I went back to Google to see if I could find out more. It seems the Palais Cardinal reverted to the crown on the death of Richelieu, becoming the Palais Royal and subsequently the home of the next Duc d'Orleans, Philippe the younger brother of Louis XIV, ie the younger son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria.
So I think Richelieu apparently becoming one of the good guys may have been because of his general reputation as you say,
bfisher, and perhaps a bit of encouragement by the church as well? (I don't know whether Dumas would pay any attention to that or not.)
Right back at the beginning, D'Artagnan's father says to him:
Quote:
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For your sake and for that of your kind – by your kind, I mean your relations and your friends – don’t stand for anything from anyone except the cardinal and the king.
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So the Cardinal was not being painted as a villain then, and perhaps it was more in the mindset of the Musketeers and their rivalry with the Cardinal's men - a bit like two football teams being sworn enemies, so that then their followers finish up getting heated with each other for no logical reason. "We hate each other because we hate each other."