The penultimate edition of this list is officially out! Numbers 20-11 are here, and if we hadn't brought out the big guns yet, they're about to come blazing. The only villain to be a group instead of a person will be featured, one of the biggest twist-villains makes himself known, and with only ten more characters after this list, history will be made and recounted!
Enjoy!
20. President Charles Logan
Played by: Gregory Itzin
Featured on: 24
"It's all gone wrong, none of this should have happened. All of these killings... this whole thing was planned to make our country safer, stronger. To protect our interests, and it all spiraled out of control when you decided to kill David Palmer." - Charles Logan
What's fun about getting this far down on the list, is that we can really analyze the best of the best. And talking about the best of the best, let's talk some Charles Logan. To this day, I can easily say that there was no time on TV that surprised me more than the twist reveal of Logan being the bad guy. 24 always had great twists, but in the already-jam-packed-with-villains fifth season of the show, I really didn't see this one coming. When it happened, and it made sense though, nothing was more terrific. The wimpy, weak-willed President didn't change so dramatically that there was a role reversal in character, but at the same time, we saw his motivations and what had cajoled him to turn to the dark side. Logan was as weak-willed as ever, showing exactly why he was so easily goaded into the terrorist schemes. Once his downfall and arrest came at the end of the season though, the plot hadn't ended. Two more times, Logan was brought back into the show, albeit for a short time. He was the same as always. A man who was so selfish and so afraid of the forces beyond him, that he could be convinced of almost anything. The result was a villain who we were able to pity, hate, and love to watch, all at the same time. A combination almost impossible to get in any other character. Top that off with one of, if not the single greatest twist on TV, and a well-earned top twenty spot goes to Mr. Charles Logan.
19. Phillip Blake "The Governor"
Played by: David Morrissey
Featured on: The Walking Dead
"In this life now you kill or you die. Or you die and you kill." - The Governor
The Governor, the only truly great antagonist of The Walking Dead, is one of the more tumultuous additions to the list. He's fantastic while at the same time giving me huge problems. Upon introduction, The Governor was perfect for the show. He was a leader of a small town of survivors, he tried to keep things together as much as possible, yet he kept the heads of friends and families in jars in his house, in addition to keeping his zombified daughter locked, alive, in a room in his home. He was a leader, and a strong one, but his losses had caused him to slowly go insane. Not only an interesting character, but also a perfect comparison to the show's protagonist, Rick Grimes. Had Rick lost his son, Carl, perhaps he would have ended up exactly like The Governor. In a way, the characters were the same man in the same world, with luck being the only factor between them becoming each other. However, after having his eye stabbed out in the midseason finale of season three, the Governor changed quite a bit. All of a sudden, the regular, yet crazy man was gone. In his stead, a trench coat wearing, machine gun wielding, eye-patched super-villain took over. While the new guy was quite a lot of fun to watch, the character had been broken a bit. No longer was he a perfect comparison for Rick, but just a villain in his own stead. It wasn't quite as well written, and at many times it was quite frustrating, but when The Governor's final attack happened in season four, I was back on board. His development as a character, even if rushed, was captivating, and David Morrissey stole the show in every scene. For this, he's held back from a spot all the way up the list, but he certainly earns one at this point.
