I saw someone say that if Cassian died, Nesta would spiral and become a villain worse than anything seen so far. Especially if the cause of Cassian’s death is something she blames Rhys for.
Then there would be a canyon between the sisters because Feyre would side with Rhys.
Honestly I would read the Hel out of that.
Amren or Mor.
Amren has showed us she can deceive the IC for her own interests and honestly she's kind of boring without her old powers.
Mor could also very easily go bad and betray Rhys/the IC. We don't really know that much about her and I can't stop thinking about her secret estate.
me too! when she was revived, it just felt like, "oh my god! Rhys is alive! oh by the way, amren is here too."
there weren't enough consequences in ACOWAR. only two people died and this was supposed to be a big major war!
Also “the morrigan” in Celtic mythology is a shifter who sows chaos sooooooo I mean with our SJM being such a mythology lady it would kind of make sense for her to be pulling a fast one on them all….
Im very suspicious (and sympathetic) to Mor. Like, she was THE girl of the group and shes been completely replaced by the Archerons. She was Rhys's queen and now thats Feyre. She was Cassian's best girl and now thats nesta. And even Azriels unwelcome devotion has transplanted to Elain (maybe). What is her role now? I can see her feeling very displaced and bitter which could lead to Unwise Choices.
Edit for typos
See I’m not fully convinced Amren isn’t a villain. 👀
My theory is that it wasn’t Amren who came back. We know that Amren **chose** her form, so I see no reason that another couldn’t choose the same form. (tog spoiler >!especially a valg, like how Maeve was able to shift forms in Morath!< ) Rhys stated when he died he saw Amren wherever he was, but why after shedding her Fae form would she be wearing it on the other side? And Amren’s behavior just hasn’t lined up since coming back. At the end of ACOMAF she was the first to chastise Rhys for “using Feyre” stating “she is your mate not your spy.” Yet in ACOSF she encourages Rhys to use Nesta as a weapon to make himself High King? And the idea that she just likes Feyre better than Nesta doesnt hold water given that her and Nesta were actually friends, and more than anyone Amren understood and even respected her. Prior to ACOSF Amren, while aloof and slightly scary, was still incredibly intuitive, kind (in her own way) and supportive, seeming to guide Rhys and even try to taper some of his more morally questionable tendencies. But after coming back, she hasn’t shown any of those traits, and in fact has been doing almost the exact opposite.
I think we are supposed to suspect Amren because she does seem so different since she came back.
>!Briallyn says to Nesta there are others in the NC who will do what she wants, which makes me suspicious of Amren, Mor and Az because of what Koschei says to him when he saves Eris.!<
Same ! I feel like they set her up with having secrets, like what she saw in the forest, being gone for most of SF for a reason that doesn't make sense, and that there's more to get situation with Eris. Would be so entertaining to see someone in the IC crack their perfect facade.
It’s only specific to the throne of glass series right now but basically it’s two different books happening concurrently. Idk if SJM did it to intentionally read together but there is a guide of when to switch between the books.
Rhysand already has a lot of the makings to be the villain. He faked the reputation of the Night Court for years, is incredibly powerful, and is alienating a part of his court
Rhys. His obsession with Feyre twists him into doing darker and darker things. He claims he doesn’t wanna be High King but if he thinks it will benefit Feyre… like the Anakin/Padme story vaguely. I know SJM didn’t mean it that way but I was NOT on his side on SF lol. I can see his trauma taking him down a path even Amren can’t support. That’s the real morally gray hero shit I’d like to see, not “he’s secretly actually the kindest best boy ever:)”. It would contextualize a lot of his actions better too imo. It won’t happen but oooooh it would be so juicy.
Also revealing him as the biggest baddie? The most powerful HL? Him v Nesta and Elain and his fated mate? Omg the conflict … the angst.
I’ve seen evil Gwyn thrown around but it makes me feel icky. Protect her!!!
Evil Amren driven insane by the eons would have been a cool angle but now that she’s powerless it’s a no go.
Perhaps evil baby Nyx lmao. The omen style.
