Visionary Villain: Difference between revisions

''As my conscience seems to be''|"Behind Blue Eyes", '''[[The Who]]'''}}

 

 

As an [[The Antagonist|Antagonist]], their morality can be [[Sliding Scale of Antagonist Vileness|anywhere on the scale]] from [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] to [[Complete Monster]]; all that changes is the motivation for wanting to achieve their goal. The common thread is that they have seen the state of the world and want to change it, whether into something better or worse varies. A sympathetic villain may want to [[Revenge|kill the people responsible]] for his [[Dark and Troubled Past]] and [[Freudian Excuse]] so it never happens to someone else, perhaps becoming an avenging angel of sorts. A [[For the Evulz|laughing monster]] of a [[Card-Carrying Villain]] on the other hand, may want to [[Take Over the World]] (or [[The End of the World as We Know It|end it]]) because she sees society as nothing more than a thin facade, and peeling it away will expose [[Humans Are Bastards|the true face of humanity]].

* Fate Averruncus's organization in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''. To the point it's questionable whether his goal [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|is actually]] [[Anti-Villain|that bad]], and the protagonists are simply opposing the means he's using to bring about that goal.

** His true ultimate goal {{spoiler|is "saving" the Magical World (which will soon suffer complete magical depletion) through an [[Assimilation Plot]], and he progresses towards it: 1-without informing anyone but select coconspirators about the true plan, playing the rest as [[Unwitting Pawn|Unwitting Pawns]], 2-by engineering wars, unrest and disasters that cause untold suffering on a massive scale, 3-Stopping at nothing to neutralise anyone who might pose even the slightest threat to his plans, even if that "threat" is the possibility to find out how to [[Take a Third Option]] where nobody dies. He's basically a prepubescent [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Gendo Ikari]].}}

* Ribbons of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' who sees himself as the [[A God Am I|benevolent god]] who lead humanity into a utopia {{spoiler|and prepare them for contact with aliens}}.

** Quite common in Gundam series, dating back to Gihren Zabi in the original. People like Anavel Gato, Char Aznable, Treize Khushrenada, and others fit this trope perfectly. Anavel Gato chews out Kou for not bothering to understand Zeon's objectives and mindlessly serving the Federation. Char has a very well-organized and detailed ideology he inherited from his father and resents Amuro Ray for not being similar [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|("Unlike you, I'm more than just a pilot!")]]. Treize, especially, has a vision of the glories and terrors of war and wishes to drive home to humanity the true horrors of war...but due to his suicide-through-enemy-fire, he [[Karma Houdini|escaped responsibility for his actions]].

* Both {{spoiler|Pain and Madara}} of ''[[Naruto]]'' have clear goals and plans to achieve the utopia they envision. As their plans were mutually exclusive, they danced around each other, trying to advance their own goals faster.

** If {{spoiler|Madara}} is to be believed([[Consummate Liar|which is debatable]]) he's had his plan in the works for most of the century.

 

 

* Judge Doom from ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' made a surprisingly epic speech about his grand Earth-shaking vision of public freeways. Of course, his plan ''does'' require [[Toon Town]] to be wiped out first.

* Sebastian Shaw from ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men: First Class]]'', who wants to start World War III so that mutants can take over the planet.

* [[Chinatown]]

{{quote|'''Jake Gittes:''' I just wanna know what you're worth. More than 10 million?

** Hanse Davion fought several wars against the Draconis Combine and basically cut the Capellan Confederation in half. He always saw himself as striking against oppressive regimes run by madmen (Which was true, in the case of the Confederation. Debatable in the case of the Combine). He also saw himself, like many Successor State lords before him, as the fittest candidate for the 300-year vacant title of First Lord of the Star League. He was depicted as a scary man to be against, though with good intentions.

** Sun-Tzu Liao was willing to do terrible things, but his foremost goal was rebuilding the Capellan Confederation after Hanse broke it and Sun-Tzu's crazed mother all-but-destroyed the remnants. He was generally depicted as villain and very dangerous, but one who's position was understandable and not nearly as bad as some.

 

 

 

== Videogames ==

* Cyrus from ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]'', who wants to destroy the world and then re-create it as a world with no emotion, knowledge, or willpower, claiming that these things that make up "spirit" only lead to pain and conflict.

** N wished to free all Pokemon and create a world where Pokemon wouldn't be enslaved. A lot of Team Plasma shared that vision with him.

* {{spoiler|Kerghan}} in ''[[Arcanum]]'' might be the most well-intentioned and extreme extremist of all. {{spoiler|He's traveled beyond the veil of death and knows it as plain fact that the dead eventually do reach a state of perfect tranquility in death. Since he's all too aware of how much the living and the undead suffer, his grand scheme is to permanently sever the mortal ties of every soul in existence.}} He's quite insane, but there's nothing in the story that indicates that things wouldn't work out exactly as he'd foreseen if given the chance.

** In the end, you have the option {{spoiler|of joining him and helping him to kill every living thing in existence. Whether or not this is the ''bad'' ending isn't quite made clear.}}

** Sofia Lamb in the second game has opposite goals (the foundation of a collectivist society), but is probably even more evil than Ryan.

* [[Mass Effect|The Illusive Man]]. He dreams of a galaxy where humanity is safe and dominant. To accomplish this, all manner of [[Playing with Syringes|mad science]], assassinations, and [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulations]] are acceptable. He's sometimes described as being both the [[Humans Are Special|best]] and [[Humans Are Bastards|worst]] humanity has to offer at once.

** Played with in that we never find out exactly what ''his'' vision (as separate from the visions he presents to his followers) is. Clearly, he has a plan, but it seems to result in wildly different goals between one game and another (exactly what is the connection between [[Body Horror|Divination]] and Ascension?).

* [[The Master]] in ''[[Fallout 1]]''. Believes that his Super Mutants are the natural evolution of mankind and the perfect solution to the irradiated, destroyed Wastelands of 22nd-century California.