Many incredible TV villains have appeared on the small screen over the years, but some have not only functioned as great antagonists, but also as foils to the hero. Many of these pairings have served as television’s best hero-villain duos, while others have flown under the radar.
Finding shows where the villain is perfectly cast is always a blessing, but sometimes these series go a step further. Some villains are not only examples of excellent writing, but they also perfectly reflect the hero of their story. A good villain will reflect the wishes and desires of the herooften twisting them towards what would seem to be their natural, if not the most demented, conclusion.
10
Sam Winchester and Lucifer
Supernatural (2005-2020)
Throughout the horror-adventure show’s impressively long run, Supernatural, Sam and Dean Winchester faced countless enemies, including vampires, ghosts and even demons. However, none were as dangerous as the biblical Lucifer himself, a villain with all the power of an archangel. As the series continues, he is constantly pitted against Sam Winchester, the younger of the two brothers, who is seen to have a soft spot for the demonic.
Not only do they both have these demonic tendencies, but Lucifer and Sam are seen rebelling against authority, with Sam rebelling against his father and Lucifer rebelling against God. Lucifer even possesses Sam’s body at one point to get the point acrossacting as his torturer during the time Sam’s soul was in Hell. Lucifer would certainly return if a Supernatural the revival would happen, although it remains to be seen whether he would be a villain or not.
9
Billy Butcher and Homelander
The Boys (2019 to present)
The boys is a series known not only for its gore and shock value, but also for its interesting satire of the superhero genre. While you may not always hit the mark with your writing, The boys managed to create two characters that seem made for each otherbeing Billy Butcher and one of the most horrific villains in recent memory, Homelander. The series shows how far the two are willing to go to achieve their separate goals.
Homelander’s desperate desire to be loved is something that feeds his enormous ego, constantly using his superpowers for his gain. On the other hand, Butcher’s ultimate goal is revenge against superheroes, something that takes him down a dark path that makes him no better than Homelander, as he is often just as violent. Butcher finally falls fully to Homelander’s level when he uses a special drug to give him similar powers, something that has dire consequences for the would-be hero.
8
Aang and Fire Lord Ozai
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated series full of emotion, which follows the story of an airbender named Aang who finds himself trapped in ice after discovering that he is the reincarnation of the Avatar, a person capable of wielding all four elements. Starting off as a goofy boy unable to accept his fate, the series follows him and his friends as he grows up and accepts his duty to save the world. He faces off directly against Fire Lord Ozai, a conqueror determined to dominate the world.
While the two may seem like they couldn’t be more different on the outside, Ozai represents the grim reality that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Besides Aang himself, Ozai is the most powerful bender in the series. With so much power, Ozai represents what Aang could become if he gave in to the call of all power.
7
Dexter Morgan and Arthur Mitchell
Dexter (2006-2013)
A series with a unique protagonist, Dexter follows the story of the titular Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who kills other serial killers. Because of this premise, Dexter has a long list of incredible villains, but none are as horrific as Arthur Mitchell, aka the Trinity Killer. Although Arthur appears to be an upstanding member of the community at first, much like Dexter, in private he is a ruthless killer.
By pitting Dexter against another serial killer, the series explores the morality of Dexter’s character and questions his morality. After all, at the end of the day, he’s still a killer, indulging that evil part of himself, just like Arthur. His character holds up a mirror to Dexter’s evilmaking both two sides of the same coin.
6
Walter White and Gus Fring
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Often considered one of the best TV shows of all time, Breaking Bad is a spectacular series that revolves around the story of Walter White, a chemistry professor whose life begins to fall apart when he is diagnosed with cancer. While Walter White can hardly be described as a hero, the series is told from his perspective, meaning anyone who gets in his way is considered an antagonist.
Walter White finds some counterpoints for his character throughout the Breaking Bad series, with Hank Schrader standing out as one of the most obvious. However, one of the main villains of the series Gus Fring is a better mirror, being an example of a character that represents what Walter could become. Cold and calculating, Gus is an example of Walter’s ultimate goal of selling drugs on a larger scale, but also reflects how ruthless Walter becomes as time goes on.
5
Jean-Luc Picard and the Borg
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Perhaps one of the most chilling Star Trek villains of all time, the Borg are a mechanical mind that assimilates living matter into their galaxy-wide collective. Originally appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Q Who” and later the thrilling “Best of Both Worlds, Part I”, this collective directly opposes Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise. Despite their apparently different positions, The Borg exists as a kind of funhouse mirror, distorting the crew’s purpose who want to explore the galaxy to better understand it.
The mission of USS Enterprise is to exploreit will not interfere with new life and planets throughout its multi-year mission. However, there are countless examples of crews doing just that, not only alerting planets to their presence, but also intervening and teaching when they shouldn’t. This makes the Borg the perfect villain for Jean-Luc and his crew, showing the most extreme example of what they are doing in the entire galaxy.
4
Batman and the Joker
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
The decades-long rivalry between Batman and the Joker has spanned different media, including films and comic books. There is no better representation of this than in Batman: The Animated Series, a show that often takes a more light-hearted look at these whimsical characters. However, The themes presented in the comics and films are still very much included in the series, presenting Batman and the Joker as two halves of a whole.
The Joker represents what could have happened to Batman if he allowed his parents’ death to consume him. However, instead of turning to a life of crime, he promised to stop the criminals who caused their deaths. Still, the Joker functions as a stand-in for a destroyed Gotham City, something Batman is also a product of.
3
Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty
Sherlock (2010-2017)
The battle of wits between Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty began over a hundred years ago with Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous novels. This story was modernized with the series Sherlock, which not only fulfills the initial premise of the mystery, but also depicts the cat and mouse game between Sherlock and Moriarty in all its mind-bending glory. Their constant desire to outdo each other is visceral, exposing Sherlock’s blatant arrogance at its most frightening.
Through his presence in Sherlock’s life, Moriarty exposes the character’s many flaws. His constant need to be right and his desperate desire to not only be the smartest, but also to solve the riddle presented to him are aspects explored by Moriarty. This continues even after the character’s death, showing that Not even death can stop Moriarty’s influence and Sherlock Holmes’s doom.
2
Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter
AnÃbal (2013-2015)
The dynamic between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter is one of the best in horror television, showing an FBI profiler’s slow descent into madness through the influence of a cannibalistic serial killer. Starting out as a crime drama and slowly becoming a contest between Will and Hannibal as the two try to outsmart each other, Hannibal asks whether or not Will Graham is a good man. Hannibal, as a character, denies this, almost provoking Will to become as evil as he is.
Although this is not so present in the first season of the series, this premise explodes in the second season, seeing Will arrested for the crimes committed by Hannibal. Everything is questioned, including Will’s memory, manipulated by Hannibal for his benefit. Despite Hannibal’s control of the situation, Will’s ability to understand him and why he does what he does makes the two more alike than Will would ever admit.
1
The Doctor and the Master
Doctor Who (1963-1989, 2005 to present)
Doctor Who has been running for a long time, seeing a number of different actors take on the iconic character of the Doctor. Another character is equally synonymous with the sci-fi series, being another Time Lord called The Master. Over the decades, The Master opposed the Doctorexisting as a pillar of Time Lord excellence and often trying to bring them back in more recent seasons.
Although they so often oppose each other, The Master consistently reflects the Doctor’s arrogance as an arrogant person. This is especially true in David Tennant’s seasons of the series, revealing the Doctor’s arrogance and need to be the smartest one in the room in a way that leads the Doctor to make deadly mistakes. The best example of this culminates in the final episode of David Tennant’s original series, with The Doctor saving the day at the cost of his own life.