During the investigation of recent hollers in the Complete Monster thread, it's become apparent to the staff that an insular, unfriendly culture has evolved in the Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard threads that is causing problems.
Specific issues include:
- Overzealous hollers on tropers who come into the threads without being familiar with all the rules and traditions of the tropes. And when they are familiar with said rules and traditions, they get accused (with little evidence) of being ban evaders.
- A few tropers in the thread habitually engage in snotty, impolite mini-modding. There are also regular complaints about excessive, offtopic "socializing" posts.
- Many many thread regulars barely post/edit anywhere else, making the threads look like they are divorced from the rest of TV Tropes.
- Following that, there are often complaints about the threads and their regulars violating wiki rules, such as on indexing, crosswicking, example context and example categorization. Some folks are working on resolving the issues, but...
- Often moderator action against thread regulars leads to a lot of participants suddenly showing up in the moderation threads to protest and speak on their behalf, like a clique.
It is not a super high level problem, but it has been going on for years and we cannot ignore it any longer. There will be a thread in Wiki Talk
to discuss the problem; in the meantime there is a moratorium on further Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard example discussion until we have gotten this sorted out.
Update: The new threads have been made and can be found here:
for the earliest date a work can be discussed, (usually two weeks from the US release), as well as who's reserved discussion.
- Why do a cleanup?: This trope definitely exists and has a well documented history of use. That being said, it frequently gets misused to a character who meets one of the components, namely that they are smart, charming while not necessarily even being a villain, or create good plans. While these are components, there is also a certain personality required, not to mention that all of the above are required to be present for a character to be a true Magnificent Bastard. As the trope attracts interest, it unfortunately brings in a lot of misuse and I thought the best way to rectify this would be a Perpetual Cleanup Thread, as is being done and has seen success with Complete Monster.
- What makes a Magnificent Bastard: Below is a list of the individual components to make this character. Note that they must all be present, not just some, which has lead to frequent misuse:
- Must be intelligent: Goes without saying, to be a Magnificent Bastard, the character has to be smart in the first place and use their brain to work towards whatever their end goal may be;
- Must be a Bastard: While going overboard in how vile the character is can be detrimental, a key aspect is the Bastard part of the trope, whether the character is an out-and-out antagonist in the work, some manner of Villain Protagonist, or something in between, they at least have some unscrupulous qualities to qualify for this trope;
- Must not be too detestable: Again, there is a ceiling on how bad the character can be before they just become too nefarious, blocking out the Magnificent part of the trope. A genocidal racist or child-raping Sadist aren't going to make the cut;
- Think on their feet: In addition to being a Chessmaster, a Magnificent Bastard, if the character deals with situations in which their initial plan is ruined, has to be able to pull a Xanatos Speed Chess and at least come up with a competent strategy to make up for lost time, otherwise they fail for being unable to think in tough spots;
- Have charm: Even if they don't necessarily make every character they meet fall in love with them and can even be detested by others, the audience has to find an amicable social relation to the character, or they are failing to make the impact required for this trope.
- What to do if a character is listed on a page but has not been approved?: They need to be removed, all candidates need to come through the cleanup thread first. The character could well count but they need to be analyzed properly and voted on first.
- Do we list Playing With this trope?: No; as a YMMV trope, this cannot be Played With, so we only want examples that are Played Straight.
- What do I do if I want a character to be listed as a Magnificent Bastard?: The greatest success Complete Monster saw for its cleanup effort was from the invention of the effort post format, so, borrowing from that, a troper wishing to propose a Magnificent Bastard will create such a post in the following format:
- Begin by describing The work, this will help establish the setting the character is in and for the reader to understand what kind of a scenario they are in;
- Summarize The character's actions, this will provide a listing for readers to understand what they do and how it applies to this trope because charm and lack of smugness are so crucial, this is a good time to be incorporating exactly the flavor of how they operate to explain this;
- List circumstances in which the character must Think on their feet, these are times where a wrench might be thrown in their initial plan and they have to adapt on the spot or even come up with a new scheme all together, this is also a good time to explain how the villain reacts to defeat when they have to face it, a true Magnificent Bastard won't break down into tears at the thought of death, they should have known such a possibility could occur and be able to handle it with more dignity;
- The competition, similar to the Heinous Standard dealt with for a Complete Monster, this section is to deal with how successful the character is in carrying out their plans compared to other characters. While, as a villain, they probably are going to lose in the end, it is good to explain how other characters handle the same situation. There is no exceptionalism case to be made for this trope but explaining the variety helps the reader have a better understanding of the proposal.
