24 TV Villains Who Had The Best Introduction Scenes Ever
1.On Supernatural, when Death was introduced as "O Death" played:
Suggested by Spider Spark
The song choice may be a little on the nose, but the fact that it's a cover makes it just unique enough. We never really see Death's face head-on, mostly seeing his car, his ring, and his clothing, which helps add to the anticipation of this scene — and then Death killing a dude just for telling him to watch where he's walking is perfectly creepy.
Watch the scene here:
2.On WandaVision, when Agnes revealed herself to actually be Agatha Harkness, and even had a villain song:
Her song is a bop too. But really, this is such a great twist late in a series that brought us an iconic comic book villain that rivals Wanda, and it was so much fun to look back at all the times Agatha was pulling the strings. Kathryn Hahn is also just incredible as Agatha.
Watch the scene here:
3.On Criminal Minds, when The Reaper returned and killed a couple changing a tire on their car:
Suggested by Kora Carstairs
The reaper is perfectly built up in the scene before this so that when we hear a friendly voice offering to help a man with his tire, we know it's probably him — especially because they won't show the man's face. When he returns with his mask and distorted voice, you're already way creeped out — and his brutal killings a few seconds later show just how cold blooded he is.
Watch the end of the scene here:
4.On Elementary, when Irene revealed herself to be Moriarty:
"To this day, it’s the only plot twist that has actually made me yell and jump off the couch. We spend the whole season thinking Moran/Moriarty killed Irene Adler, only for her to turn up alive but abducted, AND THEN it turns out that SHE’S Moriarty! And Irene Adler was just a cover to get to know Sherlock! And while Sherlock is stunned, she says, ‘As if men have a monopoly on murder.’ Best villain reveal. Period."
Watch the scene here:
5.On Loki, when we finally met He Who Remains (whose variant is Kang the Conqueror), and he was just eating an apple:
He who remains was so much fun — he was almost starstruck by Loki and Sylvie, and he was just so off-putting and odd, yet reasonable, and very unlike MCU villains of the past. His appearance was also a huge deal for the MCU, and I can't wait to see Jonathan Majors more.
Watch the scene here:
6.On The Vampire Diaries, when who we thought was Elena revealed herself to be Katherine when she attacked John in the Season 1 finale:
This scene is absolutely iconic and probably my favorite character intro/plot twist ever. It's perfectly violent and manipulative for a character we have been told for a full season is violent and manipulative, yet its timing is still shocking.
Watch the scene here:
7.On Jessica Jones, when we finally met Kilgrave in the present day when he controlled an entire police precinct and professed his love for Jessica:
Kilgrave is one of the most terrifying TV villains of all time, and he was built up perfectly in the first few episodes of Jessica Jones, where he was only seen in flashbacks. Finally meeting him in person after his looming presence has been felt the entire series provided the perfect payoff — he was as terrifying as we wanted him to be and more.
Watch the scene here (skip to 0:30):
8.On Stranger Things, when Billy first stepped out of his car:
Billy doesn't even need a single line of dialogue to make an impression here. His car, the music, the camera panning up to him, and Dacre Montgomery's pure screen presence do all the work for him. You can tell he's going to be a lot of fun but also dangerous.
Watch the scene here:
9.On Gossip Girl, when Georgina confronted Serena and was perfectly manipulative and unhinged:
Georgina is one of my favorite characters of the series. She's extremely off-kilter and diabolical, despite doe eyes and a faux innocence that suggest otherwise. When she finally reveals herself to Serena, she is subtly threatening and resentful underneath her words, and you get a taste right off the bat of how manipulative she is.
Watch the scene here:
10.On Once Upon a Time, when we met Regina when she interrupted Charming and Snow's wedding:
Lana Parrilla was great as Regina/The Evil Queen, because she was able to play a larger-than-life fairy-tale villain just as well as she played the more layered controlling mother. Her entrance fit her first persona well, and gave an ominous yet classic-feeling beginning for the series that felt almost like a prologue.
Watch the scene here:
11.On The Umbrella Academy, when The Handler stopped time and finally spoke to Five:
The Handler is cool, cruel, and devastatingly fashionable in every single scene, and she set that expectation right off the bat. Her character really has such gravitas, and her appearance while time is stopped makes it even more memorable.
I couldn't find the whole scene, but you can watch part of it at 0:45 here:
12.On Killing Eve, when we met villainous assassin Villanelle through her getting a little girl to smile at her and then pushing her ice cream onto her just for fun:
This just shows how Villanelle plays with people SO well, and also how childlike she can be. I do think she was genuinely offended the little girl didn't smile at her, but she was also curious to see if she could quickly earn her trust. We know right away what kind of character Villanelle is from this scene, and few scenes do that as effectively as this one.
