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You all know the character: he’s the [[Magnificent Bastard]]. That character you love to hate. The one who baffles the heroes at every turn with his clever schemes, fights them to a draw with his sheer [[Badass|Badassery]], and generally speaking makes everyone else in the show, including [[The Smart Guy]] on the [[Five-Man Band]], look like a total idiot. He’s awesome. He’s stylish. He’s about as great as villainy can get.
And now you want to write one. And not the kind that gets a brief entry on [[Magnificent Bastard|the page]] and a confused look from everyone else who reads it. You want to write a genuine Magnificent Bastard, the kind that viewers will remember for years to come. They're not just some kind of [[Jerkass]], when it comes to acts of well-calculated evil, they're astonishingly good at putting the squeeze on the heroes. Well have no fear.
BTW: This has nothing to do with [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
These are the must-haves, the tropes without which a Magnificent Bastard cannot survive, let alone impress anyone. We’ll let the page description do the talking: “The Magnificent Bastard is what happens when you combine the Chessmaster, the Trickster, and the Manipulative Bastard (Large Ham is optional): bold, charismatic, independent, and audacious.”
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* [[The Chessmaster]]: the Magnificent Bastard is, first and foremost, a planner. He (or she, but the rest of this article will assume the masculine) has to be able to manipulate events with supreme skill. Characters like [[Lex Luthor]] may not be the physical match of the heroes they go up against, but their ability to plan things out beforehand ensures that they obtain victory more often than not. Bonus points [[Smart People Play Chess|if they actually play chess or any variation of the game.]]
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: Because sometimes controlling events just
* [[The Trickster]]: The line separating the Magnificent Bastard from a really good Manipulative Bastard or Chessmaster is his ability to think on the fly, adapting to new situations and altering plans with ease. Without this factor, even the greatest Bastards won’t last long.
* [[Large Ham]]: It says optional, and many Bastards aren't this everyday, but the truly magnificent have at least a small dose of this in them somewhere. The Magnificent Bastard has to be a magnetic character, drawing both other characters and the audience to him. There is something almost Shakespearian about this character, a sense of the grandiose, of the larger than life, and this trope can help to bring that out. Note that he doesn’t always need to be going over the top, but a few [[Chewing the Scenery]] moments can definitely be helpful if carried off right, showing just how impressive the character is. All villains are ultimately, on some level failures, but the Magnificent Bastard is a failure on a grand scale, the kind of person you simply cannot look away from.▼
* [[Affably Evil]]: One of the fun things about the Magnificent Bastard, is that no matter how bad he may be, the audience loves to watch him. Making him Affably Evil, or even downright friendly can help to win him further audience sympathy. You shouldn’t let it go too far of course, (unless you want him to get a set of [[Draco in Leather Pants|leather pants]]), but making your bastard likeable is definitely a good idea. It can be even better if the hero likes him too, as it adds a whole new dimension to the relationship that you can play with.
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* [[Blatant Lies]]: This is another trope that your bastard not only can use, but should, since he's a master of trickery and deceit. Using lies to hide his real intentions, your bastard can be sure that no one suspects a thing about his [[Hidden Agenda Villain|hidden agenda.]] Of course, don't make the lies ''too'' blatant. If the lies are too obvious, it runs the risk of making the ones the bastard is lying to look like they're carrying the [[Idiot Ball]] instead of making the bastard look magnificent.
** Or as an alternative to lying you could try making it [[Will Not Tell a Lie|so your bastard doesn't even bother to lie in the first place.]] While somewhat difficult to do from a writing standpoint when done right this can up your bastards magnificent and bastard levels several fold. Expect any bastard that engages in this to be a master of [[False Reassurance]], [[From a Certain Point of View]], [[You Didn't Ask]], [[Exact Words]], and [[Half Truth]].
* [[Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive]]: This is a common pose for the [[Magnificent Bastard]]. It's a great way to portray him as
* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Goes hand-in-hand with [[Pragmatic Villainy]]. Many non-magnificent villains often [[Genre Blind|make the same
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: It isn't essential, but the ability to dish out the snark goes a long way towards helping establish a [[Magnificent Bastard]]'s magnificence, especially if it's used to get under the hero's skin and cause them to lose their cool. Then, when he takes advantage of their distraction, it will all look like part of the plan [[Xanatos Speed Chess|even if it wasn't]].
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: It's not necessary, but establishing that your bastard has standards can go a long way towards earning them audience sympathy and respect. Just remember to make those standards constant: if he's opposed to something, but later reveals himself to be a [[Hypocrite]] that hard earned respect will go down the drain.
* [[Evil Is Cool]] / [[Evil Is Sexy]]: This can definitely help you earn points with the audience. It can also help your character in universe. Someone who looks like [[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (
* [[Evil Virtues]]: These are a good source of sympathy and depth. A Magnificent Bastard will have many of these, or sometimes all of them in some rare cases. In other words, inserting these into a Bastard makes him a much more three-dimensional character and could cement his [[Worthy Opponent]] status with his enemies.
* [[Hidden Agenda Villain]]: Generally speaking, this is another great trope for your Magnificent Bastard. Whether he be a [[Deceptive Disciple]], a [[Treacherous Advisor]], [[Bastard Understudy]], or even a [[Big Bad Friend]] and it be being [[Faux Affably Evil]] or using [[Blatant Lies]], you can make your bastard really good at hiding his true plans from everyone else. Just don't take too long in drawing out the reveal, or your audience's interest may give way to frustration.
▲* [[Large Ham]]: It says optional, and many Bastards aren't this everyday, but the truly magnificent have at least a small dose of this in them somewhere. The Magnificent Bastard has to be a magnetic character, drawing both other characters and the audience to him. There is something almost Shakespearian about this character, a sense of the grandiose, of the larger than life, and this trope can help to bring that out. Note that he
* [[Laughably Evil]]: Even though there's not really any necessary need for this trope, a great way for your bastard to attract the respect of the audience is to make them laugh. Your bastard can throw in random funny scenes and even chew the scenery to provide laughs for the audience. Just be sure to pick his funny moments wisely; having him chew the scenery too much may result in a [[Villainous Breakdown]], but as long as he doesn't break down too often, the audience won't mind.
* [[Noble Demon]]: Making your bastard one is a good idea, since he is rarely, if ever, pointlessly cruel. It's always interesting to note that your bastard should speak in a polite and sophisticated manner quite often. Just make sure he's not too polite, unless you really want to make out of your bastard a [[Draco in Leather Pants]], which, of course, is quite fun once you get used to it.
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* [[Pet the Dog]]: This trope fits really well with any [[Magnificent Bastard]] who has followers. As such, your bastard should act like a gentleman to his minions, and treat them with respect, even letting them live even if they don't succeed. Yeah, petting the dog is a fitting trope for bastards who have those doing as he tells them.
** Another way your bastard can [[Pet the Dog]] is to show kindness to others... and look magnificent while doing so. For example, he can return something that was lost to its owner and that's what gives your bastard the respect he deserves from those he performed his [[Pet the Dog]] moment for, especially if he's [[Affably Evil]].
* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: A good idea is to have your Bastard's evil, whenever possible, be practical. If he starts [[Kick the Dog|kicking dogs]] [[For the Evulz]] too often, there's a risk of both [[Motive Decay]], [[Villain Decay]], or, conversely, it might be a sign that your [[Magnificent Bastard]] is heading toward [[Complete Monster
* [[That One Boss]]: Not really applicable outside of video games, but a useful trope for any villain whom you want to be especially memorable, whether they're a [[Magnificent Bastard]], a [[Complete Monster]], or just an especially vile [[Smug Snake]]. Getting defeated again and again while in-play, will drive home to your audience just how [[Badass]] your villain is in-story and reinforce the prowess he displayed in the
* [[Ubermensch]]: Living by one's own visions, philosophy and moral code can be quite a help: see also [[Even Evil Has Standards]], [[Evil Virtues]] and [[Visionary Villain]].
