10 Best Xbox Antagonists of All Time
Microsoft had its studios create numerous games over the years for fans to enjoy. Each title offers a delightful narrative, a memorable cast, and vibrant worlds for players to get lost in. None of these worlds would be as great without its antagonists, though.
To celebrate Microsoft’s legacy in the gaming industry, we’d like to highlight some of the best antagonists they’ve created over the years. Whether it’s their dark goals, horrid personalities, or the way they’re written, these are some of Xbox’s best antagonists yet.
As usual, we would love to hear your thoughts about our picks in the comments below.
The Prophet of Truth (Halo)
When you’re battling an army of well-trained humans and Master Chief, you got to be someone like The Prophet of Truth (Ord Casto). He’s known for assuming the antagonist role for several Halo titles. He’s solely responsible for instigating the war between the Covenant and humanity. He wanted to assume total control over the Covenant.
This allows him to activate the Halo rings to wipe out all life in the galaxy. He’s a ruthless scoundrel who will do anything to reach his goals. He’s solely responsible for letting a fellow prophet die at Master Chief’s hands and allowing his Brute soldiers to murder the Elites. Thankfully, Arbiter and the remaining Elites prevent Ord from achieving his ultimate goal, though.
Nonetheless, he’s one of Xbox’s greatest villains to date. While fans give him his just desserts in the original trilogy, the damage he’s caused his troops will never go unnoticed.
Queen Myrrah (Gears of War)
Before Fortnite, Epic Games developed a classic third-person shooter game called Gears of War. Gears of War delivers stellar shooter gameplay, brutal imagery, and memorable characters. To combat the likes of Marcus Fenix and his squad, Queen Myrrah, and her Locust army gave them a worthwhile bout.
Despite her alliance with the Locusts, Myrrah is a human. She was born with a genetic immunity to Immulsion and was experimented on as a child to cure people of Rustlung. She eventually married Dr. Niles Samson, had a daughter and created the Locust Horde with her stem cells and Sire DNA. After her daughter’s supposed death, Myrrah ordered the Locusts to slaughter Niles and other scientists.
She led her people underground and created Nexus, a new civilization of religion, science, culture, etc. As a child, Myrrah always displayed motherly characteristics. She was willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she cared about. Despite being human, Myrrah held cynical views on the human race and prayed for their downfall.
Maligula (Psychonauts 2)
Psychonauts is a well-beloved story-rich 3D platformer with excellent characters, fun gameplay, and delightful scenery. While the first game’s antagonist had his charms, Maligula takes the series in a darker direction. For instance, she’s a serial killer who Raz couldn’t defeat on his own. It took the combined effort of multiple psychics to defeat her, leading to a dramatically satisfying conclusion.
Funnily enough, Maligula is the alter-ego of the game’s actual antagonist Lucrecia Mux. She represents Lucrecia’s darker instincts and takes control of Lucresia’s body when Lucresia unintentionally murders her sister. She uses her sorrow, guilt, and rage over another character named Marona’s death to fuel her ambitions.
Maligula is insensitive about murdering anyone. She’d kill anyone from a grown adult to a whimpering child. Thankfully, Raz puts this evildoer in her place, allowing Nona to get rid of Maligula for good.
Gruntilda Winkybunion (Banjo-Kazooie)
The Banjo-Kazooie series may have debuted on Nintendo consoles, but the company behind their games is no longer associated with Nintendo. After acquiring Rareware in 2002, the series became known as an Xbox property. That said, Gruntilda Winkybunion is a crafty witch and the main antagonist of the Banjo-Kazooie series.
She likes to rhyme, scheme, and torment Banjo and Kazooie’s lives whenever she gets the chance. Her initial goal was to steal Banjo’s sister Tooty’s beauty to become the most attractive woman of all time. However, Banjo and Kazooie thwart her plans, resulting in Gruntilda taking on a mechanized form in Grunty’s Revenge and her sisters teaming up to restore her former body.
Besides that, Gruntilda likes casting spells and getting on her sister’s nerves with her rhymes. She gradually becomes more evil and sadistic throughout the series and develops a strong hatred for Banjo and Kazooie ruining her plans. Despite her comical and wicked personality, Gruntilda is an enjoyable antagonist who played a huge role in many fans’ childhoods.
Paul Serene (Quantum Break)
Quantum Break is a fun and fast-paced action-adventure title that gave players control of time-altering abilities. It featured intriguing live-action segments to give the world more life and to strengthen players’ immersion. Paul Serene is the game’s main antagonist and players take control of his character during several segments of the game.
He’s the main protagonist’s friend. Paul’s known for working on a time travel experiment called Project Promenade that helps him witness the End of Time in the year 2021. The End of Time is essentially the “end of the world,” where no life can be found. This triggers Paul to travel to the year 1999 to start Monarch Solutions as a way to safeguard humanity’s survival.
