Best Villains of This Console Generation
6. The Bloody Baron, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 is overflowing with memorable and superbly written villains, but The Bloody Baron just might be the single best one. The Baron’s character is so complex and morally gray that even calling him a villain could spawn a good debate.
Minor Spoilers for The Witcher 3 ahead.
The quest that The Baron sends Geralt on to find his wife and daughter is expertly told, and what seems like a simple missing person quest turns into a poignant reflection on the complicated nature of love and forgiveness, and how you can have one and not the other.
The Baron is an angry mess of a man who strikes fear into peasants and generally treats those around him terribly. He is someone I expected to hate, and honestly part of me does. However, another part of me aches for him and wants him to have happiness. That’s good writing.
While there are numerous examples of CD Projekt Red’s outstanding writing in The Witcher 3, this is certainly one of the most compelling storylines, and it lives and dies by the strength of its deeply flawed but unforgettable villain.
