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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 24, 2008 16:17:05 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 68-65. Here are the hints:
He is very protective of his sister, he is more than meets the eye, he likes to flip coins, and he doesn't say a word, at all.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 13:27:35 GMT -5
Countdown time. Here's 68: 68. J.J. Hunsecker Who is he: A newspaper columnist. What is he from: “Sweet Smell of Success.” What has he done: Has used his column ruin people’s reputations; manipulates Falco in order to ruin the relationship between his sister and another J.J. disapproves of. Intelligence: Very smart, well read, good with the written word. Power: Can make or break people with his column. Vileness: Is very cold and almost emotionless. Sway: Like I said, can make or break people with his column. Also, he is very manipulative, especially towards Sidney. Purity: Cares only for his sister. Physical Prowess: He looks pretty big and scary. Name Coolness: Falls under the Initial Default Syndrome (initials automatically make it cool). Created by: Ernest Lehman. Portrayed by: Burt Lancaster, though he wasn’t the original choice. That was Orson Welles. Director Alexander Mackendrick wanted to cast Hume Cronyn because he felt that Cronyn closely resembled Walter Winchell, the basis for the Hunsecker character in the novelette. Lehman makes the distinction in an interview that Winchell was the inspiration for the version of the character in the novelette, and that this differs from the character in the film version. United Artists wanted Burt Lancaster in the role because of his box office appeal and his successful pairing with Tony Curtis on “Trapeze.” Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) has been unable to get a mention in J.J. Hunsecker's (Lancaster) influential newspaper column because he has been unable to make good on his promise to break up the romance between Hunsecker's younger sister Susan (Susan Harrison) and Steve Dallas (Martin Milner), an up-and-coming jazz guitarist. Blacklisted, and desperate to return to Hunsecker's good graces, Falco decides to spread false rumors that Dallas is a dope-smoking Communist in a rival column. When even this plan fails, however, Hunsecker orders Falco to plant reefers on the musician and have him arrested and roughed up by Harry Kello (Emile Meyer), a corrupt police officer. That night Falco reports to Hunsecker's penthouse apartment, only to find Susan about to attempt suicide. He saves her, tearing her clothes in the process, just as her brother walks in, whereupon Hunsecker decides to destroy Falco's reputation by accusing him of raping Susan. In a climactic confrontation with Hunsecker, Falco reveals in front of Susan that her brother had told him to destroy Dallas' reputation. But in the last plot twist Susan reveals that she had already broken up with Dallas, and in the final scene walks out on her brother. J.J. Hunsecker is the most powerful of the New York columnists, whose items can make a career or break one. Sidney Falco is a press agent so marginal that his name isn't painted on his office door, but written on a sheet of paper and taped there. Falco supports himself largely by getting items into Hunsecker's column, and recently Hunsecker has frozen him out because Hunsecker asked Falco to break up a romance between Hunsecker's younger sister Susan and a jazz musician named Steve Dallas, and Falco has so far failed. Audiences at the time might have heard whispers that Walter Winchell, the basis for the Hunsecker character, did much the same thing, using his column to attack a man who wanted to marry his daughter, Walda. (Her name provides some measure of her father's ego.) From that, we get a character who is very protective of his sister and will callously ruin a man’s reputation simply because he doesn’t think he is right for his sister. Hunsecker is so cool that he’s turned cold. He is also quite the manipulator, and Falco is the one being manipulated. Although Falco is in exile as the story opens, Hunsecker cannot quite banish him from his sight, because he needs him. He can use him and the promise of becoming big to get Sidney to do what he wants. Hunsecker is the top dog, and he knows that he rules by keeping the bottom dog, Sidney, slinking around. There’s a scene where Falco sits down at Hunsecker's table; and J.J. senses he's there without even needing to look around. He holds up an unlit cigarette and in the movie's most famous line says, "Match me, Sidney." All of this is pitiless and cruel, and reflects Hunsecker's personal style. He is a man apparently without sexuality of his own, although he seems delicately tuned to the weathers of Falco's moods. Falco is a very pretty boy, but J.J. is wary. "I'd hate to take a bite out of you," he tells the publicist at one point. "You're a cookie full of arsenic." J.J. is also very creepy. There are certainly suppressed incestuous feelings in J.J.'s odd household, where his sister lives firmly under his thumb and the columnist grows hysterical when another man seems about to take her way. I mean, he is so obsessed with ruining Susan’s relationship that it seems like jealousy of another man making love to his sister. But, the one scene that sums up J.J.’s cold ruthlessness comes at the end, when Sidney saves Susan from committing suicide and J.J. finds them. He clothes are ripped, and, suspecting sex, J.J. decides to destroy Sidney’s reputation by accusing him of rape. However, J.J.’s jealousy and controlling ways with his sister end up causing him to lose her as she reveals that she had broken up with her boyfriend and walks out on him. But, I doubt J.J. would care, just contempt that the relationship he tried to ruin is over.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 14:42:44 GMT -5
67. Megatron Who is he: Leader of the Decepticons. What is he from: Transformers What has he done: Attacked the Autobots time after time, killed Optimus Prime. Intelligence: Artificial; strategic leader. Power: Like I said, he is the leader of the Decepticons. Vileness: His mottos are "Peace through tyranny!" and "Lesser creatures are the playthings of my will." Sway: Uses fear and intimidation to get his way. Purity: Cares only for power. Physical Prowess: He’s a robot. Name Coolness: “Megatron” is very cool. Created by: Hasbro and Takara (created the toys); Jim Shooter and Dennis O'Neil (backstory); Bob Budiansky (names) Portrayed by: Seizô Katô was the Japanese voice of Megatron. Frank Welker was the voice for the 1980s Transformers series (Generation 1); he is usually consider the most famous and popular voice of Megatron. He also did the voice on the animate prequel and video game to the live action Transformers movie. Hugo Weaving was Megatron’s voice for the live action film. David Kaye and Gary Chalk voiced Megatron in the Beast Wars series. Corey Burton portrays Megatron’s voice in the 2008 series. The 1980s series and movie: Megatron is a Decepticon, one of the lineal descendants of the military hardware robots created by the Quintessons on their factory world of Cybertron. Following a war between the Decepticons and the other robot race, the Autobots, the Decepticons were defeated by the Autobots' invention of transformation, which allowed them the advantage of stealth. The Autobot victory in the war began the Golden Age of Cybertron, but a viper lurked within this paradise, as the Decepticons too eventually developed transformation, leading to the creation of Megatron. Gathering a small number of troops together, Megatron made a small strike on an outer city, killing the current Autobot leader. However, this event was not made public knowledge, and young robots like the naive Orion Pax still looked up to Megatron and his followers because of their new robot-mode flight powers. Pax soon learned the error of his ways when Megatron duped him into allowing him access to energon warehouses, and Megatron fatally injured him in a scuffle. However, the ancient Autobot, Alpha Trion, reconstructed Pax into a battle hardy configuration — now, he was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and Megatron's sworn opponent as the civil war erupted again ("War Dawn"). Eventually, the war drained Cybertron of most of its energy, necessitating that both factions seek out new worlds and new sources of power. Megatron and his elite forces pursued the Autobots' craft (referred to as the Ark in Beast Wars, following the ship's name from the Generation 1 Marvel Comics) in their star cruiser (referred to as the Nemesis in Beast Wars) and attacked and boarded the craft, causing it to crash on prehistoric Earth, entombing all on the ship in emergency stasis as it crashed into a dormant volcano. In 1984 (again, cited from Transformers: Beast Wars; the year was also mentioned in the Marvel comic, and "Starscream's Brigade", a second-season episode of the original animated series, features a subtitle that places that episode in 1985), a volcanic eruption jarred the Ark's computer, Teletraan I, back to life, and it proceeded to repair the Autobots and Decepticons, re-igniting the war on the energy-rich world they found themselves upon: Earth. After their first series of battles, the Autobots believed Megatron and the Decepticons were destroyed when their new space cruiser crashed into the Pacific Ocean, but in reality they survived and reconstructed the cruiser to serve as a sub-oceanic staging base and bunker. Megatron re-established contact with Cybertron, and began construction of an intergalactic transport system called a Space Bridge, although the early tests nearly resulted in his destruction when he was sucked into the portal and teleported to Cybertron. The technology was eventually stabilized, however, and used in a grand scheme to transport Cybertron through space into Earth's orbit, where the natural disasters its gravity wreaked created tremendous energy which Megatron and the Decepticons harnessed. The planet Earth was saved, however, when Megatron's stockpiles of energy were detonated by the Autobots, the explosion forcing Cybertron out of orbit. Again, however, Megatron was able to cheat death, and was forced to team up with Optimus Prime in order to stop the machinations of his treacherous lieutenant, Starscream. In his next scheme in "Heavy Metal War", Megatron absorbed all the separate powers of the other Decepticons into himself, and challenged Optimus Prime to one-on-one combat. With the added abilities of all his minions, Megatron easily defeated Prime in the battle, but when his deception was revealed, he and his followers were defeated in a group attack. Over the following years, Megatron's schemes to obtain Earth's energies continued. His assorted plans included various attempts to harness the power of Earth's core, thefts of several unstable energy devices from human scientists, recovering the "Heart of Cybertron" power core from the derelict Nemesis, the draining of energy from a time-lost prehistoric island, forming a partnership with a corrupt human politician that allowed him to force the Autobots off Earth and briefly conquer Central City, co-opting Earth technologies, and reprogramming the robotic ninja Nightbird in "Enter the Nightbird". Fed up with the Autobots ruling the roads, Megatron ordered the creation of the Stunticons, four Decepticon cars and a truck. He even traveled to Cybertron and stole the key to Vector Sigma to give them full cybernetic personalities. Megatron used the Stunticons in many schemes, including sending the Stunticons to sabotage a race in the Middle East to obtain the power source to control weather. Megatron even made a number of temporary alliances with the Autobots - including stopping the Insecticons and his own mind controlled troops, stopping the Combaticons from destroying Cybertron and forcibly making Perceptor cure him of a plague of Cosmic Rust (although most of these alliances ended in double crosses). Eventually, however, Megatron turned his attention away from Earth, and succeeded in completely conquering Cybertron by the Earth year 2005 in Transformers: The Movie. Learning the Autobots were preparing a strike against the planet, Megatron and the Decepticons intercepted the shuttle sent to Earth to acquire energy to power the raid, and unleashed a mighty assault on Autobot City. In the course of the conflict, word was sent to Optimus Prime, who arrived the following morning after the slaughter and personally confronted Megatron in a final, violent fight. Megatron appeared beaten, but spying a discarded pistol, stalled for time by pleading for mercy as he attempted to reach it. The young Autobot Hot Rod then intervened, tackling Megatron, but the Decepticon leader was too powerful for him, seizing Hot Rod and using him as a shield. Prime would not shoot for fear of hitting Hot Rod. Taking advantage of Prime's sense of compassion, Megatron grabbed the pistol and opened fire on Prime. The wounds were fatal and led to Prime's death, but not before Prime delivered his own final blow to Megatron, who plummeted off of a cliff, almost fatally damaging him and forcing the Decepticons to flee. On the return trip to Cybertron, it became necessary to jettison excess mass, or else Astrotrain, the Decepticons' space transport, would be unable to reach the planet. At Starscream's instigation, the wounded Decepticons were voted out and set adrift in space -- including the severely damaged, yet still functional, Megatron. This was not to be the end for the deposed Decepticon leader, though, as the world-devourer Unicron offered him a new body and new troops in exchange for Megatron's cooperation in destroying the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Thus, Megatron is rebuilt under Unicron's power and is reformatted as Galvatron, while the rest of the wounded Deceptions were also recycled into Galvatron's new warriors. Megatron would later appear in flashbacks, during the season three episodes "Five Faces of Darkness" Part 4, and "The Return of Optimus Prime" Part 1. Although this would be the end of Megatron in the U.S. animated series, he would make several more appearances in the animated segments of various Transformers toy commercials, where it was depicted that he became an Action Master, and eventually a CGI sequence of him in his first Generation 2 form and Combat Hero forms. Megatron made a cameo in the pilot of the Transformers: Animated series on a historical video being viewed by Optimus Prime. This historical video was stock footage from the original animated series. Japanese Manga: In the Japanese exclusive manga stories accompanying Transformers: The Headmasters Megatron would make a number of appearances. On one occasion Galvatron used a massive army of Megatron clones to overwhelm the Autobots, only being defeated when Rodimus Prime destroyed Galvatron's control over them. Rodimus and Galvatron would also even team up to battle Guiltor, a hybrid of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. With his transformation into Galvatron, Megatron departed from the Japanese G1 continuity (which took a different direction after the end of series 3, opting to replace the events of The Rebirth with those of Headmasters), until five years later, in the manga-exclusive storyline, Battlestars: The Return of Convoy, which, although not animated itself (told instead through one chapter of manga and color magazine spreads), continues the tale of the cartoon Universe. In the previous Japanese-exclusive animated series, Transformers: The Headmasters, Galvatron had been apparently destroyed when he was buried on an iceberg. In the "Return of Convoy" storyline, a new evil force named Dark Nova recovers Galvatron's body, and restores him to life as Super Megatron (who transformed into a futuristic jet), pitting him against Star Convoy (the reborn Optimus Prime) and his Autobots. Super Megatron subsequently gets an upgrade to Ultra Megatron, and for the final battle, merges with Dark Nova himself, becoming Star Giant. In the Japanese Generation 2 manga, he was shown to have survived and, in a body resembling his "Hero" toy, once again opposed Optimus Prime. Beast Wars: The Predacon leader known as Megatron from the Beast Wars and Beast Machines animated series is a separate character from the original Generation 1 Megatron, and should not be confused with him. However, this was not the original intent for the character, as the original pack-in mini-comic and biographies released with the earliest Beast Wars toys indicate that the character was supposed to be the original Megatron, in yet another new body. With the advent of the animated series, however, the fiction of Beast Wars was re-imagined and eventually applied to the toy line, establishing this Megatron as an independent character. But that is not to say that the original Megatron did not play a role in his namesake's rise to power. At some undefined point during the Autobot-Decepticon war, the original Megatron acquired the Voyager probe's Golden Disk and inscribed a secret message onto it, intending for future generations of Decepticons to uncover it and follow its instructions should he fail, to use transwarp technology to travel back in time and kill Optimus Prime while he lay in stasis aboard the Ark, thus ending the great war early with the Decepticons the victors. Around three centuries after the eventual end of the "Great War," the Predacon that would become Megatron uncovered this message and quickly stole a Predacon transwarp cruiser called the Darksyde with the aid of a small like-minded army, heading to prehistoric Earth. This Predacon took the moniker "Megatron" in honor of the original Decepticon. Pursued by a crew of Maximals, both ships crashed on the planet, with only Megatron truly aware of when and where they were. Megatron, however, found himself unwilling to carry out the instructions of his ancestor, instead attempting to amass power through the huge reserves of energon and portions of mysterious alien technology that littered the planet. Systematic defeat by the Maximals eventually left all his options exhausted, and he proceeded to strike at Optimus Prime, only to be once again thwarted by his enemies. This would not be the last time G1 Megatron's influence would be felt. Observing how Primal boosted his own strength and form by holding the spark of Optimus Prime within his body, Beast Wars Megatron made the same move, purloining the spark of his ancestor and taking it into his own body, transforming as a result into a monstrous dragon. When he was finally defeated by the Maximals, the original Megatron's spark was returned to his body (in a deleted scene from the television series, that is available on the Season 3 DVD 2 in the "Scene Selection" menu), and history carried on as before. Marvel Comics: Megatron's beginnings are much simpler in the world of Marvel Comics: here, rising from his beginnings as a gladiator for the city-state of Tarn, Megatron and the Decepticons were the ones who developed transformation first, using it to begin the war against the Autobots, who fought back by mimicking the technology. Megatron is known to have competed with Sureshot and Optimus Prime in a sharpshooting competition some time in his past. In time, the war grew so fierce that Cybertron itself was shaken from its orbit, and set adrift in the cosmos. Eventually, four million years ago, the planet fell into the path of an asteroid cluster in the Sol system that threatened to destroy it, and so Optimus Prime led a contingent of his troops in the Ark to reduce the asteroids to rubble, saving Cybertron. The plan was a success, but immediately afterwards, Megatron and his troops attack, forcing Optimus Prime to crash the Ark into prehistoric Earth. Four million years later, in 1984, the Transformers were reawakened, and Megatron immediately set about trying to locate a source of fuel for the Decepticons. Unable to ingest common Earth gasoline, the Decepticons kidnapped Sparkplug Witwicky and forced him to develop a conversion process, but this only afforded him the chance to poison their fuel, deactivating them all. The Autobots were not saved, however, as Shockwave then defeated them all and brought the Decepticons back online to serve him, including Megatron. Chafing under his command, Megatron battled Shockwave, but was soundly defeated. This forced him into an alliance with Ratchet, who located and reactivated the Dinobots, who had defeated Shockwave in the past. However, Ratchet unleashed the Dinobots on Megatron after convincing him that the recordings of their previous battle with Shockwave were the real thing. Though Megatron knocked out the recently reactivated Dinobots, in a near suicidal move, Ratchet managed to knock Megatron off a cliff. As he fell, Megatron transformed and shrank to a human-sized pistol to reduce his mass and increase his chances of surviving the impact. Megatron disappeared in a snowbank for some time. Soon, however, Megatron re-emerged, trapped in pistol mode, his higher brain functions disconnected. Used as a weapon by wannabe gangster Joey Slick, Megatron eventually restored himself, and was impressed enough with Slick for standing up to him that he allowed him to live. At this point Megatron was desperately low on fuel, and attacked a coal mine in an attempt to locate some when he eventually completely ran out and froze in place. He was soon located by Soundwave and brought back online. They then entered into an alliance with the human Donny Finkleberg, who used the alias of "Robot Master" to con humankind into thinking all Transformers worked for him. After a communication from Lord Straxus on Cybertron, Shockwave and Megatron entered into a period of shared leadership; but when a two-pronged attack by the Autobots saw Megatron defeated by Omega Supreme and Shockwave allowing the Autobots to capture the secrets of Devastator, Megatron was able to spin the situation and reclaim his leadership. In order to attain possession of a new energy-generating device known as the hydrothermacline, Megatron battled Optimus Prime in a video game duel, using a cheat code to continue the fight after he had lost. Prime defeated him again, but at the expense of some of the game's characters, and ruled himself the loser because he would not have committed such an act in real life. As per agreement, Prime was destroyed, and Megatron's elation soon turned into paranoia as he had not killed Prime with his own hands and believed he may still be alive. Eventually descending into insanity, Megatron boarded the space bridge to Cybertron and detonated it with his fusion cannon, apparently killing himself. That would be all the U.S. comics saw of Megatron for quite some time, but their sister title in the UK, which produced its own material, interspliced with the U.S. stories, soon brought back the great slag-maker for more adventures. Prior to Megatron's seeming death, there had been a story in Marvel UK #99 which after being attacked by the Predacons had seen both him and Prime transported to Cybertron. There Prime was accused of