Through its run, The CW remake of the popular 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty has done justice to the original. With fresh storylines and modern versions of the main characters, it has put its spin on the indulgent lives of the wealthy Carrington family, leading to some great episodes of the show so far. The main characters are based on the iconic original, many of whom could be considered villains both then and now, from the Carringtons themselves to their friends and foes.
Evil deeds are typically what make villains so memorable, but, in the case of Dynasty, some of the biggest villains are just inherently bad and potentially beyond redemption.
Joseph Anders
It might sound strange to call Joseph Anders, who is one of the most likable characters on the show, not to mention one of the best TV butlers, a villain. But, in some ways, he is. He has, on more than one occasion, toed the line of morality as a result of his loyalty to the Carrington family, and Blake, in particular.
He sent his daughter away, believing the Carringtons over her. He had an affair with Alexis which led to their son Steven, and he then kept his true paternity a secret for decades. He also got rid of Trixie's body to save the Carringtons from scandal, and he lied about her death. While Anders isn't inherently a bad person, he has worked so long for the Carringtons that they have begun to rub off on him.
Claudia Blaisdel
Appearing in the first two seasons, Claudia was part of a story that kicked off the entire series when her husband was killed on the job, an accident that she claimed was at the hands of Blake Carrington.
As the story went on, however, Claudia went from a character to whom viewers were sympathetic to a bona fide villain. It was revealed that she not only was responsible for her husband's death, but she had been faking a brain injury for years to prevent him from leaving her for Cristal, with whom he had been having an affair. Her anger was understandable but how far she went, including holding a gun to the Carringtons, made her a true villain.
Fallon Carrington
Fallon isn't a villain in the sense of the others; she has a true moral compass and clearly cares about certain people, like Culhane, Monica, and, of course, her husband Liam. She has also gone out of her way to help her father Blake. Even though she claims it's for the sake of the family dynasty, she clearly has fond feelings for her father.
She's wavered between hero and villain throughout the Dynasty series, but Fallon is a villain in a sense in that she will do whatever necessary to get what she wants. If someone gets on her bad side, she wouldn't hesitate to set them up for failure, as she did with the first Cristal in season 1. She treats those who work for her or in the Carrington Manor poorly, and she's never hesitant to throw out insults.
Jeff Colby
Though his character has been explored at length, there's still plenty of mystery surrounding Dynasty's Jeff. He swoops in whenever there's an opportunity to get revenge on the Carringtons, often making deals for the sole purpose of watching Blake fall owing to their intense personal rivalry. He has fought like a child with everyone from Blake to Alexis, making underhanded deals to give him an upper hand.
While, unlike many of the Carringtons, there is evident goodness in Jeff, he has still made some moves to satisfy his own need for vengeance like orchestrating to marry Fallon just to be able to infiltrate the Carrington family.
Laura Van Kirk
While Liam might be a solid guy, his mother Laura Van Kirk is a total villain. Not only did she try to sabotage his relationship with Fallon, and she even faked that she was dying to get his attention, but she extorted Blake, only agreeing to a deal that would save his company if he would sleep with her.
She is generally manipulative and cunning. While she might not have as much screen time as other characters on the show, when she does, she is usually up to no good.
Dominique Deveraux
The fact that Dominique picked up and left her children to fulfill her selfish dreams alone makes her a villain. But, even after returning decades later, her focus continued to be on her rights as a Carrington and not on trying to make amends with her children.
Dominique is always scheming, trying to find a way to make herself rich, no matter who she hurts. She even aligned with Alexis in an effort to take down Blake, then switched teams and partnered with him when it suited her. She is not someone anyone can trust, as, in the end, Dominique only ever cares about Dominique. It's no surprise, then, that Dominique is among the least-likable characters on Dynasty.
Blake Carrington
Blake blissfully lives in his own world, and, while he has a few redeeming qualities, he is also literally not afraid to commit murder if it suits him. He knows, after all, that he has people around him who can make the problem go away. He threatens, intimidates, and schemes to get his own way and ensure his empire is protected.
As an absent father, Blake focused more on his work than his children. His wife Crystal also left him because he neglected her, as well. Blake took his villainy to unfathomable levels when he tried to take down his own daughter in her efforts to run the business or to start her own.
Evan Tate
Introduced in the third season, Evan initially appeared to be a put-together lawyer simply living his life and grieving the long-ago death/disappearance of his younger sister. But, he harbored deep resentment for Fallon, though it's unclear whether that only bubbled to the surface out of jealousy when she rejected a relationship with him or if it existed all along.
He seemed to have flipped a switch by the fourth season, intent on ruining Fallon's wedding to Liam, and even holding a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her. He also stabbed Kirby, seriously injuring her and leaving her for dead. While it's unclear whether Evan will ever be seen again or not, his brazen acts of violence and murderous behavior make him a top villain from the show.
Adam Carrington
While Adam initially was presented as having psychopathic tendencies, he may possibly be redeemable. That said, no matter how much he appears to love Kirby, it's difficult to forget that he literally pushed his biological mother's face into a fire then arranged to have plastic surgery to make her look like Fallon, making for a Dynasty plot twist that fans never saw coming.
It's clear Adam's evil deeds are not done, so chances are that he will only become more and more of a villainous wolf hiding in sheep's clothing. He never has an off day when it comes to his scheming.
Alexis Carrington
There's nothing Alexis won't do to put herself on top of social circles, the Carrington dynasty, and whatever other mountain she can climb. She only does anything if it serves her interests or if it will harm people who get in her way. If she can accomplish both—and she often finds ways to do so—she will gladly follow that path to kill two birds with one stone.
She has shot someone, schemed to take over Carrington Manor from Blake, partnered with Dominique to get rich, and even married Jeff in a sham arrangement just so they could pair their villainy together. She's smart, cunning, clever, and resourceful, which are, under other circumstances, valuable qualities. But, when it really comes down to it, Alexis is the most evil character featured on Dynasty.