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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled533_20230816153713.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A Magnificent Bitch and her weapon of choice, [[VisualPun a Magnificent Bastard]][[note]]sword[[/note]].\\
[-Image courtesy of Tropers/KoshaVinka-]]]
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->''"[[UsefulNotes/ErwinRommel Rommel]]... you magnificent bastard, I READ YOUR BOOK!"''
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/GeorgeSPatton''', ''Film/{{Patton}}'' ([[TropeNamers Trope Namer]])

If there was ever a villain that deserved to be called "Magnificent", that character ''is'' the Magnificent Bastard. Capturing the audience with their charisma, incredible intellect, mastery of manipulation, and boldness of action, this character is a show-stealer, demanding your reverence at every turn. So what makes a character a Magnificent Bastard? Let's break it down:

* [[TheChessmaster They are brilliant]] and utterly devious, a smooth operator. They are also savvy and do not fall for obvious traps; bringing them down is no easy feat.
* [[VisionaryVillain They have a goal]], and they're not going to stop until they've completed it. Even when the goal is suicidally over-ambitious, they succeed with style.
* They are charismatic, often [[TheCharmer charming]], their personality is like a physical force. While they exist on the darker end of the moral spectrum, they never take disgusting actions that undermine their magnificence, leaving them diabolical but in a way the audience can't help but enjoy. And they are definitively not cowards. Ever.

Compare GuileHero, its GoodCounterpart.

'''Examples go through the Magnificent Bastard [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16738556640A36226400 proposal thread]] (for new additions) and [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16706345050A65984200 cleanup thread]] (for discussion of existing examples).'''

[[noreallife]]
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!!Now divided into:

[[index]]
* MagnificentBastard/AnimeAndManga
* MagnificentBastard/ComicBooks
* MagnificentBastard/FanWorks
* [[MagnificentBastard/AnimatedFilms Film — Animated]]
* [[MagnificentBastard/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]
* MagnificentBastard/{{Literature}}
* MagnificentBastard/LiveActionTV
* MagnificentBastard/{{Music}}
* MagnificentBastard/TabletopGames
* MagnificentBastard/{{Theatre}}
* MagnificentBastard/VideoGames
* MagnificentBastard/VisualNovels
* MagnificentBastard/WebOriginal
* MagnificentBastard/WesternAnimation
* MagnificentBastard/OtherMedia (includes characters from multiple pieces of media)
[[/index]]
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