Line #34 YMMV/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** [[spoiler:Whiskey claims to not have any ill side effects from recovering from his headshot wound. Is he telling the truth, or are his KnightTemplar tendencies (to let all drug users die and drive up Statesmen stocks) [[CameBackWrong the actual side effects]]?]]
3	** Merlin and Ginger have a talk about leaving the computer work and joining the others in field missions. Merlin argues for the benefits of staying indoors and doing the tech work. Does Merlin secretly want to be a field agent but shrugs it off due to his bureaucratic adherence to not letting emotion into his work? Or, considering how almost out of nowhere his suiting up scene comes, has Merlin already gone into the field before and discovered preference for a staff position instead? [[note]] Merlin is seen at the beginning of the first film in the field with Harry and their candidates James Spencer and Lee Unwin, Eggsy's father, before Lee sacrifices himself by jumping on the grenade. That seems to imply that Merlin ''was'' a field agent before the start of the first film. [[/note]]
4	** Whiskey constantly vetoing Ginger from becoming a field agent. Is it simply because he's a PoliticallyIncorrectHero who believes that women are not suited for field missions, or [[spoiler:is it out of fear for her safety, given the death of his own wife and unborn child? The revelation of his FaceHeelTurn muddies this even further. With the aspect of his FE, Whiskey seems more cagey about it than he does actually sexist--if not, pragmatic just because her tech skills are proven and field skills haven't been yet.]]
5	* AmericansHateTingle: Understandably, many Americans weren't terribly flattered by this film's depiction of them and their country. With American film critics in particular savaging the film, resulting in a paltry 52% score on ''Website/RottenTomatoes''.
6	* AngstWhatAngst:
7	** You'd think Eggsy would be torn up about [[spoiler:Roxy and JB's deaths]] throughout the film, considering that [[spoiler:they were his closest comrades in the first film.]] However, outside of a memorial toast and some words spoken to Charlie, you'd be hard pressed to believe Eggsy even remembered [[spoiler:Roxy]] at all. Even worse is how [[spoiler:JB]] is treated, as he is basically forgotten the moment [[spoiler:Tilde literally buys a [[ReplacementGoldfish replacement puppy]]]], save for the obligatory AndThisIsFor moments. Eggsy might be repressing his feelings for the sake of the mission, but we don't see anything between him defeating the Golden Circle and [[spoiler:his wedding]].
8	** Harry Hart also has no visible trauma over what he was forced to do by Valentine during the Church Massacre in the first film, or the fact that he got shot in the head.
9	* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler: After all her henchmen are dead, Poppy offers no resistance at all when Eggsy and Harry approach her with no other tricks up her sleeves, and when drugged by her own virus, she willingly provides them with the correct password to distribute the antidotes before succumbing. Whiskey ends up being the FinalBoss instead.]]
10	* {{Anvilicious}}: The film's not-so-subtle commentary on the United States' long-running War on Drugs and substance regulation (despite the emphasis on punishment long being on the wane in favor of treatment or legalization). It's much more overt and pointed than the original's satire of climate change and Silicon Valley tech culture. And it doesn't show much distinction between light safer drugs such as Marijuana and hardcore drugs that ''are'' hazardous to your health such as meth or cocaine, [[spoiler:Whiskey's backstory aside.]]
11	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
12	** [[https://youtu.be/xRaSNT6cFmI "Tequila"]] is a pretty badass introduction for the namesake character.
13	** [[https://youtu.be/sD03UxPDVXw "Tornado in a Trailer Park"]] fits Whiskey's sheer awesomeness like a glove.
14	** In the versions where "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JNMnUk6Rfs Word Up]]" wasn't used for the final diner fight, we are treated to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8paRii9Fg14 Kingsman Hoedown]]".
15	** As always, you can never go wrong with Sir Music/EltonJohn's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU7yyBXpA94 Saturday Night's Alright]]", even if it's Wednesday.
16	* BrokenBase:
17	** Creator/MatthewVaughn's [[CreatorThumbprint trademark]] stylized JitterCam cinematography. Is it still exciting, allowing for the movie to continue standing out with its visual style? Or is it getting annoying and giving you headaches?
18	** Much like the Kingsmen, the Statesmen have a ThemeNaming convention for their agents. While the Kingsmen named themselves after the Knights of the Round Table -- with their leader named after King Arthur and their TechnoWizard named after Merlin -- the Statesmen named themselves after alcoholic drinks, their leader named "Champagne" and their TechnoWizard named after a mixer "Ginger Ale", a naming motif that fits with their [[CovertGroupWithMundaneFront Mundane Front]]. Some think that the naming convention suits the cruder, more contemporary nature of the Statesmen; naming themselves after their lucrative, American business. [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot Others think that it was a missed opportunity for a more inspiring naming convention]], like the Founding Fathers or other aspects of Americana.
