Archenemy
 | This article possibly contains original research. (July 2007) |
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis (sometimes spelled arch-enemy, arch-foe, arch-villain or arch-nemesis) is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy (compare nemesis).[1][2][3] The reason why the particular villain stands out more than the rest of the protagonist's rogues gallery varies; they may be the hero's strongest enemy (Doctor Doom/Mister Fantastic), have strong connections with the hero's past (the Master/the Doctor), caused the hero a great deal of personal pain (the Joker/Batman), suffering or anguish (Green Goblin/Spider-Man), has the most personal grudge against the hero (Lex Luthor/Superman), or may be the most recurring enemy (Bowser/Mario).[4] In certain cases, it is possible for a hero to possess more than one archenemy, as in the case of Spider-Man with the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom where all three villains have established themselves as the most recurring and the most iconic of Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery.
Etymology
The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated around the mid-16th century, from the words arch- and enemy.[3]
Examples
Comic book archenemies
- Abomination and the Leader - archenemies of the Hulk.[5]
- Captain Cold - archenemy of the Flash.
- Cheetah - archenemy of Wonder Woman
- Deacon Frost, archenemy of Blade.[6]
- Deathstroke the Terminator (also known as Slade), archenemy of the Teen Titans,[4]
- Doctor Doom, archenemy of Mister Fantastic.[4][7]
- Doctor Sivana, archenemy of DC Comics's Captain Marvel.[8]
- Cobra Commander, and by extension the Cobra Organization, is the archenemy of G.I. Joe.[9]
- Green Goblin ,archenemy of Spider-Man.
- Scream (comics), archenemy of Venom.
- The Joker, archenemy of Batman.[10][11]
- Catwoman is the archenemy of Batgirl
- Tony Zucco is the archnenemy of Robin / Dick Grayson
- Judge Death, archenemy of Judge Dredd.[12]
- Kingpin, archenemy of Daredevil.[13]
- Lex Luthor, archenemy of Superman.[4]
- The Mandarin is the archenemy of Iron Man.
- Magneto, archenemy of Professor X.[4]
- Sabretooth, archenemy of the X-Men's Wolverine.[4]
- Ming the Merciless, archenemy of Flash Gordon.[14]
- The Octopus, archenemy of The Spirit.
- Red Skull, archenemy of Captain America.[4]
- Sinestro, archnemesis of Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the whole Green Lantern Corps .[4]
- The Shredder, archenemy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[15]
Literary archenemies
- The Auditors of Reality are the archenemy of Death and Susan in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.
- Carl Peterson is the archenemy of Bulldog Drummond.
- Captain Hook is the arch-nemesis of Peter Pan.[16][17]
- Count Olaf is the archenemy of the orphans in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- The Crimson King (and his various incarnations) is the archenemy of Stephen King's multiverse (see The Dark Tower).
- Derek Leech is the archenemy of Sally Rhodes (and to an extent Richard Jeperson) in Kim Newman's works.
- Lord Foul, is the immediate archenemy of Thomas Covenant and the longterm archenemy of his brother, The Creator, in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
- Fu Manchu is the archenemy of Commission Denys Nayland Smith.
- Greb Strakhov, is the archenemy of Mack Bolan, hero of the Executioner novels.
- Jack is the archenemy of Ralph in Lord of the Flies.
- Jadis the White Witch is the archenemy of Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia book series.
- Inspector Javert is the archenemy of Jean Valjean in the classic French novel, Les Misérables.
- Professor James Moriarty is the archenemy of Detective Sherlock Holmes.[18]
- Saruman is the archenemy of Gandalf. Although Sauron is the main villain, Saruman takes a more direct approach, becoming an arch-enemy as opposed to a Big Bad. In the Simarillion, the text which explains most of the mythology behind The Lord of the Rings, the archenemy is Morgoth, who is supposedly even more powerful and evil than Sauron.
- Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy are the archenemies of Harry Potter.[2][19]
- The Gray Man is the archenemy of Spenser in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series.[20]
- Poseidon is the archenemy of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.
