Content Warning: This article contains mentions of drug misuse and violence.
Rafe Cameron is the eldest of the Cameron children in Netflix's Outer Banks. After dropping out of college, Rafe moved back to his family's home in the Outer Banks to work the family business. As one of the wealthiest families in the Outer Banks, Rafe's sense of wealth and entitlement went to his head and he felt like he could get away with literal murder.
The downfall of this small North Carolina town all occurred because of Rafe's insecurities with his father. What transpired was a web of lies to protect his image, even though he was the person behind some truly heinous crimes. Although Rafe's father, Ward, appears to be the mastermind behind most of the bad things, it's Rafe who's the true villain.
For Starters, He Shot Officer Peterkin
While many fans felt that Topper was a villain in Outer Banks when it came to his relationship with Rafe's sister, Sarah, Rafe exceeded Topper with his villainous ways. And it all started when he tried winning his father's approval.
After being caught misusing drugs, Rafe felt like he lost his father's respect. So, when he found out that Sheriff Peterkin was going to arrest his dad for the murder of John B. Sr., he thought the one way to prove his loyalty to his dad was to shoot Sheriff Peterkin and point the blame on John B. Fans should have realized that this was only the beginning of Rafe villainous arc as he didn't seem to regret his decision or show any remorse for taking a life.
He Tried Killing His Sister... Twice
The Kooks and the Pogues have a long history in the Outer Banks and revolve around the statuses of two different kinds of people: the wealthy and the middle class. Sarah, Rafe, and the Cameron family were considered Kooks because of their vast wealth, while John B. and his friends were considered Pogues because they had to work to make a living.
When Sarah decided that the Kook life was not for her and started hanging out with the Pogues, Rafe was incensed. He hated that his sister chose John B.'s (a Pogue) side over their family's. After learning that Sarah would turn her back on him to the cops, Rafe attempted to drown her. Later on in the series, he then shot her after she tried protecting John B. The fact that Rafe didn't even care that he had hurt his sister (despite saying he wanted to look after her), proved that he was only interested in himself.
He Had Zero Respect For Wheezie
Wheezie is Rafe's youngest sister. At the age of 13, Wheezie was too young to understand the severity of what was going on between her father, brother, and sister. But being the inquisitive character that she is, she was very intelligent and realized her brother transitioning to the dark side.
Sadly, while waiting to hear from her Sarah after fearing for life, Rafe stole Wheezie's phone and pretended to be Wheezie as a way to get to Sarah. Rafe also dismisses Wheezie and doesn't give her the respect she deserves. The fact that he could be so calculating, manipulative, and disrespectful towards his loved ones proved he was certainly on the way to becoming the biggest villain the show could ever have.
He Was Needlessly Violent Towards Pope
Pope is a Pogue with a good head on his shoulders. He has hardworking parents who care for him and want him to go to college. Pogue focused on gaining a scholarship early on in the series and it was his main goal to attend higher education. However, the Kooks made life hard for him.
In one scene, Pope was cutting through the golf course with bags of food and beer when Rafe and Topper showed up and jumped him. Pope was defenseless and just wanted to go home. It was an upsetting scene for fans as Rafe instigated the entire thing. The fact that he left Pope bloodied and bruised was quite worrisome as the injuries were quite brutal - especially as they were inflicted by a golf club. If Topper hadn't been there, who knows how far he would have gone?
He Attacked JJ At The Country Club
JJ, a resident Pogue, did not get along with Rafe because he's a Kook who was after his best friend, John B. And while it was no secret to the residents on Outer Banks that JJ and Rafe loathed each other, they both had similarities in the way that they had issues with their dads.
In "Midsummers," the two came head to head when Rafe jumped JJ while he was working the Midsummers party. JJ tried running throughout the country club to hide from Rafe and the Kooks but it didn't work. The group attacked JJ in the locker room and left him battered. The fact that Rafe decided to use violence once more to intimidate JJ showed, once more, that he didn't seem to care about the consequences of his actions (further emphasizing what a dangerous individual he was becoming).
He Did Everything He Could To Get John B. Arrested
After Rafe shot Sherrif Peterkin, Ward knew he had to save his son from being arrested for murder. Instead of telling the police what really happened, Ward told them that it was John B. who shot and killed Peterkin.
Seeing that his dad defended his name, Rafe went along with the lie and helped the police look for John B. Knowing that Rafe was the true killer, it was twisted for him to perpetuate lies about John B. being the one who did the crime.