The post-villain: Ambiguous villain meets comic relief in Teen Wolf

Television series, especially those in the supernatural or paranormal genres, regularly include long-lasting character arcs for characters other than the heroes – including those more villainous (see, for instance, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [1997–2003], Supernatural [2005–present] and The X-Files [1992–2002] among others). This article uses textual and character analysis to perform a close reading of Teen Wolf Season 6A (2017), in particular the characters Peter Hale and Theo Raeken. The analysis, grounded in theory regarding popular culture and villains, reveals that both characters are examples of a previously undefined villain, which we have termed the ‘post-villain’. Using examples from the text, five aspects of the post-villain are discussed with the suggestion for future research outside of Teen Wolf.