10 TV Show Villains Killed Off Too Soon

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!A good villain is often one of the most compelling components of a TV show, whether that is through their actions, backstory, motivations, or how they interact with the protagonists. However, in many cases, a TV villain may not live long enough to achieve all of their goals. Sometimes, this works very well in providing a solid narrative for the TV show in question, but sometimes, killing off a villain too early can leave viewers wondering “What happened?”

From the likes of an enforcer for a drug cartel to the patriarchal CEO of a massive media company, it is sadly not uncommon for audiences to ask these questions after a great TV show villain has been killed off too soon. Sometimes the showrunners may have planned the death from the start, or had to adapt to changing circumstances. Whatever the case, there is no denying that in each of these cases, there may have been great potential to tell a further story or reveal more about the villain.

10 Arthur Harrow

Moon Knight’s Main Villain Felt Slightly Wasted

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has developed a reputation, particularly in recent years, for producing underwhelming villains, Moon Knight‘s primary antagonist appeared to be an exception to this rule. Played by the incredible Ethan Hawke, Arthur Harrow had everything a good TV show villain needed – an excellent backstory (being a previous holder of the Moon Knight title), twisted motivations (to dispense justice on Ammit’s behalf before any crime had been committed), and a vast catalog of villainous deeds.

In the series finale, Harrow was shot by one of Marc Spector’s previously unknown alter-egos, Jake Lockley, ensuring that Ammit could never again return to power. Whilst it was an intriguing introduction to Lockley, some viewers may question whether or not it was worth killing off one of the MCU’s most compelling TV villains to achieve this. Harrow’s unique sense of justice and morality gave the villain the potential to reappear in future projects, with his rather abrupt death leaving audiences with a sense of unfulfilment. As well as this, Hawke’s acting talents are simply too impressive to be confined to only one MCU project.

Moon Knight

3.0

Release Date

March 30, 2022

Writers

Danielle Iman , Jeremy Slater

9 The Toymaker

Had The Potential To Have Become Doctor Who’s Next Big Bad

Among the criticisms leveled at Doctor Who‘s divisive final 60th anniversary special, ‘The Giggle’, the use and demise of The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) as the episode’s primary villain is one of the most prominent. The Toymaker is a celestial being of immense power who appeared on the show in 1966, before making his return in ‘The Giggle’ to face off against The Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant). Despite the episode spending its entirety emphasizing The Toymaker’s chaotic and sadistic omnipotence, his role was ultimately cut short, being defeated in perhaps the most underwhelming way possible – a game of catch.

Returning after a 57-year absence only to meet his undoing at the hands of a game of catch, The Toymaker’s death is one of the most frustrating in TV villain history. The Doctor himself constantly referred to The Toymaker’s presence as rewriting the rules of the known universe, a premise that could have set the villain up to be an overarching antagonist as Doctor Who entered its new era. There is no denying that The Toymaker stole the screen whenever he appeared, making it all the more disappointing not to see him die so soon.

Doctor Who

2.5

Cast

Ncuti Gatwa , Millie Gibson , Susan Twist , Michelle Greenidge , Angela Wynter , Jemma Redgrave , Yasmin Finney , Anita Dobson

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Seasons

2

Writers

Russell T. Davies , Dave Gibbons , Kate Herron , Steven Moffat

8 Cad Bane

The Book Of Boba Fett Torched Years Of The Clone Wars’ Buildup

The Book Of Boba Fett certainly has its issues, many of which were felt whilst audiences were watching the show for the first time. However, these were mostly forgotten when, in ‘From The Desert Comes A Stranger’, notorious bounty hunter Cad Bane (Corey Burton) made his live-action debut in the coolest way possible – besting Cobb Vanth in a duel. For a week, audiences waited with anticipation to see what role Bane would play in The Book Of Boba Fett‘s finale.

Bane meets his death in the finale at the hands of Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) after a lackluster fight. This death brought to an abrupt end the years of buildup set down by Bane’s character in The Clone Wars, where he had proved himself to be one of the coolest and most compelling villains of the entire Star Wars franchise. Ultimately, while it was incredible to finally see him in live-action, Bane did not deserve to meet his end in such a disappointing and disrespectful fashion.

