8 Best Female TV Villains, According To Reddit

Women have continually occupied the role of damsel in distress in both movies and TV, but in recent years, this trope has been replaced by some pretty badass female villains. From international criminals to matriarchal madams, the move towards more female villains has been a refreshing one, with female viewers often finding these new characters empowering, aside from their questionable personalities and morals.

Reddit user RegisterNo5408 noticed this move towards equal representation and asked other users to share their favorite female villain and their TV show. These are just a few that made the cut and are more than worthy of checking out.

Miss Parker (The Pretender)

Miss Parker is a typical evil female villain character in The Pretender. She knows what she wants and asserts her badass female energy throughout the show. Her sultry voice matched with her sarcastic wit gives the impression that she is a highly intelligent woman who believes she is above all her male counterparts, giving her a somewhat god-like presence.

But whilst she was a captivating character, she wasn’t meant to be a particularly likable one, as recognized by AlterEgo3561. The Reddit user explained that Miss Parker was a character that viewers “couldn’t fully hate because of her family back story and her whole relationship with Jared since they were children.” She may have been cold, powerful, and deceitful, but there was also a human side to her where viewers were reminded that even villains have some heartbreaking secrets.

Annalise Keating (How To Get Away With Murder)

Annalise is possibly the scariest professor in TV history. When she enters the room, she commands attention through her confident strut and firm voice. Her character is somehow able to exude her high level of intelligence over her prospective students and intimidate them through her decade’s worth of experience.

Quirky_Ad_7325 explained how Annalise “was so terrifying because she looked like your average female professor,” but realistically, she had many dark secrets and didn’t hide away from creating more. Her character had a toxic teaching method that saw many of her students and former students worship her, taking the blame for Annalise’s manipulative behavior. How To Get Away With Murder is full of brutal kills, but the most brutal character of them all has to be Annalise, even if fans love her villainous ways.

 Alice (Luther)

In the first couple of seasons of Luther, Alice plays a seductive and secretive murderess, but she soon becomes friends with Luther, later becoming a comfort for him. However, before she befriends him, Alice highlights just how clever and calculated she is when she continually gets away with murdering others. Alice’s high opinion of herself is among the things that viewers find entrancing about her, but ultimately she is completely irrational.

Badaxe13 labeled Alice “scary AF,” as she almost embodies a shadow that seemingly stalks Luther without him being aware. She is able to move from different crime scenes and houses without being heard. She is not only secretive in her next moves, but also in her murderous plots, which actually saves Luther’s reputation on several occasions. Alice may be a villain, but many viewers argued that if they were on the right side of her, they would have no doubt she would protect them.

 Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Avatar: The Last Airbender has one of the most memorable female characters on TV. Azula may only be 14, but her furrowed eyebrows and stern face coincide with her power-hungry personality that captivates viewers. She has complete disregard for anyone who stands in her way and seeks to create unrest within the community, resulting in Azula being behind some of the worst acts of villainy in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Reddit user Calm_Memories explained how Azula’s age makes her villainous title so shocking: “To think Azula is 14, she was written phenomenally,” with her character having many complex layers that are explored throughout the series. Her character is a particularly interesting villain that goes against the stereotypical conventions of a female antagonist, resulting in her being popular with fans.

 Villanelle (Killing Eve)

Villanelle is the most devious and unusual villain viewers have been introduced to in decades. Her character is difficult to figure out, which makes it impossible to assume her next move. Her infatuation with Eve illustrates this, as Villanelle protects Eve one minute and plots to kill her the next, and she is the prime example of a sexy antagonist that is equally terrifying.

Her smart and deceptive persona allows her to mold herself into different characters and fully embody each one through in-depth role-play and memorable costumes. One Reddit user labeled Villanelle as “probably the best villain on TV” and many viewers agreed. Her unique mannerisms and personality result in her being completely unpredictable, which makes Killing Eve a suspenseful watch.

Cersei (Game Of Thrones)

Cersei is one of those characters that viewers love to hate. Whilst she is villainous, she also has a few redeeming characteristics. She is a particularly dark character that strays far away from a traditional maternal role, and she thinks nothing of destroying young children.

Cersei proved herself as the villain in Game of Thrones time and time again, but she also had a few redeeming features. However, many of these were still at the cost of other characters due to her manipulative and cunning way of reeling people in. According to takequake76, “Cersei Lannister was the baddest b***h alive,” and many viewers agree. She paved the way for more terrifying female characters on TV by moving away from the stereotypical image of the submissive woman, something still seen so commonly in movies and TV.

 Kai (Deep Space Nine)

Kai is a seriously evil character in Deep Space Nine. She is another power-hungry antagonist who wishes to sit with the prophets and will do anything to get there. Her character is sly and deceitful, which had many viewers questioning whether she had an even bigger vision. Kai isn’t a particularly likable character, but some viewers believe that her evil ways are a sign of just how vulnerable she is.

Her ability to get viewers on her side proves her deviousness, as she is able to convince people to feel sorry for her whilst simultaneously plotting her next vengeful act. Reddit user Chuck006 declared that they “had never hated a character, or loved to hate a character, as much as her.” She continues to be a menacing female villain who makes viewers feel sorry for her while hating her.

Mags (Justified)

When asked who their favorite female TV villain is, Reddit user Hollow_Rant was first to answer “dangerous fugitive and highly acclaimed character actress Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett.” Margo Martingale has a habit of playing evil women (something she is exceptionally good at) but her role as Mags in Justified is by far the best. She plays the matriarchal lead of the Bennett family, but she is far from the comforting mother viewers expect.

She is particularly scary, as she represents a sweet older lady who prides herself on being family orientated, and to an extent, she is. However, she is also a murderous woman who simultaneously lies and befriends her victim’s daughter. Mags is terrifying due to her ability to represent something so different from what she is. She may seek to protect her family, but she places the blame on her children to detract from her behavior. She is a cold and calculated mother, making her one of the most horrifying female villains of all time.

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