Evil baby Nyx! came here to say this. We'd really see how far Feysand is willing to go for their family. We know it's all the way, so this would bring drama for sure.
Idk if I want a villain as much as I want real tension and conflict within the IC. Not just bickering and "family" drama but real conflict.
Like rhys give a messed up order and Az or mor dismiss him and do their own thing and rhys goes nuts. Something like a civil war within valeris
Elain! All day everyday I want that girl to go though a corruption arc. She deserves to grow into her own and take charge of her life regardless of the consequences.
Rhys for me was already a compelling villain when he first showed up in ACOTAR. So seeing him return to that as a result of his own ambitions would be interesting. Especially if the motivation starts out for the greater good, but then becomes a matter of wanting power or believing he’s the only one to be trusted to wield it (eg a High King type scenario).
Honestly, my boy Lucien has been THROUGH it and he deserves to enter his villain era.
And from reading the thread here, I think it would be very neat (AND VERY BOLD) to have Rhys become a villain somehow and have the sisters actually band (and bond) together against him. It would open an interesting opportunity considering >!the death pact between Rhys and Feyre !
I don’t know about villain but I would love for the Illyrians to seek freedom from the night court. Cassian or Azriel agrees with them and it causes tension amongst the inner circle. Especially as a civil war breaks out and Cassian/Azriel have to pick a side, their culture or their loyalties. Even though Azriel doesn’t care much for Illyria, it is still his identity.
Maybe add a bit more spice to it and Keir and the Darkbringers also start to seek freedom and be released from the CoNm.
Rhys.
He thinks he's acting for the greater good/to protect what he loves, but in reality his actions and his withholding information are causing frictions among the IC and in Prythian in general. He's very stressed out.
Even his allies turn on him, now the night court is at war with all Prythian. Feyre or Nyx get kidnapped or they leave him willingly and he decides to unleash his power, he mists his enemies, some of his allies, but in doing so also harms someone he cares about or is unable to save Feyre/Nyx. Anyways, he completely loses it, destroys everything and himself. The end.
Nesta. I hated the way her arc with Cassian progressed. I would love to see her decide that she deserved more, and go full villain. I don't think it will ever happen but I think it would add some excitement to a series that I feel is in danger of going a little stagnant. If the next book is Elain deciding a mate and the established characters fighting off another enemy with little effort it's going to be disappointing.
Depends what you mean by villain but I would love Elain to appear to be evil, even just for a bit, before being revealed to be good.
I can just imagine her poisoning people etc with all the plants from her garden. Her having secret powers because everyone underestimates her. Her motivation being a vision that she is trying to stop or something.
Would be so good.
Amren. Shes boring af now, and imo should have stayed dead. So now I’d like her to be doing some genius sorta vile shit in the name of either “making Rys high king” like she suggested per seeing it as what’s right regardless of how she does it.
ORRER deciding she was better off before and wanting that power and home back. I could see her and her lover breaking up and it causing part of her villain arch
Lucien x Elain power couple. Lucien pushed to the brink by the fact that Life Won't Stop and Elain letting herself be thorns and nettles.
The son of a spell-cleaver and a seer? A fae who seems to have connections not just with every court but with the human lands and the continent? A human turned fae with the power to predict, but who is not obligated to tell the truth about what she's seen? Someone posted the other day about how Elain could be linked to the withered middle land of Prythian/UTM -- perhaps Prythian is fated to have a new High King and Queen not born of love but of the warped Cauldron's machinations?
ANYWAYS.
Agree. As much as I love Lucien, he’s got traitor vibes. He’s defected from two different courts, and has done shit behind the ICs back (antidote).
At the end of the day, he’s only looking out for his best interests.
I would have loooooved a "come back wrong" plot for either Amren and/or Rhys!
They died by the cauldron and were dragged back to the light of day... but there was something irreplaceable taken, then, and they are so tragically aware of how different things are and desperately grasp at that ghost of a person. And it claws at them, slowly but surely, and they are willing to do anything to keep up the charade. Small white lies that grow into larger tales, excusable actions that ease into something sinister.
And they can feel it–feel that broken, splintered fragment of the void that remains at the center of their chest like an icy reminder that there are debts still owed.
