The Scariest Archenemies of NRG (Patreon)

And now for something special- the biggest archenemies of NRG's heroes who currently only have one major archenemy. Featuring Nosferatu, The Flag Burner and the Boogeyman, the archenemies of Dracula, American Queen and Governess respectively.

During the development stages of this drawing, the artist labeled these three "the scary villains", and when you really break it down these three really are the scariest villains in the NRGVerse:

First there's Nosferatu, the archenemy of NRG's Dracula. Nosferatu has always been the biggest fictional vampire in pop culutre right behind Dracula, with his creepy and disturbing demeanor and cemented iconicization in early silent films; recently finding renewed stardom thanks to the new Nosferatu movie. But in the NRGVerse, what makes Nosferatu scary is how much his is paralleled to NRG's Dracula. Vampires had long been considered the greatest and scariest creatures of the night, various renditions of them found in various cultures across the world. But while NRG's Dracula has evolved from his dark roots and turned over a new leaf to find redemption as a hero and a healer, NRG's Nosferatu is very much a true monster and more who has fallen down deeper in the supernatural rabbit hole. While NRG's Dracula sees his vampirism as a curse - an immortal addiction - that he has struggled and crossed many obsticals to overcome and use for good, Nosferatu doesn't see his vampirism as a curse at all but the ultimate power. To him, becoming a vampire gave him new life to achieve the power and domination over others that he has always wanted. Whereas Dracula longs to be human again and tries to help other humans, Nosferatu sees himself superior to humans and they themselves nothing but food and slaves for him to control or feast upon. In the NRGVerse, vampirism, like many other supernatural curses, is akin to a powerful addiction that ruins lives. And while Dracula represents the humanity of overcoming one's demons for the better, Nosferatu represents letting an addiction consume you for the worse and drive your life for no other purpose than one's self. So Nosferatu is not only a supernatural horror, but a real-life metaphorical horror that truly makes him frightening.

Then there is the Boogeyman, who like Nosferatu is both a supernatural horror and a real life horror. The iconic monster of mythology is not just scary for his frightening demeanor and mastery over dark magic, but because the real scary thing about him is that he is a predator who preys on the very source of magic in the NRGVerse- Children. The Boogeyman is not just a monster parents tell their children to about to get them to behave, he is the very monster the parents, schools and police warn children about when they confront people they don't know on the streets, in their neighborhood, and worse sometimes in their own family. Even the Boogeyman's origins are deep rooted in perversion, being a monster in human form who preyed not just on the children in his village, but even within his own family. To me, there is no greater evil that someone who abuses children in any way, shape or form for any reason. Nothing can justify that kind of evil or perversion, and it's an endless cycle of abuse that seemingly cannot be stopped. Governess has sworn to protect the children of the world from monsters, both magical and human. And the dark fact is the Boogeyman is both.

And finally, there is the Flag Burner, who is perhaps the most popular archenemy in the NRGVerse not because he is a supernatural horror himself, but instead perhaps the most real-world horror in NRG's universe. Like the Red Skull to Captain America, the Flag Burner was conceived off of current and on-going affairs in the United States, especially in recent times which I'm sure I don't have to tell you have been the darkest moments in America's history politically and socially. The Flag Burner is scary because he embodies a common thought that everyone in America and even others parts of the world have considered every now and then- that America is beyond saving. That despite continuous efforts that American Dream is dead or that it came true just not how we wanted it to. And with how horrible things are right now, many people have considered that perhaps the only logical and best thing for America is to burn it all to the ground and build something new and hopefully better from the ashes. That is Flag Burner's ultimate belief and goal, and just like Thanos in the MCY he may be right, whether or not we like to admitted it or not. Flag Burner represents desperation and anarchy at the worst time in humanity, when all seems beyond redemption that the only solution is to abandon ship and start over.

And there you have it- the 3 scariest villains in the NRGVerse and what makes them so terrifying. Which one is your favorite, and which one are you more terrified of, and why? Let us know with a comment below.

© NRG Comics

Art by DonPapi