Dragon Age is a dark fantasy role-playing game that has allowed players to encounter a variety of villains across each game of the series. From Dragon Age: Origins which had its own fair share of questionable villains and downright evil beasts to Dragon Age: Inquisition which saw a returning evil force, the franchise has plenty of villains to choose from.
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While some players may argue that many of the villains in Dragon Age had actions that could be justified, many others completed inexcusable things that players may never be able to ignore. However, they still have their favorites and that's why these are by far the best Villains from the entire Dragon Age series.
Arguably, Flemeth isn't truly a villain in the Dragon Age series, though Morrigan, her daughter, does attempt to persuade the player in both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition to not trust her and to also go as far as attempting to kill her. However, legend describes Flemeth and her witch sisters as kidnapping men so they may create more horrific witch women, killing all who step foot in the marsh.
Throughout the series, this Witch of the Wilds, also known as the Mother of Vengeance, confuses players as she claims to just be watching the events that unfold around the player. On several occasions, she has demonstrated her power, such as transforming into a dragon to protect Hawke in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 focused greatly on the corruption that had taken over the city of Kirkwall. The biggest conflict that was occurring in the City of Chains while players followed the life of Hawke was the tension between the mages and Templars. These Templars were led by the Knight-commander Meredith Stannard, a cruel woman that thought she was doing the right thing by encouraging the fear of Mages people had.
However, in the end, the corruption she faced from an idol of Red Lyrium she had placed inside her sword would be her end. She goes mad turning on everyone including her own Templar order.
Many fans of Dragon Age: Inquisition feel pity for villains like Gereon Alexius. If players decided to go help the Mages then they would encounter the Tevinter Magister Gereon Alexius, a man that is doing the bidding of Corypheus in a hope that it will save his son from the Blight.
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Through characters like Dorian, the player learns that Alexius never used to be this way. His son was attacked by Darkspawn and is slowly dying from the disease and he will stop at nothing to save him. After being transported into the future during this quest, players see that it was all for nothing as the thrall his son becomes is anything but living.
Samson is another reoccurring character in the Dragon Age franchise. He is first seen in Dragon Age 2 where he begs the player and anyone else who passes for gold, so he can buy Lyrium, a drug all Templar end up addicted to. He once was a Templar himself before being caught smuggling notes between a mage and their lover.
This addiction to Lyrium and the abandonment he faced may be the reason he can become an enemy of the Inquisition if they help the Mages. Samson is finally given a role again as he leads the Red Templars arguing that he is giving the Templars a purpose, even if they are being used.
While many of the Dragon Age villains have done actions that players have argued to be justified, one enemy of the series that players have had no way of defending is the monstrous dark spawn man known as Corypheus. Those that played the Dragon Age 2 Legacy DLC presumed him to be dead after killing him. Corypheus returned to be the main villain of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
While Corypheus claims that his goals are to return the Tevinter Imperium to its former glory, his actions are selfish as he mainly wishes to place himself as a god. Believing the Maker to be a lie as he claims to have looked upon the throne, and it was empty, his actions are destructive, though memorable.
Loghain Mac Tir is one of many villains players face in Dragon Age: Origins. He is the reason that the player's mentor dies as well as the death of the King of Ferelden. All this is caused due to his refusal to follow the plan and bring reinforcements to the battle. Instead, Loghain and his men retreated.
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Arguably, Loghain saved more lives by refusing to follow the plan as he felt it would be pointless to allow those men to die in that battle. However, in his pursuit to secure Ferelden, he takes many drastic measures, such as allowing Elves to be sold into slavery as well as paying an assassin to kill the rest of the Grey Wardens.
Although Solas hasn't truly been able to show what kind of villain he is, from what was seen of The Dread Wolf in the Dragon Age: Inquisition Trespasser DLC that reveals his true nature from the beginning, Solas is revealed to be a far more cunning Elf than what was realized.
Solas deliberately allowed Corypheus to find the destructive orb and hoped that he would die in the explosion. Solas would then tear open the veil destroying the world to then bring back the world of the Ancient Elves. In Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, Solas will finally be able to work on this plan through a different method since the destruction of the orb.
By far one of the greatest villains in the entire Dragon Age franchise is the leader of the Qunari invasion of Kirkwall in Dragon Age 2, known as The Arishok. Like many other villains of the franchise, The Arishok can be argued to be another character that has justifiable actions, especially since he agrees with what many players also think about the corruption in Kirkwall.
However, forcefully invading the city and converting those there to the Qun is not the way to solve that corruption. Players are able to peacefully solve this quest without defeating The Arishok, though many can't deny the enjoyment of dueling such a large force.
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