10 Iconic Video Game Villains RUINED By Developers
9. Rodrigo Borgia - Assassin's Creed
In real-life history and the virtual world of Assassin's Creed, Rodrigo Borgia was one bad egg. Introduced as the mysterious cloak-wearing puppeteer working in the shadows, his scheming saw him not kill the male members of Ezio's family, but ascend all the way to the Papacy as Pope Alexander VI in 1492.
He is one of the most significant figures from the Rennaisance and makes for the perfect enemy for Ezio and players to go up against, which made his depiction in Assasin's Creed Brotherhood all the more baffling.
Despite taking place immediately after AC2, Brotherhood's Rodrigo is no longer the sinister Grand Master of the Templars, but rather an increasingly decrepit old man constantly shoved to the sidelines and unable to keep a lid on his nephew, Cesare.
It's understandable why Ubisoft wanted a new set of villains for their new game, but seeing Rodrigo as a shell of what he was in AC2 was nothing short of jarring. Players don't even get an interaction between Ezio and Rodrigo throughout the entire game!
The number one target (and still the sitting Pope) from the previous game suddenly finds himself with just a couple of cutscenes before finally being killed off by being force-fed a poisoned apple. Rodrigo deserved better.