For nearly two decades, gamers across the globe have been locked in battle against the terrifying Locust hordes from the Gears of War series. Over this period, numerous adversaries have emerged to challenge the valiant soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG). These include foes like the Union of Independent Republics (UIR), the Lambent, robotic DeeBees, and the Swarm, a formidable successor to the Locust. Each faction in Gears of War has its motivations: the UIR sought to control Imulsion resources and gain independence, while the Locust aimed to escape the Lambent infection and take over the surface world. Meanwhile, the DeeBees fought under orders to protect COG’s citizens, and the Swarm endeavored to annihilate humanity.
Gears of War is celebrated for its intense campaigns and captivating multiplayer gameplay, though its array of unique villains isn’t as widely recognized. Notably, aside from the Lambent infection transforming life into zombie-like beings, each enemy faction is ruled by occasionally unhinged leaders, even though many are rarely seen in the series. For example, no leader from the UIR has appeared in-game. Despite this, the Gears of War saga boasts a cast of villains that can be evaluated based on their fear factor, the chaos they wreak on Sera, and their effectiveness as antagonists.
### S-Tier Gears of War Villains
Among the top villains in Gears of War are those responsible for committing some of the most heinous acts in Sera’s history. Doctor Niles Samson, who remains unseen while alive in the games, is crucial to the series’ events, given he created the Locust. Near the close of the Pendulum Wars, Samson was tasked with treating children affected by the Imulsion-related Rustlung disease but instead conducted experiments on them, resulting in the monstrous Sires, intended as supersoldiers for the COG. Leveraging one child’s — Myrrah’s — immunity to Imulsion, he developed the Locust. Unfortunately, his mistreatment of Myrrah and the Locust sparked their revolt and subsequent war on humanity. Decades after Emergence Day (E-Day), a stored version of Samson’s mind reactivated Myrrah in Reyna Diaz’s body.
Queen Myrrah, mourning what she believed was her daughter Reyna’s death, rallied her Locust Horde to exterminate humanity. She tasked her most formidable warrior, General RAAM, with the surface assault known as E-Day. On that day, about 25% of Sera’s human population perished under RAAM’s command. For 14 years, RAAM left a trail of devastation, personally slaying COG soldiers like Alicia Valera and Minh Young Kim, or unleashing the ruthless kryll to obliterate cities. The actions of Samson, Myrrah, and RAAM nearly annihilated Sera’s human and non-human life.
### A-Tier Gears of War Villains
Although General RAAM didn’t survive the Locust War, his successor and longtime associate, Skorge, stepped up. A rare Kantus leader, Skorge started as the High Priest of the Trinity of Worms before becoming High General after RAAM’s demise. With this rank, Skorge led a massive Riftworm to engulf entire cities, yet also participated in ground combat, skillfully wielding Gorgon Pistols and a devastating Dual Chainsaw Staff. Skorge encountered Delta-One several times in Gears of War 2’s Operation: Hollow Storm but met his end after being thrown from his mutated Reaver Hydra.
Throughout the franchise, players face various colossal, mutated creatures from the Hollow, many of which stem from the experiments of Ukkon, the Locust’s chief geneticist. Responsible for crafting the immense Brumaks and Corpsers through Imulsion, Ukkon stands out as the sole Sire maintaining cognitive faculties. Twenty-five years post-Locust War, The Speaker, a converted Locust Drone into a Swarm Scion, orchestrated the Swarm’s creation under Myrrah’s direction. While The Speaker’s role was brief in Gears of War 4, he left a strong impression as he kidnapped people and battled atop a Swarmak.
### B-Tier Gears of War Villains
Villains in Gears of War aren’t always imposing, deft, or significantly involved in the storyline. This is evident with Gears of War: Judgment’s Colonel Ezra Pound Loomis and General Karn. Throughout Judgment, Colonel Loomis is depicted as an inept leader, carelessly leading COG forces to their doom in Halvo Bay and posing more of a threat to Kilo Squad than the Locust, even insisting on executing them despite their success in safeguarding Halvo Bay. However, Kilo Squad scarcely interacts with the invasion’s mastermind, General Karn, observing only the devastation left in Karn’s wake and swiftly ending his threat upon first confrontation.
Conversely, in Gears of War 4, First Minister Mina Jinn takes on a more substantial role, commanding DeeBee robots for nearly half the game. Yet, Jinn doesn’t exude much menace, instead appearing imprudent and hasty in her judgments, only acting to aid against the Swarm when it’s almost too late. Her authoritarian use of DeeBees to subdue both her people and rebels, often resulting in unnecessary property destruction, fuels continued resentment toward the COG, even amid efforts to rebuild society.
