Archenemy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis (sometimes spelled arch-enemy, arch-foe, arch-villain or arch-nemesis, originated around the mid-16th 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.
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[edit] Etymology
The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated around the mid-16th 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), 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/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
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c "archenemy definition". Dictionary. Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/archenemy. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "archenemy - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archenemy. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ Wicaksono, Rachel. "BBC World Service". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1837_aae/page23.shtml. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ a b Albert, Aaron. "Top Ten Comic Book Archenemies - Superhero and Villain Arch-rivals". About.com. http://comicbooks.about.com/od/characters/tp/archenemies.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
