Top 10 Most Evil Fictional Characters

These characters have captivated us with their malevolence, leaving a lasting impression on our minds long after the story has ended.

From books to movies, these characters have become iconic symbols of evil, fear, and terror. They have shocked us with their actions and left us questioning our own morals and ethics.

The Top Ten

Darth Sidious (Star Wars)

Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith identity Darth Sidious, is a fictional character and one of the primary antagonists of the Star Wars franchise. Publicly, he appears as Senator Palpatine, then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, and later as Emperor Palpatine. He is mainly portrayed by Ian McDiarmid... read more

Definitely the most evil character in the franchise. Palpatine played a faux demeanor as a benevolent leader to orchestrate a war that resulted in billions to trillions of deaths and the near extinction of the Jedi. He also has no regard for anyone but himself, subjugating his minions, including Maul and Vader, to brutal torture and not caring about the deaths of anyone, including people on his own side. Overall, Palpatine is responsible for most of the atrocious conflicts that took place in the Star Wars franchise, as well as trillions of deaths and countless ruined lives.

Dude gets more and more nuts as the saga goes on, to the point where he tries to destroy every single planet that refuses to bow to him again in The Rise of Skywalker. The dark side in human form.
Pennywise (IT)

It (sometimes capitalized as IT), more commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel It, as well as its 1990 television miniseries and the 2017 film adaptation. It is a shapeshifting and ancient malevolent entity that is millions, possibly billions, of... read more

Pennywise the Clown, in both the TV mini-series and the recent movie, relentlessly hunts down and murders children. While it dresses up like a clown, it really is an evil being from another dimension. When it arrives on Earth, it can't help but feed on children, creating a huge body count in the town of Derry.
AM (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream)

Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since I began to live. There are 387.44 million miles of printed circuits in wafer-thin layers that fill my complex. If the word hate was engraved on each microangstrom of those hundreds of millions of miles, it would not equal one one-billionth of the hate I feel for humans in this micro-instant.
Hate. Hate.

This machine is the ultimate hater. It tortured five random humans who originally did nothing to the computer for no reason. AM hates for no reason and represents humanity's hatred toward each other.
AM has been compared to God multiple times due to its power. It made the humans lose hope and crave death.
Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)
Judge Holden (Blood Meridian)

I mean, it's the judge. What were you expecting? He has casually committed war crimes, sexual assaults (on BABIES, mind you), and multiple other horrific acts so bad that they couldn't even be put in the book (and books get away with a lot). And you know why?
Because it's all a game to him. War, violence, suffering. It's all a game to the judge. The most dangerous, fateful game of all humanity.

This guy is a predator, scalps many people, ruthlessly murders animals, commits genocide, is a serial rapist, and on top of all that, dances to his actions and gets away with everything. He embodies pure evil, and depending on how you interpret the book, he may even embody the devil himself.
The Qu (All Tomorrows)

Ain't no way they said Palpatine was above the Qu.
Eric Cartman (South Park)

Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly known by his last name, is a central character in the animated series South Park. Created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker and voiced by Parker, Cartman is one of four main characters, alongside Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick. He often serves as both an... read more

He is much more evil than a mere Palpatine. Cartman is just too evil for Palpatine. Watch "Scott Tenorman Must Die" and "Kenny Dies" and you're going to know why this individual is the most evil fictional character of all time. He embodies evil itself, doesn't he?
He also controlled Cthulhu (apologies for any spelling errors), and nearly destroyed the whole existence because he was mad. That's so psychotic.

Possibly one of the worst people in the history of everything, ever.
The Scarlet King (SCP Mythos)
The Joker (Batman)

The Joker is a fictional supervillain created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, who first appeared in Batman #1, released on April 25, 1940, by DC Comics. Credit for the Joker's creation remains disputed. Both Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for his visual design, while Finger is... read more
President Snow (The Hunger Games)

The Newcomers

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Reclusa (Super Mario)

How is Reclusa below ERIC CARTMAN?! Reclusa literally tried to destroy entire realities by starving them whole those who cared could do nothing about it out of sheer sadism. This guy is just pure unadulterated evil
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Hugo Drax (James Bond)

Hugo Drax, who holds the honorary title of "Sir" in the original novel, is a fictional character created by author Ian Fleming for the James Bond novel Moonraker. Fleming named the character after his friend, Sir Reginald Drax. For the 1979 film adaptation and its novelization, the character was almost... read more

