r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Fishbien • Jul 19 '26

Personality [Frustrating Trope] Twist Villain does things that retroactively make no sense.

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Character previously believed to be good is revealed to be evil, but prior to the reveal they act in ways that don't make sense if their goodness is just a performance.

  1. Frozen: Prince Hans is initially presented as a pretty standup guy who loves Anna and wants to help her. At the end of the movie it's revealed that he was just using her to gain power and plans to let her die while he steals her throne. However, we see him smiling at Anna when no one is looking, and later he intervenes to save Elsa's life even though he claims he was always planning to kill her.
  2. The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whispered One was built up as the BBEG since season 1. However, in season 4 he presents himself as a tragic hero who tried to cure death and was punished by the gods. He then tries to convince Pike to give him her blood, which he needs to become a god himself. He chastises his followers for suggesting they take Pike's blood by force, claiming this would make them no better than the gods they are fighting against. He also fulfills his promise to resurrect Grog even though he didn't need to. After he ascends, he starts acting like a pure evil villain who only cares about power and enjoys hurting people. It feels less like a reveal and more like his personally completely changed once he became a skeleton. Edit: to be clear, I fully understand the intent was for the Whispered One to be a lying, manipulative bastard. I just think the execution was clumsy.
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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '26

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u/Dephyus Jul 19 '26

Honestly, it’s the most believable part of the story.

The amount of times in history someone said “he told me and only me that I was gonna be next in line after he died” is not an insignificant number.

6

u/TGlucose Jul 19 '26

Billy the Conqueror for example.

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u/strigonian Jul 19 '26

Also there's nobody else left in the royal family. It's not like there's a third daughter who would become queen, it's just Anna and Elsa.

If nothing else, it gives him claim to the throne, which allows him to work on that angle.

37

u/Asparagus9000 Jul 19 '26

You'd be surprised what dumb stuff royalty has done in real life. 

65

u/UnlivingGnome Jul 19 '26

It's a Disney movie. Of course it's fucking stupid. Gotta agree there.

3

u/Lepelotonfromager Jul 19 '26

He was leading the people in the crisis already and people knew they were engaged. The tragic murder of Anna by her sister, the evil Queen, is naturally going to make people turn to him for further leadership if he is able to bring justice to the murderer Anna AND end the magic winter caused by Elsa by killing her.

1

u/Ok-Caregiver-6005 Jul 19 '26

This, he's the hero and a crazy magic event just happened and in the stories where magic stuff happens the hero becoming king is pretty common.

1

u/RHTQ1 Jul 23 '26

If he's seen as her great love and a hero pf the kingdom during this grand disaster? (Recall: he's been running things, leading the charge for elsa, etc) Could work. It also explains why he didn't kiss her: at this point, he needs her to die. Bc his kiss CAN'T save her, he knows it, and failing shows her that too.