being a Decepticon spy and hunted down by the Wreckers and Ultra Magnus thanks to misinformation spread by Megatron. However the disembodied local Decepticon leader, Lord Straxus, attempted to possess Megatron's body as his own had been mostly destroyed in a battle with Blaster. The attempt failed as Prime and Magnus defeated Megatron as the two minds warred for dominance. With the now insane Megatron threatening to destroy Polyhex with his antimatter powers, Ratbat teleported him back to Earth with amnesia in time for his U.S. "death" in issue #25. However, unbeknown to all, Straxus made another attempt with a specially-crafted clone of Megatron created from a regular trooper, which was transported to Earth soon after the real Megatron vanished. The clone believed itself to be the real thing, as did the comics' readers, thinking that the space bridge explosion had transported Megatron elsewhere on Earth, and after a battle with the mechanoid, Centurion, it was salvaged by Shockwave, who brainwashed the clone and unleashed it on Galvatron, a recreated future version of Megatron who had traveled back in time from the year 2006 and posed a threat to Shockwave's leadership. The clone Megatron, however, saw a possible partner in Galvatron, and the two teamed up to battle Autobots and Decepticons from both present and future in the apocalyptic "Time Wars". Subsequently, the clone returned to Cybertron, where it defeated the ruling Decepticon triumvirate, but was then confronted with the real Megatron: the Space bridge explosion had deposited him in the Dead End region of Cybertron, where he had wandered with no recollection of who he was, until he had saved a Decepticon from Autobots and regained his memories. The clone Megatron subsequently destroyed itself to prevent Straxus, buried inside its mind, from taking over. The stage was now set for Megatron's return in the U.S. comics, as he had his Micromaster Sports Car patrol capture the Autobot medic, Ratchet and forced him to recreate Starscream as a Pretender with his personality reprogrammed to serve Megatron without question. Ratchet did so, but also restored Grimlock, Jazz and Bumblebee as Pretenders in the same manner, as well as arranging for Starscream's old personality to resurface, thwarting Megatron's scheme. When Megatron then attempted to flee through a trans-time dimensional portal, Ratchet tackled him as his base then exploded around them, apparently killing them both. Soon after, however, Autobot detective Nightbeat discovered that the explosion had actually blown them through the portal, and he dispatched a probe to pull them back from the gaps between reality. However, when they rematerialized, it was revealed that the explosion had fused the two enemies together into a hideous, twisted mockery of a being which ran rampant through the Ark. The half that was Ratchet begged Optimus Prime to kill them, but Prime could not, ordering the Micromaster Fixit to separate their bodies. Unfortunately, Fixit could not separate their minds, as the two discovered when they were reactivated with Nucleon, sharing each other's thoughts, feelings, sensations and sights. When the Ark was stolen by Shockwave and Starscream (as well as a stowaway Galvatron from a parallel universe) in order to escape Cybertron's destruction both Megatron and Ratchet were reactivated. A confused and disorientated Megatron soon encountered Galvatron and the two attacked each other, Galvatron wanting to end the madness of Megatron buried within himself, while Megatron thought he was fighting Ratchet. The mental link with Ratchet nearly proved his undoing, Ratchet's return to consciousness and the horror of his previous bond froze Megatron and nearly allowed Galvatron to kill him. Galvatron stopped just in time; however, coming to the realization that killing Megatron could mean he was in effect killing himself. Shockwave then appeared and attempted to kill Megatron, but a hidden Galvatron stopped him and Galvatron and Megatron teamed up once again. Matters were soon taken out of their hands, though, as an eager and desperate Ratchet crashed the Ark on Earth to escape the cycle of death and insanity of being bonded to Megatron as well as stopping a renewed Megatron/Galvatron alliance. This supposedly killed everyone on board. Transformers: Generation 2: A few years later, the Transformers franchise was given a shot in the arm with the launch of the Generation 2 toy line and comic book series. To go along with his return to the toy line with a new M1A1 Abrams tank alternate mode, Megatron also returned in the comics despite his seeming demise. Although thought dead for a year or two, Megatron had actually survived the Ark crash, and had quietly worked to repair it, concealing it beneath the ground (Ratchet apparently died in the crash, as their shared mind does not come up in the story). Tracking a transforming signal, mistakenly believing it was another Transformer; Megatron came across the shape-shifting castle of the terrorist organization Cobra, and entered into a bargain with its leader Cobra Commander, offering him the technology of the Ark in exchange for the new weapons his organization was developing. Reconstructed into a new tank body with a powerful railgun, Megatron defeated a squad of Autobots sent to stop him, and then turned on Cobra, capturing the scientist who had developed his gun (Doctor Biggles-Jones) and escaping in the airborne Ark. Following a climactic battle with Fortress Maximus which saw the destruction of the Ark, Megatron then battled and killed Bludgeon, reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. He then stole the Matrix from Optimus Prime, using it to bring his newest warriors online only to have his faction bested by the forces of Jhiaxus and his second-generation Cybertronians. Megatron then entered into an alliance with the Autobots to defeat Starscream, who had seized control of the Decepticon ship Warworld through the power of the Matrix, stop Jhiaxus, and halt the spread of the Swarm. The tale ended with the Autobots and Decepticons uniting. The final page implies that Megatron is in fact a direct offspring of the Liege Maximo through the same replication process that created the Generation 2 Cybertronians of the story. Fun Publications: The Transformers Classics comics published in the Official Transformers Collectors Club magazine is set in the Marvel Comics continuity, but in a timeline where the events of Generation 2 did not occur. The story occurs fifteen years after Megatron was presumed dead in the crash of the Ark. Megatron survived, and eventually upgraded his body (based on his Classics toy) and gathered many other Decepticons to him. Soundwave helped him in recovering the body of Astrotrain, who was then used to help locate the placement of other fallen Decepticons around the globe. Those who joined Megatron included Laserbeak, Ramjet, Ravage, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream, and the Constructicons). Megatron also reactivated Thrust, Dirge and Thundercracker, but the three left him to join up with Bludgeon's troops - mostly because they couldn't work with Starscream, who had killed them once. Megatron's based his command from the wreck of the Ark in the Yukon, where he keeps the fallen body of Ratchet as a trophy and the severed, but living, head of Shockwave as an advisor. In Crossing Over, when Skyfall and Landquake were presumed killed in the midst of a bloody Mini-Con civil war and attack by Unicron (set concurrently with the events of Transformers: Cybertron), they were, in actuality, transported across universes, from the world of the Unicron Trilogy into the Marvel Comics timeline. Unclear what had happened, they then found themselves staring down the barrel of Megatron's cannon. The two were saved when a group of Robot Hunters in battle suits attacked Megatron. Megatron slaughtered them, only to be confronted by a team of Autobots led by Optimus Prime. Skyfall went with the Autobots, while Landquake was taken by Megatron. Back at the Ark Landquake was interrogated and swore loyalty to Megatron. Scrapper detected an unusual energon reading similar to that of Landquake and the Decepticons went to investigate, only to be confronted by the Autobots again. In Games of Decepticon Megatron detects the arrival of Bugbite's ship on Earth and sends Starscream, Skywarp and Ramjet to investigate. The Decepticons capture the Autobot spy Mirage. Returning to the Ark the Decepticons fall under the sway of Bugbite, who is using cerebro shells he stole from the Insecticon Bombshell. Megatron overcomes the shell and destroys Bugbite, as the Autobots under the command of Grimlock raid the Ark, destroying the computer and saving Mirage. Convention Comics: Megatron would also appear in several BotCon comic sagas, written principally by Simon Furman. His story Reaching the Omega Point indicates that the Autobot-Decepticon alliance established in the conclusion of the Generation 2 comics didn't last and that Megatron eventually became Galvatron. In a prelude story the Last Days of Optimus Prime, Prime, feeling that there is no longer a place for him within the new Cybertron, journeys to J'nwan, a quasi-mystical realm, and is greeted peacefully by Megatron. In the Beast Wars future in which the story takes place, the greatest Autobots and Decepticons have passed on to J'nwan, where they can finally live in peace. A Predacon called Sandstorm, one of the Covenant of Twelve created by Primus, journeyed to this realm in order to get them to help against Shokaract, an evil being created from a Predacon fusing with Unicron's essence, who was attacking the Beast Wars Transformers, including Optimus Primal, and ruled the universe in their future. They refuse, but later in the story a group of these Transformers including Megatron, Optimus Prime, Grimlock, and Soundwave distracted Shokaract long enough for Primus to deal the killing blow. Megatron also featured prominently in Alignment, Simon Furman's take on what happened after the Generation 2 comic. In this story Megatron was defeated for command of the Decepticons by Galvatron II (the U.S comics version) and left for dead. Galvatron then constructed a fleet of Warworlds and attacked the Autobots before being killed by Optimus Prime. The Decepticons then retreated to their base, a conquered replica of Cybertron, before being attacked by the Liege Maximo's troops. Unbeknown to all, Soundwave had retrieved his master's body and had it rebuilt and upgraded, finally resurrecting Megatron's Spark via Unicron-inspired dark science with his fellow conspirators Direwolf, Ramjet and Ravage. Megatron then killed the entire Decepticon High Council for their failure to lead, save for Shrapnel who pledged his allegiance once more. Megatron then made a sacrifice play, destroying the now evacuated planet and annihilating the Liege Maximo's fleet with it. Taking a fleet of scavenged Warworlds to face the Liege Maximo and thwart his plan to become a god, Megatron was finally destroyed for good when he unleashed a massive energon-fueled blast which actually hurt the Liege Maximo. In retaliation, the Maximo used his arm cannon to obliterate Megatron. However, his sacrifice was not in vain as this caused the Liege Maximo to flee too soon and be destroyed when his energy gateway collapsed, shredding him between the physical realm and the realm he wanted to ascend to. This sets up the Pax Cybertronia and the evolution of the Autobots and Decepticons into Maximals and Predacons. Whether this story is reconcilable with "Reaching the Omega Point", or whether it is even part of the Transformers canon is debatable. Other comic stories: In the course of its run, the UK comics produced several stories which do not fit into the continuity of the G1/G2 storyline, instead branching off in their own direction. For example, after the first disappearance of Ratchet and Megatron, a disparate continuity of storylines based around the "Earthforce," a team of Autobots based on Earth, began, which saw Megatron and Shockwave establishing a joint leadership of the Decepticons only to have command usurped by Starscream and Soundwave. Also, after the end of the Generation 1 comics, the final UK annual printed a text story entitled "Another Time and Place", which followed up on the events of the Ark crash and saw Bludgeon and his followers locate Megatron's body and revive it with Nucleon (reflecting the release of Megatron as an Action Master figure in 1990). The process only barely succeeded — Megatron was deranged and animalistic, and was ultimately defeated by Optimus Prime and Grimlock. This conflicts with the Generation 2 comic but does not conflict with the rewritten UK Generation 2 comic by Fleetway, in which Megatron simply attributes his new body to human scientists, with no further explanation to contradict the events of "Another Time and Place". This tale, somewhat concurrent with the Earthforce tales, has Optimus Prime arriving on Earth in response to a distress call from Grimlock. Bludgeon has attacked Earth in order to draw Prime into the open. The Decepticons, low on energon, are defeated. Megatron then arrives and battles Prime. He is attacked by both Autobots and Decepticons, holding them off until Starscream arrives to bail him out. After this point it switches to reprints of the U.S. material. The most notable difference between the two is that Bludgeon is not killed by Megatron, and Bludgeon and Prime actually meet (although Bludgeon would later be killed by Megatron in the U.S. reprints). Voice actor plays: Megatron appeared in the 2006 TransformersCon voice actor play. Voices in the play were performed by a variety of volunteers and the actual voice actors attending the convention. The play itself should be considered unofficial, but was notable because it featured several original voice actors reprising their Transformers rolls. In this voice actor play various Transformers from different timelines and realities were swept up in a repeat wave and transported along with Unicron to Earth. The Transformers included Generation 1 Tracks, Ariel, Cosmos and Megatron, Beast Wars Tarantulas, Robots in Disguise Sky-Byte and Beast Machines Tankor. Upon arrival, Ariel found herself enamored with Megatron for his ability to fly. Sky-Byte, ever loyal to Megatron, any Megatron, pledged himself to his new leader. Although Megatron initially attempted to ally himself with Unicron, Tracks and Cosmos, who were from a later timeline than Megatron, warned him of his fate in their future. Eventually the Transformers were able to learn that the death of Unicron in 2005 was what created the repeat wave. They defeated Unicron by tricking him into Transforming and using up his power, then using the Key to Vector Sigma program (which Tankor had brought with him) to tap into the power of Vector Sigma itself, and through it the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. With Unicron's energy severely drained the various Transformers faded back to their original timelines. Megatron, enraged at being bounced around the time stream, decided to take out his anger on Starscream. Books: The Decepticons try to learn about the Autobot's new device. Megatron was featured in the 1985 Transformers audio books Autobots' Lightning Strike, Laserbeak's Fury, Megatron's Fight for Power, Autobots Fight Back and Satellite of Doom. Dreamwave Productions: In the 21st Century reimagining of the Generation One Universe by Dreamwave Productions, Megatron was envisioned as an ancient gladiatorial combatant in the depths of Cybertron's underworld. As victory upon victory mounted, he began to realize that the games were nothing more than an elaborate attempt by the Cybertronian elders to hide the truth of Cybertron's history from the masses. When Megatron attempted to gain access to that knowledge through exploration and research, the Cybertronian elders attempted to have him assassinated, a plan that only resulted in stirring up even more discontent among Cybertronians which allowed Megatron to begin recruiting for the Decepticon movement. It is known that at one point Megatron attempted to recruit Grimlock as one of his inner circle, but the fellow gladiator refused the position, eventually joining the Autobots. Megatron's forces began a civil war of Autobot against Decepticon in order to mask his reactivation of the ancient planetary engines buried beneath Cybertron's surface, as part of this ultimate intent for the planet, it would be transformed into a massive war world that would cut a swath of destruction through the galaxy. All Megatron needed was a power source for the engines, which he believed could be found within the Matrix of Leadership. This plan initially failed, as during a conflict with Optimus Prime, Megatron's lieutenant Starscream activated the planet mechaforming process too soon, resulting in the destruction of the machinery. Approximately 7.4 million years ago, Megatron and Optimus Prime disappeared in an early test of the new unstable Spacebridge matter-transport system. Spending an undisclosed time on the planet Quintessa, Megatron returned with an overwhelming army of lifeless Seeker clones, quickly subjugating Cybertron. However, this story was never finished due to the closure of Dreamwave. Four million years ago, when Cybertron was threatened by a massive approaching asteroid, Optimus Prime led a contingent of Autobots aboard the Ark to blow the rock to fragments, which were transported away by an orbital Spacebridge network. When this task was completed, Megatron chose this moment to strike, attacking the Ark with his troops. Crippled, the craft flew through one of the Spacebridge portals, and was transported to prehistoric Earth, where it crashed, entombing the occupants in stasis for four million years. The Autobots and Decepticons were reactivated in 1984, but specific details of the battles were unrecorded, although what few flashbacks are seen of that time imply events similar to the animated series pilot "More Than Meets the Eye" parts 1-3 occurred. In 1999, an Autobot/human military alliance succeeded in capturing and deactivating the Decepticons. However, the Ark II, the spaceship carrying them back to Cybertron, exploded shortly after liftoff (sabotaged by rogue elements of the military, unwittingly being manipulated by Shockwave), and the Transformers were believed destroyed — but in actuality, they had been scattered back to Earth, where they lay in stasis-lock across the globe for three years. This slumber was brought to an end when Adam Rook, a rogue military scientist who had devised a method of controlling Transformers, salvaged many of the fallen Cybertronians and reprogrammed them as mass killing machines, which he then attempted to sell on the black market. Megatron was first to break free of Rook's control, overriding the new programming and capturing Rook during an auction. Megatron forced Rook to watch as he unleashed a technorganic virus designed to transform all of Earth into a new Cybertron. It also served to lure Optimus Prime and the Autobots, also now reactivated, to his location, where Megatron, tired of the war, continuously asked Prime to join him. After his first failed attempt, Megatron unleashed Devastator on San Francisco in a mass slaughter, in an attempt to show Prime that humans were not worth his protection. However, the selfless sacrifice of several firemen restored Prime's faith in humanity and allowed him and the Autobots to beat back Megatron. Several months later. Megatron was subliminally summoned to a remote area in Alaska along with the other earthbound Transformers. There they battled until Megatron's former second-in-command, Shockwave, arrived and revealed that in their absence, the war on Cybertron had ended, and attempted to arrest Megatron, Prime and their troops as war criminals. Megatron, weakened by battle, was quickly defeated by Shockwave and loaded aboard his shuttle for return to Cybertron, only to have Starscream seize the opportunity to be rid of his former leader by jettisoning him into space on the return trip. Megatron used the time floating in space in stasis lock to contemplate his existence and the Decepticon goal. Realizing that he had wasted millennia in his feud with Prime, Megatron resolved to once again conquer Cybertron as a means to enhancing the Transformer race and strengthening it from outside threats. It seemed as through he would not live to accomplish this goal, however, as death closed in on him but to his fortune, he was retrieved by the Junkion Wreck-Gar. The Junkion who took Megatron to the planet of Junk and repaired and re-armed him, only to be killed in return. Traveling to the Planet Beest, Megatron defeated the exiled Decepticon warlords, the Predacons, and rebuilt them into the mightiest of all combiners, Predaking, to serve as his ace in the hole in his quest to reclaim leadership of the Decepticons. Moving in stealth on Cybertron, Megatron defeated Shockwave, severing his gun arm and forcing him into servitude. He then returned to Earth to collect the remaining Decepticons under Starscream's command, and to teach Starscream a lesson long in coming. While it was alluded that Megatron had a grand goal in mind that also included the subjugation of the Quintessons, the remainder of the story has yet to be told due to the closure of Dreamwave. However, it has been stated by representatives of IDW Publishing, the current holders of the Transformer comic license, that once Dreamwave has exited bankruptcy court, they intend to finish the story. The Dreamwave version of Megatron would also appear in a trilogy of iBooks by David Cian set in the main Dreamwave G1 universe: Hardwired, Annihilation and Fusion. In the series, Megatron and Prime were abducted by the alien Keepers and forced to fight in gladiatorial battles. They began working together to return to Earth, where Megatron would predictably attempt to seize their power for himself by uniting with the Autobots to stop the Keepers in return for a favor, which turned out to be asking Optimus to make him the next Prime. While this trilogy is set in the same universe as the Dreamwave stories, whether they fit into the continuity is unclear.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 14:43:29 GMT -5
Transformers/G.I. Joe: Megatron would also appear in Dreamwave's Transformers/G.I. Joe limited series. Unlike many of the other Transformers (who were given World War II vehicle alternate modes) Megatron would keep his basic Walther P-38 handgun transformation, which was indeed a WWII German handgun. Forming an alliance with Cobra Commander due to their similar natures, Megatron nonetheless had a bitter personal rivalry with the tyrannical Cobra leader, resulting in Megatron killing several of his troops and Cobra Commander having to use the Matrix to keep him in line. Later, Megatron refused to help the Commander as Bruticus tried to crush him, and allowed the Baroness to use him in gun mode to shoot the helpless Cobra Leader. After battling Optimus Prime, he was deactivated when Snake-Eyes opened the Matrix, deactivating all the Transformers.
