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In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy.


Etymology

The word ''archenemy'' sometimes spelled as ''arch-enemy'' originated around the mid-16th century, from the words ''arch-'' (from
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
ἄρχω ''archo'' meaning 'to lead') and ''enemy''. An archenemy may also be referred to as an archrival, archfoe, archvillain, or archnemesis. However, an archenemy may also be distinguished from a nemesis, with the latter being an enemy whom the hero cannot defeat (or who defeats the hero), even while not being a longstanding or consistent enemy to the hero.Sage Michael, ''How to Become a Superhero: the Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate You!'' (2011), p. 228.


See also

* Antagonist *
Supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...
* Villain


References

Rivalry Stock characters Superhero fiction themes Supervillains {{comics-stub