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
Ultimate Moral Compass
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
Azazel, Wreath, and Krulow
So in no way connected to Lighty's previous Highlander post, here's my own separate keeper from the franchise.
What's the work?
Highlander is a script from 2009 that was meant to act as a remake of the classic first installment, following the plot of the first movie, while making several changes. It’s actually pretty good, changing just enough to be different, but is still a loving homage to the source material.
So for those of you who don’t know, Highlander concerns Conner MacLeod, a Scotsman from the 1500s who finds out that he’s an Immortal, a being who can only be killed via decapitation. The Immortals must kill each other until the last one remains, for which the winner will gain “The Prize”. There can be only one after all, so Conner faces off against several Immortals over the centuries to protect himself and honor the memory of his deceased mentor.
But about that mentor…
Who is He?
Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez is an elderly Immortal who taught Conner MacLeod the way of sword fighting and immortality.
Unlike the original movie, where Ramirez was charming (happens when you’re played by Sean Connery), yet not as crafty thanks to getting his ass (or should I say head?) handed to him by the Kurgan, this version is a bit… different.
What does he do?
Previously the slave-owning Pharaoh Khufu, Ramirez had a change of heart after being reborn as an Immortal at an older age. Meeting the Japanese Princess Shakiko, his only true love, he was devastated upon finding that she committed suicide because she wanted to spare him the pain of watching her die from old age. This event shook Ramirez, who refused to see mortal love as anything but a symbol of pain.
A hard-drinking lady’s man who can charm the pants off of any woman, Ramirez, now in Scotland, takes notice of Conner in a bar because he’s an Immortal like him. Getting Conner’s attention by swaying his wife Heather, Ramirez coerces Conner into a fistfight, ending with Conner refuse to decapitate him. Really wanting Conner to be the one to put him out of his misery, Ramirez reunites with Conner at his smith shop. Ramirez explains to him his origins as an Immortal, the Prize, the Gathering, the Quickening, the basics of the franchise, while offering to train him in the art of sword fighting and decapitation to ensure his survival. Conner doesn't believe him at first, leading to Ramirez trying to drown him; after Conner finds that he actually can’t die, he accepts Ramirez on his offer.
As a test of Conner’s abilities after a while of training, Ramirez allows Conner to be ambushed by the Benin, a large Nigerian Immortal who almost kills Conner; he had been trailing Ramirez for a while, so Ramirez tricked Conner into killing him for him. Thanks to Conner’s reflexes, he’s able to decapitate the Immortal and experience his first Quickening.
But if there’s one thing Ramirez hates, it’s the Kurgan, a savage warrior who gave the old man a hard time every time they clashed swords. Taking on the Kurgan after he set fire to Conner’s smith shop, Ramirez does what he can, but he proves too weak for the brute, and it looks to be curtains for the old Immortal… except the two take notice that their battle brought them to a cemetery, considered holy ground for Immortals. The Kurgan leaves, knowing that he can’t kill Ramirez while on holy ground. Rather than just tell Conner he’s still alive, Ramirez instead uses Conner to kill the Kurgan, faking his death to have his pupil seek a reason to slay the Kurgan.
Reuniting with Conner in Scotland after he killed the Kurgan and supposedly claimed the Prize, Ramirez tells his pupil that he believed he deserved the Prize, waiting 500 years to witness him claim it. Ramirez tells a ticked off, unassured Conner to smile, because it’s only the beginning.
Is he charming? Intelligent? Able to think on his feet?
Ramirez, as always, is a rather dashing man who can charm the pants off of anybody. But unlike the original movie, Ramirez survives by sheer luck, but he takes advantage of that luck to hide himself and give Conner a reason to go after the Kurgan, only revealing himself once Conner's fight is finished.
Is he a bastard? Too much of one?
While he isn’t the Kurgan levels of bad, Ramirez has had a history of slavery as Khufu, is willing to risk Conner’s life multiple times without telling him just to see how strong he’s gotten, and fakes his own death just because he wanted Conner to have enough motivation to kill the Kurgan, refusing to tell him until after the brute’s killed centuries later.
