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
No worries, Star, I got it either way 
... Just about done with the drafts but for the video I believe that's got a specialized thread for requests and I'm not sure what page the last entry is to go on, so if I may ask for a quick hand!
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Edit: Also a yes there and great job rounding these out buddy!
Edited by 43110 on May 28th 2022 at 12:48:04 PM
That's a clear ![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
to Elizabeth. Happy to agree to her keeping. Unexpected, but pleasant surprise.
I know there's doubt about whether Will would make it too, but I think it's still a convo worth having. How in depth that convo ends up being is still to be determined.
Edited by futuremoviewriter on May 29th 2022 at 12:01:09 PM
So, having watched a few more episodes of Psych, there's a pair of candidates who I feel like contesting.
- "This Episode Sucks" & "Let's Doo-Wop It Again": Marlowe Viccellio is Adrian's sister, who is helping him acquire the blood needed for his survival. In her first appearance, she approaches Lassiter with the intention of drugging him and draining his blood, but backs out after falling for him. She also helps her brother break into a blood bank to get the blood he needs, and tries to warn Lassiter when he might be in danger. She later re-appears when the Psych gang needs information from an inmate in the same facility as her, she figures that she needs to do "something big" to get near said inmate, namely punching Lassiter in the face and yelling as she is dragged away.
I said before that I haven't seen the other episode to decide whether or not Marlow is a cut or not. Now that I have? Marlowe just doesn't come off as too impressive, especially compared to the other candidates. Her brother (who I previously got cut because he had a habit of not thinking things through) did most of the actual scheming in "This Episode Sucks", Marlowe just going along with it. The closest thing to scheming on her own she did was seducing Lassiter, which she bails on in mere minutes because she grows genuine affection for him.
Her idea to punch Lassiter in the face to get close to an inmate was fairly clever, but compared to the schemes of all the other candidates we have, including getting jailed to falsify an alibi for a worse crime, hiding murder victims within walls for years, staging impossible heists by making deals with the "victims", creating a fabricated security comoany for the purpose of pulling off a perfect assassination? Hell, Jann, who similarly decided to bail from the plan of the episode's antagonist, still played a more active role in the scheming, including fabricating an entire identity, than Marlowe does. Marlowe just doesn't stack up enough. I firmly move to cut her.
Now a candidate that I'm simply unsure on.
- "Autopsy Turvy": Grace Larsen is a former classmate and ex-lover of Woody, who found herself stuck as a mortician after graduating. Wanting Woody's job as the SBPD's coroner, she tampers with a body to make it look like he messed up the report and gets Chief Vick to let her in on the re-investigation. When murder enthusiast Whip Chatterley finds out what she is planning, she almost successfully sets up to take the fall for her crime. Despite her history with Woody and being willing to taint his reputation to further her career, she manages to maintain a professional and amicable air between the two of them as she "helps" investigate what happened to the victim during the last hours of his life.
The problem I have with Grace is that at the end of the day? Her motivation is fundamentally petty. She was jealous that Woody, who she calls a teacher's pet during her Motive Rant, succesfully obtained a coroner's job while all she got was essentially putting makeup on corpses for funerals. She explicitly says how she was hoping for 25 years that somebody would validate her by saying she was as brilliant as Woody. Granted, she mentions how she's been trying and failing to get a coroner's job for years, so it's not like murder was her first instinct. But her actions are primarily driven by how a colleague got a better job than her, which comes off as a bit too petty for me. Still, open to further discussion with magnumtropus about this.
Elizabeth
Cut Marlowe
Will wait for other commenters in Grace
Sure to Elizabeth. Just feels weird to have her and not Will, when Will is far more active and honestly displayed more smarts.
Leaning towards cut for Marlowe. I'm no expert on Psych tho.
Fair points against Marlowe. I was relatively sure of her as a candidate when I first proposed her, but I have since become doubtful. In addition to what Awesome Kid said about her role in "This Episode Sucks", her one "bastardly" action in "Let's Do Wop It Again" has consequences which are very tame in retrospect. Meanwhile, other candidates have (or intended to have) body counts, or intended to fleece someone. Compounding that, her future appearances (Cirque Du Soul, SEIZE The Day, Deez Nups, Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up, Lassie Come Home) don't really portray her as either morally ambiguous or a schemer, unlike someone like Despereaux who is always up to something in all of his appearances.
As for Grace, I did bring up envy as a potential mitigating issue in the EP, with said factor being the main reason for me holding off on her. One troper also brought up concerns that her motive might be too petty, but it wasn't enough to swing the vote.
Edited by magnumtropus on May 29th 2022 at 12:05:00 PM
Self-Declared King of Everything
If Lex Luthor is any indication, an MB can still be somewhat petty if they do it stylishly enough. Cut Marlowe, keep Grace.
Check out my current fanfiction project.
Pettiness on its own isn't immediately disqualifying, if it's balanced out by other more charming pragmatic acts. But if the pettiness came from the motive, then that defines a large part of their villainy and will be a black stain that's very hard to work around.
Showtime!
King Elizabeth.
This needs a more in-depth discussion than “Luther can be petty: keep!” Lex has decades and countless feats of manipulation to offset occasional pettiness. If the whole tone is off for a one episode character I’m saying cut there. Definitely cut the other.
Elizabeth.
I abstained on Grace, cause I was concerned about pettiness, but I'm moving to firmly cut now given it's her entire motivation.
I'm concerned about cutting Marlowe. We have lots of Buffy candidates who are "less" cunning planning wise then others yet they still keep, but they're still competent and come out on top. Now I did abstain on some of those, but I'm not comfortable cutting Marlowe for being "less" cunning, although if we're cutting her for ending up in prison and being "less" cunninng I think I might see it.
Just for clarification I know Buffy and Psych, I'm pointing out the situations seem similar.
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
"Cool. Coolcoolcool."
Cut Grace and Marlowe.
future and Snowy: Look if someone wants to do Will be my guest. He could very well count. I have very little interest in doing it myself right now after doing Elizabeth which required a lot of rewatching four very long movies.
Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
Unofficial Wiki Curator for Complete Monster
FYI: I potholed the Pirates entries at Magnificent Bastard Disney, though someone may wanna make sure none of the character pages are duplicated in other entries.
They're not at the YMMV pages either for whatever reason.
Also, if I can avoid being a Ridiculous Procrastinator, I should have an EP tomorrow.
CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts
I'm behind there ACW, I'll get to it. Thanks for the potholes.
I hate spoilers
I'm here to say that Characters.One Piece Sir Crocodile is now a page.
Everyone look at my sandbox
I added a placeholder for Elizabeth. Do we maybe want to give the movies their own folder as we now have six keepers and counting?
Also, rather than potholing the third movie in the entry for Tia Dalma, we want to start her entry with "Dead Man's Chest & At World's End" same as we did over on CM for Beckett?
Here's the current:
- Dead Man's Chest: Tia Dalma, once known as Calypso, Goddess of the Sea bound in human form by the Brethren Court, eventually took up being a sea witch. Developing feelings for Davy Jones, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, Calypso charged him with transporting the dead to the afterlife, but ended up neglecting their one night together, leading to Jones abandoning his duties and cursing himself and his crew. When Jack is targeted by Jones for his debt, Tia advises Jack in how to fend off and how to potentially control Jones with his heart. After Jack is trapped in Davy Jones' Locker and the East India Trading Company begin their genocide of pirates, Tia sees this as an opportunity to finally be unbound from human form by uniting the Brethren Court once more. Resurrecting Barbossa to serve as a guide, they succeed in bringing Jack back to the living world. Intending to turn on the pirates and seducing Jones once more, Tia learns of Jones' betrayal, enraging her so much that shortly after she's released, she summons a giant maelstrom on both the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman, only relenting once Jones finally meets his demise.
Here's what I'm suggesting:
- Dead Man's Chest & At World's End: Tia Dalma, once known as Calypso, Goddess of the Sea bound in human form by the Brethren Court, eventually took up being a sea witch. Developing feelings for Davy Jones, Captain of the Flying Dutchman, Calypso charged him with transporting the dead to the afterlife, but ended up neglecting their one night together, leading to Jones abandoning his duties and cursing himself and his crew. When Jack is targeted by Jones for his debt, Tia advises Jack in how to fend off and how to potentially control Jones with his heart. After Jack is trapped in Davy Jones' Locker and the East India Trading Company begin their genocide of pirates, Tia sees this as an opportunity to finally be unbound from human form by uniting the Brethren Court once more. Resurrecting Barbossa to serve as a guide, they succeed in bringing Jack back to the living world. Intending to turn on the pirates and seducing Jones once more, Tia learns of Jones' betrayal, enraging her so much that shortly after she's released, she summons a giant maelstrom on both the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman, only relenting once Jones finally meets his demise.
For the remaining three, Will between Barbossa and Elizabeth and Gibbs and Annamarie between Elizabeth and Tia.
Also, I added my header to the Fillmore! tree since that show has three and counting:
"When it comes to the "crimes" committed at X Middle School and those the Safety Patrol has faced in the process, these impressive and ingenious perpetrators are "on it!""
Edited by futuremoviewriter on May 29th 2022 at 10:54:37 AM
@Bull, oh sorry I wasn't pushing you to do Wil or anything, was just a passing remark. Personally I don't really feel like doing Will for the time being, got other more pressing things first. If someone else wants to do him now, then they're more than welcome to. If not, Will can wait for the time being.
@jjjj
How well a candidate compares to other MBs is still part of the criteria. An MB can be less cunning than another sure, but when it's to the point where nothing the candidate does stands out, like it does for Marlowe, that's a problem.
@227someguy
Alright, we'll relink the pothole to Luffy's mom's Crocodile's page.
Edited by Awesomekid42 on May 29th 2022 at 1:42:15 PM
Emperor Georgie Artémis Enkoom Evulz II
Aye to Elizabeth.
@43110 La République des imberbes goes to the Literature page since it's a 1985 French-written Comorian novel.
Edited by GeorgieEnkoom on May 29th 2022 at 7:50:55 PM
J’m’arrête pas tant qu’j’vois pas des lignes sur les moniteurs (Not stoppin 'til I see Flatlines)
to Xia and Elizabeth. I'll abstain on the Psych candidates for now as I don't remember the episodes very well.
Out of curiosity was Elden Ring ever discussed here? I can't find any discussion or reservations looking through the thread. The game had a ton of keepers over on the CM thread which is why I'm wondering if it was ever talked about here. Personally I have two characters in mind who might fit the bill for this trope, but obviously if someone else wanted to do the game first I'll step aside.
Yes that's what I was getting at, since she ends up in prison and is still not standing out against others. I do feel like we've approved people who are lower in their cunning but since they never go up against someone in higher cunning weight class and end up on top it's not a problem. If it were merely a matter of her not standing out, I'd be more tentative on cutting her.
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
The wifi here sucks
Here's Flyn's altered write up
Old
- Magnificent Bastard: Billy Flynn is Velma Kelly's greedy, smooth-talking lawyer. After learning of Roxie Hart's incarceration and seeking to earn more money, Flynn decides to become her lawyer as well. Over the span of several weeks, Flynn teaches Roxie how to earn sympathy from the public whilst also manipulating multiple reporters into thinking she killed her victim in self-defense. During Roxie's trial, Flynn cajoles Roxie's husband, Amos, into forgiving Roxie and accuses a district attorney of tampering with evidence incriminating Roxie—evidence Flynn fabricated himself. Due to Flynn's conniving words, Roxie is declared not guilty, and Flynn walks away having won another case.
New
- Magnificent Bastard: Billy Flynn is Velma Kelly's greedy, smooth-talking lawyer. After learning of Roxie Hart's incarceration and seeking to earn more money, Flynn decides to become her lawyer as well. Over the span of several weeks, Flynn teaches Roxie how to earn sympathy from the public whilst also manipulating multiple reporters into thinking she killed her victim in self-defense. During Roxie's trial, Flynn cajoles Roxie's husband, Amos, into forgiving Roxie, making her more sympathetic to the jury. In the film, Billy accuses a district attorney of tampering with evidence incriminating Roxie—evidence Flynn fabricated himself, while also using the evidence to get Velma acquitted. Due to Flynn's conniving words, Roxie is declared not guilty, and Flynn walks away having won another case.
Yes t oNovak, Huascar, Xia, and Arlon.
Now my next Pirates candidate.
Who is Elizabeth Swann?
The daughter of Weatherby Swann, the Governor of Port Royal, Elizabeth Swann was interested in Pirates from a young age and helped save Will Turner from drowning when she was eleven, hiding his Pirate medallion to keep him safe from her father's men. After being saved by Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl attacking Port Royal, Elizabeth talks her way on the ship with the pirates code about "Parley". Managing to tricking Barbossa into thinking that she was the child of " Bootstrap" Bill Turner. Elizabeth manages to convince Barbossa to leave Port Royal but is taken prisoner. Marooned on an island with Jack, Elizabeth manages to signal the Navy by using all the rum on the island to light a signal fire and convinces James Norrington to try to save Will by agreeing to marry him. Escaping the room that the Navy has locked her in, Elizabeth joins the fight against Baarbossa's men, helping to blow up three at once and later helps Jack escape execution by pretending to faint again.
When her and Will are held prisoner by Lord Cutler Beckett, Elizabeth escapes her father's failed rescue attempt before forcing him to sign and stamp the pardon papers to give to Will. Stooling away on a cargo ship and faking a haunting in order to get to Tortuga, Elizabeth agrees to help Jack find Davy Jones' chest in the hopes of freeing Will from the Flying Dutchmen. Later when the Kraken is attacking the Pearl, Elizabeth kisses Jack in order to handcuff him to the ship and leave him for a fate worse then death by being taken to Davy Jones' locker, which causes Jack to christen her a "Pirate". Wracked with guilt Elizabeth agrees to the plan to save Jack from the Locker, even at one point helping Barbossa to try and negotiate with Sao Feng while also attempting to bring in several hidden weapons. After Jack is saved from the Locker and she is mistaken for Calypso, she agrees to hand herself over to Sao Feng in exchange for his help, only to be made captain when a sneak attack kills Sao Fang.
Escaping from the Flying Dutchman with the help of Norrington, Elizabeth is made the Pirate King by Jack and in exchange for Will she offers up Jack, knowing both Jones and Beckett both want him more then Will. After Calypso betrays them, Elizabeth manages to get the crew out of their stupor and be ready for battle, even convincing to Barbossa to take them helm in a dangerous storm and marry her and Will, who is eventually slain in battle. After successfully leading both the Pearl and the Dutchman, now captained by Will, in defeating Beckett, Elizabeth settles down at a lighthouse and raises her and Will's son Henry, before being reunited with Will when Henry breaks the curse years later.
Smart? Charming? Bitch? Too much?
Okay Elizabeth is not a master planner like Barbossa but she is damn good at thinking on her feet. When the Pearl attacks her home, she quickly comes up with a way to get on the ship to bargain with Barbossa. Her and Jack are stuck on an island and she figures out a way to signal the Navy. She is imprisoned by Beckett, she uses her father's attempted rescue of her to get to him and eventually conning a crew into taking her where she needs to go. She is also one of the few characters in the series to actually outsmart Jack, trapping him to be left for dead. She also proves to be a natural born leader able to inspire even Barbossa out of his funk.
Now the bitch part is tricky. In the first film and much of the second on she is mostly a moral good guy. However, she eventually proves to be willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving everyone else. She traps Jack and leaves him to the Kraken and be dragged down to a fate worse than death in the Locker. As an added bonus she even willingly hands Jack over to Beckett and Jones in exchange for Will despite knowing that Jones plans to force Jack to be part of his crew for hundreds of years.
Conclusion?
I feel that leaving Jack to a Fate Worse than Death is enough to push her into bastard territory and am leaning yes.
Edited by Bullman on May 28th 2022 at 11:46:41 AM
Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread