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TV series villains

The best villains in tv series analysed with real criminology: 149 case files applying genuine criminological theories to the characters you already know.

149 case files75 theories

Subculture of violence 7

Poster of Al Swearengen, villain from DeadwoodSubculture of violenceAl SwearengenDeadwood · SeriesAl Swearengen and the subculture of violence: governing a lawless camp in the one language everyone understands. Aggression as a tool of order in the total…Read the case file →Poster of Gyp Rosetti, villain from Boardwalk EmpireSubculture of violenceGyp RosettiBoardwalk Empire · SeriesGyp Rosetti and the subculture of violence: the code of honor taken to its pathological extreme. A man so hypersensitive to disrespect that he kills over a…Read the case file →Poster of Chris Partlow, villain from The WireSubculture of violenceChris PartlowThe Wire · SeriesChris Partlow and the subculture of violence: murder without hatred or pleasure, a job done within the rules of the drug war. Normative violence in its…Read the case file →Poster of Boyd Crowder, villain from JustifiedSubculture of violenceBoyd CrowderJustified · SeriesBoyd Crowder and the subculture of violence: Appalachia as a world where grievances are inherited and honor is paid between families. Normative violence…Read the case file →Poster of Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha, villain from NarcosSubculture of violenceGonzalo Rodríguez GachaNarcos · SeriesGonzalo Rodríguez Gacha and the subculture of violence: the emerald man who brought the rules of a previous war into the cocaine trade. The file on an…Read the case file →Poster of Luca Changretta, villain from Peaky BlindersSubculture of violenceLuca ChangrettaPeaky Blinders · SeriesWolfgang and Ferracuti described groups in which an affront obliges a bloody reply. Luca Changretta crosses the Atlantic to meet that obligation with the…Read the case file →Poster of Héctor Salamanca, villain from Breaking BadSubculture of violenceHector SalamancaBreaking Bad · SeriesHector “Tio” Salamanca, of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and the subculture of violence: the patriarch teaches his nephews that family is all, never…Read the case file →

Institutional anomie 5

Poster of Bobby Axelrod, villain from BillionsInstitutional anomieBobby AxelrodBillions · SeriesBillions and institutional anomie: for Bobby Axelrod, winning is not a means — it is the only religion, the sole measure of everything. When the market…Read the case file →Poster of Logan Roy, villain from SuccessionInstitutional anomieLogan RoySuccession · SeriesSuccession and institutional anomie: Logan Roy turns his own children into business units. It is the central thesis of the theory made tragedy — what happens…Read the case file →Poster of Judi Stonehearst, villain from WednesdayInstitutional anomieJudi StonehearstWednesday · SeriesJudi Stonehearst and institutional anomie theory (Messner & Rosenfeld): how the worship of a goal hollows out the very institutions meant to protect, until a…Read the case file →Poster of Boy Kavalier, villain from AlienInstitutional anomieBoy KavalierAlien: Earth · SeriesBoy Kavalier of Alien: Earth and institutional anomie (Messner & Rosenfeld): when winning is the only value, the corporation swallows every other institution…Read the case file →Poster of Pablo Escobar, villain from NarcosInstitutional anomiePablo EscobarNarcos · SeriesPablo Escobar and institutional anomie: the case in which an illegal economy grew until it dictated terms to politics, the courts and the press. The file on…Read the case file →

Feminist criminology 5

Poster of Cersei Lannister, villain from Game of ThronesFeminist criminologyCersei LannisterGame of Thrones · SeriesCersei Lannister and feminist criminology: the same bloody game Tywin, Robert or Littlefinger all play — yet we judge her as something worse, something…Read the case file →Poster of Nate Jacobs, villain from EuphoriaFeminist criminologyNate JacobsEuphoria · SeriesNate Jacobs and feminist criminology: coercive control in a relationship is not an outburst, it is a regime. The textbook athlete who turned masculinity into a…Read the case file →Poster of Judy Moncada, villain from NarcosFeminist criminologyJudy MoncadaNarcos · SeriesJudy Moncada and feminist criminology: the woman who, in the series Narcos, finances the offensive against Escobar and whom the story sets aside. The file on a…Read the case file →Poster of Lizzie Borden, villain from Monster (Netflix)Feminist criminologyLizzie BordenMonster (Netflix) · SeriesLizzie Borden and feminist criminology: acquitted in ninety minutes in 1893, and the case is still open in popular culture. The file on the chivalry hypothesis…Read the case file →Poster of Claire Underwood, villain from House of CardsFeminist criminologyClaire UnderwoodHouse of Cards · SeriesFreda Adler’s emancipation hypothesis seems written for Claire Underwood: she reaches the same office as her husband and does what he did. The data tell…Read the case file →

