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Cleanup thread: Magnificent Bastard

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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:

     Previous post 
IMPORTANT: To avoid a holler to the mods, please see 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.

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

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

G-Editor The 47th President Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
The 47th President
#52502: Jul 10th 2021 at 9:24:56 AM

[tup] to Preston.

Hey here another from The Fast And The Furious franchise myself, more specifically from my to-do list Dominic Toretto.

Who is he and what has he done?

Dominic Toretto is the central protagonist of the F&F franchise who would go into the world of street racing after being barred from ant professional race after beating a racer near death for his involvement in the car crash that killed Dom’s father eventually becoming the most notorious yet most respect street racer after beating his brother in a street race, forming a street crew of his own whom Dom calls his family.

Dominic also countless heists in the first movie where he and his family steal millions of dollars worth of merchandise from trucks a plot point which cop Brian O’Connor goes undercover to investigate, but Dom’s charisma convinces Brian to switch sides helping Dom kill his rival Johnny Tran and evade the cops giving him the keys to his car to escape.

Making his way to Mexico in forth he meets Han there where together along with the rest of his family organize the heist of stealing a series of fuel tanks from a truck in the Dominican Republic. He would return to the United States upon learning that his girlfriend Letty was killed in a car accident,

When Dom investigates the crime scene figures out that she was murdered by Fenix Calderon. Dom would help Brian bring Fenix’s boss Arturo Braga to justice while Dom would kill Fenix for what he did to Letty. Upon getting arrested afterwards and being sentence to 25 years in prison, Dom’s crew would break him out where they flee the US as fugitives.

Making their way to Rio de Janeiro in five, Dom would orchestrate the bank heist planning to steal 100 million dollars from Hernan Reyes while planting a tracker on DSS federal agent Luke Hobbs so that they’ll be able to avoid them throughout Brazil eventually getting Hobbs to help them defeat Reyes letting Hobbs kill Reyes while they steal all of Reyes money right under Hobbs nose.

Dom would work with Hobbs again in six to stop Owen Shaw from stealing the Computer Processing Unit when Hobbs reveals to Dom that Letty has survived and is now part of Owen’s crew. Dom’s would use his past with Letty to get her to turn against Owen before they stop Owen and recover the CPU while getting Hobbs to clear Dom and his crew’s names for their cooperation.

However Owen’s brother, Deckard Shaw, would try to avenge Owen’s defeat by killing Han and putting Hobbs into a coma. Dom would work with Mr. Nobody in seven to stop Deckard Shaw, his partner Mose Jakande, and their plans to steal God’s Eye eventually succeeding in stopping their plans, killing Jakande, getting Letty to remember her past with Dom, and putting Deckard behind bars.

Dom would then meet Cipher in eight where she blackmails him into helping her steal nuclear codes by holding Elaine and her newborn son hostage. Dom seemingly complies to her demands, betraying his team and helping in her schemes, only to be scheming behind her back collaborating with Madeleine Shaw having her sons Owen and Deckard rescue Dom’s son from Cipher’s clutches before turning on Cipher and helping his crew stop her, though Cipher escapes in the end.

Dom would appear in nine, where he faces his brother Jakob and tries to stop him and Otto from using Ares to control the world. After spending the movie with both Dom and Jakob trying to outdo one another whether it’d be though fighting, driving, and scheming, they decide to work together after Otto betrays Jakob for Cipher eventually foiling their plan and kill Otto while Cipher escapes again.

Dom would then give Jakob his car to allowing him to escape from the authorities while Dom and his family would have their barbecue in Los Angeles where the family waits from Brian to arrive before they say grace.

Is he Intelligent? Is he Charismatic?

As a charismatic Genius Bruiser and Badass Driver, Dominic excels in intelligence and charisma orchestrating countless heists thought to be impossible to pull and stealing millions, if not billions, of dollars with noticeable example being Dom switching the safes right under Hobbs nose allowing Dom to steal all of Reyes money.

