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Ozark is a show with a cast of colorful characters. Taking place in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, one may not immediately think this Netflix series will portray scary characters.
However, with the show revolving around the concept of money laundering, it is safe to conclude that there will be some daunting characters. Whether a character sticks around for one season or for all four seasons, they are still capable of instilling fear into the show's other characters, as well as the audience. For different reasons, many characters in Ozark are extremely terrifying.
Warning: there are spoilers ahead for every season of Ozark.
10 Camino Del Rio
Camino Del Rio, also known simply as "Del," is the first villain introduced in Ozark. He appears in the first episode of the first season. Del is an enigmatic character in Ozark because it is unclear what his true emotions are when it comes to Marty Byrde.
The first move that Del makes in the show is rooting out a thief amongst those involved in the Navarro cartel's money laundering business by killing four people and nearly killing Marty. This forces Marty to propose the idea of him moving to the Ozarks. Later on, Del reveals to Marty that he had no idea that anyone was stealing and that he was simply fishing.
9 Jacob Snell
Jacob Snell is a poppy farmer in the Ozarks who grows, makes, and distributes heroin. He runs his heroin organization with his wife, Darlene. Jacob has a calming and level-headed demeanor, however, that is only a ruse in order to lure his enemies in and turn away the authorities.
When Marty secretly gains the deeds to the "Lickety Splitz" strip club, Jacob calls the previous owner, Bobby Dean for a meeting at his house. This meeting ends with Jacob ordering his wife to kill Bobby Dean via heroin overdose.
8 Darlene Snell
While Jacob is technically in charge of the Snell heroin organization, Darlene is the executioner of their enemies. Darlene Snell grows in prominence as a character throughout the series.
Darlene is willing to do anything for the sake of her pride, including but not limited to murder. She kidnaps Jonah Byrde, the son of the Byrde family, and haphazardly shaves his head as a warning to the Byrdes. In season 2, Jacob and Darlene begin to have disagreements about their dealings with the Byrdes, and she solves this marital problem by poisoning and killing Jacob. She also becomes one of the biggest problems for the Byrdes in the first part of season 4.
7 Cade Langmore
Ruth Langmore, one of the main characters in Ozark, is mouthy, likable, headstrong, and loud. Her father, Cade, is none of those things. Cade Langmore is a supporting character who is introduced in episode 6 of season 1. Ruth visits him while he is in prison in search of advice on how to commit crimes.
In season 2, Cade is released from prison and becomes a larger antagonist to the Byrde family. He gets involved with and eventually kills Roy Petty, an FBI agent who had been investigating Marty since the first season, out of anger and desperation. Cade becomes desperate for the Byrde's money that he punches his nephew and drags Charlotte Byrde by her hair.
6 Helen Pierce
When fans of Ozark think of the name Helen Pierce, most think of her intimidating introduction in the first episode of season 2. They may also think of her monotone and cold-blooded voice when she interrogated and killed a drug dealer for tampering with Navarro's product.
Helen is the attorney for Omar Navarro and subsequently becomes the attorney for the Byrdes. What she lacks in physical capabilities, she more than makes up for in conviction. With one phone call, an enemy of Navarro's or the Byrdes' is erased from the picture. When interacting with people, her voice can send shivers down spines, because behind that falsely amicable tone is a bullet waiting to be fired.
5 Nelson
Not much is revealed about Nelson throughout the show. What is known is that Nelson is a hitman for the Navarro cartel. He was first introduced in episode 1 of season 2 along with Helen Pierce. Nelson always appeared with Helen, leading to an assumption that he was her personal protection.
Nelson is a cold-blooded killer with no quarrels about who his targets are. He killed Cade Langmore at Wendy Byrde's request and then he killed Marty and Wendy's therapist after she accidentally heard too much about their "business." He also murdered Ben Davis, Wendy's brother. Nelson even shot Helen, the person to whom he seemed the closest.
4 Ben Davis
Ben Davis is Wendy's brother who makes his appearance at the beginning of season 3. While Ben is not capable of killing someone as easily as some other people in Ozark, he is still a terrifying presence in his own way.
Ben suffers from bipolar disorder which leads to him having manic episodes where he acts irrationally. Fans get a glimpse of this when he first appears onscreen. He was fired from his job as a substitute teacher for violently confiscating a student's cell phone, throwing it in a wood chipper, and then proceeding to beat the wood chipper operator.
3 Wendy Byrde
Wendy Byrde has never killed anyone in the show directly, but she is one of the most terrifying characters in Ozark, nevertheless. Wendy is the matriarch of the Byrde family.
She has extensive experience in the political arena, thanks to her background working with campaigns for politicians in the Midwest. She uses that experience to her advantage, as well as using devious blackmail to win the votes of senators and delegates. What also makes Wendy so chilling is how cutthroat she is. Wendy orchestrated the murder of Cade Langmore all while preparing for the grand opening of the Missouri Belle.
2 Omar Navarro
The Navarro cartel is the looming, drug dealing organization that plagues the Byrde family throughout the entirety of the show. Omar Navarro runs this cartel from his villa in Mexico. He is cunning, cruel, and intelligent.
In season 3, Omar kidnaps Marty and holds him hostage in a dungeon for days until Marty answers a seemingly simple question. He also, through Nelson, kills Helen simply because Marty and Wendy seem more useful and smart to him than she did. When Wendy stands up to Omar for castrating a prized horse after a successful deal, Omar retaliates very intensely over the phone causing Wendy to jump in fear.
1 Javier Elizonndro
Javier Elizonndro, also known as Javi, is Omar Navarro's nephew. Javi's first appearance is in season 4 when Marty and Wendy visit Omar's villa in Mexico. Javi almost immediately proves himself a force to be reckoned with after his first conversation with Marty and Wendy when asking about Darlene Snell.
He killed Sheriff John Nix when he went to Helen Pierce's house, asking about her whereabouts. Javi bombarded his way into the Byrde's affairs by serving as Navarro's "personal representative" for the deal between the Byrde Family Foundation and Shaw Pharmaceuticals. He threatened the lives of the Byrdes' new attorney and Marty himself when Omar was arrested. Javi even killed Darlene Snell and Wyatt Langmore, Ruth's cousin.