Top 10 Video Game Villains (That We All Love)

ideo game history is full of wonderful heroes who have fought through adversity and the forces of evil, all for the greater good of humanity. These heroes carved out a special place in our hearts and led us through hours of adventures that can’t be forgotten. However, a compelling hero by his or herself isn’t enough to drive the narrative of a game. A hero is nothing without an equally compelling nemesis.  Someone who either had complex motivations, a morally-grey compass, or just a whole lot of “cool factor”. This list is here to pay homage to those video game villains who won’t soon be forgotten. 

Final Fantasy VII was revolutionary for many reasons. Not only was it the first installment in the series to introduce full motion video cut-scenes and 3D computer graphics, it also introduced arguably the most badass Final Fantasy villain we have ever seen. Sephiroth is a member of SOLDIER, Shinra Electric Power Company’s elite military unit who helped the organization achieve global dominance. Not much is known about his past, but something had to have messed him up pretty bad for him to turn out the way he did. Sephiroth is a ruthless killing machine who wields a 9 foot long sword. I’m not sure how you sheath something like that. While one could argue that he is under-developed as a character, Sephiroth’s interesting design and iconic boss battles make him a favorite among the series fans. 

You would be hard-pressed to find a more iconic video game series than the Mario franchise. Mario has been a staple of Nintendo Entertainment since 1981 and has seen at least one game released for every generation of the company’s hardware. The success of this powerhouse game franchise doesn’t fall solely on the shoulders of its pudgy protagonist plumber. Bowser was introduced to the world with the release of Super Mario Bros in 1985. He served as the main antagonist of the game and has appeared in over 100 titles since. Why do we love him? He is a fire-breathing turtle-dinosaur-dragon who can transform people into inanimate objects. That’s pretty powerful stuff. Bowser also benefits from what I call the “heel effect”. This is when a villain becomes popular with fans simply for being a consistently satisfying villain. The Mario series isn’t going anywhere and neither is Bowser. We are good with that.

Mass Effect’s Illusive Man may be the most morally grey villain on this list. You could even argue that the head of the human rights group known as Cerberus isn’t a villain at all. That’s what makes him so compelling and is just one of the reasons that Mass Effect 2 is considered one of the best RPG’s of all time. The Illusive Man’s humanity-first approach to conflict resolution can border on excessive. Since our playable character, Commander Shepard, is human we are forced to make some difficult decisions while under the employment of Cerberus. Do you put humanity’s interests first? Or the interests of the entire galaxy? We at Flightless Nerd tend to think Cerberus is a little too heavy-handed. Oh and did we mention that the Illusive Man is voiced by Martin Sheen? Who couldn’t love that?

Number 7 is the only playable character on our list (cue arguments about numbers 5 and 3). Grand Theft Auto V is, like every game on this list, an absolute masterpiece. Rockstar Games was able to build a sandbox of chaos that stretches from inner city Los Santos to rural areas of San Andreas. This, coupled with the mechanic of interchangeable playable characters, creates an unparalleled sense of freedom for the player. Trevor Phillips is one of those playable characters, and he is a piece of work. From spontaneous bursts of violent behavior to cannibalism, there aren’t many redeeming qualities to this psychopath. But Trevor’s interactions with his more level-headed counterparts and the laugh-out-loud situations he finds himself in have carved out a special place in the history of video game characters. Also, the conversation where Michael explains to Trevor why he is a textbook example of a hipster is the best moment in a Grand Theft Auto game.

Pokémon took my generation by storm in the mid- to late-90’s with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue, and the anime series that followed shortly afterward. There are multiple different versions of Team Rocket in the Pokémon series but this list refers to the Pokémon Yellow and animated version. Jessie and James, along with their companion Meowth, are members of a criminal organization with hopes of world domination by stealing rare and powerful Pokémon. Their humorous banter and repeated failures make them lovable losers in the hearts of Pokémon fans everywhere. They should probably listen more to their friend Meowth, who consistently appears to be smarter and is the only Pokémon who can speak the human language.

The universe of Metal Gear Solid is a mess. I’ve played every installment of this iconic franchise multiple times and I still never know what is happening. Revolver Ocelot’s arm is possessed by the spirit of Liquid Snake who is the twin brother to Solid Snake who is a clone of Big Boss? And what the hell is Fox Dye? I don’t know and I don’t care. I love this series and Snake -- A.K.A Big Boss -- is a big reason for that. While referenced repeatedly in MGS 1 & 2, he doesn’t make his first appearance in the series until MGS 3. Snake is a perfect representation of how war can change a person. He is a perfect soldier in service of the United States military who just wants to keep his country safe. However he quickly realized that the country he fights for may not be as noble as he believed. Snake’s goal is to denuclearize the world. That is an idea that I can get behind if it weren’t for his method of doing so. Somehow collecting an arsenal of nuclear bombs with which to threaten the world doesn’t seem like the most effective way to broker peace. But what do I know?

What is scarier than a highly intelligent AI that forces you to complete puzzles while traveling through time and space for its sick pleasure? That is what GLaDOS is all about in Valve’s Portal series. Luckily the developers are able to keep things light with excellent writing. Everything about GLaDOS is funny. From the acronym of its name (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) to the constant insults toward the player character, GLaDOS is charming enough to carve out a high number on this list and in our hearts.

My fear of being controlled by computers and being forced to do their bidding is followed closely by my fear of an undead uprising. Blizzard’s Warcraft series introduces a villain with the powers to control the dead to fight in his army. The Lich King. Everything about this guy is cool. His visual design, his tragic backstory, and his throne of actual ice all leave lasting memories. He was also the focal point of World of Warcraft's most fondly remembered expansion. Fans everywhere are eagerly awaiting a rumored return of the Lich King.

The average life expectancy has to be pretty low in a place like Pandora. The constant threat of a bullymong mauling or a bandit beating is one thing, but then you throw in a maniac want-to-be comedian and you have a serious problem. Borderlands 2’s Handsome Jack is a brilliantly frustrating antagonist. He is constantly murdering your friends and adding insult to injury from high in his spaceship fortress. Jack is easily the most selfish villain on our list and his motivation of being rich and powerful is pretty one-dimensional. However, his devilish charm and wit is entertaining to say the least. It’s not hard to hate the guy, but it’s also easy to love this character.

Batman has a lot of very good villains that he fights on a regular basis, but none are more infamous than the Joker. Everyone’s favorite clown has been represented in many different mediums throughout the decades but his appearance in the Arkham series is by far my favorite. Rocksteady really didn’t try to reinvent the wheel with their take on the Batman universe. Most of the backstory was true to the comics and the story is a typical Caped Crusader adventure, up until the end of Arkham City. But Mark Hamill’s portrayal of the Joker will go down in history as one of the greatest ever. He was no stranger to the role (he voiced Joker in the Batman: The Animated Series) but his performance in the Arkham games carried weight and emotion. His character is well developed and his conflict with Bats is well realized. You can hear the insanity in Hamill’s voice with every line and feel the anger in his exclamations. The Joker’s story is wrapped up in a very brave and unique way. Kudos to Rocksteady for taking some liberties with a well-established villain and story.