7 Logan Roy

Succession Had To Kill Him Off

Succession is one of the most critically acclaimed shows of recent times, and, whilst its entire premise and storyline does revolve around who is going to take over Waystar after CEO Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is no longer in the picture, seeing Logan die was no less shocking. Yes, it needed to happen to bring the show’s conclusion forward, but Logan Roy’s death left a vacuum, not just at the top of Waystar, but in the audience’s hearts.

Logan’s death, while absolutely necessary for Succession to end as incredibly as it did, nevertheless led many to believe that he still had so much potential going forward. In addition to this, audiences would no longer hear any of the brutal, but no less funny, exchanges between Logan and his children. This dynamic formed the very foundation of what made Succession so great, and while Logan’s death was pivotal in bringing the TV show to an end, it is easy to be left with an abrupt sense of emptiness in the wake of the media magnate’s death.

Succession

5.0

Cast

Hiam Abbass , Alan Ruck , Sarah Snook , Kieran Culkin , Natalie Gold , Nicholas Braun , J. Smith-Cameron , Matthew Macfadyen , Peter Friedman , Brian Cox , Arian Moayed , Jeremy Strong , Rob Yang , Dagmara Dominczyk

Release Date

June 3, 2018

Seasons

4

Writers

Jesse Armstrong

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6 Luca Changretta

Peaky Blinder’s Best Villain Was Killed In The Blink Of An Eye

Season 4 of Peaky Blinders is often seen as its best, and much of this praise comes from the show introducing its greatest villain, and a man who can truly challenge the ruthlessness of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), Luca Changretta (Adrian Brody). Brody does a fantastic job at portraying the New York mob boss as he brings the full force of the mafia to Birmingham to avenge his father, who was killed on Tommy’s orders in the previous season. Luca quickly proves himself a worthy opponent to Tommy, killing his brother John (Joe Cole) as the Blinders scramble to outmaneuver him.

His death in the season finale therefore felt very anti-climactic. While Tommy managing to turn the tides of the Mafia-Blinders war against all the odds is undeniably cool to witness, Luca’s death by a single gunshot certainly felt premature. It makes for a dramatic scene full of high-stakes and incredible plot twists, but it is hard to shake the feeling that Luca could have proved to be an all-time great TV villain had he been given more time on the screen.

Peaky Blinders

4.5

Cast

Annabelle Wallis , Ian Peck , Helen McCrory , Paul Anderson , Cillian Murphy , Ned Dennehy , Aimee-Ffion Edwards , Sam Neill , Sophie Rundle , Tony Pitts , Joe Cole

Release Date

September 12, 2013

Writers

Steven Knight

Directors

Otto Bathurst , Tom Harper , Colm McCarthy , Tim Mielants , David Caffrey , Anthony Byrne

5 Lalo Salamanca

A Waste Of One Of Better Call Saul’s Best Cliffhangers

Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) was one of the most terrifying villains in the Breaking Bad universe, bringing an atmosphere of fear with him whenever he was on-screen. His work for the drug cartel, manipulation of Jimmy/Saul (Bob Odenkirk), and unnerving charisma had already made him a fan favorite before he truly etched his name into Better Call Saul‘s history books. In a nail-biting cliffhanger, Lalo murders Jimmy’s former associate, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) in cold blood, a truly shocking moment in the show.

Fans would be disappointed by the fact that Lalo would be killed in a confrontation with Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) in the following episode which took almost two months to release. Not only did this seem an abrupt end to Lalo’s story after seemingly reaching his peak with Howard’s murder, it was a disappointing payoff to one of the best cliffhangers in TV history. Lalo certainly left his mark with the time that he did have on-screen, but his would have been a compelling story to take forward.

