History Sandbox / MonsterverseWalterSimmons

* AllegoricalCharacter: Walter Simmons is essentially the personification of humanity's hubris made flesh.
* BaddieFlattery: In the novelization, when Team Godzilla are captured, he says to Bernie's face that he's a huge fan of his Mad Truth podcasts (which by the way are anti-Apex) and that his chemtrail theories gave him some new product ideas.

* BigBadWannabe: He presents himself as a VisionaryVillain who will lead humanity into a bold new era, and while his company does successfully create [[spoiler:a mecha that's ''at least'' as powerful and dangerous as Godzilla]], as soon as [[spoiler:Ghidorah's remains usurp control of Mechagodzilla, his own creation squashes him like a bug. Furthermore, both times Godzilla senses Mechagodzilla, it's when Apex ''aren't'' using it (the second time, it's even after Ren finishes a test run and Mechagodzilla has seemingly powered down), implying Ghidorah may have been pulling the strings from the beginning]]. Even worse, in the novelization, [[spoiler:his own subordinate, Ren, is planning to kill him [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness the moment]] he no longer needs him and can follow his own agenda, but Ghidorah's lingering subconsciousness outdoes Ren and Simmons both]].

* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: To Alan Jonah from [[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 the previous film]]. Whereas Jonah was essentially an international ex-military guerrilla who was comparatively ObviouslyEvil, Simmons is a well-dressed but definitively amoral CorruptCorporateExecutive who can [[BitchInSheepsClothing hide his true colors behind a charismatic façade]]. Whereas Jonah wants as much of the human race as possible dead and sees the Titans as a means to achieve that, Simmons uses [[MugglePower defending humanity against future Titan attacks and elevating us back to the top of the food chain]] as an excuse for his selfish ambitions. Whereas Jonah is a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, Simmons is a narcissistic [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who has absolutely no tragic backstory nor redeeming qualities that we know of. Although Jonah and Simmons both have a loyal elite underling who looks up to them, Jonah [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes genuinely cared about Asher to the point he was shaken by his death]], whereas Simmons shows no signs of being fazed by [[spoiler:the death of [[DaddysLittleVillain his daughter]]]] (if he's even made aware of it in the brief time window before he [[spoiler:follows her to the grave]]). Furthermore, both Jonah [[Film/KongSkullIsland and Packard]] were willing to get their hands dirty in pursuit of their goals, whereas Simmons prefers to relegate the dirty work to his underlings.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The super-modernist, Caucasian CEO (and founder according to the novelization) of a major tech company with facilities on multiple continents and a ton of OffscreenVillainDarkMatter. He's out to prove he can topple the gods (Godzilla in particular) just for the sakes of [[AmbitionIsEvil power, ambition]] and satisfying his own ego, and he doesn't think anything of hypocritically committing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity crimes against humanity]] [[spoiler:just for the sake of some EngineeredHeroics]]. He's also [[PsychopathicManchild quick to act like a petulant child]] with his subordinate Ren when the latter is saying something he doesn't care to hear. To facilitate his plan, Simmons masterminds the construction of [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla, a skyscraper-sized mech just as – if not more – dangerous than the monsters it's meant to kill]], while showing a blatant failure to consider his actions' full effects by [[spoiler:incorporating two eldritch {{Black Box}}es -- including an actively-malevolent DraconicAbomination[='s=] not-completely-dead neurological remains -- into the Mecha]]. He has a [[DaddysLittleVillain daughter]] whose capabilities he thinks highly of, but he doesn't think anything of sending her on a life-threatening mission with an incomplete briefing just to see if she's worthy to succeed him, and he shows no signs of being fazed by [[spoiler:her death if he was ever made aware that she died]]. It's implied (especially in the novelization) that after killing and usurping Godzilla, Simmons intends to become the [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans dystopia/cyberpunk "President of the world"]] variation of the CCE. The novelization further reveals that Simmons has previously used his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney money]] and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections connections]] to bail himself out of legal trouble, [[spoiler:after the spectacular catastrophe caused by the Oxygen Destroyer his company helped the military to build]].
* CrazyEnoughToWork: {{Subverted}} '''big time''' for him. [[spoiler:As if hooking [[OmnicidalManiac Ghidorah]]'s haunted skull up to a superpowerful mechanical Titan-slayer ''because'' Ghidorah's telepathic presence is still in the skull wasn't bad enough,]] Simmons pretty much [[InvokedTrope invokes]] the UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway trope with Mechagodzilla when Godzilla is on Apex's doorstep[[note]]Ren cautions Simmons against this in the movie, and the novelization explicitly spells out how Simmons' decision was unnecessary as Ren had a more pragmatic idea to make sure Godzilla couldn't pinpoint the Apex HQ and they could buy themselves more time to iron out the Mecha's kinks and then deploy it properly[[/note]]; because Simmons is ''actually'' that convinced that fortune always favors the bold and nothing less (that, and he's implicitly [[PsychopathicManchild just that impatient to see his new toy in action]]). [[spoiler:Instead of ensuring that Apex will win exactly as they planned and Simmons will have everything he's after, Simmons' reckless decisions only enable Ghidorah's subconsciousness to take control of the Mecha from its builders; at which point Simmons is [[HoistByHisOwnPetard killed by his own rogue creation]], which in turn proceeds to go on a rampage that will likely nuke Apex's reputation and ensure that everything Simmons was working towards gets buried in the dirt]].
* DetrimentalDetermination: He's been trying to find a way to kill Godzilla and achieve his dream of human supremacy ''since 2014'', and he's more or less ignored how the events of ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' proved that humans and Titans ''can'' coexist beneficially if humans stop trying to tamper and overrule nature. [[spoiler:It's furthermore revealed in the ''Godzilla vs. Kong'' novelization that the military's Oxygen Destroyer (which went horribly wrong via directly almost enabling King Ghidorah [[OmnicidalManiac to exterminate all multicellular life on Earth]]) was apparently a previous attempt by Apex to kill Godzilla, yet this catastrophe didn't stop Simmons]]. Come 2024, Simmons, dead-set on turning the world against Godzilla and getting all the glory that successfully replacing the Alpha Titans would entail[[spoiler:[==]; doesn't think that essentially ''reanimating the aforementioned, "'''living extinction event which threatens every non-microbial lifeform on this planet'''" Ghidorah's surviving neurology'' is not worth the risks, nevermind his]] planning to use a newly-discovered otherworldly energy source as a ''[[spoiler:second]]'' BlackBox [[spoiler:on top of that]]. Simmons' last attempt to usurp Godzilla turns out to be one time too many, [[spoiler:as mixing Ghidorah's undead remains with the Hollow Earth energy and Apex's Titan-killing Mecha leads to a Ghidorah-possessed Mechagodzilla killing Simmons and destroying everything he's worked towards in less than an hour; nevermind the very real possibility that the rogue Mechagodzilla, if it had won, [[TyrantTakestheHelm would have filled King Ghidorah's old shoes]] and [[OmnicidalManiac finished what the three-headed dragon started]]]].
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Serves as the main antagonist and apparent driver of the plot, but [[spoiler:the moment Mechagodzilla is perfected, Ghidorah hijacks it and wastes no time killing him.]]