- How do you know when the character's arc is done so they can be proposed? When their tenure as a villain or antagonist finishes. This could happen in a single Story Arc in an entire work, a single work of a franchise, or the whole series in general. We'll show lenience to Long-Runners with constantly recurring candidates or series with outstanding continuities (ex. comic books), and it's entirely possible to count in a work or two but not in general for a reason like Depending on the Writer.
- What about candidates evil because of external sources? Those Made of Evil can qualify if they show enough individuality and tactical acumen — in other words, they have the personality to fulfill the magnificence requirement. Conversely, those brainwashed, especially if they're a better person without it, may fail the individuality aspect and cannot count.
- What if they are under orders from a higher-up? Depends. If the boss created the plans down to the letter and the candidate is just following them, sounds like we should discuss the boss instead. However, if the candidate takes creative liberties with the orders, adds their own charm and flair to them, fills in holes in the orders, and/or actively deals with obstacles their boss did not talk about, the candidate shows enough individual thinking to qualify.
- What about Character Development? An MB is something a character can develop into... a nice person who plots well might become more morally gray as the work goes on and hits the "Bastard" criteria, thus making them viable. Likewise, a Smug Snake might shed their ego, become more understanding of the threat others pose and gain the personality or "Magnificent" criteria, likewise making them viable. Conversely, a character who looks like this trope might suffer from a Sanity Slippage or just get outed as not being as smart as they thought they were and become incompatible with MB.
- Can an MB be a good guy? Not in the conventional sense... it is required they have at least some dubious traits lest they fail the "Bastard" criteria. That being said, a character who pulls a Heel–Face Turn or eventually stops taking villainous actions is still fair game: as there was a point in time where they were both "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and they've merely adapted as time goes on. Now... if such a character begins showing other issues (i.e.: becomes prone to freak outs or starts getting outwitted) then they're compromising their Magnificence and will probably be deemed a cut. What's important is stylishly operating while at least for some time being willing to take at best underhanded methods to see a job done. A Heel–Face Turn in itself isn't a disqualifier but they do have to have been "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and afterwards can't start slipping on the former front.
- What about characters whose stories can take different routes?: When proposing a character in a form of media that has them in multiple story routes. Said character must be consistent with their characteristics in all routes. (ex.: Can't have an example who shows promise on one route yet fails in another.) The only exception is if a later installment of the series confirms the character's actions which made them worth proposing are the canon route.
- Is there a timeframe rule like with Complete Monster?: Yes, please wait two weeks until after the work has concluded before proposing a character (again, usually using the North American air date). As is the case with CM, we want to give a reasonable time frame so that everyone interested in seeing the work has done so and can participate in the discussion without having anything spoiled.
- What about groups like with Complete Monster?: This is a point of divergence between the two tropes. While CM does not allow for a single entry encompassing more than three characters lest their heinousness for crimes becomes too watered down, with MB as long as they are treated as one "unit" it is acceptable to lump all characters provided they share acts of charm and intelligence.
- Can I propose my own work's character as a Magnificent Bastard?: No, this is a YMMV subject and the creator of a content is way too biased to be able to evaluate the criteria we're looking for without a second opinion taking over. That being said, you are more than welcome to encourage someone to consume your creation and if they feel a character counts, are more than welcome to suggest them.
- My example/edit has been approved, but the example subpage is locked! How do I get it added?: The moderators do not add examples to locked example subpages in the MagnificentBastard/ namespace directly. Rather, you need to do the edit to a sandbox page that follows the format Sandbox.MagnificentBastard<Name of the example subpage> (e.g for MagnificentBastard.Fullmetal Alchemist it's Sandbox.Magnificent Bastard Fullmetal Alchemist) and on a Friday, ask in the locked pages edit requests thread for the content to be swapped in.
