Monday, July 11th, 2016

Top Soap Opera villains

Jonathan Blum

From Catalina Creel in “Craddle of Wolves” up to Carminha in the Brazilian soap “Avenida Brasil“, there have been endless villains on our screens, filled with evil and great ideas to generate suffering for lead actors.

However, which have been the most feared villains?

Here are some of the most evil women that marked the soap opera industry.

1. Catalina Creel
Played by Maria Rubio in the soap opera Cuna de lobos (Cradle of Wolves) (1986). Maybe the most famed and known assassin in a series of soap operas, which has given her the title as the villain of villains.

2. Tamara de la Colina
Played by Cynthia Klitbo in the soap opera El privilegio de amar (The privilege of loving) (1998). Ruthless and manipulative, she comes to the end of her life demented and forgotten.

3. Angélica Santibáñez
Played by Chantal Andere in the soap opera Marimar (1994). She was so cruel and ruthless that she burnt down the lead actresses humble home, with her grandparents inside. She was hated and always remembered by viewers.

4. Soraya Montenegro
Played by Itatí Cantoral in the soap opera Maria, la del barrio (Maria from the neighborhood) (1996). One of the most iconic villains in the small screen, her evilness had no precedents: she faked her death, mistreated her handicapped stepdaughter, among others. How could you forget the famous scene where she found her couple with Alicia, and she says her iconic line damned cripple.

5. Paola Bracho
Played by Gabriela Spanic in the soap opera La Usurpadora (The Usurper) (1998). An outstanding character in the soap opera industry as it was a double role; she plays Paulina, the sweet and good, and equally ruthless, Paola. This is the most strategic and intelligent villain: when discovering a woman that was practically her twin, she extorts her to fool her family.

6. Virginia Fernandez
Played by Karla Álvarez in the soap opera La Mentira (The lie) (1998). One of the craftiest and most cynical villains, capable of deceiving anyone with her angelical face. Through lies, she tries to destroy the path of her cousin Veronica.

7. Carlota Espinoza de los Monteros
Played by Leticia Calderon in the soap opera En nombre de amor (In the name of love) (2009), is the most feared villain ‘Aunt’ in the soap opera world. Resentful, arrogant and with secrets that transformed; she committed several crimes and tried to end the life of her niece several times and that of her sister.

8. Paulina Riasco
Played by Kathy Saenz in the Pura Sangre (Pureblood) soap opera. (2007). Cruel, astute and very dangerous, she deceived a family looking for revenge. She was nicknamed ‘The Hyena’

9. Roxana Brito De La O
Played by Joana Benedeck in the Soap Opera Amigas y rivales (Friends and rivals) (2001). Selfish, envious and revengeful, blinded by impossible love, committed all types of humiliating actions to keep any woman away from her stepson, who she is in love with. Remembered by one of the classic scenes in soap operas: Waiting for one of her victims to attack her with acid, she ends up splashed by it; ending up disfigured and locked in a mental institution.

10. Carminha Moreira de Souza Araújo

Played by Adriana Esteves in the soap opera Avenida Brasil (Brazil Avenue) (2012). She is selfish, ambitious, ruthless and unscrupulous; constantly tortured the lead actress and used whatever tricks were necessary to get more money in her hands, winning the title of the greediest, making true to her famous line: “I don’t want anything in this life, I want it all”.

Most villains in soaps end up being punished for their actions and behaviors along the plot, nevertheless, it is not always like that; sometimes they manage to get away with it and escape, starting a new life. Nevertheless, this is a whole other story.