Best villain defeats

[Darth Yan]

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.

[The Romulan Republic]

Some personal favorites:

The Emperor (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi): https://youtube.com/watch?v=UhDtFnpNOfE

The Mayor ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"-"Graduation Day Part II"): https://youtube.com/watch?v=7zjHwZ_bphY

Spoiler

"Well Gosh"

is still one of my favorite Last Words ever.


The Weeping Angels ("Doctor Who"-"Blink"): https://youtube.com/watch?v=GFKa9tQqzrs

Rassilon ("Doctor Who"-"Hell Bent"): https://youtube.com/watch?v=QDyQ4e_shm4

The Operative (Serenity): https://youtube.com/watch?v=tBMAuUeeqdE

Bill Cipher ("Gravity Falls"-"Weirdmaggedon Part III"): https://youtube.com/watch?v=oANmbK35x8c

Ahab (Moby Dick): gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.html

"...Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!”

The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with igniting velocity the line ran through the grooves;—ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone. Next instant, the heavy eye-splice in the rope’s final end flew out of the stark-empty tub, knocked down an oarsman, and smiting the sea, disappeared in its depths.

Macbeth (Shakespeare's Macbeth): shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth_5_8.html

CT V SCENE VIII Another part of the field.

[Enter MACBETH]

MACBETH Why should I play the Roman fool, and die

On mine own sword? whiles I see lives, the gashes

Do better upon them.

[Enter MACDUFF]

MACDUFF Turn, hell-hound, turn!

MACBETH Of all men else I have avoided thee:

But get thee back; my soul is too much charged

With blood of thine already.

MACDUFF I have no words:

My voice is in my sword: thou bloodier villain

Than terms can give thee out!

[They fight]

MACBETH Thou losest labour:

As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air

With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed: 10

Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests;

I bear a charmed life, which must not yield,

To one of woman born.

MACDUFF Despair thy charm;

And let the angel whom thou still hast served

Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb

Untimely ripp'd.

MACBETH Accursed be that tongue that tells me so,

For it hath cow'd my better part of man!

And be these juggling fiends no more believed,

That palter with us in a double sense; 20

That keep the word of promise to our ear,

And break it to our hope. I'll not fight with thee.

MACDUFF Then yield thee, coward,

And live to be the show and gaze o' the time:

We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are,

Painted on a pole, and underwrit,

'Here may you see the tyrant.'

MACBETH I will not yield,

To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,

And to be baited with the rabble's curse.

Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane, 30

And thou opposed, being of no woman born,

Yet I will try the last. Before my body

I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff,

And damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'

[Exeunt, fighting. Alarums]

[LadyTevar]

Totally Agree with Nicol Bolas. It was about blasted time that damned worm died. Thankfully he took that idiot Gideon with him!

[Darth Yan]

I liked Gideon. Gideon's a genuinely good guy and it was great that HE of all people was the one who got through to Liliana Vess (his past experiences were similar enough that he was able to understand her). Bolas isn't dead but he's trapped for the rest of his life as a powerless being.

[LadyTevar]

I liked Gideon. Gideon's a genuinely good guy and it was great that HE of all people was the one who got through to Liliana Vess (his past experiences were similar enough that he was able to understand her). Bolas isn't dead but he's trapped for the rest of his life as a powerless being.

He has no name, no power, no spark. He's dead in all the ways that mattered to him.
BTW: I was hoping they'd kill Lillian, because I didn't like her either.

[Darth Yan]

Liliana looks to be undergoing a redemption arc. She also chose a new name. Ana Iora

[Eternal_Freedom]

I dunno if you could count her as a villain but Admiral Cain's death in Battlestar Galactica is pretty memorable. Just when she's deciding maybe she doesn't need to be the complete monster, her past catches up with her but she's defiant to the end.

[Gandalf]

Iron Man in Civil War. Dude should have died, but I'll take what I can get.

[The Romulan Republic]

Iron Man in Civil War. Dude should have died, but I'll take what I can get.

I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for either side (Cap was doing the right thing for mostly bad reasons, Tony was just being an impulsive ass as usual), but yeah, Tony's a dick. I enjoy the character because RDJ plays him so well, but he's an impulsive, arrogant ass, and a lot of the time, he causes more problems than he solves, and the ones he solves are mostly him cleaning up his own messes (after massive loss of life to people who's only fault was having the misfortune to share a planet with Anthony Stark).

[Darth Yan]

Iron Man in Civil War. Dude should have died, but I'll take what I can get.

I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for either side (Cap was doing the right thing for mostly bad reasons, Tony was just being an impulsive ass as usual), but yeah, Tony's a dick. I enjoy the character because RDJ plays him so well, but he's an impulsive, arrogant ass, and a lot of the time, he causes more problems than he solves, and the ones he solves are mostly him cleaning up his own messes (after massive loss of life to people who's only fault was having the misfortune to share a planet with Anthony Stark).

Tony’s a complex figure. He’s acting based on PTSD, and his concerns about there needing to be regulation of superheroes is legit even if his way of doing it was idiotic. He also rose to the plate when it counted (being willing to risk his life to stop the chitauri invasion, dying to stop Thanos and save the universe). He also has redeeming qualities (his mentor ship of peter, the bonding moments he has with nebula).

He’s basically a reflection of Thanos in that both were arrogant geniuses who loved their people and who both proposed radical means of stopping a catastrophe only to fail. Difference is that Tony has enough awareness to reflect, is able to admit that he’s wrong, was never quite as extreme and when given the chance to fix things does so because he genuinely wants to make things better.

He’s a flawed man but definitely not a villain and ultimately was able to save the universe when it counted. Even then things like Whiplash and Killian are t fair since a.) his DAD screwed over Whiplash and b.) Killian’s response was MURDEROUSLY disproportionate to what Tony did. It was mean but Killian went way to far.

[Gandalf]

I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for either side (Cap was doing the right thing for mostly bad reasons, Tony was just being an impulsive ass as usual), but yeah, Tony's a dick. I enjoy the character because RDJ plays him so well, but he's an impulsive, arrogant ass, and a lot of the time, he causes more problems than he solves, and the ones he solves are mostly him cleaning up his own messes (after massive loss of life to people who's only fault was having the misfortune to share a planet with Anthony Stark).

Indeed. I liked that they showed Cap was willing to go along with the Accords, providing that there were safeguards. But then it became clear that the whole thing was another Stark vanity project. Also, apparently Scarlet Witch gets interred on account of being a "weapon of mass destruction," but Stark's in-chest superweaponry, or Vision himself, apparently don't count.

I agree that RDJ plays him to perfection, but I think the MCU missed an opportunity in his characterisation.

[The Romulan Republic]

His characterization is inconsistent, though it could be argued that that's the point- that Tony is a reactionary, impulsive man who tends to swing eratically from one extreme to another without much thought of the consequences, then feels bad when it blows up in his face and overcompensates in the other direction, thus perpetuating the cycle. Like his swing from "You can't have my property, I've privatized world peace" in his second film to "We need draconian regulation" in Civil War.

Iron Man in Civil War. Dude should have died, but I'll take what I can get.

I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for either side (Cap was doing the right thing for mostly bad reasons, Tony was just being an impulsive ass as usual), but yeah, Tony's a dick. I enjoy the character because RDJ plays him so well, but he's an impulsive, arrogant ass, and a lot of the time, he causes more problems than he solves, and the ones he solves are mostly him cleaning up his own messes (after massive loss of life to people who's only fault was having the misfortune to share a planet with Anthony Stark).

Tony’s a complex figure. He’s acting based on PTSD, and his concerns about there needing to be regulation of superheroes is legit even if his way of doing it was idiotic. He also rose to the plate when it counted (being willing to risk his life to stop the chitauri invasion, dying to stop Thanos and save the universe). He also has redeeming qualities (his mentor ship of peter, the bonding moments he has with nebula).

He’s basically a reflection of Thanos in that both were arrogant geniuses who loved their people and who both proposed radical means of stopping a catastrophe only to fail. Difference is that Tony has enough awareness to reflect, is able to admit that he’s wrong, was never quite as extreme and when given the chance to fix things does so because he genuinely wants to make things better.

He’s a flawed man but definitely not a villain and ultimately was able to save the universe when it counted

I'd say he was a villain at one point (arms dealers are generally not nice people), but he left that profession behind in his first film.

Yeah, PTSD (quite blatantly in Iron Man III especially) is definitely a factor.

I do agree that Tony is a good foil/counterpart to Thanos, and I wish they'd played that up more in Infinity War/Endgame. Though Thanos does make the parallel between them explicit during their one on one confrontation in IW.

Thanos: "Stark!"

Tony: "You know me?"

Thanos: "You're not the only one cursed with great knowledge."

Interestingly, Tony is arguably the only one of the Avengers/Guardians who Thanos shows much personal respect for:

"You have my respect, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you."

So Thanos seems to view him and Tony as somewhat kindred spirits. Make of that what you will.

[Darth Yan]

I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for either side (Cap was doing the right thing for mostly bad reasons, Tony was just being an impulsive ass as usual), but yeah, Tony's a dick. I enjoy the character because RDJ plays him so well, but he's an impulsive, arrogant ass, and a lot of the time, he causes more problems than he solves, and the ones he solves are mostly him cleaning up his own messes (after massive loss of life to people who's only fault was having the misfortune to share a planet with Anthony Stark).

Indeed. I liked that they showed Cap was willing to go along with the Accords, providing that there were safeguards. But then it became clear that the whole thing was another Stark vanity project. Also, apparently Scarlet Witch gets interred on account of being a "weapon of mass destruction," but Stark's in-chest superweaponry, or Vision himself, apparently don't count.

I agree that RDJ plays him to perfection, but I think the MCU missed an opportunity in his characterisation.

Hardly. They had him as a foil to Thanos. The difference is that for all Tony’s flaws he has enough self awareness to admit he made the wrong choice and was a better father (he treats Peter and Nebula far better than Thanos treated his kids. The paper football scene shows this. Tony transparently let’s Nebula win because he knows she needs it. To him it’s a very basic act but to Nebula that kindness is almost unheard of.) that’s another thing endgame could have shown more. Tony arguably helped Nebula truly face her demons simply by being the one to show her compassion outside her sister

[Gandalf]

His characterization is inconsistent, though it could be argued that that's the point- that Tony is a reactionary, impulsive man who tends to swing eratically from one extreme to another without much thought of the consequences, then feels bad when it blows up in his face and overcompensates in the other direction, thus perpetuating the cycle. Like his swing from "You can't have my property, I've privatized world peace" in his second film to "We need draconian regulation" in Civil War.

It's quite telling that his reaction to the deaths in Sokovia was "we should have been better heroes" as opposed to "I shouldn't have built that murderbot."

[Gandalf]

Hardly. They had him as a foil to Thanos. The difference is that for all Tony’s flaws he has enough self awareness to admit he made the wrong choice and was a better father (he treats Peter and Nebula far better than Thanos treated his kids. The paper football scene shows this. Tony transparently let’s Nebula win because he knows she needs it. To him it’s a very basic act but to Nebula that kindness is almost unheard of.) that’s another thing endgame could have shown more. Tony arguably helped Nebula truly face her demons simply by being the one to show her compassion outside her sister

... to which part of my post are you responding?

[The Romulan Republic]

Some more good villain defeats:

Bloefeld (Spectre): https://youtube.com/watch?v=w1DB1dMPYFs

An excellent ending for Daniel Craig's Bond as well, and one I'm horribly afraid the next film is going to ruin.

Petyr Baelish ("Game of Thrones"): https://youtube.com/watch?v=24zxhpRB8kg

I know this one was controversial, but to me it was so satisfying seeing that smug little twit finally talk himself into a corner he couldn't talk his way out of, standing there impotently with his lies and pleas falling on deaf ears because he finally back-stabbed one person too many, and they got wise to him. So very Karmic. The death itself was just an afterthought.

Although the most satisfying GoT villain defeat has to be when the show runners lost the Star Wars gig, after what they did to season 8.

[Darth Yan]

... to which part of my post are you responding?

Your point that they missed a characterization opportunity. I think what they ultimately did (a deeply flawed man who nevertheless DID have a genuine desire to help the world for reasons beyond vanity vs the evil shriveled grape sho wants validation despite what self serving rhetoric he uses) was a fine characterization


Another point. In Endgame Tony gracefully reconciles with Steve and owns up after 5 years. Thanos, when presented with proof that he’s wrong, has a villainous breakdown and tries to burn everything down so a more “grateful” universe that will “appreciate” his sacrifices will be born. For all that Tony is a pompous ass his goals are genuinely selfless whereas Thanos wants validation and gets murderous when he doesn’t get it

[Darth Yan]

Also enough d and d cracks. I get that you didn’t like the final season but Dany’s fall was NOT out of character no matter how much you claim otherwise

[Tribble]

Borg Queen gets an honourable mention for sex being the cause of her downfall twice - thinking Data was her new boy toy lead to being liquidated while Janeway gave her a particularly nasty STD.

[The Romulan Republic]

Also enough d and d cracks. I get that you didn’t like the final season but Dany’s fall was NOT out of character no matter how much you claim otherwise

I do believe its not your job to tell me what to post.

Also, I disagree categorically reg. Daenerys, but I also have several other unrelated grievances against them, as do a lot of other fans. You're the one who assumed, as always, that I am talking purely about Daenerys.

Anyway, there's a perfectly good Game of Thrones thread if you really want to make a lengthy debate out of what was meant in this context as a joke.

[K. A. Pital]

Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.

[The Romulan Republic]

Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.

Where's that from? I don't recall it.

[K. A. Pital]

Black Panther.

[The Romulan Republic]

Black Panther.

Thanks.

I really need to see this one. Its one of only four MCU films (the others being Ragnarok, Hulk, and the new Spidey movie) that I haven't seen. Not sure why, to be honest. I like Black Panther- he was my favorite character in Civil War. Just never got around to it I guess.

[LadyTevar]

Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.

He was what America made him, along with the mistakes of his father and uncles. That was a good death scene.