Archenemy

For other uses, see Archenemy (disambiguation).

In literature, an archenemy, (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) or nemesis is the main enemy of the protagonist — or sometimes, one of the other main characters — appearing as the most prominent and most-known enemy of the hero.^[1][2][3]

Sherlock Holmes wrestling against his archenemy Prof. Moriarty.

Etymology

The word archenemy originated around the mid-16th century, from the words arch-^[3] (from Greek ἄρχω archo meaning 'to lead') and enemy.^[1]

An archenemy may also be referred to as an archrival,^[4] archfoe,^[5] archvillain,^[6] or archnemesis,^[7] but an archenemy may also be distinguished from an archnemesis, with the latter being an enemy whom the hero cannot defeat (or who defeats the hero), even while not being a longstanding or consistent enemy to the hero.^[8]

The archenemy should not be confused with the proper meaning of Nemesis — the Greek goddess of justice, retribution, and vengeance — who delivered divine punishment on those who committed great offences against the gods and the world.^[9]

Notable examples

DC Comics

Hero/Team	Archenemy	References
Batman	The Joker	[10][11][12]
Superman	Lex Luthor	[10][11][12]
Wonder Woman	Cheetah	[10][11][12]
Flash	Reverse-Flash	[10][12]
Green Lantern	Sinestro	[10][12]
Aquaman	Black Manta	[12]
Teen Titans	Deathstroke	[10][12]

Marvel Comics

Hero/Team	Archenemy	References
Fantastic Four	Doctor Doom	[10][12]
X-Men	Magneto	[10][12]
Captain America	Red Skull	[10][12]
Wolverine	Sabretooth	[10][12]
Avengers	Ultron	[10]
Thor	Loki	[12]
Spider-Man	Green Goblin	[12]
Daredevil	Kingpin	[12]
Iron Man	Mandarin	[12]
Punisher	Jigsaw	[12]
Blade	Deacon Frost	[12]

Other

Hero	Archenemy	Franchise	Sources
Sherlock Holmes	Professor Moriarty	Sherlock Holmes	[11]
Optimus Prime	Megatron	Transformers	[11]
Captain Kirk	Khan Noonien Singh	Star Trek	[11]
James Bond	Ernst Stavro Biofeld	James Bond	[11]
Ninja Turtles	Shredder	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	[12]
Will Graham	Hannibal Lecter	Hannibal Lecter	[11]
Raylan Givens	Boyd Crowder	Justified	[11]
The Powerpuff Girls	Mojo Jojo	The Powerpuff Girls	[12]
Spawn	Violator	Spawn	[12]
Cady Heron	Regina George	Mean Girls	[11]
Benjamin Sisko	Gul Dukat	Star Trek	[11]

See also

• Antagonist
• Supervillain
• Villain
• Nemesis