9-1-1’s Most Memorable Villains Ranked

9-1-1 has long explored the nature of good and evil, but certain villainous characters were more effective than others. The core team of LAFD firefighters— Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody), and the recently departed Bobby Nash (Peter Krause)— typically responded to over-the-top emergencies in 9-1-1. Alongside supplemental characters like police sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) and Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) at dispatch, station 118 have always been heroes.

Though 9-1-1’s intense disasters are often naturally occurring emergencies, there were many memorable episodes throughout the series when humans were the true danger. From prolific killers to cruel authority figures, 9-1-1 has included many unique villains that run the gamut of mild to madly disturbing. Nevertheless, there are clear standouts that help illustrate what the best 9-1-1 villains have been, which may indicate what types of antagonists are yet to come.

Captain Gerrard

Season 2, Episode 9 ("Hen Begins")

Brian Thompson first appeared as Vincent Gerrard in 9-1-1 season 2, the former fire captain who played an instrumental role in Hen’s backstory. Gerrard encouraged bigotry within the 118 when he was in charge, and his vile behavior was shown to be a longstanding pattern with the addition of Chimney’s backstory episode. Gerrard’s racism, homophobia, and misogyny ran rampant among him and most of the former 118, at least until he was reassigned in a season 2 flashback.

When the former foe reappeared in season 7, it was clear Gerrard’s character in 9-1-1 hadn’t changed much. Gerrard briefly replaced Bobby as the 118’s captain and rubbed the new 118 the wrong way, but something suddenly changed after Buck saved his life. From that point, 9-1-1 attempted to make Gerrard a sympathetic character, but the audience and main characters alike were unmoved by his new leaf, especially considering Gerrard never outright apologized for his discriminatory actions.

Freddie Costas

Season 2, Episode 16 ("Bobby Begins Again")

Whereas Gerrard was a revolting person, other villains in 9-1-1 had a more dramatic impact on the plot. In season 2, Freddie Costas (Anthony Turpel) was introduced as the son of a struggling businessman who set fire to the family’s restaurant in the hopes of collecting fraudulent insurance money. After Bobby exposed the clear arson at play, Freddie’s father was arrested and sent to jail. In retaliation, Freddie sought revenge by sending bombs to anyone involved in his father’s incarceration.

After killing the judge and injuring his father’s lawyer, Freddie attempts to send a bomb to Athena, which is luckily intercepted before causing any damage. To avoid an easy capture, Freddie then rigs a bomb onto one of the 118’s fire engines and calls in a fake threat, leaving Buck's leg precariously pinned in the explosion. Freddie has a final stand-off with Bobby, but the fallout from Freddie’s plan was long-lasting due to Buck’s gruesome injury in 9-1-1.

Jonah Greenway

Season 5, Episode 11 ("Outside Looking In")

During Maddie and Chimney’s break in 9-1-1 season 5, Jonah Greenway (Bryce Durfee) was introduced as Hen’s temporary paramedic partner. Though Hen initially gave Jonah the cold shoulder simply due to missing Chimney, something sinister begins to emerge when the team responds to medical calls. The 118 eventually figure out that Jonah had a dangerous savior complex, driving him to incapacitate civilians just for the glory of resuscitating them. Unfortunately, his plan didn’t always work, leading to the death of characters like Claudette (Vanessa Estelle Williams).

 

Over and over again, Jonah would stop Chimney’s heart while Hen watched and shock him back to life, toying with life and death in a truly chilling sequence.

Before Jonah can be exposed, he abducts Chimney and Hen for a Saw-like game. Over and over again, Jonah would stop Chimney’s heart while Hen watched and shock him back to life, toying with life and death in a truly chilling sequence. The partners outsmart the murderer and the truth is later leaked by Taylor Kelly (Megan West) in a breaking news piece, ensuring Jonah’s crimes live in infamy.

Moira Blake

Season 8, Episode 14 ("Sick Day")

Though 9-1-1 season 8 had multiple villains at the center of huge emergencies, only one was truly memorable. 9-1-1’s evil scientist, Moira Blake (Bridget Regan), was responsible for creating a super-strain of CCHF (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever) and setting fire to her research lab. When the 118 responds to the call, an explosion leaves most of the team forcibly quarantined in the lab and at risk of contracting the deadly pathogen.

