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50 MEMORABLE VILLAINS


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50. Max Cady (Cape Fear)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 30 points - highest ranking #15 kyyle23)

 

Max Cady is a fictional character in the John D. MacDonald novel The Executioners. The character was portrayed by Robert Mitchum in the 1962 film adaptation Cape Fear and by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake of the same name.

 

Character overview

 

In both film versions of MacDonald's novel, Cady is a criminal with an obsessive grudge against an attorney named Sam Bowden (played by Gregory Peck in the first film and by Nick Nolte in the remake) who sent him to prison for rape. While in prison, Cady teaches himself to read as he nurtures his hatred of Bowden, made especially intense when his wife divorces him and takes their child. Upon his release, he terrorizes Bowden and his family, stalking his wife at their house and attempting to seduce Bowden's teenage daughter. After Bowden's failed attempts to get rid of Cady with bribery and a restraining order, he hires street thugs to rough Cady up, which only succeeds in making him angrier and more determined to make sure Bowden "learns all about loss." Cady tracks the family to its summer home in the titular North Carolina beach town of Cape Fear and nearly kills them all. In the climax of the first film, Bowden puts Cady under citizen's arrest; in the second, Cady apparently drowns after a fight with Bowden.

 

There are significant differences between the way in which Cady is portrayed in the first and second film; while Mitchum's characterization is that of a sleazy, degenerate con artist, De Niro's is of a homicidal sociopath who viciously attacks everything and everyone Bowden holds dear (he even beats and rapes one of Bowden's colleagues). The remake also sheds some light on Cady's background in a rural Pentecostal family who exposed themselves to venomous snakebites and drinking Strychnine in order to achieve religious ecstasy.

 

There are also many differences in the films' portrayal of Cady and Bowden's relationship. In the first film, Bowden merely testified against Cady in court. In the remake, Bowden was Cady's attorney who deliberately suppressed evidence which may have lightened Cady's sentence or granted him an acquittal. Most notably, Cady's fate differs in the two films. In the 1962 version, Bowden manages to grab his revolver and shoot Cady in the leg during a fight between the two men. Rather than finish him off, Bowden spares Cady so he will be forced to spend the rest of his life in jail. In the remake, Bowden is able to handcuff Cady's ankle to a railing in the houseboat before it hits submerged rocks and begins to break apart. The two exchange blows, and a crazed Bowden attempts to bring a large rock down on Cady's head. As he does so, Cady is washed out into the river, still cuffed to part of the houseboat. Bowden then watches as Cady drowns.

 

Cultural impact

 

Max Cady (as played by Mitchum) ranks number 28 on the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 movie villains of all time.

Max Cady was parodied in a 1993 episode of The Simpsons entitled "Cape Feare," in which Sideshow Bob stalks the Simpson family to a Florida beach town in order to get revenge on Bart.

Robert De Niro's portrayal of Max Cady was the inspiration for wrestler Dan Spivey's "Waylon Mercy" gimmick.

 

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49. Pazuzu (The Demon in The Exorcist)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 32 points - highest ranking #5 nunnigan)

 

Pazuzu is a fictional character and the main antagonist in The Exorcist horror novels and film series created by William Peter Blatty. Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and son of the god Hanbi. In The Exorcist Pazuzu appears as a demon who possesses Regan MacNeil.

 

Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of animal and human parts with its right hand pointing upwards and its left hand downwards. It has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, eagle-like taloned feet, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail, and a serpentine penis.

 

Appearances

 

Novels

 

Pazuzu first appeared in William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist in 1971. The novel is about a 12-year-old girl, Regan MacNeil, possessed by a demon. The demon is later revealed to be Pazuzu - though never explicitly stated to be, two references were made about his statue, which was uncovered in the prologue by Father Lankester Merrin in northern Iraq. After Regan's mother worries about her daughter being possessed, Merrin and Karras arrive at her house and perform an exorcism on Regan and successfully force the demon out of Regan's body. In their struggle to free Regan from the thrall of Pazuzu, both priests perish.

 

Pazuzu returns in Legion, wanting to take revenge for being thrown out of Regan's body. He does this by driving the Gemini Killer's soul into Father Damien Karras's dead body. Although not directly identified as Pazuzu, the Gemini Killer refers to "others" who would see his work continue. In the end of the novel, the Gemini Killer leaves the body of Father Karras when Kinderman accepts that he is in fact the Gemini Killer, satisfied that his work has been recognized and his past avenged.

 

Films

 

Two years after the novel was published, The Exorcist was released in theaters as a motion picture. In the beginning of the film, Father Merrin finds a ruined statue of the demon during a dig in Iraq. The majority of the film deals with Regan's demonic possession by a being she initially refers to as "Captain Howdy". The demon is ultimately exorcised out of Regan's body after Merrin dies of a heart attack, and Father Karras sacrifices himself by luring the demon into his body and then hurling himself through a window and down the infamous flight of stairs leading down to M Street NW, in Georgetown.

 

In Exorcist II: The Heretic, Pazuzu is named as the demon and returns to haunt Regan. There are flashbacks of Merrin battling the demon in Regan and also flashbacks of Merrin's exorcism of Pazuzu from a boy named Kokumo in Africa many years earlier. In the end of the film, Regan and Father Lamont, who has been trying to help her, but has become possessed by Pazuzu, return to Georgetown. After a struggle, he declines Pazuzu's offer of power and Regan banishes Pazuzu, appearing in the form of locusts.

 

The Exorcist III takes place 15 years after the original film. The film was adapted by Blatty from his own novel. Lieutenant Kinderman, who was also in the original film, has been on a murder case about mysterious deaths done by an anonymous person. It is later found out that Satan convinced the Gemini Killer, who died at the same time as Father Karras, to inhabit his body as punishment for saving Regan. However, as result of his suicide, his brain was severely damaged, which demons/spirits need when they possess a body. The Gemini Killer spent years stimulating his brain so he would be of use, and then began committing murders by possessing the bodies of the other inhabitants of the hospital where Karras had been staying. In the end of the movie after a turbulent exorcism is done, Karras regains control of the body and asks Kinderman to kill him, which he does by shooting him in the head, keeping him from being possessed again.

 

In Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, (two different prequels of The Exorcist) Pazuzu is shown in his first encounter with Father Merrin in Africa in the duel that "nearly kills Merrin," referenced in the very first movie. Although the plot of both of these versions center around Merrin's African exorcism many years earlier, they take a sharp departure from the original scenes in Exorcist II: The Heretic where Merrin exorcises a young boy named Kokumo on a mountaintop. No effort was made to keep the stories consistent beyond that central idea.

 

Concept and creation

 

William Peter Blatty's creations of Pazuzu and The Exorcist were based on a heavily reported series of 1949 events in St. Louis, Missouri concerning the possession of a 14-year-old known as "Robbie Mannheim" (or sometimes "Roland Doe"). Blatty, who was a student at Georgetown University, read about the story in Washington, D.C. newspapers and created The Exorcist twenty years later.

 

Portrayal

 

Linda Blair played Regan and actress Eileen Dietz was the face of the "possessed Regan."

 

Make-up effects

 

There are several scenes in which the viewer can see the face of Pazuzu flashing quickly on the screen in The Exorcist. In his "true form", Pazuzu resembles a rather heavy, gaunt-white face with dark rings around his dull, red eyes and brown, crooked, rotting teeth. The demon mask used in the movie Onibaba (1964) inspired William Friedkin to use a similar design for the makeup in the shots. In these shots, the demon is played by actress Eileen Dietz, who underwent makeup tests for the "possessed Regan", wore one of the alternate make-ups in her role as the demon.

 

In popular culture

 

Pazuzu has been featured in numerous spoofs/parodies. A notable example is Scary Movie 2, in which the scenes of the exorcism of Regan are spoofed in the prologue. The character was also spoofed in the film Repossessed; Linda Blair starred in the film and reprised her role as the demon.

 

In Futurama, the Professor's pet gargoyle was named Pazuzu.

 

A statue resembling Pazuzu appears in the Gorillaz's music video for "Rock It".

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48. Venom (Spider-Man)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 33 points - highest ranking #7 Quinarvy)

 

Venom, or the Venom Symbiote, is a fictional extraterrestrial life form appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, specifically those featuring Spider-Man. The creature is a sentient alien Symbiote, with a gooey, almost liquid-like form. It requires a host, usually human, to bond with for its survival. In return the Venom creature gives its host enhanced powers. When the Venom Symbiote bonds with a human, that new dual-life form itself is also often called Venom. The Symbiote's first known host was Spider-Man, who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered it was a life form attempting to permanently bond itself to him. The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts and so began its reign as the villain known as Venom. Its second host, Eddie Brock, after bonding with the Symbiote to become the first Venom, is one of Spider-Man's archenemies.

 

Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares." Venom was ranked as the 22nd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time in IGN's list of the top 100 comic villains, and 33rd on Empire's 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters.

 

Publication history

 

Spider-Man first encountered the Venom Symbiote in Secret Wars #8, in which he unwittingly merged with it.[6] After Spider-Man rejected it, the Symbiote merged with Eddie Brock, its most well-known host, in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988). Its next host was Mac Gargan, the villain formerly known as Scorpion.

 

Originally, the Symbiote was portrayed as a mute and lonely creature craving the company of a host. More recently, it has been shown as increasingly abusive of its hosts, and having the power of speech. The Venom Symbiote has no known name, as "Venom" is essentially the moniker it has adopted since its history with Spider-Man on Earth. According to S.H.I.E.L.D., it is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity, alongside Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Red Skull.

 

The idea of a new costume for Spider-Man that would later become the alien Symbiote Venom was thought of by a Marvel Comics reader from Norridge, Illinois named Randy Schueller. Marvel bought the idea for $220.00 after the then editor in chief, Jim Shooter, sent Schueller a letter acknowledging Marvel's desire to purchase the idea from him. Schueller's design was then modified by Mike Zeck, becoming the Symbiote costume. David Michelinie would later write the backstory of Eddie Brock as the alien's new host that became the popular villain Venom.

 

Fictional character biography

 

Pre-Venom

 

The creature that would become Venom was born to a race of extraterrestrial parasites, which lived by possessing the bodies of other life-forms. The parasites would endow their victims with enhanced physical abilities, at the cost of fatally draining them of adrenaline.

 

According to the Planet of the Symbiotes storyline, the Venom Symbiote was deemed insane by its own race after it was discovered that it desired to commit to its host rather than use it up. The Symbiote was then imprisoned on Battleworld to ensure it didn't pollute the species' gene pool.

 

Main hosts

 

Spider-Man

 

In Secret Wars #8 (December 1984), Spider-Man damages his costume in combat on Battleworld and is directed to a facility which can provide a new one to him. Before having the chance to recover a new suit, Spider-Man stumbles into the prison module the Symbiote has been trapped in. He then activates the machine which releases the Symbiote in the form of a black liquid. Spider-Man's "spider-sense" initially tingles, and then stops upon Spider-Man's first contact with the liquid; it covers his body and, reacting to Spider-Man's thoughts about the costume worn by the second Spider-Woman, forms a new costume and symbol. To Spider-Man's surprise, the costume can mimic street clothes and provides a seemingly inexhaustible and stronger supply of webbing.

 

Once back on Earth, Spider-Man enjoys the costume's convenience and style until he starts becoming lethargic and witnesses its eerie ability to move on its own. After having a nightmare, involving a power struggle between the monstrous costume and his original costume, Pete finally decides to have the black costume analyzed by Reed Richards. He then learns the costume is a sentient alien Symbiote that wishes to fuse permanently with him and often controls his body while he sleeps resulting in his lethargy. With the aid of Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch, Spider-Man discovers the Symbiote is vulnerable to sound and flame, and he uses sonic waves to remove it and flames to scare it into a containment module. The Symbiote escapes and finds its way to Peter Parker's closet and disguises itself as a spare red and blue costume. It then attempts to forcibly bond itself to Spider-Man and prevents him from physically removing it or seeking Mr. Fantastic. In a desperate attempt to rid himself of the symbiote Spider-Man crashes himself into a church belltower. As the bells ring to sound the hour, Spider-Man fights through willpower to reject the Symbiote, leaving both the alien and Spider-Man weakened. In an act of sympathy,The Symbiote, uses its remaining strength to carry an unconscious Spider-Man to safety from the bells before it slithers away. Spider-Man believed the Symbiote to be dead, yet alternately began wearing a home-made version of the black suit in conjunction with his original. Spider-Man's rejection of the Symbiote would later leave it extremely bitter toward Spider-Man, a trait it would share with its future hosts, although when tempted, the symbiote tried to re-bond with him.

 

Eddie Brock

 

The first and most famous Venom, Eddie Brock, is a reporter for the Daily Globe before it comes to light that he has fabricated a story revealing the identity of the Sin-Eater. Shortly after the story was published, Spider-Man catches the real Sin-Eater, disgracing Brock as a news reporter and costing him his job and then his wife. Now writing for cheap gossip magazines, Brock centers his frustration on utter loathing of Spider-Man, which only escalates when it is revealed that Brock has cancer. In response to this news, Brock begins working out, bringing his body to levels of amazing athletic performance. Still unable to cope with his misfortune, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to a church to pray for forgiveness. Meanwhile, the Symbiote, having recovered and needing another human host in order to survive, finds itself psychically attracted to Brock for both his increased adrenaline and mutual hatred for Spider-Man.

 

In The Amazing Spider-Man #298, they formed into the first version of the dark, villainous creature known as Venom. Venom first appeared at the end of issue #299, which led into the first Venom story in issue #300. The name Venom originally applied to Brock, rather than the Symbiote—which Brock refers to as his "Other". Over the years, as the Symbiote gained more intelligence and moved to additional human hosts, the name began to apply to the Symbiote as well as its hosts. As Venom, Brock fights Spider-Man many times, winning on several occasions. Venom repeatedly tries to kill Peter Parker/Spider-Man—both when the latter was in and out of costume. Thus Parker is forced to abandon his "black costume," which the Symbiote had been mimicking, after Venom confronts Parker's wife Mary Jane.

 

Even incarceration in The Vault, a prison for super villains, doesn't stop Venom from escaping to torment Spider-Man and his family. The Symbiote is finally rendered comatose after being subdued by Styx's plague virus, and Eddie Brock is subsequently placed in Ryker's Island Prison. When the Symbiote recovers and returns to free Brock, it leaves a spawn to bond with Brock's psychotic serial-killer cellmate Cletus Kasady, the beginning of Carnage. Meanwhile, Venom and Spider-Man fight on a deserted island, and Spider-Man strands Venom there after faking his own death. Soon after, however, Spider-Man brings Venom back to New York in order to stop Carnage's killing spree. After being incarcerated once again, Venom is used to create five new Symbiotes, which are all paired with human hosts.

 

As well as helping Eddie Brock to seek continued revenge against Spider-Man, the Symbiote also aids Brock in a sporadic career as a vigilante. He and the Symbiote occasionally share a desire to protect innocent people from harm, even if it means working side-by-side with the hated Spider-Man. This is especially true when Venom combats the entity he believes to be his spawn, Carnage. When Spider-Man helps Venom save Brock's ex-wife Ann Weying, the two make a temporary truce, though this falls apart after Weying's suicide.

 

The symbiote is temporarily stolen by U.S. Senator Steward Ward—who hopes to better understand his own alien infection by researching the symbiote—before it returns to Brock. Now, however, it dominates its host, Brock, rather than vice versa. Eventually, Eddie Brock and the Symbiote go their separate ways as the Symbiote grows tired of having a diseased host and Eddie rejects its growing bloodlust, leading him to sell the Symbiote at a super villain auction.

 

Mac Gargan

 

The Venom Symbiote approached MacDonald "Mac" Gargan, formerly known as Scorpion, and offered him new abilities. Gargan bonded with the creature, which would later give him an extra edge as part of Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve. Even with these additional powers he was still swiftly defeated by Spider-Man (Spider Man later notes this is because Mac Gargan does not hate Spider Man as much as Eddie Brock had), as the Avengers dealt with the rest of the Twelve. Gargan later became a member of a sub-group of the Thunderbolts, which was drafted by the Avengers to hunt down the members of the fugitive Secret Avengers. It was then revealed that he had been outfitted with electrical implants by the government to keep the Symbiote in check. When in the Venom persona, Gargan retained very little of his original personality and was controlled almost completely by the Symbiote, which drove him to cannibalism. When the Symbiote was dormant in his body, he expressed nausea and fear of the organism. During a fight with "Anti-Venom" (Eddie Brock), he and his Symbiote were separated, and the Venom Symbiote was nearly destroyed. Blobs of it still existed in his bloodstream, however, so Osborn injected Gargan with a vaccine for Anti-Venom's healing powers, which restored the Symbiote by causing the remaining pieces of it to expand rapidly. Gargan dons a Scorpion battle armor over the Symbiote while it heals, causing him to become what Spider-Man calls "Ven-orpion" although when the Symbiote is fully restored it shatters the armor.

 

After ingesting a chemical given to him by Norman Osborn, Venom transforms into a more human appearance similar to the Black-Suited Spider-Man. Osborn introduces him as The Amazing Spider-Man, a member of the Dark Avengers, while unveiling the team. After the Siege of Asgard, Gargan and most of the Dark Avengers were taken into custody. While being held on the Raft, the Venom Symbiote was forcefully removed from him, ending his career as Venom.

 

Flash Thompson

 

On December 9, 2010, Marvel Comics announced a new "black ops" Venom owned by the government. The new Venom will be featured in a new series called Venom in March 2011. The birth of the new Venom can be seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 in February 2011. On January 28, 2011, the identity of "black ops" Venom was revealed to be Flash Thompson. Flash is hired by the government to be a special agent wearing the Venom symbiote. Flash is only allowed to wear the suit for up to 48 hours, or risk a permanent bonding with the symbiote. The Government is also equipped with a "kill switch" designed to take Flash out if he loses control. Along with the alien, Flash is equipped with a "Multi-Gun" designed to change into any type of gun Flash needs. Flash has battled Jack-o-Lantern, fought to stop Anti-Vibranium, and fought Kraven the Hunter in the Savage Land.

 

In the 2011 "Spider-Island" storyline, Venom goes to war with Anti-Venom, Spider-King, The Queen and Hijacker. Flash also deals with the death of his father from liver failure.

 

Other hosts

 

Ann Weying

 

Ann Weying first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #375. She is Eddie Brock's ex-wife, a successful lawyer. In Ann Weying's first appearance, she is a brunette with glasses. In later appearances, she loses the glasses and goes blond. Weying assists Spider-Man by sharing some of Eddie's history with him. Later, she follows Spider-Man to the amusement park where Venom had Peter's (fake) parents. She confronts her insane ex-husband, and manages to convince Eddie to give up his vendetta. Later, Sin-Eater shoots Ann as part of a crusade against social injustice. Ann becomes She-Venom when the Venom Symbiote temporarily bonds with her to save her life.

 

She-Venom then lashes out against the men who had hurt her with such violence that Eddie became afraid for her (and of her) and compels the Symbiote back to him. Ann retched upon seeing the pile of bodies she had left behind. She screamed, "That thing made me do that!" Eddie replied, "It can't make you do anything you don't really want to do." Later the police incarcerate Ann on a false charge (unrelated to Ann's rampage above) in order to trap Venom. Ann uses her one phone call to warn Eddie and make him promise not to come. He promises that Eddie Brock wouldn't come to save her and instead sent his Other (the Symbiote) through the phone lines to her. After it bonds with her, she is able to escape custody.

 

Sometime later, Ann spots Spider-Man web slinging in an older black costume at a time when his regular red and blue suit had been stolen. Ann, still reeling from the experience of bonding with the Symbiote months earlier and unable to deal with the return of Eddie Brock into her life—coupled with Brock's transformation into Venom directly in front of her as he ran off to kill Spider-Man—sent her over the edge, and she leapt from her high rise apartment to her death. Her tombstone is shown a short time later.

 

Patricia Robertson

 

In the 2003 Venom series, Patricia Robertson was a communications specialist for the U.S. Army stationed at a radar installation in Canada near the Arctic Circle. She had joined the Army in order to "prove herself", but got more than she bargained for. During a routine supply run to an outpost owned by the Ararat Corporation, she stumbled upon a grisly scene: everyone at the installation was dead except for one lone scientist locked in the freezer. She brought the survivor back to base for medical attention, then people began dying there as well. It was revealed that the Ararat Corporation was run by an alien colony of miniature spider robots that infiltrated the American government. These creatures were partially led by an entity named Bob.

 

These creatures had cloned Venom in order to fulfill their objective: extermination of the human race. The clone would burn out its hosts' life, unlike the real Venom (traits which seem to be a throwback to the invading Symbiotes seen in Planet of the Symbiotes). Bob had the clone released and it caused the slaughter of the outpost.

 

The Venom clone hitched a ride on the survivor back to base, despite the best efforts of Robertson and her new ally. The mysterious Suit was made of the same robots as Bob, which was revealed to have been unwittingly brought to Earth by Reed Richards and made into a special agent by Nick Fury. It is unclear if the Suit's loyalties lie with Nick Fury or Bob, if either. Meanwhile, the genetically altered Symbiote killed all of Patricia's friends and coworkers. While Robertson was unconscious, the Suit cybernetically altered her, shaving her head, attaching a metal pipe in it, and placing a control collar on her so that in case the Symbiote clone bonded with her, she could control it. Meanwhile, Ararat Co. and the spider-robots nuked Voici, Canada leaving the Symbiote with few options. After the Suit sabotaged its Symbiote's favored host, Wolverine, it was forced to jump to the last surviving potential host, Robertson.

 

One of Bob’s agents, disguised as the Suit, told Robertson that she had to kill the real Venom or the Symbiotes would destroy all of humanity. Attempting to get to Venom, she freed him from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Their first fight was broken up by the real Suit, and the electrocuted Venom retreated. The Suit chided Robertson for coming to New York because there were many people in the city and all of the population could be in danger if the Symbiote clone jumped hosts.

 

Meanwhile, Bob remotely deactivated Patricia's control collar so that nothing restrained the Symbiote but Patricia's willpower. Robertson continued trying to kill Venom, beating up Spider-Man when he got in the way. She was captured by the Fantastic Four, who used her as bait to lure Venom into a trap. Unfortunately, Spider-Man’s interference and the strength and craftiness of Venom caused the trap to fail. Fighting again, Venom absorbed Robertson’s Symbiote clone, as Bob hoped, and increased in size and decided to carry out the Ararat Corporation's goals. Patricia's fate is uncertain, and the entire plot has gone unresolved.

 

Angelo Fortunato

 

Angelo Fortunato was a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain, being the second to take on the mantle of Venom. He first appeared in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #7 and was killed an issue later. With the exception of Spider-Man himself, he is the only wearer of the Venom Symbiote to not have a protruding tongue.

 

Angelo was the youngest son of Don Fortunato, a prominent Mafia capo of New York's criminal underworld. Due to his frail physique and shy attitude, Angelo was frequently bullied and humiliated by his father. Tiring of his son's weakness, the Don attended a supervillain auction, where he purchased the Venom Symbiote from Eddie Brock for $100 million. Though Eddie warned of the dangers inherent in the Symbiote, the boy answered that he had nothing to lose as his life had been one of non-stop ridicule.

 

Once bonded with the Symbiote, Angelo discovered the secret identity of Spider-Man, whom he planned to destroy to prove himself worthy to his father. Angelo attacked Peter Parker during a high school reunion, injuring many bystanders in the process. They engaged in a ferocious battle which brought them out into the streets of New York. Learning how to use the Symbiote's mimetic abilities faster than anticipated, Angelo took the advantage in the fight. However, when Angelo killed an innocent civilian he mistook for Spider-Man, the superhero stopped holding back and beat Angelo into submission.

 

Angelo attempted to escape, all the while with the Symbiote berating him for his cowardice. Irritated by the boy's lack of resolve, the Symbiote ruthlessly abandoned Angelo in mid-leap, letting him fall. Spider-Man attempted to save him, only to find out he had run out of web fluid. Angelo was killed by the subsequent fall.

 

Angelo Fortunato appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as a Marvel Knights skin for Venom.

In the Game Boy Advance version of Spider-Man 3, Eddie Brock dies in a similar manner to Fortunato, having the Symbiote abandon him in mid-fall.

 

Ms. Marvel

 

During the siege of Asgard, Spider-Man fought Mac Gargan in the streets of Broxton, Oklahoma. Ms. Marvel came to help Spidey and ripped Gargan out of the Symbiote. The Symbiote proceeded to take control of Carol Danvers until Spidey was able to feed her enough power to break free of the Symbiote.

 

The Fantastic Four

 

In Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #2, it was revealed that, shortly after Spider-Man initially removed the Venom Symbiote, it escaped and attempted to bond with Franklin Richards. In that course, it bonded temporarily with Reed Richards, Susan Richards, and She-Hulk. It eventually bonded with Franklin, but with Spider-Man's help, the Fantastic Four was able to separate the Symbiote from Franklin.

 

Edward Saks

 

Edwards Saks is Mayor Waters assistant in Spider-Man Reign. It is revealed that he is Venom towards the end of the story by J. Jonah Jameson. It is also revealed that he is the master mind behind the WEBB system allowing him to summon a symbiotic army. He replicated his symbiote a hundred times and strives to have his final revenge on Spider-Man for abandoning him years ago. He mentions a person named Eddie, mostly likely Eddie Brock. It is unknown whether he and Brock are one and the same. He is also probably the reason why the city had all its bells removed.

 

Powers and abilities

 

Though it requires a living host in order to survive, the Venom Symbiote has been shown on some occasions to be able to fend for itself with its own set of unique powers. The Symbiote, even without a host, has shown shapeshifting abilities like forming spikes and expanding its size. It also contains a small "dimensional aperture," allowing its hosts to carry items without adding mass to the costume, and is able to transform to mimic any human.

 

The Symbiote is telepathic and does not require physical contact to influence the minds of others. In Planet Of the Symbiotes, the creature, after being rejected by its host, emits a psychic scream which drives nearby humans to states of extreme depression. Later, with the assistance of Eddie Brock, it emits an even more powerful variant of that power which results in the mass suicide of an invasive force of Symbiotes. The Symbiote can also blend with any background, using an optic-camouflage type of effect, and shapeshift to resemble ordinary clothing. Venom is immune to the Penance Stare, an ability used by Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch.[citation needed] The Symbiote also augments the strength of its hosts. The Symbiote's level of super-strength tends to vary, ranging from only being slightly stronger than Spider-Man to being able to trade punches with the Juggernaut. The symbiote, however, is vulnerable to sound and heat—which can therefore be painful to its host as well. Venom can sense and track any offspring symbiote except Carnage, who somehow managed to learn how to block this ability during his debut story arc.[44]

 

The Symbiote originally rejected its species' habit of consuming its hosts, but in some interpretations it still required certain chemicals (human adrenaline) in order to survive. When starved of these chemicals, the Symbiote developed a mutable exoskeleton, allowing it to form its own solid body which it used to hunt and kill prey without the assistance of a host. However, because of Brock's, and later Gargan's, influence on its personality the Symbiote has developed a taste for blood, which both its hosts were forced to sate by physically devouring their victims. Later, the suit's evolution progressed and as shown in the 2003 Venom comic book series, its clone could spontaneously jump from host to host and after every departure said hosts would be left dead.

 

Because of its contact with Spider-Man, the Symbiote grants all of its subsequent hosts the hero's powers and cannot be detected by his spider-sense. As Spider-Man's fighting style is partly dependent on his spider-sense, his effectiveness was somewhat hampered when he battled Eddie Brock, allowing the less experienced/slower Brock to keep up with him.

 

Some interpretations of the Venom Symbiote has been shown to have the ability to replicate itself. This ability is shown in Spider-Man: Reign, when Venom recreates his own Symbiote to combat his loneliness. This ability is also used by Venom in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, when Venom discovers the ability to copy his Symbiote and uses it to take over Manhattan. Such an ability has not been demonstrated in the main 616 universe.

 

Other versions

 

Main article: Alternative versions of Venom

 

As a fictional character, Venom has appeared in a number of media, from comic books to films and television series. Each version of the work typically establishes its own continuity, and sometimes introduces parallel universes, to the point where distinct differences in the portrayal of the character can be identified. This article details various versions of Venom depicted in works including Marvel Comics' Ultimate universe and What If issues.

 

In other media

 

Television

 

Venom appears in several of the Spider-Man cartoon series. In Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Eddie Brock is voiced by Hank Azaria. The Symbiote comes from a planet from which John Jameson brings a rock known as Prometheum X which when he takes it, the Symbiote escapes to the shuttle and creates havoc in the shuttle. John forces the shuttle to land at the Hudson from which Rhino steals the Prometheum X while the Symbiote manages to stick on Spider-Man's suit. It temporarily bonds with Spider-Man when he was asleep, giving him enhanced powers, but also amplifying his aggression. After almost killing the Shocker by throwing him off the top of the bell tower, Spider-Man rejects the Symbiote, but it bonds with Eddie Brock, who was trapped by Spider-Man earlier in the episode. Transforming into Venom, he attempts to out Spider-Man's secret identity to the media by taking off his mask and hanging him with his webbing, and almost kills Aunt May while making a tree fall near his house. Spider-Man tricks Venom into following him to the launch of a deep space probe and removes the Symbiote using the loud noise and webs the Symbiote to the shuttle. Venom returns, now teaming up with Carnage, Dormammu, and Baron Mordo, to get a portal device. He battles Spider-Man and War Machine, and turns on Carnage. At the end of the episode, both Venom and Carnage are sucked into the portal device, though Venom saves his love interest and psychiatrist Ashley Kafka from being sucked in as well. He appears in flashbacks in a number of episodes both as Eddie Brock and as Venom. An android version of Venom was seen along with robotic versions of Carnage, Rhino, Doctor Octopus, and the Lizard in the episode "The Haunting of Mary-Jane". The android displays Venom's superhuman symbiotic strength, easily lifting Spider-Man and hurling him away. The Venom android was also capable of breathing fire. Venom (and the Venom Symbiote) also appears in clips in the opening montage of the series.

In the short-lived series Spider-Man Unlimited, Venom, voiced by Brian Drummond, returns with enhanced powers, allied with Carnage. They appear as reoccurring villains, serving a hive-mind called the Synoptic and trying to conquer Counter-Earth with an invasion of Symbiotes.

 

Venom as he appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man.

 

Venom also appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Ben Diskin. In this series Eddie Brock is a close friend of Peter, who works alongside him as an assistant at Empire State University for Dr. Curt Connors. The Symbiote was to be studied by Connors after it was discovered on John Jameson's shuttle, but bonded with Spider-Man in a fight with Black Cat, causing the lab to lose a grant and Eddie to lose his job. Spider-Man attempts to destroy it after discovering its negative influence, but Eddie (who is already angry with Peter and Spider-Man for various reasons) frees the alien and bonds with it, becoming Venom. At the end of the season one finale, the Symbiote is tricked into leaving Eddie and Spider-Man buries the alien in cement. In the second season, Eddie follows Peter and eventually frees the Symbiote. He then attempts to expose Spider-Man's identity, but again fails when the alien rejects him due to the introduction of a kind of 'genetic cleanser' which breaks the bond between them and escapes. Afterward, Eddie is hauled off to a psychiatric facility, vowing that the Symbiote will return and that they will destroy Spider-Man. However, the show did not have a third season, and Venom did not reappear before the end of the series.

 

Film

 

Venom's first appearance in a motion picture was originally planned for a titular film written by David S. Goyer and produced by New Line Cinema, in which Venom would have been portrayed as an antihero and Carnage as the antagonist. Goyer said in an interview the film rights to Venom ultimately reverted to Sony.

Venom appears as one of the main antagonists in the 2007 feature film Spider-Man 3, played by Topher Grace. In the film, the symbiote, after being rejected by Peter Parker, joins with Eddie Brock after Brock, a rival freelance photographer, is exposed by Parker to have used a fake photograph, which ruins him publicly. Venom seeks an alliance with Sandman to kill Spider-Man, but is thwarted in his plans, and killed by one of the New Goblin's pumpkin bombs.