Thread rules
When voting a troper must specify the effort post they're voting on and cannot merely vote on "Everything I missed" as in the past it has indicated the poster didn't read the effort post and is guessing instead of analyzing.
Resolved items
In general, a character listed on this trope is considered "settled". This means they should not be challenged unless information used to list them was incorrect or information was missed in the initial discussion.
However, when re-litigating a candidate, the same rules apply for when they were originally proposed. If they do not have five or more upvotes than downvotes for approval upon a re-litigation, including votes from the initial discussion if they do not change, then they are a cut.
This especially applies to the characters listed below, who have been discussed excessively and repeated attempts to get them listed/cut may result in punitive action for bogging down the thread.
Definitely an MB
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers: Any sadism Darkrai displays is limited in effect thanks to the game's nature and any cowardice which can be inferred about him is Alternative Character Interpretation about his tactical retreats.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Azula's Villainous Breakdown is undone in the sequel comic Smoke & Shadow where she regains her composure and ends up stable and in control enough to count.
Definitely not an MB
- South Park: The show's frequent use of vulgar comedy and mean-spirited humor leaves any potential candidates devoid of the dignity or charm to qualify.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 31st 2023 at 4:15:22 AM
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
vizla
So I took the responsibility for looking for MB candidates from Enola Holmes and... nobody really counts. Mycroft and Sherlock play little role in the story and Mycroft is a bit of a Politically Incorrect Hero and a definite Adaptational Dumbass, Enola is a Guile Hero, while the Dowager is a Politically Incorrect Villain. The closest might be Eudora, Mycroft, Sherlock, and Enola's mother. She taught Enola everything she knows, and leads a group of radical suffragists who make explosives, but she has little bearing on the story outside of Enola's efforts to find her.
Edited by k410ren on Oct 7th 2020 at 10:33:38 AM
"I'll show you the Dark Side." CM actors and kills
From glances at the film's trailers, I'm not surprised.
How was the film by the way? I'm kinda interested in checking it out.
Anyway, here's the writeup for IDW Metal Sonic. I guess we'll make a new subheading simply called "Comics" for Sonic the Hedgehog page.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Metal Sonic, having underwent upgrades during the events of Sonic Forces, discovers that the Eggman Empire has been defeated and that Eggman himself has gone missing. Shapeshifting into Eggman and ruling the empire in his place, Metal Sonic leads coordinated attacks across the world while searching for Eggman to have him regain his place as ruler of the Empire. After discovering that Knuckles is on the surface from his observations of Sonic, Metal Sonic takes over the unprotected Angel Island and obtains the Master Emerald, ensuring that he'll be able to negate Sonic's super form if he tries to use it. Even when defeated, the mercy of the heroes allows Metal Sonic to find the amnesiac Eggman and succesfully restore his memories leading Eggman to return to his old ways. After the events of the Metal Virus, Metal Sonic single-handedy buys time for Eggman to escape by lying in wait and critically injuring Gemerl when the latter is about to apprehend Eggman. Proving to be as cunning as he was during Sonic Heroes while maintaining his loyalty to the doctor, Metal Sonic shows why Eggman views him as his greatest creation.
Edited by Awesomekid42 on Oct 7th 2020 at 12:20:45 PM
Goku Black
Looks good. I don't think sonic forces needs to be blue linked twice as that seems unnecessary. Could you take out the second use.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Umm...I only bluelinked Forces once. I'm not sure what you mean.
Goku Black
Oh uh sorry. I didn't release the second use was sonic heroes. My bad.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
@k4 Eudora may be worth going into more detail about. Totally your call though.
She isn't. Not only are her actions entirely offscreen, she never hurts an innocent and her goals are implied to be tailored to hurting a government that is absolutely a horribly oppressive force in the world.
And she doesn't manipulate or fool anyone. All she does is teach Enola and vanih
Yeah, let's not try to force this on a guile hero.
Yes to Vizla. And am effortpost underselling someone is a GOOD thing because it improves their chances. Just look at David Xanatos.
... How does it "improve their chances"?
@Awesome Kid 42 The film was quite a fun romp for me, I certainly had fun watching it.
"I'll show you the Dark Side." CM actors and kills
Goku Black
What about xanatos now ?
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
- shrug*
For the record Xanatos was deemed such a clear keep he never received an EP, just a rewrite Lighty did.
to Bryntir, Jade Fox, Isaak Sirko, Sir Bernhart Muntzer, Metal Sonic, Ngoc Minh Quan, Liam Hennessy, Mr White and Duncan Vizla.
for Vizla.
I wasn’t trying to force Eudora. I’m good with not discussing it any further.
Alright with everyone unanimously Vizla, here's his write-up
- Polar: Duncan Vizla, "The Black Kaiser", is one of the world's deadliest assassins, whose about to retire at age 50. With Mr. Blut trying to kill Vizla for his pension, Vizla uses his wits to anticipate the traps bestowed upon him before countering them and killing off Mr. Blut's assassins. When Mr. Blut captures Vizla and Camille and tortures the former for three days, Vizla exploits Mr. Blut's torture sessions to find a way to escape, before setting up his own ambush to kill off much of Mr. Blut's men and using his mere presence to scare off the remainder of Mr. Blut's men before effortlessly killing Mr. Blut and rescuing Camille. When its revealed that Vizla had killed Camille's family, Vizla accepts his fate as Camille tries to kill him, only for her being unable to do so and would instead work with him to find out who ordered Vizla to kill Camille's family.
Edited by G-Editor on Oct 7th 2020 at 1:38:41 AM
Looks good.
The Dragon
Okay, EP time. This time, I'm here with somebody I'm surprised hasn't been brought up yet.
What's the work?
Supernatural is a television series about the Winchester brothers travelling the country hunting ghosts, monsters, and demons. Starting from season 4, angels become a major part of the show's mythology. If you ask some casual viewer of the show and ask them who's the first angel to appear in the show, they would probably say it was Castiel.
That is actually not the case.
The subject of this EP is the very first angel to appear on this series.
I bring you the Archangel Gabriel.
What does Gabriel do?
Gabriel is the youngest of the four Archangels, the very first beings created by God. In the beginning, Gabriel and the other three Archangels helped God beat back The Darkness and seal it away. After that, God created the universe and all the things living in it, including humans. This angered the Archangel Lucifer, who was envious of the humans for being God's favorite creations. Lucifer rebelled and fought with his older brother Archangel Michael. Not being able to bear the conflict between his family, Gabriel left Heaven and decided to live on Earth. He eventually encountered the Norse Trickster god Loki, who was bound in a cave. Gabriel freed Loki, and the two came to an agreement that Gabriel would take up Loki's mantle while Loki himself went into hiding.
Making his first proper introduction in the 14th episode of season 2, Gabriel has taken up the guise of The Trickster, and has really become accustomed to his new job. He lurks around a college campus disguised as a janitor and punishes people that act like dicks by making a local urban legends reality. He conjures a ghost that throws a college professor that took advantage of his female students out his window, feeds a animal testing scientist to a sewer gator, and perhaps most memorably, has a Jerk Jock plege master get abducted by grey aliens who proceed to "probe" him and slow dance with him. When the show's heroes, Sam and Dean, start to investigate into the deaths, Gabriel distracts them by tricking them into being angry at each other. With the help of their Honorary Uncle Bobby Singer, Sam and Dean are able to figure out The Trickster's identity, with Dean seemingly killing him. It's revealed at the end of the episode that Gabriel faked his death.
In his next appearance in season 3, Gabriel puts Sam in a time loop that resets every time Dean dies. While it at first seems that he's doing it as payback for the two trying to kill him, it's revealed that Gabriel was trying to get Sam to accept that Dean was going to die (Sam was killed near the end of season 2 and Dean made a Deal with the Devil to bring him back and was given one year before he would be dragged to Hell).
