The best game characters that turned into monsters

There are many different types of monsters and villains in video games, from humans who are pure spite and aggression to villains who are misunderstood. However, there is another type of antagonist, those who crave power and are willing to go to any lengths to obtain it.

These villains are probably some of the scariest to come across as they will do anything to get their way. Some go so far as to turn themselves into literal monsters to achieve their goal. That's what this article is about; the devastating and terrifying moments when video game characters have gone so far as to turn into monsters.

8 Frank Fontaine

Bioshock

Frank Fontaine from Bioshock is a con artist and criminal with less than ethical business ideas. He does all sorts of things to smuggle contraband or to get paid and will do almost anything for profit. He is truly despicable.

You'll eventually have to fight Frank Fontaine, but he's in no ordinary form. He injected himself with ADAM, which is a genetically altering substance. Now an intimidating massive figure with super strength, he has become a literal nightmare, constantly changing during combat.

7 Captain Ferris

The Callisto Protocol

Captain Leon Ferris is the main antagonist of the Callisto protocol. He was one of the senior officers at Blackwell Prison, where Jacob Lee, the protagonist, was locked up after an unfortunate crash on the dead moon Callisto.

Towards the end of the game, Captain Ferris finally appears, though he's noticeably bulkier and looks, well, infectious. He bonded with a certain strain of Biophage, a life-eating infection that rapidly mutated and turned people into aggressive zombie-like creatures to become stronger, just as he had always wanted.

6 Purple Guy/William Afton

Five Nights at Freddy's

William Afton, perhaps better known as the Purple Guy, is the main antagonist during the Five Nights at Freddy's games. You can slowly unravel the devastating story of animatronics, restaurant and crime around William Afton.

But he eventually had to face the consequences after murdering several children during his selfish pursuit of immortality. William climbed into the Spring Bonnie suit as a scare tactic to scare the ghost children he had previously murdered. It didn't go his way and he merged with the suit in the most painful way.

5 Joker

Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Joker, who is an insane supervillain and Batman's archenemy, is one of the main antagonists of Batman: Arkham Asylum. During the game, the Joker takes over Arkham Asylum, where some of the Joker's gang and other villains are being held, and uses it to his advantage.

The Joker is eventually revealed to be funding the development of Titan, a chemical that results in inhuman muscle mass and super strength. The Joker gets his hands on some and of course injects himself and becomes a massive figure that Batman takes over.

4 Josh Washington

Until dawn

Josh Washington was a pretty interesting character in Until Dawn. He organized many dangerous “pranks” that happened in the mountain with his friends. It's definitely a form of revenge after his sisters died because of a prank pulled on them.

It's hard to say that Josh is a monster purely because of how complex his character is and the reasons behind his actions. But there's no denying that when he was dragged through the mines and then possessed by a Wendigo spirit after eating human flesh, he wasn't a monster at that point.

3 John Hancock

Fallout 4

John Hancock is perhaps the one who will stand out the most on this list because even though his outward appearance is terrifying, he didn't change because he was power hungry or enraged. This was due to an unfortunate battle with addiction to chemicals like Jet.

John is the Mayor of Goodneighbor in the Commonwealth and has a pretty fascinating story and dialogue if you choose him as your companion. There is a lot about his character that is unique from the others on the list.

2 Jesse Williamson/Carlos

Days gone

Jesse Williamson, better known as Carlos, is the leader of the Rippers who terrorize the settlements in Days Gone. Encountering them is terrifying as they are evil and merciless and will kill on the spot.

Carlos was once part of Deacon's biker gang, but after a mistake, he was kicked out and his tattoo melted by a torch. After the apocalypse, he essentially lost his mind, corrupted by taking extreme amounts of drugs with his followers. He became a terrifying scarred monster that led others to do the same.

1 Dr. William Birkin

Resident Evil 2

While Dr. Birkin was possessed by the G-Virus, it was ultimately his death and his selfish actions caused the infection of Raccoon City and a violent cannibalistic outbreak.

Dr. Birkin was part of a research project that created a dangerous biological weapon, arguably his first downfall by association. But he became obsessed, and then, in a desperate attempt to save himself after several serious injuries, he injected himself with the G-Virus, even though he knew it was unfinished and not at all safe. Become one of the scariest creatures you'll encounter in Resident Evil 2.