8 Video Game Villains Secretly Introduced Way Earlier Than You Realise

When it comes to video games, it's really difficult to keep secrets hidden from players. Extensive pre-release previews, gameplay demos and huge trailers do their best to fully explain to fans exactly what a game is, and as a result we go into most new releases knowing exactly what we're going to get.

Still, developers do have sneaky ways to slip secrets and hidden details into their releases that keep fans exploring every nook and cranny of the game world long after they've hit credits. Hell, there are huge YouTube channels dedicated entirely to the secrets these programmers included in out of bounds areas that you can't even access without a bit of trickery.

Today though we're talking specifically about villains who were introduced before they formally received a grand introductory cutscene. This might be them physically appearing in a scene hidden in the background, a reference to them you totally missed in flavour text or some expert foreshadowing you didn't pay any mind. Whatever the execution, they all flew straight under your nose.

Of course, expect heavy spoilers going forward. Cool? Cool.

It's fair to say that Capcom didn't exactly have a five-year plan when it came to making the first Devil May Cry. It was originally supposed to be a Resident Evil sequel, before becoming so action-focused that it was decided the project should be carved off and served up as a brand new IP.

While that was certainly the best decision, it meant that DMC's story was pretty much just a vague sketch that future games would fill in more substantially.

Case in point: Vergil. Or as he's known in this first title, Nelo Angelo.

While it is hinted here that Nelo Angelo is Dante's brother and he is called by his real name once or twice, this information is easily overlooked or forgotten entirely while playing. The fact that the narrative thread isn't expanded upon until Devil May Cry 3 certainly doesn't help matters.

The sibling's rivalry is such a huge part of future games, especially 3 and 5, that it feels strange to have it be barely even mentioned in this first title. In fact, you'd be forgiven for not knowing that Nelo Angelo was Virgil at all.