Topic on User talk:DocColress
Well, I decided that it's probably for the best that I set up some sort of topic where potential examples are discussed for the Complete Monster trope given it's controversial nature, so I was thinking about simply making a big one here assuming you don't mind of course. If you do, I'll think of something else. Since I've had an admittedly bad habit of adding examples that I feel count without any discussion, I'd like to be more diplomatic about future additions since I quite like discussions and getting more involved with others in this community.
But since I don't want this to be an empty topic, I'd like to get it to use for just one minor example for now since I'd hate to waste your time. Yesterday, I had a bit of a Disney movie marathon with some cousins of mine, and that got me to wonder about a potential example I'd like to run by you. Specifically, the candidate is Stromboli from Pinocchio. Now I feel a bit silly about suggesting someone who ISN'T that terrifying Coachman, but due to this site's more lenient (But still firm) views on the trope I think I can make a case for him. Now admittedly, he's MUCH lower key than the Coachman, and the fact that his evil is directed only to one character (Pinocchio, as you know) hurts his chances. But I think it's the moral nature of what he does to Pinocchio that I feel could make him a contender for the role, though admittedly far outclassed by the Coachman.
Who is Stromboli?: Stromboli is a traveling puppet-master who puts on shows for money. Nothing too heinous here... yet. However, whenever he realizes that he could make a fortune off of Pinocchio for being a living puppet, his truly unpleasant qualities surface.
What does he do?: He decides to let Pinocchio star in his puppet show to see how much money he could make off of a puppet who needs no strings to move. He at first comes off as amusing and jovial, but a bit of his true nature slips out whenever Pinocchio trips and falls at the beginning of the show. He reacts by grabbing him, then yelling and threatening him (And his body language seems to suggest that he may have been considering inflicting physical harm on him as well) before realizing that the audience was entertained by his screw-up. The show proved to be successful, and Stromboli is pleased by the huge amount of money he earned from that night's show. Once again, he acts very jovial and friendly at first, but when Pinocchio goes to leave and tell his father Gepetto about what happened that night, Stromboli grabs Pinnochio and locks him in a birdcage. It's here where we see Stromboli's cruel and unpleasant side come out: he reveals to Pinocchio that he's far too profitable to be let go and says that he'll tour the world while making more and more money off of him. And once Pinocchio gets too old to perform, Stromboli will kill him and use him as firewood. Once Pinocchio starts to freak out upon hearing this, Stromboli simply responds by yelling at him to shut up then threatening him with physical violence before leaving to drive the horses pulling the cart, laughing to himself as he imagines the future influx of cash heading his way. While he comes off as silly and hammy as well, he isn't played for laughs and is more of a Laughably Evil villain whose deeds are taken seriously.
Is he heinous by the standards of the story?: This is where I think it gets tricky. The Coachman is a lot worse than Stromboli, there's absolutely no debate there. However, I'd say Stromboli would be a close second simply because he doesn't have the Coachman's resources available to him. And out of the five antagonists shown in the movie, I'd say he handily beats out three of them: Honest John and Gideon (two conmen who get Pinocchio roped in with Stromboli and help the Coachmen with collecting boys, but don't count at all due to being horrified by the Coachman's plot and are only helping him because they're intimidated by him) as well as Monstro the whale (who also doesn't count at all due to being a wild animal, and only chases Pinocchio and Geppeto down at the film's climax because they lit a fire in him, which pretty much provoked him into violence). Unlike Honest John and Gideon who are shown to have standards when committing illegal acts, Stromboli has no problem whatsoever with putting a child into slavery and killing him at the end, as long as he makes a good amount of cash doing so.
Any Freudian Excuse?: Nope, he's simply a greedy asshole who is willing to do whatever it takes to make some money.
Verdict: I'd say he arguably counts. Yeah, he may pale in comparison to the Coachman, but the fact that he's willing to enslave and kill a little boy speaks volumes about his character and helps him stand out among the other villains shown in the movie who either have standards or are a mindless animal.