The Winchesters then encounter Gabriel once again in season 5 while the Apocalypse is underway. Gabriel throws Sam and Dean into another dimension where the two are characters in television shows. Gabriel tells them that they have to survive the next 24 hours in TV land and "play their roles". After enduring a parody of Grey's Anatomy, a Japanese gameshow that most likely rendered Sam sterile, a sitcom, a parody of CSI: Miami, and finally Knight Rider, Sam and Dean are finally able to figure out Gabriel's identity and trap him. Gabriel explains that he took up the identity of The Trickster because he was tired of the conflict between his brothers. When Sam and Dean leave Gabriel, Dean accuses him of being too afraid to stand up to his family.
Later in the same season, Gabriel shows up at a meeting between pagan gods who are discussing the apocalypse to save Sam and Dean who have been captured. Unfortunately, the rescue mission doesn't succeed and he is apparently killed by the hindu goddess Kali (who Gabriel had a history with). It turns out that Gabriel once again faked his death. When Lucifer shows up and slaughters almost all of the pagan gods, Gabriel gives Sam and Dean something that they must guard with their lives, and holds off Lucifer while Sam and Dean escape. When Lucifer questions why he stands with the humans, Gabriel says that while they are flawed, they at least try to be better. Gabriel then states that the real reason Lucifer hates humans isn't because of their flawed nature, but instead felt envious towards humans. Lucifer then kills Gabriel. The thing that Gabriel gave Sam and Dean which he said was very important? A porno. That features Gabriel himself giving very crucial information that serves as the key to defeating Lucifer. It's only because of Gabriel that the Winchesters are able to lock Lucifer back in his cage and stop the apocalypse.
However, it is revealed in season 13 that Gabriel faked his death again. Gabriel then went into hiding with Loki. Loki however blamed Gabriel for the death of his father Odin (who was killed by Lucifer), and sold him out to the Prince of Hell Asmodeus. Gabriel would then be forced to endure the next years being drained of his grace and reduced to a broken shell of his former self. He is saved by Arthur Ketch and escorted to the Winchesters. After receiving a pep talk from Sam, Gabriel is able to get back his flair, and incinerates Asmodeus.
A few episodes later, Gabriel makes a deal with the Winchesters to help him get revenge on Loki in exchange for Gabriel helping the Winchesters rescue their mother and surrogate son Jack from an alternate universe where the apocalypse was never averted. Gabriel manages to kill Loki, and with the help of the witch Rowena, captures Lucifer to use his grace to open up a portal to the apocalypse world. While there, he gives Lucifer a scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech that completely subverts any claim that Lucifer makes about being a victim and finally sacrifices his life, this time for good, so that Sam, Dean, and the others can make it back safely to their world.
Is he magnificent? A bastard? Too much of one?
While he isn't a master planner like the Azazel or Crowley, Gabriel makes up by being quick witted. He was the very fist Monster of the Week to actually outsmart the Winchesters and survive the episode. He fakes his death a total of four times, and even manages to fool the Devil himself. He is also by far one of the most hilarious characters in the series, with a sense of humor that sets him apart from his angel brethren.
He started off as a Poetic Serial Killer by playing deadly pranks on people that acted high and mighty. If the pranks didn't kill them, it certainly left them emotionally scared (like the plague master).
Despite the fact that he greatly enjoyed screwing with people for shits and giggles, Gabriel does respect for humanity, and is able to look past their flaws and see value in them in contrast to his fellow Archangels who are either indifferent to them at best, or want to wipe them all out at worst.
Any competition?
While some characters are able to outwit him, for the most part Gabriel still stands as a brilliant trickster who plays the characters around like fiddles. He was able to evade the Winchesters two separate times, tricked Satan himself, helped Sam and Dean stop the apocalypse, and in the end made a Heroic Sacrifice where he went down fighting.
Conclusion
What say we?
I'm saying yes.
