Badass Villains in Video Games makes the game 10x better by adding tons of fun and exciting elements. The majority of the successful video games out there are famous because of the villains that are present in them.
Eliminating some of the Badass villains in the game is hard and today we will be listing down some of the Best Villains introduced in video games. Do let us know your favorite video game villain of all time in the comments below.
Our team has searched for the best villains in gaming history and we will be listing down the Best 20 out of them so without any further Ado let’s get started.
20 Greatest Video Game Villains
1. Vaas Montenegro
| Birth | 1984 in Rook Islands |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Far Cry 3 |
| Occupation | Gang Leader, Pirate, Human Trafficker |
| Status | Dead |
Did I Ever Tell You The Definition of Insanity? Whenever someone talks about the greatest video game villains of all time, Vaas Montenegro surely crosses my mind as he is one of the most badass characters ever in video game history.
This Villain was first introduced to the gaming community with the third installment in the Far Cry franchise and to be honest, this villain was also one of the scariest characters of all time as he was a psychopath who enjoyed killing people.
Vaas Montenegro was one of those villains in video game history who wasn’t gonna think twice before killing you. He was born in the Rooks Islands and ever since he was little, he became a member of the native Rakyat.
Vaas mostly used RPG, Machete, and AK-47 as his weapons and he was still lethal without any weapons as he had an army of thousands of troops under his control.
If you have played the stunning Far Cry 3 game then you must be aware of the fact that Citra was the sister of Vaas and also the first time Vaas killed someone, was for his sister.
He was killed in Far Cry 3 by Jason Brody who was also the main protagonist of the game however, even after being killed Vaas will forever be remembered as one of the Best Villains ever in the history of video games. We will provide you with a link to a video down below that will show you how crazy and deadly Vaas actually is.
2. Shao Kahn
| Birth | August 20 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Mortal Kombat II |
| Occupation | Warlord, Second Emperor of Outworld |
| Status | Alive |
Next up on our list is Shao Kahn aka General Shao, he is also one of the deadliest villains to ever exist in a video game.
Shao Kahn is a massive, powerful tyrant of the outworld throne, he is also the main antagonist of the whole Mortal Kombat franchise and a new version of this lethal villain has returned in the new Mortal Kombat game.
You wouldn’t wanna be in Shao Kahn’s bad books as he is someone who isn’t going to accept defeat easily, so defeating him in any of the Mortal Kombat games is not going to be a piece of cake.
Shao Kahn has fought many fierce fighters such as Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Raiden, etc. Almost every character in the Mortal Kombat franchise has fought against this villain.
3. Albert Wesker
| Birth | 1960 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Resident Evil (1996) |
| Occupation | Umbrella Researcher, United States Army Officer |
| Status | Dead (2009) |
Albert Wesker was one of the test subjects in Project W (a project started to develop an advanced human race).
He was a skilled perfectionist with tons of great skills and he always wore black sunglasses, which gave him a badass look. Wesker was a senior researcher at Umbrella, where he witnessed many of their horrific activities such as the T-Virus etc.
Wesker left the company and he later started working as a spy which led him to work with the United States Army. He surely had a great journey and later he chose to betray the Umbrella Corporation and work with the other corporations to steal their research.
A prototype virus gave superpowers to him which helped him steal Umbrella’s research easily. He became lethal as he believed he was the chosen one to achieve the ultimate goal of causing the Mass destruction of the human race.
Albert Wesker was finally killed in Resident Evi 5 by one of the strongest video game protagonists named Chris and his partner Sheva as they both ruined his plans and threw him into an active volcano.
4. Pyramid Head
| Birth | Unknown |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Silent Hill 2 |
| Occupation | Grim Reaper |
| Status | Unknown |
Ah! Pyramid Head is one of those monstrous villains in video games that every gamer is afraid is crossing paths with.