 

In July 2007, Avi Arad revealed a spin-off was in the works. In September 2008, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese signed on to write, while Gary Ross will direct. Variety reported that Venom will become an anti-hero, and Marvel Entertainment will produce the film.

 

Video games

 

Venom is a playable character and boss character in a number of video games. His first appearance was in the Game Boy side-scroller The Amazing Spider-Man released in 1990, as the game's primary villain. A sequel to this game entitled The Amazing Spider-Man 2 curiously lacked Venom, even though it was hot on the success of the Carnage storyline and featured Carnage as a main villain.

Venom's second appearance was in the Spider-Man: The Video Game arcade game, released in 1991. Venom is featured prominently in the game as the first major boss character and he is encountered several more times throughout the game, including the final battle.

He is a main character and playable for the first time in Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.

Venom is encountered several times in 2000's Spider-Man, in addition to the Venom Symbiote being unlocked as an alternate costume for Spider-Man. He is voiced by Daran Norris.

He appears in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe as one of the most powerful partners in the game, voiced by Quinton Flynn. This version is a mix of the mainstream and movie Venom.

Ultimate Venom is the main villain in Ultimate Spider-Man, and his playable appearance after completing the game is particularly famous for his GTA style gameplay and ability to eat civilians.

He is one of the playable characters in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.

He is also the final boss in Spider-Man 3 in a condensed version of the movie, voiced by Topher Grace.

Venom serves as the main antagonist of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. During this game part of his Symbiote leaves him, and bonds with Spider-Man. He later starts making replicas of the Symbiote, in an invasion of New York City. The player battles Venom twice in his normal form, and a third time as the final boss where Venom assumes his ultimate Symbiote form: an enormous, multi-headed hydra-like creature. He dies at the end of the game in all four of the endings. Venom is voiced by Keith Szarabajka.

He is also included in the downloadable expansion "Villains Pack" for the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Steve Blum. The Symbiote costume is also available as an alternate attire for Spider-Man. As per all the costumes in the game, it grants the wearer certain skills. These skills are 'Max Health', which increases the wearer's maximum health capacity; and 'Critical Web', which increases the chance to score critical hits with web attacks. Aside from that, he has special dialogue with Mysterio.

The Mac Gargan incarnation of Venom appears as a playable character with the Eddie Brock version as an alternate costume in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Walter Bernet. He is one of the first villains taken by the Fold. Later, using a sample of the nano-tech from Prison 42, S.H.I.E.L.D. is able to cure him and Green Goblin, and they both join the team. Unlocking the character's alternate costume allows for the player to play as the Eddie Brock styled version of Venom.

Venom appears as a downloadable costume in the PS3 exclusive game LittleBigPlanet.

In Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Ultimate Spider-Man is given a copy of the Venom suit by Madame Web, who claims that he will need the suit's additional abilities to succeed in his missions, and is kept in check by Madame Web's telepathy.

 

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47. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 33 points - highest ranking #10 Buehrle>Wood)

 

Cruella de Vil is a fictional character and the iconic villain in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Disney's live-action film adaptations 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. In all her incarnations, Cruella kidnaps dalmatian puppies for their fur. In the live-action version, it is revealed that the reason Cruella chooses to skin puppies is that when short-haired dogs grow older, their fur becomes very coarse, which does not sell as well in the fur fashion industry as the fine, soft fur of puppies.

 

Cruella de Vil ranked 39th on AFI's list "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains."

 

Name

 

Cruella's name is a play on the words cruel and devil, an allusion which is emphasized by having her country house be nicknamed "Hell Hall". In some translations, Cruella De Vil is known as "Cruella De Mon" to change the play on the word "devil" to one on "demon" because the word "devil" in some languages does not have a clear meaning. An example is Italy, where she is called "Crudelia De Mon" (a pun on "crudele", cruel, and "demone", demon). In the French translation of the Disney's animated movie, she is referred as "Cruella D'Enfer" (Literally, Cruella of Hell or from Hell). In some languages (such as Spanish) where her last name has been left as De Vil, but is not similar to their equivalent of devil, it is taken to be a play on their equivalent of "vile" or "villain"

 

Appearances

 

The Hundred and One Dalmatians novel

 

In the original story, Cruella is a pampered London heiress who knows the owner of the Dalmatian puppies through school. She was a notorious student with black and white plaits. She was later expelled for drinking ink. Now she is the last of her prosperous and notorious family and married to a furrier who supplies her obsession, such as the one piece she is never seen without; a white mink cloak. With this, she wears skin-tight satin gowns and ropes of jewels in contrasting colors, such as an emerald color dress with ropes of rubies. Her chauffeur-driven car is black-and-white striped (Mr. Dearly comments that it looks like "a moving zebra crossing") and has the loudest horn in London, which she insists on displaying to the Dearly family. Such dramatic luxuries were said to be based on Tallulah Bankhead's lavish spending habits, which the producers of the film first read about in a newspaper.

 

When she has guests for dinner, all of Cruella's food is strange colours and tastes of pepper (alluding to her quick temper). She constantly stokes a roaring fire and complains of being cold despite the elevated temperature. The flat is portrayed as a sort of luxurious version of Hell and sets up Cruella's "devilish" persona for her later crimes. Her guests also meet her abused white Persian cat, which plays a key role in a later part of the story.

 

When invited to a dinner party held by the Dearly couple, Cruella expresses her sinister interest in the Dalmatians, remarking how she and her henpecked husband have never thought of making clothing from dog pelt before. Yet seeing the spotless skins of the newborn puppies she is revolted and offers to have them drowned at once; her way of getting rid of animals which she views as worthless, including her own cat's kittens. Upon a second visit to the house she picks up the mature puppies and treats them like clothing to be worn.

 

Cruella also makes a brief appearance, albeit asleep, in Dodie Smith's sequel, The Starlight Barking.

 

Animated films

 

Disney's animated version of Cruella first appeared in 1961's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, in which she was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson and animated by Marc Davis who together crafted her into an iconic and memorable character. The cool detachment of the original character was replaced by a crazed mania, in which Cruella only barely clung to a sheen of glamour. Anita comments Cruella's above mentioned fur coat is new when Cruella first appears. For unexplained reasons, Cruella's cat and husband were omitted from the Disney version. Cruella drives a very distinctive Zimmer-like automobile, colored red and black.

 

The film featured a song, written by the late Mel Leven, using her name as the title, sung by the dalmatians' owner Roger (Bill Lee), who holds the woman in contempt. The lyric begins with: "Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil. If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will..."

 

Disney considered reusing Cruella as the villain for The Rescuers, but decided against it because they did not want to make it a sequel to an otherwise unrelated film. Cruella eventually returned in the 2003 direct-to-video sequel 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, where she was voiced by Susanne Blakeslee. Blakeslee also voiced Cruella in the 2001 TV series Disney's House of Mouse, which featured a running gag in which she inspects dogs from other Disney films with a measuring ruler. Cruella appears in animation one more time in the 2008 film Disney's Christmas Favorites during the segment "Santa Cruella". Cruella is also one of the Disney Villains Mickey fights in Disney's Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic! Nighttime Show Spectacular in Walt Disney World. In Disney On Ice play 'Celebrations', Cruella De Vil was one of the Villains who appears during the Halloween Party.

 

From the unsubtle symbolic name to her hideous physical appearance, the evil of Cruella De Vil is overt. In 2002, Forbes ranked Cruella as the thirteenth wealthiest fiction character, citing the single 65-year-old has a net worth of $875 million, obtained through inheritance Cruella was listed as the 39th greatest villain in American cinema in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains. Also, in Ultimate Disney's Top 30 Disney Villains Countdown, Cruella ranked #6.

 

Live-action films

 

In Disney's 1996 live-action remake of the animated film, 101 Dalmatians, and its 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians, Cruella was played by Glenn Close. The film reinvented Cruella yet again, this time as the magnate of a couture fashion house, "House of De Vil", which specialised in fur couture. The character of Anita (played by Joely Richardson) was a couturière and employee of De Vil. This film increased the physical comedy of the animated film, even veering into toilet humor, such as Cruella falling into a vat of old molasses. Close's performance was universally well-received, and her sex appeal as the character was also credited.

 

The live-action film was not as critically successful as the animated movie, but Close's performance, as well as her costumes, by Anthony Powell and Rosemary Burrows, received appreciative attention, including a spread in Vanity Fair magazine. Claws were applied to gloves, and necklaces were made from teeth, to add to the idea that Cruella enjoyed wearing parts of dead animals. Nails were also projected from the heels to make them especially vicious in appearance. Close has commented on how demanding the slapstick physicality of the role was while wearing nail-heeled boots and corsets. She was always smoking to give the appearance of a mysterious "villain".

 

In 102 Dalmatians, while under effect of Dr. Ivan Pavlov's hypnotherapy treatment, Cruella was cured of her evil habits and released from prison on parole, three years after the events of the first film. She insisted on being called "Ella" because "Cruella sounds so ... cruel". Completely devoted to saving animals and while experiencing "doraphobia", she was scared by even the smallest sight of fur fashion, especially since she had all of her old fur clothes and Anita's drawing of Cruella in a Dalmatian puppy coat boarded up. Unfortunately, this new persona was not to last for long, since the effects of Big Ben's bells managed to undo the hypnotherapy, reverting Cruella to her former self. During the "Ella" stage, Cruella quit her characteristic habits, such as wearing fur clothing, long nails, extravagant hair styles, and of course, smoking. Once Big Ben jolted her brain waves back into Cruella, her old habits returned. At the end of the movie, she was baked into a massive cake and arrested once again; this time sentenced to life in prison, and her entire fortune went to 2nd Chance Dog Shelter.

 

Animated series

 

In the 101 Dalmatians animated series, Cruella was voiced by April Winchell and was based on Glenn Close's portrayal from the live-action film, but with Betty Lou Gerson's design from the animated film. She appears to be a vegetarian in the show, therefore did not wear clothes made out of animals, nor smoked (although in the episode "Smoke Detectors" she did) and is totally sane. Her villainous plot in the show was to steal the Dearlys' farm from them, and using the puppies as a ransom, mainly because the old widow Smedly would not sell it to her and that her mother Malevola demands it. She is an archetypal corporate villain who will seize on any scheme to make money, including drilling oil from the swamp near Dearly farm (thereby polluting it), buying Kanine Krunchies and replacing the nutritious ingredients with sawdust and chalk or sending Jasper and Horace to drive out the owners of Mom and Pop's Grocery Store so she can buy it herself.

 

In the Christmas episode, "A Christmas Cruella", since she was a child, Cruella wanted a dalmatian puppy, but her parents always go on vacations, leaving her with a foreign nanny and clothes for gifts. During her teens, was the final straw which gave her her half white hairline in her fury (earlier, she is seen with all black hair and a slight gray-ish streak). Her miserable childhood is what drove her to evil.

 

The series is also the first time Cruella uses seduction as one of her evil schemes. In the series finale, she uses an inflatable body suit to disguise herself as a sexy blonde bikini surfer to seduce Roger to make Anita think he is cheating her so they will split up and she can get the farm. When Anita goes swimming, she makes her move on him. She asks him to go swimming with her and then tries to kiss him, but her suit is deflated by the puppies' chicken friend, and she turns into a surfboard.

 

Broadway musical

 

Cruella also appears as the primary antagonist in the Broadway musical based on the novel. The character was portrayed by Rachel York; however, the actress announced on her blog that she had stepped down from the role of Cruella de Vil to pursue other projects. The role has been taken over by Sara Gettelfinger.

 

In popular culture

 

The Queen song "Let Me Entertain You" features the lyrics "I'll Cruella de Vil You!"

 

The Children 18:3 song "The Cruel One" is about 101 Dalmatians and mentions Cruella de Vil by name in the chorus.

 

The Deadsy song "Cruella" is written about Cruella de Vil to honor her memory because of the fact that she was shot by a mysterious assassin in "Who Shot Cruella De Vil?"

 

The Spanish singer Alaska made a song called "Cruella de Vil" for the 101 Dalmatians Live-action film.

 

Teen singer and actress Selena Gomez redid the song, based on the song from Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

 

American singer and performer Lady Gaga dressed up as Cruella de Vil for Halloween in 2010. The performer has had many outfits inspired by the villain.

 

Parodies

 

In The Simpsons episode, "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", Mr. Burns plays the role of Cruella De Vil, who was authentically assassinated, but unlike her in the movies, where she steals the dalmatian puppies to make them into fur coats, he steals Santa's Little Helper and his girlfriend's greyhound puppies to make them into a tuxedo. And unlike Cruella, who has no hesitation in killing the puppies, Burns cannot bear to kill the puppies himself because they are too cute. Instead, he decides to train them to be world-class racing dogs.

 

Coco LaBouche from 2000's Rugrats in Paris is a parody of Cruella.

 

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46. Dr. Szell (Marathon Man)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 34 points - highest ranking #6 BigEdWalsh)

 

Thomas Babington "Babe" Levy is a history Ph.D. candidate and avid runner researching the same field as his father, who committed suicide after being investigated during the Joseph McCarthy era. Babe's brother, Henry, better known as "Doc", poses as an oil company executive but, unknown to Babe, is actually a U.S. government agent working for a secret agency headed by Director Peter Janeway.

 

The brother of a Nazi war criminal possesses a safe deposit box key but is killed in a traffic accident; the criminal, Dr. Christian Szell, will be arriving in New York to retrieve an extremely valuable diamond collection.

 

After Szell arrives in America, Doc confronts him stating he is not welcome in the country. Szell casually accepts the pronouncement, but then mortally wounds Doc with a retractable blade concealed in his sleeve. Doc makes it back to Babe's apartment and dies in Babe's arms.

 

Babe is later abducted from his apartment by two men, and tortured by Szell, a skilled dentist. During his torture, Babe is repeatedly asked "Is it safe?" by Szell, a code phrase he does not understand, and continues to deny any knowledge.

 

Szell explains to Babe that he suspected Doc would attempt to rob him of his diamonds, or deliver him to authorities. His query "Is it safe?" relates to whether or not authorities will be waiting to apprehend Szell upon his attempt to retrieve the diamonds. Still unable to extract anything from Babe, he proceeds to drill into one of Babe's healthy teeth. Babe eventually escapes again, aided by his superior skills as a marathon runner.

 

After inviting a neighborhood acquaintance and his fellow thugs to break into his apartment in order to steal his pistol, Babe phones Elsa, who agrees to meet him with a car and drives him to a country home as a hideout. Upon arrival, Babe correctly guesses that Elsa has set him up, forcing her to confess that the home is owned by Szell's deceased brother. Janeway and Szell's men arrive, but Babe avoids capture by taking Elsa hostage. Janeway kills Szell's men and offers to let Babe kill Szell in revenge for Doc's death if Janeway can have the diamonds. Babe agrees, but as he leaves to find Szell, Janeway attempts to shoot Babe and kills Elsa instead when she tries to alert Babe. Angered, Babe guns down Janeway.

 

Back in New York, Szell attempts to determine the value of his diamonds. However, he chooses an appraiser in the Diamond District in midtown Manhattan, where many of the shop owners are Jewish. A shop assistant who is also an Holocaust survivor believes he has recognized Szell as a wanted Nazi criminal. After Szell hurriedly leaves the shop, an elderly Jewish woman also recognizes him, but passersby think she is senile. Trying to cross the street to get closer to Szell in order to expose him, the woman is hit by a taxi, causing a crowd to assemble to aid her. Amidst the confusion, the shop assistant appears again, directly confronting Szell, who slits the man's throat with the blade hidden in his sleeve.

 

Szell retrieves his diamonds from the bank but is taken hostage by Babe as he attempts to leave. Babe forces Szell into Central Park and into one of the pump rooms at the south end of the reservoir. Babe holds Szell at gunpoint and informs him that he can keep as many diamonds as he can swallow. Szell initially refuses, prompting Babe to begin throwing the diamonds into the water below them. Szell relents and swallows one diamond, but then refuses to cooperate further. A struggle ensues; Babe throws the remainder of the diamonds down the scaffold steps towards the water; Szell dives for them, but stumbles, and fatally falls on his own knife blade. Picking up his gun, Babe exits the pump room and heads out into Central Park. Stopping by the reservoir, he throws the gun into the water.

 

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45. Amon Goethe (Schindler's List)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 34 points - highest ranking #1 Milkman delivers)

 

Amon Leopold Göth was an Austrian Nazi and the commandant of the Nazi concentration camp at Płaszów, General Government (a German-occupied area of Poland). A Hauptsturmführer (Captain) of the SS, he was tried as a war criminal after the war.

 

After the war, the Supreme National Tribunal of Poland at Kraków found Göth guilty of murdering tens of thousands of people. He was executed by hanging on 13 September 1946, age 37, not far from the former site of the Płaszów camp.

 

Göth's actions at Płaszów Labor Camp became internationally known through his depiction by British actor Ralph Fiennes in the 1993 film, Schindler's List. In a subsequent interview, Fiennes recalled,

 

Evil is cumulative. It happens. People believe that they’ve got to do a job, they’ve got to take on an ideology, that they’ve got a life to lead; they’ve got to survive, a job to do, it’s every day inch by inch, little compromises, little ways of telling yourself this is how you should lead your life and suddenly then these things can happen. I mean, I could make a judgment myself privately, this is a terrible, evil, horrific man. But the job was to portray the man, the human being. There’s a sort of banality, that everydayness, that I think was important. And it was in the screenplay. In fact, one of the first scenes with Oskar Schindler, with Liam Neeson, was a scene where I’m saying, You don’t understand how hard it is, I have to order so many-so many meters of barbed wire and so many fencing posts and I have to get so many people from A to B. And, you know, he’s sort of letting off steam about the difficulties of the job.

 

Fiennes won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his portrayal ranked 15th on AFI's list of the top 50 film villains of all time. Notably, he ranks as the highest non-fiction villain. When Płaszów survivor Mila Pfefferberg was introduced to Fiennes on the set of the film, she began to shake uncontrollably, as Fiennes, attired in full SS dress uniform, reminded her of the real Amon Göth. At the film's climax, Göth's hanging is dramatized. However, he is incorrectly shown patting his hair in place and saying "Heil Hitler" moments before an officer in the People's Army of Poland kicks a chair out from under him.

 

In 2002, Monika Göth Hertwig published her memoirs under the name Ich muß doch meinen Vater lieben, oder? ("I Must Still Love My Father, Mustn't I?"). Monika also described the subsequent life of her mother, Ruth Kalder Göth, who unconditionally glorified her fiancé until confronted with his role in the Holocaust. Ruth ultimately committed suicide in 1983 closely after giving an interview in Jon Blair's documentary "Schindler".

 

Monika Hertwig's experiences in dealing with her father's crimes are also detailed in Inheritance, a 2006 documentary directed by James Moll. Also appearing in the documentary is Helen Jonas, one of Amon Göth's former house slaves. The documentary details the meeting of the two women at the Płaszów memorial site in Poland.

 

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44. Leatherface (Texas Chain Saw Massacre)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 35 points - highest ranking #8 kyyle23)

 

Leatherface is the main antagonist in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series and its spin-offs. He wears masks made of human skin (hence his name) and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. He is considered by many to be one of the first major slasher film villains alongside Michael Myers and Norman Bates. Leatherface first appeared in the first film in the series (1974) and in its four subsequent continuations and remakes. Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, who wore a mask made of human skin, was purportedly the inspiration for the character.

 

Original series

 

The original film never showed Leatherface without one of his human-flesh faces on. Leatherface does his killing at the meat factory of his family. Hansen has stated that Leatherface is "completely under the control of his family. He'll do whatever they tell him to do. He's a little bit afraid of them." In the documentary The Shocking Truth, Tobe Hooper portrays Leatherface as a "big baby" who kills in self-defense because he feels threatened. In the first film, Leatherface shows fear when new people enter his home.

 

Leatherface's family uses the bones of the people he kills (along with some animal bones) to build the inside of their house. They process the victims' flesh into barbecue and chili, which Leatherface's oldest brother, Drayton Sawyer, a skilled chef, sells at his restaurant/gas station, the "Last Chance" gas station. They also enter human-flesh dishes at cook-offs (according to the sequel, Drayton has won two cooking awards doing this). Aside from Leatherface and Drayton, the Sawyer clan includes several more brothers, a hitchhiker named Nubbins Sawyer, a Vietnam veteran known only as Chop Top A.K.A. Plate Head, a hitchhiking cowboy named Eddie/Tex, a hook handed man named Tech/Tinker, a deranged pervert named Alfredo, a tow truck driver named Vilmer and a redneck named W.E., and aside from the brothers, the Sawyer clan includes the supercentarian Grandpa, the dead Grandma/Great-Grandma Sawyer (whose corpse has been preserved), a wheelchair bound mother called Mama and Leatherface's daughter (first names unknown).

 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, a direct sequel to the 1974 film, has a more campy and over-the-top atmosphere than the original. Tobe Hooper said on The Shocking Truth that he wanted to expand on the dark comedy in the original film, as he felt no one truly picked up on this element. In this film, the Hitchhiker is replaced by his hippy twin brother Chop Top (who transforms his dead twin's corpse into a puppet), the cook, Drayton, has become an award winning chef, Leatherface develops a "crush" on one of his victims, and in one scene, removes the skin from the face of her still living friend and places it on her to hide her from the rest of his family. At the end of the film, he apparently dies in an explosion after being impaled with a chainsaw in a fight with the uncle of his previous victims from the first film. Leatherface's clan's last name is also revealed in the film when brother Drayton wins a local cook-off, their family name being Sawyer.

 

In Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, is the second sequel in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The film was made as a reboot and a sequel, so the film could be taken as a direct sequel or an alternative sequel in a different continuity of the previous two films, though several references are made to the previous two films, including Leatherface having a knee brace from his chainsaw accident at the climax of the first film, brother Alfredo owning a gas station and truck labeled "Last Chance Gas", the family's last name remaining Sawyer from the previous film and several characters from both earlier films were included. The filmmakers attempted to make the series darker and grittier (much as the film-makers of the original had intended), but they had to tone it down and change the ending after interventions from the MPAA. New Line released an uncut version to the home-video market in 2003. In this film Leatherface has an extended family and a daughter - possibly the product of a rape. A four-issue comic series based on the film, entitled Leatherface, was created; notably, portions of the comics are narrated by and shown from Leatherface's point of view. It should be noted that famous horror actor Kane Hodder also played the stunt double Leatherface in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3.

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation apparently takes place in its own continuity; the second and third films are described in the prologue as "two minor, yet apparently related incidents". The film features Leatherface as a yelping, pizza-eating transvestite involved in an Illuminati conspiracy to provide society a source of horror, and, again, with a different family.

 

Remake series

 

Marcus Nispel directed a remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003. Its success greenlit a prequel, released in 2006, which delved into the origins of Leatherface and of his family. In this continuity, Leatherface's real name is Thomas Brown Hewitt; his mother Sloane dies giving birth to him on August 7, 1939 at the Blair Meat Co., a slaughterhouse where she works, and her uncaring boss leaves the infant to die in a dumpster. Luda May Hewitt finds him and takes him home to raise him.

 

The Hewitts worked at the Blair Meat Co., but after losing their jobs they switched to kidnapping people, murdering them (often by chainsaw or shotgun) and butchering their flesh, as family member Charlie claims that he got the idea from eating human flesh in the Korean War after he became a prisoner of war. The prequel reveals that they do eat the meat of their victims; the remake only implies this.

 

Leatherface in this continuity suffers from a facial disfigurement and a skin disease that caused severe deformities and tumours to his face. Due to this disfigurement, his muteness and mental retardation (carried over from the first series), other children bullied the boy. He wore a small leather mask to cover up his deformity, and worked at the same meat factory where he was born, for the same boss as his mother - the same man who had left him for dead. He also had a tendency toward self-mutilation, and a doctor diagnosed him as suffering from a type of neurodegeneration at age 12.

 

After health inspectors shut the factory down, Hewitt's boss and a reluctant co-worker ordered him to leave. When Hewitt didn't, the boss and the co-worker bullied him, calling him a "retard" and a "dumb animal". Acting on a long-burning rage, Hewitt killed his boss with a sledgehammer. He later discovered the chainsaw he used as a weapon after searching the now abandoned factory. When Winston Hoyt, the local sheriff, tried to apprehend him, Thomas' brother/"Uncle" Charles "Charlie" Hewitt Jr came to his aid and killed the sheriff with his own gun. Charlie later assumed the sheriff's identity.

 

Hewitt later made masks of human skin by slicing off the faces of his victims.

 

Although Leatherface's family still manipulate him in this interpretation, they do show themselves somewhat more caring for him and less abusive than in the original film. Before killing the sheriff, his brother/uncle Charlie even defends him by saying, "He's not retarded, he's misunderstood." The cruelty he suffers at the hands of his peers, inpart, inspires his murderous behavior, however it's his brother/"Uncle" Charlie who encourages his anti-social behavior and impulses.

 

At the climax of the remake, protagonist Erin Hardesty cuts off Leatherface's chainsaw-wielding arm with a meat cleaver, and Erin is able to escape him, though Leatherface survives the cleaver attack. Leatherface escapes after police discover his ranch house and find the remains of 33 people. The police fail to secure the crime scene properly, allowing Leatherface to attack and kill two officers. Leatherface then escapes and disappears, and the case remains open.

 

Andrew Bryniarski, who played Leatherface in the remake, states: "In my estimation, Leatherface is like a beaten dog — he was ostracized and ridiculed, and treated harshly by his peers. The psychological damage they inflicted was immense — there's no chance for him." Terrence Evans, who played Leatherface's uncle Old Monty, says, "I think there was a chance Thomas' life could have been different. But the teasing he suffered, coupled with a bad temper, and following Hoyt around like a puppy dog, left room for Hoyt to get absolute control."

 

Comics

 

Leatherface became a prominent character in Wildstorm Comics's continuation of the remakes. With the family exposed after the events of the first film, the comics show the Hewitt family living in a series of tunnels in the sewers of Travis County.

 

As at the end of the remake, Leatherface in the comics has only one arm. Halfway through the first story arc, Leatherface's uncle Monty helps Leatherface build a "prosthetic arm" (consisting of a hook attached to a bone and tied to Leatherface's arm with a belt) to assist with his nephew's handicap. Leatherface later uses this hook in addition to his chainsaw on victims, at one point spearing a man's leg to prevent him from escaping.

 

The comics also imply that the other people in the town, while perhaps not involved with the Hewitts' cannibalism, at least know of it and have agreed to help them deal with outsiders. In one scene, when a potential victim runs into a bar looking for help, she is stopped from calling the police by the owner and patrons, who tell her that they "don't want no Hewitt trouble." They later reprimand Leatherface for not looking after his "livestock."

A young Leatherface, without a mask, in About a Boy

 

Later one-shot comics published by Wildstorm also dealt with Leatherface. One of them, About a Boy, focused on parts of Leatherface's childhood that The Beginning did not reveal. It shows that bullies severely picked on Thomas Hewitt as a child, and thus he spent most of his time alone drawing in his notebook, hunting and skinning animals, and later making clothing out of them. A foreshadowing of his future as Leatherface takes place when, after the book's antagonist, Chris, the leader of the bullies, throws rocks at him at a swimming-hole, Thomas attacks Chris and skins off his face while he is still alive.

 

About a Boy also details how the Hewitt family remain for the most part apathetic towards Thomas's actions. His brother/uncle Charlie (the future Hoyt) helps him get rid of Chris's body (his only criticism stating that Thomas needs to "learn how to fix 'em proper", after putting the faceless victim out of his misery with a shotgun). Later, after Thomas's teacher Mr. Hanson questions Luda May about her son's behavior and tells her that he plans to file a report with the city to get him some help, Luda May bashes his head in with a shovel and kills him, stating, "There is nothing wrong with my boy."

 

Mask

 

In the original film, Leatherface wore three different masks: the "Killing Mask", "Grandmother Mask" and "Pretty Woman Mask". Gunnar Hansen commented: "The reason he wore a mask, according to Tobe and Kim, was that the mask really determined his personality. Who he wanted to be that day determined what mask he put on. So when the Cook comes home with Sally, Leatherface is wearing the 'Grandmother Mask' and he's wearing an apron and carrying a wooden spoon, he wants to be domestic, helpful in the kitchen. At dinner he wears a different face, the 'Pretty Woman,' which has makeup." Also of note, the 'Pretty Woman' outfit consists of a female wig and a black suit, as Leatherface is "dressing up" for dinner, an old deep south tradition which stems from his southern upbringing, and the 'Killing Mask' is the skin mask he wears while chasing and murdering captives. Tobe Hooper also discussed the multiple masks and dinner scene on the audio commentary for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

 

Hansen later added, "The idea of the mask is that there is no personality under the mask. That was the idea in talking with Tobe and Kim. When they created the character, they said he has to put on masks to express himself because he himself can't do it. The way we tried to create him, there is nothing under the mask, which is what makes him so frightening."

 

The remake offered a more concrete explanation as to why Leatherface wore masks. As a child, a severe facial deformity ate away most of his nose and made him subject to cruel ridicule from his peers. Prior to killing people, he wore animal hides, cloths and leather masks that covered up the bottom of his face. Later he began to skin some of the people he killed and wore their faces as masks. In contrast to the original film, Leatherface does not seem to have different masks for different purposes, although he does change masks occasionally. He appears briefly without his mask on in one scene of remake, his face suffers badly from deterioration and he is missing a portion of his nose. According to the Making of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, How Thomas loses his nose is while at the slaughterhouse searching for Chrissy, destracted by Dean calling out for her, she attacks him and cuts Thomas badly on the nose with a knife she found.

 

The Wildstorm comics that took place in the remake's continuity had Leatherface taking off his mask when alone with his family, something that did not occur in any of the original films.

 

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43. Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 35 points - highest ranking #1 balta1701)

 

Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" (1967), Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more than a quarter of the Earth during the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. After being revived in 2267 by the crew of the Enterprise, Khan attempts to capture the starship, but is thwarted by James T. Kirk and exiled on Ceti Alpha V to create a new civilization with his people. The character returns in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, set fifteen years after "Space Seed", in which Khan escapes his imprisonment and sets out to seek revenge upon Kirk. The character was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán in both the television episode and in the film.

 

Khan first appears as an Indian who is both admired and reviled by the Enterprise crew. Harve Bennett, executive producer for Star Trek II, chose Khan as the villain for the film. To reflect the time spent marooned on an inhospitable world, Khan was given a costume that looked as though it was scavenged from different items and showed off Montalbán's physique. The character has been positively received by critics and fans; Khan was voted as one of the top ten greatest film villains of all time by the Online Film Critics Society.

 

Appearances

 

"Space Seed"

 

Khan makes his introductory appearance in Star Trek's twenty-third episode, "Space Seed", first broadcast on February 16, 1967. According to the backstory revealed in the episode, Khan is one of a group of genetically engineered supermen, bred to be free of the usual human mental and physical limitations, who were removed from power after the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s. Khan had been both the most successful conqueror and the most benign ruler of the group, ruling a more than a fourth of the world's area across Asia to the Middle East from 1992 to 1996 with a firm but generally peaceful hand until he was deposed. While most of the supermen were killed or sentenced to death, Khan and 84 others escaped Earth by way of the sleeper ship SS Botany Bay. Cryogenically frozen in suspended animation, the crew of the Botany Bay are discovered by the crew of the Enterprise in 2267.