Also, here's what's gonna be going up when I get to it:
- Code Lyoko fanfic Bataille pour l'espoir : Andrew Streep was originally one of many young graduates hired by the French government to work in Project Carthage on quantum mechanics. When Youbakou Senja took over the project for his nefarious purposes and attempted to kill Streep, the latter found help within the French government who protected him in exchange for total cooperation, leading to Streep becoming the General Alexandre Hussinger. Hussinger then engaged in multiple schemes to stop Senja, such as killing the Prime Minister and staging a coup to take over France and use it's resources against Carthage and save the captured Lyoko-warriors, faking his death, send Léopold to rescue the Lyoko-warriors and using the Lyoko-warrior Jérémie as a Reverse Mole to kill Senja — a near success —, and figuring out how the Grande Arche works and telling his subordinate Kiichi how to breach it. Even when mortally wounded by Senja, Hussinger remained unshakable and determined to stop Carthage at all costs, successfully killing Senja and ordering the Eiffel Tower's destruction, aware it could cause a city-wide blackout disorienting Carthage's planes now unable to see their targets.
- Absolution: John Dusk is an Enhancile and superhero who has grown disillusioned with the supposed lenient justice system, and sets out to dispense his own brand of lethal justice on the vile criminals of the world. Pulling off several assassinations of pedophiles, rapists, and mass murderers across New York City, using his powers to switch things up when the police begin to catch on to a vigilante, John continues to associate with various Enhancile friends, even saving his partner Alpha's children at the cost of exposing himself as the vigilante killer. Recruiting former professional killer Happy Kitty as a sidekick, John goes on the run and becomes a local legend and icon, earning the adoration of a massive chunk of New York's civilians for cleaning up the streets. Even when the vicious Polymath lays waste to New York and defeats John, John returns and brillaintly outsmarts and kills his old foe, after which he murders the crooked mayor of New York himself to eliminate the last major opponent between himself and absolute power to eliminate crime in his city.
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Jade Fox once posed as a nun to infiltrate the Wudan school. Becoming the lover of its master, Jade Fox grew resentful of how he refused to see her as a student for her gender. Poisoning him, Jade Fox stole the Wudan manual to become a capable martial artist and fled, leaving a legacy of villainy behind her. Later infiltrating a noble household, she became the master to its daughter Jen, who later surpassed her. Fleeing after killing a policeman and realizing Jen's true abilities, Jade Fox returns to save Jen and use her to bait a trap for her enemies with her final act being to attempt to kill Jen with poison, calling her one-time apprentice "My only family. My only enemy."
- Hardcore Henry: Jimmy is a wacky and brilliant scientist who uses his bevy of clone avatars to assist the cyborg Henry in his quest for revenge against Akan. Having been crippled by Akan years ago following employment to the madman, Jimmy now seeks to screw with his former boss in any way possible, and seeks out Henry to truthfully manipulate him into being his pawn against Akan. Protecting, advising, and guiding Henry throughout the film in prolonging Henry's robotic life and tracking down his kidnapped lover, Jimmy shows an immense amount of charisma and swagger in each and every one of his clone avatars, playing them all up with hammy pizzazz even while mowing down enemy soldiers or torturing them for information. Luring an entire squadron of Akan's troops into a trap that wipes them all out, Jimmy leads Henry in breaking into Akan's base of operations, and, though lethally wounded in the process, Jimmy admits to having grown attached to Henry as a friend, and thanks him for all the fun they've had together. As a last good deed, Jimmy removes a memory blocker from the cyborg's mind and wishes him well, before dying with utmost dignity after making Henry promise to brutally kill Akan for both their sakes.
- Gemini Man: Henry Brogan is an aging government assassin who, after yet another narrowly successful heist, wants to retire permanently. After discovering he killed an innocent spy, Henry outmaneuvers hitmen sent by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) using security measures and a bunker full of weapons he prepared previously. Slipping away with Dani, Henry is pursued by Junior, a clone of him made by GEMINI, who he engages in a firefight throughout the Colombian streets, including on motorcycles. When Junior sets up an elaborate death trap in the catacombs, Henry shows he's one step ahead of his younger self by planting a wire on the kidnapped Dani so he can undermine the whole gambit and offer advice to Junior. This proves pivotal in the final fight against GEMINI soldiers and an even more advanced clone when Junior comes to their aid. In the end, Henry was able to use a lifetime of skills to find retirement and give "Jackson" a chance at life he failed to give himself.