Devil's Due Publishing: In the G.I. Joe vs The Transformers comics printed by Devil's Due Publishing, Megatron was again among the Decepticons who crashed on in the Ark on Earth, but this time the Ark was discovered by the terrorist group Cobra, who reformatted the Autobots and Decepticons into weapons and vehicles for themselves called Battle Android Troopers controlled by the Televipers. Megatron was locked in gun mode, and kept by Cobra Commander as his personal sidearm, as it amused him to allow Megatron to speak and advise him. When Optimus Prime broke free of the controls Cobra had placed on him and attacked Cobra Commander, Megatron convinced his keeper to free him to fight Optimus. While Megatron did battle Optimus Prime, he also attempted to take over the Cobra installation and use it to manufacture Energon cubes to power the other Decepticons and eventually take over the Earth. Wounded by the Autobots and a malfunctioning orbiting weapons system, Megatron was eventually defeated and believed destroyed. In reality much of his body remained and the U.S. government studied his workings to advance their own projects in military super computers. Although Megatron was deactivated, his legacy would still come back to haunt the Autobots and G.I Joe. In the third volume of the series, it was revealed that the US Government had created the android Serpentor (or, as he is called here, Serpent O.R., standing for Organic Robot) using DNA from great historical war leaders and parts from Megatron. Freed by a raid by Cobra Commander, he then downloaded information on Cybertron and the Autobot Matrix of Leadership from the deactivated Soundwave and escaped to Cybertron via the Space bridge, uniting the various Decepticon factions. Serpentor managed to capture the group of G.I. Joes and Autobots pursuing him from Earth, killing Bumblebee in the process. It is explained that the program of Serpentor was overridden by the elements of the programming that were Megatron's (the scientists using Megatron's personality template upon which to base Serpentor's personality). Calling all the surviving Decepticons (including the Stunticons, Terrorcons, Triple Changers and Sixshot) together, Serpentor is at first mocked due to his size but convinces the Decepticons to rally against the Autobots using Megatron's memories. His attack comes during the Autobots' celebration of peace following the Decepticons defeat. The attack was successful and Serpentor succeeded where Megatron had failed, and captured Optimus Prime. But Serpentor's exposure to the Matrix, possession by Cobra Commander and subsequent destruction left Megatron's legacy unfulfilled. Optimus Prime notes that only Megatron was capable of launching such an effective and coordinated Decepticon attack. It is interesting to note that the Decepticons here venerate Megatron as an almost mythical heroic figure. Also, the information Serpentor downloads from Soundwave indicates that Megatron's pre-Earth form is similar to his Dreamwave universe War Within form. In addition, Serpentor refers to himself as Megatron's "son" at one point.
IDW Publishing: After Dreamwave's closure, the rights to the Transformers comics were taken over by IDW Publishing. IDW would take the opportunity to reboot the Transformers universe, including a revised origin for Megatron detailing how he came to power. Here, Megatron was originally a lowly energon miner. When the Autobot Senate decreed that he and his fellow workers were to be moved in favour of automated mining, a riot broke out and Megatron killed the head of the Senator's personal guard. Aided by Rumble and Frenzy, Megatron escaped and became a prominent figure in underground bloodsports in Kaon, which soon began making a vast amount of money through black-market recordings, with the once-reluctant Megatron becoming very good at killing. Under increasing attention from the security forces of Sentinel Prime, Megatron became sponsored with advanced weaponry by the corrupt Ratbat (looking to make a profit from black market sales of the bloodsports Megatron's team were winning), began a terror campaign, and attempted to forge the disaffected gladiators into an army. They were arrested by Sentinel Prime, but this was all part of Megatron's plan, as Starscream killed the Autobot Senate and Megatron personally killed Sentinel Prime in one-on-one combat. (The Transformers: Megatron Origin) Eventually full scale war broke out between the Autobots and Decepticons, devastating Cybertron in the process, leading to the disappearance of Shockwave and Thunderwing's pioneering of bio mechanical shells in an attempt to survive. Thunderwing's experiments, rejected by Megatron, turned him into a rampaging, mindless monster, forcing Megatron to form a desperate alliance with his enemy Optimus Prime in order to stop it. They succeeded, but only at the cost of the devastation of Cybertron, with Prime rejecting Megatron's suggestion to destroy the planet completely. After this the war spread further out into the galaxy, with Infiltration units from both sides battling over a world's resources, with the Decepticons eventually stripping it of all its natural resources. One such unit, led by Starscream, came to Earth and discovered an ultra powerful derivative of energon, dubbed "Ore-13" (planted by Shockwave in issue 1 of The Transformers: Spotlight). Starscream broke his unit's cover in order to protect their discovery, forcing Megatron to come to Earth personally (as seen in The Transformers: Infiltration). After ordering Razorclaw to deal with Thunderwing's reemergence in The Transformers: Stormbringer, Megatron traveled to the Decepticon base and defeated the superpowered Starscream in a duel, blasting him almost in half. (The Transformers: Infiltration) Personally assuming command of the traitorous Earth unit after this, Megatron became intrigued by the possibilities presented by Ore-13 and steps up the Decepticon infiltration efforts, causing tensions to rise via military striles and use of facsimiles (as seen in The Transformers: Escalation), with Megatron assuming his Earthen pistol mode at this point. During one such attack in the Russian breakaway state of Brasnya, Megatron was confronted by a countermission led by Optimus Prime. Enhanced by Ore-13 he nearly beat Prime to death in single combat. Prime survived by transferring his consciousness to his trailer, and defeated Megatron by causing the Ore-13 in his body to burn itself out, forcing the Decepticons to retreat. Enraged at his defeat, he calls in Sixshot to begin the annihilation of the planet early. This had large-scale repercussions: the Reapers, an intergalactic band of war machines dedicated to ending war forever, followed Sixshot and attacked the Decepticons. In addition to this, Megatron was then confronted by the other Decepticons' reaction to his calling in Sixshot: a repaired Starscream. The Decepticons defeated the Reapers, and Megatron and Starscream formed an uneasy truce as the humans located their base. In the IDW continuity, Megatron retains his role as supreme commander of the Decepticon army, although in this continuity, they are no longer based on Cybertron (which was rendered uninhabitable by Thunderwing) and are fighting to conquer multiple worlds simultaneously. In fact, he barely seems to care about Cybertron and was willing to order its total destruction to stop the reanimated Thunderwing. Having now ingested Ore-13, Megatron is able to easily manage mass-displacement and thus turn into an Earth handgun (in Escalation #2), and the newfound power appears to have affected his actions- he personally went on the Brasnya mission and is confident enough to transform & battle Optimus in front of human witnesses, actions that Optimus finds out of character. His instability is also what leads the other Decepticons to awaken Starscream to stand up to him in Devastation.
IDW Publishing: In issue #1 of the Transformers: Movie Prequel comic, set before the events of the film, Megatron is revealed to have co-ruled Cybertron together with Optimus Prime, serving as Lord High Protector. He soon desired power over the Allspark, and thus life itself. To this end, he gathered an army of like-minded separatists: the Decepticons. The Autobots attempted to hide the Allspark in Tyger Pax, but Megatron saw through the ruse and launched a full scale attack. A squad led by Bumblebee offered valiant resistance, but in the end, they fell and were captured. Megatron's forces tortured them, with Megatron eventually intervening personally. However, Bumblebee had refused to talk just long enough for Prime's plan to go ahead; the Allspark was launched into space. Megatron prepared to pursue in his jet mode, but was stopped by Bumblebee, who delayed him as the Allspark vanished beyond his reach. An irate Megatron then crushed Bumblebee's vocal circuits beyond repair, and promising that the Allspark would be his, pursued it into space. Megatron had almost caught up with the Allspark as it landed on a planet 10,000 years ago: Earth. In his reckless desire to possess it, Megatron pursues it right into Earth's atmosphere, losing contact with it in the process. His body is red-hot from atmosphere re-entry as he lands on the Arctic ice sheets; his body mass and temperature causes the ice, a substance he was unfamiliar with since Cybertron has no water, to give way beneath, sending him into the ocean waters. The rapid temperature change and low energon supply forces Megatron into stasis lock and he becomes frozen in ice beneath the surface. At the turn of the 20th century, Captain Archibald Witwicky discovers the Decepticon during an Arctic expedition. A crew of men later take his body, dubbing him the "Ice-man" (officially referring to him as N.B.E.-1 - Non-Biological Extraterrestrial), and keep him in storage up until the present day, eventually relocating him to Nevada. This incarnation of Megatron has a near obsession with the Allspark, and is able to sense it even from afar. He cares little about Cybertron or his minions, as long as they allow him to achieve his goal of conquering the universe.
Titan Magazines: In Titan Magazines' UK Transformers magazine, the UK-originated strips (written by Simon Furman) revealed Megatron's actions between issues #1 and 2 of the IDW comic. Pursuing the Allspark into space following the events of Movie Prequel #1, Megatron was delayed in his pursuit by a tractor beam from Cybertron. Breaking free and attacking the culprits, Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide, Megatron realized that if he engaged them, he would be delayed further. Summoning Devastator to deal with them, he resumed his pursuit - but the desperate gamble had worked and he (temporarily) lost the Allspark's trail. The character profile the magazine provided shed a little more light on Megatron's desire to possess the Allspark. He believed that while Cybertronians could already transform into other forms via a scanning process, the Allspark could allow Transformers to simply imagine the form they wanted and change accordingly. Interfacing with the Allspark directly, Megatron gained his deadly jet mode. and now began his plans to obtain it permanently.
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday: Megatron appeared in the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, where it was revealed that reverse engineering of his body had produced a spacecraft called "Ghost-1", which was sent into space in 1969, where they encountered the Autobots and Decepticons. It was also revealed that the humans keep Megatron in stasis by maintaining his body at a very low temperature: any higher and he begins to reanimate. In 1969, Megatron (here referred to throughout as the "Ice Man") was moved from the Arctic to Southern Nevada for ease of study. However, the convoy was sabotaged by KGB operatives hoping to capture Megatron's body. The cooling conditions that allowed Megatron's stasis lock were damaged in the ensuing crash, and he began to reanimate. Regaining consciousness in the middle of a pitched battle between the Americans and Russians, Megatron was once again put offline by the sacrifices of Colonel Kinnear, the convoy commander, and Colonel Nolan, who managed to knock Megatron down first with a snow truck and then with explosives, and then refroze him with liquid Nitrogen even as Megatron killed them.
2007 Live Action Movie: Before the events of the film, Megatron had been the first Transformer to discover that the Allspark was located on Earth, and he attempted to claim it somewhere between approximately 100 to 10,000 years prior (The film is deliberately vague on this issue). However, as he entered Earth's atmosphere, he passed over Earth's magnetic pole, causing his navigation system to malfunction. Subsequently he crashed into a polar ice cap; the heat caused by his entry caused the ice to melt and refreeze around him, leaving Megatron frozen in the Arctic. In 1897, more than a hundred years before the arrival of the other Transformers, he was discovered by an explorer named Archibald Witwicky, who accidentally activated Megatron's navigation system and caused the coordinates of the Allspark to be etched onto the explorer's glasses. Megatron remained imprisoned in the ice, but he was discovered by the U.S. government around the 1930's and kept frozen beneath the Hoover Dam for decades, monitored by a clandestine agency known as Sector 7, created entirely off the books by President Hoover. It is stated that all modern technology, such as microchips, motor vehicles and lasers, were reverse engineered from him. Later, Megatron's second-in command, Starscream, attacks the base after Frenzy deactivates the system imprisoning Megatron, releasing him from his government captivity beneath the Hoover Dam. Fully awakened, Megatron then proceeds to kill many Sector 7 agents, and immediately after leaves in search for the Allspark, attacking the Autobots in Mission City and killing the Autobot Jazz in the process. When Optimus arrives on the scene from his battle with Bonecrusher, Megatron throws away Jazz's dead body and attacks him in jet mode, snagging his enemy as he flies past and barreling through an office building, before exchanging cannon-fire on the street. After temporarily knocking out Optimus, Megatron then pursues Sam into an abandoned building, smashing upward through the floors until he corners Sam on the rooftop. He offers to let Sam live as his "pet" in exchange for the Allspark, but Sam refuses and Megatron sends him falling from the rooftop in response. However, Sam is saved by Prime, who is dragged down onto the street by a pursuing Megatron. The film culminates in a street-fight between Megatron and Optimus Prime, where the two leaders exchange mighty blows, damaging each other seriously. Just as Optimus is on the verge of defeat, Megatron is severely injured by a barrage of missile fire from a squadron of F-22 Raptors (one of which could have been Starscream) and ground infantry fire. Ultimately, the Decepticon leader is supposedly killed when Sam rams the Allspark into his chest, overloading his Spark and melting the interior of his chest, along with his hands when he clutches at his chest (which by Optimus Prime's admission is not necessarily, although probably, fatal). His remains are later disposed off into the Laurentian Abyss by the U.S. Armed Forces, along with the other dead Decepticons. Although the Allspark is destroyed, Prime recovers a small remaining fragment from Megatron's chest. Megatron's disgust for the human race and Earth is constantly shown, as he says "Humans don't deserve to live!" and also mocks Prime, saying "You still fight for the weak, that is why you lose!". Director Michael Bay stated that this, along with Megatron's arrogance, is the reason that Megatron keeps his protoform (Cybertronian form) mode and does not scan for an alternate "Earth-mode" (like almost all other Transformers in the film) to hide amongst the humans. During his climatic battle with Prime, Megatron even takes time during the battle to flick away a human as if the man were a bug, at the same time remarking, "Disgusting." (Interestingly, the Director's Commentary on the DVD release reveals that this human was director Michael Bay himself.)
2008 Animated Series: Megatron spent 4 million solar cycles in search of the Allspark. But though he found it, Megatron was betrayed at the beginning of the series by Starscream. Though he survived the explosion that cripples the Autobots craft, Megatron's right arm was severed by the Autobot Prowl before the rest of him was forced out the ship as it entered Earth's orbit. While the craft crashed in Lake Erie, Megatron's lifeless body crashed nearby while his disembodied head was found by a young Isaac Sumdac, who used the technology it was composed of as a keystone of Sumdac Tower's various creations decades later with Megatron's head and right hand within the Tower itself until Sari's key accidentally reactivated Megatron, whose link showed him that the Autobots are on Earth with the Allspark and that Starscream was to blame for his current condition. Being hooked up to Sumdac's mainframe, Megatron could control any non-Cybertronian machine as a result, controlling virtually any non-transformer robot on Earth and the automated plants that construct them, intent to recreate his body by giving Sumdac the means to accomplish it while keeping the human in the dark of his true nature. These attempts resulted in the creation of the Dinobots, originally meant to be prototypes for combat drones until they became aware, and secretly providing the acceleration suit to Nino Sexton to have him get a canister of volatile Destronium, a rare metal on Earth that is common on Cybertron, to rebuild his body. When Lugnut & Blitzwing come to Earth, Megatron was able to communicate with Lugnut over radio waves so that the two can find them. But the Autobots defeating them proved a hindrance. It is revealed that, as he fell from the Autobot's ship, Megatron contracted "space barnacles" which, in the present day, took over the remnants of his body, changing it into a monstrous, half organic creature that assimilated some construction vehicles into its body. After Bumblebee, Prowl and Sari managed to exterminate the barnacles which they thought they were the energy signature that detected in the area, Megatron's lifeless body was recovered by Professor Sumdac much later while tracking the same signature. Removing the construction vehicles from the exoskeleton, Sumdac managed to repair the body until Lugnut and Blitzwing arrive with Sari's Key, which provided Megatron all the power he needed to complete his revival. Once revived, Megatron takes out Starscream, unknowingly playing a part in the traitor's apparent immortality. Gathering his Decepticons and attacking the Autobots' ship, Megatron seemed to have achieved victory as he captured the AllSpark and added its power to his own. However, Optimus Prime used Sari's key to disperse the AllSpark, forcing a damaged Megatron to retreat, taking Professor Sumdac as his captive. Once repaired, Megatron uses the carbon mine his body was hidden in as his base of operations as it's an ideal area for evading Autobot detection. Looking at the factors that led to his defeat, he considers creating his own Space Bridge to Cybertron and forcing Sumdac to build it. Later, when one of the robots working with him malfunction, Megatron discovers that the Allspark has been shattered and placed in different forms of machinery. After having the professor develop energy dampening devices to shield their energy signatures, Megatron sends his cronies to steal the Elite Guard's tachyon transmitter in order to contact his Decepticon legions to divert all Autobot forces away from Cybertron, contacting his double agent to ensure the Autobots leave Cybertron defenseless once the Decepticons' Space Bridge is completed.
