In the aftermath, a feudal society was established in an area of the American Midwest known as the Badlands, which was divided into several territories ruled by ruthless Barons. Those territories have a strict hierarchy in place, with the Barons served by a slave-like workforce called Cogs and trafficked sex slaves known as Dolls. To maintain law and order, each of the Barons has a squad of assassins known as Clippers, who are highly skilled and loyal warriors who rely on their martial arts skills to fight since guns have been outlawed in the Badlands.

Daniel Wu as Sunny

Date of Birth: September 30, 1974

• Active Since: 1998

Actor: Daniel Wu is a Hong Kong-American actor who has starred in over 60 films, primarily in his home country. His roles in films like New Police Story and One Nite in Mongkok have solidified him as a star in China. This international stardom has allowed him to find success in Hollywood, appearing in mainstream movies such as Warcraft and Tomb Raider (2018). Additionally, he has appeared in Westworld season 4 and recently took a main role in the series American Born Chinese on Disney+ alongside Michelle Yeoh.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: Sunny has a reputation as the deadliest of all Clippers and serves Quinn, the most powerful Baron in the Badlands. As a Regent (the highest-ranking Clippers), Sunny acts as Quinn’s right-hand man and confidant. Until that is, a chance meeting with M.K. and finding out about his secret girlfriend Veil’s forbidden pregnancy leads him on a quest beyond the Badlands.

Aramis Knight as M.K.

Date of Birth: October 3, 1999

• Active Since: 2005

Actor: Aramis Knight is an American actor from Los Angeles who began working in movies and television as a child. In his youth, he appeared on several famous TV shows in minor guest roles, including Lost, Dexter, Psych, and Boston Legal. He continued to find small roles in movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Ender's Game before landing the role of M.K. in Into the Badlands. This has led to more mainstream success, with him appearing in Ms. Marvel as the comic book character Red Dagger. He's also set to appear in 2025's Karate Kid movie.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: M.K. Is a mysterious teenage boy with inexplicable powers that make him a valuable commodity to the Badlands’ Barons. After Sunny saves M.K.’s life and discovers they are both connected to the legendary lost city of Azra, Sunny becomes M.K.’s mentor.

Orla Brady as Lydia

Date of Birth: March 28, 1961

• Active Since: 1991

Actor: Orla Brady is an Irish actress from Dublin who's appeared in film and television roles for over three decades. Brady has acted in some high-profile TV shows, particularly in recent years, including Star Trek: Picard, Doctor Who, American Horror Story: 1984, and, of course, Into the Badlands. She's appeared in over thirty TV series in her career, along with over a dozen feature films. Her most recent work was the Anthony Hopkins film Freud's Last Session.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: Lydia was Baron Quinn’s first wife. After Quinn’s second wife, Jade, is poisoned, Lydia is blamed and exiled from her former territory, where she forms other allegiances.

Emily Beecham as The Widow

Date of Birth: May 12, 1984

• Active Since: 2006

Actor: Emily Beecham is an English actress born in Manchester whose first film role was in 28 Weeks Later. In film, she received the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Little Joe and has appeared in high-profile projects like Hail, Caesar!, Cruella, and Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. In television, she's most recently been in the outstanding Netflix mystery series 1899, which was sadly canceled after one season. She's currently working on King and Conqueror, where she'll co-star with Game of Thrones alum Nikolaj-Coster-Waldau

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: Also known as Minerva, The Widow is the newest Baron in the Badlands. She rose to power after killing the previous baron of her territory – her husband – and has a vested interest in M.K. and his powers.

Ally Ioannides as Tilda

Date of Birth: January 1998

• Active Since: 2009

Actor: Ally Ioannides is an American actress from Atlanta, Georgia, who's best known for her role in Into the Badlands. She's had a career in film and television for over a decade, though the AMC series has been her only prominent project. Before that, she appeared in mostly short films and has only had guest roles in other well-known projects. She appeared in two episodes of Elementary and was in an episode of The Good Doctor in 2022. Her most recent film was called Jesus Revolution, which grossed $54 million in 2023.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: Tilda is The Widow’s pseudo-adopted daughter and a highly skilled teenage assassin who later rises to the rank of Regent.

Nick Frost as Bajie

Date of Birth: March 28, 1972

• Active Since: 1998

Actor: Nick Frost is a British actor who's best known for appearing in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, with roles in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End. He also gained recognition for working with Simon Pegg on the British sitcom Spaced. Since his career kicked off, he's appeared in a variety of movies and shows, mostly in ing roles. His blockbuster films include The Huntsman: Winter's War, Tomb Raider, and more. In 2025, he'll be in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon reboot.

Notable Movie & TV Roles:

Character: Bajie is a prison escapee who forms an unlikely alliance with Sunny.

Related

Where In The United States Into The Badlands Takes Place

AMC's post-apocalyptic martial arts series, Into the Badlands, is set 500 years into the future, but where exactly does it take place in the U.S.?

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Into the Badlands ing Cast & Characters

Sherman Augustus as Nathaniel Moon: Sherman Augustus is an American actor and martial artist who's best known for his roles in Into the Badlands and Stranger Things season 4. He's also guest starred in dozens of other famous shows, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Westworld, and Star Trek: Voyager.

Sarah Bolger as Jade: Sarah Bolger is an Irish actress who's been acting since she was a child, with roles in high-budget movies like Stormbreaker, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and more. In TV, she's also been in the shows Once Upon a Time and The Tudors.

Oliver Stark as Ryder: Oliver Stark is a British actor best known for his role on 9-1-1. He's played the lead in over one hundred episodes and has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award.

Madeleine Mantock as Veil: Madeleine Mantock is a British actress who's best known for TV roles on the shows The Tomorrow People and The CW's Charmed. She also had a role in the Tom Cruise sci-fi action blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow.

Babou Ceesay as Pilgrim: Babou Ceesay has appeared in movies and shows for nearly two decades, with his best-known work being on the miniseries Guerilla. On it, he starred alongside Idris Elba and Freida Pinto.

Lorraine Toussaint as Cressida: Lorraine Toussaint is a Trinidadian-born actress who's been acting professionally since 1981. In her four-decade career, she's earned a SAG Award and a Critics' Choice Award, finding success on shows like Orange is the New Black and movies like Selma.

Ella-Rae Smith as Nix: Ella-Rae Smith is an English actress who gained prominence for her role in Clique. She's since appeared in the blockbuster film Hobbs & Shaw and successful TV shows like The Witcher and Foundation.

Marton Csokas as Quinn: Martin Csokas is a New Zealand actor who audiences might recognize for his minor role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he played Celeborn. He's also been in the Ridley Scott historical epic Kingdom of Heaven and the Denzel Washington action movie The Equalizer.

Into the Badlands

Action

Adventure

Drama

10.0/10

Release Date

2015 - 2019-00-00

Into the Badlands follows Sunny (Daniel Wu) and M.K. (Aramis Knight), who traverse a post-apocalyptic world set 500 years in the future. Premiering in 2015, Into the Badlands was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and aired on AMC until 2019 when its third season came to a close.

Network

AMC

Cast

Madeleine Mantock, Ella-Rae Smith, Nick Frost, Sarah Bolger, Aramis Knight, Marton Csokas, Daniel Wu, Lorraine Toussaint, Emily Beecham, Babou Ceesay, Sherman Augustus, Orla Brady, Stephen Lang, Oliver Stark, Ally Ioannides

Seasons

3

Streaming Service(s)

AppleTV+

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