The Dungeons & Dragons movies utilized Jeremy Irons to quite good effect, despite their catastrophic attempts at overall dramatic tension. This villain was sadly underused, but Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, thankfully, stepped in with Sofina and the Red Wizards of Thay. The big bad of the movie was Szass Tam, which was excellent, meaning that the new D&D show probably won't want to rehash this concept.

Drew Crevello will serve as showrunner on The Forgotten Realms, the new D&D show in development, set to focus on the eponymous campaign setting that may have been D&D's best-known for years. Working alongside Shawn Levy, who produced the D&D-inspired Stranger Things, the show is sure to bring a wealth of D&D wonders to the screen. And with a Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves sequel unlikely, it may be gamers' and readers' best shot at seeing classic D&D villains televised. Some of them could be on screens for the very first time within a few years.

5 Acererak

Lich

One of Vecna's most powerful acolytes could be a villain in The Forgotten Realms season 1. Acererak is a great option for the D&D show, helping it avoid reusing Szass Tam as a main villain. Acererak is an associate of Vecna, a classic D&D villain. This link could tempt in hordes of Stranger Things fans, seeing how heavily Vecna featured in Stranger Things. Acererak is also less powerful than Vecna, so the show could build to a Vecna appearance.

Since The Forgotten Realms will share its producer with Stranger Things, it seems unlikely that it will use Vecna as a main villain. However, if it did, Acererak would be the perfect precursor and could lean into the drama and betrayal between the two. Acererak is a terrifying lich of a villain. He could summon up images of Skeletor, playing into truly classic high fantasy imagery with his undead appearance.

4 Halaster Blackcloak

Wizard

Halaster is far less renowned than villains like Vecna and Tiamat, but this may be why he is the perfect villain for The Forgotten Realms. Halaster is an insane Wizard who resides in the Undermountain. He is also one of the great D&D villains who could have taken on the adventuring party from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, no problem. This mainstay of D&D deserves to be explored in the Netflix show.

Halaster is also known as Haalvar the Mad.

Appearing in games since 2e, this character is popular with old-timers and new-timers alike. As a Wizard, this villain would have a Saruman-like charm, engaging Lord of the Rings fans and those thirsty for an evil Wizard to get enraged at. The lack of wider awareness about him among those who aren't in the D&D fandom would create a novel experience for new fans, which may be needed, considering there are actually quite a few D&D TV shows on right now, including The Legend of Vox Machina and Stranger Things.

3 Demogorgon

Prince Of Demons

Demogorgon is undoubtedly one of the perfect Dungeons & Dragons villains for live-action, with his terrifying stature and multi-headed bite. This evil creature was popularized by Netflix's flagship show, Stranger Things, but was not utilized to the same extent as Vecna. Therefore, audiences caught a glimpse of him and may well be hankering for more. Known as the Prince of Demons, Demogorgon would be a final boss for any adventuring party.

Demogorgon has run-ins with various characters in the Drizzt books.

Demogorgon is also one of the powerful monsters Drizzt Do'Urden fought in Dungeons & Dragons, which would entice readers of the Drizzt books into watching The Forgotten Realms. Demogorgon has run-ins with various characters in the Drizzt books, which would give The Forgotten Realms interesting source material. This demon lord would enable an exploration of the Abyss, a hellish realm to add a horror dimension to the show.

2 Xanathar

Beholder

The Xanathar is a beholder and the insane boss of an underground crime ring in Dungeons & Dragons. This huge, giant eyeball would be one of the most original monsters to hit TV screens in a long time. Sauron may have been a giant, disembodied eye, but the Xanathar is as bodily as monsters come, endowed with a gaping jaw full of fangs and writhing tentacles that could be delightfully repulsive.

Somewhat reminiscent of Jabba the Hut, this excellent creature would bring an atmosphere somewhere between Star Wars and classic Lovecraft.

This beholder features in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign, along with Jarlaxle Baenre, another crime boss of the Waterdeep city. Somewhat reminiscent of Jabba the Hut, this excellent creature would bring an atmosphere somewhere between Star Wars and classic Lovecraft. Inevitably inspired by Cthulhu, Xanathar has enough greed and personality to enliven any live-action arc.

1 Lolth

The Spider Queen

Dungeons & Dragons has a new best villain after confirming Lolth's fascinating position as a protector of Drizzt Do'Urden, despite being his enemy at the same time. This intriguing villain is a goddess of chaos, dominating the city of Menzoberranzan through her network of religious acolytes. Demanding worship from all drow and subjugating the males of the species, Lolth is a nasty villain by anyone's standards.

Lolth is explored in Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn.

Lolth has been a mainstay of The Legend of Drizzt books by American author R.A. Salvatore since the first Dark Elf book, released in 1990. She is really the most cruel, bizarre, and enduring villain of Dungeons & Dragons' best book series, and for that reason alone, she is worthy of being the main villain of The Forgotten Realms. Also, she has never been televised before, making her Dungeons & Dragons' potential next big thing.