posted
This may have been polled before, and if so forgive me please, but on either the small or large screen, who were the characters you hated and feared the most in 80s animation? My top 5 goes:
1. Dr. Claw. Less is more. The fact we only see Claw's arms make him all the more intimidating. While one has to wonder how he's able to run such a worldwide terror organization and still maintain such lavous lairs for himself and M.A.D. Cat, plus the Clawmobile (perhaps he knowingly hired idiots so he can deduct their whole pay after their inevitable arrest), you can't forget the fact that his goal, directly or not, is to subjugated this planet merciless, even if it means pouring everything int ostop one man that a kindergartner could probably stop. Plus Claw is a cruel man, using harsh weapons, some of them with strong lethal potential if the production code wasn't there to make sure no one actually does die. We see often how roughly his associates treat Penny when they find her investigating their actions; if they're willing to treat a mere child like that, it stands to reason, heads of state in Claw's clutches are in for a nightmare. Should he win of course, and odds are he'll still go flying off in the Clawmobile swearing revenge for next time, Gadget! NEXT TIME!!!! (MMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!)
2. Mum-Ra. Undead foes took off in the 80s, and who else but that decaying Egyptian and his evil little chubby bulldog (????), who don't care who they hurt, as long as it leads them and only them (with ample evidence he'd turn on the Mutants and Lunatacks she Third Earth ever be subjugated)to absolute power. Mum-Ra can truly freak you out when you're young, particularly when he transforms to his "superPharoah" form and the wrappings just blow off him. That plus he was my first introduction to the concept of the unkillable monster; even when it was a sure bet he'd been done in, he'd rise up looking angrier than the fires of Hell themselves; I dare you not to cry out when this is done by a character like he with burning red evil eyes.
3. Samhaine. While the Real Ghostbusters team came up with dozens of beautiful villains during the series' run, the all-powerful Spirit of Halloween himself is one of the best, not just for the show but for TV animation as a whole. You can sense just a slightest sense of Nazific hatred for living beings in Samhaine whenever he announces his plans for Halloween eternal. Although he doesn't do too much over two starring appearances other than have others smack Slimer around, one gets the feeling, much like Chernabog on Bald Mountain, that he could wreek horrific damage if he so chose. He and the ghosts who follow him always give the RGB a run for their money trying to bring him in, and when they finally do Samhaine goes down fighting for all it's worth. A frightening figure, he should seriously be considered by Aykroyd and Ramis for a part in that 3rd film should it ever come to life
4. Ursula. The most recent of the Studios' "Golden Girls" (as fans term the superiorly-done villainesses) is still one of the best, turning a great twist on a role that wasn't exactly villainous (although far from kosher either) in Andersen's tale. While we may never come across those Bond-type foes who announce their plans out loud and dare all to stop them, we've probably met an Ursula before in our time, someone who manipulates your mind and heart into doing exactly what she wants you to, trading your life around like it's a commodity to be sold and used until useless (also, now that I think about it, subliminally Nazific). A great villain should illicit in my opinion a loud cheer upon his/her demise, and I still remember, January 1990 in 2nd grade recess, applauding as Ursula gets run through and sinks to her well-earned demise.
5. Shredder. Sure, standards and practices had Oroku Saki heavily edited down to where he was almost as bad as his henchmen, but it didn't erase the fact he was always hoping to genuinely kill the good guys--plus anyone else who innocently blundered into the way. Perhaps if he had decided to do these things himself, the Turtles might have fared a lot worse over 10 years.
What would your rankings be?
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1. Professor Ratigan 2. Mok Swagger (from "Rock & Rule") 3. Shredder 4. Ursula 5. Warren T. Rat
Posts: 1057 | From: With my mouse pals on Baker Street | Registered: Nov 2005 | Site Updates: 0
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I don;t have a ranking, per se, but I can remember watching GI JOE toons back in the day, and although, I hated Cobra Commander, DESTRO waas one evil S.O.B.! He would have to take my number one spot!
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And now that I think of it, I could probably add Flintheart Glomgold to the list as well; lest we forget he does try to kill Scrooge and company overtly several times (and it's strongly inferred in Carl Barks' and Don Rosa's comics that Glomgold has indeed killed several people to become the second richest duck in the world--and, since he's from South Africa in the comics, likely somewhat of an apartheid practicioner as well (this was the primary reason they decided to make him Scotch like Scrooge for TV)). He's the prime example of runaway 80s greed gone bad.
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