Aside from orchestrating heists Dom his able to outsmart may Big Bads, with one noticeable examples being where Dom was able to evade Cipher’s surveillance collaborating with the Shaw family to free his son from Cipher imprisonment before turning on Cipher and foiling her plan, while another example is replacing Otto’s security guards with his allies without Otto ever noticing.

Of course I also have to explain on how Dom’s charismatic in which he is with being A Father to His Men personality earning him the trust to many people, even getting Brian to turn on the cops to protect Dom, and getting them to join Dom’s family where they all have Undying Loyalty towards the man, all while Dom never once looses his badass charm.

What’s The Competition Like?

Of course the series is ripe with several smart and badass villains, but Dom easily has an edge over the competition being one of the main protagonist of the whole film series, appearing in almost every single movie, allowing Dom to show off his brilliance and skills, while always finding ways to outsmart and defeat the Big Bad, with Cipher being the most prominent example

Is he a Bastard? Is he Too much of a Bastard?

Well Dom did beat a man nearly to death to the point that he crippled him, exiles his brother from Los Angeles became a notorious street racer and criminal known from stealing millions, if not billions of dollars, has no problems resorting to violence and lethal force if the situation occurs and does betray his team and their trust and does create a lot of chaos with his actions, so yeah I’s say Dom meets to bastard credentials.

That said Dom while capable of being ruthless is never cruel nor sadistic in his actions, never delves into deplorable villainy, his reasons for beating that man was his involvement in his father’s death, truly does care for his team whom he considers family and was forced to do so because of Cipher, and genuinely loves Letty whom he marries and raises his son with her, and does give Jakob the means to escape after forgiving him for their father’s death, so yeah not too much of a bastard.

Final Verdict?

I had Dom on my to-do list for a long time, so I’m glad to finally be able to EP him now. Wether he gets approved or not is up to you guys to figure out.

My sandbox of EPs and other stuff
futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#52503: Jul 10th 2021 at 9:57:14 AM

You got me beat G with a character appearing in eight movies and counting rather than three or five. That's a [tup] to Dom of course. Still two more movies, but I can't imagine he or anyone else appearing who counts does anything to hurt their inclusion moving forward though.

What's the tally on Maddy now? Getting harder to keep track.

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Jul 10th 2021 at 10:07:35 AM

nwotyzal Since: Sep, 2019
#52504: Jul 10th 2021 at 10:39:33 AM

[tup]Dom (He's strong... but not as strong as family) (I'm sorry that meme is so stupid I love it)

Beast from Ontario, Canada Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: Browsing the selection
#52505: Jul 10th 2021 at 10:55:02 AM

[tup] Preston and Dom.

"It's like...a cliff, and if I do it, I'm just gonna...fall." "I think we're already falling."
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#52506: Jul 10th 2021 at 11:03:39 AM

[tup]Dom.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
DukeNukem4ever Since: Jan, 2017
#52508: Jul 10th 2021 at 11:53:52 AM

[tup] to Preston, Han and Dom. I guess The Fast and The Furious will get it's own page.

Ordeaux26 Since: May, 2019 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#52509: Jul 10th 2021 at 11:54:28 AM

[tup] Han and Dom, I had been wondering why F&F didn't have more MB's as I thought it would be the perfect franchise for MB's.

futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#52510: Jul 10th 2021 at 12:13:08 PM

[up][up]Well not yet. With Dom and Han added the others, that's five and we need at least seven. There's two others to be discussed and two who may be discussed in the future at least.

I think White Widow is ready without a rewatch of Fallout. Pending my rewatch of the first film—in progress—Max will be ready either way and she'll also go first.

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Jul 10th 2021 at 12:18:01 PM

ASghhrv6ub Best Smile from Second star to the right. Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
STARCRUSHER99 The Moron from one of my unhealthy obsessions (Captain) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Moron
#52512: Jul 10th 2021 at 12:30:26 PM

Yes to Preston and Dom

BTW, Maddy count since future asked:

Yes: 8note 

Abstain: 5note 

No: 7note 

43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#52513: Jul 10th 2021 at 12:32:32 PM

Yes to Dom.

