20 Smartest Video Game Villains Who Deserved To Win
10. Beldam - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Beldam had quite the master plan in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - and it's straight out of Ganondorf's "let everyone else do most of the work" playbook.
Beldam wants to resurrect the diabolic Shadow Queen, an ancient entity which has been sealed away for an entire millennia, and she seeks to achieve this by spreading word about a treasure hidden behind the Thousand-Year Door.
In reality, she just wants someone, anyone, to collect the seven Crystal Stars needed to open said door, in turn breaking the seal and freeing the Shadow Queen.
Furthermore, she manipulates the alien X-Nauts' leader Grodus into helping out, claiming that the Shadow Queen will serve him once freed, while smartly surmising that the pure-of-heart Princess Peach would make a fine human vessel for the Queen to inhabit.
Though Beldam and Grodus are ultimately successful in resurrecting the Shadow Queen, with the help of the Crystal Stars Mario is able to defeat her and restore order to the world. Solid effort on Beldam's part, though.