Better Call Saul

5.0

Release Date

February 8, 2015

Seasons

6

Writers

Peter Gould , Vince Gilligan

4 Bill Cipher

A Bittersweet Conclusion To Gravity Falls’ Overarching Villain

A terrifying triangle of a TV villain, Bill Cipher was a fan-favorite of Gravity Falls through a combination of his sadistic humor and interdimensional power. Gravity Falls ends with Bill’s world domination being thwarted by the joint efforts of all the show’s protagonists, and the villain himself being permanently banished from existence by Grunkle Stan. Bill’s story has been critically acclaimed for providing a compelling and satisfying finale to Gravity Falls, and it is this incredible storytelling that has left fans yearning for more.

Without Bill to drive the plot, Gravity Falls had no more stories to tell. While it is relieving that the show did not drag out Bill’s schemes to the point of exhaustion, his death in the series finale nonetheless leaves a bittersweet feeling in the audience’s hearts. Bill’s backstory certainly means that there was potential to expand on his character, and it is disappointing that this is unlikely to ever happen.

Gravity Falls

Cast

Jason Ritter , Alex Hirsch , Kristen Schaal , Linda Cardellini , Kevin Michael Richardson , Kari Wahlgren , John DiMaggio , Jennifer Coolidge

Release Date

June 15, 2012

Directors

Alex Hirsch

3 Shane Walsh

The Walking Dead’s First Villain Needed More Time

Besides the walkers themselves, the first villain in The Walking Dead is Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), the partner of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). The apocalypse eventually reveals Shane’s more brutal nature as he opposes Rick’s initially softer approach to survival. The climax of season 2 sees Shane and Rick face off against each other, with Shane dying from a stab wound in The Walking Dead and his walker being put down by Rick’s son, Carl (Chandler Riggs).

While Shane does feature in Rick’s vision in season 9, his death was very abrupt. With a few notable exceptions, no villain in The Walking Dead has truly lived up to the precedent that Shane set, and his early departure from the show is likely to blame for this. His strong motivations and survivalist instincts could have certainly made for an extremely compelling narrative going forward, especially due to his close relationship and opposite beliefs to Rick.

The Walking Dead

4.0

Release Date

October 31, 2010

Seasons

11

Directors

Greg Nicotero

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Jon Bernthal’s alternate plan for Shane’s Walking Dead death would have risked making Rick Grimes the franchise’s next primary villain.

2 Daenerys Targaryen

Just One Part Of Game Of Thrones’ Botched Ending

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) was the most iconic character from Game of Thrones, but her death in the series finale left almost nobody pleased. Dany’s character did not escape the pitfalls of the show’s rushed ending, with her villain arc being sped-run by Game of Thrones‘ showrunners. After burning King’s Landing, Daenerys is killed by Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) with a dagger to the heart, and dies in front of the throne that she had spent eight seasons trying to claim.

Daenerys’ turn to villainy and subsequent death could have made for a compelling story, especially considering the years of careful foreshadowing that had preceded it. However, Game of Thrones ended as it did, to almost universal disdain, and Dany’s character was tainted forever. Her death in particular came far too soon, leaving a gaping hole in the show’s story that would never be explored.

1 Moriarty

No Sherlock Villain Could Ever Live Up To Him

James Moriarty is the iconic archenemy of Sherlock Holmes, and his incredible portrayal by Andrew Scott in the BBC’s Sherlock has cemented him as one of the greatest TV villains in history. In the show, Moriarty is the perfect foil for Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch), consistently outsmarting the legendary detective at every turn. In his magnum opus at the end of season 2, Moriarty shoots himself on a rooftop, forcing Sherlock to ‘commit suicide’ to protect his loved ones. His death was the ultimate mind game.

Moriarty’s premature death set Sherlock toward ruin and down a path of imminent decline. No matter how hard the show tried, it could not replace the mania, the chaos, or the sheer excitement that Moriarty brought to the screen. While Moriarty’s presence is felt in the later seasons through pre-recorded messages and meticulous planning, there is no denying that Sherlock as a show was never truly whole again after his suicide.

Sherlock

3.5

Release Date

August 8, 2010

Seasons

4