Top 10 Best Super Mario Villains

The world of Super Mario might be packed with bright colors, cheerful tunes, and plenty of heroic moments, but let's be real. Without its villains, things would get pretty boring. Every jump, power-up, and daring rescue is only as thrilling as the baddie standing in your way. And Super Mario has no shortage of troublemakers. From fire-breathing tyrants to cackling tricksters, the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond have been plagued by some truly unforgettable foes.

Some of them have been making your life difficult for decades, hurling hammers, setting up devious traps, or snatching Princess Peach for the umpteenth time. Others are a little less well-known, lurking in the corners of spin-off games or taking their villainy in bizarre and unexpected directions.

This list is all about those villains. Who deserves to be at the top? That's up to you.

The Top Ten

Dimentio

Dimentio is a sinister, jester-like magician and the main antagonist of the 2007 Nintendo Wii game Super Paper Mario. He is known for his deceptive nature and reality-bending powers.
One of his key abilities is the creation of Dimension D, a realm he controls. He manipulates events throughout... read more

Totally THE BEST villain. There were little hints sprinkled within the game about his true purpose, but nobody saw this coming. Unlike Count Bleck, who (spoilers) decides nothing matters anymore without Tippi, the love of his life, Dimentio actually wants to destroy all worlds, make better ones, and become a god.
He's a genius in that he pretends to serve Count Bleck but in reality, wants all the power to himself. He was probably the one Mario villain that got the closest to his goal. Plus, he's an absolute nihilist, not caring for the other people in the worlds, only caring about becoming omnipotent. He's a sociopath who made a master plan from the very beginning.
On top of all that, he's an enjoyable villain. Dimentio is by far the best villain, no question about it, and I'm really sad that he didn't get the attention he deserved.
Bowser

Bowser is the main antagonist of the Mario Bros. franchise. From kidnapping Princess Peach to disrupting games in the Mario Party spinoff series, this king of the Koopas has become a recurring enemy in the series. He first appeared in the 1985 video game Super Mario Bros., in which he kidnapped Princess... read more

Bowser is my favorite villain. He isn't always the smartest. Yet, in M&LDT he actually outsmarts the main villain Antasma to become the main villain in Dreamy Bowser, the most powerful incarnation of Bowser (besides Black Paint Bowser, Dark Bowser, Star Rod Bowser, Crown Sticker Bowser, Paper Bowser, and Real Bowser giant mech...Bowser has a lot of powerful forms, doesn't he?) and nearly succeeds in winning unless you beat his face in.
It is a strong testament to his badassery that of the top ten spots, only four are from main Mario games, with the rest being from RPGs. One of those is Wario, who's more of an anti-hero, and Bowser Jr., who is his son.
Fawful

Fawful, known in Japan as Gerakobits, is a fictional character from the Mario and Luigi series of role-playing video games developed by AlphaDream. He first appeared in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga in 2003. Known for his eccentric speech and memorable quotes, he became a recurring villain in the series... read more

From a lowly sidekick, to a superstar, to a lowly salesman, to the one who would turn the whole Mushroom Kingdom upside down by himself. He received a huge power boost and is the second final villain Bowser faces.
Imagine a ten-foot monster who shatters giant boulders with a single punch, who can breathe gigantic amounts of fire effortlessly, who can even absorb smaller foes and eat them, who can transform into a giant fighting machine the size of his own castle. That's what you'll need to battle Fawful.
What does Fawful have in his arsenal? About 99% of Bowser's army, plus his own Fawfulized army, Bowser's castle (which is able to turn into a giant mechanized fighting robot that can launch giant unavoidable beams and large gravity-sucking holes), the Dark Star, the entire Mushroom Kingdom in his hands, and himself (intelligence, half of the Dark Star's power already in him). Even Bowser couldn't believe someone this evil existed. Nobody believed such a villain could exist, and this villain was none other than Cackletta's henchman.
He used to be simply a henchman, Cackletta's lap dog, the one who helped her possess a powerful body. Even after being beaten a second time by the Mario Bros in his pink, flying mode, he still had the power to get back up and get his revenge.
He reminds me a lot of Kabuto from Naruto, since both are intelligent, power-hungry, and geeky. All good and awesome traits for a cold-hearted supervillain.
Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr., sometimes simply called Jr., is a video game character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. He is depicted as the son of Bowser, the primary antagonist of the series. Bowser Jr. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine in 2002 and has since become a recurring character in both mainline and spin-off... read more

Do I really have to explain? Bowser loves this kid. He has tools of mass destruction. And apart from this, he's a good person! Well, as good as a villain can be, anyway. He wants nothing more than to have fun and make his papa proud.

He is Shadow Mario, he can reincarnate things, and his theme from SMG is my favorite Mario song. He and Diddy Kong should've been in Mario Kart 8 instead of Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach.

He may be cute, but the Koopa prince is also smart. Bowser Jr. will build a robot and smash the opposition flat, making Bowser proud.
Count Bleck

Count Bleck, whose real name is Lord Blumiere, is the central antagonist in the 2007 Nintendo Wii video game Super Paper Mario. Throughout most of the game, he serves as the main villain, seeking to destroy all worlds out of despair over a lost love. By the end of the story, he experiences redemption... read more

Without a doubt, the most complicated villain in the Mario series, and dare I say, one of the most complicated villains ever. He tries to destroy every world because he lost his loved one, and now everything has lost meaning in his eyes.
He lies to his underlings, saying that he wants to create a perfect world, while in reality, he doesn't want to recreate anything. He just wants everything to die. The only one who understood his true plan was Dimentio (which is my second favorite).
Also, the loved one he lost is your partner Tippi. So, when you face him, he gives a somewhat regretful speech about how it doesn't matter anymore because he's gone too far. Truly a fantastic character, especially considering that this is a Mario game.
Cackletta

Cackletta is a witch from the Beanbean Kingdom and the main antagonist of "Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga." She is known for her maniacal laughter and plans to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom by stealing Princess Peach's voice. Her name is a pun on the word "cackle," emphasizing her witch-like persona... read more

Extremely psychotic, sinister, competent, and efficient. She also does her job herself with a limited team, instead of relying on armies of goons.
While not all-powerful, she's so good at coming back stronger that she might be just that. Dragon-level threat for sure.

She can create portals, fire, and lightning, but she never really exposed her full powers. Mysterious and full of potential, even Fawful saw her as more superior than himself.

By far my favorite Mario villain of all time. She scared the hell out of me as a child, but she really grew on me.
King Boo

In the Super Mario series, King Boo is the leader of the Boos and serves as a recurring antagonist. He is a ghostly figure depicted as a large white Boo wearing a crown, resembling the one worn by Princess Peach. King Boo often allies with King Bowser in attempts to thwart Mario and his friends.... read more

How is King Boo low on this list? I mean, he shouldn't be number one, but he's still an awesome villain and deserves to be higher on the list. If you play both of the Luigi's Mansion games, you can see why he's someone you shouldn't mess with.
He breaks the Dark Moon, causing the ghosts to go hostile, kidnaps Mario twice, and overloads the universe with hostile ghosts, risking its collapse. He tries to become the supreme ruler of the world. Also, you know a villain is awesome if he produces two jump scares in Dark Moon and his latest design has pink eyes.
If it wasn't for Luigi, he probably would have succeeded. He wasn't even discovered as responsible by E. Gadd and Luigi until later in the game. Obviously, he's a sneaky and intimidating kind of villain. Then again, he's King Boo. The name speaks for itself.
Antasma

Antasma is an evil bat king and one of the two main antagonists of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, alongside Bowser.

