Dr. Doof - Tumblr Posts

I'm having 4am opinions apparently

I feel like what most MCU movies and/or Disney shows lack nowadays is good comprehension of the villains unless they're shows about the villains, especially in genres like superhero movies. Thought of this ranking system today that might help explain what I mean with four examples. It's an axis between menace and scale.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb count as superheroes, right??)

low menace, low scale.

Doof is comic relief for a reason: everyone knows he's not going to succeed and doesn't have any really evil schemes (much to his chagrin) like killing or even hurting anyone. His menace is for petty vengeance at best. And he doesn't aspire to take over more than the tri-state area, and doesn't think or plan much beyond his latest inator.

The Joker

high menace, low scale

Now before the comic junkies come after me, I know there are multiple variations of the Joker for which this might not be true, but most versions I've seen align with this. Joker is the bad guy in every sense of the word. He's toxic and sadistic, killing without thought. No doubt he's menacing. But he's low scale because he, like Doofenshmirtz, rarely plots beyond the next scheme or betrayal, and keeps his mayhem to the confines of Gotham City. He's a crime lord, not going for world domination, but he's well written and scary, which makes him such a classic villain.

Thanos

high menace, high scale

Thanos brings the big guns to every fight and challenges literally all of the avengers at once, which few villains can boast of. His scale is undeniable and catastrophic, not only global but universal in the MCU. Dusting half of the population of, well, everything, is a pretty big goal to shoot for. He's also fairly menacing, with the earlier post-credits scenes featuring him in the shadows and literally everything to do with Gamora and the methods he uses to take the Infinity Stones. Some people argue he's too weak or too OP, which makes me think he's pretty well balanced.

Hades

low menace, high scale

Hades from Hercules is the last example in this analysis, ik it's a kids movie so OF COURSE the villains will be less menacing but the guy is also iconic and funny and relatable. Intends to destroy the gods and Hercules, but is more disposed to bargaining like a car salesman than overt cruelty. That said, his plan does involve full Olympian destruction so he's got plenty of scale. These kinds of characters are a little less common, so harder to define, but can be very effective if written correctly.

I think Disney/MCU stuff lately has veered more towards too sympathetic villains with a ton of power or too cruel villains with not enough power. a proper supervillain has a balance of both, and I wouldn't mind seeing a few more of the high menace/low scale villains, or, even better, low menace/high scale villains who are a bit out of their league. comment with any thoughts and where you think other villains fit on the chart :)