Animation
Scar
The Lion King · 1994
Fratricide, a musical number, and a lifetime of resentment
Threat index 76
Tyrant · TV
Cersei Lannister
She lost every game she played and still ended up on the throne
Attribute scores
Power44
Intellect78
Menace86
Fear factor78
Cultural impact88
Charisma82
Editorial estimates on a 0–100 scale, calibrated against every other character in the index. Not official canon.
Who they are
Cersei is not the best strategist in her story. She is repeatedly outmaneuvered, humiliated and imprisoned. What makes her formidable is that she absorbs each defeat and returns with a response so disproportionate that it resets the board, and her solution to being cornered by a religious order is one of the most shocking single acts in television.
Defining traits
Political ruthlessnessAbsolute maternal devotionGrudge-keeping over decadesWillingness to destroy institutionsEscalation as strategy
What makes them dangerous
She has nothing left to lose and access to the largest wildfire cache under the capital.
And what undoes them
Her children were the only restraint she had, and prophecy taught her they would all die anyway.
Things you might not know
- The character's walk of atonement required weeks of preparation and used a body double composited with the actress's face.
- In the novels she is significantly younger and her viewpoint chapters reveal far more paranoia than the show conveys.
- Headey has said she played her as someone who has never once been allowed to want anything for herself.
Why number 6 in Best on TV
She loses constantly and keeps escalating until the board resets. Her solution to being cornered is one of television's most shocking single acts.
If you like this villain
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1996
The darkest antagonist a major animation studio has ever released
Threat index 77
Animation
Mother Gothel
Tangled · 2010
The villain whose weapon is a compliment with a knife in it
Threat index 73