  • Equilibrium: John Preston is a brilliant hunter and fighter of the elite Clerics who begins to question Libria's draconian state. After having his eyes opened to the plight of the demonized "sense offenders", Preston begins gathering reconnaissance for the resistance, even as he continues leading raids to maintain his facade. When the smug Cleric Andrew Brandt attempts to force him to execute a group of offenders, Preston uses the opportunity to plant his gun on the latter, nearly getting Brandt executed for insubordination. Even when Brandt and his superior, Vice-Counsel DuPont attempt to trick Preston into bringing them the resistance, Preston utterly outguns them with trickery of his own, massacring their guards before dispatching the dictators.

DemonDuckofDoom from Some Pond in Hell Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
G-Editor The 47th President Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
The 47th President
#52515: Jul 10th 2021 at 12:52:02 PM

[up][up] you forgot to vote for Han.

Edited by G-Editor on Jul 10th 2021 at 3:52:36 PM

My sandbox of EPs and other stuff
EmeraldEmperor Lies and Violence! Since: Oct, 2020
43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#52519: Jul 10th 2021 at 1:16:59 PM

Han has two directors to his name by the way. For Dom, he has all of them except two: John Singleton and David Leitch.

Too bad Maddy didn't make it. Was gonna try two at once with folders, but you guys will probably be better off with one at a time though—I'll just post the other one one or two posts after though.

Alright! It's go time! Not quite done with the movie yet, but I probably have everything worked out, so let's get things started:

What is the work?

Mission: Impossible is the 1996 film adaptation (or I think continuation actually) of the hit TV spy series from 1966-1973 about the covert IMF (Impossible Missions Force) sending a team of agents out to prevent some kind of incident in some way or another. The film's success has managed to spawn five sequels with a sixth one expected pretty soon too. The first movie introduces Ethan Hunt as not the head of the team, but a lead agent in it, who's framed by a turncoat agent and must seek out said agent's criminal contact as part of a plan to clear his name (the criminal contact is the candidate).

Who is she and what has she done?

"Max" (not sure what her real name is and maybe it is) is an anonymous arms dealer who's arranged countless illegal transactions, exchanging information and secrets for profit by means of making agents go rogue. Getting somebody deep inside this time, Max has had a direct line for about two years. She refers to the rogue as "Job" (Jobe), really the disillusioned veteran agent Jim Phelps, who for his own profit wishes to grant her request to be provided with the NOC List—which reveals the real identities of all deep cover American agents in Europe.

Phelps to this end ends up murdering almost his whole team except for Ethan who he also frames and then fakes his own death too. After escaping near capture, Ethan figures out how to contact Max through email and pretends to be "Job" to be able to get a meeting while also warning the actual disc is a decoy that'll be tracked. Max—even though she doesn't actually know who Job is—still agrees to meet with Ethan despite immediately figuring out he's not Job because Phelps hasn't actually quoted scripture in any of his messages and tone of the email was written as "playful", which Job is not. Max still arranges a meeting while having Ethan blindfolded on his way there.

While Max doesn't have reason to believe Ethan is being truthful about the disc she actually got being a trap (it's covered in blood so she knows someone at least died in order to get it), Max trusts her instincts and gets everyone to flee before IMF Director Eugene Kittridge and others arrive. Later on, Max apologizes to Ethan for not believing him at first and agrees to a deal: he gets her the list and she not only pays him a higher amount than Job, but arranges a meeting between the two as well. Once Ethan's gotten the list with help from Phelps's wife Claire and former IMF agents Luther Stickell and Franz Krieger (Claire and Krieger are working with Phelps though), he arranges the meeting with Max to exchange the money.

