[PHOTOS] Soap Operas' Best Villains Ever, From Days, Young & Restless

Publish date: 2024-06-29

Credit: ABC, Howard Wise/JPI (2), Paul Skipper/JPI, Jill Johnson/JPI

15. Morgan DeWitt, The Bold and the Beautiful
Ridge Forrester’s old flame wasn’t — wait for it — clowning around when she sought to replace the child that his mother had convinced her to abort. If that meant dressing like Pennywise with her shrink, kidnapping one of her ex’s subsequent kids or weaponizing a boa constrictor, so be it.
14. Ben Weston, Days of Our Lives
Considering that the Necktie Killer went on a murder spree in Salem, it’s a real testament to portrayer Robert Scott Wilson that not only was that character redeemed — to the point that he and “victim” Will Horton became pals — but the actor was eventually given a whole new part to play.
13. Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless
These days, she uses her powers for good. Well, good as she sees it, anyway. But when we first met the card-carrying conniver, she was the sort who thought nothing of drugging her favorite rock star, tampering with paternity tests and getting away with (attempted) murder.
12. Peter August, General Hospital
Was he a popular villain? No. Fans didn’t want him to die because they loved to hate him, they just hated-hated him. Still, the erstwhile Henrik Faison lived up to his lineage by wreaking havoc on Port Charles for years. Even Liesl Obrecht was appalled that he gave Drew Cain a boo-boo.
11. Kristen DiMera, Days of Our Lives
Another second-generation baddie, Stefano DiMera’s diabolical daughter has done Daddy proud by being such a “creative” hellion that, when the actual devil passed through Salem, even they were like, “Damn, girl!” Here, she subtly suggests that her steak was undercooked.
10. Quinn Fuller, The Bold and the Beautiful
If the title Mommie Dearest wasn’t already taken, Wyatt might have used it to write a tell-all about his mad, mad mom, a sociopath with a (very pointy) heart of gold. That, or half brother Liam might title his biography Blame It On the Mother — Wyatt’s Mother.
9. Carlo Hesser, One Life to Live
If something rotten was going down in Llanview, this Mob boss always made the list of usual suspects — with good reason; he was more often than not as guilty as sin! Even here, look: He’s strong-arming better half Alex into making prank calls. Or, well… something.
8. Helena Cassadine, General Hospital
Port Charles’ merciless queen of mean didn’t just place curses on people, she freakin’ was one. Just ask any of the surviving relatives who can bear to speak her name. Or, if you can track him down, the “late” Luke Spencer, with whom she had a very “special” way of making a point.
7. Victor Newman, The Young and the Restless
Surprised to see a current “anti-hero” on the list? You wouldn’t be if you remembered what he did to Michael Scott (and no, not the one from The Office). Or what he did to Phyllis (Marco, anyone?). Or what he did to Jack Abbott (the name Mary Jane ring a bell? Or Kelly?).
6. Roger Thorpe, Guiding Light
As complicated a conniver as the scourge of Springfield was, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Joan Jett had written for him “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Then again, maybe it was commissioned by his onetime wife — and eventually embittered ex-wife — “shady” Jenna Bradshaw.
5. James Stenbeck, As the World Turns
“Mess with a bull, ya get the horns” was sorta the unspoken motto of the amoral supervillain who once plotted to have estranged wife Barbara Ryan trampled to death. As you can see, this didn’t make him the first on the list to receive warm-hearted hugs, even from son Paul.
4. David Kimble, The Young and the Restless
It speaks volumes about how awesome a villain Nina Chancellor’s would-be merry widower was that when his reign of terror ended, he was — we kid you not — trash-compacted to death. We can’t define irony, but we know it when we see it. And that, folks, was it!
3. Sheila Carter, The Young and the Restless
Truth be told, this soap-hopping menace to society would probably rank higher, were it not for the fact that The Bold and the Beautiful defanged her for a while and turned her into a… wait, what? Yes, a waitress. Thankfully, she eventually saw that menacing glint return to the eyes staring back at her.
2. Cesar Faison, General Hospital
Rest assured, anytime the erstwhile P.K. Sinclair wasn’t Port Charles’ public enemy No. 1, he was aspiring to be. Anything to “wow” his beloved Anna Devane — or do away with competition like, at least in this photo, Hamilton Finn.
1. Stefano DiMera, Days of Our Lives
Only real, ahem, ashes wouldn’t expect the top spot to go to the Phoenix. The late, great Joseph Mascolo’s indestructible Big Bad was all that and a bag of brain chips. Hell, he even came with his own handsome entourage in the form of sons EJ (James Scott here) and Tony!