* [[Villain
* [[Villainous Fashion Sense]] / [[Badass in
* [[Visionary Villain]]: Like the main page says; "He has a goal, he's not going to stop until he's completed it. To that end he will do almost anything. He'll move heaven and hell, and we want to see him succeed." Having the bastard [[New Era Speech|explain his vision]] may also give him an opportunity to [[Chewing the Scenery|chew the scenery]].
* [[Wicked Cultured]]: Culture and sophistication can make the [[Magnificent Bastard]] look classy and intelligent by having him quote [[Shakespeare]] frequently or as part of a [[Hannibal Lecture]]. It could even make him look like a [[Cultured Badass]] by having him kick ass to [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] without spilling a drop of his [[Evil Wineglass|fine wine]].
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: This is another way that you can make your Magnificent Bastard appeal to the audience: if he considers the hero a worthy adversary, or is viewed as one by the hero. Also, one the bastard’s strengths is that he rarely, if ever, underestimates his opponents, so keep this trope firmly in mind when you write his plans. He knows that the hero (or villain if he’s playing on the heroic side) is bright, and plans accordingly.
* [[Xanatos Gambit]] / [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: As mentioned under [[The Trickster]], a good [[Magnificent Bastard]] not only ''can'' adapt to new situations, but ''should''. A proficiency with [[Xanatos Gambit
** Just be careful to avoid [[Gambit Pileup
* [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]]: It's true that we all respect our bastards in many ways possible. Of course, being arrogant is one thing that our bastards want to avoid or be careful with. Sure, they're badass, all-knowing and cool, and make other people look like idiots, but you just don't want to make them too arrogant about their badassery, awesomeness, high intellect and immense power, because chances are, their arrogance might just be their fatal flaw.
* [[Bad Boss]]: It's true that some characters tend to kill their minions either [[You Have Failed Me...|for failing them]] or [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|just because they no longer have a need for them]] as a reminder that the character is truly a bastard - there's just a good reason why your bastard wants to be careful around this. Nothing damages or destroys the respect of the audience like killing the character's mooks too constantly. Remember, a good [[Magnificent Bastard]] is extremely careful when it comes to telling his mooks what to do, so using this trope at your discretion is a very smart idea.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Another trope to be careful around is the [[Berserk Button]]. Naturally, nothing causes respect for your bastard to fall than doing something to make him suddenly fly into a rage over and over and over again. As long as your bastard's [[Berserk Button]] isn't hit too many times, the audience won't mind. Pushing the button far too often may result in your bastard's [[Villainous Breakdown]].
* [[Complete Monster]]: Although some of the characters on the page cross the line into this, generally speaking this is a trope you want to avoid. The Magnificent Bastard evokes awe in the audience, and grudging respect from the hero (for example: even Superman has acknowledged
* [[Evil Gloating]]: This is a trope that ''can'' be done well, but is somewhat dangerous when writing a [[Magnificent Bastard]]. Sometimes, you may feel the need to have the [[Large Ham|villain]] [[Chewing the Scenery|unleash his appetite on the setting around him]], preferably at a time when he has the hero at his knees. A well-placed [[Hannibal Lecture]] or [[Reason You Suck Speech]], done right, can show that your Bastard is, at least for the moment, superior to his hapless opponent. However, too much [[Evil Gloating]] can make this character [[Evil Is Stylish|lose his original flair]], as the audience begins to stop admiring the character's competence and begins being annoyed by his arrogance. Losing your character's charisma in this manner means that you will likely create a [[Smug Snake]]
* [[Kick the Dog]]: As stated in the Moral Event Horizon section, the Magnificent Bastard should never do anything so horrible that he loses the Magnificent part of his status. That said, there’s a reason why Bastard is also a part of the title. A few well-placed kicks can remind the audience that yes, he is the villain of the piece. Too many though, may well cost him any audience sympathy. Use actions like this carefully, and make sure he never goes so far as to Rape The Dog.
