The Rookie Season 6’s Big Villain May Have Already Been Introduced (& It Sets Up A New Twist)

The premiere of The Rookie season 6 teased a new villain seemingly without showing their face, but they might be hiding in plain sight.

The season 5 finale of The Rookie briefly teased a new and powerful villain — Boyd Taylor — but by the end of the season 6 premiere, another new Big Bad had entered the scene, and viewers might have already met them. The ABC procedural series, created by Alexi Hawley, has featured a handful of notorious villains over the course of its five seasons. Of course, the standout antagonists are Rosalind Dyer and Nick Armstrong, but since their departure, the show has struggled to land on a villain as compelling as Rosalind and Nick. But perhaps the writers have found them in season 6.

Boyd’s schemes kicked off episode 1, immediately answering one of the biggest The Rookie season 6 questions. Boyd and his team lured the LAPD away from their actual target while they headed to the Federal Reserve and robbed it. The new villain was ruthless as he sacrificed his team members left and right to protect their ultimate mission (which is still unknown). John Nolan and the other characters later tracked down Boyd and arrested him. However, viewers learned that Boyd wasn’t the head of the snake by the Rookie season 6 premiere’s end, and someone else was controlling his missions.

The Rookie Season 6 Premiere Teased A New Big Bad

The Rookie season 6, episode 1 revolved around the Mid-Wilshire officers attempting to learn the identities of the people who robbed the Federal Reserve. After one of the culprits checked into a hospital, Nolan, Angela Lopez, Nyla Harper, and the others discovered who was behind the madness and tracked their plane down. After arresting Boyd and a couple of his team members, Sergeant Grey and Angela tried to interrogate him, but Monica Stevens, Boyd’s lawyer, arrived before they could get anything out of him.

Toward the hour’s end, Monica was on the phone with someone, and she implied that it would be better to kill Boyd and avoid him possibly confessing to his (and others’) crimes. Consequently, a sniper shot Boyd in the head while he was on a prison transfer bus, instantly killing him. The identity of the person on the other side of Monica’s phone call is unknown. But they (along with Monica) will likely play a significant role as the primary antagonist of The Rookie season 6, and fans might have, unknowingly, already met them.

Danielle Campbell’s Character Could Be The Rookie Season 6 Villain

During the final moments of The Rookie season 6, episode 1, Aaron Thorsen had his first session with his appointed therapist to unpack the trauma he endured during the season 5 finale. His new counselor — Dr. Blair London, played by Danielle Campbell —​​​​​​​ warmly greeted him, and the scene implied that a possible romantic relationship could grow between Aaron and Blair. The prospect of Aaron dating his therapist is problematic in and of itself, but he could also run into trouble if Blair isn’t as innocent as she initially seemed.

Viewers didn’t see much of Blair during the Rookie season 6 premiere. However, the timing of Blair’s arrival is suspicious, given that the series introduced her after Monica’s phone call with the mysterious villain. Blair may be the person Monica is working for (or with), and the writers could be setting up a twist revolving around the reveal of Campbell’s character as a villain. Only time will tell if Blair is good or evil, but introducing a new character as a good person only to later surprise the audience with their true nefarious nature is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Who Are The Other Candidates For The Central Antagonist Role?

Following Monica’s return in The Rookie season 6, Nolan, Harper, and the others are seemingly in for a lot of trouble. Blair may not be the person Monica was talking to during episode 1’s end, but someone is lurking in the shadows and pulling strings, waiting for the right moment to pounce. If it’s not Blair, a few other suspects could be working with Monica and playing the central antagonist role in season 6.

The most obvious candidate is Elijah Stone, who seemingly can’t stop terrorizing the characters. Elijah went to prison in season 5, where he met Oscar Hutchinson, and their interaction indicated that they would team up and plot their revenge on the LAPD. Monica previously worked for Elijah, and even though her actions partially led to his arrest, their teaming up again is plausible. The other possibility is that Monica was on the phone with a new character the audience has never met. Whatever the case, this new villain will hopefully be one of the more memorable Big Bads in The Rookie.