The Villain Sexual Awakenings That Gave Us A “Bad Boy” Complex

We’ve all had cartoon sexual awakenings, TV shows that helped us realize we were a little gay, and even famous celebrities we found ourselves attracted to that really told us a lot about ourselves and what we like. While these were typically the main characters, heroes, and underdogs of our favorite shows and movies, they weren’t the only sexual awakenings we had. Come on, we’ve all had a villain moment.

First, let’s establish that I’m not talking about uggo villains like Lord Farquad. Forget about them. We’re talking about bad boys. You know, the villains who were clearly bad news but the writers and producers decided to make them so fucking hot. Were they trying to give us a complex?!

Listen, we all get the appeal of a bad boy. We’ve either crushed on them, dated them, or been in therapy because of them. In real life, we’ve learned that bad boys are usually just bad news. But when you’re young and naive, there’s just something about them that piques your interest.

Here’s a list of our collective villain sexual awakenings — our first “bad boys,” if you will.

Damon Salvatore

Image Credit: The CW

Even if you weren’t Team Damon (aka you were wrong), you have to admit that your heart still skipped a beat every time you saw this sexy Salvatore brother on screen. Yeah, yeah, he killed hundreds of people, including Elena’s brother, but like … have you seen him??

Hades

Image Credit: Disney

Walk with me a little here. Something about Hades’ up and down temperament (and the literal flames) just makes me hot. Don’t act like you didn’t laugh.

Chuck Bass

Image Credit: The CW

Before Chuck is a golden retriever who’s obsessed with Blair and secretly stuffing ballots at prom so she could win, he’s a really awful dude. He’s sleeping around, throwing money at everything, and just being a douche. But something about him makes him attractive from the beginning.

Draco Malfoy

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

A lot can be said about Draco Malfoy and his unfortunate, unfortunate family. But let’s admit it, we all felt a little something for Slytherin’s resident bully.

Shego

Image Credit: Disney

Okay, so this one isn’t a bad boy, but anyone who said Shego didn’t make their heart skip a beat is just a big liar. It doesn’t matter who you’re into — Shego made you want to be on the bad side just a little bit.

Rio

Image Credit: Netflix

Rio from Good Girls probably isn’t your first interaction with a bad boy since the show is much newer, but he’s definitely one-of-a-kind. He’s a literal gang leader and killer who’s threatened death on Elizabeth’s whole family… but have you heard him say “mama”?

Erik Killmonger

Image Credit: Disney

When you weren’t thirsting over King T’Challa, you were definitely wondering what it would feel like to run your fingers (or your tongue) over Killmonger’s chest scars in Black Panther. How do you cast Michael B. Jordan as a villain and not expect people to think about joining the dark side?