10 Video Game Villain Plot Holes Everyone Missed
We see right through Saddler's schemes.
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00:00It's not just graphics in video games that have evolved over the years, but the story
00:04too.
00:05In another time, narratives never got more complex than moving from A to B, but the sagas
00:09of video games these days are downright comprehensive.
00:12However, inconsistencies start to arise once a plot becomes too complex.
00:17And since a villain tends to kickstart the hero's adventure, many plot holes fall on
00:22their shoulders.
00:23Spoiler warnings are in full effect, because I'm Sy for WhatCulture.com and these are
00:2710 Video Game Villain Plot Holes Everyone Missed.
00:3110.
00:32Onaga's Army – Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance and Mortal Kombat Deception
00:36Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance opens with Quan Chi discovering the skeletal army of Onaga
00:41the Dragon King.
00:42The Kiss-inspired sorcerer allies with Shang Tsung, knowing he can use his soul-transferring
00:47powers to resurrect Onaga's minions.
00:50When Raiden gets wind of this, he alerts Earthrealm's champions, telling them they must stop the
00:54two insidious warlocks at once.
00:56Although the details behind the undead army are vague, Raiden emphasises they are unstoppable.
01:02But in Mortal Kombat Deceptions opening, Raiden manages to stop them.
01:06So why was Raiden worried about the malevolent horde if he could just obliterate them with
01:10a single energy blast?
01:12If the army were this easy to dispose of, why did Shang Tsung and Quan Chi need them
01:16so badly?
01:17They already have thousands at their command, how is a bunch of zombie samurais going to
01:22help the devious duo take over not just a world, but the entire multiverse?
01:27This inconsistency is more apparent in hindsight, since Onaga's foot soldiers haven't been
01:32seen or mentioned in twenty years, even though Shang Tsung and Quan Chi once regarded them
01:37as the ultimate weapon.
01:38A benign Lazarevich knows the Tree of Life is corrupt, Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
01:44In Uncharted 2 Among Thieves, the maniacal warlord Zoran Lazarevich hunts down treasure
01:49hunter Nathan Drake, knowing he can lead him to Shambhala.
01:53Hoping to use the divine plant's power to take over the world, Lazarevich manipulates
01:57Nate to take him to it.
01:58However, Lazarevich's ambitions are dashed when he sees Shambhala's guardians have
02:02been corrupted after they consumed the tree's sap.
02:05Although the guardians have been granted immortality, the mystical ooze has transformed them into
02:10deranged creatures compelled to protect the tree at all costs.
02:14So what does Lazarevich do?
02:16Even though he knows the tainted sap will eventually turn him into a crazed monster,
02:19he still drinks from it.
02:21After bearing witness to the sap's long-lasting effects, Lazarevich should have gotten out
02:25of Shambhala as quickly as possible.
02:27It's highly likely the disgraced soldier would be heading straight to jail once he
02:30left due to all the war crimes he committed to reach the Tree of Life.
02:34And even though that's a bummer, it's better than being forced to becoming a mindless
02:37slave for all eternity.
02:39Bane tries to kill Batman after he saves him, Batman Arkham Origins
02:45Throughout Batman Arkham Origins, the Dark Knight must face off against Joker and Bane.
02:49Despite having a common enemy, the two supervillains aren't allies.
02:52In fact, Bane tries to blow up the gleeful clown with a rocket the first time they meet.
02:57To be fair, the Joker has that effect on people.
02:59However, the nefarious luchador agrees to work with Joker when he makes an offer Bane
03:04can't refuse.
03:05After leading Batman to Blackgate Prison, Joker places a heart monitor on Bane that
03:09causes his heartbeat to charge an electric chair which the wicked jester is strapped
03:14into.
03:15Knowing Batman will never take a life, Bane believes this fight will allow him to kill
03:18his sworn enemy and Joker in one fell swoop.
03:22However, Batman does kill Bane, compelling Joker to escape.
03:25Bats then jumpstart Bane's heart with an electric charge, bringing him back to life.
03:29And the muscle-bound brute thanks Batman for saving him by… trying to kill him.
03:34Considering Joker used Bane as his pawn and left him for dead, the venom-powered maniac's
03:39top priority should be hunting down the clown prince of crime.
03:42Not only does Bane let Joker go free, he takes his anger out on the guy who saved his life.
03:487.
03:49Dr. Eggman Destroys the Moon – Sonic Adventure 2
03:52In Sonic Adventure 2, Dr. Eggman uses the Chaos Emeralds to activate his grandfather's
03:57space vessel, ARK.
03:58Sonic's archenemy then creates a global broadcast, announcing he'll unleash world-ending
04:02destruction if his demands aren't met.
