It's not uncommon to fight video game villains who have relatable or even righteous causes, but their good intentions still don't excuse their villainy. However, there are also antagonists who are only "evil" or "villainous" in name only.
These video game characters only became the designated villain either because of a misunderstanding or fate. Despite what others may think of them, these villains didn't do anything wrong, or they had no choice in the matter. From long-running popular gaming franchises like Nintendo's Donkey Kong to indie games like Toby Fox's Undertale, sometimes a villain only exists for the hero to have a foil.
This article contains spoilers for several games.
10 The Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Games — Donkey Kong's Rage Isn't Evil Or Malicious
Given Donkey Kong's status as the mascot of his own namesake franchise, it may be hard to remember that Donkey Kong was a bad guy in his video game debut. In the original Donkey Kong game, players took control of Mario, whose job was to stop Donkey Kong's rampages. Thanks to Donkey Kong's popularity, he was rewritten to be more heroic.
In the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong games and, by extension, all succeeding appearances, Donkey Kong was reimagined as a friendly ape whose aggression was the result of his short temper and outside provocation. It was then up to his friend Mario to mitigate the damage and stop Donkey Kong's tantrums before things got too out of hand.
9 Half-Life — The Vortigaunts Were Forced To Be Dangerous & Hostile
After the Resonance Cascade blurred the borders between Earth and extraterrestrial dimensions in Half-Life, the Vortigaunts were some of the first aliens to cross over. The Vortigaunts weren't just some of Gordon Freeman's first alien foes, but they were also Half-Life's most common enemies. That being said, they wouldn't have done so if they had a choice.
Previously, the Vortigaunts fled their homeworld to escape Combine oppression only to be enslaved by the tyrannical Nihilanth in Xen. After Gordon killed the Nihilanth in the classic Half-Life, the Vortigaunts were freed. By Half-Life 2, the Vortigaunts didn't just join the human resistance, but they also revered Gordon as their savior.
8 Shadow Of The Colossus — The Colossi Just Wanted To Be Left Alone
At first glance, Shadow Of The Colossus seemed to be another fantasy epic game. Wanderer was given the task of slaying 16 ancient Colossi as payment for bringing his dead lover back to life. Instead of 16 evil monsters, Wanderer encountered 16 harmless giants who only wanted to be left alone.
Most of the Colossi only attacked in self-defense, with the snake-like Phalanx, the 13th Colossus, notably preferring to escape Wanderer's attacks rather than fight. Shadow Of The Colossus made it abundantly clear that Wanderer is the sole aggressor, and it's not uncommon for players to feel miserable for murdering the Colossi.
7 BioShock Infinite — Songbird Was Only Fulfilling His Protective Programming
In BioShock Infinite, Booker DeWitt's job in Columbia seemed easy: break Elizabeth from her tower prison, and get out. However, there was a host of opposition in the way — most notably Songbird, Elizabeth's monstrous robotic guardian. As dangerous as Songbird was, he was just another victim of Columbia's ruthlessly utilitarian and capitalist society.
BioShock Infinite reveals that Songbird used to be a human, and they were experimented on so much that not only did they become a giant birdlike monstrosity, but whoever they used to be was erased. Songbird had no choice but to instinctively obey his forced imprinting on Elizabeth. His death in Rapture's depths was more tragic than cathartic.
6 The Last Of Us — The Fireflies Wanted To Create A Cure For The Cordyceps Infection
The world of The Last Of Us is a desperate one, and the fact that Joel's deadliest threats are humans like The Fireflies is proof of this. Throughout the game, Joel fought Fireflies trying to abduct Ellie for their own reasons. That being said, they wanted Ellie not for nefarious ends, but to end the Cordycep brain infection with a vaccine.
Ellie's biology was the vaccine's core ingredient, but extraction meant killing her. Because of this, Joel saw The Fireflies as enemies and killed them all in the final level to save Ellie. This bought Joel more time with Ellie, but his selfish actions doomed the world. The Fireflies were avenged when their remnants brutally killed Joel in The Last Of Us Part II.
5 Injustice: Gods Among Us — Shazam Genuinely Thought He Was Doing The Right Thing
Just like in the comics, Shazam is really Billy Batson, a kid who idolizes Superman. So when Superman established the One Earth Regime to supposedly protect all mankind, Shazam sided with his role model without question. However, as Injustice: Gods Among Us wore on, Shazam realized that he was actually enabling tyranny.
Shazam was notably one of the few Regime members who could still charitably be considered a hero. Not only did Shazam stand by his morals and avoid following the Regime's bloodier footsteps, but he also called Superman out for going too far. Unfortunately, this cost Shazam his life, as Superman killed him for daring to defy his rule.
4 Fallout: New Vegas — Dr. Mobius Played The Villain To Rein In The Think Tank
Fallout: New Vegas' DLC Old World Blues let The Courier partake in a homage to pulpy mad scientist stories, and this was best embodied by the evil Dr. Mobius. According to the sentient brains in the Big MT, Dr. Mobius was once an ally who went rogue and tormented them with his robot scorpions. The truth, however, was the opposite.
Dr. Mobius' exaggerated villainy was an act; he was the only mentally sound scientist in the Big MT. The Think Tank wanted to experiment on New Vegas' populace, so Dr. Mobius kept the outside world safe by reprogramming his fellow scientists' minds while also scaring them into hiding with his robot scorpions.
3 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater — The Boss Was Branded A Traitor For Following Orders
In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the legendary American soldier The Boss, or The Joy, and her loyal Cobra Unit defect to the Soviet Union. Her protégé, Naked Snake, is sent into Russia to assassinate the traitors. However, it's only after killing his mentor and her men that Naked Snake realizes that The Boss wasn't just framed, but that she went with it.
Originally, The Boss infiltrated Col. Volgin's group to retrieve the slush fund The Philosophers' Legacy. But when Volgin went rogue after using a nuke, America claimed plausible deniability while she continued her mission. The Boss' betrayal shaped the whole Metal Gear Solid canon, starting with Naked Snake's turn into the central villain, Big Boss.
2 Undertale — Asgore Dreemurr Only Wanted Peace Between Monsters & Humanity
When Undertale begins, Frisk found themselves in the monsters' realm known as the Underground. According to Flowey, the only way to escape was to kill every deadly monster in the way, especially their king, Asgore. However, not only does Frisk realize that the monsters are peaceful, but that Asgore is more of a tired old man than a despot.
Asgore was said to be the fiercest monster of them all when, in truth, he only maintained this story to boost the Underground's morale. Asgore regrets his past brutality and isn't responsible for Frisk's hardships — that would be Flowey or the player at fault. Asgore isn't even the final boss, and he can be befriended in Undertale's peaceful True Pacifist Route.
1 Spec Ops: The Line — Col. John Konrad Had Nothing To Do With Capt. Martin Walker's War Crimes
When Capt. Walker and Delta Force entered Dubai to conduct reconnaissance in Spec Ops: The Line, Walker concluded that the horrors that they witnessed and later committed traced back to their mission: Col. Konrad. To get to the colonel and accomplish the mission, Walker drenched his hands in blood by killing both civilians and soldiers.
However, Konrad killed himself before Walker even arrived in Dubai. In truth, the Konrad who taunted Walker via radio and goaded him into committing atrocities was a manifestation of Walker's guilty conscience. Though the real Konrad turned Dubai into a militarized nightmare, he wasn't responsible for Walker's descent into darkness.