Dastardly Whiplash: Difference between revisions

An oddly specific kind of character, the '''Dastardly Whiplash''' is a cartoonish villain taken from the silent film tradition (or really from the [[Older Than Radio|old stage melodrama tradition]]). Usually a [[Man of Wealth and Taste]], in Great Britain (*cough [[Evil Brit]] cough*), he was generally a [[Aristocrats Are Evil|Bad Baronet]]; in America, he was often an [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Evil Banker]] who held the mortgage on the heroine's farm. Physically, he's slightly hunched with an exaggerated nose and chin, a [[Badass Mustache|curling black moustache]] (typically of the handlebar type; the better to twirl menacingly while threatening you, [[Damsel in Distress|my dear]]), and an elaborate costume, usually an old-fashioned [[Paint It Black|black suit]] with a [[Black Cloak|cloak]] and a hat, usually a [[Nice Hat|top hat]].

** Since ''[[Discworld/Moving Pictures|Moving Pictures]]'' races through the entire history of cinema up to ''[[Gone with the Wind]]'' in a couple of weeks, a Dastardly Whiplash naturally appears early on. He's tying Ginger to a tree (in the absence of railroad tracks on the Discworld) and a sign is held in front of the picture-box saying "Ahar! My proude beauty!"

** Abrim in ''[[Discworld/Sourcery|Sourcery]]'' is sort of this trope [[X Meets Y|meets]] [[Grand Vizier]]. When he first appears, it's said that "He twirled his mustache, probably foreclosing another dozen mortgages."