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Valfrid Storm
- Portrayed by: Fredrik Gunnarson
- Asshole Victim: Despite Wallander being traumatized by killing him, it is moreso the general idea of killing a man that gets him, not Valfrid himself.
- Affably Evil: To his associates, at the very least.
- Big Bad Wannabe: With an insanely low body count, it's clear that Valfrid intends to look like a vigilante badass, but just fails.
- Hate Sink: A neo-nazi who thinks he is a complete badass.
The White Lioness killer (spoilers)
Max Khulu
- Portrayed by: John Kani
- Archenemy: Becomes this to the guest protagonist Grace when he is discovered as the killer, she is absolutely shocked by his methods, how he creates monsters to assassinate people.
- Big Fancy House: And Wallander is certainly impressed by it.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Subverted a million times over. Max's family are allowed to be in his house, but he treats them like crap, and they seem very frustrated about this, unsurprisingly.
- Faux Affably Evil: His sophistication and calmness is just a front for his power hungry true nature.
- Karma Houdini: Due to his power, Khulu is never arrested nor killed, although he is nearly killed after Wallander tells his second assassin about that he won't get any money from the assassination.
- Kick the Dog: Max has African gangsters brutally trained into sentient weapons and use them to assassinate people.
- Serial Killer: Although he's certainly too old to do them by himself, Khulu is behind some pretty brutal murders, not to mention the multiple young gangsters he has turnt into living weapons.
- The Sociopath: Khulu appears to be a kindly old man whose wealth and power is carefully chosen what he should use it on, when in reality he's just an arrogant control freak who is drunk with the power.
One Step Behind killer
Åke / Louise (Åke Larstam in the novel)
- Portrayed by: Ben Meyjes
I made Carl... see me... and now, you're going to see me for the rest of your life.
The transsexual Serial Killer who killed Carl "Kalle" Svedberg after he rejected him.- Adaptational Villainy: The Branagh adaptation makes Åke a traitorous, parasitic monster of a killer who seems to have only one motive; sadism. The novel and film adaptation are well-intentioned to the fullest.
- Alas, Poor Villain: The novels make Åke a tragic figure who wants to give a "good fate" to people by killing them, due to having his own life ruined after losing his job for no reason. His death isn't deserved, with other words.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The novels have Åke's mother, who, after dying, caused Åke's insanity to go fully loose.
- For the Evulz: The Branagh adaptation seems to kill for enjoyment rather than anything else, especially when Åke kills a newly married couple at a private island, and he gleefully smiles.
- Freudian Excuse: The Branagh version was rejected by Kalle, who was embarrassed of being in love with a transsexual, and therefore, Åke killed him. Subverted when it's revealed that Åke killed long before this.
- See Tragic Villain below for the novels.
- Serial Killer: However the adaptations have different motivations, as stated above, and the Branagh adaptation is noticeably worse.
- Tragic Villain: The original versions have Åke as a former working-class hero, but the job was well-paying as well. Unfortunately, one day, Åke was replaced for no reason, and this caused him to get depression. This despression became even bigger when his mom died, and it eventually made him a Serial Killer.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The original versions. Åke only kills because he doesn't want his victims to instead ruin their lives, and dying may just be a better thing to do.
The Fifth Woman killer
Yvonne
- Portrayed by: Claire Cox
- Alas, Poor Villain: Especially in the Branagh version. Yvonne is preparing to murder her next victim, who is a complete asshole, but Wallander comes and interrupts her. She prepares to shoot Wallander, but then tries starting a fight with him. She does, but Wallander calms her down, and they hug. ...then she decides to end her miserable life.
- Anti-Villain: Almost an Anti-Hero. Her murders are still criminal, but her motives are justified and everyone who Wallander interrogates seems to not want to reveal anything due to how justifiable her killings are, and the only reason they say anything is because it might be illegal not to.
- Asshole Victim: Not her, but her victims are all wealthy domestic abusers who used their positions to do so.