04:05To prove he's not bluffing, Robotnik uses the ARK's cannon to obliterate half of the
04:09moon.
04:10The broadcast then displays a 24-hour countdown, highlighting how much time is left before
04:15the egg-shaped scientist destroys the world.
04:18But technically, he already has.
04:20Or at least, he should've.
04:22Considering Eggman has an IQ of 300, he should know that decimating the moon would cause
04:26city-sized debris to smash into the planet, capable of ending life as we know it ten times
04:31over.
04:32Even if every moon fragment burned up in the atmosphere, decimating the moon would disrupt
04:37Earth's gravitational pull, causing seismic and tidal disasters worldwide.
04:41Also, why don't the people of Earth care more that the moon just blew up?
04:45The citizens of Earth gaze at the celestial body's destruction with the same concern
04:49one would have if they missed the bus.
04:51It's also worth noting that the moon seems to have magically healed itself without explanation
04:55in other games.
04:56The official, genuine, no-BS lore reason for this is that the moon has rotated 180 degrees
05:02and that the destroyed side is now the dark side.
05:06Yes.
05:07Genuinely.
05:086.
05:09The Crowd Cheer When Edea Commits Murder – Final Fantasy VIII
05:12In Final Fantasy VIII, Maul and his friends discover the Galbadian ambassador, Edea, has
05:17used magic to take control over the militia.
05:20After President Dealing invites her to speak to the citizens, Edea goes full dictator,
05:24declaring she will usher in a new age of bloodshed.
05:27When Dealing tries to interfere, the sinister sorceress slaughters him.
05:32Instead of running in terror, the audience continue to cheer as if their ambassador did
05:36not just admit she was a tyrant before murdering the president.
05:39Weirder still, the crowd stay for the rest of the ceremony, dancing and clapping even
05:44after the evil enchantress impales Squall with an ice shard.
05:48Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania tried to explain away this inconsistency.
05:52According to this companion book, Edea brainwashed her audience, making them applaud for her
05:57even when they saw her true colours.
05:59But if Edea can brainwash thousands of people, why doesn't the wrathful witch mind-control
06:04Squall's friends?
06:05Also, Edea performs a spell during this scene to freeze Rinoa in place.
06:09Why doesn't she utilise this power all the time?
06:12By freezing Squall to the spot, Edea could walk up to him and blow his head off with
06:16a Thundaga.
06:175.
06:18Dominguez saves his people by killing them – Shadow of the Tomb Raider
06:21In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft finds herself at odds with Pedro Dominguez.
06:26Caught in Petiti by the cult of Kukulkan, Dominguez was taken in by the Trinity, a sinister
06:31organisation that manipulated the cult for centuries.
06:35After witnessing Trinity exploit his tribe for years, Dominguez planned to use the magical
06:39power of the Ix Chel amulet to protect his people from the outside world.
06:43However, none of Dominguez's plan adds up.
06:46For hundreds of years, the cult did everything in their power to ensure Petiti wasn't influenced
06:50by outsiders.
06:51And yet they welcomed Dominguez back and crowned him their king after he spent decades living
06:56in the outside world.
06:58It makes less sense when you consider that Dominguez's goal contradicts everything
07:01the Kul Kukan worshippers believe.
07:03Rather than bringing peace, Dominguez uses the Ix Chel to unleash apocalyptic events
07:08across the globe.
07:09Now you could argue Dominguez is cleansing the world from potential threats to allow
07:13his homeland to prosper.
07:14The problem with this argument is that Dominguez uses the artefact to bring untold destruction
07:19to Petiti, killing the people he vowed to defend.
07:22If Dominguez truly cared about his home, he could have destroyed Trinity from the inside,
07:27preventing them from manipulating the tribe.
07:294.
07:30Nobody Identified Makarov – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
07:34In the infamous No Russian level in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, ultra-nationalist Vladimir
07:39Makarov has his men slaughter hundreds of innocent people in a Moscow airport.
07:44This mission is a false flag operation since Makarov frames the American government for
07:49the attack.
07:50Makarov hopes this psy-op will trigger World War 3, which will result in the collapse of
07:54the United States, allowing Russia to remain the only superpower on Earth.
07:59Even though Makarov has put a lot of thought into his plan, there's one basic thing he
08:02doesn't factor in.
08:04If Makarov intends to incriminate the US, why doesn't he wear a mask during the massacre?
08:09Mowing down bystanders at the airport, his face would have been picked up by various
08:13survivors and not to mention dozens of cameras.
08:16Nevertheless, nobody identifies Makarov during the assault, despite being the most well-known
08:21terrorist on the planet.
