Television has granted us some of thebest redemption arcs, but perhaps more interestingly, it has shown us characters who start out as heroes of sorts but become more villainous as time goes on. Some such characters technically started out as antagonists but still got darker and more depraved with each passing season. However, thebest TV villains everare just as beloved as their moral counterparts, because of their engaging portrayals and what they reveal about human corruption.
A fewTV shows feature protagonists who are also villains, but some of the most compelling examples set up a character to be the hero and then reveal over time how some of their core traits actually made them the villain all along. Ultimately,both fallen heroes and villains who just do worse each season are effective narrative set-upsfor heartbreak, devastation, conflict, and therefore, riveting TV.
10Will Graham (Hugh Dancy)
Hannibal (2013-2015)
Hannibalis primarily a complex psychological thriller,depicting the dynamic between infamous cannibal Hannibal Lector and FBI criminal profiler Will Graham. Will already struggles with his ability to empathize with serial killers, and when he is paired with Hannibal for work, it sets off his being pulled increasingly into Hannibal’s world. Hannibal sets out to make another serial killer out of Will.
Hannibal pushes Will into killing in self-defense, but he still takes another step into darkness with each murder. By the end of the series, Will and Hannibal are inextricably linked, if they were ever able to escape each other.Hannibalwas a chilling show, to begin with, but in every episode, Will becomes just a little bit more like Hannibal and accepts his attraction to the famed villain as well as his desire to kill in the end.
9Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride)
Many of the characters inThe Walking Deadbecome more ruthless and violent as the series continues, forced to do questionable things to survive in the post-apocalyptic world, but none have an arc quite as drastic as Carol. Carol starts her tenure on the show as a quiet and fearful woman, abused by her husband and wanting only to protect her young daughter. Things seem to look up for her when her husband dies until her daughter is turned into a walker as well.
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Though the show has seen its fair share of heroes and villains come and go, some of the best Walking Dead characters continue to keep fans watching.
Carol becomes one of the deadliestWalking Deadcast members over time,learning combat and weaponry on the go, as most of the characters do. However, thedarkest things Carol has done inThe Walking Deadamount to including manipulation, betrayal, and possibly unjustified murder. She’s never truly a villain, but she becomes a more morally gray figure each year in this world.
8Morgana (Katie McGrath)
Merlin (2008-2012)
Merlinintroduces many of the legendary characters out of place from where they are supposed to be in the narrative, including Merlin being a stumbling magical protégée, Guinevere a lady’s maid, and Morgana Uther’s loved ward. They all slowly shift into their known positions in the story, butMorgana’s initial characterization is what makes her so interesting.She has a strong sense of justice, empathizes with the downtrodden residents of Camelot, and opposes the king’s crueler tendencies.
However, Morgana’s story gets darker both for her and the people around her when she is terrified by her own magical abilities, as she continues to see people persecuted for being associated with any kind of magic. Ultimately, she feels that she has been betrayed by her friends and family and turns on them. Morgana is a sadder story because of the kind person she was, and how the world turned her into a villain.
7Aulza (Grey Griffin)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
Azula was always a chaotic and dangerous villain, established by her small appearances inAvatar: The Last Airbenderseason 1 as being a better and thus more deadly firebender than Zuko. She essentially replaces Zuko as the intermediary villain in season 2, while fire Lord Ozai still waits in the wings as the ultimately big bad. Azula lives up to her tease at the end of season 1 and wreaks havoc, showing remorseless cruelty to her enemies and her friends.
Azula’s moral boundaries may never change because they were already pretty bad, but her storyline undeniably gets darkeras she also becomes a tragic figure, also unloved by her parents. Her insecurities are revealed, her friends finally realize they need to get away from her, and even Zuko pities her in the end. Azula’s story became incredibly haunting when her villainy started to blend with her bad circumstances and mental health.
6Selina Meyer (Julia Louis Dreyfus)
Veep (2012-2019)
Selina is a bit conceited but possible to root for in the early seasons ofVeep,trying to accomplish beneficial legislation but blocked at every turn by the rest of the government, and most often, the unseen POTUS using her as the fall person for his own mistakes. She says she will leave his campaign to “save the party,” at one point, with seemingly good intentions. However, asVeepgoes on, Selina’s ambition takes over her character.
She was never kind, but this was passed off as an aspect of the black comedy genre. However, in each new season, the despicable things that Selina is willing to do to secure the presidency worsen and her long-standing abuse of her family and staff becomes apparent. The finale actually returns to the series' roots with Selina’s comment on what it is like to be the veep, suggesting that she was always in politics for personal gain, and her initial position made her only more determined than ever.