Watch the scene here:
13.On Sherlock, when we met Moriarty as himself for the first time:
Like Katherine, this isn't technically his first appearance, but this is the first time he actually introduces himself and we realize who he is. It's one of my favorite scenes from the series, with some of the best dialogue ("People have died," and, "That's what people DO!") and setup for the next season. Andrew Scott is so unhinged yet smooth in this scene, and he completely steals the show.
Watch the first part of the scene here:
14.On The Good Place, when Michael reveals that Eleanor is right and he's a demon through an evil laugh:
OK, this might be cheating, because we've already known Michael for a season. But this is the first time we're introduced him as the villain, and it's absolutely iconic. That evil laugh!!
Watch the scene here:
15.On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when we're introduced to Spike through him knocking down the Sunnydale sign:
Spike changes vastly throughout the series, but in the beginning of season 2 he's a dangerous, badass, smooth, and unpredictable villain who provides the perfect shake-up after a weak season 1. The second he runs over the Sunnydale sign, you know he's going to be fun to watch.
Watch the scene here (starts at 0:37):
16.On Avatar: The Last Airbender, when we meet Azula through her calmly threatening death if she doesn't get her away:
Azula's tides speech is iconic. She is so cruel right off the bat, and she never lets up throughout the entire run (though she certainly becomes less calculated and cool). She is completely commanding here, and we know we're dealing with a serious threat to our main characters (unlike Zuko, who, let's face it, is more prone to angry outbursts than actually succeeding in his goals).
Watch the scene here:
17.On American Horror Story: Freak Show, when Twisty the Clown attacks the picnicking couple:
Maybe it's just that I'm terrified of clowns (who isn't?), but I still think Twisty is American Horror Story's most horrifying villain. He was terrifying in all of his scenes, but this was, in my opinion, his scariest kill. He was just so creepy, and I still to this day do not understand why the girl did not immediately run upon seeing him.
Watch the scene here:
18.On Psych, when we finally meet Mr. Yang and understand just how much she cares about Shawn:
Mr. Yang is absolutely the best villain of Psych, and this is such an amazing episode. When Shawn finally finds her, she is even creepier than you imagined, and her dialogue about how she and Shawn are matched and she wants him to like her is so chilling. You have absolutely no idea what she is going to do, and you can't help but look forward to when she and Shawn will meet again.
I couldn't find the full scene, but you can watch part of it starting at 0:13 and 1:02 here:
19.On Breaking Bad, when Walt met Gus Fring as the manager of Los Pollos Hermanos:
This is definitely one of the more understated intros on this list, but that matches his character. The way Gus so subtly shifts from cheery, formal owner of Los Pollos Hermanos to commanding drug empire owner is so fun to watch, even though he remains the same careful, polite, understated man. Even though Walter has taken him by surprise, you can just tell Gus is the one in control of the situation.
Watch the scene here:
20.On The Mandalorian, when Moff Gideon showed up to retrieve the Child:
I just had to include Giancarlo Esposito on this list twice — especially because the villains he plays are so different. While Gus is a self-described "careful man," Gideon is a homicidal lunatic prone to lashing out, and Esposito plays both to perfection. Here, the second he steps out of the ship, you feel chills go down your spine. He just speaks with such confidence that you know this guy isn't to be messed with, and to take his threats seriously.
Watch the scene here:
21.On The Boys, when A-Train literally ran through Robin:
Is A-Train the scariest or best villain on The Boys? No. But does he have the best introduction? One hundred percent. He literally RUNS THROUGH OUR MAIN CHARACTER'S GIRLFRIEND, killing her instantly. The first few minutes of the series make it seem like we're in the world of Marvel-like superheroes — this scene makes it painfully clear that we most certainly are not.
Watch the scene here:
22.On Orphan Black, when Sarah met Rachel, a clone who was actually working with Dyad:
It was always fun when another clone was revealed on Orphan Black, and Rachel was one of the most important of these clones, and their main antagonist. Her speech is perfectly cold and calculated here, and she is the picture of the detached corporate cruelty that she becomes known for.
I can't find the scene online, but you can watch the episode (it's Season 1, Episode 10) on BBC America.
23.On The Walking Dead, when Negan came out with a baseball bat with nails in it and brutally beat a beloved character to death:
Talk about an amazing villain that came in super late in the game! The most chilling thing about Negan in this scene is how much fun he's having. His dialogue is so well written and perfectly introduces him, while Jeffrey Dean Morgan excellently portrays Negan's casual confidence hiding a dark nature.
Watch the scene here:
24.And finally, on Hannibal, when we met Hannibal, ya know, just being Hannibal:
I wanted to get into this show (I loved Silence of the Lambs), but it was just way too disturbing for me. Hannibal is absolutely terrifying from the first second he's onscreen. You see the meat and his careful way of cutting it before you even see his placid, unfeeling face, and it gives me the chills every time. And the classical music...it's all just a perfect intro to him.
