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{{trope}}
[[File:Megabyte.png|thumb|350px|Megabyte prepares for Hostile Takeover.]]
[[Magnificent Bastard|These characters]] in [[Western Animation]] make sure to leave a real and lasting impression on audiences with their audacious personalities and presence.
== Subpages ==
{{subpages}}
▲{{quote|''"Yes!"''|[[Gargoyles (Animation)|David Xanatos]] does it again}}
== Other Examples ==
* David [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos]] from ''[[
** He might adequately be described as Lex Luthor (Evil Corporate Mastermind) mixed with Doctor Doom (genius inventor and likes mixing magic with science), only handsomer, possibly richer, and with none of the flaws that cause their plans to collapse, namely ego inflation issues and revenge obsessions.
▲* David [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos]] from ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'' is usually one step ahead of the Gargoyles, and everyone else. He frequently got away with actions that would send a normal man to jail for the rest of his life (although he ''was'' jailed for a short time), and was a member of the Illuminati's guild. Of course, since Xanatos was such a smooth talker, he would make you believe he was your friend all while positioning the knife in your back.
**
** There's a reason it's [[Trope Namer|called]] a [[Xanatos Gambit]].
*** Uncannily enough, his
*** Notably, during the first story arc, Xanatos is "defeated" and sent to the slammer. Unfortunately, this means he has nothing to do all day EXCEPT formulate new plans within plans. . .
** Xanatos's creation, [[Evil Twin|Thailog]], is one as well, solidified when he betrays and then ''outwits'' his maker in his very first appearance, leading a fearful Xanatos to speculate that Thailog may be even smarter than he is. Going by the comic continuation, Thailog seems to have inherited his ''father's'' fondness for [[Xanatos Gambit|schemes that profit him no matter the outcome]] as well.
** Let's not forget Xanatos' wife, Fox, who also managed to outsmart him on one occasion. He even refers to her as his equal!
*** His proposal amounted to "We get along, we'll have good kids, and we're the only ones as smart as each other."
* Megatron of ''[[
** Hell, he singlehandedly took over Cybertron and '' {{spoiler|devoured the sparks of his entire species and became '''[[A God Am I|a GOD]]''' }}'' in the (contested) sequel series.
** If nothing else, his apparently keeping Tarantulas and Blackarachnia around simply so he can keep his wits sharp by predicting their betrayals would qualify him for this trope.
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'''Megabyte:''' [[It Amused Me]]. }}
* Princess Azula from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. She's a sociopathic firebending prodigy, but she does it with such ''style'' and [[The Chessmaster|planning]] that you can't help but admire her (but hopefully not [[Draco in Leather Pants|too much]]). She manipulates everyone around her, including her own brother, and her plans in the second season require her to out-maneuver another [[The Chessmaster|Chessmaster]], Long Feng, which she does, effortlessly. Her [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] was {{spoiler|nearly killing Aang with a lightning blast ''in the middle of his [[Transformation Sequence]]'' in a [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] moment in the second season finale.}} Keep in mind that she's only ''fourteen''.
**
** She also {{spoiler|somehow guessed that Aang was not dead/would not stay dead for long and [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|chose to give Zuko the credit for killing him so that, on the off-chance that Aang did survive, he would take the blame.]]}} Although [[Your Mileage May Vary|that could be drifting towards]] [[
** Azula is succeeded by [[Big Bad|Amon]] in ''[[
*** Technically, he may have achieved this status in THREE episodes, because although he achieved it by the end of Episode 6, he didn't appear in Episode 1, 2, or 5. Yes, this entire feat was accomplished in just three episodes. (Technically, he does appear in the first episode, but just at the very end merely saying "I'm going to put my plan into action now", so he doesn't really do anything until episode 3.)
*** [[Xanatos Gambit|His plan in episode 6 was actually a win/win for Amon.]] If they do listen to his threat and stop the Pro Bender finals, then the government and police force look weak and useless against him and his Equalist movement. If they don't listen to his threat, well, we saw what happened when they didn't.
