List of villains in Willard Price's Adventure series

Each novel in Willard Price's Adventure series is notable for its selection of memorable villains, whose actions sabotage the animal-collecting efforts of young adventurers Hal and Roger Hunt. To date, only one character, "Reverend" Merlin Kaggs, has appeared as a villain in more than one Hunt adventure. (Joro appears in multiple books, but only acts as a villain in one.)

List of villains

Novel	Villain	Notes
Amazon Adventure	"Shark" Sands	An unseen character, Sands is a rival animal collector who is believed to be using foul play as a means of beating his competitors.
	Croc	A brutish thug who is hired by "Shark Sands" to sabotage the Hunts' expedition.
	Banco	Hired by Hal Hunt at Iquitos, Banco is a stubborn coward whose foolish actions result in tragic consequences.
South Sea Adventure	Merlin Kaggs	Posing as a selfless missionary, Kaggs finds a place aboard the Hunts' boat. Once they have reached the secret pearl island, Kaggs steals the boat, abandoning Hal, Roger and their devoted assistant Omo without any food or water.
	Crab	A lazy spy placed aboard the Hunts' ship by Merlin Kaggs.
Underwater Adventure	Skink	Hal's know-it-all former classmate who falls victim to Roger's practical jokes. Real name = Sylvester K Inkham - one of the nastiest of the Adventure villains.
Whale Adventure	Captain Grindel	The brutal skipper of the whaling ship Hal, Roger and their friend Scott join. He punishes his crew with a cat o' nine tails, keelhauling and dragging offenders behind the ship. When he kills an elderly sailor the rest of the crew mutiny and lock him in the brig.
African Adventure	Joro	Hal and Roger's chief tracker has come under the influence of the cannibalistic Leopard Society. Members of this cult wear leopard skins and are armed with metal claws. Joro finally decides his loyalties lie with the Hunts and joins the fight against the leopard men after they attack the camp.
	"Colonel" Bigg	A white farmer from Rhodesia. He was a fraudster who was neither a colonel nor the famous hunter he claimed he was, having never killed an animal in his life.
Elephant Adventure	The Thunder-Man	An Arab sheikh leading a gang of armed slave traders who kidnap Tutsi children and steal rare animals including an albino African elephant and Roger's elephant Big Boy. He is ruthless and sadistic, flogging the chief's son with a sjambok and murdering tribesmen tasked with guarding the Hunts' elephants. The Tutsis and pygmies fear his men as evil spirits who come in the night then disappear. He fights Hal and is beaten due to Hal's knowledge of judo.
Safari Adventure	Blackbeard	The cunning, mysterious leader of a major illegal poaching operation in Tsavo National Park. He is later revealed to be none other than Warden Crosby's trusted friend, Judge Sindar Singh.
Lion Adventure	Black Mane	A bloodthirsty man-eating lion, responsible for dozens of human deaths.
	King Ku	The Tsavo District Officer; from the moment of the Hunts' arrival, Ku appears to want them dead, forbidding the aid of their safari team in the hope that a man-eater lion would kill them.
	Dugan	The hunter who had previously been employed to kill man-eating lions. Resenting that Hal and Roger have taken his job, Dugan tries various means to discredit the boys and reclaim his position.
	Basa	A young man whose father was killed by Black Mane. He blames the Hunts for his father's death, and so vows revenge. Basa later became their friend after Hal financed a building of a local school which was his dream.
Gorilla Adventure	Gog	A silverback Mountain gorilla seeking revenge for the killing of his family. He is later tamed by Hal and Roger after being taken to the hospital and having his infected bullet wound treated.
	Nero	The leader of a gang of poachers. He is responsible for killing Gog's family.
	Andre Tieg	A Belgian big game hunter hired as a guide. His distinguishing features are a bushy moustache and a glass eye (he lost the original to a leopard). He is pompous and cruel to the animals he is tasked with taking care of. Despite trying to appear tough he is a coward and panics quickly, killing a python Hal and Roger wanted to capture and shooting Gog.
Diving Adventure	Merlin Kaggs	The Hunts encounter Kaggs by coincidence in the Underwater City. He convinces Hal he has reformed, but is secretly plotting revenge.
Cannibal Adventure	Merlin Kaggs	The Hunts' old enemy makes his final appearance and tries to kill them with a spear, a landslide and a box of cobras. He fails and is hurt by a Great White shark. After he partially recovers he is attacked while in a boat by a crocodile and thrown in the water. Kaggs does not appear again in other episodes.
	Witch Doctor	A local sorcerer who forms an alliance with Kaggs after Hal and Roger humiliate him.
Tiger Adventure	Vic	A spoilt rich boy who ran away from home to make a name for himself as a hunter. He is later reformed and employed by the Hunts, eventually reconciling with his father.
Arctic Adventure	Zeb	A mean and arrogant American who tries to kill Hal and Roger.