This humanoid villain was first introduced in the Silent Hill franchise with their second installment and if you’re a fan of the Silent Hill games then you must be aware that Silent Hill 2 Remake will be released soon as well.
Pyramid Head has a lot of masculine features and this villain is equipped with a huge knife and spear. He is mostly recognized through his large red triangular helmet which makes him stand out from any other villain on our list today.
This villain enjoys torturing, murdering, and stalking other monsters and humans so it’s best to never challenge him.
He can perform a headbutt on his target which causes an instant death and lastly, this deadly creature can perform a slow overhead chop with his huge knife, so it is best to maintain a safe distance from this villain and not challenge him.
5. Sephiroth
| Birth | Unknown |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Final Fantasy VII |
| Occupation | 1st Class Soldier |
| Status | Dead |
On the fifth spot, we have Sephiroth who was also the main villain in Final Fantasy VII and he was seen as a symbol of Cloud’s troubled past.
He was a 1st class Soldier before his fall from grace and his outstanding performance on the battlefield made him a war hero and surely an inspiration for many people.
Sephiroth started believing himself to be a chosen God and desired to rule over the world after he discovered the truth of his creation and all the experiments with the alien lives.
He has long silver hair and green cat eyes which makes him look savage. Before his fall into insanity, Sephiroth was renowned for keeping an aura of calm composure and cold professionalism around him.
This villain does enjoy a good challenge and now let us move on to the next great villain on our list of all the greatest villains in video games.
6. Joker (Batman Arkham Series)
| Birth | Unknown |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Batman Arkham Asylum |
| Occupation | Terrorist, Professional Criminal |
| Status | Dead |
Who doesn’t love Joker as a villain, not just in video games but also in the DC universe movies he has made his mark and will be remembered as one of the scariest villains of all time.
This psychopath insane villain was one of the biggest foes of Batman in the Arkham video game franchise where Batman and him crossed paths many times.
His exact origin is still a mystery and his sense of rumor on the other hand was what made him the best villain to exist in a video game. He believed that cruelty and immortality were the true inner core of the human race, he also had no interest in money or companionship.
Joker is also one of the toughest and the deadliest villains that Batman has ever faced. Many gamers worldwide adore Joker more than Batman and we guess now you guys know why.
7. Pagan Min
| Birth | 1966, British Hong Kong |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Far Cry 4 |
| Occupation | King of Kyrat |
| Status | Dead |
Have you ever wondered what would happen if an insane man gets control of a huge army of troops and is considered a King? Well if you haven’t then you guys might wanna try playing Far Cry 4 as the antagonist in this game will surely leave you startled right from the beginning.
Pagan Min was the King of Kyrat and was settled in Nepal where he controlled a huge organization until he was defeated and killed by Ajay Ghale (son of Ishwari Ghale) who was the main protagonist of Far Cry 4.
When Pagan was a kid, he did not have a great relationship with his father and later he grew up to be a skilled and lethal gangster.
He was known mostly for his colorful dress and silver hair and was hated by Ajay for what he had done to his friends.
8. Lady Dimitrescu
| Birth | 1914 |
| Gender | Female |
| First Appearance | Resident Evil Village |
| Occupation | Countess Mistress of Castle Dimitrescu |
| Status | Dead |
Next up on our list is the first female villain who was born in the Dimitrescu family before the Great War, Yes we’re talking about Lady Dimitrescu and she is one of the scariest female villains in the Resident Evil franchise.
She was first introduced to the RE franchise in Resident Evil Village and she has been one of the fan favorite characters ever since.
Somewhere around back in 1958, she was brainwashed by the cult leader named Mother Miranda to a crypt beneath the village cemetery where a Cadou parasite was surgically implanted in her.
Lady Dimitrescu was a calm and collected woman with an elegant poise and she could easily trick her enemies into killing them.
Her physical strength far exceeded that of a regular human due to the parasite implanted in her by Mother Miranda. She was able to lift and throw heavy objects easily not to mention she was also able to shrug off firearm attacks.
