Skip
×
The Scooby-Doo series celebrated a milestone fiftieth anniversary in 2019. In all that time, Scooby and the gang’s adventures have become a fixture for many generations of cartoon lovers. Who doesn’t love watching the Scooby Gang solve mysteries?
The original cartoon is a symbol of childhood for many and a nostalgic show that has experienced such universal popularity that it has had spin-offs, movies (animated and live-action), and crossovers (notably with Johnny Bravo and Supernatural, in some of the strangest).
Ghost of Captain Cutler (A Clue For Scooby-Doo)
Those who’ve watched the season one intro to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? know the Ghost of Captain Cutler. He’s the glowing monster in the old scuba outfit. However, there’s more to him than that. He was a sailor who allegedly died in a shipwreck. In reality, he decided to take on the role of a thief. Scooby and the gang are brought in to investigate the ghost and its connection with a rash of stolen boats.
Part of what makes Captain Cutler so great is his iconic glowing seaweed and footprints. It added just the right flair for the dramatic to his disguise. He’s also notable because he’s the first villain that Shaggy figures out before Velma, which is a rare occurrence in the franchise.
Phantom (Hassle In The Castle)
Some Scooby villains concoct elaborate schemes and costumes to get away with their malicious activities. Then some put a sheet over their head and pretend to be a ghost, which only reinforces the idea that the Scooby-doo villains are always human (an idea that has since become one of the Hanna-Barbera series’ many memes). This is what happened in the episode “Hassle in the Castle.” When Fred runs his boat aground on a deserted island, the gang investigates the Phantom and its connection to a supposedly haunted castle.
Though he looks like a classic floating sheet, there’s a little more to this villain and it helps him stand out amongst the many villains. He’s actually a former magician who decides to use his stage tricks for criminal purposes. Bluestone the Great has the genius idea to use mirrors and a projector to make himself appear more ghostlike. A classic.
Charlie the Robot (Foul Play In Funland)
An attack by a robot with super-strength in a darkened amusement park is what brings the Scooby Gang to Funland in “Foul Play in Funland.” The episode is so beloved that it got a shout-out in the many nostalgic details that can be easily missed in Scoob!
Charlie the Robot really stands out because he can be considered the show’s first “monster”, as he was a mechanical individual reprogrammed by the creator’s sister to cause havoc. One of the best things about the idea and the episode overall was that it allowed the Hanna-Barbera sound effects department to dig out all the items previously used in The Jetsons. Charlie’s pure nostalgia.
Redbeard’s Ghost (Go Away Ghost Ship)
Out of the many villains introduced in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Redbeard’s Ghost was one of the most vicious and a total jerk. Known as Mr. Magnus, he not only stole his own cargo as Redbeard for the insurance, he would capture others and treat them as slaves.
One of the darkest villains in the franchise, he chained them up, had them walk the plank, or forced them to make meals. It’s no wonder Scooby and Shaggy always seem traumatized.
Snow Ghost (That’s Snow Ghost)
Some viewers might confuse the Snow Ghost with another monster introduced in The Scooby-Doo Show from the mid-1970s. That one was made of electricity. The one that causes problems in the original series is similar to a Yeti. Well, at least on the surface.
When the mask was pulled off, he’s simply Mr. Greenway — a smuggler who’s willing to kill teenagers to make a dollar. The Snow Ghost was no joke. He not only tried to saw Velma in half but also used dynamite in an attempt to take her out. He’s definitely one of the formidable villains.
The Witch Doctor (A Tiki Scare Is No Fair)
While on vacation in Hawaii, the gang gets involved in another mystery when their guide goes missing. They wind up searching through a village that’s said to be cursed, constantly running into the Witch Doctor and the giant Mano Tiki Tia for their efforts. Scooby and Shaggy even provide entertainment in short skits while trying to evade the Witch Doctor.
However, they find oysters and pearls, which is enough explanation as to why the Witch Doctor and Mano Tiki Tia are trying to keep people away from the village. The Witch Doctor isn’t into voodoo, he’s into pearl poaching, which is certainly one of the more unique crimes of the villains in the series.
The Caveman (Scooby’s Night With A Frozen Fright)
The Caveman was one of the more violent villains in the series, considering he tried clubbing the gang on multiple occasions while out chasing them around Oceanland. Professor Wayne went to a lot of trouble to don a Caveman costume and wreak havoc around the tourist attraction. His original goal was stealing his colleague’s invention that provided the ability to speak to marine life.
Ironically, Wayne as the Caveman is captured by a giant clam when the gang’s initial trap fails, his scheme ended by marine life. In a way, the memorable end to the Caveman taught fans a little something about karma.
The Ghost Clown (Bedlam In The Big Top)
The Ghost Clown was one of the most vicious villains in the series. He was also actually one of the more successful villains of the series too as he hypnotized most of the members of the gang to conduct dangerous stunts in the circus to distract them. The Ghost Clown had no regard for the preservation of human life, which is dark for a cartoon, especially Scooby-Doo.
