Since the decade came to an end recently, it’s time to reflect on the television it gave us. Many great TV shows were aired during this last decade, but only a few gave us some phenomenal TV villains. Now I might now have watched every show that aired during the decade, but I did watch the most popular ones. Some of these particular shows are still on TV and others can be watched on Netflix or bought on Blu-Ray. If you haven’t had the chance to catch up on certain shows, but still want to, click away. If you’re a TV nut who has kept up with the top shows, keep reading.
For this list, I’ll be taking a stroll down memory lane and choose who I believe to be the best TV villains of the decade. In order to qualify for this list, the villains had to debut in their shows in the 2010 to 2019 range. I’ll be looking for the villains who were the most psychotic, despicable, and frightening fiends that hit our television screens. I will also be excluding any anime and animated shows, since those could have lists of their own. With that out of the way, let’s go over the top ten TV villains of the decade.
10. The Governor (The Walking Dead)
Our first villain was an early hitter, debuting in the third season in The Walking Dead in 2012. When he made his first appearance, he introduced himself only as The Governor. At first, he came off as a pretty generous guy, welcoming Andrea and Michonne in the Woodbury community. By the end of the episode, he showed his true colors, which turned out to be darker than the walkers. As his story arc progressed, he became even more diabolical, declaring war on Rick’s group and vowing to kill Michonne. Sure, she took one of his eyes and killed his daughter, but she was already a walker. This made him the first major human antagonist on The Walking Dead.
Besides his menacing brutality, what made The Governor so intriguing was the failed redemption arc. His failed assault on the prison caused him to snap and gun down his army. He later finds purpose and possible redemption when he came across Tara’s family, but his violent instincts overtook him. He soon reverted back to his old ways and led another assault on the prison that caused Rick and the group to abandon it. Unlike his comic counterpart, The Governor on TV was physically imposing, someone who lost his family, and much more scary. He will always be The Walking Dead’s first major villain.
9. Homelander (The Boys)
What do you get when you put Captain America and Superman together? Well, you get Homelander, but only in appearance. The Boys premiered last year as an Amazon exclusive, and it turned out to be a superhero show unlike any other. One of its best elements was its “greatest superhero” called Homelander, leader of The Seven. While pretty much all of the members of The Seven were phonies, Homelander turned out to be a complete sociopath. In the eyes of the public, he’s a humble and selfless hero, but that’s just a cloak for his true nature. When he acts as a hero, he cares little for the well-being of civilians and only saves them when it’s convenient for him. He’s sadistic, egotistical, and ruthless, but he’s oddly charming in a way.
Homelander knows how to put on a fake smile and deceive everyone into believing he’s a noble hero. He’s the kind of guy that needs to practice that kind of smile to hide the cold-blooded man he is inside. And that plane scene. Yikes, this guy needs his own kryptonite.
8. Reverse-Flash (The Flash)
How many superheroes are created directly by the villain? Not too many, but The Flash is one of them. In the CW Flash show, Barry Allen’s mother is murdered right in front of him by something he can’t make out. Years later, a bolt of lighting turns him into The Flash and he becomes a superhero. However, all of this wasn’t coincidence. The Flash’s archenemy, Reverse-Flash, was the cause of everything, including posing as Harrison Wells. Under this ruse, Reverse-Flash trained Barry to become a better Flash so he could use his speed to help him return home. He then reveals to Barry that he is actually Eobard Thawne, his archenemy from the 22nd century. The guy traveled centuries into the past just to ruin Barry’s life out of pure hatred. For a speedster, he’s as cold as ice.
7. Todd Alquist (Breaking Bad)
Expecting someone else from the series? Yes, Gus Fring was bad, but Todd was even worse. When he’s first introduced, Todd is seemingly your average nice guy, even referring to Walt as “Mr. White.” Unlike many other Breaking Bad Characters, Todd was always calm and never even raised his voice. Pretty odd for guy who cooks meth, right? Well, it turns out not so much, considering he shot and killed a young kid. He didn’t stop there, killing Jesse’s girlfriend and forcing him to cook meth. What made Todd so unique for a villain was his ability to alternate from polite kid, to emotionless killer. He may not have been a leader like Gus, but he was quick to pull the trigger.
6. Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Daredevil)
One of the few Marvel villain that is very scary, Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, was chilling to the bone. Firstly, he’s based on comic villain, Bullseye, one of Daredevil’s archenemies. In the show, Dex was never called Bullseye, but he did know how to turn anything into a deadly projectile weapon. His fight scenes with Daredevil were amazing, giving hero his greatest physical challenge to date. What made him so compelling was his insanity: a man who tried to be good for society, but was always going to be a monster. Once Wilson Fisk let him off his leash, Dex proved to be a textbook sociopath, enjoying the killing sprees he went on. Season three ended on a major cliffhanger with him, but we unfortunately might not get to see his arc continue. If the rumors about the show returning are true, then Dex will be back and badder than ever.
5. Clay Morrow (Sons of Anarchy)
Okay, I’m aware that Clay debuted before 2010, but just hear me out. Clay started out as a protagonist, but later became a villain in season four. In that season, Clay involves the club in drug smuggling and is revealed to be the killer of Jax’s father. At that point, he is straight up antagonist who quietly works behind the scenes to reclaim his position as President of the club. What made Clay interesting is his fall from grace and being a father-figure to Jax. His broken relationships with his crew made him sympathetic, but he still got his comeuppance in the end.
4. Wilson Fisk “Kingpin” (Daredevil)
Wilson Fisk is one of Marvel’s more realistic villains, making him very interesting. Despite his status as a feared crime lord, he is shown to be quiet and rather shy at times. Whenever he talks, it’s usually brief, but with conviction. When he gets angry, he seems rather child-like, but he is brutal and will crush your head like a grape. Fisk is officially called “Kingpin” in season three, and it’s that time where he proves how far his reach for control stretches. A villain who operates behind the scenes and poses a great physical threat, Kingpin is a unique kind of villain we love to hate.
3. Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)
Kilgrave is a villain who is completely void of a conscience. He uses his mind controlling abilities to manipulate anyone into doing whatever he wants them to do. He did this to Jessica Jones when he made her his slave and forced her to kill someone. She wasn’t his only victim, as he spent his time controlling other people to be his slaves merely for his own pleasure. This is one villain that was fun to watch, but desperately needed karma to catch up with him. After threatening to turn Jessica’s friend, Trish, into his sex slave like he did with her, Jessica snapped his neck. Kilgrave would later return as a “haunting spirit-type” in future seasons, showing how much damage he truly caused to Jessica. He was a sociopath, but he benefited from David Tennet’s charm.
2. Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones)
Who would have thought that a young kid would make for such a despicable villain? Game of Thrones was filled with vile villains, but Joffrey Baratheon takes the cake. Right off the bat, Joffrey is shown to be childish, spoiled, arrogant, and cowardly. He cemented his status as a major antagonist when he ordered the execution of Ned Stark, instigating a war and ruling over King’s Landing with an iron fist. Joffrey separates himself from other Game of Thrones characters by not having a thread of redeeming qualities. We watched him because we wanted to see him get his comeuppance and when it came, it was beyond satisfying. It’s one thing to be a sadistic villain, but being a spoiled brat on top of that is just a recipe for a hate to hate villain.
1. Negan (The Walking Dead)
That’s right, The Governor was vile, but not The Walking Dead’s best villain. That title goes to Negan, the man with a bat. He’s the best villain from the show and the best TV villain of the decade. What makes him superior to The Governor? For starters, he didn’t have to lie to his followers, and even made them respect him as a messiah-like figure. He also has that charm to him, in contrast to The Governor’s seriousness and anger. Negan also has that facetious sense of humor, cracking jokes whenever he wants, even at the most inappropriate times.
When he made his debut in season six, he made his mark like no other. He acted like a mob boss, calmly telling Rick that he and his group belong to him. To literally hit his point home further, he beats Glenn and Abraham to death, shocking fans to the very core. Shortly after that, he almost forced Rick to cut off one of Carl’s arms, just to prove a point. This one episode cemented his place as the show’s top villain and further episodes proved that he is a truly memorable villain. In the show’s recent seasons, he is seemingly being redeemed, but we’ll just have to wait and see how that turns out. No matter which route his character arc goes, his charisma from his villain days will never be forgotten. We are all Negan!
Final Thoughts:
Do you agree with this list? These are the top ten TV villains of the decade in my opinion. Sure, there were more, but these particular villains stood out to me the most. What other villains do you think deserve an honorable mention?
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