Every show needs a heroic protagonist—or, at least, an anti-hero—to keep the action moving forward. However, the protagonist is defined by the villains they face, and a good villain can really steal the show. Here are ten antagonists who became the most interesting parts of their TV shows.
Al Swearengen
Criminal mastermind Al Swearengen, played by an exceptional Ian McShane, is one of the most interesting characters on Deadwood. As the conniving villain who wants to take over the town, he operates at a higher level than some gun-slinging crook. Swearengen used his brains, not his brawn, to become a memorable villain.
Moriarity
Andrew Scott’s portrayal of the classic Sherlock Holmes villain Moriarity in the BBC Sherlock series is unforgettable. His unusual mannerisms and seemingly endless scheming make him a perfect foil for the great detective—and Scott’s performance is unforgettable as a terrifying criminal.
Steve Harrington
Cast your mind back to the first season of Stranger Things. Isn’t it weird that Steve was actually a villain in that season? He was a bully who harassed Nancy and gave our protagonists trouble. Of course, Joe Keery is just too dang likable for his character to stay evil, so now he’s part of the main cast and is an undeniable good guy.
Wilson Fisk
Vincent D’Onofrio puts on an acting clinic in Netflix’s excellent Daredevil series. The towering Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk, is the ultimate bad guy for Matt Murdock to face off against. He’s impenetrable in a court of law and unbeatable in a fist fight, so how could Matt ever stand up to him?
Homelander
While The Boys is technically Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) show, the villainous “superhero” Homelander is the real star. He’s pure evil, an extremely powerful supervillain who views regular humans as ants and thinks that he’s above concepts like kindness, generosity, or mercy.
Joffrey Baratheon
Jack Gleeson knew exactly how to make Joffrey Baratheon the most obnoxious, annoying possible character—and that’s a compliment. The petulant teenage king was a monstrous villain, and Game of Thrones fans literally cheered when he was finally poisoned and exited the show.
Kilgrave
The Netflix Marvel shows had some stellar villains! David Tenant’s unsettling performance as The Purple Man, also known as Kilgrave, made the first season of Jessica Jones very memorable. What do you do against a villain who can control your actions just by telling you what to do?
Negan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal of Negan on The Walking Dead changed the game for our heroes. With two main characters dead by his hand and the image of his cool leather jacker and nightmarish baseball bat seared into viewers’ brains, it was obvious that his arrival signaled a shift in the show’s narrative.
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Lalo Salamanca
Better Call Saul’s greatest trick was taking things that were just hinted at by Breaking Bad and turning them into full, multi-season plot threads. That was the case with Lalo Salamanca, a conniving and inquisitive member of the Salamanca clan who arrived to Albuquerque to get a handle on Gus Fring’s upstart operation on behalf of the cartel. Tony Dalton’s performance as the charismatic gangster is among the best of his career.
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Gus Fring
Breaking Bad’s Gustavo Fring is a terrifying man who manages to keep a whole drug empire churning along while also managing his cover story of running a fast-food chain. What’s more, Giancarlo Esposito’s performance was fitting for the character: he didn’t burst into the show guns blazing. He slowly crept into the narrative until fans realized he was the real deal and the ultimate antagonist for a man like Walter White.
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