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
The wifi here sucks
Meat Loaf and Louie Anderson in one day, damn... RIP. Yes to Chuck.
Now, time for the biggest one I've done in a loooooong time. I sincerely hope you enjoy - but don't look at all if you don't want spoilers, the work I'm proposing has fantastic twists!
What's the work?
All the Wrong Questions is a four-book YA novel series by Daniel Handler, writing as he often does under his silly pen name Lemony Snicket. A prequel to his more famous Series of Unfortunate Events, Questions follows the Lemony Snicket character's own adolescence as a 13-year-old VFD apprentice. Deliberately hitching himself to VFD's worst mentor, S. Theodora Markson ("What does the S. stand for?" "Stop asking wrong questions!"), the duo are off to right wrongs in Stain'd-by-the-Sea, an impoverished seaside town that is no longer by the sea. Thievery, kidnapping, arson, murder, chemistry, librarians, trains, sea monsters, doomed young love, and of course a sinister conspiracy proceed to ensue, run by one of the most successful puppet masters I've ever seen in YA. Introducing...
Who is Hangfire? What has he done?
Taking his nom de crime from an antiquated term for a delayed reaction, which very much describes his scheming style, Hangfire is chairman of the Inhumane Society, an Animal Wrongs Group gone about as bad as those can go. He and his organization first appeared after the Stain'd town government ordered an ancient tree cut down to make room for a statue of the town's greatest war hero, Colonel Colophon. Their actions started off as simple annoyances, but escalated to outright crimes after an even greater ecological disaster - the town's most successful business, Ink, Inc., ordered all the water in the nearby bay drained to make the ink-producing octopi they harvest from easier to find. Given that, you know, octopi need water to survive themselves, you can guess how well that went. When Lemony and Theodora arrive, the town is a shambles.
Lemony and Theodora's first case is to help a rich, elderly woman find a valuable statue of the Bombinating Beast, the town's most dreaded urban legend, that she claims was stolen from her. Lemony quickly ditches the near-useless Theodora and determines that the people who supposedly stole the statue ARE the rightful owners, and he also runs into the lovely and just-as-bizarrely-named "personne fatale" Ellington Feint, who also wants the statue, as Hangfire is demanding it as ransom for her kidnapped father, compassionate naturalist Armstrong Feint; they strike up a bizarre combination of tempestuous teen romance and mutual spying mission. Lemony solves the case by determining that the supposed "thieves" are indeed the rightful owners and that the woman who hired him was an actress who Hangfire was blackmailing; however, Ellington steals the statue.
As the series proceeds, Lemony unearths more plots by Hangfire, including kidnapping the heiress of Ink, Inc. for her brilliant chemistry skills, some sort of plot at the town's last hospital involving giant fish tanks (more on that later), burning down the town's last school and framing its last librarian for it, and reopening a previously abandoned school and having the town's last few kids transferred there to brainwash them. Through it all he spends his time avoiding Theodora and her tendency to insist that the easiest possible solution is always correct, alternately being sweet on and being betrayed by Ellington, and meeting many other remarkably intelligent teenagers in town and recruiting them for his investigation. It all comes to a head in the final book, as virtually every character, good and evil, introduced in the series piles onto an old train for a final exodus from the dying town. Among them is the framed librarian, Dashiell Qwerty, who is being transported to jail in the city and is revealed as a VFD operative just in time to keel over dead from a poison dart, seemingly fired by Theodora. Ellington is also there, and just as Lemony seems to be getting through to her that Hangfire will never release her father no matter what favors she does for him, she gets darted too, by the man himself. A horrified Lemony pulls one Hell of a bluff, claiming to hate the town as much as he does and offers a trade - the statue for proof of Theodora's innocence. Hangfire agrees, but he totally saw through the bluff, and Lemony finds himself cornered by Hangfire's minions... including a very much alive Ellington, who, in a final betrayal, hands the statue right to Hangfire. But he does not keep his promise to release Armstrong Feint...