** Which brings us to... [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil|Rape]]: '''[[Big No]]!
* [[Memory Gambit]]: Not everyone is cut out [[Consummate Liar|to beat a]] [[Lie Detector]] or [[Living Lie Detector]], this can extend even to magnificent bastards. Utilizing this trope can be a great way to overcome this obstacle. But it should be used with caution, not remembering plans can be quite an obstacle, especially if that includes not remembering you had plans in the first place. As such this plan should be treated as high risk on the [[Magnificent
* [[Moral Event Horizon]]: This is linked to [[Kick the Dog]]. There are lines that the Magnificent Bastard should not cross. To be effective, he must always remain at least somewhat sympathetic to audience. After crossing this line, all sympathy vanishes. The Magnificent Bastard should of course do terrible things. That’s part of the job. But they should never be so terrible that he or she loses their audience appeal. If this happens, it’s a decent sign that you’re doing something wrong. Unless of course, you want the character to lose sympathy as the story goes along (which is a perfectly legitimate plot idea). If so, this is how you do it.
** If you do cross the Horizon with your character, remember that this is not something you can back out of later on. The character will be altered permanently by the event, probably becoming a [[Complete Monster]]. Any attempt to turn the character back into a [[Magnificent Bastard]] after crossing the [[Moral Event Horizon]] will reek of [[Karma Houdini]].
* [[Obviously Evil]]: How your [[Magnificent Bastard]] appears is important - you obviously want to use this trope at your discretion. Whether it's a character with [[Too Many Belts|Too Many Skulls]], [[Hellish Pupils]], or [[Spikes of Villainy]], you just wouldn't want him looking way too freaky to truly be a [[Magnificent Bastard]]. Now if that sort of appearance fits the setting, it can be all right. But be careful.
* [[Oh Crap]]: Generally speaking, your bastard should remain calm and collected at all times, since he's magnificent himself. To be fair enough, we don't want our Bastards ending up in predicaments where no strategies of theirs can help them out of situations where they end up completely and totally screwed. And just to give you a heads-up, we wouldn't want them freaking out even if they're in such a situation, would we? Because if they did, then the audience's respect towards the Bastard would end up falling.
* [[Pride]]: Giving your Bastard a healthy dose of confidence is necessary, since he is, after all, [[Shaped Like Itself|magnificent]]. However, this needs to be handled with caution; if his natural confidence and belief in himself devolves into unwarranted arrogance, the character is in very real danger of losing his polish and flair, and this can devolve your charismatic, threatening, [[Magnificent Bastard]] into an insufferable [[Smug Snake]]. Remember, a [[Magnificent Bastard]]'s confidence must stay ''within reason''; his assumptions about his own competence should be more or less the same as the audience's own perception of him. Pride also tends to define the Mangificent Bastard's primary [[Fatal Flaw]], especially in [[Tragedy|tragedies]].
* [[Smug Snake]]: This trope is the culmination of numerous other tropes that one should be careful with. A character who is [[Pride|overconfident]], overly [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy|arrogant]], and utterly convinced of his own superiority will not earn the audience's respect, no matter how much of a [[Chessmaster]], [[Manipulative Bastard]], or [[Trickster]] they may be. This isn't to say that a [[Smug Snake]] cannot be a great villain and a serious threat, but if you really want your character to be an MB, stay away from this. If you feel you are approaching [[Smug Snake|Smug Snakery]], it's time to seriously reevaluate your character.
* [[Villain Sue]]/[[Mary Tzu]]: The one thing you probably want to avoid more than anything else is making your Magnificent Bastard ''too'' magnificent. Yes, this character is typically built up as a "perfect villain", but more than anything a Magnificent Bastard is human, which means they have flaws. A character whose plans always succeed, who always correctly predicts how everyone will react, and who [[Curb Stomp Battle|curb-stomps]] everyone they fight will quickly become [[The Scrappy|an object of fan hatred]], and drive the story into [[Only the Author Can Save Them Now]] territory. Of course, as mentioned several times, one of the defining traits of the Magnificent Bastard is that the audience ''likes'' them, despite their Bastard-ery; it is therefore only natural that you, the writer, might like them quite a bit too. But you mustn't show that. If the universe is too kind to the Magnificent Bastard, or they're too perfect, then they'll automatically lose the audience's respect; so, give them their victories here and there to show their magnificence, but make them work for it and suffer set-backs too.