5Walter White (Bryan Cranston)
Walter White inBreaking Badis, of course, one of the most famous and best TV character arcs of all time. True to the series' name, Walt is shown delving further into criminality and violence, finding that he enjoys the power of being a kingpin. Small things like thecar wash scenes in theBreaking Badpilotestablish that Walt was always a bitter man, stuck in a profession with little rewards when he had the intelligence and skills for far bigger things.
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One scene from the critically-acclaimed pilot episode of Breaking Bad is underrated and actually features Jesse referencing the show’s title.
It is still possible to view Walt as a kind of hero early on, supposedly entering the meth business out of desperation, and maybe for the sake of an adventure before he dies. However, Walt’s actions become more inexcusable, and it’s clear that he doesn’t want to get out of this even if he could. By the final season,most scenes with Walt are deeply uncomfortable as his mere presence is a threat to those around him.
4Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke)
House Of The Dragon (2022-Present)
Alicent is a character who is also framed as the villain in a more technical sense, but her story is still deeply tragic and evokes empathy, and gets worse asHouse of the Dragonfurther spirals into the Dance of the Dragons. Alicent is seemingly a typical ally-turned-villain, as she and the de facto protagonist, Rhaenyra, were best friends as girls and teenagers. However, they are pulled apart when Alicent is arranged to marry Rhaenyra’s father, and their children threaten Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne.
The audience is supposed to root for Rhaenyra, who is obviously the better option to rulethe Seven Kingdoms. As time goes on, Alicent realizes this too — more importantly, she realizes that her actions were never meant to benefit her and the society that doesn’t want Rhaenyra in power doesn’t want her in power either.House of the Dragonseason 2’s endingshows the saddest scene with Alicent yet, where she admits essentially that all her actions as Rhaenyra’s enemy were mistakes — but things will only get more dire for her from there.
3Michael Gray (Finn Cole)
Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Michael Gray is another hero-to-villain arc centering around betrayals within a family that leads one member to turn against another, feeling they are owed justice. Michael is Aunt Polly’s long-lost son, who first appears inPeaky Blindersseason 2 when Tommy tracks him down and informs him that his mother did not give him up willingly and wants to meet him. Reconnecting with his mother goes well enough, while Michael is gradually drawn into the family’s crime business.
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Peaky Blinders star reveals that he was disappointed to learn he would be the villain of the final season after the original plans had to change.
Michael’s story includes past trauma being revealed, as well as his participation in some of the family’s fights. Tommy and the rest defend him, but trust breaks down due to extenuating circumstances. The final straw is Polly’s death, for which Michael blames Tommy, andMichael becomesPeaky Blinders’final villain and the morbid emblem of many of the series' conflicts and themes.
2Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Willow started out as a friendly member of Buffy’s gang, which would become known as the Scoobies, inBuffy the Vampire Slayer. However, today,Willow is remembered for her largely negative arc characterized by her pursuit of power and violent vengeance, turning her into “Dark Willow.“Buffy the Vampire Slayerhinted at Willow’s dark turn yearsbefore the fact, as she encountered warnings about what tapping into too much power could do to her.
The thing that pushes her over the edge is the death of her girlfriend Tara, causing Willow to be overcome by dark magic, killing the murderer, and remaining Dark Willow afterward. She is saved by the rest of the cast inBuffy the Vampire Slayerseason 6 and returns to normal. However, with tensions over Willow’s use of magic throughout, she was getting one step closer to the dark side with each season.
1Eren Yaeger (Yûki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook)
Attack On Titan (2013-2023)
In the first episode ofAttack on Titan, Eren vows that he will destroy all the Titansafter his hometown is decimated, and his mother is killed. However, this goal begins to take a more questionable shape when it’s revealed that this initial attack is the product of a conscious, human agenda. Even as Eren becomes more detached from human reality, his arc is very grounded, as all that he has been through causes him to lose faith in humanity and become an even bigger threat than anything the characters have seen before.
Attack on Titandepicts the internal tragedy of Eren’s loss of hope that the world beyond his island has anything good to offer, but it’s also clear that he has gone too far and needs to be stopped. In the end, his friends do defeat him, at great cost, and are left heartbroken. This is one of the strongest hero-to-villain arcs in TV because of how the seeds were planted early on, but the character in question still isn’t redeemable.