Megatron. The name alone sounds reason enough to put him on this list. It sounds cold and evil. Hell, Hasbro didn’t want to use the name “Megatron,” saying it sounded too dangerous, like an atomic bomb. However, Bob Budiansky, who was hired to come up with the names for the characters in the toy line, responded that as the lead villain, that was the whole point. Hasbro saw his reasoning, and approved the name. But, there are other reasons for Megatron being on the list. He is very powerful and utterly ruthless. Some see Megatron as a strategic leader who calls the shots from afar, whilst others see him as a tactical battlefield commander who leads by brutal example. Unlike many other villains in popular fiction, Megatron was not generally depicted as overly chaotic or insane. He was highly aggressive and a megalomaniac, but there was usually a consistent rationale behind his actions, albeit that Megatron was often the only one who could perceive this. Some versions of Megatron, most notably the 2007 movie, have been portrayed as caring little for humans and even the Decepticons who serve him, only caring for becoming the ultimate power in the universe. But, he has shown some good qualities. There have been some sparing occasions where Megatron displays a personal sense of fair play and even honor, a complexity that is most evident in his complicated relationship with Optimus Prime. There is an unspoken mutual respect between the two leaders, born of each knowing the other better than anyone else. Megatron at times seems to derive enjoyment from the perpetual conflict that exists between them: the pleasure of ending the life of Optimus Prime will be Megatron's and Megatron's alone, and to ensure this, he has aided Prime in the face of greater threats, such as the Combaticons or Jhiaxus's second generation Cybertronians. In instances such as these, the two have come to face the fact that were it not for their diametrically opposed ideology and views, in another life, the two could be comrades, a fact that Optimus Prime views as a tragedy, but which provides Megatron with amusement. Another interesting facet of Megatron is what he transforms into. He originally transformed into a Walther P38, a gun created by the Nazis, a group that have become a universal image for evil. After Generation 1, Megatron is usually a weapon of destruction, like a tank or an alien jet. In the end, Megatron is just a cold and ruthless robot who would love to see the Autobots destroyed and Optimus Prime dead by his hands, which did happen in the 1986 Transformers movie.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 15:31:41 GMT -5
66. Two-Face Who is he: Former district attorney turned criminal. What is he from: DC, most notably the Batman comics. What has he done: Has killed people because his coin landed on tails. Intelligence: Has a law degree, which he has used to become a highly-intelligent crime boss Power: Usually has several henchmen who obey his orders. Vileness: Has terrorized Gotham, and you don’t want to be on the losing side of one of his coin tosses. Sway: Two-Face loves to talk, probably a side effect of his former occupation, which can also be useful in getting what he wants. Purity: The criminal half of his personality appears to be often in control, yet the law-abiding Harvey Dent still existed, bound by chance and his lucky coin. Physical Prowess: He could handle a gun and throw a punch; half of him looks okay, but the other half is scarred and disfigured. Quite terrifying. Name Coolness: “Two-Face” is pretty cool. Created by: Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Portrayed by: Billy Dee William played “Harvey Dent” in the 1989 “Batman” movie and was guaranteed to play Two-Face in one of the sequels. However, Tim Burton left the franchise; and Joel Schumacher took over. Williams decided not to star in “Batman Forever,” and the role of “Two-Face” went to Tommy Lee Jones. In Batman: The Animated Series, Richard Moll was the voice of “Harvey Dent/Two-Face.” In the upcoming sequel to “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” Aaron Eckhart will play “Harvey Dent/Two-Face.” Comics: When he first appears in Detective Comics #66, the character's name is Harvey Kent, but in later stories, his name was changed to Harvey Dent to prevent confusion with Clark Kent. At 26, he is the youngest district attorney ever to serve Gotham City, and is nicknamed "Apollo" for his good looks. He is elected about six months before Batman begins his war on crime, as depicted in the events of Batman: Year One. His campaign against crime ends tragically during the prosecution of crime boss Sal "Boss" Maroni for murder. At a climactic moment in the trial, Dent produces Maroni's good luck charm, a two-headed coin he was well-known for carrying, which had been found at the murder scene with Maroni's fresh fingerprints upon it. Enraged, Maroni throws sulfuric acid in Dent's face, horribly scarring and discoloring his left hand and the left half of his face while leaving the other half undamaged; in some versions of the story, Dent is only saved from a face-full of acid by Batman's quick but, regrettably, only partial deflection of Maroni's hand. Tormented by his hideous reflection, Dent scars one side of Maroni's coin and lets tosses of the coin decide whether he acts for good or evil in any situation. The comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween elaborates on these events, with some changes. In it, Dent, Captain (later Commissioner) James Gordon, and Batman forge an alliance to rid Gotham of crime. Mafia chieftain Sal "The Boss" Maroni is still the criminal who disfigures Dent with help from the corrupt Assistant District Attorney Vernon Field, who provides him with the acid (concealed in an antacid bottle). Dent gets his trademark coin from his abusive father, who is referred to as being in some form of mental institution (his relationship with his father was earlier introduced in Batman Annual #14). Gilda Dent, who had been Dent's fiancée back in Detective Comics #66 and 68 (1942), is instead his wife in The Long Halloween (1998). Dent escapes from the hospital and hides out in the sewers for weeks, finally resurfacing as Two-Face to take revenge on the mob, killing Vernon Field and mob boss Carmine Falcone (Maroni has already been assassinated by this point by Falcone's son Alberto). By the end, Two-Face is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. The character only made three appearances in the 1940s, and appeared twice in the 1950s (not counting the impostors mentioned below). By this time, he was dropped in favor of more "kid friendly" villains, though he did appear in a 1968 issue (World's Finest Comics #173), in which Batman declared him to be the criminal he most fears. In 1971, writer Dennis O'Neil brought Two-Face back, and it was then that he became one of Batman's arch-enemies. In the wake of Frank Miller's 1987 revision of Batman's origin (Batman: Year One), Andrew Helfer rewrote Two-Face's history to match. This origin, presented in Batman Annual #14, served to emphasize Dent's status as a tragic character, with a back story that included an abusive, alcoholic father, and early struggles with bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. It was also established, in Batman: Year One, that pre-accident Dent was a major heroic figure working as one of Batman's earliest allies. Dent had clear ties to both Batman and Commissioner Gordon, making him an unsettling and personal foe for both men. During the same period, Two-Face is revealed to have murdered Jason Todd's father, who had been one of his henchmen. Todd later has Two-Face at his mercy and chooses not to kill him, embracing Batman's ideal of justice. This storyline is later mirrored in the animated series of the late 1990s with Tim Drake substituting for Jason Todd. During the Batman daily comic strips published from 1989 to 1991, his origin is slightly altered. In this version, Harvey Dent is scarred by a vial of acid thrown by an unnamed bystander, who intended it for the Joker. In 1989, writer Grant Morrison portrayed Dent's dependence on his coin in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. The doctors in the asylum attempt to wean him off his evil personality by taking away his coin and replacing it with a die and eventually a tarot deck, effectively giving him 78 options. The treatment fails, however; with so many options, Dent can't even make simple decisions. At the end of the graphic novel, Batman gives Dent his coin back, telling him to use it to decide whether to kill him. He tells Batman that the coin landed scar face down, and Batman leaves safely, but the next scene shows the scar face up, meaning that he miraculously chose to let Batman live. In the hardcover edition, Morrison said this was because it was April Fool's Day. Throughout the history of the Batman franchise, attempts have been made to repair his facial scars but they have not yet cured his insanity; he simply destroys the one side of his face and becomes Two-Face once again. In Frank Miller's revival of Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Bruce Wayne himself funds Harvey's rehabilitation, however, Harvey soon returns to crime and Batman must once again stop him from destroying Gotham. During the aftermath of the earthquake that leaves Gotham City in shambles, Two-Face carves out a sizable portion of the ruined city for himself. He takes up residence in Gotham City Hall, maintaining a relatively sophisticated lifestyle. His empire is eventually brought down by Bane, who, in the employ of Lex Luthor, devastates Two-Face's gang during his destruction of the city's Hall of Records. Two-Face kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and puts him on trial for his activities after Gotham City was declared a No Man's Land, with Two-Face as both judge and prosecutor. Gordon plays upon Two-Face's split psyche to demand Harvey Dent as his defense attorney. Dent cross-examined Two-Face and wins an acquittal for Gordon, determining that Two-Face has effectively blackmailed Gordon by implying that he had committed murders to aid the Commissioner. During No Man's Land, Two-Face meets detective Renee Montoya. Montoya reaches the Dent persona in Two-Face, and is kind to him. He falls in love with her, though the romance is one-sided. Later, in the Gotham Central series, he outs her as a lesbian and frames her for murder, hoping that if he takes everything from her, she will be left with no choice but to be with him. She is furious, and the two fight for control of his gun until Batman intervenes, putting Two-Face back in Arkham. In the Two-Face one-shot book, Two-Face leads a crusade against Gotham City, culminating in the capturing of his own father to humiliate and kill on live television for the years of abuse he suffered. This story revealed that, despite his apparent hatred for his father, Dent still supported him, paying for an expensive home rather than allowing him to live in a slum. At the end of the book, Dent and Two-Face argue in thought, Two-Face calling Dent "spineless." Dent proves Two-Face wrong, however, choosing to jump off a building and end his life just to put a stop to his alter ego's crime spree. Two-Face is surprised when the coin flip comes up scarred, but abides by the decision and jumps. Batman catches Dent, but the shock of the fall seems to (at least temporarily) destroy the Two-Face side of his psyche. In Two-Face Strikes Twice, Two-Face is at odds with his ex-wife Gilda, as he believes their marriage failed because he was unable to give her children. She later marries Paul Janus, a reference to the Roman god of doors who had two faces, one facing forward, the other backward. Two-Face attempts to frame Janus as a criminal by kidnapping him and replacing him with a stand-in, whom Two-Face "disfigures" with makeup to make it look as if Janus has gone insane just as Two-Face had. Two-Face is eventually caught by Batman and sent away, and Gilda and Janus reunite. Years later, Gilda gives birth to twins, prompting Two-Face to escape once more and take the twins hostage, as he had erroneously believes them to be conceived by Janus using an experimental fertility drug. The end of the book reveals a surprise twist; Batman learns from Gilda that Janus is not the father of Gilda's twins - Dent is. Some of his sperm had been frozen after a death threat had been made against him, and she used some of it to get pregnant. Batman uses this information to convince Dent to free the twins and turn himself in. In the storyline Batman: Hush, Dent's face is repaired once more via plastic surgery. This time around, only the Harvey Dent persona exists. However, he takes the law into his own hands twice: once by using his ability to manipulate the legal system to free the Joker, and then again by shooting the serial killer Hush. He manipulates the courts into setting him free, as Gotham's prosecutors wouldn't attempt to charge him without a body. In the Batman story arc Face the Face, that started in Detective Comics #817, and was part of DC's One Year Later storyline, it is revealed that, at Batman's request and with his training, Dent becomes a vigilante protector of Gotham City in most of Batman's absence of nearly a year. He is reluctant to take the job, but Batman assures him doing good would serve as atonement for his past crimes. After a month of training, they fight Firebug and Mr. Freeze, before Batman leaves for a year. Soon, Dent finds himself enjoying his new role, but his methods are seemingly more extreme and less refined than Batman's. Upon Batman's return, Dent begins to feel unnecessary and unappreciated, which prompted the return of the "Two-Face" persona (seen and heard by Dent through hallucinations). In Face the Face, his frustration are compounded by a series of mysterious killings that seem to have been committed by Two-Face; the villains KGBeast, Magpie, The Ventriloquist, and Orca are all shot twice in the head with a double-barreled pistol, implying that Dent was the perpetrator. When Batman confronts Dent about these deaths, asking Dent to confirm that he was not responsible, Dent refuses to give a definite answer. He then detonates a bomb in his apartment and leaves Batman dazed as he flees. Despite escaping the explosion physically unscathed to a motel, Dent suffers a crisis of conscience and a mental battle with his "Two-Face" personality. Although evidence is later uncovered by Batman that exonerates Harvey Dent for the murders, it is too late to do anything to save him. Prompted by resentment and a paranoid reaction to Batman's questioning, Dent scars half his face with nitric acid and a scalpel, becoming Two-Face once again. Blaming Batman for his return (despite Batman's having consistently defended him to the authorities), Two-Face immediately goes on a rampage, threatening to destroy the Gotham Zoo (having retained two of every animal - including two humans) before escaping to fight Batman another day. On the cover of Justice League of America #13 (Vol.2), Two-Face is shown as a member of the new Injustice League. He can be seen in Salvation Run. “Batman Forever”: The film opens with Batman (Val Kilmer) preparing for action. Two-Face, alter ego of former District Attorney Harvey Dent (Tommy Lee Jones), is holding a hostage in a bank vault. He connects the Bank vault by chain to a Helicopter, intending to fly it out of the bank. Batman arrives, rescuing the hostage and foiling the robbery by cutting the chain. Two face tries to escape but Batman hangs on to the chopper by the chain and is dragged through the City until he climbs slowly on top of the chopper. Two-Face aims at Batman but accidentally shoots the pilot and is forced to take his place at the wheel. Batman bashes his way into the cockpit, but not before Two Face aims to crash the chopper into the "Our Lady of Gotham" statue and locks the wheel. Two Face escapes using the only parachute on board, but Batman luckily manages to dive out of the cockpit and into the river in the nick of time. After having met clinical psychiatrist Doctor Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) at the robbery, Bruce Wayne invites her to a charity circus event. Two-Face and his cohorts storm the event, bringing a bomb with a two-minute timer. Two-Face, who blames Batman for the attack which left him disfigured, will detonate the bomb unless Batman reveals himself. Wayne attempts to reveal his alter ego to Two-Face, but is unheard over the screams of the audience. Meanwhile, the acrobatic family The Flying Graysons work to remove the bomb via an opening at the summit of the circus tent. The youngest member, Dick (Chris O'Donnell), goes ahead of his family and succeeds in pushing the bomb through the hole and out into the surrounding water. Upon his return, Dick discovers that Two-Face has killed his entire family and escaped. Wayne assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at his home, Wayne Manor. Dick declares his intention to avenge his family's deaths by killing Two-Face, and when he discovers Wayne's secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming the crime fighter's partner in order to achieve his goal. Wayne is reluctant at first, telling Dick that killing Two-Face won't make the pain go away, but Dick names his alter-ego "Robin" at the suggestion of butler Alfred (Michael Gough). Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), who has been stalking Wayne and leaving riddles for him, is inspired and delighted by watching Two-Face's raid at the circus on live television and creates his own alter-ego in the form of The Riddler, a master of puzzles and quizzes. He perfects his brain-manipulation device into a system which beams signals to and from the human brain in order to simulate an immersive television viewing experience. This has the side effect of allowing the Riddler to read viewers' minds, as well as augmenting his own intelligence. Making a deal to use his brain-manipulation device to discover Batman's true identity, he becomes partner-in-crime with Two-Face in order to fund mass-production of the device. Successful, he readopts his Nygma persona and hosts a launch event for a set-top version of his device. Nygma convinces an unwitting Wayne to try it, resulting in Nygma discovering Wayne's alter ego. Two-Face attempts to kill Wayne/Batman, but the appearance of Dick (disguised as Robin)at the end helps to foil the plan. Armed with the knowledge of Batman's true identity, the villains later converge upon Wayne Manor. Unwilling to have Two-Face kill his idol, Nygma (as the Riddler) blows up the Batcave and leaves a final riddle for his nemesis, while Two-Face kidnaps Doctor Meridian. Bruce and Alfred eventually solve the riddles, each one having a number in it: 1. "If you look at the numbers on my face, you won't find 13 anyplace." (a clock) 2. "Tear one off and scratch my head; what was once red is now black instead." (a match) 3. "The eight of us go forth, not back, to protect our king from a foe's attack." (chess pawns) 4. We're five items of an everyday sort; you'll find us all in 'a tennis court'." (vowels- in the words 'a tennis court') Each number corresponds to a letter in the alphabet, with 1 and 8 being digits for the number 18. 