Billions: The 10 Most Toxic Characters, Ranked | ScreenRant
It might actually be difficult to find someone on Billions who isn't toxic versus picking out those who are. Indeed, most of the characters are egotistical, selfish, and power-hungry, often making decisions solely for the benefit of their own self-interests.
Nonetheless, there are a few characters on the HBO series who stand out as being more toxic than others. Interestingly, each has their own way of demonstrating their toxicity. But the ones who are toxic aren't just out to get one person or another, they tend to demolish everything, and everyone, they come close to.
10 Bryan Connerty
Bryan slowly lost his moral compass, starting out as a talented young lawyer who really wanted to see justice served in every case he handled. But he took that passion too far when a rift with his former boss Chuck became a battle of wills.
With that said, Bryan convinced himself everything he did, from breaking into Chuck Rhoades Sr.'s home and safe to illegally accessing confidential evidence, was for the greater good. And he did mean it to some extent. Nonetheless, his behavior became toxic, making him worthy of the title.
9 Taylor Mason
Like Bryan, Taylor started out as a good and moral person. But over time, and under Axe's tutelage, the old Taylor was completely lost. So much so that Taylor even tried to save Rian from the same fate by telling her to run instead of continuing working there. Doing this, and making other moves Taylor has made, shows that they do have some morality left.
Nonetheless, whether they want to be toxic or not, Taylor seems to be forced into making difficult decisions in the name of financial success. No matter how reluctant they are about making these decisions, the fact of the matter is they do in and feel bad about it later.
8 Mike "Wags" Wagner
"Wags" is toxic more so to himself than anyone else. Everything he does is for personal gain, even though it's clear he is troubled and dealing with his own personal insecurities. He doesn't care who he hurts and often seems to enjoy taking others down, getting a thrill from vengeance.
He has great qualities as well, including his unwavering loyalty to Axe. But Wags' behavior, including how he treats the employees at Axe Capital, is sometimes deplorable. He loves to watch people squirm, put them down, and revel in their misery.
7 Wendy Rhoades
While Wendy from Billions has some great inspirational quotes, she is the subtle kind of toxic, masquerading as someone who wants to help. Indeed, she does genuinely help a lot of people throughout the show. But given the nature of her job, the focus is on doing so for the company's bottom line. When faced with a tough moral situation, even if she does feel remorse for the things she does, she still goes through with them. Wendy has even orchestrated big moves that have seriously hurt innocent people in order to help Axe.
The fact that Mafee, one of the nicest characters on Billions, was compelled to confront Wendy and call her a "garbage person" for what she did to her and Taylor speaks volumes about her toxicity. She has a lot of goodness, but when someone or something threatens her, she quickly flips a switch to toxic.
6 Chuck Rhoades
Chuck Rhoades might have initially come across as the good guy, the one who was out to seek justice and work for the benefit of all. He has the gift of gab, giving Chuck some great quotes on Billions. Indeed, Chuck often has good intentions. But always under his father's spell and obsessed with stopping those who skirt the law for financial gain, Chuck can take situations too far.
He's extremely intelligent, resourceful, and clever. But his behavior has led to the destruction of others, including Bryan and even, to some extent, Wendy. He lets his emotions get the best of him, which can lead to truly terrible outcomes.
5 "Dollar" Bill Stearn
While "Dollar" Bill has some great qualities, including loyalty and a true passion for what he does, he treats others poorly. Mostly, he is toxic in his personal life, secretly having two families with wives and kids who know nothing about the other.
What's more, he doesn't hesitate to cheat on either of them with other people. He was willing to potentially poison thousands of people by sabotaging a stock of chickens in the name of protecting himself, Axe, and the company. If someone isn't there to stop "Dollar" Bill, he would likely go even further with some of his dealings.
4 Waylon "Jock" Jeffcoat
"Jock" was as corrupt as they come, not to mention a clear racist. While embroiled in his own dirty dealings that allowed him to amass tremendous wealth, he made morally bankrupt moves, like not allowing Chuck and Kate to defend a young man who was clearly innocent for the sake of protecting a prison guard and the system.
There was no level to which Jock wouldn't stoop to get what he wanted and maintain the order he felt was right. He used his power in the worst ways possible. Jock might be one of the wealthiest characters on Billions, but his financial success has come at great moral sacrifice.
3 Charles Rhoades, Sr.
When Chuck told Wendy the "pancake eater" story about his father that likely led to his penchant for sadomasochism, it was devastating to hear. Not only did Chuck Rhoades, Sr. cheat on his wife constantly, he also treated her poorly.
He belittled Chuck as a child, leaving the man to crave his father's approval even into adulthood. Charles' toxic behavior did not teach Chuck some of the values he should uphold as a man, a husband, and a father, but more so as a decent person. He made others fear more than respect him.
2 Bobby "Axe" Axelrod
While Bobby is, by and large, the villain of the series for its first five seasons, fans sometimes feel compelled to like him when he does good things, such as entrust Taylor with the business, make peace with Chuck (for a time), and go out of his way to make sure Wendy is happy and safe. However, when it comes down to it, Axe often resorts to deplorable measures to get what he wants, and there's always something for him to gain from it. Most of Bobby Axelrod's best quotes on Billions suggest his arrogance and reactionary nature.
Driven by his ego, Axe even went so far as to betray his girlfriend Rebecca when she tried to help him, and bankrupted the son of his former partner because he no longer wanted to deal with him. Rather than let things go, Axe has a deep desire to always win. And there's nothing he won't do to achieve success and be better than the next guy.
1 Mike Prince
Mike Prince is a very specific type of toxic, because unlike characters like Axe, who are unabashedly aware of their toxicity, Mike tries to come across as the good guy, and even seems to have convinced himself that he is. But at his core, Mike is guilty of the same selfish greed as everyone else on the show.
From his first terrible move of backstabbing his best friend and stealing the company out from under him before it made billions, to using his daughters in a plot to win against Axe, Mike accomplishes it all with a smile and a subtle form of arrogance that only he can get away with. He is so cunning and calculated, in fact, that he became the only person ever to win against Axe, showing mercy in an egotistical way that resulted in more power for himself.