History SoYouWantTo / WriteAMagnificentBastard

* Toranaga from ''Literature/{{Shogun}}'' is an absolutely quintessential MagnificentBastard. He is so patient when it comes to [[TheChessmaster setting up events for the long-term game]] that he plans ''generations'' ahead (and a sequel set hundreds of years later shows he was right about everything except the OutsideContextProblem of the Westerners' technological advances). In-universe, other characters who are excellent puppeteers in their own right say that he specialises in [[ManipulativeBastard getting people to think they've come up with an idea on their own when they're actually doing exactly what he wants]], and he plays ''everyone'' for fools, whether they're his allies or enemies, treats his own family and friends as expendable, and does so with regret for the necessity of doing so, but no actual remorse. He avoids becoming a VillainSue[[invoked]] because he does actually make mistakes, [[XanatosSpeedChess but always thinks of a way to stay on top, sometimes improvising on a second-by-second basis]]. Even his final internal monologue, which suggests that [[GreyAndGrayMorality to some extent]], he's been EvilAllAlong only makes the reader root for him more, and many people who have read the book set him as the standard by which all other {{Magnificent Bastard}}s are judged.

** Though if you're planning to make your Magnificent Bastard not have any sympathetic qualities or be unambiguously evil, you must make them charming through their behavior in order to make the audience not pay attention to their crimes. [[EvilIsCool Making them awesome]] can help the villain look more charismatic and entertain the audience.

* TheCorrupter: As it says on the page, sometimes a character doesn't need to manipulate others into doing something. Perhaps they can make a character do something of their own will, and point out they had no hand in making them do so. It's a very hard ask - they've just made a person do something, without any obvious influence from another, and made them look it out of their own will. A character that can do this can be quite magnificent indeed, and it may not be too hard to suggest some of the most magnificent do not need to manipulate, only suggest. Never have a direct hand, but only guide. Do be careful with this one, though - don't make it seem too 'off-hand', and make a point to show what they've done. When it hits the one corrupted, show what happened and the bastard's magnificence can be shown.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Having a character proclaim noble motivations while in reality having more selfish and base motivations is generally going to make them look more despicable and unlikeable to the audience. It's possible for a character in this category to still qualify if they are able to acknowledge that their intentions have undergone MotiveDecay into a more selfish place while still maintaining dignity, but it's vanishingly rare for character who continue BelievingTheirOwnLies for the entire story to get here, as it usually demonstrates an [[SmugSnake arrogance]] that isn't very fitting for this trope.

* AssholeVictim: If your MB being one won't disqualify them (so long as their end isn't too undignified), having assholes as their only victims ''will''. Magnificent as they may be, your character should be someone who has little qualms to hurt or use innocent/good people as a means to their own goals. Failing to keep this in mind will cost the "Bastard" moniker even to an otherwise strong candidate. That being said, this doesn't mean that the Magnificent Bastard can't target awful individuals, that usually happen to be worse than the Bastard himself, especially for {{AntiHero}}ic types. This can help in making them more magnificient after all, as long they aren't too morally white. They can be cases of PragmaticVillainy, EvenEvilHasStandards or PayEvilUntoEvil.