10 Movie Monsters With A Heart of Gold

There is nothing more fascinating than the “misunderstood monster.” Stories surrounding these types of characters are almost always fascinating, and they prove to us that it is usually society who is the monster rather than the creature or person who they perceive to be evil. For the most part, these characters are surrounded by individuals who unfairly judge them without ever trying to get to know who they really are deep down.

So without further ado, here are the 10 best characters who may be classified as monsters, but they actually have a heart of gold.

10 EMILY – THE CORPSE BRIDE

Emily from The Corpse Bride is hard not to love in this Tim Burton masterpiece. Although every mortal fears her and wants to stay as far away from this dead woman as they possibly can, Emily is a gentle soul who wants nothing more than to experience true love.

Her character, voiced by the wonderfully eccentric Helena Bonham Carter, is impossible not to sympathize with and her kindness draws us to her as we root for this character’s happiness throughout the entire film.

9 FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER – FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein’s Monster is one of the original misunderstood villains throughout literature and cinematic history. Everyone is deathly afraid of this creature, despite the fact that he is an incredibly gentle soul who wants nothing more than to fit in and experience human connection for a change.

This is no easy task, considering the fact that everyone he comes across (including his own creator) runs away from him as quickly as they can. His violent acts towards the end of the book/film are only done as a result of a self-fulfilled prophecy and if it wasn’t for society’s judgments, he’d be considered the sweetest soul mankind has ever seen.

8 KING KONG – KING KONG

King Kong is feared by all of New York City in this epic film. Everyone wants him dead and destroyed simply based on his appearance and pre-conceived notions about apes. The biggest theme throughout this story is that King Kong is not the real monster, but mankind is. The way they treat him is despicable despite the fact that all he wants in life is to experience love and any form of human kindness that he can get. Any dangerous act he commits is only a result of self-defense.

7 THE BEAST – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The Beast from Beauty and the Beast is another great example of a perceived “monster” who actually has a heart of gold. Although society is quick to wave their pitchforks at the guy, he means no harm and is simply stuck inside this beastly body due to a curse that was forced upon him from childhood.

He falls in love with Belle after holding her captive, and he selflessly lets her go because he wants her to be happy. This is not something a true beast or monster would ever do.

6 THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST – THE WIZARD OF OZ

The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz is one of the most misunderstood and complex characters of all time. Although we perceive her as a threat and the true antagonist of the classic film, she is actually a woman who is justified in her anger, and all she wants is to find justice for her recently deceased sister.

Fans of Wicked know there is an entire musical dedicated to the fact that the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) isn’t a bad person at all. She is just a wounded soul who has been mistreated her entire life. Since everyone began to embrace her as a wicked person simply because her skin was green, she decided to play out the role that people expected from her.

5 ELSA – FROZEN

It’s hard to believe that the people of Arendelle continuously refer to The Snow Queen as a monster. They believe she is a genuine threat to mankind due to her ice powers and they want her locked up for good.

The movie intelligently prevents Anna’s character from ever losing faith in her sister, and it is because of their genuine sisterly love for each other that they are able to survive. At the end of the film, Elsa realizes that the only way to melt the ice invading Arendelle is to let people in while experiencing all the love.

4 QUASIMODO – THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

Quasimodo is classified as a deformed monster throughout the town. Yet the Disney version of Victor Hugo’s classic novel raises the question, “who is the monster and who is the man?” when it comes to the hunchback vs society. Frollo, his evil caretaker, is the actual monster, yet he spent his whole life gaslighting Quasimodo into thinking he was in fact the villain and that he must be hidden from society. Luckily in the Disney film, the hunchback meets friends along the way who accept him just the way he is.

3 THE PHANTOM – THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

In The Phantom of The Opera, the character of The Phantom isn’t exactly an angel, and he has definitely done some things that could be considered selfish and possessive. Yet it is difficult to classify this man as a villain or a “monster” because as we learn throughout the story, he is simply a wounded soul with a terrible upbringing. He cares a great deal about Christine and the way he goes about loving her and trying to make her happy makes us sure that he is deep down a good person with a heart of gold.

2 EDWARD SCISSORHANDS – EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

Edward Scissorhands is villainized in this Tim Burton classic, simply because he is different and has scissors instead of hands. At the beginning of the film, the townsfolk actually like Johnny Depp’s character, but they turn on him and make him out to be a violent monster once they are unable to use him like a puppet. Despite the way the rest of the town sees him, Winona Ryder’s character knows that he is just misunderstood and that he is the most gentle soul she has ever come across.

1 AMPHIBIAN MAN – THE SHAPE OF WATER

The Shape of Water, created by Guillermo Del Toro, is an award-winning film that focuses heavily on what it is like to be an outsider. Taking place in the 1960s, the movie takes a look at a group of individuals who aren’t considered to be ideal during this time period. Perhaps one of the greatest outsiders in the film is the amphibian man who is judged by the rest of society as harmful and dangerous simply based on the way he looks. Although everyone is out to get the Amphibian Man, the leading protagonist, Eliza, just wants to love him. She feels as though she can identify with the Amphibian Man and Eliza realizes that he is no monster, but instead has a heart of gold.