- Dark and Troubled Past: And a particularly horrible one. Yvonne's father was an utter monster who abused both Yvonne and her mother, and her mother snapped after a while, and most likely killed him. They escaped the country, but eventually her mother died, and that caused a Sanity Slippage and made Yvonne a Serial Killer.
- Serial Killer: She targets abusive husbands.
- Serial-Killer Killer: One of her victims was a successful businessman who basically marries women to later con them and ruin their lives, sometimes killing them.
Sidetracked killer
Stefan
Wise Beyond Their Years teenager who is revealed to be the true killer.- Affably Evil: Stefan is genuinely friendly and only targets people who deserve it. That said, his killings are still needlessly sadistic.
- Asshole Victim: All of his victims were vicious criminals and corrupt officials. But in the Branagh adaptation, Stefan becomes this himself in the end. Wallander shows no remorse when he shoots Stefan in his shoulder, as it may just be a life lesson for him.
- Freudian Excuse: His killings are a bit too sadistic to be considered a Tragic Villain, but the Branagh adaptation has Stefan's father a lowlife career criminal who ruthlessly abused the family. The original version is even worse, as his mother is a stupid alcoholic who admits that she has no money at all.
- Serial Killer: Obviously.
Firewall killer(s)
Dr. James Carter/Niklas Falk, Solomon (Swedish version), Ella, Sonja Hökberg
Three anarchists who aim to ruin the western economy to make the African economy better.- Adaptational Name Change: Dr. James Carter is switched with the character "Niklas Falk" in the Branagh version.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Ella. In the original version, she is an Hate Sink of the highest order who doesn't even seem to believe in the others ideology, whereas in the Branagh version, she actually values her relationship with Wallander, and calls him a "good person".
- Adaptational Villainy: But then there's Niklas Falk, who is far more brutal than the original James Carter.
- Affably Evil: Dr. James Carter, in the original, is actually nice and seems to have some sort of respect for Wallander, the fact that he wants to help third-world countries contribute to this. Solomon from the original is also this despite being a vicious mercenary.
- Anti-Villain: Other than Ella, the entire crew can be considered this. Dr. James Carter in the original is deeply affable and even Wallander admits that if he had the same power and wealth as Carter had, he probably would have done the same thing. Solomon is just a simple mercenary when you think about it and isn't necessarily a sadist or anything, just a regular soldier doing his job. In the Branagh version, Falk is more vicious but still has a casual personality and Ella genuinely cares for Wallander. In both versions Sonja Hokberg is right in between an
Jerkass Woobie and The Woobie due to, while she was a cocky little shit during interrogation who killed a taxi driver "because she needed some cash, just some cash you know, fucking cop", it is fully understandable later on when it's revealed that the taxi driver she killed had in fact raped her when she was younger, and she felt that her affiliation with the terrorists ruined her life and killing the taxi driver was just her giving up on life in general. - Asshole Victim: In the original, Ella, without a doubt. Wallander mourns her death, but moreso because he is still shocked by what has happened, not because she's sympathetic.
- The taxi driver who Sonja kills deserved his death more than Sonja herself, a rapist and former abuser.
- Badass Bookworm: Both versions of the terrorist leader (Dr. Carter, Niklas Falk) are extremely educated. Carter is a wealthy doctor who has started working in Africa (hence why he wants to increase the economy of African countries) and Falk is working with IT. Solomon seems to be quite educated but has a more vague background. The other three... not so much. Ella's backstory is never elaborated on and therefore is an enigmatic figure, the taxi driver who raped Sonja seemed like a dumb scumbag more than anything else, and Sonja herself is explicitly mentioned to be Book Dumb and terrible in school, apparently often skipping it and getting into fights and arguments.
- Bait the Dog: Ella. Throughout the episode, she pretends to be the love of Wallander's life, only to show that she is a member of the group.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Sonja Hokberg is painfully burned to death by the leader after escaping custody, in classic You Have Failed Me fashion.
