Ranked: The Most Terrifying Gears of War Villains Ever

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For approximately 19 years, gamers globally have battled countless hordes of the subterranean monsters from the legendary Gears of War series known as Locusts. Over a span of two decades, new adversaries have emerged for the valiant soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG), including the Union of Independent Republics (UIR), the Lambent, DeeBee robots, and the Swarm, successors to the Locusts. Each faction in Gears of War has its unique motivations for seeking power or dominance over the planet Sera. The UIR aimed for control of the resource Imulsion and independence from the COG. The Locusts strove to escape the Lambent contagion and seize command of the surface world. DeeBees served the First Minister of the new COG and protected its people, while the Swarm sought to annihilate humanity.

In contrast to its renowned brutal campaigns, engaging multiplayer, and hordes of undead creatures (Lambent), the Gears of War series isn’t generally recognized for a diverse array of unique, individual villains. Apart from the Lambent, an Imulsion-based infection that transformed all life into zombie-like beings, each faction in Gears of War was led by many eccentric leaders, though only a select few made actual appearances in the games. For example, no leader of the UIR has been depicted within the game yet. Nevertheless, the Gears of War series does present several villains that can be rated based on their imposing presence, influence on the planet Sera and its inhabitants, and efficiency as adversaries.

S-Tier Gears of War Villains

  • Doctor Niles Samson
  • General RAAM
  • Queen Myrrah/Reyna

As a dedicated Gears of War gamer, I’d have to say that the most chilling villains in this epic saga are those who orchestrated some of the most appalling and ruthless acts throughout Sera’s recorded history. Though Doctor Niles Samson never physically graced the screens of any Gears games, his actions set the stage for the entire series. You see, he was the one who engineered the Locust, a horrifying race that brought about the downfall of humanity.

In the midst of the Pendulum Wars, Samson was tasked with treating children suffering from the Imulsion-induced Rustlung disease. However, his thirst for power took over, and he began experimenting on these defenseless kids to create monstrous Sires as super soldiers for the COG. One such child, named Myrrah, displayed an unusual resistance to Imulsion. Samson exploited this trait, using her to create the Locust. However, his cruelty towards Myrrah and the Locust ultimately led to their rebellion and a war against mankind.

Fast forward 42 years after E-Day, a resurrected copy of Samson’s consciousness found its way into the body of Reyna Diaz. This is where our story truly begins…

Queen Myrrah, devastated by the supposed demise of her daughter Reyna while in the care of Samson, mobilized her Locust Horde with the intention of annihilating all of mankind. To execute this plan, she instructed her most formidable soldier, General RAAM, to initiate a surface invasion, which later became known as Emergence Day. It’s calculated that approximately one quarter of Sera’s human population was exterminated on E-Day alone under RAAM’s command. For 14 years, RAAM left a path of utter devastation in his wake, mercilessly slaughtering COG soldiers like Alicia Valera and Minh Young Kim personally, or using swarms of kryll creatures to tear apart entire cities. The actions of Queen Myrrah, Samson, and General RAAM came very close to eradicating not just humanity but all life on Sera.

A-Tier Gears of War Villains

  • Ukkon
  • Skorge
  • The Speaker

In the heat of the Locust War, RAAM didn’t make it to the end, but his second-in-command and longtime companion, Skorge, took over. Among the rare Kantus military leaders within the Locust Horde, Skorge started as the High Priest of their Trinity of Worms religion, eventually ascending to the position of High General following RAAM’s demise. As High General, Skorge would command a colossal Riftworm to swallow entire cities whole. However, he wouldn’t shy away from combat on the ground, preferring to wield a pair of Gorgon Pistols or utilizing a potent Dual Chainsaw Staff capable of slicing through an entire Centaur tank. Skorge crossed paths with Delta-One several times during Operation: Hollow Storm in ‘Gears of War 2’, but his life was cut short soon after, as he was thrown off his mutated Reaver Hydra.

In the grand saga of Gears of War, I find myself often face-to-face with monstrous, colossal mutations of the Hollow breed. Many of these nightmarish creatures that surfaced during the Locust War were crafted by Ukkon, the Locust’s supreme geneticist, who was also the mastermind behind the construction of towering behemoths like Brumaks and Corpser creatures using Imulsion. Unlike other Locust leaders, Ukkon wasn’t a true Locust but was instead the first and only Sire to preserve his intellectual prowess.

Twenty-five years post V-Day, a Locust Drone was reborn as the Swarm Scion, The Speaker. Under the guidance of Myrrah’s consciousness, he orchestrated the formation of the Swarm. Although The Speaker’s role in Gears of War 4 was short-lived, he left an indelible mark as a formidable adversary, abducting people and engaging in fierce battles atop a Swarmak.

B-Tier Gears of War Villains

  • First Minister Mina Jinn
  • Colonel Ezra Pound Loomis
  • General Karn

It’s not always the case that every villain in the ‘Gears of War’ series is powerful, competent, or significant. For instance, Colonel Ezra Pound Loomis and General Karn from ‘Gears of War: Judgment’. Throughout the game, Colonel Loomis demonstrates poor leadership by recklessly sending COG soldiers to their deaths in Halvo Bay, posing a greater threat to Kilo Squad than the Locust themselves as he orders their execution for saving Halvo Bay. In contrast, Kilo Squad doesn’t have much interaction with General Karn’s character during the game’s storyline. They only encounter him at the end of ‘Judgment’, where they immediately kill him upon their first direct encounter.

Compared to certain antagonists in Gears of War, who were less engaged, the character of First Minister Mina Jinn in Gears of War 4 plays a more significant role for approximately half of the game’s duration, leading the DeeBee robots. However, unlike an intimidating adversary, Jinn appears as more of a problematic character due to her quick judgments and lack of foresight, often assuming the worst about people and only attempting to help them fight the Swarm when it’s already too late. Jinn misuses her authority over DeeBees to exert power over her citizens and those seeking independence, causing destruction and ensuring that people continue to dislike the COG despite their efforts to rebuild society.

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2025-02-18 14:06