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* Dr. Franken von Vogler in ''[[Giant Robo]]''. Made out to be a mad scientist responsible for a giant catastrophe 10 years ago by ignoring all risks and his fellow scientists in the experiment with the Shizuma Drive, it eventually turns out that he was the ''only'' one who opposed the project and the seemingly "good professor" was among the people who wanted to go through with it. All 5 of the inventors survived, but Vogler was believed to be dead, so the remaining 4 decided to cover the whole incident in lies and put all the blame on Vogler. Really no wonder why the [[Big Bad]] wants revenge.
* Laxus Dreyar in ''[[Fairy Tail]]''. His attempt to take over the guild is nothing more than a teenage temper tantrum fueled by fear that he wasn't getting the proper credit for his accomplishments, always being compared to his grandfather (who is also the guildmaster). {{spoiler|He tries to kill everyone in Magnolia Town with Fairy Law, a spell designed to target those the caster sees as enemies, and it doesn't hit a single person.}}
* Kuma - [[Tragic Villain|dear GOD, Kuma]] - from ''[[One Piece]]''. In the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Arcs, this stronger-than-average [[Cyborg| Pacifista]] seemed a [[Dumb Muscle]] thug and a ruthless juggernaut bent on decimating the heroes. Fast forward to the Egghead Arc, when you discover he is Bonney's adoptive father, and [[Heroic Sacrifice| volunteered to be turned into a Pacifista]] as part of a deal that would save her life, part of a contract with Jaygarcia Saturn for Bonnie to be granted life-saving surgery. In fact, this new plot element [[Rewatch Bonus| puts an ''entirely'' new spin on Thriller Bark]], in which it seems [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3oRRz8es1E even then Kuma was covertly helping the heroes, his actions done for the greater good the whole time].
* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal]]'', {{spoiler|[[Arc Villain| Dr. Faker]]; in season one, he seemed to be the typical [[Mad Scientist]] and [[Card Carrying Villain]] who wanted to [[Take Over the World]]. In truth, this was - mostly - an act to make everyone ''think'' that. Faker was, in fact, being manipulated by a darker entity (later revealed to be Vector) his true motive being to cure his terminally ill son Hart.}}
== Comic Books ==
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* {{spoiler|Severus Snape}} from the [[Harry Potter]] series. Clearly a case of [[Good Is Not Nice]], of course, but turns out everything he did in the books, he did while working for Dumbledore and following his orders, which includes {{spoiler|''killing'' Dumbledore}}, and all in the name of {{spoiler|his unrequited love for Harry's mother, Lily, and the [[The Atoner|guit]] he feels over his role in her death.}}
* When she is introduced in the ninth ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' novel, {{spoiler|Sasaki}} is set up to appear as the title character's [[Evil Counterpart]]. However, it turns out that she really had no idea what was actually going on, and had no idea that {{spoiler|her new friends were the real villains}}, and when the [[Masquerade]] gets [[Broken Masquerade|broken]] for her, {{spoiler|Sasaki}} secretly allies with Kyon to oppose those who wish to cause Haruhi harm.
* In ''[[The Best Christmas Pageant Ever]]'', [[Delinquents| the Herdman siblings]] aren't exactly nice kids, but right off the bat, the Narrator's claim that they are "the worst children in the history of the world" seems rather unfair, seeing as the worst crime they are known to commit is shoplifting. The narrator also sees their smoking, drinking, and cussing as reasons for her label - unpleasant vices, yes, but not habits that can truly make them the worst. When you learn their past of [[Parental Abandonment]] and see how they realize the darker aspects of the Nativity story (Mary and Joseph are fugitives because a king wants her child murdered; the Wise Men bring gold and incense when anyone who truly cares would have brought food) they not only come off as sympathetic, but [[Jerkass Has a Point| much wiser than anyone else in the cast.]]