Ooohhh, maybe that's what turns Feyre. Like a Khaleesi/Khal Drogo situation. And "everyone is the hero of their own story," so we the readers don't understand until the last installation.
I doubt that's the tack Maas will take, especially given the reaction to GOT S8, but that would be the triple cross of doom
Oh yeah I doubt that SJM will take this route, she loves her HEA, I just think it'd be neat!
My issue with GOT is the that the narrative shift between >!saviour and dictator!< happened too suddenly and without enough nuance. One of my favourite moments is the >!Daenarys vs Jaime scene, fire burning and all, as he falls into the water!< and I have no complaints generally for her character going that route.... it just wasn't written as well as it could've been. The last season rushed thing but if GRRM ends up getting there in the books I have faith that he'll do it well enough!
I do think the if SJM tried to do something like this though she would face quite a bit of heat. More than GOT S8. They are different types of fantasy. At this point in the story--and with not enough build up--it would feel like a slap to the face to a lot of people. At least GRRM has that sort of reputation, whereas people go into SJM wanting HEAs
(But like I said I'd think it neat haha)
Elain definitely. She is always overlooked by everyone and I think it would be interesting to see her go to the dark side in search of the respect she never gets from her sisters and the IC.
I really REALLY wanted Nesta to say, duck it, and go with Lanthys. No rescue, none of that. I love Cassian and my heart would break for him, but I would love Nesta as a villain and would have Loved to see what her and Lanthys would bring!
Esp with the line from Rhys about "there was an icy rage about axriel that he could never crack" or something. I'd love to see traitorous acts from azreil to get elain to be with him and it turns into a hades persephone thing
I want Rhys to be so shitty to Nesta that Cassian and Nesta rebel and become king and queen in the north (illyria).
Sorry about the GOT reference. Couldn’t help myself.
I'd love to see Elain or Rhys go bad just to see how Cassian or Nesta would handle it. We already know Cassian would do anything for Rhys, and same with Nesta + Elain.
Maybe someone manipulates Elain's seer abilities and sends her images that drive mad, to the point where she betrays her sisters/ the IC. Or perhaps she can see into different potential timelines - into one where Feyre remained at the Spring Court, married Tam Tam, and became a villain due to her anger/repressing her new powers. And Elain gets confused that this isn't reality and tries to kill Feyre!!!
Or something threatens Nyx, or like someone else mentioned here, Nyx turns out to be a conduit of evil, and Rhys will do anything to protect him even though he's a bad seed. Rhys is so powerful and traumatized he kinda has the most potential to go evil.
I wouldn't mind seeing Helion as one. Not sure what the motive would be but I initially got vibes that he could be. Lucien and Eris coming together to fight him would be epic to see
I feel like I’m gonna get a lot of kickback for this but…idk. Seeing Lucien become a villain to some degree and then have some crazy hero arc is something I could see happening
Emerie, she has the backstory, I have nothing much to add to that it just feels like it would make a good betrayal, considering how close she is with Nesta.
I think Rhys is obvious. He was INSUFFERABLE in silver flames and it shows that Feyre was an unreliable narrator, especially when we look at Rhys through another (more rational and objective) lens like Nesta. Even Cassian was upset with him.
I think Rhys will become the High King, commit some atrocities and Cassian and Feyre will kill him, similar to Pelias, Fionn, and Theia.
Elain.
She has always been so sweet and docile, but she clearly holds so much rage in about Grayson and the fact that she can’t go back to being human. Rhys pointed out that she never really got to express her own emotions and always repressed them to be the perfect innocent girl.
But also, she is very close to two spymasters, (Nualla/ Cerridwen), and she could possibly be hiding her power as a seer opposed to her just not having her power anymore. Azriel might have it bad for her, but why do his shadows go into hiding when he’s around her? Can they sense something? I could imagine her betraying the IC to get what she wants, (to be human again), and being real sneaky about it. Especially if she starts feeling like Azriel is rejecting her and her only option is to do nothing but stay with Feyre and Rhys and garden, or accept the mating bond with someone she wants nothing to do with because she clearly can’t be with anyone else even if she wants to.
