10 Great TV Villains Who Stole The Show

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Headland, L. Star Wars: The Acolyte . (2024). Lucasfilm. Link to Image.

"I've accepted my darkness. What have you done with yours?"
The Stranger, 'Night', Star Wars The Acolyte

1. The Stranger from Star Wars The Acolyte

Headland, L. Star Wars: The Acolyte . (2024). “Night” (Video). Lucasfilm. Link to YouTube.
Note: This video contains major spoilers, violence, and death

Portrayed by: Manny Jacinto

Manny Jacinto is a Filipino-Canadian actor who earned his big break as Jason Mendoza on the sitcom The Good Place (2016-2020). In 2024 he played Qimir “The Stranger” in the Star Wars series The Acolyte . It was Manny’s performance as The Stranger in The Acolyte that inspired me to write this article. I thought that his performance was amazing and that he added something really special to the series. The Stranger is a Sith Lord who wears a helmet and bracelets made out of cortosis. He used to be a Jedi but he turned his back on the order a long time ago. As a Sith Lord, he has an aggressive fighting style. He gets into his opponent's heads and he wields a lightsaber that has a detachable shoto blade concealed inside. In the episode ‘Night’ The Stranger slaughters a group of Jedi in a jungle and is unmasked as Qimir. The fight scene in this episode is epic. It is the best lightsaber combat produced in Star Wars since Duel of the Fates. My favourite moment in the episode is when Master Sol grabs Qimir and screams in his face “His mind is twisted by darkness!” Qimir smirks at him and replies “I’ve accepted my darkness. What have you done with yours?” Manny Jacinto was the best thing about The Acolyte . I was sad when I heard that the series had been cancelled because I had been hoping for a second season that would focus more on Qimir.

2. Lestat from Interview with the Vampire

Jones, R. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire . (2022 – present). (Video) Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: Sam Reid

Lestat de Lioncourt was first introduced in Anne Rice’s 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire. Lestat proved so popular he became a breakout character that would go on to become the main protagonist in several novels in The Vampire Chronicles. Sam Reid was cast in the role of Lestat de Lioncourt in the television series Interview with the Vampire in 2021. Sam Reid is utterly bewitching as Lestat de Lioncourt. His performance has been labelled "mesmerizing", "flawless", and "spellbinding."

3. Annatar from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Payne, J.D & McKay, P. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. (2022-present). “Where the Stars are Strange.” (Video). Amazon MGM Studios and New Line Cinema. Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: Charlie Vickers

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a fantasy television series developed for the streaming service Amazon Prime based on Middle Earth’s second age. The first season premiered on 1 September 2022. Australian actor Charlie Vickers plays the Dark Lord Sauron in the series. In the first season, Sauron disguises himself as a human called Halbrand. He gets close to Galadriel and tries to corrupt her but she rejects him. The second season of The Rings of Power premiered on 29 August 2024. Charlie Vickers returned as Sauron but with a brand-new look. In the second season, Sauron changes his appearance to Annatar “The Lord of Gifts” and bewitches the elven smith Celebrimbor into agreeing to help him craft the rings of power. Charlie Vickers got a lot of positive praise for his performance as Annatar. He is bewitching and seductive and cunning like a cat.

4. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Whedon, J. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). “School Hard.” Mutant Enemy Productions (Video).
Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: James Marsters

James Marsters played the vampire Spike “William the Bloody” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2003. Spike was first introduced in the season two episode ‘School Hard’ as a cigarette-smoking, punk-rock vampire who was meant to last for an episode or two before being dusted. He was never meant to be a major villain or romantic interest, but he proved so popular with fans he was brought back because the audience demanded it. Spike became a “breakout character” who received a lot of focus and growth over the course of the series. He went from being a villain to an anti-hero, to a romantic interest to Buffy. Spike has been listed as one of the most popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters and one of the most memorable TV villains of all time.

5. Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Whedon, J. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). “Lie to Me.” Mutant Enemy Productions (Video). Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: Juliet Landau

Juliet Landau played the vampire Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel from 1997 to 2004. Drusilla was raised Catholic and possessed psychic powers as a human that gave her the ability to predict the future. As a human Drusilla attracted the eye of the vampire Angelus who became obsessed with siring her into a vampire. Angelus stalked Drusilla and massacred her entire family in front of her eyes. After she was tortured into insanity, Angelus sired Drusilla, and boasted that she was his ”masterpiece.” As a vampire, Drusilla became completely insane and embraced evil. Juliet Landau is utterly fantastic as Drusilla. She is hauntingly insane and child-like in her mannerisms which makes her very frightening.

