10 Characters Who Never Forgot a Grudge

Lists are undoubtedly useful in everyday life. Busy people often rely on them to keep track of multiple items at once. They might catalog a set of tasks requiring their attention, or they could write down the products needed during a shopping trip. The practice is so common and ordinary that it’s barely worth mentioning. Of course, fiction can put it toward a darker purpose.

Several characters craft revenge lists. These rosters contain the names of people responsible for some personal slight. They’re usually part of a criminal conspiracy or an insidious cabal, hence the list. Even if the characters don’t physically write their targets down, their goal remains the same. The whole affair is a twisted take on a harmless tool, yet the sickest part is that these revenge lists are arguably more useful than their everyday counterparts. Not only do they clearly lay out the objectives for audiences, but they’re a constant reminder of a character’s need for retribution, ensuring the spurned crusader stays focused. It helps to have a method to the madness.

Related: 10 Famous Movie Villains Inspired by Real People

10 Arya Stark

Children have little hope in a setting as violent as Game of Thrones. Arya Stark hails from House Stark—a noble family in charge of northern Westeros. While highborn ladies usually live quiet lives as housewives, Arya prefers to become a warrior by studying swordplay. Little does she know how essential this training becomes. The rival Lannister family betrays the Starks, leading to several members’ deaths and leaving Arya a fugitive. These tragedies morph her into a bloodthirsty beast.

Arya becomes fixated on death. Taking cues from one of her father’s men, she repeats the names of all the people she intends to kill. They include Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, Walder Frey, and numerous others. Reciting these names is a daily ritual, bringing her a twisted sense of resolve in her lowest moments. The list evolves as circumstances change and some targets die before she can reach them, but Arya still personally claims several names before her journey is over.^[1]

9 V

The cue is in the name. V for Vendetta revolves around a masked vigilante known as V. Formerly a prisoner at a clandestine facility, he suffered horrific experiments from a dystopian English government. The ordeal leaves him scarred and deformed across his whole body, but it also makes him extraordinarily resilient. These gifts, along with his self-taught sword skills, let V strike back against his oppressors.

The mysterious swashbuckler begins systematically killing high-ranking officials. Examples include the host of a propaganda TV show, a corrupt bishop, and a medical researcher. They were all leading staffers at V’s hellish prison, and they all answer for their crimes when the masked avenger comes for them. More than revenge, though, these killings show citizens that the tyrannical government is fallible, thus inspiring a revolution.^[2]

8 Luca Changretta

Families can make formidable gangs, but their losses are more keenly felt. Just look at the Changrettas. This Italian crime clan falls out with the titular Peaky Blinders after the latter gang burns down a family restaurant. Death threats eventually become real, as the Changrettas assassinate the wife of Blinders leader Tommy Shelby. The British gangster responds by killing Italian patriarch Vicente. Unsurprisingly, the cycle of revenge continues.

Luca Changretta, the head of the family’s New York branch, comes to Birmingham to avenge his father’s death. Not only does he declare war on the Peaky Blinders, but he strives to wipe out the whole Shelby family. He actually succeeds in killing Tommy’s younger brother, John. In the end, though, the Blinders outplay Luca with sleight of hand. They ruthlessly execute him before giving his American assets to Al Capone. Prioritizing family ultimately brings down the Changretta business.^[3]

7 Green Arrow

This DC hero is usually a lighthearted crime fighter, but the CW series Arrow reimagines him in a darker light. The show begins with rich playboy Oliver Queen taking a cruise with his father, Robert. Sadly, an explosion sinks the ship, leaving the few survivors in a life raft. Oliver’s father executes the others and himself to give his son a fighting chance, but not before imbuing the kid with a notebook he’s compiled. This little tome contains the names of crooked officials in the Queens’ home of Starling City. These people are benefactors toward a radical organization of megalomaniacs, which Robert was part of before being betrayed by its leader. The ordeal strands the devastated Oliver on a deserted island for years, but he keeps the notebook in hopes of retribution.

After finally being rescued, he puts his hardened survival skills to use as the Green Arrow. This hooded archer starts hunting down the names in Robert’s notebook. Before confronting each one, he declares, “You have failed this city.” This tactic is admittedly a far cry from his comic-book counterpart, but it steadily unearths a conspiracy to level half the city. Dismantling that scheme is the best way Oliver knows to honor his father.^[4]

6 The Punisher

For the Punisher, the revenge list is never-ending. This Marvel antihero starts as Frank Castle, a U.S. Marine returning from war. After fighting through countless harrowing battles, he just wants to settle down with his wife and kids. Fate isn’t that kind, however, as the family soon witnesses a mob hit. The crooks in charge try to eliminate the group, but the botched attack leaves Frank as the sole survivor. This small oversight becomes a big problem.

