Supergirl: Every character ranked from worst to best

16. Agent Liberty

Supergirl hadn’t had the best track record with main villains. With the exception of Reign, the big bads usually ranged from one-dimensional and campy to completely uninteresting. But the show decided to try something different with the unnerving Agent Liberty in its fourth season, and it turned out to be quite the success.

Agent Liberty was at the center of one of the show’s most powerful storylines, as he used fear and false information to scare people into turning against aliens. He also looked downright terrifying while doing it, with his unsettling golden “Liberty” mask and combat armor making him one of Supergirl‘s most intimidating baddies.

Sam Witwer brought him to life, and he did a wonderful job highlighting the nuances of Ben Lockwood. A family man and teacher who let tragedy push him down a path of hate and fear, the character was a far cry from the one-liner spouting villains of previous seasons. He was human, and that made him more frightening.

Agent Liberty’s rise and fall remains one of Supergirl‘s strongest (and most timely) storylines, and the characterization of the villain at the center of it was largely responsible for its success. The only downside is how he essentially became irrelevant when Lex Luthor showed up.