Top 30 villains in television history

Photo Credit: BBC America

16. Rachel Duncan

Orphan Black rose to notoriety due to the talents of lead actress, Tatiana Maslany. While most of the clones she plays are heroes or victims, one stands out among the rest: Rachel Duncan. The only clone to grow up within the confines of the organization responsible for their creation, she feels loyalty serves the leaders by handing up her sisters on a silver platter. Throughout the series run, she chooses places all of her cards within the Dyad group over her biological parents and the other clones.

Despite her ruthlessness when it comes to tracking down the other versions of herself, such as kidnapping and murder, Rachel is the definition of a sympathetic antagonist. She’s given just enough power to keep her from betraying Dyad, but it continuously treated as an experiment through invasive tests. There comes a moment where she even pulls up her file and she’s still only referred to as a number despite giving herself wholly to the cause.

When Rachel kidnaps her sister’s daughter, Kira, a whole new side to her is shown. Yes, she shuffles the girl off for various tests and experiments, but her guilty conscious begins weighing down on her.

She recognizes that she’s forcing another child into reliving her own pain and Kira’s innocent affection is the only time Rachel has received love without some sort of string attached. In another show, she might have gotten a happy ending and wound up surrounded by her loving sisters after betraying the organization which caused her so much pain, but Orphan Black makes sure that audiences realize Rachel’s sins will prevent her from ever being truly happy.