Reinventing the Generic Bad Guy
The phone rings. “What’s that? I gotta go save the world? Alright…which is it this time? Zombies? Nazis? Robots? Oh, it’s Nazis again. I’ll be right over.” It’s empowering being the one to single-handedly mow through hordes of generic bad guys on your way to take down The Big Boss, but over the past decade, it feels like we’re fighting the same armies. Are there no new races or organizations lurking in the shadows, plotting our demise? It’s time to enlist a new menace to give evil a fresh face!
Within the complex dichotomy of heroes and villains there exists a complex, yet delicate tête-à-tête. This is staggeringly apparent in the medium of the comic book. Men and women in capes and masks chasing after dastardly malefactors in a never ending dance; but, what were to happened if one side were to end these tireless encounters? Is stopping evil as simple as locking it in a box? The answer is not as clear or as apparent as one would think.
With Mega Man 9 on its way to our consoles, one could say Mega Man is a seasoned pro at beating robots, stealing powers, and running around in blue speedos. With that many games under his belt, however, it’s no surprise that every adversary he’s encountered hasn’t been the most brilliant invention. I daresay some of them shouldn’t have even gotten past the blueprint stage. Therefore, I am nominating some robots into the Villain Hall of Shame that deserve to become scrap metal.