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Dr. Irina Spalko is a KGB agent and colonel of the Soviet Union, seeking the Crystal Skull and Temple housing it. Kidnapping Indiana Jones, she forces him to help locate a crate in Area 51, which he does but manages to escape. To lure Jones back, she kidnaps Mary and Ox, then allows Mary's son Mutt to deliver the message to Jones. After the duo find the Crystal Skull, she recaptures them and has him assist in deciphering Ox's riddles, before the heroes escape once more. Battling Jones' team through the dangerous Amazon, Spalko avoids the fate of several of her men killed by the jungle dangers, before finally catching up to Jones and returning the Skull to its rightful place where she is given the knowledge that she sought. Cunning and deadly but extremely respectful to her adversary, Spalko is among the most formidable of villains that Jones has ever faced.
- Once Upon a Time in China: Nap-lan from the sequel is a military officer hunting down members of a revolutionary sect that seek to replace the dynasty with a republic. Gaining a respect for Wong Fei-hung in a sparring match, Nap-lan later fakes an attack by the fanatic White Lotus cultists to give himself an excuse to search the British consulate for rebels, murdering the consul when he sees through the ruse. Infiltrating the White Lotus to engage Fei-hung, Nap-lan even succeeds in eliminating his friend before attempting to stea a book of revolutionary names to clandestinely eliminate them.
- Polar: Duncan Vizla is "The Black Kaiser", one of the world's deadliest assassins, is about to retire at age 50. With Mr. Blut plotting to kill Vizla for his pension, Vizla anticipates Blut's traps and counters them to killing off Blut's assassins. When Blut captures Vizla and Camille and tortures the Vizla for three days, Vizla exploits Blut's torture sessions to find a way to escape, before setting up his own ambush to kill off most of Blut's men and using his mere presence to scare off the remainder of Blut's forces before effortlessly dispatching Blut and rescuing Camille. When it's revealed that Vizla had killed Camille's family, Vizla accepts his fate as Camille tries to kill him, only for her to find herself unable to do so and instead works with him to find out who ordered Vizla to kill Camille's family.
- Justified: "Blaze of Glory": Frank Reasoner is an elderly, sickly criminal seemingly reformed after his past of being one of the most successful bank robbers in America. Truthfully using his health condition to get himself an early parole, Reasoner jumps right back into the crime game, recruiting two young crooks to help him rob a bank with the least amount of violence possible. More dangerous than his apparently weakly state implies, which he demonstrates by threatening one of his partners for unnecessarily injuring hostages during one of their heists, Reasoner exaggerates his sickness to trick his partners into carrying out another bank heist without him, only to then swipe the cash from the previous robbery all for himself and rat the two crooks out to the police as a distraction. Using both this trickery and a deception that he's willing to turn himself in to throw everyone off his scent, Reasoner comes very close to using a private plane to escape the country a millionaire, even offering long-time enemy Deputy Marshal Art Mullen the opportunity to join him before Reasoner accepts his ultimate capture with a shrug.
- Ben 10 franchise:
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien: Aggregor is an Osmosian warlord who desires total control of the universe. To do this, Aggregor captures five Andromeda aliens before attempting to return to his homeworld in order to fully absorb their power. When his ship's hyperdrive was damaged, Aggregor used Paradox's time machine as backup, successfully merging himself as Ultimate Aggregor. With his newfound power, Aggregor traveled around the universe, collecting the four pieces of the Map of Infinity by letting the heroes do the hard work before swooping in to take it. Afterwards with all four pieces, Aggregor travelled to the Forge of Creation in order to absorb an infant Celestialsapien so he can obtain absolute power. A ruthless villain who deals with the heroes personally, Aggregor stood out as the most successful among Ben's adversaries, only failing due to Kevin making a Heroic Sacrifice by absorbing the Ultimatrix to gain enough power to defeat him.
