10 Awesome Video Game Villains That Died Too Early

7. Psycho Mantis - Metal Gear Solid

The Metal Gear Solid franchise is full of intensely memorable antagonists, and right at the top of the pile alongside The Boss and The End is Psycho Mantis, the psychic who becomes a major thorn in Solid Snake's side in the first Metal Gear Solid.

Though the early stages of the game do a fantastic job building up Mantis as an incredibly dangerous and cerebral threat, Snake ultimately faces off against him within the first third of the campaign.

Granted, the boss fight is absolutely spectacular: Mantis uses his psychokinetic abilities to hurl objects at the player, take control of sidekick Meryl, and most impressively, even read the player's memory card and freaking possess their controller.

It's one of the most creative boss battles in video game history, yet as brilliant as it was, it was also a massive shame that Mantis quickly died following the fight, ensuring he was absent for the bulk of the game.

As a slight consolation prize, the scattered psychic remnants of Mantis do make a cameo appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4, and the character shows up extensively in the prequel Metal Gear Solid V, even if it still feels like much more could've been done with the FOXHOUND unit's creepiest and coolest member.