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** As above, that doesn't mean that you can't have your character have a [[Villainous Breakdown]], you just have to bear in mind that once it happens the character will have been fundamentally, and unless you're a genius writer, permanently changed. It's an opportunity for character development, for sure, maybe he'll go on to become a [[Harmless Villain]], or maybe he could even start on the road to redemption afterwards. Just don't try to have a character have a villainous breakdown and then expect him to retain his magnificent bastard status. A good Bastard [[Know When to Fold'Em|knows when to fold 'em]]
So, now that
One of the nice things about this character type, of course, is that he
Assuming that this character is a villain, his defeat needs to be a major part of the plot. Initial attempts at defeating him should likely result in a [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]], or the heroes being mobbed by his henchmen while he himself escapes. As the story goes along his plans may start to unravel, forcing him to improvise constantly, before ultimately being stopped at the end. If he’s an anti-hero, he will likely be even harder to deal with, manipulating every member of the cast, hero or villain to his own ends. It
* Death: Let’s face it, this character, whether hero or villain, is probably going to die (otherwise you’ve got a [[Karma Houdini]] on your hands, and that screams [[Villain Sue]]). If so, some possibilities are a [[Death Equals Redemption]]
* Romance: More than any villain (save perhaps the [[Noble Demon]]), the Magnificent Bastard is likely to possess some genuine human qualities, of which the capacity for love is one of them. It can make an interesting subplot, and help to humanise the character. The classic [[Villainous Crush|villain/villainess-falls-]][[Dating Catwoman|for-hero/heroine]] thing can be a lot of fun. So too though, can [[Unholy Matrimony|setting them up with another villain]]. Imagine what the marriage of Magnificent Bastard and a [[Manipulative Bastard|Manipulative Bitch]] could produce. Or, if you want to go for opposites attracting, how about a Magnificent Bastard [[Big Bad]] and his [[Blood Knight]] [[Hero-Killer]] [[The Dragon|Dragon]] (because who says those roles can’t be female?) or even a [[Dark Chick]] [[Evil Genius]] [[Motherly Scientist]]? There’s a lot of possibilities.
* Speaking of opposites, how about partnering this guy up with someone? Like a genuine [[Complete Monster]]. This would be a nice way of showing how great your character is in comparison to others, and would provide a lot of potential for black humor. You know the scene: the monster is in the village, torturing nuns, the bastard waits on the sidelines, rolling his eyes in disgust and saying
* Potential subversions: Typically this character (when villainous) is the [[Big Bad]] or [[The Dragon]]. Why not make him appear to be [[The Brute]], using simple, straight-forward, unsubtle tactics against the heroes as a distraction while his real plans come to fruition? Better yet, maybe he’s relying on these kinds of tactics because they actually ''work'' against the untrained (and currently insignificant) heroes. Then, when they [[Took a Level
* Lionel Luthor, in ''[[Smallville]]'': A [[Trope Codifier]] and one of the very best (before [[Villain Decay]] set in at least), he begins as the [[Big Bad]], becomes a major supporting character, and never stops being magnificent. An [[Abusive Dad]] who loves his son, a [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|crooked businessman]] [[Even Evil Has Standards|who will not cross certain lines]], a [[The Mentor|mentor figure]] who will [[I Lied|compulsively lie]] to his charges, Lionel is everything this trope is supposed to be, absolutely dominating every scene he's in. You’re never sure just what to make of him, and that’s the point. Props to [[John Glover]] for his superb performance.
