This list contains brief mentions of verbal and psychological abuse, sexual assault, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and murder.
Bad bosses exist on a spectrum, ranging from simply incompetent to downright abusive, with a surprising number being seen in animated TV shows. A good boss encourages employee autonomy, supports and values their workers, and displays basic professionalism and respect. A bad boss, on the other hand, is often the polar opposite: distrustful, micromanaging, critical, and all too happy to take advantage and crash boundaries.
Nearly everyone has had a terrible boss at some point and can understand how maddening it can be to work for one. However, hyperbole aside,few can say they have worked for a criminal mastermind or evil genius, but such caricatures of bad employers have become a well-loved cartoon trope.A handful of now-infamous bosses from animated TV shows truly are the worst, and make the average crummy employer seem just a touch more bearable.
10Blitzø
From Helluva Boss (2019-Present)
Founder and CEO of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals),former circus clown Blitzø (“Blitz”) leads a group of Hell-bound assassins who make a living killing people in the mortal realm.Although Blitzø is determined to rise from his station by building a successful startup business, his leadership methodology is frequently chaotic, unprofessional, and borderline abusive. Blitzø lacks faith in his employees, Moxxie in particular, and is critical as a result. He regularly brings his personal life into work, often to the detriment of I.M.P.’s ability to do business, even to the point of putting his team in danger.
Blitzø is also emotionally volatile and verbally abusive in the way in which he interacts with his employees – especially the casual stalking and harassment of Moxxie and Millie – and has been known to spend their payroll on collectible horse plates as a means of coping with a bad breakup. Blitzø is a lovable (if flawed)Helluva Bosscharacter, and his redemption arc is a veritable emotional roller coaster that is well worth the laughs along the way. However, young Prince Stolas was wrong: Objectively speaking, Blitzø does not make a good boss.
9J. Jonah Jameson
From Spider-Man Franchise
J. Jonah Jameson’s 61-year crusade against Spider-Manhas spanned multiple versions of theDaily Bugleeditor-in-chief, several of which depict him as a money-grubbing, explosive, and micromanaging employer. In his worst characterizations, Jameson is a prime example of the classic abusive jerk boss and a stereotype of the corrupt news media.In more dimensional (and significantly more flattering) portrayals, he is depicted as an ultimately caring boss who is either secretly jealous of Spider-Man or demonizes his vigilante efforts solely because he takes issue with the web-slinging hero working beyond the bounds of the justice system.
While his moral character is debatable, J. Jonah Jameson’s merit as an employer is an equally gray area. His journalism ethics are flexible at best; he often bends the truth to fuel his anti-Spidey smear campaign. And as if that isn’t problematic enough in an editor-in-chief,Jameson is also harsh, demanding, and known to scream at employees at the drop of a hat — or even throw away their work on a whim.
8Mr. Burns
From The Simpsons (1989-Present)
Mr. Burns, owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a caricature of corporate America. Throughout the series, Burns and his aid, Smithers, concoct just about every scheme imaginable to gain wealth, as well as power over the people of Springfield. His character is a stereotype of a greedy businessman, and as such, he displays zero regard for the interests, health, or safety of his employees and fellow citizens. The running joke regardingMr. Burns' inability to recall even his most senior employees' names is another excellent indicator of his moral character and aptitude for leadership.
However, Burns' terrible qualities as a boss extend beyond mere forgetfulness. After allowing Homer Simpson to be reinstated to his position at the Power Plant, Mr. Burns humiliates Homer by presenting him with a de-motivational plaque (which reads, “Don’t Forget, You’re Here Forever”), and even forcing him to crawl through a cat door. Burns' constant grabs for money and power and his systematic abuse of Homer (based largely on afeud between Abe Simpson and Mr. Burns) land him in the “Evil Mastermind” category of bad cartoon bosses.
7Director Ton
From Aggretsuko (2018-2023)
Director Ton is an archetype that comes to mind when thinking of horrible bosses. Sexist, ageist, disrespectful, verbally abusive, and incompetent, Ton is exactly the kind of employer for whom absolutely no one wants to work. Much likeThe Simpsons’Mr. Burns,Director Ton has a sycophantic right-hand, Komiya, who panders to his aggressive and unprofessional behaviorand enables the hostile work environment it creates.
ThoughAggretsuko’s Ton receives an eventual redemption arc after being humbled in later seasons, his sheer cruelty and incompetence early in the show make him a categorically bad boss. This is likely due to the different workplace standards of his generation, but does not make his chronic mistreatment of those in his employ excusable. Verbal abuse aside, no one wants a boss who skips out on work to play golf while forcing their employees to work overtime.
6The Joker
From Harley Quinn (2019-Present)
The Joker has also seen a wide array of portrayals, ranging from cunning mobster to dangerous psychopath. The bottom line of each characterization has always been thatthe Joker is an agent of fear and chaos. While working for this type of employer would certainly keep things interesting, the fact that his primary focus is taking revenge on Batman can’t be doing much for his accomplices' job security (or steady flow of income). Worse, he tends to view his underlings as distinctly disposable.
