The 10 Greatest TV Villains of 2025

Every good TV show needs a good villain, and sometimes, a well-written, well-performed antagonist can turn a good show into a great one. Sure, the heroes get all the credit, but no show would have any plot or character development without its cruel, manipulative, and terrifying villains. 2025 has delivered many great villainous performances across the world of television, some from familiar characters, others from completely fresh (and instantly hateable) ones.

Though they may be despicable people, these characters have played a great role in making this year in television so very entertaining, so it’s only right that we give them their due. Without further ado, here’s our selection of the top 10 TV villains of 2025, including both new and returning characters.

10

Pennywise the Dancing Clown

‘It: Welcome to Derry’ (2025–Present)

Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel to Muschietti’s films It and It Chapter Two, in turn adapted from Stephen King’s 1986 novel. Set in the 1960s, the supernatural horror series follows a couple and their young son who move to Derry, Maine, just as another young boy disappears and an ancient evil begins to wake up. The show stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler, with Bill Skarsgård returning to his iconic role of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Skarsgård’s performance as Pennywise was the biggest highlight of Muschietti’s It movies, so his casting in the prequel certainly raised expectations. The show plays on this anticipation brilliantly by delaying Pennywise’s appearance in full clown regalia until near the end, though he does appear throughout the story in a variety of disturbing forms. And once he does appear, Skarsgård’s Pennywise is every bit as terrifying as he was in the movies. The series also dives into the entity’s mysterious origins, with the actor delivering a subtler, more melancholic performance in prologue scenes set in the town’s past.

9

Margo Banks

‘The Hunting Wives’ (2025–Present)

Created by Rebecca Cutter, The Hunting Wives is a drama series adapted from the novel by May Cobb. The show stars Brittany Snow as Sophie, a young wife and mother who moves from Massachusetts to East Texas and finds herself drawn into the glamorous world of wealthy socialite Margo (Malin Akerman) and her elite clique, the “Hunting Wives,” with dangerous consequences. The series also stars Evan Jonigkeit, Katie Lowes, George Ferrier, Dermot Mulroney, and more in key roles.

The Hunting Wives was a surprise hit when it premiered on Netflix in July 2025, quickly becoming one of the most popular shows on the service, and Malin Akerman’s Margo is a big reason why. The manipulative, deceitful, and commanding woman at the heart of the show, her secrets and crimes are the driving force behind the story, as are her steamy romances, especially her complicated relationship with Sophie. The show itself might just be a soapy, sapphic melodrama with some interesting mystery elements thrown in, but Akerman’s performance and chemistry with Snow are what make The Hunting Wives such a deliciously bingeable watch.

8

Alex / The Iguana

‘Poker Face’ (2023–2025)

Created by Rian Johnson, Poker Face is a case-of-the-week mystery procedural that follows the various misadventures of Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), a “human lie detector.” The series follows Charlie’s travels across the United States, running into quirky characters and seemingly inexplicable crimes at every turn. Eventually, she settles into a New York City apartment for a while, which is when she finally meets someone who seriously challenges her abilities: Patti Harrison’s Alex.

Initially introduced as a new friend and sort of assistant to Charlie’s unlikely detective, Harrison’s endearing performance makes Alex an immensely likable highlight of Poker Face Season 2. But as we learn her true identity (spoilers), we discover that she’s actually a world-class psychopath and a much more important character than we were first led to believe: Charlie’s first real nemesis. Sadly, with the show canceled shortly after Season 2, we probably won’t see any more of Alex, which is a shame because there’s certainly more to explore in their complicated dynamic.

7

Cipher

‘Gen V’ (2023–Present)

A spin-off of the hit dark comedy superhero show The Boys, Gen V was developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke and revolves around a group of young adult superheroes studying at the prestigious Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. Hamish Linklater’s Cipher is introduced in the show’s second season, which premiered in September 2025, as God U’s charismatic new dean with nefarious plans of his own.

As the primary antagonist of the season, Cipher’s manipulative actions are the main driving force behind the season’s story, and by the end, we learn that he’s actually one of the most important antagonists of the franchise’s world as a whole. Linklater delivers a brilliant performance as the ruthless, evil mastermind, playing against type to great effect as a dominating villain on par with franchise favorites like Homelander (Antony Starr). Gen V Season 2 also features some great performances from series regulars Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, Sean Patrick Thomas, and more, with the season pushing the show’s beloved characters to new highs and lows.

6

Vecna

‘Stranger Things’ (2016–2025)

Created by The Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is one of the biggest series of the streaming era, and 2025 marks the end of the show’s five-season story. The genre-bending series revolves around the small 1980s town of Hawkins, Indiana, where the sudden disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) sets off a series of uncanny and terrifying events. As his friends and family investigate what happened to him, they discover secret government experiments involving an apocalyptic alternate dimension and a strange young girl with telekinetic abilities, eventually uncovering the identity of the mastermind behind the whole thing: Vecna / Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Introduced in the show’s fourth season back in 2022, Bower’s performance as Vecna has earned high acclaim from critics and franchise fans, and the character has since become one of the most iconic sci-fi villains of the decade. The fifth season sees Vecna put his final plan into motion, kidnapping more young children with the intention of using them to reshape the world, but with Will discovering his true potential and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) pushing her abilities to the limit, the stage is set for a truly epic final battle.