9. Vladimir Makarov
| Birth | Otober 4, 1970 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare |
| Occupation | Terrorist, Human Trafficker, Smuggler |
| Status | Dead |
Finally, we have Vladimir Makarov who is the main antagonist of the Call of Duty Modern Warfare franchise. Makarov was a mastermind with ruthless tactics, abilities, and strategies.
He outmaneuvered his enemies and made them play by his own rules which initially made the majority of his enemies give up. Makarov was also the great mastermind behind World War III in the Modern Warfare franchise.
Makarov used to do whatever it took in order to gain the upper hand against his foes, no matter how brutal it had to be as he also shot Yuri who was his friend in the game.
He usually wore a black suit and rocked a short haircut, players could usually tell that he was up to no good just by looking at him.
10. Dr. Eggman
| Birth | – |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Sonic the Hedgedog |
| Occupation | Scientist, Ruler of the Eggman Empire |
| Status | – |
Dr. Eggman is a crazy scientist with an IQ of 300, he plans to conquer the whole world and his mustache is what makes him stand out from the other villains on our list today.
He is an obese, tall human with a bald head and he even owns an amusement park named Eggmanland. Dr. Eggman is an arrogant, cunning, and egoistic scientist and he did not stop his cunning activities even after Sonic’s victory on South Island.
There are tons of tricks up his sleeves and Sonic usually mocks him for his poor judgments which makes him furious. He is seen as a rival of both Sonic and Tales, almost every Sonic fan adores this evil villain, do let us know your thoughts about this villain in the comments down below.
11. Bloody Mary
| Birth | – |
| Gender | Female |
| First Appearance | The Wolf Among Us (3rd episode) |
| Occupation | Thug |
| Status | Dead |
One of the secondary antagonists in the famous video game known as The Wolf Among Us was Bloody Mary, she was a furious and bloodthirsty monster that appeared in the third episode of the game.
Bloody Mary was a brutal and sadistic character who enjoyed murdering children who dared to say her name, killing people was like her favorite hobby.
Her strength and brutality made almost every character in the game fear her, however, our protagonist of the game was the one who killed her brutally.
Despite her brutality, she was loyal to the Crooked Man but that in my opinion is due to his strength. Her true form is also extremely terrifying and this was it for Bloody Mary and now let us move on to the next character on our list.
12. Handsome Jack
| Birth | – |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Borderlands 2 |
| Occupation | Hyperion Programmer, CEO of Hyperion Corporation |
| Status | Dead? |
On the 12th spot, we have Handsome Jack who’s a self-proclaimed hero of Pandora in Borderlands. He was a powerful and arrogant leader who usually abused and killed his own employees for fun.
His objective was to open the vault of the Warrior and use it to take out everything that was deemed evil. Handsome Jack’s past was pretty awful as his father passed away when he was young and that led to his mother handing over Jack’s custody to his grandmother.
Jack was physically abused while living with his grandmother and it made him cold and harsh from the inside. He also stole the credit for defeating The Destroyer, despite giving it to the Valunt Hunters.
Even after being a dangerous villain, Jack was still a loving father and a husband and you guys should play Borderlands game to check out his story.
13. Alma Wade
| Birth | August 26, 1979 |
| Gender | Female |
| First Appearance | F.E.A.R. |
| Occupation | Test Subject |
| Status | Dead |
Alma Wade is a scary villain who is the main antagonist of the F.E.A.R. franchise that seeks revenge against Amacharm Technology Corporation for using her as a test subject.
Her mother died when she was in Labour and little Alma was all alone with her father, she wasn’t just a regular person as she was gifted with psychic powers which led to her father introducing her to Amacharm Technology Corporation.
The Corporation tested every single power that Alma had and she was experimented on, relentlessly which really wasn’t good for her. Even after her death, her psychic energy continued to linger after her death, it is believed that her psychic energy was fueled by her anger.
