Rolling Stone are an excellent, distinguished publication and have been since it was founded in 1967. However, like any other publication compiling an ambitious list about TV or movies, their final choices are going to cause widespread debate. This week, they released their 40 Greatest TV villains of all time and, while we commend some of their inclusions, it’s a dubious list to say the least.
It’s good to see that Marvel and Netflix’s excellent villainous incarnations of Kilgrave (David Tennant) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) at 40 and 26 respectively, while it’s also refreshing that Bobby Carnavale’s Gyp Rosetti features in 12. However, it’s not so much the characters in the top 10 we have a problem with, it’s the placing of it.
Their Top 10 is as follows:
10. Catwoman, ‘Batman’
9. The Borg, ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’
8. Montgomery Burns, ‘The Simpsons’
7. Gus Fring, ‘Breaking Bad’
6. Al Swearengen, ‘Deadwood’
5. Bob, ‘Twin Peaks’
4. Joffrey Baratheon, ‘Game of Thrones’
3. Livia Soprano, ‘The Sopranos’
2. Marlo Stanfield, ‘The Wire’
1. Benjamin Linus, ‘Lost’
Bob from Twin Peaks was one of the most terrifying and mysterious villains of all time. He should be in the top three, in my opinion. Benjamin Linus was a brilliant character and one of the stronger elements of Lost but he began to veer in the ridiculous as the show reached its latter seasons. Marlo Stanfield is a corner-boy through and through and a memorable gangster from Baltimore, but he’s not even the greatest villain in The Wire – that would clearly be Idris Elba’s Stringer Bell.
We agree with placing Livia Soprano and Joffrey Baratheon so highly and would perhaps have had Joffrey first – he is just evil, pure and simple. It’s rather amusing that they included Mr Burns from The Simpsons because, well, he’s an excellent villain after all!
Who do you think the greatest TV villain of all time is? Do you agree or disagree with Rolling Stone’s opinion? Read their full list over here (via Squareeyed)
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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