5

Boy Kavalier

‘Alien: Earth’ (2025–Present)

The first TV show in the Alien franchise and a non-canonical prequel to Ridley Scott’s legendary 1979 film, Alien: Earth is a sci-fi horror drama series created by Noah Hawley that explores the first contact between humans and xenomorphs. Set in the year 2120, the show’s events take place on an Earth ruled by rival corporations, a world of cyborgs and synthetics who exist alongside humans, following Wendy (Sydney Chandler), one of the newly created hybrids of humans and synthetics, who encounters a dangerous collection of alien life forms that could threaten all life on the planet.

Samuel Blenkin’s Boy Kavalier is the narcissistic, ambitious, Peter Pan-obsessed, and uber-wealthy boy genius who’s ultimately responsible for much of the show’s events, including the creation of the hybrids. He’s a surprisingly complex character, a devastatingly intelligent and insufferably arrogant tech-bro pastiche who is arguably a more dangerous monster than the actual monsters. Blenkin perfectly captures the character’s intensely dislikable nature, creating a genuinely repulsive villain who is masterfully brought to life through his performance.

4

Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin

‘Daredevil: Born Again’ (2025–Present)

Created by Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord, Daredevil: Born Again is a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero series that serves as a revival and continuation of the hit Netflix show Daredevil. Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, a blind lawyer with secret superhuman senses who fights crime as a masked vigilante on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. In the show, Matt’s now retired from being Daredevil and pursuing justice using his law degree instead of his fists, but when Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) announces that he’s running for mayor of New York City, it brings Matt to a moral crossroads.

Cox and D’Onofrio’s intense chemistry was one of the biggest highlights of the original Daredevil, so it was obviously a must-have for the revival, and though the show is not without its flaws, that’s one thing Daredevil: Born Again gets right. D’Onofrio’s performance retains the troubled humanity of the character from the old show while transforming him into a very different kind of villain: a politically savvy manipulator instead of just a brutal crime boss. That said, he is still chillingly violent when he needs to be, and his election to political office is a brilliant story arc for the series that feels extremely timely.

3

Jamie Miller

‘Adolescence’ (2025)

Easily the most talked-about show of 2025, Adolescence is a four-part British crime drama miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, who also stars in the show as Eddie Miller. The story revolves around Eddie’s 13-year-old son, Jamie (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for the murder of a girl at his school. Though he initially claims to be innocent, the investigation reveals the events that led to the crime, uncovering how Jamie’s actions were influenced by severe cyberbullying and unfiltered exposure to online misogyny.

Owen Cooper’s haunting performance as Jamie has earned the young actor international acclaim, and with good reason. In his debut role, the 15-year-old actor shows impressive ability, embodying both the blank innocence of childhood and the dark depravity of a murderer in equal measure. His performance is a big part of why this show is such a difficult yet gripping watch, and it has earned him numerous accolades, even making him the youngest male actor ever to win an Emmy Award. Besides Cooper, the series also boasts stellar performances by Graham, Erin Doherty, and more, as well as outstanding direction, writing, and cinematography.

2

Dedra Meero

‘Andor’ (2022–2025)

A prequel to 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor follows the origin story of its title character, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, as well as the origins of the Rebel Alliance as a whole. One of the most acclaimed Star Wars projects of all time, the series puts a political spy thriller spin on the franchise’s familiar world, introducing viewers to the little-seen rebel spies whose sacrifices led to the Empire’s eventual downfall. And where there are spies, there must be spy hunters, which is where Imperial Security Bureau officer Dedra Meero comes in.

Played by Denise Gough, Dedra Meero is one of Star Wars’ most fascinating villains, a methodical, intelligent, and ambitious woman who fully embodies the ruthlessness of the Empire. But at the same time, Gough brings a certain humanity to the character that reminds viewers that Imperial officers don’t have to just be faceless, one-dimensional villains; they can be just as layered and complex as their rebel counterparts. Though she’s ultimately manipulated into defeat and humiliation, Dedra is still a brilliantly conceived villain with a genuinely engaging character arc, which is a rarity for the franchise.

1

The Front Man / Hwang In-ho

‘Squid Game’ (2021–2025)

Created, written, and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game is a South Korean survival thriller series that’s easily one of the most groundbreaking shows to grace our screens in recent years. The show revolves around a secret competition in which hundreds of cash-strapped contestants risk their lives to win a large cash prize by playing a series of deadly children’s games, under the supervision of the mysterious Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).

Though Hwang In-ho, aka the Front Man, is a key antagonist throughout the show’s three seasons, 2025’s Squid Game Season 3 is where his character finally undergoes a genuinely transformative character arc. Once a contestant who was traumatized by his time in the competition, In-ho’s ruthlessness is revealed to be based on a twisted sense of fairness and an ambiguous view of morality, which are both shaken by the actions of the series’ protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). The show’s ending suggests that In-ho may have genuinely had a change of heart, but it also implies that he’s still stuck in the oppressive world of the games, which transforms the character from an evil mastermind to a more tragic figure.