Alma enjoys torturing and killing the people who did her wrong, she is relentless and does whatever it takes to eliminate her target. She even gave birth to the first prototype known as the Point Man when she was just 15 years of age.
14. Kefka
| Birth | November 19 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Final Fantasy |
| Occupation | Court Mage |
| Status | Dead |
Kefka (also spelled as Cefca in the Japanese version) was the first experimental Magitek Knight of the Gestahlian Empire.
The Empire allowed him to use magic however, the process transformed Kefka into a maniac with magical powers and a thirst for blood.
He had a long blonde ponytail worn with a feathered headdress, his face on the other hand was painted with white and red colour around his eyes and his lips were bright red. Kefka also wore a long red coat which complimented his personality well.
As we have already stated above Kefka was a maniac, which means he cared for no one other than himself and he enjoyed watching other people suffer to death.
He took great pleasure in manipulating others and in the Japanese version of the game, Kefka’s dialogues emphasised more on his childish nature. He was indeed an intriguing villain and we highly recommend you try out Final Fantasy VI to learn more about this villain.
15. Cesare Borgia
| Birth | September 13, 1475 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Assassin’s Creed II |
| Occupation | Captain of the Papal Army, Grand Master of the Italian Rite of the Templar Order |
| Status | Dead |
On the fifteenth spot, we have Cesare Borgia who was the son of Rodrigo Borgia, every single Assassin’s Creed fan must be aware of this cunning villain in the game who takes orders from no one not even his father as he kills his own father (Rodrigo Borgia) in Ac Brotherhood.
He became the Grand Master of the Italian Templar order by murdering his own father as he had a huge desire to have control over everyone.
Cesare also got his brother killed due to jealousy and hatred, this goes to show you how cruel-hearted this villain actually was.
He was also the main antagonist in AC Brotherhood but he was met with loads of challenges while trying to eliminate one of the greatest assassins known as Ezio Auditore who later kills him at the end of the game.
Rodrigo Borgia had a weird mindset as he murdered people close to him just to gain more power in society, however, even after being such a power-freak maniac, he is still considered one of the greatest villains ever in Video game history.
16. Doctor Octopus (Marvel’s Spider-Man)
| Birth | – |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Marvels Spider-Man |
| Occupation | Octavios Industries Founder |
| Status | Alive |
Doctor Octopus is a highly intelligent scientist who used to work for Oscorp Industries before finding Octavius Industries.
Doc Ock left Oscop after he realized that his friend Norman Osborn violated several safety measures, he was also the mentor of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man.
Octavius was aware of Peter’s activities and they both worked together later Otto loses his self-control due to a defect in his neutral implants and it affects his whole mind and personality in a huge manner.
Doc Ock was a calm and collected human being who wanted to do something good for the world, however, his personality changed as the game progressed and he got closer to achieving his goals. He becomes impatient and angry, his mental state continues to go down the hill which later makes a huge hurdle for him.
He possesses great knowledge in biomechanics, physics, robotics, and engineering. Otto is able to design different types of futuristic weapons, and machines using his knowledge such as his mechanical arms which are super lethal.
Even tho Doctor Octopus was a good guy, he still was a villain in the game as he later fights Spider-Man because he changes his ways. Fighting Doc Ock isn’t easy in the game as he is strong due to his mechanical arms and knowing that deep down Doctor Octopus is a good man, makes it harder to defeat him.
Since Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is right around the corner, this would be the perfect time to enjoy this game, so make sure to play Spider-Man to know more about Doc Ock.
17. Deathstroke
| Birth | Unknown |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Batman Arkham |
| Occupation | Assassin |
| Status | Alive |
Well if you love a tough and challenging fight then Deathstroke (aka Slade Wilson) would be the right person to look up to, as he is one of the strongest villains to ever exist in a video game.
He was originally a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Slade was also a part of a super soldier program and that is where he gained immense strength and abilities, agility, and healing factor.
