Scooby-Doohas encountered all sorts of mysteries over the years, in a variety of films and television shows, and it all started with the 1969 seriesScooby-Doo, Where Are You!The series' formula is iconic: the gang encounters an area haunted by some supernatural threat, they get involved and soon unmask the monster, usually literally, as a criminal in disguise.
Scooby-Doo
Many of the villains who appeared in the first series proved to be iconic, even appearing in later Scooby-Doo movies, shows, and comics. Some set the blueprint for the franchise’s later villains. It’s also notable that the 1969 series wasn’t as formulaic as fans might think. The show had all sorts of twists when it came to the bad guys. Often, the villain was someone the gang had never even met before. The masked monsters sometimes had surprising motives, and there’s at least one instance where the monster was technically real.
10The Black Knight
Season 1, Episode 1 - “What a Night for a Knight”
“What a Night for a Knight” is the first episode ofScooby-Doo, Where Are You!, which means its monster-of-the-day, the Black Knight, is the first villain Scooby and his friends have ever faced. Some later stories even treat the case asthe first mystery the gang ever solved. In the story, some mischievous magic seems to bring a suit of armor to life, under the light of the full moon.
The Monster That Started It All…
In truth, the haunted knight is a hoax created by Mr. Wickles, the museum curator. He and his lackeys turn out to be master forgers who make copies of the museum’s artwork, while selling the real art in the black market.The story of the knight scared visitors away while the villains made the switches. Wickles and his cohorts even go so far as to kidnap a professor who could detect the fakes.
9The Swamp Witch
Season 1, Episode 13 - “Which Witch is Which?”
While on the way home from a fishing trip, the gang drives past what appears to bea zombie on the road. After stopping at a local general store, they learn the ghoul was conjured bya local witch. Together, the witch and her undead minion have scared off the locals.
“Smoke of Evil, Make Her Vanish!”
The witch notably uses human skulls to decorate her house, bringing to mindthe infamous Baba Yaga. She scares the kids with voodoo dolls and even manages to make Daphne “disappear.” Of course, there’s nothing truly magic in her tricks.
The witch and the zombie are revealed to be two locals, Zeke and Zeb, who hid stolen money in the swamp. Interestingly, Velma refers to Zeke as being the witch, when Zeb was the one seen in the costume. Assuming the two switched costumes, it does bring up the question over which one was the witch.
8The Ghost of Elias Kingston
Season 1, Episode 6 - “What the Hex Going On?”
The Ghost of Elias Kingston appears as the villain of “What the Hex Going On?” The gang encounters him while visiting their friend Sharon. Wanting to obtain the Wetherby family fortune, he curses Sharon’s uncle Stuart to age to death until he is leftnothing but a skeleton. Soon, Sharon herself goes missing.
“I’ll Turn You To Bones!”
However, the gang realizes the ghost is a fake when they find the camera he uses for his tricks, like appearing inside a crystal ball. After rescuing Sharon, the meddling kids proceed to scare the ghost with a few tricks of their own, includinga giant Scooby-Doo.
The ghost turns out to be Stuart himself, who faked his own death and eventually kidnapped his own niece. It’s implied he also regularly disguised himself as a local swami and would have used this identity to help leave town. Viewers never see him in the act, although Scooby briefly fills in for him. Notably,Stuart is one of the few villains not to use a mask. His ghost get-up was the work of make-up.
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7The Ghost of Captain Cutler
Season 1, Episode 2 - “A Clue for Scooby-Doo”
“A Clue for Scooby-Doo” starts with the gang having some nightly fun at the beach. While there, they encounter the ghost of a local seaman, Captain Cutler, who swore revenge after his boat collided with a yacht,dooming him to a watery grave.
The Ghost of Captain Cutler Turns Out To Be…Captain Cutler
The investigation brings Velma and Shaggy inside a lighthouse run by Cutler’s widow. While there, Velma learns thewoman studies witchcraft. Soon enough, Widow Cutler appears in the flesh and claims to have used dark magic to summon herlate husband from beyond the grave.
In the story’s famous twist, Cutler was never dead to begin with. He had faked his death and pretended to be a ghost so he could steal local yachts. His wife was in on the act and was only pretending to be a witch.
6The Fortune Teller
Season 1, Episode 11 - “A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts”
While on their way to visit Franken Castle in “A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts,” the gang first encountersa mysterious fortune-teller, who warns them that the place is haunted. Soon, as she warns, the gang will face off against evil, otherworldly forces. When the gang reaches the castle, they find it haunted by three different monsters:Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Wolfman.
