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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).
Updated on August 6th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: The Scooby franchise is so ingrained in pop culture that the removal of a mask to reveal a different villain isn't so much of a surprise anymore and friends that team up against injustice or to solve mysteries are automatically called Scooby Gangs. If Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, and Fred hadn't got their start in the 1969 animated series, however, the world wouldn't have any of that, so modern audiences owe some debt of thanks to these original villains for kickstarting all the mysteries and defining so many other fictional criminal schemes that came after.
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 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.
