TV / Movies TV Villains

Jerome Valeska is easily the best live action interpretation of the Joker to date. Easily. All of Gotham's villains are rather well done, actually - especially considering most of them aren't technically antagonists, or have built up to that point. I never thought much of Penguin as a villain until I watched Gotham, at least. The Riddler is oddly endearing, too. At times. Other times I just want to strangle him.

Lex and Lionel Luthor in Smallville would take the crown for me for DC villains in TV shows, though. Lionel practically wrote the book on villainy, and Lex's descent over the course of seven seasons - to me, Smallville effectively ended with the season seven finale; it never reached the same heights without the Clark/Lex dynamic - made the show far better than it had any right to be.

...also, Deathstroke in Arrow. The show isn't going to be the same now that Deathstroke is going to get his own movie...which will be as bad as the other DCU movies have been and won't have an actor even half as competent as Manu Bennett at portraying Slade Wilson.

I can't really think of a Marvel equivalent...as good a Magneto as Ian McKellan made, the X-Men movies he starred in were universally dismal, and the MCU has done a stellar job at butchering every single one of its villains by refusing to develop their characters and killing them off at the end of the film. They clearly haven't read the comics. The high point is probably Hela, but only because Cate Blanchett breathes life into the role and makes it her own. I am very impressed by the designs of The Black Order, but given what they've done to Thanos, I have very little hopes they'll be given proper personalities. Which is a shame, because Proxima Midnight deserves a movie to herself.

Outside of DC and Marvel...I'd be tempted to say Spike from Buffy would be my favourite villain. He wasn't a villain for very long, but he was never really a hero, or even an anti-hero...not even in Angel. Especially not in Angel, all things considered.

 

I don't watch Gotham, but can imagine it has some good acting. Got a few friends who really enjoy the show.

One that stands out to me is Wo Fat from Hawaii Five-O of the original series as well as its remake Hawaii Five-0. I haven't seen much of the originals, but the contemporary take had local Hawaiian actor Mark Dacascos playing him. And he does a hell of a job playing him too.

For those who watch Hawaii Five-0, you know him too well. For those that don't; Wo Fat was a former Chinese MSS agent and the longtime nemesis of the main protagonist Steve McGarrett . He indirectly orders the death of McGarrett's father which indirectly starts the Five-0 state task force in hunting Fat down and eventually tackling the growing crime in Hawaii.
Wo Fat had claimed to know many secrets of McGarrett's mother and her involvement as a CIA agent which after numerous escapes and recaptures by Five-0, it eventually comes to a climax where Fat and McGarrett engage in a brutal fistfight which ends up with him shooting his nemesis dead.

While Wo Fat only appeared for 8 episodes over 5 seasons, much of his influential shadow caused many internal and external conflicts for every member of the team while he was alive. Even after his death, much of his control in the criminal underworld didn't go unnoticed as Five-0 had to start going after kingpins who sought to claim Fat's territory and wealth.

He's one of the nastiest villains I've seen on television, even though he masks it through a cold, calculating, businesslike demeanor. He's ruthless, aggressive and not afraid to appear at a disadvantage due to his ability to manipulate and play others to his own ends.

 

The Borg. Embodiments of everything that offends a rational, sentient being, and yet nigh-unstoppable (until outwitted because of plot armour). To this day they terrify me.

That aside, shout-outs to the 80s Saturday-morning cartoon villains. They didn't need 'development' because they were megalomaniacs, arrogant, and just overall beings you loved to hate and always cheered when they were defeated each week.

 

Valeska does a really well job to play a psychotic villain.

I would agree somewhat on Deathstroke but I think Damien Darhk deserves a mention if not the top spot for Arrow villains.

For flash it had to be a speedster so Zoom (Savitar was stupid as mess.)

 

Completely agree. Also, I am still waiting for the 2nd half of the current Flash season and I don't like this whole Thinker/Amunet angle.

I quite liked Adrian Chase and his backstory.

 

I pretty much agree with Wo Fat. He was a nasty piece of work that influenced the entire series.