Almost every game based on conflict and drama has a quintessential archvillain who pulls the strings in the background and is ultimately (hopefully) sent packing in the end. Along with the heroes, the villain carries a large part of the narrative, and when the final boss is well-designed, the gaming experience is often outstanding as well. These 3 villains are particularly noteworthy and have significantly shaped their games.
How were they chosen? The villains gathered here all come from MMOs or at least games with an online focus. Therefore, we have not included archvillains from pure single-player games, such as Sephiroth or Ganon, even though these villains are legendary video game antagonists.
Furthermore, each respective kingpin must stand out in a specific way from the pool of soulless villains that players forget about after the final fight.
The villain should particularly challenge the player, provide an outstanding narrative arc, or simply be very original. The order here in the article does not reflect a ranking and is purely arbitrary.
Also, be aware that the descriptions of the villains may contain spoilers. So read on at your own risk if you are not yet familiar with the respective games.
Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)
Who is he? Handsome Jack is the main villain from the legendary loot shooter Borderlands 2. He appears in the game’s humorous trailer, where he spectacularly lures the heroes into a trap and blows them up.
Handsome Jack is a human and wears a kind of mask that bizarrely still makes his disfigured face look “handsome”.
Handsome Jack is the CEO of the fascistic Hyperion mega-corporation in Borderlands 2. He is thus a mix of a dictator and a business mogul. Most of the time in the game, he resides in his orbital high-tech fortress, literally above all the dirt and chaos on the planet Pandora.
In addition, he regularly shoots whole armies of soulless robotic enemies down to the planet at the feet of your pest control hero characters with a kind of cannon.
What is his story? Handsome Jack’s extensive story is gradually revealed throughout the game. He was raised by his cruel grandmother and later took revenge on her by killing her. Following the events of the pre-sequel of Borderlands, he takes over the Hyperion corporation and plans to “cleanse” the chaotic and lawless planet Pandora and restore order.
Part of his plan includes mysterious alien artifacts and his daughter Angel, who can control machines as a Siren. For her own “safety,” he locks her in a control module and uses her powers to control Pandora’s communication system. Therefore, Jack often knows where the players are and can address and mock them at any time.
What makes him remarkable? Jack is a villain that players remember from the very first minute in Borderlands 2. He murders innocent civilians live on stream in his first message to the players and continues to mock the player characters.
For example, by proudly announcing that with his immense wealth, he bought a diamond pony and named it after us, namely “Arschgaul”!
This style is largely consistent with the villain, and he is often one step ahead of the players, thwarting their plans. Memorable are the scenes where he simply blows up the beloved pet of a previous Borderlands hero just before we can save it.
Or the murder of the Borderlands legend Roland, which deeply affects Tiny Tina, leading her to cope with her grief in a role-play within the game. This becomes the basis for the recently released game Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
Even after his demise in the finale of Borderlands 2, Jack remains a figure of interest. There is even a DLC in Borderlands 3, in which Jack is responsible for hundreds of gamblers being trapped in a con artist casino for years, now completely insane.
Furthermore, an AI that considers itself Jack appears in the adventure Tales from the Borderlands. And even in Destiny 2, to whose main villain we will turn next, a similarly crazy character has recently been introduced into its game, which bears a resemblance to Handsome Jack.