On board the monorail from London, Max attempts to open the list a few times once getting the disc and nearly succeeds when Luther—who blocked the first few attempts through his computer hacking—is nearly caught doing so. Max's final attempt is only stopped when the train goes through a tunnel. During the time this is happening, Ethan exposes Phelps who then murders Claire and attempts to flee.

As Ethan successfully takes out Phelps and Krieger before they can escape, Kittridge and his colleagues surround Max and her men as Luther retrieves the NOC List. Max begins to warn of the legal issues she's gonna bring about when on trial and then immediately is more than willing to make a deal for her contacts when Kittridge suggests that they "leave the courts out of this one". One of her men is later shown working for Ethan's criminal contact in Ghost Protocol (if it it's not him, he clearly has the same mask) and in Fallout, Max herself is said to have eventually passed away at some point.

Is she magnificent?

She's managed a very successful career and in the meantime, been very good at keeping her identity hidden to the point that no one knew she was a woman. Max, even if she's not fully aware of things (and even if she never fully catches on to Ethan), still has such impeccable instincts that she chooses to trust him when he alerts her that the NOC list she initially got is a trap and avoids capture thanks to going with how she felt. Max also clearly has a lot of important info to share about all her clients and her deals both before and after she's captured in the end too (and even before that, is already planning legal strategies to get away with everything too).

Bitch? Too much?

I mean she's of course an arms dealer and it's mentioned that "Job" isn't the first agent she's turned and Max is also seeking to possess a long list of undercover agents and their real names to sell (that's clearly gonna put a lot of people in danger). That said, Max is a consummate professional, she keeps a level head about getting things done without getting hung up on the details and she clearly doesn't have Owen Davian's ruthlessness or cold sadism in any way, shape or form (in fact, she absolutely couldn't be any different from Davian if you ask me). The fact that Kittridge offers her a deal to avoid being charged for everything in exchange for info and she's inclined to take it instantly certainly says a lot too.

Verdict?

That's a [tup].

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Jul 10th 2021 at 1:37:29 AM

G-Editor The 47th President Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
The 47th President
#52520: Jul 10th 2021 at 1:44:49 PM

[up]As discussed [tup] to Max. Also looking forward to your other Mission Impossible candidate

Edited by G-Editor on Jul 10th 2021 at 4:45:00 AM

My sandbox of EPs and other stuff
Beast from Ontario, Canada Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: Browsing the selection
#52521: Jul 10th 2021 at 1:46:27 PM

Question I wanna run by before I propose; are fictionalized ghosts of IRL celebrities kosher to bring up, or is that bad taste ?

The example I'm planning to propose is Tupac for references sake.

"It's like...a cliff, and if I do it, I'm just gonna...fall." "I think we're already falling."
jjjj2 from Arrakis Since: Jul, 2015
#52522: Jul 10th 2021 at 1:49:36 PM

As long as it's fictional and it's not someone like Q or hitler, I feel like we'll be fine. Still reading Dom and Max.

You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
futuremoviewriter Since: Jun, 2014
#52523: Jul 10th 2021 at 1:56:02 PM

Yeah, I think as long as the individual was someone of high respect that's not controversial, it shouldn't be a problem.

Make that three posts after instead.

The second character is coming back in the next movie I hear, but still definitely does enough now though to qualify.

Appropriate I be covering her when Black Widow comes out this weekend as well. Haha:

What is the work?

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is a 2018 sequel to the 1996 Mission: Impossible—the fifth specifically, making this the sixth movie—and is widely considered the best of all the movies—again, based on the 1966-1973 spy TV show—or being an extension of it. Once again, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are on the case, this time to deal with the aftermath of the 2015 film Rogue Nation (the fifth one) and to prevent an enemy's scheme in which a large portion of the world will be gassed as a means of balancing the scales. To get to said enemy, Ethan pretends to be him while also making contact with a criminal genius not at all unlike one he encountered before—and here's why.

Who is she and what has she done?

The White Widow—real name Alana Mitsopolis—is Max's now adult daughter who is an arms dealer in her own right too. Holding a philanthropy event in which she praises her late mother's own charitable actions, White Widow has made arrangements to meet with Apostle contact "John Lark" (really CIA assassin August Walker) to provide him with access to the three chemical toxin orbs needed in exchange for payment of them. Ethan meets with her while pretending to be Lark and warns White Widow that there are men knowing she's meeting with him and that they're looking to kill her.

Trusting her instincts after scoping the room, White Widow asks Ethan to get her out of there and when men attack them, Ethan fights them while White Widow pulls a concealed blade and kills two of the men with extreme ease. White Widow then later at her house offers Ethan one of the orbs as an act of good-will and reiterates what he as Lark had contacted her about: figuring out where Syndicate mass murderer Solomon Lane was being transferred so he can be broken out—in Paris for the record. White Widow expects that breaking Lane out likely means the armed guards will all die in the chaos as a result.

To avoid killing innocents in any way (including a poor French cop who ends up on the scene and gets shot for her troubles), Ethan has Lane pulled from the prison truck when it's pushed in the river and ends up killing a bunch of White Widow's men too. White Widow takes note of the fact that some of her men were killed and also informs Ethan that she discovered MI6 agent Ilsa Faust—who was also at the Benefit the night she was nearly attacked—was following Lane too (Ilsa has to kill Lane who she was once undercover working for in order to not be fingered as an accomplice to him). White Widow orders Ilsa be dealt with, Ethan agrees and then White Widow unexpectedly kissed him (I like to joke "Uhh Vanessa? That's not in the script!" Haha).

Before Walker is exposed as Lark, IMF Director Alan Hunley reveals White Widow is working for the American government by making her criminal deals and while still clearly profiting off them, turning her buyers over discreetly to the CIA in exchange for full immunity. White Widow was intending to eventually do the same to Lark and The Apostles as well. After Ethan's eventually taken out Walker, the toxin detonation has been stopped and Ilsa and Benji Dunn have apprehended Lane, White Widow at CIA Director Erica Sloane's behest makes an arrangement with MI6: Lane is transferred back to them—and will likely never see the light of day again—and Ilsa's name is cleared as well.

Is she magnificent?

The woman proves to be a bonafide Villain with Good Publicity given the generous contributions White Widow gives to the community while having her criminal organization hidden and much like her mom, definitely has charm to spare. Her instincts are also utterly impeccable with her trusting Ethan's suggestion that she's being targeted and being ready with the concealed blade White Widow had hidden too. She also is very far-reaching in all her efforts and resources too and is able to also essentially orchestrate the scheme in which Lane will be broken out, obtain one of the toxin orbs as an act of good faith, eventually getting Lane sent back to MI6 and taking note of both big and small things as well—such as her men at least being killed during the excursion and Ilsa showing up as well (and much like with her mom, I don't think White Widow not fully catching on to Ethan hurts her either).

Bitch? Too much?

Now she's an informant for the American government and definitely on the side of the Angels, but despite that, White Widow's ongoing deal means she gets Carté Blanche for all her criminal activities too. Even with it being a cover, White Widow still expects collateral damage when Lane (a psychotic mass murderer) is being sprung and while it's some of her own men killed instead of cops as she seemed to anticipate, White Widow—while not happy about it—also seems to shrug them off as a necessary loss too. There's also her making up for getting Lane out by also arranging to have him go back to MI6 where he's likely to be either executed or imprisoned for life as well.

Verdict?

Another [tup].

Edited by futuremoviewriter on Jul 10th 2021 at 2:03:12 AM

G-Editor The 47th President Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
The 47th President
#52524: Jul 10th 2021 at 2:01:33 PM

[up] ah there she is [tup] to the White Widow

My sandbox of EPs and other stuff
Beast from Ontario, Canada Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: Browsing the selection
#52525: Jul 10th 2021 at 2:05:49 PM

[tup] Alana.

"It's like...a cliff, and if I do it, I'm just gonna...fall." "I think we're already falling."

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