From ruthless villains to despicable antagonists, some characters just had it coming. Join us as we look at the most gratifying TV character deaths that had viewers cheering! From Game of Thrones to Breaking Bad, The Sopranos to The Walking Dead, these unforgettable departures left audiences thoroughly satisfied.
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00:00You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason.
00:05How do you answer these charges?
00:10Lord Baelish.
00:14Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:18for the top 50 most impactful TV characters' demise
00:22that left viewers cheering.
00:24No animated deaths. Beware of spoilers.
00:30It's over, Ward.
00:34Number 50. Lionel Luther. Smallville.
00:38There's no sugarcoating it. Lionel Luther was a bad, bad man.
00:42From drugging and erasing his son's memories,
00:45trying to murder Chloe, tormenting the Kent family,
00:49and even having his own parents' blood on his hands,
00:52he committed some truly reprehensible acts.
00:55Lionel Luther, you're under arrest.
01:00On what charge?
01:03The murder of your parents.
01:05By the time his so-called redemption came,
01:07it was hard to see him as anything other than a devious monster.
01:11So forgive anyone who craved his undoing,
01:14which eventually came at the hands of Lex Luthor,
01:16who shoved him out of the window.
01:19No one will even remember your name.
01:21To die at his son's hands the same way his parents fell by his,
01:26that's poetic justice.
01:28I just talked to him.
01:30You said you were working down the hall for your father tonight?
01:34Number 49. Commander Winslow. The Handmaid's Tale.
01:38If we have to crown the worst commander in this dystopian series,
01:42Winslow takes the prize. No contest.
01:45He arrived in season 8 with a new look,
01:48No contest.
01:50He arrived in season 3 and left a lasting impression for all the ugliest reasons.
01:55We have to be judicious about the images we release to the world.
02:00More than just another villain,
02:02Winslow was the true embodiment of cruelty in Gilead,
02:06completely irredeemable.
02:08Stapling a handmaid's mouth shut,
02:10preying on the weak,
02:11that tells you everything about his twisted obsession with control.
02:15When he cornered June in that room at Jezebel's,
02:18we knew, this guy had to go.
02:20Get on the bed.
02:22So when she stabbed him multiple times in self-defense,
02:25it felt like a small win for every fan who'd had enough of Gilead's monsters.
02:33My children.
02:37Number 48. Keith Summers. Bates Motel.
02:41This psychological horror wasted no time in making us loathe Keith Summers.
02:46He wasn't just a sleazy former owner of the Bates Motel,
02:50he reeked of small-town corruption and toxic masculinity.
02:54What makes you think you can run this place by yourself?
02:57Because I can.
02:58While characters like Norman had tragic backstories
03:01that offered some explanations for how they turned out,
03:04Keith was a straight-up creep with no excuses.
03:07Gross, aggressive, and all threat, there's absolutely no salvation for him.
03:13Not long after we meet him,
03:14he not only harasses Norma and her son,
03:17he sneaks into their house later on to assault her.
03:24When Norma stabs him in a fit of rage,
03:26fans weren't exactly shedding tears for this loser.
03:29You liked it.
03:35Number 47. The Handler. The Umbrella Academy.
03:39Is there no match for a shark?
03:50Stylish and deliciously evil, Kate Walsh's The Handler had serious flair.
03:56But beneath the glam lurked a cold-hearted psychopath driven by greed and power,
04:01her motives as erratic as they were ruthless.
04:04Her weird flirtation with Five only added to the ick factor.
04:08Don't even get us started on how she manipulated her adopted daughter, Lila,
04:12after offing her real parents.
04:23No matter the cost, The Handler just wanted to be at the top,
04:27even if it meant billions being wiped off.
04:30While she cheated death in season one,
04:32Karma eventually caught up with her when Axel,
04:34one of the Swedish assassins she double-crossed, put a bullet to her.
04:38Honestly, we wouldn't have had it any other way.
04:47Number 46. Chayton Littlestone. Banshee.
04:51Introduced in season two as a minor threat,
04:53this redbone quickly became one of the scariest bad guys in Banshee's third season.
04:58Compared to other villains, Chayton's raw, unhinged destruction feels more primal.
05:04But I've come back because I'd rather die fighting
05:07than to live like a slave in my own land.
05:10He killed indiscriminately, innocent people, even cops, and left Banshee soaking in blood.
05:16Many will agree he crossed the line when he snapped the life out of Hood's lover, Siobhan.
05:21From that point on, we were counting down to his day of reckoning.
05:25When it finally came, it delivered perfectly.
05:28After a brutal chase to New Orleans and a bone-crushing brawl,
05:42Hood blew his head off before he could finish his chanting.
05:45It didn't bring Siobhan back, but at least vengeance was served with no mercy.
05:52Number 45. Walder Frey. Game of Thrones.
05:56What's there to like about this slimy old creep who massacred his guests,
06:00one pregnant, over a botched alliance? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
06:08Arya was this close to reuniting with her family,
06:11only to find Robb's body desecrated, paraded, and mocked by soldiers.
06:16The bitterness she carried from that moment mirrored the immense hatred we felt toward Walder.
06:22But the North remembers, and Arya never forgets.
06:25Using her face-swapping abilities, Arya infiltrated House Frey, poisoned the perpetrators,
06:31fed Walder his son's flesh, and then slit his throat while reminding him exactly why.
06:37My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that.
06:40It was savage, but it was the comeuppance we'd been waiting for since the Red Wedding.
06:44Arya doesn't just get even. She ends bloodlines.
06:48The last thing you're ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die.
06:56Number 44. Vernon Schillinger. Oz.
07:00In a show teeming with morally bankrupt inmates,
07:03Vernon Schillinger managed to be the worst of the worst, and that's saying something.
07:08J.K. Simmons plays this neo-Nazi leader with the same unhinged intensity
07:13he brought to Terrence Fletcher in Whiplash.
07:16Where Terrence rattled you, Vern's cruelty scarred your soul.
07:20Every moment he was on that screen, he basically sent chills down our spines.
07:32His endless abuse of Tobias Beecher, paired with his many transgressions,
07:36had fans practically begging for his end.
07:39When it finally came at Beecher's hands, it couldn't have been more fitting.
07:43You're a dead man, sweet pea.
07:51His quick death felt almost too kind, but no one's arguing it wasn't richly deserved.
08:01Number 43. Augie Smith. Peacemaker.
08:05Like Oz's Schillinger, the White Dragon heads a white supremacist group,
08:10which already says plenty about how awful he is.
08:13What made Augie truly despicable wasn't only his hateful ideology,
08:17it was the way he wrecked his son's life, Chris, aka Peacemaker.
08:22He forced a young Chris into a violent combat with his brother,
08:25then blamed him for the boy's death.
08:27You killed your brother!
08:30Augie's hatred for his son ran so deep, he eventually wanted to have him killed.
08:34By the time Chris stood up to his father, it was long overdue.
08:38You killed my brother! You killed Keith!
08:42Yet even in his final moments, Augie showed zero remorse,
08:46until a bullet silenced him forever, killed by the very man he tried to break.
08:50Now, that's a cheerworthy death.
08:56Dude, this is a really weird time to do your face exercises.
08:59Number 42. The Shogun. Westworld.
09:02This episode of Westworld transports us to a realm of mystery.
09:06Westworld transports us to a realm ruled by the Shogun's unchecked tyranny.
09:11Sure, he may be a scripted host, but that doesn't make his actions any less horrifying.
09:25For instance, he sends his emissary to capture Sakura from Akane's tea house,
09:30using brutal force to crush any resistance.
09:33Then, in a senseless display of cruelty, he mutilates Sakura's body,
09:38beheads her right in front of Akane, before demanding she dance in her anguish.
09:49The sheer wickedness is enough to make your stomach churn.
09:52So when Akane reduces the Shogun to a bloody mess,
09:56it feels like the perfect emotional payoff.
09:58For a villain so heartless, there really was no better end.
10:03Number 41. Countess von Marburg. Salem.
10:12What's scarier than a witch who casts deadly spells or invades minds? One who can't die.
10:18In Salem, Countess Ingrid von Marburg was that nightmare.
10:22Who amongst the Essex Hive has initiated the Grand Rite?
10:26Not just any witch, she was the Devil's first lover.
10:29Obsessed with resurrecting her demonic lord,
10:32she committed horrific acts of violence on women, children, and even fellow witches.
10:37Convinced she was unstoppable, Ingrid never saw her downfall coming.
10:42Just as she was about to complete her dark mission,
10:44her ambitious daughter Anne flipped the script.
10:47Sabotaging the Dark Union, she destroyed not just Marburg's body, but her spirit too.
10:53But I've already learned everything I need to from you.
10:57All that scheming, all that power,
10:59only to be taken out by the one person you underestimated? Now that's a wicked twist.
11:05What was it you told me? We all murder our parents.
11:10Number 40. Grant Ward. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
11:14It's one thing to be evil, but being relentlessly evil? That's Grant Ward.
11:19Sure he had a rough past, but that's no excuse for everything he did.
11:23Staying loyal to Gareth, playing both sides,
11:26torturing agents, and committing to HYDRA was all him.
11:29When he could have chosen redemption, he chose chaos.
11:32His point of no return? Killing Coulson's girlfriend, Rosalind.
11:37Just another day, but I scheduled a meeting with Malick and that way-
11:45From that moment on, we knew Ward was a dead man walking.
11:49Fueled by rage, Coulson chased him to Mabeth and crushed his chest with a robotic hand.
12:07It's brutal, but for all the lives he took, it's earned.
12:10But our joy was short-lived since Ward became a host for HIVE shortly after.
12:19Number 39. Perry Wright. Big Little Lies.
12:29It's chilling to watch someone flip from calmness to uncontrollable violence in a matter of seconds.
12:35Sadly for Celeste Wright, that's her reality behind closed doors as Perry's wife.
12:40To the world, Perry's a gentleman, but in truth, he's every woman's worst ordeal.
12:46As if being an abusive husband wasn't bad enough,
12:56we find out he's the same man who assaulted Jane using a fake name.
13:00That twist made our blood boil, but his payback was bound to come.
13:05During a heated argument, Perry snaps, lashing out at the women.
13:09Before he can do more damage, Bonnie shoves him down the stairs, ending his reign of menace.
13:16No second chance, just a fitting fall for someone who caused so much pain.
13:24Number 38. Jarl Borg. Vikings.
13:27Michael Hurst's historical drama gave us no shortage of treacherous villains,
13:32and Jarl Borg was among the sneakiest.
13:40He cajoled Rollo to betray his brother, raided Kattegat in Ragnar's absence,
13:45and attacked his family. That's unforgivable.
13:49After that, some of us couldn't wait to see his smug grin wiped off permanently.
13:54Oh, what a brutal end he finally got. Lured back to Kattegat, Jarl Borg was
13:59imprisoned and sentenced to the most horrific Viking execution, the Blood Eagle.
14:07Just when he thought King Horik would help him, he realized too late that there was no escape.
14:13Knife in hand, Ragnar carved him open. It may have been too ghastly an end,
14:18but for his deceitful ways, it felt like the perfect send-off.
14:31Number 37. Savino Bratton. The Wire.
14:35This gangster may have been a side character, but fans didn't exactly like him.
14:40I can do to three. Ain't no thing.
