Many incredible TV villains have graced the small screen over the years, but some have not only operated as great antagonists but as foils to the hero as well. Many of these pairings have served asthe best television hero-villain duos, while others have flown under the radar.
Findingshows where the villain is perfectly castis always a blessing, but sometimes these series go a step beyond. Not only are some villains examples of excellent writing, but they also perfectly mirror the hero of their story.A good villain will reflect the hero’s wants and desires, often twisting them towards what would seem to be their natural, if not most demented, conclusion.
10Sam Winchester & Lucifer
Supernatural (2005-2020)
Throughout the impressively long run of the horror-adventure showSupernatural,Sam and Dean Winchester have faced countless enemies, including vampires, ghosts, and even demons. However, none were so dangerous as the biblical Lucifer himself, a villain with all the power of an archangel. As the series continues, he is constantly posed against Sam Winchester, the younger of the two brothers who is seen as having a penchant for the demonic.
Not only do the two of them have these demonic tendencies, but Lucifer and Sam are both 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 hit the point home, acting as his torturer during the time Sam’s soul was in Hell.Lucifer would surely return if aSupernaturalrevival were to ever happen, though whether he would be a villain or not remains to be seen.
9Billy Butcher & Homelander
The Boys (2019-present)
The Boysis a series known not only for its gore and shock value but also for its interesting satire on the superhero genre. Though it does not always hit the mark with its writing,The Boyshas managed to create two characters that seem to be made for each other, those being Billy Butcher and one of the most horrifying villains in recent memory, Homelander. The series shows just what extreme lengths the two of them are willing to go through to reach their separate ends.
Homelander’s desperate desire to be loved is something that fuels his massive ego, constantly using his superpowers for his gain. On the other hand, Butcher’s final goal is revenge on superheroes, something that leads him down a dark road that makes him no better than Homelander, as he is often just as violent.Butcher finally sinks fully to Homelander’s level when he uses a special drug to give him similar powers,something that has dire consequences for the supposed hero.
8Aang & Fire Lord Ozai
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
The originalAvatar: The Last Airbenderis an animated series full of heart, following 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 as a goofy kid unable to accept his destiny, the series follows him and his friends as he grows up and accepts his duty to save the world. He is pitted directly against Fire Lord Ozai, a conqueror bent on taking over the world.
Avatar: The Last Airbenderhas been brought to live-action twice, with the first being M. Night Shyamalan’sThe Last Airbenderin 2010 and the most recent being Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbenderin 2024.
Although the two might seem like they could not be more different on the outside, Ozai represents the dark reality that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Aside from Aang himself, Ozai is the most powerful bender in the series.With so much power,Ozai represents what Aang could become if he were to give in to the call all that power holds.
7Dexter Morgan & Arthur Mitchell
Dexter (2006-2013)
A series with a unique protagonist,Dexterfollows the story of the titular Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who kills other serial killers. Because of this premise,Dexterhas a long list of incredible villains, but none are as horrifying as Arthur Mitchell, also known as 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.
Dexterwas recently rebooted on Showtime in 2021 asDexter: New Blood.Another reboot series titledDexter: Resurrectionwas announced in 2024 alongside a prequel,First Sin.
By setting Dexter against another serial killer, the show explores the morality of Dexter’s character and calls into question his morality. After all, at the end of the day, he is still a killer, indulging in that evil part of himself just like Arthur.His character holds up a mirror to Dexter’s evil, making the two of them two sides to the same coin.
6Walter White & Gus Fring
Often considered one ofthe best TV shows of all time,Breaking Badis a spectacular series revolving around the story of Walter White, a chemistry teacher whose life begins to fall apart when he is diagnosed with cancer. While Walter White can hardly be described as a hero, the show is told from his perspective, meaning that anyone who gets in his way is considered an antagonist.
Walter White encounters a couple of foils for his character throughout theBreaking Badseries, 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, standing as an example of a character that represents what Walter could become.Cold and calculating, Gus stands as an example of Walter’s ultimate goal of selling drugs on a wider scale but also mirrors just how ruthless Walter becomes as time goes on.
5Jean-Luc Picard & The Borg
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Perhaps one of the most chillingStar Trekvillainsof all time, The Borg are a mechanical hive mind that assimilates living matter into their collective across the galaxy. Originally appearing in theStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode “Q Who” and later the gripping “Best of Both Worlds, Part I,” this collective stands in direct opposition to Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of theUSS Enterprise.Despite their seemingly different stances,The Borg exists as a sort of funhouse mirror, twisting the purpose of the crewwho wish to explore the galaxy to better understand it.
The Borg have been featured several times since their debut inStar Trek: The Next Generation,most notably with their appearance inStar Trek: First Contact.
The mission of theUSS Enterpriseis to explore, not interfere with new life and planets along their several-year mission. However, there are countless examples of the crew doing just that, not only alerting planets to their presence but stepping in and teaching when they should not. This makes The Borg the perfect villain for Jean-Luc and the crew, showing the most extreme example of what they are doing throughout the galaxy.
4Batman & The Joker
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
The decades-long rivalry between Batman and the Joker has spanned different media, including movies and comic books. There is no better representation of this than inBatman: The Animated Series,a show that often takes a more lighthearted 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.
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The Joker represents what could have become of Batman should he allow the death of his parents to consume him. However, instead of turning to a life of crime, he vowed to stop the criminals who caused their deaths. Still, the Joker operates as a stand-in for a broken Gotham City, something that Batman is also a product of.
3Sherlock Holmes & 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 seriesSherlock,which not only delivers on the initial mystery premise but also depicts the cat-and-mouse game between Sherlock and Moriarty in all its mind-twisting glory. The constant desire to one-up each other is visceral, laying out Sherlock’s blatant arrogance at its most daunting.
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Through his presence in Sherlock’s life, Moriarty lays bare the character’s many flaws. His constant need to be right and desperate desire to not only be the smartest but also solve the riddle presented to him are all aspects explored through Moriarty. This even continues after the character’s death, showing thatnot even death can stop Moriarty’s influence and condemnation of Sherlock Holmes.
2Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal (2013-2015)
The dynamic between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter is one of the best in horror television, showing the slow descent of an FBI profiler into madness through the influence of a cannibal serial killer. Beginning as a crime drama and slowly becoming a back-and-forth between Will and Hannibal as the two attempt to outsmart each other,Hannibalasks the question of whether or not Will Graham is a good man.Hannibal as a character stands to deny this, almost taunting Will into becoming just as evil as he is.
Though this is not as present in the first season of the show, this premise explodes by season two, seeing Will imprisoned for crimes that Hannibal committed. Everything is called into question, including Will’s memory, manipulated by Hannibal for his means. Despite Hannibal’s control of the situation, Will’s ability to understand him and why he does what he does makes the two more similar than Will would ever admit.
1The Doctor & The Master
Doctor Who (1963-1989, 2005-present)
Doctor Whohas been running for a very long time, seeing severaldifferent actors take on the iconic character of The Doctor. Another character is just as synonymous with the sci-fi series, that being another Time Lord by the name of The Master. Throughout the decades,The Master has stood in opposition to The Doctor, existing as a pillar of Time Lord excellence and often attempting to bring them back in newer seasons.
Though they so often stand in opposition to one another,The Master consistently holds a mirror up to The Doctor’s arrogance as an arrogant person themselves.This is especially true in the David Tennant seasons of the show, drawing out The Doctor’s arrogance and need to be the smartest in the room in a way that leads to The Doctor making deadly mistakes. The best example of this culminates in the final episode of David Tennant’s original run, with The Doctor saving the day at the expense of his own life.