19	** The inclusion of [[spoiler:Elton John]]. Was he a fun cameo appearance, or did he overstay his welcome to the point of hijacking the film?
20	** The reveal that Eggsy and Tilde have been in a relationship for a year after the events of the first movie. Some were pleased that Tilde wasn't cast aside and forgotten in the way of Bond girls and were interested in her character, while others questioned the necessity of a romantic subplot (pointing to it adding to the the film's oft-criticized {{Padding}}) and found it pointless or unbelievable [[spoiler:especially the ending, where their marriage turns Eggsy into royalty, which has near daily public duties to justify the public funding.]]
21	** [[spoiler: Merlin]]'s sacrifice in the climax. Some think the scene is a good [[DyingMomentOfAwesome sendoff]] to the character, while others think it's a [[StupidSacrifice lazy way]] to write the character off from the story by way of [[spoiler: Eggsy suddenly grabbing the IdiotBall by stepping on a landmine even with a mine detector in his hand and requiring Merlin to sacrifice himself.]]
22	** Harry's return. People are up in arms about his appearance in the film. Either it's great having him back to fight alongside Eggsy, or his revival [[DeathIsCheap cheapened]] his sudden and tragic demise. Some preferred that Harry stayed dead and made appearances in flashbacks or something similar, or have the resurrection pushed back to a potential third film where the fallout from his death would've resonated enough. Others believe that Harry's revival was an AssPull and meant that his death at Valentine's hands was all for nothing.
23	* CargoShip: Of all people, famously stoic and uptight Merlin has at least two.
24	** Shipping Merlin with his clipboard was already a thing before the sequel, due to the scene in the first movie where Eggsy and Harry take his clipboard and he looks unhappy about not holding his clipboard. A clip from ''The Golden Circle'' promos showing that he's given his clipboard a bladed weapon upgrade only boosted the CrackPairing. Who's gonna steal his clipboard now?
25	** Merlin x fried chicken. He's already said he loves it, after all.
26	* CatharsisFactor:
27	** While her fate's nowhere near as brutal as Whiskey's—[[DisproportionateRetribution and that was maybe too much for him anyway]], Poppy getting killed of an overdose by her own product is still a fitting way for her to go out.
28	** Charlie's execution at Eggsy's hands though is immensely satisfying. Eggsy first handily beats Charlie—whose robotic arm is out of commission—with one arm behind his back to make it very evenly matched and then pins him down, while telling him he's truly the better man. Eggsy then lists off all the people close to him who died because of Charlie and then summarily snaps his neck.
29	* CompleteMonster:
30	** [[TheAggressiveDrugDealer Poppy Adams]] is the head of the Golden Circle, the biggest drug empire in the world. When an employee named Charles brings his friend Angel to her as a new hire, she punishes Charles by [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten forcing Angel]] to put him into a meat grinder and then forces Angel to eat a burger made of Charles's meat. After discovering all the Kingsman locations, she has them all blown up and kills all of the Kingsmen except Gary "Eggsy" Unwin and Merlin. She takes singer Music/EltonJohn hostage as a pet and as personal entertainment with a ShockCollar. When Angel uses one of her products, Poppy has her robot dogs attack and tear him apart. [[PoisonAndCureGambit The crux of her plan]] to legalize the drug industry so she can make even more money is to have the millions who she sold to infected with a deadly virus through her products that lasts three stages before death.
31	** [[RivalTurnedEvil Charles "Charlie" Hesketh]] is a [[EntitledBastard vindictive, elitist bully]] who was chosen to be a Kingsman candidate, before being rejected for being [[DirtyCoward willing to sell out the Agency when threatened]]. In response Charlie throws his hat in with [[Film/KingsmanTheSecretService Richmond Valentine]] and even attempts to sabotage Eggsy as he tries to stop Valentine's plan to wipe out most of humanity. Surviving, Charlie is recruited by the Golden Circle and assists with Poppy Adams's scheme to hold hundreds of millions hostage with her drug; he hacks into the Kingsman servers and allows for the entire organization to be purged so Poppy's plan could begin. Later on, Charlie personally destroys an entire building [[BadBoss filled with his fellow Golden Circle members]], including his own girlfriend for cheating on him, just to keep the heroes from getting the antidote. In the film's climax, Charlie tries to make a run with the case that can release the antidote before laying a brutal beatdown onto Eggsy.
