Most Memorable Career Criminals in TV History

Wilson “The Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a supervillain. Pitted against Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) in “Daredevil”, Fisk serves as the primary antagonist throughout the series. On top of many other crimes, Fisk commits several murders, including that of his own father. Despite his deplorable behavior, Fisk evoked sympathy in some viewers due to his backstory of abuse, and early exposure to violence.

Ian McShane took home a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Al Swearengen in “Deadwood.” Swearengen provided viewers with a multi-faceted, morally questionable character. Swearengen was both back-stabbing and murderous, yet remained loyal to characters who were, in turn, loyal to him.

Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is considered an anti-hero TV criminal by many. Morgan meticulously hunts down and murders other serial killers. The audience faces a moral dilemma of whether they should root for Morgan, who is a serial killer himself. While his behavior is criminal, some veiwers argue that he is doing more good than bad by ridding the world of other murderers who target innocent victims.

Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), or The Trinity Killer, is one of Dexter’s primary antagonistis. Mitchell is a prolific serial killer, racking up dozens of victims over the span of three decades. Mitchell lived a double life, publicly presenting as a family man, high school teacher, and church deacon, while secretly committing heinous crimes.

While The Master has been played by numerous actors throughout various “Doctor Who” seasons, Sacha Dhawan portrays the Master opposite Jodie Whitaker’s rendition of the Doctor. The Master is a Time Lord who aims to kill Doctor Who, and take over the world. A worthy adversary of the Doctor, the Master is able to regenerate even after death, and appear in another body.