** Another [[Magnificent Bastard]] has arrived, as of Episode 8. It's {{spoiler|Tarrlok. At first, he just seemed to be a [[Jerkass]], sleazy politician. But now, he has descended into being an outright villain. He rivals Amon in manipulation, but comparing Tarrlok to Amon isn't something Tarrlok takes too well. Everything Tarrlok has done so far is to further his own agenda and own personal goals. With Republic City in chaos, turmoil and fear of the threat of Amon and the Equalists, Tarrlok takes advantage of this and starts applying laws to oppress non-benders, and goes so far as to arrest Asami Sato just because her father is revealed to be an Equalist. And why does he do all this? It's just to get to Korra. He successfully cornered her into joining his task force, but when she backs out, he is not happy. So, he simply tells the Avatar to stay out of his way. But, by arresting her friends, he's got Korra right where he wants her. When Korra confronts him, he reveals his Bloodbending ability, showing his physical manipulation on top of everything else, locks her in a Satomobile and drives away. Naturally, Tenzin is going to be looking for her. Tarrlok then decides to frame the Equalists, using Korra's battle against him as an excuse, and Tarrlok plants an Equalist glove, mask, and whip at the scene, just to make it seem like the Equalists attacked poor innocent Korra and Tarrlok. That's right, he basically beat Korra down, successfully keeping her out of his way, and used that as an excuse to frame the Equalists and to continue his own agenda.}} ...What a BASTARD.
* Nerissa from ''[[WITCH
* The [[Aladdin (Disney)|Aladdin]] TV show has Mozenrath, comparable to Jafar from the Aladdin movies. (See also the film example section.) Even though the confidence was always there, Mozenrath was able to back up his smugness from the get-go. His very first plan involved using Genie as bait for a magic-devouring monster, in order to make Aladdin capture it for him, thus setting up a simple but yet effective [[Xanatos Gambit]]. While it didn't last for long, Mozenrath did indeed end up with the beast under his control. Aladdin and his friends did face many capable enemies during their adventures, but Mozenrath was the one who really [[Knight of Cerebus|made them sweat]], always pulling something from his sleeve to put the odds back in his favor. If that wasn't enough, the lad was also blessed with a [[Deadpan Snarker|silver tongue]] that really got our heroes on the nerves. Really, he spends one episode just sitting on his throne, snarking and gloating to a locked up Aladdin, and it still didn't end in a complete loss for him. After all, there's a reason why he's the only villain to ever hear Aladdin say the words "You win".
* Dogbert on the series ''[[
▲* Dogbert on the series ''[[Dilbert (Animation)|Dilbert]]'' whose "religious belief" is "that everyone exists for the sole purpose of entertaining me." On one episode, he sets up a carnival booth where you "knock a street urchin off a beam with a baseball and win a toy." In another, he convinces Congress to abandon all holidays in favor of National Dogbert Day (The traditional Dogbert Day feast: the bald eagle. He wanted something special) for the sole purpose of being annoying. (The same reason he invented Secretary's Day.) Also, the aptly named Bob Bastard, the caped and hooded company tester on a quest to crush the hopes and dreams of engineers.
{{quote| '''Dilbert:''' I'm sorry Alice, but he's the embodiment of all that's horrid and loathsome in this world.<br />
'''Alice:''' Just because it's written on a bathroom wall doesn't mean it's true.<br />
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** Lex Luthor from the same series tends to shift between [[Magnificent Bastard]] and [[Smug Snake]] constantly, usually depending on his current plan. He was clearly in the [[Magnificent Bastard]] zone when he delivered a [[Curb Stomp Battle]] to The Question and told him that the Luthor-For-President campaign was a load of crap:
{{quote| "President? Do you have any idea how much power I'd have to ''give up'' to be President? That's right, conspiracy buff. I spent ''$75 million'' on a ''fake presidential campaign''. ''All just to tick Superman off''."}}
* Slade from ''[[
{{quote| Demon Warrior: "Fool. You cannot hope to defeat ''pure evil''!"<br />
Slade: "Actually, I'm not such a nice guy myself." (activates hidden explosive and blows demon to cinders) "Don't bother getting up. I'll let myself out." }}
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* Derek Powers from ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. Manipulated an entire city with his company, and only grew more deadly when he gained radioactive powers. Using his money, intel, and connections, he kept people under his thumb and proved to be a deadly opponent for the new Batman.
** His son Paxton also qualifies, arranging for his father's exposure to the public and eventual demise despite Batman's best efforts to stop him. He does next to nothing for the entirety of Season Two, but then again, why bother? He had [[The Bad Guy Wins|already won]] in his first appearance!
* V.V. Argost from ''[[The Secret Saturdays]]''. [[Large Ham|Bold,]] [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulating,]] [[Gambit Index|cunning,]] and [[Wicked Cultured|brilliant,]]
* Gibbs from ''[[Titan Maximum]]'' manages to be this in addition to being a real [[Smug Snake]] thanks to the main heroes being a bunch of idiots who don't always know what they're doing.
* Heloise from ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' has traits of this. She's normally on top, even outwitting [[Satan|her boss]] on multiple occasion, one of which drove him to a [[Villainous Breakdown]].
* [[The Powerpuff Girls|Mojo Jojo]] can be this at times. While his plans tend to be hair-brained, sometimes he's shown enough [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|savvy]] and [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulation]] to casually perform things that people rarely notice until they happen (the "Powerpuff Girls Rule!" special is a fine example.)
** The movie played this straight.
* [[
** How about the time he got angry that the Confederates had to lose in the Civil War re-enactments? Most people would give up. Not Cartman. He decided that, for once, the Confederates would win, by starting a second Civil War. Using beer and the charisma you'd expect from a sociopath like him, Cartman gets the townfolk to pillage other cities, eventually leading to the President about to declare them seperate from the US. He manages to achieve this with only one on-screen casualty([[They Killed Kenny|who always survives]]) While he does lose, it was very close.
** Wendy Testaberger is no slouch at this either when she puts her mind to it. After all, she sent a substitute teacher ''[[Murder the Hypotenuse|into the sun]]'' because she'd [[Hot for Teacher|caught Stan's eye]]. Nevermind that she didn't show any interest in return.▼
*** The topper to all of that, though - his campaign started as a bet with Stan and Kyle that the Confederacy would win, with a classic "One week as your slave" as the wager. He didn't win - but he then used ''that'' to point out that slavery is ''illegal'' in the US, since the South didn't win. A classic [[Xanatos Gambit]] - even though Cartman lost, he still won.
** His outclassing Bart was directly referenced in "Cartoon Wars", where they compared Bart's most heinous prank ("I cut the head off the town statue") to Cartman's ("I made a kid eat his parents").
** Cartman has topped himself in The Coon Trilogy. By acting frigging adorable, he has managed to befriend and manipulate {{spoiler|Cthulhu.}} Yes, ''that'' {{spoiler|Cthulhu.}} {{spoiler|The quintessential [[Eldritch Abomination]]}} [[Did You Just Have Tea With Cthulhu|is helping out Cartman]] gleefully bounce across the [[Moral Event Horizon]] while singing to [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking|My Neigbhour Totoro.]] '''Awesome.'''
▲** Wendy Testaberger is no slouch at this either, when she puts her mind to it. After all, she sent a substitute teacher ''[[Murder the Hypotenuse|into the sun]]'' because she'd [[Hot for Teacher|caught Stan's eye]]. Nevermind that she didn't show any interest in return.
{{quote| '''Kyle:''' Wendy - you ''didn't''!<br />
'''Wendy:''' I told her... [[This Is Sparta|Don't. Fuck. With. Wendy.]] '''[[This Is Sparta|Testaberger!]]''' }}
* ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' has its fair share of crafty villains making the most out of the chaos caused by the titular Clone Wars, including the very man orchestrating the conflict to begin with.
*
** How about Palpatine? He's responsible for engineering this entire massive war and will win ''regardless which side triumphs,'' either with the Republic as the Chancellor or the Separatists as Darth Sidious, with a powerful new sith follower (either Dooku or Anakin) as icing on the cake.▼
*** Even better, he'd still be an active player during the Original Trilogy ''and'' Sequel Trilogy eras, regularly ripping off the Empire and the First Order while further enriching himself and never losing his goofy yet lovable demeanor.