14:43Why? He was no criminal mastermind, but he was part of a system built on intimidation,
14:48fear, and betrayal. He helped lure Orlando and Greg into an ambush that cost Orlando's life.
14:56Signal 13! Signal 13!
14:58Gunshots! Gunshots!
15:00Switching sides to Omar's crew didn't win him any points with fans.
15:04It just painted him as spineless and disloyal. When Omar killed him for the murder of Butchie,
15:09despite his claims of innocence, it felt like karma cashing in.
15:13I wasn't there. When he did the old man like that, I wasn't there.
15:17Even if he didn't pull the trigger, he was just as bad as the worst of them.
15:22Middlemen don't get a free pass just because they stand behind the scenes.
15:29You know what, yo?
15:30Number 36. Terry Silver. Cobra Kai.
15:34At one point, we thought John Kreese was the worst villain in Cobra Kai,
15:38until Terry Silver resurfaced. Kreese's harsh methods and obsession with winning,
15:44we could somewhat understand. But Silver? He came off as a bored,
15:48rich guy playing with the lives of kids, and he didn't know when to stop.
15:52I'm shedding my weakness, Captain.
15:56John Kreese, you're under arrest for aggravated assault and attempted murder.
16:00He gaslit students, bought off referees, betrayed Kreese,
16:04and even resorted to kidnapping and attempted murder, all to get his way.
16:10Let's have you pay his wife and daughter a little visit.
16:13So, it was only right that he gets taken down by the same man who once saved his life.
16:18In a gritty combat aboard Silver's yacht, Kreese made certain this villain didn't see another day,
16:24even at the cost of his life. Good riddance to a man with no honor.
16:28Number 35. Phil Leotardo, The Sopranos.
16:33When it comes to despicable villains, this mafia show has a famous lineup,
16:37with Phil Leotardo ranking amongst the most ruthless.
16:41Arriving in the last two seasons of the show,
16:43he managed to become an unforgettable force of mayhem.
16:46His obsession with the mafia has led him to become one of the most popular villains of all time.
16:51Arriving in the last two seasons of the show,
16:54he managed to become an unforgettable force of mayhem.
16:57His obsession with avenging his brother's death led to an all-out war that resulted in multiple
17:01deaths. The vilest thing he did was sanctioning Vito's death just because of his sexuality.
17:07He didn't just order it, he watched it unfold.
17:10From that moment on, fans eagerly awaited his retribution.
17:15When it came, it was gloriously satisfying.
17:19Whacked in front of his family, his head was crushed by his own car.
17:23A little too much? Definitely, but Phil had it coming.
17:29Number 34. Nina Myers, The Sopranos.
17:34Where do we even begin with this rogue agent?
17:36She's literally one of the worst characters to ever exist in a TV series.
17:40While Jack Bauer and his team were working to stop a terrorist attack,
17:44Nina was secretly helping it unfold.
17:48I can't let you go.
17:49Even after being exposed, she ended up betraying the CTU again,
17:54but her darkest secret is still a secret.
17:56She's been in a relationship with Jack Bauer for a long time,
17:59she ended up betraying the CTU again.
18:02But her darkest sin, the one that made fans turn on her for good,
18:06came when she coldly murdered Terry, Jack's wife.
18:15Well, her punishment finally came on day three.
18:17After escaping custody, Nina was cornered by Kim,
18:21who couldn't bring herself to shoot her mother's killer.
18:23That hesitation almost cost her, but Jack arrived just in time
18:27and took Nina out for good.
18:31Number 33
18:33David, The Last of Us
18:35You'd have to be a special kind of psycho to justify your heinous acts with bible verses.
18:40That's David in a nutshell.
18:42In a world crawling with zombie-like creatures,
18:44it's humans like him that are the real monsters.
18:47I know you think you don't have a father anymore.
18:52But the truth is, Hannah, you will always have a father.
18:54He thinks himself a savior, but feeds his flock human remains without their knowledge
18:59and manipulates desperate survivors.
19:02Even children aren't safe.
19:04His interest in Ellie takes things to an entirely new level of depravity.
19:08You can't survive on your own.
19:10No one can.
19:12But I can help you.
19:14Let me protect you.
19:15You can't sympathize with a man like this.
19:18One second he's asking Ellie to join his cult, the next he's chasing her with a meat cleaver.
19:23When Ellie finally hacks him to death, it isn't just justice.
19:27It's a cathartic win over something truly foul and inhuman.
19:31Number 32
19:33Jack Hoskins, The Outsider
19:35This miniseries, inspired by Stephen King's novel of the same name,
19:40begins with the gruesome murder of a boy.
19:42But nothing is as it seems.
19:44A dark, supernatural entity is pulling the strings.
19:47And before long, Jack Hoskins gets caught in its grip.
19:51At first, he's just a disgruntled detective with a drinking problem,
19:55already a ticking time bomb.
19:57What happened there?
20:02But under the influence of El Cuco, he becomes even worse.
20:07Soon he's killing and wounding anyone who tries to stop the monster's plan.
20:14In the end, the same madness that fueled his violence drives him to turn the gun on himself.
20:23Well played, right?
20:25For Holly, his would-be victim, his death was certainly a blessing in disguise.
20:31That's in there.
20:35Kill it.
20:36Number 31
20:38Littlefinger, Game of Thrones
20:40Any true GOT fan knows Peter Baelish more than earned his spot on this list.
20:45You seem quite interested in our marriage.
20:47Your marriage is quite interesting.
20:50Not only to me, but to the realm.
20:53The marriage of a wealthy girl always breeds interest, if nothing else.
20:58With words laced with lies and a cunning mind,
21:00he started the War of the Five Kings by framing the Lannisters.
