Jafar has sat smugly atop the leaderboard for a long time – and for good reason – but I think we finally have a true contender.
It seems so obvious that an actual god would make a good villain for your TTRPG, but most gods would actual be too powerful. Your level 5 fighter isn’t going to stand up to Ares and expect to scuff his armour. What makes Hades compelling though, is that he’s not directly involved in his own scheme. He’s a manipulator, a mastermind, until all the pieces are in place.
And that’s a sign of a good Big Bad Evil Guy.
Presence – 4 out of 5
It’s not just because he has a over-the-top personality, prone to mood shifts that cause actual flames to shoot out of him. It’s not just because he is a good balance of malice and humour, likeable as a character and hateable as a villain.
It’s also because he is flawed. He is not arrogant from machismo or conquest. He is a conniving thing, a liar and a schemer, seemingly much more switched on than the other gods, and he knows it. He almost wins all the way during the entire story. The reason he blows his top is because Hercules is the factor that he did not plan for. If it wasn’t for the half-god superhero, his takeover would have been assured.
The fact that he is so prone to anger, and so self-assured, gives the player characters a chance to sneak a win.
However, being a villain pulling strings means from the background that this presence will only be felt at the end of the adventure, unless you find ways for him and the characters to meet Hades earlier.
Atmosphere – 3 out of 5
We are once again looking at a villain that chooses to take a back seat, and so the impact they have on the wider world is subtle. He does have a tendency to torch his immediate vicinity during a rage, so there’s that.
We do however have an entire realm dedicated to Hades. Its not where the adventure will spend most of its time, but in the endgame we would be remiss if we did not sail down to the underworld.
Omniscience – 4 out of 5
There’s a lot that Hades knows, and only a few areas where he shows a lapse of understanding. He knows how to the other gods mortal, he knows where all the monsters – both regular and titan – are stored and how to get them to do his bidding. He’s quite good at making deals and is quite the schemer.
Having said that, he missed the part where his only threat was alive on earth from infancy to his teenage years. He also misses an important loophole regarding Meg’s wellbeing.
It also takes him a long time to realise that monster attacks are not working on Wonderboy.
Henchmen – 5 out of 5
Some Disney villains work alone, some are smothered by dozen of idiot-buffoon goons. Occasionally one may have one very effective henchmen.
Hades’ adventure is saturated with henchmen, many of which are extremely dangerous and/or incompetent. He hits 5 points are still has followers to spare.
- Pain and Panic – look pasts all the snivelling and grovel, and we realise that these two imps are actually surprisingly competent. Yes, they failed to finish off Hercules, but they did manage to steal a baby god from Olympus and make him mortal. On top of that, we have the ability to polymorph at will, a pretty decent modifier in their deception skill, and absolutely no scruples. They trick Hercules and capture Pegasus without breaking a sweat.
- Titans – five colossal monsters, capable of ruining the landscape just by moving over it. Destructive just be presence alone. You have to be a god to stand up to them.
- Megara – a coerced supporter that can play damsel and femme fatale very effectively. Her disapproval of Hades actions versus her own desire for freedom makes for an interesting ally/opponent.
- The Fates – not really on Hades’ side, or anyone side, but at this point their presence is a bonus on top of some excellent henchpeople. Had Hades interpreted their predictions more carefully, he would have won control of Olympus for sure.
Threat Level – 3 out of 5
A fire-spouting, teleporting, telekinetic, summoner, Cerberus riding, immortal being should probably score a 6 out of 5… but hear me out.
As with all villains, it is the intent and strengths that determine the threat. Even Jafar struggled to hit top marks here because his desire to monologue, to be seen to win, undermined his moment of victory.
In this case, Hades has a lot of power but does not have the will to use it. He’s full of rage and vitriol, but the best attempt at combat was to force throw weights at Hercules. Which, by the way, should have killed Herc if he was weak now.
In the finale, in the heart of the Underworld, Hades could have tried anything to stop Hercules from winning. Raised a firey hand even once.
He does not. Hades is a coward. If this was the instructions for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, you would expect to see advice like “Hades will flee when he is below half his hit point total.” He steers an excellent finale, but he’s very happy to stay up on high whilst the minions brave the actual danger.
Finale – 5 out of 5
Having said that, he sets up a very wonderful finale. Summoning titans to launch an assault mount Olympus, setting aside a ginormous cyclops to keep the weary hero(es) at bay. This being a TTRPG where the players are probably not gods (seems a little overpowered) it makes sense that the GM/DM would pose a choice:
Take on the cyclops? That would save the city from destruction? Or slow the titans down, giving the gods time to prepare?
Either way, if they win, we reach the second half of the finale. As victory seems certain, a beloved NPC is slain. Their souls is whisked away to the Underworld, where they are held hostage.
Will the heroes attempt to strike Hades down in his lair? Or strike a terrible bargain with this conman-god?
Final Score = 4
It made sense to establish that this is not a villain you can fully beat. Like a lich or a lot of demons, being mortally destroyed is not the end, just an inconvenience.
I also liked the idea of Hades having a great number of defensive abilities. Hellish rebuke seems made for him: no one strikes me and gets away with it.
This stat block is probably conservative, but remember that Hades is someone who is not going to go all out in a fight. This is a god that will do everything they can to avoid risk. As such, he can be thwarted.
It’s going to be tough to beat Hades and Jafar at this point. They are tiers above everyone else in terms of power, and are excellent villains. They are not perfect though – Jafar stuggled to earn points for henchmen and Hades nature works against him. Ratican is further proof that you don’t need magic and invulnerability to rise to the top of the BBEG pile.
We’ll see if an old man with a god complex can compete next week.
| Disney Villain | Score |
| Hades | 4.00 👑 |
| Jafar | 3.83 |
| Professor Ratican | 3.66 |
| Lyle Tiberius Rourke | 3.66 |
| Elsa of Arendelle | 3.16 |
| Hopper | 3.16 |
| Robert Callaghan | 3.00 |
| The Horned King | 3.00 |
| Gaston LeGume | 2.66 |
| Yzma | 2.66 |
Thank You For Reading
The other Disney BBEG contenders are right here.
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Gamer Peak 
We have a new leader on the board!