Psychopathy 5

Poster of Hannibal Lecter, villain from Hannibal LecterPsychopathyHannibal LecterHannibal · SeriesHannibal and psychopathy: charm, intelligence and zero remorse. A clinical profile, not a verdict.Read the case file →Poster of Villanelle, villain from Killing EvePsychopathyVillanelleKilling Eve · SeriesKilling Eve and psychopathy: Villanelle embodies a profile science was slow to recognize—that of the female psychopath—and, along the way, dismantles the…Read the case file →Poster of Vecna, villain from Stranger ThingsPsychopathyVecnaStranger Things · SeriesVecna—Henry Creel, "One"— and psychopathy as a clinical construct: early cruelty, instrumental coldness and a calm that does not delude but calculates.…Read the case file →Poster of Lalo Salamanca, villain from Better Call SaulPsychopathyLalo SalamancaBetter Call Saul · SeriesLalo Salamanca and psychopathy (Hare, the PCL-R scale): superficial charm as a weapon. The likable, brilliant narco who cooks, jokes and hugs… while planning…Read the case file →Poster of Jurek Walter, villain from NocturnePsychopathyJurek WalterNocturne · SeriesJurek Walter, the killer of Lars Kepler’s novels whom Apple TV brings to Nocturne, buries his victims alive and destroys the people who hunt him without laying…Read the case file →

Differential reinforcement 5

Poster of Christopher Moltisanti, villain from The SopranosDifferential reinforcementChristopher MoltisantiThe Sopranos · SeriesChristopher Moltisanti and differential reinforcement: the apprentice who breaks the law for the family’s applause. Every crime brings him closer to respect;…Read the case file →Poster of Johnny Lawrence, villain from Cobra KaiDifferential reinforcementJohnny LawrenceCobra Kai · SeriesJohnny Lawrence and differential reinforcement: the teenager who was rewarded for hitting. He wasn't born brutal; he was trained through trophies and approval.Read the case file →Poster of John Kreese, villain from Cobra KaiDifferential reinforcementJohn KreeseCobra Kai · SeriesJohn Kreese and differential reinforcement: the other side of the mechanism. Not the one who learns to be violent, but the one who designs the system that…Read the case file →Poster of Vernon Schillinger, villain from OzDifferential reinforcementVernon SchillingerOz · SeriesVernon Schillinger and differential reinforcement: inside a prison, brutality buys rank and safety. The most perverse reward system there is.Read the case file →Poster of Charles Manson, villain from MindhunterDifferential reinforcementCharles MansonMindhunter · SeriesCharles Manson and differential reinforcement: the criminological question is not why they killed but how homicide is produced in other people without an order…Read the case file →

Differential association 4

Poster of Stringer Bell, villain from The WireDifferential associationStringer BellThe Wire · SeriesThe Wire and differential association: crime is learned like any other behavior, in the groups where we live. Stringer Bell learned the drug trade and, at the…Read the case file →Poster of Tony el Gordo, villain from The SimpsonsDifferential associationFat TonyThe Simpsons · SeriesFat Tony and Sutherland's differential association: crime is neither inherited nor calculated, it is learned in the intimacy of a group. The Springfield mob as…Read the case file →Poster of Jamie Miller, villain from AdolescenceDifferential associationJamie MillerAdolescence · SeriesJamie Miller and differential association: a thirteen-year-old is not born despising women, he learns it. The manosphere as a delocalized classroom where both…Read the case file →Poster of Hermanos Rodríguez Orejuela, villains from NarcosDifferential associationThe Rodríguez Orejuela brothersNarcos · SeriesThe Rodríguez Orejuela brothers and differential association: the cartel organized as a company that learned its techniques in the legal world. The file on the…Read the case file →

Evolutionary criminology 4

Poster of Khal Drogo, villain from Game of ThronesEvolutionary criminologyKhal DrogoGame of Thrones · SeriesKhal Drogo and criminological evolutionism: dominance, violence and reproduction tied into a single knot. A warlord whose power is measured in battles and…Read the case file →Poster of Euron Greyjoy, villain from Game of ThronesEvolutionary criminologyEuron GreyjoyGame of Thrones · SeriesEuron Greyjoy and criminological evolutionism: fratricide as a calculation of power. When the competition for status is so intense that it breaks even the bond…Read the case file →Poster of Kilgrave, villain from MarvelEvolutionary criminologyKilgraveJessica Jones · SeriesKilgrave and criminological evolutionism: the worst logic of reproductive access taken by force. A man who can control minds and uses it so that he never once…Read the case file →Poster of Patriota, villain from The BoysEvolutionary criminologyPatriotaThe Boys · SeriesHomelander and criminological evolutionism: dominance as a total obsession. A superman who cannot bear anyone standing above him (or beside him), willing to…Read the case file →

Economic model of crime 4

Poster of Hank Scorpio, villain from The SimpsonsEconomic model of crimeHank ScorpioThe Simpsons · SeriesHank Scorpio and the economic model of crime: the brilliant parody of the criminal-entrepreneur, the charming boss who treats world conquest like a start-up,…Read the case file →Poster of Bobby Glass, villain from The GentlemenEconomic model of crimeBobby GlassThe Gentlemen · SeriesBobby Glass and the economic model of crime: the patriarch of The Gentlemen runs a cannabis empire from prison. Once the sentence is already being served, it…Read the case file →Poster of Marty Byrde, villain from OzarkEconomic model of crimeMarty ByrdeOzark · SeriesMarty Byrde and the economic model of crime: the financial adviser who launders with a spreadsheet. The file on Gary Becker's equation — and on why its author…Read the case file →Poster of Stan Edgar, villain from The BoysEconomic model of crimeStan EdgarThe Boys · SeriesGary Becker saw crime as a sum of costs and benefits. Stan Edgar, Vought’s boss in The Boys, does that sum without powers or violence: every victim is a line…Read the case file →

