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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

Scraggle Since: Nov, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#5326: Nov 9th 2018 at 3:41:17 PM

Alucard's one of the main protagonists, yes. Not an MB though.

PolarPhantom Since: Jun, 2012
#5327: Nov 9th 2018 at 3:44:28 PM

Yeah, I agree with Scraggle. If this is truly Drac's end, I can live with it.

Then again, Dracula has a pretty good death in Symphony of the Night as well. And he still came back, though he was established as being practically immortal by this point anyway.

THEN AGAIN we still haven't seen Dracula's final defeat at the hands of Julius Belmont - and let's be real, we only wanna see the IGA version. So maybe killing him off for good is a good idea - Ah what does it matter right now?

As for Alucard, he is one of the main characters in this show and will likely come back. He is very cool in it. Also he flips off Trevor.

Edited by PolarPhantom on Nov 9th 2018 at 11:45:37 AM

G-Editor Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#5328: Nov 9th 2018 at 4:04:33 PM

A definite [tup] to Isaac.

Speaking of Netflix series with a potential MB candidate still waiting on the Kingpin from Daredevil (2015)

Edited by G-Editor on Nov 9th 2018 at 2:08:33 AM

Lightysnake Since: May, 2010
#5329: Nov 9th 2018 at 4:06:39 PM

Guys I’ll get to it soon.

Yes to Isaac. Obvious yes.

DocSharp Since: Jun, 2011
#5331: Nov 9th 2018 at 6:23:20 PM

Hells yeah to Isaac.

[down] Yuuuuuup. Easy keeper there.

Edited by DocSharp on Nov 9th 2018 at 8:06:30 AM

Remember to give transgender folks hugs. They deal with too much shit.
Lightysnake Since: May, 2010
#5332: Nov 9th 2018 at 8:05:09 PM

Alright now...from Daredevil at last, I give you:

Who is Wilson Fisk?

The Kingpin of Crime. Wilson Fisk grew up with a kind mother and an abusive, domineering father....after years of abuse, Wilson would murder his father at the age of 12 to defend his mother. Fisk reinvented himself and eventually built himself into a businessman with a plan to pull Hell's Kitchen in New York apart and rebuild it, playing multiple criminal gangs for this end. Fisk also met Vanessa Marianna at an art gallery and soon fell deeply in love with her. One Russian mobster unfortunately spoiled their date, causing Fisk, in a crazed fury to beat him to death.

Fisk outplays his victim's brother, the head of the Russian outfit, with well placed bombs wiping his organization out. He then proceeds to set up Daredevil to look like a villain for opposing him, while also attempting to have the journalist Ben Urich assassinated. Fisk spends the season outwitting and eliminating threats to him, even having one potential one assassinated by a friend of his.....while also even gaining the public support of New York city....even having a tenant from a building his allies, the Hand want, assassinated and using her death to drum up public support....and then tricks Daredevil into eliminating the Hand operative Nobu, gloating in a perfect world they'd have killed one another, but "this isn't a perfect world, is it?"

Things go bad for Fisk when Vanessa is poisoned and his best friend, James Wesley is killed....when he learns that journalist Ben Urich had questioned his mother? Fisk promptly murders him furiously. Despite some more clever wrangling, he ends up beaten by Daredevil and incarcerated....but behind bars? He rebuilds his criminal empire, arranges for Frank "The Punisher" Castle to be sicced on his enemies and manages to swing himself a cushy Penthouse in return for assisting the Feds, eliminating his chief rival with utterly brilliant flourishes...while running organized crime in New York as the Kingpin of Crime. Fisk corrupts Benjamin Pointdexter, an FBI agent with a history of psychotic issues, into being his personal assassin, slowly corrupts and converts other agents to his side...like arranging for members of Ageny Ray Nadeem's family to lose insurance so he'll be more...receptive to Fisk's corruption, and arranging for Vanessa's return while using Pointdexter to carry out murders dressed as Daredevil. Nadeem eventually rolls on Fisk, but Fisk buys off/threatens the grand jury to keep himself from indictment and has Nadeem eliminated.

At the end, Fisk and Vanessa marry, through Daredevil manages to barely expose him, leading to a three way confrontation between Fisk, Pointdexter/Bullseye and Daredevil...Fisk defeats Bullseye and breaks his spine but is beaten down by Daredevil, who threatens his compliance with a promise to leave Vanessa out of the indictment. Fisk agrees and they even shake on it, with the season ending as Fisk is arrested and sent back to jail.