32	* ContestedSequel: The film received mixed reviews from critics and viewers alike. While opinions on plot and characters were divisive, ''The Golden Circle'' is still considered an enjoyable film because of the ridiculous amount of over-the-top action, comedy and raucous moments, only much less well received than the first installment.
33	* CriticalDissonance: The film sits with a "Rotten" 52% on Website/RottenTomatoes, and Metacritic reports that professional critics give it "average" reviews. Although fans cite it as a SophomoreSlump in the storytelling department compared to the original, it's still received rather warmly by general audiences.
34	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Poppy having Angel put Charles through a meat grinder? Horrifying. Cooking a burger made with his ground remains? [[{{Squick}} Gross.]] Angel commenting that the burger is delicious? Hilarious!
35	* DieForOurShip: Fans who shipped the ever-popular [[PortmanteauCoupleName Hartwin]], as well as those who shipped Eggsy with Roxy or Merlin, were ''not'' happy with Eggsy's relationship with Tilde [[spoiler:and their eventual marriage. The deaths of Roxy and Merlin, especially the rather [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter anticlimactic]] and [[AngstWhatAngst forgettable]] death of the former and the [[StupidSacrifice questionable]] [[SenselessSacrifice sacrifice]] of the latter, stoked the flames even further, while Hartwin shippers complained that Harry was brought back rather unbelievably only for his relationship with Eggsy to not develop in the desired way.]] Some have written their own [[FixFic fix fics]] where the relationship between Eggsy and Tilde either crumbles or [[FanonDiscontinuity doesn't exist in the first place]].
36	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
37	** By a celebrity playing AsHimself, no less! [[Music/EltonJohn Sir Elton John]] is clearly having a blast in every scene he's in, [[spoiler: and he even takes part in a climactic fight and defeats several mooks by himself!]]
38	** Creator/MarkStrong's portrayal of Merlin wasn't exactly without fans, but his expanded role in this film and [[spoiler: DyingMomentOfAwesome]] have led even detractors of the film to name him as one of the film's strongest elements.
39	** Whiskey, due to his badass skills and his [[UnintentionallySympathetic surprisingly sympathetic backstory]]. Being played by Creator/PedroPascal also certainly helps.
40	* EvilIsCool:
41	** Charlie sports a more threatening visage this time around and fulfills a role similar to Gazelle as a tough badass [[TheDragon Dragon]] with a cool gimmick. It helps that while a bad guy in both films, this one plays up his competency and skill and downplays his obnoxious HateSink qualities.
42	** [[spoiler:Whiskey]] is this to some with his creative fight scenes and gadgets.
43	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The film did very well in the Philippines, where several reviewers cited that the US president's war on drugs [[http://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/-kingsman-the-golden-circle-is-as-fun-and-as-absurd-as-its-predecessor-a2004-20170926 hit close to home thanks to their own president's hardline stance towards drugs]].
44	* HesJustHiding:
45	** To many fans, [[spoiler:Roxy must have outran the missile explosion at the mansion]].
46	** Some have also extended it to [[spoiler:Merlin]]. It certainly helps that an interview with his actor revealed [[spoiler:he ''was'' supposed [[http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/mark-strong/52065/mark-strong-interview-kingsman-the-golden-circle-stardust-kick-ass to have survived]].]]
47	* HilariousInHindsight:
48	** Creator/ChanningTatum is a southerner in a film where Music/JohnDenver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is one of the characters' favorite songs and an important thematic element? It happened [[Film/LoganLucky twice within a month]] (though in this film it's Merlin's favorite song, not Tequila's).
49	** In this movie, Sir Music/EltonJohn attends a wedding between a royal and a commoner from different countries. About eight months later, he'll attend the wedding, that can be described similarly, between [[https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8456816/elton-john-serenades-royal-wedding-prince-harry-meghan-markle-marriage-reception Prince Harry and Meghan Markle]].
50	** Creator/TaronEgerton has been cast as Elton John in a [[Film/Rocketman2019 biopic]]. We've come full [[StealthPun circle]].
51	* HoYay: So Elton was totally flirting with Harry, in a CallBack to when Tilde flirted with Eggsy in the first movie.
52	* IKnewIt: Many people accurately predicted [[spoiler:Roxy's death in the opening attack]] due to the character having little prominence in the advertising.