18. Russell Edgington
Played by: Denis O'Hare
Featured on: True Blood
"Does that help you decide, America? Do not turn off the camera! You've seen how quickly I can kill. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Russell Edgington, and I have been a vampire for nearly three-thousand years. Now, the American Vampire league wishes to perpetrate the notion that we are just like you, and I suppose, in a few small ways we are. We're narcissists. We care only about getting what we want no matter what the cost, just like you. Global warming, perpetual war, toxic waste, child labor, torture, genocide... that's a small price to pay for your SUV's and your flat screen TV's or your blood diamonds or your designer jeans... your absurd garish McMansions! Futile symbols of permanence to quell your... your quivering, spineless souls. But no, in the end we are nothing like you! We are... immortal! Because we drink the True Blood! Blood that is living, organic, and human. Mmm! And that is the truth the AVL wishes to conceal from you, because, let's face it, eating people is a tough sell these days, so they put on their freidnly faces to pass their beloved VRA, but make no mistake: mine is the true face of vampires! Why would we seek equal rights? You are not our equals! We will eat you! After we eat your children! Now time for the weather... Tiffany?" - Russell Edgington
Aahh Russell - the only really fantastic thing to come out of HBO's most regretted drama, True Blood. So much of the show was just shlock and sex, and to a great extent that defined Russell's character as well, but no villain lit up such a dark television time like Russell did. When everyone else on the show were off doing things that bored us to tears, Russell was making it all watchable, even if he wasn't the centerpiece of every episode. In particular, the time that, on live television, Russell tore a news reporter apart to make his point about the differences between humans and vampires, stuck out. Perhaps I'm putting him too high, as his character, aside from being old and tired of the annoyances of humans, wasn't the most developed one in the book, but the finesse with which he talked and the danger that he presented made him must-watch TV.
17. Atia of the Julii
Played by: Polly Walker
Featured on: Rome
"You are swearing that some day... some day you will destroy me. Remember, far better women have sworn to do the same and look... look where they are now." - Atia of the Julii
Atia of the Julii marks a significant character on the list. Though not the best female villain of all time, she is the best "femme fatale" of the list. In terms of sex appeal and manipulation as a weapon, Atia of the Julii, one of the key power players in Rome tops her kind. When we're first introduced to Atia, we see her having sex with her guard, just to save the money for payment. At first glance she seems like nothing but a sexpot, but only a few moments later in the episode, we begin to see her politic. With a beautiful daughter, Octavia, ripe for using as a bargaining chip, and a smart son, Octavian, ready to take power and be backseat driven, Atia is set, in addition to her general wealth and power. However, Atia almost didn't make the list for reasons of whether she was truly a villain. Yes, she had people killed and yes, she manipulated almost everyone in her path, but at the same time, many of her actions were for the greater good of Rome, not just for her own power trips. Much like Al Swearengen, not included in this list, Atia was almost more pragmatic than she was evil. However, going with our regular rule of direct opposition to protagonists, Atia did conflict with Julius Caesar, and occasionally Lucius Vorenus or Titus Pullo. Thus, Atia cements her spot in the top twenty with clarity, proving that when guns don't work breasts will. And when breasts don't work, a hired gun almost certainly will.
16. Robert Quarles
Played by: Neal McDonough
Featured on: Justified
"When people will conspire to keep you down, you will reach for the edge. They will lean the heel of their boots on your fingers and you just keep fighting, scratching and pulling. And just when you think you've reached the top of the mountain they changed the rules. So what do you do? You don't quit. You don't run. You don't stick that gun in the back of your throat. You realize that you're wrong. You're wrong in thinking that you had already won. True victory is when you crush your opponent so completely that he realizes he was wrong in opposing you from the beginning. You claw your way back into the fight. And you stand atop the mountain." - Robert Quarles
In the third season of Justified, an all-time great villain was introduced. Someone who, had they ever continued their run on the show past the third season, probably would have made the top ten. Alas, we only got Robert Quarles for thirteen episodes, but by God, how much fun were those episodes? Always well dressed to a T, always bloodthirsty and ready for battle, and always silver tongued in the most threatening way possible, Robert was a machine. As the season started out, we saw him as another mobster, only slightly more eccentric than past ones. However, as things progressed, we saw Quarles as a rebel to the men he worked for, a rapist, and a man with one of the darkest pasts television has ever made. Add to that fact the work of Neal McDonough, drawing immense charisma to Quarles, and we had a character that, though he was evil and against Raylan, we almost rooted for. His winning smile as he shot at a foe, his quick yet highly intelligent lines of dialogue, and especially his conversations with Wynne Duffy and Raylan Givens made for fantastic television all the time. And of course, when he finally met his downfall, coming at the hands of Ellstin Limehouse, Raylan Givens, and the entire Harlan County Sheriff's bureau, it was glorious. Taking bullets, losing an arm, and still left ambiguous as to whether he died, (there was no onscreen death,) Quarles left by far the most impressive memory of any Justified seasonal villain.