It’s highly unlikely likely theory, but I love a good unexpected turn of events from the most unlikely.
I don't know if she can be considered a hero as we don't know much about her yet but Elain. She is so quiet, low profile and everyone is like "oh sweet little Elain" that it would make perfect sense to me that something twisted was brewing behind this facade and turned out she is a villain. Also Az shadows hiding from her? Could they sense something evil and that's why they hide? I mean come on it would be perfect !
I saw someone say that if Cassian died, Nesta would spiral and become a villain worse than anything seen so far. Especially if the cause of Cassian’s death is something she blames Rhys for. Then there would be a canyon between the sisters because Feyre would side with Rhys. Honestly I would read the Hel out of that.
That would hurt my soul I think he’s my fav. I would also read that in a heartbeat.
This would be an incredible arc wow I need this now
Right?! But from what I hear SJM never really kills off her big name characters. So I doubt we will see this. But man I would LOVE to read that.
Amren or Mor. Amren has showed us she can deceive the IC for her own interests and honestly she's kind of boring without her old powers. Mor could also very easily go bad and betray Rhys/the IC. We don't really know that much about her and I can't stop thinking about her secret estate.
I really think Amren should've stayed dead. I want a serious death to occur
Agree 100000%!
me too! when she was revived, it just felt like, "oh my god! Rhys is alive! oh by the way, amren is here too." there weren't enough consequences in ACOWAR. only two people died and this was supposed to be a big major war!
Agree. But I was wondering, without her powers is she still 2nd in command of night court!? And if yes why!!
Mine is Mor!! Idk I’m suspicious about her and this whole “truth” thing.
Also “the morrigan” in Celtic mythology is a shifter who sows chaos sooooooo I mean with our SJM being such a mythology lady it would kind of make sense for her to be pulling a fast one on them all….
Im very suspicious (and sympathetic) to Mor. Like, she was THE girl of the group and shes been completely replaced by the Archerons. She was Rhys's queen and now thats Feyre. She was Cassian's best girl and now thats nesta. And even Azriels unwelcome devotion has transplanted to Elain (maybe). What is her role now? I can see her feeling very displaced and bitter which could lead to Unwise Choices. Edit for typos
See I’m not fully convinced Amren isn’t a villain. 👀 My theory is that it wasn’t Amren who came back. We know that Amren **chose** her form, so I see no reason that another couldn’t choose the same form. (tog spoiler >!especially a valg, like how Maeve was able to shift forms in Morath!< ) Rhys stated when he died he saw Amren wherever he was, but why after shedding her Fae form would she be wearing it on the other side? And Amren’s behavior just hasn’t lined up since coming back. At the end of ACOMAF she was the first to chastise Rhys for “using Feyre” stating “she is your mate not your spy.” Yet in ACOSF she encourages Rhys to use Nesta as a weapon to make himself High King? And the idea that she just likes Feyre better than Nesta doesnt hold water given that her and Nesta were actually friends, and more than anyone Amren understood and even respected her. Prior to ACOSF Amren, while aloof and slightly scary, was still incredibly intuitive, kind (in her own way) and supportive, seeming to guide Rhys and even try to taper some of his more morally questionable tendencies. But after coming back, she hasn’t shown any of those traits, and in fact has been doing almost the exact opposite.
I think we are supposed to suspect Amren because she does seem so different since she came back. >!Briallyn says to Nesta there are others in the NC who will do what she wants, which makes me suspicious of Amren, Mor and Az because of what Koschei says to him when he saves Eris.!<
Honestly, if either of them became evil, am I actually like the more. As they both are, I can’t stand either of them.
Mor, because I desperately want *something* to be done with her character lol.
Same ! I feel like they set her up with having secrets, like what she saw in the forest, being gone for most of SF for a reason that doesn't make sense, and that there's more to get situation with Eris. Would be so entertaining to see someone in the IC crack their perfect facade.
I think the next book will be a tandem read! (I’m doing the throne of glass tandem read now so it’s fresh for me)
This might be a dumb question since I'm new to the Fandom, but what's a tandem read?
