# Villainous
**Villainous** (Spanish: *Villanos*) is a Mexican animated comedy series created by Alan Ituriel about the Black Hat Organization, a company that sells evil products and services to other villains. The show follows Black Hat, an "evil handyman" whose name references the black-hatted villains of western movies, and his three less-villainous aides: the scientist Dr. Flug, his biggest fan Demencia, and a failed experiment named 5.0.5.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creator | Alan Ituriel, who also voices Black Hat[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) • [3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) |
| Origin | Mexican production; 10 short episodes aired in 2017, primarily for the "Cartoon Network Everything" app[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) |
| Full series | Season 1 ran from June 2019 to October 29, 2021, with 6 episodes listed on Max (US)[3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) |
| Main cast | Alan Ituriel (Black Hat), Todd Asayer (Dr. Flug), Melaney Sems (Demencia), Mark Fischbach (5.0.5.)[3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) |
| Language | Spanish (original); released internationally as *Vilanesco* in Brazil and *Villanos* in Ecuador[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/releaseinfo) |
| Audience rating | TV-PG; Common Sense Media rates it suitable for ages 8 and up[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/villainous) |
| IMDb score | 7.5/10 from about 1,300 user ratings[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The Black Hat Organization is an agency that helps villains solve their problems, which often means defeating a superhero. Dr. Flug, Demencia, and 5.0.5. take on the organization's missions while trying to avoid the "bad" side of their boss, Black Hat, described as the most evil villain of them all.[7](https://www.hulu.com/series/villainous-9ff76d1d-3cb1-401e-824b-2b4bcb0bdd94) In one episode, the team is tasked with getting rid of the superhero Sunblast, the archenemy of a villain named Penumbra.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818) In the finale listed by TVmaze, "The Heedeous Heart" (October 29, 2021), the team sets out to rescue one of the organization's most loyal clients, who has gone missing in the city of Cosmopolis.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous)
The series inverts the standard hero narrative by putting villains at the center, but it prioritizes comedy and satire over lessons. Common Sense Media describes exaggerated villain behavior played for laughs, dark and distorted visuals with monstrous faces and a few jump scares, and mild insults in the dialogue. The review also notes Mexican cultural references such as luchadores and telenovelas, and that Demencia has an obsessive crush on her boss that he does not reciprocate.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/villainous)
## Production history
**Early versions.** In 2012, Alan Ituriel created the first Villainous webisodes, handling their writing, animation, and voice work for ThatPlaceToHangOut.com, an art site he helped run with others.[8](https://thetvdb.com/series/villainous/allseasons/official) According to a thesis on cartoon influencers, *Villanos* is a Mexican intellectual property created by AI Animation Studios that Cartoon Network Latin America picked up in 2014. It launched on YouTube in 2018 with a series of "Villain Orientation Videos" in which the characters reviewed the techniques of other [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) villains in a "react to" format.[9](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/502466/Cartoon%20Influencers_Thesis_Final%20Manuscript.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=5)
**Shorts and series.** Ten short episodes aired in 2017, primarily for the "Cartoon Network Everything" app.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) IMDb lists the first release in Mexico on May 15, 2017, with an internet release on May 18, 2017, and a United States internet release on December 31, 2020.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/releaseinfo) The full first season followed: episode databases list a start in June 2019, beginning with the pilot "The Dreadful Dawn" on June 1, 2019, and an end on October 29, 2021, when the remaining episodes, including "The VVV," "BH's Bizarre Bad-Venture," and "The Heedeous Heart," were released together.[3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) Episode guides differ on how much of the series counts as the official run: TVmaze lists 10 episodes ordered, while epguides lists 6 episodes for the Max (US) run, and TheTVDB separately catalogs 33 specials dating from January 2012 to October 2020 alongside the 6-episode season.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) • [3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) • [8](https://thetvdb.com/series/villainous/allseasons/official)
## Release and availability
The series streams on Max in the United States and is also available through [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) on Hulu, which lists one season of 6 episodes and rates the show TV-PG.[3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/) • [7](https://www.hulu.com/series/villainous-9ff76d1d-3cb1-401e-824b-2b4bcb0bdd94) Runtime listings vary slightly by database: TVmaze gives a default runtime of 11 minutes, TheTVDB an average of 12 minutes, and epguides a 15-minute run time.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous) • [8](https://thetvdb.com/series/villainous/allseasons/official) • [3](https://epguides.com/Villainous/)
## Reception
On IMDb the series holds a 7.5/10 rating weighted from about 1,300 user votes, with the unweighted mean at 7.9; the most-rated countries are the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, and Canada.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/ratings/) Common Sense Media's review calls it a dark animated comedy with a thin storyline and cartoon violence, recommending it for ages 8 and up, and notes that none of the lead characters are role models, though Dr. Flug is portrayed as a smart scientist who cares for 5.0.5. like a father.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/villainous) A kid reviewer on the same site found the concept fun but the execution self-indulgent, arguing that the show plants Easter eggs for existing fans more than it welcomes newcomers.[5](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/villainous)
## Spin-off and studio
[The Mexican](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mexican) studio behind the show, Animated Imagination Studios (AI Animation Studios), streams Villainous on Max and funds new projects partly through a Patreon page with 742 members. The studio states it is developing a Villainous spin-off series, *Lazos de Ladrones* ("Ties of Thieves"), described as a new batch of Black Hat Organization and P.E.A.C.E. animated shorts, and attributes the long wait for new episodes to production circumstances it describes partly as "Lord Black Hat's greed."[10](https://www.patreon.com/AIanimationstudios/about)
## References
1. [Villainous, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/32303/villainous)
2. [Villainous (TV Mini Series 2017–2021), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818)
3. [Villainous, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/Villainous/)
4. [Villainous – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/releaseinfo)
5. [Villainous – Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/villainous)
6. [Villainous – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7049818/ratings/)
7. [Watch Villainous Streaming Online, Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/villainous-9ff76d1d-3cb1-401e-824b-2b4bcb0bdd94)
8. [Villainous – Aired Order, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/villainous/allseasons/official)
9. [Cartoon Influencers, thesis, Theseus repository](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/502466/Cartoon%20Influencers_Thesis_Final%20Manuscript.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=5)
10. [Animated Imagination Studios, Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/AIanimationstudios/about)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series › Premiered 1961 to 2019*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license