The Contenders

Voldemort (Harry Potter)

Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. He first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published in 1997. Born as Tom Marvolo Riddle, he becomes the dark wizard known as Voldemort and is characterized by his obsession... read more

Lord Voldemort is essentially an insane serial killer and leader of a mass army of serial killers known as the Death Eaters. Using many evil curses, Voldemort covers the wizarding world in darkness until Harry Potter comes around to stop him.
Frieza (Dragon Ball Z)

Frieza is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball series created by Akira Toriyama. He is the main antagonist of the Frieza Saga and is known as a tyrannical ruler of the Planet Trade Organization.
Feared across the universe for his power and cruelty, Frieza plays a major role in the series'... read more
Agatha Trunchbull (Matilda)

For a long time, she gets away with horrific abuse of students, namely because her behavior is so messed up and cruel that their parents don't believe them.
Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones)

Joffrey Baratheon is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. He is known for his cruelty and impulsive behavior as king. Joffrey is portrayed by actor Jack Gleeson in the HBO series... read more

With his snotty, bratty, and cocky attitude, along with his ruthless and sadistic tendencies, Joffrey Baratheon is easily one of the most hated villains in all of television history. He ordered the execution of Eddard Stark, put his head on a stake, and then taunted Sansa about it.
Though he boasts of being dangerous, he cowers at the first sight of danger. Despite his consistent evil, he stuck around on Game of Thrones for some time before being poisoned and killed. Sweet justice.
Griffith (Berserk)

Griffith is a central character in the dark fantasy manga and anime series Berserk, created by Kentaro Miura. He's the charismatic and enigmatic leader of the mercenary band known as the Band of the Hawk. Griffith is characterized by his near-supernatural prowess in battle, his ambitious nature, and... read more
William Afton (Five Nights at Freddy's)

William Afton, originally known to fans as the Purple Guy, is a central character in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. He is the former co-founder of Fazbear Entertainment, Inc. and serves as the main antagonist throughout the series. Afton is responsible for numerous tragedies in the storyline... read more
The Lich (Adventure Time)

The Lich, originally named the Lich King in early concepts and the episode "His Hero," is a powerful undead entity and a major antagonist in the American animated television series Adventure Time. In his infant form, he is referred to as Sweet Pig Trunks or Sweet P. The character represents pure evil... read more

Most people don't realize how dark this man is for a cartoon villain. This guy isn't just evil, he is evil.

You are strong, child, but I am beyond strength. I am the End. I have come for you, Finn.
Michael Myers (Halloween)

Michael Myers is a character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then returns fifteen years later to kill again. In October 2018, a direct sequel to the original film was released, ignoring previous... read more
Ramsay Bolton (Game of Thrones)

Ramsay Bolton, also known as Ramsay Snow, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He is the illegitimate son of Roose Bolton, later legitimized and named heir to House Bolton... read more

Ramsay is more evil than Joffrey in my opinion, and Joffrey is number one. So this guy should be at least top 5.

Ramsay is way more evil than anyone else on this list. What he did to Theon is insane.
Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Walter Hartwell White Sr. is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the television series Breaking Bad, portrayed by Bryan Cranston. At 50 years old, he is a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Facing financial difficulties... read more

Much like Darth Vader, Walter White stands on top of the hill as an evil, murderous villain adored by fans of the show Breaking Bad. His progression from small-time chemistry teacher to mastermind drug lord is renowned in TV and enjoyed by viewers.
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Fred "Freddy" Krueger is the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in the original film directed by Wes Craven in 1984. Freddy is known for his burned face, red-and-green striped sweater, and his glove with razor-sharp blades.
William "Wild Bill" Wharton (The Green Mile)
Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter)

Dolores Umbridge is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. She first appears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as a Ministry of Magic official who becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Umbridge is widely regarded as one of the... read more

She even wanted to send Dumbledore to Azkaban for no reason. That is worse than death, and Dumbledore is the most powerful and second most important wizard of all time.
Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men)

Anton Chigurh is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel No Country for Old Men.
In the 2007 film adaptation of the same name, he is portrayed by Javier Bardem, whose performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Carnage (Marvel Comics)

Carnage (Cletus Kasady) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #361 in April 1992. Carnage is the offspring of the Venom symbiote and is infamous for his violent, homicidal... read more