There are many antagonists in Skyrim. From Alduin and his dragon friends rising from their graves to Daedra, the Forsworn and either the Imperial Legion or Stormcloaks, the Dragonborn has their work cut out for them. However, one enemy among all tends to get all the hate from Skyrim fans: the Thalmor.
This special group of High Elves from the Aldmeri Dominion are distinguished by their black robes and arrogant attitude. There are few NPCs in s that actually like them, and it's easy to see why. Obsessed with outlawing Talos, they're painted as a scary enemy right off the bat. That being said, their plans and beliefs have more holes than Swiss cheese.
10 They Believe They Can Stop Talos Worship
Let's be honest: the Nords are a pretty difficult group of people to deal with. They're incredibly proud and devout, and they don't just stop believing in what they've grown up with just because someone not from Skyrim told them to. The Nords don't care. They do whatever they want, because Skyrim is their home.
It's not just the Nords on the Stormcloak side, either. Legate Rikke, the right hand of General Tullius, is also a follower of Talos. This just goes to show how utterly hopeless the Thalmor's goal is when it comes to banning the worship of Talos in Skyrim. It's like trying to tell fire not to be hot, yet they believe they can still somehow achieve it.
9 They Look Down On Humans Despite Being Outnumbered
High Elves and Nords actually do have something in common: their immense pride. However, High Elves as a race is much smaller than the human race. Worse yet, among the small population of High Elves, only a handful share the beliefs and political stance the Thalmor specifically have.
For the Thalmor to be so rude and hostile towards humans it a bit strange, since humans are by far the largest population in all of Tamriel. This includes Nords, Imperials, Bretons and Redguards, so four different provinces worth of opposition. The hostility just seems a bit foolhardy.
8 They Believe They Saved Summerset Isles
During the Oblivion crisis when Mehrunes Dagon threatened to consume Tamriel, the Summerset Isles were also under threat from the Daedra. In fact, the area suffered quite a bit of damage during this time period and it wasn't until the events of Oblivion with Martin Septim's sacrifice that the situation came under control.
While obviously the people of Tamriel were saved by Martin Septim, the Thalmor for some reason believe that they are to be thanked for the survival of Summerset Isles. This is no doubt because they could never have the pride to admit that a human could have saved their race, but it's still a huge denial of confirmed history.
7 They're Not As Strong Of A Faction As They Claim
Not only are High Elves lower in population than humans, but the Thalmor specifically, or the Aldmeri Dominion, really aren't that big of a threat as is implied during the events of Skyrim. In fact, despite the concern that the Empire has over them, the Dominion is ridiculously weak.
This is further proven by the fact that if the Thalmor really were stronger than the Empire for instance, they would have never agreed to the White-Gold Concordat peace agreement. It can be deduced that they couldn't afford to keep fighting a war, and probably still wouldn't be able to.
6 There's No Special Interaction With A High Elf Dragonborn
At the beginning of the game you get to choose your race, and High Elf is in fact one of the options. Despite this, once the Dragonborn is in Helgen, the Thalmor don't exactly care about what happens to them, even if they were to be executed.
While this is explained by the fact that not all High Elves are necessarily Thalmor, it's still strange that there's no special interaction at any point between the High Elf Dragonborn and a Thalmor agent. Surely the Thalmor would have something to say to a person of the same race, or would even try to persuade them of their righteous cause.
5 Their Goal Isn't Backed By Any Evidence
So what is the ultimate goal of the Thalmor? Their belief is that they were robbed of their chance of being god-like creatures and practically immortal, due to the betrayal of Lorkhan during the Dawn Era when the world was still being constructed.
In order to return to their true immortal selves, they believe they need to remove Talos' position as a divine and destroy several pillars across Tamriel that keep their world away from that of Oblivion. However, this is just a belief, and there's no proof that by doing all these things they could ascend to godhood. They're basically relying on stories and tales to build a political cause.
4 Their Plans Could Cause Another Oblivion Crisis
The pillars or towers that are mentioned when it comes to the Thalmors' beliefs are various location scattered all around Tamriel. The Thalmor believe they need to be destroyed, and some of them have actually already been dismantled. The Red Mountain, for instance, used to be such a pillar.
Another location is found in Skyrim, and is the Throat of the World. These pillars supposedly keep Oblivion locked away from the mortal world. And so, if they were to be destroyed, it would most certainly cause another Oblivion Crisis. This is a major oversight the Thalmor haven't exactly considered.
3 They Would Risk Everything To Be Godlike Again
The Thalmors' obsession with godhood is insane. With so much on the line, they would quite literally give up everything in order to ensure they could one day become immortal again, if that even is possible. Again, this is a theory that no one among the Thalmor has even been able to prove so far.
The stakes to achieve this are ridiculously high as well, as it could put the entire mortal race into danger. Is the godhood of the Thalmor really worth that much? This is ultimately what makes the Thalmor such big villains, because they simply don't seem to care about the cost, nor about the fact that some High Elves are perfectly content living a mortal life.
2 They Behave Rudely And Suspiciously
The Thalmor must understand to a degree that their presence in Skyrim isn't viewed with favorable eyes. Most people hate them and have zero trust towards them. With this in mind, wouldn't it be easier for them to act benevolent and offer real alternatives to the people of Skyrim, if they wish for them to give up Talos?
And yet, this doesn't seem to cross their mind. Most Thalmor you meet in the game are rude, suspicious and incredibly arrogant. They're not doing themselves a service, and are actually undermining their already hopeless cause.
1 They Don't Allow A High Elf Dragonborn To Join Them
One of the biggest letdowns for many fans was no doubt the fact that the Thalmor are a faction which can't be joined. For most races this makes perfect sense, but for a High Elf Dragonborn, it would have been incredibly interesting to include an option to join the Thalmor and fight for their ridiculous cause.
And yet, the Thalmor view a High Elf Dragonborn no differently than any other player character. Realistically, a High Elf showing interest in the Thalmor cause would be welcomed with open arms. Thankfully, we can always count on the modding community to fix such details for Bethesda.