21:04He betrayed Ned Stark, manipulated Sansa for years, and sold her to Ramsay.
21:10He was a self-serving backstabber with a long list of sins.
21:13Chaos isn't a pit.
21:17Chaos is a ladder.
21:19So when he tried to turn Sansa and Arya against each other, and it backfired,
21:24we were all thrilled.
21:26This time, no scheming or silver tongues could save him.
21:29Instead, he got his throat slid.
21:32Seriously, it was long overdue.
21:34Thank you for all your many lessons, Lord Baelish.
21:37I will never forget them.
21:42Number 30.
21:44Jong Duk-soo, Squid Game.
21:55All's fair in love and Squid Game, but even so, this guy crossed a line.
22:00Jong Duk-soo, also known as Player 101,
22:04lied, cheated, stole, and backstabbed his way through every challenge,
22:09and it seemed to be working out for him,
22:11at least until he double-crossed Player 212.
22:24After being essentially left for dead in the prior challenge,
22:27she decided that if she's going down, she's bringing Duk-soo with her.
22:33Even if she has to go through a glass pane to do it,
22:44Duk-soo's end is less a fall from grace and more of a karmic plummet.
22:48But quite frankly, we wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
22:52Number 29.
22:53Janice, Mr. Robot.
23:04Manipulation. Murder.
23:07Manipulating others to murder.
23:09Janice ran the gamut as far as despicable villains are concerned.
23:13But from a Dark Army handler, what else would you expect?
23:16Poor Dom got the brunt of it,
23:18facing several horrible threats on the lives of her loved ones.
23:22Little did Janice know, Dom's a gambler.
23:25When betting on her life, Darlene's, and lifelong servitude to the Dark Army,
23:30Dom chose none of the above.
23:32You said you would never give up your brother.
23:34I simply thought this would be the most expeditious way to break our stalemate.
23:37You give us what we want, we'll get Dominique the care she so urgently needs.
23:42Instead, she decided to put a bullet right between Janice's eyes.
23:46It's one hell of a cathartic gunshot,
23:49if only for the image of the handler finally becoming the Handled.
23:53Number 28.
23:54Bev Keen. Midnight Mass.
23:56And all of the liars, their place will be in the lake that burns.
24:01You're going to need a lot more than thoughts and prayers
24:03to get through a sermon with Bev Keen.
24:05The sinful zealot used her position in the church
24:08to cover up all sorts of nasty happenings,
24:11including actual bloodsuckers.
24:13This verse in the Bible just kind of stuck with me.
24:18He makes the sunrise on the evil and the good.
24:22So it's only fitting that she burns away in the sunlight
24:24while literally digging her own grave.
24:27Although, from a Mike Flanagan series,
24:29we shouldn't even be surprised.
24:31This is the same guy who showed that torturing your faithful wife
24:34causes you to lose a part of yourself.
24:36In Frederick Usher's case, that's no hyperbole.
24:40Flanagan knows how to give a villain their comeuppance, that's for sure.
24:43You know, I could have done this just about any way I wanted to.
24:48You could have had a heart attack in your car.
24:50Number 27.
24:52Mason Verger. Hannibal.
24:54I learned about suffering.
24:55Not mine, mind you, but the general conceit.
25:01If you value your life,
25:02you should never get on a cannibal's bad side.
25:05Then again, something tells us no one shed any tears
25:08at Mason Verger's funeral.
25:09Putting aside the fact that he raises man-eating pigs,
25:12Mason's continued harassment of his sister
25:15is simply unforgivable.
25:16Luckily, that's where Hannibal Lecter came in.
25:19He's your patient, doctor.
25:23You do what you have to do.
25:25What you think is best for him.
25:27One quick spine snap later,
25:29Mason's left bedridden in the care of the same sister
25:32he once tormented.
25:34Karma's great, isn't it?
25:35Well, that's not even the end of Mason's penance.
25:38A season later, he meets his maker
25:40via a particularly nasty run-in with an eel.
25:43Yes, it's as gruesome as it sounds,
25:46but Mason totally had it coming.
25:48Number 26.
25:49Charles Pike. The Hundred.
25:51Cain, Lincoln, Sinclair.
25:55As the leaders of this coup,
25:58you will pay for your crimes with your lives.
26:01This post-apocalyptic landscape is ruled by one philosophy.
26:04Blood must have blood.
26:06No one enforced that more than Pike,
26:08whose approach to peace treaties
26:10involved killing any grounder in sight, even Lincoln.
26:14As you can imagine, Octavia didn't appreciate
26:17losing her beloved,
26:18and she said as much with the pointy side of her blade.
26:21Ever the pragmatist, though,
26:23Octavia used Pike as an extra set of hands
26:26during an attempted AI takeover.
26:28Okay, first wave is small.
26:30We do this your brother's way.
26:31When we let him in, we take him down,
26:33we tie him up, clear?
26:35Then, once he was officially no longer of use to her,
26:38she squared up this blood debt the hard way.
26:41It's not quite justice for Lincoln,
26:43but it's close enough to warrant a few cheers.
26:46Number 25.
26:47Blue Hawk, the boys.
26:49Superheroes often have to make split-second decisions
26:52when fighting crime,
26:54and I apologize if any of mine have been perceived
26:58as being racist.
27:01While apologizing to residents of a Black community,
27:04Blue Hawk lost his cool
27:06and started lashing out at everyone.
27:08A-Train is able to stop the rageful Soup
27:10from taking a life.
27:12Unfortunately, the speedy hero's brother
27:14is so severely injured
27:16that he loses his ability to walk.
27:18Unable to contain his anger,
27:20A-Train finds Blue Hawk
27:21and takes him on a little jog to get revenge.
27:24You hurt a lot of people.
