15 fan-favorite Netflix Original characters, ranked

3. Cottonmouth — Luke Cage

When the character first appeared: Cottonmouth was included in the very first episode of Luke Cage.

A little about the character: Cottonmouth was the big adversary for Luke Cage in the first season. With dreams of being a pianist, he was forced into a life of crime. His grandmother and mother both turned their back on him, leading him to kill Pistol Pete and Donnie to win Mama Mabel’s affections back. Of course, that naturally made him Enemy #1.

Quite honestly, though, this was a character who never stood a chance.

Why the character is a fan-favorite: There is absolutely no doubt that Luke Cage and Misty Knight were the ones you were supposed to root for. They were the heroes within the series. However, sometimes a villain will be the one that becomes a fan-favorite character. That was certainly the case for Cottonmouth.

Mahershala Ali did an outstanding job as the comic villain, bringing him to life in more ways than one. He was captivating on screen, leaving you wondering what he’d do next and whether he would win.

It shouldn’t be any surprise that the reason Diamondback was so hated was because of Cottonmouth’s development. Cottonmouth wasted no time in proving that he was the best adversary for Luke Cage. He was the villain that had a backstory that you could understand and appreciate, one that you actually felt sympathy for.

One of the downsides of taking to a villain is that you usually have to lose them part way through. That was the case for Cottonmouth. His legacy lived on and fans, to this day, would love to see more of him.