 

When Khan's sleep chamber malfunctions, he is transported to the Enterprise, where he reawakens and learns he is in the 23rd century. Given spacious quarters while the Botany Bay is towed to a starbase, Khan fascinates and charms the ship's historian, Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue), while using his access to the ship's technical manuals to learn how to take over and operate the Enterprise. McGivers agrees to help Khan revive the other supermen, allowing him to organize a mutiny. To coerce the Enterprise crew to cooperate with him, Khan places Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in the ship's decompression chamber and threatens to kill Kirk unless the crew submits. McGivers cannot stand by as her Captain dies and frees Kirk, who neutralizes Khan's men by using a "neural gas". Khan heads to engineering and sets the ship's engines to self-destruct, whereupon he is incapacitated by Kirk. Captain Kirk conducts a hearing, sentencing Khan and his followers to exile on an uncolonized world, Ceti Alpha V. Khan accepts Kirk's challenge—invoking the fall of Lucifer in Milton's Paradise Lost— and McGivers joins Khan rather than face court-martial. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) wonders what the "seed" Kirk has planted will bear in a hundred years.

 

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

 

Khan returns in the 1982 feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, when USS Reliant officers Clark Terrell and Pavel Chekov (Paul Winfield and Walter Koenig) beam down to what they believe is Ceti Alpha VI, looking for an inhospitable world to test the Genesis device, a powerful terraforming tool. Khan's followers capture Terrell and Chekov, and Khan explains that the barren wasteland they now inhabit is Ceti Alpha V. The sixth planet of the system exploded shortly after Khan and his followers were marooned, causing massive climate disturbances. The planet was turned into a desert, and many of the survivors (including McGivers, who had become Khan's wife) were killed by the only surviving species of animal, the Ceti eel. By the time the Reliant arrives at Ceti Alpha, only twenty of Khan's followers are alive. Swearing vengeance on Kirk, Khan takes control of Chekov and Terrell using Ceti eels implanted in the officers' brains, rendering them vulnerable to suggestion. Khan then seizes control of the Reliant, intent on capturing Project Genesis and attaining revenge on Kirk for his exile.

 

Lured by Khan to the space station Regula I, the Enterprise falls victim to Khan's surprise attack. Kirk, his ship disabled, tricks Khan by using a special code to remotely lower the Reliant's shields and inflict significant damage. Khan is forced to withdraw and make repairs. Using the mind-controlled Terrell and Chekov as spies, Khan captures the Genesis device and leaves Kirk marooned on Regula I. However, Khan is deceived by Spock into thinking that the Enterprise is crippled. Khan is surprised when Kirk and the Enterprise escape to the nearby Mutara nebula. Goaded into following Kirk, Khan pilots the Reliant into the nebula, where shields and visuals are inoperable. Due to Khan's inexperience with three-dimensional space combat, the Enterprise disables the Reliant and kills Khan's followers. Refusing to accept defeat, Khan activates the Genesis device, intent on killing his foe along with himself. Khan believes he has doomed his enemy before he dies but Spock, in an act of self-sacrifice, is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while repairing the Enterprise's warp drive to allow it to escape.

 

Novels

 

Author Greg Cox penned three Star Trek novels featuring Khan. The novels were published by licensee Pocket Books, though the subject matter falls outside of canon. In the two-volume The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Khan and his followers are placed aboard the Botany Bay by Gary Seven as part of a deal to stop Khan's machinations on Earth. The 2005 follow-up, To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh, relates what happened to Khan and his fellow exiles between the events of "Space Seed" and The Wrath of Khan.

 

Design and analysis

 

In "Space Seed" writer Carey Wilber's original plot treatment, the character of Khan was a Nordic superman named Harold Erricsen. The first draft of the script introduced the character as John Ericssen— who is revealed to be a man involved in "the First World Tyranny", named Ragnar Thorwald. The character of Thorwald was more brutal than Khan in the final version, killing guards using a phaser. By the final draft, Khan is of Indian ancestry. The character's Latino accent and superhuman appearance strongly differentiate him from most Star Trek characters. In "Space Seed", Khan is presented as having several positive characteristics: he is gracious, smiling, fearless, and generous. He is not threatened by the success of others, and encourages their self-esteem. He is also ambitious, desiring a challenge commensurate with his abilities. This ambition, however, is not tempered by any consideration of the rights of others. Author Paul Cantor asserts that Khan is a mirror image of Kirk, sharing his aggressiveness, ambition, and even his womanizing tendencies, but possessing them in far greater degree. During the episode, several of the characters express their admiration for the man, while opposing his plans and what he stands for at the same time.

Two men are in the foreground, sitting and looking to the right. The man on the left has long, gray hair, is wearing a torn golden shirt, and his exposed chest has a large scar. The man on the right is seen from the shoulders up and has similar hair and clothes. In the background a man and woman are next to electronic controls.

Khan and his followers in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

 

After the disappointing response to the first Star Trek feature film, The Motion Picture, Paramount executives appointed Harve Bennett, a television producer who had never watched Star Trek, to be executive producer for the sequel. Bennett watched all the original series episodes and chose Khan from "Space Seed" as a possible villain for the film. Early drafts of the script had Khan as a shadowy tyrant leading a planet in revolt; later drafts added the "Genesis device" which Khan would steal.

 

Costume designer Robert Fletcher wanted to emphasize the effects of their harsh environment on Khan and his followers. "My intention with Khan was to express the fact that they had been marooned on that planet with no technical infrastructure, so they had to cannibalize from the spaceship whatever they used or wore. Therefore, I tried to make it look as if they had dressed themselves out of pieces of upholstery and electrical equipment that composed the ship," he said. Director Nicholas Meyer told Montalbán to keep Khan's right glove on at all times, in order to give viewers a puzzle they could form their own opinions about and add mystery to the character. Meyer has been repeatedly asked if Montalbán wore a prosthetic chest for his scenes, as his uniform was purposefully designed with an open front. Meyer replied in audio commentary for the film that Montalbán (who was 61 during filming) is "one strong cookie", and that no prosthetics were applied to the actor's sizeable frame.

 

At no point during The Wrath of Khan are Khan and Kirk face to face; they speak to each other only over communication links such as view screens. This was due in part to the fact that the set of the Reliant was a redress of the Enterprise bridge, and the two actors' scenes were filmed four months apart. Montalbán recited his lines with a script supervisor instead of to William Shatner.

 

Montalbán said in promotional interviews for the film he realized early on in his career that a good villain does not see himself as villainous. The villain may do villainous things, but he feels that he is doing them for righteous reasons. Montalbán further stated he always tried to find a flaw in the character, as no one is completely good or completely evil; while Khan had a rather distorted view of reality and therefore performed acts of evil, he still felt that his vengeance was a noble cause because of the death of his wife. Khan quotes the character of Ahab from Moby-Dick throughout the film, driving home his lust to make Kirk pay for the wrongs he has inflicted upon him.

 

As superior man

 

Superficially, Khan is believed by some to have similarities with Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the "Übermensch" (superman or overman). Khan is mentally and physically superior to any normal human. In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Borderland", Malik, the leader of a group of "supermen" created from the same genetic engineering project as Khan, actually quotes Nietzsche, telling Archer that "Mankind is something to be surpassed". Professor William J. Devlin and coauthor Shai Biderman examined Khan's character compared to the Übermensch and found that Khan's blind pursuit of revenge is against Nietzsche's ideals of transcendence and self-creation of a meaningful life. Instead, the authors offer Spock's self-sacrifice in The Wrath of Khan as a better example of the Übermensch.

 

Reception and legacy

 

Khan was favorably received by critics. Discussing the Star Trek motion pictures, the Associated Press noted that Star Trek films were measured by how menacing their foe was, and that Khan was among the best in the series; a 2002 review of the Star Trek films ranked Khan as the greatest enemy seen in any of the films. Star Trek producer Rick Berman called the villain "threatening and memorable". Reviewers of The Wrath of Khan, such as Roger Ebert, rated Khan as one of the strongest aspects of the film.

 

Critic Christopher Null notes that "it is nearly gospel now among Trekkies that... Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the undisputed best of the series, and will likely never meet its equal," and calls Khan the "greatest role of [Montalbán's] career". Though he felt that the villain of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, V'ger, was more cerebral and interesting, author James Iaccino notes that most fans and moviegoers preferred the archetypical good-versus-evil fight the struggle between Khan and Kirk represents. Villains in subsequent Star Trek films have been measured by the standard of Khan, with Paramount promising fans that the villain of Star Trek Generations would be equal to the genetic superman. IGN ranked Khan as the best Star Trek villain, noting that he set the pattern for revenge-seeking villains in the series; in the decades since the film's release, "even those with a passing interest [in Trek] know the name".

 

Khan is also recognized as a great villain outside of the Star Trek series. The Associated Press called the character "one of sci-fi's great villains". In 2002, the Online Film Critics Society's 132 members voted Khan as the 10th Greatest Screen Villain of all time, the only Star Trek character to appear in the listing. In 2006, Emmy Magazine voted Khan "TV's Most Out-of-This-World Character", beating out other science-fiction characters such as The Doctor and Commander Adama. Editors wrote that "Khan was so cool we would've bought a Chrysler Cordoba if he'd told us to," referring to an ad campaign Montalbán appeared in for Chrysler. The character also had a cultural impact outside of Star Trek fandom; a clip from The Wrath of Khan featuring Kirk screaming "Khaaan!" was one pop culture appropriation that became a "popular fad" driving the success of the website YTMND.

 

In 2004, the Star Trek franchise returned to Khan's backstory in a three-episode story arc on Star Trek: Enterprise. In "Borderland", "Cold Station 12" and "The Augments", a 22nd century scientist is portrayed as having revived genetically engineered embryos from Khan's time and raised them as "Augments". Enterprise producer Manny Coto described these characters as "mini Khan Noonien Singhs".

 

Following the box office success of J. J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot and the announcement that actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto had tentatively agreed to appear in two sequels, internet rumors began circulating about the plot of the second film. Abrams hinted that because of the alternate timeline created in the first film, reintroducing Khan into Star Trek lore remained a possibility. Abrams told MTV, "[Khan and Kirk] exist — and while their history may not be exactly as people are familiar with, I would argue that a person's character is what it is," Abrams said of the notion that his Khan could be just as evil, even if Kirk never stranded him on Ceti Alpha V. "Certain people are destined to cross paths and come together, and Khan is out there... even if he doesn't have the same issues." At one time, actor Nestor Carbonell was rumored as a possible contender for the rebooted role of Khan.

 

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42. Biff Tannen (Back To The Future)

 

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(4 of 16 lists - 35 points - highest ranking #12 nunnigan)

 

Biff Howard Tannen is a character in the Back to the Future trilogy, serving as the primary antagonist of the first two films. He is played by Thomas F. Wilson in all three films as well as the ride, and Wilson voiced the character in the animated serie

 

Character biography

 

Early life

 

In all of the timelines depicted in the films, Biff was born on March 26, 1937, in Hill Valley, California. He is the great-grandson of Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen son of Kid Tannen and the grandfather of Griff Tannen (although it isn't specified in the movie that Griff's last name was actually Tannen, Griff did call Biff Grandpa, after which Biff confirms it to Marty who was pretending to be Marty Jr.). He is not very bright and only got through high school by bullying George McFly to do his homework for him. Biff is feared by most of his schoolmates. He is less brave when he is without his gang (Match, Skinhead, and 3-D). He also has a crush on Lorraine Baines and constantly refers to her as "my girl." Lorraine does not return the sentiments.

 

By 1985, Biff's marital status is unknown – no mention of a wife or children was ever made in the trilogy,[2] although Biff has a teenage grandson Griff by 2015, suggesting that Biff had at least one child by 1985. The animated series reveals that Biff has a son, Biff, Jr. (who, according to an early script for Back to the Future Part II, owns the Cafe 80's), although this may not be canon. A draft script reveals that his middle initial is "H" for "Howard", although his middle name was never mentioned in the trilogy. Also, a BTTF comic showed a "Mugsy Tannen" living in 1920s Prohibition-era Chicago as a gang boss.

 

The exact details of Biff's life before 1955 are not known. According to the film, he has been living with his grandma, Gertrude Tannen, at 1809 Mason Street for some time by November 1955. The whereabouts of his parents, Mr and Mrs. Tannen, are not disclosed in the films (in the Back to the future: The Animated Series Frank Tannen was a German Sergeant in the United States Army in 1944. It seemed likely that Frank was Biff's father, as well as the son of Gertrude Tannen (who, by 1955, was "the only Tannen in the book") In Back to the Future: The Game, Kid Tannen is his father).

 

Biff's grandmother is not shown on screen, but her shrill voice (which was also that of Thomas F. Wilson) can be heard yelling at him. He had to repeat a year of school (explaining why, despite being a year older than George and Lorraine, he is in the same grade as them), although it is not known exactly when he was "kept behind" – this was probably some years prior to 1955, as Biff appears to have been bullying George for some time before this date. His catch phrase is butthead

 

Back to the Future

 

In the original timeline, Biff started bullying George McFly when they were kids and never stopped. Over the next 30 years, Biff would continue to bully and intimidate George, as they both ended up working for the same company where Biff became George's supervisor (due to George doing all Biff's work for him to get promoted and being too scared to report Biff to the upper management). Biff's crush on Lorraine never died either, although Lorraine had married George.

 

However, things changed when the events of the first movie begin to unfold. The McFlys' youngest son, Marty McFly, accidentally traveled back through time to 1955, interfering with his parents' first meeting. Marty, using the anachronistic name "Calvin Klein," also managed to get on the wrong side of Biff by standing up to him. Marty was indirectly responsible for causing Biff to crash his car into a manure truck, and this led to Biff finding Marty and Lorraine on the night of the school dance (November 12, 1955). Biff's gang trapped Marty in the trunk of another car, and Biff tried to molest Lorraine. George came along, as part of the plan he and Marty had made where George would find Marty "parking" with Lorraine, but soon realized that the pretend rescue was now a real one. For the first time, George stood up to Biff to stop him from molesting Lorraine. He responded by attempting to break George's arm. Lorraine, trying to pull Biff away from George, was knocked to the ground. This enraged George, who subsequently knocked out Biff with one punch.

 

This punch led to a much more confident George, and Biff no longer had a victim to pick on. He would later start up his auto-detailing business, which he owns and runs himself, and by 1985 it seems to be quite popular. The McFlys are among his most loyal customers, and Biff's subservient attitude is demonstrated by addressing George as "Mr. McFly". George seems amused at Biff's efforts to get away with as little work as possible (but now confronts Biff to complete the work he was hired for), though he and Lorraine privately credit him with unwittingly helping them get together, and they appear to have put the past behind them and become friends, or are at least on amicable terms. Biff is nice to his customers to their faces, but can still be mean if he has to be.

 

Back to the Future Part II

 

At the start of the second film, Marty, Doc, and Marty's girlfriend Jennifer Parker travel forward in time from 1985 to 2015 – unaware that their departure had been witnessed by Biff. Over the next 30 years, he remembers seeing the flying DeLorean taking off, and that in the future of flying cars, he has never seen a flying De Lorean.

 

Biff, seemingly bitter and resentful at this point in his life, is still waxing cars by 2015, at the age of 78, and is pushed around by his grandson Griff. Biff still seems to like bullying people, including Marty (who he thinks is Marty's future son, Marty, Jr.), and the handle on his walking cane is in the shape of a closed fist – although he remains cautious and apprehensive around George McFly. Biff's crush on Lorraine still lingers as indicated with his line, "Hey kid. Say hello to your grandma for me".

 

On October 21, 2015, Biff saw the time machine from 1985 in the street and overheard Doc Brown stating that the De Lorean is a time machine that he had invented. He picked up a sports almanac that Doc had thrown in the trash, stole the De Lorean while Doc and Marty were rescuing Jennifer from her future home. Biff headed back to November 12, 1955, with the almanac to give to his younger self. Rather than telling the truth about himself to his younger self, the old Biff claimed to be a distant relative and the young one didn't notice any resemblance.

 

However, upon returning to 2015, Biff became the victim of a time paradox: his giving the almanac to his younger self had changed the timeline drastically, resulting in his nonexistence. A deleted scene shows him slumped behind a garbage bin fading into nothingness as the De Lorean flies away. The finished film still shows him writhing in pain, which has been explained by various sources by saying that he had a heart attack, or noting that his cane catches as he leaves the DeLorean. Biff yanks on the cane, breaking it, and hurting himself. The top part of Biff's cane remained in the De Lorean after he accidentally broke it, and Doc showed it to Marty as an indication that Old Biff had been there.

 

Young Biff used the sports almanac to bet on the results of sporting events, since he now knew the results. In 1958, at age 21, Biff soon became very rich and powerful, spending his money on women and cars. He also started up his toxic waste company, Biffco, soon becoming one of the richest and most powerful men in America. Biff built a casino hotel in Hill Valley (at least 27 stories high), named "Biff's Pleasure Paradise", on the site of the former Courthouse, upon legalized gambling in 1979. He also owned a real-estate firm (as shown by the red 'For Sale' signs at various houses in the Lyon Estates subdivision), which has apparently intimidated several residents into selling their property. He also helped Richard Nixon remain President of the United States until at least 1985. Biff's effect on history affected the whole world – in this version of history, the Vietnam War was also still ongoing by May 1983. Though he was blindly recognized as one of America's heroes (though this claim is probably exaggerated, since it is stated in the promotional video at the entrance to his personal museum), his enormous casino hotel, complete authority over the local law enforcement, and money-driven power drove Hill Valley into a breeding ground for crime, corruption, and gang warfare.

 

Despite all this, Biff still did not have the girl he wanted. In this version of history, he was married at least three times; presumably, the first wife was the woman he would have married in the normal timeline and the mother of his child(ren). One of the women he reportedly married was Marilyn Monroe, according to one of the pictures in the Biff Tannen Museum. It is presumed in this alternate timeline Biff has been widowed from Marilyn Monroe (who still died in 1962), and possibly his first wife as well. In the alternate 1985, Doctor Brown is committed to an insane asylum, presumably due to Biff's interference. Biff was warned by his older self that "some day a crazy wild-eyed guy who claims to be a scientist or a kid may show up asking about this book" and that he was to get rid of them immediately. Being that Brown was the only scientist in the film's plot, Biff possibly wanted him locked away. However, he claims he never suspected Marty to be the "kid" his old self had warned him about. On March 15, 1973, Biff shot and murdered George McFly, who had been campaigning against Biffco's health issues, though Lorraine is unaware of this, and with the authorities in his pocket, was able to bribe the police to cover up the story (in an original draft, the newspaper, thanks to Biff's payoffs, was to state that George died of a heart attack). It is also presumed that Biff's great fortune reignited his hatred for George McFly, and gave him the boldness to commit murder in order to end George's marriage to Lorraine. He married Lorraine not long afterwards, possibly by offering financial support to the young widow and her three children. The money and power had gone to his head, making him a more evil then he was before and he treated her horribly, and among other things, forced her to get breast implants. It is also implied that Biff had a habit of hitting Marty over the head violently and abusing him along with his mother (as implied when Lorraine tells Marty "They must have hit you really hard this time.") This went on until 1996 when Lorraine finally shot Biff — this was never implied in the finished film, but Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale have suggested the "Lorraine shot Biff" theory as an explanation for Biff's fading away in the aforementioned deleted scene.

 

When Marty and Doc go back to 1955 to retrieve the almanac from Young Biff, we see Young Biff in an argument that implies that the manure truck incident was the factor that caused Biff to become an auto-detailer in any timeline where he doesn't have George to do his work for him or an almanac that helps him to win bets.

 

The alternate version of reality was erased when Marty and Doc went back to 1955 and got the almanac from Biff before he could use it or had time to memorize some of the statistics for future use, causing Biff to crash into the very same manure truck a second time. Marty destroyed the almanac (ironically using a matchbook from Biff's casino). The timeline went back to how it was at the end of the first film, where Biff was running his auto-detailing business (which was also reflected in a change on the matchbook's label).

 

Back to the Future Part III

 

Although Thomas F. Wilson still remained as one of the main actors in the final installment, his character, Biff, only appeared at the end of the film (accidentally mistaking Marty as a stranger), once Marty had again returned to 1985, and was back to working as an auto-detailer, waxing Marty's Toyota truck for him once more. This was noticeably one of the few times he called someone a "butthead" in the changed timeline, though he quickly apologizes after realizing that it was Marty he insulted. This film dealt with his great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (also played by Wilson).

 

Back to the Future: The Ride

 

Biff has a major role in the Back to the Future ride film. The ride reveals that in 1991, Doc established the Institute of Future Technology (IFT). On May 2, 1991 (which is also the day the ride opened), time travel volunteers from the IFT went back to 1955 to make sure that the timeline was back to normal following the events of the films. In 1955, 18-year-old Biff stowed away in the time machine, and, once in 1991, caused havoc in the institute before stealing the time machine and blasting through time. Doc, with the help of the audience, followed Biff through time in the new 8-seater De Lorean. Biff visited October 25, 2015 (almost the 30th anniversary of the first time travel experiment), the Ice Age, and the Late Cretaceous period, where he nearly perishes in what he dubs a "lava-fall", before being bumped in the back by the eight-passenger De Lorean at 88 MPH and heading back to 1991. Biff was then taken back to 1955, where he belonged, by Doc.

 

Back to the Future: The Animated Series

 

Biff was the present day villain of the series, although most episodes featured one of his numerous ancestors or descendants instead, always as some villanous cretin, so frequently that, when in Rome, Marty rhetorically questioned if there was a "Tannen" in every time and place they visited after coming face to face with Bifficus. Biff's ancestors also have the same tendency to use the phrase butt-head or some variant. It was his great-great-grandfather General Beuregard Tannen, a Confederate cavalry officer and presumably Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen's father, who was the first to use butt-head as it is today. He would call his Union foes and his enemies in general "buttocks brains" until one of Doctor Brown's time traveling sons corrected him and said the proper phrase was "butt-head". The Confederate approved the term.

 

The series established that Biff has a son, Biff, Jr., who is about 18 years old by 1991. No mention of a wife is made, and it appears that Biff is a single father or a widower (it should be noted that in an early drafted script for Part II, Biff, Jr. was to be the owner of the 80's café in 2015). In the episode, The Money Tree, he is shown driving a tow truck, which means in the six years between the movies and the series, he still has his automotive detailing business (he drove a "Biff's"-branded tow truck in 1985 in the movies).

 

The series has a few episodes centered around Biff. It revealed that in 1967, he saw the Comet Kablooey and thought it was an alien ship, and that in 1992, he tried claiming Jennifer Parker's grandparents' ranch after finding a deed saying the Tannen family owned it. However, Marty, Jules, and Verne went back to 1875 to make sure that the Tannens never got the deed.

 

One episode in the second season which took place in 1944 introduced a military character named Frank Tannen, possibly Biff's father who was later absent during the fifties, who lived in Hill Valley and was in the United States Army.

 

The first season of the cartoon featured a segment after the end credits in which Biff would break the fourth wall and tell the audience a joke which related to the theme of the episode.

 

In different to the movies, the time travels with the train had little or none chance for history of the Tannen family.

 

Back to the Future: The Game

 

Biff and his descendants appear in the episodic video game by Telltale Games, Back to the Future: The Game, voiced by Kid Beyond. In the first episode, Biff appears during a sale of Doc Brown's belongings, where Marty prevents him from discovering Brown's notes about time travel. Afterwards, the DeLorean appears and Marty travels back to 1931, where Biff's father, Irving "Kid" Tannen,[4] is head of a mafia gang running various alcohol smuggling operations during the prohibition. When one of his illegal speakeasys is destroyed, articles in the future suggest that Kid kills Doc Brown for the act, forcing Marty to break him out. In the process, Marty delivers a subpoena to his grandfather and one of Kid's employees, Arthur McFly, which puts Marty's existence in jeopardy at the end of the episode 1. In the second episode, after Marty saves his Grandfather, he finds that his actions meant nobody testified against Kid Tannen, resulting in the Tannens becoming the fifth-biggest crime family in California, headed by an aged Kid. Marty returns to 1931 and convinces Tannen's moll Trixie Trotter and Officer Danny Parker (Jennifer Parker's grandfather) to indict Tannen. However, because the young Doc helped apprehend Tannen, he unintentionally won the heart of crusading reporter Edna Strickland, which results in an alternate 1986 where Doc rules over an Orwellian dystopia as "First Citizen Brown". In this timeline, Biff is the first subject of the Citizen Plus Program, an initiative which uses aversion therapy to render the subject unable to even think about immoral behavior, as well as turning Biff a brainwashed puppet for Edna Brown to use as muscle for dirtier dealings. After Marty helps break the brainwashing, an enraged Biff tries to attack Marty, but Marty (with Einstein's help) knocks Biff out and escapes.

 

Playing The Role

 

J.J. Cohen, who later played one of Biff's gang was considered to play Biff, but did not appear physically imposing next to Eric Stoltz, who was originally cast as Marty. He did appear more imposing next to the shorter Michael J. Fox, who had been the first choice to play Marty and who would later replace Stoltz in the role. On the DVD commentary for the first film, producer Bob Gale noted that Cohen may very well have won the role had Fox been cast from the beginning.

 

The actor that would eventually be cast for the role, Thomas F. Wilson (now going by Tom Wilson), in actuality, has been considered to be a decent man by friends, family, and fans who have met him in person. In an interview about the BTTF films, Wilson said he portrayed Biff as a vicious bully to show younger audience members the adverse effects of bullying and attempt to discourage that behavior. Wilson also stated the audience could also agree with Biff at certain points, such as old Biff giving the almanac to enrich his younger self, knowing ultimately Biff is going to lose and Marty will win.

 

Wilson has transitioned into a career as a comic and musician and has recorded a song called "Biff's Question Song". Wilson and Christopher Lloyd had both made appearances in the movie Camp Nowhere where Lloyd plays a camp "counselor" and Wilson plays a policeman.

 

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41. Count Dracula

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 37 points - highest ranking #4 gosox05)

 

Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler. The character appears frequently in all manner of popular culture, from films to animated media to breakfast cereals.

 

In Stoker's novel

 

In Bram Stoker's novel, Count Dracula's characteristics, powers, abilities and weaknesses are narrated in a piecemeal way by multiple narrators, from different perspectives. The most informative of these narrators are Jonathan Harker, John Seward, and Mina Harker.

 

Biography

 

Count Dracula (his first name is never given) is a centuries-old vampire, sorcerer and Transylvanian nobleman, who claims to be a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains near the Borgo Pass. Unlike the vampires of Eastern European folklore, which are portrayed as repulsive, corpse-like creatures, Dracula exudes a veneer of aristocratic charm. In his conversations with Jonathan Harker, he reveals himself as deeply proud of his boyar heritage and nostalgic for the past times, which he admits have become only a memory of heroism, honor and valor in modern times.

 

Details of his early life are obscure, but it seems that Dracula studied the black arts at the academy of Scholomance in the Carpathian Mountains, overlooking the town of Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt) and became proficient in alchemy and magic. Taking up arms, as befitting his rank and status as a Voivode, he led troops against the Turks across the Danube. According to Van Helsing: "He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land. If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the land beyond the forest." Dead and buried in a great tomb in the chapel of his castle, Dracula returns from death as a vampire and lives for several centuries in his castle with three beautiful female vampires beside him. They seem to bear a possible family resemblance though whether they be his lovers, sisters, daughters, or vampires made by him is not made clear in the narrative.

 

As the novel begins in the late 19th century, Dracula acts on a long contemplated plan for world domination, and infiltrates London to begin his reign of terror. He summons Jonathan Harker, a newly-qualified English solicitor, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer. Dracula at first charms Harker with his cordiality and historical knowledge, and even rescues him from the clutches of the three female vampires in the castle. In truth, however, Dracula wishes to keep Harker alive long enough to complete the legal transaction and to learn as much as possible about England.

 

Dracula leaves his castle and boards a Russian ship, the Demeter, taking along with him boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he needs in order to regain his strength. During the voyage to Whitby, a coastal town in northern England, he sustains himself on the ship's crew members. Only one body is later found, that of the captain, who is found tied up to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. Dracula leaves the ship in the form of a wolf.

 

Soon the Count is menacing Harker's fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her friend, Lucy Westenra. There is also a notable link between Dracula and Renfield, a patient in an insane asylum compelled to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures — in ascending order of size — in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a kind of sensor, reacting to Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly. Dracula begins to visit Lucy's bed chamber on a nightly basis, draining her of blood while simultaneously infecting her with the curse of vampirism. Not knowing the cause for Lucy's deterioration, her companions call upon the Dutch doctor Abraham Van Helsing, the former mentor of one of Lucy's suitors. Van Helsing soon deduces her condition's supernatural origins, but does not speak out. Despite an attempt at keeping the vampire at bay with garlic, Dracula entices Lucy out of her chamber late at night and transforms her into one of the undead.

 

Van Helsing, Harker, and Lucy's former suitors Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris enter her crypt and kill her. They later enter Dracula's residence at Carfax, destroying his boxes of earth, depriving the Count of his ability to rest. Dracula leaves England to return to his homeland, but not before biting Mina.

 

The final section of the novel details the heroes racing Dracula back to Transylvania, and in a climactic battle with Dracula's gypsy bodyguards, finally destroying him. Despite the popular image of Dracula having a stake driven through his heart, Mina's narrative describes his throat being sliced through by Jonathan Harker's kukri and his heart pierced by Morris' Bowie knife (Mina Harker's Journal, 6 November, Dracula Chapter 27). His body then turns into dust, but not before Mina Harker sees an expression of peace on Dracula's face.

 

Characteristics

 

Although early in the novel Dracula dons a mask of cordiality, he often flies into fits of rage when his plans are interfered with. When the three vampire women who live in his castle attempt to seduce Jonathan Harker, Dracula physically assaults one and ferociously berates them for their insubordination. He then relents and talks to them more kindly, telling them that he does indeed love each of them.

 

Dracula is very passionate about his warrior heritage, emotionally proclaiming his pride to Harker on how the Székely people are infused with the blood of heroes. He does express an interest in the history of the British Empire, speaking admiringly of its people. He has a somewhat primal and predatory worldview; he pities ordinary humans for their revulsion to their darker impulses.

 

Though usually portrayed as having a strong Eastern European accent, the original novel only specifies that his spoken English is excellent, though strangely toned.

 

His appearance varies in age. He is described early in the novel as thin, with a long white mustache, pointed ears and sharp teeth. It is also noted later in the novel (Chapter 11 subsection "THE ESCAPED WOLF") by a zookeeper that sees him that he has hooked nose and a pointed beard with a streak of white in it. He is dressed all in black and has hair on his palms. Jonathan Harker described him as an old man; 'cruel looking' and giving an effect of 'extraordinary pallor.'[6] When angered the Count showed his true bestial nature, his blue eyes flaming red.

 

I saw... Count Dracula... with red light of triumph in his eyes, and with a smile that Judas in hell might be proud of.

 

— Jonathan Harker's Journal, Dracula, Chapter 4

 

As the novel progresses, Dracula is described as taking on a more and more youthful appearance. He shows a rare respect to those that have challenged him. He once remarked that for a man who has not lived a single lifetime, Van Helsing is very wise.

 

Powers, abilities and weaknesses

 

Count Dracula is portrayed in the novel using many different supernatural abilities. He has strength which, according to Van Helsing, is equivalent to that of 20 strong men. Being undead, he is immune to conventional means of attack. The only definite way to kill him is by decapitating him followed by impalement through the heart with a wooden stake, although it is also suggested that shooting him with a sacred bullet would suffice. Like all undead, he has the potential to live forever and never die, though he is not truly immortal as he can be killed by the traditional vampire methods (silver and/or wooden stakes, holy water, etc.). The Count does not have to seek victims regularly, and has the ability to remain inactive for centuries. The Count can defy gravity to a certain extent, being able to climb upside down vertical surfaces in a reptilian manner. He has powerful hypnotic and telepathic abilities, and is also able to command nocturnal animals such as wolves and rats. Dracula can also manipulate the weather, usually creating mists to hide his presence, but also storms such as in his voyage in the Demeter. He can travel onto "unhallowed" ground such as the graves of suicides and those of his victims. He can shapeshift at will, his featured forms in the novel being that of a bat, a wolf, vapor, and fog. He is able to pass through tiny cracks or crevices while retaining his human form, described by Van Helsing as the ability to become "so small." He requires no other sustenance but fresh blood, which has the effect of rejuvenating him.

