The Uncharted series has a great cast of characters that are lovable, funny, and realistic. The trio of Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, and Elena Fisher, in particular, are insuperable. However, Uncharted isn’t just a series about good guys, as there are plenty of strong antagonists, too.
In fact, there is a new set of big bads for every game, and they reflect the depth of storytelling for each entry. Uncharted has every flavor of villain from the wisecracking to the menacing to the cool. There is an equal level of variety in the quality of said villains, too, as some are duds, while others are a tour de force on screen.
Warning! This list includes spoilers for every Uncharted game.
Updated March 16, 2022 By Ben Jessey: There hasn’t been a main entry in the Uncharted series for a while. Yet, the games remain some of the most beloved in PlayStation history. And the recent film adaptation has put more attention on the overall franchise.
However, despite how beloved the series is, it still feels like the games’ villains don’t get the respect they deserve. They’re often overlooked in favor of Nate, Sully, and Elena. While it’s understandable as those three are amazing, the series boasts some brilliant antagonists, too. But which of them is the best?
17 Draza (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
Draza serves as Lazarovic’s right-hand man throughout most of the second game. He’s barely noticeable during most of the adventure, but he does become a threat in the Tunnel Vision chapter. Drake runs into him while searching for Chloe, and the confrontation leads to a fight.
It’s not an easy brawl for the protagonist as Draza is a very large and powerful man. In fact, Nate may have died if it wasn’t for Chloe’s shooting the antagonist. Beyond that one confrontation, though, Draza isn’t a very notable character. He simply spends most of his time looking mean and saying nothing.
16 Gustavo (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
Gustavo is the man Nate fights in the prison yard and later inside the prison itself during Uncharted 4. He’s not in the game for long, and he never speaks a word of English, so it’s hard to get a good read on his personality.
All that’s clear is that he doesn’t like Nate, which is fair because the protagonist did pick a fight with him as part of his plan to retrieve the St. Dismas idol. Yet, the man takes things too far by attempting to kill Drake, so he’s clearly a villain. And he’s a convincing one at that, despite not being the biggest guy around.
15 Roberto Guerro (Uncharted: Golden Abyss)
In Golden Abyss, Nathan Drake is in direct competition with an evil leader of a revolutionary army. His name is Roberto Guerro, and during the game, he works with Jason Dante to locate the Lost City Of Quivira.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t measure up to the other main villains of the series. He’s a one-dimensional bad guy who often gets violent and angry. And his one goal is to acquire gold. Therefore, the character isn’t the most original or intriguing of all time.
14 Orca (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End And Uncharted: The Lost Legacy)
Shoreline plays a big role in Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy. Therefore, it’s a little surprising that Orca is only a minor character. He is, after all, one of the main people in the mercenary company. In fact, once Nadine leaves, he runs the operation - albeit the organization isn’t doing as well by that point.
Despite his minimal role, he makes a bit of an impression when he interacts with Nadine, Chloe, and Sam during The Lost Legacy. The guy has some charisma and is clearly a physical threat to the heroes. But he doesn’t do enough to really be considered a great villain.
13 Rameses (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
At the end of chapter 11 in Uncharted 3, Nate is captured by the pirate known as Rameses. Like many villains in the series, the man is very untrustworthy. Yet, this time he doesn’t betray Nate. Instead, he betrays his employer Katherine Marlowe by not following her instruction to kill Drake. This action doesn’t make him a good guy, though.
The only reason he refrains from killing the protagonist is that he wants to know the location of Iram of the Pillars, and he believes Nate can tell him. In those few scenes with Drake, Rameses seems to be friendly and even witty. Yet, things take a turn when he gets angry. Overall, he makes for a serviceable bad guy.
12 Vargas (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
Vargas appears in Uncharted 4’s second chapter as the corrupt Warden of a Panamanian prison. At first, his corrupt ways seem to benefit Nate as he leads him to the St. Dismas idol. But not long later, Vargas reveals his desire to get in on the action and starts trying to blackmail people.
Along with blackmail, he is also guilty of taking bribes and abusing prisoners. He does all this despite only having limited screen time. And it’s easy to hate him by the time he dies, so he’s an effective villain.
11 Gabriel Roman (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune)
Gabriel Roman’s main purpose in the first game is to move the plot along. Beyond that, he isn’t very interesting as he lacks personality and complexity. However, Roman’s obsession with El Dorado does provoke some intrigue, especially as it leads to his downfall.
His life’s treasure turns out to be one of the most dangerous artifacts in gaming history. And when he opens the sarcophagus, he transforms into a monster. Then Atoq Navarro shoots him before he pounces, solidifying Navarro as the big bad and revealing the biggest twist in the original Uncharted.
10 Jason Dante (Uncharted: Golden Abyss)
The events of Golden Abyss are set into motion when Nathan’s old friend Jason Dante convinces him to travel to Panama to find the Lost City Of Quivira. It turns out that Dante is actually just using Drake.
He wants to find the city for himself and partially General Roberto Guerro. Dante is a very easy villain to hate due to his callous attitude and untrustworthy behavior. So, in that respect, he’s a good villain. However, he’s not among the most interesting bad guys in the Uncharted series.