* EvilGloating: In the last minute of his life before he meets his KarmicDeath, he goes into a long-winded, narcissistic speech about his motives in front of Team Godzilla. [[spoiler:While he's talking, Mechagodzilla has gone rogue, and it [[CaughtMonologuing kills him before he can finish]]]].
* EvilIsHammy: Dear God, is he ever! Once [[BitchInSheepsClothing the mask of a well-meaning businessman comes off]], Simmons loves hearing the sound of his own voice as he gloats about his perceived present and future triumphs.

* FatalFlaw: Hubris. Walter sees himself as a visionary who will lead humanity to retake their place as the apex species on Earth from the Titans, though in truth he's nothing but a GloryHound seeking to satisfy his own ego. He's so blinded by hubris, he seems to be cognitively incapable of processing the mere idea his actions might seriously backfire on him and that he might lose control; rationalizing his more reckless or impulsive choices as necessary gambits, "fortune favors the bold" or CrazyEnoughToWork. [[spoiler:Thinking he could use Ghidorah's undead neurology as Mechagodzilla's neural network, and then throwing a ''second'' eldritch BlackBox into the mix as a power source without first conducting even ''basic'' testing, bites him in the ass: instead of retaining complete control through it all as he expected, Simmons ends up falling victim to his own creation when it's hijacked by Ghidorah's subconsciousness with a lasting power source at its disposal]], having unwittingly unleashed [[KillAllHumans the opposite]] of [[MugglePower what Apex were aiming for on the world]] with no way to get it back under control.

