Which Witch is The Baddest of Them All in ‘American Horror Story: Coven’?
American Horror Story: Coven is one of the fans’ favorite seasons. In fact, the first three — Murder House, Asylum, and Coven — hold a special place in day-one fans’ hearts. They were the most original, in a way, because the show was still so new. Plus, with Coven, the series got to delve into the vast world of witches. As with all AHS seasons, there are bad characters. Some are straight-up evil, while others are just morally ambiguous. But which witch is the worst? Here’s a ranking of the witches we see in Season 3, Coven.
Stevie Nicks
Starting at the bottom of the list — which is going from least bad to worst — is the White Witch herself. Ryan Murphy really knew what he was doing when he cast Stevie Nicks as a guest star. Not only did she have that urban legend following her around in real life, but her aesthetic really goes with the magical vibe of the season. She’s a good witch, from what we can see. Did you have any doubt? The woman wrote “Edge of Seventeen,” she’s done nothing but good for our society.
Misty Day
Moving on, Misty is played by Lily Rabe and is a Stevie Nicks knockoff. This makes sense since the singer is her idol and it suits her well. In addition to that, Misty is soft and not aggressive most of the time. While she does get agitated when she’s left alone, it’s mostly the trauma talking. Doesn’t go out of her way to kill anyone, and her hell is being forced to dissect a frog. Pure, if you will.
Cordelia Foxx
Sarah Paulson was at it again in the role of Cordelia. Even though she was introduced as an uptight headmistress at the beginning, she really wasn’t. Despite lingering anger issues regarding her mother and then her husband, Cordelia always strove to be good. She wasn’t perfect, but she did have a good heart. When you’re in that coven, things can get messy, but she came out quite alright. Long live the Supreme.
Nan
Jamie Brewer plays Nan, who is underrated in the coven. She has the power of clairvoyance, so she can tell what’s happened in the past and what’s currently going on in someone’s head. She is mostly good for the beginning of the season and well-loved by Cordelia. She’s murdered by Marie Laveau and Fiona Goode later in the season because they need a pure sacrifice to Papa Legba. While she has an attitude, no one could have suspected that she would actually love being a minion to Papa Legba, who represents evil and the underworld in the show. She’s not so pure after all.
Queenie
Gabourey Sidibe kills it as Queenie, the outspoken witch who is basically a human voodoo doll. She’s constantly ridiculed but has her own way of fighting back; which happens often because she does not let disrespect slide. Sure she boils men’s hands and threatens to kill Madison every two minutes, but honestly who wouldn’t in those situations? If you’re a fictional witch, that is. While she has her bad side, she’s not evil. Again, this coven could make anyone turn murderous.
Zoe Benson
Zoe, played by Taissa Farmiga, is pretty timid when she first comes to the academy. She’s devasted at accidentally killing her boyfriend, and you don’t really see her being the murderous type. Wrong. She succumbs to some bloody deeds in an act of revenge in the beginning and dabbles in dark magic later on. While she and Queenie are pretty similar in terms of badness, Zoe does a lot for selfish gain.
Myrtle Snow
Frances Conroy took on the role of Myrtle Snow and she does it so deliciously. Myrtle is the epitome of a drama queen and is so lyrical in her speech and demeanor, that she might not be seen as a threat. But this woman has some very dangerous tricks up her sleeve. She will not hesitate to hex, maim, or kill you and will do so dressed to the nines. Also, scooping someone’s eyeball out with a melon scoop is so cruel and unusual.
Marie Laveau
If you’re talking about better witch or witch with the most skill, Marie Laveau, played by Angela Bassett, would be at the top. And if you’re talking about a bad witch with the best style and overall presence, she would also be in the top two. But, alas, this is about evilness. Although Marie Laveau had her moments, like making a deal with Papa Legba — show’s depiction of underworld evil — to sacrifice babies. But that doesn’t mean she’s the worst one here, oddly.
Madison Montgomery
In possibly one of her best American Horror Story roles, Emma Roberts played Madison Montgomery, a spoiled Hollywood starlet who uses her powers for virtually anything. Mostly bad things or self-serving things as well. She is very selfish and very spiteful, not to mention she’s just mean and nasty. She is a delight to watch because she’s so bad, but the reason she’s above Marie Laveau in this list is because of her meanspiritedness. She’s intriguing to watch, but you can’t hide the fact that she has no redeeming qualities that make her less of a bad person. In Season 8, Apocalypse, she does have a tender moment with Violet Harmon and grows a bit more in that season overall. But in Coven, she’s horrible.
Fiona Goode
Last and, of course, certainly not least, Jessica Lange’s Fiona Goode is the witch. She is the baddest of the bad. She has lived her life for herself and didn’t even care for her daughter, Cordelia. She kills and hexes however much she pleases. She’ll blow a man’s brain up just for trying to defy her and she’ll laugh about it too. If a TV character ever had basically zero morals, Fiona is the one.
