The 10 Most Iconic Villains in Games

A good story needs remarkable characters and, without a doubt, the protagonist must stand out, since the story is told from their point of view. The Hero's Journey is still used to this day in a lot of media as a model for telling a good story, and although there are adaptations and changes in the concept of what a Hero could be, the protagonist is the pillar of many stories.

However, sometimes, and especially nowadays, the antagonist or villain of the story ends up being so good that they become the center of the narrative, determining its events and pace.

It’s no different when it comes to video games, and many games have become a lot more famous for having a good antagonist or antagonists, with these characters often becoming the face of the franchise.

In this article, we list the ten best and most remarkable villains in the history of games. To do this, it’ll be necessary to determine some criteria: The list doesn’t necessarily follow a worst to best order, it’ll simply bring the ten who marked history the most, considering the importance of the villain in the plot, how much their presence affects the narrative in a positive way and obviously the character’s charisma.

Only original antagonists from the games will be included in the list, no characters adapted from other media such as Joker or Venom.

Bowser - Super Mario

A list of the greatest villains in games couldn’t leave out the villain of the most iconic game in history. The Super Mario franchise continues to leave its mark on the industry as one of the most successful franchises ever, with he who’s probably the greatest icon in gaming, but on this list the star is Bowser, Mario's antagonist and without a doubt a villain who made history.

Ganon/Ganondorf - The Legend of Zelda

If there’s another Nintendo antagonist capable of rivaling Bowser's popularity, it’s without a doubt Ganondorf, from The Legend of Zelda franchise. The Gerudo Thief King is the incarnation of evil in the franchise and Link's big antagonist in many titles. Each incarnation is more fearsome and iconic than the last, and the battles against the villain are always amazing.

Ganon is the typical evil incarnate who wants to conquer the entire world for himself, and his design is very well done in all of his incarnations, making him an unforgettable villain.

Nemesis - Resident Evil

No franchise has managed to create a suffocating horror atmosphere quite like Resident Evil did, and much of this is due to the chasing villains the games usually bring, with the most memorable and menacing of them being the terrifying Nemesis, a biological weapon created by Umbrella to exterminate all of the S.T.A.R.S. members still alive in Racoon City in Resident Evil 3.

Nemesis is a relentless and frightening enemy, appearing at unexpected moments, accompanied by a striking and frenetic soundtrack, not to mention his unmatched design that made him an icon of the franchise. It's hard to think of Resident Evil and not remember how terrifying it was to face Nemesis.

M. Bison - Street Fighter

Street Fighter is probably the biggest fighting game franchise of all time and M. Bison is the biggest villain of this franchise, so he deserves to be mentioned here. Bison is the leader of a criminal organization called Shadaloo and plans to take over the world using its resources and the power he calls Psycho Power, an art mastered by Bison. He has a stylish design, and he’s always one of the most tryhard characters in the franchise's titles.

GlaDOS - Portal

GlaDOS is the main antagonist in Portal and Portal 2. An artificial life form created by Aperture that ended up killing every scientist there because it was corrupted. She’s the one who guides the protagonist through the tests designed by herself.

GlaDOS is sarcastic and her dialogues are full of irony and jokes that end up captivating us while we play, almost making us forget that she’s the villain.

Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy is one of the most beloved franchises in gaming, and when we think of Final Fantasy villains it’s impossible not to think of Sephiroth.

Sephiroth was the top agent of the SOLDIER program, a war hero and poster boy for Shinra. Created using DNA from the space calamity Jenova, Sephiroth finds out about his origins and ends up revolting against the lies of his creators, falling into madness and setting his sights on destroying everything and everyone.

This character’s design, the battle against him in Final Fantasy VII and the soundtrack are simply unforgettable, a memorable villain.

Pyramid Head - Silent Hill

Silent Hill is a complex psychological horror game full of characters with remarkable stories. In Silent Hill 2, we meet James Sunderland, who’s searching for his deceased wife in the mysterious, foggy town of Silent Hill. Throughout his journey, James is pursued by a creature known as Pyramid Head, who seeks to torment the protagonist in every way possible.

Later, we find out that everything that’s happening in Silent Hill is, in fact, the result of James' disturbed mind and Pyramid Head is James' way to punish himself for his actions. Thus, we can say that James and Pyramid Head are almost the same person, although everything is a lot more complex than that. However, there’s no denying that this villain left his mark on the franchise and the history of games forever.

Vergil - Devil May Cry

Dante is perhaps one of the most charismatic game protagonists ever created and the face of his franchise, but the same can be said of his twin brother, Vergil.

As an antagonist, Vergil manages to have a presence as strong or even stronger than Dante, having his own style, with movements and abilities that make him an extremely stylish character. His human side is always put to the test and his role in the franchise becomes even more important with the arrival of Nero, his son.

In Devil May Cry 5, Vergil returns once again as the antagonist, receiving three different versions here. His fragmented version is represented by V and the demonic counterpart Urizen. The original version of Vergil, as we know him in Devil May Cry 3, appears after the two halves are united, and this is the definitive version of the character.

Big Boss - Metal Gear

I recently wrote an entire article dedicated to Big Boss’ story, which you can read here. Snake is the protagonist of Metal Gear in Snake Eater, Peace Walker and The Phantom Pain, but he was originally born as the main villain in Metal Gear 1 and 2.

A deep character with a complex history who starts off his journey as a hero and ends it as the great evil to be defeated. All Snake wanted was to create a better world where there was no more conflict and soldiers weren’t used as tools, but somehow he lost himself along the way and became just another piece in the grand scheme. However, he left his mark on the franchise and in gaming history as one of the most complex characters ever created.

Joel Miller - The Last of Us

Getting to the end of the list with a controversial character. There’s no denying that Joel can be seen as the great villain in The Last of Us. He’s a man tormented by the past, selfish and violent who sacrificed everything to be able to relive a past he never got over: that of being a "father" again. Ellie's sacrifice represented a chance of obtaining the cure for the Cordyceps fungus, but unable to accept losing another important figure in his life, Joel decides to kill the Fireflies and save her, telling a lie around what really happened that night to Ellie herself.

Joel's line between hero and villain is very thin, but his actions can have eventually condemned the world to live with the Cordyceps forever, with no opportunity to find a cure - this decision eventually culminates in all of the events of The Last of Us II and all possible subsequent games in the series.

I conclude here another article. Leave your questions, suggestions, criticisms and/or compliments in the comments. Thank you for reading and see you next time.