InHarley Quinn, the Joker is Harley’s abusive boyfriend and boss. While breaking up with the boss is never an easy situation to resolve, breaking up with the boss who also happens to be an infamous criminal mastermind is definitely a position no one would ever want to be in. Luckily, Harley successfully leaves the Joker, and the remainder of theHarley Quinnanimated seriesfocuses on her personal growth. However, the Joker goes on to further dispel any potential allure as an employer by placing a bounty on Quinn’s head.
5Xanatos
From Gargoyles (1994-1997)
If being murdered upon outliving usefulness were an appealing job perk, Xanatos would look like the employer of the year.This Disney’sGargoylesantagonist has a signature move that proves his stunning competency as an evil mastermind: He creates clever, ruthless schemes that work out in his favor,regardless of the outcome (or the loss of life among his mercenaries). This happened so many times that the trope was given a name: the Xanatos Gambit.
Although treating the lives of his employees as disposable is plenty problematic, Xanatos also engages in questionable scientific experimentation, turning humans into hybrid mutants. Worse, he then hides his involvement in these experiments and manipulates the mutated humans into continuing to work for him by claiming he has a cure. At the end of the day, unless you can list immortality on your resume (and a few of his employees can), the only jobs Xanatos can offer are decidedly short-term.
4Chancellor Palpatine
From The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
Chancellor Palpatine is also a caricature, of a corrupt, power-tripping politician. He grasps at supreme power without regard for the means required to obtain it, and will happily do anything to remove obstacles (namely Padmé) from his path. As head of the Galactic Senate, he additionally exploits the political system in order to remain in power well past the end of his term.
Palpatine is ultimately behind the creation of the clone army experiments, and yet is more than willing to dispose of the clone troopers – or anyone else who is no longer useful – if it helps to fulfill his agenda. As a Sith Lord, he takes a similar approach and is eager to throw away lesser apprentices if a better one comes along.Chancellor Palpatine is, at worst, actively planning the death of the people who work with him and,at best, will turn any unfortunate event into a reason to be given more political power.
3Fire Lord Ozai
From Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
Serving Fire Lord Ozai is also a position no one would want to be in, but at least the “evil dictator” part would have been in the job description. Even his beginnings were rooted in patricide and general betrayal of everyone who loved him. In a treasonous plot contrived by his wife Ursa, Prince Ozai planned the death of his father Fire Lord Azulon. Ozai’s apparent motivation in doing so was to avoid being forced to kill his son (Prince Zuko) as punishment forOzai’s attempt to usurp his brother Iroh’s claim to the throne.
Ironically, despite having been the one to carry out her plan, the newly crowned Fire Lord Ozai then banished Ursa for her betrayal of Azulon. Ursa was neither the first nor last Fire Nation citizen to be exiled by Ozai, although most (including Zuko) were guilty of much lesser forms of dissent.Ozai’s grand scheme to become the supreme leader of the Four Nations by committing genocideagainst the Earth Kingdom is just the pinnacleof why this Fire Lord would make a miserable boss.
2Kuvira
From The Legend of Korra (2012-2014)
At first glance, Kuvira seems less like aLegend of Korravillainand more like the world’s best girl boss. A powerful, metal-bending troupe dancer with strong diplomatic abilities and a distrust of monarchical government, she stabilizes Ba Sing Se after Queen Hou-Ting’s assassination and was even nicknamed the “Great Uniter.” However, Kuvira’s plan to achieve this supposed unity" in the Earth Kingdom involved ethnic cleansing of anyone with Water Tribe or Fire Nation ancestry.
Kuvira utilizes forced labor as well as detention and “re-education” camps to further her fascist agenda during her reign as provisional leader of the Earth Kingdom. Beyond these unethical views,Kuvira is also more than willing to betray even her most loyal supporters if it gets her a shot at the Avatar.The one upside to Kuvira as an employer is that she does take responsibility for her own actions: During the Gaoling Crisis, she helps Avatar Korra to fix the consequences of her reign of terror.
1Valentino
Hazbin Hotel (2024-Present)
As anOverlord of Hell, Valentino spends his afterlife running an adult film studio in the V Tower. Yet he does so in the least ethical way possible by using actors who are bound by soul contracts; essentially, spiritually indentured servants. Moreover, Valentino is horrifically abusive, frequently assaulting (or allowing others to assault) the actors in his employ. Val’s sickeningly sadistic tendencies extend beyond the workplace; he also entertains toxic romantic relationships with employees such as Angel Dust.
In these dynamics, Valentino engages in a myriad of manipulative narcissistic abuse tactics, including love bombing, isolation, gaslighting, criticism, threats, and revenge-seeking. Meanwhile, Valentino is also miserable to work for from a purely professional perspective. His fellow Overlord and business partnerVelvette outsources management of Val’s temper tantrums to his equally corrupt romantic partner, Vox. While Vox dreads Valentino’s volatility and emotional outbursts, he is the one person who can make Val see reason through his clouds of red smoke.
