Sympathetic Villains Wiki
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Anthony John "Tony" Soprano Sr. is the villainous protagonist of the HBO drama series The Sopranos, and will appear as one of the main characters of the 2021 prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark. He is a New Jersey Mafia boss who is constantly struggling to manage both his crime family and his actual biological family. Due to all this stress he frequently undergoes psychological therapy (which actually does nothing to deter his criminal habits) and has many strange dreams.

What makes him sympathetic?[]

  • He grew up in a dysfunctional family, where his father was also a criminal.
  • He was traumatized by the loss of his childhood dog.
  • Tony Soprano also suffered abuse from his mother, Livia, which explains his temper, narcissistic attitude, as well as his frequent panic attacks.
  • His frequent panic attacks cause him a lot of problems. At one point, Tony failed to get a job because of a panic attack.
  • He genuinely cares about his friends, Artie Bucco and Davey Scatino.
  • Tony was close to his cousin, Blundetto, but he was arrested by the police.
  • He genuinely cares about his wife and his two children and wants to provide for them.
  • He struggles to balance his family life and his criminal life. Because of this, he frequently attends a psychiatrist which doesn't help him solve his problems.
  • He treated his putative nephew, Christopher Moltisanti as a son in many ways, even though he later kills him for his irresponsible behaviour.
  • Tony loves animas and enjoys feeding the ducks that visit his pool.
  • He loves his uncle and supported Junior with his cancer even though he tried to kill him.
  • Even though he denies it, he still feels an attachment to his former mistress, Irina Peltsin, deep down.
  • He's the only mobster who cares when Ralph Cifarertto beats a pregnant stripper to death.
  • Tony kills Tony Blundetto in an act of mercy because otherwise he would have been tortured to death by Phil Leotardo.
  • He feels slight remorse about some of the murders he has committed, especially if they affect his loved ones in some way.
  • Tony attends the needs of his children and tries to get along with their friends and with the boyfriends of his daughter.
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