Board 8 > Most Evil Fictional Character: Davros vs. Emperor Palpatine

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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.

The following write-ups will contain untagged SPOILERS for Doctor Who and Star Wars.

DAVROS

Davros is a major antagonist in the Doctor Who television series and specials.

Davros, often referred to by his creations as the Creator and also known as the Dark Lord of Skaro, was originally the head of the Kaled Scientific Elite on the planet Skaro, but he became better known as the creator of the Daleks. He also made alterations of his own to the Dalek genome, filtering out qualities Davros deemed "weak" to make his creations the ultimate warriors. Davros refused to listen to the Doctor when he begged him to make the Daleks peaceful creatures of good, rather than the evil exterminators they would become. The results of his attempts to bring the war on Skaro to an end were not as he envisioned, because the Daleks wiped out both the Thal and Kaled races, save for himself. Davros survived the centuries, using whatever medical assistance was available to sustain his life. For a time, he sought to create a race of Daleks loyal to him, which led to the Imperial-Renegade Civil War, where he served as Emperor of the loyal Daleks, and later of the Dalek race as a whole. In the hundred years leading up to the Earth year 2254, Davros and the Daleks witnessed the human race advance their scientific knowledge to the point of becoming a threat. Ultimately, Davros decided that this problem needed to be rectified and so launched an invasion of Earth, intending to turn it into a Dalek production planet. Davros genetically tested a group of humans. Modifying their brains to remove their emotions of compassion, love and pity, Davros converted them into drones; as such, these drones were, like the Daleks, Davros's children. As the Daleks continued their 23rd century bombardment of the Earth colony of Phobos, Drone 77 and Drone 69, formerly a human male and female respectively, were questioned by Davros. When they behaved in a fashion indicating disgust for him, both moving away when he went to touch them, and demonstrated fear by seeking comfort in each other's arms, Davros ordered their extermination.Through his creations, many came to consider him responsible for trillions of deaths and innumerable wars across the universe. Davros had a sound mind early in his life, but the incident that crippled him and his overall experiences in the Thal-Kaled war left him a depraved and insane megalomaniac. He became tyrannical and ruthless, tolerating no opposition to his will and dismissing fairness and democracy as "the creeds of cowards". He did not believe the Daleks were evil, instead believing they would bring peace by becoming the sole life-forms of the universe; he believed different species could not peacefully co-exist, so believed the utter extermination of all other races was the only way the Daleks could succeed at bringing peace. He was one of the Doctor's greatest enemies, rivalling the Master in both intellect and madness. The Twelfth Doctor described Davros as "an insane, paranoid genius who [had] survived amongst several billion trigger-happy mini-tanks for centuries".

vs.

EMPEROR PALPATINE

Emperor Palpatine is the primary antagonist of the Star Wars film series.

Darth Sidious, born Sheev Palpatine and also known simply as the Emperor, was a human male Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Rising to power in the Galactic Senate as the senator of Naboo, the secretive Sith Lord cultivated two identities, Sidious and Palpatine, using both to further his political career and deceive his way into accomplishing his goal. He orchestrated the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order through the Clone Wars, and then established his reign over the galaxy which lasted until his death at the Battle of Endor. Born on the Mid Rim planet Naboo in 84 BBY as the High Republic Era ended, Sidious possessed a strong connection to the Force, and was secretly trained in the ways of the Sith by Darth Plagueis. He eventually betrayed and killed his Sith Master, in order to train his own Sith apprentice, Darth Maul, for the Rule of Two limited their ranks to two Sith Lords at any given time. As a result of the Invasion of Naboo, a crisis orchestrated by Sidious, the Senate elected Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor. The Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars were masterminded by Sidious and his new apprentice, Darth Tyranus, in an effort to achieve galactic dominance. Following an attempt to arrest the chancellor, the Great Jedi Purge commenced with Sidious enacting Order 66. With the Jedi all but extinct, Sidious installed the New Order in the Republic's place, declaring himself Galactic Emperor and bringing an end to the millennia of democracy. Shortly after betraying and causing the death of Tyranus, he took on a new apprentice, having lured the Jedi Knigh tAnakin Skywalker to the dark side and transforming him into Darth Vader. Among Sidious' most effective traits was his deeply manipulative nature. He enjoyed the rush manipulating others to his will gave him. Sidious saw his allies as pawns that he could use for his grand plan, and was more than willing to dispose them if they no longer served a purpose. He kept his allies as long as they served his purpose, but cut them loose when their purpose was over. He never actually cared for any one of his allies. He betrayed countless allies, including Darth Plagueis, Maul, Dooku, the Separatist Council, and Vader. To those who had been at his nonexistent mercy, Sidious was known to be exceptionally sadistic, and he often took visible pleasure in torturing others.[ He was similarly quite bloodthirsty as well, and frequently reveled in combat to the point of laughing while he fought or killed. He was also noted for his lack of forgiveness, as even Darth Vader, who was well known for summarily executing officers who failed him, considered Sidious to be even less clement than himself. His passion to inflict pain on others and his hate were a priority to him over his own well-being: while he could have used his own powers to save himself from Darth Vader during the Battle of Endor, Sidious' hate was so strong that his only thought was to harm Vader as his apprentice carried him to his first death.

Davros

We literally see Palpatine with enough power to do a lot of what Davros does and he doesnt do it. Palpatine wants to rule, not to exterminate.