 

According to Van Helsing:

 

The Nosferatu do not die like the bee when he sting once. He is only stronger, and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil.

 

— Mina Harker's Journal, Dracula, Chapter 18

 

One of Dracula's most mysterious powers is the ability to transfer his vampiric condition to others. He slowly transforms Lucy into a vampire and then sets his sights on Mina. Mina mentions having been fed Dracula's blood.

 

Dracula's powers are not unlimited, however. He is much less powerful in daylight and is only able to shift his form at dawn, noon, and dusk (he can shift freely at night). The sun is not fatal to him, though, as sunlight does not burn and destroy him upon contact. He is repulsed by garlic, crucifixes and sacramental bread, and he can only cross running water at low or high tide. He is also unable to enter a place unless invited to do so; once invited, however, he can approach and leave the premises at will.

 

While universally feared by the local people of Transylvania and even beyond, he somehow commands the loyalty of gypsies and a band of Slovaks who transport his boxes on their way to London and to serve as an armed convoy bringing his coffin back to the Castle. The Slovaks and gypsies appear to know his true nature, for they laugh at Jonathan Harker, who tries to communicate his plight, and betray Harker's attempt to send a letter through them by giving it to the Count.

 

Count Dracula is depicted as the "King Vampire," and can control other vampires who were his own victims but also, as per the story "Dracula's Guest", those in farther away lands such as Styria who may or may not have been Dracula's victims. His death can release the curse on any living victim of eventual transformation into vampire. But Van Helsing reveals that were he to successfully escape, his continued existence would ensure that even if he did not victimize Mina Harker further, she would transform into a vampire upon her eventual natural death.

 

He also requires Transylvanian soil to be nearby to him in order to successfully rest; otherwise, he will not be able to recover his strength. Dracula's powers and weaknesses vary greatly in the many adaptations. Previous and subsequent vampires from different legends have had similar vampire characteristics.

 

In popular culture

 

Dracula is arguably one of the most famous characters in popular culture. He has been portrayed by more actors in more film and television adaptations than any other horror character. Actors who have played him include Max Schreck, Béla Lugosi, John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliott, Jack Palance, Louis Jourdan, Frank Langella, Klaus Kinski, Gary Oldman, Leslie Nielsen, George Hamilton, Gerard Butler, Richard Roxburgh, Marc Warren, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Billington and Dominic Purcell. The character is closely associated with the cultural archetype of the vampire, and remains a popular Halloween costume.

 

In 2003, Count Dracula, as portrayed by Lugosi in the 1931 film, was named as the 33rd greatest movie villain by the American Film Institute.

 

Scholarship

 

Following the publication of In Search of Dracula by Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally in 1972, the supposed connections between the historical Transylvanian-born Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia and Stoker's fictional Dracula attracted popular attention.

 

Historically, the name "Dracula" is the given name of Vlad Tepes' family, a name derived from a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon, founded by Sigismund of Luxembourg (king of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperor) to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III, was admitted to the order around 1431 because of his bravery in fighting the Turks and was dubbed Dracul (Dragon) thus his son became Dracula (son of the dragon). From 1431 onward, Vlad II wore the emblem of the order and later, as ruler of Wallachia, his coinage bore the dragon symbol.

 

Stoker came across the name Dracula in his reading on Romanian history and chose this to replace the name (Count Wampyr) that he had originally intended to use for his villain. However, some Dracula scholars, led by Elizabeth Miller, have questioned the depth of this connection. They argue that Stoker in fact knew little of the historic Vlad III except for his name. There are sections in the novel where Dracula refers to his own background, and these speeches show that Stoker had some knowledge of Romanian history but probably one of no great depth. Stoker includes few details about Vlad III save for referring to Dracula as "that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turks", a quote which ties Stoker's Vampire to the Wallachian prince in earnest, due to Prince Vlad's famed battles with Turks over Wallachian soil. However, while Vlad III was an ethnic Vlach, the fictional Dracula claims to be a Székely.

 

It has been suggested by some that Stoker was influenced by the legend of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who was born in the Kingdom of Hungary and accused of the murder of 80 young women, although these claims of influence may be false.

 

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40. Warden Samuel Norton (Shawshank Redemption)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 38 points - highest ranking #8 Buehrle>Wood, Milkman delivers)

 

In 1947, banker Andrew "Andy" Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, based on circumstantial evidence. He is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine, run by Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton).

 

Using his goodwill with the warden, Andy helps to expand the prison library by writing weekly letters to the state government for funds. Warden Norton develops a scheme that uses prison labor for public works, undercutting the cost of skilled labor and receiving kickbacks. Norton has Andy launder the money under the false identity of "Randall Stevens", in exchange for allowing Andy to keep his private cell and to continue maintaining the library.

 

One day at roll call, Andy's cell is empty. When Norton, angry at Andy's disappearance, throws one of Andy's rocks at the poster of Raquel Welch, the rock tears through the poster, revealing a tunnel that Andy has dug with the rock hammer over the last two decades. The night before, Andy switches Norton's ledger with his prison-issue Bible. Taking the ledger, his chess set, and one of the warden's suits, he escapes through the tunnel and a narrow sewage drain during a thunderstorm. After escaping, Andy poses as Randall Stevens to withdraw most of the corruption money from several banks, then sends evidence of Norton's corruption and murder of Tommy to a local newspaper. The police arrive at the prison, and Hadley is arrested, but Norton commits suicide to evade arrest.

 

 

 

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39. Big Brother (1984)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 38 points - highest ranking #8 Tex, kjshoe04)

 

Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence – where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.

 

In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities, mainly by telescreens. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is watching you", which is the core "truth" of the propaganda system in this state.

 

Since the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the term "Big Brother" has entered the lexicon as a synonym for abuse of government power, particularly in respect to civil liberties, often specifically related to mass surveillance.

 

Purported origins

Lord Kitchener, a possible inspiration for Big Brother

 

In the essay section of his novel 1985, Anthony Burgess states that Orwell got the idea for Big Brother from advertising billboards for educational correspondence courses from a company called Bennett's, current during World War II. The original posters showed Bennett himself; a kindly looking old man offering guidance and support to would-be students with the phrase "Let me be your father" attached. After Bennett's death his son took over the company, and the posters were replaced with pictures of the son (who looked imposing and stern in contrast to his father's kindly demeanour) with the text "Let me be your big brother."

 

Speculation has also focused on Lord Kitchener, who among other things was prominently involved in British military recruitment in World War I. As a child Orwell (under his real name Eric Blair) published poems praising Kitchener and war recruitment in his local newspaper.

 

Additional speculation from Douglas Kellner of UCLA argued that Big Brother represents Joseph Stalin and that the novel portrayed life under totalitarianism.

 

Appearance in the novel

 

Existence

 

In the novel it is not clear whether Big Brother is (or was) a real person or a fiction invented by the Party to personify it.

 

In Party propaganda Big Brother is presented as a real person: one of the founders of the Party, along with Goldstein. At one point in 1984 Winston Smith, the protagonist of Orwell's novel, tries "to remember in what year he had first heard mention of Big Brother. He thought it must have been at some time in the sixties, but it was impossible to be certain. In the Party histories, of course, Big Brother figured as the leader and guardian of the Revolution since its very earliest days. His exploits had been gradually pushed backwards in time until already they extended into the fabulous world of the forties and the thirties, when the capitalists in their strange cylindrical hats still rode through the streets of London..." In the year 1984 Big Brother appears on posters and the telescreen as a man of about 45. Goldstein's book comments: "We may be reasonably sure that he will never die, and there is already considerable uncertainty as to when he was born."

 

When Winston Smith is later arrested, O'Brien, his interrogator, again describes Big Brother as a figure who will never die. When Smith asks if Big Brother exists, O'Brien describes him as "the embodiment of the Party" and that he will exist as long as the Party exists.

 

Cult of personality

 

A spontaneous ritual of devotion to Big Brother ("BB") is illustrated at the end of the "Two Minutes Hate":

 

At this moment the entire group of people broke into a deep, slow, rhythmic chant of 'B-B! .... B-B! .... B-B!'—over and over again, very slowly, with a long pause between the first 'B' and the second—a heavy murmurous sound, somehow curiously savage, in the background of which one seemed to hear the stamps of naked feet and the throbbing of tom-toms. For perhaps as much as thirty seconds they kept it up. It was a refrain that was often heard in moments of overwhelming emotion. Partly it was a sort of hymn to the wisdom and majesty of Big Brother, but still more it was an act of self-hypnosis, a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise.

 

Though Oceania's Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Plenty, and Ministry of Peace each have names with meanings deliberately opposite to their real purpose, the Ministry of Love is perhaps the most straightforward: "rehabilitated thought criminals" leave the Ministry as loyal subjects who have been brainwashed into genuinely loving Big Brother.

 

Legacy

 

Since the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four the phrase "Big Brother" has come into common use to describe any prying or overly-controlling authority figure, and attempts by government to increase surveillance.

 

Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff makes frequent reference to both Big Brother and other Orwellian traits in his Russian Reversal jokes.

 

The magazine Book ranked Big Brother #59 on its 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900 list. Wizard magazine rated him the 75th greatest villain of all time.

 

The worldwide reality television show Big Brother is based on the novel's concept of people being under constant surveillance. In 2000, after the U.S. version of the CBS program "Big Brother" premiered, the Estate of George Orwell sued CBS and its production company "Orwell Productions, Inc." in federal court in Chicago for copyright and trademark infringement. The case was Estate of Orwell v. CBS, 00-c-5034 (ND Ill). On the eve of trial, the case settled worldwide to the parties' "mutual satisfaction"; the amount that CBS paid to the Orwell Estate was not disclosed. CBS had not asked the Estate for permission. Under current laws the novel will remain under copyright protection until 2020 in the European Union and until 2044 in the United States.

 

The iconic image of Big Brother (played by David Graham) played a key role in Apple's 1984 television commercial introducing the Macintosh. The Orwell Estate viewed the Apple commercial as a copyright infringement, and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Apple and its advertising agency. The commercial was never televised again.

 

The December 2002 issue of Gear magazine featured a story about technologies and trends that could violate personal privacy moving society closer to a "Big Brother" state and utilized a recreation of the movie poster from the film version of 1984 created by Dallmeierart.com.

 

In 2011, media analyst and political activist Mark Dice published a non-fiction book titled Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True which analyzes the parallels between elements of the storyline in Nineteen Eighty-Four and current government programs, technology, and cultural trends.

 

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38. Dr. Evil (Austin Powers)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 39 points - highest ranking #3 kjshoe04)

 

Dr. Evil (b. Douglas Powers) is a fictional character, played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the antagonist of the movies, and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Donald Pleasence's Ernst Stavro Blofeld (as featured in You Only Live Twice). Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world, and is typically accompanied by his cat Mr. Bigglesworth and his sidekick Mini-Me, a dwarf clone of himself.

 

Background

 

According to his own account in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, delivered in a group therapy session with his estranged son Scott, Dr. Evil's upbringing went as follows:

“ The details of my life are quite inconsequential ... Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament ... My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon ... luge lessons ... In the spring, we'd make meat helmets ... When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, I received my first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum — it's breathtaking ... I suggest you try it. ”

 

 

TV versions skipped the last three lines and replaced it with

“ "When I was 18 I went to evil medical school. At age 25 I took up tap dancing. I wanted to be a quadruple threat: an actor, dancer ... ”

 

In the third Austin Powers film, Goldmember, Dr. Evil claims that his adopted mother was the love-slave of the Belgian baker rather than a prostitute.

 

In Goldmember, Nigel Powers reveals that Dr. Evil is Austin Powers' twin brother and that his real name is Douglas ("Dougie") Powers. He explains that Douglas and Austin were separated as babies following a car explosion, and that he thought that only Austin had survived. Dougie was raised by Belgians, which is what made him so complex and evil. Interestingly, despite the fact that he cites his home town is Bruges, which is situated in the Dutch-speaking Flemish Region of Belgium, he claims to not know how to speak "Freaky-Deaky Dutch", instead speaking French, the main language of southern Belgium.

 

He also attended the British Intelligence Academy with Austin (along with Basil Exposition and Number 2), and is angered that Austin won the "International Man of Mystery" award, while he, the academy's best student, was overlooked.

 

In the first film, Dr. Evil is an internationally known criminal genius cryogenically frozen in 1967 and reawakened in 1997. Like Austin Powers, he faces challenges in acclimating to the new period (although he has his staff, who remained behind, to help him).

 

He often places his little finger near his mouth, especially when excited or to emphasize a statement. Although expanded upon, this signature move may have been taken from "Number 12 Looks Just Like You," an episode of The Twilight Zone in which Dr. Rex uses the same gesture several times. Although the idiosyncrasy was intended to be a humorous "signature move" for Evil, the only apparent reason for Rex's use of it was to differentiate him from several other characters (played by the same actor) who were intentionally physically identical to him.

 

Evil also repetitively uses the euphemism frickin'. He occasionally uses unnecessary finger quotes around now-familiar technical terms such as laser.

 

The scar on his face is a reference to similar scars on early 20th century movie villains such as several portrayed by Erich von Stroheim (as well as a homage to Donald Pleasence as Blofeld in You Only Live Twice). This type of scar is usually a remnant of Mensur fencing, an activity in which elite European student groups participate. In Goldmember it is revealed that he has a tattoo on his buttocks that reads "E. Diddy" and he also claimed to have three testicles. Dr. Evil also tends to get angry when he is referred to as "Mr. Evil" and then proceeds to say that "didn't spend six years in evil medical school to be called 'Mister', thank you very much!"

 

In the first Austin Powers film and half of the second, Dr. Evil's eyes are brown, but in the third, Mike Myers wore contact lenses to give his eyes an icy blue color.

 

Lairs

 

The Space Needle in Seattle

 

Parodying the many Bond villains, Dr. Evil inhabits a sequence of elaborate lairs.

 

In Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery, Dr. Evil's first lair is underground in the Nevada desert, outside Las Vegas; an obvious homage to Diamonds Are Forever.

 

Following a successful investment by Number 2, Dr. Evil's lair in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is atop the Space Needle in Seattle, portrayed to be the Starbucks headquarters; later, it is housed first in a volcano with Dr. Evil's face carved into it on a Caribbean island (an homage to both You Only Live Twice and Live and Let Die), and then on the moon (the film's final villainous homage, to Moonraker). He also has a spaceship that looks like a penis.

 

For the third film, Austin Powers In Goldmember, Dr. Evil has a new lair behind the famous Hollywood sign and a submarine lair, shaped like himself (an homage to Karl Stromberg's Liparus tanker in The Spy Who Loved Me).

 

Schemes

 

Dr. Evil's projects for world domination are often named after pop culture trademarks (Death Star, The Alan Parsons Project, Preparation H) and he is often unaware of the accidental pun. For example, when Dr. Evil says he will turn the moon into a "Death Star" (said with finger quotes), Scott laughs and calls him "Darth". Scott also coughs and mutters "Rip-off!" After a slight pause, his father says, "Bless you."

 

Dr. Evil varies in how real he makes his threats out to be. When he makes his threat of causing all of the volcanoes in the world to erupt at once, all he does is display his machinery, something of an homage to Thunderball. When he makes the threat of "Death Star", he "demonstrates" the power of his laser by showing the President and the cabinet footage of the White House being destroyed. After the President and the cabinet realize they're still alive, he says "Well actually that was just footage from the movie Independence Day, but the real laser would be a lot like that". With his threat of flooding the world, he shows that the tractor beam is real by pulling down a satellite that looks like a pair of breasts.

A Dr. Evil impersonator.

 

Dr. Evil seems to have a problem in general with understanding money, especially regarding the modern American economy and inflation. In the first film, he intends to hold the world ransom for one million dollars, but doesn't understand that isn't as large a sum of money as it was in the 1960s, because of inflation, and the demand causes the U.N. to burst out laughing. In the second film, Dr. Evil goes back to 1969 and plans to hold the world ransom for $100 billion, and when he tells the amount to the President, he receives a similar reaction as in the first film when the President and his cabinet laugh at him. In the second film, Dr. Evil says, "Why make trillions when we can make ... BILLIONS?" not knowing that trillions are a thousand times larger than billions. In the third movie, he demands "1 billion, gagillion, fafillion, shabolubalu million illion yillion ... yen." This time his demand is met with simple confusion from the world leaders. In his first film his other idiotic schemes include a threat to destroy the ozone layer and make a scandal of Prince Charles' marriage, humorously unaware that these were both major issues recently and have since subsided.

 

One of Dr. Evil's greatest desires is to have "frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads," and is disappointed when he can't have the sharks because of laws on endangered species. Instead, Number 2 gives him mutated sea bass, which Dr. Evil grudgingly accepts, muttering "well, it's a start" (they were ill-tempered, as the bass do manage to eat the head of one unfortunate henchman hired by Dr. Evil). Scott however, manages to get him said sharks in the third film as a father-son gift.

 

Dr. Evil can't resist cracking puns at his own work (he says his submarine lair is "long and hard and full of seamen"). As with Auric Goldfinger, he creates models of his plans, worried that they are too complicated for his minions to understand. He also cares nothing for the companies (Virtucon, Starbucks, Hollywood Talent Agency) that fund his plans, ignoring all suggestions from Number 2 on how to increase the profit of such companies. Although he was impressed that Number 2's Hollywood Talent Agency was able to recruit celebrities such as George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio.

 

Parody

 

The James Bond films

 

Just as Austin Powers lampoons James Bond, Dr. Evil parodies several James Bond villains. The first is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, as portrayed by Donald Pleasence in the film You Only Live Twice. (Curiously, Pleasence was a regular to the Halloween movie series, whose villain is named Michael Myers.) Blofeld has a white Persian cat, parodied by Dr. Evil's Mr. Bigglesworth.

 

Dr. Evil also wears clothing with a strong resemblance to Julius No, played by Joseph Wiseman, from the film Dr. No, specifically gray Nehru Jacket jumpsuits and similar anti-radiation suits. Some aspects, including some of his quotes and his henchman Random Task, parody elements from Goldfinger.

 

While Dr. Evil is primarily a send-up of the 1960s Sean Connery-era Bond villains, the 1970s Roger Moore-era also gets skewered: the interior of Dr. Evil's space station in The Spy Who Shagged Me resembles Hugo Drax's space station from Moonraker, and the film's title spoofs The Spy Who Loved Me. Dr. Evil has three testicles, as is proven in Goldmember when he checks to see that "they're all there" following a rather painful blow to his groin. This is most likely a nod to James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga from 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun, who has three nipples. Mini-Me may also be another reference to Scaramanga, who has a dwarf servant named Nick Nack.

 

Others

 

Some of Dr. Evil's facial and vocal expressions are allegedly patterned after Lorne Michaels, producer of television's Saturday Night Live, where Myers worked for a number of years. Most notably, Dr. Evil's statement "throw me a frickin' bone here, people," was supposedly something Michael's said many times at script meetings for SNL. As Dr. Evil, Myers occasionally affects an Ontario accent, reflecting his upbringing.

 

In popular culture

 

Jamaican dancehall artist Craig "Leftside" Parks took up the stage name "Dr. Evil," "toasting" (rapping) with the same vocal pattern as the character. He is now known as "Mr. Evil". He was most notable for a song named "More Punany". When Brick FM, a Scottish radio station, broadast the song and got investigated by Ofcom, they claimed Punany was The heated Italian cheese sandwich, when it was meant as the slang word for the Vagina. The regulator was unimpressed and said it considered regulatory action against Brick FM. Ofcom Ruling Over Brick FM's Offensive Broadcast Causes Hilarity Within Media

 

American rapper Kanye West references him in his song "Heartless" from the album 808s and Heartbreak: "How could you be so Dr. Evil, you bringin’ out a side of me that I don’t know…."

 

In The Chowder episode "Gazpacho Fights Back", Chowder does the same impression that Dr. Evil does in the movie.

 

In The ReBoot episode "Daemon Rising Part 2", Enzo, Matrix, Andrea and Frisket 'reboot' into Dr. Evil, Mini Me, Mr. Bigglesworth, etc.; Matrix does the same impression that Dr. Evil does in the movie.

 

In World of Warcraft, an important raid instance named Naxxramas has Mr. Bigglesworth, a cat which appears at the beginning of the instance. Upon killing the cat, that master of the instance will curse you and promise to punish you dearly. Also in a goblin's quest named A Goblin in Shark's Clothing, you have control of a robotic shark and one of your moves fires a laser beam with the description stating, "every shark needs a freakin' laser beam!"

 

In an episode of That's So Raven, Raven has a not-so-major vision of Chelsea breaking a nail. When she tells her friends of this vision, they are more concerned of the fact it caused Raven to get distracted and lose a volleyball game. When asked why it was so major that Chelsea would break a nail, Raven remarks that "It was the pinky! You know, the one that she does Dr. Evil with" and imitates Dr. Evil's famous little finger-to-lip gesture.

 

Punk band Good Charlotte reference Dr. Evil in the song 'Superman Can't Walk'.

 

Kim Jong-il was referred to as the real life Dr. Evil.

 

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37. Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

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(3 of 16 lists - 39 points - highest ranking #9 Milkman delivers)

 

Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most importantly, he is the archenemy of Peter Pan. It is said that Hook was Blackbeard's boatswain, and that he was the only man Long John Silver ever feared. His only two fears are the sight of his own blood (which is supposedly an unnatural colour) and one fateful crocodile.

 

Hook wears a big iron hook in place of his right hand, which was cut off by Peter Pan and eaten by a saltwater crocodile, who liked the taste so much that she follows Hook around constantly, hoping for more. Luckily for Hook, the crocodile also swallowed a clock, so Hook can tell from the ticking when she is near. Hook hates Peter obsessively due to his cockiness (and the removing of his hand), as well as the way he always seems to have "good form" without trying or even realizing, which is the best "form" of all, and lives for the day he can make Peter and all his Lost Boys walk the plank.

 

Creation of the character

 

Hook did not appear in early drafts of the play, with the capricious and coercive Peter Pan as the closest thing to a "villain" in it. The pirate captain was created for a front-cloth scene to be staged in front of the curtain while the set was changed from Neverland back to the Darling nursery, depicting the children's journey home. Barrie expanded the scene, knowing how much children were fascinated by pirates, and expanded the role of the captain as the play developed. The character was originally cast to be played by a woman: Dorothea Baird, the actress also playing Mary Darling. Gerald du Maurier, who was already playing George Darling (and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), persuaded Barrie to let him take the additional role instead, a casting decision that has since been replicated in many stage and film productions of the Peter Pan story.

 

Biography of the character

 

Barrie states in the novel that "Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date set the country in a blaze." He relates the tale of how Peter Pan cut off his hand and fed it to the crocodile, setting up the rivalry between them. Barrie explains that "he was Blackbeard's boatswain, and that he was the only man Long John Silver ever feared". It is implied that he attended Eton College and Balliol' in the play; Hook's final words are "Floreat Etona", the College's motto. Barrie confirmed this in a speech delivered in 1927 to the first hundred at Eton College entitled "Captain Hook at Eton".

 

In Barrie's story, Hook captures Wendy Darling, the girl who loves Peter and whom Peter views as his surrogate mother, and challenges the boy to a final duel. When Hook is beaten, Peter Pan kicks him overboard to the open jaws of the waiting crocodile below. Just before his defeat, however, he takes a final jab at Peter by taunting him about his "bad form". Peter, with the callousness of youth, quickly forgets Hook and finds a new nemesis, but as Hook made a stronger impression on the public, most sequels brought him back one way or another.

 

Appearance

 

In the novel Peter and Wendy, Hook is described as "cadaverous" and "blackavized", with blue eyes and long dark curls which look like "black candles" at a distance. In most pantomime performances of Peter Pan, and in the film Hook, Hook's hair is simply a wig. He has a hook in place of his right hand (this is often switched to his left hand in film adaptations) and can use it as well as, or instead of, a sword when fighting. He is also described as having a "handsome countenance" and an "elegance of [...] diction" – "even when he [is] swearing". Captain Hook is often portrayed wearing a large feathered hat, a red, black or blue coat, and knee breeches. This pertains to the novel's description of him "In dress he somewhat aped the attire associated with the name of Charles II". Hook is often seen with a custom-made cigar holder that lets him smoke two cigars at once. Barrie also said of him in "Captain Hook at Eton" as, "In a word, the handsomest man I have ever seen, though, at the same time, perhaps slightly disgusting". While Hook is an evil and bloodthirsty man, Barrie makes it clear that these qualities make him a magnificent pirate and "not wholly unheroic".

 

In stage appearances and films, George Darling and Captain Hook are often played by the same actor, perhaps based on the belief in the book that "All grown-ups are pirates."

 

Peter Pan in Scarlet

 

Ravello, a circus man in a constantly ragged woollen coat, offers Peter a servant and to ensure his well being in the search for the treasure. Ravello provides - through a red coat and a bad influence - that Peter Pan is increasingly in the direction of Captain Hook turns. He sees himself not as a living person, because he only eats eggs and no longer sleeps there. He is revealed in the middle of the book to be the old James Hook, who escaped the crocodile, when the muscle contractions of the stomach meant to crush and digest Hook, which broke the vial of poison Hook kept with him at all times. The poison killed the crocodile, and Hook used his hook to claw out, but he was mutated by the stomach acid, changed Hook to an uglier man. The scarred visage that emerged from the crocodile's stomach was not the noble pirate who went forthwith from the deck of the Jolly Roger, but Ravello, the travelling man. Ravello has many animals in front lions, bears, and tigers.

 

Ravello gives another clue to his true identity when one of the Lost Boys asks Ravello his name: he thinks for a while, as if trying to remember, and finally says the name his mother gave him was Crichton, but that names given by mothers don't mean anything.

 

One of Ravello's trophies is an Eton trophy dated 1894. If Hook was 18 - the last year of an Etonian - in that year, then he was born in 1876, a full one-hundred and one years after his appearance at The Pirates' Conference [see below], and even further after the times of Blackbeard and Long John Silver. It must also be said that Hook in this book denies that he was ever with Blackbeard, claiming that he would never have served such an uneducated man and that all suggestions that he has are merely rumours started by his enemies. Only upon receiving Wendy's kiss, and five weeks' worth of sleep, does the real James Hook again reveal himself.

 

Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth

 

According to the (non-canon) novel Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth, Captain Hook was born the illegitimate son of a nobleman, "Lord B", and an unnamed woman Hook has never met (however, throughout the story, there are multiple clues in the way characters act and react that the unnamed woman may in fact be the Queen). Denounced by Lord B, James Matthew is brought up by a Shakespearean actress he calls Aunt Emily. When he is fifteen he unwillingly attends Eton College as an Oppidan scholar.

 

James strives to reach the top of his class at Eton. He is an avid reader of Shakespeare and Shelley, and his motto is "Knowledge is Power". He describes many things as first rate - "Topping Swank", and he punctuates his sentences with "The End." He is very interested in the French Revolution.

 

In the novel James has only a few friends - Roger Peter Davies, whom he nicknames "Jolly Roger" and later names his ship after; and his pet Electra, a fatally poisonous spider. However, James Matthew has many enemies, particularly Arthur Darling, a seventeen-year-old Colleger, whom he rivals in studies, fencing, sports, and the attentions of the visiting Ottoman Sultana Ananova Ariadne. Although James successfully woos Ananova, their mutual affection sets off a chain of political outrage that affects the noble position of Lord B. Lord B selfishly arranges for James to leave Eton on his trading ship, the Sea Witch. The deeply hurt James doesn't leave without defeating Arthur in a final fencing duel, terrifying him with a home-made guillotine. He also burns his own school records so there would be no traces of his well-liked "notorious" behaviour.

 

James leaves Eton with Jolly Roger. Once on the trading ship, he meets the boatswain Bartholomew Quigley Smeethington, generally called Smee. Smee and all the other sailors live in terror of their ruthless captain, who, in a cruel twist, also happens to be a Christian priest. James, as always, is able to empathize with the underdogs. When James discovers in horror that his father is a slave trader, he frees the slaves on the ship and overthrows the ship's captain (who then is killed by Electra), and then murders the quartermaster with a metal hook.

 

Throughout Capt. Hook, author J.V. Hart relates events in James Matthew Barrie's life and the lives of the Llewellyn-Davies children; including naming James's arch-enemy after the Llewellyn-Davies' father. The author mainly expands upon details in Barrie's original play and novel, while changing a few key points - he ascribes James's strange colouring and yellow blood to a blood disorder; James's long dark hair is natural, rather than the usually suggested wig; James is christened "Hook" after murdering the quartermaster of the Sea Witch, rather than in reference to his prosthetic hand (in the original novel, Hook was known as "Hook" before he lost his hand, so this is consistent).

 

Peter and the Starcatchers

 

In the novel Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Captain Hook is at his nastiest - he is described as greasy and filthy, with terrible breath, beady black eyes, and a pock-marked face. He eats raw meat in his room, often leaving the food on his bed. This grotesque image of Hook contrasts strongly with J. M. Barrie's Etonian gentleman. In Peter and the Starcatchers, which takes place before the captain meets Peter Pan, Hook is called "Black Stache" because of his moustache, and his ship is called the Sea Devil - he obtains the Jolly Roger after using a corset-shaped sail to attack a British ship named the Wasp. In this prequel, although Peter cuts off Hook's hand, he does not throw Hook's hand to the crocodile; the animal simply gobbles it up in passing. Black Stache is renamed Captain Hook in the second installment, Peter and the Shadow Thieves. Which hand is severed differs. In Barrie's original novel, his right hand was purposely cut off by Peter. In Barry and Pearson's adaptation, his left hand was accidentally cut off by Peter, which would make their story non-canon to Barrie's original.

 

Disney

 

The version of Captain Hook who appears in the Disney animated film adaptation of Peter Pan is somewhat of a comic relief character, a fop prone to crying out for help as well as being called a codfish and having his clothes repeatedly ruined. This Captain Hook has the hook in place of his left hand instead of his right. In early development, the story department wrote their analysis of Hook's character: "He is a fop...Yet very mean, to the point of being murderous. This combination of traits should cause plenty of amusement whenever he talks or acts."[4]

 

Frank Thomas was the directing animator of Hook.[5][6] According to Disney's Platinum release bonus features, Hook was modeled after a Spanish King. One director insisted that Hook should be a darker villain with no comedic traits. Yet this would not work during the crocodile scenes. The animators realized he could not be truly evil, because of the children in the film that he would be threatening. The result is a "bad guy," but only to the point of matching Peter Pan.[4]

 

Actor Hans Conried set the tone for Disney's interpretation of Hook, as he was the original voice for the Captain, as well as Mr. Darling in the same film. In addition Conried's acting skills were used, as he performed live-action reference for the two characters. In modern animation, Hook is voiced by Corey Burton.

 

Appearances

 

Captain Hook is introduced in the animated film as a cunning, sinister man, plotting to trap Peter in his lair, but also a bit of a buffoon, hiding from the crocodile nicknamed 'Tick Tock' who took off his hand. He seeks revenge on Peter Pan for having fed the crocodile his hand amidst battle, and will keep his ship and its crew anchored in Never Land's waters until he finds the boy.[7] Hook is a dangerous villain, without conscience, yet is dependent on his sidekick, Mr. Smee. He is fairly cunning and has a bit of a taste for loopholes in contracts or deals — after he promises Tinker Bell that he will not lay a finger (or a hook) on Peter, he then lays a bomb in Peter's hideout, since he didn't say he wouldn't do that. When Peter defeats Hook, he begs for mercy and promises to leave Neverland forever. However, Hook tries to attack Peter again, only to be foiled. At the conclusion of the film, Hook is being chased by the crocodile off into the distance. Walt Disney insisted on keeping Hook alive, as he said: "The audience will get to liking Hook, and they don't want to see him killed."