Neutralization 4

Poster of Walder Frey, villain from Game of ThronesNeutralizationWalder FreyGame of Thrones · SeriesWalder Frey and the techniques of neutralization: how an old lord offered bread and salt in order to massacre his guests and convinced himself the atrocity was…Read the case file →Poster of Waylon Smithers, villain from The SimpsonsNeutralizationWaylon SmithersThe Simpsons · SeriesWaylon Smithers and techniques of neutralization (Sykes & Matza, 1957): Springfield's most loyal assistant commits none of Burns's crimes. He makes them…Read the case file →Poster of Helen Pierce, villain from OzarkNeutralizationHelen PierceOzark · SeriesHelen Pierce and the techniques of neutralization: the cartel lawyer who describes herself as counsel. The file on the five sentences that let a professional…Read the case file →Poster of Alicia Sierra, villain from Money HeistNeutralizationAlicia SierraMoney Heist · SeriesNeutralization techniques explain how people who believe in a rule manage to break it. Alicia Sierra uses every one of them to torture, lie and set traps while…Read the case file →

Developmental dual taxonomy 4

Poster of Ramsay Bolton, villain from Game of ThronesDevelopmental dual taxonomyRamsay BoltonGame of Thrones · SeriesRamsay Bolton and Moffitt's taxonomy: the sadistic escalation that starts in childhood and knows no ceiling. The persistent offender in pure form—the one who…Read the case file →Poster of Kim Wexler, villain from Better Call SaulDevelopmental dual taxonomyKim WexlerBetter Call Saul · SeriesKim Wexler and Moffitt's dual taxonomy: the theory that splits offenders into two groups, and the case that fits neither. A lawyer with no record who begins…Read the case file →Poster of Wendy Byrde, villain from OzarkDevelopmental dual taxonomyWendy ByrdeOzark · SeriesWendy Byrde and Moffitt's dual taxonomy: the adult-onset offender, which is precisely the category the theory did not predict. The file on the type…Read the case file →Poster of Theodore Bagwell, villain from Prison BreakDevelopmental dual taxonomyTheodore BagwellPrison Break · SeriesMoffitt distinguished those who offend for a few years from those who never stop. T-Bag, sent to Fox River for six murders, is the second kind: neither the…Read the case file →

Low self-control 3

Poster of Eric Cartman, villain from South ParkLow self-controlEric CartmanSouth Park · SeriesSouth Park and low self-control: Eric Cartman is impulsive, incapable of empathy and a slave to his whims — but also cunning and manipulative. A case that both…Read the case file →Poster of Jang Deok-su, villain from Squid GameLow self-controlJang Deok-suSquid Game · SeriesGottfredson and Hirschi’s low self-control follows Squid Game’s player 101 from the casino to the dormitory: the man who gambled himself into ruin steals,…Read the case file →Poster of Tuco Salamanca, villain from Breaking BadLow self-controlTuco SalamancaBreaking Bad · SeriesTuco Salamanca, of Breaking Bad, and low self-control: Walter White’s first big distributor tests the product, takes offense at one sentence and beats one of…Read the case file →

Class conflict 3

Poster of Montgomery Burns, villain from The SimpsonsClass conflictMontgomery BurnsThe Simpsons · SeriesThe Simpsons and conflict theory: why the man who poisons Springfield and even blocks out its sun never sees the inside of a cell, while a worker who steals a…Read the case file →Poster of Clay Davis, villain from The WireClass conflictClay DavisThe Wire · SeriesThe Wire and conflict theory: Senator Clay Davis siphons off funds, takes bribes and, when he is finally brought to trial, walks out acquitted to applause. The…Read the case file →Poster of Hubert Pellegrini, villain from Arsène LupinClass conflictHubert PellegriniLupin · SeriesConflict theory asks who holds the power to name the thief. In Lupin, Hubert Pellegrini’s word was enough to have his chauffeur blamed for a theft he had…Read the case file →

Critical criminology 3

Poster of Joe Quimby, villain from The SimpsonsCritical criminologyJoe QuimbyThe Simpsons · SeriesMayor Joe Quimby and critical criminology: Springfield has two thieves and only one has a record. The difference is not what was taken, but who writes the…Read the case file →Poster of Doctor Martin Brenner, villain from Stranger ThingsCritical criminologyDr. Martin BrennerStranger Things · SeriesCritical criminology studies the harms committed from inside the state. Dr Brenner is its fictional case: he locks up and numbers children in a government…Read the case file →Poster of Whiterose, villain from Mr. RobotCritical criminologyWhiteroseMr. Robot · SeriesCritical criminology studies the crimes the state and the corporation commit together. Whiterose holds a ministry in China, runs an army of hackers and gives…Read the case file →

Rational choice 3

Poster of Walter White, villain from Breaking BadRational choiceWalter WhiteBreaking Bad · SeriesHow Breaking Bad became the perfect handbook for rational choice theory: crime not as an impulse, but as a spreadsheet.Read the case file →Poster of Gustavo Fring, villain from Breaking BadRational choiceGustavo FringBreaking Bad · SeriesBreaking Bad and rational choice in its most perfect form: not the one who offends on impulse, but the one who calculates everything with a chess player's…Read the case file →Poster of Lyle Lanley, villain from The SimpsonsRational choiceLyle LanleyThe Simpsons · SeriesLyle Lanley and rational choice theory (Cornish and Clarke): the traveling swindler as a cold decision-maker who weighs effort, reward and risk, picks the…Read the case file →