Film archenemies
- Dr. Evil - the archenemy of Austin Powers
Gamera
- Irys and Gyaos - Archenemies of Gamera
Godzilla
- King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla - the archenemies of Godzilla
- Heather Chandler - the snobbish rival of Veronica Sawyer
- Ernst Stavro Blofeld - the arch-enemy of James Bond[21]
- Agent Smith - the archenemy of Neo
- Rene Belloq - the archenemy of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark
- They are archenemies even in the prequel materials from the franchise.[22]
Star Wars film series
- Darth Vader - the archenemy of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Boba Fett - the archenemy of Han Solo
Television archenemies
- The Master and Davros are the archenemies of the Doctor, in the Doctor Who television series.[23]
- And Davros's "children", the Daleks, serve as the Doctor's most recurring enemy.
- Newman is the archenemy of Jerry Seinfeld in the TV show Seinfeld.
- Paul Millander, a serial killer with an expert knowledge of forensic pathology, is the archenemy of forensic investigator Gil Grissom, in the television series CSI.
- Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck is the arch-nemesis of Adrian Monk in the TV series Monk.
- The Janitor is the archenemy of J.D. in the TV series Scrubs.
- Over the course of the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, the SG-1 team as a whole develop several archenemies in the form of recurring or seasonal villains. However these villains are usually also a personal archenemy of one particular member of the team. Examples include Apophis, the archenemy of Teal'c; Ba'al, the archenemy of General Jack O'Neill; Anubis, the archenemy of Daniel Jackson; the Replicator clone of Samantha Carter, the archenemy of the real Lt. Colonel Sam Carter; and Adria the Orici, the archenemy and daughter of Vala Mal Doran.
- Sylar is the archenemy of Peter Petrelli & H.R.G. in the television series Heroes.
- Adam Monroe and Daphne Millbrook are the archenemies of Hiro Nakamura in the television series Heroes.
- Elle Bishop is the archenemy of Claire Bennet in the television series Heroes.
- Ben Linus, John Locke, and Jack Shephard are each each others archnemesis' in Lost, since they have each tried to kill each other to achieve their goals.
- The omnipotent Q, from Star Trek: The Next Generation, is considered the archenemy of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
- Also, Lore from Star Trek: The Next Generation is the evil twin and archenemy of his brother, Data.
- Callisto is the archenemy of Xena on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.
- Stone Cold Steve Austin is the rival of WWE owner Vince McMahon and The Rock.
- Mikayla is the arch-rival of Hannah Montana
- Gina Gambarro is the archenemy of Betty and Hilda Suarez on the television series Ugly Betty.
Cartoon archenemies
- Ron the Rent-a-cop - the archenemy of Caitlin Cooke, Jen Masterson, Nikki Wong, Jonesy Garcia, Wyatt Williams, and Jude Lizowski
- Tricia - the snobbish rival of Caitlin Cooke
- Darth and Wayne - the rivals of Jonesy Garcia
- Mike Dent - the rival of Jude Lizowski
- The Dark Dragon and the Huntsclan - the archenemies of Jake Long
- Maximus I.Q. - the archenemy of Atomic Betty
- Pontifidora the Conquistadora - the archenemy and ex-girlfriend of Admiral DeGill
- Penelope Lang - the snobbish rival of Betty, Noah Parker, Paloma, Reegina Peterson, and Charles "Chaz" Lang
- Koreena - the snobbish martial arts school rival of Betty
- Azula & Fire Lord Ozai - the archenemies of Aang and Prince Zuko
- Megatron - archenemy of Optimus Primal
- Rampage - archenemy of Depth Charge
Ben 10 and Ben 10: Alien Force
- Vilgax, Dr. Animo and Zs'Skayr/Ghostfreak - the archenemies of Ben Tennyson
- Charmcaster and Mike Morningstar - the archenemy of Gwen Tennyson
- DNAliens - the archenemies of Ben, Gwen and Kevin
- JT and Cash - the school rivals of Ben Tennyson
- Dr. Wasabi - the archenemy of Chuckie Chan, KO Joe, and Chickadee Pao/Chick P
- Gorgonzola - the archenemy of Chowder
- Edive - the archenemy of Mung Daal
- Father (Kids Next Door) - the archenemy of Nigel Uno/Numbuh One
- Grandfather (Kids Next Door) - the archenemy of Monty Uno/Numbuh Zero
- Doctor Von Goosewing - the archenemy of Count Duckula
- Katz - the archenemy of Courage
- Vicious - the archenemy of Spike Spiegel
- Vlad Plasmius, the archenemy of Danny Phantom and Dani Phantom
- Mandark - the archenemy of Dexter
- No. 17 and No. 18 - the archenemies of Future Trunks
- Cell - the archenemy of Son Gohan
- Vegeta- the archenemy of Son Goku.