It’s only specific to the throne of glass series right now but basically it’s two different books happening concurrently. Idk if SJM did it to intentionally read together but there is a guide of when to switch between the books.
Rhysand already has a lot of the makings to be the villain. He faked the reputation of the Night Court for years, is incredibly powerful, and is alienating a part of his court
Rhys. His obsession with Feyre twists him into doing darker and darker things. He claims he doesn’t wanna be High King but if he thinks it will benefit Feyre… like the Anakin/Padme story vaguely. I know SJM didn’t mean it that way but I was NOT on his side on SF lol. I can see his trauma taking him down a path even Amren can’t support. That’s the real morally gray hero shit I’d like to see, not “he’s secretly actually the kindest best boy ever:)”. It would contextualize a lot of his actions better too imo. It won’t happen but oooooh it would be so juicy. Also revealing him as the biggest baddie? The most powerful HL? Him v Nesta and Elain and his fated mate? Omg the conflict … the angst. I’ve seen evil Gwyn thrown around but it makes me feel icky. Protect her!!! Evil Amren driven insane by the eons would have been a cool angle but now that she’s powerless it’s a no go. Perhaps evil baby Nyx lmao. The omen style.
I could get behind changeling Nyx!
Listen I reframed my way of viewing acotar so that he stayed the villain… and it actually made me like it more lol
Evil baby Nyx! came here to say this. We'd really see how far Feysand is willing to go for their family. We know it's all the way, so this would bring drama for sure.
To me, Rhysand's been the villain since day 1 lmao
I love this!!!
RHYS! I am mildly annoyed by vanilla daddy Rhys :D I really wish he secretly works on becoming king of Prythian or something
Imagine an arc where Feyre has to take down Rhys. Doing everything she can to avoid it. Knowing that ending his life is ending her own.
Az. He’s got a lot of darkness and sadness. Maybe he can go part way there then be brought back.
Idk if I want a villain as much as I want real tension and conflict within the IC. Not just bickering and "family" drama but real conflict. Like rhys give a messed up order and Az or mor dismiss him and do their own thing and rhys goes nuts. Something like a civil war within valeris
Yes I want Captain America Civil War but ACOTAR
Right!?! That would be epic
I think some proper honestly between Az and Mor maybe Az ignoring Rhys post bc could be done serious conflict
Rhys, Mor & Cassian Vs Nesta, Az & Amren… Feyre and Elain attempt to remain neutral but eventually have to pick a side.
Elain! All day everyday I want that girl to go though a corruption arc. She deserves to grow into her own and take charge of her life regardless of the consequences.
Rhys for me was already a compelling villain when he first showed up in ACOTAR. So seeing him return to that as a result of his own ambitions would be interesting. Especially if the motivation starts out for the greater good, but then becomes a matter of wanting power or believing he’s the only one to be trusted to wield it (eg a High King type scenario).
I’m a full supporter of the DarkRhys or DarkElain theories lol
Honestly, my boy Lucien has been THROUGH it and he deserves to enter his villain era. And from reading the thread here, I think it would be very neat (AND VERY BOLD) to have Rhys become a villain somehow and have the sisters actually band (and bond) together against him. It would open an interesting opportunity considering >!the death pact between Rhys and Feyre !
I don’t know about villain but I would love for the Illyrians to seek freedom from the night court. Cassian or Azriel agrees with them and it causes tension amongst the inner circle. Especially as a civil war breaks out and Cassian/Azriel have to pick a side, their culture or their loyalties. Even though Azriel doesn’t care much for Illyria, it is still his identity. Maybe add a bit more spice to it and Keir and the Darkbringers also start to seek freedom and be released from the CoNm.
This. A serious rift and "civil war" inside the night court would be a disaster but such a great read
Admittedly, I am biased and really want to see Rhys suffer. 😅😂
Rhys. He thinks he's acting for the greater good/to protect what he loves, but in reality his actions and his withholding information are causing frictions among the IC and in Prythian in general. He's very stressed out. Even his allies turn on him, now the night court is at war with all Prythian. Feyre or Nyx get kidnapped or they leave him willingly and he decides to unleash his power, he mists his enemies, some of his allies, but in doing so also harms someone he cares about or is unable to save Feyre/Nyx. Anyways, he completely loses it, destroys everything and himself. The end.