- Ben 10: Omniverse:
- Khyber is the alleged "greatest huntsman in the galaxy". Hired by Dr. Psychobos and Malware to hunt down all of the predatory species for the Nemetrix and later the Omnitrix itself, Khyber thoroughly studies his prey and begins hunting Ben Tennyson, using the Nemetrix attached to his pet which he controls by whistling, eventually succeeding in subduing and capturing Ben. Assisting in the attack on Galvan-Prime, after being disrespected by Psychobos, Khyber turns on him and escapes with the Nemetrix. Later teaming up with Albedo, breaking him out of prison and swapping the real Ben in his place, Khyber then hunts Ben in his own personal reserve using his new pet. Fighting the heroes over possession of Azmuth's brain, Khyber gets captured and resists interrogation until the information is forcefully extracted from his mind. Escaping yet again, Khyber teams up with Skurd, offering the Nemetrix in exchange for his powers.
- Attea is the princess of the Incurseon empire and daughter of Emperor Milleous. After being thwarted in her first attempt to usurp her father, she is made a general of his army and invades several planets including an assassination attempt on Vilgax. Acquiring mind control serum made from harvested Amber ogia, she uses it to create an army of Way Bads. Attea and Milleous launch a full-scale invasion on Earth, succeeding in taking it over and exiling Ben Tennyson. However Ben manages to escape and returns as Bullfrag and helps to defeat the Incurseon and Way Bad armies. Upon Milleous being arrested, Attea reveals she was the one who freed Ben and that the entire war was one elaborate ploy to get her father removed so she could take over the empire.
- Ultimate Spider-Man: Deadpool is a hilarious, utterly insane mercenary who excels at his job. A rogue SHIELD operative who is still well-liked by his old teammates and regarded as a badass "hero for hire", Deadpool, seeking to sell SHIELD files detailing the identity of every hero in the world on the black market and make a fortune, breaks into their computers and steals the information. Though the hard drive containing the files is swiped from him by Taskmaster, Deadpool manipulates Spider-Man into assisting him break into Taskmaster's compound, where Deadpool effortlessly outsmarts and defeats Taskmaster and dozens of his goons in combat. When the truth of Deadpool's trickery comes out, the mercenary giddily fights Spider-Man and matches him blow-for-blow in ridiculous creativity, and, even when beaten, Deadpool graciously concedes defeat to Spider-Man before beating a quick escape, free to continue his treasured life of no rules and complete freedom.
- Comics
- Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog: Mammoth Mogul is a cultured, ancient wizard with a persistent desire to Take Over the World. It is he who founded the Order of Ixis as one of many attempts in gathering an army to serve him in his conquests. A mammoth with powerful rhetoric, Mogul is not above convincing people to his side through words alone while simultaneously planning on how to use them for his own ends. This is best displayed when Mogul led Mighty, Tails, and Mina to suicidal situations to make Sonic submit and become part of his new Fearsome Foursome. Even so, Mogul is all too willing to make the universe bow to his will, shown when he becomes the all-powerful Master Mogul and tried to take over alternate universes. After one too many defeats despite his variety of schemes, Mammoth Mogul contents himself with living the life of a businessman, patiently waiting until Sonic and his allies grow too old to oppose an immortal wizard like himself.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Metal Sonic, having underwent upgrades during the events of Sonic Forces, discovers that the Eggman Empire has been defeated and that Eggman himself has gone missing. Shapeshifting into Eggman and ruling the empire in his place, Metal Sonic leads coordinated attacks across the world while searching for Eggman to have him regain his place as ruler of the Empire. After discovering that Knuckles is on the surface from his observations of Sonic, Metal Sonic takes over the unprotected Angel Island and obtains the Master Emerald, ensuring that he'll be able to negate Sonic's Super form if he tries to use it. Even when defeated, the mercy of the heroes allows Metal Sonic to find the amnesiac Eggman and succesfully restore his memories leading Eggman to return to his old ways. After the events of the Metal Virus, Metal Sonic single-handedy buys time for Eggman to escape by lying in wait and critically injuring Gemerl when the latter is about to apprehend Eggman. Proving to be as cunning as he was during Sonic Heroes while maintaining his loyalty to the doctor, Metal Sonic shows why Eggman views him as his greatest creation.
Goku Black
Gabriel or Loki or trickster depending on what you want to go with.
"The Juice is Loose."