I like Antasma, the way he speaks and how he does things. Antasma is basically smoke with a purple hue, which I thought looked silly. But later, when he was revealed as a bat, he became cool.
I'm not sure if he had any intentions to kill anyone, but he was ultimately betrayed by the ultimate loser, King Bowser (no idea why he is number two). It was also mentioned that Antasma had a tragic past, being trapped in a dimension for 100 years due to some nightmare that made him become evil.
He is also very intelligent, having ideas that not even the evil and dumb Bowser could have thought of. He was smart enough to pierce through the dimension he was trapped in, and Bowser couldn't even think about breaking the bridge to let Mario fall into the lava himself in Mario Bros.
The best part is his final form. It's the coolest form of all. He becomes all-powerful, although he can only demonstrate it in the dream world. It's still very cool. He is quite smart to think of making dream portals on his own without the Dream Stone, so he can encounter Mario anytime with this form.
So, I like Antasma.
Dry Bowser

Dry Bowser is the skeletal version of Bowser, the main antagonist of the Mario franchise. He first appeared in New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS, after Bowser was dropped into lava and re-emerged as a skeleton.
Since then, Dry Bowser has appeared in titles like Super Mario 3D Land, the... read more

I think Dry Bowser looks awesome, but I feel like his existence is a bit of a scam. He's a clone character and was loved by game designers, so they stuffed him in over and over again.

I mean, this might not be helpful, but he's one of my worst enemies in Mario Kart 8. Yes, that's the unhelpful part. In fact, all of it is an unhelpful part.

Yoshizilla-Rhedosaurus made him even cooler than he was. And he was already a more awesome Bowser to begin with.
Birdo

Birdo is a dinosaur-like character from the Mario franchise who is known for her ambiguous gender identity. In the North American manual for Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is described as a male who believes he is female and prefers to be called Birdetta. In later appearances, this backstory was largely... read more

I am so confused. How is she an antagonist of Mario? She's barely in any game.

Not really a villain, but she is my favorite Mario character of all time.

She used to be an enemy back then, so this counts.

The Newcomers

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King Olly

Really the first original Paper Mario antagonist since SPM. He deserves to be higher.
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Boom Boom

Boom Boom may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he makes up for it with his might, strength, and determination to not give up.
One of Bowser's best henchmen.

The Contenders

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. The game marked the debut of both Donkey Kong and Mario (originally... read more

They were enemies, then friends, then enemies again, now friends and so on. Now I'm confused.
Kamek

Kamek is a recurring enemy character in the Mario Bros. franchise. He frequently appears in titles such as the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. series, often casting spells to hinder the player's progress. He is a Magikoopa who typically serves as an assistant to Bowser.... read more

Kamek is amazing! Without him, we wouldn't have Bowser! He took care of Bowser when he was a kid. Even now, he still looks out for him. Whenever he's fallen, Kamek assists. Kamek even goes to lengths like reviving Bowser and turning him into Dry Bones Bowser.

How is Dimentio higher than Kamek? Dimentio was in one game, and Kamek has been in many! He is the main antagonist of the awesome Yoshi series, and he has aided my other favorite character, Bowser, many times!

Kamek is a recurring villain in the Mario series and Yoshi series. He's been there to get Mario since he was a baby. He raised Bowser. He's definitely one of the best villains.
Wario

Wario is a character in Nintendo's Mario series who was originally designed as an antagonist to Mario. His motives are driven by greed, and he will often side with whoever offers him the greatest reward. Although typically portrayed as selfish and mischievous, Wario has become a central figure in his... read more

Well, he's more like a greedy man than a villain, and as the description says, he was ORIGINALLY planned to be a villain. He's more like...a rival to Mario, just like Waluigi's sole purpose in life was to have a rival for Luigi.

I hate just about every villain on this list, so I had to go with Wario. Wario's only a villain in one true Mario game though...
Bowletta

Bowletta is a form of Bowser that results from being possessed by Cackletta. In this form, Cackletta is able to use her abilities combined with those of Bowser.

Basically Cackletta but creepier and more powerful.

It's literally Cackletta with Bowser's body.

A fusion of Cackletta and Bowser, disturbing look but creepy as well.
Waluigi

Waluigi is a tall, self-centered, and rough-around-the-edges character who is often portrayed as Luigi's rival. He frequently causes chaos in various Mario spinoff games, usually paired with Wario. While he acts antagonistically, Waluigi is not truly evil and often shows loyalty and affection, especially... read more

Not really a villain, and yet he's got more fans than Bowser. Obviously, something went right for this to happen.

