If you grew up watching 80s cartoons, you probably have some favorite villains you rooted against from your childhood. From some of the cheesiest to the most memorable, 80s cartoon villains left a huge mark on our childhood and are still hugely popular even today.
To celebrate the ranking of big baddies, were gonna list the Top 10 cartoon villains of the 1980s.
So, let the countdown Begin!
#10
Miles Mayhem, from the show M.A.S.K.
He is the cruel and aggressive leader of a deadly criminal organization named V.E.N.O.M. Miles actually killed the leader of M.A.S.K.’s brother, Andy Tracker – so he’s one cold blooded killer.
#9
Gargamel, from The Smurfs
He’s a evil wizard and the sworn enemy of the Smurfs. His sole purpose in life is to hunt down all Smurfs and either eat them, turn them to gold, or use them in his potions for making spells. So, When it comes to hating something as cute as a Smurf, you just have to be evil for that.
#8
Mon*star, from Silverhawks
He is an evil mob boss that is determined to rule the galaxy and destroy the Silverhawks in the process. This monstrous feline humanoid turns all muscle bound and spiked armor plated when he gets power from the beams of Limbo’s Moonstar.
#7
Hordak, from She-Ra: Princess Of Power
Hordak is the leader of the Evil Horde. He is the most powerful of the evil beings in Etheria, which is Eternia’s sister planet. Hordak killed King Grayskull and was the former mentor of Skeletor, until Skeletor betrayed him and trapped him in another dimension. He now operates as the evil ruler of Etheria and is the main villain in the show She-Ra: Princess of Power.
#6
Venger, from Dungeons and Dragons
Also known as The Force of Evil, he’s an evil Demon Sorcerer that has great and mysterious powers. He is the main enemy from Dungeons and Dragons and later in the series its found that he is actually the son of the Dungeon Master (Spoiler!!). Venger’s sole purpose in life is the Kill the Dungeon Master and Rule the Realm. He possibly knows nearly every spell in the D & D RPG books, so this would make him one formidable enemy. Especially if your playing DnD.
#5
Shredder, from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Any villain that can take on 4 martial artist turtles has to be in the top 5. He had some real flunkies though in Bebop and Rocksteady, so he wasn’t very good at hiring his minions, and he was second in command behind the freak of nature Krang. But still, he was one evil SOB, and pretty much anyone that comes in his path trembled in fear.
#4
Skelator, from HE-MAN and he Masters Of The Universe
This bad guy is classic – One of the most well known and ruthless villains that 80s kids would remember. Skeletor is just the epitome of a villain. He had that maniacal creepy laugh that was perfect for his character, some crazy magical powers, and was hell bent on the total destruction of He-Man and Eternia!
#3
Mum-Ra, from Thundercats
He looks unassuming in his weak mummy form until he calls on the ancient spirits of evil to becomes a huge muscle bound monster. Mum-Ra would kill every Thundercat and eat their souls if given a chance. He’s bound in servitude to four undead evil sorcerers, known as the Ancient Spirits of Evil – so he’s not completely in charge of the underworld.. But close.
#2
Cobra Commander, from GIJOE: A Real American Hero
When you think of an 80s terrorist that wants to rule the world, kill GI JOES, and will stop at nothing, Cobra Commander is near the top of the list. He was great at picking his sidekicks, with having Destro and Baroness at his side, and he runs a huge and ruthless terrorist organization meant to bring terror and destruction upon all of Earth.
Before we get to #1, I know there’s some of you that are probably disappointed yours favorite villain didn’t make the list, but maybe it made it in our top #15 through 11.
At #15. Prince Lotar From Voltron, #14. Cy-Kill from Challenge of the Go-Bots, #13. Dr. Claw, from Inspector Gadget, #12. Baron Greenback from Danger Mouse, and #11. Doc Terror from the Centurions.
And now that we got that out of the way!
Coming in at the #1 spot is:
#1
Megatron, from Transformers
He’s absolutely ruthless and has a awesome backstory to boot. Sorta reminds me of Zod from Superman. Megatrons motto is Peace Through Tyranny, and aside from always taking crap from Starscream, this baddie is ruthless and will stop at nothing to Enslave and Destroy anyone or thing in his path. Plus, he actually DID KILL Optimus Prime, who is one of the most beloved cartoon HERO’s of all time.
So, that’s our top 10 villains from 80s cartoons. Let me know which ones you’d pick for your top 5 Villains of the 1980s. You can post them in the comments section below.
And Remember, if it aint Retro, It aint worth reading!
