Okay, Tomb Raider fans, let’s come together-because this one definitely gets all of us scratching heads. The official Tomb Raider account just hit us with a bombshell: “Who’s the most underrated villain in the franchise?” Their pick? Baba Yaga, the witch who sells ogres short in Rise of the Tomb Raider. But dang, the other side of the conversation is silence-crickets-nada-zero-zilch.
Maybe Baba Yaga has kept everyone silent, or maybe the Tomb Raider fandom is simply under the rug with this whole issue. Let’s get into it.
First off, Baba Yaga is a pick. An embodiment of that creepy, otherworldly kind of vibe-floating hut, chilling whispers-the whole nine yards. And that ever-so-creepy vibe, the DLC mission may have weirded out many players who experienced it during the reboot trilogy. Overrated? Ehhh…Some fans might actually think that our poor side villain is overhyped.
But who else would it be, if not her? There have been plenty of N.E.D. bad guys in the Tomb Raider franchise. Sophia Leigh from Tomb Raider III? Now, that was a vision of immortality and a scare-the-be-jaysus-outta-everyone beauty-obsessed CEO. What about Evert from Legend and Underworld? Betrayal, revenge, with the voice that could shatter glass; she was a hot mess in the sweet way.
And some classics come to mind-remember the malevolent Pierre Dupont and Larson Conway from the first Tomb Raider? They were but pure hired guns, yet oh, their aura was something else. How could anyone not love-to-hate them?
But here’s the real tea: the replies might mean fandom is just too split on this. And maybe- wait for it- everyone is still processing the trauma of Mathias from the 2013 reboot, because that dude was just. So. Fing. Unhinged.
What’s Your Hot Take? Post it into comments; or you know, respond to tweet if you are feeling adventurous. Baba Yaga stans: defend your queen. Sophia Leigh apologists: rise. Team “Mathias was the real villain”? Well… won’t judge.
Wait, what was I going on about? Tomb Raider villains. Underrated. Yeah; Discuss.
P.S. If you haven’t played Baba Yaga DLC yet, fix that. Right. About. Now.
