TV's 10 most evil villains today.

This site is about faces and heroes, villains, and fools. I’ve looked at asymmetrical faces—due to cleft lips and palates often—a lot. However, I haven’t written many blogs about villainous faces which often feature asymmetry. For that matter, I’ve given villains short shrift, favoring heroes.

Villains are key.

Villains are important in storytelling. Without villains, we cannot have heroes. If everyone in a story is good, it’s difficult knowing whom to root for. This is doubly important for TV and movie stories. They aren’t perceived to be interesting unless they have someone for us to hate and root against.

Bust shot of Joffrey Baratheon, villain from TV's Game of Thrones.

Villain from Game of Thrones.

Interestingly, the most popular shows on TV today have some amazing villains that we hate and that makes us love our heroes even more. Nat Berman gives us a macabre overview of contemporary TV villains in an interesting article. I’ve excerpted it a bit and edited it slightly to condense it.

The People Vs. OJ Simpson – Oj Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.)

Cuba Gooding Jr. did an amazing job portraying OJ Simpson, the man who in real life was arrested for murdering his wife and her friend. The [TV] movie takes viewers through the true events of the case, from the police investigation to the court hearings, to the racial tensions that exploded throughout the entire country. Not only was OJ Simpson the villain in The People vs. OJ Simpson, he is also a villain in real life.

THE BUTCHER – AMERICAN HORROR STORY

This season of American Horror Story was different [from] the rest. The first half of the season showed what happened as told by the people who were there via a reality show. The villain was The Butcher, the ghost of a woman who was thought the be the leader of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. She and her group tortured a family who moved onto the sacred land. Luckily, almost all of the family members were able to get away. The second half of the show had the actors who played in the reenactment gathering during the Blood Moon, the time when The Butcher and her group are known to come back and kill for the land…

NEGAN – THE WALKING DEAD

Negan is by far the most dangerous and sadistic villains on television. He is the leader of a group called The Saviors, and he not only has a hold over Rick and his group, but several other groups in the area. In order to keep their members from dying, the groups must scavenge for items and give more than half to Negan and his group. Negan walks around with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire….

AVA JEROME – GENERAL HOSPITAL

Since there are so many villains on soap operas, it is only right that a soap opera be added to this list. Ava Jerome has been a villain and a force to be reckoned with ever since she arrived in Port Charles. She killed Connie Falconeri in cold blood and she got away with it. She also seduced her daughter’s boyfriend, more than once. … She still continues to hurt everyone around her.

CROWLEY – SUPERNATURAL

Crowley is the king of hell, which makes it obvious that he is a pretty serious villain. There are times when he works with the Winchester boys. However, it is only when he has a chance to betray them or if there is something in it for him as well. Crowley can be lovable at times, but for the most part, he is as evil as they come.
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RAMSAY BOLTON – GAME OF THRONES

Ramsay Bolton, formerly known as Ramsay Sow was as mean as they come on Game of Thrones. People loved to hate him. Not only was he fearless, he [was] also a psychopath and very sadistic. …At the end of season 6, the hounds that he trusted to always watch out for him got so hungry that they ate him alive.

CHRISTY MCGINITY – LITTLE WOMEN L.A.

Every reality show needs a villain, and this past season it was Christy. She started the season by fighting with Terra, which led to Terra throwing a glass. Although she was wearing a cowboy hat, Christy claimed she sustained a serious brain injury…[S]he contacted Brianna’s family when she was asked not to, and spoke horribly about Brianna’s husband Matt….
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Sometimes villains “make a show.” But, unfortunately villains frequently disappear ‘cuz actors need to take on other projects. Luckily, there’s always another villain waiting in the wings when TV villains are defeated or killed.

My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.

TV’s 10 most evil villains today.