Deathstroke became a mercenary soon after the soldier’s experiment and using his strength and abilities he became one of the world’s greatest assassins. After earning his reputation he became quite unstoppable and was eventually defeated by Batman and was kept in the Blackgate Prison from where he later managed to escape.
He has a huge amount of tricks up his sleeves and it was really hard for Batman In Arkham Origins to defeat this villain as he was really fast and had great strength which made Batman struggle against him.
18. Mr X (T-00)
| Birth | 1998 |
| Gender | Unknown |
| First Appearance | Resident Evil 2 |
| Occupation | Stalker |
| Status | Dead |
Next up on our list is a villain that made tons of gamers quit the game due to many scary moments, as this villain really was on top of his game and did everything possible to eliminate the players, Yes we’re talking about T-00 aka Mr X from Resident Evil 2 and RE 2 Remake.
I still remember my first time playing Resident Evil 2 Remake and encountering this villain, I wanted to quit the game but my curiosity wouldn’t let me as I wanted to defeat this villain no matter what.
Mr X was a huge tyrant who was sent into Racoon City during the 1998 Racoon City incident and if you have been playing the Resident Evil games then you must be aware of the Racoon City incident where the whole virus outbreak literally tore the city apart.
This villain had huge potential and immense strength which is understandable after looking at how huge he actually is. Leon S Kennedy had to deal with him many times and finally, he killed this villain using a Rocket Launcher in RE 2 Remake.
T-00 will forever be remembered in the gaming community as one of the most terrifying villains in the game that makes players quit the game due to jump scares.
19. Melania
| Birth | – |
| Gender | Female |
| First Appearance | Elden Ring |
| Occupation | Child of the Eternal Queen |
| Status | Dead |
Melania is the final female villain on our list today and she is surely one of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring as she is really powerful and made many players rage quite their game.
She was a tall woman with long red hair and unlike most of her allies she was calm and collected, she never raised her voice even when she was angry. Melania had a strong relationship with her brother Miquella.
Melania had great strength and she mostly used the Blade of Miquella aka Hand of Malenia which was a golden katana blade players often quit the game as they weren’t able to defeat this villain as she is extremely challenging and powerful. This was it for Malenia now let us move on to the final villain on our list.
20. Bowser
| Birth | February 5 |
| Gender | Male |
| First Appearance | Super Mario Bros (1985) |
| Occupation | Ruler of Koopa Kingdom/ Bowser’s Kingdom |
| Status | Alive |
Last but surely not least we have Bowser and believe that almost every single gamer must’ve heard about this villain from the Mario games. This cunning villain is really strong and he is also the main antagonist of the Super Mario Bros franchise.
He also kidnapped the Princess in Super Mario Bros and kept her in his castle, this shows how truthful this villain actually is. Bowser also wants to take control over the Mushroom Kingdom as he has great strength and abilities.
He is small and looks terrifying, Bowser can be seen in many other Mario games such as Super Mario, Suoer Mario Bros, Mario Kart, etc.
Mario had to face numerous challenges in order to reach Bowser’s castle and defeat him, still even after being defeated Bowser is still considered one of the greatest video game villains of all time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Most Badass Villain In A Video Game Ever?
Vaas in my opinion is the most badass villain in a video game ever due to his strong personality and charisma.
Is Mr X from Resident Evil 2 alive?
No the tyrant in Resident Evil 2 known as Mr X was killed by Leon S Kennedy
Is Deathstroke Stronger than Batman?
Well, yes Deathstroke is stronger than Batman as he is genetically modified however, even after being stronger than him he still fell short against batman in Arkham Origins game.
Wrapping Up
This was our list of the 20 greatest video game villains of all time and we hope that you guys have all your answers by now, do let us know your favourite villain from our list
If you guys still have any doubts regarding the above information then do let us know in the comments down below. Till then keep gaming hard and stay safe!
