What is Tom Buchanan's role in Thr Great Gatsby?

Tom's role in "The Great Gatsby" is that of the antagonist. We come to see him as the barrier between Gatsby and Daisy attaining true love, and yet, there are so many barriers that we can't really give him the prize as the ultimate bad guy. There are moments we actually feel sorry for him, especially when he claims undying devotion to his wife. Even Nick comes around to believing that regardless of what Tom has done, he only did it because he couldn't help himself. Nick understands that Tom doesn't think in the same way the rest of us do......