A character who is arguably Grey’s Anatomy‘s biggest villain has been lurking in plain sight as far back as season 8. Grey’s Anatomy has had countless polarizing characters throughout its 19-year existence. Given the long-running drama’s focus on the world of medicine, things are about to change, since many characters are leaving Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital due to the actions of one individual at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20. The series has been switching things up in preparation for Grey’s Anatomy season 21, but there’s a good chance that the characters’ current adversary has more scores to settle before the dust does.

It’s always interesting when a long-running series takes things in a different direction, and Grey’s Anatomy needs a shake-up because it’s been on the air for so long. The big question is whether a villain with a lot of history with the most beloved characters is the best way forward. It will all come down to where things go next.

Catherine Fox Has Been Manipulating Grey’s Anatomy Characters For Years

Catherine Has Been Around Since Grey’s Anatomy Season 8

Catherine Fox has been with the show since 2011 and has been immersed in some of its biggest storylines. Unfortunately for the other characters, she’s long been pulling strings from behind the scenes in an effort to have control over everything that happens in the hospital. Her overbearing nature has caused her to have countless arguments with her son, Jackson, for instance; her treatment of Richard has bordered on abusive; she was complicit in covering up abuse; and she bought an entire hospital out of spite to ruin the supposed love of her life.

In recent stories, it feels like Catherine is on a never-ending power trip: she is, after all, the acceptable face of corporate capitalism in the most perverse place – an environment of care. That being said, her position at the hospital means she has to have input on what’s happening and Catherine has been forced to make difficult decisions for the sake of lots of Grey‘s characters, whether they like it or not.

Equally, that shouldn’t mean she should speak down to people who don’t follow her orders. The show has done a great job of fleshing out such an important character, but at the same time, it has also turned her into one of the biggest villains in Grey’s Anatomy history. Given her connections to many characters, such as her husband, Richard, it’s hard to believe she’s skated by for so long, but as a mark of Debbie Allen’s excellent performance, she has retained some level of sympathy.

That will likely change thanks to her clash with Meredith and several other doctors who felt her wrath at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 20. This feels like a breaking point, and it’s something that has been simmering for a long time.

Meredith Is Well Aware of Catherine’s Mean Streak After Grey’s Anatomy Season 20

Grey Sloan Memorial Has Lost Countless Doctors Due to Catherine’s Power Trip

Catherine went on the warpath in Grey’s Anatomy season 20, episode 10 by telling Meredith that her Alzheimer’s research belonged to the Catherine Fox Foundation. Technically, thanks to Teddy’s approval of Meredith’s research, she’s not wrong – the foundation’s money funded it. Meredith’s foray into research for the disease was a monumental storyline, and Catherine understood how close this was to her heart.

Previously, Catherine had told Meredith to stop her research, drawing her battle lines and making it clear to the audience that she was the villain. This was, after all, Meredith’s opportunity to not only change the world but to emerge from her mother’s shadow. Catherine’s switch in the finale to recognizing the value in the research, but insisting on ownership was a step further. Forcing Meredith to hand it over to Koracick has got to be one of Catherine’s most wicked decisions.

She may have been wrong to defy the orders of her boss, but Meredith invested a lot of time in a cause dear to her. Still, Catherine seemed more concerned about teaching Meredith, Teddy, Amelia, Owen, and everyone else a lesson. The series has established Catherine as an adversary whose latest decisions will heavily impact Grey’s Anatomy season 21, threatening to take away everything great about the hospital and adding to the list of doctors Grey’s Anatomy has lost.

What Catherine Fox Really Represents In Grey’s Anatomy

Inhuman Corporate Influence Has Been A Grey’s Anatomy Message For A While

While season 20 somewhat dropped the ball on the intern’s welfare storyline by sidelining Helm, there has long been a message of the human commitment to medical care clashing with the reality of hospital business. Introducing the new batch of interns in season 19 after the program had been shuttered has been used an opportunity to explore that more overtly. And every politicized message like that needs a villain.

Not so long ago, we saw Catherine personally treating hospital benefactors like VIPs, prioritizing a bespoke special treatment package for their child over more practical considerations. Ultimately, in that case, Catherine’s pressure pays off, but her threat to cut off Link and Monica’s salaries if they didn’t do as they were told was a particularly cold move.

Catherine has always been a formidable figure, willing to go the extra mile to ensure her business thrives – as well as her more personal aims – and her position is an uncomfortable one. She cannot be unaware that the hospital succeeds because of the exploitation of its staff (with the interns’ treatment repeatedly highlighted), but there is a gleeful ignorance to her approach to leadership that makes her feel like a pantomime or soap opera villain. She is the constant reminder of the power of dollar signs over people, and season 20’s ending further emphasizes that.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 20’s Ending Sets Up The End Of Catherine’s Power

The Villain Who Usually Gets Her Own Way Didn’t Win This Time

The likely scenario is that this storyline will set up Debbie Allen’s permanent departure from Grey’s Anatomy, as the bridges the character is burning could very well lead to Catherine ultimately being forced out. It’s not just that she’s led to the seemingly very real departure of the show’s main character – there’s more in the finale that suggests her position could be untenable. And it’s all about control.

Catherine has always been able to control whoever she needs to, in order to get her own way. In the season 20 finale, however, even her most radical decisions lead to very little. She fires Teddy and Owen, only for them to prioritize patient care and return to work; she attempts to take Meredith’s research, only to see her quit in defiance and keep it from her; and as she goads the interns as “replaceable”, she’s met with Bailey’s insubordination. Catherine wouldn’t have planned any of those outcomes, and none of them fit her usual successes.

Whether Catherine can recover from that many characters – all popular figures – fighting back is a major question for Grey’s Anatomy season 21 to answer early. But it doesn’t feel like her position would be as powerful if she allows them to win. Perhaps it’s time for her to hand over the reins to someone with a less nefarious corporate drive, who can deliver on the show’s message that people matter more than profits.