And yet, Ramirez shows himself a remorseful Immortal who left behind his previous life of sin to find love, even if that didn’t work out well for him thanks to his Immortality. Ramirez genuinely wants Conner to succeed in claiming the Prize, primarily because of his own self-loathing. Even when Conner’s pissed at him for still being alive after all these centuries, Ramirez still upholds an affable attitude, and is perfectly fine with Conner coming out on top.
The competition?
Ramirez easily triumphs over everybody else in the clever bastard category.
Verdict?
There can be only one keeper.
Edited by therealjackieboy on Feb 1st 2021 at 9:07:34 AM
"No running in the halls!"
Wreath and RAMIREZ!!!
Yes to Wreath and a happy one to a version of Ramirez being able to count after loving the dude in the film!
Goku Black
Wreath and ramirez
The wifi here sucks
Yes to Wreah and Ramirez
Hope your prepared for an unforgettable luncheon
Btw jackie do you have another link to the script? Getting an error when I click that one.
I'm Sad Frogerson.
Another unapproved Magnificent Bastard wick I found, this time on the Darker and Edgier subpage for Animated Films. This entry refers to Soto from the first Ice Age movie:
- Ice Age: The first film is this in comparison to the sequels, with a sombre colour palette, constant references to death and/or dying, Adult Fear, and a serious depiction of life during the Ice Age and the fight for survival between humans and animals. And let's not forget that Soto is a Magnificent Bastard who is setting up his own second-in-command throughout the entire film whilst Diego does the same with Manny, Roshan, and Sid....
I think there's a few things off about this entry. First, I don't think Soto was "setting up" Diego during the film. It's more like he threatens to kill Diego if he fails in his mission. Second, Soto's not really a manipulator or displays much cunning. It's Diego who plans to capture Roshan and coordinates the plan to lure Manny and Sid into a trap. And finally, Soto's main goal is to eat a human baby alive out of revenge. Now this is done because Roshan's tribe killed some of his pack prior to the movie, but I feel this is too spiteful and cruel to really qualify him for this trope.
I cut the wick and linked back to the thread in my edit reasons. If there's anyone else who'd like to weigh in, feel free to do so.
Ultimate Moral Compass
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Unfortunately, that's the only link there is. It works on my laptop (though I'm using Safari). It's a web cache link because that's the only way to view it; the website it's on, screenplaysandscripts.com is not longer up (going to it leads to a "Bandwidth Limit Exceeded" page), so Cached links are the only way to view these scripts on that particular website.
It's stupid, but it is what it is.
I'm sure you can look up "HIGHLANDER by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway" on Google, and just select Cached on the screenplaysandscripts.com suggestion.
Edited by therealjackieboy on Feb 1st 2021 at 9:57:36 AM
"No running in the halls!"
Lies and Violence!
First EP, and looking good so far. My ego thanks you all. Is there a certain time frame for when I have to write up the draft? Starting tomorrow, when all the votes will probably have finished being cast, of course.
Oh, and to Ramirez.
Yes to Ramirez
Woagh
Speaking of Highlander, I found this regarding the TV series.
- Otavio Consone. He was raised in a wealthy, powerful Spanish family and the woman Duncan loved was forced to marry him between her father and begging Consone to spare Duncan. Later he kills her and then keeps doing the same thing in the present. This time he seduces the woman’s daughter and threatens to continue it. He’s smug, arrogant and manipulative but takes pride in being a gentleman too.
For extra context, this guy is a Smug Snake who called Duncan a "Pig Farmer", thinking the guy was below him. He ended up getting killed for his troubles, whining about how he was gonna get killed by a Pig Farmer. He apparently has the skills to back up his smugness, but even then it's stated that he's overblowing his confidence.
This... doesn't sound very magnificent. Either way, cut with a chainsaw.
Edited by DoodSlayer136 on Feb 1st 2021 at 10:36:31 AM
NOISE IS CALLING, PICK UP PHONE
Goku Black
....He Sounds like a dick tbh.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Gotta love Jaws!
@ jackie, No worries.
to Solomon Wreath and Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez.
