Primary Antagonists are the major villains on the HBO original series True Blood. Occasionally called Big Bads, each season always has both a main antagonist and a secondary antagonist, and each season often uses a different set of antagonists. The main antagonist is usually the center of a season's primary story arc and is the final, most prominent and formidable villain, while the secondary antagonist is involved in another plotline happening within the same season but is usually defeated before the season's end. An example includes Maryann Forrester, the Bon Temps, Louisiana, Season 2 main antagonist and Steve Newlin, the secondary antagonist through the Dallas, Texas, Season 2 story arc. However, additionally, the secondary antagonist may be a minion or ally of the main antagonist, who is devoted to doing their dirty work or assisting them with it.
Seasonal Antagonists
Season 1
- Main Antagonist: Rene Lenier/Drew Marshall
- Secondary Antagonist: Maryann Forrester
Rene Lenier
Maryann Forrester
Season 2
- Main Antagonist: Maryann Forrester
- Secondary Antagonists: Steve Newlin, Sarah Newlin and Gabe
Maryann Forrester
Steve and Sarah Newlin
Season 3
- Main Antagonist: Russell Edgington
- Secondary Antagonists: Lorena Krasiki, Cooter, and Debbie Pelt
Russell Edgington
Lorena Krasiki
Cooter
Debbie Pelt
Season 4
- Main Antagonist: Marnie Stonebrook
- Secondary Antagonist: Antonia Gavilán de Logroño and Roy
Marnie Stonebrook
Antonia
Roy
Season 5
- Main Antagonist: Salome Agrippa and Lilith
- Secondary Antagonists: The Authority, Sweetie Des Arts and Bud Dearborne
Salome Agrippa
Lilith
The Authority
Season 6
- Main Antagonist: Sarah Newlin and Macklyn Warlow
- Secondary Antagonists: Truman Burrell and Lilith
Sarah Newlin
Warlow
Lilith
Season 7
- Main Antagonist: Sarah Newlin/Hepatitis V and Hep-V Vamps
- Secondary Antagonists: Mr. Gus and Violet Mazurski
Sarah Newlin
Hep-V Vamps
Mr. Gus
Notes
- Season 5 had three main antagonists. Lilith with Salome and Bill. Salome and Bill act as a "Big Bad Duumvirate" for most of the season, but they are both being controlled by the true antagonist, Lilith, who comes into the picture fully near the finale and begins pitting them all against one another until only one stands.
- Season 6 had two main antagonists. Sarah Newlin was the seasons villain for most of the season, however, she is defeated one episode before the finale and Macklyn Warlow becomes a full on psychopath and picks up where she left out.
- Season 7 had Sarah Newlin as its true main antagonist, due to the fact that our biggest problem is Hepatitis V, which she is responsible for spreading[1]. But additionally, we have Mr. Gus, who seems to be a big threat but is defeated very briefly into the finale.
- Despite the show's main plotline involving vampires, they have only been the main antagonist of a season twice with Salome/Lilith for Season 5 and Russell for Season 3.
- Truman Burrell referred to them as "Big Bads" when he claimed that he was not the new Big Bad in town. Ironically, the true big bad was his partner and girlfriend Sarah Newlin.
- Usually there are two major plot lines in a season with one having the main antagonist and the other involving the secondary. Such as:
- The Killer was the main plotline in Season 1, however, Tara was involved in a secondary storyline that included the season's secondary antagonist, Maryann Forrester.
- The Maenad plotline was the main and final plot of Season 2, however, some portion of the season had Sookie, Bill, Eric and others focused on Steve Newlin and The Fellowship of the Sun.
- Season 3 had most of its major characters involved in the Russell Edgington plotline.
- Season 4 is one of the only seasons to have most of its plotlines focused on the main one. Sookie, Bill, Eric, Tara, Holly, Pam, Lafayette, Jesus, and briefly Jason were all devoted to the witch storyline, although Jason had a subplot involving Crystal and Felton.
- Season 5's main plotline was The Authority and Lilith, however, back in Bon Temps, most of the residents were dealing with the "Obama's".
- Season 6 had Sarah Newlin and Hep-V/Vamp Camp as its main plotline, but back in Bon Temps, Sookie was dealing with her own plot involving Warlow.
- Is it commonly debated amongst fans as to who the true villain of Season 5 is. On one side we have Salome, who is the ultimately the cause of the events, since she manipulates Bill and the Authority into drinking the blood. Then we have Bill, who becomes much more of a threat than Salome and is the one who suggested the bombings. And finally we have Lilith, who doesn't do as much for the plot herself but is the true cause of everything and even begins to pit the Authority members against one another. Many fans consider the three of them to be at equal footing for the role.
- Season 5 is the only season in which the main antagonists never interact with, or even meet, Sookie.
- The first four seasons had one main antagonist, who remained so the entire season and was faced in the finale. However, from Season 5 onwards, there are two main antagonists, usually serving two plotlines though occasionally working together.