Ten Villains from Nintendo Games in Need of a Comeback

In Nintendo games, there are the established villains, such as Bowser, Ganon, and King Dedede, who constantly create trouble for Mario, Link, Kirby, and other famous Nintendo heroes. Then there are the one-shot villains, who put in a single appearance, and then disappear, never to be seen again. They are the antagonists who have been gone for too long, and who have had the potential to be recurring villains, but that potential has not been reached. I shall pick ten villains from various Nintendo games and explain why they should make another appearance at some point down the road. Here are the villains who should be brought back...

Wart (Super Mario Bros. 2): The wicked ruler of Subcon had an evil heart and a hatred for vegetables. When six of these were thrown into his mouth, his reign of terror came to an end. The battle itself was challenging, especially since his mouth opened at different times as the fight progressed. This made Wart a formidable opponent, and a similar fight in a future Mario game would be exciting. Of course, the entire game was a dream, and thus Mario's encounter with Wart technically never happened. Then again, other enemies from the game have popped up in Mario's world, so it would surely be not entirely out of the question for Wart to do the same thing.

Tatanga (Super Mario Land): Long before Super Mario Galaxy took him into outer space, Mario confronted this space alien, who had taken over Sarasaland and kidnapped Princess Daisy. The fight to reach Tatanga was tough, and the battle against the fiend himself tougher still. Mario would ultimately defeat him and rescue Daisy, who has since appeared in numerous Mario sports games. Tatanga, on the other hand, has not been seen since. A fight against his spaceship like in Super Mario Land would be excellent, and could make the ideal conclusion to the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy 2. Unless Nintendo really surprises us, however, it'll probably never happen...

General Scales (Star Fox Adventures): The menacing tyrant of Dinosaur Planet showed no mercy when it came to harming innocent dinosaurs and attempting to literally tear the planet apart. The battle against him, however, was squandered. Fox would start to fight him, but the battle was cut short thanks (or rather, no thanks) to Andross, who forced Scales to relinquish his Krazoa Spirit. As a result, Scales collapsed and either died or lost consciousness (it was not made clear which was the case). If Scales merely fainted, he could return to try and take over the planet, or perhaps the entire Lylat System, crushing all who oppose him. If he does return, let's hope that we actually get to fight him this time.

Marx (Kirby Super Star): After tricking Kirby into awakening the wish-granting NOVA, Marx wished to become the most powerful ruler of Popstar. The battle against him was nothing short of epic, right down to one of the best boss tunes ever heard in any Kirby game. Marx had attacks that would cause plenty of harm, and even with a companion at Kirby's side, the fight was challenging. Marx has a lot of potential, and would have made the ideal final boss in the Subspace Emissary mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Even so, he could always come back in the next Kirby or Smash Bros. game, as he is quite a nasty trickster.

Veran (The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages): Of the two one-shot villains who appeared in the Oracle games, Veran was the one who caused the greatest deal of harm to the world. By possessing Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and going back in time, she attempted to wreak havoc in the past and make the future seem bleak. This presented Link with a sense of urgency to set things right again as soon as possible. Veran tried to destroy our hero by changing into multiple forms, but she ended up being no match for him, and was defeated. Though it was cleared that she died in the final battle, Nintendo could choose to create a prequel to Oracle of Ages and bring her back to try and either alter history again or do something far worse.

Tabuu (Super Smash Bros. Brawl): As this game is slightly over two years old, Tabuu is a newcomer to those Nintendo villains who so far have only put in one appearance. Even so, he is quite a challenge to beat. Just try to beat him on the hardest difficulty setting (I never could). With moves that can kill you even when you have plenty of health, and the power to change people into trophies, Tabuu is possibly one of the most challenging final bosses in Nintendo's history. Imagine how tough it would be to fight him in the next Smash Bros. game. It may take years for that game to be released, considering we had to wait seven years between Melee and Brawl, but I reckon another fight against Tabuu would be as hard as the first one, if not even tougher.

Smithy (Super Mario RPG): Destroying all wishes and creating a world filled with powerful weapons...that was Smithy's goal, and a horrific one at that. A great game culminated in an epic battle with Smithy, where he used magical attacks, his hammer, and his shape shifting abilities to try and crush Mario and his friends. Of course, he failed miserably, and he and his minions would threaten the Mushroom Kingdom no more. About the only way that Smithy could return is if Square-Enix (which developed the game when it was simply Squaresoft) collaborated with Nintendo on a Super Mario RPG sequel. If this happens, then I would surely love to see Smithy have another attempt at taking over the world.

Jr. Troopa (Paper Mario): For a guy who has yet to crawl out of his egg, Jr. Troopa is a persistent pest. You fight with him several times, and on each occasion, he uses such moves as flying, placing a spike on top of his head, and firing blasts of magical energy to defeat Mario. When you defeat him for the last time just before you reach Peach's Castle, he vows to get his revenge, but as of yet, he has not been encountered again save for a brief cameo in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I would love to see the little guy become a recurring villain, or even the main villain, in the next Paper Mario game, as he is cute, and quite a formidable foe.

Zant (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess): The ruler of the Twilii people proved time and again to be a black-hearted villain, covering Hyrule in darkness, nearly killing Midna, and bringing a curse to his own people. Sure, he has a face of a mime, but his attacks and evil powers are no laughing matter. The battle against him was pretty neat, taking Link on a tour through areas that he had explored and giving Zant the chance to use multiple forms to try and crush our hero. It is a shame that he was merely Ganondorf's pawn and not a main villain. Still, Zant should use his wicked powers again in a later Zelda game, as he, like Ganondorf, is evil to the core.

Nightmare (Kirby's Adventure): For the entire game, Kirby assumed that King Dedede took apart the Star Rod which powered the Fountain of Dreams so that everyone in Dreamland would not be able to dream. Instead, the king did it because the Nightmare had arrived to bring pain to everyone. As powerful as the Nightmare was, Kirby used the Star Rod in an epic battle on the moon. As wicked as the Nightmare is, he has not been seen in another Kirby game, although he became a recurring character in the Kirby anime series. If Nintendo wishes to bring back a villain other than Marx for a second time, they could always turn to the Nightmare.

These adversaries had the chance to cause pain to various Nintendo heroes in later games, but as of yet, they have not done so. That is a shame, because the battles against them (aside from General Scales, and only because Star Fox Adventures was likely rushed) were often filled with challenge and excitement. All of these foes should come back, either a main villains or minions of established foes. As great as the battles against Bowser, Ganon, and other normal foes can be, we need other villains like the ones listed above to add some variety. Let us see if Nintendo takes my advice to heart and give these antagonists the second attempt that they deserve.