9 Atoq Navarro (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune)
For much of the first game, Navarro plays the role of Gabriel Roman’s right-hand man. And during that time, he isn’t too compelling. Eventually, though, he reveals he’s known about the El Dorado curse this entire time and uses that information to take out his employer. The mutiny puts him in the position of the primary villain.
Unfortunately, he did not do anything evil enough to merit that position, and he barely interacted with the hero, Drake. The final fight does not have a strong foundation due to this lack of history. Yet, simply the surprise alone means he deserves some credit.
8 Talbot (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
When you think about Uncharted 3 villains, you think about the cold-hearted Katherine Marlowe, even though Talbot is the final boss. His role as your last opponent is understandable as he is more of a physical threat than her, especially as he sometimes has supernatural powers - an aspect of the game that doesn’t really make sense.
Yet, he’s a little lacking in the personality department due, in part, to his status as a foil for Nathan Drake. But at least, that lack of personality makes him an even more hateable antagonist.
7 Asav (Uncharted: The Lost Legacy)
Asav serves as the main antagonist for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The best part about Asav is that he is not driven by money or even treasure. He breaks the mold of the typical Uncharted Villain. Asav wants the tusk of Ganesh, so he can sell it for a military-grade bomb, the key to collapsing the Indian government.
This antagonist also has more of a personality than many others, though he still resembles the typical angry villain. The one aspect of Asav’s personality that stands out is his polite nature. The guy is actually soft and well-spoken making his bursts of anger intense and intimidating.
6 Katherine Marlowe (Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception)
Marlowe has what many villains lack, a history with the heroes. A flashback sequence at the beginning of Uncharted 3 reveals that Marlowe and Drake’s best friend, Sully, are closely intertwined.
Marlowe stands out for being a cool, calculated villain when the majority of Uncharted antagonists are angry men. Her manipulative personality and ability to torture both physically and emotionally make her a cruel villain. The scene where Marlowe reveals she knows Drake’s real name shows how cunning and chilling she can be.
5 Harry Flynn (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
Oh, Flynn. The guy everyone loves to hate. Flynn starts out as the perfect companion to Nathan Drake. His smart comebacks are strong enough to combat Drake’s banter, and he has the physical capabilities to keep up with him. That’s why it was tragic to see him leave Drake behind in that museum.
His cocky and selfish attitude does make for a good villain. The problem with Flynn is that he is kind of a wimp and not too good at treasure hunter. On the positive side, that means he mostly uses Drake to solve all the puzzles before swooping in to claim the prize, which is a perfect thing for a villain to do. With that being said, his witty nature makes him a lovable character, making his death surprisingly sad.
4 Nadine Ross (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
Nathan might be best known for his smart-alec comments and superhuman climbing ability, but he’s a hell of a fighter, too. Yet, even he doesn’t stand a chance against Nadine Ross.
She has incredible brute strength and is a brilliant strategist. More than that, though, she’s an interesting character. In fact, it’s debatable whether you can call her a villain at all as she isn’t a treasure-hungry murderer like many antagonists in the series, plus she’s sympathetic at times. However, for much of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, she’s on the villain’s side. Therefore, she can count as one, too. She’s definitely a protagonist in The Lost Legacy, though.
3 Eddy Raja (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune)
Eddy is one villain that should’ve gotten more screen time. It’s not because he is smart or competent - he is far from those things. It’s because he is unpredictable. Raja is an emotionally unstable person, and you never know what he will do. That makes for a fun villain. The fact that he is motivated by money and is crazy enough to do almost anything makes him dangerous.
The most intriguing part about Eddy is his loving attitude behind the brash exterior. The comic series Uncharted: Eye of Indra shows that he cares about his sister deeply. Lastly, Eddy gets the honor of having one of the best deaths in the series. He teams up with Drake to fight some Nazi zombies before being pulled down by one of the creepy creatures.
2 Zoran Lazarevic (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)
Lazarevic is the most popular villain from Uncharted and understandably so. He is definitely the most memorable for his over-the-top anger and ruthlessness. Lazarevic is not too deep, but he is the perfect portrayal of pure evil. His threatening presence would make anyone cower in fear.
The man has no understanding of the value of life evidenced through Jeff the cameraman. Poor Jeff did not deserve to die but Lazarevic murdered him after Drake spent so much effort trying to save him. Lazarevic’s ruthless nature is also expressed through the gameplay. Drake has to fight a superhuman Lazarevic, and it’s the most intimidating boss fight in the Uncharted series.
1 Rafe Adler (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
Rafe is the best-portrayed villain in all of Uncharted. Everything about the man makes you want to hate him. Firstly, he’s a self-righteous snob who thinks he deserves everything. Plus, he’s as ruthless as they come, as shown when he kills Vargas for wanting to split a take four ways.
This isn’t entirely who he is naturally, though. He became this way because he was driven mad by jealousy, which took him down an evil path. One that Nate gets to end in a thrilling sword fight inside a burning ship.
NEXT: Uncharted: Best Set Pieces