...because, you see (as I hope at least some of you following along have guessed), Hangfire is, was, and always has been Armstrong Feint. Armstrong once was indeed the kind naturalist his daughter so adored, that is before the old tree was torn down for a statue of a war criminal, which resulted in the near-extinction of a very rare type of moth for whom that one tree was one of the last known habitats. This was followed by the harebrained drain-the-sea scheme by Ink, Inc., which not only killed off all the local sea creatures, but was implemented via diverting the water over a nearby mountain range into the valley on the other side, drowning all the animals that lived there too. Thus Armstrong swore that the town and its people, too, would drown, in a vengeance-fueled bloodbath that would do the end of a Godfather movie proud.
First up to the chopping block was the old Colonel whose statue started the whole mess; Armstrong personally threw him out of the window of his hospital sickroom, then assumed his identity to run his operation from the clinic. He recruited the town's last doctor and nurse to fry the minds of Ink, Inc.'s owners with heavy-duty drugs and kidnap their daughter, who was on the verge of a breakthrough in synthetic ink that could revitalize the town. When Lemony disrupted this operation, he coolly made his escape, leaving the doctor and nurse holding the bag for the whole thing. He then moved on to destroying the last school and framing the last librarian, forcing the children to transfer to his fake school to be indoctrinated; he kidnapped the daughter of the last school board member in town to ensure her cooperation. Among the indoctrinated kids was the spoiled son of the town's last two cops, who they never believe could possibly do anything wrong, thus giving him control of the law. And when he learned VFD was onto him, he killed one of the two agents in town and framed the other for it. The last piece of the puzzle was the statue, which is actually a sort of flute that emits a sound that controls Bombinating Beasts - oh yes, they're very real, and Armstrong's been raising them - he has one that's almost full grown in a pond behind his fake school. With this creature he plans on initiating the final coup de grace to destroy the town that destroyed the animals he so loved: the massacre of all its children by means of becoming sea serpent chow. And, he gloats, he made sure to commit his crimes only within the jusridiction of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, whose only law enforcers, again, he controls, and no others can touch him. Broken by desperation, Lemony suddenly grabs the statue and blows as hard as her can, and at seemingly impossible speed, arriving from seemingly impossible angles, comes the great beast itself. With a good hard shove, Lemony thus solves his Karma Houdini problem by subjecting Armstrong to the same fate he intended for the kids: the monster was fed to the beast.
The train derails but everyone survives, and the subplots resolve themselves one by one - the school board president's daughter is saved in an Offscreen Moment of Awesome by the actress/fake rich lady from the beginning; Lemony's young friends pledge to use their skills to rebuild the town but, horrified at the cold-blooded way he dealt with Armstrong and putting everyone on the train at risk to do so, cut all ties with him; the cops' son seemingly gets away with his complicity due to his parents still not believing he could do anything wrong, but Lemony notes that with the mastermind gone and VFD now knowing of their existence, he and any other Society stragglers won't last long; Ellington, now basically catatonic after witnessing her father's deception and death, willingly takes the rap for everything (an aside notes that Lemony's sister Kit later got her out of jail); and Lemony himself, after a last "Reason You Suck" Speech to Theodora and the other moronic adults for letting things escalate to that point, strides off to find his own way in the world. There's no happy endings, not here and not now...
Intelligent? Charismatic? Thinks on his feet?
I mean, just look at that fifth paragraph up there. Hangfire has all of Count Olaf's ruthlessness but none of his silliness, and is as terrifying as No Hair and No Beard while remaining much more sympathetic due to his care for the animals and his daughter (not that that stops him from manipulating her, of course). He's got plots within plots and backup plans within backup plans, and indeed would've not just been completely successful in his scheme, but completely innocent in the eyes of the law if not for the protagonist making a last-second decision to seriously compromise his own moral code.
If Armstrong has a weakness, it's the classic sort of tunnel vision particular to supervillains - Lemony tells him, to his face, that in the time it took him to execute his ridiculously circuitous plan, a brilliant ecologist like him could come up with many ways to help restore Stain'd's environment that do not involve mass murder, and he just blows it off. It's up to you if that's an issue.
Bastard? Too much?