13 being "M", 18 for "R" and 5 for "E", M-R-E, or "Mr. E"- mystery, or enigma- Mr. E. Nygma). Changing into Batman, Bruce asks Alfred whether he should use the Batboat or the Batwing. Dick suggests both as he enters the Batcave- now dressed in a "Robin" costume of Alfred's design. Bruce decides two against two are better odds, and finally agrees to Dick becoming a partner. Batman and Robin locate the Riddler's lair. During the assault on the lair, Robin confronts and overpowers Two-Face, but instead of letting Two-Face fall to his death, Robin rescues him, but Two-Face draws a gun capturing Robin. Batman manages to find his own way up to the high-altitude lair, only to find Robin already hostage along with Doctor Chase, both bound and gagged in individual cages on either side of Riddler's throne. Riddler, challenging Batman with the greatest riddle of all ("Can Batman and Bruce Wayne actually co-exist?"), gives him the choice of rescuing only one of them, but Batman instead destroys the brainwave-collecting hub, sending Two-Face running for his life, and reversing the brainwave stream from Nygma's head. Before Nygma collapses, he springs the trap doors in Robin's and Doctor Meridian's cages, sending them plummeting to their apparent doom, but Batman rescues both of them, only to be drawn on again by Two-Face perched on a nearby plank. Batman reminds Two-Face that he's always of two minds about everything, so as Two-Face flips his coin in the air Batman pulls a handful of similar coins out of his pocket and tosses them into the air with it. Frantically trying to find his own coin, Two-Face loses his footing and falls to his death. “The Dark Knight”: It hasn’t come out yet, but in this movie Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City until a mysterious criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Through previews, it appears that the Joker will be responsible for Dent’s disfigurement and creation of Two-Face. In the film, Dent becomes a murderous vigilante — rather than an outright criminal — following his disfigurement, and director Christopher Nolan explained this was done to emphasize the differences and parallels between him and Batman. "[He] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely," Eckhart said about Two-Face. Batman: The Animated Series: Prior to his disfigurement, Harvey Dent is featured in two episodes. In "On Leather Wings", he plans to prosecute Batman if the police can apprehend him for crimes that are in fact being committed by the Man-Bat, and in "Pretty Poison", Poison Ivy woos her way into Dent's life as a possible fiancée in an attempt to kill him, as revenge for Dent's nearly killing off an endangered breed of flower by breaking ground on the construction site for Stonegate Penitentiary. In the later episode "Almost Got 'Im", he comments to her that both sides want to kill her in different ways. In the series, Harvey Dent suffers from deep-seated psychological trauma resulting from years of repressing anger. As a result, he develops an alternate personality, "Big Bad Harv", who is as evil as his outer appearance is noble. "Big Bad Harv" would sometimes come out in the form of violent bursts of anger. Eventually, Gotham City crime boss Rupert Thorne gets his hands on Dent's psychological records and threatens to blackmail him with it. During an encounter with Thorne in a chemical plant, Dent loses his temper, putting his "Big Bad Harv" personality in control. He then goes on a violent rampage, which eventually results in a massive explosion in the plant. Dent is horrifically scarred by the explosion, and the stress of the events leaves "Big Bad Harv" in largely permanent control of Dent's personality. Batman, who as Bruce Wayne is Dent's best friend, is tormented by having to apprehend him again and again, gradually losing hope that he could ever be cured. In the episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne", Two-Face unknowingly protects Batman's secret identity after Hugo Strange discovers it and attempts to auction it off to Gotham's top criminals: Two-Face, the Joker, and the Penguin. He says, "Ridiculous! I know Bruce Wayne! If he's Batman, I'm the King of England!" In the final episode of The New Batman Adventures, Dent's personality fragments a second time, creating a superego personality called "The Judge", a violent court-themed vigilante that attempts to crush the id that is Two-Face. Dent, looking to eradicate this new threat to him, has no idea that he himself is The Judge. While using this identity he attempts to eliminate Killer Croc, the Riddler and the Penguin. As in Batman Forever, this version of Two-Face is also directly connected to the origin of a Robin: Tim Drake, whose father was Two-Face's henchman. This combined the origin and personality of the Post-Crisis Jason Todd with the name of Tim Drake, Todd's comic book successor. Tim's father was trying to hide the binary components of a toxic chemical Two-Face planned on using to hold the city hostage. Suspecting that Drake knew where the chemicals were hidden, Two-Face scours the city looking for him. Fleeing for his life, Tim eventually crosses paths with Batman and helps him bring Two-Face to justice, paving the way for his transformation into Robin. In Batman Beyond, Two-Face appears in a training simulator used by Terry McGinnis, and again as a mannequin in the Batcave. In the beginning of the unedited version of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Bruce Wayne decapitates the Two-Face mannequin with a batarang. The final appearance of this version of Two-Face is a cameo in Justice League. In the episode A Better World, Part 2, an alternate reality Two-Face appears as the janitor of Arkham Asylum. He has been lobotomized by that world's Fascist Superman. Two-Face is one of the most interesting villains. He started out as Harvey Dent, Gotham City’s district attorney who fought to bring criminals in prison. However, he gets disfigured when Sal “Boss” Maroni throws acid in his face during a trial. The skin on the left side of his face is burnt off. Harvey Dent's disfigurement brings out his latent multiple personality disorder and transforms him into the villainous Two-Face. Obsessed with duality and opposites, Two-Face's trademark is crimes involving duality, his constant and obsessive use of the number two. Furthermore, his related obsession with opposites reveals itself in such "quirks" as wearing clothes with dramatically different materials on each side. Another of Two-Face's trademarks is that he does not always go through with his evil deeds; every time he contemplates committing a crime, he flips a two-headed coin, one side of which is scratched. If the coin comes up tails (the scratched-side), Two-Face commits the crime; if it comes up heads, he does not. He never questions the result of the toss, only obeys. Recent interpretations portray this compulsion as a struggle between Dent's evil "Two-Face" personality and his former, law-abiding self. He has a good moral side, and it is struggling to get out. However, it doesn’t; and Two-Face continues on with his criminal ways. He does have some compassion in him and will let people live or not commit a crime if his coin lands on heads. But, if it lands on tails, then nothing can stop Two-Face’s evil. He is a slave to the coin and will obey it no matter what. And, when it lands on tails, Two-Face is an evil son of a bitch that can only be stopped physical force.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 16:03:38 GMT -5
65. Kevin Who is he: A silent killer What is he from: Sin City (comics and movie) What has he done: Killed hookers and ate them. Intelligence: Knowledgeable in killing. Power: He is buddies with the most powerful man in Basin City, Cardinal Roarke. Vileness: Kills without mercy. Sway: Doesn’t speak, but he looks deceivingly safe, which can be used to lure people into a false sense of security. Purity: Cares for no one except Cardinal Roarke. Physical Prowess: Strong and good at hand-to-hand combat. Name Coolness: “Kevin” isn’t cool. Sorry people named “Kevin.” Created by: Frank Miller. Portrayed by: Elijah Wood, despite the fact that Kevin was a middle-aged man in the comics. In The Hard Goodbye, Kevin murders Goldie, one of Old Town's most famous hookers and leaders. Marv, a local brawler who had slept with her that night, had been sleeping beside her when Kevin killed her and seeks revenge. He eventually tracks her murderers to the Farm. Kevin sneaks up on, blinds and beats Marv into unconsciousness without breaking a sweat ; quite an impressive feat, as Marv is over 7 feet tall, 300 pounds, all but impervious to physical pain, and has proven to be more than capable of handling himself in a fight against multiple well-armed opponents. Marv also later notes that Kevin is the only person to have ever successfully snuck up on him. Marv wakes up and discovers Lucille, his parole officer. They are trapped in a cell-like room in the basement. Lucille is scared to death and in shock. She then reveals to Marv that Kevin is a killer and cannibal, having found out because Kevin drugged her, cut off her hand, and made her watch as he ate her hand. They eventually escape, but Lucille is killed in the process. Upon escaping the Farm after their first confrontation, Marv returns armed with his Colt 1911, gasoline, handcuffs, razor wire, several lengths of rubber tubing, and his "mitts". Knowing most of Kevin's tricks at this point, he sets up a series of traps around the Farm, then flushes Kevin out by torching the Farm with a Molotov cocktail. Kevin avoids Marv's razor wire rig, and the two fight it out hand-to-hand. Marv again takes quite a beating but keeps on fighting and eventually outsmarts Kevin by handcuffing him to himself, preventing Kevin from jumping away and allowing Marv to knock him out with one strong punch to the jaw. Goldie's twin sister Wendy shows up with a gun, intending to kill Kevin herself; but Marv knocks her out, because he intends to torture Kevin first, and doesn't want Wendy to witness such a disturbing scene. Marv proceeds with his vindictive quest, amputating Kevin's arms and legs with the hacksaw and using the rubber tubing as tourniquets to keep him alive. He beckons Kevin's pet wolf, who begins to eat his master. Even as his entrails are being devoured by his own pet, Kevin simply smiles calmly and doesn't utter a sound. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Marv finishes the job by sawing Kevin's head off, but the lunatic's stony silence and unwavering gaze rob him of any satisfaction the kill would have given him. Then, Marv takes Kevin’s severed head to Cardinal Roarke and shows it to him just before Marv kills him. Kevin also makes a cameo appearance during the climax of That Yellow Bastard (set almost four years before The Hard Goodbye), reading a Bible in a rocking chair while John Hartigan infiltrates the Farm. Sin City is filled with bad people. Hell, any one of the villains from Frank Miller’s comic noir tales could be place on this countdown. However, Kevin is the vilest of them all. He is just plain scary, a vicious killer who strikes fast and hard and would kill you before you even realized he was standing near you. He’s also a cannibal, who likes to eat his victims as they watch. In the story, we see several disembodied heads on the walls of the room Marv and Lucille are being held in; and Roarke implies that there may have been more. But, what makes his deeds so vile is that he’s so silent when he does them. Most of the villains in Sin City love to hear themselves talk. Kevin is different. He doesn’t speak at all. He is so calm and quiet that it’s a little frustrating. I mean, most people can accept a loud-mouthed villain who gloats and brags about his deeds. A boisterous and deafening person is almost comforting because we get some kind of idea for the reason behind his or her deeds. Kevin, on the other hand, doesn’t give us that satisfaction. He is silent and calm, and it scares people that someone could be so calm about doing such evil deeds. Also, we want a villain to be loud so that he can yell and scream as the hero defeats him. However, Kevin doesn’t say a word as Marv tortures and kills him. He robs Marv of the satisfaction of killing him. That is probably why Kevin is so silent. He doesn’t want to comfort or give people satisfaction. He only wants to satisfy his hunger, and in a way, he gets some kind of sick pleasure from the fear people get as he kills and eats them in silence.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 25, 2008 16:07:31 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 64 and 63. Here are the hints:
he is watching you RIGHT NOW!!!!, and he STRIKES FAST, STRIKES HARD, NO MERCY!!!!
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 26, 2008 12:48:15 GMT -5
It's countdown time! Here's 64: 64. Big Brother Who is he: The enigmatic dictator of Oceania. What is he from: 1984 (novel and movie) What has he done: Oppressed freedom and keep people under surveillance. Intelligence: Most likely incredibly smart in order to rule an oppressive government. Power: He is the leader of Oceania. Vileness: Will suppress even love to keep things running smoothly. Sway: Can make anyone “disappear.” Purity: Cares only for keeping the Oceanic government running. Physical Prowess: Well, it’s not really clear if Big Bother actually exists. Name Coolness: “Big Brother” is pretty cool. Created by: George Orwell. Portrayed by: John Vernon played Big Brother in the 1956 movie “1984,” though he was uncredited. In the 1954 BBC version of “1984,” the face of Big Brother was in fact that of Roy Oxley, a member of the BBC design department whose inclusion was something of an in-joke on the part of the production team. David Graham played Big Brother in the Apple Computer commercial 1984. Bob Flag was Big Brother in the 1984 version, “1984.” The intellectual Winston Smith is a member of the Outer Party, lives in the ruins of London (the "chief city of Airstrip One", a province of Oceania), who grew up in the post-World War II United Kingdom, during the revolution and the civil war. As his parents disappeared in the civil war, the English Socialism Movement ("Ingsoc" in Newspeak), put him in an orphanage for training and employment in the Outer Party. His squalid existence consists of living in a one-room apartment, eating a subsistence diet of black bread and synthetic meals washed down with Victory-brand gin. He is discontented, and keeps an illegal journal of dissenting, negative thoughts and opinions about The Party. If detected, it, and his eccentric behaviour, would result in torture and death by the Thought Police. In his journal he explains thoughtcrime: Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death. The Thought Police have two-way telescreens (in the living quarters of every Party member and in every public area), hidden microphones, and anonymous informers to spy potential thought-criminals who might endanger The Party. Children are indoctrinated to informing; to spy and report suspected thought-criminals, especially their parents. Winston Smith is a bureaucrat in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, revising historical records to match The Party's contemporaneous, official version of the past. The revisionism is required so that the past reflect the shifts of the day in the Party's orthodoxy. Smith's job is perpetual; he re-writes the official record, re-touches official photographs, deleting people officially rendered as unpersons. The original or older document is dropped into a "memory hole" chute leading to an incinerator. Although he likes his work, especially the intellectual challenge of revising a complete historical record, he also is fascinated by the true past, and eagerly tries to learn more about that forbidden truth. One day, in the office, a woman surreptitiously hands him a note. She is "Julia", a dark-haired mechanic who repairs the Ministry of Truth's novel-writing machines. Before that day, he had felt deep loathing for her, based on his assumptions that she was a brainwashed, fanatically devoted member of the Party; particularly annoying to him is her red sash of renouncement of and scorn for sexual intercourse. His preconceptions vanish on reading her hand-printed note: "I love you". After that, they begin a clandestine romantic relationship, first meeting in the countryside and at a ruined belfry, then regularly in a rented room atop an antiques shop in the city's proletarian neighborhood. The shop owner chats him up with facts about the pre-revolutionary past, sells him period artifacts, and rents him the room to meet Julia. The lovers believe their hiding place paradaisical (the shop keeper having told them it has no telescreen) and think themselves alone and safe. As their romance deepens, Winston's views change, and questions Ingsoc. Unknown to him, the Thought Police have been spying on him and Julia. Later, when approached by Inner Party member O'Brien, Winston believes that he's come into contact with The Brotherhood, opponents of the Party. O'Brien gives him a copy of "the book", The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, a searing criticism of Ingsoc said to be written by the dissident Emmanuel Goldstein, the leader of the Brotherhood; it explains the perpetual war and exposes the truth behind the Party's slogan, "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength." The Thought Police capture Winston and Julia in their sanctuary bedroom and they are separately interrogated at the Ministry of Love, where the regime's opponents are tortured and killed, but sometimes released (to be executed at a later date); Charrington, the shop keeper who rented them the room reveals himself an officer of the Thought Police. In the Ministry of Love torture chamber, O'Brien tells Smith that he will be cured of his hatred for the Party. During a session, he explains to Winston that torture's purpose is to alter his way of thinking, not to extract a fake confession, adding that once cured, accepting reality as the Party describes, he then will be executed; electroshock torture will achieve that, continuing until O'Brien decides Winston is cured. One night, a dreaming Winston suddenly wakes, yelling: "Julia! Julia! Julia, my love! Julia!" O'Brien rushes in and questions him, and then sends him to Room 101, the most feared room in the Ministry of Love. This is where a person's greatest fear is forced upon him or her for the final re-education step: acceptance. Winston, who has a primal fear of rats, is shown a wire cage filled with starving rats and told that it will be fitted over his head like a mask, so that when the cage door is opened, the rats will bore into his face until it is stripped to the bone. Just as the cage brushes his cheek, he shouts frantically: "Do it to Julia!" The torture ends, Winston is returned to society, brainwashed to accept Party doctrine. After his release, Winston and Julia fortuitously meet in a park. With distaste, they remember the "bad" feelings they once shared; they acknowledge having betrayed each other; they are apathetic. Torture and re-education were successful; Winston happily reconciled to his impending execution, and accepting the Party line about the past and the present. In his mind, he celebrates the false fact of a news bulletin reporting Oceania's recent, decisive victory over Eurasia. Winston imagines himself back at the Ministry of Love and finally accepts that he loves Big Brother. Free thought. Self expression. Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press. Love. Hope. In Oceania, they’re all gone thanks to Big Brother. He is an oppressive leader who will have people tortured, killed, or even worse to make sure that the Oceanic government keeps running smoothly. Though, the interesting thing about Big Brother is that there is doubt that he even exists in the book. In the novel, it is not clear if Big Brother actually exists as a person or is an image crafted by the Party. In a book supposedly written by the rebel Emmanuel Goldstein (but later revealed to have a more complex origin) it is stated that "nobody has ever seen Big Brother. His function is to act as a focusing point for love, fear, and reverence; emotions which are more easily felt towards an individual than towards an organization." Goldstein's book also comments: "We may be reasonably sure that he will never die, and there is already considerable uncertainty as to when he was born." In Party propaganda, however, Big Brother is presented as a real person; one of the founders of the Party along with Goldstein. At one point in the year 1984, 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 great gleaming motor-cars or horse carriages with glass sides. There was no knowing how much of this legend was true and how much invented." In many media representations, Big Brother's face usually looms on giant telescreens. He is a mysterious man operating from behind the scenes, who only comes out to promote his propaganda. Whether Big Brother really exist doesn’t matter, evil is done in his name. People are tortured and killed to appease him. Or, they are simply “made” to love him, like Winston in the novel. And, Big Brother has become a cultural icon, used today as a symbol of oppression and tyranny. Hell, many political pundits bring up Big Brother in debates over censorship and surveillance of people in private. And, you could make the argument that we are living in a Big Brother culture, with reality TV, YouTube, the internet, and what not. That’s pretty impressive how a character can become such symbol despite the fact that his existence in the novel isn’t really clear. That just shows how truly powerful Big Brother really is.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 26, 2008 13:25:12 GMT -5
63. Johnny Lawrence Who is he: A top student at the Cobra Kai dojo. What is he from: “The Karate Kid.” What has he done: Beat up and tormented Daniel. Intelligence: He’s a high school student and doesn’t look too interested in learning. Power: He is only a student at the Cobra Kai dojo, but he can get a group of guys to follow him. Vileness: He swept the leg, though reluctantly. Sway: Like a said, can get some guys to do what he says. Purity: Would have liked to win the tournament fairly, but obeys his master and does an unethical move, the aforementioned sweeping of the leg; though he does present Daniel with the trophy at the end. Physical Prowess: Strong and well adept at karate. Name Coolness: “Johnny Lawrence” is your typical average name. Created by: Robert Mark Kamen. Portrayed by: Billy Zabka, who was so good in the role that he got typecast as a bully in “Just One Of The Guys” and “Back To School.” Teenager Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves with his mother (Randee Heller) from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. The family has traveled in search of a new beginning, after the death of Daniel's father. Their new apartment's handyman is a kindly and humble Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). The last night of summer, Daniel and his new friends from school travel to the beach; a girl named Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) catches Danny's attention. Her ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), and his friends accost Ali. Daniel attempts to intervene and ultimately fights with Johnny. Although he knows some karate, learned from books and at the YMCA in New Jersey, Daniel is easily defeated by Johnny, who is better trained. Unwittingly, Daniel has made an enemy of the Cobra Kai karate dojo's best student. The Cobra Kai dojo teaches an unethical, vicious form of martial arts. Johnny and his cronies thereafter torment Daniel at every opportunity. When Daniel retaliates with a prank at a Halloween dance party, he is pursued by Johnny and four of his Cobra Kai associates (dressed in skeleton costumes), who proceed to beat him severely. Johnny is about to finish him off, despite protest from fellow Cobra Kai student Bobby. As they're arguing, Mr. Miyagi appears to be scaling the fence behind them. Just as Johnny is about to give Daniel the finishing blow, Mr. Miyagi jumps off the fence and shoves Daniel out of the way. In a surprising display of karate skill, Mr. Miyagi defeats all 5 Cobra Kai students with surprising ease. Awed, Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi to be his teacher. Mr. Miyagi initially refuses, but then realizes that his intervention will inevitably result in Johnny and his friends taking further revenge on Daniel. He agrees to go with Daniel to the Cobra Kai dojo to see if they can resolve the conflict. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel confront the sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese (Martin Kove), to stop the harassment. However, Kreese, an ex-Special Forces Vietnam Veteran, sneers at the concepts of mercy and restraint, and has indoctrinated his philosophy into his students. Kreese, who fought in Vietnam, appears somewhat bigoted against people with East Asian features (in The Karate Kid, Part II, Kreese refers to Mr. Miyagi as a "Slope"). Mr. Miyagi announces that Daniel will enter the “All Valley Karate Tournament”, where Cobra Kai students can fight Daniel on equal terms. Mr. Miyagi also requests a "truce," that the bullying stops while the boy trains. Kreese orders his students to leave Daniel alone, but he threatens that if Daniel does not show up for the tournament, the harassment will resume and Miyagi will also become a target. Mr. Miyagi becomes Daniel's teacher and, slowly, a surrogate father figure. He begins Daniel's training by having him perform laborious chores such as waxing many cars, sanding a wooden floor, painting a fence, and painting the house encircled by the fence. (The chores are Daniel's "payment" to Miyagi for the training.) Eventually, Daniel becomes frustrated, believing that he has learned nothing of karate, whereupon Mr. Miyagi reveals that Daniel has unknowingly been learning defensive blocks, through muscle memory learned by doing the chores. Daniel then learns that Mr. Miyagi lost his wife and son in childbirth at Manzanar internment camp while he was serving overseas with the U.S. Army during World War II. The loss of his family and Daniel's loss of his father further strengthens the father-son surrogacy. Daniel also discovers that the outwardly peaceful and serene Mr. Miyagi was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism against German forces in Europe. A brief flashback by Mr. Miyagi implies that the decoration was for killing many Germans, and details are not otherwise specified. Through the teaching, Daniel learns not only karate, but also important life lessons, such as the importance of balance, reflected by the belief that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. Daniel applies the life lessons that Mr. Miyagi has taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali. At the tournament, Daniel surprises everyone by reaching the semifinals. Kreese instructs Daniel's semifinal opponent, Cobra Kai student Bobby, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. One of the more compassionate Cobra Kai students, Bobby initially resists, but Kreese insists that Bobby put Daniel "out of commission." Bobby reluctantly complies. With Daniel injured and unable to continue, Mr. Miyagi assures him he has already proven himself. Despondent, Daniel believes that if he does not continue, his tormentors will have gotten the best of him. He therefore persuades Mr. Miyagi to use his special pain suppression technique to allow him to finish the tournament. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Daniel hobbles into the ring. He manages to earn two quick points at the beginning, but a minor nose injury to Johnny forces Kreese to take a timeout. As Kreese examines Johnny's nose during the timeout, he orders his student to fight without mercy, telling Johnny to "sweep the leg," targeting Daniel's previous injury. Johnny blanches at the order, knowing that he can win with such an unethical move, but wants to do so fairly in the ring. He reluctantly obeys Kreese and does what is ordered, knocking Daniel to the floor. Though in great pain, Daniel refuses to stay down. In the final scene, Daniel and Johnny are tied, both one point away from victory. Daniel, barely able to stand, assumes the "Crane Kick" stance, and delivers a blow squarely to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament. Johnny acquires respect for Daniel as a result of Daniel's win. With respect and without malice, Johnny takes the trophy from the emcee and presents it himself to Daniel. Meanwhile, for the entire adoring crowd and the trophy, the greatest reward for Daniel is the sight of Mr. Miyagi's face beaming with pride at his student's triumph. If there is one thing most people would like to forget from their childhood, it is most likely the bully who picked on them. The bully is the type of person who gets his or her kicks from picking on and beating up people smaller and weaker than them. The bully seemingly chooses his or her target at random and commences on the torment day after day after day. The bully is the type that deserves a place on this list, and Johnny Lawrence is the perfect representation of the bully. He had the perfect look of a bully: blonde hair and a fit body, allusions to Hitler’s ideal of the perfect Aryan male; a sweet smile that can quickly turn into rage; gloves with no fingers; acid wash jeans, it was the 1980s; and the black of the Kobra Kai. He just looks like a jerk. And, his torment was directed at Daniel, beating him up with his goons in skeleton costumes and even running him off the road. He also got a little too frisky with sweet little Ali Mills. Johnny also follows the orders of the master of the Kobra Kai dojo John Kreese. This man was in Vietnam, and it made him into a hard and almost psychotic man who teaches and grooms Johnny into the jerk he has become. However, the bully is a coward. He or she picks people weaker because he or she knows that the tormentee cannot fight back. The bully craves control, and having physical or psychological control over a person satisfies this craving. However, if the tormentee stands up to the bully, then the bully will back down, knowing that he or she will not get that craving from that tormentee. This is what happens when Daniel beats Johnny in the tournament. Johnny even shows some respect to Daniel, presenting him with the trophy and saying "You're alright, Larusso - great match!" So, while the bully may be evil, he or she is a necessary evil, who can teach us to fight back or can insure that we will not allow ourselves to be picked on ever again.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 26, 2008 13:27:26 GMT -5
Tomorrow, numbers 62 and 61, plus a recap. Here are the hints:
He has been a villain to wrestling fans for the past decade, and he pities da fool.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 27, 2008 17:01:04 GMT -5
Countdown time, bitches. Here's number 62: 62. Vince McMahon Who is he: Owner of WWE. What is he from: WWF/E. What has he done: Abused his position as WWE Owner to punish and fire anyway he didn’t like, even his own family. Intelligence: Quite smart at wrestling promoting. Power: Like I said, he owns WWE. Vileness: The man has beat up his own children. Sway: Can hire or fire anyway, but mostly fires people. Purity: He cares about his company and it succeeding. Physical Prowess: Is very physically fit for his age, but usually cheats and uses weapons in a fight. Name Coolness: “Vince McMahon” sounds like an average name. Edit: it has been pointed out to me that the name becomes a lot cooler when said like this: VINCENT KENNEDY MCMAHON!....DAMMIT! Created by: Vince McMahon. Portrayed by: Vince McMahon. I should note this entry is the on-screen gimmick “Mr. McMahon” and not the actual person. This list is for fictional character, and since kayfabe is technically a fictional realm, a wrestling gimmick or character would be considered a fictional character. And, while the Mr. McMahon character is base a lot on real qualities of Vince, I doubt he would really make a woman bark like a dog and dump filth on her or beat up Shane and Stephanie. Though, I will mention the Montreal Screwjob, which, while it may have been real, still created the character. At Survivor Series 1997, Bret Hart defended his WWF Championship against long-time rival Shawn Michaels in the main event. McMahon, who was the owner of the WWF, opted to be a play-by-play announcer instead of the owner. In the weeks heading into Survivor Series, McMahon had entered into a rivalry with the heel Hart. During the match, Michaels applied Hart's own signature submission maneuver The Sharpshooter on Hart. Hart refused to submit. However, McMahon got up and ordered the referee to ring the bell thus screwing Hart out of the title and made Shawn the champion. This became known as the "Montreal Screwjob", and it led to McMahon thus turned "heel" and since then, he was known as "Mr. McMahon," the heel owner and chairman of the WWF. Sometime after the Montreal Screwjob, Vince began feuding with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It was teased at first with McMahon stripping Austin of the Intercontinental Title and giving it to The Rock and the confrontation between Austin and Mike Tyson on the episode of RAW in which Tyson was announced as the special enforcer for the WWF Title Match at WrestleMania XIV between Shawn Michaels and Austin. Austin won that match and became the WWF Champion. On March 30, 1998 edition of RAW is WAR, Mr. McMahon presented Stone Cold Steve Austin with a new "Attitude Era" custom belt and warned Austin that he did not approve of his rebellious nature and that things could be done "the easy way or the hard way". McMahon received a Stone Cold Stunner which began their rivalry which would become a historic and one of the most popular rivalries in the history of sports entertainment. On April 6 edition of RAW is WAR, McMahon was confronted by Austin again who punched McMahon in the "corporate grapefruits". The next week, Austin and McMahon faced each other in a match to settle their differences. It was McMahon's first wrestling match but it was declared a no contest when Dude Love interfered and tried to end the fight but accidentally knocked out Austin with a Mandible claw. He did everything possible to ruin Austin. Austin faced Dude Love at Unforgiven for the WWF Title. During the match, McMahon came down ringside, and announcers Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler made implications that another Screwjob might take place. Near the end, Love got knocked out on the outside. As McMahon picked him up, Austin nailed them both with a chair. Austin won the match, but because of the chair shot Austin had to defend his WWF Championship at Over the Edge: In Your House against Dude Love with McMahon as the Special Guest Referee and his "Corporative Stooges" Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson as timekeeper and ring announcer, respectively. Despite that, Dude Love was unable to defeat Austin. However, McMahon got a big victory over Austin by his side at King of the Ring 1998 when Kane defeated Austin in a First Blood match to win the WWF Championship. Austin would win the title, the next night on RAW. After Austin defeated The Undertaker at SummerSlam 1998, McMahon responded by setting Austin in a triple threat match for the title at Breakdown: In Your House against both Kane and Undertaker. During the match, both Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin at the same time. McMahon took advantage and immediately stripped Austin of the title.[44] At Judgment Day: In Your House, McMahon made his rival Austin the special guest referee in a match between The Undertaker and Kane for the WWF Championship. However, as Undertaker was close of getting the victory, Austin attacked both men and claimed that he was the winner. However, McMahon reacted by "firing" Austin. McMahon ordered the WWF Championship to be defended in a 14-man tournament named Deadly Games at Survivor Series 1998. McMahon made sure that Mankind reached to the finals because Mankind had visited McMahon in hospital after McMahon was sent to hospital by Undertaker and Kane. He also awarded Mankind the WWF Hardcore Championship because his status of being a hardcore wrestling legend. However, during the main event, he was at the ringside during Mankind's tournament final match with The Rock for the WWF Championship. Originally, McMahon acted as he would help out Mankind during the match. At one point, Rock turned his attention over McMahon. However, McMahon turned on Mankind after screwing him out of the match as Rock had caught Mankind in the Sharpshooter. Mankind hadn't submitted but McMahon ordered the referee to ring bell, thus giving Rock the WWF Championship. This was the homage to the "Montreal Screwjob" that occurred one year earlier. However, McMahon referred to Rock as "Corporate Champion" thus forming the Corporation with his son Shane and The Rock. At Rock Bottom: In Your House, Mankind defeated Rock to win the WWF Championship after Rock was forced submit to the Mandible claw. However, McMahon came and screwed Mankind once again by reversing the decision and returning the belt to his chosen champion, The Rock. McMahon went on to participate in a "Corporate Rumble" on January 11, 1999 edition of RAW as an unscheduled participant. He was eliminated by Chyna, another unscheduled participant. Vince restarted his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. He had put up $100,000 to anyone who was able to eliminate Austin in the Royal Rumble match. At Royal Rumble 1999, Austin was the #1 entrant while McMahon was #2. For most of the match, McMahon stayed outside the ring. After Austin eliminated a Corporation member Big Boss Man, The Rock interrupted and distracted Austin which allowed McMahon to eliminate Austin and surprisingly win the 1999 Royal Rumble match. This earned McMahon a title match at WrestleMania against WWF Champion The Rock. However, he turned down his spot and WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded it to Austin. However, Austin was forced to put his title shot on the line against McMahon at In Your House: St. Valentine's Day Massacre in a steel cage match. During the match, Big Show interrupted, making his WWF debut. He threw Austin through the side of the cage thus giving him the victory. However, Big Show would become a member of Corporation. Vince was later revealed as the "Higher Power" on April 12 edition of RAW continuing his feud with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. Vince's son Shane merged Corporation with Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness into the Corporate Ministry. Vince would become a member of a short-lived stable The Union which existed in May 1999. Austin was given 50% shares of the WWF by Linda and Stephanie McMahon. However, at King of the Ring 1999, Vince and Shane defeated Austin in a handicap ladder match to regain control of the WWF. At Fully Loaded 1999, Austin defeated Undertaker in a match. As a result, McMahon was banned from coming on WWF TV. McMahon returned as a face to programming in the fall of 1999, and actually won the WWF Championship in a match against Triple H (thanks to outside interference from Austin) on the September 16th episode of SmackDown! He vacated the title on the following Monday's RAW is WAR, however. Over the next few months McMahon and Triple H feuded, with the linchpin of the feud being Triple H's kayfabe marriage to Stephanie McMahon. The feud culminated at Armageddon 1999, McMahon faced Triple H in a No Holds Barred match which McMahon would lose after Stephanie turned on him. Vince returned to WWF television on March 13, 2000 edition of RAW is WAR representing The Rock once again. Two weeks later, Vince and Rock defeated Shane and Big Show in a tag team match with help from special guest referee Mankind. At WrestleMania 2000, Triple H defended the WWF Championship in a Fatal Four Way Elimination match where each competitor had a McMahon in his corner. Triple H had his wife Stephanie who was the WWF Women's Champion in his corner, Rock had Vince in his corner, Mick Foley had Linda in his corner and Big Show had Shane in his corner. After Big Show and Foley were eliminated, it was the champion Triple H and Rock. Vince was in Rock's corner. However, he turned on Rock after whacking him with a chair which helped Triple H win the match and retain his title. This would officially begin the McMahon-Helmsley Era. Vince, Shane and WWF Champion Triple H took on Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) and The Rock in a six-man tag team match for the WWF Championship. The stipulation of this match was that whoever man would make the scoring pinfall, he would be the WWF Champion. Vince was pinned by Rock which gave Rock the WWF Championship and his team, the victory. On December 18 edition of RAW, McMahon faced Kurt Angle in a non-title match which was fought to no contest when Mick Foley interfered and attacked both men. After the match, both men beat down Foley and Vince fired him. Vince and Stephanie aligned together against Shane. At WrestleMania XVII, Vince lost to Shane after Linda turned on Vince by low blowing him and giving Shane the victory. On the same night, however, McMahon formed an unlikely alliance with Stone Cold Steve Austin, helping him defeat The Rock to gain another WWF Championship. The two, along with Triple H, formed an alliance which saw Austin and Triple H hold all three major WWF titles (Austin's WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship which Triple H won, and the Tag Team Championship) at the same time. However, the alliance would be short lived, due to an injury to Triple H and a business venture by McMahon. Vince purchased long-time rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001 from AOL Time Warner and signed many wrestlers from the organization starting the Invasion storyline. WCW wrestlers were known as The Alliance against WWF. On July 9, 2001 edition of RAW, some extremists returned to the organization as many ECW wrestlers returned to the organization. Stone Cold Steve Austin went on to join the Alliance as well as Shane and Stephanie would do the same. Vince would be on the WWF side. At Survivor Series 2001, Team WWF defeated Team Alliance in a Survivor Series elimination match to pick up the victory for WWF and end the Invasion storyline. Following the collapse of the WCW/ECW Alliance at Survivor Series 2001, Mr. McMahon created the Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club, which consisted of various WWE superstars and an announcer being ordered to kiss his buttocks in the middle of the ring, usually with the threat of suspension or firing if they refuse. The club was originally proclaimed closed by The Rock after McMahon was forced to kiss Rikishi's posterior on an episode of SmackDown!; however, the club segment has resurfaced several times over the years. Many people have been forced to go through with the indignity or have been in-line to do so since the club's inception, including: William Regal, Jim Ross, Trish Stratus, Zach Gowen, Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels, Shane McMahon, Mick Foley, and Hornswoggle. In November 2001, Ric Flair returned to WWF after an 8-year hiatus saying that he was the co-owner of the WWF. McMahon hated this and said that he was the only owner of the WWF. The two faced each other at Royal Rumble 2002 in a Street Fight which Flair won. Due to their status as co-owners, McMahon became the owner of SmackDown! while Flair became the owner of RAW. However, on June 10, 2002 edition of RAW, McMahon defeated Flair to end the rivalry and become the sole owner of WWE. On January 13, 2003 edition of SmackDown!, Vince tried to derail the return of Hulk Hogan after a five-month hiatus but got knocked out by Hogan and received an Atomic Legdrop. At No Way Out 2003, Vince interfered in Hogan's match with The Rock. Hogan had originally won the match as he hit Rock an Atomic Legdrop but the lights went out. As the lights were on, Vince came to the ringside to distract Hogan. The referee secretly gave Rock a chair and Rock hit Hogan with a chair shot and a Rock Bottom to get the victory. This lead to Vince facing Hogan in a match. At WrestleMania XIX, Vince lost to Hogan in a Street Fight. Hulkamania died but Hogan was given a new gimmick of "Mr. America". McMahon tried to prove that Mr. America was Hogan in disguise but failed at all attempts. Hogan would later quit WWE and then McMahon would later claim that Mr. America was Hogan in reality and he had "fired" him. During his rivalry with Mr. America, Vince also feuded with the one-legged Zach Gowen. On June 12 edition of SmackDown!, Vince defeated both Mr. America and Gowen in special arm wrestling contests. On June 26 edition of SmackDown!, Vince told Gowen that if he would join his "Kiss My Ass Club", he would be getting a WWE contract. Instead of joining the club, Gowen low blowed Vince. At Vengeance 2003, he went on to defeat Gowen in a match in which McMahon was bleeding. However, McMahon came out as the winner and ended the rivalry. McMahon wanted his daughter Stephanie to resign as SmackDown! General Manager. He gave her an opportunity on October 2 edition of SmackDown! However, Stephanie refused to resign and this set up an "I Quit" match between the father and daughter. At No Mercy 2003, Vince defeated Stephanie in an "I Quit" match when Linda threw in the towel. Later that night, he helped Brock Lesnar retain the WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a Biker Chain match. This started a rivalry between McMahon and Undertaker. At Survivor Series 2003, McMahon defeated Undertaker in a Buried Alive match with help from Kane. Vince McMahon began a feud with Eric Bischoff in late 2005, when he decided that Bischoff wasn't doing a good job as General Manager of RAW. He started "The Trial of Eric Bischoff" where McMahon served as the judge. Bischoff ended up losing the trial; Vince "fired" him, and put him in a garbage truck before it drove away. Bischoff stayed gone for months. Almost a year later on RAW in late 2006, Bischoff was brought out by Vince McMahon's executive assistant Jonathan Coachman so that he could announce the completion of his book Controversy Creates Ca$h. Bischoff began blasting remarks at McMahon, saying that he was fired "unceremoniously" as the RAW General Manager, that there would be no Mr. McMahon if it wasn't for Bischoff's over-the-top rebellious ideas, and that D-Generation X was nothing but a rip off of the nWo. Bischoff returned again in March 2007 to tell Vince his thoughts on Vince's WrestleMania 23 match: he couldn't wait to see him get his head shaved bald. On December 26, 2005 edition of RAW, Vince personally reviewed Bret Hart DVD but Michaels came out and he also started talking about Hart. McMahon ended up saying "I've screwed Bret Hart. Shawn, don't make me screw you". At Royal Rumble 2006, after Michaels received his spot into the final six remaining participants by eliminating Shelton Benjamin, McMahon's entrance theme music hit as he distracted his new rival Michaels. Got distracted by Vince, Michaels was eliminated by Shane from behind. On February 27, 2006 edition of RAW, Michaels was knocked unconscious by Shane McMahon. Michaels' former Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty came to the rescue of Michaels and was forced to join Vince's "Kiss My Ass Club". On March 18 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, Michaels faced Vince's son Shane in a Street Fight. Vince screwed out Michaels as Shane had Michaels in the Sharpshooter. Michaels hadn't submitted but Vince ordered the referee to ring the bell, giving Shane the victory (this was the homage to Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at 1997 Survivor Series). At WrestleMania 22, Vince faced Michaels in a No Holds Barred match. Despite interference from Spirit Squad and Shane, Vince was unable to get the victory. At Backlash 2006, Vince and Shane defeated Shawn Michaels and "God" in a No Holds Barred match. On May 15, 2006 edition of RAW, Triple H was supposed to hit Michaels with the sledgehammer but he accidentally hit Shane with the sledgehammer. The next week on RAW, Triple H had another chance to hit Michaels with the object but he instead whacked Spirit Squad. For a few weeks, Vince ignored Michaels and began a rivalry with Triple H by forcing him to join "Kiss My Ass Club" (Triple H hit Vince a Pedigree instead of joining the club) and pitting him in a gauntlet handicap match against Spirit Squad. However, Michaels saved Triple H and then the two reformed D-Generation X as the McMahons began feuding with DX. McMahons and DX continued to feud with each other throughout the months of June and July. At SummerSlam 2006, the McMahons lost to DX in a tag team match despite interference by Umaga, Big Show, Finlay, Mr. Kennedy and William Regal. The McMahons allied themselves with the ECW World Champion Big Show who destroyed DX at many points. At Unforgiven 2006, the McMahons teamed up with Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match to take on DX. Despite their 3-on-2 advantage, McMahons lost again to DX thus ending the rivalry. In January 2007, McMahon started a feud with Donald J. Trump, which was featured on major media outlets. Originally Trump wanted to fight McMahon himself but they came to a deal: both men would pick a representative who would fight at WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match. The man whose representative lost the match would have his head shaved bald. After the contract signing on RAW, Donald Trump pushed McMahon over the table in the ring onto his head after McMahon provoked Trump with several finger pokes to the shoulders. Later at a press conference, McMahon, during a photo opportunity, offered a shake of hands with Trump but retracted his hand as Trump put out his. McMahon went on to fiddle with Trump's tie and flick Trump's nose. This angered Trump as he then slapped McMahon across the face. McMahon was then restrained from retaliating by Trump's bodyguards and Bobby Lashley, Trump's representative. At WrestleMania 23, McMahon's representative (Umaga) lost the match. As a result, McMahon's hair was shaved bald by Trump and Lashley with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was the special guest referee of the "Battle of the Billionaires" match. After the match, McMahon began a feud with Lashley. McMahon booked himself, his son Shane McMahon and Umaga in a 3-on-1 handicap match against Lashley at Backlash for the ECW World Championship. After two high impact top rope splashes from Umaga, Mr. McMahon tagged himself into the match and pinned Lashley to win the title. Lashley legitimately injured his shoulder during the match and after an examination days later, it was revealed he had a damaged rotator cuff but would not need surgery at the time. At Judgment Day, Lashley defeated Vince, Shane, and Umaga in a 3-on-1 handicap rematch after the Dominator on Shane McMahon. However, Lashley did not win the ECW World Championship because he did not pin Mr. McMahon. As a result, Mr. McMahon retained the title. On June 3 at One Night Stand 2007, Lashley defeated Vince McMahon in a street fight to win the ECW World Championship for a second reign, despite the use of Shane McMahon and Umaga in the match. After losing the ECW Title, McMahon appeared to have a mental breakdown, yelling “Git!” at wrestlers, acting emotionless and despondent, and even watching a match on ECW while sitting in a rocking chair. The June 11, 2007, RAW was declared Vince McMahon Appreciation Night. Throughout the night, many wrestlers from WWE’s past came out or were shown on pre-taped segments in which they blasted McMahon. At the end, McMahon went into the ring to address the crowd but didn’t say anything as the crowd booed him. He then left the ring, walked up the ramp and backstage past all the WWE employees, and entered a limousine. Moments later, it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the angle within minutes as though it were a legitimate occurrence, proclaiming that McMahon was "presumed dead." Although this was the fate of the fictional "Mr. McMahon" character, no harm came to the actual person (the "presumed death" of Mr. McMahon was part of a storyline). WWE later acknowledged to CNBC that he was not truly dead. However, the angle was dropped due to the Benoit murders. The "Mr. McMahon" character officially returned on the August 6 episode of Monday Night Raw. He talked about many subjects, including the investigation by the United States Congress and owing money to the IRS. Mr. McMahon also named a new Raw General Manager in a Battle Royal, which was won by William Regal. At the end of Raw, Jonathan Coachman informed him of a (storyline) paternity suit regarding an illegitimate long-lost child, who was revealed in the following weeks as being a male member of WWE roster. On the September 3 episode of Raw, Mr. McMahon appeared and was confronted by his family. They were interrupted by Mr. Kennedy who claimed to be McMahon's "illegitimate son", but he was also interrupted by a lawyer claiming Kennedy is not McMahon's son and that the real son would be revealed the following week on Raw. The lawyer gave the cryptic message "things are looking up." His illegitimate son was finally revealed on September 10 on Raw to be Hornswoggle. After the next months, WWE aired segments on its programming in which McMahon treated Hornswoggle as his son and put him through “tough love,” i.e. matches against The Great Khali. During Monday Night Raw's 15th Anniversary Show on December 10th, 2007, Mr. McMahon was embarrassed mentally and physically. During the opening segment he tried to get a family portrait with Stephanie and Shane, and his illegitimate son Hornswoggle. However, Triple H came out and made a reference that he too should be considered Vince's family, alluding to his marriage to Stephanie (something normally not acknowledged onscreen). He then proceeded to embarrass McMahon by bringing out a number of Divas who Vince had onscreen sexual antics with, including Melina, former WWE Diva Sunny and Mae Young, causing Shane to leave in disgust. He also brought out a group of men who he claimed Vince had mistaken for women, such as Pat Patterson and Bastion Booger. Stephanie then embarrassed him by kissing Triple H, who brought out the Godfather and several Ho's for Hornswoggle's benefit. At the end of the night, Vince proclaimed himself the greatest Raw superstar ever. Mick Foley, dressed as Mankind, came down and gave Vince the Mandible Claw with Mr. Socko. After the lights went out, The Undertaker (who had been selected as the Greatest Superstar in Raw History as per a poll conducted on WWE.com) appeared and gave Vince a chokeslam. After Undertaker disappeared, Stone Cold Steve Austin came to the ring wanting to share a drink with the unconscious Vince; after helping Vince to his feet he gave him a beer followed by a Stunner. Austin then celebrated with the entire locker room in and around the ring, and kicked Vince out, pouring beer on the angry McMahon. In February 2008, after months of "tough love" antics towards Hornswoggle, JBL revealed that Hornswoggle was not Mr. McMahon's son and that he was actually Finlay's son. It turned out that the whole thing was a scam set up by Mr. McMahon's own family. Shane, Stephanie and Linda McMahon along with Finlay were in on it. However, nothing really came of this as the angle ended quickly. Ah, Vince McMahon. Some consider him a villain in real-life because of his expansion of the WWF into other territories, putting other wrestling companies out of business, buying WCW and ECW and ruining their legacies with the crappy Invasion storyline and the resurrection of ECW as a WWE entity, and the Montreal Screwjob. Well, he has pissed off a lot of people. But, this is about the character Mr. McMahon, who is one of the best heels in the wrestling business. It happened by accident, sort of. After the Montreal Screwjob, McMahon became very hated. However, instead staying off of character, Vince decided to become an onscreen character and instantly became the biggest heel in his own company. Many fans respect Mr. McMahon for his feud with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It was quite a revolutionary feud. Before then, owners or wrestling authority figures weren’t usually featured on screen and when they were, they were usually faces and only showed up to make tough decisions, like settling disputed matches for titles and what not. Here you had an authority figure who was on TV every week and his sole purpose was to make the life of one man a living hell. McMahon did everything in his power to try and take the WWF Title off of Austin. Though he did get some victories, Austin usually came out on top. It was something that had never really been seen before and now is duplicated quite a lot these days. McMahon has been responsible for other dastardly deeds, like the Kiss My Ass club (not many villains would actually make people kiss their ass), feuding with his son Shane and Stephanie (even going as far to book himself in wrestling matches with his own children), cheating on his wife Linda with many hot women (and right in front of her), winning the ECW Title (which inspired real-life hate as well as kayfabe heat), and many more. As for the McMahon character itself, he makes a great villain. He’s egotistical, power hungry, greed, and driven to make other people’s life a living hell. Though some of these may be real life traits of Vince McMahon, the best characters are based on some reality. Plus, he has been so good at getting heat for the past decade, which is hard to do in the wrestling business. And, you really care when he gets his come-upends. I mean, people really popped when he got sprayed with beer by Austin, got his leg broken by Kane and the Undertaker, got beat up in his hospital room by Austin, got concrete poured into the Corvette by Austin, got tortured by Austin (in which he peed his pants after being scared by a gag gun), got pissed thrown on him by Shawn Michaels, got crap dumped on him by D-X, and way too many more to mention. Vince McMahon is just a damn good villain that people love to hate, even if they really do hate him.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 27, 2008 17:40:48 GMT -5
61. Clubber Lang Who is he: A boxer. What is he from: “Rocky III.” What has he done: Threw down Rocky’s trainer Mickey and caused him to have a heart attack and die. Intelligence: He’s a boxer and probably not that smart, but I wouldn’t say it to his face. Power: Looks like his own man. Vileness: Looks like he would punch an old lady. Sway: I wouldn’t say “no” to him. Purity: Cares about being World Heavyweight Champion. Physical Prowess: Looks like he could beat the crap out of anyone. Name Coolness: “Clubber Lang” is very cool. Created by: Sylvester Stallone. Portrayed by: Mr. T. The part made Mr. T an icon, leading to him being one of the first elements outlined for The A-Team television series. Little is known about Clubber Lang. Before Rocky's fight against him, he is introduced as being from Chicago, (his nickname is "The Southside Slugger"). According to his bio in Rocky: The Ultimate Guide, James Lang was orphaned at an early age and spent most of his childhood in the streets of Chicago, orphanages and juvenile facilities. Later as an adult, Clubber was sent to prison for five years, for one possible count of a felony and/or assault charge. But during his time being served he discovered boxing as a way to let out his frustrations and talent, which leads to the events of “Rocky III.” The movie begins with the ending of the 15th round of the rematch between Rocky and Apollo Creed, with Rocky Balboa becoming the new heavyweight champion of the world. This is followed by an opening montage of scenes that explain what happened in the time between Rocky II and Rocky III. In the four years since winning the heavyweight title from Apollo (1977-1981), Rocky starts a string of 10 successful title defenses, including venues at New York's Radio City Music Hall, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and an overseas bout in Germany. As his winning streak grows, so does his fame, wealth and celebrity, and soon Rocky is seen everywhere, from magazine covers to TV show guest star appearances. Rocky is also heavily merchandised, including T-shirts and his own "Crunch Punch" chocolate bars, and appears as a spokesman for Tony Lama boots and American Express, to name a few. At the same time, a ferocious new boxer named James "Clubber" Lang (Mr. T) (A fighter based on George Foreman and Larry Holmes) is climbing the ranks, rapidly becoming the number one contender for Rocky's title. The year is 1981 and Rocky’s brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) has grown jealous of Rocky’s accomplishments. After a night of heavy drinking, Paulie stumbles into a video arcade, destroys a ROCKY pinball machine in a rage and is arrested. Rocky goes to bail him out of jail and, on the way to Rocky's car to ride home, Paulie begins berating Rocky for apparently forgetting him on his climb to the top. Rocky calls Paulie a "jealous, lazy bum" and Paulie starts lunging at him. Although he throws them like a pro, none of the punches land on Rocky, Paulie swallows his pride and asks Rocky for a job working his corner and helping him train. Rocky, frustrated but still loyal to his brother-in-law, replies, "All you had to do was ask!" Rocky agrees to a charity boxer vs. wrestler match with Wrestling champion, Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan). Rocky treats the whole affair as light-hearted fun, flicking gentle punches at Thunderlips, who attacks Rocky with a variety of wrestling moves, most notably Hulk Hogan's own signature move, The Atomic Leg Drop. After being thrown out of the ring, Rocky decides to remove his gloves and fights back, even managing to throw Thunderlips out of the ring himself. Just as the match degenerates into a shoot fight, the bell rings and the match is declared a draw. Thunderlips calms down, even agreeing to have his picture taken with Rocky's family. When Rocky asks Thunderlips how he got so crazy, he merely replies "That's the name of the game." Rocky has a statue unveiled in Philadelphia and reveals his plans to retire from boxing. The crowd of Rocky fans disapproves of his decision. Clubber Lang, who is in attendance at the ceremony, challenges Rocky, this time criticizing Rocky’s title defenses as being fixed. Rocky agrees to the fight, but Mickey, his trainer, wants no part of it. He admits to Rocky that the fighters he defended his title against were hand-picked (or in Mickey's own words, "they were good fighters but they weren't killers"), but it was only because Rocky received such a bad beating that should have killed him in his win over Creed, that Mickey took it upon himself to make sure Rocky remained successful and healthy. He also tells Rocky that Lang is a young and hungry "wrecking machine" and that Rocky has no chance beating him. Rocky manages to convince Mickey to train him, but his Las Vegas-style training camp is filled with distractions. Clubber's training regimen of working out by himself in a rundown building with whatever he has clearly shows that he means business when it comes down to the bout. Lang and Rocky meet at Philadelphia's Spectrum on August 15, 1981. During a melee before the fight, Mickey is shoved out of the way by Lang, and suffers a heart attack. Rocky wishes to call the fight off, but Mickey urges him on while he stays in the dressing room. By the time of the fight, Rocky is both enraged and severely distracted by his mentor's condition. The fight begins, and Rocky starts well, pounding Lang with huge blows, but Lang soon goes to work and shows he is a lethal, brutal fighter by slamming the champ around and decking him at the bell. Round two has Rocky in serious trouble as Lang brutally attacks him unmercifully, and Rocky is savagely knocked down with a hook that nearly separates his head from his shoulders. This time he is counted out, losing the title. Beaten, Rocky makes his way back to the dressing room and the fallen Mickey who is failing fast. Kneeling at his side, Rocky speaks to his friend in his dying moments, telling him that the fight ended in the second by a knockout, sparing Mickey the truth as his old mentor passes away. In a funk of depression, Rocky is confronted by Apollo Creed, who offers to help train him. Previously, Creed's offer to shake hands with both fighters was sharply rebuffed by Lang, who called Creed a "has-been" and even challenged the former champion. Apollo makes a pitch to snap Rocky out of his funk and get him back on the winning track. He vows to train Rocky to fight Lang again, the way Apollo thinks he should be fought. He slowly convinces him that he can regain the fire Rocky thrived on in his earlier days, and tells him he must again have the "eye of the tiger", mainly by starting from scratch. Apollo takes Rocky to the slums of Los Angeles so that Rocky can get back to the basics. At first, Rocky is too demoralized to put forth his best efforts. However, after admitting to Adrian that he's afraid and after Adrian tells Rocky to do the fight for himself, and no one else, he pulls himself together to train as hard as he can, adding Apollo's speed and skill to his own style of fighting. The rematch is held on January 12, 1982 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. With the odds of Rocky recovering his title strongly against him, Rocky is ready for anything. Meanwhile, in a pre-fight interview, Lang says, "No, I don't hate Balboa, but I pity the fool." When asked for a prediction for their rematch, he replied, "Pain ..." As the two fighters get their instructions from the referee, they stand nose to nose in center ring. Rocky is now wearing the stars and stripes trunks, with Clubber this time in black. In the first fight, the same pose brought averted eyes from Rocky, but now he stands up to Clubber's challenging stare. At the start of the fight, Rocky sprints from his corner and goes right after Lang from the off, fighting with a level of skill and spirit that no one, including Lang, expected. As a result Rocky completely dominates the first round, scoring punch after punch and demonstrating his newfound speed, modeled somewhat after Apollo's fighting style. In the second round, Lang gains the upper hand, and Rocky adopts an entirely different strategy that bewilders Apollo; he intentionally takes a beating from Lang, whilst taunting him for being unable to knock him out. In Round 3, Lang, who is used to winning fights quickly with knockouts in the early rounds of a fight, quickly expends his energy trying to finish Rocky off, to no avail. Rocky retaliates and knocks out a confused and befuddled Lang with a devastating counter-attack of his own, regaining his world heavyweight championship and recovering his self-respect. Soon afterwards, Rocky and Apollo return to Mickey's gym, with Apollo revealing the price of his training: a third fight with Rocky. However, this time it would only be a sparring match between two new friends, which Rocky accepts. I pity da fool who would be stupid enough to mess with Clubber Lang. This is one bad man. He is direct, aggressive and brutal, in the ring and out of it. His fighting style and record show a similarity to a young George Foreman, who was very mean and dominant in his early career. He also has some similarities to a young Mike Tyson. His quest for respect from the press is much like Larry Holmes, wanting respect for his skills and not his bankability. Clubber is shown to seemingly enjoy fighting and inflicting pain on whoever he fights. And, he is shown to be willing to fight both inside and outside the ring, even attempting to taunt the newly retired Apollo Creed into hitting him just before his match with Balboa. He just looks mean and ferocious, like he would punch a senior citizen. And, he sounds mean with his growl. It’s not a voice; it’s a growl. He is much different from Apollo Creed. Where Apollo has some good qualities, Lang seemingly has none. He has no showmanship or sportsmanship. And, while Creed may have been first introduced as cocky, brash, and egotistical, he later mellowed out in a good guy. I seriously doubt that Clubber Lang would ever mellow out. He has a lot in common with Ivan Drago: mean, cold, and determined to win. However, he is louder and more boisterous than Drago. He does have some emotion, and it is mostly anger. And, that anger is directed at Rocky. He sees Rocky as a sell-out. He follows him around and is angry at the easy competitors Rocky gets and all the TV appearances he makes. When Rocky announces that he is considering retirement, Lang loses it and calls Rocky out. He doesn’t want Rocky to retire until he gets his hands on him and goads him into a match, even making some lewd remarks towards his wife Adrian. And, of course, he ends up taking Rocky’s World Title because Rocky has gone soft; and Lang has more will and determination to win the title. However, the worst thing Lang does isn’t taking Rocky’s title. That would be what he did to Mickey: during a melee backstage before the first title fight, Lang throws Mickey to the ground. Mickey suffers a heart attack and dies later that night. The man killed Mickey! Though it wasn’t intentional, it was still a horrible thing to do. However, Rocky manages to make a comeback and reclaims his title from Lang. Nevertheless, Clubber Lang will forever be remember as the first true villain of the Rocky series.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 27, 2008 17:42:12 GMT -5
