The Best Jang Seung-Jo Villain Roles To Watch After His Cameo In Doctor X: Mafia In White

We did not expect to see a Jang Seung-Jo guest appearance in this weekend's Doctor X: Mafia In White, but who's complaining? The actor can play have the most disarming characters only to flip out in the end and show us just how big of a psycho he actually is. This week, for example, he played a nice, well-meaning surgeon, Na Dae-il, who, it turns out, is obsessed with inscribing his initials in the organs of the patients he operates on.

This seemingly innocent psycho has become a classic trope in K-dramas now, and Jang Seung-Jo is one of the best to do it at this point (tell me you didn't think something was amiss when he first appeared in Doctor X). Below, we list out of the best villain roles he hass essayed over the years.

Let’s start with the first one that comes to mind. In this year’s My Royal Nemesis, Jang Seung-jo gets two villainous parts: one as the male lead’s villainous cousin in who is secretly trying to seize control of the Chail Group, and the other as the murderous Crown Prince Lee Jae/King Anjeong in the Joseon Dynasty flashbacks. Basically, Lee Jae’s paranoia and thirst for power set off the centuries-long rivalry that drives the show.

Where to watch: Netflix

This is the performance that put Jang Seung-jo on the awards radar, and has him playing double roles too (I mean, are we complaining?). As Noh Jin-pyo, he is a polished, seemingly perfect husband who abuses his wife Hui-su physically and psychologically for years. As Jang Kang, he is an illegal migrant worker from China who serves as Jin-pyo's decoy after the husband is killed, but then returns to blackmail the female leads trying to escape a cycle of abuse. Jang earned a Best Supporting Actor (TV) nomination at the 2026 Baeksang Arts Awards for this role.

Where to watch: Netflix

Seol Woo-jae is the husband every dinner party would adore: a famous novelist and second-generation chaebol married to the show's star reporter. But as dramas go, he has a secret, and he and his family will go to any extent to hide it. Jang Seung-jo acts his heart out in this, so even if the writing and production fails at times, you’re in for a treat.

Where to watch: Netflix, Viki

You cannot completely call Jang’s Lee Kang-moo a villain here; he has a change of heart by the end. He starts out as a team leader with zero chill at the Anti-Communist Investigation Bureau of the ANSP in 1987 Seoul. By the end, his character works relentlessly to save the hostages from the clutches of corrupt government officials.

Where to watch: JioHotstar

In Encounter, Jang plays Jung Woo-seok, the chaebol ex-husband of the female lead. While he starts off looking like a classic, cold corporate antagonist trying to block her happiness, his character evolves into a deeply tragic figure who actually let her go to protect her from his overbearing family.

Where to watch: Netflix, Viki