"I always wondered what kind of person could do such a thing. But now that I see you, I think I understand. There’s just nothing inside you. Nothing at all. You’re pathetic and sad and empty."
One character delivers a speech to another character on the reason why that other character sucks. There are four basic types: a speech the villain gives the hero,
a speech one villain gives another villain, a speech a hero gives the villain, and a speech where heroism and villainy aren't the subject, one acquaintance (or even friend) gives this to another because they can't take any more of the other's crap (or are just in a self-righteous mood).
Not only has the
Big Bad tried to kill your
Love Interest, slain the
Team Pet, and finally
taken over the world, he must grind your self worth into the asphalt and explain to you why you failed to stop his
Evil Plan. This is where he lists all the reasons you are a poor excuse for a
hero and never had a prayer of stopping him; you lack the skills, the weapons and the powers needed; you
childishly fight for
outdated ideals, your
costume is ugly and your
mentor always hated you.
Frequently a brand of
Evil Gloating and/or
Breaking Them By Talking. In a well done speech, the Bad Guy will state things that the hero (and audience) can't argue with and when the fight is done, the hero stays troubled because
Strawman Has a Point. On the other hand, maybe they're total BS, but it's delivered with such conviction it
almost makes the hero (and audience) agree that he was wrong to have dared challenge the villain in the first place.
Sometimes, it makes the point that the people the hero are trying to defend
aren't worth the trouble. An especially arrogant
Big Bad will use this to let the hero know he's just a
lesser version of the Big Bad himself and the only difference is he's not saddled with morals. A villain going for a low-blow might bring up some previous encounter between the two when he overpowered the hero, as to state that the same thing will happen again.
What You Are in the Dark can (and often does) follow.
A hero worth his salt might respond with his own speech along the lines of a
"World of Cardboard" Speech or a
Picard or
Kirk Summation, among others. If it's an action movie, the hero will usually say
Shut Up, Hannibal! and the
declare what and who he is truly is. Sometimes the hero survives only because they're
Not Worth Killing, in which case they'll invariably prove that they are later in the story. A
Crowning Moment of Awesome if the person of the receiving end of the speech is a
Jerk Ass who had it coming, double
Crowning Moment of Awesome if a
Jerk Ass gives this to someone and he or she responds with a better one.
Villains can also give this to other villains in an
Evil vs. Evil setting. The content of this speech is going to be either along the lines of how they're
Eviler than Thou and pointing out flaws and shortcomings in the other villain, like the
Magnificent Bastard chiding a
Smug Snake or a
Card-Carrying Villain mocking a
Knight Templar villain for
employing the same methods but claiming to be morally superior to them, or
Even Evil Has Standards if the other villain did something they find awful.
Heroes can also give defeated villains The Reason You Suck Speeches, often pointing out their
wasted potential or how their obsession with
defeating the hero has ruined them, or in the case of the
Well-Intentioned Extremist adversary, how
they've become everything they've fought against, or how their
extremes in trying to bring a better world have done more to ruin it. Heroic "Reason You Suck Speeches" come out when the hero's not going to bother with the
Kirk Summation. Chances are they tried the diplomatic option, and it didn't sink in.
Alternatively, the speech is given by someone who's just frustrated with the other person. This is not an attempt to bring down or break an opponent. This is not an exchange between heroes and villains (heck, they might even be friends). This is someone, tired of everything they have to deal with, giving a frank and
brutally honest assessment of the person they're dealing with, often in a
What the Hell, Hero? moment. This can be
prone to backfire with a suitably shallow, self-obsessed, and/or
Genre Savvy target; who typically responds with
"You've just listed all of my best features!" Will often provoke an attempted refutation or justification from the target; which, depending on the source, can be played for comedy, drama, or
Wangst. If the target is a
Designated Hero, this occurrence just might motivate him or her to become a
real hero.
One thing all four types of speech have in common is that the speaker has a point, even if they're villains. To give a speech about it, the speaker has to have thought it through and can usually have more than one reason why you suck. This is because the writer of the story has also thought it through.
Compare to
Calling the Old Man Out. Could also be a
Take That, Scrappy! where someone tells a hated character what the audience feels about them.
Compare and contrast the
"World of Cardboard" Speech. See also
Did You Actually Believe? Contrast
Minor Insult Meltdown, where just the tip of the "you suck" iceberg can sink a character to tears.
Contrast
You Are Better Than You Think You Are.
As a last note;
no, this isn't the trope that's about the reasons that characters are bad at speaking. Neither is it a meta
Justification for
This Loser Is You. Finally you'll find that some of these can be used to serve as
Dare to Be Badass speeches as well.
Examples:
