The New NCIS Villain Is Awful, But Still Isn’t Even Close To The 10 Worst
A great villain is the backbone of any crime procedural. They are the driving force behind the most compelling episodes, the reason our heroes are pushed to their limits, and the source of some of the most memorable moments in television history. For over two decades, the NCIS team has faced down a rogue’s gallery of truly despicable individuals. They’ve confronted terrorists, serial killers, sociopathic spies, and corrupt officials. So, when the new season introduced its latest big bad—the mysterious “Black Mask Killer”—the initial fear was that we were about to witness a new level of terror. The villain is certainly awful, responsible for a string of gruesome murders and a chilling sense of dread. But after a few episodes, it’s clear that this new antagonist, while a threat, doesn’t even come close to cracking the top 10 most evil villains the team has ever faced.
The Black Mask Killer is certainly a formidable foe, but they feel… generic. Their motives are shrouded in a cliché-ridden quest for revenge, and they lack the personal connection and psychological depth that made past villains so terrifying. Their existence serves the plot, but they don’t haunt the characters or the audience in the same way. The show has a long and storied history of creating truly iconic, soul-shaking villains who were so awful, they left an indelible mark on the show’s legacy. This new villain, unfortunately, just doesn’t compare. To prove it, let’s take a walk down memory lane and recall the ten worst villains the NCIS team has ever faced
The 10 Worst Villains in NCIS History
10. The Privileged Kid (Tommy and Christopher)
While the show has had plenty of one-off killers, few were as repulsive as the duo of Tommy and Christopher, the spoiled, entitled killers from Season 16. These two represented a truly vile kind of evil: they were sociopathic bullies who killed because they felt they could get away with it. Their arrogance and complete lack of remorse made them particularly memorable, a chilling reminder that some people are simply born without a conscience.
9. Jonas Cobb (The Port-to-Port Killer)
Cobb was a master of psychological manipulation and a ghost for most of his storyline. As the Port-to-Port Killer, he was a highly trained operative who went on a gruesome killing spree, leaving a trail of bodies across the country. His cunning and skill made him a formidable physical threat, but his most terrifying quality was his ability to hide in plain sight and torment the team from the shadows, an elusive and deadly force of nature.
8. Trent Kort
Trent Kort wasn’t a murderer in the classic sense, but his actions had a devastating ripple effect. As a high-ranking CIA operative with a talent for espionage and manipulation, he was responsible for getting Ziva’s father, Eli David, killed, and he consistently put the team in harm’s way for his own political gain. Kort was a villain who operated with a cold, amoral precision, making him a slippery and infuriating antagonist who always seemed one step ahead.
7. Thomas Morrow
The idea of a corrupt director of NCIS is frightening enough, but when we learned that former Director Thomas Morrow was actually a traitor working for a clandestine organization, the shock was immense. Morrow’s betrayal cut deep, as he was a character the team trusted and respected. His actions led to the deaths of several people, and his willingness to sacrifice his own people for a shadowy cause made him a truly despicable figure.
6. The Phantom (Phillip)
What makes the Phantom so terrifying is that he was a seemingly harmless civilian who was, in fact, a stone-cold killer. The Phantom was a serial murderer who was never caught, and his case haunted Gibbs for years. He was the perfect example of a villain who lived in the light but did his evil work in the darkness. His capture was a huge moment for Gibbs, but his legacy as an elusive killer makes him one of the most chilling characters in the show’s history.
5.Saleem Ulman
Saleem Ulman was Ziva’s half-brother, a terrorist who murdered one of her closest friends. He was a ruthless and brutal killer who saw Ziva as a pawn in his game. His existence was a constant threat to Ziva and her family, and his actions showed just how far some people will go to inflict pain and cause chaos. He was a constant reminder of the darkness that lurked in Ziva’s past and her family.
4. The Lizard (Malia)
Malia was a brilliant, manipulative sociopath who had a terrifying knack for getting inside people’s heads. She was a master of psychological warfare, and she used her skills to twist the minds of her victims, driving them to suicide. She was a silent killer who could destroy a person from the inside out, and her cold, calculating nature made her one of the most frightening villains the team ever faced.
3. Sergei Mishnev
Sergei Mishnev was a Russian spy and the half-brother of Ari Haswari, and he was consumed by a single mission: to avenge his brother’s death by killing Gibbs. Sergei was a highly skilled operative with a terrifying talent for psychological manipulation. He was a force of pure vengeance, and his presence on the show was a constant threat. His ultimate defeat was a huge victory for the team, but his relentless pursuit and personal vendetta against Gibbs made him one of the most memorable villains.
2. Aris Haswari
Aris Haswari is, without a doubt, one of the most important villains in NCIS history. He was a mole working for a terrorist organization, but his true evil was revealed when he shot and killed Agent Kate Todd in cold blood, a moment that shocked the entire fanbase. His actions led to the creation of one of the show’s most beloved characters, Ziva David, and his presence was felt for years. His personal connection to Gibbs and his cold-blooded murder of a beloved character makes him a truly awful villain.
1. The Chameleon (Harper Dearing)
Harper Dearing was the ultimate villain. He was a brilliant, twisted former naval officer who blamed the military for his son’s death. He went on a destructive and vengeful rampage, detonating bombs at naval facilities and killing dozens of people. His final act was his most destructive: he detonated a bomb that destroyed the NCIS headquarters, nearly killing several members of the team. He was a villain who didn’t just target the team; he targeted their home and their way of life. The chaos and destruction he caused were unparalleled, making him the absolute worst villain the team has ever faced.
Why the Latest Villain Isn’t Close to the Top 10
While the new “Black Mask Killer” is certainly a ruthless criminal, they lack the key ingredients that made the villains on this list so iconic. They don’t have a deep, personal history with the main characters. They don’t have a twisted, fascinating psychological profile. They are just another bad guy on a long list of bad guys. The villains on this list were so much more than that. They were ghosts of the past, agents of chaos, and twisted reflections of the team’s own moral grayness. They left scars on the team and on the audience that will never heal. The Black Mask Killer may be awful, but they just aren’t close to the top 10 most evil villains the team has ever faced.