El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
- Sartana of the Dead, El Oso, Black Cuervo, Dr. Chipoltle Jr and Senior Sinestro - the archenemies of El Tigre/Manny Rivera
- Mr. Crocker and Vicky - the archenemies of Timmy Turner
- Bronze Kneecap and the Nega Chin - the archenemies of Crimson Chin
- Dr. Ogden Wernstrom - the archenemy of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
- Mom (Futurama) - the archenemy of Fry and Bender
- Dr. Zin is the archenemy of Dr. Quest
- Dr. Drakken, and Shego, are the archenemies of Kim Possible
- Monkey Fist, the archenemy of Ron Stoppable
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
- Melissa O'Malley - the snobbish rival of Juniper Lee
- Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam and the Tasmanian Devil - the archenemies of Bugs Bunny
- Sylvester the Cat - the archenemy of Tweety Bird and Speedy Gonzales
- Wile E. Coyote - the archenemy of Road Runner
- Char Aznable - the archenemy of Amuro Ray
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
- Kira Yamato - the archenemy of Shinn Asuka
- Virgil Bull Sharkowski - the archenemy of Adam Lyon
- Itachi Uchiha - the archenemy of Sasuke Uchiha
- Orochimaru - the archenemy of Naruto
- Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz - the archenemy of Perry the Platypus
- Katrina Stoneheart, Brattina and Catgut - the archenemies of Cooler, Whooper, Nose Marie, Bright Eyes, Howler and Holly
- The Omega AI & Wyoming - the archenemies of Freelancer Tex & Private Church
- The Meta - the archenemy of Agent Washington
- Aku - the archenemy of Samurai Jack
- Sosai X and his subordinates (most notably Berge Katse of Galactor) - the archenemies of the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
- Sideshow Bob, Lisa Simpson and Seymour Skinnier - the archenemies of Bart Simpson[24]
- Montgomery Burns - the archenemy of Homer Simpson
- Shelly Marsh - the archenemy and sister of Stan Marsh
- Eric Cartman - the archenemy of Kyle Broflovski
- Plankton - the archenemy of Spongebob and Mr. Krabs
- Kyle and Salty Mike - the archenemies of Rodney J. Squirrel
- Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living - the archenemy of The Thundercats
- Sister Thornley - the archenemy of Otto Osworth
- Tom - the archenemy of Jerry
- Heather - the snobbish rival of Gwen and Leshawna
- Duncan - the rival of Harold
- Noah - the snobbish rival of Cody, Gwen, and Leshawna
- Terence Lewis - the archenemy of Sam, Clover, and Alex
- In season 4, Terence leads a villainous team called LAMOS (League Aiming to Menace and Overthrow the Spies).
- Mandy Luxe - the snobbish rival of Sam, Clover, and Alex
- Megatron - the archenemy of Optimus Prime
- Ken, No-Neck and Zitzy - the archenemies of Abe, Madman, Nigel and Coco
- The Monarch - the archenemy of Dr. Venture
- Incidentally, this cartoon contains the first popular use of the term arching for the act of being an archenemy.
