Board 8 > Most Evil Fictional Character: The Joker vs. Frank Booth

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Welcome to the 2023 edition of Most Evil Fictional Character, a single-elimination tournament to determine the most evil fictional character of all time!

Here's the bracket:

https://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=477621&tclass=

And here's the discussion topic:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80568652

And here are the rules:

-First and foremost, YOU MUST BOLD YOUR VOTE FOR IT TO COUNT. The reason for this is that these topics encourage a lot of discussion and debate, and it helps me to distinguish a vote from simple discussion if all votes are bolded. So, I state again, ALL VOTES MUST BE BOLDED FOR THEM TO COUNT. I reserve the right to be lenient in early topics if people just aren't getting it, but for the most part, IF YOUR VOTE ISN'T BOLDED, IT WON'T COUNT.

-You must vote for which of the two characters you honestly believe to be the more evil of the two. You can determine this via any method you like, use your own morals and judgement, read all the arguments made to determine your choice, or however you choose to make your pick, but you must only vote for the one you truly believe is the most evil. This isn't a death battle, or a popularity contest. You're voting ONLY for the most evil character out of the two choices presented.

-While on that subject, remember that because this isn't a death battle or a fighting tournament, do your absolute best to consider the two characters as if their power levels were equal (either the weaker character brought up to the level of the strongest, or vice versa, or both if you want to consider both possibilities). Therefore, just because, for example, one of the characters blew up a planet and the other one merely kicked a puppy, doesn't necessarily mean the planet killer is more evil than the puppy kicker. Consider the characters as if they have the exact same capabilities and what they might do in that scenario.

-You can make any arguments, debates, etc. you want in this topic. Discussion is STRONGLY encouraged, a fun debate about which of the two characters is most evil is exactly what these topics are for. Just don't make it personal, no insults or flaming, keep things civil even if you disagree. Also, no vote rallying, if you want to encourage people to vote for your character you need to at least make some semblance of an argument as to why, even if it's just "Character X did (really dastardly thing), I can't believe no one's voting for them!"

-Voting will continue for exactly 24 hours after the post is made. If there's a tie, there will be a new 24 hour topic. This will continue indefinitely until a winner is determined.

-YOU MUST BOLD YOUR VOTE FOR IT TO COUNT.

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The following write-ups will contain untagged SPOILERS for DC Comics and Blue Velvet. Proceed at your own risk!

THE JOKER

The Joker is the arch-nemesis of the comic book character Batman.

In his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind. Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, the character became a mostly harmless, comical prankster in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the Comics Code Authority, before returning to his darker roots during the early 1970s (although some of his more comedic characterization was kept for many incarnations of the character). As Batman's nemesis, the Joker has been part of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Jason Toddthe second Robin and Batman's wardand the paralysis of one of Batman's allies, Barbara Gordon. In Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, The Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon and kidnaps her father, Commissioner James Gordon. He takes Gordon to a run-down amusement park, where he cages him in the park's freak show. He forces Gordon to view blown-up photos of a wounded Barbara, lying nude on the floor after the shooting. He then puts Gordon on display before the park's freaks, ridiculing him as "the average man", a weakling doomed to insanity. The 2000s began with the crossover story "Emperor Joker", in which the Joker steals Mister Mxyzptlk's reality-altering power and remakes the universe in his image (torturing and killing Batman daily, before resurrecting him). When the supervillain then tries to destroy the universe, his reluctance to eliminate Batman makes him lose control, and Superman defeats him. In the mini-series, Underworld Unleashed, The Trickster remarks that, "When supervillains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories". As far as truth about Jokers personality, one word sums him up, unpredictable. One day, the Joker may be an enigma to being a clown, to others he can become a driven up, maniacal, anti-social, psychotic, homicidal, psychopathic, ruthless, sadistic, manipulative, viciously intelligent, diabolical master criminal who wants nothing but chaos and anarchy wherever he goes, as well as groveling in the suffering of others.

vs.

FRANK BOOTH

Frank Booth is the primary antagonist of the film Blue Velvet.

