"[S]oon, the world will be destroyed, you along with it."
The Sorceress: That's it, I've had enough! I'm going to create a monster to end all monsters! And I'm going to send it out to destroy all the dragons, even the little hatchlings! Yes, yes! It will smash them, and crush them, and grind them, and tear them! Ohoho, yes! Smear them, and smoosh them, and crack them, and crease them!
Bianca: But, uh, won't that kill them?
The Sorceress: (laughs) That doesn't matter! As long as I can still collect their wings!
Bianca: What?! All this time, you only wanted them for their wings?!
The Sorceress: Of course, you ignorant girl. I need them for a spell, so I can live forever!
Bianca: Uh-uh, wait, wait a second, a s-a spell?!
The Sorceress: What did you think I was going to do with all those dragons; open a zoo?
Bianca: You said just keeping them in our world was enough. You never said you had to kill them!
The Sorceress: I don't have to kill them. It just stops them from wriggling so much.
Bianca: You're terrible! I can't believe I ever listened to you! (walks away)
The Sorceress: Stupid, insolent brat. I'll take care of her as soon as I finish off that dragon.
Bianca: But, uh, won't that kill them?
The Sorceress: (laughs) That doesn't matter! As long as I can still collect their wings!
Bianca: What?! All this time, you only wanted them for their wings?!
The Sorceress: Of course, you ignorant girl. I need them for a spell, so I can live forever!
Bianca: Uh-uh, wait, wait a second, a s-a spell?!
The Sorceress: What did you think I was going to do with all those dragons; open a zoo?
Bianca: You said just keeping them in our world was enough. You never said you had to kill them!
The Sorceress: I don't have to kill them. It just stops them from wriggling so much.
Bianca: You're terrible! I can't believe I ever listened to you! (walks away)
The Sorceress: Stupid, insolent brat. I'll take care of her as soon as I finish off that dragon.
Regardless of continuity, the titular purple dragon and his allies are always against a wide variety of villains. A select few prove, however, that when it comes to being excessively vile, "the sky's the limit."
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Video Games
- Ripto's Rage! Japanese translation: Ripto's villainy is given far more emphasis and menace in this version of the game. A dinosaur who loathes dragons and seeks power above all else, Ripto arrives in Avalar and begins plans to conquer it. He turns entire groups of people against each other to spark civil wars, dispatches minions to enslave worlds, and demands his armies bring him sapient baby turtles so he can have them cooked up and made into a delicacy. Ripto further has the Satyr race turned to stone, drains the water of the seahorse people so they slowly die of dehydration, and kidnaps the children of the seahorse king in an attempt to control him. When Spyro and his friends disrupt Ripto's activities, Ripto kidnaps the fairy Zoe and tries to feed her to one of his minions — promising he'll have the entire fairy race devoured in his domination if need be — and makes multiple attempts to kill all of Spyro's allies out of spite for him being a dragon.
- Year of the Dragon: The Sorceress is the cruel ruler of the Forgotten Worlds. Manipulating her apprentice Bianca into abducting 150 Dragon Eggs under the guise of restoring magic to her kingdom, the Sorceress reveals the true depths of her selfishness and hypocrisy, with her true intentions being to collect the dragon hatchling's wings for a spell to gain immortality — nonchalantly stating that she doesn't even have to kill them; she just doesn't want them wriggling around while she removes their wings. Completely uncaring of the lives of her men, the Sorceress transforms her own minions into freakish monsters to fight Spyro, and ultimately, due to her annoyance of Spyro's interference, creates a "monster to end all monsters" to wipe out every dragon. A genocidal tyrant who only cares about herself, the Sorceress stands out as the darkest and purest villain in the original Spyro trilogy.
- Shadow Legacy: The Sorcerer is a Purple Dragon who believes that he is a "True Dragon", claiming that the other dragons are not true dragons. Prior to the events of the game, the Sorcerer corrupts Red with his magic, and orders him to place life draining Dark Gems across the realms to poison the life of the world. After Red's defeat, the Sorcerer creates three Shadow Amplifier Machines to pull everyone, including children, to the Shadow Realm so he can drain them of their magic, which involves torturing and leaving them to die there. When Bianca tries to stop him, the Sorcerer easily defeats her and orders Red to use her as bait for Spyro so he can kill him — also using Red as a scapegoat as the one responsible for his actions. When Spyro finally confronts the Sorcerer, he offers to make Spyro his apprentice, only for him to reject him anyways, deeming him too small and weak, before attempting to kill him for interfering his plans — with his final plan to drag everyone back into the Shadow Realm to drain them of their magic. A cruel, dark being who believes himself to be superior to the other dragons, the Sorcerer serves as one of Spyro's darkest foes.