I mean, his ultimate goal is to avenge himself on the people that wronged him by feeding their children to a giant sea serpent; I think he's a bastard.
Verdict?
I myself am very much a yes, but I can see logical arguments that his "tunnel vision" is an issue or that his endgame is enough to push him over the "too much of a bastard" line. What say you?
I also dearly wish I could propose Ellington too - I can describe her as a younger Gwen Grayson minus the Spoiled Brat moment that caused her to just barely flunk out in my first-ever EP here, but alas, she's a total puppet of Armstrong, even meeting "Hangfire" multiple times without realizing he's her own father in disguise.
Edited by HamburgerTime on Jan 21st 2022 at 8:27:31 AM
Yes to Furiosa, Chuck, Four Eyes, and Hangfire.
I got one for Runescape lined up for tomorrow I've been really excited for. It's a pseudo crossover where a Complete Monster gets a colossal character shift straight into Anti-Villain territory just from a different finale for the character's story line
Think you're tough because you made it through Lord of the Rings? Real men survive The Silmarillion.
Yep to Hangfire.
Furiosa kills 32.
"I'll show you the Dark Side." CM actors and kills
So I'm going through a series of very obscure JRPGs in the west(but not extremely, it does have enough clout in the west for a cult following) and I think there is a potential MB worth looking into.
However, there is an issue. The events that fully solidify this character as a MB in that series happen in a game that has not been translated yet for western audiences, but it was avalible since 2020 in Japan. If we go only on the four games featuring him that are released in the west, he does somewhat miss the mark despite a strong effort. However, we likely won't get a concrete date when the game solidifying said character's MB credentials is released outside a vague 2023 window, and that is at a minimum. This series is notorious for having a lot of translations planned but not released in the west yet and the 2023 date is not concrete enough for me to really hold back on this since they can always delay it.
The guys on the CM thread, when asked about this regarding another characternote in the same game, told me they will consider this an exception given the circumstances surrounding this series and they can just use the Japanese localization right now but I am not sure if the rule holds here.
It would likely be at least 2 months at minumum before I do my effortposts due to how long this game series is, but how should we handle this?
PM me if you are curious about this specific candidate(the MB, not the other CM candiate but do so as well if you're curious) fwiw.
Edited by xie323 on Jan 21st 2022 at 8:08:41 AM
Abstain on Hangfire, as I'm a bit concerned about his plan. Why is he targeting the children for the actions of their parents, especially since they're children? Also, do you think the Snicket-verse might have other potential qualifiers?
Also, I'd like to propose a couple of videos on Gary Kingsbury from Game Night
- The first one is this one. It might be a bit too long, though I think that everything from the two minute mark onward can be edited out, or up to 1:30 if you want to reduce the length further (though that cuts out the part where he talks about his plan).
- The alternative is the end credits scene. While it is 3 minutes long, the relevant bit starts at 0:14 and ends at 1:25
I personally prefer the second option because it shows Gary's plan in it's entirety, and is also shorter. Which one do you prefer?
Edited by magnumtropus on Jan 21st 2022 at 8:45:40 PM
Lies and Violence!
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
Hangfire. If you're going to post something immediately after a proposal, please don't ignore it.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Think it's fine, go for it.
I prefer the first.
Edited by EmeraldEmperor on Jan 21st 2022 at 8:23:45 AM
Hangfire.
Conditional to Hangfire. I've read each of those books twice, but it's been a while and I can't remember if Stew killed Qwerty (who was already imprisoned and tu of Hangfire's hair, and who is one of my all time favorite characters in the franchise) on Hangifre's direct orders or not. If he did, then I think I'll vote know, if Stew did that himself, then yes to Hangfire.
Also, did anyone see my question abotu whether Mad Max characters the Gyro Captain or Wasteland Elders the Keeper of the Seeds and Papalagallo (or maybe Master, for that matter) count? I'm hoping to rewatch at least one of those movies in the the next week (or month) and it would be nice to know if I should bother considering them through that lens as I rewatch the movies.
Edited by Melinda on Jan 21st 2022 at 8:54:00 AM
Gotta love Jaws!
Why would it matter if he did on his direct orders or not? The EP seems to imply plenty of instances of bastardry, manipulation and charm. Why would that be a dealbreaker?
Edited by jjjj2 on Jan 21st 2022 at 12:09:15 PM
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
Some might make it, but Master is handily second best to Auntie Entity and I'm not sure the Keeper does much with her time beyond be a cool old lady.
- Rosario: Kiria Yoshii is the right-hand Yokai of Hokuto Kaneshiro. Conducting the affairs of their organization, Kiria happily sets up schemes to test Moka and her friends, all to get the cheerful joy of combat and to see what happens next. Merrily bringing Hokuto's plans to fruition, Kiria is later revealed as a mole for Fairy Tale, even manipulating Gyokuro Shuzen in service to his true allegiance: Alucard. Upon Alucard's defeat, unable to forgive humanity and Tsukune, Kiria takes over Fairy Tale to become a great foe to Tsukune and friends later in life.
- Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome: Auntie Entity is the ruler of Bartertown. A harsh ruler trying to forge order from chaos, locked in a struggle with the refinery owner Master. Entity keeps control via the Thunderdome with its gladiator combat and manipulates Max into challenging Master's champion Blaster before killing Blaster herself, usurping Master and exiling Max. Upon Max managing to save her enemies, Auntie Entity decides she respects him too much to kill him and releases him while she heads to rebuild Bartertown.
- Mad Max: Fury Road: Once a ruthless raider and Imperator in service of the monstrous Immortan Joe, Imperator Furiosa risks everything to escape his service and steals his prized wives to hurt her former master and tormentor. Betraying and killing her own War Boys to flee Joe's convoy, Furiosa eludes him with the help of Max to return to her old clan, the Vuvalini and their Green Place. Upon learning the Green Place no longer exists, she and Max opt to instead double back and take Immortan Joe's undefended citadel with Furiosa herself outwitting and killing the tyrant before presenting his corpse to claim control over the Citadel.
- Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 Henry V: Manipulative boy prince Hal begins Henry IV as a wastrel in slums, alongside Sir John Falstaff. Proving his worth by leading an army to crush the Percy rebellion, Hal is able to manipulate the masses into supporting him, only to discard them when they are no longer of use and coldly rejects Falstaff upon claiming the throne. Now King Henry V of England, Henry launches a war against France where he constantly outwits and bests the French, taking Harfleur and later disgusiing himself to learn the mood of his troops before spurring them on to victory with the glorious St. Crispin's Day speech, ending the play the victorious heir of the French throne by right of conquest.
Any further opinions on the videos proposed here?
to Both Videos. Though I am a big Gravity Falls fan ...
Fernando David Páez Contreras
What about the ones I proposed?
I hate spoilers
Didn't you propose two videos? I believe he was referring to them since he mentioned Gravity Falls.
Also, forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I stand by the notion that Azula video should have the audio sync with what's going on in the video. If you can find a version of that scene that syncs up well, I'll give a .
Edited by 227someguy on Jan 21st 2022 at 1:26:25 PM
Everyone look at my sandbox
Furiosa, Chuck, Four-Eyes and Hangfire
Yes to Henry V, Chuck, Four Eyes, Zero Soul (sorry had to) Furiousa and Hangfire.
Edited by Klavice on Jan 22nd 2022 at 2:08:16 AM
Goku Black
hangfire
Lies and Violence!
Iron Fist (2017) is... certainly something. Easily the second worst series from the MCU-
My Brain: The worst.
...What? I don't-
My Brain: The. Worst.
But what about-?
My Brain: There was nothing else!
Wh- oh. Oh. Oh! Yes, right. Easily the worst series in the MCU because there definitely wasn't anything else that could possibly be more garbage, no siree, Iron Fist was canceled after only two seasons — though that may have been less because of quality and more Disney+ stuff. Nonetheless, while its first season is almost universally panned, its second was a surprising improvement. Still not good, mind you, but an improvement. And with this improvement came the problematic but otherwise standout live-action debut of one Typhoid Mary.
Walker
A former special ops soldier, Sergeant Mary Walker's squadron was stationed in Sokovia, and were eventually captured by the country's military. While her fellow soldiers were killed, Walker herself was tortured and raped, with the trauma leading to the manifestation of her Dissociative Identity Disorder in the form of the naive "Mary" and the ruthless "Walker." Not really how DID works, but whatever. Also, Zemo, stop going on extended vacations to kill nazis and get your damn country in order!
One day, Walker found herself somehow free from the Sokovian prison and all the guards dead — she assumed Mary had convinced someone to free her. She was found by the U.S. military and, due to her condition, was medically discharged.
Seeking enough money to buy a cabin in the Arizona desert to get away from Mary (whose triggers are rain and flashing lights), Walker becomes a mercenary in New York. Taking on a job from Davos (a Knight Templar who wants to steal the Iron Fist) and Joy Meachum (a whiny bitch), Walker begins monitoring the titular Thundering Dumbass, Danny Rand, learning his fighting style and daily routine.
...Unfortunately, New York is kind of the worst place to be when trying to avoid strobe lights. During one of her spying sessions she loses control to Mary, who befriends Danny and warns him someone named "Walker" is after him. Davos and Joy are understandably a bit annoyed, but she just threatens them (sword to the throat for the former and a chokehold for the latter) and assures them that everything is under control. She proceeds to ambush Danny at a subway station, using a rope wire to prevent him from using the Fist and a sedative to knock him out. Walker hands him off to Davos to steal the Fist in a torturous ritual, and dumps him bruised and broken on the side of a street to satisfy Joy's grudge.
Unfortunately, that's not the end of the issue. Joy realizes that Davos is kind of crazy, and is convinced by Walker to hire her to assassinate him. Due to shenanigans, Walker runs into Danny and convinces him to let her take him to Davos in exchange for, what else, more money. The ensuing fight is a bit more difficult, seeing as how Davos isn't a thundering dumbass, but they eventually knock him unconscious.
...And it starts raining, leading to Mary running away from an injured Danny and Davos managing to get away. Whoops.
Due to more shenanigans, Mary decides to surrender control to Walker, leaving her a recording thanking her for saving them in Sokovia. This... worries Walker, as, again, she didn't remember how they escaped. She tracks down Joy's brother Ward, agreeing to protect Joy from Davos (she was going to do that anyway — partially for the money, partially because she doesn't like him, partially because why not — but whatever) in exchange for him getting her military file.
Cue the finale! Walker kills Davos' Dragon and waits for him at his lair, sniper rifle at the ready. Danny naturally objects to the murder of his former friend and fights her, eventually breaking a water pipe with Misty Knight's help to change her back into Mary. Davos is depowered and arrested, which Walker takes as good enough to say the job's done when she gets back in control.
She goes to visit Joy... but forgoes the money. You see, what she found in her file said that she indeed was the one to kill the Sokovian soldiers. She has a third personality. A very, very nasty one. So she's probably going to need a lot of help. And Joy's connections will be very helpful to her in the future.
Joy doesn't get a say in this, of course.
Is She Magnificent?
Walker is a brutal, ruthless fighter, and the only character shown to be able to repeatedly circumvent the Iron Fist through guile alone. She usually convinces her employers they need her in the first place, and takes on so many jobs that she's essentially a Wild Card manipulating everyone into getting her closer to whatever her goals happen to be at the moment.
Her biggest issue is, of course, her switching to Mary when doing something important, but she's usually able to pick up the pieces and finish the job later.
Is She a Bastard?
Has absolutely no qualms about working as an assassin, kidnaps Danny to subject him to torture, and not very subtly threatens Joy into continuing to help her after the Davos situation is over. It pales in comparison to most MCU villains, but is still most definitely enough.
Hey what about Inhu- (Dope Slap offscreen)... Alright!
Walker I guess...
Walker
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Check this out
Inhumans (2017 TV Series)
disappears via smokescreen before the produce can be pelted
Edited by magnumtropus on Jan 22nd 2022 at 5:37:42 PM
Goku Black
Typhoid Mary
I like the Azula video. Btw will probably start going through drafts in a few hours.