So, what about him is magnificent?

Fisk starts as shy, stuttering and a bit of a shrinking violet of a guy, albeit one who's a brilliant criminal...by season 2? Fisk slowly grows into the confident, ruthless kingpin. He's a brilliant planner, winning public sympathy, crushing his enemies, manipulating the entire city, other criminals, using the Punisher as his tool, playing his foes against one another and taking over organized crime while under house arrest. The man has it good.

Now, the mitigating issues...Fisk in season 1 has serious anger issues that lead him to make impulsive, not always wise decisions, such as flipping out and murdering a Russian mobster when he embarrasses Fisk before Vanessa. However, as things go on, Fisk gets these under control. Big time. He slowly evolves to become harder, more successful, more intelligent and more measured. And there's something great about, when in defeat, he even offers a handshake on a gentleman's agreement with his arch-nemesis, no?

Bastard? Too much?

Fisk is evil, flat out. He has tons of people killed, murders some himself, heartlessly manipulates others, uses their families as leverage...no question. However, he does love New York and in season 1, wants to 'save' it. He deeply cared for James Wesley as his best friend and is enraged when Karen Page reveals she murdered him (almost killing her in revenge)...he loves Vanessa beyond life itself and she's the only thing that can make him quail in the end. He also loved his mother...yeah, tons of mitigating factors here.

Conclusion?

By the end? I think Fisk hits it VERY well.

ElfenLiedFan90 Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression) from Jakarta,Indonesia Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression)
#5334: Nov 9th 2018 at 8:14:40 PM

Sure on Fisk.

"Making screw-ups and mistakes was I ever really good at. Because everything I touch went to hell."
43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5335: Nov 9th 2018 at 8:29:07 PM

With the season 3 actions I'm good for Fisk going up.

username2527 Since: Nov, 2013
#5336: Nov 9th 2018 at 8:52:24 PM

Would brainwashing and using a 12 year old girl as a human sacrifice or attempting to murder a comatosed teenage girl out of spite automatically disqualify someone? Baba Yaga from Legend Quest is a pretty cunning Dragon with an Agenda. She has a redeeming quality in that she cares about her witch kind but has done both of those extremely scummy things (and that is just naming a few).

G-Editor Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#5337: Nov 9th 2018 at 8:55:30 PM

[tup][tup] I give the Kingpin a definite [tup]!!

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#5338: Nov 9th 2018 at 9:10:11 PM

[tup]Kingpin

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5339: Nov 9th 2018 at 9:34:42 PM

@ User, It's nasty but not an instant no, the fact she has redeeming qualities certainly helps me there too, sounds worth an EP at least.

Forenperser Foreign Troper from Germany Since: Mar, 2012
Foreign Troper
#5340: Nov 10th 2018 at 6:04:08 AM

[tup]Fisk

Certified: 48.0% West Asian, 6.5% South Asian, 15.8% North/West European, 15.7% English, 7.4% Balkan, 6.6% Scandinavian
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#5341: Nov 10th 2018 at 9:55:43 AM

Oh hey how would you feel about this quote on Gentleman Johnny Macrone from the first dresden files book, Storm Front

He was a soldier, a warrior, behind that relaxed smile and fatherly manner. He was going to get what he wanted and he was going to get it in the most efficient way possible. He was a dedicated man - dedicated to his goals, dedicated to his people. He never let fear affect him.

Edited by miraculous on Nov 10th 2018 at 9:56:31 AM

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5342: Nov 10th 2018 at 10:04:23 AM

Looks good!... I know Doc has been housing a bunch of good ones too so we can start a quotes page whenever folks would like.

Riley1sCool RIP Akira Toriyama from The Joyous World He Created Since: Dec, 2014
RIP Akira Toriyama
#5343: Nov 10th 2018 at 10:45:22 AM

[tup] Isaac and an even bigger [tup] to Fisk. Nice to see another version of Fisk?

I'll be looking at Arkhan the Black from Warhammer pretty soon. Apologies, once more, for my absence and sudden lack of contribution. Some troubles happened to come up again, and right when I was going to study Arkhan. It was all an inconvenient mess, one that may cause my contributions to be sparse, but for now, I'm back. The other potential candidate is Settra the Imperishable, but I'm pretty on the fence considering he's very much a Smug Snake and, with some exceptions, mainly serves as a neutral party.

