20 Smartest Video Game Villains Who Deserved To Win

11. Odin - God of War Ragnarök

Props to God of War Ragnarök's primary villain Odin - the god was desperate to prevent his foretold death at Ragnarok and cooked up one hell of a dastardly scheme to ensure he avoided it.

He entices Atreus to help him assemble the Mask of Creation, which he believes will grant him the knowledge to avert his demise, but Odin's real masterstroke was spending much of the game posing as the Norse God of War, Týr.

By hiding in plain sight as the pacifistic Týr, Odin was effectively able to freely spy on Kratos and Atreus, gaining knowledge of their plans and gradually driving a wedge between father and son.

It's genius, really. Odin's only mistake was referring to Atreus as "Loki", as Asgardians do, ensuring that Brok eventually figured out something fishy was afoot - and, sadly, paid the mortal price for his deduction.

If Odin had won, he certainly would've deserved it considering the cleverness of his subterfuge.