Summary
The Powerpuff Girlswas a popular cartoon when it started in the 1990s, and it evolved into a whole franchise that included video games, a movie, and merchandise. There was a full-length animated movie in 2002, and the wholePowerpuff Girlsseries was rebooted in 2016 by Cartoon Network, with many desiring for the cartoon to make a comeback.
Plans for a live-action version of the show continue to languish in development hell, with the latest idea for alive-action adaptationcanceled in 2021. That doesn’t mean that interest in thePowerpuff Girlsits related merchandise or its iconic characters has waned. It’s not only the heroes but the villains of the show that fans recognize, and hopefully any future reboots or adaptations will include a few of them.
7The Amoeba Boys
One Single-Celled Plan At A Time
They’re among the oldest criminals in the series, appearing in the pilot episode alongside another group of much more impressive villains. It’s their entertainment value that makes them iconic as opposed to their battle prowess; their unofficial title is The Most Pathetic Criminals to Ever Walk Townsville, after all.
The gang is based on 1930s gangster stereotypes and is made up of three members; Bossman, Slim, and Junior. The Amoeba Boys' main function in this particular story is to be the target of the Powerpuff Girls' savage powers of Whoopass, and that’s a literal description because they want the fame of getting busted by the famous superheroes.
6The Gangreen Gang
Blossom describes this lot as more of a nuisance than real criminals. Compared to the Amoeba Boys that are introduced in the same episode, however, they’re the more dangerous adversaries and they appear again in slightly altered forms in the 2016 reboot.
The Gangreen Gang is based on the work of cartoonish Ed Roth, who created Rat Fink and is also inspired by other iconic animated gangs, like the Toon Patrol and Gorillaz. They also make an appearance in the 2002 movie as the tertiary antagonists andact pretty animalisticsometimes.
5Princess Morbucks
Greed Is A Sin
There are few thingsmore evil than a spoiled child, and that’s why Princess Morbucks is one of the worst villains that our heroes ever had to face. She appears in every incarnation of the show, starting with her introduction in 1999 and continuing into the 2016 reboot and the anime version.
Morbucks sees the Powerpuff Girls doing heroic stuff and decides she wants to be a Powerpuff Girl too, assuming she can buy her way in like she does with everything else. When this plan goes sour, Morbucks decides that if she can’t join them, she’ll destroy them.
4Boogie Man
The Terror Of A Leisure Suit
It’s easy to forget the heroes of this show are still little girls, and despite their impressive powers, they have the same fears and nightmares as regular kids. The aesthetic that defines Boogie Man is the 1970s disco era, which some will say was a time of unspeakable horror when it came to music, clothing, and style generally.
That’s one of the reasons that Boogie Man was such a terrifying villain, so it’s a good thing that he only appears once before the Powerpuff Girls hurl him and his fellow demi-demons into space. His only other appearances are the 2008 television special,The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!, and the video gameHIM and Seek.
3Mojo Jojo
An Experiment Gone Wrong
Mojo Jojo is one of the most successful adversaries ofThe Powerpuff Girlsdue to his high intelligence level, although his plans often have some fatal flaws that the girls exploit to defeat him. He is one of the series' most prolific recurring villains and although his plans are different they all have the same goal of taking over the world.
According to the lore, Mojo is actually the one responsible for the creation of the superheroes. Hisantics in the Professor’s labcaused the accident that gave them and him their superpowers. This is a villain that follows the evil scientist trope, so Mojo Jojo is always building machines and elaborate weapons to use in his bid for global conquest.
2His Infernal Majesty
The Memorable Demon Also Known As HIM
HIM is one of the most recognizable characters inThe Powerpuff Girlsuniverse other than the protagonists and is one of the most deeply disturbing villains in cartoon history. This character’s debut consists of possessing a doll and driving a wedge between Buttercupand Bubbles, so it’s clear they’re a monster with bad intentions and nefarious plans.
The design combines some typical demonic features with weird and random details like crab claws and a Santa Claus outfit and looks like something out of a feverish nightmare. This is to say nothing of the character’s high-pitched yet sour-sounding voice which sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
1The Rowdyruff Boys
The “Mirror Universe” Powerpuff Girls
Every superhero has a nemesis that’s the mirror image of themselves. The Rowdyruff Boys might be the only villains in the show that arejust as or even more powerfulthan the titular superheroes, which is why they take a clever mix of brains and brawn to defeat.
They were created by Mojo Jojo as one of his more successful experiments, and after the girls discovered they could be destroyed by “cooties” to defeat them, they were resurrected by yet another villain, the nefarious and annoying HIM. That makes them a combination of some of the worst villains of the series while being evil bad guys on their own.
MORE:Powerpuff Girls: Amazing Bubbles Memes That Show How Relatable She Is
