During the first season of MobLand, most of the TV show’s scenes focused on members of the Harrigan crime family as they were going through a moment of crisis. As a result, there was no doubt that most viewers looked at the season’s events through the eyes of the members of the Harrigan crime family and their associates. Thankfully for the show’s many passionate viewers, the Harrigan crime family members were interesting characters.

During MobLand’s first season, there was one character who was consistently portrayed as the main villain. After the season ended, it was fascinating to see the show’s most passionate fans debate whether that character truly was the monster they were portrayed as or if they actually were a victim.

Why Fans Argue That Richie Stevenson Was The Real Victim During MobLand Season 1

When most movies and TV shows are produced, the show’s main character is a hero of some sort. In one case, that means being a heroic cop who is trying to help people while learning about the problems with systemic law enforcement, as is the case with The Rookie. In another case, the main character is a buffoon boss at a regional paper company with a heart of gold, as is the case with The Office.

In both of those cases, it is easy for fans to feel like they should be rooting for the main character. However, there are some shows that have been produced that have focused on a main character who actually is a villain.

As anyone who has watched the first season of MobLand will already know, the show’s main characters are definitely villains. With that in mind, it is fascinating that fans have argued that MobLand Season 1’s main villain, Richie Stevenson, actually is the real victim of the show.

During the first season of MobLand, the Harrigan crime family wound up going to war with Richie. Since the show’s main character, Harry Da Souza, is a fixer for the Harrigans, that meant that Richie became his enemy. That left fans who’d come to know the world of MobLand mostly through Harry’s eyes, rooting for Richie to be taken out.

However, in May 2025, a fan’s post on the r/Mobland subreddit with the following title showed that some viewers saw Richie in a much more sympathetic light.

That post contained a pretty compelling argument for why Richie from MobLand was a victim.

As fans of MobLand will no doubt remember, Richie and the Harrigan family weren’t at war when the first episode of the show began. However, when Richie’s son goes missing, the tensions quickly begin to take hold.

Ultimately, it is revealed that Richie’s son has been killed and dismembered by Eddie Harrigan. The aforementioned subreddit post begins by arguing that Richie was the victim during MobLand by pointing to his son’s violent death.

“Richie being portrayed as a villain is hilarious. He didn’t do anything to antagonize anyone. They chopped up his kid for no reason.”

At the funeral for his son, Richie has the Harrigan family come as a fascinating power play. Instead of playing nice, Eddie and Maeve Harrigan are both antagonistic, and Richie’s wife is insulted at their son’s funeral.

From there, things somehow manage to get even worse for Richie as the Harrigan family arranges for his wife to be blown up. The subreddit post also points out that the Harrigan family blew up Richie’s wife before calling the show’s villain their victim.

“They insult him and his wife at the funeral. They blow up his wife. Like he didn’t even do anything to anyone he’s a straight up victim.”

While the post ended there, the Harrigans went even further.

After his wife was blown up, Richie is shown calling the Harrigans. At that point, Richie listens as the Harrigan family patriarch openly mocks the horrific deaths of his wife and son.

To the fan who made that post’s point, the Harrigan family did monstrous things to Richie and then openly mocked his grief. That creates a very strong argument that Richie was a victim of the Harrigans.

Why Other Fans Argue That Richie Stevenson Was A Monster During MobLand Season 1

Looking at everything Richie Stevenson lost during MobLand’s first season, there is no doubt that the character suffered horribly. Despite that, MobLand fans have a compelling argument for why Richie is a monster.

During MobLand, it is clear that Richie Stevenson’s criminal organization is involved in the sales of fentanyl. The top most-upvoted response to the aforementioned subreddit post sarcastically expressed sympathy for Richie before bringing up how fentanyl destroys lives.

It is also worth pointing out that throughout MobLand’s first season, Richie ordered the deaths of many characters. Most notably, Richie arranged for his two main enemies to watch their son’s violent death live.

Another fan responded to the subreddit post by arguing that, as a crime boss, Richie knew the risks he was taking when he joined that life.

“Richie is a victim? Hard sell. Richie is a gangster, and lives the gangster life. He signed up for crazy gangster s***. ‘Don’t get on the train if you don’t want to go to Chicago,’ as my Nana used to say.”

Why Richie Stevenson Was A Victim And A Monster During MobLand Season 1

After fans pointed out in the responses that Richie Stevenson does monstrous things as a character, the person who made the aforementioned original post responded. The original poster edited what they wrote to clarify that they meant that Richie didn’t do anything to the Harrigans to deserve what they did to him. “To everyone saying Richie is not a victim because he sells drugs, NO S***. I am referring to how he didn’t do anything to antagonize the Hariigans and they keep f****** with him. I am not referring to the morality or lack thereof of a crime boss.”

Another MobLand fan in the comment section seemed to have the perfect take on the debate. Instead of arguing that Richie was a victim or monster, the fan pointed out how fun it was to debate how much Richie did or didn’t deserve to suffer.

“The show is entirely made up of anti-heroes and villains. It’s fun to see people debate who’s less evil or more deserving of suffering lol. Someone needs to come up with a Buzzfeed quiz: Which Mobland crime boss are you most like? 😂”

To that fan’s point, MobLand’s complicated characters are part of what has made the show such a big hit.