So, what with it being Halloween and all, I thought I'd spring and do another post. Perhaps this won't be long, but I'd love to see it generate some discussion the same way the last post did (you guys are great). Anyway, I am going to make a compilation of the villainous characters in the few fandoms I like that me and my brother charmingly refer to as "Butts" (the height of all insults, I'm sure). These aren't just well designed villain characters (like Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls or Ghirahim from Skyward Sword) these are characters that stab the the characters I care about and then twist the knife in the wound. These are the absolutely disturbing characters that attack on the personal level. So, let's check them out. Be warned, spoilers will follow!
Ok, this first one should be SUPER obvious. In order for a villain to obtain "Butt" status they must do two things. First, they must attack the characters we care about on a personal level. This is why Bill and Ghirahim are excluded from my list. The second is that their attacks on the characters need to be effective, as in they need long term consequences (which is why Zemo and Loki are excluded). Drago preeeeeeeeeetty clearly fits these two requirements. He attacks Hiccup on an extremely personal level. He uses Hiccup's best friend in an attempt to shatter everything that the young viking believes about himself and the world around him. He turns Hiccup's greatest protector into a weapon of death. He does everything in his power not just to kill Hiccup, but to destroy him from the inside out. He tries to shatter everything the young man stands for. This is why he allows Hiccup to live even when his initial attempt to kill him fails. He's happy to watch Hiccup suffer the unimaginable grief and trauma of losing his father to the flames of his best friend. To that end, Drago also accomplishes the second requirement. He leaves Hiccup with permanent damage and is responsible for the death of one of the most lovable characters in the HTTYD story. Drago is, pretty much without any competition, the villain I despise the most.
The above characters are all from the game Fire Emblem: Fates. I really, really enjoyed this game's style and storyline, but it was also obviously a story full of really horrid villains. This section will probably contain MAJOR SPOILERS. Seriously, MAJOR SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU WILL EVER PLAY THESE GAMES. Anyway, that being said, the characters above, listed from top to bottom: Hans, Iago, Garon, and Anankos. I'll very briefly describe them.
Hans. He's a murder who was released from prison and given position as a general in the Norian army by king Garon (that bearded old guy). He's an appealing character with extreme bloodlust. Depending on how you play the game, he either follows behind you as you fight for the Norian army or he attacks your forces and kills a small dragon who the main character deeply cared for. If he follows your army, he goes behind every battle that you undertake, and he slaughters all the prisons you capture. No matter how careful you are to be merciful and kind, he makes every conquest you take a blood bath.
Iago. He is a sorcerer and the second in command of King Garon's army. He tried to make the main character of the game's (Corrin) life as absolutely difficult as possible. He constantly tries to reveal the fact that you are not loyal to king Garon. He even tricks a really wonderful character into believing that Corrin has killed that characters younger sister... which leads to a duel to the death between that (really likable and awesome) character and Corrin. In other words, this guy intentionally tries to turn the people Corrin loves the most against him.
King Garon. He was once a great man, but of late he seems to have gone mad. However, his presence as king is so terrifying that no one dares challenge his rule. He killed Corrin's father and stole kidnapped the young Corrin immediately afterwards. He is set on expanding his kingdom at any cost, and he sets a trap that uses Corrin himself as bait to kill Corrin's birth mother. In other words, this fiend raises Corrin as his adopted son after killing his true father only in order to use him to kill the queen who is Corrin's mother. Complicated, twisted, and just super messed up. He has no compassion for anyone, including his own children who are fiercely loyal to him. If any of them are killed, he remarks that they were only pawns in his great schemes.
The Silent Dragon Anankos. This is the real "Butt" behind all the problems in Fire Emblem fates. This once kind dragon lost his mind long ago. He has annihilated an entire kingdom that he feels betrayed him, and now hides himself away there. From his hidden palace, he writhes in madness and agony, forgotten by the humans he used to be so kind to. His goal now is to wipe the world clean of them, and he has god-like powers that he uses to accomplish this goal. He is the one responsible for King Garon's madness, and he has consumed the man's soul in the process. He also brings back fallen warriors from the dead to serve him as an army of soulless warriors. These people have the same personality as they used to, but they are convinced serving Anankos is their true purpose. Because of this he will eventually start killing off Corrin's friends and then using them as pawns in an attempt to snuff out the young prince. Though his story is somewhat sad because he was once a beautiful being, he is far from any sort of redemption by the time Corrin encounters him.
Moving out of Fire Emblem, we meet the next "Butt". This is the Joker from the incredibly well done Dark Knight movie. He is completely insane, in an unnerving and almost sickening manner. He follows no plans, he simply wants to watch the world burn. However, he is very clever in his means of hurting Bruce Wayne. He intentionally forces Batman to chose between a politician who is Gotham's only hope for justice and the woman Batman has loved from his youth, Rachel. Then, when Rachel is killed by his trap, he uses this tragedy to drag the politician, Harvey Dent, that Batman saved into madness. He literally corrupts the one "white knight" of Gotham, and he does so for no reason other than to prove a point. Madness and anarchy always win.
Isn't she horrid? The is Dolores Umbridge, a character from the Harry Potter books and films. I've only ever seen the movies, but in them she is a complete monster. Though she doesn't cause any truly lasting damage (that I can recall) the duration of her tyrannical rule over the children certainly makes the effects seem permanent. She is a controlling, cruel woman. She turns Hogwarts from a place of joy to a place of fear and conformity. She also spends a great deal of effort trying to silence the truth that Voldemort has returned. All in all, she definitely succeeds in provoking the ire of most anyone who watches her parading around in her little pink dress and ruining the lives of pretty much anyone she comes into contact with.
So, that's my current list! What about you guys? Do you have any characters that just get under your skin? The kinds of characters that make you desperately want to see them get comeuppance? If so, feel free to share in the comments. Hope you guys have a great fall! Perhaps I'll be able to post some art sometime soon...
No comments:
Post a Comment