TV Show Villains: 7 Fictional Bad Guys You Feel Sorry For Including 'Daredevil' And 'Gotham'

Villains are a key ingredient to storytelling, especially when it comes to TV shows. When you root for the hero or protagonist, you want to see them stop the bad guy, who is usually unlikable. However, sometimes villains are a lot more complicated than simply being evil and you can't help but feel bad for them, especially on shows like "Daredevil," "Gotham" and "Arrow."

These criminals could be doing bad things for family, because of a tough childhood, or some other awful thing has happened to them in their life which forever changes them. Here are seven tragic villains that can cause you to feel sorry for them:

1. Mr. Freeze ("Gotham")

Many of the current villains on Fox's "Gotham" can draw sympathy from viewers, but not as much as Mr. Freeze (Nathan Darrow) can. The only reason he's going around turning people to ice is for his wife Nora (Kristen Hager). His wife is sick so he's trying to figure out a way to freeze her until he can find a cure. When he freezes people he hopes he's able to melt them back to life, which isn't always the case. In his eyes the love he has for his wife and mission to keep her alive, outweighs the bad things he does.

2. Wilson Fisk ("Daredevil")

This villain from Netflix's "Daredevil" is one that has more in common with the hero than either would like to admit. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) had a rough upbringing and really does want to make Hells Kitchen a better place. However, he goes about it in the wrong way, which is ultimately what made him the villain of Season 1.

3. Thomas Eichorst ("The Strain")

Eichorst is hands down one of the most evil characters on FX's "The Strain." However, when Season 2 revealed what made him the monster he is, it was a tragic story. Eichorst was an unsuccessful salesman who was just looking to be accepted and loved. He was a king man, but was not taken seriously. Unfortunately, his search took him to joining the Nazi army in the 1930s which eventually pushed him to joining the Master.

4. Malcolm Merlyn ("Arrow")

When Malcolm Merlyn lost his wife, it started his downfall to becoming a villain on the CW's "Arrow." However, he's able to get audiences to root for him because he is the father of Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) sister Thea (Willa Holland). After losing his son, Merlyn is devoted to her, making him not the worst bad guy out there.

5. Henry Parrish ("Sleepy Hollow")

The son of Ichabod (Tom Mison) and Katrina Crane (Katia Winter) never knew his parents growing up and it led him down a path of evil. He was trapped inside a coffin for two centuries only to be awoken by the demon Moloch, who he looked up to as a father. He never got to know how much his parents loved him and his bitterness towards them forced him to act against them. Henry was eventually killed off on the Fox show by Abbie (Nicole Beharie) and eventually made amends with Katrina who he welcomed to the afterlife.

6. Jaime Lannister ("Game of Thrones")

Earlier in HBO's "Game of Thrones" fans couldn't help but dislike Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). He fought Ned Stark (Sean Bean), pushed Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) out of the window of a tower and was having an affair with his sister Cersei (Lena Headey). However, lately it's been hard to dislike like the character. He's always the one who sticks up for Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), he lost a hand and his daughter Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) died right in front of him. It will be interesting to see what happens with him in Season 6.

7. Ward ("Agents of SHIELD")

Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) was a double agent working for both SHIELD and HYDRA on ABC's "Agents of SHIELD." He had rough time growing up and all he ultimately wanted was a family and to feel accepted. However, he found these things in HYDRA, which is not really a good place to find those values.

What TV villains can you not help feeling bad for? Sound off in the comments section below.