Top 10 Memorable Criminal Minds Villains

Top 10 Criminal Minds Villains

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 “Criminal Minds” Villains.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most formidable foes of the BAU. Since some of these entries reveal major plot points, a spoiler warning is now in effect.

Who do you think is the best - or worst - villain? Let us know in the comments.

#10: Anita & Roger Roycewood
“Mosley Lane”

When a little girl goes missing from a festival, the case leads the BAU to Roger and Anita Roycewood. The couple abducts one child every year, keeping them as their own until they get too old or misbehave. The Roycewoods own a funeral home, giving them access to a crematorium to dispose of bodies. Charlie Hillridge was abducted years prior and is now forced to assist in the kidnappings. “Criminal Minds” usually dives into the psychology of its unsubs, explaining what traumas led them to commit such crimes. However, the Roycewoods remain enigmatic to the end, the mystery behind their heinous acts dying with them.

#9: Adam Rain
“The Lesson”

Horror fans are used to seeing, or rather hearing, Brad Dourif as Chucky the killer doll. But this role is quite different. Adam Rain suffers a major head injury from a car accident that puts him into a coma. When he wakes up, he thinks he’s a kid again. Adam begins abducting people, namely couples, in an attempt to recreate two puppets from his childhood. When the victims “aren’t right,” he disposes of the bodies, putting them on display in boxes. Adam is staging a re-enactment of the night his father, a renowned puppeteer, was shot by a robber. He hopes that the puppets can save him this time. Dourif delivers a chilling performance as the delusional killer, and it’s something we’ll never forget.

#8: Jason Clark Battle
“Lucky” & “Penelope”

Garcia’s unauthorized tagging of unsolved cases leads the perpetrator to think that the FBI is onto him. He meets her at a coffee shop, introducing himself as James Colby Baylor. Garcia is surprised and excited when he asks her out on a date. At the end of the night however, Baylor (who is actually Jason Clark Battle) shoots Garcia, leaving her for dead. When he discovers that she survived, he visits the BAU offices. Fortunately, tech analyst Kevin Lynch recogtnizes Battle and tips off the others. After he takes Agent Fuchs hostage, JJ takes him out. Talk about a date gone wrong.

#7: Tobias Hankel (aka Charles & Raphael)
“The Big Game” & “Revelations”

In season 2, James Van Der Beek guest stars as Tobias Hankel, a serial killer hellbent on punishing sinners. It’s revealed that Hankel suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and his two other identities include his deceased father Charles, and an angel named Raphael. When Reid and JJ go to question him as a potential witness, Hankel captures Reid and takes him to a cabin. The “Charles” identity tortures Reid, telling him to confess his sins. Having endured his father’s wrath all his life, Tobias drugs Reid with dilaudid to ease the pain. This traumatic encounter leaves a lasting effect on Reid, making Hankel one of the BAU’s most memorable unsubs.

#6: Floyd Feylinn Ferell
“Lucky” & “Lucky Strikes”

The BAU has dealt with a number of cannibals, but Floyd Feylinn Ferell is the most memorable. He first appears in season 3 when the team investigates a particularly gruesome murder in Bridgewater, Florida. The body of a young woman is found with a pentagram carved into her chest. She’s missing appendages and the contents of her stomach are disturbing. Upon arresting Floyd, they discover his Satanic paraphernalia and human recipe book. Floyd is back on the team’s radar in season 13 when a false confession almost leads to his release. Thankfully, the BAU finds proof to keep him locked up.

#5: Billy Flynn (aka the Prince of Darkness)
“Our Darkest Hour” & “The Longest Night”

From Pennywise to Dr. Frank N. Furter, Tim Curry always makes a perfect villain. The actor has a two-episode arc as Billy Flynn, a psychopath with a penchant for killing at night. This earned him the moniker the Prince of Darkness. In addition to striking at night, Flynn’s discolored teeth and drug use are based on real serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka the Night Stalker). Flynn takes advantage of California’s rolling blackouts during a heat wave, targeting homes without power. The team discovers this prolific serial killer has over 200 victims spanning decades.

#4: John Curtis (aka the Replicator)
“The Replicator” & “Brothers Hotchner”

In season 8, the team is taunted by the Replicator, an unsub copying murders from past cases. They realize that this person must be on the inside, given the access he’d need to read their casefiles. His first copycat crime coincides with Blake’s arrival to the BAU, a clue that helps the team deduce his true identity. The legendary Mark Hamill plays John Curtis, a brilliant yet narcissistic FBI agent. When the wrong suspect was apprehended in the Amerithrax case, Curtis was demoted (along with others). Blaming her for his downfall, Curtis drugs BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss and leaves her to die a slow death. Fortunately, the team rescues Blake before she meets the same fate.

#3: Peter Lewis (aka Mr. Scratch)
Various

Easily one of the show’s most disturbing unsubs, Peter Lewis concocts a hallucinogen that allows him to hypnotize people into committing violent crimes. Murder suspects in different states believe they saw a shadow monster at the time of the murders. All of them describe it as a dark figure with talons, calling him Mr. Scratch. After Lewis hacks into the BAU database, the team uncovers his identity and motive. As foster children, the victims testified against Lewis’ father, falsely accusing him of abuse. This led to his incarceration and death. Scratch escapes custody and becomes a significant antagonist in the series. He goes on to torment the entire team until his death in season 13.

#2: Frank Breitkopf
“No Way Out” & “No Way Out II: The Evilution of Frank”

In season 2, the team travels to Golconda, Nevada to investigate a string of murders. The unsub is Frank Breitkopf, a sexual sadist who travels around the country killing women. Frank keeps returning to Golconda because he’s infatuated with Jane, a woman he almost killed in 1977. After Frank abducts a school bus full of children, Gideon allows him to escape with Jane in exchange for the bus’s location. Frank returns in the season finale, and murders Gideon’s girlfriend Sarah. He then finds two would-be victims from previous BAU cases, killing one and hiding the other. When he and Jane reunite, they jump to their deaths. Scarred by Sarah’s death, Gideon leaves the BAU for good.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ian Doyle, Various
A Ghost from Emily’s Past Returns to Ruin Her Life

Henry Grace (aka Professor Rothchild), “Masterpiece”
An Unsub Goes Head to Head with Rossi for Arresting His Serial Killer Brother

Mason & Lucas Turner, “To Hell and Back”
Conducted Sadistic Human Experiments on Their Pig Farm

Nathan Harris, “Sex, Birth, Death”
Asks Reid for Help with His Homicidal Urges

Cat Adams, Various
The Hitwoman Out to Destroy Reid

#1: George Foyet (aka the Reaper)
Various

George Foyet is arguably the most memorable unsub on “Criminal Minds.” He first appeared as the only surviving victim of the Reaper. But when the Reaper returns to Boston, the team finds out that Foyet and the Reaper are one in the same. He spent years planning his comeback, so once he was arrested and sent to prison, he escaped. Like a lot of unsubs, he enjoys toying with the BAU, particularly Hotch. In one of the most harrowing episodes of the show, Foyet tracks down Hotch’s family, and kills his ex-wife Haley and threatens his son Jack. In the end, Hotch is driven to kill Foyet.