Robbed of his peace, Castle puts his military skills toward avenging his loved ones. His first objective is finding the mobsters responsible for their deaths. As he hunts down these criminals, he leaves a trail of blood across New York City. These exploits earn him the moniker of “The Punisher.” He eventually executes the last target, but his mission is far from over. Disillusioned with the corrupt legal system, Castle expands his brand of justice to every criminal in town.^[5]

5 James Reece

Here’s another entry where the clue is in the name. The Terminal List follows the exploits of James Reece. This U.S. Navy SEAL witnesses his entire platoon wiped out in an ambush. Worse, he can’t fully recall the incident due to sudden memory loss. He returns home to his wife and daughter, but these loved ones soon meet untimely ends themselves. As the investigation starts to suspect Reece as the killer, he takes the initiative.

The SEAL begins his own search for answers. He interrogates and executes anyone connected to the killings. Whenever he uncovers a new lead, he writes the name on a drawing that his daughter made. He then crosses off these names as he edges closer to the truth. This method ensures that his work continues despite the memory lapses. As such, Reece’s revenge list is easily the most practical on this list.^[6]

4 Beatrix Kiddo

Assassins usually kill for business over pleasure, but not Beatrix Kiddo. Star of the Kill Bill films, this mysterious woman is a former member of the Deadly Vipers—a group of killers specializing in martial arts. Now, she finds her wedding day interrupted by her old team. The assault slaughters everyone in the chapel and leaves the pregnant Beatrix in a coma. Years later, she awakens believing she lost her unborn child and discovers that her body has been exploited while she lay unconscious. Suffice it to say, she’s not happy.

Beatrix goes on a killing spree, vowing to eliminate all the Deadly Vipers. Traveling the globe, the antiheroine tracks down each assassin. Most of them have moved on to other pursuits, but Beatrix doesn’t let them off the hook. Instead, she doles out the same mercy they showed her. At the top of her list is Bill, her former lover and the architect of her suffering. Though traumatic, her journey eventually reveals a surprising truth about her daughter’s fate. After wiping out the remnants of her old life, she gets a chance to build a new one.^[7]

3 Billy Butcher

Most people worship superheroes, but not Billy Butcher. As a leading figure in The Boys, he grows up as a troubled English youth. Clashing with an abusive father imbues him with a violent instinct, and his time with the Royal Marines only exacerbates that problem. In the television adaptation, the defining trauma in his life comes from the apparent death of his wife after an encounter with the superhero Homelander. Since the godlike showboat leads a team of corporatized crime fighters called the Seven, the caped creep thinks he’s untouchable. Billy quickly nixes that idea.

Butcher devotes himself to destroying Homelander and bringing down the Seven. Forming his own team of disgruntled misfits, he studies each superhero in search of weaknesses. He then exploits those weaknesses to sabotage the team, as well as their corporate sponsors. Anyone associated with the Seven becomes another enemy on Butcher’s list. In fact, he hates these “super” beings so much that he eventually embraces increasingly extreme measures in pursuit of vengeance. This obsession threatens to consume not only his enemies, but also the people closest to him.^[8]

2 Edmond Dantès

The Count of Monte Cristo is the prototypical revenge tale. The 1800s story opens on French sailor Edmond Dantès, who takes over his ship after the captain’s unexpected death. During the voyage, he fulfills his leader’s last wish by delivering a mysterious package and a letter. What he doesn’t know is that these deliveries are for the defunct Napoleon Bonaparte regime, making him the perfect patsy for those who wish to rise in the political ranks. Thus, Dantès rots in prison for years until a fellow inmate inadvertently helps him escape. Aiding the old prisoner in uncovering hidden riches, Edmond gains the wealth to reinvent himself and pay back those who wronged him.

The former sailor returns as an illustrious count, which puts him in striking distance of his enemies. His new position lets him blend into high society, and he uses that position to befriend his traitorous shipmate, the letter’s recipient, and the prosecutor who condemned him. His emotional and psychological games drive all three men to despair. Their suffering, coupled with the collateral damage, makes Dantès waver in his plot. In the end, he abandons his revenge to pursue a happy life with his lady love. That second chance is the greatest payback of all.^[9]

1 Emily Thorne

A show inspired by the Monte Cristo classic also makes the list. Revenge follows a New York woman named Amanda Clarke. She lives with her father in the Hamptons, but her scenic bliss comes crashing down with a damning accusation. Convicted of funneling money to terrorists, her dad gets a life sentence in prison. This setup leaves Amanda in lonely adolescence. The girl becomes obsessed with getting even, and she finally gets her chance upon reaching adulthood.

Inheriting millions of dollars, Clarke moves back to the Hamptons under another name: Emily Thorne. She uses this position to infiltrate the elite socialites who betrayed her father. Her main target is his former lover, Victoria Grayson, whose machinations prove a constant plague on Emily’s plans. Thankfully, the vengeful heroine completes her crusade and earns a second chance with her own love. Edmond Dantès would be proud.^[10]