10 Smartest TV Villains Who Were Always One Step Ahead Of Everyone

A lot of quality TV series have intelligent villains, but some shows have villains who always seem to be one step ahead of everyone, even if they end up losing in the end. Villains come in all different shapes and sizes, and sometimes it’s qualities other than intelligence that make a villain dangerous or intriguing. Some of the best TV show villains are dangerous because they are ruthless, pragmatic, powerful, or any number of different qualities. However, the world’s very best villains are the ones who are smarter than everyone standing in their way.

The smartest villains often end up being the most entertaining because they are more unpredictable. Intelligent antagonists find ways of seeing things the audience doesn’t, leading to some of TV’s most shocking and suspenseful moments. In the constantly changing landscape of TV, some villains even end up being their show’s main character. Whether they are the main characters or not, 10 TV show villains in particular have proven their intelligence beyond any doubt.

10 Giancarlo Esposito As Gus Fring

Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul

Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) is one of the best villains in two of TV’s greatest shows ever, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Fring is a restaurant owner who uses his business to front his massive drug operation. He begins as a cocaine distributor for the Mexican cartel, but eventually splits off on his own, becoming one of the most powerful methamphetamine dealers in the United States. Fring manages to build his drug empire through brilliant intellect and utter ruthlessness. Up until Fring’s death in Breaking Bad, he managed to stay ahead of the competition and solidify his spot as one of TV’s smartest villains.

9 Michael Emerson As Benjamin Linus

Lost

Michael Emerson’s Benjamin Linus from the smash-hit ABC drama, Lost, is easily one of TV’s most intelligent villains ever. Ben always seems to anticipate other characters’ moves long before they happen, and he’s almost always prepared for what his enemies throw at him. Ben does some terrible things in Lost, but he rarely does anything stupid. His ability to lead the Others for so long is proof of his intelligence, and the fact that he’s one of the few people to understand the nature of the Island further demonstrates his impressive brainpower.

8 Aidan Gillen As Petyr Baelish

Game Of Thrones

Aidan Gillen’s iconic Game of Thrones villain, Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish, is undoubtedly one of the most cunning schemers ever to grace the small screen. This twisted but brilliant villain manages to pull off multiple assassinations without becoming a suspect until his would-be protégé, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), turns on him and exposes his deceit. Had Littlefinger not revealed so many of his schemes to Sansa, he might never have even been accused of the crimes he committed. Baelish is a wickedly smart political maneuver, always managing to stay three steps ahead of his enemies.

7 Andrew Scott As Jim Moriarty

Sherlock

Anyone who manages to stay ahead of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) must be incredibly smart, and Sherlock‘s Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) manages to do it for quite a while. His character is so intelligent that it’s been theorized Moriarty is more than one person. His brilliant schemes put him on top of a worldwide criminal organization and make him Sherlock Holmes’ most dangerous foe. As two of TV’s smartest characters ever, Moriarty and Holmes become completely obsessed with each other, and though Moriarty is eventually defeated for good, he spends most of his time out in front of the iconic detective.

6 Sarah Clarke As Nina Myers

24

Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) turns out to be one of 24‘s most cunning villains, and her ability to convince Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and the rest of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) that she is on their side serves as undeniable proof of her intelligence. Myers spends most of 24 season 1 as a mole in the CTU, but even after she’s discovered, she manages to stick around and continue scheming until her death in season 3. Few people manage to foil Bauer for as long as Myers does, and if she weren’t seriously intelligent, there’s no way she could have done it.

5 Giancarlo Esposito As Stan Edgar

The Boys

Giancarlo Esposito is a master of playing brilliant TV show villains, and he proves it once again in the role of Stan Edgar in Prime Video’s superhero satire, The Boys. Clawing his way to the top of Vought International, Edgar demonstrates a unique level of patience and a powerful ability to manipulate people. Edgar always seems to be several steps ahead of his enemies, and though he’s eventually put into custody after being outschemed by Victoria Neuman, his secretly adopted daughter, he never seems fully removed as a threat.

4 John Lithgow As Arthur Mitchell “The Trinity Killer”

Dexter

Dexter‘s Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), commonly known as the Trinity Killer, is one of the show’s most prolific serial killers, and the fact that he went unsuspected for several decades before being discovered by Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) proves how smart he is. Mitchell managed to live an active suburban life as a community leader, high school teacher, and church deacon, successfully hiding his sinister nature from the world. His extreme intelligence and uncanny ability to hide his true nature make him one of TV’s most terrifying villains.

3 Mads Mikkelsen As Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal

Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal is probably one of the best TV villain portrayals ever. Lecter is a ferociously intelligent serial killer who works as a psychiatrist helping track down other serial killers. He is an extremely nuanced character, but his undeniable intellect is the most defining aspect of his personality. He shows how smart he is by avoiding detection for his own cannibalistic murders and by tracking down other killers. It’s difficult to argue that any TV show villain is smarter than Lecter.

2 C. Thomas Howell As George Foyet

Criminal Minds

C. Thomas Howell’s George Foyet in Criminal Minds is one of the scariest serial killers in any TV show, and his brainpower is key to his ability to stay ahead of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). No matter how close the BAU gets to him, Foyet always seems to elude capture. Though he is eventually killed in Criminal Minds season 5, Foyet’s impact continues to haunt the team for years after his death. His ability to outsmart the highly intelligent BAU team for years proves that he is one of TV’s most intelligent villains ever.

1 Ross McCall As Matthew Keller

White Collar

Matthew Keller (Ross McCall) is one of White Collar‘s best villains, mostly because of his ability to consistently outwit the brilliant Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer). Keller orchestrates numerous complex crimes in White Collar, and his escape from prison is one of the smartest schemes in the series. He is probably Neal’s most worthy opponent in the show because he is one of the few characters capable of matching wits with him. His thefts, kidnappings, and other crimes are always carefully planned to keep him just out of the FBI’s reach, proving his status as one of TV’s smartest villains.