Animation
Scar
The Lion King · 1994
Fratricide, a musical number, and a lifetime of resentment
Threat index 76
Tyrant · Video games
Handsome Jack
A corporate psychopath who is genuinely funnier than you are
Attribute scores
Power66
Intellect86
Menace84
Fear factor66
Cultural impact82
Charisma96
Editorial estimates on a 0–100 scale, calibrated against every other character in the index. Not official canon.
Who they are
Jack is a CEO who talks to the player constantly over the radio, insulting, taunting and occasionally sharing something uncomfortably personal. He is the reason the game works: without him it is a loot shooter, and with him it is a five-hour comedy routine delivered by someone who is also committing mass murder. He is also convinced he is the hero, and the writing never fully disproves it.
Defining traits
Corporate and military resourcesRelentless verbal harassmentVault key researchGenuine comic timingBelief in his own heroism
What makes them dangerous
He owns a corporation, an orbital station and a moon-mounted weapon aimed at your city.
And what undoes them
He needs an audience for every single thing he does, and it makes him monologue instead of act.
Things you might not know
- He speaks over the radio for a large share of the game's runtime, an unusual amount of writing for the genre.
- A prequel casts the player as his allies, showing the same events from the other side.
- The mask he wears is a molded portrait of his own idealized face.
Why number 4 in Video Games
He talks at you for most of the game and is funnier than the game around him, which somehow makes the mass murder land harder.
Why number 5 in Most Charismatic
Funnier than the comedy game he is in, and the writing never lets you forget what he is while you are laughing.
If you like this villain
Animation
Judge Claude Frollo
The Hunchback of Notre Dame · 1996
The darkest antagonist a major animation studio has ever released
Threat index 77
Animation
Mother Gothel
Tangled · 2010
The villain whose weapon is a compliment with a knife in it
Threat index 73