Chuck: The 10 Best Characters Introduced After Season 1

As is often the case with most television shows, the most important characters in Chuck debuted during the first season and even in the pilot episode. Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Morgan, Ellie, and Devon were all part of that first episode but a handful of pivotal characters showed up much later and made an impact.

In some cases, these folks who appeared later were villains that posed a serious threat to Chuck and his friends, while others were romantic interests or family members joining the story for the first time. The one thing they all have in common is that they were interesting key players in the series.

10 Vivian Volkoff

In the eyes of many fans, season 4 isn’t the best era of Chuck, though it’s certainly not a bad string of episodes at all. The season actually had several episodes added after it was initially meant to end, which is how Vivian Volkoff (Lauren Cohan) joined the show. The first half of the season focused on Alexei Volkoff before “Chuck Versus the Masquerade” introduced his daughter, Vivian McArthur.

She had no knowledge of his criminal activities but then discovered that her life had been leading to her taking over as his heir. It turned her into a villain, though many feel the turn was done a bit too quickly. Also, only appearing in five episodes gave her less time to shine.

9 Hannah

By the time season 3 arrived, it was clear that the series was doing everything it could to prolong the official romance of Sarah and Chuck. That meant introducing new love interests for each of them. That’s where Hannah (Kristin Kreuk) came into play, first appearing in “Chuck Versus First Class.”

Hannah liked Chuck so much that she even got a job at the Buy More to be closer to him. She was a lovely woman who had a sweet romance with Chuck but it ended due to his double life. Though a solid character, Hannah was mostly there to be an obstacle for Chuck and Sarah.

8 Gertrude Verbanski

Romance played a major part in this series whether it was Chuck and Sarah, Ellie and Captain Awesome, or Morgan and Alex. However, John Casey wasn’t typically someone who got to showcase how romantic he could be outside of a few flings and one-offs.

Season 5 changed that when it introduced Gertrude Verbanski (Carrie-Anne Moss) in “Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit.” She was a rival for Carmichael Industries and a badass but what really made her interesting was her past with Casey. The two formed a couple with a unique relationship that was both loving and terrifying.

7 Alexei Volkoff

As noted, the first half of season 4 focused on Alexei Volkoff (Timothy Dalton). Similar to the storyline involving his daughter in the back half, Volkoff was someone who didn’t seem like a bad guy when he first appeared in “Chuck Versus the First Fight.” There, he was undercover as Gregory Tuttle.

As Tuttle, Volkoff worked alongside Chuck and Sarah. The revelation that he was actually Volkoff wasn’t too surprising but he proved to be a cunning villain who was a serious threat to the heroes. Plus, his relationship with Chuck’s mother gave their feud a more personal touch.

6 Jill Roberts

The complex relationship between Chuck and Bryce dated back to their college days and a girl named Jill Roberts (Jordana Brewster). Jill and Bryce were basically the cause of Chuck’s heartache for years and the source of his struggles, so of course Jill had to debut on the show at some point. That happened in season 2’s “Chuck Versus the Ex,” when he ran into her on a Nerd Herd call.

The truth about their split was revealed and the two mended fences before dating again. Then, Jill was discovered to be a FULCRUM agent, putting another wrench into their romance until she again sided with Chuck, who let her free. She was interesting on her own but also showcased how forgiving Chuck could be.

5 Ted Roark

Throughout the first two seasons, the main villains were an organization known as FULCRUM. The man put in charge of creating a new Intersect for them was CEO of Roark Industries and tech genius Ted Roark (Chevy Chase), who had the facade of being a charismatic good guy.

In reality, Ted was a ruthless jerk who had a history with Stephen Bartowski. Though not physically imposing or the most dangerous in a fight, he took joy in kidnapping Stephen and ruining Ellie’s wedding. He was an entertaining villain and one whose death led to the arrival of the next major bad guy arc.

4 Alex McHugh

As the seasons progressed, a lot was done to make Casey into a more well-rounded person. He went from the silent tough guy into someone with romance and family in his life. The latter arrived in season 3’s “Chuck Versus the Tic Tac” with the reveal that he had a long-lost daughter.

Casey kept visiting Alex McHugh (Mekenna Melvin) to bond with her but she didn’t find out the truth until later. Although Alex never really got involved in the spy hijinx, she was a consistent presence who got along with everyone. Her relationship with Morgan was sweet and she did a lot to soften up Casey.

3 Mary Bartowski

Season 3 wrapped up with a pretty intriguing cliffhanger as Stephen Bartowski left information behind so that Chuck could look for his mother. Season 4 made that a reality when Mary Elizabeth Bartowski (Linda Hamilton) showed up in “Chuck Versus the Anniversary.”

Getting Hamilton to play the role was a huge deal as her credentials from The Terminator made her iconic and she even got to deliver a famous line from the film on Chuck. Mary was a complicated character who was difficult to pin down as you could never tell whose side she was on. She ultimately was good and returned to her family in a beautiful way.

2 Daniel Shaw

At first, it seemed like Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh) was going to have a similar role as “Hannah” in season 3. He joined Team Bartowski and took command before getting intimate with Sarah, putting him at odds with Chuck. It was a great setup since Routh famously played Superman and Kreuk was Lana Lang on Smallville.

Of course, Shaw proved to be arguably the show’s greatest antagonist. He let his disdain for Chuck and the reveal that Sarah killed his wife turn him to the dark side. Shaw worked for The Ring and faced off against Chuck twice in season 3 in epic fashion before also showing up again during season 5.

1 Stephen Bartowski

The sibling bond between Chuck and Ellie was one of the hearts of the series, often cemented by how much they had to be there for each other without their parents. It was said that their father left them after their mother’s disappearance, which made his return in season 2 such a great one.

Stephen J. Bartowski (Scott Bakula) being found and brought in for Ellie’s wedding was sweet enough on its own but it only got better when he was revealed as Orion, the chief designer of the Intersect. It added so much to Chuck’s connection to everything and he was a heartwarming character whose death was one of the show’s saddest moments.

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