No television show would be complete without the good guys and the bad guys. Both counterparts play an equally important role in making a compelling show. Not only do these wicked villains have the ability to enrich stories with their malevolence, but their bold characterization can also, on occasion, steal the spotlight away from their protagonist opposites, who we are supposed to root for.
While some baddies are so unlikeable that viewers tune in to witness their downfall, other villains become legends in their own right. Some of these legendary TV baddies include Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), and more.
Gustavo Fring — ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’
Gustavo Fring Esposito) is the overarching antagonist across the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul series. He owns a fried chicken restaurant chain, Los Pollos Hermanos, which he uses as a front for his methamphetamine distribution operation. Fring keeps up his appearances as a business owner by showing up at work and posing as a diligent restaurant manager.
Outside of work, Fring is a private person who never discloses any information about his personal life to anyone. His role as a methamphetamine distributor and a drug kingpin forces him to be extremely smart and careful. His mysterious and quiet demeanor is only a front for the ruthless man he is.
Jim Moriarty — ‘Sherlock’
Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) presents himself as an intelligent but extremely narcissistic, anti-social, and arrogant individual whose interest in Sherlock borders on obsession. Moriarty is the perfect antithesis of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch); if Sherlock is the world’s only “consulting detective,” he is the world’s only “consulting criminal.”
What makes Moriarty a great villain is that he and Sherlock are the perfect foes; their similarities in intellect make them a perfect match, and yet their differences in purpose and intention make Moriarty unbearable to Sherlock.
Hannibal Lecter — ‘Hannibal’
Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) is a forensic psychiatrist supervising FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who feels his current investigation of hunting a serial killer is weighing him down. Little does he know that Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the cannibalistic serial killer he is looking for.
Hannibal is no ordinary character. As a man with no empathy, Hannibal pretends to project empathy to gain insight into his victim. To manipulate them, he learns everything about them; their strengths, weaknesses, deepest fears, and biggest desires. Although he is a heartless man who wants nothing more than to prey on his victims, his growing infatuation with Will Graham becomes deeply rooted in their existing dysfunctional relationship. Mikkelsen’s Hannibal Lecter never fails to steal the show, as his silent but deadly presence makes him irresistible.
Wilson Fisk — ‘Daredevil’
Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), or the “Kingpin,” is based on the Marvel Comics character. Frequently characterized by his colossal physique, Kingpin is the main antagonist of the Daredevil series. He is a powerful businessman and crime lord whose interest lies in rebuilding Hell’s Kitchen to gain control over New York City. Due to his criminal activities, he is in conflict with the vigilante Daredevil / Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox).
Daredevil shows the different aspects of Wilson / Kingpin’s character - that he is more than just about making money and conquering a city. The viewers get a chance to witness how he met his wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), and how they fell in love. Wilson has become a fan-favorite character because, unlike how many villains are portrayed, he has a tender side.
Trinity Killer — ‘Dexter’
Throughout the series, Dexter comes across many criminals and serial killers, who he kills based on their wrongdoings. But if you thought Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) was the most antagonizing character of Dexter, remember Arthur Mitchell, the Trinity killer (John Lithgow)? Everything would change when he comes across the Trinity killer, who has gotten away with committing heinous murders for over thirty years.
As Dexter becomes gradually attached to the Trinity killer’s case, the consequences of his actions would follow suit. When the Trinity killer is aware of Dexter's involvement in his case and where he lives, his wife, Rita (Julie Benz), becomes his target victim. In a horrifying twist of events, Dexter finds Rita bleeding to her death in the bathtub of their home, where their child, Harrison, whose life was spared, sits on a pool of his mother’s blood.
The Joker — ‘Batman: The Animated Series’
The Joker needs no further introduction. Everyone recognizes him as Batman's nemesis. In Batman: The Animated Series, the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) is an alter ego of the mob boss Jack Napier, Batman’s ultimate arch-enemy, who has pulled every criminal trick out of his bag to take over Gotham City and ruined Batman emotionally and physically.
The Jack Napier version of the Joker (played by Jack Nicholson) first appeared in the 1989 film Batman. The film earned over $400 million at the box office, leading to the success of Batman: The Animated Series as it featured the same version of the Joker. Ultimately, though, what makes the Joker in the animated series so special is the impeccable voice acting done by Mark Hamill. Not only has Hamill successfully embodied the sinister playfulness that the series’ Joker possesses, but his surprising comedic personality suits his chaotic quest to destroy Batman and Robin.
Jacob and Darlene Snell — ‘Ozark’
Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) is the wife of Jacob Snell (Peter Mullan), and together they conduct illegal businesses and activities. Despite their tough exterior, they have been married for years and seem very much in love. In the second season of Ozark, Jacob underestimates Darlene and sees her as a threat to his business endeavors. He invites her for a morning walk and plans to kill her. Unbeknownst to him, Darlene knows that he has been making deals behind her back, and as it turns out, she is a step ahead of him and has poisoned his coffee before their walk.
After Jacob’s death, Darlene becomes increasingly cold and ruthless. She knows how to get what she wants and will not let anything or anyone stop her from getting that. She has no remorse and kills like human lives don't matter. Her fearlessness is her greatest asset but ultimately also her greatest downfall.
Azula — ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Azula (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is an intelligent but cold and menacing character. She will defeat anything or anyone to achieve her goals. But behind her villainous eyes lies a longing pain of not being loved by her mother. In Book 3, Episode 5, Azula admits she is self-aware of the monster she is, “My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right, of course.”
Not only does Azula know how to play her enemies and defeat them, but she is also a highly skilled bender. She is the only character in Avatar: The Last Airbender to successfully create blue fire and the first character and only female to redirect lightning, a skill only possessed by a few of the best benders.
Al Swearengen — ‘Deadwood’
Set during the 1870s in the gold mining camp Deadwood, South Dakota, the series focuses on the real-life residents of Deadwood during that era. Seth Bullock (Timothy Olympant) and his business partner Sol Star (John Hawkes) move to Deadwood to start a hardware business. There, the two men cross paths with gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine) and the boss of the Gem Saloon (and brothel), Al Swearengen (Ian McShane).
Throughout the series, Al Swearengen's power over the town of Deadwood becomes increasingly apparent. Although the wild territory is full of gunslingers whose answer to everything is gunning their enemies down, Al chooses to hatch plots and use mind games to defeat anyone who might potentially get in his way. His powerful on-screen presence makes the viewers forget he is the antagonist of Deadwood.
Lorne Malvo — ‘Fargo’
In the first season of the television adaptation of the Coen brothers’ Fargo, hitman Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) stops at a hospital in Minnesota after a car accident. In the hospital, he crosses paths with insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman), who is being treated for his broken nose after being punched by Sam Hess (Kevin O’Grady). When the deceptive Malvo suggests that Nygaard should murder Hess for what he has done to him, Nygaard neither accepts nor rejects the idea: just like that, this interaction kickstarts a chain of murders.
Like many great villains, Lorne Malvo is as charismatic and captivating as he is wicked. And although Billy Bob Thornton has played many characters as such in the past, his portrayal as the hitman for hire hits differently. The show’s unique take on the dark comedy genre, supported by Thornton and co-star Martin Freeman’s performance, made the first season of Fargo undeniably irresistible. Thornton played his Fargo character so effortlessly that we sometimes forget he is acting.