A reader tries to rate the most evil of video games bad guys, from the ineffectual Bowser to the terror of Flowey from Undertale.
Wicked men and imposters will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled. 2 Timothy 3:13, New World Translation.
Yes, some culture! It is strange to think that for as long as we as a species have been self-aware, we have always measured the balance between good and evil. And yet, they dont actually exist. We call them forces and yet they exert no tangible, observable influence upon our universe. They are just abstract concepts invented by humans to identify one set of behaviour or conduct from another.
But still, throughout the ages of man, nothing has quite captivated us as what we perceive to be the eternal battle between good and evil.
It has been tricky to define evil. Primitives thought it meant it simply refusing the will of whatever barbaric deity was in vogue. That is much too simplistic and gives rise to an even greater evil.
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As only people can be evil, what does that mean? The dictionary is quite vague and circular on the matter, not being a philosophical authority and all, so I shall make a reasonable, well-educated attempt here. I would assert that to be evil is to wilfully cause harm or suffering for the sole purpose of either selfish gain or the enjoyment of such actions. To that end, let us examine the wicked men and imposters we must oppose in our games. And no, I dont mean Bobby Kotick or Randy Pitchford.
Usually what makes us the champion of virtue in whatever quest we are assigned is simply putting a stop to the villain who is the cause of all manner of bad things. It really was that simple when gaming began and is often still no more complicated.
Strangely, though, when you think about it, some of gamings oldest antagonists arent very evil at all. King Bowser from the Mario series is guilty of invading the Mushroom Kingdom so frequently hes practically a citizen and kidnapping its rightful ruler, Princess Peach, so much that she must know the layout of Bowsers castle like the back of her tiara.
But there is a theory that Peach is a willing participant – that there is never any real danger to either her, Mario, or her kingdom. Nintendo have said that she is the most powerful being in the Mario universe and has shown it in the Mario & Luigi games by shoving Bowser aside like he was nothing. So, really – what has Bowser done? Has he ever killed anybody? Canonically? As he can be an erstwhile ally, I see Bowser more as a big rascal rather than a heartless monster.
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Ganon or Ganondorf can be written off too. His body count is presumably higher in Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, yet his impact on Ocarina Of Time was arguably very slight. He postures and he schemes, checking many of the standard villainous motivations, but I think that there are Care Bears villains more evil than he is. [In the future with older Link hes killed almost everyone or turned them into ReDeads. Hes won multiple times in various games and always committed near genocide in doing so – GC]
No, for the oldest truly evil character in a video game – at least to my memory – is Doctor Ivo Robotnik. He seems very silly and oafish, but hes not. Even when taking the games at face value. His entire mechanical army of badniks is kept running by the animals trapped within their metal shells. Which, according to even the earliest lore are all Sonics friends and must therefore be self-aware and fully sentient. But even if they werent, this would be an extremely monstrous act of breathtaking cruelty. And what does he use his slave army for? To destroy the natural world so as to further his industrial power.
And, while not truly canonical, the bad ending of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for the Game Gear and Master System shows us that he has killed. And not just any kill. If you fail to acquire five out of the six Chaos Emeralds before facing the penultimate boss, you will not be able to access the final level. The game will end and Sonic runs along the picturesque fields of Emerald Hill Zone to a very sad tune as the credits roll. Dawn becomes dusk and when the night is at its blackest, Sonic comes to a stop and looks up. In the stars is an image of Tails – strongly implying that he is dead.
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Now, regardless of your feelings towards Tails these days, the fact remains that Robotnik has murdered Sonics best friend. And worse still, Tails was just a child! Yes, youll look at the good doctor a little differently now, wont you?
Another extremely evil figure comes from one of the oldest fighting game series there is. No, not Bison from Street Fighter. Sure, he killed Chun-Lis dad, made Charlie Nash rubbish, and gave F.A.N.G a job – but hes too woolly and vague.
No, I speak of Shao Kahn. He looks like an evil He-Man but hes no joke. According to the lore, he started his career by poisoning his admittedly also evil master, Onaga Kahn – the Dragon King. But it was no altruistic act on his part. Shao Kahn really, really wants to be in charge. Of everything. Everywhere.
He invaded the realm of Edenia because he fancied King Jerrods wife, Sindel. Like how Uther Pendragon invaded Cornwall to have his way with Lady Igraine. Yes, more culture! I guess that makes Kitana Morgan Le Fay and Mileena King Arthur… with sharper teeth. Huh.
After Kahns champions have killed Jerrod himself in Mortal Kombat, he eventually drives Sindel to suicide and lies to Kitana her whole life about her history. He then clones her so he can have a more bloodthirsty version of her with Mileena.