The Legend of Spyro trilogy
- Malefor is a monstrously evil dragon responsible for the trilogy's events whose civilised front barely conceals the sadistic monster underneath. Banished by the Dragon Elders after succumbing to his own ambition and megalomania, Malefor formulated a new army and waged war against his own kind before being sealed away. To stop the prophecy of the Purple Dragon, Malefor had his Ape servants raid the Dragon Temple and smash all of the Eggs within. Seeking to be released from his prison, Malefor provided Gaul the dark magic in which he could corrupt the hatchling Cynder into a loyal servant, having her torture and drain the magic of the Dragon Elders to aid him. Free from his prison, Malefor "rewards" his Ape army by stripping them of their flesh and forcing them to live in the shadows. Creating a new army of Grublins from the earth, Malefor has them ravage the surface, killing all within their path. Fond of crushing the hope of his enemies, Malefor has his armies retreat from the Siege of Warfang, only to allow the Golem the opportunity to wreak destruction upon the city. Intending on bringing about "The Great Cleansing", Malefor resurrects The Destroyer and attempts to use it to bathe the world in a blazing inferno and extinguish all that lives. When Spyro and Cynder reach his lair, Malefor brainwashes Cynder to try and kill Spyro, mocking him during the attack of the impending apocalypse.
- The Eternal Night: Gaul is the leader of the Apes who seeks to release Malefor from his prison. Prior to the story, Gaul personally led the raid on the Dragon Temple, destroying every Dragon Egg there. Taking Cynder's Egg back to his lair, Gaul uses Malefor's magic to warp the young Cynder into an instrument of war, keeping her aware of her actions, and through her had countless innocents enslaved or slaughtered. In the second game, Gaul has his followers siege the Dragon Temple again purely to kill Spyro. Later in the game, Gaul commits an attack on the Skavenger's ship, leaving it to burn with its inhabitants inside to kidnap Cynder, mocking her impending demise at Malefor's hand. Before the final battle, Gaul drains Spyro of his magic for an easier kill. Despite having a deep hatred for dragons, Gaul committed many atrocities under Malefor's command purely to obtain more power.
- Dawn of the Dragon: The Golem is an ancient creature from deep underground whose malice and intelligence averts it being a mindless destructive beast. Summoned by Malefor to kill Spyro and Cynder, the Golem is relentless with its pursuit, attempting to either crush the duo or devour them alive. Escaping to the surface, the Golem attacks the city of Warfang, laying waste to it with the intent of leaving the whole city in a pile of flaming ruins and its inhabitants dead.
- The Darkness is the source of all evil in the franchise, with the ultimate goal of the total destruction of Skylands followed by domination of the universe. Having terrorized Skylands in the past before being driven off, The Darkness continued to influence and corrupt many evil beings over time. Revealing its intelligence in Superchargers, The Darkness happily aids Kaos in powering the Sky-Eater before hijacking the scheme and persuading Kaos to destroy Skylands instead, eventually threatening him when he shows reluctance. The Darkness's other, more personal crimes include wiping out Voodood's tribe, destroying Boom Jet's home village, and nearly corrupting Spyro into Dark Spyro. Fully comprehending morality and choosing to embrace evil, The Darkness proves to be a dark villain in an otherwise lighthearted setting.
Other Media
- The Legend of Spyro unproduced script (link
): The Dark Master is an evil Purple Dragon who seeks dominion over the realms. Creating an army of monsters, The Dark Master has them raze the surface, killing all in their path and leaving the lands as a charred wasteland. Seeking more power, the Dark Master uses a red jewel to steal the souls of the dragons he killed to bolster his own power. Kidnapping Cynder as a hatchling, the Dark Master twisted her into a snarling beast and used her as a weapon of war, keeping her aware of her actions. Hearing of Spyro's existence, the Dark Master has his minions attack the Dragonfly Village to bring him out, later attacking the Dragon Temple and stealing Ignitus's soul. Despite once being able to be the defender of the realms, the Dark Master willingly chose to harbor power and wouldn't be content until he's got it all, standing on a world of ashes. - Skylanders IDW Publishing comic: Malefor is the self-crowned Undead Dragon King in the Underworld of Skylands and is one of the Skylanders' more sinister foes. Corrupting many inhabitants of Skylands to do his bidding, Malefor would have his minions kidnap Cynder before she was hatched so he can corrupt her into one of his servants and have her spread fear, terror, and destruction throughout Skylands. When Spyro manages to free Cynder from his control, Malefor would then attempt to capture and torture Hex in an attempt to learn about the secrets of her powers and use them for his own ends, leading to Hex seemingly destroying him, though not before she is transformed into one of the undead. Seeking revenge for his defeat, Malefor forces Calliope to assist him in reviving him with the powers of Spyro, Cynder, and Hex, rendering them weak and helpless, falsely promising her to help her find her family if she does while threatening to kill her if she dares to disobey him. Upon his revival, he traps Spyro, Cynder, Hex, and Wallop in the Cadaverous Crypts, only sparing them so they can watch as Malefor destroys everything and everyone they ever knew and love in revenge for his defeat, starting with the Skylanders Academy, which is full of young students, all the while absorbing the powers from the other Skylanders as well. An arrogant, malevolent dragon with no comedic aspects whatsoever, Malefor is easily one of the Skylands' most dangerous villains.
