The Blacklist: 10 Of Reddington’s Smartest Enemies Ranked

NBC Crime Drama can never get sweeter than The Blacklist, the show that invented what many people call the greatest criminal mastermind of all time. Raymond Reddington (James Spader) introduced to viewers as “the concierge of crime” is the main attraction of the show. He seems to have no trouble breaking the law as long as justice is served in the end.

The most attractive character of Reddington’s, however, is his ability to identify and beat other criminal masterminds. He has brought down some of the toughest threats to himself and the free world, including The cabal and corrupt president Diaz. He has also had his fair share of smart enemies who almost outwitted him.

10 Matias Solomon

Matias Solomon, Portrayed by Edi Gathegi, was the employee of the Cabal that came close to killing Reddington and Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). He has a policy of not taking prisoners, which makes him a dangerous enemy to face.

His character as a cold-hearted sweet talker almost gives him Reddington’s personality. He is also a smart one who always knows when he is beat, which helps him become one of the few blacklisters to escape Reddington’s wrath alive. He is later absolved in the show and joins the good guys in The Blacklist Redemption.

9 Anslo Garrick

Anslo Garrick, played by Ritchie Coster, was one of Reddington’s enemies from the past. He is introduced as an expert in extracting people from black sites, something he proves by successfully taking over the Post Office. Although the credit for Garrick’s assault is later given to Alan Fitch, who snitched on Reddington, Garrick proved himself as a deadly villain.

He is also the first villain to get two consecutive episodes, which means he is a badass blacklister. He was also the real test for Reddington’s loyalty to the task force as he forced him to expose Elizabeth Keen as his weakness. Garrick’s desire for vengeance, however, proves to be his fall when Reddington finally kills him.

8 Luther Braxton

According to Reddington, Luther Braxton is just a thief who “finds it hard to engage his brain” and, therefore, no match for him, but that didn’t make him any less of a threat. Braxton proved to be the toughest threat to Red’s life since the attack by Anslo Garrick.

He managed to escape from The Factory, taking Liz hostage in an attempt to find the Fulcrum. His worst side is expressed in the cruelty of his negotiations with Harold Cooper. He threatens to make “Agent Navabi’s neck longer” right after killing the warden of The Factory, forcing Cooper to give up the codes to the CIA database.

7 The King Family

Earl King, with his electrolarynx and wheelchair, became the first villain to put Reddington on auction for the highest bidder in the criminal world. He has a sustained hatred for Reddington, whom he blames for abandoning him in Bolivia.

Francis King, his son, was the mastermind behind Red’s abduction. The idea of using Madeline Pratt as bait for capturing Reddington just shows how formidable the King family was. If Liz didn’t show up in time after the auction, Reddington’s head would have ended up in Yaabari’s bag.

6 The Stewmaker

The Stewmaker, played by Tom Noonan, was a one-man cleanup crew that could make anybody disappear without a trace. Although he didn’t pose any direct threat to Reddington in particular, he was a great danger to Liz.

His ability to dissolve bodies in chemicals even in a hotel bathroom without leaving a trace fascinates even Reddington himself. His clean up method was superior to Reddington’s clean up, which depended on Mr. Kaplan and later backfired.

5 Alexander Kirk

Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thompson) was a complicated person with lots of resources to throw around and a deep hatred for Reddington. He believed himself to be Liz’s father and would stop at nothing to get her on his side.

With Liz conflicted about who to back and Reddington nearly outwitted, it seemed as if Reddington’s days were over. Reddington later changes strategy and manages to beat Kirk, save his life, and even help him disappear. However, one of Kirk’s pawns, Robert Diaz, later becomes president and nearly gets Red executed.

4 Mr. Kaplan

Mr. Kaplan was loyal to Liz and Reddington until he tried to kill her for doing what most fans considered, “nothing wrong.” Most people agree that Red deserved everything he got from Mr. Kaplan, although it got rather extreme. Mr. Kaplan, whose real name was Katherine Nemec, knows all of Reddington’s secrets and even manages to bankrupt him.

Her position as a to Red threat peaked when she threatened to reveal the location of the bodies of Reddington’s victims to the authorities. When beaten, she commits suicide, although her quest to reveal the truth to Liz gets Tom killed, which was very sad.

3 Katarina Rastova

Liz’s biological mother was thought to be a protagonist and a close ally of Red’s until she finally showed up. Her first action was kidnapping and torturing Reddington, followed by a systematic attempt to dismantle his empire. Although the show hasn’t shown the fans Katarina’s full potential as a villain, what she has done so far tells quite a story.

She also managed to enter Liz’s life without her knowledge and seems to be Reddington’s greatest fear. Her meticulous planning and deployment of a long list of spies just make it impossible for Red to predict her next move.

2 The Director

The Director of Clandestine Services, Peter Kotsiopolus, with the resources of the entire CIA, nearly ended Reddington’s story. His attacks were frequent and catastrophic from the time he called Red’s bluff about the Fulcrum to the time he led the manhunt tracking Red and Liz after she shot Tom Conolly. He was also responsible for the near-fatal shot to the heart that nearly killed Reddington.

He was the greatest threat to Reddington’s life while working for the Cabal until Reddington kidnapped him and forced the Cabal to disown him. His death was, however, rather hilarious when he is literally “dropped home in time for dinner” just as Red had predicted.

1 Berlin

Berlin (Peter Stormare) was the first major threat to Raymond Reddington in the entire series. His misdirected effort to kill Red was caused by The Decembrist (Alan Fitch), who made him believe that Red had killed his daughter and mailed her body parts to him.

His tolerance for pain is astonishing as he cuts off his own hand just to get himself into the US. He infiltrates every part of Red’s life, including planting Tom in Elizabeth’s life. His desire for vengeance, however, pisses off Reddington when he refuses to help him disarm the bomb that killed Fitch.

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