▲** How about Palpatine? He's responsible for engineering this entire massive war and will win ''regardless which side triumphs,'' either with the Republic as the Chancellor or the Separatists as Darth Sidious, with a powerful new
** While most Separatist leaders are ineffective wimps, cowards, or arrogant idiots, the same does ''not'' apply to Riff Tamson. A brutal [[Ambadassador]] whose cruelty and rudeness are tempered by [[Genius Bruiser|a keen tactical mind]], he successfully manipulates the populace of Mon Calamari into fighting a costly civil war where he's often seen fighting on the front lines, and is quick to catch on to any strategies the Jedi employ before decisively shutting them down. Even when he loses, he puts up a hell of a fight and only dies at the last possible second.
** In sharp contrast to his role as [[The Brute]] in ''The Phantom Menace'', {{spoiler|Darth Maul}} makes a very impressive power play once his sanity is restored. {{spoiler|He orchestrates Deathwatch's takeover of Mandalore via his web of quickly-formed alliances in the criminal underworld, seizes control from Pre Vizsla by taking advantage of the Mandalorians' [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]] culture and killing him in a duel that he can't back down from, and avenges his defeat at Obi-Wan's hands by forcing him to watch as he murders his [[Love Interest]]. While Palpatine outplays him in the cruelest way possible, you can't deny that Maul's a dangerous [[Chessmaster]] in his own right!}}
** Cad Bane's as ruthless and stylish as they come, being a bounty hunter who could give Boba Fett a run for his money in the [[Evil Is Cool]] department. The guy dresses, acts, and fights like a villain straight from a Western movie, for crying out loud! And yet he's one of the series' most effective villains, and regularly pulls off tightly-planned heists and assassinations while surviving multiple fights against powerful Jedi knights, and the rare times where he ''is'' defeated are always followed by him eventually bouncing back without missing a beat.
*** While a profit-driven thug and bonafide sociopath, he's got his own twisted sense of honor. When fellow [[The Sociopath|cold-blooded killer]] Moralo Eval tries to murder "Rako Hardeen" (in reality a disguised Obi-Wan) through sabotaging an arena challenge, he saves "Hardeen"'s life and forces Eval to properly fight him while dropping ''this'' zinger of a one-liner.
{{quote|"If you're gonna kill him, ''do it like a man.''"}}
* Ed Wuncler Sr. from [[The Boondocks]] is a combination of this [[Complete Monster]] and [[The Chessmaster]]. And keep in mind this is a fat, rich old man, who would normally not be the least bit threatening but let's look at all the shit he's done shall we?
** He opened a restaurant using illegal workers and Robert as his [[Unwitting Pawn]], knowing full well the restaurant's food was so addictive it would turn the nearby park into a cesspool of crime, thus lowering the property values so he could buy the land for dirt cheap.
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** Finally, he had Ed and Rummy set up a bomb in one of his buildings, and then calmly reveals when Huey and super agent Jack Flowers foil this plot that it was designed to inspire patriotism, sell merchandise, and make a movie about an obnoxious security guard who would have died in the explosion. And to top it off, when Flowers counts down 3 seconds before he shoots him, Wuncler calls PRESIDENT FUCKING OBAMA to stops him, then calmly tells them to let themselves out. And does all of this just by being crafty, evil and obscenely wealthy. [[Magnificent Bastard]] indeed.
* Carmen Sandiego. In the mid-90's cartoon version, ''Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego'', she was as slick and suave as a female James Bond, but would steal priceless artifacts either just for the thrill or for a huge not-so-evil plan (in one episode, she stole several rare statues to make the worlds largest chess game) and would constantly bait and taunt the two detectives trying to catch her, all for the sport of the hunt (even though she was the prey.
* Chase Young from ''[[
* Alejandro from ''[[Total Drama World Tour]]''; at least by the usual standards of ''Total Drama''. He manipulates more successfully than other antagonists in the past, and is responsible for more eliminations than anyone else.
* In [[The Simpsons]], the organized crime community as a whole shows signs of this, but outside of the organized crime community there's also Sideshow Bob, and the Springfield Cat Burglar.
