Days Of Our Lives' 5 Best Villains Of All Time

When it comes to creating a villain, "Days of Our Lives" knows what it's doing. The long-running soap opera has given fans some of the most devious bad guys in daytime television history, and the list of villains is nearly endless where the fictional town of Salem is concerned. Over the years, there have been many shady characters who have caused chaos. Memorable Salemites such as Deimos Kiriakis, Orpheus, Eve Donovan, Xander Cook, Gabi Hernandez, EJ DiMera, Claire Brady, Andre DiMera, Kate Roberts, Ava Vitali, Dr. Rolf, and many more have all left their marks on the sudser.

Other characters like Clyde Weston have had less time in Salem but left their mark nonetheless. Fans may remember that Clyde is responsible for killing Abigail Deveraux DiMera and ordering a hit on EJ DiMera in the past. Clyde's son, Ben Weston, might now be a respectable family man, but in his early days in Salem, he was responsible for killing characters like Serena Mason and Paige Larson as part of his reign of terror as The Necktie Killer.

Characters like Nicole Walker, Brady Black, Hope Brady, John Black, and Steve Johnson have also had some villainous moments. However, Salem's most devilish villains have caused chaos and destruction to many for decades.

Longtime soap opera fans know that no other "Days of Our Lives" villain can compare to Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo). During his run in Salem, Stefano caused trouble for nearly everyone he came into contact with. He was also plotting and scheming to get revenge on one enemy or another and took things to a new level when it came to his own unique brand of torture. Stefano spent many years building an empire in Salem and growing his family, which consists of several children. During the height of his evil deeds, Stefano kidnapped, blackmailed, brainwashed, and killed anyone who got in his way. He also harbored an obsession with Marlena Evans.

Some of his most memorable crimes include organ theft, diamond trafficking, switching Hope Brady's baby at birth, ordering a hit on the mayor, and holding Hope and John Black captive in order to manipulate their minds. Stefano even held Bo Brady hostage for years, which resulted in the lack of medical care and his untimely death from a brain tumor. Although Stefano made good on his nickname, The Pheonix, and rose from the ashes on several occasions, he was finally shot and killed by Hope in an attempt to get revenge for Bo's death.

Despite whatever villains arise in the future of the soap opera, Stefano will always be the most iconic of them all.

While Stefano DiMera may have been Salem's big bad guy, "Days of Our Lives" fans can't forget about the evil women who have appeared on the sudser. Most of all, Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel), whose reign of terror included torturing and tormenting all of her enemies. Vivian was introduced in 1992 and quickly fell for Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston). However, a truly epic feud was born when he left her for Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow). Vivian stole Victor and Kate's embryo so that she could carry and give birth to their son, Philip. She also had famously feuded with her nephew Lawrence Alamain's love interest, Carly Manning (Crystal Chappell). Vivian hated the woman and tried to ruin her life by faking Carly's death and burying her alive. Vivian tortured Carly as she ran out of oxygen and nearly died before being saved at the last minute. Years later, Vivian did the same thing to Kate and Victor's wife, Maggie Horton.

Vivian also lied to Carly and Lawrence about their son, whom they thought had died. Instead, Vivian took the little boy as a baby and passed him off as her adopted son. She later returned the child to the couple. Over the years, Vivian was involved in several other crimes, including blackmail, murder, baby swapping, and moving Isabella Toscano's remains to a pet cemetery. In 2021, Vivian continued terrorizing the people of Salem when she kidnapped Lani Price and Eli Grant's newborn twins.

When Kristen DiMera (then Eileen Davidson) stepped into Salem in 1993, she wasn't a villain at all. However, after becoming close to and being adopted by powerful Salemite Stefano DiMera, Kristen had some jaw-dropping moments of her own, showing her true colors. When she fell in love with John Black (Drake Hogestyn), she did everything she could to keep him from his former love, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). She even faked a pregnancy and hired a lookalike named Susan Banks to pretend to be her during pivotal pregnancy moments. After the baby was born, she passed Susan's son off as her own and even held Marlena hostage until her plan blew up in her face. Kristen also helped Stefano with many of his evil endeavors, like kidnapping, brainwashing, and more.

After leaving Salem, Kristen (now Stacy Haiduk) returned years later to cause trouble again. This time, she fell for John's son, Brady Black (Eric Martsolf). She also drugged and assaulted Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan), ordered an attack on Marlena, and stole an embryo from Brady's former fiance, Theresa Donovan, in order to give birth to his child. She later masqueraded as Nicole Walker and seduced Brady, eventually becoming pregnant with his child.

Kristen never stopped scheming and following in the footsteps of her devilish adopted dad, making her one of Salem's most dangerous criminals.

Victor Kiriakis had quite the villain evolution when he first showed his face in Salem in 1985. It was clear that he was going to shake things up. The character led a drug and pornography ring, blackmailed several Salemites, threatened ISA agen Shane Donovan's life, helped break Harper Deveraux out of jail, drugged his nephew Justin Kiriakis, framed Kayla Brady for murder, and tried to rip apart Bo Brady and Carly Manning's romance. "Days of Our Lives" fans watched Victor carry out some very devious deeds during his early days on the soap opera. However, after spending decades creating catastrophe for those around him, he married Salem sweetheart Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers). Maggie helped Victor calm his criminal urges and become a better man. However, he was still no angel.

Eventually, Victor went back to scheming when he enlisted his nephew Xander Cook to help him switch Brady Black and Kristen DiMera's daughter with Sarah Horton's baby shortly after birth. Brady and Kristen were told that their baby had died, while Sarah went on to raise the couple's little girl for a year before the truth was finally exposed. Victor also continued his corrupt business practices and always found someone to help him do his dirty work.

Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) may come from one of the most well-respected families in Salem, but "Days of Our Lives" viewers know that the character is willing to do anything to get what she wants. Since her teenage years, Sami has plotted and schemed to build the life she's always wanted, and that started with tricking her sister Carrie Brady's boyfriend, Austin Reed, into believing he fathered her son, Will. After a messy love triangle ensued, the truth about Will's paternity was finally revealed, leaving Sami looking like a fool. Sami has also resorted to blackmail, kidnapping, changing DNA test results, adultery, destroying evidence, SEC fraud, and more. At one point, Sami even disguised herself as a man named Stan to hide in plain sight in Salem.

Sami has been involved in some of the most memorable moments in the soap opera's history, and although she often causes trouble for herself and her loved ones, fans can't help but love the character. Even when Sami is scheming and lying, she has still proven herself to be someone who cares about people and wants the best for those she loves, even when her actions don't match her intentions.

Sami is just one of many "Days of Our Lives" troublemakers that fans have loved watching over the years, and the show continues to bring the drama with each new episode.