This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Ununnilium: Pulling out...
- In many versions of the Marvel Comics universe, Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk has been notoriously hard to pin any criminal activity on.
...because it's one of those situations where everyone knows he does it, but the police can't catch him in the act. Certainly, he doesn't have good publicity, except maybe "good to work for if you're an aspiring Mook.
Ununnilium: Hah! I was just thinking of putting that flavor text up.
Filby: Removed some particularly obnoxious natter.
- This works only because Superman is naive enough to believe in the system and does not have enough fortitude to execute Luthor.
- Um, what? Is that Truth, Justice and the American Way? Superman. Does. Not. Kill. (Neither does Batman. Wonder Woman did - look at what happened to her.)
- Ironic that Superman interprets not killing as being part of the American Way. The Real World disagrees.
- That`s exactly his
weaknessstrength.
Removed this:
- Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers.
- Although it's debatable whether he's actually a villain.
because Richelieu really isn't the villain, isn't villainous, and doesn't have particularly great publicity.
BritBllt: Down with the natter! Reducing...
- Chancellor Palpatine in the prequel trilogy of Star Wars. He is handed power, and for most of his reign, enjoys popular support from humanity. It helps that the heroes don't know he's actually the villain- or that if the series is watched in numerical order, the audience isn't supposed to know, either.
- Said audience would have to be pretty thick not to notice that the amiable-looking Senator (then Chancellor) and the evil hooded man who wants to "wipe them out. All of them" have exactly the same voice, even if they've not seen the original trilogy and have never heard of anything Star Wars. Besides this troper always thought that the only reason the heroes never figure out he's the Big Bad is because they're all carrying a massive Idiot Ball, not because he's particularly good at subterfuge.
- In the origial trilogy of Star Wars, Emperor Palpatine still isn't considered pure evil by most humans in the heavily populated and prosperous Core worlds—perhaps due to the Empire controlling its own publicity. Non-humans and Outer Rim humans, on the other hand, are positively rebellious...
- None of the heroes ever actually saw Palpatine in his dark hooded form, at least in the movies anyway. By the time Mace Windu found it, it was already too late.
to...
- Chancellor Palpatine in the prequel trilogy of Star Wars. He is handed power, and for most of his reign, enjoys popular support from humanity. It helps that the heroes don't know he's actually the villain- or that if the series is watched in numerical order, the audience isn't supposed to know, either.
- In the origial trilogy of Star Wars, Emperor Palpatine still isn't considered pure evil by most humans in the heavily populated and prosperous Core worlds—perhaps due to the Empire controlling its own publicity. Non-humans and Outer Rim humans, on the other hand, are positively rebellious...
Because lots of people who hadn't seen the originals really were fooled by it (many of them suspected Palpatine was evil, but not that he and Sidius were the same guy), and I'm not sure anyone who went in already knowing who Palpatine is (myself included) can objectively say how obvious it would've been to them otherwise. Besides, it's just plain Conversation In The Main Page and Complaining About Shows You Dont Like that doesn't really add anything to the entry. The other point I deleted is just a responding Justifying Edit.
I'm not sure Zerozaku (from Code Geass) really qualifies as a villain. While he's certainly got good publicity and he was an Anti-Villain who was heading down the slippery slope for a while, Suzaku's basically become The Atoner at this point. Lelouch gave a little speech about it and everything.