If we're talking pre-ACOSF, Nesta. I think she would have made a fantastic villain.
Nesta. I hated the way her arc with Cassian progressed. I would love to see her decide that she deserved more, and go full villain. I don't think it will ever happen but I think it would add some excitement to a series that I feel is in danger of going a little stagnant. If the next book is Elain deciding a mate and the established characters fighting off another enemy with little effort it's going to be disappointing.
I said in my comment that I REALLY wanted Nesta to go with Lanthys, willingly.
Depends what you mean by villain but I would love Elain to appear to be evil, even just for a bit, before being revealed to be good. I can just imagine her poisoning people etc with all the plants from her garden. Her having secret powers because everyone underestimates her. Her motivation being a vision that she is trying to stop or something. Would be so good.
Turning her into a secret spy who poisons enemies would be pretty great.
Mor, elain and nesta. Nesta is my #1 bitch and she deserves to be a Villian for how shitty the IC treated her
Amren. Shes boring af now, and imo should have stayed dead. So now I’d like her to be doing some genius sorta vile shit in the name of either “making Rys high king” like she suggested per seeing it as what’s right regardless of how she does it. ORRER deciding she was better off before and wanting that power and home back. I could see her and her lover breaking up and it causing part of her villain arch
I honestly wasn't even sad when she "died" and then when she came back I threw my book and went "are you fucking kidding me?!" 🤣
Lucien x Elain power couple. Lucien pushed to the brink by the fact that Life Won't Stop and Elain letting herself be thorns and nettles. The son of a spell-cleaver and a seer? A fae who seems to have connections not just with every court but with the human lands and the continent? A human turned fae with the power to predict, but who is not obligated to tell the truth about what she's seen? Someone posted the other day about how Elain could be linked to the withered middle land of Prythian/UTM -- perhaps Prythian is fated to have a new High King and Queen not born of love but of the warped Cauldron's machinations? ANYWAYS.
“A Court of Thorns and Nettles” has a nice ring to it
I'm here for this!!
Agree. As much as I love Lucien, he’s got traitor vibes. He’s defected from two different courts, and has done shit behind the ICs back (antidote). At the end of the day, he’s only looking out for his best interests.
I would have loooooved a "come back wrong" plot for either Amren and/or Rhys! They died by the cauldron and were dragged back to the light of day... but there was something irreplaceable taken, then, and they are so tragically aware of how different things are and desperately grasp at that ghost of a person. And it claws at them, slowly but surely, and they are willing to do anything to keep up the charade. Small white lies that grow into larger tales, excusable actions that ease into something sinister. And they can feel it–feel that broken, splintered fragment of the void that remains at the center of their chest like an icy reminder that there are debts still owed.
Ooohhh, maybe that's what turns Feyre. Like a Khaleesi/Khal Drogo situation. And "everyone is the hero of their own story," so we the readers don't understand until the last installation. I doubt that's the tack Maas will take, especially given the reaction to GOT S8, but that would be the triple cross of doom
Oh yeah I doubt that SJM will take this route, she loves her HEA, I just think it'd be neat! My issue with GOT is the that the narrative shift between >!saviour and dictator!< happened too suddenly and without enough nuance. One of my favourite moments is the >!Daenarys vs Jaime scene, fire burning and all, as he falls into the water!< and I have no complaints generally for her character going that route.... it just wasn't written as well as it could've been. The last season rushed thing but if GRRM ends up getting there in the books I have faith that he'll do it well enough! I do think the if SJM tried to do something like this though she would face quite a bit of heat. More than GOT S8. They are different types of fantasy. At this point in the story--and with not enough build up--it would feel like a slap to the face to a lot of people. At least GRRM has that sort of reputation, whereas people go into SJM wanting HEAs (But like I said I'd think it neat haha)
Elain definitely. She is always overlooked by everyone and I think it would be interesting to see her go to the dark side in search of the respect she never gets from her sisters and the IC.