53	* InferredHolocaust: While the Kingsmen successfully have the cure for Poppy's virus distributed, we do see that there were victims who's body hemorrhaged before the cure could get to them in time. Since none of them were main characters (or even named characters), we have no frame of reference on just how big the Inferred Holocaust was.
54	* JerkassWoobie: Whiskey. He was a Statesman agent who was willing to let [[spoiler:Poppy and the President commit mass genocide and tried his damnedest to stop Harry and Eggsy from getting the drug antidote but only because he wanted to avenge his dead wife and kid who were killed by druggies (his wife was pregnant at the time).]]
55	* MagnificentBastard: "[[KnightTemplar Agent Whiskey]]", real name [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Jack Daniels]], is a high-ranking member of the American Statesman agency. After helping Gary "Eggsy" Unwin plant a tracker on a suspect through a sexual act, Whiskey then saves Harry Hart from rude guys in a bar by [[OneManArmy beating them all up single-handedly]] and later on takes out a bunch of armed gunmen all on his own too with minimal use of his signature lasso, even using his surroundings to his advantage. Taking advantage of both the situation and of Poppy Adams's massive poisoning of all her drug users with a deadly virus as part of a ransom scheme, Whiskey makes it look like he destroyed the antidote vial they retrieved [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident completely by accident]]. Later confronting, threatening and fighting Eggsy and Harry, Whiskey reveals he intends for all drug users to die not for the potential profit Statesman would achieve in their sales, but because [[CrusadingWidow his own pregnant wife]] was senselessly murdered by two meth users years ago.
56	* MemeticMutation:
57	** The Statesmen always/excessively interjecting "Yeehaw" has become a fandom meme. Made perhaps even funnier by how this usage seems to have no real basis in canon, being simply the result of promotional material humorously playing up cowboy stereotypes.
58	** Creator/PedroPascal's fans like to modify the scene of Whiskey kissing a picture of his dead wife, so that he would smooch a picture of something else instead (such as [[Series/TheMandalorian Grogu]]).
59	** That one Pedro Pascal edit[[labelnote:Explanation]][=TikTok=] editor dvcree posted [[https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtfdddr/ an edit]] involving Agent Whiskey, and it took the app by storm, racking up (as of the time of this edit) over 2 million likes and over 900 thousand favorites, whilst simultaneously birthing other edits and memes and growing the already-popular Pedro Pascal fan club [[/labelnote]]
60	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Despite Agent Whiskey being meant as a TakeThat towards US drug policies, he's still popular among American viewers thanks to his unique fighting style, Southern charm, and all-around badass nature. Creator/PedroPascal's charismatic performance certainly helped a lot, too.
61	* MoralEventHorizon:
62	** Poppy Adams instantly crossed it when she forces one of new recruits to throw his best friend into a meat grinder, then has him [[ImAHumanitarian eat a burger made out of said best friend's remains]] simply out of a test of loyalty. The implication being that she does this to ''all'' recruits.
63	** [[spoiler:The president willing to let tens of millions of drug users die just to say he won the War on Drugs. As pointed out, this includes innocent people that only tried a drug ''once'', people who used marijuana for medicinal reasons, ''children'' who were born addicted thanks to their mothers using while pregnant, sex slaves forcibly drugged to make them more compliant and even ''his own Chief of Staff'', who only started using because of the president's demanding workload. (And, although this isn't mentioned, there ''are'' some parts of the world where pot is legal, so [[FridgeHorror he was also dooming people that legally]] ''[[FridgeHorror did nothing wrong]]''.) Not to mention the severe blow to international relations he would have dealt because one of the victims would have been ''the heir to the Swedish throne''. A literal [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI war]] has been sparked by an heir being assassinated before, and this is assassination indirectly...]]
64	** Charlie goes over by [[spoiler:annihilating the Kingsmen for the humiliation he had received from the end of the first act onward. Among the casualties are Roxy, the new Arthur]], and a couple of collateral victims who had nothing whatsoever to do with Charlie's humiliation.
65	* NarmCharm: In a movie with cybernetic arms that can attach instantly and gel that can recover agents from being shot through their eye, the most impressive piece of technology may be the ordinary-looking meat grinder at Poppy's that can convert a full human body into perfectly prepared ground beef in seconds. And is somehow able to sort clothes and meat into two separate piles.
