What is any hero's story without a memorable villain? 

After all, the journey to salvation doesn't really mean anything if there isn't something worth triumphing over, and so across all forms of media, colourful and entertaining antagonists can easily end up outshining the hero.

That's as true in video games as it is in any other medium, enough that you might well end up regretting it when one of your problematic faves inevitably dies.

While most villains are basically destined to die on a long enough timeline, that doesn't mean we have to like it. And sometimes, it genuinely feels like a mistake on the part of the developers.

That's totally the case with these 20 video game villains, who all perished one way or another and left masses of fans absolutely devastated as a result.

Regardless of whether these deaths actually worked on a pure narrative level, for fans who wanted these baddies to keep on keeping on for at least a little while longer, it was a damn shame they died when they did. 

We just weren't ready to say goodbye yet...

Albert Wesker is of course the most iconic villain in the entire Resident Evil franchise, and so his demise at the end of Resident Evil 5 continues to be a major bone of contention among fans.

Though Wesker certainly got an incredibly extra demise worthy of his legacy, being shot with not one but two rocket launchers inside an active volcano, his death has also left a colossal void in the series ever since.

To the surprise of many, Wesker's death has actually stuck and we haven't seen him reappear canonically in the 17 years since Resident Evil 5 came out.

And while some fans do feel that there was nowhere else to take Wesker after this, there are many who sorely miss his personality and the uniquely over-the-top bombast he brought to the series.

Letting Wesker rest for a little while wouldn't have hurt, but offing him in such a hilariously final fashion? 

Probably not the best idea, exemplified by Capcom introducing an apparent clone, Zeno, in the recent Resident Evil Requiem. But more on him later.

Jack Pooley

Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.

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