Board 8 > Most Evil Fictional Character: Mephistopheles vs. Alex DeLarge

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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 Faust (primarily Goethe's) and A Clockwork Orange. Proceed at your own risk!

MEPHISTOPHELES

Mephistopheles is the primary antagonist of Goethe's Faust and the German legend on which it is based.

Despite his scholarly eminence, Faust is bored and disappointed. He decides to call on the devil for further knowledge and magic powers with which to indulge all the pleasure and knowledge of the world. In response, the devil's representative Mephistopheles appears. He makes a bargain with Faust, as Mephistopheles will serve Faust with his magic powers for a term of years, but at the end of the term, the devil will claim Faust's soul and Faust will be eternally damned. The term usually stipulated in the early tales is twenty-four years. During the term, Faust makes use of Mephistopheles in various ways. In many versions of the story, in particular, Goethe's drama, Mephistopheles helps him to seduce a beautiful and innocent girl, usually named Gretchen, whose life is destroyed. Gretchen's mother dies from a sleeping potion, administered by Gretchen to obtain privacy so that Faust could visit her. Gretchen discovers she is pregnant. Gretchen's brother condemns Faust, challenges him and falls dead at the hands of Faust and Mephistopheles. Gretchen drowns her illegitimate child and is convicted of the murder. Faust tries to save Gretchen from death by attempting to free her from prison, but she refuses to leave. In the early versions of the legend, Faust is irrevocably corrupted and believes his sins cannot be forgiven; when the term ends, the devil carries him off to Hell.

vs.

ALEX DELARGE

Alex DeLarge is the villain protagonist of the film and novel A Clockwork Orange.

Alex is the narrator in the novel A Clockwork Orange. The character is portrayed as a sociopath who robs, rapes, and assaults innocent people for his own amusement. Intellectually, he knows that such behavior is morally wrong, saying that "you can't have a society with everybody behaving in my manner of the night". He nevertheless professes to be puzzled by the motivations of those who wish to reform him and others like him, saying that he would never interfere with their desire to be good; he simply "goes to the other shop". Alex is very fond of classical music, particularly Ludwig van Beethoven, whom he habitually refers to as "Ludwig Van". While listening to this music, he fantasizes about endless rampages of rape, torture and slaughter. Alex's favourite melee weapon is a "cut-throat britva", or straight razor. Alex commits one of his most egregious crimes when he tricks a woman into letting him into her house by claiming that his friend is in trouble, only to attack her and her husband before raping her in front of said husband. In the film, he gleefully sings Singin in the Rain while doing this. The woman dies, most likely from the trauma, and the husband is left crippled. One day, after an argument with his cronies, Alex ends up killing an old lady in her home and is arrested for murder. Over the next two years, Alex is a model prisoner, endearing himself to the prison chaplain by studying the Bible. He is especially fond of the passages in the Old Testament portraying torture and murder.

Alex DeLarge
Mephistopheles is merely holding up his end of the deal. I'd argue Faust comes off worse because of how he uses Mephistopheles' power.

Gonna wait for (more) arguments on this one.

Mephistopheles

It's all about insidious corruption versus overt atrocity. I don't begrudge anyone for voting for the latter, but in most cases, I find the former more evil by default. Alex's crimes, horrible as they are, don't go on a large enough scale to compare to Mephisto's subtle influence leading to misery in my eyes.

Alex DeLarge

Mephistopheles only corrupts the already corrupted. He is truthful, and in some versions of the legend he tries to dissuade Faust from doing the deal. I don't think DeLarge is that evil either, but I think more so that Mephistopheles is even less evil.

Alex DeLarge for sure. It honestly just feels like Mephistopheles is just a tool for Faust to do his dickery. I'd possibly vote the other way if it was Faust instead.