Top 10 Best Cartoon Network Villains
Aku is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Samurai Jack, an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. He fought the old gods and nearly ruled the universe. After his initial defeat, he landed on Earth and proceeded to kill humans for centuries before he conquered the planet. He sent the only man who could stop him, Jack (after enslaving his people), into the future to witness what centuries of suffering look like under his rule. He has unlimited power, strength, and knowledge, yet still gets pleasure from seeing others, especially Jack, fail.
Did I mention he is literally the physical manifestation of Evil? He's black, takes all shapes and sizes, and shoots laser beams from his fiery eyes. Is this even a competition?
Slade is a fictional incarnation of the character Deathstroke in the American animated series Teen Titans and is the archenemy of the Teen Titans, who wants them destroyed for his own unknown reasons, and is the main antagonist of Season 1 and Season 2; He appears as a vision in Season 3, returned only... read more Evil. This villain is the embodiment of evil. He has eluded the Teen Titans for so long that I don't think they can touch him. Evil to the core, without one regret, Slade deserves to be the number one Cartoon Network villain.
The creepiest guy ever. He's definitely not like your average cartoon villain.
"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again, I will allow them to live. But if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin. And I'll make you watch."
- Slade
Mojo Jojo is a fictional character from the American animated television series, The Powerpuff Girls, created by animator Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network. Mojo yearns just to be evil. As a "thorn in the City of Townsville's" side, Mojo is constantly thwarted, bested, and embarrassed by his hero counterparts. Lest we forget, his hero counterparts are a trio of preschoolers.
Mojo Jojo is Craig McCracken's love letter to supervillains, and we see that echoed in many of the schemes that Mojo has pulled - from gathering all the baddies to form a league of supervillains to reverse-engineering the Powerpuff DNA and making evil twins for the girls. It is Mojo's belief in being evil that makes him such an awesome villain.
Katz is a fictional character from the Cartoon Network animated series, Courage the Cowardly Dog. He frequently appears as a recurring antagonist in the series . His first appearance was in the episode "A Night at the Katz Motel" . Sophistication.
Seriously, this villain was absolutely awesome and badass. So sleek. A sleeker villain won't exist in Cartoon Network history, at least.
Smooth, suave, and evil. Plus, he has the best theme song by far of any villain.
Suave, psychotic, evil. What's not to love?
Father is just ruthless. Watch his first appearance. Father is the first villain who ever defeated the KND and turned his children into animals.
This guy is mean and ruthless. After him, my number two would be Him from The Powerpuff Girls.
He is the greatest villain that the Kids Next Door ever had to face.
Mewtwo is a psychic-type Legendary Pokémon from Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, it made its first appearance in the games Pokémon Red and Blue. It was created by Dr. Fuji using gene splicing in an attempt to clone Mew. In the Pokémon games, it's infamously... read more
I really think he was more powerful than any of the other villains. CN did a great job on him.
How is Mojo Jojo above Him? Him is awesome!
That guy fascinates yet creeps me out. Great villain, probably the only one that has creeped me out.
The Joker is a fictional super villain created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson who first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book Batman (April 25, 1940) published by DC Comics. Credit for the Joker's creation is disputed; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the Joker's design,... read more
While I agree with the idea that Aku is the most well-known, except possibly for Slade, X.A.N.A. was a better villain than all of them. His subtle manipulations are more interesting than the typical world domination archetype.
He was also relentless and didn't let his enemies live, as he was the only one on this list who actually killed someone - in X.A.N.A.'s case, Franz Hopper.
"Good" villains have some sort of redeeming quality or perhaps some reasoning behind their actions. There's a purpose behind their villainous deeds, so while the actions of the villain are villainous, their intentions are good (at least at first).
Some classic examples:
Darth Vader goes to the Dark Side to try to save his wife.
Lex Luthor is a sociopath and a psychopath, but he honestly thinks everything he does is for the greater good.
The Illusive Man is xenophobic (to an extreme) and hinders Commander Shepard, all in a bid to save humanity from extinction and ensure humanity's progress in the galaxy.
So while we know they're the bad guys, we can find a grain of heroism in who they are.
