Highlights
- Far Cry 7 could have its most formidable antagonist yet by building on the best parts of past villains, challenging players with difficult choices.
- Drawing inspiration from Pagan Min's mysterious relationship with the protagonist could be a potential direction for Far Cry 7.
- Far Cry 7 should capture the moral dubiousness of its villain, similar to the memorable antagonists of Far Cry Primal and their moral uncertainty.
Between being one of Ubisoft's biggest franchises currently and with leaks suggesting its next game is in development, Far Cry 7 has a lot to live up to from the series' villains for its own iconic antagonist. Ever since Far Cry 3's own villain Vaas Montenegro stole the show and set the bar for future games, Ubisoft has placed its antagonists front and center across the Far Cry series with the likes of Pagan Min and Joseph Seed. Now after Far Cry 6 expanded on this with actor Giancarlo Esposito embodying its villain Anton Castillo, Far Cry 7 has an even higher bar to meet.
But with each Far Cry game, including those that came before Far Cry 3 and the impact it had on the series formula, their respective villains have always tried to do something different ranging from the madness that made Vaas so memorable to the charismatic yet ruthless Pagan Min. While the leaked details about Far Cry 7 hint that Ubisoft has already outlined the game's antagonists, there hasn't been much about who its figurehead will be. With this in mind, by looking through past villains and adopting their best parts, Far Cry 7's villain could be the series' most formidable antagonist yet.
Far Cry's George Krieger
Though later games would become more grounded, Far Cry's George Krieger is less of a sci-fi outlier in recent years after games like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Far Cry New Dawn. While Far Cry 7 is likely to be more aligned with the mainline games than these spin-offs, if the current leaks about its conspiratorial antagonists "Sons of Truth" are true then Krieger could help inspire a new villain. Just as Far Cry 5 tackled various socio-political issues like white nationalism, Far Cry 7 could lean into sensationalizing sci-fi as seen with Krieger for a possible transhumanist angle.
Far Cry 2's The Jackal
Ironically a far cry from Krieger, Far Cry 2's The Jackal is more aligned with Far Cry's realistic future antagonists. What made Jackal interesting, however, was his dubious moral compass as he sold weapons to both sides of the game's civil conflict in the hopes that either side would be caught up hurting the other and not the civilian population. Far Cry 7's villain could strive for the same uncertainty between right and wrong, leading the game with an empathetic but antagonistic character that challenges players through difficult in-game choices.
Far Cry 3's Vaas Montenegro and Hoyt Volkner
Arguably one of the key takeaways from Far Cry 3's villains Vaas and Hoyt is to not overcomplicate things with too many characters, especially when Michael Mando's performance as Vaas became the game's biggest selling point. Moreover, the unhinged brutality and unpredictability Vaas and Hoyt both demonstrated likely spared Far Cry 3 from heavier criticism against the game's cliched and problematic elements. As a result, these lessons from Far Cry 3 should ensure that Far Cry 7 focuses on its villain, its story, its ideas, and how the broader game can best reflect these.
Far Cry 4's Pagan Min
Prompted by Vaas' popularity, Far Cry 4 started the series' trend to make each villain a core part of the game's identity which it achieved with Pagan Min. Played by Troy Baker who was fresh off the success of The Last of Us, Pagan Min demonstrates the same insane villainy of Vaas. Combined with Far Cry 4's story, Pagan Min is characterized as both ruthless and charming with a mysterious relationship with the game's protagonist, something which Far Cry 7 could potentially channel if the leaked storyline of rescuing the player's kidnapped family turns out to be true.
Far Cry Primal's Ull and Batari
Despite having two villains like Far Cry 3, Far Cry Primal highlighted its unique setting as a first for Far Cry instead of its antagonists. But between Batari and Ull, Ull is the more memorable villain as he reflects the same moral uncertainty previous antagonists have shown. Despite being a cannibalistic warmonger, Ull has compassion that motivates him to try and save people from the "skull fire" disease and even asks the game's protagonists to look after his child in his dying breath. Far Cry 7 should therefore aim to similarly capture the moral dubiousness of its own villain.
Far Cry 5's Joseph Seed
Though one of several Seed family members, Joseph Seed is Far Cry 5's main antagonist as a messiah-like leader of the Eden's Gate cult. Though he is arguably the most similar to Vaas' in-game presence, he differs from Ubisoft's previous approach to Far Cry villains as he appears motivated by his faith and not money or power. Given that Far Cry 7's leaks seem to suggest that its antagonists will be part of a similar cult-like faction, the game's villain could take the same approach with atypical motivations and psychological extremes such as through an exploration of eschatology or "end times" ideas.
Far Cry New Dawn's Lou and Mickey
As both a spin-off and sequel to Far Cry 5 set in a hypothetical post-apocalypse, Far Cry New Dawn could be likened to Blood Dragon or the first Far Cry with its sci-fi angle. Though it does feature two main villains, Lou and Mickey are presented as a tight-knit ruthless pair having only ever known the post-apocalyptic world, something which drives their characterization after Lou is killed and Mickey is driven mad through grief and her life choices. Far Cry 7's villain, or villains, could take a similar approach, with its antagonist being affected by the consequences of their actions through the game's progression.
Far Cry 6's Anton Castillo
As the latest antagonist in the series, Anton Castillo returns Far Cry 6 to realistic villains where he seeks only to lead Yara by any means necessary. As a stereotypical dictator, Anton bears the same moral uncertainty as past villains, but Far Cry 6 takes this a step further by using Esposito's likeness for the character's design and characterization with similarities to his previous roles from Breaking Bad, The Boys, and The Mandalorian. Far Cry 7 could potentially have a well-known actor play its villain again, so Far Cry 6's criticism for writing undermining Esposito's performance should be taken into account.