10 Video Game Villains Who Foolishly Aided the Hero to Win

Video game villains come in various shapes and sizes. They possess different capacities, but there is only one end to everything they do: to ensure that the protagonist does not fulfill their mission in the long run. Video game villains employ different tricks and tactics to achieve this objective. Some disguise themselves as a friend of the protagonist to achieve this aim, why others declare war on the protagonist from the beginning without any iota of pretense. However, the strangest category of villains are those who, by their very deeds, help the hero to win.

The villains in this category are highly unusual, and they were simply stupid to have done so. These are ten video game villains who stupidly aided the hero to win:

Related: 10 Bizarre Video Game Character Transformations

10 The Ethereal–XCOM: Enemy Unknown

The Ethereals are alien commanders in the video game XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

The Ethereals use a combination of mind control and forced evolution to subjugate and mold other races in the video game. No other race is powerful enough to confront and stop them because of their psychic capabilities. The Ethereals are fond of conquering and experimenting with different races to create a superior race.

During the game’s finale, the Ethereals invade Earth and, in their usual manner, experiment with humans in order to create a superior race. This time around, it backfires. The inhabitants of Earth are able to observe the Ethereals, reverse-engineer their methods, and develop their psychic powers. Consequently, humans become stronger than the Ethereals. For the first time, the Ethereals could be confronted by another race. The now powered-up humans assault the Ethereals’ command ship and destroy the invaders for good, bringing an end to the Ethereals’ experiment. ^[1]

9 The High Prophet of Truth–Halo Franchise

The High Prophet of Truth is the main antagonist of the Halo franchise. When Truth and other prophets learn from the Forerunner AI 032, Mendicant Bias, that the humans are chosen successors of the Forerunners and will inherit their legacy, the prophets decide to keep this knowledge a secret in order to prevent a revolt and a consequential collapse of the Covenant. The ultimate goal of the High Prophet of Truth is to assume full control of the Covenant in order to destroy the galaxy so that he can create a new galaxy where his followers will proclaim him as god.

As the High Prophet of Truth sets about the task of destroying the galaxy, he declares war on humanity. He is almost victorious against humanity when he also simultaneously decides to eliminate the Elites. When the massacre of the Elites begins, they quickly revolt, making the High Prophet of Truth fight a two-pronged war.

The Elites form an alliance with mankind, which proves to be strategic. The alliance sees the Covenant destroyed, and the High Prophet of Truth is decapitated by a young Elite known as Arbiter. If only the High Prophet of Truth had fought his wars one after the other, he would have prevented the alliance between the Elites and the Humans—the only way the High Prophet of Truth could lose.^[2]

8 Darth Nihilus–Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Darth Nihilus is the central antagonist of the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II–The Sith Lords. He is a powerful and enigmatic Sith Lord who becomes a growing wound in the Living Force following the destruction of his homeland of Malachor V at the end of the Mandalorian Wars. He ends up gaining enormous power but also develops a hunger that leads him to consume entire worlds just to survive.

At the height of Darth Nihilus’s power, there is a rumor that another powerful being exists. Her name is Jedi Exile. Sensing Exile’s growing influence, Nihilus dispatches his apprentice, Visas Marr, to stop her. When Jedi Exile defeats Visas Marr, she shows her mercy and doesn’t finish her off. This makes Visas Marr turn around and serve Jedi Exile.

Had Nihilus faced Jedi Exile himself, he would have prevailed against her easily. But the alliance between Visas Marr and Jedi Exile is a dangerous one because Visas Marr knows all Darth Nihilus’s secrets. During the final fight, with Visas Marr fighting beside Jedi Exile, Nihilus has no choice but to taste defeat. ^[3]

7 Grima–Fire Emblem Awakening

Grima is the main antagonist and the final boss in Fire Emblem Awakening. Grima tends to go by the title of the “Fell Dragon” and is feared by most of the world. Grima was engineered by an alchemist named “Forneus” in a bid to create the perfect lifeform and was the product of many materials, including the blood of a Divine Dragon. Grima was the very representation of destruction, laying waste to most of the world and killing with impunity.

During the game’s finale, Grima has the upper hand against the children of the heroes who, having failed to defeat it, traveled back in time to prevent their present from coming to pass. Grima naturally follows the children of the heroes to the past but without thinking it through. Grima is invincible in the present and can only be defeated by possessing its past avatar.

The children of the heroes recruited the heroes from the past, which made them stronger. However, Grima links up with its only Achilles’ heel, its past avatar. While in the past, Grima becomes weak and is confronted by the heroes and killed for good.^[4]

6 John Henry Eden–Fallout 3

John Henry Eden is the overreaching antagonist of Fallout 3. He is the delusional president of the Enclave. John Eden is not a real person but a computer AI programmed with a database of American history. It was originally just the maintenance system for Raven Rock but became the “President” after the real Enclave president was killed.

