The NBC sitcom Community is about a study group at the college of Greendale. The absurdity of the comedy allows many eccentric characters to join the show. While some students on campus are innocently odd, others have more devious intentions.
There’s not one clear antagonist of the series. However, many characters are subtle villains who work to harm Greendale or disrupt the lives of the study group. But interestingly enough, some of the villains are close to the group. Or, they’re members of it themselves, which makes their actions even more disagreeable.
Pierce Hawthorne
It’s not often that one of the main characters of a sitcom is also a show’s antagonist. But Pierce, the eldest member of the study group, is often the villain. He constantly sabotages the group to gain more attention.
Pierce causes so much trouble that the others try to vote him out of the study group in the episode “A Fistful of Paintballs.” Annie sticks up for Pierce, but when he gives Jeff a gun empty of paintballs, she realizes that he will never change.
Annie Kim
Annie Edison is the over-achiever of the group. She usually gets the highest grade in every class. But, Annie's spot as the best student is challenged by her academic rival Annie Kim.
Annie Kim tries to beat Annie in every school competition. She even steals Annie's idea to start a Model U.N. club on campus. They face off to decide who will lead the club. But the one thing Annie Kim doesn't have is a dedicated group of friends that help her succeed.
Alan Connor
Before Jeff enrolled at Greendale, he was an immoral lawyer. He would make sure guilty clients walked free. The group learns of Jeff's conspicuous past when his old co-worker Alan visits.
Alan influences Jeff to revert to his old ways. When he's around, Jeff is more callous. Alan also is the one who snitched to the state bar association about Jeff's lack of credentials. Additionally, later in the series, Alan harshly cross-examines Shirley so Pierce can gain sole ownership of Shirley's Sandwiches.
Dean Stephen Spreck
Greendale isn’t the only community college in the area. City College is nearby and often competes with Greendale. The Dean of the school, Stephen Spreck, makes it his mission to destroy Greendale by any means necessary.
This rivalry often creates chaos for Greendale. Dean Spreck is practically a supervillain. He tows Greendale’s space simulator, starts a fake ice cream company to sponsor the paintball game that destroys the campus, and helps Chang fake amnesia so he can wreak havoc on the school.
Juergen
While Juergen only appears in the episode "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism," he is a great villain for Shirley and Jeff. Juergen is a foreign exchange student at Greendale and the leader of the obnoxious German clique on campus.
Juergen's a skilled foosball player and loves humiliating people. When Jeff tries to stop him from tormenting other students, Jurgen both beats and embarrasses him. Jeff teams up with Shirley, and they end his reign of terror.
Ben Chang
Chang starts as a Spanish professor. Throughout the year, he unfairly teaches and grades his students. His ill-advised teaching methods make sense, as Chang never really got his teaching license. At times, he was teaching his students Klingon.
He's a bit unhinged and often thwarts the study’s group plans. One time, Chang stages a coup and kidnaps the Dean. He does this with the help of a group of preteens he calls the “Changlourious Bastards.”
Murray
Murray scouts Troy to join the air conditioning repair school. It’s not just a trade school; it’s the most successful division of the college. Murray is second in command to Vice Dean Laybourne (who heads the A/C repair department).
The A/C school is almost like a cult because once students are in the program, they’re in for life. Murray is the one who often makes things difficult for Troy. He also kills Laybourne so that he can become the head of the department.
Leonard Rodriguez
Many recurring characters in Community take courses with no graduation plans in sight. One of these characters is the elderly student Leonard Rodriguez. He doesn't care what others think, so he's disobedient with no remorse.
Leonard frequently antagonizes the study group. This usually results in one of the characters yelling, "Shut up, Leonard!" in response. His other antics include skinny dipping in a campus pool, putting a "kick me" sign on the Dean's back, and stealing the study group's "registration balls" in the "Hunger Deans" competition.
Dr. Rich
Dr. Rich is first introduced in “Beginner Pottery.” On the surface, he doesn’t seem like a villain. He is kind, intelligent, and is skilled at everything he does. But his perfection makes him an antagonist in the eyes of Jeff.
Jeff acts confident, but he’s pretty insecure. He envies Rich’s likability. Also, Jeff’s jealous of the connection Rich has with Annie. In Jeff’s perspective, Rich is dangerous, threatening his place in the study group and his power on campus.
Richie And Carl
The often drunk Carl and Richie lead the Greendale school board. But, unfortunately, they care more about making a profit than the well-being of the students. Their worst action is when they try to sell the campus to Subway.
In the episode "Basic Sandwich," Carl and Richie thwart the Save Greendale Committee's plans. They trap the committee in Borchert's lab underneath the campus and take the money they found. Richie also has supervillain-like powers, which allows him to read the minds of others.