5 most ruthless video game villains of all time

Every protagonist needs an equally competitive antagonist capable of making the journey as difficult as possible.

The Joker can be quite ruthless. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Arnab Mukherji | Mar 18, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

5 most ruthless video game villains of all time: “A Bond film is only as good as its villain.” It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to term this phrase as one of the most popular phrases used by fans of the iconic movie franchise James Bond. The same aspect further found a mention in the famous spy movie Kingsman: The Secret Service which was released in 2014. The villain Richmond Valentine played by Samuel L Jackson expresses his love for the old Bond movies, terming being a gentleman spy as his dream job as a kid. Harry Hart played by Colin Firth has the perfect response in store. “I always felt that the old Bond films were only as good as the villain. As a child, I rather fancied a futuristic colorful megalomaniac,” he says.

The importance of a menacing villain capable of challenging the hero, remains the same in case of a video game as well. Every protagonist needs an equally competitive antagonist capable of making the journey as difficult as possible for the former. Gamers look forward to enjoying the experience provided by a well-rounded game comprising of a quality villain and excellent plotline, because of the emotions it provokes from the player himself.

Without much ado, let’s take a look at five of the exciting iconic villains ever in the history of video games:

The Joker: The Joker is one of the most iconic villains ever, with his ruthless mentality towards anything which comes in his way making him an extremely formidable foe for Batman. He pushes the Dark Knight to the brim in the popular game: Batman: Arkham Knight, making the face-off between the two an extremely exciting one.

Vaas Montenegro: Vaas made Far Cry 3 a fun ride for gamers, with the constant twists and turns introduced in the game due to his insane ideas, ensuring a lot of excitement at every stage. The drug trafficker, pirate and kidnapper is well capable of setting you on fire or shooting you in the knee on one of his bad days, leaving the game’s hero Jason Brody in a state of constant uncertainty.

Sephiroth: The character from Final Fantasy VII seems to be quite charming and well-mannered. However, the same is simply an act as evident from his deplorable actions and cruelty as the game develops. Boasting of immense strength and great swordsmanship, Sephiroth has carved a glorious reputation for himself as one of the best villains of all time.

Xenomorph: The antagonist leaves gamers in a state of constant terror with his unstoppable pursuit in the survival game Alien: Isolation. Xenomorph hunts for his victims using artificial intelligence, taking due note of any noises made. The Alien is further known to be quite unpredictable in nature, leaving the gamer worried about being discovered at every stage. An encounter with Xenomorph is guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping.

Handsome Jack: The manipulative character in Borderlands, leaves gamers in an uncertain state of mind with his mood swings. He can be charming and funny at one stage, before suddenly leaving you unsettled with his ruthlessness and violent nature. Jack is certainly a villain who no hero would like to encounter even in a nightmare.