Not so with The Beast. He is only thinking of himself. He has no grand plans, and he does not care how his actions affect others. He is unfettered, unprincipled, and apathetic unless it concerns his own well-being. The only villain to come close to this kind of evil is the Joker (the Joker at least has a "theme" to his villainy, as horrendous as it is).
That... thing gave me chills when I first saw it, and I don't know if I'll ever see another villain quite like The Beast for a long time.
The Newcomers
Eustace Bagge is a fictional character from the Cartoon Network animated series, Courage the Cowardly Dog.
He's just awesome, the greatest character in this entire series!
This should be higher because I think he was one of the most complex villains out there.
The Lich (formerly named the Lich King in the original pitch and "His Hero," and referred to as Sweet Pig Trunks in his baby form, or just Sweet P for short) is a powerful undead being and a major antagonist in the American animated series Adventure Time. The Lich, simply put, is the twisted manifestation of the raw lack of existence that originated before nothingness itself. He is not an agent of death but the End incarnate. He is not merciless. He simply knows not mercy.
Upon examining the Lich from a non-subjective standpoint, the utter fear and hopelessness he induces on those that stand in his gruesome path forces the primary protagonists to undergo some of the most strenuous character development ever portrayed in an animated series, even leading the audience to challenge their own perception of reality.
While it is a shame that the Beast has not attained a higher position on this list, I firmly believe that the Lich ought to be considered the most vicious and unrelenting antagonist to have ever graced the face of modern television - or, at the very least, the "Best Villain" ever conceived by Cartoon Network.
Adam Nergal Darski (born Adam Michał Darski; 10 June 1977 in Gdynia), is a Polish musician and television personality, best known for being the frontman for the black/death metal band Behemoth... read more The prototype Slenderman of Cartoon Network who can be funny, hysterical, badass, and just fun to watch! His son, Nergal Jr., is interesting to watch as well.
I think that the Kanker sisters are the best Cartoon Network villains because, unlike other villains who want to take over the world and fail, they are successful when it comes to their goal: torturing the other children of the Cul-De-Sac.
They're not villains per se, but they definitely harass the Eds to the point that they can be scary.
Trigon is a demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe, having enslaved many worlds.
Vilgax is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of the American animated TV series and media franchise Ben 10 created by Man of Action Studios and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
Elmer J. Fudd is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny.
Heather was a camper and the main antagonist of Total Drama Island as a member of the Screaming Gophers. She later returned as a cast member in Total Drama Action on the Screaming Gaffers, and was one of the finalists in Total Drama World Tour representing Team Amazon. Iconic and somewhat beguiling. One of the few true antagonists.
AAH! It's a giant bearded face! Makes me laugh every time.
General Grievous is a fictional character and antagonist in the Star Wars franchise. He served as the Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Armies during the Clone Wars. He is voiced by Matthew Wood. I am the leader of the most powerful droid army this galaxy has ever seen!
Susan "Mandark" Astronomanov is the main antagonist in the American animated series Dexter's Laboratory. He is Dexter's rival and later mortal nemesis who often seeks to destroy both Dexter and his lab to prove once and for all that he is the superior genius. He is voiced by Eddie Deezen. Namely going off of Ego Trip, Mandark stole Dexter's ideas, banned all technology, and was blown up, leaving only his brain behind. Of course, there's also his laugh.
He is the best villain in any cartoon series ever, with Amon and the Beast being close second and third. His mysterious past, cunning, and the fact that he is voiced by Troy Baker make him all the more amazing. It is disappointing that more people have not seen this awesome show.
Scaramuccia, also known as Scaramouche or Scaramouch, is a stock clown character of the Italian commedia dell'arte. The role combined characteristics of the zanni and the Capitano. In the 2017 revival of the animated series Samurai Jack, Jack encounters a robotic assassin named Scaramouche, who behaves... read more
The Ice King is a character in the American animated television series Adventure Time. A supposedly evil wizard capable of creating and manipulating ice and snow, he is the self-proclaimed king of the Ice Kingdom, a land of ice he claimed as his own and lives in in company of many penguins.