* FlatCharacter: Unlike most of the [=MonsterVerse's=] other human antagonists, Walter Simmons has no {{hidden depths}}, no humanizing backstory [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds to explain why he's the way that he is]], and no redeeming qualities to speak of. He's just a mega-rich narcissistic sociopath who shows up one day, trying to kill Godzilla [[spoiler:and literally millions of other people]] for his own self-aggrandizement and for the sake of perpetuating his delusion of human superiority, all [[LackOfEmpathy without a drop of shame or remorse]], and [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist what arguments Simmons does make to justify his actions all but completely fall flat]] within the setting and narrative.
* FreudianExcuse: Notably {{averted}} in his case. Whereas Packard, Jonah, Emma and [[DragonWithAnAgenda Ren]] all have fairly human reasons in their backstories for turning to villainy in the ways that they did, Simmons is given no such backstory, and he's shown to be a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] sociopath who's motivated to commit his heinous actions solely because of egomania and ambition. The novelization even slightly lampshades this when Mark Russell wonders there if Simmons is acting out of grief at losing a loved one in a past Titan attack, a contrast to the explicit reality of the man.

* HateSink: Don't let his charming demeanor fool you, he is nothing but a big egotistical, idiotic PsychopathicManchild who caused the whole events to satisfy his own pride [[spoiler:and feel satisfaction of seeing his own creation about to kill him while his smugness instantly vanishes.]]
* HisOwnWorstEnemy: The heroes fail to do anything to stop Apex, and ultimately, the only person who kills Walter Simmons and ruins everything he's worked towards [[SelfDisposingVillain is Walter Simmons]]. His pride, ego and [[PsychopathicManchild immaturity]] lead to his own death ''twofold'' [[spoiler:when he: (1) decided before the movie's start that it was somehow '''not''' a monstrously-dangerous idea to use '''[[OmnicidalManiac Ghidorah]]'s undead skull''' as the main part of his artificial Titan's brain, and when he (2) [[UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway foregoes basic testing]] on the synthesized HollowEarth element out of desire for instant gratification and a belief that [[CrazyEnoughToWork fortune favors risk-takers]], directly shooting down [[TheDragon Ren]]'s pragmatic cautioning. Both of which together lead to Ghidorah's subconsciousness possessing the empowered Mechagodzilla and killing Simmons, before it goes on a rampage which almost-surely burns Apex's name and its MugglePower agenda to ashes]]. What's more, Simmons' actions against Godzilla with his secret project were entirely unnecessary, and he ultimately acted solely out of wounded pride and out of a desire for acclaim and power – if he'd just left well enough alone after the events of ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters'', the world would still be enjoying an all-round beneficial peace between man and Titan, and Simmons would still be alive and could have profited off the Titans' existence through far more legitimate ventures.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:He's killed by his own Mecha, entirely as a result of him using Ghidorah's skull as its brain and throwing the HollowEarth element in as a power source, enabling Ghidorah's subconsciousness to take over the fully-powered Mechagodzilla, and wholly making Simmons and his company a SelfDisposingVillain]].

* KarmicDeath: After [[spoiler:engineering Godzilla's attacks]] which put thousands of innocent people in the agitated Titan's warpath, and wholly planning to put ''eight million'' people in Hong Kong in the crossfire between [[spoiler:Godzilla and Mechagodzilla]], Simmons himself becomes the first casualty of his own [[spoiler:Mecha]] when [[spoiler:a sentient Mechagodzilla]] goes on a rampage against Apex. What's more, this would never have happened if Simmons hadn't had the unfathomable stupidity and arrogance to think he could [[spoiler:turn '''Ghidorah'''[='s=] remains into the Mecha's damned nervous system and just expect it to remain under his total control without any side-effects]], being paid for his stupidity and narcissism just as much as he is for his crimes against millions of people. When [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla]] moves to kill him, Simmons lives ''just long enough'' to realize what's about to happen, causing the smugness and hubris which so characterized him to drain right out of his face for that last moment.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: In light of the calamity the Titans caused under King Ghidorah's control, Walter Simmons claims he's acting to find a way to create a more secure and human-controlled line of defence against future Titan attacks, although his [[ItsAllAboutMe egotistical dialogue]] makes it clear that at heart he's purely motivated by validating his ego. As Madison points out, by [[spoiler:all but ''actively'' firing the first shot]] which provoked Godzilla -- the creature who was keeping the Titans from causing harm -- and then knowingly [[spoiler:''continuing to provoke'' Godzilla into causing mass destruction as a FalseFlagOperation against him]], Simmons is doing much more harm than good, and the way Simmons casually and promptly just dismisses Madison's callout only proves her point. Simmons admitting he [[spoiler:started work in ''2014'' on finding a way to put humanity on top also means he began work on a weapon of mass destruction well before King Ghidorah's rampage and before the world at large had any evidence to suspect there were other living Titans besides the savior of San Francisco in the world]]; further showing that a big motivator was less safety and more wounded pride at realizing there were things out there bigger than himself.