27:26You hurt my brother.
27:27How can I get away from you?
27:29Not this time.
27:30While we can't show what happens,
27:32trust us when we say
27:33there isn't much of the racist Soup left.
27:35The loathed Madeline was also brutally murdered
27:38by a Soup in an instant.
27:40However, A-Train's kill is more memorable
27:42because he once got away with a similar crime.
27:45The speedy hero is ultimately forced to live
27:47with the reality of the danger of irresponsible Soups.
27:50Which is why you're gonna love this.
27:52Blue Hawk will live on
27:54because we gave you his heart.
28:01Number 24, Gregory, the Walking Dead.
28:04I built this place.
28:06None of this would exist if it wasn't for me.
28:09You're just Rick's lackey.
28:11Walkers have nothing on this guy.
28:14Despite being introduced as the leader
28:15of the Hilltop community,
28:17Gregory's only relevant life skills are groveling,
28:20betrayal, and more groveling.
28:22He's a spineless snake who would sooner sell out
28:25everyone he loves than inconvenience himself.
28:28Just ask Negan or the Hilltop community
28:31or really anyone who's ever had the displeasure
28:33of working with him.
28:34When Gregory's lack of loyalty
28:36finally catches up with him,
28:37he tries a different approach, murder.
28:40Maggie gave him more chances than he deserved
28:42and he blew every single one of them.
28:44Given that trust is the only currency
28:46in The Walking Dead,
28:47Gregory's execution was long overdue.
28:50What you're doing isn't right.
28:54Somebody stop this, please.
28:56Number 23, Lester Nygaard, Fargo.
29:00I think she's in the basement dead
29:03and look, I'm freaking out here.
29:06I don't know what to do.
29:07He may be the protagonist, but don't get it wrong.
29:10Lester Nygaard is no hero.
29:12Sure, we all have bad days,
29:13but murdering your wife and framing your brother
29:16is more than your average mood swing.
29:18On the bright side, Lester does face justice
29:20for his crimes, just not in the court of law.
29:23After becoming a pathetic crybaby
29:25and running from authorities,
29:27Lester tries cutting across a frozen lake.
29:29Stop, it's not safe.
29:36Let's just say that a few cracks later,
29:38he goes for his last swim ever.
29:41It's so abrupt, it's almost funny.
29:43Rest assured, Fargo's version of a life sentence
29:46is just as vindicating as the real thing.
29:48Number 22, Martin Kimi, Lost.
29:52You see me?
29:54Yeah, I see you.
29:57All right, Mr. Linus, these are my terms.
30:00You're gonna step out the front door,
30:01put your hands above your head,
30:02and you're gonna walk straight to me.
30:04Once I have you in my custody,
30:06then I promise you that no one else
30:08in that house will be harmed.
30:09Fighting over a mystical island is dirty work,
30:12but no matter how intense things got,
30:14Ben Linus and his rival, Charles Widmore,
30:16always kept their families out of it.
30:18Hired mercenary Martin Kimi, however,
30:21had a different moral compass.
30:23He's a heartless, irredeemable villain
30:25who has no qualms shooting Alex Linus
30:27in the back of the head just to get a rise out of Ben.
30:30Well, Kimi certainly got a reaction,
30:32and it came in the form of a very up-close
30:35and personal beatdown.
30:36I'm bluffing.
30:38Need I remind you of, uh,
30:41how your daughter looked when she bled out?
30:44Without getting too graphic,
30:46it's not a quick death,
30:47but after threatening the island
30:49and shooting a defenseless girl,
30:50Kimi's demise elicits more applause than anything else.
30:54Number 21, Gemma Teller-Morrow,
30:56Sons of Anarchy.
30:58You gotta decide what you want, sweetheart.
31:01You hear me?
31:02Vulnerability is a liability.
31:07Protecting the son's motorcycle club
31:09means making tough calls.
31:11Calls like going full mob boss
31:13and killing your daughter-in-law
31:14for being a suspected turncoat.
31:16While Gemma was never a very good person to begin with,
31:19Tara's murder marked the real point of no return for her.
31:22And Sons of Anarchy didn't forget it.
31:25In one of the series' greatest scenes,
31:28Gemma's own son, Jax, avenges his wife
31:30and ends his mother's blood-soaked reign
31:33in one pull of the trigger.
31:34My baby boy.
31:39It's time.
31:41It's a bit tragic, a lot gratifying,
31:44and sold by the idea that Sons of Anarchy
31:46couldn't have ended any other way.
31:48Rest in peace, Gemma.
31:50Number 20, Steve Newlin, True Blood.
31:53Newlin begins the series as a talented orator
31:56and televangelist who openly speaks against
31:59the rights of vampires.
32:00You vampires cast the first stone by killing my family.
32:04The lines have been drawn.
32:06You're either with us or against us.
32:08He's a hateful bigot, a fraud,
32:10and the leader of the Soldiers of the Sun,
32:13an elite paramilitary group of vampire hunters.
32:16He eventually becomes a vampire himself
32:18and becomes a subject of study for the vampire police.
32:22In retaliation for some major deaths,
32:24Eric prevents Steve from drinking some life-saving blood,
32:28and he burns to death under direct sunlight
32:30while proclaiming his love for Jason.
32:32Few things are as narratively satisfying
32:35as watching the downfall of a bigot.
32:37I love you, Jason Stackhouse.
32:44Number 19, Dr. Oliver Threadson,
32:47American Horror Story, Asylum.
32:49Often regarded as one of the best seasons
32:51of American Horror Story,
32:53Asylum contains a terrific villain
32:55in Zachary Quinto's Oliver Threadson.
32:58I think I made a wrong cat.
33:00I see you found my little hobby.
