The
Magnificent Bastard is what happens when you combine
the Chessmaster, the
Trickster, and the
Manipulative Bastard (
Large Ham is optional): bold, charismatic, independent, and audacious — and
never petty. Unlike
the Chessmaster, who seeks to control every single minute aspect of a situation, the
Magnificent Bastard plays the odds and wins regularly. Another difference is the Bastard's willingness to step onto the playing field in person. The risks are obvious, but the strategic advantages are numerous. With charm, style, and an understanding of the human psyche, the
Magnificent Bastard can
play people's emotions like a piano and often come up smelling of roses afterwards. As a
trickster, he or she can easily adjust strategy on the fly;
Xanatos Speed Chess is the Bastard's signature technique. This character is likely to remark that he or she
likes those odds,
especially if the odds are stacked heavily in the opponent's favor.
Generally, this character is
really good at being bad.
The
Magnificent Bastard can be at any level of the villainous hierarchy - the
Big Bad,
The Dragon, or a
Wild Card trusted by neither side (note that if a
Magnificent Bastard works for a
Big Bad who is not one himself, he's likely to be a
Hypercompetent Sidekick,
Dragon In Chief, or
Dragon With An Agenda — these guys don't give their loyalty to inferior people without qualifications). Also, the
Magnificent Bastard is likely to appear as a
Villain Protagonist or dark
Anti Hero, whose nature allows more of an emotional investment in his or her chess pieces than many other types of
villains. Sometimes he will even appear on the
good side of the ledger as a somewhat untrustworthy ally whose methods are less than scrupulous, but as long as you don't ask too many questions, he might just do you a good service. (Though if the Bastard ever moves completely out of the 'evil' spectrum, he becomes
a different trope). Some characters are even adept at straddling the two tropes.
The term was first used by General Patton in reference to Erwin Rommel in the film
Patton. It acquired its current meaning courtesy of Lionel Luthor of
Smallville, who was given this nickname by the
Television Without Pity boards.
Compare and contrast
Smug Snake, who is a similar archetype but allows his ego to overtake his awesomeness. Can overlap with
Crazy Awesome if the crazy has a strong element of cunning (although
Crazy Awesome is more often a specifically heroic trope, one that relies on more improvisation than the Bastard). (Mostly) Contrast the
Complete Monster, whose acts fill the audience with hate and revulsion. For just the villainous charm, see
Affably Evil,
Evilly Affable, and
Wicked Cultured. For just the ingenious planning, see
The Chessmaster (events) and
Manipulative Bastard (emotions). Very likely to recieve a
Love To Hate reaction from the audience. The
Magnificent Bastard is often a beneficiary of
Jerkass Dissonance. Compare and contrast
Villain Sue, where this is taken so far
Beyond The Impossible that it breaks the audience's suspension of disbelief and therefore becomes annoying rather than cool. If these guys are in charge and good at it, expect
Vetinari Job Security to rear its ugly head.
Has nothing to do with
Heroic Bastard, which is about literal bastards. The
Guile Hero is the heroic analogue to the
Magnificent Bastard. Please confine heroic examples to that page.
Please confine discussion to the
discussion page.
Now divided into:
Quotes 
