10 Video Game Villains Who Could Have Saved The World

1. Joel (The Last Of Us)

Okay, yes, Joel is the playable character (and therefore, sort of, the hero) of The Last Of Us. However, the final earth-shattering scene of the game show a real villainous turn for Joel as he makes a decision which could very well lead to the extinction of mankind. At the very beginning of the game, Joel suffers tragedy and despair when his daughter is killed by a soldier trying to prevent the spreading infection. This prologue part of the game is vital in establishing Joel's character; a man who has experienced immense grief and uses that as a shield to help him survive. After finding Ellie and being thrust into a position of care for the young girl, he slowly rediscovers his emotions and grows attached to her as they journey west to try and find a cure for the zombie-like infection which Ellie shows signs of immunity to. The final section of the game sees Ellie taken away by a group called the Fireflies, as her immunity is needed to help develop the cure. However, in order to create the vaccine, the Fireflies need to remove a parasite from Ellie's brain, almost certainly killing her but potentially saving millions of lives. Having been betrayed by humanity previously and determined not to lose another 'daughter', Joel battles through the facility and takes Ellie from the Fireflies' surgeons, killing them and possibly destroying humanity's only hope of a cure. Does this make Joel a villain? Were his actions justified or were they entirely selfish? The genius of Naughty Dog's game is that all of this is up for debate but one thing is clear - by saving Ellie's life, Joel seems to have prevented a cure for the parasitic virus from being made, a decision would could have horrific consequences for mankind. Agree? Disagree? Are there any other villains that you think had the ability to save their world, rather than try and destroy it? Let us know in the comments below.