33:03Threadson is a professional psychiatrist
33:05who declares Kit Walker insane
33:07to frame him as Bloodyface.
33:09Threadson is the real Bloodyface
33:11who skins his female victims
33:13and makes furniture out of their remains.
33:15He also torments Lana,
33:17resulting in her unwanted son, Johnny Morgan.
33:20Morgan himself takes his father's mantle
33:22as the second Bloodyface in 2012,
33:25like his father,
33:26Morgan meets a satisfying and violent fate
33:28with Lana shooting him in the head.
33:30Rewarding revenge also had something to do with it.
33:33I have no use for you anymore.
33:37Best you should just be known as my last victim.
33:40Number 18, Richie April, The Sopranos.
33:44Nobody really likes Janice Soprano,
33:46but she did everyone a major favor
33:48by whacking Richie April.
33:50The Sopranos is filled with detestable people
33:53and hateful villains,
33:54and Richie April is certainly one of them.
34:00Belligerent from the start,
34:02Richie never listens to orders
34:04and directly goes against Tony at every turn.
34:06He's also incredibly vicious and violent,
34:09even by Sopranos standards,
34:11not to mention homophobic towards his own son.
34:14In fact, it's his hateful traits
34:16that result in his surprising death
34:18as a ticked off and recently punched Janice
34:21whacks him during dinner.
34:23It wasn't the death we were expecting,
34:24but it was wonderfully satisfying nonetheless.
34:28Number 17, Jonathan Blackjack Randall, Outlander.
34:32This historical drama is based on a series of novels
34:35by Diana Gabaldon.
34:37She describes her creation of Blackjack Randall
34:39as a quote, sadistic bisexual pervert,
34:42and that's really all you need to know.
34:44Get off me, you bastard.
34:49Ah, the speech of a lady.
34:51The language of a whore.
34:53Played to perfection by Tobias Menzies,
34:55Randall has the appearance of a noble British officer,
34:58but he's actually a remorseless man
35:00with sadistic tendencies.
35:02In fact, he seeks sexual gratification
35:05by inflicting both physical and spiritual pain
35:07on his victims,
35:08breaking them down both mentally and physically.
35:11Jamie finally got his revenge in the season three premiere
35:14by stabbing Randall in the gut.
35:16He dies holding the man he long tormented
35:18and we were glad to finally see him go.
35:26Number 16, Principal Snyder, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
35:30Congratulations to the class of 1999.
35:33You all proved more or less adequate.
35:35The principal of Sunnydale High School,
35:38Snyder often covered up the supernatural goings-on
35:41through flimsy excuses and an authoritarian regime.
35:45Snyder hates teenagers,
35:46despite being a high school principal,
35:48and holds the reputation of his high school
35:50in greater regard than the health and safety
35:52of his students.
35:53Put simply, this was everyone's hated principal
35:56elevated to a near satiric degree.
35:59It was intensely satisfying then
36:01to watch him get eaten alive by the Ascended Mayor.
36:04It was hilarious, ridiculous,
36:06and even a little shocking,
36:07a combination in which Buffy often excelled.
36:09This is not orderly.
36:11This is not discipline.
36:13You're on my campus, buddy.
36:16And when I say I want quiet, I mean...
36:20Number 15, Ian Reid, Luther.
36:23Serving as the primary antagonist of the first season,
36:26Ian Reid is a fellow police officer
36:28and a close friend of Luther's.
36:30However, his mental state collapses
36:32following an orchestrated robbery
36:34that resulted in numerous deaths.
36:36He turns viciously cold-blooded and paranoid,
36:40even offing Bill and Sugarman to keep his secret.
36:43Reid lost all semblance of sympathy
36:45after taking out Luther's wife, Zoe,
36:47and framing him for the death.
36:49In the end, Reid allows himself to die
36:51at the hands of Alice Morgan,
36:52deciding that death was a better outcome than prison.
36:55He died on his terms,
36:56which was certainly a bit frustrating,
36:58but it was still nice
36:59getting him out of the picture for good.
37:06Number 14, Killgrave, Jessica Jones.
37:09Despite being a Marvel property,
37:11Jessica Jones is a down-to-earth and dramatic glimpse
37:14into trauma and PTSD.
37:16These themes are mostly traced to antagonist Killgrave,
37:19real name Kevin Thompson.
37:21Thompson received mind-controlling powers
37:23after being subjected to experiments,
37:25and he kept Jessica Jones as his prisoner.
37:40This horrific experience left Jones a broken woman,
37:43and breaking from superhero tradition,
37:45she kills Killgrave in cold blood by snapping his neck.
37:48It was narratively and personally fulfilling,
37:51but it too left a permanent mental stain on Jones,
37:54who began to grapple with her murderous intentions.
37:57This type of narrative complexity
37:59helped make Jessica Jones
38:00both a challenging and rewarding experience.
38:03Smile.
38:07Number 13, Yvonne V. Parker, Orange is the New Black.
38:11Taking place inside a prison,
38:13Orange is the New Black
38:14contains its fair share of hateable villains,
38:16but none were as bad as V.
38:19Serving as the main antagonist of the second season,
38:21V is a manipulative sociopath
38:23who easily controls others.
38:25She gets into a war with Red
38:27over the prison's smuggling operation,
38:29and starts a cult-like family,
38:31turning tasty against Poussey,
38:33and manipulating Suzanne into doing her violent bidding.
38:36That's why I'm telling you,
38:38do not let her drag you into that shit.
38:41She is not your real friend.
38:43Like all the greatest villains,
38:45V is smart and hard to beat,
38:46but her empire eventually crumbles,
38:48and after escaping from the prison,
38:50she's run over by a fleeing Rosa
38:52in one of the show's most darkly hilarious sequences.
