Summary
- Fargo showcases a variety of dangerous villains, each with their own defining quirks and philosophies on life and death.
- The show's villains use violence for different reasons, such as profit, power, or pleasure, making them interesting and unpredictable.
- Fargo has created some of TV's most dangerous killers, with characters like Lorne Malvo and Roy Tillman displaying a chilling disregard for human life.
Although there are plenty of violent criminals to choose from in Fargo usually have the best villains, and the show has created a wide variety of compelling killers over the years.
Despite the abundance of vicious criminals in Fargo, the show does a great job of distinguishing between its different villains. Many of the characters have some kind of defining quirk, like Ole Munch's odd pattern of speech or V. M. Varga's disgusting teeth, but they also have different philosophies on life and death. Not all of Fargo's criminals are violent for profit. Some of them use violence to exert control over other people, and some of them commit crimes for the sheer joy of it. These conflicting ideals make Fargo's villains interesting and unpredictable, resulting in some of TV's most dangerous killers.
Fargo Season 6 & Beyond Addressed By Creator
Following the season 5 finale, creator Noah Hawley now addresses whether Fargo season 6 is on the cards and what the show’s future will be.
10 Wrench & Numbers
Played by Russel Harvard and Adam Goldberg in Season 1
Mr. Wrench and Mr. Numbers work together as one, partly because Wrench is deaf, and he needs Numbers to help him communicate. Despite their comedic dynamic and their constant bickering, they make a dangerous team. The duo are tasked with finding out who killed Sam Hess, and they drop an innocent man into a frozen lake and intimidate Lester before finding out they are looking for Lorne Malvo. Wrench's return in season 3 shows he can be just as deadly without his partner, killing many of Varga's men and Emmit Stussy.
9 Gaetano Fadda
Played by Salvatore Esposito in Season 4
Gaetano represents the Italian roots of the Fadda Family, and he's also a link to the Old World way of doing business. In the grand Roman tradition, Gaetano prefers violence to negotiation. He's an extremely volatile presence, and he wins over some of his family with his philosophy. Gaetano cut his teeth by killing communists for Mussolini's fascist regime, desensitizing him to all violence. If not for his absurd, laughable death, tripping on the street and shooting himself in the head, he could have taken control of the Fadda Family and ruled for a generation.
8 Roy Tillman
Played by Jon Hamm in Season 5
People in Stark County have to live by Roy's rules, and there's no recourse for those who cross him.
Sheriff of Stark County, Roy Tillman is a violent brute with a history of murder. Roy lets his violent tendencies overrule his senses, killing Danish Graves and his own father-in-law even though it gets him deeper into trouble. The most dangerous thing about Roy isn't his aggression though, it's his control of the law. People in Stark County have to live by Roy's rules, and there's no recourse for those who cross him. Fargo season 5's ending reveals Roy's true nature as a bully who uses his power to separate people, but he can't stand up to a unified assault.
Is Linda Tillman Dead? What Really Happened To Gator's Mom In Fargo Season 5
Linda Tillman has become a compelling figure in Fargo season 5, but what actually happened to Gator’s mom in the show, and what does it mean for Dot?
7 Mike Milligan/ Satchel Cannon
Played by Bokeem Woodbine in Season 2
Season 4 reveals that Loy Cannon's son Satchel eventually grows up into Mike Milligan, a hitman for the Kansa City Mafia. Mike usually travels with the Kitchen brothers, his two silent enforcers who act as his protection. Even in chaotic situations, Mike maintains his composure. His upbringing under his father and Rabbi Milligan set him up to overcome adversity, and this gives him a chilling disinterest. Mike survives season 2, but winds up in an unfulfilling office job, so he would be a great returning character for future seasons of Fargo.
6 Josto Fadda
Played by Jason Schwartzman in Season 4
After the death of his father, Josto finds himself at the head of his family's criminal organization, but his position is far from secure. Josto faces a war with Loy Cannon, but he also has to quash any signs of rebellion within his own ranks, and he uses violence as a tool in both situations. Josto acts overly aggressive in an attempt to prove himself to his men, and his recklessness is what makes him such a danger. He's much less concerned about endangering his own men than Loy is, and he escalates the war without reservation.
5 Oraetta Mayflower
Played by Jessie Buckley in Season 4
Oraetta uses her position as a nurse to kill Donatello Fadda, and she also tries to poison Ethelrida. She doesn't seem as dangerous as many of Fargo's other villains, but Ethelrida discovers her secret stash of newspaper clippings and personal trophies which reveal she has many more victims than just Donatello. Oraetta could be a sadistic serial killer with a long list of victims, and her morbid curiosity when it comes to her and Josto's execution is more evidence of her fascination with death. Fargo season 4 wasn't the show's most popular, but Oraetta is a standout character.
4 Ole Munch
Played by Sam Spruell in Season 5
Ole Munch never seems close to death, and he always gets his revenge.
Ole Munch speaks like a creature from a fable, and his mysterious past suggests that he may even have supernatural powers. Despite several attempts on his life, especially from Gator, Ole Munch never seems close to death, and he always gets his revenge. Fargo reveals Ole Munch's strange past in fragments, but there is still a lot that's unknown about him. One thing that is certain is his lethal skill, exemplified by the casual way he dispatches so many of Roy's men on the Tillman ranch just to deliver a blinded Gator back to the Sheriff.
Fargo Season 5's 1500s Flashback Explained & How It Connects To Ole Munch
Fargo season 5 has a surprising flashback to Wales in the 1500s. But what does the flashback mean and how does it connect to Ole Munch?
3 V. M. Varga
Played by David Thewlis in Season 3
Although he isn't the type to get his hands dirty, V. M. Varga authorizes multiple killings via his henchmen, Meemo, Golem, and Yuri Gurka. Varga is the most powerful villain in all of Fargo, with several businesses in his back pocket and an army of men at his disposal. Varga himself can't be touched. He isn't likely to do any physical damage himself, but he has the power to crush anyone who gets in his way. He's ruthless in his pursuit of profit, believing that money is the only thing that defines a person's worth.
2 Hanzee Dent/ Moses Tripoli
Played by Zach McClarnon in Season 2
Although he later changes his identity and becomes Moses Tripoli, the mob boss who appears in season 1, Hanzee is at his most dangerous in season 2 working for the Gerhardt family. While the Gerhardts struggle with the incapacitation of their patriarch, Hanzee keeps the business running in the background, and he becomes the go-to guy for any ugly deed Dodd or Bear need from him. Hanzee's betrayal shows that he isn't just immensely skilled, he's also ambitious and unemotional, which is a dangerous combination for anyone. Hanzee's rise to the top proves his proficiency in the world of organized crime.
1 Lorne Malvo
Played by Billy Bob Thornton in Season 1
Fargo season 1 introduced one of the most chilling TV villains in years. Lorne Malvo is an assassin, but he is more than happy to take time out of his schedule to indulge his animalistic desires, and he also enjoys urging others into committing horrible deeds. Malvo has the highest kill count of any single character in the history of Fargo. He's not afraid to kill people in public, because he has no problem silencing any witnesses. His disionate murder of three innocent people in an elevator highlights his callous disregard for human life.