66	** Not to mention somehow removing [[LudicrousGibs all the other biological tissue and fluids]], and making sure that there isn't any splatter from blood, or other fluids. The meat grinder is quite implausibly the cleanest form of death in the entire franchise.[[note]]And one which magically renders human meat into...beef? It's well known that both raw and cooked human muscle mass is most similar to pork, not beef.[[/note]]
67	* OffendingTheCreatorsOwn: The infamous "inserting-a-tracker-into-a-woman's-private-parts" scene, which has been ''widely'' criticised for using women's bodies as a plot device, was written by a woman, Jane Goldman. She also said it was "not exploitative" and spoke positively of the way it showed a female character being pleasured not just through penetrative sex. But that has not stopped people from viewing it as, well, exploitative and misogynistic. Perhaps it's a case of intention vs execution.
68	* RootingForTheEmpire: No, not [[CompleteMonster Poppy Adams,]] but [[spoiler:Agent Whiskey after his FaceHeelTurn during the climax. A lot of fans [[UnintentionallySympathetic sympathized]] with his [[FreudianExcuse tragic backstory.]] It becomes hard to blame him given that his wife and unborn child were killed by junkies. Not to mention, he's been a [[EnsembleDarkHorse total badass]] the entire movie. A lot of fans ended up seeing his UndignifiedDeath as more of an AlasPoorVillain moment as a result, rather than viewing him as an AssholeVictim.]]
69	* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus of the film is that it falls just short of the original in terms of originality, humor, and action and even shorter in regard to CharacterDevelopment and the general plot.
70	* {{Squick}}: Poppy had a guy shove his best friend into a meat grinder, then forced him to eat a burger made out of the guy's minced flesh.
71	* StrangledByTheRedString: Played rather straight, with general audiences expressing surprise at finding the literal butt-of-the-joke princess in a serious relationship with TheProtagonist with little to no development. Actor Taron Egerton doesn't seem to like it either, although it's worth noting that his reasoning really has been more to do with the fact that it's difficult for him to continue playing Eggsy in the future as the secret agent that he is if he is now married to Tilde. (Which, strangely, has been acknowledged abundantly not just by reviewers and fans outside the film but also in-universe.) Egerton has said that Tilde/Eggsy was fun, but that it doesn't leave room for much aside from depictions of domestic life for Eggsy, like picking out curtains. The only ship he's actually ''seriously'' supported beyond a joke has always been [[https://youtu.be/lvS_uWgeIwo?t=83 Eggsy/Roxy]], with both him and Sophie Cookson addressing that the fact that the first girl Eggsy's age introduced didn't end up becoming his LoveInterest is a subversive and admirable thing, but Egerton [[https://reggsys.tumblr.com/post/172271022687/sophie-cookson-on-eggsy-and-roxys-relationship jumping]] [[https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/05/kingsman-the-secret-service-taron-egerton at the idea]] of [[PromotedToLoveInterest eventual romantic Eggsy/Roxy]] nonetheless. (Sadly, Roxy died in this movie.)
72	-->'''Sophie Cookson''': They [Eggsy and Roxy] support each other through that, and they're there for each other...
73	-->'''Taron Egerton''': ...slowly fall in love...
74	-->'''Sophie Cookson''': You bring that up a LOT, Taron!
75	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
76	** Tequila is sadly an AdvertisedExtra in the main film itself, [[spoiler: being PutOnABus after getting infected by Poppy's drug virus.]]
77	** [[spoiler:Roxy. A Kingsman agent who came first in her training, has a great rapport with Eggsy and Merlin, and is [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only female agent]]. She seems ''primed'' for a bigger role in the sequel, but instead she's unceremoniously killed in the first twenty minutes to give Eggsy motivation.]]
78	*** The fact that she seemed to realize the missiles were coming and made a run for it but still doesn’t turn up afterwards also adds to this and contributes to feelings that HesJustHiding
79	** Kingsman as a whole, [[spoiler: since they all get killed when Poppy bombs their headquarters.]] This marks the second time in as many movies that Kingsman was basically powerless to actually stop the threat. Which hurts their credibility.
80	** Whiskey. Though he's got a good deal to do, his character winds up feeing half baked and poorly utilized. We get to hear about his past in a way that interests and makes us sympathize with him despite his unlikable traits. But [[spoiler: that exists pretty much just to make him the FinalBoss after all the earlier action has been resolved. He doesn't even join the villain's side, he just pops up after they've already been beaten in an extremely rushed development. Worst of all is his death. All the engaging unknowns of his character (including the very real possibility that he was wrong about his mind being fine) will never be learned as he's unceremoniously killed off in a scene that doesn't affect the plot in the slightest.]]