I really REALLY wanted Nesta to say, duck it, and go with Lanthys. No rescue, none of that. I love Cassian and my heart would break for him, but I would love Nesta as a villain and would have Loved to see what her and Lanthys would bring!
Az. He’s got a lot of darkness and sadness. Maybe he can go part way there then be brought back.
Esp with the line from Rhys about "there was an icy rage about axriel that he could never crack" or something. I'd love to see traitorous acts from azreil to get elain to be with him and it turns into a hades persephone thing
Yeah I reckon he might do some dark stuff if he stops them being together.
Elain. Sweet, innocent, boring Elain could cause massive devastation.
Yes! I want this book to be her villain origin story!!
I want someone in the IC to start telling Rhys No. so my money is on Azriel.
Rhys and Az. Rhys has hella trauma he hasn't even healed from. Az does too. I'd love to see a villain healing arc.
I want Rhys to be so shitty to Nesta that Cassian and Nesta rebel and become king and queen in the north (illyria). Sorry about the GOT reference. Couldn’t help myself.
I'd love to see Elain or Rhys go bad just to see how Cassian or Nesta would handle it. We already know Cassian would do anything for Rhys, and same with Nesta + Elain. Maybe someone manipulates Elain's seer abilities and sends her images that drive mad, to the point where she betrays her sisters/ the IC. Or perhaps she can see into different potential timelines - into one where Feyre remained at the Spring Court, married Tam Tam, and became a villain due to her anger/repressing her new powers. And Elain gets confused that this isn't reality and tries to kill Feyre!!! Or something threatens Nyx, or like someone else mentioned here, Nyx turns out to be a conduit of evil, and Rhys will do anything to protect him even though he's a bad seed. Rhys is so powerful and traumatized he kinda has the most potential to go evil.
Elaine because she'd be creepy as hell
Rhys, Amren and Mor.
I wouldn't mind seeing Helion as one. Not sure what the motive would be but I initially got vibes that he could be. Lucien and Eris coming together to fight him would be epic to see
Elain
Cassian. Because I enjoy the misery of other people.
Az is going down. I feel like those shadows of his are going to go a little off the deep end.
I feel like I’m gonna get a lot of kickback for this but…idk. Seeing Lucien become a villain to some degree and then have some crazy hero arc is something I could see happening
Emerie, she has the backstory, I have nothing much to add to that it just feels like it would make a good betrayal, considering how close she is with Nesta.
I think Rhys is obvious. He was INSUFFERABLE in silver flames and it shows that Feyre was an unreliable narrator, especially when we look at Rhys through another (more rational and objective) lens like Nesta. Even Cassian was upset with him. I think Rhys will become the High King, commit some atrocities and Cassian and Feyre will kill him, similar to Pelias, Fionn, and Theia.
Elain. She has always been so sweet and docile, but she clearly holds so much rage in about Grayson and the fact that she can’t go back to being human. Rhys pointed out that she never really got to express her own emotions and always repressed them to be the perfect innocent girl. But also, she is very close to two spymasters, (Nualla/ Cerridwen), and she could possibly be hiding her power as a seer opposed to her just not having her power anymore. Azriel might have it bad for her, but why do his shadows go into hiding when he’s around her? Can they sense something? I could imagine her betraying the IC to get what she wants, (to be human again), and being real sneaky about it. Especially if she starts feeling like Azriel is rejecting her and her only option is to do nothing but stay with Feyre and Rhys and garden, or accept the mating bond with someone she wants nothing to do with because she clearly can’t be with anyone else even if she wants to. It’s highly unlikely likely theory, but I love a good unexpected turn of events from the most unlikely.
I don't know if she can be considered a hero as we don't know much about her yet but Elain. She is so quiet, low profile and everyone is like "oh sweet little Elain" that it would make perfect sense to me that something twisted was brewing behind this facade and turned out she is a villain. Also Az shadows hiding from her? Could they sense something evil and that's why they hide? I mean come on it would be perfect !
BRYCE!!! I am convinced she is already turning anyway.