As the Mikaelsons became the heroes of their own story, The Originals introduced bad guys to take on the most powerful vampires in history. Becoming a villain to villains is no small feat, but not all bad guys were up to par. Some held their ground against the overpowered siblings while others fizzled out.
Sometimes the Mikaelsons were their own worst enemies, with brother fighting brother and sons fighting fathers. Regardless of the battle, it was always epic, to say the least. Here are five of the best villains, and five of the worst, throughout the series, ranked.
BEST: Esther and Finn
Finn and Kol Mikaelson return with their mother from the afterlife in an attempt to redeem their siblings Rebekah, Klaus and Elijah. But the New Orleans trio are not swayed by the lure of magic and becoming witches in exchange for mortal life.
Klaus especially has great disdain for Esther. Her hypocrisy incenses him, as she is the one who turned them, and now she claims to see her errors. Finn meanwhile revels in his power to torture his stubborn siblings. What better villains than one's mother and brothers?
WORST: Father Kieran O'Connell
Cami's uncle Kieran didn't last long on the series, and for good reason. He was a man of God who compromised his beliefs in exchange for false security for his parishioners and the residents of New Orleans.
As the leader of The Faction, the human segment of a roundtable between vampires, witches and humans, he claimed loyalty to people, not monsters. But he was willing to work with traitorous witches to defy the vampires he saw as a threat. In the end, the witches betrayed and cursed him to death.
BEST: Dahlia
No one can get under one's skin quite like family, and Dahlia proved this time and time again. Viewing Esther's marriage to Mikael as a betrayal of their sisterhood, she cursed their family when Esther looked for her help in protecting her children.
To keep the others safe, Esther had to give up her firstborn and curse the rest of the lineage to the same fate, always losing the firstborn to Dahlia. She kept Freya prisoner for centuries and came after Hope. She nearly got the best of Klaus Mikaelson.
WORST: Davina Claire
First used as Marcel's weapon against the witches, Davina grew weary of manipulation. She struck out on her own and became the Regent of the Nine Covens of New Orleans, but the title and power were too much for her. She abused her power and hired Hayley to kill one of her own, eventually leading to her exile.
As angry as she was at the vampires for all they'd done, Davina didn't wear the role of villain well. She had too much heart and compassion for that kind of brutality.
BEST: Lucien, Aurora and Tristan
Known as The Trinity, these three were the first vampires sired by the Originals: Lucien by Klaus, Tristan by Elijah and Aurora by Rebekah. What made these villains so interesting is that they paralleled the original trio of the series and portrayed how they created monsters.
It wasn't just that Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah turned them into vampires, but that they abandoned their "children" and used them as decoys to escape Mikael. It's easy to understand why they sought revenge against their sires. Lucien, Aurora and Tristan were an equal match.
WORST: Celeste Dubois
As with all the villains of The Originals, Celeste was motivated by revenge against the Mikaelsons. Once the witch lover of Elijah, she returned as Sabine Laurent, one of the members of the French Quarter Coven. But Sabine wasn't her first possession, as she had been jumping from body to body for centuries.
Never having a true body of her own, Celeste resorted to manipulation. She used whoever she needed to achieve her means, making her an unreliable ally, even against the Mikaelsons. Her attack against the unborn Hope was the last straw.
BEST: The Hollow
Born in ancient times as a witch named Inadu from Hayley's bloodline, The Hollow grew too powerful for her people and became an all-consuming force that could only be stopped if her body was separated from itself. Try as they might, The Hollow would not be held at bay for long.
She came back to possess Eva Sinclair, Vincent's wife, and eventually drove Vincent mad as well. She came for Hope Mikaelson and possessed the young witch, as hers was the only vessel that could truly hold The Hollow's power without dying.
WORST: The Ancestors
The source of the New Orleans' witches power, the Ancestors are dead witches that keep growing in the ranks every time one of the coven dies and joins them. But witches tend to remain blindly loyal to their kind only, leaving no room for nuance within relationships.
It makes it hard for the likes of Davina to be with her love, Kol Mikaelson, a vampire. The Ancestors carry too much power dictating the lives of the living, so Davina takes matters into her hands and destroys the Other Side.
BEST: Marcel Gerard
Marcel's loyalty to the Mikaelson family fluctuates, but he is at his best when he stands as his own man against their power and entitlement. Marcel is especially impressive when he becomes a new and improved hybrid thanks to magic procured by Lucien's witch.
Though Klaus sees him as a son, his jealousy gets the best of him and forces Marcel to become an enemy. Without the love that exists between the two vampires, there couldn't be such a rich animosity. His ability to conspire against Klaus makes him a smart foe.
WORST: Greta Sienna
After centuries of harboring hatred for Klaus Mikaelson, Greta Sienna gets her chance at revenge when Elijah loses his memories. Without his memories, Elijah is no longer loyal to his violent brother and falls in love with Antoinette, wanting to protect her and her little brother only. In the process, under Greta's influence, he abandons Hayley when she needs him most, leading to her death.
If Greta hadn't used Elijah and intervened in his life with Antoinette, Hope would still have her mother. It's hard to sympathize with Greta when she married a Nazi.