10 Greatest Villain Introductions In TV History

Creating an unforgettable and iconic TV villain who can keep audiences on their toes for years and years is no easy feat - it requires so many individual things going right, from casting the right actor for the job to dialling in the writing and direction to a meticulous degree.

But first impressions count for a lot as we all know, and so the manner in which a villain is introduced will most likely define the regard they're held in forever more.

Screw up the antagonist's debut scene and it'll be an uphill struggle to win viewers back, but get it right and you'll have them eating from the palm of your hand.

There are many great TV villain introductions, but these 10 stand tall at the top of the pack, immediately confirming the authority, savagery, and personality of these all-timer characters.

From the moment we met them, these villains announced themselves as major forces to be reckoned with one way or another, and made it clear the heroes had their work cut out for them.

When villains show up with this much sheer screen presence, you know you're in for a treat...

Game of Thrones had many unforgettable villains throughout its run, but the sure king of the pack? Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), of course.

Unlike many of the villains on this list, Tywin wasn't introduced by brutally murdering someone or doing some mustache-twirling evil monologuing, but rather having a conversation with his son, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).

As Jaime disparages Ned Stark (Sean Bean), Tywin calmly but firmly informs him that attacking Ned was stupid and unbecoming of the Lannister name, all while he guts and field-dresses a stag, no less.

Tywin continues to challenge Jaime, memorably telling him, "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep," before agreeing to give him half his forces to attack Riverrun.

Nevertheless, Tywin is clearly irritated by his son's conduct, reminding him of the importance of maintaining the Lannister name's integrity long after they're all dead.

Charles Dance is firing on all cylinders throughout this five-minute scene, and though Tywin's introduction is brilliant enough that you might assume it was adapted directly from George R.R. Martin's source material, it was in fact written specifically for the show.

And better yet, that was a real stag that Charles Dance was cutting up.