81	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
82	** Some think that Statesman as a whole is underused in the film, with Tequila being put out of action for most of the movie, and Champagne and Ginger Ale only having roles at the Statesman HQ. The only Statesman agent with a major role is Whiskey, [[spoiler: and then he turns out to be a RogueAgent.]] The story instead mainly focuses on the already familiar Kingsman faces like Eggsy, Harry, and Merlin, and it's them who get to shine in the climax, not the Statesmen.
83	*** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsman_(franchise)#Statesman_(TBA) However, the Statesmen are apparently getting their own spinoff film.]]
84	** With the huge amounts of LampshadeHanging and often SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome moments in the last film, you'd expect the sequel to have ''some'' acknowledgement of how the world is recovering from Valentine's HatePlague, maybe even tie it into the plot in some way? Well, the best we get is Poppy kidnapping Elton John in the confusion. We don't even get to see the Statesmen's full reaction to the V-Chip incident besides a small response to the church scene. Did they get affected and nearly kill each other, or find some way to avoid getting affected? We'll never know, at least in this movie.
85	*** The way Ginger detected the hate signal at the church implies that the Statesman were shielded from the effects of the World Wide Hate Plague. Plus, in order to get the signal, enough of Valentine's SIM cards would have to have been within the (probably shielded) Statesman bunker. That and a probable prohibition of bringing personal smartphones into the facility.
86	** Whiskey's feelings towards drug users and Poppy's plan, motivated as they were by his tragic backstory, could have been discussed a lot more over the course of the movie, especially since the Statesmen are largely out of focus for most of it. [[spoiler: Instead they're just there to give him an excuse to have a climatic final fight against Eggsy and Harry]].
87	** It's heavily implied through a conversation with Ginger and his suiting up that Merlin may have had [[IJustWantToBeBadass some desire to become a field agent]]. The latter scene seems to be the climax to some character arc that was ultimately cut from the final film.
88	** Minor example, but [[spoiler: seeing Harry backstage at an Elton John concert would have been a nice BrickJoke.]]
89	* TooCoolToLive:
90	** [[spoiler: Whiskey]], who stole every scene he's in thanks to his sheer awesomeness with his cool demeanor, kickass fight sequences, and a tragic FreudianExcuse backstory. [[spoiler: It's almost sad to see him turn evil and have to be put down in a gruesome fashion by Eggsy and Harry.]]
91	** [[spoiler: Merlin]] also counts as well, with this movie developing his character arc further including many HiddenDepths. [[spoiler: Of course, he bites it in a DyingMomentOfAwesome HeroicSacrifice]].
92	** [[spoiler:Poor, poor Roxy. She spent the entire second and third act of the first movie showing how likable and capable she was as a Kingsman just to be unceremoniously blown up in her pajamas.]]
93	* UnintentionallySympathetic: Unlike the traitorous Charlie, the unapologetically evil Poppy and the ignorantly corrupt President, [[spoiler: Whiskey is given a sympathetic and relatable backstory as a FreudianExcuse for his villainy, and he just so happens to be a walking SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. Yet he's given the most brutal fate of the four aforementioned characters, as if he was meant to be a HateSink for the audience rather than the [[EnsembleDarkhorse exact opposite]]]]. Though it's also possible his death was supposed to fall under RuleOfCool, since he is the FinalBoss and everything. Though the case becomes even worse if you believe the AlternativeCharacterInterpretation that [[spoiler: he hadn't yet recovered from his headshot and that his actions are as a result of this,]] a realistic possibility that's dismissed only because he says so. In which case [[spoiler: our heroes kill a man who wasn't in control of his actions.]] Also not helping is that the aspect of him potentially being sexist because he's always vetoing Ginger's requests to become a Statesman are given nowhere near enough focus to keep him from being empathetic or sympathetic.
94	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome:
95	** The digital head replacement done for Music/EltonJohn when he does a flying kick at one of Poppy's goons is so well-done that you'd believe he did the stunt for real.
96	** None of the three actual actors were on set when the final moments of the climactic fight was filmed[[note]]the stunt and special effects teams couldn't figure out how to shoot Whiskey being thrown into the meat grinder and only came up with a solution well into post production[[/note]], but it's almost impossible to tell that body doubles and digital head replacements were used unless viewers are really looking for the effect.
97	* {{Woolseyism}}: Ginger ale is not exactly popular/well-known in Russia, so in Russian translation Statesman tech support's code name is Cola - which, you know, goes well with alcoholic beverages.

Context YMMV / KingsmanTheGoldenCircle