Top 10 Best Cartoon Villains of the 2000s
A new millennium brings with it a new breed of villainy. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 villains of the 2000s.
For our series on villains from animated series, we'll be looking at characters that left an impact on kids of a certain decade – in this case, that means the most devilish bad guys who came to fruition in the Oughties. Anime villains like Orochimaru won't be included, and neither will characters that are more associated with the '90s or 2010s, such as The RowdyRuff Boys and Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
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#10: Father “Codename: Kids Next Door” (2002-08)
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For all their crazy, goofy enemies, by far the creepiest and most dangerous baddies the Kids Next Door ever dealt with were the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. Who could father such soulless villains? Turns out, they’re the spawn of a shadowy figure with the ability to manipulate fire like a demon, who simply goes by the name “Father,” and is able to summon an obscene amount of flames from his body. Father is the most dangerous adult the Kids Next Door have ever had to face, and brings a deadly new meaning to the phrase “time out”. He might be named “Father” but don’t expect to find him playing catch or teaching his children to ride a bike.
#9: Mom “Futurama” (1999-2013)
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From one malicious parent to the next - Mom may wear the guise of a sweet old lady, but in reality she’s a smack talking, cantankerous old woman who’ll do anything to get her way. She’s the richest person on Earth, with the mind of a tycoon, and is always looking to make more dough at the expense of others, be they humans or robots. Her villainous nature is made all the more hilarious with the addition of her filthy habits, whether it’s her constant smoking or her unsettling on-again off-again sex life with Professor Farnsworth. Her sons are proof of her poor parenting skills, and – somewhat fortunately – are the most frequent targets of her abuse.
#8: Dr. Drakken “Kim Possible” (2002-07)
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The world’s greatest teenage spy deserves an equally menacing nemesis; however that’s not the case for Kim Possible, who got stuck with Drakken; a petty, easily riled up megalomaniac who is constantly foiled in his plans for domination. He may have a brilliant mind, but his bumbling attitude always ends up leading to his downfall, a flaw that may leave him wallowing in defeat but makes us split our sides in laughter. Shego may be the more lethal of the two in terms of combat, but there’s no way we’d leave the Dr Evil of cartoon characters off of this list.
#7: Vladimir ‘Vlad’ Masters [aka Vlad Plasmius] “Danny Phantom” (2004-07)
If you think you can hold a grudge, wait till you meet Vlad Masters. Once a friend of Jack Fenton back in his college days, a freak accident robbed him of his social standing, academic future and the love of his life - all of which he blames on Jack. As a result of the accident, he became the villainous ghost known as Vlad Plasmius, and his deep-seated hatred for the Fentons made him a prime candidate to become the archenemy of Danny Phantom. While he may be driven by revenge, Vlad is nothing if not a show off, which he makes painfully clear to Danny with his mastery of his ghostly powers.
#6: Denzel Crocker “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-06; 2008-)
And you thought your teachers were bad? At least they weren’t obsessed and completely consumed with capturing fairly godparents! Timmy Turner’s psychotic homeroom teacher only has one goal in life, and that’s to prove to the world that he’s not as insane as everyone thinks he is, and that his student does indeed have magical fairies at his disposal. While Vicky might be the most evil babysitter alive with a heart as black as coal, what sets Crocker apart is that he never comes across as too sympathetic or creepy – just the right amount of crazy. His over-the-top, gravity defying freak-outs whenever someone even mentions the existence of fairies are also the highlight of any episode.
#5: Gorrath “Megas XLR” (2004-05)
This alien commander really doesn’t like humans. The master of the Glorft Army, Gorrath travels back in time to present-day Earth in pursuit of the ultimate robot known as MEGAS – which stands for Mechanized Earth Guard Attack System. MEGAS, and the unlikely slacker-hero Coop, are the only hope mankind has left to defend itself from total extinction. Unfortunately for Gorrath, he’s not prepared for the unstoppable, totally pimped-out, XLR version of MEGAS, complete with an awesome new paint job and a New Jersey attitude to boot. Despite his various defeats and the majority of his forces getting blown to pieces, Gorrath is not one to back down. This show had plenty of memorable characters, but on any given episode, Gorrath would steal the show.
#4: Slade “Teen Titans” (2003-06)
From his very first appearance there was no doubt that this masked mastermind meant business. Voiced by Ron Perlman, this updated version of the DC Comics character Death Stroke is a force to be reckoned with. Though he’s strong enough to take on the Titans all on his own, his motivation for most of the series was finding an apprentice to carry on his dark legacy. But even when that fails, he always seems to have another plan right up his sleeve. In fact, he’s so badass that he manages to haunt Robin from beyond the grave, and even makes a deal with a literal devil in order to come back from the dead…only to turn on him and actually kick his ass. That’s impressively evil.
#3: Aku “Samurai Jack” (2001-04; 2016)
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The amalgamation of all the evil in the universe takes shape as a demonic-looking being with a laugh that pierces through time itself - how could he not be on this list? In the beginning, Aku was nothing but formless darkness floating through space, until three mythical Gods destroyed him. However, a small shard of his essence survived and landed on Earth, eventually taking on the form we all know and fear. He may constantly be bested by our favorite samurai, but since he holds dominion over the world, The Shogun of Sorrow is still the one holding all the cards.
#2: The Monarch “The Venture Bros.” (2003-)
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It takes guts to draw your supervillain inspiration from a butterfly, but kudos to the Venture Bros primary antagonist for pulling it off…to varying degrees of success. With a deep-rooted, obsessive hatred for Thaddeus Venture, The Monarch is the supervillain we often find ourselves rooting for due to just how pathetically incompetent he actually is. Still, considering he’s a wimp that doesn’t exactly know much about butterflies, he still manages to gain a group of devoted henchmen - not to mention a smoking hot, yet rather gravelly-voiced, partner in the form of Doctor Mrs The Monarch. Well played. Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - Vilgax “Ben 10” (2005-08) - Shendu “Jackie Chan Adventures” (2000-05) - Mr. Freeze “The Batman” (2004-08)
#1: Fire Lord Ozai “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)
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While this villain remained shrouded in mystery for the majority of the series, his influence could be felt in every single episode. As the Ruler of the Fire Nation, he causes extensive suffering, which can be seen in the oppression of the Water Tribe as well as on the scarred face of his own son. And, all of that happens before he even takes centre stage as the main antagonist. Of course, things change in the finale, where he shows viewers the true extent of his ruthlessness with his plans to set fire to the entire Earth Kingdom, culminating in a legendary showdown with Avatar Aang. All hail the Phoenix King!
