Video games feature a wealth of characters nowadays, and it's easy for these personalities to be as forgettable as can be if they don't have something that helps them make a great first impression from the get-go. Thankfully, many skilled writers do a great job of making video game characters feel as believable as possible, with everything from their personalities to their motivations being crystal clear.

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Far Cry: Ranking Every Major Villain From Worst To Best

If there is one thing the Far Cry series is known for, it is for showcasing absolutely compelling villains in every entry of the franchise.

Sometimes, there are moments when a minor character who has made a special appearance in a previous game ends up playing a major role as an antagonist later on. This shows just how much thought went into making these particular titles, with these once minor and inconsequential characters becoming essential to the plot and making a name for themselves through their unexpected villainous acts.

5 Gaunter O'Dimm

The Central Villain In Hearts Of Stone Who Appears In A Solitary Scene Early On In The Main Game

The Man of Glass is one of the most fantastic and awe-inspiring antagonists in any video game to date, making it hard to believe that this villain played a role in an expansion pack instead of the main game of The Witcher 3. Of course, given the immense length and sheer quality of CD Projekt Red's DLCs, it's easy to see why Hearts of Stone can almost be considered a completely different game at times.

Most people who encounter Gaunter O'Dimm will realize that they actually engaged with this mysterious figure at the very start of the game, just before their confrontation with the Bloody Baron's men when they reach Velen for the first time. It's a neat addition that makes the presence of the Master Mirror so much more captivating in a DLC that was already pretty notable in its own right before Blood & Wine upped the ante even more with the sheer level of quality content that players could access.

4 Harry Osborn

Shown At The End Of Marvel's Spider-Man, Setting The Stage For A Bombastic Sequel

Harry is a stalwart friend to Peter in pretty much every iteration of his character, but this friendship has been put to the test many times. So, it was only a given that this character would enter a conflict with Peter in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, with his debilitating illness being taken care of by a bio-organic suit that turns out to be a symbiotic material that gives rise to Venom.

Of course, Harry's presence in the story of the second game was clear for everyone who stuck around to check out the post-credits of the first Marvel's Spider-Man game. While he was present in an open-world activity where Peter had to ensure that the citizens of New York would be safe from a virus or anything else along the same lines, it's not until the end that players see that the symbiote has been attached to Harry in a bid to cure his illness, setting the stage for a sequel that ups the ante for Spider-Man games and establishes itself as one of the best game ever to feature everyone's favorite webhead.

3 Thor Odinson

Shows Off His Iconic Hammer At The End Of The God Of War Reboot

Sony's first-party games certainly know how to show off their antagonists in a way that makes them as threatening as can be. Such is the case in God of War's reboot, where each boss fight is a cinematic spectacle for the ages that forces players to bring out everything in their arsenal to ensure that they can beat down these imposing foes. However, there's one iconic Norse god that players don't fight against in the first game, making his appearance in a post-credits scene feel all the more impressive.

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Legend Of Zelda: 10 Forgotten Villains

The Legend of Zelda franchise has witnessed plenty of villains, so it's unsurprising that some of them flew under the radar.

Seeing Thor with his iconic hammer is a blast and makes it clear that he's out for blood after Kratos and Atreus killed his sons. While players had to wait till Ragnarok to face off against this imposing foe, the wait was worth it. Thor provides a truly great boss fight to kick off the second game, showing that this title would up the ante when it came to both the combat system and the game's overall spectacle.

2 The Wild Hunt

Appeared In The First Witcher Game As An Optional Boss Fight

The Wild Hunt serve as the central antagonist of The Witcher 3, with their relentless quest to pursue Ciri and abuse the power of the Elder Blood and the power within her not sitting all that well with Geralt, Yennefer, Vesemir, and anyone else who cared for Ciri's wellbeing. While The Witcher 3 is the first game in the series that most people played, long-time fans of this dark fantasy series were likely quite familiar with the Wild Hunt if they had read the books and played the first game.

Fans are glad that the first Witcher title is getting a much-deserved remake since the narrative excellence of this title shouldn't be stuck behind dated gameplay. One of the many battles that players had to engage with in this title came against the Wild Hunt, giving players a taste of what was to come at the end of The Witcher 3 when they fight against their king. His specter alone is formidable and gives players a tough time as they try to prevent him from taking the souls of important people time and time again. While it's not until the third game that players realize that this king is actually Eredin, this doesn't take anything away from the battles that gamers have to deal with — if anything, it just makes his presence all the more mysterious and foreboding throughout the game.

1 Clayface

Has A Minor Appearance In Arkham Asylum Where He Tries To Fool Batman

Arkham Asylum set the stage for Rocksteady's trilogy of Batman games to take over the mainstream. Seeing the Caped Crusader tackle a host of recognizable villains across the first game makes for a great time, with others receiving cameos in some form or another. One of the more muted appearances from a Batman villain comes in the form of Clayface, who tries to fool Batman into releasing him from his cage. It's not until players find another guard with the same face and use Detective Vision that they realize that this so-called person lacks a skeleton.

It turns out that this man is Clayface in disguise, showing off his powers of impersonation as he taunts Batman when the jig is up. What makes this cameo even more fascinating in hindsight is that Clayface ends up being the main villain of Arkham City, impersonating the Joker as he sends Batman on a wild goose chase. It's not until the very end that it's revealed that the real Joker was suffering after bearing the side effects of the Titan serum before heading to the afterlife on his own terms.

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6 Best Nintendo Protagonists With Villainous Tendencies

Nintendo's heroes put on a pure and righteous veneer, but underneath the surface, some of them lean a little too far into some nefarious tendencies.