Random TV Antagonists Who Are Genuinely Relatable (13 items)

• 

  (#4) Boyd Crowder

  • Justified

  When introduced to Boyd Crowder in Justified's pilot, “Fire in the Hole,” he is portrayed as a white supremacist who likes money and destruction. Thus, at first glance, he is not the most relatable character. But thanks to his chemistry with series protagonist/anti-hero US Marshal Raylan Givens and the complex history of Harlan County, KY, Crowder is depicted as a product of his environment.

  After being shot, Crowder turns to religion to redeem himself; however, given the unforgiving nature of his world, he is driven back to his life of crime. Walton Goggins’ masterful performance paints Crowder as a character who uses his charisma and intellect to survive the only way he knows how: as an outlaw who isn't so different from his best friend, just on different sides of the law.
• 

  (#9) Jerry Smith - ‘Rick And Morty’

  As the son-in-law of Rick Sanchez and the father of Morty Smith, Jerry's relationship with the characters of Rick and Morty deeply affects the show’s narrative. His marriage to Rick’s daughter, Beth, is rocky at best, as Jerry is often pitted against Rick in the family dynamic.

  In turn, Rick has no respect for Jerry, viewing him as a simple man of limited intelligence. However, Jerry does try to do what is best for his family. This one redeeming quality makes him relatable to the uncool, put-upon loser in all of us. 
• 

  (#13) Chuck McGill - ‘Better Call Saul’

  Chuck McGill respects the law while his brother Jimmy McGill (AKA Saul) does not. When Jimmy gets into serious legal trouble, Chuck bails him out of jail on the condition that he abandon his life as a con artist and work in the mailroom at Chuck’s firm. What Chuck didn’t see coming was Jimmy’s tenacity to go legit as Jimmy takes night classes at the American Samoan Law School and eventually passes the bar. But Chuck never saw Jimmy as a real lawyer and does not allow him to work for his firm, believing Jimmy will always be bad, attempting to catch him breaking the law to win cases.

  While we root for Saul/Jimmy, we understand Chuck, given his parents’ favorable and undeserved affection for Jimmy, as well as the foreboding sense of who Jimmy will become: Saul Goodman. 
• 

  (#11) Roman Roy

  • Succession

  In all honesty, it is difficult to relate to anyone in Succession, except, perhaps, for cousin Greg. The world the conglomerate Roy family operates within is not one most people know or want to know. Roman is arguably the most relatable Roy of the bunch, fully submerged in his awfulness. He is as funny and dramatic as the show itself; a spoiled “visionary” aware of his and his family’s ghastliness that uses wit to say what everyone is thinking in almost every scene.

  Roman Roy is so far gone, he doesn’t even pretend to be "normal" like his siblings. Roman will offer a child bystander a million dollars to hit a home run in his family’s baseball game and then tear the check right in front of him when he fails. He is heartless for the sake of being heartless, but he is keenly aware of his faults. He is relatable because he uses humor to hide the horror of his situation.  
• 

  (#7) Benjamin Linus

  • Lost, Lost: Missing Pieces

  The soft-spoken, shy leader of the Others and a resident of the island, Ben Linus is driven by his insecurities. Molded by his abusive father, Linus came to the island not by choice, but by chance. He then goes to extreme lengths to protect the island as it's really the only home he has ever known. Linus truly believes he is special, which gives him the confidence to make horrible decisions. When we meet him under the guise of Henry Gale, he seems pretty innocent. 

  Originally only set for a three-episode arc, Linus is a testament to Michael Emerson’s performance as the character evolved into a series regular, a big bad, and then eventually, a possible protagonist. 
• 

  (#1) Negan

  • The Walking Dead

  Negan seems to enjoy his fair share of aggression, but let’s be honest, so does Rick. Negan’s methods as leader of the Saviors may have been extreme at times, but he did what he felt he had to in order to lead his people into the future. To be fair, Rick did attack the Savior outposts before Negan took a baseball bat to Glenn’s head.

  As Rick’s antagonist, Negan is formidable, funny, and smart; he is the twisted jester of the zombie apocalypse. As a potential ally, Negan is engaging, funny, and smart. Negan is a perfect example of TWD portraying moral ambiguity at its best.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking