TV's 10 Deadliest Monsters
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10. Klaus
Portrayed by Joseph Morgan
For The CW fans, Niklaus Mikaelson aka Klaus was the ultimate villain on “The Vampire Diaries,” before becoming more of an anti-hero and eventually the star of his own series, “The Originals.”
Despite the fact that Klaus has killed many, many people onscreen, teenage girls seem to love him. That may be why his character has been relatively softened over the years. On this list, I consider him to be the “Diet Coke of Evil,” to paraphrase Dr. Evil himself.
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9. Henry Parish
Portrayed by John Noble
Henry Parish is the most recently introduced character on this list, following his stint in the first season of “Sleepy Hollow.” It should come as no surprise to fans of “Fringe” that John Noble can pull off a terrifying villain. Noble’s alternate Walter Bishop was one of the most complex and fascinating villains on TV for several seasons.
As Henry Parish, Noble’s latest character was introduced as “The Sin Eater,” an ally of Ichabod Crane who saved his life. But in reality, Henry was Ichabod’s long-lost son, Jeremy, who turned on his parents and became the Horseman known as War.
One of the intriguing questions of “Sleepy Hollow” Season 2 is whether Henry/Jeremy can be saved from his own actions. But for creating such a devastating cliffhanger on “Sleepy Hollow” last season, Henry Parish earns his place on this list.
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8. Sylar (Heroes Season 1)
Portrayed by Zachary Quinto
It should be noted that only the Sylar from the first season of “Heroes” is included on this list. From season 2 and on, Sylar lost his figurative bite as the “Heroes” creative team fell in love with Quinto’s performance and bent over backwards to keep him on the show. This included several misguided attempts to make Sylar into a heroic character.
But in “Heroes” season 1, Sylar was incredibly effective as the rarely seen serial killer who collected superpowers from his victims. Even before Quinto was cast in the role, Sylar had a tremendous sense of menace when he was portrayed by a stuntman with his face obscured.
Arguably, it was the casting of Quinto that first tarnished Sylar’s mystique. Once the faceless killer had a persona for the audience to latch on to, he was never as scary again.
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7. Abaddon
Portrayed by Alaina Huffman
From “Supernatural” comes another recent inclusion on this list. Abaddon is a Knight of Hell who happened to be possessing the body of a woman named Josie Sands. Brought to the present day by accident, Abaddon was deliciously evil as she went on a bloody crusade to become the Queen of Hell.
Abaddon was such a great villain that she elevated some of season nine’s weaker moments. And Abaddon’s recent demise on the show was an unfortunate ending to her story. But this is “Supernatural,” so who knows if we’ve truly seen the end of Abaddon?
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6. Delphine LaLaurie
Portrayed by Kathy Bates
Delphine LaLaurie is the only real person on this list. In the 19th century, LaLaurie was inadvertently unmasked as a someone who was involved with the torture and murder of her own slaves. Even in 1834, that s*** just didn’t fly and LaLaurie fled the country to escape justice.
On “American Horror Story: Coven,” Bates’ portrayed LaLaurie as a frightening woman who took joy in the torture of others despite being cursed with immortality. “Coven” flirted with the idea of making LaLaurie into a redeemable character before she re-embraced the darker aspects of her personality... which led LaLaurie on a path straight to hell.
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5. Angelus
Portrayed by David Boreanaz
On “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” Angel was the vampire with a soul who became Buffy’s first real lover. But once Buffy accidentally freed Angel from the curse of his soul, Angelus emerged as Buffy’s greatest enemy.
Long before Joss Whedon found mainstream success with The Avengers, “Buffy” Season 2 solidified his following with a loyal group of fans that were riveted by Angel’s evil persona. Unlike most TV villains of the era, Angelus didn’t hold back and he actually killed someone very close to Buffy and her mentor Giles.
Because Buffy truly loved Angel before his fall, Angelus was the most dangerous foe that she ever faced. And to save the world, Buffy had to send her lover to hell moments after he was cured of the Angelus persona.
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4. Fiona Goode
Portrayed by Jessica Lange
Fiona was the Supreme Witch during “American Horror Story: Coven.” In theory, Fiona was supposed to teach and guide the next generation of witches while training her successor as Supreme.
In reality, Fiona ruthlessly attempted to hold on to her power and retain her relative youth. And she even killed witches whom she considered a threat to her position. There’s was nothing that Fiona wouldn’t do to maintain her power and appearance. Ultimately, that’s what destroyed her as well.
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3. Russell Edgington
Portrayed by Denis O'Hare
“True Blood” hit a home run with the Vampire King Russell Edginton. Russell was extremely old and powerful for a vampire. And when Eric Northman murdered Russell’s lover to avenge his family, Russell went crazy as he murdered a newscaster on live TV before setting human and vampire relations back several years by promising to eat the humans and their children.
But at least Russell remembered to give the throw to the Weather Girl!
Russell was such a great villain that the “True Blood” creative team brought him back two seasons later. Russell’s second reign of terror wasn’t quite as impressive as his first, but he was one of the most memorable TV villains in years.
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2. Trinity
Portrayed by John Lithgow
“Dexter” never came up with a better villain than Arthur Mitchell, aka Trinity. Dexter Morgan was fascinated by the way that the Trinity killer managed to balance his family life and his extracurricular activities and he befriended Trinity to see what he could learn from him.
But the truth is that Trinity was a bigger monster than Dexter realized and he terrorized his own family in addition to his appetite for killing women in their own bathtubs. Dexter eventually put Trinity down for good, but not before Trinity found and killed Detxer’s wife Rita, leaving Dexter to discover his bloodsoaked son, Harrison in a horrifying scene that was a grim reminder of Dexter’s ordeal when his own mother was murdered.
None of the killers that came after Trinity could match his intensity on “Dexter.” It remains the highpoint of that series.
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1. Hannibal Lecter
Portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen
Somehow, Mads Mikkelsen has taken the role of Hannibal Lecter and emerged with a fresh take that isn’t overshadowed by Anthony Hopkins’ iconic performances in three of the feature films that adapted Thomas Harris’ novels. NBC’s ‘Hannibal” brings the good doctor into the modern era with an updated take on the title character.
Hannibal may not have any supernatural abilities, but his sense of smell and his intellect border on the verge of superhuman. Hannibal is also an excellent fighter and a master planner. Even very smart men like Will Graham and Jack Crawford find themselves unable to outmaneuver Hannibal or prove that he is the serial killer that they have been hunting for years.
The scariest thing about Hannibal is that he doesn’t value human life at all. Everyone might as well be a walking meat stand to Hannibal, who clearly enjoys cooking and eating his victims before occasionally serving them to others as well.
The man is pure evil. But that’s why he’s so much fun to watch.