Holy hell, Consone is nowhere near this. He's a smug, classist, misogynist who's a genuinely godawful human being. There is nothing remotely charming or likable about him and he has a nasty habit of murdering and maiming women he feels slighted by. Cut immediately. The only redeeming feature is he's also played by Kurlow's actor who's clearly enjoying himself
Yes to Ramirez.
Edited by Lightysnake on Feb 1st 2021 at 12:39:16 PM
Kinda seems like a far less classy version of Ward, whom, as we discussed, I still feel isn't quite this trope.
Goku Black
Oh yeah the show reused actors for different villains right. I know Peter Hudson was both Ahriman and James Horton. Kinda hilarious how different they sound ?
Whose Ward ?
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Immortal who alleviates his boredom with life by acting as a Serial Killer to take over companies and get rich. He's quite self-aware about how evil he is and pretty sporty with Mac but he's also kinda slimy and has a pretty disdainful attitude towards mortals.
Ahriman was a bunch of people because he took their forms to manifest...also, because the crew loved working with certain people and brought them back either for flashbacks or different roles.
Happy Birthday, Papyru!
Wreath and Ramirez.
The Draftsman of Doom
Yes to Ramirez.
Feels good, don't it?
Wreath, Ramirez.
Okay, dawdled on this guy long enough. Everybody, from Elder Scrolls, our third Daedric Prince for the hour: Hircine.
Who is Hircine? What has he done?
Hircine is the Daedric Prince of the Hunt, whose sphere is all about Hunting the Most Dangerous Game. Most commonly appearing in the form of a large, bipedal man with the head of a stag, Hircine is the source and god of lycanthropy among the mortal races. Hircine relishes in tracking and taking down the best and boldest quarries he can manage and regularly hosts ceremonies where he pits his best hunters against each other under the light of his Bloodmoon so he may bestow a reward upon the lone survivor who proves themselves the most cunning and tenacious of the lot.
Hircine is also possessed of a notable source of honor among Daedric Princes. Hircine gives his prey a sporting chance to fight back and adores it when they manage to turn the tables—all that matters to him is that there is a hunter and hunted. Hircine doesn't even mind being the hunted himself—one of the few Daedric Princes to ever square off with a PC in hand-to-hand combat, Hircine engages the Nerevarine in the Bloodmoon expansion, lowering his own power so to give the PC a fighting chance, allowing them to fight an aspect of his guile, his speed or his strength. When the Nerevarine bests him, Hircine is shocked but nevertheless sportingly concedes defeat and withdraws the Bloodmoon.
Hircine is also just as good as planning and the Xanatos Gambit as any of his other Daedric Princes. In Skyrim, when a servant of his name Sinding rejects his gift and makes off with Hircine's ring to control his werewolf transformations, Hircine curses Sinding and orders the Dragonborn to kill him, tossing both Sinding and the Dragonborn to fend for their lives among his hunters. The Dragonborn can obey Hircine and slay Sinding in tribute to Hircine, but they can also "defy" Hircine, save Sinding and kill the other hunters. No matter which option is chosen, Hircine loves it, rewarding the Dragonborn should they kill Sinding and commending them for turning Sinding from "prey" to "predator" should they spare him.
In Online, we learn (among other sidequests) that Hircine sought Gwaering, the Green Lady and the greatest Bosmer hunter of her age, as a trophy. To this end Hircine played would-be lover Ulthorn the Hound as a pawn, manipulating Ulthorn's bitterness and turning Ulthorn into his own personal champion, sending him to conquer the city of Silvenar. This move would have simultaneously ensured Hircine could take Gwaering as a trophy and that his influence would have spread all across the Bosmer region of Valenwood.
The in-game books also give us some noteworthy details. Hircine also plays part-time as The Trickster in his aspect of Gulibeg, "the Fox": in this aspect, Hircine "comes here to confound mortal hunters, to run them in circles until they are so plexed and wildered that they follow him over a cliff or into a trackless mire. He may fill you with such fury you can do naught but pursue him, or he may note you as clever and teach you his tricks." Hircine is also viciously protective of his followers; when a noble named Thane Icehammer killed some of Hircine's werebeasts, Hircine stuck Icehammer with his spear and slowly drove him mad until he was eventually cursed to A Fate Worse Than Death.