He did not believe the Daleks were evil, instead believing they would bring peace by becoming the sole life-forms of the universe; he believed different species could not peacefully co-exist, so believed the utter extermination of all other races was the only way the Daleks could succeed at bringing peace.

Gonna go with Palpatine then but all I know of Davros is from the above blurb so Ill be following discussion.

Davros

Here we have essentially two Space Hitlers. They have a bit in common, but I think that makes the choice more obvious. Palpatine has absolute power, and the galaxy is pretty bad off, but stormtroopers aren't going around indiscriminately killing everyone and everything. On the other side, we have Davros who created the Daleks, who are killing everyone and everything. And Davros is proud of it. He already comes form a race of space Nazis, and even those Space Nazis thought he was going too far. Davros builds a bomb to wipe out the entire omniverse. Not just his universe, but every universe that exists, and even the potential universe that could exist.

If Davros were a sith lord in the Star Wars universe, Tatooine would've been reduced to rubble. Stormtroopers would be going around murdering everyone they meet. Because that's what the Daleks do. It's all they know, and Davros knew that's what they would become. It's what he wanted them to be. On the other hand, if Palpatine were a Kaled and designing the Daleks, I do not think they'd be the one thing that can drive The Doctor -- one of the most peaceful and merciful beings in fiction -- capable of committing genocide against his own race just to get rid of them because the universe would be that much better off without them. Palpatine working for the Kaleds probably just wipe out the Thal, and try to take over the rest of the universe.

Saying that Davros wants peace is akin to saying Hitler wants peace. It's simplifying their motivation a bit too much imo. You could also say that Palpatine wants peace. Davros wants to destroy all life in the omniverse, save for his daleks. Davros was given the opportunity to make the Daleks a force for good by The Doctor in their (technically second>) meeting. He genetically engineered a race of space nazis to be space nazis. To the point where even slight genetic differences can set them off. Daleks often kill other Daleks because they aren't pure enough at the genetic level. Stormtroopers are nowhere near the level of Daleks, and it's not just because they can't hit the broad side of a barn.

And again, he created a reality bomb to wipe out all universes ever. I don't see Palpatine ever doing something on that level. On the other hand, I see Davros doing far worse as a Senator from Naboo.

Palpatine

I do agree that Palpatine wouldn't want to exterminate everything like Davros but I do feel he comes off as more evil than Davros and kills plenty enough (probably quadrillions minimum with various Death Star incarnations alone) that if he felt total destruction of as many as the Daleks try to exterminate was the way to acheive his goals he'd do so without a second thought. If you told me there exists a hypothetical Dr Who storyline where Davros is somehow convinced that extermination isn't the answer and that there is a good use for non-Dalek, I would believe it.

Wikipedia (in an episode I have not seen yet as Im still in Matt Smith episodes, so feel free to correct context here) also supports this theory.

The Doctor then discovers the Daleks have a concept of mercy and are allowed to have the word in their vocabulary when he encounters Clara, having disguised herself in a Dalek's robotic chassis. The Doctor and Clara escape, the former having an epiphany as to how Davros somehow put a sliver of compassion into the Daleks

Davros is basically a Nazi (where any non Dalek should be genocided) in a way but I do think he there is potential for him to be reasoned with. He shows some human qualities and has a weird sense of honor about him too imo-- I don't feel he would betray a close ally for example where again Palpatine would without a second thought.

Lopen posted...

Davros is basically a Nazi (where any non Dalek should be genocided) in a way but I do think he there is potential for him to be reasoned with. He shows some human qualities and has a weird sense of honor about him too imo-- I don't feel he would betray a close ally for example where again Palpatine would without a second thought.

Davros betrays the Kaleds, and even his own Daleks after they brought him back.

Also who's going to be able to reason with Davros? If the Doctor (who saved his life, and whom he at least has a little respect for) can't, I'm not sure who could

Put it another way

Palpatine would (and has) killed close allies (his story starts by murdering his master Plagueis)

Davros if encountered with a rogue Dalek who wants to stop him does he kill it without a thought or does he show some difficulty or remorse in coming to that.

Davros's twisted worldview being one of world peace shows that there is likely more good in him than Palpatine for me.

Davros uses the Movellan Virus in Resurrection of the Daleks to wipe out all Daleks that aren't loyal to him.

I dont quite agree with the notion that Davros does not consider the Daleks evil as much as he is evil for viewing them as perfection and wanting to destroy literally everything else. Also in the same story where we learn about the mercy thing we also see that older Davros has completely lost all sense of mercy, when the Doctor takes pity on him he immediately betrays him. What mercy there was in Davros as a child (instilled by the Doctor no less, it is a time travel show) is long gone.

Also Palpatine mostly wants to extend his life. We see how he rules, he crushes any resistance brutally and uses mass slavery but mostly leaves the typical citizen alone. Davros wants to wipe out all life in every universe.

Davros

IMO he is everything bad about Palpatine but with strong desire to commit intergalactic mass genocide.

Lopen posted...

Davros if encountered with a rogue Dalek who wants to stop him does he kill it without a thought

100%

Suprak_the_Stud posted...

He did not believe the Daleks were evil, instead believing they would bring peace by becoming the sole life-forms of the universe; he believed different species could not peacefully co-exist, so believed the utter extermination of all other races was the only way the Daleks could succeed at bringing peace.

For those who think this means he's less evil, it's worth noting the moment he says this is immediately followed by a ridiculously megalomaniacal speech about annihilating all life to put himself above the gods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDbP-ERVIYM