Editor’s note: this article contains spoilers regarding each villain and their respective franchise.
The Sinister Six, a villain-based organisation originally consisting of Doctor Octopus (founder), Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman and Vulture, was created by Marvel’s Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1964, with the group’s agenda as straightforward as, well, any villain joining forces with another: eradicating their nemesis, which is Spider-Man in the case of the Sinister Six. With Sony placing full momentum behind the Sinister Six project written and directed by Drew Goddard — who, I might add, did an excellent job of implementing satire to near perfection in The Cabin in the Woods, and no doubt he’ll need to replicate and weave this important aspect into the narrative of the Sinister Six — I couldn’t be more excited at witnessing Spider-Man’s villains heading to the big screen in such an ambitious comic book film since Joss Whedon’s The Avengers.
Gaming is one medium consistently producing a diverse set of villains in each console era, leaving me to ponder on a fascinating scenario over the past few days: if there was ever an all-star team of villains assembled in order to rival the Sinister Six’s presence in gaming, who would be selected and why? To be fair in the selection of characters on this list, I’ve restricted it to one villain per franchise and, most importantly, they must have originated in video games first — sorry, Scarecrow and the Joker, better luck next time.
With all of this being said, it’s time to examine the criteria behind six villains who would be a perfect fit in gaming’s Sinister Six.
Bowser (Super Mario Bros., 1985)
Starting with a villain who has been wreaking havoc for almost three decades, no Sinister Six membership would be complete without the “King of the Koopa” himself, Bowser. Irrespective of the fact that Bowser doesn’t realise Princess Peach isn’t too keen on being married to the Koopa leader, his persistent behaviour of causing mayhem in the Mushroom Kingdom is enough to warrant a place for sheer determination.
Bowser has also been able to hold his position as the franchise’s main antagonist without being ousted by another character, which is certainly an impressive feat when dealing with such a well-known Nintendo series. Furthermore, his relentless rivalry with Italian plumbers Mario and Luigi has established an iconic legacy that is still revered to this date.
Outside of the main titles in the Mario franchise, Bowser has featured in Nintendo’s fan-favourite Super Smash Bros. franchise and continued his ongoing struggle against Mario and Luigi in a more unorthodox manner through Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. Additionally, Browser can’t be forgotten for his delightful cameo in Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, where he’s one of the many villains who attended the support group Bad-Anon with Ralph.
As one of the all-time video game antagonists, Bowser certainly deserves a place in the Sinister Six, and no doubt his recruitment would aid in his efforts to take down Mario once and for all — oh, and he also has an army of Koopa turtles at his disposal, meaning there’s more of an incentive to bring him on board.
Albert Wesker (Resident Evil, 1996)
Albert Wesker remained at the forefront of the Resident Evil franchise for more than a decade, as the series’ former antagonist made his initial appearance in Shinji Mikami’s highly regarded 1996 survival horror classic Resident Evil. Deceitful is an understatement to describe Wesker, especially as led his unit on a suicide mission into a zombie-infested mansion before he revealed near the end of the title he was a double agent.
Unfortunately for Albert Wesker, he was the victim of an awful send-off in Resident Evil 5, but the developers of the title perfected the character in one aspect: Wesker carried a lot of suave with his outfit. Suited and booted for causing havoc, the former Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) captain validated his swift hand-to-hand combat skills in Resident Evil 5’s cutscenes, while he also took a page straight from the villains’ cliché book and brainwashed Chris Redfield’s former partner Jill Valentine against him.
Bring together the qualities of an evil motive, exceptional fighting skills and, more importantly, a fashion sense every villain needs — although the latter factor has received heavy criticism, mainly for the fact that it makes him look like a carbon-copy of Agent Smith from The Matrix franchise — Albert Wesker would be a find addition to the Sinister Six.
Shao Kahn (Mortal Kombat II, 1993)
Shao Kahn became the bane of people’s existence since his debut in Mortal Kombat II, mainly for the reason that the Emperor of Ouworld would rinse and repeat his AI moveset on the player, dealing extra damage compared to standard attacks while taunting the opponent any opportunity he can.
Equipped with his trusty Wrath Hammer and dressed in an Asian-esque warrior outfit, Kahn is the embodiment of pure evil, and he’s spent more than two decades trying to conquer Earthrealm and, although he’s failed countless times, the Emperor has remained as adamant as any villain who’s obsessed with claiming power.
Kahn’s presence would bring more than just an evil agenda to the Sinister Six, specifically for how his demonic announcer’s voice from the Mortal Kombat franchise would offer hilarious commentary during one of their meetings. Hearing him say phrases like, “Outstanding,” “Well Done” and “Incredible” would certainly add some entertainment during their deep discussion on which hero to eliminate next.
Additionally, if doing battle with the thunder god Raiden doesn’t earn him a place in the Sinister Six, I’m not sure as to what qualifies any other villain to be on this list ahead of Shao Kahn.