* [[Lex Luthor]], in many, but not all, versions of ''[[Superman]]'': Like father, like son. Lex has been one of these in most of his incarnations since the eighties, remaining the one man who even Superman cannot imprison. His comic book and [[DCAU]] versions are probably the best examples of this (the ''[[Smallville]]'' one is a little too whiny and unimpressive to successfully escape Manipulative Bastard territory), with the DCAU version running the full gamut from Big Bad to [[Anti-Villain]], ultimately saving the world at the very end. His team-ups with The Joker also provide an excellent demonstration of the difference between this character, and an [[Faux Affably Evil]] [[Complete Monster]]. DCAU Darkseid is also rather magnificent on occasion.
* J.R. Ewing, of ''[[Dallas]]'': Before Lionel Luthor's fans truly brought the term into the public consciousness, J.R. was the undisputed [[Trope Codifier]] for the character type that would later gain the title "Magnificent Bastard"—and to be honest, he still may be: as befits only the most Magnificent of Bastards, he became the show's [[Breakout Character]], overshadowing the intended protagonists. (Take note: J.R. is the prime example of a true [[Magnificent Bastard]] actually succeeding as ''the main character''! As the "Treat With Caution" section below indicates, that is really hard to pull off...) The quintessential "villain you [[Love to Hate]]". A [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] who delights in the manipulation of others to secure his power base. [[The Chessmaster]], and isn't afraid to revel in it. He anticipates business associates double-crossing him: "I'd have been disappointed if that thought hadn't crossed your mind, already!" His actions have constantly enraged the more "moral" characters in the show, often making their lives so much harder—to the point where, when we got to the immortal "Who Shot J.R.?" storyline...part of the thrill was that anyone could have had a viable motive! And yet, he's charming as heck, always classy, quite the [[Gentleman Snarker]], and in his own way, rather likable. He also has his share of [[Pet the Dog]] moments, too: he does stick up for his more moral brother, Bobby—and he loves his son, John Ross...mentoring him in the TNT relaunch in how to be a true [[Magnificent Bastard]], repeatedly expressing his pride in John taking the lessons to heart: "Now that's my son...from tip to tail." He even molded his own death before-the-fact into part of an intricate plan that he predicted would be his "masterpiece"—and it arguably is, achieving a final, permanent defeat of his greatest nemesis.
* Megatron, in ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]'': You might wonder what he’s doing here. After all, he rarely ever wins. We’ll let the his page entry speak for itself: “He's a user and abuser of his followers, a gloating sadist who enumerates the ways he's beaten his enemies as he's standing over them in his moment of triumph, a master manipulator who is only served by his underlings' treachery... and yet he carries off scheme after scheme with audacity, panache, and an almost vaudevillian flair. Nor does he work in small potatoes; his schemes include {{spoiler|two bids to rewrite history}} as well as {{spoiler|consuming his namesake's spark}} to add to his own personal power. Magnificent. Bastard. [[Verbal Tic|Yesss]].” Megatron is that rare kind of villain, who never wins, but always manages to remain threatening to the heroes. It’s clear from the beginning that he is easily the smartest member of the cast, and is only kept back by the incompetence or [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|treachery]] of his henchmen. He combines the best attributes of the Large Ham, the Manipulative Bastard and the Chessmaster, remaining one of the most competent and impressive villains to ever come out of a children's program, and a good example of how to make this character type work for a younger audience. Heck, he somehow made a rollerblading Tyrannosaurus look ominous, instead of silly, a feat in and of itself. In the sequel he manages to take things even further, [[A God Am I|essentially becoming god]].▼
* ''[[House of Cards]]'': Francis Urquhart is a truly classic example of a Bastard, continuously arranging things so that every outcome has an opportunity he can exploit for his benefit—equipped with a keen sense of human nature, which powers some truly impressive [[Batman Gambit]]s. It gets to the point when intense pressure and conflict becomes an inevitable lead-in to some truly impressive [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] on his part by each season's end. What most makes the show(s) a particularly good "primer", though—more than anything else—is Francis's characteristic tendency to lay out for the audience each important step in his plans, so we can follow along with his thought process.
