
This story arc happens over the course of many seasons of Bob's Burgers, as Randy starts off on the series as a cameraman who intentionally makes Bob's restaurant look bad by putting a cow outside his window and making a political statement through his documentary-style filmmaking.
However, as the show progresses, Bob and Randy start to become friends and he even helps them film a Superbowl commercial for their restaurant. While Randy is not one of the main villains of this show, his transition from judgmental to helpful didn't go unnoticed by viewers.
Ice King - Adventure Time
Ice King is one of the most complex characters in Adventure Time, even though he is initially introduced as a selfish and silly wizard that wants to kidnap and date every Princess in Ooo. In reality, the fact that he used to be a kind and intelligent academic shows that he is actually a good person.
As the seasons go on, Finn and Jake exclude Ice King less and less, especially when Marceline is involved in any of their stories. Not to mention, in the episodes about the elementals, Ice King helps the boys escape becoming candy people.
Damon - Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries' Damon, who did some terrible things with his humanity off, is the bad boy of the series. In the first season, he constantly hurts other people, especially Stefan, to get out his aggression over living an eternity without the love of his life, Katherine Pierce.
But Damon's behavior transitions when he realizes in season 3 that he has to step up to protect Elena because Stefan goes on a bender with Klaus. While it was clear that Elena and Damon had chemistry even when they hated each other, when he became someone that Elena truly valued, he intentionally started making more moral choices to impress her and make her happy.
Misty - Yellowjackets
Although there's only one season out of Yellowjackets at the moment, the show follows a group of girls who experience a plane crash and is intercut with their present selves, 20 years later, dealing with a new mystery that ties back to their time together.
This means there is ample time for character development for Misty, a girl who, after hearing that she was useful in the wild, destroyed the plane's locator so that she could continue to be liked. By the final episode of the show, the older version of Misty is more liked by her peers because she is useful, but also because they realize how far she would go to protect them.
Jesse - Breaking Bad
When Jesse is first introduced in Breaking Bad, he is a bit of a troublesome teen that Walter White, the main character of the show, resents because of his blasé attitude and general disrespect. However, this all changes when Jesse realizes that Walt has the ability to make meth.
When these two find out that they can help each other get out of their rut and build a good life by working together, Jesse makes sure to be a good friend to Walt because he needs him. Walter, in turn, becomes a mentor for him that he had never had before.
Oscar - Only Murders In The Building
Oscar, better known as "Tie-Dye Guy," is who the investigative crew on Only Murders In The Building believed to be Tim Kono's killer because they all saw him leave from the same floor of the apartment. Once Mabel discovered it was her old friend, Oscar, the plot thickened.
Even though Mabel believed wholeheartedly that Oscar was innocent, even with his criminal past, her two investigative pals didn't buy it. Thankfully, over the course of the last few episodes, he proved that he was a good guy and he even started dating Mabel.
Paris - Gilmore Girls
Paris has some funny quotes in Gilmore Girls, but she hates Rory Gilmore from the first moment she had her as a classmate. The two constantly butted heads and it oftentimes was no fault of the other. They were just two completely different personalities that did not mesh well together.
All this being said, in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, Paris becomes an unlikely friend to Rory as they connect after growing up and figure out how to live their lives after school.
Crowley - Supernatural
Crowley did many shameless things on Supernatural and even crowned himself as the "King of Hell" in Supernatural, but he becomes a loveable goon as the seasons pass. Even though Crowley tortures the brothers and even lets Dean become a demon, he becomes a friend to them in more ways than one by the end of the series.
Not only does Crowley help restore Bobby's legs with a contract clause that he originally hid as a nice surprise, but he also genuinely began to care for Dean, who he even refers to as his best friend for a while.
Zuko - Avatar: The Last Airbender
As an iconic villain that turns into a best friend, Zuko also teaches the audience some valuable life lessons in Avatar: The Last Airbender. At the start, he wanted to track down Aang to gain his father's acceptance, but as he learns more and more about the Avatar and spends time with his Uncle Iroh, Zuko realizes the error of his ways.
Not only does he tell Aang that he's truly sorry for the years of hunting him down, but he also promises to teach him firebending, which is the only element that Aang had yet to master at that point. Zuko's demeanor becomes lighthearted as he joins team Avatar and fights against his sister in an Agni Kai in the final episode of the series to prove how he has changed.