Viewers should beware: Some of Red’s villains mean they’re in for a scare.
We’ve crossed paths with some seriously sinister baddies on The Blacklist, but no one will deny certain Blacklisters are unforgettable. Their acts and illegal misdeeds placed them in a caliber of villains above the rest.
From international espionage to simplistic serial killing, Raymond Reddington (James Spader) faced several formidable enemies throughout the 10 nail-biting seasons of The Blacklist, and hundreds of sadistic criminals were arrested thanks to the tireless efforts of Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) and his dedicated task force.
The most slithery of these villains, however, made Lennix’s job exceedingly difficult. Despite the headaches they caused, they also tended to be some of the fascinating enemies within the series, and fans couldn’t get enough.
Below, check out some of the scariest, most deceptive, and overall insidious Blacklisters across every season of The Blacklist. These villains had the Concierge of Crime breaking a sweat.
The Stewmaker
Stanley R. Kornish (Tom Noonan), known as the infamous “Stewmaker,” was a body disposal expert who had a preternatural ability to clean up a murder scene. Season 1, Episode 4 (“The Stewmaker”) kicked off with Kornish preparing a hotel room for one of his infamous clean-up jobs, involving an acid bath of chemicals concocted to flush DNA down the drain. Until he met his ultimate demise, The Stewmaker would dispose of anyone as long as someone paid the right price.
In a July 2023 NBC Insider interview, Lennix revealed that he thought The Stewmaker was one of the most unforgettable Blacklisters in the franchise. “I liked the Stewmaker in Season 1,” Lennix explained. “He was a very, very, uh, intriguing character, spooky, creepy.”
The Troll Farmer
The threat of misinformation and a dangerous hive mind shouldn’t be underestimated, which is why Reddington held The Troll Farmer (Aaron Yoo) in such high regard. While a baddie Blacklister on the books, The Troll Farmer was also a cyber-terrorist and technical genius formerly on Reddinton’s payroll.
The Troll Farmer specialized in fabricating online reports and stitching misleading news reports to create diversions from actual criminal activity. Chang would deploy his massive online “troll” following to help boost these false reports, making him one of the most mind-boggling Blacklisters within the ranks.
Mr. Kaplan/Kathryn Nemec
For someone who spent years on the top of the FBI’s Most Wanted list, it’s not too surprising that Red had always had someone to clean up his dirty work. Enter Kathryn Nemec (Susan Blommaert), A.K.A. Mr. Kaplan, Reddington’s former crime cleaner and close advisor who helped him tidy up crime scenes for over 20 years.
Nemec was in the exclusive group of people who knew Red wasn’t the real Raymond Reddington, but rather someone who’d assumed his identity decades ago. Nemec was an ally to Red in Seasons 1-4 of The Blacklist but turned on him in Season 5 by giving the FBI the location of a graveyard of Reddington’s miscellaneous victims. Nemec’s betrayal led to a winding road of shocking twists and turns, and fans will never forget the way she backed Red into a corner.
Bogdan Ivanovich Krilov (No. 29)
Is there anything scarier than someone having the ability to erase someone’s memories? That’s what made Bogdan Ivanovich Krilov (Rade Šerbedžija), A.K.A. #29 on Reddington’s list of horrendous Blacklisters, one of the most disturbing villains ever.
Appearing in Season 4, Episode 19 (““Dr. Bogdan Krilov”), he was a doctor who excelled in memory manipulation; able to alter memory, implant fake memories, and even erase a victim’s memory altogether. Like many of Red’s scariest enemies, Krilov would accept any gig from the highest bidder, altering dozens of criminal prosecutions. Krilov was ultimately imprisoned, but his actions were nonetheless haunting to those who luckily remember.
The Ethicist
In Season 6, Episode 6 (“The Ethicist”), the Reddington Task Force brushed shoulders with an Angel of Death Blacklister named Gerald Todd Klepper (Frank Wood), otherwise known as “The Ethicist.”
Keppler was a doctor who murdered several of his patients, feeling their treatments would better serve healthier patients. Believing his murders were entirely ethical, Keppler would use the Value of Statistical Life to murder dozens of people under the guise that the cost of their treatments outweighed the benefits of their continued lives.
Wujing
Wujing (Chin Han) is one of the most persistent Blacklisters within the lineup of Reddington’s former enemies. We first met Wujing in Season 1 as an international hitman and leader of a sprawling criminal enterprise, later imprisoned after Red gave a tip to the FBI.
Wujing became a true danger to the task force after finding out about Reddington’s role as an FBI informant in Season 9 of The Blacklist, leading him to recruit a cabal of angry Blacklisters in Season 10 to get revenge for Red’s role in their downfall. Wujing was tenacious and stubborn, making him one of Red’s most iconic foes.
Dr. Laken Perillos
The task force has taken down several interrogators in their time, but Dr. Laken Perillos, played by the endlessly talented Laverne Cox, took the cake for the most disturbing interrogation style. Perillos appeared first in Season 8 of The Blacklist but made a terrifying return in Season 10 after being drafted by Wujing for his revenge tour.
Perillos conducted each of her interrogations with a torture-first approach, insidiously obsessed with the study of pain and endurance in the human body. Perillos was never afraid to kill for her extortionary needs, but her extreme torture methods usually proved successful against her opposition. Perillos needed to be arrested not once but twice by the FBI.
