7 TV Villains Secretly Introduced Way Earlier Than You Realise

7. Red Dragon - Hannibal

Francis Dolarhyde (Richard Armitage) aka the Red Dragon was officially introduced in the latter half of Hannibal's third (and to date, final) season, but the show's creator Brian Fuller tweeted back in 2013 that the character technically made his first appearance in this universe in the show's pilot episode.

The pilot, "Apéritif," opens with FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) investigating the brutal double murders of Mr. and Mrs. Marlow, a crime which is never actually solved over the course of the series.

Yet by Fuller's own word, this wasn't some random unsolved crime - it was our secret first glimpse at Red Dragon, one of the most infamous and prolific killers of the entire series.

The Marlowe Murders that open the #HANNIBAL Premiere are actually the first murders committed by Francis Dolarhyde, aka, the #REDDRAGON

— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) April 11, 2013