Like most Dungeons & Dragons games, Critical Role is about the player characters first and foremost. Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, and Hell's Bells are all stuffed with epic heroes for the fan to root for. However, they need somebody else to stand against. This is where Critical Role's many villains come in, all originally played by DM Matthew Mercer.
Critical Role has countless villains who shape episodes, story arcs, or even entire campaigns with their actions. Some of these stand out to the fans, becoming almost as beloved as the cast themselves. Fans never root for Critical Role's villains. However, they enjoy watching them do awful things.
10 Saundor
Saundor is a minor villain in the grand scheme of Critical Role. He only appears in one episode in Critical Role's first campaign, "The Echo Tree." Before then, his main story significance is as the bearer of the bow Fenthras and a corrupting force within the Feywild. Nonetheless, his brief appearance has made him one of the most memorable NPCs relative to his screentime,
Saundor is the hollow shell of an archfey who lets a perceived betrayal consume him to the point of obsession. His self-loathing and callous actions make him liken himself to Vex'ahlia, whom he attempts to keep with him in the Feywild. His place in Vex's storyline, haunting dialogue, and Matt Mercer's unsettling performance have made him stand out despite his relatively little time in Critical Role.
9 Obann
Obann is another Critical Role villain who stands out for his relation to a main character. Obann is a figure from Yasha's past who returns during Critical Role's second campaign as he attempts to free Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion. Obann forms a terrifying gang of villains to oppose the Mighty Nein, including the Laughing Hand, the Inevitable End, and Yasha herself.
Obann's most significant act in Critical Role's second campaign is dominating Yasha's mind and turning her against the Mighty Nein. It's a unique move for a villain that has far-reaching ramifications in the storyline. As a result, Obann is responsible for one of Critical Role's bleakest stretches.
8 Dr. Anna Ripley
Dr. Anna Ripley is never more than a sideshow villain in any arc. She's a wildcard during Critical Role's infamous Briarwood Arc as a former ally of Silas and Deliah Briarwood. In the Chroma Conclave Arc, she reappears to challenge Vox Machina for vestiges and spread Percy de Rolo's firearm technology across the world.
Anna Ripley is the perfect shadow counterpart to Percy in Critical Role. She's a genius with a significant amoral streak willing to go to any lengths to get things done. Percy has to both forgive and overcome her to undo the damage he's inflicted upon himself and on the world, making her one of the most influential antagonists in a Critical Role character's storyline.
7 Avantika
Most Critical Role villains have to deal with limited screentime. Given the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, many interactions turn into fights that leave the villain dead. Avantika gets more time to shine than most villains in Critical Role's second season because she forms a tenuous alliance with the Mighty Nein.
The Mighty Nein know that Avantika can't be trusted and that she has terrible plans involving Uk'otoa. Nonetheless, she's charismatic and impressive enough to keep them at bay for an entire Critical Role story arc. Her first end, as the Mighty Nein outplay her with a gambit of their own, is one of the best battles in Critical Role's second campaign.
6 Ludinus
Ludinus is a rare Critical Role villain to appear in two separate campaigns. He's a bit player during the Mighty Nein's adventures, with his schemes as part of the Cerberus Assembly in the background. In Critical Role's third campaign, Ludinus comes to the forefront as the mage leading the Ruby Vanguard in their quest to take down the gods.
Ludinus combines vision with centuries years of planning to be more successful than almost any villain in Critical Role history. He manages to largely outplay Bell's Hells, members of the Mighty Nein, and even Keyleth and Vax'ildan during the Apogee Solstics. Ludinus plans to unleash a much greater threat than himself in Critical Role's third season, but he remains its central villain.
5 Lucien
Lucien is a uniquely personal villain in Critical Role's second campaign. Mollymauk Tealeaf's death is a game-defining moment that's felt for the rest of the Mighty Nein's adventures, and Lucien inhabits his body afterward. Lucien leads the Tomb Takers in his quest to become a god, getting the Mighty Nein caught up in his affairs.
Lucien's time with the Mighty Nein in Critical Role is a cruel reminder of a beloved and departed character. This extends to the party, who alternate between attempting to stop him and attempting to bring back Mollymauk. Matthew Mercer manages to make Lucien his own entity, not beholden to Taliesin Jaffe's Mollymauk, while still having just enough in common to remind fans of the deceased character.
4 Vecna
Critical Role's first campaign ends on a high-stakes note hinted at since the earliest episodes. Vecna, the Whispered One has himself resurrected so he can set about becoming a full-blown god. After several battles against his cult, Vox Machina come face-to-face with Vecna and find themselves helpless almost immediately.
Vecna is far and away the biggest threat of Critical Role's first campaign. This extends to his individual prowess in battle and to his greater ambitions to destroy Vasselheim. He displays a flair for showmanship as Vox Machina battle to stop him, often showing up to taunt them and ensure the audience hates him.
3 Raishan
Raishan, the Diseased Deceiver, initially appears to be no more than another dragon antagonist in Critical Role's Chroma Conclave Arc. She's one of four dragons who lay waste to Tal'dorei and divide the continent into their own territories. However, she quickly stands out from the rest by forming a distrustful alliance with Vox Machina.
Raishan has more screentime than any other dragon villain in Critical Role. Fans get to learn her backstory and motivations, and see plenty of impressive feats. She proves the Conclave's most dangerous member by far, even winning her first fight against Vox Machina. Raishan manages to supplant Thordak, the Cider King as the arc's iconic villain despite the odds being stacked against her.
2 Trent Ikithon
Trent Ikithon isn't the central villain of Critical Role's second campaign. However, he is the final antagonist left in the Mighty Nein's path. Trent looms large over the second campaign as the reason for Caleb Widogast's tragic backstory and as an emblem of the Dwendalian Empire's moral corruption.
The Mighty Nein have to converse civilly with Ikithon several times over their adventure in Critical Role. Each time, he proves unsettling and hateful in the way only an abuser can manage. Despite his relatively anticlimactic end, there's an undeniable delight in watching Ikithon finally fall.
1 The Briarwoods
Two of Critical Role's best villains are so intertwined they're difficult to separate. Silas and Delilah Briarwood are the married couple who lend their name to one of Critical Role's most beloved story arcs. Silas is a vampire whilst Delilah is the necromancer who brought him back from the dead. They take over Whitestone in service to Vecna, traumatizing Percy and massacring his family.
The Briarwoods ooze menace with every second they appear in Critical Role. Their first in-person appearance is one of the show's most tense episodes as they press Percy's buttons and then trap Vax'ildan in their room. They even reappear after their defeat, helping to close out Critical Role's first campaign by fighting in the final arc.