Advanced marginality 3

Poster of Dushane, villain from Top BoyAdvanced marginalityDushaneTop Boy · SeriesDushane, of Top Boy, and advanced marginality: on the Summerhouse council estate, which the British State withdrew from leaving only police and precarity, the…Read the case file →Poster of Ciro Di Marzio, villain from GomorrahAdvanced marginalityCiro Di MarzioGomorrah · SeriesCiro Di Marzio grew up in the concrete of Scampia, a neighborhood the Italian state had written off. Orphaned by the earthquake, raised by the Camorra, he is…Read the case file →Poster of Avon Barksdale, villain from The WireAdvanced marginalityAvon BarksdaleThe Wire · SeriesAvon Barksdale runs the Baltimore towers like a man managing the one company that survived deindustrialization. The Wire is a treatise on advanced marginality:…Read the case file →

Right realism 3

Poster of Vic Mackey, villain from The ShieldRight realismVic MackeyThe Shield · SeriesVic Mackey and right realism: the iron fist that works… until it becomes indistinguishable from the crime it fights. The theory's sharpest, most uncomfortable…Read the case file →Poster of Carlos Castaño, villain from NarcosRight realismCarlos CastañoNarcos · SeriesCarlos Castaño, Los Pepes and right realism: the private provision of order where the state does not reach. The file on the tradition that put order first —…Read the case file →Poster of Inspector Chester Campbell, villain from Peaky BlindersRight realismInspector Chester CampbellPeaky Blinders · SeriesRight realism asked for order and the certainty of punishment. In Peaky Blinders, Inspector Campbell gets that mandate with no one watching him, and turns it…Read the case file →

Left realism 3

Poster of Franklin Saint, villain from SnowfallLeft realismFranklin SaintSnowfall · SeriesFranklin Saint and left realism: a sharp young man from South Los Angeles who chooses the only ladder available—crack—and lays waste to the Black community he…Read the case file →Poster of Wilson Fisk, villain from MarvelLeft realismWilson FiskDaredevil · SeriesWilson Fisk and left realism: the criminal who presents himself as the redeemer of Hell’s Kitchen while he extorts, evicts and terrorizes his own neighbors.…Read the case file →Poster of Kanan Stark, villain from PowerLeft realismKanan StarkPower · SeriesKanan Stark and left realism: the man who drags his own son into the business that devours his community. The subculture of crime as inheritance, and the…Read the case file →

Crime pattern 3

Poster of Ed Kemper, villain from MindhunterCrime patternEd KemperMindhunter · SeriesEd Kemper picked up young hitchhikers between his apartment in Alameda and his mother’s home in Aptos, with a UCSC parking sticker on his car. What do his…Read the case file →Poster of Richard Ramirez, villain from Night StalkerCrime patternRichard RamirezNight Stalker · SeriesRichard Ramirez, “the Night Stalker”, broke into homes at night in a dozen communities across the Los Angeles area. Why does such a scattered map point back to…Read the case file →Poster of Dennis Rader, villain from MindhunterCrime patternDennis RaderMindhunter · SeriesDennis Rader, "BTK", and crime pattern theory: the offender who expanded his awareness space with premeditation. He watched and "stalked" his targets and chose…Read the case file →

Routine activities 2

Poster of Joe Goldberg, villain from YouRoutine activitiesJoe GoldbergYou · SeriesYou and routine activity theory in the digital age: the stalker no longer needs to follow you down the street — you yourself post where you are, with whom and…Read the case file →Poster of Serpiente, villain from The SimpsonsRoutine activitiesSerpienteThe Simpsons · SeriesThe Simpsons and routine activity theory: why Snake robs the same Kwik-E-Mart over and over. The answer isn't in his head but on the corner: a store open all…Read the case file →

Social learning 2

Poster of Genny Savastano, villain from GomorrahSocial learningGenny SavastanoGomorrah · SeriesGomorrah and social learning: Genny Savastano starts out as the soft, pampered son of a boss, and hardens by watching—his father, the Camorra soldiers—until he…Read the case file →Poster of Billy Hargrove, villain from Stranger ThingsSocial learningBilly HargroveStranger Things · SeriesBandura showed that aggression is learned by watching. Billy Hargrove learned at home, and in Hawkins he repeats on Max, Lucas and Steve what his father does…Read the case file →

Social contagion and geography of fear 2

Poster of Stormfront, villain from The BoysSocial contagion and geography of fearStormfrontThe Boys · SeriesFear of crime spreads and sells, and Stormfront knows it. In The Boys, a Nazi nearly a hundred years old reinvents herself as a social-media star by pointing…Read the case file →Poster of Jason Carver, villain from Stranger ThingsSocial contagion and geography of fearJason CarverStranger Things · SeriesJason Carver, the basketball captain of Stranger Things 4, and the contagion of fear: after Chrissy’s death he convinces Hawkins that Eddie Munson leads a…Read the case file →