 

In the sequel Return to Never Land, Hook's comical side is expanded to the point where the character becomes, almost, a complete fool, little more than a joke. He mistakes Wendy's daughter Jane for her thinking she is the young Wendy, and uses her as bait to lure Peter Pan to his death. After this fails, he promises to take Jane home if she'll help him find the island's treasure (which leads to his taste for loopholes being made a comical trait as well). Another loophole he employs is that he promises Jane, "Not to harm a single hair on Peter Pan's head". After he captures Peter, he pulls a single hair out of Peter's head and says; "And THIS is the one I won't harm! Here, you keep it", and he tosses it to Jane; "The rest of him is mine". Unlike the rest of his crew, Hook is still competent enough to do something right, and takes Jane captive (after she and Tinker Bell manage to free Peter and the Lost Boys) in the final battle. However, he is quickly subdued and thrown into the water by Peter. His ship is sunk by the huge, almost blind octopus who believes him to be a fish, and he and the pirates flee with the octopus behind them. It is unknown if they are ever eaten or not.

 

He stars in the Disney Interactive computer game, Disney's Villains' Revenge. He stole the happy ending of Peter Pan and altered the story. Peter was reduced to an elderly man and lost his fighting touch. The player would go against Hook in a duel and win, defeating Hook and returns Peter to his rightful age. Captain Hook fought the player again in the final battle along with the Queen of Hearts, Ringmaster and the Queen, but saw his ship destroyed. He retreats to Skull Rock where he fires cannonballs. Unfortunately, one is deflected and sends him flying into the sky. As he flies past the moon, he says to himself "I hate happy endings!"

 

Hook also appeared frequently on Disney's House of Mouse, and was one of the main villains of Mickey's House of Villains who take over the House of Mouse. He also appeared in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse. Prior to this, he also made a special guest cameo on Raw Toonage in the episode hosted by Don Karnage from TaleSpin; there, he challenged Karnage to a swordfight for a treasure chest and won. In the Disney Junior series Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Hook serves as the series antagonist.

 

Occasionally, Hook appears in the Scrooge McDuck universe of comic books as the nemesis of Moby Duck, a whaler cousin of Donald Duck.

 

Kingdom Hearts

 

Captain Hook (フック船長 Fukku Senchō?) appears in the Action/RPG game Kingdom Hearts, in cooperation with Maleficent and other villains. He uses his pirate ship to get himself between worlds.

 

He takes Riku along with him, where Kairi is being held. Hook does not like Riku's bossiness and regrets taking him along; nonetheless, he follows his orders, as Riku now has control over the Heartless and would most likely unleash them on him should he disobey. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive in Neverland, Riku throws them in the hold where they meet and escape with Peter Pan, who is searching for his friend Wendy. Captain Hook believed that Wendy was a "Princess of Heart" and that is why he captured her. However, Riku reports to him from Maleficent that Wendy is not a Princess of heart at all, irritating Hook (he hints that kidnapping Wendy was a very difficult task). After defeating the Heartless below deck, Sora fights a copy of himself summoned by Riku in Hook's office. After confronting Hook on the deck, learning that Riku took Kairi to Hollow Bastion, Sora and company are forced to surrender when Hook uses Tinker Bell as a hostage. When the crocodile appears, Hook flees to his office while telling Smee to have their prisoners walk the plank. However, Peter Pan returns to save Sora before using his Smee imitation to trick Hook out to the deck, resulting in the villain being thrown overboard and chased into the horizon by the crocodile. He later reappears in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, finding a large amount of treasure maps all leading to boxes that are actually set to release Heartless once Hook opens the chest (unknown to Hook and Smee, however, is that these chests were set up to help build Pete's Heartless army). In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories he appears as a figment of Sora's memories and is absent in Kingdom Hearts II. Hook later appears in the game series prequel, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, where he tricks Terra into attempting to kill Peter Pan for him. He later kidnaps Tinker Bell and takes Mickey Mouse's star fragment, but is defeated by Ventus and thrown into the water, where the crocodile chases him off. His Japanese voice actor was Chikao Ōhtsuka up until Birth by Sleep, where Chikao Ōhtsuka was cast as Master Xehanort and Hook thus voiced by Naoya Uchida. His English voice actor is Corey Burton.

 

Epic Mickey

 

Captain Hook is also featured prominently in the Wii game, "Epic Mickey", as the third boss. He appears in the Ventureland world, where he has been converted into an animatronic, cyborg version of himself (referred to in the game as a Bettleworx) and is waging an attack against the non-converted pirates. Smee, his loyal henchmen and one of the surviving pirates, request that Mickey Mouse find a way to save Hook. The player can either fight Hook by themself and earn a thinner upgrade (and a "bad ending" clip that shows the hook, what remained of Captain Hook after he was devoured by the robotic Crocodile, floating and sinking into the sea), or free the Sprite and have Pete Pan defeat him and earn a paint upgrade (and a "good ending" clip showing Pete Pan and Captain Hook in a duel).

 

Live events

 

Captain Hook also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character, as well as part of the dark ride Peter Pan's Flight.

 

In Fantasmic! at Disneyland, there is a scene in which we see Captain Hook and Peter Pan duelling aboard the Jolly Roger (portrayed by the Sailing Ship Columbia). This is replaced by a short re-enactment of Disney's Pocahontas at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 

At Disney World's Dream-Along with Mickey show, Hook, along with Smee, is one of the villains that crashes Mickey's party. This happens when Peter and Wendy appear to make Goofy's dream for some adventure come true and play a game of "Pretend to Be Pirates" with Donald Duck, who pretends to be the captain until the real Hook appears and challenges Peter to a duel. At first, Hook's appearance seems to take place for no reason other than to add some action to the show, but is revealed to actually be working for Maleficent, who is insulted after not being invited to the party. He is defeated by Mickey Mouse, who leads the audience in a chant of "Dreams come true!", and scares off the villains.

 

At the Disney Villains Mix and Mingle Halloween Dance Party at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Hook is summoned up by Maleficent along with the other villains, and co-hosts along with her, revealed by him being the only one of the villains beside her to sing and also being the villain that dances with her.

 

Other appearances

 

Peter Pan (1954 musical)

 

Most notably, Cyril Ritchard played Captain Hook in the 1954 musical adaptation which starred Mary Martin as Peter Pan.

 

Peter Pan - The Animated Series (no boken)

 

In 1989, the Japanese Nippon Animation produced 41 episodes of Peter Pan - the Animated Series; this was aired on World Masterpiece Theater and in several other countries.

 

Hook's personality was far closer to the original character from Barrie's novel. Rather than the more clownish Hook portrayed in the Disney version, Hook was an aggressive strategist, feared by his crew and everyone else, except Peter. Besides his first objective, which is to destroy Peter Pan, he also is eager to become Neverland's first king. Hook also had a second hook-hand that both looked and functioned in a similar fashion as a crab claw.

 

He was voiced in the Japanese version by Chikao Ōhtsuka, who also portrayed the Disney incarnation of the character in Japanese media, particularly in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.

 

Peter Pan and the Pirates

 

In 1990, Fox produced the television series Peter Pan and the Pirates. Appearance wise, Hook was more early 18th century rather than the classic Charles II Restoration period. He also had white hair, rather than black. Hook's personality is far closer to Barrie's original character; he terrifies his crew, brutalizes his enemies, has no fear (except where the crocodile is concerned), shows great intelligence, and is passionate about plays by William Shakespeare. He was voiced by Tim Curry, who won an Emmy for this part. While the original version of Hook was said to have learned the pirating trade as the cabin boy of Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, this version learned it as the Midshipman of his elder brother, a notorious pirate who commanded a frigate called the Rake. Originally engaged to a young woman, one Christmas Day raid sees the Hook brothers (Hook's name in this account is given as "James Hook") capture a ship transporting Hook's fiancee, Cecilia. Also on a Christmas Day, the two brothers have a disagreement over the sharing of the loot, fighting a duel in which Hook leaves the ship after gouging out his brother's eye, thus earning him the moniker of "Captain Patch". While Hook eventually finds his way to Neverland, and thus a form of immortality, Patch perishes somewhere, his treasure eventually ending up in Neverland. One episode involves Hook finding the treasure, and unwittingly awakening the malevolent ghost of his elder brother.

 

Hook (1991 Film)

 

In the film Hook, Captain James Hook is played by Dustin Hoffman. Hook kidnaps the children of a now adult Peter to lure his arch-enemy back to Neverland after several years away. He then negotiates with Tinker Bell to let the out-of-shape Peter have three days to rekindle his spirit. He is somewhat depressed since Peter Pan, now named Peter Banning (played by Robin Williams), has left Neverland, and worries he has nothing left to accomplish, having killed the crocodile and made it into a foundation for a clock tower. He wants to have a grand war with Peter to end all wars on Neverland, but is upset to learn Peter has grown up and has forgotten everything about his past. He also has grown tired of killing Lost Boys. In one scene, he attempts to shoot himself, after which he comments, "Death is the only great adventure I have left." He keeps a clock museum full of broken clocks, since he becomes gripped with fear when he hears one ticking, likely because of the clock the crocodile ate. Ironically, this phobia is one of the factors that leads to his defeat.

 

At the same time, Hook attempts to brainwash Peter's children to his side by saying their father never loved them, and he is successful with Peter's son, Jack, who Peter already had a strained relationship with, and Jack soon sees Hook as a father figure. Peter's daughter, Maggie, however, retains her faith in her father. Eventually, Peter returns to rescue his children, and to give Hook the final battle he desires. Having won back Jack's loyalty after Hook slays Rufio - the previous leader of the Lost Boys - in front of Jack, Peter and Hook engage in a final duel amid a circle of Lost Boys holding him at bay with clocks, and is apparently "eaten" by the crocodile who seems to temporarily come back to life and falls on top of him. His final words are: "I want my mommy!"

 

In the film, Hook's hook is on his left hand due to Hoffman being right-handed, and has other attachments besides the hook, including a goblet and a pointer. He dresses very elegantly with a gold-trimmed red coat, matching hat, and a wig that hides his balding head. He keeps a ceremonial captain's sword at his side, but switches it for a proper dueling sword when fighting Rufio and Peter.

 

Peter Pan (2003 film)

 

In the 2003 film adaptation of Peter Pan, Captain James Hook is portrayed by British actor Jason Isaacs. Isaacs also plays the role of George Darling, Wendy's father, following a tradition which comes from the original play. In this version Jason Isaacs has the hook on his right hand. In this version, his hook also requires a shoulder harness to be worn while it is fastened on, presumably to help regulate the weight Hook feels while using it.

 

Hook, in this film is feared and ruthless, but also of a gentleman-like nature. He entrances Wendy for a while, but she later proclaims to him that she'd rather die than be a pirate. Hook also learns to fly, thus almost defeating Peter. Ultimately, the bad thoughts bring him down and he drops, resignedly, into the crocodile's mouth.

 

Sergio Bonelli Editore comic books

 

In the Italian comic books published by Sergio Bonelli Editore, Captain Hook appears in at least two different versions. In Martin Mystère comic book, Neverland is located in the heart of London, the Lost Boys are actually late 18th century British students influenced by the French Revolution, and Captain Hook is a 19th century pirate who rules Neverland with an iron fist. In Dylan Dog comic book, Captain Hook's biography is the same as in J. M. Barrie's story, but he left Neverland after his defeat on the hands of Peter Pan. He came to the modern late 20th century world where he became a successful businessman.

 

Pirates of the Caribbean

 

In A. C. Crispin's 2011 novel Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, Captain Hook is referenced in a conversation between Captain Teague and Pirate Lord Don Rafael. "You'll never guess who I encountered at Oporto a few months ago. [...] James. [...] He's lost a hand. [...]he said it wasn't so bad, the hook was as good as a dagger in a fight. [...] He didn't look a day older, not a day. [...] James was a lot more...subdued. [...] The taberna keeper's little lad came round to collect our plates, and when he turned and saw he, for just a second he looked--scared. No, worse than that. Terrified. [...] Can you imagine that? Afraid! Of a young boy!"[10] One of the early concept arts for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End showed a pirate similar to Captain Hook as one of the Pirate Lords of the Fourth Brethren Court.

 

Shrek film series

 

Captain Hook is a minor character in the film Shrek 2, playing the piano in the "Poisoned Apple" tabern. In Shrek the Third, has a major role, as a secondary villain.

 

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36. Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 40 points - highest ranking #4 HickoryHuskers)

 

Planet Spaceball, led by President Skroob (Brooks), has wasted all of its air. Skroob schemes to steal air from the planet Druidia by kidnapping the daughter of King Roland (Dick Van Patten), Princess Vespa (Zuniga). Skroob sends Dark Helmet (Moranis) to complete this task with Spaceball One, an impossibly huge ship helmed by Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner).

 

Spaceball One, by breaking the fourth wall, has been able to track down Lone Starr, capture Vespa, and return with her to the planet Spaceball. The Spaceballs threaten to torture Vespa, forcing Roland to give over the code to the shield that protects Druidia. Dark Helmet takes Spaceball One to Druidia, and transforms the ship into Mega Maid, a giant robotic maid with a vacuum cleaner that begins sucking the air from the planet. Lone Starr, with Yogurt's help in repairing his ship and training in the Schwartz, races to the planet Spaceball to rescue Vespa, and then returns to Druidia, using the Schwartz to reverse the robot's sucking action and returning the air to the planet. Lone Starr and his allies enter the Mega Maid to attempt to destroy the robot. Lone Starr is forced to fight against Dark Helmet near the ship's self-destruct button, and manages to best him, causing Dark Helmet to accidentally strike the button himself. Lone Starr and his friends escape the ship, while Skroob, Dark Helmet, and Colonel Sandurz fail to reach any escape pods in time, and are left stranded aboard the robot's head as the robot explodes. They land on a nearby planet, much to the regret of its ape population.

 

Dark Helmet is an obvious parody of Darth Vader. He resembles Darth Vader in appearance, but is much shorter, has a much larger helmet, and wears a tie (however, he changes into a khaki uniform and an equally oversized pith helmet during the desert scene). He serves as the main antagonist of the film. He speaks in a deep bass voice and breathes audibly, as the helmet hinders his breathing. This often causes him to lift his visor, revealing his bespectacled face and his intentionally normal voice.

 

Helmet is the commander of the Spaceballs' "Imperious Forces" (a parody of the Imperial Forces in Star Wars, as well as the Imperious Leader from Battlestar Galactica). He uses The Schwartz to discipline his subordinates, not by using force grip to strangle them (as with Darth Vader), but by crushing their testicles. He enjoys playing with Spaceballs dolls, taking special pleasure in acting out a scenario in which he seduces Princess Vespa, but is embarrassed when anyone notices his playing. Vader's relationship to his nemesis Luke Skywalker is parodied by Helmet declaring himself Lone Starr's "father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate." which he sums up as making them "absolutely nothing".

 

Dark Helmet frequently breaks the fourth wall with Colonel Sandurz, in one scene referring to the actual VHS tape of Spaceballs to find the location of Lone Starr (note that during the scene, the case design for VHS tape of the movie does not resemble the real video release at all, and the fact that the rental shelves are filled with only Mel Brooks films, like Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie). In another, Sandurz quickly explains the plot and situation to Dark Helmet, who then turns directly to the screen and says, "Everybody got that? Good." He also accidentally hits a cameraman during a fight scene and knocks him and his equipment down, and at one point in the movie, accidentally has the camera itself crash into him, knocking him to the ground.

 

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35. Daniel Plainview (There Will Be Blood)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 40 points - highest ranking #6 Cali)

 

Daniel Plainview is a charismatic and ruthless oil prospector, driven to succeed by his intense hatred of others and desperate need to see any and all competitors fail. When he learns of oil-rich land in California that can be bought cheaply, he moves his operation there and begins manipulating and exploiting the local landowners into selling him their property. Using his young adopted son H.W. to project the image of a caring family man, Plainview gains the cooperation of almost all the locals with lofty promises to build schools and cultivate the land to make their community flourish. He has no intention of doing so; his only purpose is to make money. Over time, Plainview's gradual accumulation of wealth and power causes his true self to surface and over the course of his endeavors, men die, the locals get nothing and Plainview gets rich. In his life he makes few friends and many enemies and even his adopted son H.W. is eventually alienated.

 

It is 1898. In the New Mexico wilderness, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) works his silver mine. When his leg breaks while working, he drags himself to town to sell the mine. He hires a crew, including a man caring for an infant son. When the silver mine plays out in 1902, Plainview discovers oil in the mine. He builds a pump and recreates himself as an oil man. The young father dies in a drilling accident. Plainview adopts the young boy as his own and names him H.W. Nine years later in 1911, Plainview is a successful if still somewhat minor oil man. He has several productive wells around New Mexico and, with H.W. (Dillon Freasier), travels the state to buy the drilling rights to private property.

 

At a meeting with local people of an unidentified town, Plainview lectures them on his business plan: he claims he does all the work himself, only hires men he can trust to complete the work and will eliminate the need for a "contractor", a middleman of sorts that will collect more money from the community that Daniel believes should go back to the landowners themselves. He also introduces his son as his partner and claims that his business is a family-run operation. When the people begin to question him rigorously and argue loudly among themselves, Daniel turns down the offer and leaves, knowing the community is a bit too smart to be taken advantage of.

 

Daniel later meets with a husband and wife and draws up a contract to drill on their land. The couple are reluctant but Daniel appeals to them by talking about their children. The well comes in as a gusher some time later.

 

One night, a young man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) visits Plainview's camp. Paul sells to Plainview information about his family's ranch in Little Boston, California, which he says has an ocean of oil underneath it. Plainview and H.W. travel to the Sunday Ranch and, while pretending to hunt quail, confirm what Paul told them. That night, Plainview negotiates with the Sunday patriarch, Abel (David Willis) and Paul's twin brother, Eli (Paul Dano). The price is $10,000 towards the building of the Church of the Third Revelation; Eli is a bland, uncharismatic but ambitious preacher and faith healer. Daniel agrees to pay Eli half of the money at first and will pay the rest when the derrick produces. Eli wants to pray to conclude the deal but Plainview refuses.

 

Plainview assembles his crew at the Sunday Ranch and builds the first derrick. He also buys almost all of the land surrounding the Sunday Ranch so he will have not only those drilling rights but also the right to build a pipeline to the ocean to circumvent the railroads and their shipping costs. Only a man named William Bandy refuses to sell. Eli wants to bless the derrick before drilling begins but Plainview rebuffs him and instead has Eli's little sister, Mary (Sydney McAllister), dedicate the new endeavor. Mary and H.W. become playmates and Plainview buys her a new dress. At dinner one night, he tells Mary in front of Abel that her father will never hit her again for refusing to pray. Eli and Plainview continue to irritate one another: Plainview resents that Eli solicits his workers to come to daily prayer services, but when a worker dies while trying to free the drill, Plainview has Eli arrange for the funeral. When meeting with Eli about the funeral at his ramshackle church, he watches Eli deliver a fiery sermon about casting out the Devil from a elderly woman with arthritis. After the service, Eli agrees to speak at the funeral and tells Daniel that, had he been permitted to bless the well, the accident might never have happened.

 

A few days later, the drill finally strikes oil. The escaping gases cause an explosion. H.W., who was watching the drill from the derrick, is deafened. He becomes sullen and mistrusting. Shortly thereafter, a man named Henry (Kevin O'Connor) appears on Plainview's doorstep, claiming to be Plainview's half brother. Because he knows details about Plainview's family and hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Plainview trusts him and takes him on as a worker. Plainview admits to Henry that he holds most people in contempt and uses them only to further his own goals. "I have a competition in me," he tells him. "I want no one else to succeed." He also admits that he can't do his work alone anymore. H.W. snoops through Henry's belongings and, jealous that Plainview has someone new in his life, attempts to burn down the house with Henry and Plainview in it. Plainview doesn't discipline H.W. but instead sends him away to a boarding school in San Francisco, callously leaving him on the train with his assistant, Fletcher, who accompanies him there.

 

Soon Plainview has three thriving oil wells in the Little Boston area. Eli goes to Daniel and demands the $5000 that Daniel promised him and his church. Daniel immediately attacks him, slapping him and dragging him to a pool of mud, which he smears all over Eli. Daniel also mocks Eli's supposed power of faith healing, saying that Eli did nothing to restore H.W.'s hearing.

 

Competitors try to buy Daniel's wells for $1 million but Plainview rejects the offer and their patronizing sympathy for H.W. When one competitor suggests Plainview should retire to take care of H.W., Plainview threatens his life. He and Henry go to the Bandy property to inquire about leasing the land to build the pipeline. After surveying the land, they swim in the ocean. When Henry doesn't seem to understand a reference about Fond du Lac, Plainview grows suspicious. That night, Plainview, brandishing a pistol, forces Henry to confess: Henry isn't his brother, but knew his brother in Kansas. When the real brother died, Henry assumed his identity and made his way to California and found Daniel. Plainview kills Henry and buries him in a shallow grave on the Bandy property. The next morning, Bandy (Hans Howes) wakes Plainview and tells him that he can lease the land if he allows himself to be baptized at the Church of the Third Revelation. When Bandy reveals that he knows Plainview killed Henry, Plainview has no choice but to agree. He is baptized after he publicly and loudly announces that he is a sinner and abandoned H.W. and is warmly embraced by the church. Eli also announces to the church that Daniel has given them $5000, the original amount he owed to Eli.

 

H.W. returns from the boarding school and Plainview warmly greets him. H.W. now knows sign language and speaks through an interpreter. He and Mary play together, and she learns sign language too. When they are married in the late 1920s, she signs the minister's sermon and marriage rites to him. Plainview has become a drunkard, even more misanthropic and isolated than ever, living alone in a large mansion and shooting his valuables with a pistol. When H.W. announces his intention to move to Mexico and begin his own oil business, Plainview immediately becomes more despondent and reveals that H.W. was never his biological son and insultingly disowns him. Sometime later, Eli visits him in the mansion's bowling alley. As Plainview, like a beast, gnaws the cold steak leftover from his dinner, Eli reveals that old Bandy has died and that his grandson wants to sell the oil drilling rights to his grandfather's land in order to fund his goal of becoming a movie star -- with Eli as the broker for the deal. Plainview agrees but only if Eli will say that he is a "false prophet and God is a superstition." When Eli does so several times, Plainview reveals that, having owned all the wells around the Bandy ranch, he has already taken the oil from the Bandy property through drainage. Eli reveals that, despite a successful radio preaching career, he is broke due to bad investments. Plainview chases him around the bowling alley then bludgeons him to death with a bowling pin. When the butler comes to see what the commotion has been, Plainview announces to him, "I'm finished."

 

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34. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man / Gozer the Gozerian (Ghostbusters)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 40 points - highest ranking #8 littlehurt05)

 

Gozer the Gozerian, known by many titles like "the Destructor", "Volguus Zildrohar" and "The Traveler", is a Sumerian shapeshifting god who is the primary antagonist of the first film. As the game sequel covered, cults worshipping Gozer and his minions arose around 6000 B.C before being banished from this dimension by the Babylonian god Tiamat following a protracted conflict with its followers. Entering into any given dimension, Gozer uses the thoughts of those who witness his arrival to assume a fixed form within that plane of existence. Gozer's arrival set in motion in the 1920s by the actions of Ivo Shandor and come to fruition in 1984 when his minions Zuul and Vinz Clortho enter through, possessing suitable human hosts to open the portal on top of the building for their master to enter. Though originally in the form of a woman, Gozer uses Ray's accidental thought to assume the form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man before being conquered.

 

Stay Puft first appears in the 1984 film Ghostbusters as a picture logo on a prop package of marshmallows in Dana Barrett's apartment when she places the groceries on her kitchen counter, on a graffiti advertisement on the building next to the Ghostbuster's HQ when the ghosts are released from the containment grid after the power is shut down, then later in the climax of the film. Subsequently it has been incorporated into many other Ghostbuster media, including the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, a number of Ghostbusters-related comics, a stage show, and numerous video games. In Ghostbusters Universe, it is the mascot of the fictional Stay Puft Marshmallow Corporation (much like the Pillsbury Doughboy, Bertie Bassett and Michelin's Bibendum, which it resembles). Within the universe, it is also the subject of a Marshmallow Man cartoon series. Along with the Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II logos, the image of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man has become one of the most recognizable emblems of the franchise.

 

Appearance and character

 

Stay Puft is the large white obese human-shaped figure made of joined marshmallows. He wears a white sailor hat with a red ribbon attached on top, and a blue hatband. Around his neck is a blue traditional sailor's collar and a red neckerchief.

 

After images of him are seen on a billboard and a bag of the marshmallows earlier in the film, he is then seen in the climax of Ghostbusters as one of two physical bodies of Gozer, a god who is defeated when Stay Puft is destroyed. His exact to-scale height in the movie is 112.5 feet tall, while his height in the novelization of the movie is given at 100 feet.

 

He is then recreated and subsequently captured a number of different times by the Ghostbusters, although mean and destructive at first he later befriends Slimer and the Ghostbusters in the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, and helps them out with various problems.

 

Concept and first appearance in movie

 

Dan Aykroyd conceived of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for his initial script for Ghostbusters the movie. He created the character to show that if "You created this white monster to sell your products, and it seems harmless and puff and cute — but given the right circumstances, everything can be turned back and become evil." He was only one of many large-scale monsters in this early draft of the script, but after working with co-writer Harold Ramis and director Ivan Reitman, the intended sequence was scaled back until only "Stay Puft" remained of the original large-scale monsters. The likeness of Stay Puft was inspired by Peter O'Boyle, a security guard at Columbia Pictures whom Reitman met filming his previous movie, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone. According to Sam Delaney of The Guardian, "Stay Puft's familiar mascot combined elements of real life brand ambassadors the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Bibendum (a.k.a., the Michelin tire man)."

 

Stay Puft is seen only briefly in the movie. He is "conjured up" as a new form for the Sumerian god Gozer, who previously arrives atop an apartment building at 55 Central Park West in New York City in the form of a woman. After a quick battle with the Ghostbusters she vanishes, and then as a disembodied voice Gozer tells the Ghostbusters that the next thing they think of will be the form it will assume to destroy their world. Dan Aykroyd's character (Ray Stantz) inadvertently thinks of this marshmallow mascot when the Ghostbusters are given a choice as to which physical form Gozer will conquer the world in. As he explains, Mr. Stay Puft "just popped in there" as "something that could never possibly destroy us." Moments later a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is seen walking towards the apartment building. The Ghostbusters shoot at Stay Puft with their proton packs, setting him on fire, but do not succeed in stopping his advance. They then get the idea of shooting at the portal which the god came through, by crossing the streams of all four of their packs. The plan succeeds in an explosion which destroys the gate and the Stay Puft man, who turns into molten marshmallow cream that rains down onto the roof of the skyscraper and the street below.

 

Special effects

 

Stay Puft the character as seen in the movie was an outfit created by Bill Bryan using miniatures, optical compositing, and Bryan himself in a latex suit. The suit was made of two layers, an outer flammable layer and inner fire-proof layer. Some of the finished movie's most noticeable errors appear in the Stay Puft scenes. He is seen with and without his bowtie, while in other scenes the optical rendering was so poor that he passes through a church rather than crushing it.

 

Reinterpretation of movie events

 

In the Ghostbusters Spooktacular stage show in Universal Studios, Florida, the ending battle with Stay Puft is fought to a finish with the Ghostbusters destroying him directly, rather than firing at the portal to close the dimensional gateway.[11]

 

In the 1984 Activision game designed by David Crane, small ghosts terrorize the city and gather together in front of the "Zuul Building" and occasionally other locations, where after enough of them have collected they would form the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and he could destroy some of the nearby buildings. After enough ghosts have entered the Zuul Building, the player could then go to it and would find Stay Puft moving back and forth blocking the entrance. If the player could pass him without being squished the player would then climb the stairs and either win the game or find the final boss Gozer at the top of the building, in the form of a woman. On the NES version he is seen again from the roof on a screen just below the final boss. He is climbing the building and acts as a counter: if he reaches the top of the building the game ends.

 

In the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, "Stay Puft" appears outside a high rise building punching inward as the player progresses through the level and then appears as a boss at the top of the building, but is not related to Gozer. Here he claims to have eaten too many marshmallows and then realized he had become the Marshmallow Man. In addition to trying to punch the player from the left and right sides of the screen, he also uses special powers such as breathing fire and shooting laser bolts from his eyes.

 

Post-movie appearances

 

Following the original film, the television series The Real Ghostbusters brought Stay Puft back; in fact Joe Medjuck, the executive producer of the show states that Stay Puft was in the first script they received from Dan Aykroyd on the series. In the episode called "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream", a spectral Sandman creates versions of anything which a person is dreaming of — in this way a new version of Stay Puft is created — however whatever is created disappears when the person wakes.In the episode "Dedcon 1" Stay Puft appears as a guest of honor at a ghost convention. After another episode, "Cry Uncle", he is accidentally freed from the Ghostbusters' containment system, and later recaptured. He reappears in episode 65, "The Revenge of Murray the Mantis", where he is "released" from the Ghostbusters' containment unit to help defeat a giant mantis too powerful for the Ghostbusters to fight on their own. Stay Puft is controlled with the help of Slimer (a green blob-like creature). After defeating the Mantis, Stay Puft floats behind the Ghostbusters in a parade. He later helps them again in the episode "Sticky Business" number 85, when the president of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Company comes to the Ghostbusters and wishes to use their large'Stay Puft in a television commercial. Once again Slimer goes into the containment unit to bring him out. An episode explains that Egon took a sample of the marshmallow ectoplasm and made it positively charged, thus creating a friendly version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man that would assist the Ghostbusters when needed. When questioned by a policeman in the series about the abrupt personality change, Peter stated that he was "all better now". The character was voiced by John Stocker, and later by Frank Welker in this series.

 

Placed two years after the events in Ghostbusters II, the game Ghostbusters: The Video Game by Atari brings back the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to ravage Times Square while searching for Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn. Stay-Puft has the ability to spawn tiny marshmallow monsters which do his bidding. Peter, Ray, and a new rookie escort Dr. Selwyn to the roof of a tall building. In pursuit, Stay Puft climbs the side of the building while Egon at street level repairs a large trap. However, the rookie burns Stay Puft's face with the upgraded proton pack's "Boson Darts" and causes Stay Puft to fall to street level, causing him to explode upon impact, scattering his marshmallow body all over Times Square. His hat can be seen hanging from one of the neighboring buildings. Towards the climax of the game, they realize that Gozer assumed the form of Stay Puft again because he can only have one destructor form for each dimension he enters; he was locked into the form of the Marshmallow Man when he was summoned back to the Earthly plane. This causes Ray to admit he didn't pick such a bad destructor after all. He also appears as collectibles in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime downloadable video game.

 

Merchandise, models and toys

 

While being a part of the original 1986 Kenner toy line of Ghostbusters merchandise, and others such as the McDonald's Happy Meals, he has also appeared in specialized monster kits such as those by Tsukuda, who made models of both Stay Puft and the Terror Dog from the first movie. He was not present in Mattel's 2009 Ghostbusters toy line, however in 2011 Mattel released him as an exclusive collectable for San Diego Comic-Con 2011 and on MattyCollectors.com after the show. This was the biggest version of Stay Puft to date 20 inches tall, and covered in a soft foam covering. Also in July 2011, Diamond Select Toys (DST) released a 7 inch light-up statue version of Stay Puft, followed in October by a Statue of Liberty based on the Ghostbusters II movie, in height Stay Puft will be as tall as the raised torch of Liberty. In 2010, a Stay Puft Quality brand of gourmet marshmallows was released as official Ghostbusters merchandise. The packaging prominently featured the title character. In 2011, Rubie's Costume Co. released an inflatable Stay-Puft Halloween costume as a companion piece for the Ghostbusters jumpsuit costumes they had previously created.

 

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33. Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 41 points - highest ranking #3 Cali)

 

Anton Chigurh is the main antagonist of the Cormac McCarthy novel No Country for Old Men and the film of the same name. He is portrayed by Javier Bardem in the film.

