There is a large cast of characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and each of them brings a level of depth that sets the game's narrative apart. Each person that the player meets offers a fresh perspective, motivation, and intrigue as the world's mysteries unfold.
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Because of this, there isn't really an "evil" character by most basic definitions. There are antagonists and villains, but there aren't any characters who can be labeled as pure evil. However, that doesn't mean that some characters aren't a little worse than others. That's why this list is here to show the eight characters who exemplify evil the most in the game, even if they're not purely villainous.
The Paintress
Tragically Murderous
The Paintress is viewed as the primary villain of the story for the majority of the game, and her defeat is the ultimate goal of Expedition 33. Her very existence seems to be killing off everyone living in Lumiere, at least in the eyes of the inhabitants.
While the player will ultimately learn The Paintress' tragic motivations for doing what she does, this doesn't excuse the fact that she has helped wipe out countless innocent entities over time.
Renoir
A Father's Grief
Renoir is initially a mysterious figure who is seemingly a secondary antagonist during the Expedition's journey to kill The Paintress. However, as the game unfolds, Renoir's importance becomes clearer. He is trying to save his family and won't stop until he accomplishes that goal.
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As the game's scope widens to show that Renoir is, in fact, a representation of a real-world husband and father trying to help his wife and children, he is still perfectly fine with wiping out a group of people who may not be "real," but are still very much alive achieve his ends.
Simon
Love Drives Us All
Simon is a character whom a lot of players have probably never even met. The game's toughest boss fight, Simon is a man who has been driven to madness while trying to find his loved one. Manipulated by the real-life Clea Deessendre, Simon is now a hidden superboss for players to find and try to kill.
Simon is tragic in how he got to where he is, but his path was driven by truly selfish means. Simon only wanted to find his love, which is noble in a sense, but he did it for himself and lost sight of the bigger picture of the effect his actions had on the world.
Clea Dessendre
Master Manipulator
Simon may have some evil in him, but that's really due to being manipulated by Clea Dessendre. A girl living in the real world, whose doppelgänger in the Canvas was Simon's love, Clea uses this connection to manipulate Simon into doing her bidding.
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Clea's entire motivation is to avenge her brother's death, and that means that she grows cold to her family, who have all taken refuge in the Canvas for various reasons. Perhaps if she had given her focus to her family, this entire outcome could have been avoided.
The Curator
A Friend Turned Enemy
The Curator is initially an ally in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, who helps the player upgrade their weapons and some abilities. However, as the game nears its end, it's revealed that The Curator is actually the embodiment of the real Renoir Dessendre, who is looking to save his wife and daughter.
The issue with that is that he does so by creating the Gommage, which is meant to destroy the Canvas for good. Doing so would wipe out the many creations living in it, an act that is arguably evil.
Alicia
A Mother's Resentment
A mysterious figure who appears at various points throughout the game, Alicia is revealed to be a creation of Aline, Renoir's wife, in response to the death of her son, Verso, in a real-world fire. She is marked by burns and scars to represent what happened to the real Alicia and symbolize how she resents her daughter's survival.
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She is tragic, yes, but she also carries with her all the negative aspects that her mother has projected onto her. Even more, she knows she is a painted creation, yet she does nothing to try and help those around her who are left in the dark.
Verso
Secrets Always Hurt Someone
This one may be a surprise, given that Verso serves as the main playable character after the game's first act. However, even the playable character is not immune to being complicated and playing host to their own shades of evil. Verso shows this through the revelations that the story delivers about his character.
Verso spends a lot of the game lying to his companions and friends. While he says that it was to protect them, he was also protecting himself and serving his own ends. He didn't want to reveal that his father was Renoir, or share his true feelings with the people he loved. He admits to deliberately letting Gustave die at Renoir's hand. He also knew he was a painted creation and did not share this with the others. This is some major information not to share with his friends who are also suffering.
Maelle
Grief Does Not Justify The Means
Probably the entry that will shock the most people, Maelle may be seen as a good soul who is simply trying to grieve the death of her brother and save her mother. When it is revealed near the game's end that she is, in fact, Alicia Dessendre, it may be expected that she wants to return to her family.
Instead, she insists that the Canvas remain alive and that she stay in it for as long as she likes. While this would keep many of the characters and creations alive as well, it ultimately keeps her from moving on. She would, instead, wither away in the real world and force her family to endure even more pain as another child dies. It also means that the painted Verso, who is desperate to break free of the Canvas, would remain trapped for as long as Maelle/Alicia saw fit. It's a selfish reason to stay in the Canvas, and she does not want to think about the impact it would have on her family.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Kepler Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