Cognitive criminology 2

Poster of Petyr Baelish, villain from Game of ThronesCognitive criminologyPetyr BaelishGame of Thrones · SeriesPetyr Baelish and cognitive criminology: purely instrumental thinking as a way of life. A man who sees every person as a piece and every tragedy as a step…Read the case file →Poster of Chuck McGill, villain from Better Call SaulCognitive criminologyChuck McGillBetter Call Saul · SeriesChuck McGill and cognitive criminology: the thinking error disguised as righteousness. A man who ruins his brother, convinced he is only defending the law and…Read the case file →

Convict criminology 2

Poster of Michael Scofield, villain from Prison BreakConvict criminologyMichael ScofieldPrison Break · SeriesMichael Scofield and convict criminology: intimate knowledge of the institution taken to the extreme. To escape, you must understand the prison better than its…Read the case file →Poster of Piper Chapman, villain from Orange Is the New BlackConvict criminologyPiper ChapmanOrange Is the New Black · SeriesPiper Chapman and convict criminology: the privileged gaze that, once behind bars, discovers the humanity that statistics erase. The angle of the one who…Read the case file →

XYY chromosome 2

Poster of Gregor Clegane, villain from Game of ThronesXYY chromosomeGregor CleganeGame of Thrones · SeriesGame of Thrones and the myth of the born monster: Gregor Clegane looks like living proof that some people are born as weapons. But up close, The Mountain does…Read the case file →Poster of Richard Speck, villain from MindhunterXYY chromosomeRichard SpeckMindhunter · SeriesRichard Speck and XYY theory: how a 1965 finding became a legal defense, a headline and a myth. The file on the most instructive error in biological…Read the case file →

Life course 2

Poster of Tony Soprano, villain from The SopranosLife courseTony SopranoThe Sopranos · SeriesThe Sopranos and life-course theory: six seasons asking whether a man can change. Tony Soprano goes to therapy, has revelations, brushes against change again…Read the case file →Poster of Nucky Thompson, villain from Boardwalk EmpireLife courseNucky ThompsonBoardwalk Empire · SeriesBoardwalk Empire and life-course criminology: nobody becomes a crime boss by chance — an entire life, with its childhood, its era and its crossroads, carves…Read the case file →

Code of the street 2

Poster of Marlo Stanfield, villain from The WireCode of the streetMarlo StanfieldThe Wire · SeriesThe Wire and the code of the street: Marlo Stanfield doesn't kill for money (he already has it), he kills for respect. It is the unwritten law of the ghetto…Read the case file →Poster of Darlene Snell, villain from OzarkCode of the streetDarlene SnellOzark · SeriesDarlene Snell and the code of the street: the rural version of the adaptation Elijah Anderson documented in Philadelphia. The file on what happens to honor…Read the case file →

Moral development 2

Poster of Joffrey Baratheon, villain from Game of ThronesMoral developmentJoffrey BaratheonGame of Thrones · SeriesGame of Thrones and moral development: Joffrey is a cruel kid whom absolute power turned into a tyrant. His evil is neither brilliant nor calculated — it is…Read the case file →Poster of Abby Anderson, villain from The Last of UsMoral developmentAbby AndersonThe Last of Us · SeriesAbby Anderson and Kohlberg's moral development: the woman who starts reasoning by reciprocity and ends up defying her own faction for two strangers. The file…Read the case file →

Moral disengagement 2

Poster of Front Man, villain from Squid GameMoral disengagementFront ManSquid Game · SeriesThe Front Man of Squid Game and Bandura's moral disengagement: how an ex-cop turned game manager switches off his conscience with euphemisms, rules and…Read the case file →Poster of Russ Cargill, villain from The SimpsonsMoral disengagementRuss CargillThe Simpsons · SeriesThe Simpsons Movie and Bandura's theory of moral disengagement: how an EPA chief can seal a whole town under a dome and plan its destruction without losing…Read the case file →

Desistance 2

Poster of Jaime Lannister, villain from Game of ThronesDesistanceJaime LannisterGame of Thrones · SeriesGame of Thrones and fragile desistance: Jaime Lannister almost makes it—he loses his hand, finds in Brienne a mirror of honor, begins to do the right…Read the case file →Poster of Omar Navarro, villain from OzarkDesistanceOmar NavarroOzark · SeriesOmar Navarro and the desistance literature: the cartel boss who negotiates his own exit and discovers there is none. The file on why leaving an organization is…Read the case file →

Self-regulation deficit 2

Poster of Nelson Muntz, villain from The SimpsonsSelf-regulation deficitNelson MuntzThe Simpsons · SeriesNelson Muntz and the self-regulation deficit: the instant gratification of aggression. He hits and laughs (“Ha-ha!”) because the pleasure of the moment…Read the case file →Poster of Tyrell Wellick, villain from Mr. RobotSelf-regulation deficitTyrell WellickMr. Robot · SeriesBaumeister described self-control as a resource that runs out. Tyrell Wellick spends all of his on looking perfect, and on a rooftop, the night he loses a…Read the case file →

Crime as a trade 2

Poster of Berlín, villain from Money HeistCrime as a tradeBerlinMoney Heist · SeriesSutherland described the professional thief, proud of his trade and his code. Berlin takes that pride all the way to vanity: inside the Royal Mint, the…Read the case file →Poster of Jack Welker, villain from Breaking BadCrime as a tradeJack WelkerBreaking Bad · SeriesJack Welker, Breaking Bad’s Uncle Jack, and crime as a trade: the neo-Nazi gang leader sells killings with a price, a deadline and a contract. He kills Hank,…Read the case file →

