Favorite Villains #9--The Reapers/Harbinger

Favorite Villains #9--The Reapers/Harbinger

The Reapers invade the galaxy.

I haven't written about Mass Effect in so long I thought it was time to bring it back.  The best villains are the ones who seem untouchable.  They are superior to you in every way whether it is intelligence, strength, power, or abilities they just seem invincible.  The Reapers in Mass Effect are a great example of the untouchable foe.  An alien race whose origins can't be explained and who possess powerful technology that overpowers anything else in the galaxy.

The most frightening aspect of the Reapers is their motivation.  Why do they need to harvest almost all life in the galaxy?  Why does it have to happen every 50,000 years?  There are some explanations presented throughout the game, but it is still extremely puzzling.  The Reapers seem to be an extension of the synthetic vs. organic conflict that is present throughout much of the Mass Effect series.

The Reapers also possess the ability to turn members of all the different races in the galaxy into living weapons.  In Mass Effect 3 there is a conversation between Garrus, Javik, and a random crew member where Garrus expresses admiration for this tactic.  The fact that the Reapers can convert any race becomes a useful tool in psychological warfare.  No one wants to face down a former friend who has been converted into a terrible Reaper creature.

Harbinger is the one Reaper who seems to be the de facto leader of the Reapers.  In Mass Effect 2, Harbinger drives the strange insectoid race known as the Collectors in their efforts to harvest humans from around the galaxy.  It also has the strange ability to possess random Collectors and turn them into powerful avatars with enhanced abilities.  Harbinger also enjoys periodically sending you threatening messages about how the Reapers are planning on crushing all life and that you are virtually powerless to prevent this from happening.

Then there's the whole indoctrination thing.  You can't even be close to a Reaper without risking becoming a puppet controlled by their will.  Those who fall victim to reaper indoctrination hear voices in their head an eventually begin hallucinating as they are controlled by the overlords.

There's nothing more satisfying than the few times where you actually get to take down a Reaper.  Watching Sovereign disintegrate as Alliance vessels pound it with fire, taking down one of the smaller ships with the laser aiming device on Rannoch, or watching as a the mother of all thresher maws pulls one beneath the earth.