The Top 10 Baddest and Biggest Villains In LoL Runeterra

Runeterra is a world that’s constantly dealing with threats from every corner of both the planet itself and the cosmos. The League of Legends storyline is complex in the sense that there are countless protagonists and antagonists with the only difference between them being dependent on moral ambiguity. It’s hard to determine if a character is evil or good but these following champions have a clear goal that definitely makes them the baddest and biggest villains in LoL Runeterra.

The Biggest Villains In LoL Runeterra

League of Legends’ Runeterra universe is a pool of chaos and conflict. It houses some of the most powerful beings in the universe and has attracted even bigger threats from across the galaxy. Runeterra’s complex history as the centerpiece of all the events and tragedies surrounding magic, power, influence, and other aspects has made it a very complicated place where all the important personalities gather around in battles of mortals, magical creatures, gods, and celestial entities.

To put it simply, there are so many creatures that want to destroy Runeterra. However, let’s look at the 10 biggest villains in LoL who are most likely to succeed because of the power, influence, and motivation that they have to destroy the world. What makes a villain isn’t simply harboring evil thoughts or having unstable powers but having the ability and means to do so as well as the willingness to push through to attain their goals in the most efficient way possible.

10. Cho’gath

Let’s start off our biggest villains in LoL list with the smallest threat and by “small”, we’re not talking about the size. Among all of the voidlings in the League of Legends champion lineup, Cho’gath is probably the biggest threat to Runeterra. In his storyline, Cho’gath is a creature that not only continues to consume the power from other beings but is constantly learning about Runeterra due to his innate intelligence that makes him extremely dangerous.

While Cho’gath probably doesn’t pose the biggest threat yet in Runeterra today, his ability to consume the powers of other magical beings will make him one of the biggest villains in LoL someday. As Cho’gath continues to gain more intelligence and learn about the world of Runeterra, he won’t just be a threat as an individual but also learn various ways to overcome the advancements that the Runeterrans have developed in terms of magic and technology.

9. Demacia (Traditionalist Council)

While not necessarily a champion, let’s still consider what people or group of people are most likely to cause the demise of Runeterra. Demacia is seen by non-lore readers as a kingdom that symbolizes purity, order, and justice but the reality of it is that this city is much darker than how the art styles portray it to be. Demacia has a dark side that will most likely prove to be the fall of countless Runeterran civilizations that gives it the right to stand among the biggest villains in LoL history.

Demacia has had a long history regarding the suppression and genocide of mages and other forms of magic users. The traditionalist council, which probably makes up a majority of the ruling individuals is very rhabdophobic. The persecution of mages has led to the creation of people like Annie and Sylas who have been unleashed onto the world. If the traditionalist council were to be motivated to “cleanse” the world of magic, then Runeterra would be facing off against the entire might of Demacia.

8. Syndra

Syndra is one of the most powerful entities in Runeterra. She is considered the most powerful mage in Runeterra due to her potential to control an unlimited amount of dark magic at her will. She has had a complicated childhood (as most villains do) and has been imprisoned most of her life which gives her motivation to take revenge upon the world. It is heavily implied that no other mage in the entire world comes close to the power of Syndra, especially now that she has mastered it.

The only thing keeping Syndra from climbing higher in our biggest villains in LoL rankings is the fact that she has secluded herself from the outside world. Syndra create a tower tall enough that no one can ever reach her (a testament to her power). Right now, she has not amassed an army, either because she doesn’t need to or doesn’t want to, to take revenge to the people of Runeterra. However, the world will fall to darkness if ever she decides to unleash her powers upon the world.

7. Aatrox

Aatrox is always depicted as the herald of the apocalypse in terms of League of Legends trailers and storylines. However, that title seems a bit overblown to his actual potential as a threat to Runeterra. While it’s true that Aatrox exists today to destroy everything and kill everyone, his ability to do so is still a bit questionable especially since he plans to do it by himself. Don’t get us wrong, he’s a powerful being that will destroy the world if he was left to do so.

There’s no doubt that Aatrox is a powerful entity capable of razing kingdoms and defeating the most powerful people in the world but the fact is it’s all pure ambition. It is stated in Pantheon’s storyline that he was able to sever the arm of Aatrox during their battle. Luckily for our villain, he gets more powerful the more people he kills and absorbs in his blade. Like most of our biggest villains in LoL, he’ll most likely become a threat only if left alone to his own devices.

