An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis (sometimes spelled arch-enemy, arch-foe, arch-villain or arch-nemesis, originated around the mid-16^th century) is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy (compare nemesis)^[1].^[2][3][1] The reason why the particular villain stands out more than the rest of the protagonist's rogues gallery varies; they may be the hero's strongest enemy, have strong connections with the hero's past, caused the hero a great deal of personal pain, has the most personal grudge against the hero, may be the most recurring enemy,^[4] the villain and the hero may be the respective leaders of two opposing factions or it may even be all these things. In certain cases, it is possible for a hero to possess more than one archenemy where the villains have established themselves at various times.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Examples of archenemies 3 See also 4 Notes

[edit] Etymology

The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated around the mid-16^th century, from the words arch- and enemy.^[1]

[edit] Examples of archenemies

The reason why the particular villain stands out more than the rest of the protagonist's rogues gallery varies; they may be the hero's strongest enemy (Doctor Doom/The Fantastic Four) (Professor Moriarty/Sherlock Holmes), have strong connections with the hero's past (the Master/the Doctor), caused the hero a great deal of personal pain (the Joker/Batman) (Ernst Stavro Blofeld/James Bond), has the most personal grudge against the hero (Lex Luthor/Superman), (Doctor Claw/Inspector Gadget), may be the most recurring enemy (Bowser/Mario)^[4], the villain and the hero may be the respective leaders of two opposing factions (Megatron/Optimus Prime) or it may even be all these things (King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla/Godzilla). In certain cases, it is possible for a hero to possess more than one archenemy, as in the case of Spider-Man with Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom where all three villains have established themselves, at various times, as the most recurring and the most iconic of Spider-Man's rogues gallery.

[edit] See also

• Supervillain
• Rogues gallery

[edit] Notes