Bad Girls Club: The 25 Most Diabolical Video Game She-Villains

Santana was right—they're all black magic women and they're tryin' to make a devil outta you.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Sirens. Succubae. Witches. Grenades. Mankind has created multiple templates of raw femininity, primarily to have a medium on which to project their awe and fear of vaginas. True to classic form, the modern game villainesses with whom we grew up have run the full gamut from mother figure to pure malevolence.  

It’s not always about motivation. Sometimes evil is evil, especially when it comes to entertainment. But even game designers have come to realize that few people—regardless of gender—were born as pure, gale forces of fuckery. Look, we’ll never be rid of cardboard cut-outs of scantily clad women doing bad things; that would be a futile attempt to override human nature. What’s encouraging, though, is that games—so often castigated for simplistic representations of race, violence, and sexuality—have occasionally presented us with villainesses as empathetic as any other character, fictional or real. So it's time for a roll call to honor 25 of the most memorable game she-villains we’ve ever encountered. Some fall into the old archetypes. But the ones that don’t would likely get pardons from any judge.

Oh, and spoilers ahead.

By Ryan Woo

25. Marion/Queen Noiram, Double Dragon III (NES, 1991)

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24. Jacqueline Natla, Tomb Raider Series

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23. Mother, Wild Arms (PSX, 1997)

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22. Sofia Lamb, BioShock 2 (PS3/360/PC, 2010)

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21. Kalus, Kameo: Elements of Power (360, 2005)

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20. Ultimecia, Final Fantasy VIII (PSX, 2010)

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19. Ada Wong, Resident Evil Series

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18. Nurse, Silent Hill Series

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17. Jeane, No More Heroes (Wii, 2007)

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16. Harley Quinn, Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3/360/PC, 2009)

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15. Alma, F.E.A.R. Series

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14. Poison, Final Fight Series & Capcom fighting games

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13. Gruntilda, Banjo Kazooie series

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12. SHODAN, System Shock Series

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11. Claudia Wolf, Silent Hill 3 (PS2, 2003)

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10. Dark Queen, Battletoads Series

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9. Sniper Wolf, Metal Gear Solid (PSX, 1998)

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8. Mileena, Mortal Kombat Series

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7. Alma, Ninja Gaiden (Xbox, 2004)

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6. Mother Brain, Metroid Series

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5. Eve, Parasite Eve Series

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4. GlaDOS, Portal Series

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3. Carmen Sandiego, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Series

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2. Sarah Kerrigan, Starcraft Series

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1. The Boss, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, 2004)

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