 

Background

 

Chigurh is a hitman who has no remorse or compassion for other human beings; he is described by one character in the novel as a "psychopathic killer". His main weapon of choice is a captive bolt pistol, which he uses either to kill his victims or to destroy cylinder locks on doors. He also wields a sound-suppressed Remington 11-87 semiautomatic shotgun and pistol (a TEC-9 in the film adaptation). Throughout both the novel and the film, Chigurh uses a coin flip to decide whether to kill prospective victims.

 

In 1980, he is hired to retrieve a bag of money from a drug deal that went wrong, but discovers that a hunter named Llewelyn Moss has taken it already and has left town. Chigurh tracks Moss down to a motel using a receiver that connects to a transponder hidden in the satchel of money. However, Moss unintentionally tricks Chigurh into believing he was in the room next to his when he hides the money in the ventilation system. That room was being occupied by a group of Mexican gangsters who were set to ambush Moss. Chigurh brutally murders the Mexicans and searches for the money, but it is nowhere to be found.

 

Chigurh finds out about a bounty hunter named Carson Wells who, like Chigurh, has been hired to retrieve the bag of money. Chigurh kills Wells after Wells tries to make a deal with Moss. Chigurh ruthlessly tracks Moss down until Moss is eventually killed by Mexican gangsters at another motel. Once again Moss hid the money in the vents, which was unseen by the Mexicans at the time of their ambush of Moss. However after his experience with Moss before, Chigurh knows where the money will be. He arrives at the scene of the crime after the police have left, retrieves the money from the vent and returns it to his employers.

 

Near the end, Chigurh pays a visit to Moss' grieving widow and debates whether or not to kill her, relying on his coin toss; he kills her when the coin lands against her. After leaving her house, Chigurh gets in a car crash, leaving him badly injured with a compound fracture of his left ulna and walking with a limp. He then offers money to a teenager on a bicycle to give him his T-shirt. He and the teenager create a sling for his injured arm and Chigurh leaves the scene before the ambulance arrives.

 

Reception

 

Critics have praised Bardem's portryal of Chigurh, which won him an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his performance. Chigurh has been added to numerous lists of greatest villains. UGO.com ranked him in its list of top 11 "silver screen psychos", while Empire.com ranked him 46 in their list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters Of All Time.

 

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32. The Wicked Witch Of The West (The Wizard of Oz)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 41 points - highest ranking #1 playsumfnjurny)

 

The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Baum's subsequent Oz books, it is the Nome King who is the principal villain; the Wicked Witch of the West is rarely even referred to again after being destroyed in the first book.

 

The witch's most popular depiction was in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's book. In that film adaptation, as in Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and its musical adaptation Wicked, the Witch of the West is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East, although this is neither stated nor implied in the original novel.

 

The classic books by L. Frank Baum

 

The Wicked Witch of the West leagued together with the Wicked Witch of the East, Mombi and the Wicked Witch of the South, to conquer the Land of Oz and divide it among themselves, as recounted in L. Frank Baum's Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. W. W. Denslow's illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz depict her as a paunched old woman with three pigtails and an eye-patch. L. Frank Baum himself specified that she only had one eye, but that it "was as powerful as a telescope", enabling the witch to see what was happening in her kingdom from her castle windows.

 

She possessed the enchanted Golden Cap, which compelled the Winged Monkeys to obey her on three occasions. First, the witch commanded the creatures to help her enslave the Winkies and to seize control of the Western part of the Land of Oz. Second, she made the Winged Monkeys drive the Wizard out of the Winkie Country, when he attempted to overthrow her.

 

When Dorothy Gale and her companions were sent by the Wizard to destroy her, the Witch attacked them with a pack of wolves, a murder of crows, a swarm of bees and a group of Winkie warriors. Each of these attempts were thwarted, but the protagonists are eventually subdued by the Witch's third and final permitted use of the Winged Monkeys. Nevertheless, the old witch cannot kill Dorothy because the girl is protected by the Good Witch of the North's kiss. She therefore settles for enslaving Dorothy, and tries to force the Cowardly Lion into submission by starving him, though Dorothy sneaks him food. Upon seeing the Silver Shoes on the girl's feet, the Wicked Witch decides to steal them, and thereby acquire even more power.

 

When she succeeds in acquiring one silver shoe by making Dorothy trip over an invisible bar, the little girl angrily throws a bucket of water onto the Wicked Witch. This, of course, causes the old witch to melt away. L. Frank Baum didn't explain precisely why water had this effect on her, nor did he ever imply that all witches could be likewise put out. He does, however, mention that the witch was "so old" and so wicked, that all the blood in her body had dried up many years ago. Thus, it might be surmised that water was fatal to her on account of her extreme and unusual dryness.

 

The Witch did not carry a broom in the novel, but rather an umbrella, which she uses on one occasion to strike Dorothy's dog Toto. She is also afraid of the dark in Baum's original story. For that reason, the Witch never tried to steal the Silver Shoes while Dorothy was sleeping.

 

She was succeeded as Ruler of the Winkie Country by the Tin Woodman, although her castle was abandoned as the seat of government.

 

Versions in performance media

 

The 1910 movie

 

The 1910 silent film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz features a character similar to the Wicked Witch of the West, identified in intertitles as "Momba the Witch" (Compare the character Mombi from The Marvelous Land of Oz). In the film, Momba has an unspecified hold over the Wizard, who promises his crown to anyone who can release him from Momba's power. Momba captures Dorothy and her companions, evoking the events in Baum's original novel, and is destroyed when Dorothy throws a bucket of water over her.

 

The 1914 movie

 

Mombi's costume in the 1914 silent film, His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz is based on Denslow's illustrations of the Wicked Witch of the West.

 

The 1939 movie

 

In the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz, Margaret Hamilton plays the Wicked Witch of the West as a stooped, green-skinned witch dressed in a long black dress with a black pointed hat. This representation of the Wicked Witch has become a standard for what witches look like and an archetype for human wickedness. While this relationship is not mentioned in Baum's books, in the movie, the Witch is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East. In fact, she appears in the film much earlier on than in Baum's original novel, demanding the Munchkins reveal who killed her sister, not long after Dorothy's arrival in Oz. Therefore, the Witch's role is made much more prominent than in the novel, as she seeks revenge against Dorothy for destroying her sister, even though it was an "accident". She is more menacing than her literary counterpart, making Dorothy too afraid to ever lose her temper with the witch, unlike Baum's original depiction. The Golden Cap is not referenced, the flying monkeys just seem to obey her. She is killed when Dorothy throws the water when she lights a fire to threaten the scarecrow. The character ranks No. 4 in the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Best Movie Villains of All Time, making her the highest ranking female villain, as well as placing 90th on Empire's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

 

On a 1976 episode of Sesame Street, the Wicked Witch, once again played by Margaret Hamilton, drops her broom and falls onto the street. In order to get the broom back, she must prove that she can be nice. Everyone is scared of her, except for Big Bird and Oscar. After she proves that she is nice, Big Bird is upset when the time comes for her to leave. She reassures him that one day she'll return. The episode was poorly received by parents of frightened young children, and was never aired again. The fate of the footage is unknown.

 

Later works

 

In Alexander Melentyevich Volkov's The witch of the Emerald City, her given name is Bastinda. March Laumer uses this name for the witch in his Oz books. Like in the 1939 movie, she is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East.

 

In The Wiz (1975), The Wicked Witch Of The West is given the name Evillene (portrayed by Mabel King). She is the malevolent ruler of the Winkies. She is the sister of MissOne, Glinda, and Evermean, the other three witches of Oz. In the film version, she runs a sweatshop under Yankee Stadium with the slogan, "Manufacturers and Exporters of Sweat", and extracts it not only from the Winkies, but the Crows, the Poppy Girls, and the Subway Peddler. Her magic creates urban variations on the Kalidahs (evil growing dolls sent by the Subway Peddler), Fighting Trees, (mobile pillars) and the wolves (living and carnivorus trash cans), all in the Subway system. She then sends the Flying Monkeys (a motorcycle gang) to capture Dorothy and her friends.

 

In the anime film, The Wizard of Oz (1982), the Witch (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) is purple-skinned, white-haired, and wears an eyepatch similar to W. W. Denslow's original illustration. Her telescopic eye, however, is replaced by a magic mirror. Her soldiers are completely magical, disappear at her demise, and are quite distinct from the Winkies, whom she uses only for labor. She wears an old-fashioned peasant dress and possesses a staff, through which she generates her magic.

 

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz anime series, the Witch is purple-skinned once again, and has long white hair with a blood-like red streak. She possesses both eyes and is dressed in a long, black hooded gown. Her eyes have the power to turn people into stone, and turn blood-red when such transformations are effected. One of the Winkies actually tries to crush her to death with a huge boulder, but the Witch causes the boulder to disappear, and turns the man into stone. Like in the 1982 anime film, a magic mirror shows her everything she wishes to uncover. The Wicked Witch makes it clear to Dorothy that the Good Witch of the North's kiss cannot serve as protection from her apparently superior power, and it's the Silver Shoes that safeguard the girl. The Witch also reveals that the Wicked Witch of the East was her sister, and that the Silver Shoes could triple her own powers. This version gives the witch the most prolonged and dramatic death scene of all versions; it also differs from previous adaptations by suggesting that Mombi was her protege.

 

Gregory Maguire's 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West takes the familiar Oz story and inverts it, with the Wicked Witch (given the name Elphaba in homage to L. Frank Baum) as the novel's protagonist and Dorothy as a hapless child. For more information about this incarnation of the character, visit Elphaba's page.

 

In the animated TV series The Wizard of Oz (1990–1991) by DiC Enterprises, the Flying Monkeys that were loyal to the Wicked Witch of the West (voiced by Tress MacNeille) perform a ritual that resurrects the Wicked Witch of the West where they place her hat, dress and cloak on an effigy. Afterwards, she terrorizes Oz again by tarnishing the Emerald City, stealing what Dorothy's friends treasure the most (the Scarecrow's brain diploma, the Tin Woodman's clock-shaped heart, and the Cowardly Lion's medal of courage), and making the Wizard fly off-course in his hot-air balloon by creating an evil wind. Of course she still has a weakness to any type of water causing her to evade at all times. The series was canceled before an ending could be produced, so her fate remains a mystery. This incarnation of the character was clearly based on the 1939 MGM movie, to which the series itself served as an unofficial sequel, with the official sequel of the 1939 film being Journey Back to Oz, although the witch's garments are purple here rather than black.

 

In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), Miss Piggy plays all of the witches of Oz including the Wicked Witch of the West. Her basic attire evoked W. W. Denslow's original illustration, with a biker theme. The eyepatch also covered a magical glass-eye that gave her visual powers. This version of the Wicked Witch is only vulnerable to tap water where she is able to bathe in bottled water.

 

In "Anthology of Interest II", an episode of the animated television series Futurama, Leela is knocked unconscious and dreams about being Dorothy in a version of The Wizard of Oz, with Futurama characters playing the roles of Wizard characters. While Fry is the Scarecrow, Bender the Robot is the Tinman, and Doctor Zoidberg is the Lion, the Wicked Witch is played by Mom, a recurring antagonist from the show. The Witch sends her flying monkeys, played by Mom's sons Larry, Walt, and Igner, to capture Dorothy/Leela. At the Witch's castle, she reveals that she wants to adopt Dorothy as her daughter, and Dorothy/Leela agrees, as long as she gets to be a witch, too. In celebration, Tinman/Bender accidentally dooms the Witch/Mom when he opens a bottle of champagne which sprays on the Witch/Mom, melting her.

 

In Dorothy of Oz, a Korean manhwa by Son Hee-Joon, the Witch of the West is re-imagined as a scientist who rules over the Western Dominion. She is psychopathic and cruel, and in a twist, she (not Mara/Dorothy) is the true orchestrator of the death of the East Witch Selluriah. She is the creator of an army of clones, one of whom is the story's equivalent of the Scarecrow. Whether or not this is a reference to the musical Wicked is unknown.

 

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31. Evil Queen (Snow White)

 

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(2 of 16 lists - 43 points - highest ranking #2 playsumfnjurny)

 

The Evil Queen is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the German fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, collected by the Brothers Grimm and adapted by Disney into an animated film.

 

The Queen is beautiful, but narcissistic and cruel and a very powerful sorceress. She marries a widowed king who has a daughter called Snow White from his first wife. The Queen envies Snow White's beauty, and so tries to have her killed, setting the story in motion.

 

Brothers Grimm version

 

The German fairytale was collected by the Brothers Grimm in their 1812 Kinder- und Hausmärchen ("Children's and Household Tales"). In the first edition, though not the subsequent ones, the Queen is Snow White's biological mother, not stepmother.

 

In the Grimm version, the Queen orders her huntsman to take Snow White (or Snowdrop, as she is called in the first edition) into the forest, and bring back her lungs and liver as proof that he has killed her. The huntsman takes pity on Snow White, and instead brings the Queen the lungs and liver of a boar, which she eats, believing them to be Snow White's.

 

The Queen eventually discovers that Snow White has survived by questioning her magic mirror. She dresses in a disguise in her later attempts to kill Snow White. First, she visits the dwarfs' house as an old peddler woman, and sells Snow White laces for a corset; but laces them too tightly, to asphyxiate her. When that fails, she returns as a different old woman and tricks Snow White into using a poisoned comb. Finally when the comb fails to kill her, she visits again as a farmer's wife and gives Snow White a poisoned apple.

 

After Snow White and the Prince reveal her true nature, she is invited to their wedding, where she is forced to wear red-hot iron shoes and "dance until she dropped down dead."

 

Disney version

 

The film version of the Queen was often referred to as Queen Grimhilde in Disney publications of the 1930s, and was voiced by Lucille La Verne. Her appearance was inspired by the character of Queen Hash-a-Motep from the 1935 film She, played by Helen Gahagan. The Queen ranks #10 in the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Best Movie Villains of All Time, the highest-ranked animated villain.

 

A vain and proud beauty, the Queen gained her royal position by marrying a widowed king who departed soon after marrying her, leaving her as current ruler of the kingdom. She was jealous of Snow White's beauty, so she made Snow White a scullery maid. The Queen had a magical mirror with which she could look upon whatever she wished. The Magic Mirror shows a haunted, smoky face which replies to the Queen's requests. She regularly asks the mirror who is the fairest in the land ("Magic, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"), and the mirror always replies that she is.

 

One day, the mirror tells her that there is a new fairest woman in the land, her stepdaughter, Snow White. After observing the handsome prince, singing a love song to Snow White, the Queen, in a jealous rage, orders her faithful huntsman Humbert to take the Princess deep into the forest and kill her. He is ordered to bring back her heart in a box to prove that he had done so. Humbert could not bear to kill the young princess, so he tells Snow White of the Queen's plot and tells her to run away and never to return. In order to escape the penalty, he returns with a pig's heart and gives it to the Queen. When she questions her mirror, it again replies that Snow White is the fairest in the land, and that she is living at the cottage of the seven dwarfs.

 

Furious that Humbert tricked her, the Queen goes down into the dungeon laboratory and mixes a potion that turns her into a hag. Her beauty is shrouded in ugliness and age. This appearance of the Queen is commonly referred to as The Witch or The Old Hag. She then conjures a poison apple which will cause death-like sleep and proceeds to leave the castle. She is sure that no one would know or perform the counter-curse to her spell, and believes the dwarfs would bury Snow White alive, thinking her dead. The Queen comes to the cottage, followed by two vicious buzzards, and finds Snow White baking a pie for Grumpy the dwarf. Somehow, Snow White's animal friends realize that the old hag is the Queen. After an unsuccessful attempt to warn Snow White by attacking the Queen, they go to warn the dwarfs of the Queen's arrival. The Queen tricks Snow White into letting her inside the cottage and eating the poisoned apple, telling her that it is a magic wishing apple. Snow White takes a bite and falls to the floor, apparently dead.

 

The Queen rejoices in her victory, but is soon discovered by the seven dwarfs, who chase her deep into the forest as a great storm begins. She climbs up into the mountains, where she stands upon a precipice that overlooks a seemingly bottomless canyon, and attempts to push down a large boulder to crush the dwarfs. Just then, a lightning bolt strikes between her and the boulder, destroying the precipice and sending the Queen (along with the boulder) down the cliff, screaming while she falls to the jagged rocks below. As the dwarfs look wide-eyed over the cliff's edge, they cannot see her. The buzzards fly past, to eat the evil Queen's corpse. Her castle is taken over by the prince and Snow White, after his kiss revives her.

 

Other appearances

 

The Queen has made other appearances in various Disney media. She went on to make frequent appearances in Disney comics, where, under the alias the Witch, she regularly antagonized Disney characters like Chip 'n Dale and Tinkerbell. There was even an Italian story explaining how she had survived her apparent death in the movie, and why she could not change back to her normal self.

 

In the night-time fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show Fantasmic!, the Queen is the main villain and the leader of the Disney Villains that appear near the climax of the show. In the "The Disney Villains Mix and Mingle" stage show in Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the Queen is one of the villains led by Maleficent that appear during the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage.

 

She was featured in television specials like Our Unsung Villains and Disney's Greatest Villains, and segments of the Queen's appearance are shown in Disney's Halloween Treat and in A Disney Halloween. The Queen also makes a cameo in Mickey's House of Villains, and is seen sitting with Lady Tremaine in her queen form, and with Madam Mim and Witch Hazel in her witch form. She also makes a cameo in her witch version in Toontown in Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

 

The Queen is also one of the four Disney Villains that appear in the Disney's Villains' Revenge video game. Jiminy Cricket and the player venture into the worlds of the stories to correct the happy endings, which have been altered by the villains themselves. In the altered story, the Queen has built a giant house resembling her infamous poisoned apple and has put Snow White to sleep and intends to do the same to the seven dwarves.

 

In the video game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, she plays out the same role as in the movie, only this time recruiting Terra to kill Snow White and bring back her heart in return for allowing him to use the Magic Mirror to locate Master Xehanort. Terra, like the huntsman, ultimately does not go through with this, and the Queen, learning of his betrayal, orders him executed by the mirror, but Terra manages to fight the mirror off. The Queen begrudgingly asks the mirror of Master Xehanort's whereabouts, and the mirror directs Terra to the Keyblade Graveyard. Later, she disguises herself as an old hag to give Snow White a poisoned apple and send her into a deep sleep. On the way, she drops the apple, and Ventus mistakenly returns the fruit to her. She thanks Ven kindly, but notes that she previously met a man with a weapon very similar to Ven's who threatened her into helping him find someone called Xehanort. She succeeds in poisoning Snow White, but is never seen or heard from again. As the dwarfs are seen grieving at Snow White's side later on in the game, and since she does not appear elsewhere in the series, it is implied that the Queen suffered the same fate as in the film.

 

The novel Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen takes a comical look at how she became the villain in the film, much in the style of Wicked, with the Magic Mirror, here possessed by the spirit of her abusive father, having been a corrupting influence. The book was published by Disney Press.

 

In a related Disney special hosted by Dick Van Dyke, the queen was played by Jane Curtin, while the mirror was played by Sherman Hemsley. She also appears in one of the Disney Princess books called My Side of the Story with her stepdaughter Snow White and in the Queen's side, she appears to have a nice-looking face.

 

It has been rumored that the Queen will make a guest appearance in the upcoming video game Soulcalibur V under the name Queen Grimhilde.

 

Other versions

 

A Tale of Terror version

 

In the film Snow White: A Tale of Terror, the character is not a Queen, but rather a noblewoman named Lady Claudia Hoffman played by Sigourney Weaver, and is partly portrayed as a tragic character.

 

She marries widower nobleman Frederick Hoffman. She tries to befriend his daughter, Lily, giving Lily a puppy, but Lily rejects her. On their wedding night people of the manor bless Lord and Lady Hoffman's marriage bed so that their consummation might be fruitful. Lily, instead of offering her blessing, throws the holy water at Claudia. Lily runs away and finds her way into the Lady's quarters. When her nanny comes to look for her, Lily hides under the bed. There is a mirror in the room, treasured by the Lady. It opens for the nanny and Lily watches the nanny having a heart attack after looking into the mirror.

 

From that, her comments about casting the runes early on, her mentioning that "they" hate her and her mother's kind, and that Snow White is a German fairy tale, it is impied that she might be a holdout of Germanic paganism hiding in a Christian world.

 

By the time Lily is a teenager, she and her stepmother despise each other. By the ninth year of her marriage to Lord Hoffman, she is pregnant with a son. The night of the celebratory dance, she offers Lily the dress she had worn as a maiden but the daughter refuses. When she arrives at the dance, she wears her birth mother's dress and dances with her father. With Frederick Hoffman, and all the others, turn away from his wife for his daughter — and his first wife's memory — the enraged Lady Claudia suffers such a severe rush of stress that she collapses and goes into childbirth. The baby, however, is stillborn.

 

Driven mad by grief, she turns to her magic mirror for reassurance, but sees her reflection distorted and deformed. The mirror blames Lily for the baby's death and with that Claudia plots her stepdaughter's assassination. Lily goes to play in the forest, and Claudia sends her mute, inbred brother to kill her. When she escapes, the brother kills a pig and gives his sister the organs of proof of the deed. Lady Claudia serves part of the organs as a stew which she eats with cannibalistic relish. When her mirror tells her that her stepdaugher is alive, she uses her black magic to murder her brother by means of forced suicide.

 

On learning Lily's whereabouts by means of her ravens, Lady Claudia tries to kill her and the seven miners with whom she hides by means of her witchcraft. She first buries a bird in the falling sand of an hourglass to cause a cave-in at the mine. She fails to kill Lily but succeeds at killing a miner. Later she pushes over and breaks her husband's statues of the Saints to make the trees in the miner's forest home fall over and hopefully crush her stepdaughter. She fails and instead kills another miner. She then takes the mirror's advice; that advice being to kill her stepdaughter with the Serpent's fruit: the apple. Using magic to disguise herself as an old woman, Lady Claudia poisons Lily, placing her in a coma.

 

With Lily thought dead, Lady Claudia turns her attention inward, trying to seduce Lily's fiancee, Peter Gutenberg, and raping her husband as a prelude to human sacrifice in an attempt to revive her dead baby. The actual ritual itself is performed inside the manor chapel, Lady Claudia bringing her sacrificial victim before the image of the crucified Jesus Christ in order to profane Christian soil. She also bewitches every last servant of the manor house, turning them into her minions. When her stepdaughter at last is healed, she, Gutenberg, and Will, the chief miner, confront Lady Claudia. Peter is killed and Lily finds her father crucified upside-down opposite the figure of Jesus on a life-sized crucifix now hanging upside down by a chain from the manor chapel's ceiling.

 

After seeing this, Lily confronts her stepmother. A fight ensues during which a fire breaks out. Lily ultimately kills her stepmother by stabbing her image in the mirror, causing Claudia to rapidly age. As Claudia screams in horror, the mirror explodes and the shards of glass strike her, who screams in horror and blunders into the flames, catching fire. She flails around in agony until she is finally crushed by falling debris.

 

GoodTimes adaptation

 

In the GoodTimes Entertainment adaption of Snow White, the story follows mostly the same as the original story, only the Queen uses magic to disguise herself, turning into an old peddlar woman and trying to strangle Snow White with laces, then as an old peddlar man who gives her poison comb, then as a young girl selling apples. The Queen believes she has finally killed Snow White, until the day she leaves for a wedding being held in the city. Before she leaves, the Queen asks her mirror who the loveliest woman in the kingdom was, and she is horrified to learn that it is Snow White, still alive, whose marriage is the very one she was about to attend. In a fit of rage, the Queen begins to smash all the mirrors in her throne room, before throwing a hand mirror at her magic mirror, when the magic mirror sucks the hand mirror in. The voice in the mirror begins to suck the horrified Queen in, taunting her for her attempts to murder her stepdaughter and telling her she will never see her own face again. The Queen is last seen banging on the other side of the glass before disappearing.

 

The Charmings

 

Portrayed by acclaimed British actress Judy Parfitt, Queen Lillian "Lily" White returns after several years, cursing Snow White and her family. This curse banishes them (including the Queen herself and her Magic Mirror played by Paul Winfield) into the modern world, where they live as the Charmings. The name coming from the fact that the prince who rescued Snow White is often called 'Prince Charming.' The Queen is forced to live with her family, while trying to find a way to return herself back to their own world.

 

Queen of Fables

 

The Queen of Fables is a witch from DC comic books. She was a scheming villainess who in her youth wrought Hell on Earth until she was trapped in a book by her own stepdaughter, Snow White. Centuries later, she was freed accidentally by Snow White's descendants and has since faced many Justice League superheroes like Superman and Wonder Woman who she thought was Snow White due to her great beauty.

 

Cannon Movie Tales

 

Snow White is one of the nine Cannon Movie Tales fairytale musicals produced in the 1980s. The film was released in 1987. Diana Rigg starred as the Wicked Queen. The plot follows the story of the original fairytale including the three attempts by the Queen to kill Snow White (a tight bodice, a poison comb, and finally a poison apple).

 

Christine White

 

In the 2000 miniseries The 10th Kingdom the main villain is Christine White, portrayed by Dianne Wiest. After the events in the story of Snow White, the Evil Queen, who is left to die, flees to Earth where she meets Christine Lewis, a jealous, adulterous madwoman who is addicted to prescription drugs. After almost killing her daughter in a psychopathic rage, Christine accompanies the Queen to the realm of the Nine Kingdoms to be groomed by the undead Evil Queen (now known as the Swamp Witch) to be her successor and her instrument of revenge. Christine insinuates herself into the House of White, first as the nanny of Snow White's grandson, Prince Wendell White, and later as Wendell's stepmother, after having poisoned his mother. Prior to the events of the miniseries, Christine is finally imprisoned for the subsequent poisoning death of Wendell's father. As The 10th Kingdom begins, she escapes to cause further destruction, and at the climax of the series she is killed by the main protagonist, her daughter, Virginia.

 

Snow White (TV film)

 

In the 2001 TV film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, the Queen is a self-loathing and spectrophobic hag named Elspeth, one of a race of strange humanoid creatures. She is transformed into a beautiful queen by her brother, the Green-Eyed Granter of Wishes. In this adaptation she is driven more by insecurities than vanity. As in all versions of the story she grows to envy her stepdaughter, Snow White but rather than disguising herself as an old crone she disguises herself as a young woman resembling Snow White's mother and succeeds in poisoning the young princess with an enchanted apple. She also has a habit of turning dwarves into stone statues with which she decorates her palace. Her fate is even more ignominious than in most versions of the tale. At the climax of the film she becomes a withered old crone once again and is later throttled to death by the numerous dwarves whom she had turned to stone who have now been released from her spell. It is implied that she is driven to evil by the Green-Eyed Granter of Wishes so that he can destroy her. Elspeth describes her brother as cruel and throughout the film he shows a remorseless joy in tormenting his sister.

 

Once Upon a Time

 

In the new ABC TV series, Once Upon a Time, the Queen casts a spell on all fairy tale characters making them forget their true identities in a parallel world and in the Real World becomes Regina Mills, the foster mother of Henry as well as the Mayor of Storybrooke. It is revealed that the Queen resided in a castle with her father, Henry, in the Enchanted Forest, when she decided to cast the Dark Curse on the world as a punishment to Snow White. When the Curse did not work, the Queen went to Rumpelstilskin, who told her that she had to cut the heart out of the thing she loved most to invoke the full power of the curse. She then proceeds to cut the heart out of her own father and gives the heart to the Dark Curse to fully invoke it.

 

The Evil Queen in pop culture

 

In Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), Alvie mentions that when he saw Disney's Snow White, he was attracted to the Evil Queen. He then daydreams an animated scene where even the Queen (voiced by Diane Keaton) scolds him.

In Terry Gilliam's fantasy film The Brothers Grimm, Monica Bellucci plays a villainous character modelled after the Queen. Known as the Toringian Queen (also known as the Mirror Queen) she is extremely vain, obsessed with preserving her youth and beauty and being the fairest in the land and has a gigantic mirror in her chamber.

One of the main antagonists in the Sailor Moon manga and anime, Queen Nehellenia is based on many evil sorceresses from fairy tales, with a particular emphasis on the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Snow Queen. Like the Snow Queen and the Evil Queen she has a large magic mirror and like the latter she is extremely vain and arrogant.

In Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire, the Queen and Witch are personified as Lucrezia Borgia.

This fictional character appeared in the 1961 film Snow White and the Three Stooges. She was played by Patricia Medina in the film.

Ellen Reid's 2001 debut album Cinderellen features the song "In Defense of the Wicked Queen", which tells the story from the Queen's perspective.

In The Berenstain Bears book Trick or Treat, Queenie dresses as the Wicked Queen for Halloween.

In the Family Guy Season 7 episode "Road to the Multiverse", Stewie and Brian Griffin go to a Disney Universe where the characters are as Disney characters, and Herbert appears as the disguised Queen, saying "You want a nice shiny red apple to go with that pie?" (after the characters have just sung a song about pie). They all yell "No!" and throw pies in his face.

In Season Five of Charmed, the Queen appears as a Wicked Witch who uses fairy tales for evil. She asks the Magic Mirror; who is the most powerful witch of all?

In the 1962 film Tom Thumb and Little Red Riding Hood she is the misstress of all evil and the queen of all monsters in the world. She has a green face like Maleficent and dies when the Little Red Riding Hood tricks her to fall into a furnace-like shrine of Satan at her castle.

In a 1973 episode of The Brady Bunch, housekeeper Alice Nelson portrays the Queen when the Bradys and Sam the Butcher help Cindy stage a re-enactment of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

In the 2007 film Sydney White, Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton) plays the role of the Queen.

In the Perform This Way video, Weird Al dresses up as the evil queen while dressed as Lady Gaga.

 

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30. Mr. Potter (It's A Wonderful Life)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 45 points - highest ranking #10 BigEdWalsh)

 

Henry F. Potter (commonly referred to as "Mr. Potter" or just "Potter") is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1946 Frank Capra film It's a Wonderful Life. He occupies slot #6 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Greatest Villains in American film history (in its 2003 list entitled AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains). Mr. Potter was portrayed by veteran actor Lionel Barrymore.

 

The persona of Mr. Henry F. Potter

 

Throughout the entire film, Henry F. Potter is a heartless, cold, apathetic, and downright evil man. Everything that Mr. Potter does in the film is motivated by money and greed. Be it "saving" George Bailey's clients during a bank run or offering George the job of his dreams, all are thinly veiled plots to fill his own wallet.

 

Not much is revealed about his personal life aside that he is single, and never has had a wife, children or any close or distant family members, and he uses a wheelchair for reasons that are never explained (which is due to the actor Lionel Barrymore's real-life health conditions). Because of his disability, Potter always has the same mute bodyguard by his side, who travels with him wherever he goes and pushes his wheelchair for him.

 

Though he is also a mill owner, banker and slumlord, Mr. Potter is a businessman at heart. If there's one thing he's talented at besides making people's lives miserable, it's his ability to manage, plan, and keep order. During the whole length of the film, he seems particularly deft in the ways of finance and business, much to the chagrin of the good people of Bedford Falls. His business propositions may seem fair, even charitable at first, but his ulterior motives are of a far more sinister nature. Thus, he will stop at nothing so long as it means more money in his coffer and the downfall of the Bailey Building & Loan. In his first appearance in the film, he is seen being transported in a decorative horse and buggy, which causes the Angel 2nd Class Clarence Odbody (who is researching George's life) to ask "Who's that, a king?", to which his superior, Joseph, answers "That's Henry F. Potter, the richest and meanest man in the county!"

 

Early encounters

 

In 1919, Mr. Potter, even before the story starts, has already tried many times (albeit fruitlessly) to nab the Building & Loan company from Peter Bailey, proprietor for many years. His first run-in with George Bailey was in the middle of a business meeting, when a very young George needed to ask his father, Peter Bailey, an urgent question about chemicals as he found cyanide in a child's medicine bottle at work. Potter is annoyed at Peter Bailey for refusing to foreclose on debtors who are past due, whereas Peter rebuts by saying the economic downturn has hit people hard, which will only be worsened by immediate foreclosures. When Henry Potter berates the elder Bailey, this infuriates the younger Bailey, who interrupts the business meeting to tell Potter he is nothing but mean-spirited. To Potter, this action by George convinced him further that the Bailey clan was annoyingly upstanding.

