Justified Revival’s Perfect Villain Is A Missing Season 3 Character

The Justified revival presents the opportunity to revisit several characters, but the show’s perfect villain is a missing season 3 character. Based on the Elmore Leonard novella “Fire in the Hole”, the Emmy-winning crime drama ran from 2010-2015 on FX. Original star Timothy Olyphant is returning for a Justified limited series which will adapt another Leonard book, meaning the survival of a season 3 villain can finally be confirmed onscreen.

Olyphant stars as Raylan Givens, a trigger-happy US Marshal whose Wild West style of justice repeatedly lands him in trouble. Following the public shooting of a criminal in Miami, he is forced to relocate to his native Kentucky. Justified sees Raylan reunite with the many people he left behind while facing off against local gangsters and newcomers trying to muscle in on Kentucky’s drugs operation.

The Justified finale ended with Raylan escaping Kentucky and moving back to Florida to co-parent his young daughter. The limited series, titled Justified: City Primeval, will continue Raylan’s story several years later when a chance encounter sends him to Detroit. This provides the perfect return for Justified season 3’s main villain, Robert Quarles (Neal McDonough). According to Justified showrunner Graham Yost’s 2015 interview with Uproxx, Quarles is still alive, and an appearance in the revival could revisit his season 3 threat to kill Raylan.

It’s unclear which characters will return for the Justified revival, although Raylan’s ex-wife, Winona Hawkins (Natalie Zea), is a strong contender. It’s tempting to have Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) make an appearance, but he remains in a Kentucky prison, while the revival’s main action will take place in Detroit. However, Robert Quarles has a specific connection to this setting, having worked for the Detroit mob. He was a “carpet bagger” who tried to exploit Harlan County’s criminal element and seize control of the Kentucky drugs trade. Initially, Quarles’ fate seemed certain in the Justified season 3 finale – he was last seen bleeding out on a slaughterhouse floor, his arm severed. However, Graham Yost stated his character is alive, following Justified’s rule that “unlessyou see someone zipped up in a body bag, they’re probably okay.” Indeed, Quarles could have survived had he received medical attention in time, and Timothy Olyphant’s Raylan never confirmed his death. The villain almost returned in season 6, with Yost revealing, “We talked about it… he would be in prison. It just never organically came into the story, much to my chagrin.”

Quarles wouldn’t have worked in the final season, but a comeback in the Justified revival makes more sense. Justified boasts several colorful villains, but Robert Quarles is among the very best. Neal McDonough delivered a truly unpredictable performance, mixing humor and charm with intense, desperate brutality. Despite Quarles’ abuse of young men, McDonough still managed to elicit a semblance of sympathy when exploring the villain’s tragic upbringing. Quarles may be in prison, but it wouldn’t be difficult to factor the Band of Brothers actor into the Justified revival. He has a family that didn’t appear in season 3, and Raylan encountering his wife or child could provide a compelling angle. The villain could find himself in a Detroit prison, offering the chance to address the thrilling season 3 moment where he vowed to one day shoot Raylan when he least expected it. Raylan might seek information from him on Detroit’s criminal underworld, or Quarles could find a way out of prison to enact his revenge.

It’s unlikely Raylan will ever be killed off, but a rematch with his one-armed enemy could provide a thrilling and darkly comedic end to Quarles’ story. The prospect of Quentin Tarantino directing the Justified revival would make this even more exciting. Justified: City Primeval’s main villain will be Clement Mansell, “The Oklahoma Wildman”, but its predecessor was adept at juggling multiple antagonists. Even just a cameo from Quarles could provide meaningful closure on his Justified season 3 storyline.

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