The Best Justified Villains Ranked

One of modern television's best Western series, "Justified" is an engrossing, fast-paced drama bursting with memorable characters. Based on the works of often-adapted author Elmore Leonard, the series is set in Harlan County, Kentucky, and centers around Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. A sharp-shooting lawman who rides the line between do-gooder and outlaw, he's one of the most recognizable heroes in a striking hat this side of Harrison Ford's whip-wielding relic hunter.

While Timothy Olyphant is excellent as Raylan, what really makes "Justified" so riveting is its ensemble of villains. A string of violent thugs, heinous henchmen, and ruthless rogues, each one seems worse — and better — than the last. With so many devilishly delightful villains to enjoy, you might find yourself wondering how they rank against each other. You're in luck: We've put them in order, from the sleaziest crooks to the most powerful crime lords. Don't be too upset if your favorite missed our list — the show is just so jam-packed with great baddies, we couldn't include them all. Put on your hat and put out a BOLO, because we're ranking the best villains on "Justified."

Not every villain in "Justified" is a well-organized criminal kingpin or a slickly calculating killer. Many are just morally bankrupt crooks who give the marshals a run for their money with little more than moxie. Firmly in this category is Colton Rhodes, a one-time war buddy of Boyd Crowder who's recruited into his gang after the death of henchman Devil. 

Formerly a military policeman, Rhodes has seen his share of killing, and adds big time muscle to Boyd's gang. But the same belligerent attitude and short temper that got him demoted and discharged from the service follows him to Harlan. Moreover, he's using drugs to cope. Under Boyd's wing, however, he proves deadly, and grows even more dangerous after he botches Ellen May's execution.

It's not just killer instinct that makes Rhodes so brutal — it's also his military training. He almost kills the marshals with a roadside trap as they take fugitive Drew Thompson into custody. Only fellow serviceman Tim Gutterson's good instincts save the day. Appropriately, Gutterson gets the final showdown with Rhodes after finally tracking down Ellen May.

Though we could rank these two separately, Avery Markham and Katherine Hale are at their most dangerous when they work together. Hale is first introduced as the widow of Grady Hale. She comes to Harlan at the behest of Wynn Duffy, who hires her to assess his dealings with Boyd Crowder. Hale's advice eventually helps solidify their business, and the three begin working together. They use Boyd to rob  Avery Markham, a man with a dangerous reputation.

But Hale and Markham have a long history, and when they reconnect they become criminal cohorts and lovers. Soon, the duo is a major thorn in the marshals' side, with lots of plans to run the marijuana business in Harlan County. Firmly interested in the long game, they're looking to control the market ahead of potential legalization. You see, this duo wants to put their criminal lives behind them and become upstanding businesspeople ... and they don't care who they have to kill to do it.

Hollywood stars Mary Steenburgen and Sam Elliott deliver deliciously scenery-chewing performances as this law-breaking pair. Why the producers had Elliott shave his trademark mustache, though, we'll never know.

Though every "Justified" fan loves the series' stylish crime stories, its morally grey complexities are what make it a classic. Raylan Givens is no saint, to the point that he borders on being an antihero. On the flip side, even the worst villains aren't one-note bad guys. In fact, some of Raylan's most despicable enemies were once his friends, or even family. His own father, Arlo Givens, is the greatest example of this: He proves just as twisted and ruthless as any federal fugitive the marshal has to contend with.

It's made clear from the start that Raylan has no love for his father. Viewers go on to learn that the senior Givens was once a low-level drug dealer and a partner to Kentucky drug lord Bo Crowder, who is father to Boyd. With his son back in town with a badge, Arlo finds himself back in the game and squaring off against his own kin. If you think he isn't willing to shoot to kill when his son is in his crosshairs, think again.

Few villains are more complicated than Ava Crowder. This woman is all things to Raylan Givens: A damsel in distress, a helpful informant, a passionate partner, and eventually one of his most vicious rivals. Though Ava and the marshal had a romance many years before, Raylan finds her married to lowlife Boyd Crowder when he returns to Kentucky. But when she becomes the target of her husband's rage (and eventually her father-in-law's as well), Raylan is forced to protect her. In doing so, he becomes her lover.

After Boyd's release from prison, Ava leaves Raylan for her husband. She eventually joins the gang, where she's put in charge of Audrey's brothel. For a time, she even runs the outfit herself, and proves that she may be even more malicious than Boyd. Ava goes from being a fairly token damsel to one of the most fascinating characters on "Justified," powered by a killer performance from Joelle Carter that flits between enemy and ally. It can be hard to tell which side Ava is on from moment to moment: You never know whether she's going to help Raylan or stab him in the back. This is precisely what makes her one of the show's best villains.

Wynn Duffy is a mid-level gangster who passes himself off as a legitimate businessman. While he can't equal Raylan's skill with a six-shooter (or his sheer guts and backbone), Wynn's sly and smarmy attitude makes him the equal of the cocksure marshal.

Assisted by the ever-loyal Mikey, Wynn is the point man for every big-time mobster who comes to Kentucky, and somehow always manages to find his finger knuckle-deep in every pie. But neither his deadliness nor his twisted tendencies make him a great villain, though they certainly have their moments. No, it's all down to how utterly entertaining he is to watch. An eccentric character who never met a tanning bed he didn't like, Wynn always has a clever barb or a sarcastic threat at the ready. He's never intimidated by Raylan, either — in fact, he's more often amused by him. Wynn is just so much fun, you can't help but root for him, no matter how devious he gets.

Jeremy Davies isn't the only actor to win an Emmy Award for playing a villain on "Justified." Following the Season 1 loss of Bo Crowder, Season 2 needed a new big bad. In stepped Mags Bennett. Unlike so many of the villains on "Justified," Mags is a fiendish foe whose looks are deceiving. She comes across as a kindly matriarch who's just looking out for her family — but in reality, she's as ruthless as anyone Raylan ever draws down on.

Unlike the towering henchmen or sharp-shooting assassins the marshals fight week after week, Mags is chiefly a cunning criminal mind. Moreover, the Bennett family has a generations-long feud with the Givens clan, which ups Mags' villainous intensity. Though she puts on a kindly face, unforgiving Mags has a deep hatred for Raylan's family, and would like nothing more than to put an end to him. We see what she's capable of when crossed in her very first appearance: She murders a man for calling the police on one of her family's employees, who attacked his daughter. Finding herself at odds with both the law and a corporate carpetbagger, Mags will do anything to protect her people. Her relentless brutality makes her nearly unstoppable.