** [[Gentleman Thief|The Springfield Cat Burglar]], from "Homer The Vigilante," though a one-shot character, arguably qualifies as this. He manages to steal from several homes very sneakily, (the in-story newspaper states that he struck at least 15 homes) and is implied to have done so without waking up any of their occupants; he also distracts the pets with food. He leaves a [[Calling Card]], too, and yet this doesn't lead back to him. {{spoiler|His identity is revealed when Abe Simpson finds a suspiciously large gem on Malloy's coffee table, but [[Alternate Character Interpretation|that he would even think to look could probably be attributable to "mistaking" Malloy coming into his room for the cat burglar coming into his room earlier on]]. Also, once caught, he [[Affably Evil|returns the items he stole and speaks very kindly about the rest of Springfield]]. He gets put in jail anyway, and tells the police that he buried millions of dollars' worth of money under a big T. [[What an Idiot!|Idiotically enough]], the police as well as the whole town rush to the site, not bothering to leave anyone behind to supervise his cell. As such, when they get to the big T, instead of finding the money, they find a letter [[Batman Gambit|stating that the money isn't really there and that he's used this time to escape from jail]].}}
** Sideshow Bob, however, is arguably the most obvious [[Magnificent Bastard]] in Springfield. His schemes are considerably clever, and typically just so happen to get [[Rule of Funny|thwarted by circumstances]]. Examples include:
*** Krusty Gets Busted, {{spoiler|in which Bob frames Krusty for armed robbery, and takes over Krusty's show. He manages to convince almost everyone of Krusty's guilt, except for Bart and Lisa, who just so happen to uncover the whole scheme [[Eureka Moment|when Sideshow Bob says he has big shoes to fill]].}}
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* Between all the [[Organ Theft]], kidnapping and extortion, [[Gorillaz|Murdoc]] definitely has his moments.
* {{spoiler|Rava}} from [[Galtar and The Golden Lance]]. When she's assigned to take down Galtar, she actually ''succeeds'' in capturing him, and only ultimately loses because {{spoiler|she also used the assignment to set ''Tormack'' up, she tried to pull an [[I Have You Now My Pretty]] and imprisoned Galtar when he refused, and Tormack and Galtar pulled an [[Enemy Mine]] to restore the [[Status Quo Is God|status quo]].}} In a series where the villains tend to be generally a touch more credible than most similar action cartoons of the age, {{spoiler|Rava}} is still the most dangerous of them all.
* Loki from ''[[
* Discord from the opening episode of ''[[
** It helps greatly that he is both [[Word of God|apparently inspired by]] and shares actors with another magnificent bastard, [[Star Trek the Next Generation|Q.]]
** Celestia herself qualifies as a heroic example if only for the fact that she set up the Mane Six to team up to create the victory in Season 1 Episode 2.
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* Skipper from ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'' qualifies. He happily has outmoded gender stereotypes, is openly speciest, prefers violence to solve everything, has willingly admitted that his ideal future is a post apocalyptic scenario that involves roving bands of irradiated mutants, and his team WILL succeed in whatever it is they are doing. This has ranged from escaping a zoo, preforming a good deed for a day, stealing fish while disguised as King Julien, and [[It Makes Sense in Context|defeating a giant MP3 player with the power of musical mind control from taking over the city with an evil dolphin at the helm]]. Unlike most of the rest of the entries, Skipper is the hero of the story.
* ''[[Spider Man the Animated Series]]'' gives The Kingpin and The Red Skull this treatment. The former is a crimelord who is behind almost every godawful thing that happens in-series, mastermind [[The Syndicate]] and the Insidious Six from the shadows, consistently evading incarceration, and frustrating Spider-Man at every turn. The latter's a Nazi spymaster who has backup plans for every situation, anticipates every contingency, and is only taken out via Captain America's [[Heroic Sacrifice]].
* Jerry Mouse in ''[[
* While [[Cyberchase
* [[Code Lyoko|XANA]] wasn't initially much of this, but four seasons of evolution through Jeremy's abuse of the Return to the past made it gradually smarter and more powerful, turning him into a [[The Chessmaster|Chessmaster]], then a [[Manipulative Bastard]], and eventually going toward [[Magnificent Bastard]] territory.
** And just how do we know that all those times it caused all those calamities which forced Jeremy to use Return to the past weren't part of a [[Batman Gambit]] to make itself more powerful in the first place?
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