What makes a good villain? That is a question people ask themselves when trying to come up with a powerful monster or creature that gamers have to face at the end of their long journey. The concept of a good villain though can take on many different forms. There are those who are born into it. There are some who seek out the dark corners of evil and take up the mantle of it, but then there are some who are turned from the goodness of their own hearts and made into evil.
There are many villains in the Warcraft universe. Many of them have dark pasts, others however were actually born into the Light and were destined for great things. If they had only chosen correctly. Today we will be looking at one of the most iconic villains in the WOW franchise. One that was the most known and by far one of the most interesting to read upon for The Lich King was a man who once championed for the good of his people and now only wanted to end their lives.
Arthas Menethil is an interesting character. He is a classic portrayal of the tragic hero who fell into dark thoughts and soon became one of the most powerful beings on the face of Azeroth. The path that he took to that downfall is what truly makes him a good villain. He exemplifies that even the most noble of intentions can lead to destruction and death.
Arthas path started when he was forced to deal with the plague that infested Lordaeron and during this time he began to exemplify the need to save his people. Even going so far as to purge and entire city to save the rest of his kingdom. It was at this point when his dark side began to appear. As the shadow of vengeance and misguided justice began to take over his mind and drive his actions.
How does this make him a good villain you may ask? Well ask yourself this would you be willing to sacrifice hundreds to save millions? That is a choice that ultimately made him go from holy paladin to grey warrior who while still sought justice would do anything to save his people.
And he did just that. As he followed Mal'Ganis, the dark overlord to Northrend he then heard of the runeblade Frostmourne. He chose to make this path of vengeance his own and sought out the cursed blade despite Muridins warnings. A moment that forever changed him when he sacrificed his friend in order to wield the mighty blade.
And thus his fate was sealed.
Arthas's path then became one of murder, death and destruction. He rode forth with the blade as a Death Knight and champion of the thing he once sought to rid the world of. And this is what turns Arthas into a good villain. He become memorable not for the monstrous deeds that he performs, but for the tragic fall that made him into the creature he is today.
But that does not mean that his deeds could not go unnoticed. The undead master of the Scourge chose to unleash his armies on the continents of Azeroth and forced the adventurers to follow in his own dark path through Northrend. He wanted the most powerful army and through cunny he allowed Tirion Fordring to assemble this group and proved just how powerful he was when he killed them all in one single stroke of his blade.
The sheer power of Arthas when he in control of the Lich Kings powers was immense. He wielded the powers of cold, and darkness to great effect. He shaped the continent of Northrend with his might tearing it apart and forming the massive army. He corrupted many others and turned people into new Death Knights who helped him destroy and ravage parts of Northern Lorderan. His deeds as the Lich King echo forever in the minds of those who have faced him, and forever burned into the souls of those who were raised by him into undeath.
Arthas is a true villain because of his dark path. This is what made him so memorable. He once began his journey a person devoted to the safety and wellbeing of his own people. He was on his way to making himself into a great and noble king. But like most things he too fell from grace when he made a noble choice for the wrong reasons. His choice forever marked the world of Azeroth with ice and death.
And that is what makes him a great villian
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