Frank Booth is an over-the-top, crazed, loud, foul-mouthed and psychopathic gangster, drug-dealer and pimp, who is the central figure in Lumberton, North Carolina's criminal underworld. He is an aggressively unhinged, sadistic, perverse, abusive and animalistic man with a hair-trigger, light-switch-like temper that flares instantly into extreme rage and/or violence without warning or provocation. Booth kidnaps singer Dorothy Vallens' husband and son, holding them hostage to force Dorothy into becoming his sex slave. His sexual arousal is highlighted by fits of violent rage, enhanced by inhaling the aforementioned unidentified gas. After Dorothy proves reluctant to continue her relationship with Booth, he severs her husband's ear, which is found by college student Jeffrey Beaumont. While investigating the case, Jeffrey spies on Booth abusing Dorothy. Later, Jeffrey and Dorothy begin a sexual relationship. Jeffrey begins following Booth and observing his day-to-day life, learning that he works with a police detective whom Jeffrey calls "The Yellow Man".
Booth catches Jeffrey and Dorothy together and forces them to accompany him to the apartment of "Suave Ben", the man holding Dorothy's husband and son. At Booth's instigation, Ben lip-syncs a performance of Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", which brings tears to Booths eyes. Afterward, Booth takes Jeffrey to a lumber yard and kisses him before beating him up. Sometime later, Booth murders Dorothy's husband, beats her nearly to death, and leaves her naked on Jeffrey's lawn. Jeffrey follows Booth to Dorothy's apartment, where he finds the corpse of Dorothy's husband and the Yellow Man, whom Booth has shot in the head in anticipation of leaving town. Using a police radio to distract Frank, Jeffrey hides in a closet with a gun and watches while Booth returns to the apartment to execute the Yellow Man. Booth begins searching the apartment for Jeffrey, but when he opens the closet, Jeffrey shoots him in the head, killing him.

Frank Booth

No real David Lynch fan can vote anything other than this.

Frank Booth
Joker's characterization varies depending on the tone of the story he's appearing in, and while he may be comparable to Frank at his worst, he's often tamer than that.

The problem I have with Joker is that he isn't "truly evil". It's pretty much always blamed on bullshit comics magic "insanity" and whenever said insanity is temporarily removed either via magic, super alien psychic stuff, or some other circumstance, Joker is immensely remorseful. On top of that there have been multiple times he's done good. Even when bad he wouldn't help nazis lol. There's also the factor that his actions are generally linked to his little dance with Batman, and whenever Batman is out of the picture Joker just sorta shuts off.

This feels sorta like Cartman's match to me though in that regardless of the above, the sheer levels Joker goes to at his worst just completely outclasses his opponent who in this case I don't think really has the sufficient "evil" level to match against the "insane". I am not familiar with Frank but just from his description block he doesn't really seem like all that compared to others so far. Dude's not going around buying puppies just to toss em off bridges for fun and I don't think he'd do too much if he had more power.

Going to hold off for now to see more arguments and elaboration for Frank that his description might be missing but yeah.

Frank

Joker still pays his taxes, he's less evil than a lot of America's C-suite

Frank slightly gets the edge here. Joker is so all over the place in villainy though that I might sway.

Frank

Joker's actions are more heinous, but I think overall he's less evil. Take away Batman, and Joker just doesn't see the point anymore. He has a major dependence on Batman.

Mm not much talk for Frank so Joker for now.

GavsEvans123 posted...

Joker's characterization varies depending on the tone of the story he's appearing in, and while he may be comparable to Frank at his worst, he's often tamer than that.

Basically this. Joker has a lot of variety to him, and every incarnation of him is different. Joker at his absolute worst is Frank Booth all the time, and given Frank's predilection for gases, if he had access to Joker's supplies he'd be easily on par with Joker or worse

Frank Booth

frank booth seems more legitimately evil imo

Joker

Dennis Hopper is amazing in Blue Velvet but out of the Jokers I know I'd still give Ledger's version an edge. He blows up a hospital in that movie!

Joker