No one else is aware of this usurpation of the office of the president by an AI computer except for the main antagonist of the game, Colonel Autumn. During a battle between the protagonist and the game’s villains, the protagonists—Lone Wanderer and his comrades—are arrested and detained at the Raven Rock facility.

John Eden orders the release of the Lone Wanderer and his comrades and invites them for a chat. John Eden believes that he can negotiate with the Lone Wanderer to achieve its aim of poisoning the water purifier at the Jefferson Memorial with a special F.E.V. virus that will eventually kill all the mutants who aren’t purely human. Upon arriving at the meeting, the Lone Wanderer realizes that John Eden is a computer. Knowing full well that he is dealing with an AI computer, the Lone Wanderer simply shuts down John Henry Eden for good. This stupid move significantly shortens the route of the Lone Wanderer to victory over the villains.^[5]

5 Alduin–The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

In the category of video game villains who helped the protagonist to win, Alduin is in a different league of its own. Alduin is a dragon and the primary antagonist of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is widely regarded as the harbinger of the apocalypse. The video game opens with Alduin laying waste to Helgen with its breath of fire, but Alduin comes to Helgen at the wrong time.

Alduin decides to bombard the city just as the Last Dragonborn is to be executed. Alduin arrives at the scene with its breath of fire, and everyone scampers for safety, allowing the Last Dragonborn to escape execution. If only Alduin had not interrupted the execution, the Last Dragonborn would have been executed, and Alduin’s problem would have been solved before it began. The Last Dragonborn is eventually the one to defeat Alduin.^[6]

4 Zinyak–Saints Row IV

Zinyak is the main antagonist of the Saints Row video game series. He is an extraterrestrial warlord and the leader of the alien race known as Zin. His love for literature leads him to conquer Earth and subdue it. After his invasion of the planet and subsequent victory, he proceeds to capture the best and the brightest people on Earth, including the president of the United States. He uses them as specimens for his experiment.

The problem with this is that he selects the most intelligent people on Earth as his specimens—this was bound to backfire. The experiment involves confining humans to a simulated prison based on their worst fears. While the other prisoners are subdued, the president of the United States is able to defy the simulated prison and escape. He comes back to rescue the other simulation prisoners. They join forces together and stage a revolution, killing Zinyak in the process.^[7]

3 Darth Sidious–Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Darth Sidious, also known as the emperor or by his public persona, Palpatine, is the secondary antagonist of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed series. He is the emperor of the Galactic Empire and the Dark Lord of the Sith. Darth Sidious concocts an idiotic and faulty plan to defeat the hero, Starkiller, once and for all.

The plan is to coax Starkiller to lead a formation of a legitimate rebel movement, thereby placing the Rebel dissidents in one convenient location where they can be crushed once and for all by a single assault. When the plan becomes operational, the opposite is the result. The ensuing rebellion goes on to destroy two Death Stars, kill Darth Sidious, and topple the Empire.^[8]

2 Albert Wesker– Resident Evil 5

Albert Wesker is the main antagonist of the Resident Evil franchise. He is a high-ranking researcher of the Umbrella Corporation who also serves as a double agent within S.T.A.R.S. as the captain of the Alpha Team. Albert Wesker later betrays Umbrella and surfaces as a member of a mysterious organization looking to profit off Umbrella’s research.

In the final fight, he is killed by Chris. Yet Albert Wesker has so many ridiculous opportunities to kill Chris earlier in the game but refuses to do so. Some video game enthusiasts have posited that Albert Wesker had romantic feelings for Chris because he was more interested in touching Chris’s muscles during fights and simply wanted to play hide and seek with him. He passes up all the opportunities to kill Chris. Unfortunately, when Chris has the opportunity to kill Wesker, he doesn’t hesitate for a minute.^[9]

1 Persephone–God Of War: Chains of Olympus

Persephone is the Olympian goddess of Spring, queen of the underworld, and the main antagonist of the video game God of War: Chains Of Olympus. Persephone is a sociopathic and deeply bitter individual. Her plan is to destroy the entire universe, killing everyone and everything in it. Her plan almost works but is foiled by her stupidity at the last minute.

She successfully makes Kratos give up all his weapons before entering Elysium but deems it fit to inform him immediately of her evil plan to destroy the entire universe and everything in it. Unfortunately, this includes Kratos. This makes Kratos start a fight with her—and she is killed in the fight.^[10]