So much focus is often on the heroes of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise, the actual assassins, that the villains are often pushed to the side. But their appeal and inclusion is a large part of what makes the Assassin’s Creed games so successful. These are largely fictionalized versions of real figures throughout history.
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Their lives are twisted in a way to fit the Assassins versus Templars narrative, creating an alternate history that fans love. Even the fictional villains in the series are compelling and well-written. Here’s a list of villains that the series has been able to offer thus far.
10Shay Cormac
Shay Cormac might be the most interesting entry on this list. He’s technically a villain as he’s a member of the Templar Order, a former assassin who betrayed the Brotherhood in order to hunt them down and become their executioners.
But he did that because he truly believed the Brotherhood had become blinded by their ideals and was on a bad path. As the player embodies him in the game, it’s hard not to view him as the hero of his own story, yet still he’s on the wrong side of history.
9Crawford Starrick
Crawford Starrick is one of the few villains on this list that is a totally original creation forthe Assassin’s Creed Universerather than a historical figure that was adapted to the series. He’s a ruthless crime boss in Victorian England and has a stranglehold on all criminal activity in London.
The strange thing about the Frye siblings' attempts to take him down is that they had to become criminals themselves to combat him. Only open gang warfare was enough to bring Starrick in line.
8George Washington
It might be strange to consider sucha historical figure like George Washingtona villain. After all, he was considered a hero in Assassin’s Creed 3, despite burning down Connor’s village. However, it was the DLC The Tyranny Of King Washington that showed just how devious the first president could be.
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It was an alternate timeline and wasn’t actually real, but since it occurred in a vision that Washington shared with Connor, they both saw what he was capable of if he proclaimed absolute power. So the vision timeline is still canon.
7Daniel Cross
Daniel Cross didn’t originally appear in an Assassin’s Creed game. His first appearance was in the comics, where he was revealed to be at a descendant of the Russian assassin Nikolai Orelov. The only problem was that Daniel had been brainwashed into assassinating his mentor.
From that moment on, he became an assassin hunter which gave Desmond Miles a lot of trouble in Assassin’s Creed 3. He was a troubled individual and more of a fighter than the despot villains that are classic staples of Assassin’s Creed games.
6Madeleine de L’Isle
There seems to be a running theme of Templars trying to sway assassins to their cause. Madeleine continues this tradition in Assassin’s Creed Liberation.Her adopted daughter Avelinewas set to become a skilled assassin in Louisiana, so Madeleine tried to recruit her for her own cause.
Aveline refused her attempts and responded by eliminating the entire Templar order in the region in one fell swoop. It was such an embarrassment that Abstergo tried to corrupt the memory and change the outcome of events as players relived it.
5Alfred The Great
Alfred the Great holds a peculiar place in Assassin’s Creed villainy. It starts with the fact that the main character of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla wasn’t an assassin at all. Although Eivor was aligned with the Brotherhood, killing those aligned with Alfred wasn’t her ultimate goal.
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The safety of her people was. Once all of Alfred’s allies was no longer a threat, Eivor spared his life as it appeared he retreated into anonymity. Unfortunately, Alfred used his experience with Eivor to found the modern Templar order.
4Cesera Borgia
Ezio had so many different rivalries over the years that it’s hard to mark down who his true arch-nemesis was. He fought against Rodrigo Borgia, even as he ascended to Pope. However, Cesare Borgia was more ambitious, ruthless, and represented Ezio’s generation far more than his father.
In fact, he was the one to truly oppose Ezio as he ascended to the rank of mentor and began to rebuild the Brotherhood in Italy and across Europe. This is one of the rare instances where the real figure was just as bad as the fictional one.
3Basim Ibn Ishaq
It feels weird marking Basim down as a villain given that he nowhas his own Assassin’s Creed gameas a hero, but that’s exactly what he was in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. He started off as an ally, but it was eventually revealed that he was the reincarnated form of Loki to Eivor’s Odin.
A lot about him and his past (and future) remains a mystery, though he will forever be known as someone who ruined Eivor’s relationship with those closest to her, regardless of his heroism.
2Al Mualim
Al Mualim holds the distinction of being the very first Assassin’s Creed villain. His character arc is also emblematic of the Brotherhood’s mission to oppose the Templars. He was originally Altair’s mentor and directed the disgraced assassin into wiping out the Templars in the Holy Land.
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Unfortunately, this was just to pave the way for Al Mualim’s own search for power. Altair had to fight him in the game’s final boss fight, which also showcased just how powerful these strange Artifacts of Eden can be.
1Haytham Kenway
Assassin’s Creed 3 had one of the strangest transitions out of all of the Assassin’s Creed games as it switched from the charismatic Haytham tohis stoic son Connor. But that’s why Haytham is at the top of this list.
His father was an assassin, as was his son, yet Haytham sought to lead to Templar Order in the colonies, which makes him a very peculiar character given how likable he is. This makes him a very dangerous individual. His story is such a unique one that it should definitely be explored more in the Assassin’s Creed universe.
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