DocSharp Since: Jun, 2011
#5344: Nov 10th 2018 at 10:50:10 AM

[up][up] Indeed I have! Here's the stuff that's been suggested so far:

"I have wanted... to commit a murder myself. I recognized this as the desire of the artist to express himself!... But—incongruous as it may seem to some—I was restrained and hampered by my innate sense of justice. The innocent must not suffer."
Judge Wargrave, And Then There Were None

"I'm cap'n here by 'lection. I'm cap'n here because I'm the best man by a long sea-mile. You won't fight, as gentlemen o' fortune should; then, by thunder, you'll obey, and you may lay to it!"
Long John Silver, Treasure Island

"You see, Doctor, you're my intellectual equal. Almost. I have too few worthy opponents. When they've gone I always miss them."
Unit era Master, Doctor Who

"I haven't shown my hand - I've shown one card. I've given my enemies a single, provocative datum upon which to fixate. They have no idea what other cards I'm holding. It's a strong hand, believe me - I dealt it to myself."
Mr. House, Fallout: New Vegas

"Interesting plan. Unfortunately for you, it's not really an option. President? Foolish, faceless man; my campaign is a farce. A small part of a much grander scheme. President... do you know how much power I'd have to give up to be President? That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent 75 million dollars on a fake Presidential campaign, all just to tick Superman off."
Lex Luthor, Justice League Unlimited, "Question Authority"

"Beware of Scorpio!
He'll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth!
Beware of Scorpio!
His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world and his employees health!"
Scorpio's Theme, The Simpsons

And another personal suggestion:

"He is a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue, express mailed to Mystery, Alaska, and LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! but it is too late. You're dead. For he is the Spy - globetrotting rogue, lady killer (metaphorically) and mankiller (for real)."
The Spy's official bio, Team Fortress 2

Edited by DocSharp on Nov 10th 2018 at 6:31:07 AM

Remember to give transgender folks hugs. They deal with too much shit.
43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5345: Nov 10th 2018 at 10:53:42 AM

Cool, everyone feel free to make a thing for them on the drafts page and I'll ask it get built tomorrow.

PolarPhantom Since: Jun, 2012
#5346: Nov 10th 2018 at 2:32:12 PM

[tup] That guy who was embarrassed in front of his wife.

43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5347: Nov 10th 2018 at 5:17:13 PM

So I just noticed this but even after the first trimming I'm finding Dimentio's writeup more bloated than it ought to be... certainly doesn't need to be almost 100 words longer than his CM entry for one thing and since Scraggle knows the game and Reddish hasn't been here for some time, I was going to let him take a whack at re-ordering and condensing it. Any qualms?

Klavice I Need a Freaking Drink from A bar at the edge of time (Don’t ask) Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#5348: Nov 10th 2018 at 6:14:19 PM

Here's Seto (Egyptian Kaiba)'s write up.

  • Yugioh Forbidden Memories has Priest Seto, the Egyptian version of Seto Kaiba. He starts out as the Enigmatic Minion of Heishin and at first, it seems like Heishin is the Big Bad. Seto is the one to corner Prince Atem, and lets Heishin murder the Pharoah and his wife. After Atem returns to Egypt, Seto has given the millennium items to Heishin's top mages. Once Atem defeated a few, he and Jono head through the Labyrinth after finding out Teana was kidnapped to meet up with Seto there where Seto duels Atem and gives Teana back. Right before the end, Seto usurps Heishin and lets him summon Dark Nite knowing fully well Heishin's greedy nature. After Heishin is murdered by Dark Nite, Seto challenges the new Pharoah to a duel. Once Atem defeated Seto and Dark Nite, Seto pulls a Heel–Face Turn. While Seto was a bastard for letting Atem's father and mother die, he still had a charm that is right up there with other Yu-Gi-Oh villains.