Frustration–aggression 2

Poster of Bob Patiño, villain from The SimpsonsFrustration–aggressionSideshow BobThe Simpsons · SeriesSideshow Bob and the frustration-aggression hypothesis: a brilliant man whose goals—respect, status, art—crash again and again into humiliation. And a whole…Read the case file →Poster of Los hermanos Menéndez, villains from Monster (Netflix)Frustration–aggressionThe Menendez brothersMonster (Netflix) · SeriesThe Menendez brothers and frustration-aggression: one set of facts, two incompatible accounts, and an outcome decided by which evidence got into the room. The…Read the case file →

Deterrence 2

Poster of Neal Caffrey, villain from White CollarDeterrenceNeal CaffreyWhite Collar · SeriesNeal Caffrey and deterrence: the fraud genius so sure he would escape that no sentence could stop him. The only cure was to catch him for real and shatter the…Read the case file →Poster of Clancy Wiggum, villain from The SimpsonsDeterrenceClancy WiggumThe Simpsons · SeriesChief Clancy Wiggum and deterrence theory: Beccaria said 260 years ago that what restrains crime is the certainty of being caught, not the harshness of…Read the case file →

Containment 2

Poster of Daenerys Targaryen, villain from Game of ThronesContainmentDaenerys TargaryenGame of Thrones · SeriesDaenerys Targaryen and containment theory: when the outer wall—the advisers who rein you in—falls, and the inner one—a messianic self-concept—turns pain into…Read the case file →Poster of Doug Stamper, villain from House of CardsContainmentDoug StamperHouse of Cards · SeriesWalter Reckless’s containment theory asks for two brakes against crime. Doug Stamper had both, sobriety and loyalty, and both of them were called Frank…Read the case file →

Focal concerns 2

Poster of Wee-Bey Brice, villain from The WireFocal concernsWee-Bey BriceThe Wire · SeriesWee-Bey and focal concerns: toughness as the supreme virtue. A soldier who takes on other men's murders and serves a life sentence without a complaint, because…Read the case file →Poster of Snoop, villain from The WireFocal concernsSnoopThe Wire · SeriesSnoop and focal concerns: toughness with no gender and no fear. A young woman who picks out a nail gun as casually as someone doing the weekly shop.Read the case file →

Operant conditioning 2

Poster of Assane Diop, villain from Arsène LupinOperant conditioningAssane DiopLupin · SeriesAssane Diop and operant conditioning: when the reinforcement is not just the loot, but the thrill of outsmarting everyone. And why punishment, so improbable,…Read the case file →Poster of Tyler Galpin, villain from WednesdayOperant conditioningTyler GalpinWednesday · SeriesTyler Galpin and operant conditioning: the sheriff's son an adult turns into a weapon through cues and rewards. The file on what behaviorism does explain, and…Read the case file →

Culture conflict 2

Poster of Ah Sahm, villain from WarriorCulture conflictAh SahmWarrior · SeriesAh Sahm and Sellin's theory: culture conflict on the frontier. A Chinese immigrant in 1870s San Francisco, caught between the tong wars, the racism of white…Read the case file →Poster of Alpha, villain from The Walking DeadCulture conflictAlphaThe Walking Dead · SeriesAlpha and Sellin's culture conflict theory: the Whisperers are not outlaws, they are another culture with its own conduct norms. The file on what happens when…Read the case file →

Patriarchy and crime 2

Poster of Cmdt. Waterford, villain from The Handmaid's TalePatriarchy and crimeCommander WaterfordThe Handmaid's Tale · SeriesCommander Waterford and the theory of patriarchy: male dominance raised to the level of the State. In Gilead, women are not doubly victimized by a flaw in the…Read the case file →Poster of Soldier Boy, villain from The BoysPatriarchy and crimeSoldier BoyThe Boys · SeriesSoldier Boy, of The Boys, and patriarchy theory: the Vought hero who injected himself with powers to earn his father’s respect, and who measures everyone, his…Read the case file →

Utilitarianism 2

Poster of Wilford, villain from SnowpiercerUtilitarianismWilfordSnowpiercer · SeriesSnowpiercer and the coldest face of utilitarianism: on a train carrying the last remnant of humanity, a man keeps the system in “balance” by sacrificing the…Read the case file →Poster of Marlene, villain from The Last of UsUtilitarianismMarleneThe Last of Us · SeriesMarlene and utilitarianism: the leader who weighs one death against a cure and says so out loud. The file on the calculation that founded modern criminal law,…Read the case file →

Situational action 1

Poster of El Gobernador, villain from The Walking DeadSituational actionThe GovernorThe Walking Dead · SeriesThe Walking Dead and situational action: when the apocalypse erases every guardian, Philip Blake crowns himself lord of Woodbury. It is the portrait of absent…Read the case file →

Anomie / Strain 1

Poster of A-Train, villain from The BoysAnomie / StrainA-TrainThe Boys · SeriesA-Train, of The Boys, and Merton’s anomie: the Seven’s speedster shoots up Compound V to stay the fastest man alive and, in the first episode, runs through…Read the case file →