While his goals were noble, Paul’s decisions ultimately lead to the situation he tried to prevent. Despite his horrid change in personality after witnessing this dreadful event, many people will walk away feeling empathetic toward Paul and what he hoped to achieve.
Charles Goodwin (Crackdown)
Charles Goodwin is the showrunner for the Agency in the Crackdown series. He displays multiple personality shifts between all three games. In Crackdown 1, he acts as a loyal and thoughtful companion to the Agent. However, he doesn’t show as much compassion to you when you murder innocent civilians, though. In the second game, Goodwin acts more strict and sarcastic.
He doubles down on his angry comments toward your character for killing people, too. By Crackdown 3, Goodwin reverts back to his positive ways but it’s revealed that he used the Agents to grow in power. He wanted to create a dictatorship where the citizens were brainwashed into obeying his every command. This helps players realize why Goodwin felt irritated when they killed people.
Although the Crackdown series failed to deliver with its third entry, many fans enjoyed how they handled Goodwin’s character throughout the games. With his twisted plans, consistent personality swaps, and closeness with the Agents, it’s no wonder many consider him one of Xbox’s best baddies.
Gongora (Lost Odyssey)
Lost Odyssey is an unknown JRPG to mainstream audiences. This Xbox 360 exclusive title contains a gripping narrative and a satisfying gameplay loop. It was spearheaded by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. While many adored it for its blend of action and turn-based combat, others loved it for its characters, especially its main antagonist, Gongora.
Gongora is a powerful sorcerer who was tasked with investigating the source of his world’s decay problems. Unfortunately, Gongore develops ulterior motives involving world domination. He seals the memories of his fellow Immortals and planned to use the Grand Staff to destroy the Tower of Mirrors that’d allow him to rule over all the mortals.
Like Paul Serene, players get to control Gongora in one of the game’s segments. He’s a charismatic villain that loves taunting players. He doesn’t mind lying to people if it’ll assist him in accomplishing his goals. Although he looks somewhat goofy, JRPG fans shouldn’t let his appearance fool them. With his destructive capabilities and dastardly plans, he’s an overlooked villain who deserves your attention.
The Master (Fallout)
The Fallout series gave fans memorable characters over the years. One of those is The Master, one of its primary antagonists. He leads Unity, a mutant-oriented organization. The Master has a grotesque appearance when you meet him in Fallout and he speaks in multiple voices. His endgame was to create a new human race.
This race would thrive in the world’s post-apocalyptic conditions. He also wanted to rid humans of their differences and their reasons for admiring warfare. Thankfully, you’ll meet him at the Cathedral and slay him. Unlike most Fallout villains, you can persuade The Master to abandon his villainous plot if you have the right build before interacting with him.
It takes a strong man to admit to his mistakes, and this makes The Master such an intriguing fellow in the Fallout series. Despite being so obsessive about his work, it’ll please fans to see him develop a change of heart. Although his actions are horrific and unforgivable, the fact players have a chance to convince him to stop is rewarding.
Jack of Blades (Fable)
Fable is an incredible western RPG with lively locales and fun gameplay. One of its best characters would be its main antagonist, Jack of Blades. Jack is a merciless warrior with incredible strength, skill, and willpower. He’s known for forcing people to complete tasks for him or else he’ll steal their free will. Jack can take on a human and dragon form.
He’s strong with both, but many recall his dragon form being utterly insane. Jack’s known for manipulating the Hero (the game’s protagonist) multiple times. He’s also responsible for killing the Hero’s mother and father, making the protagonist’s feud with Jack more personal.
Although you’ll slay Jack, he has an opportunity to return if the player decides to don his mask. Although he was once hailed as a hero to many people, Jack’s nothing more than a villainous scoundrel who deserves what’s coming to him.
Lord Davoth (Doom)
The Doom franchise was responsible for causing massive uproars with parents and caretakers alike. Today, it still features insane amounts of graphical content that’s not suitable for younger audiences. However, people who’ve played the game love it for its adrenaline-pumping shooter gameplay, demonic designs, and mature tone.
Lord Davoth serves as the Doom franchise’s main antagonist. He’s a formidable foe and the supreme ruler of Hell. He’s the master of all demons and is responsible for wiping out numerous civilizations and races under his leadership. Funnily enough, he’s the alternative evil counterpart of Doomguy, making their grudge against each other personal.
The battle between Doomguy and Davoth feels like a spectacle from beginning to end. The battleground for the final fight looks mesmerizing and fits the series’s tone well. It’s a fight you don’t want to miss.
So, there we have it, our pick for the best Xbox antagonists of all time!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!