Is The Great Victor Newman Heading For A Downfall On Y&R?

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After decades of manipulating family, friends and foes and masterminding a myriad of corporate takeovers, is the great Victor Newman heading for a downfall on Young and Restless ? The timing is ripe for the arrogant scoundrel to finally be brought to his knees, considering all the targets he has in the crosshairs. Attempting to take down one enemy is a major undertaking – even for the all-powerful Victor — but at the moment he’s taken aim at several. Here's a look at his simultaneous plots ... and who we think stands the best shot of a Newman takedown.

Jack Abbott And His Family

Victor and Jack's longstanding rivalry is legendary, with their tug-of-war over women and business stretching back decades. These days, Victor is hellbent on destroying the Abbott family business, Jabot – and Jack and Diane. He has been masterfully manipulating their son Kyle to do it. That hasn't pleased his newly discovered granddaughter, Claire. Worried about Kyle being under Victor's thumb, she has spilled some secrets to Jack.

Billy Abbott As Well As Lily and Devon Winters

Victor is also plotting to destroy Billy and take over Abbott-Chancellor. He’s been using Lily to gain inside information on Billy, yet has no plans to reinstate her as CEO of the company like he promised he would. He's been using the memory of Lily's late father — his supposed good friend, Neil Winters — to manipulate her. In doing so, he not only angered Lily but also her brother Devon, who is poised to marry Victor's daughter Abby shortly.

Audra Charles

He promised to work with Audra after giving her the funds to scratch and claw Glissade away from her mentor/lover Tucker McCall — and then, thanks to his deal with Kyle, he abruptly fired Audra. She is furious that she has nothing now to show for out-maneuvering Tucker.

Cole Howard and Victoria Newman

Victor has also tried to control daughter Victoria by telling the man she's involved with once again, Cole Howard, that he can't be in her life. Cole has been going against him and continuing to see Victoria, but it's a sure bet when Victoria finds out about her father's interference, she will not be pleased. She's already unhappy with the way he wants to humiliate her children's father, Billy.

Nikki Newman and Adam Newman

Even those who are standing by Victor haven't been pleased with his choices, either. Nikki was instructed to fool Lily by using the memory of her dear friend Katherine Chancellor to manipulate her and that never sat right with his wife. His son Adam was given Nikki's job at Newman Media because Victor knew he wanted to use the company to destroy Jack — and Nikki would never go along with that. What he didn't count on was that Adam also feels a close bond with Jack, so he hasn't been happy with his father's directives either.

Man Overboard?

Doing so many people dirty simultaneously could come with some serious consequences. After all, Victor is playing with fire and rather haphazardly. He could end up the one who gets burned if he isn’t careful, and he’ll have no one to blame but himself.

Surely the wrath of Victor’s victims should be enough to fuel one or all of them to turn the tables on him. Since there’s strength in numbers, perhaps they could all band together to bring him down. The Abbotts’ hatred of (and experience with) The Mustache, coupled with Lily’s levelheadedness and Audra’s ruthlessness, could be the perfect mix to orchestrate Victor’s downfall. It would be a bold and unexpected partnership, and likely one Victor wouldn't see coming.

However, if we had to put money down on one person steering the revenge train toward Victor and ultimately bringing him down, we'd place our bets on Audra. The key here is that she trained under Tucker McCall’s tutelage and learned well: She ultimately stole Glissade away from her former mentor, she's a corporate barracuda, and she's a take-no-prisoners viper with a cunning side as dangerous as Victor's. If anyone has the smarts and the incentive to out-con Victor, it’s Audra, particularly since she currently finds herself unemployed with a huge ax to grind.

After decades of letting Victor win year after year, unscrupulous plot after plot, the Young and Restless writers have perfectly set the stage for his long overdue downfall. Will Victor face the consequences of his actions. Will it happen? Stay tuned — and let us know in the comments who you think is best positioned to triumph over Victor!

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Lily (Christel Khalil) faces off with Victor (Eric Braeden); could she be the one to take him down?