Game of Thrones took the world by storm for many reasons, but one of the show's greatest strengths was its villains. George R. R. Martin created genuinely despicable antagonists; Joffrey Baratheon orders Ned Stark's execution, forces Sansa to look at her father's severed head, and later murders Ros with a crossbow for his own amusement. Still, Ramsay Bolton somehow manages to be worse, psychologically destroying Theon and subjecting Sansa to another horrific marriage. Even characters who aren't straightforward villains commit atrocities when power is at stake.
Cersei Lannister is perhaps the best example because she spends years manipulating, threatening, and killing anyone standing between her and the Iron Throne. Walder Frey also shockingly violates one of Westeros' most sacred customs to massacre Robb Stark, Catelyn, and their forces at the Red Wedding. All this to say, Game of Thrones has great villains, but these five great fantasy shows clear that bar to make their antagonists even more frightening, complicated, or memorable.
General Kirigan initially seems like exactly the person Alina Starkov needs in Shadow and Bone. Better known as The Darkling, he is powerful, charismatic, and seemingly determined to create a better future for Grisha, but the truth behind his facade makes his relationship with Alina really quite disturbing.
The Darkling kills the stag Alina had wanted to spare, imprisons her, and has part of the antlers physically embedded into her collarbone, allowing him to control her power through the corresponding amplifier in his hand. He isn't merely trying to use the Sun Summoner; he takes away her autonomy so he can turn her into a weapon. Joffrey's horrific treatment of Sansa is similarly built around a powerful man tormenting someone who cannot easily escape him, but The Darkling is arguably the more effective fantasy villain because Alina once had a reason to trust him.
His greatest atrocity happens on a scale that Joffrey can't ever manage: Kirigan uses Alina's stolen power to expand the Shadow Fold over Novokribirsk, condemning its people to the Volcra in order to demonstrate what his new weapon can do. The fact that he ultimately believes his actions can protect the Grisha makes him more complicated than a sadist like Joffrey or Ramsay, without making what he does any less horrifying.
Joffrey and Ramsay enjoy hurting people, but even they might be disturbed by what the Skeksis do to the Gelfling in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. After exhausting the Crystal's ability to rejuvenate them, the Skeksis discover they can literally drain the life essence out of other creatures and consume it to prolong their own lives. Mira becomes their first Gelfling victim, with Rian forced to watch as the machine drains her essence and the Skeksis gradually consume what's left of her. Of course, they're not horrified by their discovery, and instead immediately begin considering how many Gelfling they can harvest.
The Skeksis's villainy isn't limited to one evil person sitting on the Iron Throne. They have built an entire society around a lie, posing as benevolent protectors while exploiting the people who worship them. When the Gelfling uncover the truth, SkekVar kills All-Maudra Mayrin, the Skeksis abandon the pretense that they ever cared about their subjects, and their campaign ultimately moves toward the attempted Gelfling extermination. Cersei Lannister destroys the Sept because eliminating her enemies solves her immediate political crisis; the Skeksis are prepared to wipe out an entire people simply to preserve their own power and immortality. Their grotesque appearance only makes them harder to forget.
As two of the biggest fantasy franchises, Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings have often been compared, but The Rings of Power raised the bar when it came to its villain. The Rings of Power makes Sauron considerably more unsettling than a conventional Dark Lord because of how effectively he can make people participate in their own destruction. His manipulation of Celebrimbor in Season 2 proves this perfectly; appearing as Annatar, Sauron exploits the legendary smith's ambition, isolates him, and even creates the illusion that makes Celebrimbor think Eregion is peaceful when it's actually under attack. All the while, he pushes Celebrimbor to finish the Rings of Power that Sauron desperately needs.
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