* SmugSnake: Underneath that superficial charm is an egotistical sociopath who's brimming with hubris. Simmons sees himself as a visionary leading humanity into a bold new era, and whilst Apex ''are'' cunning enough to dupe Monarch and the world into helping their EngineeredHeroics, Simmons believes that no matter how crazy or risky his ideas and actions are, they will always work out in his benefit with him remaining in complete control ''[[WrongGenreSavvy because]]'' [[WrongGenreSavvy they're crazy and risky]]. In reality, he's nothing but a delusional, power-hungry, entitled hubrist, and one of the most TooDumbToLive characters in the ''entire'' [=MonsterVerse=]: his self-destructive recklessness and inability to process the notion his plans might backfire on him [[SelfDisposingVillain cause him to unwittingly engineer his downfall all on his own, without]] ''[[SelfDisposingVillain any]] '' [[SelfDisposingVillain input from the heroes]]. He even lives just long enough to have an OhCrap when [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla turns on him]]. Simmons gets extra points towards this trope in the novelization, where Ren is revealed to be a DragonWithAnAgenda who intended to dispose of Simmons as soon as their partnership served its usefulness – if not for [[spoiler:Ghidorah's subconsciousness hijacking Mechagodzilla for itself]], Ren would've apparently been in the perfect position to use [[spoiler:the fully-charged Mecha]] to kill Simmons and then continue his own agenda, yet Simmons shows no signs of being aware of this let alone of having installed any counter-measures. The fancy glass of alcohol that Simmons carries in several scenes accentuates his Smug Snaky-ness.
* TheSociopath: He has many signs of a high-functioning sociopath. He's able to feign empathy to manipulate people but seems to [[LackOfEmpathy completely lack it]], he can present a charming, false affable persona, and he possesses a grandiose sense of self-worth and gigantic ego. He also has the inherent lack of impulse control, as he wilfully completely rushes through powering up [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla]] the second he gets his hands on the HollowEarth energy source, and he doesn't take being questioned well. Notably his 'well-intentions' ultimately amount to inflating his ego rather than ''actually'' helping anyone.

* TooCleverByHalf: He (or at least the people in his company who helped him form his plan) are cunning and deceptive enough to succeed in Apex's machinations to [[spoiler:turn the world against Godzilla by driving him to act destructive in major population centers, and then]] get Monarch to guide Apex to the HollowEarth energy readings they need [[spoiler:to activate Mechagodzilla]] under the illusion that both organizations are trying to stop Godzilla's seemingly-unprovoked rampage. However, Simmons is completely incapable of heeding his own limitations, [[spoiler:to the point where he apparently doesn't see anything remotely wrong with turning a malevolent, man-hating DraconicAbomination[='s=] still-partly-alive remains into his Mecha's ''control system'', and he foregoes PragmaticVillainy in favor of risking everything when he needlessly invokes the UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway trope for immediate gratification]] – and unlike Alan Jonah before him, Simmons and his company don't have any Plan B's, emergency recourses or ways to salvage their agenda in the event that they lose control of the Titan-type forces they're meddling with. Their {{pride}} was just ''that'' overbloated. Furthermore, a big part of why Apex get as far as they do over the film and they aren't busted and shut down before the penultimate act is in the folly and stupidity of [[HumansAreMorons other humans generally]]: the world at large [[EasilyCondemned easily condemn]] Godzilla, almost everyone decides to focus on killing Godzilla first and asking '''absolutely critical''' questions later, and almost everyone who broaches Godzilla's rampage completely misses or just plain ignores the signs that Apex Cybernetics are a DevilInPlainSight.
* TooDumbToLive: ''Way'' too dumb, for all his posturing. He's so recklessly arrogant in his beliefs that any BlackBox he utilizes can never turn on him, and so convinced that the CrazyEnoughToWork trope will always be in effect around him so long as he remains bold, he doesn't see anything blatantly risky about [[spoiler:incorporating a malevolent, human-hating DraconicAbomination[='s=] not-entirely-dead neurology as his Ultimate Destroyer[='s=] '''brain''']]; only seeing his own narcissistic vision coming true. This ultimately gets him killed once [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla]] is empowered by the HollowEarth energy, [[SelfDisposingVillain with the heroes not having to do anything to stop Simmons himself]]. Simmons also has no problem bullying Ren when he gets annoyed with the latter, even though Ren is the one he's putting in direct control of the [[spoiler:''466-foot Mecha just outside Simmons' observation room'']], a machine which could flatten Simmons' room and squash him like a bug [[spoiler:even if Ghidorah's subconsciousness didn't hijack it]].