Edited by Klavice on Nov 10th 2018 at 6:15:02 AM

Fair warning: I can get pretty emotional and take things too seriously.
PolarPhantom Since: Jun, 2012
#5349: Nov 11th 2018 at 4:45:39 AM

  • Spider Man PS 4: The Heist DLC chapter gives us Walter Hardy, the former Black Cat, whom is just as devious as his daughter. Faking his death years ago to protect himself and his daughter from the Maggia, Hardy manages to get a hold of Spider-Man’s phone number and disguises himself as a cop right on top of a police station. Calling himself Detective Mackey, Hardy tricks Spider-Man into uncovering loot he hid years ago. When Spider-Man finishes up, Hardy leaves with his loot, knowing Spider-Man won’t tell his daughter the truth because Spider-Man is a “decent guy.” He also asks Spider-Man to look after Felicia. While only featured in a simple sidemission, Hardy more than lives up to his anecdotes as a brilliant criminal.

  • Castlevania: Isaac is a Devil Forgemaster, Dracula’s last friend and a ruthlessly competent general. An abused servant until he killed his master, Isaac believes the world will only know love once all humanity is purged. To this end, he helps Dracula by reviving corpses as monsters to serve in his army. When the brutal Viking Vampire Godbrand suggests deposing Dracula, Isaac effortlessly kills him. No one ever discovers Godbrand’s death, with Isaac even telling Dracula that if anyone ever sought to betray him, Isaac would remove such that even Dracula wouldn’t know. After Dracula’s death, Isaac continues his war on humanity, seeking to build an army with his Devil Forgemaster skills. Utterly loyal to Dracula and one of the main reasons the Vampire Lord is a threat, Isaac is a human who can easily compete with all manner of monsters.

Suggestions and corrections are always appreciated. If it's OK, I'll let 43110 deal with potholes and formatting since I am wont to mess such things up.

43110 (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Reincarnated romance
#5350: Nov 11th 2018 at 8:16:28 AM

@ Klavice, I messaged you my thoughts there.

@ Polar, Both look good, go ahead and add.

I'll post the batch in a bit.

Here's the batch, Seto will go up whenever Klavice gets back to me:

  • Galavant: Madalena was a peasant woman and Galavant's girlfriend who dumped him to marry King Richard and become his queen. Successfully collaborating with Richard in luring Galavant into a trap on the pretense that she’s Richard's prisoner, she overthrows Richard with the help of his treacherous brother Kingsley, only to stab Kingsley In the Back, becoming the sole monarch of Valencia. When she learns of Galavant, Richard, and co. escaping her imprisonment and their whereabouts, she uses her vast army to declare war on them, while also obtaining the magical powers of the Dark Dark Evil Ways to ensure her victory. Only loosing to Richard's Sword of the One True King, Madalena never looses her dark charm and only expands her ambitions to conquer the rest of the world, becoming the apprentice of the Dark Evil Lord to master her powers boldly claiming that nothing will stop her now.
  • X-Men: The Legacy Quest trilogy (by Steve Lyons): Sebastian Shaw, Black King of the Hellfire Club, uses and manipulates the X-Men throughout the trilogy. Attempting to gain a cure for the Legacy Virus, Shaw lures the X-men into his trap and betrays them as convenient to suit his own ends, though he teams up with them to defeat the monstrous Selene when she sees to turn New York into a hellish dystopia, only to reveal that he was secretly in league with Magneto and helped him to gain the cure the entire time. He promptly betrays Magneto again in service of his master plan and ends the series with everything he desired, free from any retribution and savoring his victory with the trilogy closing out on the words "The Black King had won."
  • Mary Skelter: Nightmares: Dawn Liberation Force leader, Professor Tohjima who is revealed to be The King of Nightmares, Snark, comes to Earth with the intent to destroy the world and remake it in his own image. Planting seeds of the Genius Loci "Jail" across Earth, Snark also raises girls as the "Blood Maidens" and manipulates them to destroy the Jail cores. Poisoning the religious leader of the Order of the Sun, Snark replaces her with his own servant to string them along to working towards his own purpose before slaughtering them. Even when Protagonist Jack discovers his true identity, Snark manages to create a convincing cover story and evades suspicion from others by dismantling Jack's argument. Even if the Order of the Sun followers are saved from him killing them, Snark sacrifices his followers, the Marchens, as a backup plan to see his goal of becoming God come true. Ruthless yet intelligent and in possession of an unshakable facade of politeness, Snark cements himself as the most dangerous adversary seen in the game.
  • Spider-Man (PS4): The Heist DLC chapter gives us Walter Hardy, the former Black Cat, whom is just as devious as his daughter. Faking his death years ago to protect himself and his daughter from the Maggia, Hardy manages to get a hold of Spider-Man’s phone number and disguises himself as a cop right on top of a police station. Calling himself Detective Mackey, Hardy tricks Spider-Man into uncovering loot he hid years ago. When Spider-Man finishes up, Hardy leaves with his loot, knowing Spider-Man won’t tell his daughter the truth because Spider-Man is a “decent guy.” He also asks Spider-Man to look after Felicia. While only featured in a simple side-mission, Hardy more than lives up to his anecdotes as a brilliant criminal.
  • Tales Series:
    • Tales of the Abyss: When Van Grants learned that the Score predicted that the world would end, he decided to avoid this fate by destroying the world, killing all of its inhabitants, and creating a replica world in its stead. To accomplish this, Van pretended to be a loyal adherent to the Score, fooling nearly everyone in the Order of Lorelei so he could advance in rank to command the Order's military. When one of Van's plans hinged on Luke surviving his death that was foretold in the Score, Van kidnapped Luke and replaced him with a replica, framing the deed on the rival empire of Malkuth. Van is incredibly charismatic, capable of making his enemies into his loyal followers and is always one step ahead of the heroes. In the end, all of the heroes can't help but respect him despite his crimes.
    • Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World: Richter Abend, a former scientist seeking to kill the genocidal spirit Ratatosk and to resurrect his friend Aster, who was killed by Ratatosk. To accomplish this, Richter makes a pact with the demons of Niflheim, who give Richter the strength to face Ratatosk and a promise to resurrect Aster on the condition that Richter kills Ratatosk, which will destroy the barrier stopping the demons from invading the mortal world. However, Richter devises a plan to doublecross the demons by sacrificing himself after Ratatosk is dead and Aster is revived. Exploiting the tension between the peoples of Sylvarant and Tethea'alla, Richter uses Solum's core to control Brute, the leader of the Vanguard, turning it into a violent anti-Tethe'allan movement. Richter uses this ethnic violence to cover up his quest to find and kill Ratatosk. Along the way, Richter befriends Emil and teaches him self-confidence. After Emil stops Richter's plans, Richter works together with the newly-reformed Ratatosk to hold back the demons of Niflheim for a thousand years.
  • Castlevania (2017): Isaac is a Devil Forgemaster, Dracula’s last friend and a ruthlessly competent general. An abused servant until he killed his master, Isaac believes the world will only know love once all humanity is purged. To this end, he helps Dracula by reviving corpses as monsters to serve in his army. When the brutal Viking Vampire Godbrand suggests deposing Dracula, Isaac effortlessly kills him. No one ever discovers Godbrand’s death, with Isaac even telling Dracula that if anyone ever sought to betray him, Isaac would remove such that even Dracula wouldn’t know. After Dracula’s death, Isaac continues his war on humanity, seeking to build an army with his Devil Forgemaster skills. Utterly loyal to Dracula and one of the main reasons the Vampire Lord is a threat, Isaac is a human who can easily compete with all manner of monsters.
  • Monster Force: Dracula himself, a vicious but elegant pastiche of his Universal incarnation, stands as the Monster Force's most formidable adversary. Dracula constantly executes schemes to net himself more power at any cost, usually running rings around the Monster Force until it's almost too late to stop him, always operating with sadistic charm and rebounding from every defeat. Dracula makes pawns of his other vampire cohorts in a scheme meant to steal their energy so he can become a god, outsmarts Dr. Crawley in the guise of vampire hunter Bram Stoker and nearly drives him to despair, and even mounts a successful invasion of Monster Force's own base in the finale through guile.
  • Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Toffee of Septarsis is an enigmatic, devious monster with a flair for casual manipulation and a missing finger taken from him by Queen Moon in his days as a monster warlord. Coming into the service of inept Big Bad Wannabe Ludo, Toffee ingratiates himself into Ludo's service and manipulates him into firing Buff Frog, the one minion who suspects Toffee of any wrongdoing, before ousting Ludo from his own castle and using his new position to extort and destroy Star's wand. Seemingly dying after this, Toffee in truth lived on within one half of the wand's crystal, eventually taking over Ludo's body to enact his final plot to take his finger back and restore his power, wiping out almost every single person who can stand against him and even regaining his body back before Star manages to destroy him. Suave, perpetually calm, and a master of every situation he's in, Toffee remains one of the most cunning and effective foes to have ever fought against the Butterfly family.
  • Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Years before the events of the game, the nameless spy for the Cohdopian smuggling ring created the fake identity of a playful defense attorney named Calisto Yew, pretending to be the sister of a woman murdered by the smuggling ring. She acted as one of the three members of the group, Yatagarasu, who were investigating the smuggling ring, with intentions to sabotage the group from the inside. She sets up prosecutor Byrne Faraday to be accused of being the Yatagarasu by criminal, Mack Rell, before murdering them both, quickly placing suspicion on Detective Gumshoe when deduced that the two couldn’t have killed each other. Even when Edgeworth reveals that she’s the true murderer, the spy manages to trick Edgeworth into giving her the Yatagarasu’s key, her true objective, before escaping arrest. Later creating the persona of Shih-na, an enigmatic right hand woman to Shi-Long Lang, the spy acted as a mole within Interpol, and leaked information to the smuggling ring. When Quercus Alba murders the traitorous Manny Coachen, the spy creates a fire in order for the two to move the corpse between embassies to create confusion of where the crime scene occured. After Shi-Long Lang saves her life from Tyrell Badd, the spy gracefully accepts defeat and out of gratitude, gives information to Edgeworth to help him discover the truth about the case.
  • Critical Role: Anna Ripley served as a scientist for the Briarwoods, creating an acidic compound to distil Whitestone ore into residuum. When Percy de Rolo attempted to kill her, she took interest in his gun, a weapon never seen until Percy made it, and recreated one of her own. After being imprisoned for attempting to leave the Briarwoods, Ripley manages to convince Vox Machina to free her in exchange for her assisting them, successfully escaping the party the first chance she gets. Vox Machina later finds out that Ripley was using the gun they confiscated from her to spy on them, hiring a crew and obtaining two of the Vestiges of Divergence from under Vox Machina’s nose. She also manipulates Kynan into working for her by taking advantage of his resentment for Vox Machina when they rejected him. When Vox Machina chases after Ripley, she lures them into an explosive trap, badly injuring the majority of the party, before ambushing the party, resulting in her successfully killing Percy. Brilliant and manipulative, Ripley proved to be one of Vox Machina’s most dangerous enemies.

