In the harsh post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout, the true colors of humanity get to shine. Heroes and villains alike get their chance to show their colors, either inspiring or horrifying others. The stances of these characters make the games of the Fallout franchise some of the best RPGs to this day.

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Villains in Fallout are particularly interesting, taking inspiration from past events or history to influence the wasteland in a way most would find inexcusable. These characters range from comically evil to morally grey, which makes defeating them all the more satisfying. From wannabe mob bosses to mutant psychos, the variety of unique and memorable villains in the Fallout franchise is quite numerous indeed.

Updated June 11, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Fallout is one of the most beloved post-apocalyptic RPG series that players can get their hands on. The series initially started as a CRPG with an isometric perspective before Bethesda took over the title and launched Fallout in a whole new direction that propelled it to the mainstream. The 3D open world was a breath of fresh air for long-time fans, while new players found it easier to jump into a game that had become quite accessible.

One of Fallout's biggest strengths is the sheer impact many of its antagonists have across all its titles. These characters are written brilliantly (for the most part), helping them come off as despicable individuals while also making their motivations and desires seem oddly justified in their own way. Regardless, most players who want to be a force of good in the game will inevitably have to battle and kill these antagonists at some point, making for engaging confrontations that have a significant emotional weight to them.

13 Kellogg – Fallout 4

Fallout 4 Kellogg Quest Before Confrontation

Kellogg is one of the first antagonists players will encounter in Fallout 4. He is set up to be the main villain of the story, but it is quickly revealed he is a pawn in a much larger game.

He kills the Sole Survivor's significant other and steals their kid while they are stuck in a cryo pod. Kellogg then taunts the player for most of the first act once they find him. He seems purely evil until players realize that he is filled with Institute augments and is being used as a hired gun. Few villains in Fallout have caused so much intensely personal anguish for the main antagonist so quickly.

12 Ulysses – Fallout: New Vegas

Ulysses Fallout NV 2010

Ulysses is the antagonist of the Lonesome Road DLC for New Vegas. There's no denying that he's a compelling character, with his presence palpable across the other great DLCs of the game before finally being revealed in its entirety in this tough-as-nails DLC.

However, what negatively affects his impact as a villain is the fact that Lonesome Road feels like a rather miserable expansion to get through, with the Courier only getting to hear cryptic remarks from this character before facing off against him for real. He may be intimidating, but the joyless run that players have to endure before facing off against this antagonist may not be up everyone's alley.

11 Gizmo – Fallout

Fallout Gizmo

Gizmo is arguably the least powerful villain on this list, but he is one of the most twisted individuals in Fallout history. This wannabe mob boss owns a casino in Junktown, one of the game's earlier hub areas.

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All Gizmo wants is for his business to prosper. Exploiting people is what Gizmo loves to do, but the mayor is having none of it. Instead of making compromises with the town's mayor, however, Gizmo wants players to kill him. He has no hesitation in asking the Vault Dweller to do so, and Gizmo becomes hostile if the player declines. Funnily enough, siding with Gizmo in the retail version results in Junktown prospering. Fans were so mad with this design choice that Black Isle changed this to give the bad ending in a post-launch patch.

10 Allistair Tenpenny – Fallout 3

Fallout 3 Allistair Tenpenny

Some of the best villains in video games get players to sympathize with their actions, making them rethink their previous actions. Not Allistair Tenpenny. Sometimes, having a comically evil villain is just as fun to experience.

Allistair is a powerful man that owns Tenpenny Tower, a large hotel at the edges of the Capital Wasteland. He wants the scrapyard town of Megaton to be destroyed by having the town's bomb detonate, killing every inhabitant and permanently scarring the landscape. Why? Because he wants a better view of the wasteland from his balcony. It's as fun to actually work for this delusional old man as it is to kill him.

9 Father – Fallout 4

Father From Fallout 4

Many people didn't like the reveal of Father as the main villain, with both this plot twist and his motivations for running the Institute being rather bizarre. It's one of the many complaints that people have with Fallout 4, a game that alienated both hardcore Fallout and Bethesda fans by integrating many unwelcome changes that dumbed down the title quite a bit.

Regardless, players can't deny that seeing Shaun be one of the main antagonists is pretty chilling in its way. The Sole Survivor moved heaven and earth in a bid to find his son, only to realize that a large number of years had passed since Shaun's abduction while the main character was still preserved in the cryo pod.

8 Dick Richardson – Fallout 2

Fallout 2 President Richardson

Vault-Tec is one of the largest antagonists in the Fallout franchise. This company is responsible for experimenting on millions of people residing in fallout shelters called Vaults. These experiments ranged from malfunctioning parts to sacrificial rituals.

