The 50 Greatest Video Game Villains Of All Time
By Matt Becker
Greatest Video Game Villains – #32 Andrew Ryan
Game(s): BioShock
Background: The industrialist Andrew Ryan is the creator of the Rapture, a massive underwater colony meant as an escape from the political post-WWII world. Ryan filled the city the world’s best and brightest individuals in an attempt to create a utopia in which freedom reigns over all. This display of excessive self-confidence led to his eventual demise. Civil war erupted in Rapture, leading to genetic warfare that resulted in the creation of horrific creatures such as Splicers. In the first BioShock game, the player (Andrew’s son, Jack) fights their way through Rapture to take down the mentally defeated Andrew Ryan and is forced to beat him to death with a golf club.
Why He’s One Of The Greatest Video Game Villains: The complexity of Andrew Ryan’s personality makes him one of the best villains in gaming. Just the fact that his ambition and hubris led him create a huge underwater metropolis at the bottom of the sea is enough to earn him a high spot on this list. Throughout the game, the city is littered with art and propaganda about Ryan, a constant reminder to citizens of Rapture who their leader is. What’s even crazier than the idea of an underwater utopia is the fact that Ryan almost successfully pulls it off. But he could not handle his position of power, and his stubbornness and arrogance led to his eventual death. Using mostly politics and money to reach his position of power, Ryan is a reflection upon how power can corrupt anyone, even if they start with the best intentions. While it is eventually revealed that Jack is actually brainwashed by Atlas, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Ryan’s utopia was nothing short of a disaster that cost thousands of people their lives.
Next: 31- Mother Brain