Which gives you some indication as to how he governs. People he elevates to his court include Baraka, Skarlet, Dvorah, the Kollector and Shang Tsung. All of whom are either corrupt, brutal, thoroughly ruthless or all of the above. Only Baraka seems to have any honour and he paid a heavy price for it in Mortal Kombat X. Yes, Baraka. The guy that likes to eat people.
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He has also successfully invaded EarthRealm – that place where we live – and harvested the souls of billions. Only a few chosen ones with Raidens magic plot armour were spared the first cull. Now, this was reversed but it does not change the fact that he did it. And that hes done it to other realms who were not fortunate enough to have a Liu Kang lurking around. This level of genocide, and appetite for more of the same, is staggering. Genghis Khan is somewhat similar, having wiped out entire rival tribes – but I think even he would have balked at Shao Kahns thirst for blood.
Want more genocidal maniacs? How about Lord Galcian from Skies Of Arcadia. At thirst glance, he is just another naughty noble with dreams of world domination (baby) and assuring the supremacy of his home nation, Valua. But Galcian is no patriot, for what little virtue thats worth, he is in fact one of the most callous, self-serving psychopaths you will have ever seen in fiction. He seems to only respect strength and power – but only from those who he expects to be naturally superior, i.e. other nobles. Certainly not the hero, Vyse, who he only sees as a worthless pirate and not the equal who managed to assemble an international fleet large enough to defeat his own. If you were born to power, he expects nothing less of you. That is why he strips the cowardly Alphonso of his command early on after a humiliating encounter with Vyse and Aika.
It is strongly hinted that Admiral Belleza and even Ramirez are infatuated with him. But its clear that he cares nothing for them, only for how useful they can be. When he sends Belleza out on a diplomatic mission to Valua, he gives Ramirez a smirk and comments that Valua could do with a little Rain… I wont spoil the exact details of what that means, but you can guess that any rain with a capital R is not going to be the kind of rain anybody wants. Its a chilling moment and an ugly insight into Galcians mind.
I wont discuss characters that originated in other media, like the Joker, who were quite frankly much more compelling in other media. Dont @ me, you know its true. However, characters that were specifically invented for games based on existing franchises are definitely viable. Like Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. He will annihilate an entire planet, a commercially vibrant centre for galactic trade, just to make sure one person doesnt escape. And it doesnt even work! What a card, hey?
The Resident Evil series has been responsible for some seriously awful people. William Saddler from Resident Evil 4 has an extreme disregard for human life, who refers to killing as though it was like swatting a fly. Al Wesker is a traitor, has killed without remorse and in his swansong, Resident Evil 5, he wanted to unleash a virus that would kill billions and any survivors would be turned into monsters or a superior race that he would rule. Yes, like an actual Third Reich situation! And dyeing Jills hair blonde is very creepy.
But when it comes to atrocities there is the issue of who is ultimately accountable. And none are more guilty than Oswell Spencer, founder and CEO of Umbrella Corp. Before he died in Resident Evil 5, the man was ancient – having been born in the early 1920s. As part of the British aristocracy he already had an inflated view of his own ego and was keen follower of the eugenics movement. Nazis beget more Nazis after all. So apart from the fourth instalment, Spencer is responsible for all the horrors of the series. The cruel destruction of the Trevor family, dangerous and unethical medical experiments performed on who knows how many unwilling test subjects that would result in either their death or a living death. Which would include all those children in Raccoon City orphanage. The likes of Chief Irons and the Birkins may also share the blame, but it was still Spencer who gave the orders.
But psychopaths have to start somewhere. And there was always at least a handful of them at school. If you didnt meet any at school, thats because the psycho was you. Speaking personally, Gary Smith from Bully is Rockstars most chilling antagonist thus far. Hes creepy from the moment you meet him but when he dresses as a Nazi commandant for Halloween, you can guess whats coming for the rest of the game. Yes, Nazis again. Man, I hate those guys. Why, Gary! youll exclaim. Youve betrayed me and turned the entire school against me! How totally unexpected that is! He may not have the kind of name that strikes fear into your soul – I mean, come on, Gary – but it still feels great sticking it to that little punk.
Lets move on to ideological villains. I havent played the old Fallout games, but the best villain of the modern era has been undoubtedly Caesar – commander of the Legion. These guys like to crucify people! And wipe out entire towns with either the sword or massive radiation clouds. Oh, and they keep slaves. In fact, the best thing a woman can hope for under Caesars rule is to be an officers wife. Everything else is really, really bad.
There is a moment in the game where you have the option to parley with them at their main encampment. Caesar himself is in a fancy tent atop a hill. Once you are near the top, you can look back and see the many tents of the many Legionnaires all ready to fight, to sweep through the Mojave like a firestorm, all of them dedicated to their savage cause. It sends a chill down the back of my neck every time I come to it.
Another extreme authoritarian is Masayoshi Shido, the nasty politician from Persona 5. I wont go into exact details, but Shido does not care whose life he ends or ruins so lRead More – Source
