Mass Effect 3 villain

[Thespian]

In one of the "What do you want from Mass Effect 3" threads, I noticed that a lot of people (myself included) said they wanted to see the return of an interesting villain. Saren was perfect as an enigmatic, calm-yet-deadly villain with an interesting morality to him.
Mass Effect 2's harbinger didn't quite fill that role, and was essentially just an unintentionally-humorous disembodied voice, so I was looking forward to ME3 having someone with a face who could work as a good antagonist to motivate us.

From the looks of things, since Cerberus will be a primary enemy, I'm guessing The Illusive Man is going to be the main villain, and this could actually work quite well since I never liked the guy and he can be pretty sinister.
It will be a bit strange considering we were fetching his laundry in the last game, but since he and Shepard have a history it could make for some good chemistry.

So, do you think TIM will suffice as a villain? Or would you prefer to see someone else?

EDIT: Just so y'all know, the reapers aren't really a villain. Sure they are the antagonists, the "threat" and they provide the threat very well. By villain I mean someone like Saren or Benezia. They were the villains of ME1, not, say, the Geth Army. Someone to provide a front for the threat, the embodiment of it. Someone to provide personal drama.

 

[Nmil-ek]

Erm how about the GIANT SENTIENT SPACESHIPS HARVESTING ALL LIFE IN THE GALAXY with an army of minions? Just sayin'

 

[leedwashere]

I'm steadfastly hoping that Cerberus will only be a major antagonist if you didn't side with them. As someone who did side with TIM, I will be fairly disappointed if it gets shoehorned in that you have to come to fighting them.

Of course there are some things that could happen that would make sense for sudden flips even if you did side with him, one major one being a certain effect reaper artifacts tend to have on organics. I'm trying not to think too hard about it, though.

I think once Harbinger arrives he could probably become a good villain. I know my mind was sufficiently blown at the end of the Suicide Mission.

 

[gigastar]

Sorry, did you forget about the Reapers?

Cerberus can suck on hard ignored until i take out the thousands of giant life-harvesting sentient battlecruisers rampaging acroos the galaxy.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I want to shoot TIM in his smug fucking face. So I hope it is him.

 

[Thespian]

Erm how about the GIANT SENTIENT SPACESHIPS HARVESTING ALL LIFE IN THE GALAXY with an army of minions? Just sayin'

I meant a villain with a face, a specific one who provides contrast to the protagonist. I know who the actual enemies are going to be.

In other words, if the Reaper army are the stormtroopers, who's going to be Vader?

 

[Souplex]

Series villain: Reapers.
Game villain: tIM.
Minor villain: Batarian government.

 

[ryai458]

Erm how about the GIANT SENTIENT SPACESHIPS HARVESTING ALL LIFE IN THE GALAXY with an army of minions? Just sayin'

Ya basically if the giant 3km long million year old thousand ship fleet of apocalyptic robots completely bent on galactic annihilation doesn't do it for you I don't know what will.

 

[Spartan X1]

I want an army of reapers and reaper foot soldiers barrelling towards an army of rachni/Krogan/Geth with Shepard and his team leading the charge on some desolate planet

 

[Tulks]

So, do you think TIM will suffice as a villain? Or would you prefer to see someone else?

Tim? "Come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

 

[Thespian]

shnip

I didn't mean they were as inconsequential (or inaccurate) as stormtroopers, but that Vader actually had a personality. A SPECIFIC villain. Yes, the Reapers are the constant villain throughout the series, the ever-looming threat, but they don't have a face, a personality, a character, there's no chemistry. They could be replaced with a field of asteroids about to collide with Earth and be no less personal. A real, daunting, charismatic, sinister, insidious, fleshed out being to challenge shepard directly. Not as in something to provide sufficient threat, Reapers of course do that.

 

[WorldCritic]

And finally I know that someone agrees with me. Took long enough. Anyway I agree that I would like an antagonist with a face. Someone besides the reapers to act as a foil to Shepard. I think TIM might be able to fill the roll, but I can still can't be sure.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

The main villain is the collection of Reapers, lead by Harbinger, who have come to The Milky Way Galaxy, making their first stop Earth. Those are the main bad guys with The Illusive Man being next in line (I assume he's trying to kill you because of all the info Shepard gives the Alliance about him and Cerberus. The game is set to start on Earth anyway, at some sort of hearing and I can see Shepard talking at length about Cerberus and their leader)

Other than Cerberus and Reapers, lesser villains could be former allies. Since you're going to the home-worlds of council races, you could very well be playing a very Dragon-Age kind of game. By which I mean...well remember in Dragon Age: Origins, before the Landsmeet, you would go to place A where factions 1 and 2 are vying for power. You ally yourself with either 1 or 2, do their missions then once 1 or 2 is placated (by the eradication of the other faction) they agree to help you.

That being said, it's already been confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will likely take place on a Quarian Moon (if not their home world). I would assume (from all the foreshadowing) that you will have the choice of helping Tali (who could very well be on the Admiralty Board in ME3) and her people kill the Geth or, finding out through Legion that the true Geth feel their habitation of the former Quarian home world is justified leading to Shepard either helping the (brainwashed or, true or, whatever) Geth maintain the world or, helping the Quarians retake the world.

Granted that would still only be a quest-specific enemy, not a main antagonist.

 

[Thespian]

Tim? "Come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

Am I missing a reference here?

EDIT: Wait, wait, wait, Tim from the holy grail. Riiiight.

Well yeah, I always liked abbreviating "The Illusive Man" to TIM. Took off his edge.

 

[Norris IV]

I reckon It all depends on how you've played ME 1 and/or 2. It would be interesting but far too predictable if the illusive man turned out to be evil, maybe have him save your life and/or join your team, who would see that coming if I didn't mention it? Another interesting area to explore is the whole Quarian/Geth conflict, maybe try to get you to side with 1 of the forces to attack the other and win their loyalty to fight the reapers. The same could be done with the Krogan's and Turians if Wrex died, There you go, plenty of ideas

 

[Tulks]

Tim? "Come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

Am I missing a reference here?

It would appear so. Didn't think it was particularly obscure...

 

[Thespian]

le snip

Nah I got it now, and edited that post. Haven't watched that movie in a while

 

[Canadish]

Tim? "Come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"

Am I missing a reference here?

It would appear so. Didn't think it was particularly obscure...

It's most certainly not obscure.
Thespian need's to hand in his Nerd Card.
Not catching a Monty Python reference, for shame....

But yes, on topic, I'm hoping they add some kind of antagonist, though I suspect it will be Tim, judging by what we know so far.

Harbinger, as others have said, was unintentionally funny.
Plus his army of mooks were awful.
They had Shepard, trapped, surrounded, outnumbered, in their own base, after they KNEW he was coming, and Shepard had no idea of the trap, due to dodgy info from...*sigh*...Tim.
And he STILL escaped. With new info on them. And a weapon upgrade. And some XP...