Best villain defeats
Posted: 2019-12-08 03:26am
We all love it when the villain gets defeated. Most of the times it's because they're so utterly disgusting and loathsome that watching their downfall is cathartic. Sometimes it's because they with style, dignity or even manage to evoke a bit of pity as they die. Either way we all have those moments. So what are yours.
Here are mine.
Cathartic:
1.) Nicol Bolas (MtG): Nicol Bolas was probably the closest thing Magic has to a big bad in recent years and he was a pretty evil one. Smug, Cruel, and Ruthless Nicol was the guy you loved to hate. For 25,000 years he's caused chaos destruction and death throughout the multiverse, and even death is unable to stop him in the long run. Fortunately in War of the Spark karma finally does catch up to him, mostly because a.) Nicol failed to realize his own weapons could be turned against him b.) the general he press-ganged into serving him had gained enough of a conscience that she was willing to die rather than serve him AND inspire someone else to die for her and c.) thanks to the manipulations of his brother (don't ask) the aforementioned general gets the opening to drain him of his godlike powers. THEN his brother successfully takes his now powerless form to his meditation realm and seals it off. And to make sure he stays that way his brother will watch over him until he dies in a few thousand years. And because he's been stripped of his names the once great tyrant is now the thing he hates most. An Ant.
2.) Ben Lockwood (Supergirl): Lockwood was the main antagonist for season 4.....until you learn he's a pawn for Lex Luthor. Lockwood's a great example of radicalization. He starts out as an open minded guy, but evolves into a monster due to various misfortunes, a lot of which are self inflicted (his father's business goes under because he refuses to modernize, Lockwood himself is fired because he keeps spouting bigoted rhetoric in class). He becomes a racist terrorist, using his public persona to spread bigotry against aliens while engaging in murderous terrorism as Agent Liberty. Even after that gets exposed he's able to continue....but then at around the three quarter mark things fall apart. In retaliation for his policies an alien murders his wife, his son (who's already starting to have doubts) looses all respect when his dad prioritizes his crusade over attending his own wife's funeral, he's repeatedly outwitted by Supergirl and her friends, he learns that everything he did was basically to serve Lex Luthor's scheme for world domination (demolishing any righteous pretensions he had), he's stripped of his superpowers (it's complicated) and the icing on the cake? He gets to watch from prison as his son sets about to undo his hateful work. In the end Lockwood's lost everything that truly mattered to him due to his own poisonous actions. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
3.) Muruta Azrael (Gundam Seed): Technically Seed has THREE Big Bads, but Azrael stands out as the least sympathetic, least likable and the one with the most suffering caused. Even leaving aside his monstrous crimes and genocidal goals he's smug, sexist, rude and an all around asshole. And when things fall apart he releases his inner psycho to the point where Natarle Badgerieul (who was always kinda ambiguous) finally stands up to him, locking him in the bridge as the crew flees even as he repeatedly shoots her. Azrael tries to sink the Archangel with a final attack ranting "I can still win....I always win."....but then that fails when one of the heroes blocks the attack. Azrael stammers in shock and Natarle simply tells him "Looks like you loose". An enraged Azrael shoots her even more, but at this point the Archangel fires back, which consumes Natarle and a screaming Azrael.
4.) Prophet of Truth (Halo): Truth was the big bad of the first three halo games and the one responsible for the genocidal war that nearly exterminated humanity, all to avoid loosing his power. And he's not just satisfied with large scale cruelty oh no. He gets personal. After coldly executing Miranda Keyes he mocks the grieving Sergeant Johnson, telling him "You're forefathers wisely set aside their compassion. Steeled themselves for what needed to be done. But you are weak and Gods must be strong" before forcing him to activate the countdown to potentially kill all life in the galaxy. Fortunately the heroes are able to stop him just in time, with the Gravemind assimilating him into himself (painfully) and being forced to watch as Master Chief shuts down the weapons. But even this is not enough, and Truth continues to rant about how he is the voice of the Covenant. And so the other hero, the Arbiter gives a great one liner and impales him through the back, ending the mad tyrant's quest for power.
5.) Emma and Sophia (Worm): Worm is a story about superheroes and despite being dark it's ironically two of the very human villains who are the most disgusting. Emma and Sophia are two of the three tormenters Taylor endures, with Emma handling emotional attacks (using knowledge gained from her former friendship with Taylor) and Sophia being the violent brute. And Emma really utilizes her knowledge to twist the knife, with her and Sophia's antics ultimately causing Taylor to trigger. And since Emma's daddy is a lawyer and Sophia is in the local superhero group they scoot off....for a while. In Sophia's case Taylor's ally Regent seizes control of her for a mission...and after that's done uses his powers to force Sophia to destroy her own life (including sending texts of ALL the bullying she and Emma had been doing to the cops.) Emma meanwhile returns to town to find that Taylor (who has faced down a band of super powered slasher villains and a bond villain) no longer cares and manages to avoid the baiting. And thanks to Regent's earlier actions Emma's bullying is exposed to the point where she's finally given a real punishment. And then BOTH girls learn that the girl they've been bullying is now the de facto ruler of the city and could have crushed them at any point since January. Emma completely shuts down, Sophia tries to rationalize....but is ultimately forced to accept that no matter what she will never be as good as Taylor. Even if she lives to be 100 she'll be forever chasing a ghost, stuck with the knowledge that the victim will always be their superior.
6.) New Earth Lex Luthor (DC): One of the advantages of the 2011 reboot was that Superman and Lex were able to have an ACTUAL final battle, and fortunately they delivered magnificently in Action 900: Lex gains the power of a god, and decides to torment Superman, convinced more than ever that Superman is an alien who can't feel. So he tries to force Superman to relive his worst memories, certain that it's some grandiose tragedy....instead it's the death of Superman's father Jonathan. More galling is that he finally gets proof that YES Superman really IS Clark Kent. To Lex Luthor (who's father was an abusive drunk who Lex ended up killing in part to escape the abuse) that Superman had a father worth mourning and an ideal life as Clark is intolerable and he goes APESHIT. When he manages to create universal bliss (long story) he's told that the only way to maintain it is to let go of his hatred of Superman. If he uses it for ANYTHING evil he will loose the power. Sadly Lex can't let go and tries to kill Superman. As he does so his power leaves him, stripping him of everything that matters, even his memory. Then despite Superman's experts Lex ultimately falls into a rift and vanishes. And since this was technically Lex's final appearance for the reboot this time his defeat really did stick. It managed to be satisfying in that after YEARS of evil Lex finally faces permanent punishment, but sad in that it shows what could have been if he had truly used his gifts for the good of mankind.
Sympathetic
1.) Shinobu Sensui (YuYuHakasho): Sensui was basically Yusuke's evil predecessor, but broke when confronted with the fact that the world is FAR more complicated and that humans can be as bad as the demons. After being invincible for most of the arc he finally falls when Yusuke gets a powerup from his hitherto unmentioned demon ancestor, but as it turns out this is what Sensui wanted. See, for years he had slaughtered demons left and right on the grounds they were evil. When confronted with the fact that humans could be evil, he wondered if maybe the demons he killed weren't all evil. That made him realize the horror he had caused and resolve to cross over, both to gain an understanding and to die at the hands of one of the creatures he had wrongly murdered. The "giving earth to demons" was just a side bonus. In the end Shinobu dies with a quiet dignity, accepting his fate.
2.) Thanos (Avengers Endgame): Kinda like Sensui in that even as he dies he accepts the end gracefully, refusing to beg or plead or scream in rage that this can't be happening. For all that he was a genocidal tyrant and monster, he refused to surrender his dignity.
3.) Doctor Doom (Secret Wars 2015): I know it's not the end of Doom's story but quite frankly this miniseries was the closest the Fantastic 4 ever got to a grand finale. Doom had managed to kill the creatures who obliterated the multiverse and gain their powers.....but also realized that a.) he didn't have what it took to rebuild everything and b.) Reed Richards did. So he spends 8 years trying to rule over what little's left and in a rather pathetic act even rewrites reality so that Reed's family is HIS family. However Reed survives and against all odds makes it to the source of Doom's power, Molecule Man. And since Miles Morales had managed to strike up a rapport, the guy decides to give Reed a fighting chance, forcing Doom and Reed to fight as equals. What follows is a BRILLIANT fight where Doom and Reed argue philosophy while Reed himself perfectly sums up WHY Doom is a failure as a human being; how for all his good his flaws undo him. Doom angrily accuses him of thinking he's better than Doom, specifically in THIS moment. Reed admits it, and than presses Doom to say he knows it too. Shockingly, Doom agrees, which prompts Owen Mercer (Molecule Man) to give REED the power. Battleworld is destroyed and the Family goes off to restore the multiverse after healing Earth 616....however Reed, in a final act of reconciliation, heals Doom's scared face and erases the memories of Doom's evil, allowing him to have a second chance as a hero.
Now of course Marvel's probably going to undo it but for what it is it's a FANTASTIC ending for Doom's storyline. The villain finally lets go of the arrogance and rage that held him back and decides to truly use his talents for good rather than his own aggrandizement.
Here are mine.
Cathartic:
1.) Nicol Bolas (MtG): Nicol Bolas was probably the closest thing Magic has to a big bad in recent years and he was a pretty evil one. Smug, Cruel, and Ruthless Nicol was the guy you loved to hate. For 25,000 years he's caused chaos destruction and death throughout the multiverse, and even death is unable to stop him in the long run. Fortunately in War of the Spark karma finally does catch up to him, mostly because a.) Nicol failed to realize his own weapons could be turned against him b.) the general he press-ganged into serving him had gained enough of a conscience that she was willing to die rather than serve him AND inspire someone else to die for her and c.) thanks to the manipulations of his brother (don't ask) the aforementioned general gets the opening to drain him of his godlike powers. THEN his brother successfully takes his now powerless form to his meditation realm and seals it off. And to make sure he stays that way his brother will watch over him until he dies in a few thousand years. And because he's been stripped of his names the once great tyrant is now the thing he hates most. An Ant.
2.) Ben Lockwood (Supergirl): Lockwood was the main antagonist for season 4.....until you learn he's a pawn for Lex Luthor. Lockwood's a great example of radicalization. He starts out as an open minded guy, but evolves into a monster due to various misfortunes, a lot of which are self inflicted (his father's business goes under because he refuses to modernize, Lockwood himself is fired because he keeps spouting bigoted rhetoric in class). He becomes a racist terrorist, using his public persona to spread bigotry against aliens while engaging in murderous terrorism as Agent Liberty. Even after that gets exposed he's able to continue....but then at around the three quarter mark things fall apart. In retaliation for his policies an alien murders his wife, his son (who's already starting to have doubts) looses all respect when his dad prioritizes his crusade over attending his own wife's funeral, he's repeatedly outwitted by Supergirl and her friends, he learns that everything he did was basically to serve Lex Luthor's scheme for world domination (demolishing any righteous pretensions he had), he's stripped of his superpowers (it's complicated) and the icing on the cake? He gets to watch from prison as his son sets about to undo his hateful work. In the end Lockwood's lost everything that truly mattered to him due to his own poisonous actions. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
3.) Muruta Azrael (Gundam Seed): Technically Seed has THREE Big Bads, but Azrael stands out as the least sympathetic, least likable and the one with the most suffering caused. Even leaving aside his monstrous crimes and genocidal goals he's smug, sexist, rude and an all around asshole. And when things fall apart he releases his inner psycho to the point where Natarle Badgerieul (who was always kinda ambiguous) finally stands up to him, locking him in the bridge as the crew flees even as he repeatedly shoots her. Azrael tries to sink the Archangel with a final attack ranting "I can still win....I always win."....but then that fails when one of the heroes blocks the attack. Azrael stammers in shock and Natarle simply tells him "Looks like you loose". An enraged Azrael shoots her even more, but at this point the Archangel fires back, which consumes Natarle and a screaming Azrael.
4.) Prophet of Truth (Halo): Truth was the big bad of the first three halo games and the one responsible for the genocidal war that nearly exterminated humanity, all to avoid loosing his power. And he's not just satisfied with large scale cruelty oh no. He gets personal. After coldly executing Miranda Keyes he mocks the grieving Sergeant Johnson, telling him "You're forefathers wisely set aside their compassion. Steeled themselves for what needed to be done. But you are weak and Gods must be strong" before forcing him to activate the countdown to potentially kill all life in the galaxy. Fortunately the heroes are able to stop him just in time, with the Gravemind assimilating him into himself (painfully) and being forced to watch as Master Chief shuts down the weapons. But even this is not enough, and Truth continues to rant about how he is the voice of the Covenant. And so the other hero, the Arbiter gives a great one liner and impales him through the back, ending the mad tyrant's quest for power.
5.) Emma and Sophia (Worm): Worm is a story about superheroes and despite being dark it's ironically two of the very human villains who are the most disgusting. Emma and Sophia are two of the three tormenters Taylor endures, with Emma handling emotional attacks (using knowledge gained from her former friendship with Taylor) and Sophia being the violent brute. And Emma really utilizes her knowledge to twist the knife, with her and Sophia's antics ultimately causing Taylor to trigger. And since Emma's daddy is a lawyer and Sophia is in the local superhero group they scoot off....for a while. In Sophia's case Taylor's ally Regent seizes control of her for a mission...and after that's done uses his powers to force Sophia to destroy her own life (including sending texts of ALL the bullying she and Emma had been doing to the cops.) Emma meanwhile returns to town to find that Taylor (who has faced down a band of super powered slasher villains and a bond villain) no longer cares and manages to avoid the baiting. And thanks to Regent's earlier actions Emma's bullying is exposed to the point where she's finally given a real punishment. And then BOTH girls learn that the girl they've been bullying is now the de facto ruler of the city and could have crushed them at any point since January. Emma completely shuts down, Sophia tries to rationalize....but is ultimately forced to accept that no matter what she will never be as good as Taylor. Even if she lives to be 100 she'll be forever chasing a ghost, stuck with the knowledge that the victim will always be their superior.
6.) New Earth Lex Luthor (DC): One of the advantages of the 2011 reboot was that Superman and Lex were able to have an ACTUAL final battle, and fortunately they delivered magnificently in Action 900: Lex gains the power of a god, and decides to torment Superman, convinced more than ever that Superman is an alien who can't feel. So he tries to force Superman to relive his worst memories, certain that it's some grandiose tragedy....instead it's the death of Superman's father Jonathan. More galling is that he finally gets proof that YES Superman really IS Clark Kent. To Lex Luthor (who's father was an abusive drunk who Lex ended up killing in part to escape the abuse) that Superman had a father worth mourning and an ideal life as Clark is intolerable and he goes APESHIT. When he manages to create universal bliss (long story) he's told that the only way to maintain it is to let go of his hatred of Superman. If he uses it for ANYTHING evil he will loose the power. Sadly Lex can't let go and tries to kill Superman. As he does so his power leaves him, stripping him of everything that matters, even his memory. Then despite Superman's experts Lex ultimately falls into a rift and vanishes. And since this was technically Lex's final appearance for the reboot this time his defeat really did stick. It managed to be satisfying in that after YEARS of evil Lex finally faces permanent punishment, but sad in that it shows what could have been if he had truly used his gifts for the good of mankind.
Sympathetic
1.) Shinobu Sensui (YuYuHakasho): Sensui was basically Yusuke's evil predecessor, but broke when confronted with the fact that the world is FAR more complicated and that humans can be as bad as the demons. After being invincible for most of the arc he finally falls when Yusuke gets a powerup from his hitherto unmentioned demon ancestor, but as it turns out this is what Sensui wanted. See, for years he had slaughtered demons left and right on the grounds they were evil. When confronted with the fact that humans could be evil, he wondered if maybe the demons he killed weren't all evil. That made him realize the horror he had caused and resolve to cross over, both to gain an understanding and to die at the hands of one of the creatures he had wrongly murdered. The "giving earth to demons" was just a side bonus. In the end Shinobu dies with a quiet dignity, accepting his fate.
2.) Thanos (Avengers Endgame): Kinda like Sensui in that even as he dies he accepts the end gracefully, refusing to beg or plead or scream in rage that this can't be happening. For all that he was a genocidal tyrant and monster, he refused to surrender his dignity.
3.) Doctor Doom (Secret Wars 2015): I know it's not the end of Doom's story but quite frankly this miniseries was the closest the Fantastic 4 ever got to a grand finale. Doom had managed to kill the creatures who obliterated the multiverse and gain their powers.....but also realized that a.) he didn't have what it took to rebuild everything and b.) Reed Richards did. So he spends 8 years trying to rule over what little's left and in a rather pathetic act even rewrites reality so that Reed's family is HIS family. However Reed survives and against all odds makes it to the source of Doom's power, Molecule Man. And since Miles Morales had managed to strike up a rapport, the guy decides to give Reed a fighting chance, forcing Doom and Reed to fight as equals. What follows is a BRILLIANT fight where Doom and Reed argue philosophy while Reed himself perfectly sums up WHY Doom is a failure as a human being; how for all his good his flaws undo him. Doom angrily accuses him of thinking he's better than Doom, specifically in THIS moment. Reed admits it, and than presses Doom to say he knows it too. Shockingly, Doom agrees, which prompts Owen Mercer (Molecule Man) to give REED the power. Battleworld is destroyed and the Family goes off to restore the multiverse after healing Earth 616....however Reed, in a final act of reconciliation, heals Doom's scared face and erases the memories of Doom's evil, allowing him to have a second chance as a hero.
Now of course Marvel's probably going to undo it but for what it is it's a FANTASTIC ending for Doom's storyline. The villain finally lets go of the arrogance and rage that held him back and decides to truly use his talents for good rather than his own aggrandizement.
