3rd Place Gul’dan (18%)
Gul’dan is one of the antagonists that we recently managed to take down. However, his influence stretches much further back than just through WoW: Legion. Without him, World of Warcraft might not even exist. Your 3rd place of the top villains!
Who was Gul’dan?
The orc Gul’dan was born in an unknown village as a member of an unknown clan. However, he was never meant to grow into a warrior, as he was born weak, crippled, and deformed. Thus, he was always the target of mockery and violence.
Even his chieftain did not want him in his clan and frequently showed him this with blows. It went so far that the village would not have hesitated to beat him to death if the opportunity had arisen earlier.
Instead of breaking from this rejection, Gul’dan drew strength from it. He was eventually exiled, as his own clan no longer recognized him as one of their own. After months of wandering with little food and no shelter, he eventually followed the advice of his former shaman to seek out the Throne of Elements.
How did Gul’dan become a villain?
Here, he wanted to confront his fate and be guided by the elements. However, they also rejected him, and only voices remained that whispered to him to become an herald of their wrath.
What exactly happened then is not known. He returned to his village, where he was met unfriendly. When his old chieftain attacked him, Gul’dan merely placed a hand on his head and let him burn in Fel Fire. Gul’dan ultimately killed every orc in the village, including his old shaman who had helped him, before he burned the village down and left it behind.
Through his newly gained power, he quickly rose in the arts of shamanism, so much so that the famous shaman of the Shadowmoon clan, Ner’zhul, took him as his gifted apprentice.
However, through his connection to Kil’jaeden, Gul’dan led the clan into corruption. Ner’zhul discovered that he could no longer speak to the elements, thus revealing Gul’dan’s connection to the demons and the true source of his power.
Gul’dan became aware of this and informed Kil’jaeden, who then offered him the chance to become the first Warlock. He accepted and immediately began to transform the individual orc clans into a bloodthirsty Horde.
What are his greatest crimes?
Listing and categorizing Gul’dan’s crimes is almost impossible. Since he wiped out his clan, each of his actions can be described as thoroughly evil and selfish. However, some had particularly significant impact on the entire world.
The Warlock is the reason why the orcs became servants of the Burning Legion and their skin turned green. He seduced the chieftains to drink the demon blood, thereby making them obedient.
With this new, stronger Horde, he ultimately planned the invasion of Azeroth. He opened the first dark portal with the help of Sargeras and through the sacrifice of countless Draenei, whom he enslaved for this purpose. He wrenched their souls from them and used this power to open the portal and invade Azeroth.
In the new world, he also spun his intrigues. He is responsible for the death of the presumably greatest human king, King Llane Wrynn. He bred an assassin by forcing an orc warrior to mate with a Draenei slave and ultimately enslaved their daughter: Garona.
During the war he waged, Gul’dan even created the first undead warriors. He implanted the souls of fallen orcs into the dead bodies of slain soldiers from Stormwind, thus becoming the creator of the first Death Knights.