Attachment 1

Poster of Joel Miller, villain from The Last of UsAttachmentJoel MillerThe Last of Us · SeriesJoel Miller and attachment theory: the man who kills an entire hospital for one person. The file on the bond as a criminogenic force, which is the half Bowlby…Read the case file →

Social capital and collective efficacy 1

Poster of Don Pietro Savastano, villain from GomorrahSocial capital and collective efficacyDon Pietro SavastanoGomorrah · SeriesDon Pietro Savastano and collective efficacy: the patriarch who proves that a tight-knit neighborhood is not automatically a safe one. The file on the face…Read the case file →

Coerción Diferencial 1

Poster of El Azotamentes, villain from Stranger ThingsCoerción DiferencialThe Mind FlayerStranger Things · SeriesThe Mind Flayer, of Stranger Things, and Colvin’s differential coercion: the shadow of the Upside Down possesses Will, Billy and half of Hawkins, and everyone…Read the case file →

Social control 1

Poster of Dexter Morgan, villain from DexterSocial controlDexter MorganDexter · SeriesDexter and social control theory: the question isn't why people offend, but why most of us don't.Read the case file →

Moral cost-benefit 1

Poster of Margo Banks, villain from The Hunting WivesMoral cost-benefitMargo BanksThe Hunting Wives · SeriesMargo Banks, of The Hunting Wives, and moral cost-benefit: the queen of Maple Brook’s rich wives keeps a secret her world would never forgive. When a teenage…Read the case file →

Modern biosocial criminology 1

Poster of Sandor Clegane, villain from Game of ThronesModern biosocial criminologySandor CleganeGame of Thrones · SeriesSandor Clegane, the Hound, and the gene × environment correlation: an imposing build and a hardened temperament push him into the role of attack dog, and that…Read the case file →

Queer criminology 1

Poster of Jeffrey Dahmer, villain from Monster (Netflix)Queer criminologyJeffrey DahmerMonster (Netflix) · SeriesJeffrey Dahmer and queer criminology: his method did not depend on being clever, it depended on nobody caring about his victims. The file on the “less-dead”…Read the case file →

Radical criminology / New criminology 1

Poster of Elliot Alderson, villain from Mr. RobotRadical criminology / New criminologyElliot AldersonMr. Robot · SeriesElliot Alderson and radical criminology: the rebel of the 21st century. A hacker who plans to erase global debt to free people from the financial…Read the case file →

Cultural criminology 1

Poster of Oh Il-nam, villain from Squid GameCultural criminologyOh Il-namSquid Game · SeriesCultural criminology sees Squid Game’s player 001 as a consumer of thrills: a billionaire who bought other people’s deaths as a show, then stepped into the…Read the case file →

Peacemaking criminology 1

Poster of Kathleen, villain from The Last of UsPeacemaking criminologyKathleenThe Last of Us · SeriesKathleen and peacemaking criminology: the leader of a revolution that reproduces exactly the apparatus it destroyed. The file on the tradition that argues…Read the case file →

Bounded rational offender 1

Poster of Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, villain from Breaking BadBounded rational offenderLydia Rodarte-QuayleBreaking Bad · SeriesLydia Rodarte-Quayle, of Breaking Bad, and the bounded rational offender: the Madrigal executive who supplies the methylamine plans shipments flawlessly and…Read the case file →

Delito de cuello blanco 1

Poster of Victoria Neuman, villain from The BoysDelito de cuello blancoVictoria NeumanThe Boys · SeriesVictoria Neuman, of The Boys, and white-collar crime: the politician leading the fight against Vought is a supe raised by its CEO. Sutherland saw it in 1939:…Read the case file →

Social disorganization 1

Poster of Omar Little, villain from The WireSocial disorganizationOmar LittleThe Wire · SeriesThe Wire and social disorganization theory: crime is not scattered randomly across the map, it concentrates where institutions have broken down.Read the case file →

Primary and secondary deviance 1

Poster of Sofía Falcone, villain from BatmanPrimary and secondary devianceSofia FalconeThe Penguin · SeriesSofía Falcone and Lemert's primary and secondary deviance: how labeling—the nickname, the scapegoat, the asylum—reorganizes an identity until the person takes…Read the case file →

Stigma 1

Poster of Tía Lydia, villain from The Handmaid's TaleStigmaAunt LydiaThe Handmaid's Tale · SeriesGoffman described how total institutions destroy the identity of those they confine. Aunt Lydia runs one in Gilead and calls what she does to her handmaids…Read the case file →

Behavioral genetics 1

Poster of Brian Moser, villain from DexterBehavioral geneticsBrian MoserDexter · SeriesBehavioural genetics finds in Brian Moser an experiment no ethics committee would ever approve: two brothers with the same genes and the same pool of blood,…Read the case file →

Intelligence (IQ) and crime 1

Poster of Charles Augustus Magnussen, villain from Sherlock HolmesIntelligence (IQ) and crimeCharles Augustus MagnussenSherlock · SeriesCharles Augustus Magnussen neither shoots nor strikes: he memorizes. His only weapon is an intellect that files away the secrets of half the world. Proof that…Read the case file →

Free will 1

Poster of Frank Underwood, villain from House of CardsFree willFrank UnderwoodHouse of Cards · SeriesHouse of Cards and the theory of free will: Frank Underwood turns to the camera, looks you in the eye, and tells you what he is about to do before he does it.…Read the case file →