* The Master, in all incarnations of ''[[Doctor Who]]'': Suave, [[Badass in A Nice Suit|well-dressed]] foil for the Doctor? Check. [[Affably Evil]] villain who once [[Refuge in Audacity|held half the universe for ransom]] and {{spoiler|turned the entire Earth's population [[Me's a Crowd|into clones of himself]] - mainly just to make a cheap pun}}? Check. Constantly coming up with bigger and more outlandish plans and despite the universe's best efforts, [[Joker Immunity|beating death more often than the Joker]]? Check. The Master has style, wit, and intelligence (though yes, he [[Villain Decay|doesn't]] [[Idiot Ball|always]] [[Hoist By His Own Petard|use it]]), and has been one of the epitomes of the Magnificent Bastard for over forty years. Whether he was played by [[Friendly Enemy|Roger Delgado]], [[Nightmare Fuel|Peter Pratt]], [[The Other Darrin|Geoffrey Beevers]], [[Grand Theft Me|Anthony Ainley]], [[Tomato in The Mirror|Derek Jacobi]], or [[Refuge in Audacity|John Simm]], he continues to be an iconic part of the Whoniverse.▼
▲* Megatron, in ''[[
* David Xanatos, in ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'': Full stop. This is the man the [[Xanatos Gambit]] is named for. Throughout the entire show he remains one step ahead of the main cast, outsmarting them at every turn, and controlling his events so that no matter what they do, it turns out in his favor. He manages to get away with it most of the time, all without ever feeling like a [[Villain Sue]].▼
▲* The Master, in all incarnations of ''[[Doctor Who]]'': Suave, [[Badass in
▲* David Xanatos, in ''[[
* Treize Khushraneda in ''[[Gundam Wing]]'': There are plenty of Gundam antagonists that approach this territory, but [[Cultured Badass|Treize]] is perhaps the one that is most agreed upon, as well as the most archetypal. A [[Colonel Badass|superb military commander]] who quickly and easily manipulates the entire world into a war in order to {{spoiler|demonstrate just how bad warfare is}}, his plan involves {{spoiler|getting every last warlord, including himself, killed}}. His appearances are rare in-show, but Treize never lost his cool or his edge, whether conducting a military coup, tricking the heroes into doing his dirty work, or {{spoiler|[[Go Out with a Smile|Going Out With A Smile]] following a truly [[Badass]], [[Curb Stomp Battle|one-sided battle]] which he lost on purpose}}. For militaristic magnificence and regal flair, look no farther than Treize.
* Grand Admiral Thrawn from ''The Thrawn Trilogy'': A brilliant tactician who eschews fancy superweapons in favor of precise timing, gambits, and clever uses of more mundane technology. He's Affably Evil and also managed to weaponize the [[Wicked Cultured]] trope by combing it with Awesomeness by Analysis to create a unique way of deciphering a species's strengths and weaknesses by studying their art. He averts [[We Have Reserves]] and [[You Have Failed Me...]] as he doesn't waste the lives of his men recklessly and is even willing to withdraw if further combat won't benefit him. However, Thrawn also avoids being a [[Villain Sue]] as he does make mistakes that are minor on their own, but all these miscalculations ultimately add up to cause his downfall in the endgame.
