10 TV Villains You Didn't Realise Actually Won

The most enigmatic and entertaining aspect of FX's Fargo adaptation is undoubtedly Billy Bob Thornton's turn as Lorne Malvo. As unpredictable as he is dangerous, Malvo is a hired assassin who takes way too much pleasure from his work. We never learn his true name or origins and quite frankly that makes him all the more interesting.

Bored with a recent assignment, Malvo can't help but gleefully cause carnage at every turn. Whether it be manipulation, mockery or murder, as long as he's in control of the pawns around him it's all fair game. His sinister powers of persuasion even manage to transform the downtrodden, perpetual doormat Lester Nygaard into a successful, scheming murderer.

His most prominent larks include staging an elaborate 'suicide by cop' scenario, single-handedly decimating a building full of Mafia thugs and, of course, pretending to be a dentist for months while adopting the super cool catchphrase 'Aces!'.

While his own hubris (and a bear trap) takes him down in the end, Malvo's reign of terror will not soon be forgotten. Even the very end of his spree is punctuated by another victory; driving the sickeningly nice, infuriatingly clumsy Officer Gus Grimly to shoot him in cold blood.

He tainted everyone that he came into contact with and in doing so made the narrative many shades darker (and twice as enjoyable).