12 Video Game Bosses That Were A Total Letdown

Look, not every boss in a video game is going to be showstopper. Games like Elden Ring and Final Fantasy titles have countless screen-filling enemies, so some are sure to stand out more than others. As such, having one or two antagonists that are repetitive, forgettable, or generic is forgivable.

But if a particular boss is set up to be challenging, memorable, and sensational, it's disappointing when they prove to be... none of those things. When the adversary is described as an immortal deity, the bane of our hero's existence, or a reality-devouring entity, the last thing we want to see is a badly designed foe with uncreative attacks, who can be cheesed to death in seconds.

Now, that's not to suggest all the bosses on this list aren't iconic. However, each of these evildoers have one or two issues that stop them from being something truly special. 

We're also not indicating that a ton of work wasn't put into designing these villains. Even if the developers did their best, the boss may not have turn out the way audiences wanted, due to programming limitations, budget cuts, or time restraints.

Whatever the reason, these bosses ended up being a total letdown.

At first, it seems fitting for Doom Eternal to conclude with a fight against The Icon of Sin, since he is (quite literally) the franchise's most iconic boss. 

However, the showdown could've been more epic. Instead of Doom Eternal ending with a brand-new antagonist, it's just the last boss from Doom II again. Rather than relying on a complex strategy, all The Doom Slayer has to do to beat the towering behemoth is shoot him... a lot.

Since The Icon of Sin is such a straightforward battle, it would've made more sense if the final adversary was the penultimate boss, Khan Maykr. This inter-dimensional alien is the overarching villain and the hardest enemy by far. Rather than relying on generic tactics, Khan has the most elaborate strategy, compelling the heroic marine to repeatedly launch himself into the air and grab onto the extra-terrestrial body to do some serious damage. 

Even though Khan is the logical choice for the final foe, The Icon of Sin was chosen instead for the sake of fan-service. If the order of these bosses was flipped, the climax of Doom Eternal would've been more gratifying.