Soap operas are known for their loveable protagonists and beloved iconic supercouples, but they're also home to characters capable of the most dastardly of deeds. Whether they turned from good to bad, hurt the characters everyone loves most, or announced from the start they were of the evil variety, some characters will just never be liked.
Whether they've committed murder, adultery, hate crimes — or in some cases, all three — these characters are the worst of the worst and no matter how hard they may try to be redeemed, they'll just never be liked by viewers.
Ryan Chamberlain, 'General Hospital'
As far as General Hospital villains go, Ryan Chamberlain just might beat them all. Aside from being a deranged serial killer on more than one occasion, the character has been criticized by his psychologist twin brother Kevin for being detached emotionally.
This is one of few GH characters who has never been liked by the city of Port Charles and viewers alike, whether for his murderous debut in the 90's or his comeback in 2018 that has since involved stalking, a long-lost and just as deranged daughter, and more murder.
Jan Spears, 'Days Of Our Lives'
Jan Spears is one of those soap characters who just keeps showing up like a bad penny. She first began her reign of terror in 1999 as the school's mean girl who, along with Philip Kiriakis, bullied the new school in school, Chloe Lane.
But Jan is mostly hated not for her high school bullying, but for her later crimes against her obsession, Shawn Brady, who she kidnapped, held hostage, forced into marrying her, and ultimately broke up his supercouple marriage with Belle.
Ian Ward, 'Young And The Restless'
Ian Ward wasn't the first cult leader in soap history, but he was arguably one of the worst. Ray Wise joined CBS' Young and the Restless in 2014 as the leader of the cult that raised Sharon's long-lost daughter, but with a secret.
Not only did he seduce Nikki and claim to be her son Dylan's father, but was behind the plot to steal Mariah from Sharon at birth, and eventually kidnapped her and attempted to marry her. After harming that many Genoa City favorites, Ian became a character who would never be liked.
Carlo Hesser, 'One Life To Live'
One Life To Live was full of villains and infamous characters you hated to love during its four decades on ABC, but Carlo Hesser spent nearly two decades in Llanview being nothing but evil.
Mob boss, drug trafficker, kidnapper and murderer are just some of the things Carlo could be called throughout the soap, leaving him hated by both the characters and the viewers.
Deacon Sharpe, 'Bold And The Beautiful'
Sean Kanan has a habit of playing disliked characters — from AJ Quartermaine on General Hospital to Mike Barnes in The Karate Kid III — and on Bold and the Beautiful, that honor goes to his character Deacon Sharpe.
Deacon has jumped between B&B and Young and the Restless over the years as a sleazy, slimy character who eventually teamed up with another B&B villain, Sheila Carter, to try and see the kids they were both being kept from.
Peter August, 'General Hospital'
Being the offspring of an evil villain can almost guarantee you similar genes in the soap world, and for Peter August, he got extra lucky by being the son of one of the worst General Hospital villains in history: Cesar Faison.
Who started out as a cocky but likable magazine owner soon turned into one of Port Charles' most hated and most wanted for his endless crimes. From holding Jason Morgan hostage for years to tormenting his ex-girlfriend Maxie Jones and kidnapping their daughter, there's not much Peter can do to ever redeem himself.
J.T. Hellstrom, 'Young And The Restless'
J.T. Hellstrom's portrayer Thad Luckinbill may be loved by his Young and the Restless co-star and real-life wife Amelia Heinle, but in Genoa City, he's hated by most, including Heinle's character Victoria Newman.
J.T. may have never been a likable character, but it wasn't until his return to the soap in 2017 that he became outright hated. After rekindling his relationship with Victoria, J.T. turned emotionally and physically abusive, attempting to kill her and other members of the town on several occasions.
Nick Fallon, 'Days Of Our Lives'
Nick Fallon was portrayed by Blake Berris for a nonconsecutive five years on NBC's Days of Our Lives, and made enemies with almost everyone in Salem in the process. His murderous ways aside, Nick became quickly hated for his homophobic tendencies toward Salem's gay supercouple Will and Sonny.
But being killed twice couldn't stop Nick from wreaking havoc on the town when he rose from the dead in 2021 — thanks to a possessed Marlena, no less — and tormented his ex-wife Gabi by attempting to bury her current flame alive.
David Hayward, 'All My Children'
Played by Vincent Irizarry for a nonconsecutive 13 years until the soap's end in 2013, David Hayward is one of the most notable villains in soap history, and arguably the most famous from All My Children.
With a rap sheet longer than most characters' from the soap and committing crimes against beloved Pine Valley citizens like Erica Kane, Tad Martin and Greenlee Smythe, this character is one most viewers could never get behind.
Cesar Faison, 'General Hospital'
If you've been watching General Hospital since the 80's, then you may agree that Cesar Faison is even worse than Helena Cassidine, and that's saying a lot for the villains of Port Charles.
Going by the infamous nickname Faison, this character portrayed by Anders Hove will be forever hated for his evildoings, like kidnapping Robin Scorpio, masquerading as Duke Lavery, and shooting Nathan West, ultimately killing the fan-favorite character.