- Driven to Suicide: Solomon in the Swedish version commits suicide rather than being arrested.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Surprisingly, Ella in the Branagh version genuinely cares for Wallander, and if she hadn't been a vicious, mass murdering gangster, she may just have been in a relationship with Kurt at that point.
- Even Evil Has Standards: In the original version, when Ella is killed by Wallander, Carter is visibly disgusted when he learns how hard Ella manipulated poor Kurt, and nods before being killed by Wallander.
- Faux Affably Evil: Ella in the original fits the bill. Whereas the Branagh version cares for Wallander, this one merely uses him as a puppet and has no such feelings at all.
- Serial Killer: The taxi driver and Ella have some small shades of this. The taxi guy has apparently been arrested in the past for rape and abuse, which may indicate him as a Serial Rapist. Ella is an extremely vague example, but she does briefly state that she has had a relationship with two other police officers earlier during her and Wallander's date, and she doesn't really explain why they broke up, so yeah...
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: They want to ruin the western economy in order to give third-world countries more wealth and power.
The Man Who Smiled killer
Alfred Harde(r)berg
- Portrayed by: Rupert Graves
- Adaptational Name Change: Hardeberg, Harde(r)berg.
- Adaptational Villainy: While the original version is genuinely likeable despite killing children due to his smooth personality, whereas the Branagh version is a Smug Snake who drops any likeability at the end where he kills Anders, his henchman.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: In the original Wallander breaks into his house and is furious after learning that Alfred kills children, his only response is that TLL, the project Alfred is working at, will be sending bodies all over Sweden and no one will care, and some children dead is nothing.
- Faux Affably Evil: Alfred is a fun and smooth guy who may just kill you, but he'll present to you his very nice collection of the best cider in the world while he does it. The Branagh adaptation is more hateable surely, but there is something oddly likeable about the original, with his cool personality and general sophistication.
- For the Evulz: He makes a short but effective quote about how the Africans are his children; and therefore he gets to choose who he kills.
- Hate Sink: Harderberg, not Hardeberg, is a smug little shit who has no sort of problems killing anyone. There's a reason why the original gets away with everything, whereas the BBC one is shot in the leg.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He wears luxury clothes, has only the best alcohol, lives in a huge castle, and talks in a very sophisticated matter.
- Serial Killer: Although the Branagh adaptation more explicitly has an MO, the original has bodies of children hidden all over his yard, whereas the British kills every African he can see.
- Smug Snake: Not the original, but the Branagh version is extremely sadistic and unsympathetic and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
- The Sociopath: Alfred is charming, always happy, and a child murderer.
- Would Hurt a Child: Both versions have no qualms killing innocent children for money, and in fact the original explicitly only kills children for some reason.
Heinrich Böhle
Heinrich Böhle
- Portrayed by: Dag Elfgren
- Beard of Evil: Has a circle beard and is very, very evil.
- The Chessmaster: A very good strategist, every move he does against Yngve Holm (including killing his aunts, kidnapping his daughter and take down several of his henchmen) eventually leads to Yngve giving up and turning himself into the police while Böle manages to avoid the police for a good while.
- Diabolical Mastermind: Is a criminal mastermind. See The Chessmaster above.
- Hate Sink: Obviously.
- Kick the Dog: When he kills Yngve’s aunts and kidnaps his teenage daughter.
- Sadist: Very much so, is seen taking amusement in killing both his rivals AND associates.
- The Sociopath: Is one of the few villains to have no morals or ethics at all. When confronted by Wallander for killing an entire family he laughs it off by saying he doesn’t even remember it.
- Smug Snake: treats both his henchmen and rivals like garbage.
- Would Hurt a Child: He kidnaps Yngve Holm’s teenage daughter and threatens to kill her with a bomb if he does not get what he wants from Holm.
