We, as a society, have always had a fascination with evil people. This fascination extends to film and TV, as some of the most notable characters of all time are considered evil. When it comes to evil characters, there is a particular kind that has peeked my interest:
Evil teen and child characters
We have seen evil adults in both fiction and reality countless times, making them a dime-a-dozen. However, it is not often we find ourselves calling teens and kids (real or fiction) evil. Any time we see younger people do things we disapprove of, we normally dismiss it as the kid/teen not knowing better. Thus, when a younger person does something objectively evil, it is quite horrifying. If these people are doing evil things at such a young age, imagine what they could do if/when they grow up. That is why we are going to look at five of the most evil kid and teen characters in all of movies and TV:
5. Bryce Walker (13 Reasons Why)
Yeah, you know this list is gonna be a dozy when this guy is only number 5. Bryce Walker may look like your typical high school bully, but he is far worse. Over the course of the controversial Netflix hit series' first season, Bryce is revealed to be more and more of a monster. The audience eventually discovers that Bryce has raped at least two of his classmates, one of them being series main character Hannah Baker (in the moment that inspired the infamous tapes). The act of rape is bad enough, but when that event is so traumatic that it leads to the victim committing suicide, you know the perpetrator is a first class scumbag. What makes this worse is Bryce's disgusting justification for his actions. For you see, in Bryce's eyes, every girl in school is just "begging" him to f*#% them.
Let's hope his treatment in Season 2 is more Larry Nassar than Brock Turner.
4. Anthony Fremont (The Twilight Zone)
What's that? Putting a little boy from the 60's ahead of a rapist on a list like this is blasphemous?
That's where you're wrong, kiddo.
Anthony Fremont from the classic Twilight Zone episode "Its a Good Life" is not your ordinary little boy. Anthony was born with special powers that practically make him a god. What does little Anthony do with his god-like powers? He kills dogs, isolates his entire town from the rest world (or gets rid of the rest of world, its kinda open to interpretation), and forces his parents and peers to cater to his every whim with the threat of potential death. You better think happy thoughts around Anthony, or he'll send you to the cornfield.
3. Zack Morris (Saved By The Bell)
I know what you're thinking: How could Zack Morris, the main character from a show as silly and stupid as Saved By The Bell be the least bit evil?
The answer to that: Have you seen and paid attention to an episode of Saved By The Bell?
If you have, you would know that Zack Morris is a full blown sociopath. Zack's antics constantly see him putting his "friends" in emotional, mental, and even physical harm's way for his own selfish desires. Fortunately for Zack, and unfortunately for decent society, he lives in area where everyone is way too forgiving and the authority figures are complete pushovers. Add numerous instances of racism and misogyny, and you have a character who has no business being the hero of a kids show.
2. Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)
One common trait that all these characters have is that they enjoy the pain they bring upon others. Alex DeLarge doesn't just enjoy hurting others, he really, really, really, really enjoys hurting others. To Alex, nothing beats the thrill of breaking the law and causing destruction. What makes Alex even more horrifying is that he is shockingly well spoken, and has a liking for fine art and classical music. The fact that someone so young can come across as both intelligent and barbaric is incredibly unsettling.
1. Eric Cartman (South Park)
Who else could it be? For over 20 years, Eric Cartman has cemented himself as arguably the most evil character, kid or adult, of all time. Even the most evil acts committed by the other characters on this list are mere child's play compared to what Cartman has done:
Alex raped an elderly woman while humming "Singin' in the Rain"? Cartman used stem cells to recreate a pizza restaurant.
Zack Morris lied about Slater dying from a rare disease so he could have Kelly all to himself? Cartman teamed up with Cthulhu because his friends kicked him out of their superhero club.
Anthony Fremont turned a man into a Jack-in-the-box in front of his wife? Cartman gave Kyle HIV just to spite him.
Bryce Walker raped the main character of his series, who killed herself shortly afterwards? CARTMAN FED A KID A CHILI MADE OF HIS PARENTS AS A FORM OF REVENGE!!!
If you were smart, you would respect Cartman's authoritah.
