10 Great TV Villains Wasted By Their Shows

There’s nothing more enjoyable on television than a great villain, yet some were unfortunately wasted by their respective shows. The appeal of television is often that audiences get to spend a more extended amount of time with their favorite characters. While a movie can connect audiences with a protagonist for a few hours, TV provides a long-term relationship, sometimes lasting several seasons. If the audience is invested in the characters, they’ll tune in weekly or continue binge-watching the show, wanting to discover what happens next.

There’s a similar effect that comes from a TV villain. There’s a thin line between love and hate, and it’s often just as exciting to binge a show out of hatred for an awful villain. Using Joffrey Baratheon as an example from Game of Thrones, presenting audiences with a character so despicable for years made his death one of the most satisfying, relieving moments in television history. But some great villains never ended up with a satisfying payoff, and some were purely underutilized or written off the show too early.

Related

10 TV Shows Where Most Of The Characters Are Terrible People

Terrible people are a joy to watch. Comedy and drama shows both portray morally bankrupt characters to highlight the darkness within all of us.

10 Littlefinger

Game Of Thrones

The list of ruined Game of Thrones characters could go on and on, but Littlefinger’s death in season 7 was particularly egregious. For most of the series, he’s established as one of Westeros’s most tactical planners and opportunists, who rose to be a prominent Lord on the small council and later had armies from the Vale at his disposal. Yet, Littlefinger’s master plan in season 7 was to turn Arya Stark against Sansa, a ridiculous notion that contradicted every character involved. Littlefinger’s death ultimately felt like a cheap way to thin the herd heading into the final season.

9 Captain Cold

The Flash

The CW’s The Flash was an enormously popular show, but it commonly struggled with its villains after the first two seasons. Repetitive speedsters as the main villains felt repetitive, but there never seemed to be a compelling antagonist aside from them that could plausibly compete with Barry for a whole season. Captain Cold, played by Wentworth Miller, was one of the most captivating characters in the Arrowverse, and having an extended arc with the Flash’s rogues gallery, led by Captain Cold, as a season’s primary antagonist was a missed opportunity.

Related

10 TV Exits That Were Totally Out Of Character

TV shows don’t always handle actors’ departures in the most faithful way to their characters — for example, Shameless didn’t do right by Fiona.

8 Nurse Ratched

Ratched

Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a timeless classic, with Louise Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched commonly considered one of the greatest villains in movie history. She seemed like a perfect character to explore further with a television prequel, as modern TV has shined on morally complex figures. Not to mention, having the immensely talented Sarah Paulson playing the character made for a perfect fit, but the Ratched miniseries was ultimately a miss from Netflix.

7 The Night King

Game Of Thrones

The Night King was another Game of Thrones character that tragically missed the mark. Built up from the early seasons to be one of the most intimidating, mystical villains TV has ever seen, season 8’s handling of the Night King and the Long Night was terribly disappointing. The character was never established to have any meaningful personality or motivation, and he was essentially killed off in his first notable battle. The villain narrative built up since the prologue in episode 1 was crushed in a single episode, making the Night King feel pointless in retrospect.

Related

10 TV Shows That Undid Seasons Of Character Growth In Their Final Episodes

It’s not often that a series finale is so awful that it destroys the entire show, but How I Met Your Mother’s ending managed to do just that.

6 Cottonmouth

Luke Cage

Getting an Academy Award-winning star like Mahershala Ali to play a villain on TV is a rare opportunity, and unfortunately, Luke Cage mishandled it. Cottonmouth was a phenomenal villain, making the show’s first season such a thrilling ride. However, Mahershala Ali was only scheduled on the show for seven episodes, meaning they had to cram his story in. Cottonmouth was killed off prematurely, and the series struggled after the fact. Mahershala Ali is now returning to the MCU for Blade in 2025.

5 Jerome

Gotham

Cameron Monaghan has become a beloved actor for his role in the Star Wars universe. Before that, he played twins Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska in Gotham. Jerome Valeska was one of Gotham’s most fascinating characters, and it seemed like he would surely become the show’s version of the Joker. To clarify, Jerome was a standout villain in Gotham, but he was ultimately a red herring for the real Joker before being killed off, with Jeremiah shoehorned in with far less development to take on the mantle.

4 Cad Bane

The Book Of Boba Fett

Cad Bane was an exciting villain in The Clone Wars animated series who seemed like a fun addition to Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett. However, the series became one of the worst Star Wars TV shows, with Cad Bane serving little purpose besides fan service. It ties up a loose end for what happened to the bounty hunter following the Clone Wars, and Cad Bane is perfect for a Western-style showdown climax. Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett went wrong in several ways and was criticized for relying too heavily on cameo appearances.

3 Vandal Savage

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Vandal Savage is one of DC Comics’ biggest and most threatening villains, able to contend even with the Justice League due to his long-term strategic planning. On the CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, Vandal Savage never reached his full potential, and season 1 of the series is commonly considered the show’s worst because of it. Vandal Savage has proven to be a viable big bad on TV with Young Justice, as he’s master-minded conflict on the show for four seasons with an alluring, mystical presence.

2 J.D. McCoy

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights had a handful of solid antagonists and rival characters, and J.D. McCoy was a fantastic entry to season 3. The smarmy, conceited quarterback was annoying but empathetic, as his dad was clearly the real villain involved. After a season 3 arc that could have pointed to J.D. breaking free from his father’s manipulative, abusive grasp, they doubled down on it in season 4. McCoy’s mother was written off the series, and J.D. essentially became a drone for his father’s evil high school football schemes. In season 5, J.D. disappeared entirely

1 Damien Darhk

Arrow

Another DC villain mishandled by his original show was Damien Darhk, introduced in season 4 of Arrow. As the villain on the worst Arrow season, Damien Darhk’s magic powers weren’t a great fit for what had previously been a grounded, gritty series. Neal McDonough is a fantastic character actor who’s played great villains in shows like Yellowstone, so the fault is certainly not with him. He even proved his capability with Darhk in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, where he was a more natural fit for the show’s quirky tone.