 

When Peter Bailey dies from a sudden stroke some years later, a 20-year old George must abandon his dreams of going off to college or traveling the world. Mr. Potter takes advantage of the crisis by attempting to take control of the Bailey Bros. Building & Loan, which he admittedly has the right to do as the principal shareholder in the company. The bereaved George must fend off Potter in order to save the Building & Loan. The rest of the savings bank's board of trustees endorses George's leadership, thwarting Potter's plans to take complete control of the Bedford Falls financial market; but it ends up costing George heavily. The board's decision is contingent upon the son taking over full-time management of the struggling, marginal business.

 

In one scene, Potter scoffs at the idea of a lowly man such as Ernie Bishop, the taxi driver, receiving a loan because George can vouch for his character. Potter snorts, "What does that get us? A discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty working class." At that, George Bailey protests that those hard working people deserve a decent standard of living such as owning a properly equipped home, which the reasonable loans provided by the Building and Loan makes possible.

Mr. Potter slumps in his wheelchair when having to face Peter Bailey and his minor son George.

 

Later, in around 1930, when there is a bank run at the Building & Loan, Mr. Potter tries again to cripple the company. He offers fifty cents ($0.50) on the dollar for George's clients to put their accounts in Potter's bank. George refuses, and instead creatively offers each client his own honeymoon money ($2,000) to hold them over until the week ends, when the money arrives in the Building & Loan vaults, and the depositors decide to trust George, withdrawing no more than what they need for the week.

 

First real attempt: Temptation

 

Years later, Mr. Potter's own investments and income are threatened by Bailey Park, a new suburb-like development upstart by George's company. Complaining that the Building & Loan has "been a boil on my neck long enough," Mr. Potter summons George to his office and extends him the job offer of his dreams. On condition that he turn the Building & Loan over to Potter, George will receive a plentiful salary with a bonus.

 

Mr. Potter, by this time, knows that George has always wanted but never received. There are four things Potter knows that George has always desired, and implements these in a dastardly scheme to coax the Building & Loan from George's safe hands.

 

Sensing George's desire to leave Bedford Falls behind and see the world, Mr. Potter proposes George an incredibly profitable career at Potter's company, running all of Potter's properties and financial affairs. George is offered an immense salary, benefits and business trips to New York City and maybe even Europe.

 

George initially takes the bait, and asks for 24 hours to talk it over with his wife, Mary. Potter agrees to let George think his offer over. But once he shakes Mr. Potter's hand, George somehow has an epiphany when he realizes Potter's true intentions, and refuses him.

 

Second real attempt: Arrest (and making George consider suicide)

 

During World War II, Mr. Potter becomes head of the draft board in Bedford Falls. He is satisfied to see that George is ineligible to serve on the war front because of deafness in one of his ears; it is a scar and trophy from when his brother Harry fell through the ice at the age of nine and George rescued him from the freezing waters. Instead, George stays behind and fights the "Battle of Bedford Falls", supervising scrap metal drives and allocating ration coupons.

 

On Christmas Eve 1946, George's brother Harry (serving as a U.S. Naval Aviator) is to return to Bedford Falls after being decorated with the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of countless soldiers on a troop transport in the war. George's scatterbrained Uncle Billy, an associate of the Building & Loan since Peter Bailey's days, arrives in Potter's bank with $8,000 to deposit and a newspaper in his hand. The miser is wheeled into the bank in his wheelchair by his long-term bodyguard, is greeted by four bankers and then, sarcastically, by Billy, who is brandishing a copy of the Bedford Falls Sentinel.

 

Well, good morning, Mister Potter! What's the news? Oh, well, well, well: Harry Bailey wins Congressional Medal. That couldn't be one of the Bailey boys. You just can't keep those Baileys down, now, can you, Mister Potter?

 

And after Potter acknowledges "Slacker" George's 4-F status (his deaf ear already having rendered him unfit for military service), Billy adds the frosting to the cake:

 

Some people HAD to stay behind. Not every heel was in Germany or Japan!

 

Uncle Billy then throws the newspaper (and the money he inadvertently wrapped inside of it) down on Potter's lap, and happily trots back to the register. Meanwhile, Potter goes into his office and discovers the $8,000 in an envelope, neatly wrapped, lying on the Sentinel. In his office, when Potter sees the money, he asks his bodyguard to wheel him back to the door. Taking a peek into the lobby and seeing the absentminded Uncle Billy frantically searching the bank for his envelope, Potter takes delight in the misfortune of the man who just taunted him. He hides inside his office, stealing the money, knowing the ensuing ruin that will happen for George's company.

 

Later that night, George has discovered Billy's slip-up. The company is inexplicably short $8,000 and the bank examiner is due shortly. George realizes what this means: bankruptcy of the company, scandal, and jail for whoever is responsible. If George goes to jail, Potter will control the Building & Loan, his family will suffer, and he will be shamed for the rest of his life. At first, he briefly entertains the notion of having his uncle accept responsibility for the act, but he realizes that he must save the bank. Obsessed with clearing his own name and saving the business his father started, George goes to the only person he knows who has enough money: Mr. Potter.

A distraught George Bailey (James Stewart) pleads for help from Mr. Potter.

Mr. Potter insults George in his moment of need: "You used to be so cocky..."

 

In this, George's ultimate moment of need, Potter merely taunts the desperate George cruelly.

 

Look at you... you used to be so cocky. You were going to go out and conquer the world. You once called me "a warped, frustrated old man"! What are you but a warped, frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk... crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help.

 

Although it is George, Potter also thinks about money: a meager loan would be enough to hold George over. When Potter asks for collateral for the loan, and George offers a $15,000 life insurance policy with a $500 cash value. Once more, Potter has an obsession over money and a disregard for human feeling, and delivers his most vile line in the film.

 

Why, George... you're worth more dead than alive.

 

Potter then telephones the police and puts out a warrant for George's arrest. The charges are of malfeasance and manipulation of funds. George, realizing Potter's statement might be true, walks out of the building and drives off, having lost faith in the world and mankind.

 

After the "Pottersville Sequence"

 

Later that night, Potter sees George once more, happy, as if he had never lost $8,000 and was positively overjoyed at the thought of a prison term. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter!" he shouts. Mr. Potter responds: "And a Happy New Year to you, too! ...In jail!" This is Mr. Potter's final scene in the movie.

 

What Potter does not know is that George has just been shown a vision by his guardian angel. George was on the verge of suicide after his conference with Potter and made a wish that he had never been born. So, his guardian angel (Clarence Oddbody, played by Henry Travers) showed him what would have become of Bedford Falls had the man known as George Bailey never been born. The ensuing town is called Pottersville, which is a sleazy and dangerous city filled with jitterbug dance halls, whiskey joints, petty crime, and unhappy people with meaningless, amoral lives. This is the "thrifty working class" Potter had allegedly envisioned years earlier. With this George now realizes how malevolent and heartless Potter really is.

 

When George returns to town, he has triumphed over Potter, because he finally realizes that all he has done for Bedford Falls has resulted in a constituency that supports George more than they do Potter, making him an important leader of his community, deeply respected and admired. This is evident when most of the town raises a collection to help make up the financial loss, culminating with a massive advance supplied by George's wealthy industrialist friend Sam Wainwright that more than makes up the difference. Even though Potter still remains George's rival in business, he does not hold their trust or their love. With that kind of support, the young Bailey's eventual triumph over the aged Potter is all but assured.

 

Deleted scenes

 

There was to have been a scene of Clarence appearing before Potter to shame him for driving George nearly to suicide. Upon learning of the fate that awaits him after death, Potter is terrified and suffers a heart attack. The scene was deleted as Clarence's narration made it seem too macabre.

 

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29. Tommy DeVito (Goodfellas)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 46 points - highest ranking #8 BigEdWalsh)

 

Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), is an aggressive armed robber with a hair-trigger temper. In late 1967, he, Henry Hill, Paulie Cicero, and Jimmy Conway commit the Air France Robbery. Enjoying the perks of their criminal life, they spend most of their nights at the Copacabana with countless women. Henry meets and later marries Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a Jewish girl from the Five Towns. Karen is initially troubled by Henry's criminal activities, but is soon seduced by his glamorous lifestyle. When a neighbor assaults her for refusing his advances, Henry pistol-whips him in front of her. She feels aroused by the act, especially when Henry gives her the gun and tells her to hide it.

 

On June 11, 1970, He brutally beats Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), a mobster with the Gambino crime family, for insulting him about being a shoeshine boy in his younger days. However, Batts was a made man, meaning that he could not be touched without the consent of his Gambino family bosses. Realizing that this was an offense that could get them all killed, Jimmy, Henry, and Tommy need to cover up the murder. They transport the body in the trunk of Henry's car and bury it upstate. Six months later Jimmy learns that the burial site will be developed, forcing them to exhume the decomposing corpse and move it.

 

Henry begins to see a mistress named Janice Rossi (Gina Mastrogiacomo), setting her up in an apartment. When Karen finds out, she goes to Janice's apartment building to confront her, but is not let in past the front door. She then confronts Henry, points a revolver at his face, and threatens to kill both of them, demanding to know if he loves Janice. Karen cannot bring herself to kill him and an enraged Henry threatens Karen with the gun and says he has bigger concerns, like being murdered on the streets. Henry goes to live in the apartment with Janice. Paulie soon directs him to return to Karen after completing a job for him; Henry and Jimmy are sent to collect from an indebted gambler in Florida, which they succeed at after beating him. However most of the crew are arrested after being turned in by the gambler's sister, a typist for the FBI.

 

In prison, Henry sells drugs to support his family on the outside. Soon after he is released in 1978, the crew commits the Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Despite Paulie's warning to stop, Henry further establishes himself in the drug trade, convincing Tommy and Jimmy to join him. Jimmy has the other participants in the Lufthansa robbery killed after they ignore his command to not immediately buy expensive things with their share of the stolen money. Then Tommy is killed for the murder of Billy Batts, having been fooled into thinking that he is going to be made.

 

The character is based on Tommy DeSimone (May 24, 1950 – January 14, 1979), an Italian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York.

 

http://youtu.be/o_ff46b58Hk

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28. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)

 

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(3 of 16 lists - 48 points - highest ranking #8 GoSox05)

 

Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980), as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham, and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, comic books, and a cross-over film with another iconic horror film character, Freddy Krueger.

 

The character has primarily been an antagonist in the films, whether by stalking and killing the characters, or acting as a psychological threat to the lead character, as is the case in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Since Lehman's portrayal, the character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time; this has caused some controversy as to who should receive credit for the portrayal. Kane Hodder is the best known of the stuntmen to portray Jason Voorhees, having played the character in four consecutive films.

 

The character's physical appearance has gone through many transformations, with various special makeup effects artists making their mark on the character's design, including makeup artist Stan Winston. Tom Savini's initial design has been the basis for many of the later incarnations. The trademark hockey goalie mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III. Since Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, filmmakers have given Jason superhuman strength, regenerative powers, and near invulnerability. He has been seen as a sympathetic character, whose motivation for killing has been cited as being driven by the immoral actions of his victims and his own rage over having drowned as a child. Jason Voorhees has been featured in various humor magazines, referenced in feature films, parodied in television shows, and was the inspiration for a horror punk band. Several toy lines have been released based on various versions of the character from the Friday the 13th films. Jason Voorhees's hockey mask is a widely recognized image in popular culture.

 

Appearances

 

Jason Voorhees first appears as a hallucination of the main character Alice (Adrienne King) in the original Friday the 13th film; he becomes the main antagonist of the series in its sequels. As well as the films, there have been books and comics that have either expanded the universe of Jason, or been based on a minor aspect of him.

 

Films

 

Jason made his first cinematic appearance in the original Friday the 13th on May 9, 1980. Jason is not a killer in this film, but is seen in the memories of his mother, Mrs. Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), and as a hallucination of the film's protagonist, Alice. Though the character is never truly seen, he propels the film's plot—Mrs. Voorhees, the cook at Camp Crystal Lake, seeks revenge for his death, which she blames on the camp counselors. Jason's second appearance was in the sequel, Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). Revealed to be alive, an adult Jason exacts revenge on Alice for decapitating his mother in the original film. Jason (Steve Daskewisz) returns to Crystal Lake, living there as a hermit and guarding it from all intruders. Five years later a group of teenagers arrive to set up a new camp, only to be murdered one by one by Jason, who wears a bag over his head to hide his face. Ginny (Amy Steel), the lone survivor, finds a cabin in the woods with a shrine built around the severed head of Mrs. Voorhees, and surrounded by mutilated corpses. Ginny fights back and slams a machete through Jason's shoulder. Jason is left for dead as Ginny is taken away in an ambulance. In Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Jason (Richard Brooker) escapes to a nearby lake resort, Higgins Haven, to rest from his wounds. At the same time, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell) returns to the property with some friends. An unmasked and reclusive Jason kills anyone who wanders into the barn where he is hiding. Taking a hockey mask from a victim to hide his face, he leaves the barn to kill the rest of the group. Chris fends off Jason by slamming an axe into his head, but the night's events drive her into hysteria as the police take her away.

 

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) continues the story, with a presumed-dead Jason (Ted White) found by the police and taken to the morgue. Jason awakens at the morgue and kills an attendant and a nurse, and makes his way back to Crystal Lake. A group of friends renting a house there fall victim to Jason's rampage. Jason then seeks out Trish (Kimberly Beck) and Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) next door. While Trish distracts Jason, Tommy evidently kills him with his own machete. Jason's appearance in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) was short-lived. Tommy Jarvis (John Shepherd) was committed to a mental hospital after the events of The Final Chapter, and has grown up constantly afraid that Jason (Tom Morga) will return. Jason's body was supposedly cremated after Tommy killed him. Roy Burns (Dick Wieand) uses Jason's persona to become a copycat killer at the halfway home to which Tommy was moved. Jason appears in the film only through Tommy's dreams and hallucinations. In Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Tommy (Thom Mathews), released from a mental institution, visits Jason's grave and learns that Jason's body was never actually cremated, but buried in a cemetery near Crystal Lake. While attempting to destroy his body, Tommy inadvertently resurrects Jason (C. J. Graham) via a piece of cemetery fence that acts as a lightning rod. Now possessing superhuman abilities, Jason returns to Crystal Lake, now renamed Forest Green, and begins his killing spree anew. Tommy eventually lures Jason back to the lake where he supposedly drowned as a child and chains him to a boulder on the lake floor, leaving him for dead.

 

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) begins an undisclosed amount of time after Jason Lives. Jason (Kane Hodder) is freed from his chains by the telekinetic Tina Shepard (Lar Park Lincoln), who was attempting to resurrect her father. Jason begins killing those who occupy Crystal Lake, and after a battle with Tina, is dragged back to the bottom of the lake by an apparition of Tina's father.[13] Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) sees Jason return from the grave, brought back to life via an underwater electrical cable. He follows a group of students on their senior class trip to Manhattan, boarding the Lazarus to wreak havoc. Upon reaching Manhattan, Jason kills all the survivors but Rennie (Jensen Daggett) and Sean (Scott Reeves); he chases them into the sewers, where he is transformed into a child by toxic waste. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) marked the second time Jason was officially killed according to studio canon. Through an unexplained resurrection, he returns to Crystal Lake, where he is hunted by the FBI. The FBI sets up a sting to kill Jason, which proves successful. Through mystical possession, however, Jason survives by passing his demon-infested heart from one being to the next. Though Jason does not physically appear throughout most of the film, it is learned he has a half-sister and a niece, and that he needs them to retrieve and reinhabit his body. After resurrecting it, Jason is stabbed by his niece Jessica Kimble (Kari Keegan) and dragged into Hell.

 

Jason X (2002) marked Kane Hodder's last performance as Jason. The film starts off in 2010; Jason has returned after an unexplained resurrection. Captured by the U.S. government in 2008, Jason is being experimented upon in a research facility, where it has been determined that he has regenerative capabilities and that cryonic suspension is the only possible solution to stop him, since numerous attempts to execute him have proved unsuccessful. Jason escapes, killing all but one of his captors, and slices through the cryo-chamber, spilling cryonics fluid into the room, freezing himself and the only other survivor, Rowan (Lexa Doig). A team of students 455 years later discover Jason's body. On the team's spacecraft, Jason thaws from his cryonic suspension and begins killing the crew. Along the way, he is enhanced by a regenerative nanotechnology process, which gives him an impenetrable metal body. Finally, he is ejected into space and falls to the planet Earth 2, burning in the atmosphere. Set before the events of Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason (2003) is a crossover film in which Jason battles A Nightmare on Elm Street's villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a supernatural killer who murders people in their dreams. Krueger has grown weak, as people in his home town of Springwood have suppressed their fear of him. Freddy, who is impersonating Jason's mother (Paula Shaw), resurrects Jason (Ken Kirzinger) from Hell and sends him to Springwood to cause panic and fear. Jason accomplishes this, but refuses to stop killing. A battle ensues in both the dream world and Crystal Lake. The identity of the winner is left ambiguous, as Jason surfaces from the lake holding Freddy's severed head, which winks and laughs.

 

In the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot, young Jason (Caleb Guss) witnesses his mother's (Nana Visitor) beheading as a child and follows in her footsteps, killing anyone who comes to Crystal Lake. The adult Jason (Derek Mears) kidnaps Whitney Miller (Amanda Righetti), a girl who looks like his mother, and holds her prisoner in his underground tunnels. Months later, Whitney's brother Clay (Jared Padalecki) comes to Crystal Lake and rescues her. Eventually, Whitney uses Jason's devotion to his mother against him, stabbing him with his own machete while he is distracted when she appears.

 

Literature

 

Jason first appeared outside of film in the 1982 novelization of Friday the 13th Part 3 by Michael Avallone. Avallone chose to use an alternate ending, which was filmed for Part 3 but never used, as the ending for his 1982 adaptation. In the alternate film ending, Chris, who is in the canoe, hears Rick's voice and immediately rushes back to the house. When she opens the door, Jason is standing there with a machete, and he decapitates her. Jason next appears in print in the 1986 novelization of Jason Lives by Simon Hawke, who also adapted the first three films in 1987 and 1988. Jason Lives specifically introduced Elias Voorhees, Jason's father, a character that was slated to appear in the film but was cut by the studio. In the novel, instead of being cremated, Elias has Jason buried after his death.

 

Jason made his comic book debut in the 1993 adaptation of Jason Goes to Hell, written by Andy Mangels. The three-issue series was a condensed version of the film, with a few added scenes that were never shot. Jason made his first appearance outside of the direct adaptations in Satan's Six No. 4, published in 1993, which is a continuation of the events of Jason Goes to Hell. In 1995, Nancy A. Collins wrote a three-issue, non-canonical miniseries involving a crossover between Jason and Leatherface. The story involves Jason stowing away aboard a train, after being released from Crystal Lake when the area is drained due to heavy toxic waste dumping. Jason meets Leatherface, who adopts him into his family after the two become friends. Eventually they turn on each other. In 1994 four young adult novels were released under the title of Friday the 13th. They did not feature Jason explicitly, but revolve around people becoming possessed by Jason when they put on his mask.

 

In 2003 and 2005, Black Flame published novelizations of Freddy vs. Jason and Jason X respectively. In 2005 they began publishing a new series of novels; one set was published under the Jason X title, while the second set utilized the Friday the 13th title. The Jason X series consisted of four sequels to the novelization of the film. Jason X: The Experiment was the first published. In this novel, Jason is being used by the government, who are trying to use his indestructibility to create their own army of "super soldiers". Planet of the Beast follows the efforts of Dr. Bardox and his crew as they try to clone the body of a comatose Jason, and shows their efforts to stay alive when Jason wakes from his coma. Death Moon revolves around Jason crash-landing at Moon Camp Americana. Jason is discovered below a prison site and unknowingly awakened in To The Third Power. Jason has a son in this book, conceived through a form of artificial insemination.

 

On May 13, 2005, Avatar Press began releasing new Friday the 13th comics. The first, titled Friday the 13th, was written by Brian Pulido and illustrated by Mike Wolfer and Greg Waller. The story takes place after the events of Freddy vs. Jason, where siblings Miles and Laura Upland have inherited Camp Crystal Lake. Knowing that Jason caused the recent destruction, Laura, unknown to her brother, sets out to kill Jason using a paramilitary group, so that she and her brother can sell the property. A three-issue miniseries titled Friday the 13th: Bloodbath was released in September 2005. Written by Brian Pulido and illustrated by Mike Wolfer and Andrew Dalhouse, the story involves a group of teenagers who come from Camp Tomorrow, a camp that sits on Crystal Lake, for work and a "party-filled weekend". The teenagers discover they share common family backgrounds, and soon awaken Jason, who hunts them. Brian Pulido returned for a third time in October 2005 to write Jason X. Picking up after the events of the Jason X film, Über-Jason is now on Earth II where a biological engineer, Kristen, attempts to subdue Jason, in hopes that she can use his regenerative tissue to save her own life and the lives of those she loves. In February 2006 Avatar published Friday the 13th: Jason vs. Jason X. Written and illustrated by Mike Wolfer, the story takes place after the events of the film Jason X. A salvage team discovers the spaceship Grendel and awakens a regenerated Jason Voorhees. The "original" Jason and Über-Jason are drawn to each other, resulting in a battle to the death. In June 2006 a one-shot comic entitled Friday the 13th: Fearbook was released, written by Mike Wolfer with art by Sebastian Fiumara. The comic has Jason being captured and experimented upon by the Trent Organization; Jason escapes and seeks out Violet, the survivor of Friday the 13th: Bloodbath, who is being contained by the Trent Organization in their Crystal Lake headquarters.

 

The Friday the 13th novella storyline was not connected to the Jason X series, and did not continue the stories set forth by the films, but furthered the character of Jason in its own way. Friday the 13th: Church of the Divine Psychopath has Jason resurrected by a religious cult. Jason is stuck in Hell, when recently executed serial killer Wayne Sanchez persuades Jason to help him return to Earth in Friday the 13th: Hell Lake. In Hate-Kill-Repeat, two religious serial killers attempt to find Jason at Crystal Lake, believing that the three of them share the same contempt for those that break the moral code. In The Jason Strain, Jason is on an island with a group of convicts placed there by television executives running a reality game show. The character of Pamela Voorhees returns from the grave in Carnival of Maniacs. Pamela is in search of Jason, who is now part of a traveling sideshow and about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

 

In December 2006 DC Comics imprint Wildstorm began publishing new comic books about Jason Voorhees under the Friday the 13th moniker. The first set was a six-issue miniseries involving Jason's return to Camp Crystal Lake, which is being renovated by a group of teenagers in preparation for its reopening as a tourist attraction. The series depicts various paranormal phenomena occurring at Crystal Lake. Jason's actions in this storyline are driven by the vengeful spirits of a Native American tribe wiped out on the lake by fur traders sometime in the 19th century. On July 11 and August 15, 2007, Wildstorm published a two-part special entitled Friday the 13th: Pamela's Tale. The two-issue comic book covers Pamela Voorhees' journey to Camp Crystal Lake and the story of her pregnancy with Jason as she recounts it to hitchhiker Annie, a camp counselor who was killed in the original film. Wildstorm released another two-part special, entitled Friday the 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation, that was released on September 12 and October 10, 2007. The comic book provides new insight into the psychology of Jason Voorhees as he befriends a boy born with a skull deformity. Wildstorm has planned a six-issue series called Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, starring the two killers and Ash from the Evil Dead series. In this story, Freddy uses the Necronomicon, which is in the Voorhees' basement, to escape from Jason's subconscious and "gain powers unlike anything he's had before". Freddy attempts to use Jason to retrieve the book, stating it will make him a real boy. Ash, who is working at the local S-Mart in Crystal Lake, learns of the book's existence and sets out to destroy it. Wildstorm released another two-issue miniseries on January 9 and February 13, 2008, titled Friday the 13th: Bad Land, written and illustrated by Ron Marz and Mike Huddleston respectively. The miniseries features Jason stalking a trio of teenaged hikers taking shelter from a blizzard in Camp Crystal Lake.

 

A sequel to Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, subtitled The Nightmare Warriors, was released by Wildstorm in 2009. Jason escapes from the bottom of Crystal Lake to resume his hunt for Ash, but is captured by the U.S. government. Freddy helps him escape and appoints him the general of his Deadite army, using the Necronomicon to heal his accumulated injuries and decomposition; it removes his natural deformities in the process. At the climax of the story, Jason battles his nemesis Tommy Jarvis and his great-niece Stephanie Kimble; Stephanie impales him before Tommy decapitates him with a shard of glass. Jason's soul is then absorbed by Freddy, who uses it to increase his own power.

 

Concept and creation

 

Creating a monster

 

Initially created by Victor Miller, Jason's final design was a combined effort by Miller, Ron Kurz, and Tom Savini. The name "Jason" is a combination of "Josh" and "Ian", Miller's two sons, and "Voorhees" was inspired by a girl that Miller knew at high school whose last name was Van Voorhees. Miller felt it was a "creepy-sounding name", which was perfect for his character. Miller initially wrote Jason as a normal-looking child, but the crew behind the film decided he needed to be deformed. Victor Miller explained Jason was not meant to be a creature from the "Black Lagoon" in his script, and scripted Jason as a mentally disabled young boy; it was Savini who made Jason deformed. Ron Kurz confirmed that Miller's version of Jason was that of a normal child, but claims that it was his idea to turn Jason into a "mongoloid creature", and have him "jump out of the lake at the end of the film". Miller later agreed the ending would not have been as good if he looked like "Betsy Palmer at eight years old". Miller wrote a scene where Alice dreams she is attacked in a canoe by Jason, and then she wakes up in a hospital bed. Miller's intention was to get as close to Carrie's ending as possible. Savini believed having Jason pop out of the lake would be psychologically disturbing to the audience, and since Alice is supposed to be dreaming, the crew could get away with adding anything they wanted.

 

When it came time to cast the role of Jason, Ari Lehman, who had received a part in Sean Cunningham's Manny's Orphans, arrived to read for the character of Jack. Before he could get started, Cunningham walked in and offered him a different part: Jason. Without having read a single word, Cunningham just looked at Ari and said, "You're the right size, you've got it." In the original Friday the 13th, Ari Lehman is seen only in a brief flashback as the surprise ending. Subsequent actors who portrayed a young Jason include Timothy Burr Mirkovich in Jason Takes Manhattan and Spencer Stump in Freddy vs. Jason. The adult role of Jason Voorhees has been played by various actors, some not credited, others taking great pride in their parts. Due to the physical demands the adult character requires, and the lack of emotional depth depicted, many of the actors since have been stuntmen. The most well-known among them is Kane Hodder, who is cited as the best to play the role.

 

Many ideas were suggested for the sequel to Friday the 13th, including making the title part of a serialized franchise, where each succeeding film would be its own story and not related to any previous film under the Friday the 13th moniker. It was Phil Scuderi, one of the producers for the original film, which suggested bringing Jason back for the sequel. The director Steve Miner felt it was the obvious direction to take the series, as he felt the audience wanted to know more about the child who attacked Alice in the lake. Miner decided to pretend as if Alice did not see the "real Jason" in her dream, and Jason had survived his drowning as a boy and had grown up. After killing Jason in The Final Chapter, it was the director Joseph Zito's intention to leave the door open for the studio to make more films with Tommy Jarvis as the main antagonist. Screenwriter Barney Cohen felt Jarvis would become a substitute for Jason, but the idea was never fully developed in A New Beginning. Director and co-screenwriter Danny Steinmann disliked the idea of Jason not being the killer, but decided to use Tommy's fear of Jason as the primary story. This idea was immediately abandoned in Jason Lives, when A New Beginning did not spark the "creative success" the studio was looking for. Executive producer Frank Mancuso, Jr. wanted to bring Jason back, and he did not care how it was achieved.In yet another alteration of the series' continuity, Tom McLoughlin chose to ignore the idea that Jason had survived his drowning, instead presenting him as always having been some sort of supernatural force. Since A New Beginning, no sequel has attempted to replace Jason as the main antagonist. Miller, who has not seen any of the sequels, took issue with all of them because they made Jason the villain. Miller believes the best part of his screenplay was that it was about a mother avenging the senseless death of her son. Miller stated, "Jason was dead from the very beginning; he was a victim, not a villain."

 

Men behind the mask

 

"... So I go from lead role to no role. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But I said, 'What the hell?'"

—Steve Daskawisz, on losing screen credit

 

Jason Voorhees went from deceased child to full-grown man for Friday the 13th Part 2, and Warrington Gillette was hired to play the role. Gillette auditioned for the role of Paul; that role eventually went to John Furey. Under the belief that he had attended the Hollywood Stuntman's School, Gillette was offered the role of Jason Voorhees. Initially Gillette was unsure about the character, but the idea of starring in his first film grew on Gillette, and he also thought the role was amusing. It became apparent Gillette could not perform the necessary stunts, so the stunt coordinator Cliff Cudney brought in Steve Daskawisz. Daskawisz filmed all of the scenes except the opening sequence and the unmasking shot at the end; Gillette returned for the unmasking scenes. Gillette received credit for playing Jason, while Daskawisz was given credit as the stunt double. When Part 3 was released the following year, Daskawisz was credited as Jason for the reused footage from the climax of the film. Initially, Daskawisz was asked to return to the role for Part 3, but it would have required him to pay for his own transportation and housing during filming. Having secured a part on Guiding Light, Daskawisz declined.

 

Now wanting a "bigger and stronger-looking" Jason, one that was also "more athletic and powerful", Steve Miner hired former British trapeze artist Richard Brooker. After a simple conversation, Miner decided he was the right person for the job. Being new to the country, Brooker believed that "playing a psychopathic killer" was the best way into the movie business. Brooker became the first actor to wear Jason's now-signature hockey mask. According to Brooker, "It felt great with the mask on. It just felt like I really was Jason because I didn't have anything to wear before that." For The Final Chapter, Joseph Zito brought his own spin to the character, one that required a "real hardcore stuntman"; Ted White was hired to perform the role. White, who only took the job for the money, did "get into the Jason psychology" when he arrived on the set. White went so far as to not speak to any of the other actors for long stretches. As filming continued, White's experience was not pleasant, and in one instance, he went to battle for co-star Judie Aronson, who played Samantha, when the director kept her naked in the lake for extended periods of time. Displeased with his experience from filming, White had his name removed from the credits. As with Friday the 13th Part 2, there was confusion over who performed the role in A New Beginning, partly due to the fact that Jason is not the literal antagonist in the film. When Ted White turned down the opportunity to return, Dick Wieand was cast. Wieand is credited as Roy Burns, the film's actual murderer, but it was stuntman Tom Morga who performed in the few flashes of Jason, as well as portraying Roy in almost all of the masked scenes. Wieand has been outspoken about his lack of enthusiasm over his role in the film. Feeling alienated during the shoot, Wieand spent most of his time in his trailer. By comparison, Morga enjoyed his time as Jason and made sure he "really got into the character".

 

"It's like all of a sudden you get to put a baseball uniform on, and you're the pitcher in the ninth inning of the World Series. It's an incredible feeling."

—C. J. Graham, on his experience as Jason

 

A nightclub manager in Glendale, C. J. Graham, was interviewed for the role of Jason in Jason Lives, but was initially passed over because he had no experience as a stuntman. Dan Bradley was hired, but Paramount executives felt Bradley did not have the right physique to play the role, and Graham was hired to replace him. Although Bradley was replaced early during filming, he can be seen in the paintball sequence of the film. Graham opted to perform most of his own stunts, including the scene where Jason catches on fire while battling Tommy in the lake. The rest of the cast spoke highly of Graham, remarking that he never complained during all the uncomfortable situations he was placed in. Graham had no intention of being an actor or a stuntman, but the idea of playing the "bad guy", and the opportunity to wear the prosthetics, intrigued him. Graham was not brought back to reprise the role, but has often been cited as speaking highly of his time in the part.

