While rumors abound regarding the release of a remastered version of the iconic Mass Effect trilogy, it’s time to take a moment to celebrate the glue that held it all together: Commander Shepard. Whether male or female, paragon or renegade, Shepard quickly became one of the most popular (and butt-kicking-est) video game protagonists of all time. Heck, in some playthroughs, Shepard even goes on to save all known life in the universe in Mass Effect 3.
After watching Shep conquer the greatest threats to the known universe, it’s hard not to wonder how the Commander would fare against villains that lay beyond his/her own universe—namely, in other video game canons.
10 Daud – Dishonored (Shepard Loses)
In the world of Dishonored, Daud is the most ruthless and efficient assassin in the known world. Not only are his skills with stealth and sword to die for (literally), but he also possesses supernatural abilities gifted to him by an otherworldly being known as the Outsider. Even if Commander Shepard has developed bionic abilities, it’s hard to say how effective they’d be against an opponent who can teleport, possess your body, and even stop time. So while it would likely be a close call, in the end, it’s hard not to give this one to Daud.
9 Handsome Jack – Borderlands 2 (Shepard Wins)
Prior to the events of Borderlands 2, Handsome Jack rose to power within the Hyperion company in a methodical ploy for power. He would later go on to kill off some of the most beloved characters from the game’s predecessor before finally being stopped by the player.
Look, Shepard has dealt with people like Jack before—egomaniacal leaders who don’t care what happens to anyone else, so long as they win. Shep would know exactly what kind of man Jack is right from the get-go. In the end, Handsome Jack’s money and power would mean nothing against Shep’s courage and smarts.
8 Andrew Ryan – BioShock (Shepard Loses)
Speaking of smart, it’s time to talk about the man who engineered the undersea city of Rapture, first seen in BioShock. Though clearly a disturbed individual, Ryan was nevertheless a genius who started out with good intentions (as many villains do). Were they ever to meet, Shepard would quickly come to the conclusion that no matter how good he may have been at one time, Ryan needs to be stopped.
But imagine Shepard going up against Ryan in Rapture—whose every inch was designed by Ryan, himself – and suddenly the ol’ Commander is in a heap of trouble.
7 Bowser – Super Mario Bros. (Shepard Wins)
Bowser, everyone’s favorite dinosaur-turtle-dragon-thing, is arguably one of the most iconic videogame villains of all time. So what would happen if Shep somehow wandered into the world of Super Mario Bros? In the interest of fairness, say Shep doesn’t even have his usual weapons on him—could he still beat Bowser?
Yes! Of course! No matter the playthrough, Shep is always an intelligent person. And no matter the Mario game, Bowser is almost always done in by his own actions. All Shep would have to do is be smart enough to know when to get out of the monster’s way.
6 Dormin – Shadow Of The Colossus (Shepard Loses)
Though it’s a spoiler to even talk about it, in what many consider to be one of the biggest twists in gaming history, Dormin ends up being the big bad of Shadow of the Colossus. It isn’t until after the player has successfully slain every last Colossus in existence that they discover Dormin’s true intentions. So pretend it was Shepard who went through all that. Now imagine Shep going up against Dormin, now with the power of the Colossi at its disposal. Even with an arsenal, it’s hard to see the Commander making it out of that one alive. And who knows how many more Shepard clones are just lying around?
5 Ganon – The Legend Of Zelda (Shepard Wins)
For the purposes of this one, imagine Ganon as seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. By the events of that game, Ganon is more monster than man. With his power stripped away, Ganon is little more than a green and orange, power-hungry pig-dude.
As evil as Ganon is, it’s usually the combined teamwork of Link and Zelda that drives him back. Shep’s got someone too—or rather, a whole ship of someones. If believing in the people at your side is all it takes to defeat Ganon, Shep’s got this one covered. `
4 Alduin – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Shepard Loses)
Players are first introduced to Alduin, the mightiest of the dragons, in the opening minutes of Skyrim. He’s a being so powerful that even the ancient Nords couldn’t beat him—thus they settled for flinging him forward in time, Samurai Jack style. In fact, for the player to beat Alduin, they have to travel to the Nordic afterlife itself. Even then, it’s one heck of a boss battle.
Shepard actually fits in pretty well in Skyrim, having quite a lot in common with the Last Dragonborn. But without draconic powers of his/her own, Sovngarde would likely become the final resting place for Shepard instead of Alduin.
3 The Institute – Fallout 4 (Shepard Wins)
The Institute of Fallout 4 is quite similar to Cerberus of the Mass Effect trilogy. It’s a group of elitists who use technology and power to try to create a future for everyone that lives up to their standards alone. Heck, even the xenophobia tracks, if you swap out aliens for androids.
Plus, in the Commonwealth, Shepard would have no shortage of allies—be it the Minutemen, the Railroad, or the Brotherhood of Steel—to join him in trying to take down the Institute. And unlike the player character, Shep might even be able to negotiate peace between those factions, too.
2 Flowey – Undertale (Shepard Loses)
Flowey, in his final form, is one of the hardest boss battles ever. It’s one of the most memorable things from Undertale, a game with no shortage of standout moments. So imagine Shepard having been through everything Undertale could throw at him, only to face Flowey, who he’d just recently learned is actually an angry little boy (with insane monster powers).
It’s likely that this knowledge would get in Shepard’s head, and he/she would hesitate, something you definitely can’t do when fighting Flowey. But even if Shepard could remain focused, Flowey is just too strong and too driven to succeed for even the Commander to defeat him.
1 GLaDOS – Portal (Shepard Wins)
This would be the match of the century. Just picture Shepard waking up in the abandoned Aperture Labs facility, after being forced through all the same tests and trials as Chell. Shep may have defeated the Geth, but GLaDOS is a robot of a different color. But getting back to Chell, it’s widely believed that it was her grit and determination that helped her beat the mad AI GLaDOS, rather than her Portal Gun. Shepard’s a master tactician and negotiator, aside from excelling at combat, so he/she would have the edge the second they entered the Portal universe.
But there’s no question that this would be Shep’s hardest-fought win. GLaDOS is smart, methodical, and, at times, even sympathetic. So while it remains likely that Shepard and his/her beloved Companion Cube would find a way to escape GLaDOS’ grasp, it would be a triumph to be sure.
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