InThe Witcher 3’s case, the villains names are already in the title.
Ironically, they’re not exactly the star villains of the games.
In fact, the two most interesting villains ofThe Witcher 3came fromthe expansions,Hearts of StoneandBlood and Wine.
Hearts of Stonehas the nefarious Gaunter O’Dimm whileBlood and Winehas the raging Dettlaff.
Which of them is actually a better villain forThe Witcher 3?
Let’s look at their strengths.
That’s why Gaunter’s introduction kept Geralt in check.
Here’s a being who can do whatever he wants and is even more powerful than Ciri.
Gaunter O’Dimm can play with time and souls along with many other unseen capabilities.
Not many antagonists canenslave Geralt, but Gaunter did it effortlessly.
A villain can only be as interesting as their motivations.
Hence, Dettlaff is the more relatable of the two.
8GAUNTER IS BETTER: ONE OF THE SMARTEST VILLAINS
Everyone loves a smart and clever villain.
Gaunter O’Dimm is just that and complements Geralt’s bluntness and brashness well enough.
Furthermore, villains who plot and concoct some nasty machinations provide the best stories.
Dettlaff might have been terrifying but withoutSyanna pulling the strings, he’s just an angry and lethal infant.
Gaunter on his own is a menace to the universe.
Thegame never answered these questions, sadly.
While it did make Gaunter mysterious, it also made his involvement in the story less palatable.
It shows how they’re coherent and that they still do value or honor something.
This strength of character is very much visible with Gaunter O’Dimm, especially with how he treats his contracts.
Dettlaff being more chaotic and turbulent makes him appear less respectable and more immature.
One look at his actions and nobody would think of him as an eons-old vampire.
Gaunter suffers from fewer contradictions and is more stable in his villainous acts.
Syanna was the other half of the antagonist profileinBlood and Wineand she’s the brains of the plot.
As such, Dettlaff is not even that evil.
After all, defeating a “devil” has always been rewarding in any literature.
He’s cold, calculating, and devoid of humanity.
Dettlaff at least shows more emotions than Gaunter.
He’s known love, fear, and hatred.
He’s his own person; this makes his actions more believable and personal than Gaunter’s.
Because according to Gaunter, he can’t die.
He’s like a force of nature that will keep coming back.
This automatically makes Gaunter agood nemesis against Geraltwho is also functionally immortal unless killed.
It provides more potential for future stories or even games.
He’s someone who can never be truly defeated and that makes him more troublesome than Dettlaff.
How Dettlaff became a villain is tragic and sad; it makes his rage and villainous actions somewhat justified.
This is a great way to remove the cookie cutter good vs. bad template in stories.
Dettlaff is a more polarizing villain than Gaunter– some players might even want to side with him.
In that regard, Dettlaff is a great morally grey antagonist and fits well withThe Witchergames' tradition.
NEXT:The Witcher: Which Monster Are You, Based On Your D&D Alignment?