15. Petyr Baelish
Played by: Aiden Gillen
Featured on: Game of Thrones
"You know what I learnt losing the duel? I learnt that I'll never win. Not that way. That's their game, their rules. I'm not going to fight them... I'm going to fuck them. That's what I know. That's what I am. And only by admitting what we are can we get what we want."
"And what do you want?"
"Everything, my dear. Everything there is." - Petyr Baelish
One of the few true villains on Game of Thrones, Littlefinger, or Petyr Baelish, is, in my opinion, the smartest man in the seven kingdoms. A bit of a sociopath, but one that holds little power to begin with, Baelish has had the most evolution of any character over the course of the show. Starting as a boy, Baelish was nothing but a commoner with big dreams. He worked his way up to be Master of Coin before starting to make power grabs. He had a hand in the death of Ned Stark, of Joffrey Baratheon, and directly killed the Queen of the Vale directly after marrying her, making him the new Lord. After that, he's allied with Sansa Stark, striking a deal with Cirsei to take the North after wars have ended. Thus, we see the evolution of Petyr, ever the power hungry ladder climber, Littlefinger is simply playing the game of thrones on another level than all others. He has no armies to wage war with other kingdoms, he has no allies that have his back, and most of all, he has no allegiances to anyone, even those he calls his friends. Baelish is simply a lone agent, taking Westeros one cool, calculated step at a time. And, though we haven't seen where his plot eventually will lead, it's safe to assume that Baelish will rise quite a lot more before he falls.
14. George Hearst
Played by: Gerald McRaney
Featured on: Deadwood
"Complications of intention on your part with dealing with me, or duplicity, or indirection - behavior in short, which displeases me, will bring you a smack on the snout." - George Hearst
George Hearst, grandfather of William Randolph Hearst, came to Deadwood in the third season of the show, signalling the influx of civilization in the once-lawless town, as well as being the first and only true villain in the show's run. Once he arrived in town, a power struggle between himself, the aforementioned Al Swearengen, and of course, our resident hero, Seth Bullock began. Hearst wanted to usurp Deadwood's resources for himself, using it as a place to operate out of the United States while also using it up before the pending statehood of South Dakota. Hearst was also a new kind of villain, almost for TV in general. He was essentially untouchable, a man so rich and powerful that his downfall could not be ultimate in any sense. His conflicts that ended in real death almost always happened in a henchman quarrel, and while opposing to our heroes, Hearst was just a businessman, trying to come out on top of them all. And, of course, Hearst delivered one of the most climactic moments in television history during the finale of the entire show, when the town of Deadwood almost came to a boiling point and, in classic Deadwood fashion, war was prevented, the heads of the area agreeing over a deal instead of coming to guns. Hearst, along with Swearengen and Bullock all came to the same realization: civilization will always outlive any man's life. Though a villain, this pragmatic and real approach to war, death, and money will forever cement Hearst on the list.
13. The Borg
Played by: Various
Featured on: Star Trek: The Next Generation
"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender you ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to us. Resistance is futile." - The Borg
"Population approximately nine billion... all Borg" - Lieutenant Commander Data
The Borg, as an entity, were one of the most terrifying ideas that television has seen. A hive mind connecting a legion of robotically transformed humanoids, the Borg were an unstoppable force, even for our heroes on the Starship: Enterprise. Though they had a queen, the Borg as an entity were the true villain of the show, representing something that was ever-expanding and unstoppable. And, even in odd 80's costumes, the robotic freaks were still terrifying as ever. But what made the Borg was fantastic was what exactly they represented. Not to get all artsy here, but the Hive Network of the Borg could easily be used as an allegory for all kinds of real issues. The rule of totalitarianism and how mind-controlling these civilizations can become. Society and how all must conform to it. All different kinds of real-world connections can be drawn to the network of mindless drones, ostensibly controlled by nothing but a Skynet-like Borg network. Thus, the creatures showed us something that we didn't often see in Star Trek. They were something unconquerable - something that try as Picard and his friends might, could not ever really be taken down. They only grew - only expanded. Though held back by not being a distinctive character, The Borg showed a new side of classical Trek villainy. An endless legion, going on for miles of ships and miles of taken people, The Borg are just edged out of the top ten.