Okay, here's a recap of 100 to 61:
100. Walter Peck 99. Sideshow Bob 98. Dean Vernon Wormer 97. Bill Lumbergh 96. The French Taunter 95. Col. Kurtz 94. Baby Jane Hudson 93. Auric Goldfinger 92. The Nosferatu 91. M. Bison 90. Luther 89. The Wicked Witch of the West 88. Frank Booth 87. Bullseye 86. R.J. Fletcher 85. Alonzo Harris 84. Sephiroth 83. Norman Bates 82. Black Adam 81. Herr Starr 80. Annie Wilkes 79. Mr. Blonde 78. Principal Ed Rooney 77. Ivan Drago 76. Cigarette Smoking Man 75. Leatherface 74. Angel Eyes 73. Bob 72. Tony Montana 71. Thanos 70. Daniel Plainview 69. General Zod 68. J.J. Hunsecker 67. Megatron 66. Two-Face 65. Kevin 64. Big Brother 63. Johnny Lawrence 62. Vince McMahon 61. Clubber Lang
And, tomorrow, numbers 60 and 59. Here are the hints:
Excellent, and Make like a tree, and get out of here.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 28, 2008 16:37:05 GMT -5
Time for some more villains. Here's number 60: 60. Mr. Burns Who is he: Owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. What is he from: The Simpsons. What has he done: Illegally dump toxic waste wherever he chose, stole Christmas from 1981 to 1985, and has done anything and everything to make himself rich and powerful. Intelligence: Yale-educated businessman. Power: The most powerful man in Springfield. Vileness: Will steal candy from a baby just because he can. Sway: You don’t want him to unleash his hounds or Richard Simmons robot. Purity: He may look like he has no remorse for anything other than money, but there have been times when he showed some humanity and compassion over the years, most notably for his teddy bear Bobo. Physical Prowess: He’s an old man that gets tired writing his own name. Name Coolness: “Charles Montgomery Burns” has a suave and elegant quality to it. Created by: Matt Groening. Portrayed by: Christopher Collins was the original voice of Mr. Burns, in the episode "Homer's Odyssey". He was soon replaced by Harry Shearer, who has voiced the character ever since. He modeled the voice on Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan. Shearer says that Burns is the most difficult character for him to voice because it is rough on his vocal cords and often needs to drink tea and honey to soothe his voice. The Burns family has deep roots in the United States. Mr. Burns' adoptive great-grandfather Franklin Jefferson Burns participated in the Boston Tea Party. Mr. Burns had a strained relationship with his own mother, who had an affair with President Taft and lives in her 120s. As a child, Burns lived happily in a northern state of the U.S. with his natural parents, Clifford and Daphne (Charles) Burns, one of 12 children, including their younger brother, future comedian George Burns, and teddy bear Bobo. In "The Mansion Family", he was asked the cause of his parents' deaths and he replied: "Got in my way". His mother was seen in the season 7 episode "Homer the Smithers". At a young age he left his family to live with a twisted and heartless billionaire (who was actually his grandfather), who owned an "atom mill" in Springfield, where laborers split atoms by hitting anvils with sledgehammers. Burns lived a life of privilege and would amuse himself by injuring hapless immigrant laborers. Mr. Burns later attended Yale University, where he studied science and business, played on the varsity football team, and was inducted into the Skull and Bones secret society. Burns graduated from Yale in 1914. In 1939, at Burns' 25-year college reunion, he became romantically involved with the daughter of an old flame. She would later bear his child, Larry, who was given up for adoption and would later enter Mr. Burns' life briefly. Burns served in the United States Army during World War II. A member of Springfield's Flying Hellfish squad battalion, he saw action in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge, serving under Sergeant Abraham Simpson. During the closing years of the war, when his platoon was clearing out a German-occupied castle, Mr. Burns came across several valuable portraits. Since they couldn't decide to whom said portraits should go, the members of the platoon decided to enter into a tontine, which Mr. Burns was removed from after being dishonorably discharged. He possibly also served in the South Pacific with Abraham Simpson. At the end of World War II he was personally hired by President Harry S. Truman to transport a specially-printed trillion-dollar bill to Europe as the United States' contribution to the reconstruction of Europe. As the United States' richest citizen, Burns was thought to be the most trustworthy, even though almost everyone hates him for one reason or another. Burns absconded with the bill and kept it in his possession for many years until it was lost to Fidel Castro in the episode The Trouble with Trillions. During the 1960s, Burns operated a biological weapons laboratory until it was destroyed by peace activists, including Homer's mother Mona Simpson. In the 1970s, Burns built the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Burns currently owns the plant, although he has parted with it several times, including when he sold it to German investors, when the bank foreclosed on it and put Lenny in charge, when he lost all of his money in a bet with Rich Texan, and when Homer and Bart staged a hostile takeover of it. In each of these instances, Burns regained ownership of the nuclear plant. At the nuclear plant, Burns spends most of time in his office, monitoring his workers via closed circuit cameras. In his office he keeps a team of ten high-priced lawyers, a scale model of Springfield, a special microbe-resistant chamber, a two-seat escape pod, and the "League of Evil" - a sinister cabal whose members are long deceased but whose skeletons remain. The boobytraps in Burns' office include cricket poison, a secret trapdoor, a catapult that fires 1000 gram weights (2.2 pounds), and a ceiling-mounted suction tube which he can use to transport dissident workers to Morocco. He is also a loan officer at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Employee's Credit Union. Burns has also owned or co-owned a number of business ventures in Springfield, including the Monty Burns Casino, "Li'l Lisa" recycling, an ocean slurry manufacturing plant, Burns Slant Drilling Co., Burns Media, the electric company, the water works, and a hotel on Baltic Avenue. Burns resides in a vast, ornate mansion on an immense estate called Burns Manor, located at 1000 Mammon Street, on the corner of Croesus and Mammon streets in the 'Springfield Heights' district. It is protected by a high wall, an electrified fence, and a pack of vicious attack dogs known as "The Hounds," one of whom is named "Winston." In addition he has at least one 30+ -year-old-dog named "Crippler." Crippler is known for bagging hippies -- something they don't find too groovy at all. At times he has employed for protection a force of Wizard of Oz-style guards, a personal paramilitary force, a riot police squad, and a robotic Richard Simmons. The inside of the mansion includes a room containing a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters, a bottomless pit, a human chess board, the largest television in the free world, a 'Hall of Patriots' commemorating his ancestors, a laboratory, a botanical garden of vultures bearing his likeness, a safe containing a Beefeater guard, and a theater showing round-the-clock plays regardless of whether there is an audience. The mansion is also home to many rare historical artifacts including the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, the suit Charlie Chaplin was buried in, King Arthur's mythical sword Excalibur, and a rare first draft of the Constitution with the word "suckers" in it. Burns has been engaged at least three times: a woman named Gertrude who died of loneliness and rabies, to Jacqueline Bouvier, and to a policewoman named Gloria. He once had an affair with Countess von Zeppelin. Burns has used his power and wealth to blackmail and bribe various members of Springfield, including Mayor Quimby, as well as safety inspectors. The town routinely is subject to Burns' abuse, such as Burns' stealing of Christmas from 1981 to 1985 and there is a general dislike of him throughout the town. However, the most notably example of abuse on the town comes in the first part of Who Shot Mr. Burns?: when oil is discovered underneath Springfield Elementary, Burns builds an oil drill and drills into the school’s well. This costs the school all the improvements they were planning on implementing, such as hiring Tito Puente as music teacher, and forces Principal Skinner to fire Groundskeeper Willie. An oil burst from the drilling destroys Bart’s treehouse and injures his dog Santa’s Little Helper. This also leads to the closing of Moe’s Tavern, as Burn’s oil drill creates noxious fumes that surround the bar, the collapse of the Springfield Retirement Castle. Also, Burns’s continual forgetfulness of Homer Simpson’s name, which had been a running joke throughout the series before that episode, causes Homer to snap. And, Mr. Burns’s evil becomes too much for his assistant, Waylon Smithers; and he tries to reason with Mr. Burns, but Burns just fires him. The citizens of Springfield become enraged and vow revenge. However, Burns retaliates by blocking out the sun to force Springfield residents to increase their use of electricity produced by the Nuclear Plant. Unfortunately for Mr. Burns, soon after he implements his plan, he is subsequently shot, later revealed to be by Maggie. Though, Homer Simpson has claimed to have been the one who shot Burns and framed Maggie for the crime in "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times." Other evil deeds Burns has done are hitting Bart with his car, ran for governor in order to keep from cleaning up his power plant, tried to steal Marge away from Homer, tried to get rid of the Power Plant’s dental plan by offering free beer instead, tried to steal his beloved teddy bear Bobo from Maggie after she had become attached to it, tried to mold Bart into an heir and to convince Bart that his family didn’t love him, stole Jacqueline Bouvier from Grampa Simpson, bribed judges in the Springfield Film Festival so that his egotistical propaganda film “A Burns For All Seasons” would win, steals the puppies of Santa’s Little Helper and a female greyhound so that he could kill them and use their hides for a vest, blackmailed Homer into keeping secret that he cheats at golf, tried to kill Grampa and Bart in order to become the last member of his and Grampa’s unit (The Flying Hellfish) and obtain the priceless art the unit stole from the Nazis, built a “recycling plant” that caught aquatic animals from the ocean with millions of six-pack holders and chopped them up into "L'il Lisa Slurry", a sort of all-purpose industrial chemical, and stole a trillion-dollar bill from the U.S. government that was suppose to go postwar Europe (this was in 1945, after World War II). Charles Montgomery Burns is not a nice guy. Just look at him. He looks like he should be slithering around on the ground with venomous fangs ready to strike with glee. He also sounds evil, with his low and smooth voice. It is just so sinister, especially when he says “Excellent.” Mr. Burns has pretty much been the main antagonist on The Simpsons for years. He is the richest and most powerful man in Springfield, and he always trying to acquire more. He is a very greed man with an insatiable hunger for money and power that can never be satisfied. However, Mr. Burns has shown some capability of love and compassion. But, he usually tried to acquire that love through underhanded tactics to acquire the beloved person or object of his desire. And, he has been a constant thorn in the side of all of Springfield. The man has done everything to the town, from dumping nuclear waste in almost all of its lakes and wooden areas to blocking out the sun just to up the citizen’s electrical bill. He is also a horrible boss who forgets employees’ names, most notably Homer Simpson, and is unconcerned for their safety. And, he has a long track record of animal cruelty. It seems like no one is safe from Mr. Burns’s evil.
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Post by Kermit The Hulk on May 28, 2008 17:19:51 GMT -5
59. Biff Tannen Who is he: High school bully turned workplace bully, but became an owner of a car maintenance business after Marty McFly changed history. What is he from: The Back To The Future trilogy, amusement park ride, and animated series. What has he done: Bullied George McFly, changed history by giving his younger self an almanac that had the winners of every sports event from 1950 to 2000. Intelligence: As smart as a screen door on a battleship, or something like that. Power: He's the Big Man on Campus with the muscle to match at the beginning of the first film but later has to answer to other people. Vileness: Has a serious vile streak, even as a high school senior, but especially as a greedy, when he becomes a power-hungry casino owner. Sway: Uses intimidation to get his way, which works on most of the high school population, but not all. Purity: Shows unique drive to accomplish certain goals, like trying to kill Marty or promising to marry Lorraine. Physical Prowess: He’s a big man who’s quite frightening, especially from a fashion standpoint in the 80's and beyond. Name Coolness: “Biff Tannen” is pretty cool. Created by: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. Portrayed by: Tom Wilson, but 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. “Back To The Future”: Although there have some vague details of Biff's life before 1955, exact details 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 are not disclosed in the film, although some theories suggest that one or both of them might be dead or imprisoned. It is presumed that Gertrude Tannen is Biff's paternal grandmother, being the daughter-in-law of Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Gertrude Tannen is presumably widowed from her husband by 1955, and like most widows she has retained the last name of her husband. Biff's grandmother is not shown on screen, but her shrill voice can be heard yelling at him, which suggests she is abusive, somewhat explaining his mean and bullying nature. The absence of his parents may also attribute to his bitter attitude and hostile demeanor. He also 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. In several draft scripts of the films, he was born on Elm Street, and he was a fantastic asset to the high school football team, which is given as the reason why he was kept to do his senior year twice. In the film, it is shown that he is a lazy student who is unwilling to apply himself, as he forces George to do his homework. 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, who would probably fire Biff if they knew he was dumping all the work on George). Biff's crush on Lorraine never died either, although Lorraine had married George and presumably Biff had married as well, or fathered children out of wedlock. Another possibility is that Biff's wife had died, and this reignited Biff's crush on Lorraine now that he was a widower. 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, something which Biff was not used to. Marty was also 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 get his way with 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 raping 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 may have found someone else to bully, but some theories suggest that as the supposed weakest kid in school had successfully stood up to and punched Biff, nobody else would let him bully them anymore. The fallout over the incident may have affected Match, Skinhead, and 3-D's relations with Biff to the point that they stayed away from him. Since Biff no longer had George to do his work for him, he now had to do things for himself. He started 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 II”: At the start of the second film, Marty, Doc, and Marty's girlfriend Jennifer Parker traveled 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 De Lorean 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. Despite being over the age of retirement, Biff does not appear to have retired; he may just be doing his grandson a favor by waxing his car, or he may have hit on hard times and been forced to continue working. 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 realized that Doc Brown had invented a time machine. He picked up a sports almanac that Doc had thrown in the trash and 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. 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, 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 he appears to accidentally jab himself in the chest with his broken-off cane as he steps out of the De Lorean. The top part of Biff's cane remained in the De Lorean after he accidentally broke it when returning, and Doc showed it to Marty as an indication that old Biff was there. Young Biff used the sports almanac to bet on the results of sporting events, since he now knew the results. In 1958, 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 owns 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. Biff has also presumably spearheaded an effort to repeal the 22nd Amendment and get rid of presidential term limits. He also helped Richard Nixon remain President of the United States (presumably by using his money and influence to cover up the Watergate investigations) until at least 1985 (while seeking a fifth consecutive term, which would mean that Nixon had at least until January 1985 before he had to turn over to a successor). Biff's effects 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, 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 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 children. One of the women he reportedly married was Marilyn Monroe, according to one of the pictures on the Biff Tannen Museum. It is presumed in this alternate timeline Biff has been widowed from Marilyn Monroe (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 "a crazy wild-eyed scientist or a teenager may ask about the almanac" 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. On March 15, 1973, Biff shot and murdered George McFly, though Lorraine is unaware of this, and with the authorities in his pocket, was able to bribe the police to cover the story up. 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 3 children, but the money and power had gone to his head, 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 Lorrain 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 afore-mentioned deleted scene. However, old Biff fading away might have been the foreshadowing of the alternate Biff coming into existence, effectively erasing the original Biff out of time. However, if that is true, then Marty, Jennifer, and Doc Brown should have done the same. This 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 with 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. 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, (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. The ride is not taken as canon by many fans, so Biff's adventures above are often ignored. 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 villainous cretin, so frequently that Marty once rhetorically questioned if there was a "Biff" in every time and place they visited. 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 8 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 6 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 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. Biff Tannen is a classic bully, much like Johnny Lawrence, who has previously appeared on this countdown. He is a tormentor who threatens and scared George McFly into doing his homework in high school and later his paper work when they are older and working at the same business. He is also quite the creepy, with a deep crush on Lorraine that almost borders on stalking. However, Biff gets his in the movie, as George finally stands up to him thanks to Marty’s influence. This changes history, and Biff is put in his rightful place, working at a car maintenance business and being subservient to George. However, Biff may have been a mere bully in the first movie, but things change in the sequel. Most good villains are not contempt with their lot in life and strife for bigger and better. Biff is no exception. When he finds out that Doc Brown has built a time machine, he hatches a brilliant scheme to make himself rich: he goes back in time to 1955, gives himself a sports almanac with the results of practically every sporting event form 1950 to 2000, and tells him that if he bets on the teams that are listed as winners in the book, then he will never lose. It works, and Biff Tannen becomes the most powerful man in Hill Valley and one of the most powerful men in America. The man moved up from mere bully to practically supervillain. I mean, he changed history as it is said that he helped to keep Richard Nixon as president (hmmm, I wonder if the Back To The Future trilogy and Watchmen take place in the same fictional realm). Though his plan is foiled, Biff Tannen still managed to change time itself. That’s pretty big for a man who started out as just a high school bully.
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