 

Kane Hodder took over the role in The New Blood, and played Jason in the next four films. He previously worked alongside director John Carl Buechler on a film called Prison. Based on his experience working with Hodder, Buechler petitioned Frank Mancuso Jr. to hire him, but Mancuso was apprehensive about Hodder's limited size. Knowing he planned to use full body prosthetics, Buechler scheduled a test screening, the first in Friday the 13th history for the character, and Mancuso immediately gave Hodder approval upon seeing him. It is Buechler's contention that Hodder gave Jason his first true personality, based on the emotions, specifically the rage, that Hodder would emit while acting the part. According to Hodder, he wanted to "get in touch with Jason's thirst for revenge" and try to better understand his motivation to kill. After viewing the previous films, Hodder decided that he would approach Jason as a more "quick and agile" individual than he had been portrayed in the previous sequels. John Carl Buechler felt that Kane had "natural affinity for the role"—so much that Kane's appearance, when wearing the mask, would often terrify the cast, the crew, and in one incident a lone stranger that he came across on his walk back to his trailer. Initially Frank Mancuso Jr. and Barbara Sachs planned to use a Canadian stuntperson for Jason Takes Manhattan. Hodder acted as his own voice, calling and requesting that he be allowed to reprise the role; the ultimate decision was left to director Rob Hedden, who intended to use Hodder, because he felt Hodder knew the lore of the series. With Sean Cunningham's return as producer for Jason Goes to Hell, Hodder felt his chances of reprising the role were even better: Hodder had worked as Cunningham's stunt coordinator for years. Regardless, Adam Marcus, the director for Jason Goes to Hell, always intended to hire Hodder for the role. Jason X would mark Hodder's last performance as Jason, to date. Todd Farmer, who wrote the screenplay for Jason X, knew Hodder would play Jason from the beginning. Jim Isaac was a fan of Hodder's work on the previous films, so hiring him was an easy decision.

 

New Line believed Freddy vs. Jason needed a fresh start, and choose a new actor for Jason. Cunningham disagreed with their decision, believing Hodder was the best choice for the role. Hodder did receive the script for Freddy vs. Jason, and had a meeting with director Ronny Yu and New Line executives, but Matthew Barry and Yu felt the role should be recast to fit Yu's image of Jason. According to Hodder, New Line failed to provide him with a reason for the recasting, but Yu has explained he wanted a slower, more deliberate Jason, and less of the aggressive movements that Hodder had used in the previous films. Yu and development executive Jeff Katz recognized the outcry among fans over the replacement of Hodder as Jason, but stood by their choice in recasting.

 

The role eventually went to Ken Kirzinger, a Canadian stuntperson who worked on Jason Takes Manhattan. There are conflicting reports over the reason Kirzinger was cast. According to Yu, Kirzinger was hired because he was taller than Robert Englund, the actor who portrays Freddy Krueger. Kirzinger stands 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m), compared to the 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) of Kane Hodder, and Yu wanted a much larger actor to tower over the 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m) Englund. Kirzinger believes his experience on Part VIII helped him land the part, as Kirzinger doubled for Hodder on two scenes for the film, but also believes he was simply sized up and handed the job. Although he was hired by the creative crew, New Line did not officially cast Kirzinger until first seeing him on film. Kirzinger's first scene was Jason walking down Elm Street. New Line wanted a specific movement in Jason's walk; Kirzinger met their expectations and signed a contract with the studio. However, concerns that test audiences were confused by the film's original ending caused the studio to reshoot the final scene. Actor Douglas Tait was brought in to film the new ending, as he was available for the reshoot and had been the production's second choice to portray the role of Jason during the original casting.

 

Stuntman Derek Mears was hired to portray Jason Voorhees at the recommendation of makeup special effects supervisor Scott Stoddard. Mears's pleasant demeanor had the studio worried about his ability to portray such a menacing character on screen, but Mears assured them he would be able to perform the role. When Mears auditioned for the role he was asked why they should hire an actor over just another guy in a mask. As Mears explained, portraying Jason is similar to Greek mask work, where the mask and the actor are two separate entities, and, based on the scene, there will be various combinations of mask and actor in the performance.

 

Design

 

The physical design of Jason Voorhees has gone through changes, some subtle and some radical. For Friday the 13th, the task of coming up with Jason's appearance was the responsibility of Tom Savini, whose design for Jason was inspired by someone Savini knew as a child whose eyes and ears did not line up straight. The original design called for Jason to have hair, but Savini and his crew opted to make him bald, so he would look like a "hydrocephalic, mongoloid pinhead", with a dome-shaped head. Savini created a plaster mold of Ari Lehman's head and used that to create prosthetics for his face. Lehman personally placed mud—from the bottom of the lake—all over his body to make himself appear "really slimy."

 

For Part 2, Steve Miner asked Carl Fullerton, the make-up effects supervisor, to stick to Savini's original design, but Fullerton only had one day to design and sculpt a new head. Fullerton drew a rough sketch of what he believed Jason should look like, and had it approved by Miner. Fullerton added long hair to the character. Gillette had to spend hours in a chair as they applied rubber forms all over his face, and had to keep one eye closed while the "droopy eye" application was in place. Gillette's eye was closed for twelve hours at a time while he was filming the final scenes of the film. False teeth created by a local dentist were used to distort Gillette's face. Much of the basic concept of Fullerton's design was eliminated for Part 3. Miner wanted to use a combination of the designs from Tom Savini and Carl Fullerton, but as work progressed the design began to lean more and more toward Savini's concept. Stan Winston was hired to create a design for Jason's head, but the eyes were level and Doug White, the make-up artist for Part 3, needed a droopy right eye. White did keep Winston's design for the back of the head, because the crew did not have the time to design an entirely new head for Jason. The process of creating Jason's look was hard work for White, who had to constantly make alterations to Richard Brooker's face, even up to the last day of filming.

The actor wears a modified goalie mask. Three red triangles have been painted on the mask.

Jason's original mask was molded from a Detroit Red Wings goalie mask, and would become a staple for the character for the rest of the series.

 

The script for Part 3 called for Jason to wear a mask to cover his face, having worn a bag over his head in Part 2; what no one knew at the time was that the mask chosen would become a trademark for the character, and one instantly recognizable in popular culture in the years to come. During production, Steve Miner called for a lighting check. None of the effects crew wanted to apply any make-up for the light check, so they decided to just throw a mask on Brooker. The film's 3D effects supervisor, Martin Jay Sadoff, was a hockey fan, and had a bag of hockey gear with him on the set. He pulled out a Detroit Red Wings goaltender mask for the test. Miner loved the mask, but it was too small. Using a substance called VacuForm, Doug White enlarged the mask and created a new mold to work with. After White finished the molds, Terry Ballard placed red triangles on the mask to give it a unique appearance. Holes were punched into the mask and the markings were altered, making it different from Sadoff's mask. There were two prosthetic face masks created for Richard Brooker to wear underneath the hockey mask. One mask was composed of approximately 11 different appliances and took about six hours to apply to Brooker's face; this mask was used for scenes where the hockey mask was removed. In the scenes where the hockey mask is over the face, a simple head mask was created. This one-piece mask would slip on over Brooker's head, exposing his face but not the rest of his head.

 

Tom Savini agreed to return to make-up duties for The Final Chapter because he felt he should be the one to bring Jason full circle in terms of his look from child to man. Savini used his design from the original Friday the 13th, with the same practice of application as before, but molded from Ted White's face. Since Jason is not the actual killer in A New Beginning, it was not necessary to do any major designing for Jason's look. Only a head mask to cover the top and back of the head, like the one Brooker wore while wearing the hockey mask, was needed for the film. Make-up artist Louis Lazzara, who cites A New Beginning as almost a direct sequel to The Final Chapter, did base his head-mask on Tom Savini's design for The Final Chapter.

 

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood sought to make Jason more of a "classic monster along the lines of Frankenstein." From the beginning, Buechler tried to tie the previous films together by having Jason's appearance reflect that of the damage he received in the previous installments. Buechler wanted the motor boat damage from Jason Lives, and the axe and machete cuts Jason received in Part 3 and Part 4 to part of the design for The New Blood. Since Jason had been submerged under water in the previous entry, the effects team wanted Jason to appear "rotted", with bones and ribs showing, and for Jason's features to have a more defined feel to them. Howard Berger was inspired by Carl Fullerton's design in The New Blood, and wanted to incorporate the exposed flesh concept into his model for Jason Goes to Hell. Berger designed Jason's skin to overlap with the mask, to make it appear as if the skin and mask had fused and the mask could no longer be removed. Gregory Nicotero and Berger sculpted a full-body, foam latex suit for Kane Hodder to wear under the costume. The idea was to reveal as much of Jason's skin as possible, because Nicotero and Berger knew the physical character would not be seen for most of the film.

Two drawings show the artist's conception of Über-Jason. On the right, a man with a high-tech metallic right arm and left leg holds a machete. On the left, a detailed drawing of the right arm.

Original concept drawings for "Über-Jason", by makeup effects supervisor Stephan Dupuis, took months to plan. Dupuis sculpted a small-scale version of the new design to show off to the filmmakers, before finally taking mold castings of Kane Hodder.

 

Stephen Dupuis was given the task of redesigning Jason for the tenth Friday the 13th film. One concept brought into the film was Jason's regenerative abilities. Dupuis gave the character more hair and more of a natural flesh appearance to illustrate the constant regeneration the character goes through; Dupuis wanted a more "gothic" design for Jason, so he added chains and shackles, and made the hockey mask more angular. Jim Isaac and the rest of his crew wanted to create an entirely new Jason at some point in the film. The idea was for the teens to completely destroy Jason's body, allowing the futuristic technology to bring him back to life. What was referred to as Über-Jason was designed to have chunks of metal growing from his body, bonded by tendrils that grew into the metal, all pushing through a leather suit. The metal was created from VacuForm, the same material used to increase the size of the original hockey mask, and was attached by Velcro. The tendrils were made from silicone. All of the pieces were crafted onto one suit, including an entire head piece, which Hodder wore. The make-up effects team added zippers along the side of the suit, which allowed Hodder to enter and exit the suit within 15 minutes.

 

By the time Freddy vs. Jason entered production there had been ten previous Friday the 13th films. Make-up effects artist Terezakis wanted to put his own mark on Jason's look—he wanted Jason to be less rotted and decomposed and more defined, so that the audience would see a new Jason, but still recognized the face. Terezakis tried to keep continuity with the previous films, but recognized that had he followed them too literally, then "Jason would have been reduced to a pile of goo." Ronny Yu wanted everything surrounding the hockey mask to act as a frame, making the mask the focal point of each shot. To achieve this, Terezakis created a "pooled-blood look" for the character by painting the skin black, based on the idea the blood had pooled in the back of his head because he had been lying on his back for a long time. As with other make-up artists before him, Terezakis followed Savini's original skull design, and aged it appropriately.

 

For the 2009 version of Friday the 13th, effects artist Scott Stoddard took inspiration from Carl Fullerton's design in Friday the 13th Part 2 and Tom Savini's work in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Stoddard wanted to make sure that Jason appeared human and not like a monster. Stoddard's vision of Jason includes hair loss, skin rashes, and the traditional deformities in his face, but he attempted to craft Jason's look in a way that would allow for a more human side to be seen. Stoddard took inspiration from the third and fourth films when designing Jason's hockey mask. The make-up artist managed to acquire an original set piece, which he studied and later sculpted. Although he had a model of one of the original masks, Stoddard did not want to replicate it in its entirety. As Stoddard explains, "Because I didn't want to take something that already existed, there were things I thought were great, but there were things I wanted to change a bit. Make it custom, but keep all the fundamental designs. Especially the markings on the forehead and cheeks. Age them down a bit, break them up." In the end, Stoddard crafted six versions of the mask, each with varying degrees of wear.

 

Characteristics

 

In his original appearance, Jason was scripted as a mentally disabled young boy. Since Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees has been depicted as a non-verbal, indestructible, machete-wielding mass murderer. Jason is primarily portrayed as being completely silent throughout the film series. Exceptions to this include flashbacks of Jason as a child, and a brief scene in Jason Takes Manhattan where the character cries out "Mommy, please don't let me drown!" in a child's voice before being submerged in toxic waste, and in Jason Goes To Hell where his spirit possesses other individuals. Online magazine Salon's Andrew O'Hehir describes Jason as a "silent, expressionless ... blank slate." When discussing Jason psychologically, Sean S. Cunningham said, "... he doesn't have any personality. He's like a great white shark. You can't really defeat him. All you can hope for is to survive." Since Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Jason has been a "virtually indestructible" being. Tom McLoughlin, the film's director, felt it was silly that Jason had previously been just another guy in a mask, who would kill people left and right, but get "beaten up and knocked down by the heroine at the end." McLoughlin wanted Jason to be more of a "formidable, unstoppable monster." In resurrecting Jason from the dead, McLoughlin also gave him the weakness of being rendered helpless if trapped beneath the waters of Crystal Lake; inspired by vampire lore, McLoughlin decided that Jason had in fact drowned as a child, and that returning him to his original resting place would immobilize him. This weakness would be presented again in The New Blood, and the idea that Jason had drowned as a child was taken up by director Rob Hedden as a plot element in Jason Takes Manhattan.

 

Many have given suggestions as Jason's motivation for killing. Ken Kirzinger refers to Jason as a "psychotic mama's boy gone horribly awry ... Very resilient. You can't kill him, but he feels pain, just not like everyone else." Kirzinger goes on to say that Jason is a "psycho-savant", and believes his actions are based on pleasing his mother, and not anything personal. Andrew O'Hehir has stated, "Coursing hormones act, of course, as smelling salts to prudish Jason, that ever-vigilant enforcer of William Bennett-style values." Todd Farmer, writer for Jason X, wrote the scene where Jason wakes from cryonic hibernation just as two of the teenagers are having sex. Farmer liked the idea that sex acts triggered Jason back to life. Whatever his motivations, Kane Hodder believes there is a limit to what he will do. According to Hodder, Jason might violently murder any person he comes across, but when Jason Takes Manhattan called for Hodder to kick the lead character's dog, Hodder refused, stating that, while Jason has no qualms against killing humans, he is not bad enough to hurt animals. Likewise, director Tom McLoughlin chose not to have Jason harm any of the children he encounters in Jason Lives, stating that Jason would not kill a child, out of a sympathy for the plight of children generated by his own death as a child.

 

In an early draft of Freddy vs. Jason, it was decided that one of the villains needed a redeemable factor. Ronald D. Moore, co-writer of the first draft, explained that Jason was the easiest to make redeemable, because no one had previously ventured into the psychology surrounding the character. Moore saw the character as a "blank slate", and felt he was a character the audience could really root for. Another draft, penned by Mark Protosevich, followed Moore's idea of Jason having a redeemable quality. In the draft, Jason protects a pregnant teenager named Rachel Daniels. Protosevich explained, "It gets into this whole idea of there being two kinds of monsters. Freddy is a figure of actual pure evil and Jason is more like a figure of vengeance who punishes people he feels do not deserve to live. Ultimately, the two of them clash and Jason becomes an honorable monster." Writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, who wrote the final draft of the film, disagreed about making Jason a hero, although they drew comparisons between the fact that Freddy was a victimizer and Jason was a victim. They stated, "We did not want to make Jason any less scary. He's still a brutal killer ... We never wanted to put them in a situation where Jason is a hero ... They're both villains to be equally feared." Brenna O'Brien, co-founder of Fridaythe13thfilms.com, saw the character as having sympathetic qualities. She stated, "[Jason] was a deformed child who almost drowned and then spent the rest of his childhood growing up alone in the woods. He saw his mother get murdered by a camp counselor in the first Friday the 13th, and so now he exacts his revenge on anyone who returns to Camp Crystal Lake. Teenage fans can identify with that sense of rejection and isolation, which you can't really get from other killers like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers."

 

As Jason went through some characterization changes in the 2009 film, Derek Mears likens him more to a combination of John Rambo, Tarzan, and the Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes. To him, this Jason is similar to Rambo because he sets up the other characters to fall into his traps. Like Rambo, he is more calculated because he feels that he has been wronged and he is fighting back; he is meant to be more sympathetic in this film. Fuller and Form contend that they did not want to make Jason too sympathetic to the audience. As Brad Fuller explains, "We do not want him to be sympathetic. Jason is not a comedic character, he is not sympathetic. He's a killing machine. Plain and simple."

 

California State University's Media Psychology Lab surveyed 1,166 people Americans aged from 16 to 91 on the psychological appeal of movie monsters. Many of the characteristics associated with Jason Voorhees were appealing to the participants. In the survey, Jason was considered to be an "unstoppable killing machine." Participants were impressed by the "cornucopic feats of slicing and dicing a seemingly endless number of adolescents and the occasional adult." Out of the ten monsters used in the survey—which included vampires, Freddy Krueger, Frankenstein's monster, Michael Myers, Godzilla, Chucky, Hannibal Lecter, King Kong, and the Alien—Jason scored the highest in all the categories involving killing variables. Further characteristics that appealed to the participants included Jason's "immortality, his apparent enjoyment of killing [and] his superhuman strength."

 

In popular culture

 

Jason Voorhees is one of the leading cultural icons of American popular culture. In 1992 Jason was awarded the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award.[103] He was the first of only three completely fictional characters to be given the award; Godzilla (1996) and Chewbacca (1997) are the others. Jason was named No. 26 in Wizard magazine's 100 greatest villains of all time. Universal Studios theme parks, in collaboration with New Line Cinema, used the character for their Halloween Horror Nights event.

 

The character has been produced and marketed as merchandise over the years. In 1988 Screamin' Toys produced a model kit where owners could build their own Jason statuette. The kit required the owner to cut and paint various parts in order to assemble the figure. Six years later, Screamin' Toys issued a new model kit for Jason Goes to Hell. Both kits are now out of production. McFarlane Toys released two toy lines, one in 1998 and the other in 2002. The first was a figure of Jason from Jason Goes to Hell, and the other was of Über-Jason from Jason X. Since McFarlane's last toy line in 2002, there has been a steady production of action figures, dolls, and statuettes. These include tie-ins with the film Freddy vs. Jason (2003).

 

Jason has made an appearance in three video games. He first appeared in a 1985 Commodore 64 game. His next appearance was in 1989, when LJN, an American game company known for its games based on popular movies in the 1980s and early 1990s, released Friday the 13th on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The premise involved the gamer, who picks one of six camp counselors as their player, trying to save the campers from Jason, while battling various enemies throughout the game. On October 13, 2006, a Friday the 13th game was released for mobile phones. The game puts the user in the persona of Jason as he battles the undead.

 

The character has been referenced, or made cameo appearances, in various entertainment mediums. Outside of literature sources based on the character, Jason has been featured in a variety of magazines and comic strips. Cracked magazine has released several issues featuring parodies of Jason, and he has been featured on two of their covers. Mad magazine has featured the character in almost a dozen stories. He has appeared twice in the comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm. Inspired by his own experience, Ari Lehman founded a band called FIRSTJASON. Lehman's band is classified as horror punk, and is influenced by the sounds of the Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. The band's name pays homage to Lehman's portrayal of Jason Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th. One of the band's songs is entitled "Jason is Watching".

 

"...s***, half the s*** I say, I just make it up

To make you mad, so kiss my white naked ass

And if it's not a rapper that I'll make it as

I'mma be a f***in' rapist in a Jason mask."

—Final verse to Eminem's "Criminal"

 

In 1986, coinciding with the release of Jason Lives, Alice Cooper released "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" from his album Constrictor. The song was written to "signal Jason's big return" to the cinema, as he had been almost entirely absent in the previous film. Rapper Eminem has referenced Jason in several of his songs. The song "Criminal", from the album The Marshall Mathers LP, mentions Jason specifically, while songs "Amityville" and "Off the Wall"—the latter featured fellow rapper Redman—contain Harry Manfredini's music "ki, ki, ki ... ma, ma, ma" from the film series. Eminem sometimes wears a hockey mask during concerts. Other rap artists that have referenced Jason include Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, and Insane Clown Posse. VH1 issued an advertisement for their Vogue Fashion Awards which was labeled "Friday the 20th", and featured Jason's mask created out of rhinestone.

 

Jason has been referenced or parodied in films and television shows. In the film Scream, directed by Freddy Krueger creator Wes Craven, actress Drew Barrymore's character is being stalked by a killer who calls her on her home phone. In order to survive, she must answer the man's trivia questions. One question is "name the killer in Friday the 13th." She incorrectly guesses Jason, who did not become the killer for the franchise until Part 2. Writer Kevin Williamson claimed his inspiration for this scene came when he asked this question in a bar while a group was playing a movie trivia quiz game. He received a free drink, because nobody got the answer right. In another Wes Craven film, Cursed, a wax sculpture of Jason, from Jason Goes to Hell, can be seen in a wax museum.

 

The stop motion animated television show Robot Chicken features Jason in three of its comedy sketches. In episode seventeen, "Operation: Rich in Spirit", the mystery-solving teenagers from Scooby-Doo arrive at Camp Crystal Lake to investigate the Jason Voorhees murders, and are killed off one by one. Velma is the only survivor, and in typical Scooby-Doo fashion, she rips off Jason's mask to reveal his true identity: Old Man Phillips. In episode nineteen, "That Hurts Me", Jason reappears, this time as a housemate of "Horror Movie Big Brother", alongside other famous slasher movie killers such as Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, Pinhead, and Ghostface. Three years later, in episode sixty-two, Jason is shown on the days before and after a typical Friday the 13th.

 

Jason is spoofed in the season five episode of Family Guy entitled "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One". The so-called "Mr. Voorhees" explains to Asian reporter Trisha Takanawa how happy he is to see local wildlife return following the cleanup and rejuvenation of Lake Quahog. He reappears later in the episode as the manager of the "Britches and Hose" clothing store. As opposed to his monstrous personality in the films, Jason is depicted here as polite and articulate, albeit still a psychopath; he murders random swimmers and threatens to kill his employee if she screws up. In an episode of The Simpsons, Jason appears in a Halloween episode sitting on the couch with Freddy Krueger waiting for the family to arrive. When Freddy ask where the family is, Jason responds, "Ehh, whaddya gonna do?" and turns the TV on. He also appears in The Simpsons episode "Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot!", alongside Pinhead, menacing Bart in a fantasy sequence. The South Park episodes "Imaginationland Episode II" and "III" feature Jason among an assortment of other villains and monsters as an inhabitant of the "bad side" of Imaginationland, a world populated by fictional characters. This version of Jason has an effeminate voice and describes the removal of Strawberry Shortcake's eyeball as "super hardcore". In April 2010 Sideshow Toys released a polystone statue of Jason, based on the version appearing in the 2009 remake.

 

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27. The Cigarette Smoking Man (X-Files)

 

The_Smoking_Man_(X-Files).jpg

 

(3 of 16 lists - 48 points - highest ranking #8 playsumfnjurny)

 

The Smoking Man (sometimes referred to as Cancer Man, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, CSM or C-Man) is a fictional character and the antagonist on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder. Although his name is revealed to purportedly be C.G.B. Spender in the show's sixth season, fans continue to refer to him as the Smoking Man because he is almost always seen chain-smoking Morley cigarettes and because he, like other series villains, has multiple aliases.

 

Although he utters only four audible words in the entire first season of the show, the Smoking Man eventually develops into the series' primary antagonist. In his early appearances, he is seen in the offices of Division Chief Scott Blevins and Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Mulder and his partner Dana Scully's supervisors. He works for a government conspiracy only known as the Syndicate, who are hiding the truth of alien existence and their plan to colonize Earth.

 

The Smoking Man is portrayed by Canadian actor William B. Davis. When Davis first received the role, the character was written as "just another" extra for the pilot episode. He eventually returned for small cameo appearances during the first season, making increasingly more appearances in the seasons that followed. Davis never received an award for his portrayal alone, but he was nominated for ensemble awards.

 

Character arc

 

Within the series, the birth date of the Smoking Man is never revealed. Much of his background is purportedly revealed in the fourth season episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man," where one of the conspiracy theorists known as The Lone Gunmen claims Smoking Man was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 20, 1940. This, however, is directly contradicted by the third season episode "Apocrypha," in which a young adult Smoking Man is one of three government agents who interrogate a severely burned submariner in the U.S. Navy Hospital at Pearl Harbor, on August 19, 1953. In that scene, Smoking Man was played by 24-year-old actor Craig Warkentin. Yet according to The Lone Gunmen's chronology, Smoking Man would then have been only 12 years old.

 

Also in "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man," he is said to have grown up an orphan, his father having been executed by electric chair in Louisiana for treason for working as a Soviet spy, and his mother having died of lung cancer from smoking. In 1962, he was stationed along with Bill Mulder at the US Army Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was known for having a long history in black ops and American intelligence. He was potentially involved in the training of Cuban rebels in the Bay of Pigs. It is also revealed that he personally carried out the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King as revealed in "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man", though the veracity of that episode is somewhat unclear. In his first appearance in the series, he oversees FBI agent Dana Scully's briefing and debriefing, and later disposes of evidence Mulder and Scully had brought back from their investigation of an alien abduction. With the Smoking Man hiding truth from the public, Mulder seeks to reveal it to the public and the truth about the disappearance of his sister, Samantha. This leads to a rivalry that lasts until the end of the series.

 

In later seasons, it is revealed that he is a member of an unnamed group known as the Syndicate, a shadowy organization within the United States government. The episode "Two Fathers" reveals his birthname or alias as C.G.B. Spender, and that he was formerly married to Cassandra Spender, with whom he had a son, Jeffrey Spender. He recruits FBI Special Agent Diana Fowley to be a subordinate of his because she has a close relationship with Mulder. In "One Son", Jeffrey finds out that his father, the Smoking Man, forced his mother Cassandra to undergo medical treatments that led to several nervous breakdowns during his childhood years. When the Smoking Man finds out, he seemingly kills Jeffrey. Knowing of the colonization plan, the Alien rebels return to Earth to try to persuade the Syndicate to join their side against their war with the Colonists. Not believing in the strength of the Alien rebels, the Syndicate members meet at El Rico Air Base to be transported to a spaceship to survive the colonization. But the rebels appear instead of the Colonists and kill all remaining chief members of the Syndicate. Together with Fowley, he escapes the destruction of the Syndicate. Later in the sixth season, there is more evidence that suggested that the Smoking Man is Mulder's biological father. Eventually in "The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati", Fowley comes in disagreement with him. Because of his plans to kill Mulder, Fowley helps Scully in her investigation to locate Mulder, which leads to her death. After the destruction of the Syndicate, the Smoking Man started to operate as he wished. However, his cancer resurfaced, and he became wheelchair-bound. In the end, Alex Krycek and Marita Covarrubias betray him in the episode "Requiem", throwing him down a flight of stairs, where they presume him to be dead.

 

Until the ninth season episode "William", the Smoking Man is presumed dead until Spender reappears. It is learned that his attempted murder of his son failed, which led him to subject his son to terrible experiments. In the series finale, "The Truth", Mulder and Scully travel through remote New Mexico and reach a pueblo where a "wise man" reputedly lives. It is in fact the Smoking Man. He is shown to be in the same condition as when he disappeared, but has degenerated further. He lives a primitive life in hiding from the "New" Syndicate. He tells Mulder and Scully all he has left to reveal (including the fact that the aliens are scheduled to invade in 2012), and shortly after is finally killed by a missile shot from a helicopter ordered by Knowle Rohrer.

 

Characterization

 

Kim Manners, a director of several X-Files episodes, said that the Smoking Man was the show's version of "Darth Vader.[4] Some X-Files fans have categorized the Smoking Man as "evil", making him out to be the villain. Carter on the other hand, once called him "the devil", which was received mixedly by fans. Other fans, along with the portraying actor, see him as a "hero", as he is forced to make choices others do not.

 

On the surface, it may seem that the Smoking Man merely tries to hide information from Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, but there is much more to him. He is involved in the Syndicate, a shadow organization which includes members of the United States government that exists to hide from the public the fact that aliens are planning to colonize Earth. Smoking Man often ruthlessly protects the secrets of the conspiracy, and serves as the main antagonist to Mulder, who has an equally consuming devotion to reveal the truth in the first seven seasons. Although his actions can be described as monstrous for the most part, his stated justification is a desire to prevent the alien colonization for as long as possible, and he is at times shown working towards that goal, particularly in connection with developing a vaccine to protect people from the "black oil", a parasitic agent which the alien Colonists use to propagate themselves.

 

Development

 

"I tried to put myself in the character’s shoes and see the world from his point of view. After all, villains don’t think they are villains."

— William B. Davis talking about his character.

 

When first cast for the role, portraying actor William B. Davis thought a show about the paranormal wouldn't last for long. Before joining The X-Files cast, Davis had not smoked a cigarette in twenty years. For the first two episodes he appeared in, he smoked "real" cigarettes, but later changed to herbal cigarettes, giving the reason that it was "dangerous" for his health. In at least one early script draft from the "Pilot", a Special Agent named Lake Drazen is present at the meeting near the start of the episode, having chosen Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) for an assignment to evaluate the validity of Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) work on the X-Files. The scene was eventually deleted and replaced, many staff members hints to that Drazen became the Smoking Man.

 

Kim Manners said that it seemed all the prominent pieces created for The X-Files were created by "accident". According to Manners, Davis was nothing more than an extra leaning on a shelf. At the start, the producers of the show were not sure about making the Smoking Man the main antagonist. Paul Rabwin commented once that he didn't know if Davis could handle the role, because he was not sure if he was a "good enough" actor for the role. Manners later commented that Davis knew that the Smoking Man had two different characters, the first being the one played by Davis and the second was the cigarettes. He further stated that the cigarette smoke could tell a "whole story" by itself, thanks to Davis' talent.

 

Fans of the series were active in debating if the Smoking Man was actually dead after the events of the season five premiere "Redux". In his first response, Chris Carter said he had left clues in the episode, and he later officially announced that the character would appear in The X-Files movie. In one of his last comments on the matter, he said "Not that we haven't brought deceased characters back before, in flashbacks or more paranormal ways. The great thing about The X-Files is that anything can happen."

 

The Smoking Man is the only character in the series, in addition to Mulder and Scully, to appear in both the first episode, "pilot" and the last, "The Truth" of the series. Portraying actor William B. Davis was listed as CIA Agent in the first season episode "Young at Heart", instead of his usual character, the Smoking Man. Actor Chris Owens for a time portrayed the Smoking Man as a young man in flashbacks. He later plays his son, Jeffrey Spender. Young Cigarette Smoking Man was first played by Craig Warkentin, with Davis's voice dubbed over in "Apocrypha".

 

Reception

 

While not being nominated for any of his work alone on The X-Files, William B. Davis and several other cast members were nominated in the category "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" by the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1997, 1998 and 1999 but did not win. The character was regularly voted "The Nastiest Villain" on television polls during the 90s. TV Guide listed Cigarette Smoking Man 20th in their "25 Greatest TV Villains" list. According to the portraying actor, the character had garnered protest from "pro-smokers". Entertainment Weekly writer Jennifer Armstrong cited the character as an example of the old tradition of only having "bad guys" smoking on television.

 

Davis was included in Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Biggest Emmy Snubs, the list's author saying that the presence of the "Cigarette Smoking Man" was as important as "black oil, alien implants, and Scully's skepticism". The Malaysian newspaper the New Straits Times called the Smoking Man one of the most "intriguing" character of the show. However, Christianity Today said that the mystery behind the Smoking Man had evaporated by the late season episodes. Likewise, Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly felt that "the monotonous evil of Cancer Man" had "become actively annoying" in later seasons of the show, being that his lurking presence did not seem as mysterious anymore. Salon reviewer Jeff Stark felt the show was at its best when you "didn't exactly know the motivations of the Smoking Man".

 

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