archvillain
Hero's ultimate enemy
An archvillain is the principal villain in a story, the one whose evil schemes drive the plot and who serves as the hero's ultimate adversary.
The prefix arch- signals supremacy or preeminence, so an archvillain outranks ordinary villains in cunning, power, or malevolence.
The superhero spent three seasons trying to defeat his archvillain.
The term appears most often in discussions of comics, action films, and adventure fiction.
Crafty, deceitful planner
- plotterMachinator or diagram machine
- strategistExpert in planning campaigns
- manipulatorOne who controls cunningly
- puppeteerPerformer controlling jointed figures
orchestrator · architect · tactician · evil genius · planner · controller · megalomaniac · supervillain
Harboring ill will
- wickedEvil or slang-excellent
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- diabolicalExtremely wicked or cruel
- nefariousExtremely evil or villainous
dastardly · cruel · vile · depraved · heinous · monstrous · sadistic · fiendish
One who opposes another
- adversaryEnemy in conflict
- foeHostile opponent
- rivalOne who competes against
- opponentOne who contends against
mortal enemy · sworn enemy · counterpart · bane · foil · superhero · hero · protagonist
Source of potential harm
- dangerExposure to harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
fear · dread · foreboding · ominous · hostile · fearsome · terrifying · looming
schemer
Crafty, deceitful planner
- plotterMachinator or diagram machine
- strategistExpert in planning campaigns
- manipulatorOne who controls cunningly
puppeteer · orchestrator · architect · tactician · evil genius · planner · controller · megalomaniac · supervillain · kingpin
malevolent
Harboring ill will
- wickedEvil or slang-excellent
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
- diabolicalExtremely wicked or cruel
nefarious · dastardly · cruel · vile · depraved · heinous · monstrous · sadistic · fiendish · inhuman
antagonist
One who opposes another
opponent · mortal enemy · sworn enemy · counterpart · bane · foil · superhero · hero · protagonist · avenger
menace
Source of potential harm
intimidation · fear · dread · foreboding · ominous · hostile · fearsome · terrifying · looming · unstoppable
- villainsantagonists, Darth Vader, evil characters, Joker, antagonist
- charactersprotagonist, antagonist, hero, character, characters
- dark wizardsevil sorcerer, necromancer, warlock, lich, Voldemort
archvillainhero
One admired for courage
superhero · savior · champion · protagonist · white knight