The 20 most entertainingly wicked TV villains

Giancarlo Esposito is known for playing TV villains in The Boys and The Mandalorian, but his most memorable role is the cold and calculated drug kingpin Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring in Breaking Bad. Gus is the founder of the fast food chain Los Pollos Hermanos, which he uses as a front for meth distribution. Gus seems like a well-mannered businessman from first impressions, but he is a murderous and psychopathic criminal who kills in cold blood and will do anything to maintain his empire.

Arguably, the most hated character on television, Game of Thrones’ Joffrey Baratheon is one nasty piece of work. The young king is thought to be the son of King Robert Baratheon but is actually the bastarđ son of siblings Jaime and Cersei Lannister. Joffrey is a twisted and sadistic ruler who gets pleasure out of torturing people, and he has no redeeming qualities. Fans of the show were ecstatic when Joffrey finally met his end, and they were celebrating rather than mourning.

The most iconic sitcom villain of all time is, of course, Newman from Seinfeld. Newman is Jerry’s irritating neighbor and arch-nemesis who does anything to make Jerry’s life miserable, often finding humor in his wicked schemes. Despite his friendship with Kramer, Newman constantly gets the gang into trouble and seems to thrive on chaos. Jerry’s delivery of “Hello, Newman” has become one of the most famous lines on the show, thanks to his absolute contempt for his neighbor. 

Every character in Succession is pretty much a terrible person, but the worst of the lot is the Roy family patriarch, Logan Roy. Logan is the founder and CEO of Waystar Royco, the biggest media company in the world. He is a ruthless businessman who will take down anyone threatening his legacy, including his own children. He shows no warmth towards Kendall, Shiv, or Roman and is even willing to send his own Kendall to prison to cover up his own crimes.

There is no villain who is so simultaneously psychopathic and stylish as Villanelle from Killing Eve. The assassin becomes the obsession of MI6 agent Eve as the two pursue a complicated cat-and-mouse relationship. Villanelle is a cold-blooded killer who is sent to exotic locations to find and kill her targets, where she clearly has a lot of fun and looks totally fabulous doing so. Despite Villanelle’s, well, villainy, she is surprisingly likable thanks to her dark sense of humor.

Homer’s money-hungry boss, Mr. Burns, is one of the key antagonists in The Simpsons. He owns the Springfield Power Plant and is a powerful business tycoon who only cares about his wealth and interests. He treats his employees inhumanly and is known for his sinister catchphrase, “Excellent," and releasing his blood-thirsty hound dogs on his enemies. Mr. Burns represents the greed within the corporate world in the United States and is feared by all in Springfield. 

The Boys turns the superhero genre on its head, set in a world where superheroes are corrupt and abuse their powers. The series features several antagonists, but the most diabolical is the beloved hero, Homelander. Homelander is adored by all, with a celebrity status and a god complex. However, Homelander is actually a deranged psychopath who is murderous, cruel, and unforgiving. With such strong powers and an unstable mind, he is one of the most dangerous TV villains.

In SpongeBob SquarePants, Plankton is Mr. Krabs’s business rival and owner of failed restaurant The Chum Bucket. Plankton, jealous of Mr. Krabs’ success, is constantly trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. He always has a calculated and elaborate plan but fails each time. Plankton is determined and manipulative, often taking advantage of SpongeBob and his naivety. Plankton is married to his computer wife Karen and still doesn’t have the secret formula after all these years.

Fans can agree that the best Marvel villain isn’t Thanos or even in the MCU. Instead, it is the notorious Wilson Fisk from Daredevil. Played by Vincent D’Onfrio, Fisk is a New York crime lord who also goes by the name of Kingpin. His brutality matches his intimidating physical appearance, as he is mercilessly violent and relentless. He is Matt Murdoch’s biggest obstacle, and recently entered the MCU with appearances in the Disney+ shows Hawkeye and Echo.

Hannibal Lecter is one of the most iconic movie villains of all time, played by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. However, he is portrayed in a very different yet equally disturbing light in the series Hannibal by Mads Mikkelsen. In the show, an FBI agent is advised to see Lecter, a psychiatrist who is also a cannibal and serial killer. He helps the FBI while hiding his dark secrets, and despite his refined appearance, he is pure evil at its essence. Who knows who’s on his menu?