* Possibly Aunt Lydia in ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]''. She certainly seems like a cruel taskmaster from Offred’s point of view, as the story is presented as an account written by Offred herself. However, in the sequel, ''[[The Testaments]]''. Lydia is the one writing the story, her account claiming she was an unwilling accomplice to the events of the first novel, doing what she did in order to survive, and is now writing her memoirs in an attempt to expose the hypocrisy and corruption of the Gilnean government. Of course, the provenance of her writing (much like Offred's) is debatable, so whether she was indeed Good "all along" or her opinion the result of a [[Heel Realization]] is impossible to determine.
* Arthur "Boo" Radley in ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird]]''. A mysterious recluse, the townsfolk believe he's a violent lunatic due to the rumors spread about him and a trial he underwent as a teenager. During the course of the story, however, it is implied that he is actually just a lonely man, and tries to reach out to Jem and Scout by leaving them gifts in the hollow tree in front of his house. At the climax of the story, he rescues them from Bob Ewell, who tries to kill them in an attempt at revenge against their father for humiliating him.
== Live-Action TV ==
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** Also in ''The Curse of Peladon'', the Ice Warriors turn out to be among the good guys. In previous stories, they had been the villains.
* The Others in ''[[Lost]]''. For the first three seasons, they're the show's main antagonists and seem pure evil. In Season 4, they team up with the survivors to battle a greater threat. By the end of the series, it's clear that they were never really the enemy in the first place. Their methods just leave a ''lot'' to be desired.
* The Gorn in the ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' "The Arena"; maybe "good" is pushing it a little (as they are obviously a militaristic people), but while the ''Enterprise'' crew believes them to be murderers at first after an unprovoked attack on a Federation outpost, it turns out the outpost had been made in Gorn territory, the Gorn having viewed their presence as trespassing and a possible prelude to full-scale invasion. Kirk eventually realizes this and sees the Gorn captain's point, ultimately refusing to kill him. Later appearances by the Gorn make them far more approachable.
== Videogames ==
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* In ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'' The Sith Lords, you will meet a man named {{spoiler|Zherron}} in Dantooine, speaking with a deep, grave voice, having dark features and is involved with the mercenaries who is harassing the settlement. It turns out that he was spying against the mercenaries.
* ''[[Luigi's Mansion 3]]'': After Luigi defeats King Boo for the third time, he discovers that the lesser ghosts in the hotel (I.E. the ghosts that weren't members of Hellen's staff) were under his control the entire time. As the ghosts are upset about their hotel being destroyed (it ended up falling apart as a side effect of Luigi's final battle with King Boo), Professor E. Gadd, Mario, Peach, Luigi, and the three Toads work with them to rebuild it. They see them off as they get ready to take their leave.
* In the original ''[[Ace Attorney]]'', [[The Rival| Miles Edgeworth]] is, as befits the [[Final Boss]] of the game (or so it seems) a difficult and frustrating opponent, seemingly always managing to have evidence that debunks or disproves yours, and it is often suspicious how he gets it. (Seriously, how exactly does one obtain an ''update'' on an autopsy?) By the time you actually win the case (likely after restarting from the save file dozens of times, unless you use a cheat sheet) you might start to wonder if Edgeworth has committed the cardinal sin of the legal profession - falsifying or planting evidence. {{spoiler| Then the DLC comes out and introduces another case, one where Wright has to defend Edgeworth himself, and it is revealed that no, Edgeworth has never knowingly presented false evidence, the one time he did so being where he had been duped by the game’s true antagonist, his rotten and vindictive (and Obviously Evil) adoptive father, Manfred von Karma.}}
== Web Comics ==
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* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance]]'', the [[Lizard Folk|Sirithai]] are introduced at the beginning of the Vanna arc as violent human-eating monsters but are later revealed to be misunderstood victims of persecution from the [[Path of Inspiration|Clergy of Artemicia]] which was manipulating the Grand Alliance to get rid of them. They still won't hesitate to brutally slaughter and eat captives but they're also willing to listen to reason once their opponents have proven their worth to them.
* /tg/ once ran with [[Not Evil, Just Misunderstood|"Tarrasque is actually a pretty swell guy"]] idea until it reached the idea of Tarrasquemas, holiday with said creature playing sort-of Santa Claus.
