Villian gets the girl ? (Anti-Villain Romances)

I confess I thoroughly enjoy the approach of an Anti-Villain male lead in his pursuit of his woman (protagonist/ heroine).

He may be a complicated man with both good and bad character traits or morality, but that's what makes the story all more intriguing and more humane in nature. He may mean well but his questionable choices and actions are then attributed to the development of plot and the female lead's final decision.

4 Types of Anti-Villains

Villainy comes in shades of gray.

1. One that starts out good. This anti-villain is a good person who has been pushed to the brink of their personal limits.
2. The one you feel for. A sympathetic anti-villain may do bad things, but they are ultimately a product of their circumstances or environment. They may have had a terrible upbringing, where people acted evil towards them as children making them evil as adults. They deserve to seek different circumstances, and were their means not so terrible, you might root for them.
3. The one who means well. When good intentions go crooked, and heroic qualities like tenacity and cleverness are aimed at the wrong target, you get your “well-meaning” anti-villain, who often takes things a step too far in pursuit of a noble goal. These anti-villains typically have a plan to save the world, with many, many casualties along the way in the name of the “greater good.” Think of Marvel’s “Mad Titan” Thanos and his plan to clear half the universe in order for the remaining half to thrive.
4. The one in the wrong place at the wrong time. This designated “villain” in name only typically falls into this category as a result of the existence of the hero. Their acts might be totally justified—vengeance for a loved one, or carrying out the corruption required of them by their job—but the protagonist doesn’t give them a free pass.