38:55She finally got her comeuppance,
38:57and it was glorious.
38:59Number 12, Arthur Mitchell, Dexter.
39:02The fourth season of Dexter
39:03is often heralded as its greatest,
39:06and John Lithgow's Arthur Mitchell,
39:08also known as the Trinity Killer,
39:10is its most famous antagonist.
39:12Part of that reputation
39:13is owing to Lithgow's incredible performance,
39:16as he masterfully balances everyday normality,
39:19remorse, and unhinged psychopathy.
39:21Mom, Becca, me!
39:23F*** you, Becca!
39:25You're killing us!
39:27You're killing us!
39:29And part of it is undoubtedly
39:30due to Rita Morgan's death,
39:32which is arguably Dexter's most famous
39:34and shocking moment.
39:35In total, Trinity is attributed
39:37to a staggering 279 deaths.
39:40In the end, Trinity is bludgeoned with a hammer,
39:43and television fulfillingly disposed
39:45one of its most depraved characters.
39:47Now it's over.
39:52Number 11, Rosalind Shays, L.A. Law.
39:55An enormous hit throughout the late 80s
39:57and early 90s, L.A. Law was a legal drama
40:00that explored many important
40:02hot-button issues of the time.
40:03If you believe, like our founding fathers,
40:08that government is the responsibility
40:10of the governed,
40:11and that includes paying for it,
40:13then you'll find Upton Weeks guilty.
40:16It's both a thrilling drama in its own right,
40:18and a glorious glimpse into late 80s America.
40:21The show's main antagonist was Rosalind Shays,
40:24a money-hungry, controlling, and merciless woman
40:27whom audiences loved to hate.
40:30And her death, while satisfying,
40:32was also unquestionably random.
40:34After speaking with Leland,
40:36Rosalind turns to enter the elevator,
40:38only the elevator isn't there,
40:40and Rosalind plummets to her death.
40:42It was wonderful getting the icy Rosalind
40:44out of the picture,
40:45but the show soon veered
40:46into ridiculous soap opera territory
40:48and never quite recovered.
40:50I really didn't want to talk about it.
40:57Oh my god!
40:58Number 10.
40:59Dr. Robert Romano, ER.
41:01Arguably the most famous medical procedural
41:03in television history,
41:05ER ran for 15 seasons and 331 episodes
41:09between 1994 and 2009.
41:11For seven of those seasons,
41:13Paul McCrane starred as everyone's favorite grump,
41:16Robert Romano.
41:17I'm sorry, I just assumed as a prosthetist
41:19that you would have some rudimentary knowledge
41:21of medicine.
41:23I have a degree in bioengineering.
41:25Oh, okay.
41:25Well, then you have a vague civilian concept
41:27of what doctors do.
41:28See, I'm what's called a surgeon.
41:29That's why I was very specific
41:30about needing a Utah arm.
41:31Eventually serving as the chief of staff,
41:33Romano is the ultimate boss from hell,
41:36known for his unkind comments
41:37and relentless sarcasm.
41:39Romano loses his arm in a helicopter accident
41:42in the ninth season premiere,
41:43a moment that skirts the line
41:45between shocking and soap opera silliness.
41:48And right before he can lodge a complaint
41:49against Greg,
41:50Romano dies by a falling helicopter.
41:53No, seriously, that's how he goes out.
41:55It's totally random and completely bizarre,
41:57but also undeniably enjoyable.
42:03Number nine, Todd Alquist, Breaking Bad.
42:06Just so you know, this isn't personal.
42:10For a good chunk of Breaking Bad's run,
42:12the antagonist role is filled by Gus Fring,
42:15the methamphetamine magnate
42:16who's blown up in a nursing home.
42:20Gus was a beloved character,
42:22but there's no denying the satisfaction of that death,
42:25especially the famous face or lack thereof reveal.
42:28On the other hand, Todd is a malicious villain
42:31who inflicts suffering on Jesse,
42:32fraternizes with white supremacists and worse.
42:36No, no!
42:38Unlike Gus, viewers desperately wanted to see him go.
42:41So it was a welcome surprise
42:43when Jesse strangled Todd with his own handcuffs.
42:46There's a certain poetic beauty
42:47to Jesse taking out Todd
42:49with the very symbol of his torment and enslavement.
42:59Number eight, Ralph Cifaretto, The Sopranos.
43:03As horrible as Richie April was,
43:05he has nothing on Ralph Cifaretto.
43:07Played by the legendary character actor Joe Pantoliano,
43:11Ralph was a psychopath from the start.
43:18Like Richie, he was openly belligerent
43:24and often made a public point of antagonizing Tony.
43:27But his worst moment came in season three
43:30when he viciously beat Tracy to death outside The Bing.
43:33It's often regarded as one of the darkest moments
43:35on The Sopranos,
43:36and it permanently altered how audiences viewed Ralph.
43:39His surprising death in season four was a long time coming,
43:43and just as Ralph did to Tracy,
43:45Tony beats Ralph to death inside of his own home.
43:47It's a brutal fight that proves difficult to watch,
43:50but it was also gloriously rewarding and cathartic.
43:56Number seven, Ramsay Bolton, Game of Thrones.
44:03Few things were as pleasing as seeing Ramsay Bolton
44:06tied to a chair and devoured by his own hounds.
44:08Ramsay was one of the most sadistic characters on the show,
44:11and his crimes are too numerous to count.
44:15He betrays House Stark and raises Winterfell.
44:22He abuses Theon and turns him into the weak and submissive Reek.
44:26He forces himself on Sansa Stark
44:28in one of the show's most controversial scenes.
44:31We've known Sansa since she was a girl.
44:35Now watch her become a woman.
44:36He wipes out his entire family to take control of the North.
