There are many vile and villainous characters that populate popular movies and television shows that provide their own brand of chaos in the story. The mad scientist trope is a popular one originating over two hundred years ago with the creation of Dr. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. Through the years, the demented scientist role has been fleshed out, redone, copied, and copied again, having a role in almost every type of significant pop-culture phenomenon.
Whether it be creating a strain of bacteria that mutate turtles into crime-fighting ninjas or seeking to revive prehistoric creatures into the modern world, evil scientists are creators of truly catastrophic events that must be stopped at all cost. Here are the most sinister evil scientists in TV shows.
7 Mohinder Suresh – Heroes
Heroes debuted over ten years ago and took the world by storm as one of the most successful mainstream superhero television shows. The cast was filled with talented actors who played the roles of some of the world's most powerful, sinister, corrupt, and dangerous people. One of which was Mohinder Suresh. Dr. Suresh initially found himself a researcher, investigating for a sign of the hero gene or anyone who possessed strange abilities.
However, having been dragged into the world of heroes after his father's death, Suresh would often find himself caught on the wrong side of history. A thirst for power and fighting his own inferiority would push Suresh to become a sinister foe to the heroes, going so far as to create a mutagen that could give and take powers away.
6 Tim Fanning – The Passage
The Passage was a series based on a book series by Justin Cronin. The story is a supernatural drama evolving a vampire plague that spreads worldwide overnight, and now a former soldier and a little girl are the last hope to end the chaos. The show lasted only one season but possessed one of the most sinister evil scientists of all time.
In the series, a scientist named Tim Fanning was a leader of the Noah project, which investigated the vampiric disease. Unfortunately, Tim Fanning was infected with the disease and gained a heightened level of consciousness, and became cruel and bloodthirsty. Fanning developed ideas to wipe out the human race and spread vampirism worldwide.
5 Alternate Walter Bishop – Fringe
Fringe was a powerhouse science-fiction television show that lasted five seasons; the show starred Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson as Olivia Dunham and Peter Bishop, respectively. Alongside them was esteemed actor John Noble, who played the recluse doctor Walter Bishop, driven nearly insane and inept by his intellect, which cost him his family.
One of the most exciting elements in the Fringe series was the existence of an alternate dimension, where alternate versions of all the cast resided. In this alternate reality, an evil version of Walter Bishop spearheaded and aggressively sought the destruction of the primary reality to become the dominant force in the universe. The evil Walter Bishop cared little for his family and even less for human life.
4 Dr. Zin – Johnny Quest
Dr. Zin was the main antagonist and the arch-nemesis of Dr. Benton Quest; he appeared in several series, including The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest and the New Adventures of Johnny Quest series. Zin was a mastermind of a global criminal enterprise that created technological monstrosities to spread his influence throughout the world.
Zin clashed with Dr. Quest and his son on many different occasions but always evaded capture due to his intellect. Dr. Zin was known for his mechanical contraptions, usually modeled after animals or dinosaurs that had devastating weapon capabilities or were used as intricate spy tools.
3 James Moriarty – Sherlock
Moriarty is the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, both of whom were created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Throughout its lineage, there have been many iterations of the character; some have gathered a fair amount of popularity, such as the movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and the television series starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
While Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the greatest detective in the world, James Moriarty serves as the greatest criminal in the world. Moriarty rivals Sherlock's genius and organizes crimes that leave entire governments on their knees.
2 Walter White – Breaking Bad
Walter White is the mad scientist everyone hates to love. Breaking Bad is one of the most popular TV series of the last decade, winning many prestigious rewards. The story follows Walter White, a terminally ill man who seeks to ensure his family's future by creating a million-dollar meth empire.
While Walt starts off as a failed scientist who resorts to teaching to pay the bills, he slowly descends into a ruthless and egotistical drug lord that uses his mind to further his ambition. Walt has taken down many who have underestimated him or threatened his family; when it comes to his goal, anyone who gets in his way is a threat, whether it be family or friends.
1 Davros – Doctor Who
Doctor Who is one of the most popular series in the world, having a lifespan of twenty-six seasons. The valiant adventures of the Doctor have gathered a substantial cult following with its lovable characters and virtuous ideologies. The world of Doctor Who is also filled with the most demented villains ever created, one of those being Davros.
Davros is a scientist of genius intellect who has lived centuries and is a constant threat throughout the Doctor Who series. Davros is responsible for citing wars across the entire universe resulting in the death of near trillions; in addition, his creation of the Daleks set loose a scourge that the universe had never seen before.