Will Mike Prince Become The Main Villain In Billions Season 6?

Mike Prince has just replaced Bobby Axelrod as the head of Axe Capital, and in his words, he’s the one sitting in the chair now. Mike Prince is one conniving son of a gun. Outsmarting two of the sharpest characters in a show is no joke, and Mike clearly has it in him to pull that off.

Mike joined forces with Chuck to bait Axe and get him backed into a corner. While Chuck thought Mike too wanted Axe behind bars, Mike had other plans. He merely wanted to defeat and vanquish Axe once and for all. So he decided to help Axe evade his arrest in exchange for his company – including its best employees Wags, Taylor, and most importantly, Axe’s love, Wendy.

So now, with Axe in safe and away from all the action in Switzerland, Mike on his chair, and season 6 coming soon next year, everyone has just one question. Is Mike Prince the new villain in Billions season 6?

Mike Prince is likely to be the main villain of Season 6. Season 5 finale showed Mike sitting in Axe’s chair, and Chuck threatening him that he’ll come after Mike. These two indicate how both symbolically and literally, Mike Prince has replaced Bobby Axelrod as the main villain of Billions season 6.

The second half of Billions season 5 had primarily Mike, Chuck, and Axe battling against one another. While Chuck and Axe’s rivalry is pretty evident right from the beginning, Mike also seems to have joined this dynamic. The creators had set it up well, too, so that it didn’t look forced or out of the blue.

One good and bad thing about Mike Prince replacing Axe are how they’ve distinguished between the two characters. Mike has a personality of his own. The way he thinks, functions, strategizes, etc., are different than Axe. What remains common between the two is the hunger for power and wealth.

The advantage of this is that the showrunners are not trying to recreate and force an Axe-like character. This brings a certain amount of freshness to the tonality and the overall aura of a so-called “villain” of the show.

The disadvantage is simple. Mike’s character has to be stronger than Axe’s from a writing and acting perspective. If not, people would not consider him a worthy antagonist and hence lose interest in the narrative.

A few clear indicators of Mike Prince becoming the new main villain in Billions season 6 are:

• Billions season 6 trailer shares a glimpse of Chuck VS. Mike’s rivalry, and it’s more cutthroat than ever. Chuck’s failure to arrest Bobby because of Mike can be seen in how he’s going after Mike Prince.
• A few characters appear in the trailer and are even mentioned – Wags, Scooter, Wendy, and Taylor were these characters, and Bobby Axelrod wasn’t one of them.
• This is because Damien Lewis has officially exited the show after a 5 season run. His character Axe is currently in Switzerland, safe from the reach of Chuck Rhoades.

Due to all these reasons, Mike Prince is the new villain. He has now taken over Axe Capital and will be working with Taylor and Wendy as part of the deal. But considering their respect for Axe, would they work with Mike Prince or betray him?

Read More: Will Axe Get Axe Capital Back? [Link to be added once article is uploaded]

Would Taylor And Wendy Be On Mike Prince’s Side?

In Billions Season 5 finale, we learned that Taylor and Wendy have no choice but to work with Mike Prince. If they decide to leave Axe Capital, their shares will be liquidated and will belong to Mike Prince.

So clearly, the two are stuck with him, at least for the time being. Besides covering Chuck and Rhoades’ rivalry, the season 6 trailer also showed moments of Taylor, Wendy, and Mike. While Mike iterated twice how he is different from Axe, Wendy and Taylor seem uncertain about it. So there’s a strain in their relationship, which the writers could use to build a narrative.

This narrative could mean them betraying Mike Prince. In a show where everyone is betraying the other the moment they get a chance, it wouldn’t be surprising if one of them or both of them betray Mike and maybe later come back to his side as well. This jumping ship back and forth is a classic Billions trope that we might see with these characters.

Season 6 is all set to release on 23rd January 2022, and we’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds.

About Billions

Billions is an American drama created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series is set in financial centres based in America.

The series follows hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), as he accumulates wealth and power in the world of high finance. The series premiered on Showtime on January 17, 2016.