The most evil-looking character... who is actually good

[beyondbrainmatter]

Topic. After seeing Golbez in the Dissidia games and remembering Severus Snape and Batman as well as trying to write a protagonist of my own this way, I find myself dwelling endlessly on just how far one can push that boundary before audiences would deny any possibility that this character could be a hero, never mind the protagonist. Who do you feel goes against their appearances the best?

(No anti-heroes if possible, looking for good scary or villainous-looking characters who are genuinely good-hearted and compassionate, not crazies like Hellsing's Alucard who are only good because the other guys are even worse).

Dude, tvtropes is your friend. Here, a few links to characters you're looking for:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AntiHero
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NominalHero
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SociopathicHero
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VillainProtagonist

What one can get away with depends on where ones work stands on the sliding scale of idealism vs. cynicism:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShadesOfConflict

And as an author, one can make anyone sympathetic, just by giving them a sympathetic POV and enough pet the dog moments:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SympatheticPOV
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PetTheDog

 

[EHKOS]

I'd say the...uh oh. The...Churros from Metroid. Since one of the statues actually does attack you in Super Metroid.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I'd say the...uh oh. The...Churros from Metroid. Since one of the statues actually does attack you in Super Metroid.

You mean the Chozo, or in the case of the status those are called Torizo. The Torizo that attacks was a plant by the space pirates to stop Samus Aran, the second and third ones from Metroid Fusion are just X parasites mimicking thing to lure Samus in.

So... OT: How about Gru from Dispicible Me.