Cartoons in the 2010s saw a change in the way villains are perceived. Villians were no longer created for the purpose of representing pure evil, these characters now had depths and development. This new style of villains came in many different forms, from noble to goofy and sometimes gruesome.

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This era of animation birthed a plethora of villains who are now seen as some of the most iconic in cartoon history. The best villains in cartoons are the ones that left the biggest impact on viewers throughout the years.

10 Mr. Nimbus Is Surprisingly Lethal (Rick and Morty)

The popular adult swim cartoon series Rick and Morty was released in 2013 and featured amoral scientist Rick Sanchez and his adventures through infinite universes alongside his anxious grandson, Morty. Throughout this series, the two are constantly running into danger and causing mayhem.

One of the best villains in the series would have to be Mr. Nimbus, the king of the ocean and Atlantis. Mr. Nimbus is one of the few foes who can fight toe to toe with Rick and even proclaimed himself Rick's nemesis.

9 Dracula Vows To Destroy Humanity After His Wife's Death (Castlevania)

Based on a popular video game series, Castlevania was released in 2017 by Netflix and quickly become a hit among cartoon fans. To start off this series, Dracula's human wife was murdered at the hands of the church, who claimed she was a witch and burned her at the stake.

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Overcome by anger and grief, Dracula promises to come back a year later with an army and a plan to completely get rid of the human population. Castlevania is one of the many series where fans root for the villain sometimes and can't help but feel sad for the Vampire King in this series.

8 Lord Dominator Wants To Destroy Galaxies For Her Own Assument (Wander Over Yonder)

The Disney Channel series Wander Over Yonder was released in 2013 and follows the heroic Wander who travels the universe helping people live free and have fun. Lord Dominator is the main villain of the series.

Dominator is a former leader of the Galatic Villian Board who loves to create mayhem and takes great pride in her work. She often uses a giant mecha suit to drain planets' resources and finds extreme pleasure and excitement in destroying the galaxy for her own fun.

7 Toffee Is An Immortal Monster Who Wants Star's Magical Wand (Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil)

Released in 2015, Star Vs The Forces Of Evil follows the story of Star Butterfly, a magical teen princess who is sent to earth to live with the mundane Diaz family. Together with Marco, the Diaz's son, she goes on adventures and fights off the evil villains who want to take her magical wand.

The overarching villain of the series is Toffee, an immortal Septarian who, like her other adversaries, wants Star's wand. In one episode, Toffee succeeded in splitting Star's wand and obtaining half of the wand's magical powers in his control.

6 Hawk Moth Creates Villians To Battle Ladybug And Cat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug)

Miraculous Ladybug is a french animated series that was released in 2015 and instantly become a global success. Throughout the series, superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir have to defend Paris from villains created by the apparently merciless Hawk Moth.

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Unknown to them, Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, Cat Noir's father. His goal is to capture the pair's Miraculous power-granting jewelry. With all the Miraculouses, Hawk Moth believes he will be able to undo his previous mistakes and restore his late wife to life.

5 Beast Is A Menacing Deceiver (Over The Garden Wall)

Released in 2014, Over The Garden Wall was created by the creator of the popular series Adventure Time. This series follows two brothers, Wirt and Gregory, who are lost in The Unknown forest, trying to find their way home.

The main antagonist of the series is the Beast, one of the scariest cartoon villains ever to grace The Unknown. As the brothers travel through the woods, the Beast stalks them, trying to manipulate the siblings into becoming fuel for his lantern. The monster is well-spoken and intelligent, hones in on confusion and exploits love for its personal gain. There's no way to find any sympathy for this creature, except in the knowledge that it constantly fears for its own survival.

4 Kuvira Tried To Conquer The Earth Kingdom (The Legend Of Korra)

The Legend Of Korra was released in 2012 as the sequel to the iconic Avatar The Last Airbender series. Unlike its predecessor, The Legend Of Korra doesn't feature an overarching villain like Fire Lord Ozai but a series of villains with their own motives and agendas.

Kuvira the metal bender is one of the series' most dangerous and realistic antagonists. A political and military leader, after the assassination of the Earth Queen, Kuriva took it upon herself to stabilize the country through military means and refused to step down when she declared herself Kingdom's Supreme Empress.

3 Bill Cipher Would Destroy The World Just For Laughs (Gravity Falls)

Gravity Falls debuted in 2012 on the Disney Channel and quickly become one of their most popular cartoon series. The main antagonist throughout the series' latter half is Bill Cipher, an interdimensional pyramid-being with a wicked sense of humor.

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2 Steven Paid For Pink Diamond's Mistakes (Steven Universe)

Cartoon Network hit big in 2013 when they released the popular series Steven Universe, a show known for its complex storylines and characters. The overarching villain within this series was arguably Pink Diamond, the youngest member of the Great Diamond Authority. Throughout the series, Pink Diamond's actions created a butterfly effect that generated a host of terrible problems throughout the galaxy.

While Pink had an important role in Steven's creation and grew as a character over time, she also set terrible things in motion. She first claimed Earth as her galactic colony and then tried to rebel against the other Diamonds, accidentally condemning her subjects to Corruption. Pink often meant well, but she abused even those closest to her, leaving Steven to deal with the fallout with characters like Pearl, Bismuth, and Spinel, and even the Diamonds themselves.

1 Ice King Is A Frosty Magician Whose Dark Past Will Make You Rethink Everything (Adventure Time)

Released in 2010, the popular Cartoon Network series Adventure Time features one of the most iconic villains in cartoon history. Originally, the Ice King seemed like a goofy villain who felt compelled to kidnap princesses throughout the Land of Ooo.

However, throughout the series fans learned about the Ice King's true tragic past. Before the Mushroom War, the Ice King was a kind human who lost his memories to the magic crown that granted him his ice powers. He lost himself trying to save others, becoming a cartoonish parody of the man he once was.