Man, it surprises me that he isn't in Smash. He is funky and funny, and he has two of the best Mario Kart tracks based on him (Waluigi Pinball and Waluigi Stadium).

Waluigi is one of the most creative characters Nintendo has ever created. I love this guy!
Nastasia

Nastasia is one of the supporting antagonists of Super Paper Mario and is Count Bleck's personal assistant.

Nastasia is a great villain. She leaves an impression, even though we don't fight her. Also, she can mind control people, and is responsible for single-handedly converting almost all of Bowser's army to Count Bleck's cause.

You don't fight her, but she still leaves an impression!
Ludwig von Koopa

Ludwig Von Koopa is a villain in the Super Mario franchise. He is the self-proclaimed leader of the Koopalings and is known for his pompous and arrogant personality. He is said to possess all the powers of the other six Koopalings, including cloning, causing earthquakes, teleportation, and shooting lightning... read more

All of the Koopalings in the official games are stupidly easy, but Ludwig is generally more challenging and creative when it comes to the Koopaling bosses.
King Bob-omb

King Bob-omb debuted as a boss character in the 1996 video game Super Mario 64. He became a recurring boss in later spinoff games such as Mario Party 9 and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. He is known for his royal appearance and explosive attacks.

I hate all Bob-ombs, and it doesn't seem like this one is worse on the evil scale.
Gooper Blooper

Gooper Blooper is a recurring antagonist throughout the Super Mario series, making its debut as a boss in Super Mario Sunshine. It is a giant Blooper with enlarged tentacles and is capable of spitting out graffiti goop as a means of attack.

His boss battle in Super Mario Sunshine is really disturbing because you have to rip out his tentacles countless times. Otherwise, he is cool.
Shy Guy

Shy Guys are recurring enemies in the Mario and Yoshi video game series. They are known for wearing masks, which they use to hide their faces due to their shyness. These characters have appeared in various games, often acting in different roles such as enemies, racers, and sports players.
Dark Bowser

The best dark version of any character ever. Shadow Mario, Mr. L, the Shadow Queen, none of them even come close to being more badass than Dark Bowser. He is an even more evil Bowser, hellbent on destroying the entire planet in his ever-growing greed for power.
He is also the only dark version character I think is just as good as the original.

I know Dark Bowser just seems like a darker clone of Bowser, but he's much more than that. Dark Bowser is the living embodiment of darkness that wants to cover the entire Mushroom Kingdom in eternal darkness.
Mimi

Okay, Mimi is amazing. The first time I saw her, I knew she wasn't going to turn out to be a good guy, but I didn't expect a giant scary spider with the ability to shape-shift working for Count Bleck.
I think Mimi is a great villain for Paper Mario. She was an annoying villain to beat, plus you have to beat her like three times. But she really got me the first time she turned into a creepy, annoying spider. I kinda freaked out.

Mimi is a terrifying villain. The way she literally snaps her own neck, then twists her head around to become a huge spider is so creepy. She even has a purple textbox, which is reserved for the most horrific characters in the Paper Mario series.
Lemmy Koopa

Lemmy Koopa is the youngest of the seven original children of Bowser, the Koopa King. Fascinated by the circus and acrobatic acts, he has made performing his life's calling. Lemmy dreams of showcasing his physical feats and never misses a chance to captivate an audience.... read more
Iggy Koopa

The best Super Mario character. Better than Lemmy and Ludwig. Come on, people.
Koopa Troopa

Koopa Troopas, or simply Koopas, known in Japan as Nokonoko, are a fictional race of turtle-like creatures from the Mario series and its sister Yoshi series. They most often appear as common ground enemies. Over time, Koopa Troopas have become one of the most recognizable and recurring enemy types in... read more

Koopa Troopa may not be the strongest villain, but he is a fantastic one. A turtle that can walk... Imagine if he was real! He is actually fast. It takes a real turtle like one day to go one mile.