Not only do the monsters all turn out to be the same person, the fortune-teller from the start also turns out to be just another one of his disguises. Identified as “Big Bob Oakley,” the criminal was after the Franken family’s treasure. He gradually developedthe alias, “The Actor,“in reference to his talents for disguises. After all, he was able to effect a completely different voice for the fortune-teller,provided by actress June Foray.
5The Puppet Master
Season 1, Episode 9 - “The Backstage Rage”
When the gang comes across a violin filled with money in “The Backstage Rage,” the gang realizes a local theater is somehow connected toa counterfeiting scheme. Soon, the gang comes across the Puppet Master. His schemes seem simple enough at first, tricking Scooby with a fake poodle and spooking him with a witch puppet.
The Phantom of the Puppet Show
Soon, the meddling kids have to remind themselves they’re dealing with puppets when they face off against a viking and pirate. Eventually, Scooby musters up the courage tochase off the villain. Soon, the villain is unmasked as the puppeteer Pietro, who the gang previously met disguised as a doorman.
4The Space Kook
Season 1, Episode 15 - “Spooky Space Kook”
The Space Kook is the title villain of “Spooky Space Kook.” Driving down a country road, the gang comes across an airfieldhaunted by a ghost-like alien. The Space Kook soon makes his presence known with his horrifying laugh,provided by Scooby’s own original voice actor, Don Messick.
“Moving Across the Sky Like an Evil Spirit…”
Funnily enough, the farmer that initially warned the gang about the monster actually had the sense to contact the local authorities beforehand, out of concern for the kids. That said, in true television tradition, the gang have already captured the villain before the sheriff gets involved.
In the end, the alien was Henry Bascomb, the farmer’s neighbor in disguise, who hadn’t appeared earlier in the story. Bascomb was hoping to scare off his neighbor and a local air base, all in the hopes of buying their land for cheap and selling it to the government.
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3The Ghost Clown
Season 1, Episode 10 - “Bedlam in the Big Top”
“Bedlam in the Big Top” starts up with the gang on a drive when they come across some carnies who’ve been running away from the circus. They soon learn of aghost clown haunting the show. Arriving on the scene,a strange clown hypnotizesDaphne, Scooby, and Shaggy, making them perform all sorts of strange, and dangerous stunts.
“Watch the Pretty Coin of Gold…”
With Shaggy made to taunt lions and Scooby made to walk a high-wire, the Ghost Clown proved to be a dangerous threat. However, Scooby and Shaggy are able tostop him with a mirror,tricking him into hypnotizing himself.
It turns out he was a hypnotist who used to work for the circus. When he was caught stealing and was arrested, he returned and planned to ruin the show for revenge.
2The Creeper
Season 2, Episode 4 - “Jeepers, It’s the Creeper”
While on their way to a barn dance in “Jeepers, It’s the Creeper,” the gang comes across a man who’s been attacked bya phantom known as the Creeper. They take the man to the house of a local, Mr. Carswell, a bank president who explains the Creeper has been robbing the bank. Soon, the green-skinned fiend shows up at the dance to cause trouble.
“The Flame Will Tell the Creeper…”
It eventually comes to light that Carswell is the Creeper. He attacked the man, a security guard, after his camera caught Carswell in the act. Notably, the twist makes things even scarier on a rewatch: the gang literally brought the man right to, and left him at the mercy of, his attacker. The local sheriff even notes the guard was laterrescued from Carswell’s basement.
Over the years, the Creeper has appeared in other Scooby-Doo-related media, including comics and ads, being one of the series' most iconic villains.
1Charlie the Haunted Robot
Season 1, Episode 8 - “Foul Play in Funland”
In “Foul Play in Funland,” the gang visits a theme park. Soon, however, the two find themselves antagonized bya robot named Charlie. They learn that the park’s caretaker, Mr. Jenkins, built Charlie to help run the park, but he somehow grew dangerous.
Not All Monsters Are Men In Masks…
As Charlie is indeed a robot,he has the distinction of technically being the first “real monster” in theScooby-Doofranchise. That said, Charlie didn’t terrorize the park by his own will. It turns out thatJenkins' sister, Sarah, reprogrammed him, wanting to prove the park would be too dangerous for children. Charlie’s original programming is restored and he is seen happily petting Scooby.
Because Sarah meant well,the gang infamously decided to let her go. Considering the danger she put the gang through, however, a lot of fans thought they went too easy on her. Notably,theScooby-DoomovieTrick or Treat Scooby-Doo!retcons this, portraying her in prison like most of the criminals the gang have unmasked.
