The best characters of Western The genre tends to be made up of larger-than-life characters who own the screen whenever they’re on it. These characters usually set up their stand from the first moment they appear, with a big introduction befitting the role they are about to play in the story.
Whether it’s the arrival of an enigmatic gunslinger to confront his greatest adversary, or a menacing antagonist silencing a noisy saloon with a single word, westerns have made a habit of attracting attention since their inception. In fact, the best introductions in Western films are some of the greatest character entrances in cinematic history.
The best example, of course, is the smashing arrival of John Wayne’s Ringo Kid in Diligencewhich alone made the actor one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in 1939. But this phenomenon is not unique to westerns on the big screen.
Some of the best characters in TV westerns were also brought to us with the kind of flourishes that befit the traditions of the genre. Whether they are central heroes or antiheroes, secondary characters or downright villains, these characters make their mark from the moment they enter a series, thanks to their unforgettable entrances.
Tommy Norris
Landman
The introduction of protagonist Tommy Norris in Landman is one of the most shocking moments of the series. We first see him with a sack over his head, facing threats from a cutthroat cartel that owns the land Tommy plans to mine for oil.
It’s the calm command of the situation his voice conveys, despite the perilous situation he finds himself in, that tells us what kind of character Tommy is. It soon turns out that Tommy is not a hostage, but is there to make a deal with the cartel, and he means business.
Blue duck
Solitary dove
One of the best Western villains of all time, Blue Duck is introduced to us as a bandit with whom Solitary doveGus McCrae’s central hero has a story. That is, after we briefly glimpse him in the middle of a stormy night when Gus and Lorie seek shelter.
As a result, we are already afraid of him when he approaches Gus the next day, on the banks of the Canadian River. The taunts they exchange immediately characterize Blue Duck as a charismatic, sharp-tongued villain, who is bound to play a role in the miniseries’ climactic conclusion. Frederic Forrest’s performance strikes the perfect balance between instilling terror and making us laugh.
Brigham Young
Primitive American
The true Mormon leader Brigham Young is Primitive AmericanThe chief villain of, but the miniseries waits until its second episode to introduce him for maximum effect. The first we see of him is a breathtaking sermon about how his church has been misinterpreted, before it is reported to him that a “conflict with certain pioneers» left 70 dead.
The cold cynicism of his response tells us everything we need to know about him. Young asks: “Do our hands show a drop of blood on it?“He doesn’t care about the deaths – only about how the conflict might affect his church’s image. This short scene succinctly demonstrates the kind of ruthless Machiavellian we’re dealing with.
Josh Randall
Wanted: dead or alive
Wanted dead or alive is one of the best Western shows ever made, and its characteristic swagger is on full display during central antihero Josh Randall’s first scene. Steve McQueen’s protagonist finds himself in a heist at the local sheriff’s office, and his combat skills are immediately put into action.
The show doesn’t allow us to catch our breath until we’re completely immersed in the heart of the action. Randall holds us in the palm of his hands for the next three seasons, gripped by the impending encounters his bounty hunt inevitably leads him into.
John Duton
Yellow stone
Kevin Costner thinks the Dutton family should be in prison for their crimes in Yellow stoneand the very first scene of the series illustrates exactly why. Here we meet John Dutton, his face bloodied, as he shoots the horse made lame by the car accident in which he has just been involved.
Dutton manages to convey both empathy and callousness, as he introduces a world where mortality is just another part of everyday life. This scene is the neo-Western equivalent of Frank Underwood snapping a dog’s neck in the opening moments of House of Cardsand sets up the character arc of Yellow stoneperfectly the main protagonist of.
Kitty Russell
Gun smoke
Although Amanda Blake didn’t really manage to appear in all 20 seasons of Gun smoke along with James Arness and Milburn Stone, she was still a mainstay on the longest-running Western television show in history, playing Kitty Russell for 19 years. Blake immediately puts a marker on him Gun smoke character in Kitty’s first scene.
She brazenly takes a beer from the man she saw chatting at the bar, so she can share a drink with the show’s central hero, Matt Dillon. She gives it her all with both men, demonstrating that she won’t let it bother her, even though her main role on the show is that of Dillon’s main love interest.
Will Sonnett
Will Sonnett’s weapons
Will Sonnett’s weapons is a Western TV show with a perfect ending, but its opening scene is arguably even better. A traveling salesman is seen bragging about the gun he took from James Sonnett, only for the titular patriarch of the Sonnett family, Will, to arrive and put him in his place.
Walter Brennan’s character quickly reveals how little the salesman knows about guns, before disarming him and throwing the gun to the ground. Will Sonnett speaks, but also backs up his words with concrete actions, as this brilliant little scene indicates.
Calamity Jane
Dead wood
Calamity Jane is one of more than 20 real-life historical figures in Dead woodbut she is surely the most frank of all. Often drunk, always rude and invariably more than a match for the man she’s talking to, the first scene of this legendary pioneer of the historical western series finds her searching for Wild Bill Hickok in a bustling Deadwood saloon.
She leaves disappointed, but not without having offended the masculinity of the entire crowd gathered there. This short introduction to Calamity Jane is a wonderful illustration of her fierce temperament and take-no-prisoners approach to life in the Wild West.
Raylan Givens
Justified
The flagship neo-Western series Justified earns its masterpiece status thanks to Timothy Olyphant’s lead performance alone. Olyphant’s maverick, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, begins the show as he plans to continue by drawing first to take down a mobster in a Miami beach bar.
The shot happens so quickly that we don’t see it coming, even though Raylan threatens his opponent with a countdown. In this way, Justified shows us clearly from the start that Raylan Givens is a formidable defender of the law who has the courage and skills to take down even the toughest villains.
Cullen Bohannon
Hell on wheels
The best character introduction in a TV western comes in a series that has no bad episodes, but is often overlooked by fans of the genre. Hell on wheels is a dramatization of the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, focusing on the story of fictional Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon.
Cullen seeks revenge for the murder of his family by Union soldiers in Meridian, Mississippi, and his first act of retaliation takes place in the opening seconds of the series. Posing as a Catholic priest, he makes the soldier confess to his crimes in a church confessional, before shooting him dead at point blank range.
This is such a stunning start to Hell on wheels that we are instantly stunned by Cullen’s aura of vengeful brutality and are hooked on his story from the start. It remains to be seen whether another Western TV show can surpass this character introduction in the coming years.
