Magnificent Bastard/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

** Carly Corinthos from ''[[General Hospital]]''.

* On ''[[The Tudors]]'', Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell definitely apply, as does Edward Seymour. ([[Truth in Television]] for Wolsey and Cromwell; harder to say for Edward, who has trouble following through when he most needs to.) Note that these guys are each involved in each other's takedowns - and were allies before that. This is more pronounced for Wolsey and Cromwell - Cromwell owes his start in royal service to Wolsey. Edward and Cromwell were allies of convenience; no way it was going to last on this show.

** Klaus has far and away eclipsed Katherine in his magnificent bastardy. Made all the scarier by the fact that {{spoiler|he's now immortal}}

* In the HBO series ''[[Rome]]'' we get a load of these. Mark Antony is perhaps a bit less [[The Chessmaster|Chessmastery]], but he gets his share of the scheming, even if it bites him in the arse in the end. He is only defeated by the more calculating and manipulative Octavian, who in turn inherited his position from Caesar, who was so magnificent in his bastardry that this adoptive son of his was going to further some of his plans even after his death. Pompey is seen as more of a former magnificent bastard, although in reality he was just as magnificent a bastard as Caesar to the end. Then there's Atia, the ultimate one, who uses manipulation, assassination, torture and her charms, not to mention sexual prowess, to have her way, and that's where Octavian probably gets it in the first place (they're all family with Caesar and through that, Mark Antony, which makes Antony's and Atia's relationship interesting, although Romans had a different view on sex and family). Servilia of the Junii, Atia's rival proves herself as malevolent a manipulator as Atia after Atia exposes her affair with Caesar, causing him to break off the affair. Aware that Caesar has a dark secret, she [[Les Yay|seduces Atia's daughter]] and persuades her to [[Brother Sister Incest|seduce her brother]], Octavian in order to find it out (the secret is that Caesar has epilepsy). The plan fails and Atia hires a band of thugs to beat up Servilia in broad daylight. Aware that Atia ordered the hit, Servilia persuades her son Brutus to murder Caesar, costing Atia her political power. While Atia survives and Servilia ultimately commits suicide after Brutus's death, Atia acknowledges her as a worthy opponent. Even Titus Pullo, an archetypal [[Boisterous Bruiser]] at first glance, does a bit of magnificent bastardry on a smaller scale, though being the closest thing to a protagonist besides Vorenus he is more like a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]], and most of the time he's not quite on the ball as to be a true example. He gets an honourable mention.

* "Fred" from ''[[Unforgettable]]'' not only manipulates three separate people into being killers (one a serial), he ''chooses'' to out himself Carrie and her team, knows they're utterly unable to pin a single thing on him, and cheerfully implies he'll look forward to more fun and games.

* The aliens in ''[[The Twilight Zone|The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street]]''. {{spoiler|They manipulate their targets into turning on each other}}.