And the long awaited and soon-to-be-created Quotes.Magnificent Bastard page will have:

"I have wanted... to commit a murder myself. I recognized this as the desire of the artist to express himself!... But—incongruous as it may seem to some—I was restrained and hampered by my innate sense of justice. The innocent must not suffer."
Judge Wargrave, And Then There Were None

"He was a soldier, a warrior, behind that relaxed smile and fatherly manner. He was going to get what he wanted and he was going to get it in the most efficient way possible. He was a dedicated man - dedicated to his goals, dedicated to his people. He never let fear affect him."
Harry Dresden describing "Gentlemen" Johnny Macrone, Storm Front (The Dresden Files)

"I'm cap'n here by 'lection. I'm cap'n here because I'm the best man by a long sea-mile. You won't fight, as gentlemen o' fortune should; then, by thunder, you'll obey, and you may lay to it!"
Long John Silver, Treasure Island

"You see, Doctor, you're my intellectual equal. Almost. I have too few worthy opponents. When they've gone I always miss them."
Unit era Master, Doctor Who

"I haven't shown my hand - I've shown one card. I've given my enemies a single, provocative datum upon which to fixate. They have no idea what other cards I'm holding. It's a strong hand, believe me - I dealt it to myself."
Mr. House, Fallout: New Vegas

"He is a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue, express mailed to Mystery, Alaska, and LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! but it is too late. You're dead. For he is the Spy - globetrotting rogue, lady killer (metaphorically) and mankiller (for real)."
The Spy's official bio, Team Fortress 2

"Interesting plan. Unfortunately for you, it's not really an option. President? Foolish, faceless man; my campaign is a farce. A small part of a much grander scheme. President... do you know how much power I'd have to give up to be President? That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent 75 million dollars on a fake Presidential campaign, all just to tick Superman off."
Lex Luthor, Justice League Unlimited, "Question Authority"

"Beware of Scorpio!
He'll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth!
Beware of Scorpio!
His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world and his employees health!"
Scorpio's Theme, The Simpsons

Edited by 43110 on Nov 11th 2018 at 1:39:21 PM


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