10 MORE Video Game Villain Turns You Never Saw Coming

We could have given you 11, but the ultimate heel turn is only providing 10.

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Sega

The implacably heroic Josh Brown provided eight solid examples of video game villains who weren't just twisting the knife in your ribs, but also twisting the narrative.

Between Comstock from Bioshock: Infinite, Shepherd from Modern Warfare, and Master 'Liquid Snake' Miller in Metal Gear Solid what more could anyone hope for from the video game world?

Well, let me twirl my comically manicured mustache, because in a mighty villain turn this topic has been stolen from the archives and updated with ten more examples of narrative twists of villainy you probably weren't expecting.

It's no easier to pull off a good villain twist in the modern era as it was in the old days of games, either.

Expect some AAA examples, some indie examples, some retro examples, and some examples of the evil in between. And if you think that's dark, this whole article is filled with the most grotesque, evil form of villainy on the internet:

Spoilers.

10. Vicki Vale - Batman: The Telltale Series

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Telltale

Before it folded, Telltale Games produced one of the most interesting takes on the Batman mythos in games. Filled with a few unexpected villain turns - the first of which was that Bruce Wayne's parents were in league with noted mobster Carmine Falcone. Thomas Wayne, himself, was an abusive doctor who imprisoned people in Arkham unlawfully.

Bruce as both himself and his bat-themed alter-ego has to figure out what a terrorist group known as the Children of Arkham are up to and how his father's villainy is related to it. Helping Bruce figure everything out are such familiar faces as Catwoman, Jim Gordon, and the intrepid reporter Vicki Vale.

Near the end of the third episode Bruce is talking to Vale who suddenly injects him with a mind-altering drug and exposes herself as Lady Arkham, the leader of the terrorist. She forces him to make a fool of himself in public, getting him committed to Arkham.

The revelations of Vale's involvement are as much a surprise for players as it is for poor Bruce. So much for World's Greatest Detective, right?

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Contributor

Author of Escort (Eternal Press, 2015), co-founder of Nic3Ntertainment, and developer behind The Sickle Upon Sekigahara (2020). Currently freelancing as a game developer and history consultant. Also tends to travel the eastern U.S. doing courses on History, Writing, and Japanese Poetry. You can find his portfolio at www.richardcshaffer.com.