In the end, Scooby and the gang do serve the vengeful villain some serious karma in the form of tricking the clown into hypnotizing himself, inflicting a taste of his own medicine.
Ghost Of Mr. Hyde (Nowhere To Hyde)
Interestingly, this episode places a twist on the old Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. Only this Dr. Jekyll is faking his transformation into Mr. Hyde, using it to explain how stolen jewels are mysteriously winding up in his home.
He later manipulates the evidence to lead the gang to believe his housekeeper, Helga, is behind the recent thefts. Not many of the villains in the early version of the show were deft enough to frame someone else. He also tries to turn Shaggy into a frog on top of it. If that’s not pure evil, it’s not clear what is.
The Black Knight (What A Night For A Knight)
Who could forget the gang’s very first villain in the original series, the Black Knight? He’s a little goofy but still iconic. He ranks as one of the best villains simply because, without him, there would be no Scooby-Doo.
From moment one, it was obvious how resourceful and funny the group would be, from breaking into a museum to engaging in a chase inside via an antique airplane. The museum curator is the source of all the shenanigans, utilizing the legend of the Black Knight coming to life when the moon is full to deter anyone from discovering his art smuggling operation. The Black Knight even made an appearance in the 2004 live-action film, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Space Kook (Spooky Space Kook)
Space Kook is the villain from outer space that haunts an abandoned airfield. His looks are memorable, his high-pitched cackle even more so. The audience may not remember his name, but they can’t forget his laugh.
The Space Kook turns out to be a phony alien, as the man behind the mask is scaring people away to initiate a real estate scheme (which seems to be a common reason as to why villains dress up and scare people in Scooby-Doo). The Space Kook was also tech-savvy, given his remote-controlled cars and the craftiness of his suit and spaceship. His penchant for technology is impressive.
The Phantom Shadows (A Night Of Fright Is No Delight)
The “Phantom Shadows”, or “Giggling Green Ghosts”, were the featured villains in “A Night of Fright is No Delight.” These two chain-rattling phantoms scared off the heirs to a fortune one by one, except for Scooby and the rest of the gang. They refuse to be frightened off, spending the night in the haunted house as per the requirements of the will that the homeowner left behind. Unfortunately, their reward turns out to be Confederate money (which should’ve been real money, especially considering the impressive washing machine trap).
Not only are these villains so iconic that they appear in future incarnations of the series, but their original episode is also the basis for a modern crossover. Supernatural crossed over with the series in an episode called “Scoobynatural”, in which Dean, Sam, and Castiel joined the rest of the gang in the haunted house, this time with more deadly results.
Miner Forty-Niner (Mine Your Own Business)
With a catchy name like “Miner Forty-Niner”, how could this not be a fan-favorite villain? The Miner chases the gang through the abandoned mines of Gold City, where the gang has landed for the night thanks to Shaggy’s inability to read a map. The Miner doesn’t say much; he’s more of an action kind of guy.
Turns out, behind the disguise lies a man with stilts looking to scare everyone in town to buy the land cheap and make bank on the oil reserves that are hidden within the exhausted gold mines. The running around on stilts to “haunt” people shows serious commitment and it makes him one of the most imposing villains of the series too.
The Mummy Of Ankha (Scooby-Doo And A Mummy, Too)
“Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too” is, without a doubt, one of the funniest episodes of the series. Shaggy and Scooby on a power mower, with the Mummy later caught up in the chaos, was absolutely hilarious.
The Mummy is after the gang for an old Egyptian coin, which if used, will unlock a treasure worth a fortune. The Mummy’s frequent uttering of “Coin, coin” is what gets him dubbed the “Creepy Coin Collector” by Shaggy, while Velma offers up the moniker of “Big, Bad and Bandaged”, to put the icing on the cake. While he seemed silly, the academic behind the ruse was actually one of the series’ smartest villains and made everyone believe he had the power to turn people to stone. In reality, he used a quick-drying cement mix.
The Creeper (Jeepers, It’s The Creeper)
It’s fair to say that when fans think about the original cartoon, “The Creeper” tends to be one of the most recognized and well-remembered villains. The Creeper, who turns out to be a bank president, spends the episode chasing the gang around to retrieve a blank piece of paper a guard handed over when Scooby and the gang discovered him following an accident. That piece of paper is incriminating evidence against the president, who has been stealing from his bank. He shouts “Creeper” as he chases them, which certainly fits the memorable disguise.
The bank president is clever in that he uses his all-access pass to the bank to make it appear as though he can walk through walls. He would have gotten away with everything if one of his employees hadn’t gotten a photo of him stealing outside of his disguise. The villain has survived in the franchise and made an appearance in the 2001 animated movie, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase and in a newer incarnation of the series as well.