12. Ralph Cifaretto
Played by: Joe Pantoliano
Featured on: The Sopranos
"I love you too baby. Hey - if it's a boy, we'll name it after me. If it's a girl, we'll name it Tracee, after you. That way, she can grow up to be a cocksuckin' slob just like her mother! Are you out of your fucking mind?" - Ralph Cifaretto
Ralph Cifaretto, or Ralphie, was one of, if not the most, purely fun villain on this entire list. His obsession with Gladiator, his fast-talking, asshole way, and his attitude toward almost every other character on the show made for an incredibly entertaining character, as well as an original one. One of the most interesting questions posed by Cifaretto was exactly how he fared as a villain in comparison to Tony himself. In all reality, he probably committed less heinous crimes than Tony, though he came into direct opposition with our protagonist. Ralphie was a bad man, one that was a sexist and a murderer among other things, but in general, he was only a small time gangster, just one that was loud-mouthed enough to piss off Tony Soprano. His character arc was also an original one. At many times, Ralphie acted as a compatriot to Tony, being part of his essential crew and going into investments together, while at many times, he was a simply a thorn in the side. A lot of this must be credited to Joe Pantoliano, capturing every bit of the character, from a dark villain to an almost comic relief character. When Ralphie finally met his downfall though, it was doing one of the regular tropes for the character. After a fight over a horse that he and Tony shared a stake in, Ralphie was simply killed by Tony, right in his own kitchen. It was a mundane argument, but one that made sense in the character. Ralphie had finally pushed an adversary over the edge, straddling the line a bit too far and ultimately paying the price.
11. Boyd Crowder
Played by: Walton Goggins
Featured on: Justified
"I know people like you are used to taking people like me. But there comes a point when people like me can't take anymore taking. All the things you've done, the way you've built your fortunes, it might make you criminals, but it don't make you outlaws. I am the outlaw." - Boyd Crowder
The last addition to the list from Justified, Boyd Crowder was what we call the "big bad" of the show. He was a star since the first season, he had plots fully unto himself, and being as well developed as our main character, Raylan, we grew to love Boyd even while hating him. As a white supremacist turned preacher turned mafia kingpin, Boyd went through phases of being more and less hatable, of being an ally or an enemy to Raylan, and of opposing or siding with our seasonal antagonists. In the end though, while Boyd may not have matched up to a Robert Quarles in terms of pure evil-ness, he was our series long antagonist, and to Raylan, he was a life long antagonist. Boyd Crowder had been a thorn in the side of Raylan since they dug coal together decades ago. The Crowder family and the Givens family too, had always had problems, even outside of these two men. Thus, over the course of six seasons, we got a very well-rounded look at who exactly Boyd was. He could be a coldblooded killer, but just as easily could lay his life down on the line for those he loved. He was an evil man many times, but one who at least had a moral compass. And, at the end of the show, when Boyd survived but ended up in jail, talking one last time to Raylan, we realize that though a true antagonist, Boyd and Raylan were similar men on opposite sides of the law. And, in the end, they dug coal together, a bond that would forever hold them.
Labels: Aiden Gillen, David Morrissey, Deadwood, Denis O'Hare, Game of Thrones, Gerald McRaney, Joe Pantoliano, John Lithgow, Neal McDonough, Polly Walker, Star Trek: The Next Generation, True Blood, Walton Goggins