While the LAFD was worried about escaping, Moira was seeking fame and fortune for her revolutionary breakthrough. In a disturbing twist, Moira planned to unleash a massive pandemic onto the world and gain acclaim by reproducing the sole antidote she’d synthesized before setting fire to the lab. Though she was captured, Moira’s actions led to Bobby’s divisive death in 9-1-1 season 8 and scarred the rest of the 118 for good.

Reggie Franklin Jr.

Season 6, Episode 2 ("Crash & Learn")

Most antagonists begin and end during the events of 9-1-1, but Kevyn Morrow’s Reggie Franklin Jr. was a monster who hid in plain sight for decades. In 9-1-1 season 6, episode 3 (“The Devil You Know”), Reggie begins as an old friend of Athena who supports her as she and Bobby visit Florida following a shocking development. After suffering a stroke, Athena’s father became the prime suspect in a cold case involving a young girl from their neighborhood.

After a full-blown guerrilla investigation, it’s revealed that Reggie was the true culprit who buried the child’s corpse under the cement at Athena’s childhood home. The crime is slowly exposed via flashback sequences, making the case feel more akin to a gritty Criminal Minds plot. “The Devil You Know” cements itself as one of 9-1-1’s best episodes with its superb story, editing, and cinematography— culminating in the infamous sequence of Athena running through an orange grove while “Lilac Wine” by Jeff Buckley swells in the background before she takes Reggie down.

Jeffrey Hudson

Season 3, Episode 16 ("The One That Got Away")

Though 9-1-1 is typically regarded as a somewhat campy and melodramatic series, the drama often peppers in serious storylines to balance out the absurd comedic moments. Such is the case with Jeffrey Hudson (Noah Bean), a serial rapist who Athena encounters in 9-1-1 season 3 during a seemingly innocuous call. Hudson is arrested because of a rogue drone, but the dark truth of his criminal activity comes to light a moment too late, leading Athena on a manhunt.

With the help of the dispatch center and the 118, Athena takes Hudson into custody, but not without complications. Hudson brutally attacked Athena, and he continued to haunt her even after his arrest. The villain later escapes his court hearing because of a power outage and goes after Athena’s son, Harry (Marcanthonee Jon Reis), as payback. Once Harry is extracted, Athena kills Hudson before he can inflict any more pain on her and her family. Unfortunately, the ghost of Hudson and his crimes didn’t immediately disappear.

The Diaz Parents

Season 2, Episode 18 ("This Life We Choose")

Nevertheless, sometimes the most powerful villains are the ones that operate more clandestinely. Helena (Paula Marshall) and Ramon Diaz (George DelHoyo) first appear in 9-1-1 season 2, shortly after Eddie joins the 118. Similar to most characters in the main cast, Eddie’s relationship with his parents was obviously strained. Over the years, Helena and Ramon’s villainy subtly developed as Eddie revealed more and more of his backstory.

Ramon forced Eddie to mature early and be the “man of the house” when he was a mere child, and Helena never showed Eddie the love or support he desperately needed while growing up. As a result, Eddie becomes estranged from them. 9-1-1 season 8 sees the cycle nearly repeat when Helena and Ramon take Christopher (Gavin McHugh) to Texas and ignore his wishes, but Eddie thankfully steps in and brings his son home before his parents could pass on more generational trauma.

Doug Kendall

Season 2, Episode 1 ("Under Pressure")

Of course, Doug Kendall (Brian Hallisay) is far and away the most infamous villain in 9-1-1’s history, and it seems unlikely that he will ever be dethroned. There was a pure evil to Doug, combined with an unsettlingly casual demeanor that made him a spine-chilling character. Doug was Maddie’s husband who abused her for years before she left prior to her arrival in 9-1-1 season 2. Sadly, Doug was hot on her heels and struck towards the end of the season.

Doug was responsible for multiple of the worst near-death experiences in 9-1-1, traumatizing hordes of characters in one fell swoop after he abducted Maddie and left Chimney for dead. His twisted plan falls apart in “Fight or Flight” (9-1-1 season 2, episode 13) when Maddie kills Doug in self-defense and escapes, injured but alive. The full extent of Doug’s impact took years to unpack in 9-1-1, but his connection to the overarching plot and the nuanced execution of his brutality made him a compelling and completely irredeemable villain.