Is he too much of a bastard?
Hircine, like Mora and Azura, is commonly regarded to be one of the "less" evil Daedric Princes. In function, this means Hircine has a rigid code of honor to his Blue-and-Orange Morality. He doesn't target the helpless, enjoys it when his prey fights back and cuts back his own power to fight the PC. In most cases, Hircine is Affably Evil and gracious to his followers, or more specifically the passion for the hunt they're all faithful to.
Hircine does have a mean streak, of course. His game with Ulthorn, while one of his grandest schemes in the series, is also probably his nastiest deed in the series; Hircine really rubs in the salt into Ulthorn's wound, showing none of his usual affability to his pawn. Given 99% of the time otherwise Hircine's fairly chill for a Daedric Prince, I'm willing to let this spot of cruelty go. Even when he inflicts retribution on his followers who reject his gifts, he rarely goes overboard with it; he's willing to let Sinding go should he prove himself again, and in another quest in Online Hircine is willing to spare the mother of someone who's tried to reject his gifts even if he's particular the son himself is beyond saving.
What's his competition like?
The only slight rub is that Hircine isn't quite the all-encompassing chessmaster that Mora, Azura and Nocturnal (herself a potential candidate) are. There is one in-game novel (of dubious 100% canonicity like most other in-game novels, but I'll treat it as such to be fair) that has Hircine outdone by Sheogorath in a duel of wits and Hircine having a less-than-graceful reaction to it.
That said, among sixteen Daedric Princes, most of them either being too vile (Mephala and Molag Bal) to appropriate "magnificence" in their cunning, or are simply just too batshit insane (Sheogorath himself) to make solid, long-reaching plots, I still argue Hircine stands out. His sidequest in Skyrim prove without a doubt he has a solid handle on the "no matter what you do, I win" aspect of the Daedric Princes that Azura and Mora so solidly embody, and his actions in Online show him to be an extremely proficient manipulator in his own right.
Really, the biggest thing that distinguishes Hircine is his rigid sense of honor compared to the other Princes. His only Sore Loser moment being in a dubiously canonical text and his actual onscreen losses usually being handled pretty well makes me less inclined to count that against him as well. Ultimately, I'd say while it's not quite as clear-cut as Mora and Azura? Hircine still sticks out well compared to the others.
How does he operate?
Hircine's big fixation is on the Worthy Opponent and his followers having the gumption and the smarts to become hunters. A "pup" does not become a "wolf" until they demonstrate to Hircine they are capable of embodying the Villainous Virtues that complete one's trip into becoming a Huntsman. While Hircine is less of an active manipulator, the nature of his "games" mean he's still exists and in fact thrives in an environment where you haveo be ruthless, make split-second decisions and still retain the sense of honor one needs to become an ideal hunter. I think that's a perfect genesis for a Magnificent Bastard.
Conclusion?
I think we're safe keeping him.
Edited by Scraggle on Feb 1st 2021 at 4:04:50 AM
Got through enough books so that one character's arc wrapped in a sufficient enough way that I can propose them. First try at this kind of thing, here I go.
The work
Skulduggery Pleasant is a book series following the titular skeleton detective and a girl named Valkyrie Cain, who gets dragged into a wonderful world of magic and adventure that she finds isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Sorcerers can take up different magical pathways, one of which being necromancy.
The candidate
Solomon Wreath is the Necromancer Order's ambassador to the outside world, as most of their order stay sequestered in their temples. He's, maybe as a result, much less "traditional" than other Necromancers, preferring to wear normal clothes rather than their usual robes, and frequently showing disrespect to (or at least not being afraid to call bullshit on) the High Priest. If the Order does something he dislikes, he's not afraid to go behind thier backs to fix it (such as helping Pleasant stop an invasion of Eldritch Abominations when the Order doesn't think it's important; or attempting a recapture a demonic spirit he accidentally released on a job for the High Priest, who didn't see the harm in letting just one of them float around).
He's also Skulduggery Pleasant's Sitcom Arch-Nemesis, because of a silly little incident where Wreath gave the Order's protection to Pleasant's legitimate Arch-Enemy Nefarian Serpine seconds before the detective could catch up to and kill him. While the two don't really like each other, Wreath strikes up a friendship with Pleasant's newest partner, Valkyrie Cain, and gives the two assistance and information, even selling out one of his own Order when they come looking for him (after a bit of hesitation). After another incident where Pleasant gets trapped in another dimension, Wreath starts training Valkyrie in necromancy, and while he doesn't actually help bring the detective back he helps Valkyrie figure out how to do so.
Wreath realizes Valkyrie has a gift for necromancy, which (combined with her feats of saving the world numerous times and killing two gods at this point in the story) makes him realize she could be the Death Bringer, the Necromancer's prophesized messiah who will initiate the Passage and save the world. At least, until a compatriot of his reveals his own student, Melancholia St. Clair, who is far more powerful. Wreath quickly realizes she's been experimented on to get this kind of power, but, despite his dislike for her teacher, initially isn't going to complain if they get their Death Bringer.
When the Sanctuary (magic government) come to arrest Melancholia for attempting to kill Valkyrie, Valkyrie and Pleasant corner Wreath and, before he takes them by surprise and knocks them out, force him to spill the beans on the Passage: Necromancers believe that life is a stream, souls coming into the world through birth and leaving back to the stream through death. The Passage is when a powerful enough Necromancer kills approximately 3 billion people at the same time, damming up the stream. No new life shall be born, but everyone else will live forever.
Afterwards, Wreath starts having doubts that Melancholia is the Death Bringer. She's powerful, but her power fluctuates. If she fails, then A.) the Sanctuary will crack down on necromancy, and there will be no one to search for the true Death Bringer, and B.) millions of innocents will die for nothing. He proposes to her teacher they just kill Melancholia and take all of the blame. Her teacher is a power-hungry idiot and refuses, so after both try to assassinate the other later Wreath goes to Pleasant and Valkyrie.
He offers to give them Melancholia's location, as long as the Irish Sanctuary A.) blames the whole "kill 3 billion people" thing on Melancholia's teacher warping the true meaning of the Passage (and I love this exchange):
Valkyrie: Charisma?
Wreath: Yes.
Valkyrie: Don't you think that's stretching it a little too far?
Wreath: Do you think so?
Valkyrie: Some people will have met him.
Wreath: Hmm. You have a point. OK, then maybe not charisma. I'll think of some other lie.
And B.) they don't kill the Necromancers still following him, because as stupid as they are and as much as Wreath doesn't like them he doesn't want them dead.
After that debacle, he decides to travel the world. The other Temples not in Ireland (allowed to still operate because of the first part of the deal) don't want him around to tarnish their name, and want to let the whole "Passage" thing blow over. Unlikely, but Wreath acknowledges that Necromancers have "a proud history of sticking their heads in the sand." His appearances are limited after that, but when he does show up it's always as a - relatively - trusted teacher and ally towards his favorite student and her partner who still doesn't really like him.
He's ultimately killed by the Overarching Villain of the first major arc in the series. A bit of an anti-climactic end, but she was an all-powerful god killing a lot of major characters, including Melancholia. He had already made his major contribution towards stopping her, so there really wasn't much else to do besides fight and inevitably die or hide like a coward and hope someone else could kill her.
Magnificence? Bastardness?
Dude legitimately thinks killing 3 billion people will be good, so he probably qualifies for the bastard part. However, he doesn't like unnecessary innocent deaths, so he has that going for him. Wreath never has a major breakdown due to his plans being foiled, cuts a deal so that he can go free and other Necromancers around the globe can still look for the Death Bringer, and is always affable and apologetic towards Valkyrie when he is doing something evil. And while he may not like Skulduggery, he will still more often than not help him out.
Competition
I enjoy the villains in this series, but more often than not they'll either be horrifically killed or imprisoned by the end of the book. Most of those that last three or more books without the latter happening or devolving into raving Big Bad Wannabes I feel are impressive enough to count as Magnificent Bastards. Thoughts?
Edited by EmeraldEmperor on Feb 1st 2021 at 9:01:16 AM