08:22Look, gamers can forgive the odd crack in the story if it's unavoidable, but all the
08:26developers had to do to correct this colossal plot hole is have Makarov wear a balaclava
08:31or some other face covering during the mission.
08:333.
08:34Sadler Doesn't Free Ashley After She's Infected – Resident Evil 4
08:39In Resident Evil 4, Special Agent Leon S. Kennedy is tasked with rescuing the US President's
08:44daughter Ashley Graham after she's been kidnapped by a cult called Los Illuminados.
08:49Leon is led to a rural village, where the locals have been infected by a mind-controlling
08:53parasite called Las Plagas.
08:55After Leon locates Ashley, he prepares to take her home.
08:58Suddenly, the cult leader Sadler appears, revealing Ashley has been infected with Las
09:03Plagas.
09:04Once the parasite has reached maturity, she'll be under Sadler's control.
09:08Sadler will then manipulate Ashley to infect the President, allowing him to take over the
09:12country from the inside.
09:14As every James Bond villain knows, telling the hero your entire plan in meticulous detail
09:18never works out.
09:19But what Sadler does next makes even less sense.
09:22For the rest of the game, Sadler's minions desperately try to retrieve Ashley so that
09:26they can… um…
09:28Huh?
09:29If Sadler hadn't said anything, Leon would have assumed he accomplished his mission,
09:32oblivious to Ashley as carrying a brain-controlling virus.
09:36After Leon rescued Ashley, Sadler should have commanded his lackeys to stand down, allowing
09:41Ashley to unknowingly play her part in his master plan.
09:442.
09:45Handsome Jack can easily resurrect himself, Borderlands 2
09:50Dying in the Borderlands series isn't a big deal, since the world of Pandora is filled
09:54with resurrection terminals called New You Stations.
09:57Anyone who stored their DNA into the unit's database will respawn moments after their
10:01death, for a small fee of course.
10:04And this is an interesting feature, since the story acknowledges every single time the
10:08main character dies.
10:10Unfortunately, the New You Stations also create a humongous plot hole.
10:14Why isn't everyone using these Digistruct terminals?
10:17Better still, why doesn't the primary villain, Handsome Jack, utilise these death-defying
10:22gizmos?
10:23Considering he's in charge of the New You Stations, it makes no sense why he didn't
10:27take five minutes out of his day to ensure he could cheat death.
10:30Annoyingly, this inconsistency could have easily been remedied with a single throwaway
10:34line.
10:35Jack's DNA could have been corrupted after being exposed to the vault, making it impossible
10:40for him to back up his consciousness.
10:42Alternatively, the vault hunters could have created a firewall in the New You that blocked
10:46Jack's genes.
10:47But since no such explanation has ever been given, this plot hole has remained for over
10:52a decade.
10:531.
10:54Skull Face's Entire Plan Is Stupid – Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain
10:59Metal Gear Solid deals with all sorts of larger-than-life concepts, including cyborgs, clones, vampires,
11:05doomsday weapons and bomb experts on roller skates.
11:08Having said that, Skull Face's plan in The Phantom Pain is the crown jewel of stupidity.
11:13The villain believes the human conflict doesn't lie in greed or hate, but in language.
11:18By targeting every English speaker on Earth, Skull Face will trigger a vocal cord parasite
11:23– whatever that is – killing them all in an instant.
11:26This will save the world… somehow.
11:30Not only does this ludicrous plot feel more suitable for GI Joe than Metal Gear Solid,
11:35it doesn't really make any sense.
11:37No language is set in stone, since words and meanings constantly evolve.
11:41Also, all modern languages stem from a multitude of older lexicons.
11:45English is derived from Frisian, Dutch, German and Latin.
11:48Are those dialects okay in Skull Face's grand plan?
11:52What about variations of English?
11:53Is Middle English or Ye Olde English acceptable to speak?
11:57Where is the cut-off point?
11:59Oh, and one more thing.
12:00Skull Face speaks English.
12:02So does his entire squad.
12:03While Skull Face was formulating this plan over the years, one of his minions should
12:07have really mentioned his vocal parasite – again, whatever that is – will result in their
12:12deaths.
12:13What's interesting about Skull Face is that, despite his plan being absolute nonsense,
12:17lots of people were excited to see what he would actually do, but it didn't really
12:21work out, did it?
12:22We featured him in a list of 10 Video Game Villains With Wasted Potential which you can
12:26check out next.
12:27Otherwise, don't forget to like this video, leave a comment and subscribe, and head over
12:31to whatculture.com for more content every day.
12:34I've been Sy for WhatCulture, and have a good week.