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Alright, so while sparing you details let's just say I have a player who wants to participate (he is a regular in our 40k and fledgling Pathfinder group).

The friend in question wants to play an evil Oracle who will essentially transform into an avatar of death.. He wants to integrate this into the plot, and perhaps even be one of the encounters (or many of them).

Opinions?

Thanks

If he actively wants to be one of the encounters, have him just be your assistant. I did that for awhile: the DM asks me to make such and such boss, I write it up, and then I was actually someone working against the party. It's pretty fun, and it gives the players some real enthusiasm when they know they have someone to actively work against. Have him take over a few mooks in battles or NPCs during slower moments, and it can actually take a lot of the workload off of you.

On the flipside, you won't be able to "save" anyone from the Assistant's attack unless you put their rolls behind a screen as well, and comminicate well with them. They will also have a lot of downtime they'd have to deal with while the party does their thing wandering around.

^ I agree with this. It's one thing to face off against the DM's monsters, but it's another entirely when another mind is assigned to be a villain. It might raise the stakes a bit, and if this person does it well, it might just make for a memorable game.
One thing I'd be aware of though, is if he becomes too attached to the idea and wants to win against the party. If the party is supposed to win in the end, it might be a good idea to let him know that in advance, so it doesn't accidentally kill the party.

Good luck!

I am on my phone so my response will be brief, but I do want to say that I appreciate both of you commenting and will consider your ideas.

I feel like having him be a wild card that is NOT working with the players will satisfy him more than being forced to cooperate and then just randomly going into BEAST MODE and fighting them before the final boss fight encounter.

Talk soon, once i get to PC

I did this and it was very successful and memorable in a game I ran before - I am not good at playing arrogant, noble type villains so I invited a friend of mine to play a noble vampire.

It worked extremely well as the guy doing it was awesome at the job and took the character of his supremely arrogant and decadent vampire very seriously. He played perfectly and basically allowed the flaw of his arrogance to be his downfall which was super satisfying and fun for the players. He also acted as an effective red herring bad guy for the entire first arc of the game.

Word of warning though- ensure the player understands that he is playing a villain who will likely be defeated in the end, and that he's comfortable with that. Also maybe have a sign or way to reign him in if he's going in a direction you'd rather not see. But if he's a good player it should work okay - just be sure to discuss everything with him first and also to make it clear to the other players that he is not a "PC".