There have been several iterations of Doctor Who over the years, as well as the show’s classic villain, The Master. They are another Time Lord who was the Doctor's childhood friend and is now their enemy. Cunning and sociopathic, The Master is determined to conquer the universe and destroy the Doctor in the process. The character has been played by a number of actors throughout the show’s run, from Roger Delgado and John Simm to Michelle Gomez in a gender swap. 

Despite being a mafia boss, Tony Soprano isn’t the villain of The Sopranos. Many would argue that it is instead his mother, Livia Soprano. She is nihilistic and bitter, and her abuse towards her son is the root of all his problems and negative personality traits. Resentful for being placed in a nursing home, Livia constantly seeks revenge and even puts out a hit on Tony. She is surely one of the worst mothers to ever appear on television, doing everything to make her children’s lives miserable.

When Lost was released, it was one of the most popular shows on television and had everybody talking. The series follows a group of plane crash survivors who are stranded on a mysterious island. Ben Linus is the leader of the island’s residents, called the Others, and the key antagonist for the crash survivors. Ben kidnaps, tortures, kills, manipulates, and even sacrifices his own daughter to protect the island’s secrets. He is always one step ahead.

Just when Game of Thrones fans thought there couldn’t be another character as cruel and awful as Joffrey, Ramsay Bolton was introduced. The bastarđ son of Lord Roose Bolton, Ramsay relishes in the pain of his victims. He disturbed viewers by physically and mentally torturing Theon Greyjoy into becoming his servant, sexually assaulting Sansa Stark, and killing his entire family when he wasn’t named heir. One of the show’s most satisfying moments is when Sansa orders Ramsay’s execution. 

The Walking Dead may have outstayed its welcome, but at its peak, it was brilliant television. The series follows a group of survivors who try to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse. The biggest threat isn’t actually the zombies but instead the tyrannical Philip Blake, also known as The Governor. He rules the town of Woodbury as a dictator, killing outsiders and those who disagree with him. He is proof that humans are much worse than flesh-eating zombies.

Long before Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix, the Joker made his live-action debut in the ‘60s Batman series, played by Cesar Romero. While the character has now become the biggest villain in all of pop culture, Romero’s portrayal paved the way for those that followed. While not as scary or threatening as modern versions, the Joker is still a menace and completely mad while simultaneously being kooky. Romero also portrayed the Joker in Batman: The Movie.

Regina may be the Evil Queen, but Rumpelstiltskin causes the most chaos in Once Upon a Time. In the town of Storybrooke, where fairy tale characters live in the real world, Rumplestiltskin goes by the name Mr. Gold. Like in the traditional fairytale, he is a conniving trickster who only serves himself, constantly betraying and using others. His detailed backstory allows some audience empathy, but they never know where his shady allegiances lie.

Prison Break follows Michael Scofield, who is incarcerated after his apparent death. As the title would suggest, he tries to break out of prison, but this becomes incredibly difficult thanks to fellow prisoner Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell. He is sentenced to life in prison for crimes, including murder, and is the leader of the gang in any prison he finds himself in. T-Bag is selfish and manipulative, often sabotaging Michael’s plans, and has no problem killing anyone who discovers his true identity. 

While the titular protagonist, Dexter, has homicidal tendencies and is also a killer, he is nowhere near as terrifying as The Trinity Killer. Dexter follows the movements of this killer for quite some time, and it is a shock when he is revealed to be Arthur Mitchell, a seemingly innocent and caring family man. Arthur uses his appearance to conceal the fact that he has carefully orchestrated murders for decades. John Lithgow’s portrayal is immensely unsettling, proving that you can never trust anybody. 

It may be controversial to include Walter White, the protagonist of Breaking Bad, on this list. However, let’s face it. By the end of the series, Walt has become a full-fledged villain who even gives Gus Fring a run for his money. Walt fully embraces his drug kingpin identity of Heisenberg and commits ruthless crimes to protect his own interests. Walt is brilliant, which is what makes him so dangerous. From poisoning a child to killing in cold blood, there’s no line Walt won’t cross.