http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagnificentBastard

This is based on opinion. Please don't list it on a work's trope example list.

note sword A magnificent bastard, as opposed to a magnificent katana.

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If there was ever a villain that deserved to be called "Magnificent", that character is the Magnificent Bastard. Capturing the audience with their charisma, incredible intellect, mastery of manipulation, and boldness of action, this character is a show-stealer, demanding your reverence at every turn. So what makes a character a Magnificent Bastard? Let's break it down:

They are brilliant and utterly devious, a smooth operator. They are also savvy and do not fall for obvious traps; bringing them down is no easy feat.

They have a goal, they're not going to stop until they've completed it. Even when the goal is suicidally over-ambitious, they succeed with style.

They are charismatic, often charming, their personality is like a physical force. While they exist on the darker end of the moral spectrum, they never take disgusting actions that undermine their magnificence, leaving them diabolical but in a way the audience can't help but enjoy. And they are definitively not cowards. Ever.

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Compare Guile Hero, its Good Counterpart.

Important Note: Please use the Magnificent Bastard cleanup thread to propose characters before writing their entries. Magnificent Bastard entries not approved by the thread will be deleted.

Now divided into: