After-Action Villain Analysis

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"[Burns] became consumed by greed, he'd steal from anyone . . . and when he tried to steal our sunlight, he crossed the line from everyday villainy into Cartoonish Supervillainy!" —Smithers, The Simpsons, "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part 2"

"He learned almost too late that man is a feeling creature, and because of it, the greatest in the universe..." —It Conquered the World, via Mystery Science Theater 3000

This is when either an enemy of a major villain, or maybe a minion who turned against them, explains to others the nature of their Conflict, typically when the villain is not around, likely after the villain has either been defeated or is at least temporarily out of power. An alternative title for this, "explaining the villain explains the conflict," refers to the notion that explaining what happened makes the actions of the villain's enemy or former rival more understandable.

Note that this is not a Motive Rant; the tone of the conversation will be very calm and gentle despite the subject matter, as indicated by many of the examples...

Compare Kirk Summation, which is addressed to the actual villain. See also You're Insane!.

May be spoken Above the Ruins. Not to be confused with How We Got Here.

Examples of After-Action Villain Analysis include:

Anime and Manga

• Bleach has Ichigo deliver one about Aizen.

Film

• Perhaps most famously (if lamely) in the Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho.
• In this scene from The Lion King 2.

Simba: Scar couldn't let go of his hate, and in the end, it destroyed him. Kovu: ... I've never heard the story of Scar that way. He truly was a killer. Simba (while brushing the remains of burned plants): Fire is a killer. Sometimes what's left behind can grow better than the generation before, if given the chance.

• Troy: The Trojan priest says this when they find the beach abandoned. (It's a Trap.)

Plague! Don't get too close, my lord. King Priam: What happened here? They desecrated the temple of the gods, and Apollo desecrated their flesh. They thought they could sack this city in a day. Now look at them... fleeing across the Aegean.

• Chuckles the Clown does this in Toy Story 3 to explain Lotso's turn to evil.
• The film (and comic) version of Sin City has a scene in which Cardinal Roarke explains to Marv why his adopted son ate people and subsequently admitted to joining in.

Live Action TV

• Monk. "Here's how it happened."
• Perry Mason often employed these to tie up loose ends after badgering the real culprit into a dramatic courtroom confession.
• It Conquered the World. "He learned almost too late that man is a feeling creature, and because of it, the greatest in the universe..." A catchphrase of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Video Games

• In the postgame in Pokemon Platinum, you come across an old man who explains why Cyrus was after a world without emotion. Of course, the old man (probably) doesn't know that you're the one who defeated Cyrus, or even that you ever met him. He's just a grieving grandfather who blames himself for his grandson turning out like that.
• Subverted towards the end of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time: After Link defeats Ganondorf's first form, Zelda's Crystal Prison slowly moves towards the roof and dissipates, and Zelda looks at Ganondorf's body and says "Ganondorf, pitiful man. Without a strong, righteous mind, he could not control the power of the gods." Then they realize the place is collapsing, that Ganondorf is using his "last breath" to bury Link and Zelda in the remains of the castle... of course, after they escape, it turns out Link has to fight another of Ganondorf's forms, confirming that Zelda's earlier line isn't really an AFTER action villain analysis.

Western Animation

• The Simpsons episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns", quoted above.