Steve Owen

""Well now it's payback time. And I'm gonna enjoy every gut-wrenching, tear-jerking minute of it!!""

- Steve Owen declares war on his archenemy Phil Mitchell, vowing revenge for Phil sleeping with his wife Mel Healy

Steve Owen is a fictional character and recurring antagonist of the BBC British soap opera drama EastEnders.

He first appeared in 29 December 1998 and became the show's main antagonist until his departure on 1 March 2002.

History
Steve Owen arrives in Walford and buys the Market Cellar club, which he renovates and renames it the E20. Steve's former girlfriend, Saskia Duncan arrives and tries to come between Steve and his love interest Mel Healy. After Saskia has sex with Steve, she makes sure everyone knows about it. On the opening day of the E20, Saskia arrives and taunts Steve. She knocks him around until she tries to strangle him with his tie. In self-defence, Steve picks up a heavy marble ashtray and hits her over the head with it, killing her instantly. With the help of his DJ employee Matthew Rose, who witnessed the events, Steve buries her in Epping Forest. Saskia's corpse is discovered months later and a shaken, nervous Matthew confesses to the police. A trial is held Steve is found not guilty but, Matthew is found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison.

After framing Matthew for Saskia's murder, Steve settles his freedom and begins to clash with local hardman Phil Mitchell after forging a business partnership with his younger brother Grant. He ultimately becomes archenemies with Phil and also embarks on a feud with Grant, the latter of which ends with Grant punching Steve before fleeing the country for Rio - Brazil. In November 1999, Steve joins Phil and Grant's sister Sam on a trip to Brighton with her friends; Janine Butcher, her brother Ricky, and their friend Mark Fowler. When Mel joins them in the trip, Steve reconciles with her - even though she has now become engaged to Ian Beale; however, Mel soon recoups her relationship with Steve after dumping Ian for discovering his lies.

In February 2000, Matthew's conviction is quashed on appeal, and he returns to take revenge on Steve; they fight and Matthew knocks Steve out, before tying him to a chair in the E20 and then chucking petrol over him, threatening to incinerate him. Steve is reduced to a desperate, helpless wreck, at which point Matthew reveals the "petrol" is actually just water, and that he just wanted to show Steve up for what he really is. Steve becomes depressed and addicted to drugs as a result, but leaves the Square, returning a few weeks later having conquered his addiction.

Steve marries Mel, despite finding out the day before that she had slept with Phil on Christmas Day. Later on that night, Phil is shot by an unseen assailant and Steve becomes the prime suspect upon returning from his holiday. The police gather evidence of Steve's implication, as he had known about Mel's one-night stand with Phil prior to his shooting and that the gun he normally keeps in the E20 office is missing. However, when Phil recovers, Steve is proven to be innocent when Phil ends up confronting the real culprit; his former girlfriend and Mel's best-friend, Lisa Shaw. After gradually forgiving Lisa for the shooting, Phil initially plans to frame Steve for the crime - but then decides to incriminate their fellow enemy, Dan Sullivan, instead. Phil entraps Dan in attempting to rob him so that the police can arrest Dan for the shooting. This works successfully and Phil later convinces Steve to help him ensure that Dan would be sent down for the shooting; Steve testifies against Dan on Phil's behalf, but Dan ends up being found not guilty. Following his release, Dan - seeking revenge against Phil and Steve, as well as believing that Steve was the one who shot Phil - kidnaps Mel and holds her for ransom; he threatens her life unless Phil delivers a large sum of money from the E20. Phil complies, but makes an attempt to apprehend Dan and save Mel. However, Dan overpowers Phil - surprisingly with Mel's help - and he flees Walford for good, though not before letting Mel go and she returns to Steve. During the kidnapping ordeal, however, Mel is led to believe that Steve shot Phil when Dan quizzes her on this theory - before he then revealed that, during his phone call with Phil to exchange Mel for the money, Phil told him that Steve had secretly bought The Queen Victoria public house in partnership with Phil's ex-lover Sharon Watts. After being informed of Steve's criminal activities amid arguing with Phil about Dan's theories, Mel confronts Steve and burns down his club out of anger; she then leaves Walford after throwing her engagement ring at Steve.

Steve's insurance policy is invalidated as he neglected to mention both his involvement in Saskia's death and an incident from his past, the latter of which he attempted to cut costs by illegally importing duty-free wines from France - thus leaving him with financial problems. He organises a robbery to help finance the renovation of the club, with the help of his old friend Graeme and the latter's gang - Andy and Kevin. Despite his reluctance, Steve invites Phil's cousin Billy into his scheme. Together, Steve and his crew set out to rob a wealthy businessman named Alan. During the heist, Steve attempts to trap Alan's mistress Jan Sherwood and they end up having a one-night stand together; Steve and Jan split the money that was stolen, fooling Graeme and his gang into believing Jan had taken it all. Mel returns and Steve woos her, winning her back.

By the end of 2001 and the start of 2002, Steve's rivalry with Phil has escalated. This is first evident when Steve tricks Phil into getting arrested by taunting him with a fabrication that he slept with Sharon, which provokes Phil into beating up Steve - who later has Phil arrested and charged for assault. In retaliation, Phil forces Billy to plant drugs into the E20 and Steve is arrested - although he is released without charge. Steve responds by manipulating Sam into sleeping with him, in a bid to further antagonize Phil. In response, Phil confronts Billy with the information of Steve's heist and summons Graeme - who, along with his henchman Dave, confront Steve at the E20 over his betrayal. Towards the first anniversary of both Phil's shooting and Steve's wedding to Mel respectively, Steve plans to flee Walford and start anew with Mel in the United States. They soon invite Lisa and her boyfriend Mark Fowler to join them, while Steve also convinces Lisa to take her and Phil's daughter Louise with them. However, Mark is unable to go and Lisa believes the plan is falling apart. Steve ends up in his car with Louise, and Phil chases after them in his own car. Steve's tire bursts causing him to crash into a motorbike and a wall, causing a fire. Steve passes Louise to Phil and manages to rescue her through the car window but Phil is unable to rescue Steve. The car explodes in a fireball, killing Steve as Phil watches on.

In the wake of Steve's death, Mel leaves Walford after his funeral - though not before being transpired to be preparing to give birth to his child. Soon enough, their child is conceived and Mel names the offspring Hunter when it's a boy. Nearly 16 years later in 2019, Mel returns to Walford and brings Hunter with her - whereupon he learns about his father's reputation through Phil and Sharon, up to the point where Hunter even begins dating Louise at one point. A year later in 2019, Hunter is killed after taking Louise hostage and triggering a siege at The Queen Vic amid trying to get revenge on Mel's boyfriend Jack Branning for mistakenly having him imprisoned for killing his mother's third husband Ray Kelly - who on the night of his death had tried to kill Mel and Hunter when it was revealed that he was secretly a bigamist and corrupt policeman. Towards the end of the year, Mel is also killed in a car accident following a car chase with Sharon - thus mirroring Steve's death from his car chase with Phil just 17 years prior.

Trivia

 * The character's portrayer, Martin Kemp, won several of the British Soap Awards for his critically acclaimed performance as Steve Owen - which included the following awards
 * 2000 Villain of the Year
 * 2001 and 2002 Best Actor
 * 2002 Best Exit (Nominated)
 * 2002 Villain of the Year (Nominated)