- Buzz Buzzard, Ms. Meany and Wally Walrus - the archenemies of Woody Woodpecker.[25]
- Jack Spicer, Wuya, Chase Young, and Hannibal Roy Bean - the archenemies of Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay
- The Night Master and Carl the Evil Cockroach Wizard - the archenemies of Yin, Yang and Master Yo
Video game archenemies
Banjo-Kazooie series
- Gruntilda Winkybunion - the archenemy of Banjo and Kazooie
Castlevania series
- Count Dracula - the archnemesis of The Belmont clan
Command & Conquer series
- The Brotherhood of Nod and their leader Kane - the archenemies of the Global Defense Initiative
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
- Sephiroth - the archenemy of Cloud Strife
Crash Bandicoot series
- Doctor Neo Cortex - the archenemy of Crash Bandicoot
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
- The Black Knight - the archenemy of Ike
Half-Life Series
- Nihilanth and Wallace Breen are the Archenemies of Gordon Freeman.
- The G-Man is the Archenemy of the Vortigaunts.
- The Combine are the Archenemies of the Resistance.
Halo series
- The Covenant - the archenemies of the Master Chief
Kirby series
- Meta Knight and King Dedede - the archenemies of Kirby
The Legend of Zelda series
Mario series
Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid series
- Big Boss and Liquid Snake - archenemies of Solid Snake
Metroid series
- Ridley - the archenemy of Samus Aran
Sly Cooper series
- Clockwerk - the archenemy of Sly Cooper in Sly Cooper series
Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Doctor Eggman (a.k.a. Doctor Robotnik) - the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog and all of his friends
- Black Doom and Mephiles the Dark - the archenemies of Shadow the Hedgehog
Street Fighter series
Pokemon series
- Blue - the Archenemy of Red from Pokemon Red and Blue and their Remakes Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
See also
Notes
- ^ "archenemy - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ a b Wicaksono, Rachel. "BBC World Service". BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Text "Ask about English" ignored (help); Text "Learning English" ignored (help) - ^ a b "archenemy definition". Dictionary. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
{{cite web}}: Text "Dictionary.com" ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Albert, Aaron. "Top Ten Comic Book Archenemies - Superhero and Villain Arch-rivals". About.com. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ "Tim Roth in '08 Hulk Film". Marvel Entertainment, Inc. 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Taylor, Charles (1998-08-20). "Salon Entertainment". Salon.com. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
{{cite web}}: Text "I'm gonna git you, suckhead" ignored (help) - ^ "MCN: Who ARE the Fantastic Four?". Movie City News. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Grogan, Walt. "The Marvel Family Web » Who's Who » Dr. Sivana". The Marvel Family Web - The unofficial home of the original Captan Marvel. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Dokoupil, Tony (2007-12-24). "Forty-Year-Old Virgins". Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Ledger death leaves studio with balancing act". The Age. 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Albert, Aaron. "The Joker Profile". About.com. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Stax (2004-04-30). "The Return of Judge Dredd". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Charlotte (2003-02-14). "Film: Also Showing". BNET. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Text "Find Articles at BNET" ignored (help); Text "Independent, The (London)" ignored (help) - ^ [1]
- ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/34733/moviemain.jhtml%7Ctitle=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze | MTV Movies|publisher=MTV|accessdate=2008-06-26}}
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Reuters (1991-05-05). "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Alpine Publicity Stunt - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Brumley, Al (2001-11-11). "The Dallas Morning News: Entertainment". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Barnes & Noble (1991-05-05). "Rough Westher (Spenser Mystery Series #36)". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
- ^ Moyes, Jojo (2000-03-09). "Actor who played Blofeld dies at 71 - This Britain, UK - The Independent". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Indiana Jones News - Unlocking the Deluxe World of Indiana Jones with 3 ¾ ″ Deluxe Action Figures". Hasbro. 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ [4]
- ^ Kogen, Jay. "BBC - Cult - The Simpsons: Season One Episode Guide - Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons episode guide. BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Lafferty, Michael (2002-06-11). "Woody Woodpecker: Escape from Buzz Buzzard Park for PS2 at GameZone.com". GameZone. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Ad-Blurbs for Super Mario 64". MobyGames. 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ "Bowser - IGN Super Smash Wiki". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-26.