Differential opportunity 1

Poster of Chalky White, villain from Boardwalk EmpireDifferential opportunityChalky WhiteBoardwalk Empire · SeriesChalky White and Cloward and Ohlin's differential opportunity: the correction criminology took twenty years to make to Merton. Having the legitimate routes…Read the case file →

Criminal personality 1

Poster of Isaac Night, villain from WednesdayCriminal personalityIsaac NightWednesday · SeriesIsaac Night and the theory of the criminal personality (Yochelson & Samenow): grandiosity, a hunger for power and chronic deceit that turn other people into…Read the case file →

Situational crime prevention 1

Poster of El Profesor, villain from Money HeistSituational crime preventionThe ProfessorMoney Heist · SeriesMoney Heist and the limit of situational crime prevention: the Professor improvises nothing. He studies every camera, every protocol, every predictable move…Read the case file →

Relative deprivation 1

Poster of Cecil Terwilliger, villain from The SimpsonsRelative deprivationCecil TerwilligerThe Simpsons · SeriesCecil Terwilliger and the theory of relative deprivation: he lacked nothing—talent, education, a chief-engineer post—yet he spent his life measuring himself…Read the case file →

Psychoanalytic criminology 1

Poster of Livia Soprano, villain from The SopranosPsychoanalytic criminologyLivia SopranoThe Sopranos · SeriesLivia Soprano and psychoanalytic criminology: the most discredited lens in the discipline, applied to the show that put it on prime time. A woman who never…Read the case file →

Delinquent subculture 1

Poster of Tommy Shelby, villain from Peaky BlindersDelinquent subcultureTommy ShelbyPeaky Blinders · SeriesPeaky Blinders and the theory of the delinquent subculture: when the legitimate system denies you status, a group invents another system where the despised…Read the case file →

General strain 1

Poster of Serena Joy, villain from The Handmaid's TaleGeneral strainSerena JoyThe Handmaid's Tale · SeriesAgnew’s general strain theory explains where the anger of someone who has lost everything goes. Serena Joy helped create Gilead, Gilead silenced her, and her…Read the case file →

Criminal heredity 1

Poster of Tywin Lannister, villain from Game of ThronesCriminal heredityTywin LannisterGame of Thrones · SeriesTywin Lannister and criminal heredity: the patriarch obsessed with blood who, by molding his children to embody the legacy, produces the monsters he feared.…Read the case file →

Differential identification 1

Poster of David, villain from The Last of UsDifferential identificationDavidThe Last of Us · SeriesDavid and differential identification: the preacher who turns cannibalism into communion and predation into fatherhood. The file on the theory that explains…Read the case file →

Cognitive scripts 1

Poster of Arthur Mitchell, villain from DexterCognitive scriptsArthur MitchellDexter · SeriesHuesmann’s cognitive scripts explain how a violent sequence is learned and repeated. Arthur Mitchell, in Dexter, has been repeating his for decades: bathtub,…Read the case file →

Subterranean values 1

Poster of Terry Silver, villain from Cobra KaiSubterranean valuesTerry SilverCobra Kai · SeriesTerry Silver and Matza and Sykes's subterranean values: the man who has achieved everything society asked him to achieve, using the prize to fund thrill,…Read the case file →

Defiance 1

Poster of Luke Castellan, villain from Percy JacksonDefianceLuke CastellanPercy Jackson · SeriesLuke Castellan, of Percy Jackson, and defiance theory: the son of Hermes steals Zeus’s master bolt because he experiences the gods’ neglect as an unjust…Read the case file →

Integrated antisocial potential 1

Poster of Frank Gallagher, villain from ShamelessIntegrated antisocial potentialFrank GallagherShameless · SeriesFrank Gallagher and Farrington's ICAP model: the chronic antisocial potential—addiction, irresponsibility, a whole life of poor socialization—that opportunity…Read the case file →

Interactional theory (Thornberry) 1

Poster of Alexander Mahone, villain from Prison BreakInteractional theory (Thornberry)Alexander MahonePrison Break · SeriesAlexander Mahone, of Prison Break, and dynamic, interactional control: a brilliant FBI agent pursues the Fox River escapees with relentless efficiency. But he…Read the case file →

Antisocial personality disorder 1

Poster of Todd Alquist, villain from Breaking BadAntisocial personality disorderTodd AlquistBreaking Bad · SeriesTodd Alquist and antisocial personality disorder: no grandiosity, no contempt, no speeches. Just a helpful young man who shoots a child and gets on with his…Read the case file →

Broken windows 1

Poster of Negan, villain from The Walking DeadBroken windowsNeganThe Walking Dead · SeriesThe Walking Dead and the broken windows theory from its other extreme: if Bane was the collapse of order, Negan is order imposed with the swing of a bat. Zero…Read the case file →

Frequently asked questions

How many villains in tv series are analysed on KRIMINIS?

149 case files of villains in tv series, each tied to the criminological theory that best explains their behaviour.

Which criminological theories show up in the villains in tv series?

Among others: Subculture of violence, Institutional anomie, Feminist criminology, Psychopathy, Differential reinforcement, Differential association and more. Each case file links to the full theory.

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