* In ''[[SCP Foundation]]'' lore, the Faries might be this, depending on what continuity the reader considers canon.<ref>Which the website leaves ''completely'' up to the reader.</ref> When they first appeared in [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-001-o5 SCP-001 (Dr. Bright’s proposal, “the Factory”)], they were enemies of a group of soldiers who were forerunners of the Foundation, staging a (supposed) unprovoked and unwarranted assault on them after they secured the eponymous [[Nightmarish Factory]]. However, "updates" involving this species (including [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/taboo SCP-4000], [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2932 SCP-2932] and [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-6666 SCP-6666]) esablishes more of their history, including the suggestion that the conflict at the Factory was neither unprovoked nor unwarranted, occurring after they had tried to warn the soldiers of the incredible evil within the Factory (which the Foundation was trying to use for their own benefit), and [[Cassandra Truth|the Foundation refused to listen.]] Given the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] nature of the Foundation, this would make a lot of sense.
== Western Animation ==
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* In one ''[[Tom and Jerry Kids]]'' short, the duo encounter an evil witch and her Frankenstein monster henchman. After chasing them outside, the monster tells Tom and Jerry he's really a good guy and has been trying to get out of the witch's castle for a long time. The episode ends with the three of them walking off.
* The other toys in Sunnyside Daycare (such as [[Barbie|Ken]] in ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 3''. The real reason why they were all evil in the first place is they were all afraid of {{spoiler|Lotso.}}
* Zecora the zebra in ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''. Initially, everyone in Ponyville is terrified of her and convinced that she's an evil enchantress (to the point where Pinkie writes a song about it). It later turns out that she's actually quite friendly and helpful, and the others
* In ''[[American Dad
* From ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]''; after several episodes of being the a well-respected member of the eponymous organization, Chad (Numbuh 274) is exposed as a traitor in the episode "Operation: E.N.D." and remains viewed as such for most of the remainder of the series, being the main antagonist in several other episodes. In "Operation: T.R.E.A.T.Y." however, it is revealed that he had always been a [[Fake Defector]] acting as [[The Mole]] among the evil teenagers. Sadly, this revelation did very little to repair his relationship with Numbuh One, who still saw him as [[Good Is Not Nice| a stuck-up, arrogant egotist]], a point of view that was hardly unjustified.
* Hilariously done with Flexo from ''[[Futurama]]'', a robot who looks just like Bender (as both are bending units) [[Shout Out|except for]][[Star Trek: The Original Series| a goatee]]. At first he seems to be Bender's [[Evil Twin]]. Truth be told, he's the ''Good'' twin, [[Token Evil Teammate|Bender being the Evil one]]. Which, as any fan of the show can attest, makes ''perfect'' sense in hindsight.
* One episode of ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' dealt with a village of very superstitious folk who believed the mountains were the home of a Bigfoot-like creature called the Tingler. Although many had seen him and were sure he was a malevolent predator, none of them could agree on any details. (In truth, all they had ever seen were his eyes.) The Tingler was actually just a hermit who lived in the mountains, and while he was a big, muscular guy, [[Gentle Giant|he wouldn't hurt a fly]]; when trouble did threaten the town, he was the one who saved the day.
* Beelzebub (or Queen Bee as she calls herself) in ''[[Helluva Boss]]'' is this, at least for the context of one episode. She is Queen of the Circle of Gluttony (making her an embodiment of one of [[The Seven Deadly Sins]]), proud to have that title, and looks up to Satan as if he was a brother. Fans couldn't help but wonder if her bubbly personality as host of a party had some sinister motive... Maybe the food and liquor was spiked with some sort of addictive drug? Maybe the reason she so encouraged her guests to eat was to fatten them for slaughter? No. She is simply a generous host adhering to the laws of [[Sacred Hospitality]]. Indeed, when Blitzo's boorish behavior risks turning the party into [[A Party - Also Known as an Orgy| a different sort of party]], her reaction is to ''politely'' tell Loona to take him home, rather than forcibly throw him out.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:More Than Meets the Eye]]
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