20 Smartest Video Game Villains Who Deserved To Win
14. Vladimir Makarov - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 introduced fans to the slippery terrorist Vladimir Makarov, and though he ultimately wasn't the game's primary villain, his plan was nevertheless ingenious enough that it should've set him up for success.
The game's infamous "No Russian" mission sees Makarov carry out a false flag attack, shooting up a Russian airport and then killing the player character - an undercover American operative - and leaving their corpse at the scene, implicating the U.S. in the attack.
Makarov did this to stoke World War III between Russia and the United States - the ultimate expression of his abject disdain for the West.
And in fairness, WWIII does indeed break out across both Modern Warfare 2 and 3, so Makarov certainly accomplished a sizable chunk of his goal. Staying alive, though, wasn't quite so easy, as he ended up killed by Captain Price at the very end of Modern Warfare 3.
You can't say the guy didn't give it the ol' college try, though.