The villain in the Hero

[LordMikel]

Both Lightyear and the Flash movies have the villain turn out to be the hero but from the future.

Personally I did not like the villain in either movie.

It made me think, surely this trope has worked in the past and been successful, else why return to it.

But I am at a loss and can't think of another movie.

So what movies or TV shows revealed the villain is actually the hero from the future and how well did this work?

Thank you for your responses.

[ChrisIII]

The evil Flash was actually the Barry from the alternate Earth who kept trying to save Keaton Batman and Supergirl, not technically future Flash.

Marty Mcfly's original 2015 self wasn't quite a villain but had largely messed up his life and still had his "chicken" character flaw which got him in trouble.

The villain in Doctor Who's TRIAL OF A TIME LORD (Season 23), the Valeyard was an evil version from sometime in the future (The Doctor's personal timeline that is), although exactly how is not made clear, although it's hinted he wasn't a 'complete' Doctor but some kind of distillation/projection. The character has returned in novels, comics and audios (Although the original actor just passed).

Kang. Sort of.

The second LEGO movie has a plot like this.

The anime FAIRY TAIL has a future version of Rogue (No relation to X-men character) as one of the villains.

[useridgoeshere]

If you go to comics, Magus / Adam Warlock is a classic. I can’t think of a movie.

[Wildling]

Would Miles Prowler count from Spider-Verse? It's an alternate universe and he didn't look much older than Spidey Miles but he seemed already pretty established as Prowler and that would have taken work I'd think.

[ChrisIII]

If you go to comics, Magus / Adam Warlock is a classic. I can’t think of a movie.

Comics-wise there's also the Maestro, which still haunts Banner and to a degree some of his Hulk incarnations as well (Mainly merged, and Doc Green-an Extremis-enhanced Savage Hulk-seemed to dream about becoming him and grew a beard similar to him).

Some other alternate future versions of Hulk have been pretty nasty too like the Old Man Logan version.

In some FF storylines there's either an evil future version of Franklin or a future descendant.

DC has had evil future versions of Hawk, Captain Atom, Superman etc in various storylines.

[j9ac9k]

On "Timeless" the original "bad guy" of the show turned out to have been set on his mission by one of the good guys in the future.

[James Cameron]

The movie Looper.
The TV show Dark
Flash season 3, Savitar reveal - many people see it as the show's first shark jump.
Legends of Tomorrow as well
Red Dwarf

[marshal88]

sly stallone 'samaritan' twist was that he was the villain and not the hero.

[LordMikel]

Ok, apparently my premise is wrong and this isn't a trope getting used often, I simply didn't like it in those movies.

I mean, the Dr Who was great. "Isn't there a problem when the defendant and the prosecutor are the same problem?"
Rogue was great in Fairy Tail.

Forgot all about Rex from Lego.

Maestro is great as a villain.

Thanks all for the help.

[Tuck]

spoilers:

Alternate realities, not from the future, but the player character and the villain turn out to be the same person in

end of spoilers Bioshock Infinite.

[ChrisIII]

Does Looper kind of count?

[Gaastra]

Danny phantom did a future evil version in a tv movie.

[j9ac9k]

The villain of that "Lost in Space" movie turned out to be a future Will Robinson.

[LordMikel]

The villain of that "Lost in Space" movie turned out to be a future Will Robinson.

That is right, I remember that one. Dr Smith was infected with some alien.

[Godzilla2099]

This wins the contest for me

Some of the most insane action sequences I've seen in my life.

You're always rooting for Prisoner KSC2-303 against The Man...then you have a flash forward into the future at the end of the movie.

Could not say I saw that coming.