6. Angelus from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Whedon, J. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). “Innocence.” Mutant Enemy Productions (Video). Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: David Boreanaz

David Boreanaz played the character of Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2003 and on the spin-off series Angel from 1999 to 2004. Angel was a vampire who developed a reputation as Angelus for being one of the most evil and sadistic to ever exist. Angel is first introduced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a vampire with a soul. He arrives in Sunnydale and becomes romantically involved with the slayer Buffy Summers. In season two he loses his soul after he sleeps with Buffy. After he loses his soul he reverts back to his evil persona Angelus. David Boreanaz delivers an amazing performance as Angelus. He’s one of my favourite Big Bads. The big moment in “Innocence” where he reveals that he has become Angelus again is one of my favourite scenes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

7. Santiago from Interview with the Vampire

Jones, R. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. (2022-present) ."Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death". (Video). Link to YouTube

Portrayed by: Ben Daniels

Ben Daniels was introduced in the second season of Interview with the Vampire (2022-present) as the vampire Santiago. Santiago is a lead actor for the Théâtre des Vampires. His act is to pretend that he is a human masquerading as a vampire on stage. He lures victims onto the stage and tricks the audience into thinking their deaths are part of the show. Daniels is so great as Santiago. He reminds me so much of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

8. Kai Winn from Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Berman, R & Piller, M. Star Trek Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). “In The Cards” Paramount (video). Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: Louise Fletcher

Louise Fletcher played Winn Adami on Star Trek Deep Space Nine from 1993 to 1999. Winn Adami was a conservative Bajoran religious leader and the first to be elected to the position of Kai after the end of the Occupation. She was a deeply religious and ambitious woman who devoted her whole life to serving the Prophets. She was angry when the Prophets chose Captain Benjamin Sisko, an alien and an outsider, to be their Emissary because she didn’t consider him worthy to receive their wisdom and guidance. Her jealousy and arrogance eat away at her until she eventually rejects the Prophets and embraces the evil Pah-wraths.

9. The Bent-Neck Lady from The Haunting of Hill House

Flanagan, M. The Haunting of Hill House (TV series). (2018). “The Bent-Neck Lady” (Video). Netflix. Link to YouTube.
Note: This video contains major spoilers, graphic imagery, and death

Portrayed by: Victoria Pedretti

The Bent-Neck Lady (Victoria Pedretti) is a terrifying ghost of a woman with a broken neck from the television series The Haunting of Hill House (2018). The Bent-Neck Lady starts haunting Eleanor “Nellie” Crain (Violet McGraw) when she is a child living at Hill House. The spectre of the Bent-Neck Lady follows Nellie into adulthood. Adult Nellie (Victoria Pedretti) suffers from depression and blames The Bent-Neck Lady for everything that has gone wrong in her life. She is encouraged by her therapist to return to Hill House to face her past. She ends up committing suicide by hanging herself off the side of a stairwell.

As a ghost, she learns that she was the Bent-Neck Lady all along and that she had been suffering premonitions of her death ever since she was a child. The Bent-Neck Lady is a great example of a character who is framed as a villain in the beginning but is later revealed to be the exact opposite. This is called being a Villainy-Free Villain . A character that fits this trope plays the role of the antagonist and exists to bring conflict in a work of fiction. The difference is that they are not actually doing anything evil or immoral. The Bent-Neck Lady looks terrifying but is later revealed to not be evil at all. She was just trying to warn her younger self and her siblings of the horror of Hill House.

10. Gul Dukat from Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Berman, R & Piller, M. Star Trek Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). “Waltz” Paramount (video). Link to YouTube.

Portrayed by: Marc Alaimo

Marc Alaimo played the character of Gul Dukat on Star Trek Deep Space Nine from 1993 to 1999. Gul Dukat was a high-ranking Cardassian military officer who ruled over Bajor as Prefect during the Occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian Union. Gul Dukat was an amazing villain on Deep Space Nine. He had a lot of shades of grey to him. In his time on the series, he played the role of a megalomaniac, a charming narcissist, a nominal hero, a punch-clock villain, an opportunistic bastard, and a religious madman beyond redemption. He refuses to accept any blame for anything he did during the Occupation. In his mind, he was a good man who cared for the Bajorans and was just there doing a job. The truth is Gul Dukat is incapable of having empathy for others. It is his rage and his constant urge to be worshipped that causes him to embrace the Pah-wraths and become evil.

More TV Show Reviews by Marisa
6 Unforgettable TV Mothers
The Best TV Show Opening Credits Part One
Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two - Review
Star Trek Picard Season 3 - Review
Interview With the Vampire Season 2 - TV Series Review
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - TV Series Review
Star Wars: The Acolyte - TV Series Review
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season One - Review
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Two - Review
Fleabag - Series Review
Sex Education: Season 4 Finale - Review
The Nanny - TV Series Review
The Best Captain Sisko Episodes from Star Trek Deep Space Nine
The Best Spike Episodes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer


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