* ''[[Inside Man]]'': "My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the "who". The "where" could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there's a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison. The "what" is easy: Recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. That's also the "when". As for the "why": Beyond the obvious financial motivation, it's exceedingly simple... because I can. Which leaves us only with the "how"; and therein, [[Shout
* Iago from ''[[Othello]]'': He [[The Chessmaster|uses his influence to get his pieces into place,]] [[Manipulative Bastard|effortlessly manipulates the titular character's]] [[The Green Eyed Monster|"green-eyed monster"]], and even pulls off a [[Xanatos Gambit]] or two all while carrying the nickname [[Villain With Good Publicity|"honest Iago"]]. He's been described as a [[For the Evulz|"motiveless malignity"]] and his [[Hidden Agenda Villain|true motives ultimately remain unclear]] with his [[Famous Last Words]] essentially being a [[Take That]] to anyone trying to decipher his ultimate goal. He takes the concept of [[Villains Act, Heroes React]] to an extreme by essentially being the only character who "acts" while everyone else in the play is [[Unwitting Pawn|merely "reacting" to his actions]]. Iago is a stellar Shakespearean example of a [[Magnificent Bastard]].▼
* Megabyte from ''[[
* Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia of ''[[Code Geass]]'': There are many, many fans of this show who will hold Lelouch up as the ultimate example of what the heroic version of this should look like. To a degree,
▲* Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia of ''[[Code Geass]]'': There are many, many fans of this show who will hold Lelouch up as the ultimate example of what the heroic version of this should look like. To a degree, they’re right. Lelouch is doubtlessly intended to be the heroic version of this, and outsmarts most of the cast with commendable brilliance. Unfortunately, he also demonstrates many of the problems with making this guy the hero. His relentless [[Kick the Dog|dog-kicking]], temporary [[Freak-Out|freak outs]] and [[Heroic BSOD|Heroic BSODs]], combined with his childish personality can, and ''do'', cost him a lot of audience sympathy, with some regarding him as just a Jerkass [[Anti-Hero]]. His ability to hypnotize people, and the fact that they turned his Large Ham tendencies [[Turned Up to Eleven|up to eleven]] in a serious show does not help. That said, the show can and does remain a good source of inspiration, with the [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] between Lelouch and his brother Schneizel being intricate and fascinating to watch.
** Schneizel himself, for that matter, has his own problems. There's no doubt he was a Magnificent Bastard, but he was so [[Affably Evil]] that at least half of the audience (and most of the characters) was fully convinced he was a legitimately good and principled [[Anti-Villain]] variation of the trope. Throughout the show he showed concern for the common man, had no personal ambitions of power, wished to limit bloodshed as much as possible, and viewed diplomacy as a far more valuable and effective tool than war. At one point he rescinded a potential political alliance because the leaders of the other nation involved were recorded saying their citizens amounted to nothing more than parasites to be exploited. He consistently espoused the belief that the job of a ruler was to ensure the welfare of his people, and his younger sister Cornelia believed he would be "the perfect king" because of these traits. So what was the problem? When he was finally outed as the [[Big Bad]] with three episodes left in the entire show, his goals were so completely opposite of his "mask" that the audience wasn't able to really reconcile the two, and the sudden switch was a drastic [[Mood Whiplash]] from who we thought he was to who he actually was. It seemed like two different characters, and he lost quite a bit of audience sympathy and admiration as a result.
* Light Yagami in ''[[
* Gendo Ikari in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'': Gendo’s problem is different from the above. There’s no doubt that he’s one of these. The issue is that he’s in a show that’s half [[Mind Screw]]/half [[Nightmare Fuel]], making it very hard to tell what he actually did, what he didn’t do, or even what the hell is going on half the time. His personality, motivations, and relationship with son are all excellent fodder for aspiring writers, even if the show itself ultimately leaves everything about him in a state of ambiguity.
* Tywin Lannister from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' and its television adaptation ''[[Game of Thrones]]'': The [[Dragon-in-Chief]] to his grandson Joffrey and his successor Tommen and the head of the Lannister family, Tywin is ruthless, cunning, and an expert politician and manipulator. Despite his ruthlessness, he isn't above the odd [[Pet the Dog]] moment from time to time, though such moments come rarely. It is quite clear to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms that Joffrey may be the king, but Tywin is the real power behind the throne, and he backs it up and then some. His ruthlessness, however, can cross too far over into [[Moral Event Horizon]] territory, though. His machinations inflame the Northern Lords against their liege, culminating in the infamous Red Wedding, for which he suffers no blame due to allowing the Frey family to take all of the credit. He is also vicious to his son Tyrion, where his petting quickly becomes yanking on a moment's notice, and will suffer absolutely no japes or slights against himself or his house lest he bring down [[Disproportionate Retribution]] on the perpetrator (as the Reynes and Tarbecks learned when Tywin wiped out their houses for refusing to bend knee to Tywin's father Tytos).
▲* Iago from ''[[Othello]]'': He
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