10 Most Unexpectedly Powerful Video Game Villains

Every video game needs a strong villain. A character that the player can look at and immediately say: "That's who I'm going to be fighting 80 levels and 100 hours in the future, and it's going to be awesome."

But what about the villains that don't fit into that box? What about the antagonists who, when they first show up, appear completely unimportant? Just because at first they seem about as intimidating as a wet cloth in a hurricane, though, doesn't mean the player should ever dismiss them.

Some villains might just need time to grow, and put the finishing touches on their unbelievable powers. Others may have always been powerful and their physical nature just makes them seem weak at a glance. Others still may have just been toying with the hero - as villains are so often prone to do - just so they can make the pain of your defeat that much sweeter.

Whatever the reason, these villains are no joke, they pull no punches, and above all they do it while making you feel pathetic for losing to someone who by all rights shouldn't be this powerful.

Of all the bosses in Metal Gear history, there is none less intimidating than The End. The first time this old man is introduced, he is sat in a wheelchair barely able to function, and then he gets carted off before he really gets a chance to do anything.

After battling two other members of the Cobra unit - one who is basically Predator-lite and another that controls literal bees - it's a bit disappointing to be fighting an old man who can hardly get out of a chair.

Then, the player has to sit and watch as he tranqs Snake over and over again; all the while managing to sprint at breakneck speeds and recover energy from the sun itself.

The resulting boss fight is one of the most fun and challenging in the entire game, as the player is drawn into a game of cat and mouse, slowly hunting the old sniper through the thick jungle as he does the same to you. The only difference is that he's better at it.

So when the player finally hunts him down after so much gruelling attrition, it really is a lesson in never judging a book by its cover.