10 Most power hungry female characters from daily soaps

Some women chase love while others want control, and these ones stop at nothing to get it. Power-hungry women have always been a mainstay in daily soaps, and they don't play fair. They lie to your face without flinching, and they smile while plotting your downfall. They know how to twist the truth, and they never back down when challenged. These are the characters who steal inheritances and crush marriages just because they can.

They walk into boardrooms and bedrooms with the same goal, and that’s to win. These ladies fake illnesses to manipulate people, and they use secrets as weapons. Some of them want respect, and others just want to watch people squirm. They’ve been disowned by their families and banned from funerals, but they always come back. Soap fans know these women by the way they walk into a room and take it over.

There’s always something driving them, whether it’s a grudge or a need to prove something. Sometimes, it’s about money, but most of the time, it’s about power. You don’t have to like them to admire their nerve. These are the ten most power-hungry women in soaps, and each one left a mark that no one could erase.

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Most power hungry female characters from daily soaps

1. Sheila Carter – The Bold and the Beautiful / The Young and the Restless

Sheila Carter wants control, and she will destroy anyone who stands in her way. She faked a pregnancy to hold on to Scott and then switched Lauren’s newborn with a dead baby. She has shot people, poisoned them, and even faked her own death more than once just to stay relevant in other people’s lives.

On The Bold and the Beautiful she returned under different names and tricked entire families to get access to her son. Her obsession is not just with love but with being feared and needed. Sheila’s need for power has rewritten storylines across two major soaps.

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2. Alexis Colby – Dynasty (Original Series)

Alexis Colby walked into Dynasty with one goal, and that was to take everything from Blake Carrington. She married Cecil on his deathbed to claim his empire, and she dragged her children into every personal and business war she could create.

She sabotaged Krystle’s life, filed lawsuits to ruin Blake, and made every conversation feel like a fight for dominance. Alexis didn’t just want money or revenge; she wanted to be the last one standing. Her moves were cold and her timing was sharp, and that made her the most powerful character to ever walk into a Carrington boardroom.

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3. Kristen DiMera – Days of Our Lives

Kristen DiMera does not care who she hurts as long as she gets what she wants. She disguised herself as Susan Banks to steal a baby and later wore a Nicole Walker mask to get close to Brady. She has drugged people, stolen embryos, and used blackmail like it was normal conversation.

Kristen always aims for control, whether that means running DiMera Enterprises or forcing her way back into Brady’s life. Her return always means chaos, and her schemes leave long-term damage. Every time she appears she shifts the entire story, and that makes her power dangerous and lasting.

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4. Helena Cassadine – General Hospital

Helena Cassadine sees loyalty as a weakness, and she uses fear to hold on to her place in the family. She was very manipulative and turned her grandson into a puppet using her devious control. She even cursed Luke and Laura’s wedding just for revenge.

Her decisions always revolve around keeping the Cassadine name feared and respected. Even after her death, her will tore lives apart by revealing secrets people had buried for decades. Helena never chased wealth; she chased legacy, and her shadow still shapes Port Charles years after she vanished from the screen.

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5. Amanda Woodward – Melrose Place

Amanda Woodward did not wait for a promotion; she took it by force. She slept with her boss to move up at D and D Advertising, and once she got power, she refused to let it go. She pushed Alison to a breakdown and tanked Billy’s career just to protect her position.

She backstabbed co-workers, used sex as a tool, and made every decision about dominance. Amanda turned Melrose Place into a war zone, and everyone who crossed her paid the price. Her power came from knowing exactly when to strike, and that made her the most dangerous person in the building.

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6. Jan Spears – Days of Our Lives

Jan Spears does not ask for love; she demands it, and she uses force to get her way. She once locked Shawn Brady in a cage to make him believe they were a couple, and she later staged a fake wedding while Belle was unconscious.

Jan has faked mental breakdowns and pleaded legal insanity to dodge consequences, and she has returned from supposed comas just to cause more harm. Her obsession with control has driven major arcs for years, and every time she resurfaces, the tone shifts. Jan does not want a partnership; she wants ownership, and that is why she always escalates.

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7. Abby Carlton Newman – The Young and the Restless

Abby Carlton wants to be seen as a serious businesswoman, and she fights for that image even when it works against her. She once sued her own father to access her inheritance and later invested in Newman rival companies to prove she could succeed alone.

She has made reckless decisions with company resources and pushed herself into deals just to match the influence of Victor. Abby is not malicious, but her desperation to be respected often leads to chaos. She does not chase power for control; she chases it for identity, and that drive has reshaped every storyline she enters.

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8. Phyllis Summers – The Young and the Restless

Phyllis Summers makes her own rules, and she breaks them when they stop serving her. She drugged and tricked Danny Romalotti into fatherhood and built her early image on deception. Later she hacked corporate systems to gain leverage and used those secrets to manipulate her way back into major business circles.

She thrives on advantage, and she rarely considers who gets hurt along the way. Phyllis does not believe in waiting; she believes in acting first. Her hunger for control has fueled business wars, romantic disasters, and long-term grudges, and that makes her impossible to predict or contain.

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9. Claudia Zacchara – General Hospital

Claudia Zacchara did not want peace; she wanted recognition, and she used violence to get it. She ordered the shooting that put Michael into a coma just to strike at Sonny, and she later married him to grab territory inside the Corinthos empire.

She used threats against Carly and her children to hold her position, and she stayed close to power even when it placed her in danger. Claudia was unpredictable and ruthless, and her death ended one of the most chaotic eras in Port Charles. Every move she made was for status, and she paid for it with her life.

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10. Abby Cunningham – Knots Landing

Abby Cunningham never waited for permission; she created her own lane and dared others to stop her. She targeted Gary Ewing for his money and influence, then pulled him into business decisions that advanced her career. She rewrote deals behind closed doors and always knew how to shift blame when the fallout hit.

Abby used seduction and silence to maintain power, and she rarely showed guilt about the destruction she left behind. Her rise transformed Knots Landing from a neighborhood soap into a series driven by high-stakes politics and ambition. Abby never wanted love; she wanted leverage, and she took it.

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