President Richardson is the President of the United States and one of the antagonists in Fallout 2. This man is responsible for much more cruelty than even Vault-Tec could dish out, creating and spreading the F.E.V. virus across America. This virus kills any person that has not been inoculated, effectively killing every human across the globe. He thinks it'll let true humans take back the world, but it will result in the death of everything.

7 John Henry Eden – Fallout 3

Fallout 3 John Henry Eden

Everyone who has played Fallout 3 will know of John Henry Eden. His EYE bots roam the wasteland endlessly, preaching core American values and how Eden will bring that back. His plan? To infect the water supply that Project Purity is meant to purify.

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This will result in all heavily-irradiated humans and mutants dying after consuming the water, leaving only "pure" humans alive to rebuild the nation. Unlike Dick Richardson, John Henry Eden is interested in keeping humanity alive as long as they haven't been exposed to extensive radiation. Taking his advice and infecting the water results in an altered ending to Fallout 3 and alters the post-game with Broken Steel. It turns out that infecting the water supply in a wasteland filled with irradiated humans kills almost everyone.

6 Elijah – New Vegas

Fallout New Vegas Father Elijah Intercom

Intelligent and sadistic in equal measure, Father Elijah is an ex-Brotherhood of Steel member and the main antagonist of the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas.

Elijah's fascination with the Sierre Madre and its hidden vault drives his cruel intentions. He plants explosive collars on victims and makes them fight through the toxic cloud that looms over the region, all while Elijah insults those that he controls. Few things are as satisfying as locking this deranged villain in the vault he so desperately wanted access to.

5 Mr. House – Fallout: New Vegas

Mr. House (Fallout New Vegas)

For what it's worth, Mr. House isn't exactly an antagonist per se. He's more of a ruthless capitalist who loves to be in power, going so far as to preserve his body well beyond its intended lifespan just so he could maintain control over New Vegas.

If players wish to help New Vegas become independent and free from the presence of every warring faction in the game, then they'll have to kill Mr. House to dismantle his presence in the city. Watching this decrepit old man curse the player when they take him out of his hibernation chamber makes for a sad yet morbidly hilarious sight, being one of many great ways New Vegas captures the charm of the original Fallout games while incorporating Bethesda's modern changes.

4 Frank Horrigan – Fallout 2

Frank Horrigan's talking head

Most wouldn't assume that the Enclave would work with mutant super-soldiers, but that is precisely what Frank Horrigan is. This terrifying villain stumbles across the player throughout Fallout 2, killing anything that moves with ruthless efficiency.

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Horrigan is the best example of brawn over brains. He never questions his orders and does anything the Enclave or President wants without any hesitation. He might not persuade players to work with the Enclave using a silver tongue, but he doesn't need to. His hands are enough to rip even Deathclaws in half. This makes for a tough final boss in Fallout 2... and a memorable one at that.

3 Doctor Mobius – New Vegas

Fallout New Vegas Dr. Mobius

Old World Blues is one of the best DLCs ever created for Fallout. As Fallout: New Vegas's third DLC, it introduced the memorable setting of Big MT and the Think Tank scientists that inhabit it.

Doctor Mobius is portrayed as the main antagonist of this DLC. His frustration with the other scientists results in Mobius releasing hundreds of Robo-scorpions while rambling on the intercom about his Mentats addiction. It turns out he is the main reason the other scientists haven't abducted more people in the Mojave and experimented on them. He seems comically evil on the surface, but he's a surprisingly nice (if somewhat deranged) scientist once players get past his army of Robo-scorpions.

2 Caesar – New Vegas

Fallout New Vegas Caesar

It's impossible to talk about Fallout villains without mentioning Caesar. As the leader of Caesar's Legion in New Vegas, Caesar's pragmatic yet harsh approach to rebuilding society has converted many players into fighting for his cause.

On the surface, Caesar's Legion is a brutal Roman-themed ripoff that is entirely masochistic. In reality, they imitate Rome's culture to keep the wasteland safe. Regions controlled by the Legion are safer than anywhere else in America. He lacks the muscle to lead his men into battle, but the sheer intelligence of Caesar is enough to inspire his army and players alike.

1 The Master – Fallout

Fallout The Master

It couldn't have been anyone else. The Master is the original Fallout's main antagonist, obsessed with creating the "master" race. This involves "dipping" humans into an F.E.V. vat to turn them into mutants.

The Master's obsession with science and preserving humanity makes his bizarre and cruel methods even more intriguing. Fighting him head-on is tough for virtually every build except those with high speech. The Master can be convinced that what he's doing is wrong — something every subsequent Fallout game has practically abandoned. If players prove to him that his "master" race of mutants won't last, he'll kill himself after realizing how insane he's become. That's a commitment to morals that no villain on this list can match.

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