Soap Opera’s 9 Greatest Soap Villains of All Time

What’s a soap opera without a little trouble? We’ve been taking the time to reflect on our soap operas’ history. Throughout the years, we have lost some Soaps and gained some, and there are some soap operas we wish were never cancelled. As we look back we remember some of the greatest villains of all time and we have narrowed the selection to nine. Our selected few are from soap operas such as Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and General Hospital. Here they are:

Caesar Faison (GH)

His years of constant obsession with Anna DeVane [Finola Hughes] kept viewers talking. Man, did Faison do a whole lot of things to win Anna’s love? However, nothing he did, worked. He was so caught up for years with this woman he hurt so many people. He is well known for the Duke mask trying to get Anna to believe he was her beloved Duke Lavery. And then, there is his connection with Dr. Liesl Obrecht [Kathleen Gati], they were quite the pair. Sadly for Liesl, Faison was more concerned about than Anna than ever loving Liesl. Anders Hove is excellent in the role and it is always fun seeing him on GH.

Stefano DiMera (Days)

If a list was ever created of the best daytime villains without Stefano DiMera on it then something would be definitely wrong. Stefano, as played by Joseph Mascolo for years is probably the most known villain across the daytime network. Stefano was extremely wealthy and powerful. He was a man who loved to control his family members and loved ones. Stefano was cruel to the bone, it seemed this man had no heart but deep down inside he loved his children to some extent. He was ruthless and determined to control those in Salem. He caused trouble for several families including; the Hortons, the Bradys, the Kiriakis, others and even his very own until his very last breath. Though the Phoenix [Stefano] may not rise again, many fans would crown him as the greatest villain of all time.

Helena Cassadine (GH)

Oh yes, we did – we selected one of the greatest female troublemakers in Daytime TV. Helena Cassadine [Constance Towers] was as ruthless as the men mentioned above. And like most villains, she loved controlling people, look at what she did to Lucky [Ex-Greg Vaughan] and Jason [Billy Miller]. It was like this woman knew everyone’s secret and used it against them when she wanted. And then there is the curse she placed on Laura [Genie Francis] and Sam [Kelly Monaco]. Yea, she may be dead now but she is certainly one of General Hospital’s greatest villain and one we hope returns.

Sheila Carter (B&B and Y&R)

No doubt we are all up for a Sheila Carter return. Nobody does crazy like Kimberlin Brown in the role of Sheila. Whether she was on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ or ‘The Young and the Restless’ she was always making somebody’s life a living hell. Sheila’s history on both CBS soap operas involved her long-running conflict with Lauren [Tracey Bregman], if it was up to Sheila alone Lauren would be dead by now. Sheila was always caught in conflict with Amber Moore [Adrienne Frantz], Brooke [Katherine Kelly Lang], Phyllis [Michelle Stafford], Taylor [Hunter Archilla], Stephanie [Susan Flannery] and Maggie Forrester.

Victor Newman (Y&R)

Victor [Eric Braeden] is another one of those powerful and wealthy men. He always gets what he wants with his money and by controlling people. Like other powerful men, he does everything he can to keep his children and wives in line.  Even behind bars, Victor is still using tactics to control his children.  He has paid off many men to get things to go the way he wanted and has blackmailed judges to get the results he wanted. Victor is one of those characters you love and sometimes love to hate.

Quinn Fuller (B&B)

Yea, we know what you’re thinking! – Isn’t Quinn kind of a new villain? How come she’s on the list? Well, for one Rena Sofer has brought fire to this role. Quinn is one of best new character introductions on daytime in quite awhile. And with her obsession to practically control her son’s love life, it has left viewers quite intrigued. Quinn will do anything to have her son happy.

Jill Abbott (Y&R)

Jill [Jess Walton] spent years on the bitter side, always at odds with Katherine [Jeanne Cooper] and Esther [Kate Linder]. She has made some changes but as we reflect we remember how ruthless Jill was at one point in time. In Katherine’s last days, Jill changed a bit but there were times when Jill was about ready to pull some hairs and drag her rivals through the mud.

Victor Kiriakis (Days)

Yet another wealthy and powerful villain, Victor [John Aniston] is one of ‘Days of Our Lives’ masterpieces and like most powerful people; he used his power to control his family members and wives. Victor was ruthless at times and so controlling that the situations would get out of hand and ruin his relationships. Though he was controlling, it was obvious he loved his family making sure they had everything they needed and doing whatever possible to get them what they wanted. We think he is one of the greatest villains of all time.

Jerry Jacks (GH)

Portrayed by Sebastien Roche for years, Jerry was always causing trouble. He has inflicted pain and sorrow in so many lives in Port Charles. Unlike his brother Jax [Ingo Rademacher] there was always hell to pay when he was around. Look at how much trouble he caused Robin [Kimberly McCullough], Alexis [Nancy Lee Grahn] and others. Roche is busy doing movies and other things but we always love when he is around.

Other notable villains are Ava Jerome, Victor Cassadine and Heather Webber from GH and Vivian Alamain from Days. So fans do you agree with our 9, would you replace anyone of them with someone else?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below, on our Facebook Page,  join our Facebook Group or Head over to our Discussion Board to Talk Soaps Daily!