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While heroes steal the spotlight in almost every story, the ones who really make a mark on us are some well-thought-out villains. While some of them have layers to their characters and multifaceted motivations for their actions, others are simply evil and enjoy that way of life.
We all love and root for the hero, wishing for them to succeed in their venture and emerge victorious at the end. But the one standing in their way, and the resolution of the story, is the antagonist - the villain if you will. So, it is understandable if they don't get a lot of love from the audience.
However, once in a while, there comes a villain, that garners hatred and hostility from the audience. People start detesting them even beyond their reel lives, relating them to their on-screen characters. While it is an ode to how good the actors portrayed their characters, it also goes to show how much impact a well-thought-out and sinister villain can cause.
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With that in mind, today we will delve into the world of TV shows, and explore some of their greatest, or rather most sinister, villains who have left a lasting impression on us and will probably go down as some of the most hated characters in television history.
7 of the most hated TV show villains ever
1) Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones
Joffrey Baratheon is a character from Game of Thrones, HBO's extremely popular fantasy drama show based on George R.R. Martin's epic novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire. On paper, he was the eldest son of King Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister, heir to the Iron Throne. However, in reality, he was the oldest incestuous offspring of Cersei and Jamie Lannister.
Joffrey's character is played by Jack Gleeson, who received universal critical acclaim for his performance. However, his compelling acting also put him on the receiving end of widespread hate from the fans. The hate mail and online hostility even drove him to stay away from the industry for some time.
Joffrey Baratheon is portrayed as a spoiled arrogant brat with sadistic traits and no ethics whatsoever. He is undoubtedly one of the most hated villains to have graced the silver screen in recent years.
2) Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a timeless villain, who originated from Thomas Harris's novel series, but was immortalized by Sir Anthony Hopkins' performance in the 1991 classic horror thriller, The Silence of the Lambs.
While Hopkins' Lecter did get hailed by the AFI as the greatest villain of American cinema, Mads Mikkelsen also did an amazing job portraying the cannibalistic serial killer. Mikkelsen played the character in NBC's 2013 series, Hannibal, which has also attained cult status now.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter is an extremely intelligent, polished and brilliant forensic psychiatrist with a penchant for good food and wine. Not only that, he is also a prolific serial killer who likes to eat his victims by cooking them into delectable meals.
3) Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad
Gustavo Fring or Gus Fring is another popular villain in recent pop culture. He is a character from AMC's record-breaking series, Breaking Bad, and has been brought to life by Giancarlo Esposito.
Gus is a Chilean-American businessman who owns multiple popular businesses like a fast-food chain and a laundromat. But behind this facade, he is a major drug distributor in the Southwestern America circuit, laundering money for the Mexican cartel.
However, his character is much more complex and is driven by a thirst for revenge. Gus is a cold-blooded and calculating guy who acted as an antagonist to Walter White during the series run. Esposito's brilliant performance paired with the complex character building has made Gus Fring one of the best villains of recent times.
4) Benjamin Linus from Lost
Benjamin Linus is a character from ABC's sci-fi drama series, Lost. Portrayed by Michael Emerson, Linus is one of the native inhabitants of the island, the Others, and is initially introduced as Henry Gale. His real identity as Linus, the leader of the Others is not revealed until the season two finale.
What brings Benjamin Linus to this list today is a number of factors. He is not an ordinary run-of-the-mill villain, and has a complex and overarching character arc throughout the series run. Although he started off as a nominal side character, Emerson's brilliant performance made the creators redesign the character to be the main antagonist in the series, to gradually become a co-protagonist by the end.
However, his calm and soft-spoken nature paired with his unpredictable actions makes him one of the most dangerous adversaries in TV show history.
5) Homelander from The Boys
Homelander is a character from Prime Video's series, The Boys, and the only supervillain on this list. Played by Antony Starr, Homelander is the leader of The Seven, a group of superheroes managed and marketed by Vought International.
Although a superhero to the general public, Homelander and most other "supes" are corrupt and morally compromised. What sets Homalander apart from his colleagues is his sheer power and deranged personality. He enjoys the love, attention and respect he gets from the people and would stop at nothing to keep it coming, except for actually being a good superhero.
Homelander has no regard for human life, shows no mercy, uses lethal force without any thought and manipulates others to his whims. What makes him one of the most dangerous villains is the magnitude of his power, making him a force to be reckoned with.
6) Livia Soprano from The Sopranos
Livia Soprano is a character from HBO's crime drama series, The Sopranos. Portrayed by Nancy Marchand, she is the mother of Tony Soprano, a member of the Italian-American mafia and leader of the North Jersey DiMeo crime family.
Livia Soprano is another unforgettable TV show villain from recent times, characterised by her manipulative and pessimistic nature. Although a frail and old woman, she used emotional manipulation to cause pain and suffering to everybody around her, be it her enemies or her family.
She even arranged for her son, Tony, to be murdered by his uncle, Junior Soprano. The shocking thing was that Tony never did anything to hurt her and had always shown her unconditional love. Livia Soprano is one of those villains who enjoy being evil, making her the crème de la crème of the most sinister characters in TV history.
7) Jim Moriarty from Sherlock
Sherlock is undoubtedly one of the most popular shows on BBC's roster in recent times. Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's series of stories based on the character Sherlock Holmes, BBC's TV show also featured the corresponding pivotal characters like Dr. John Watson, D.I. Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes and the archnemesis, Jim Moriarty.
The character of Moriarty is a classic villain, be it in any adaptation. Characterized by his brilliant intellect, meticulous plans and morally unrestrained strategies, Moriarty falls into the top echelon of villains, be it any media. And Andrew Scott's portrayal of a new-day Moriarty, who takes advantage of modern technology to aid his nefarious plans makes him a must on this list.
These are our top picks of some of the worst and most sinister villains that have graced the silver screen. If you think we missed someone, or our list isn't evil enough, be sure to drop a comment down below and add your own suggestions.