6. Xerath

Xerath is another ascended on this list that makes it to the top 10. Unlike Aatrox, Xerath isn’t a reckless being that wants to kill and destroy just for the sake of it. He neither grows more powerful through time nor does he feed off the deaths of other people. Instead, what makes him more dangerous than Aatrox is the fact that he’s a manipulator that was capable of brainwashing individuals such as Renekton to help him attain his goals even if they’re indirectly.

Xerath isn’t exactly more on the destruction of the world aspect but is motivated to slaughter everyone in Runeterra that stands in his way of restoring the greatness of Shurima. As one of the ascended, there’s no doubt that Xerath is powerful enough to attain his goals especially since he has countless individuals that he can use at his disposal. The only thing that’s stopping him is another individual with very similar motivations and end-goal.

5. Azir

Speaking of restoring Shurima to its former glory, there’s probably no other being out there that can match the potential of Azir. As the rightful emperor of Shurima, this ascended is capable of raising armies, structures, and even inspiring present-day Shurimans to fight for his cause. As we all know from history, there’s nothing more dangerous than a charismatic person whose ideals are agreed upon by the people albeit the end goal becomes twisted along the way.

His individual powers alone are something to be feared but combined with the fact that he commands an army that is willing to obey his command (not including the sand soldiers), Azir is probably one of the biggest villains in LoL that exists within the living realm and is not a being from outside the planet. In ancient times, Shurima was an empire that kept expanding by conquering other cities, it’s most likely that Azir is planning on doing the same today but without the mistakes the empire made in the past.

4. Brand

Brand by himself is probably not the most powerful being in all of Runeterra nor does he have an army that can conquer the world. He isn’t a charismatic personality nor is he someone that is capable of corrupting other beings into submission. What makes Brand one of the biggest villains in LoL Runeterra is the fact that he has knowledge of the World Runes. As the main antagonist to Ryze, Brand is the biggest reason why he needs to collect the runes before it falls to the wrong hands, in this case – Brand.

It is unknown how powerful the World Runes are altogether but we know that just one is capable of destroying an entire city. The runes themselves are capable of corrupting their holders which Ryze has been trying to resist so that he doesn’t end up being the reason why the world is in danger. Unfortunately, his former apprentice became evil (because they always do, don’t they) while holding the knowledge of how to use the runes and hints on how to find them.

3. Viego

Now we’re getting to the Top 3 of our list of biggest villains in LoL Runeterra. Viego is the man responsible for the Ruination, an event that threatens all life on Runeterra. He controls an unimaginable amount of death magic and controls countless wraiths and revenants from within the black mist. He is also capable of ruining other powerful beings in the world that will prove to be the demise of every city. The worst part is that he can do this overnight.

In the current Riot Games Ruination event, it is heavily implied that Viego is already unleashing the Black Mist on every corner of the world. Half the structures and population have since been destroyed, leaving only a handful of people being able to stand up against the Ruined King. By the end of the event, we might see that Runeterra will almost be completely be destroyed and requires the alliance of the some of the strongest heroes in LoL Runeterra to somehow take down the king or at least help him transition to the next world.

2. The Watchers

This is probably a huge jump in terms of sheer scale and power because we’re introducing The Watchers next on our list. The Watchers are a powerful entity that were borne from the curiosity of The Void and are so powerful that it would probably take 10 Syndra’s to take a single one down. The only reason why The Watchers were sealed before is because they gave a portion of their powers to the Iceborne who eventually led a rebellion against them.

In present day, the only Iceborne left that still holds a portion of The Watcher’s power is Lissandra. Although, her powers have significantly weakened so she might prove useless against them. Other than the Watchers themselves, they also control the entirety of The Void, which is an endless army of powerful creatures that is capable of trampling civilizations. With no Iceborne, a handful of good god-warriors, and other threats piling up, it’s a mystery how Runeterra is getting out of this one.

1. Aurelion Sol

Aurelion Sol is a celestial dragon that created countless galaxies in the Runeterra universe. His knowledge is also what gave birth to the very powerful ascended. He can probably just blow away Runeterra with a single breath if he wanted to but unfortunately, a powerful relic from ancient Targon prevents him from even approaching Runeterra from a great distance. He is extremely motivated on punishing the Runeterrans for their hubris and we doubt there’s anything or anyone powerful enough to stop him.

Aurelion Sol was enslaved by the Targonians after they deceived him into thinking that they were worshipping him. Unfortunately for Runeterra, the power of the relic is slowly wearing off so it’s only a matter of time before Aurelion Sol makes his grand return. There’s nothing except a ridiculously-written plot armor storyline that will prevent him from erasing Runeterra from existence. Either something involving the World Runes or convincing him not to destroy the planet.