44:40He toys with Rickon Stark before the arrows get him.
44:43Fortunately, the subsequent Battle of the Bastards
44:46proves Ramsay's downfall,
44:47and he's torn apart by his own bloodthirsty pups.
44:50His desperate pleas prove one pleasurable sound.
45:00Number six, George Foyette, Criminal Minds.
45:04Arguably the greatest antagonist in Criminal Minds history,
45:07the Boston Reaper served as the primary villain
45:10of seasons four and five.
45:11Tell me, I'm not telling you anything.
45:14You are not going to get off that easy.
45:15Real name George Foyette,
45:17the Reaper plagued the Boston area throughout the 90s and 2000s.
45:21Some of his most prominent victims include his own parents,
45:24his girlfriend, and the lead detective studying his case.
45:27The Reaper has often been compared to numerous real-life monsters,
45:30including the Zodiac, Ted Bundy, Dennis Rader, and David Berkowitz.
45:35His gratifying downfall comes at the literal hands of Hotch,
45:38who beats the Reaper to death after finding Hayley dead.
45:41You got me.
45:43I surrender.
45:49Number five, Viserys Targaryen, Game of Thrones.
45:52Before Ramsay Bolton, there was Viserys Targaryen.
45:56Viserys was one of the main antagonists of the first season,
45:59serving as Daenerys' psychotic and power-hungry older brother.
46:02You dare!
46:04You give command to me.
46:06To me?
46:07You do not command the dragon.
46:09I am Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
46:11Hoping to reclaim Westeros for the Targaryen name,
46:14Viserys orchestrated an army consisting of Khal Drogo and his Dothraki.
46:18Viserys was horrible towards Daenerys,
46:20even offering her body to Khal Drogo in exchange for his army.
46:24But Viserys' ego proves too great, and he drunkenly accosts Drogo.
46:29Following some personal threats, Viserys is given a crown of gold,
46:33that being hot liquid gold poured over his head.
46:36It's both narratively and thematically enticing,
46:39with the arrogant Viserys being given the crown he so desperately deserved.
46:44A crown for a king.
46:55Number four, Agent June Stahl, Sons of Anarchy.
46:59Sons of Anarchy.
47:00Serving as an antagonist for the first three seasons,
47:04ATF agent Stahl is tasked with investigating the Sons of Anarchy
47:08and their criminal exploits in small-town Charming, California.
47:11You didn't have to humiliate the guy.
47:13You're the one who got this ball rolling, Sparky.
47:15You want to play in my backyard or the cow pastures?
47:18I want to stop Sam Crowe.
47:20Good, then let's catch up.
47:21A very cold individual, Stahl somehow managed to take off everyone around her
47:26with her arrogant personality, flawed investigation, and penchant to cause trouble.
47:31For example, she was indirectly responsible for the death of Opie's wife, Donna,
47:35following her flawed attempts to turn Opie against the club.
47:38But Opie gets his revenge in one of television's most gratifying sequences,
47:42directly referencing Donna's death right before shooting Stahl in the back of the head.
47:46Finally, after three seasons and lots of complex conniving, Agent Stahl was finished.
47:52This is what she felt.
47:54Number three, Philip Blake, The Walking Dead.
47:57Take off your shirt, or I'll bring Glenn's hand in here.
48:01This zombie show has long made the argument that humans are more dangerous than the undead,
48:06and that theme is perfectly personified through the Governor, also known as Philip Blake.
48:11The Governor earned his nickname by leading the fortified town of Woodbury.
48:15But don't let that noble distinction fool you.
48:18The Governor is an unhinged psycho who commits horrific acts of violence
48:22Even the utopic nature of Woodbury is flawed,
48:25and it contains a brutal underbelly overseen by the authoritarian Governor.
48:29While invading the prison, the Governor is stabbed in the back by Michonne,
48:33and millions the world over cheered as he lay dying.
48:36He is finally put down by Lily,
48:38and The Walking Dead was rid of one of its most hateable villains.
48:46Number two, Red John, The Mentalist.
48:49The Mentalist concerns a fraudulent psychic medium
48:53who helps the California Bureau of Investigation solve murders.
48:57Said Mentalist is named Patrick Jane,
49:00and his wife and daughter died at the hands of Red John.
49:03Red John is believed to have taken upwards of 70 lives throughout the southwestern United States.
49:08He is also believed to have been a member of a group called the Reds,
49:11who were known as the Reds of the United States.
49:15Red John is believed to have taken upwards of 70 lives
49:18throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico,
49:20and Jane's pursuit of the elusive Red John
49:23provides tantalizing mystery for the first five seasons of the show.
49:26Audiences and Jane eventually learn that Red John is Napa County Sheriff Thomas McAllister,
49:32and he's strangled to death by Jane in retaliation for the deaths of his family.
49:45We don't know who was more relieved, the audience or Jane.
49:49Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
49:53about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
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50:05Number one, Joffrey Baratheon.
50:07He's simply a pure, unfiltered psychopath who takes pleasure in death,
50:12as well as inflicting pain, suffering, and psychological torment.
50:37For three seasons, audiences couldn't stand the sight of Joffrey,
50:43and he was widely heralded as television's biggest baddie.
50:47That is, until he drank a cup of poison in season four and died gasping in his mother's arms.
50:52The death is horrific and grotesque,
50:54but watching Joffrey finally squirm in pain and panic offered a certain kind of satisfaction.
51:03Sorry, Cersei, but everyone agreed that your son had to go.
51:06I'd never seen the poison work before.
51:14Tell Cersei I wanted to know it was me.
51:18Which of these terrible characters' deaths left you completely satisfied?
51:23Let us know in the comments.
51:24He poisoned my son.
51:27Your king.