Villains Wiki:Villainous Jerk

Many times on this wiki, people have been in conflict over what makes a villain truly antagonistic and what makes them a mere "jerk"- this article hopes to try and calm this never-ending battle by explaining in simple terms the concept of a "Villainous Jerk".

What Is A "VIllainous Jerk"?
The "Villainous Jerk" starts of as a regular "jerk" in the sense of being rude, obnoxious or otherwise dislikable to the viewer and protagonists- however, being rude and obnoxious alone is NOT enough to count as a truly immoral character.

Thus, we come to what is perhaps the most important aspect of a "Villainous Jerk"- namely, the moment they cross the line from being dislikable to being an actual immoral and potentially dangerous individual.

What Makes A "Villainous Jerk"?
A "Villainous Jerk" goes way beyond the call of your usual run-of-the-mill narcissistic jerk and will often employ outright criminal means by which to humilate his opponent or prove his superiority.

While a "jerk" is content with name-calling and petty bullying, a "Villainous Jerk" goes one step further and actively seeks ways of causing misery for others: often, a "Villainous Jerk" gets progressively worse as a story or series progresses and changes from a nuisance to an active antagonist: sometimes, they even graduate into Big Bads or Complete Monsters.

Famous Examples

 * Peter Griffin- this archetype pretty much sums up what most versions of Peter tend to be.
 * Ian Hawke- begins as a mean-spirited and selfish music producer but becomes an outright antagonist due to events in both the original Chipmunks movie and the sequel.
 * Beavis and Butt-Head- those familiar with the series will need little reminding on why these two go beyond the call of your regular "jerk" but, for those who are not, let us just say Beavis and Butt-Head are close to embodying this concept.
 * Dan - When it comes to everything he hates ruining his day, he tries to get "revenge" on them. Not only does he go on missions to destroy his hated things, but he invites Chris and (sometimes) Elise to help him out (although Chris and Elise are not villains.)
 * Angry Video Game Nerd- foul-mouthed and abusive, the Nerd crosses the line a few times due to his level of aggressive and continual abuse, especially his on-going (staged) rivalry with the Nostalgia Critic: which has seen him employ tactics well beyond the realms of your average "jerk".
 * Shooter McGavin- perhaps one of the champions of this concept, Shooter starts off as a rude and trash-talking "jerk" but goes to insane lengths to win including hiring a stalker to harass the hero's grandmother then buying her house from under her just to spite his enemy.
 * Eric Cartman- we all know Cartman is a spoiled, whiny little bully, but he has become far more than an average "jerk" due to numerous acts of immoral and criminal acts.
 * Dennis Nedry- Dennis starts off as a rather obnoxious jerk but he crosses the line when he steals from the park and also shuts down the security, thus allowing many dangerous dinosaurs to escape: his actions are made worse by the fact that he cowardly tries to flee rather than face responsibilty.
 * Porky Minch- this piece of filth is definitely one of the most dislikable "jerks" in video-game history, yet he only became truly villainous when he started aiding Giygas - before that he was just a loud-mouthed delinquent.
 * Zapp Brannigan- although normally a clueless womanizing jerk, Zapp crosses the line from time to time due to his total lack of respect for others which, when coupled with his authority, easily makes him guilty of abuse of power.
 * Daffy Duck- this doesn't not apply to mainstream Daffy (who is simply a "jerk") but does apply to his antics in some Bugs Bunny video-games, where he becomes the central antagonist due to his insane rivalry with Bugs Bunny. It also applies to his appearance in one Speedy Gonzalos episode where he guarded a water-well with such greed it was literally causing the mice to die of thirst (one of the only times Daffy has arguably been outright malevolent).
 * Bluto- while most know that Bluto is normally just a mean-spirited "jerk", he is also violent and sometimes outright criminal, willing to kidnap and even attempt to kill or seriously injure, this above all else pushes Bluto from a simple "jerk" to a true villain (even if he does sometimes redeem himself).
 * Father Jack Hackett- often little more than a drunken, foul-mouthed "jerk", Father Jack has crossed the line on occassions, such as when he tried to run Father Ted over with a car out of spite: he was also hinted at having a past that included abuse of authority and a disregard for his sacred vows (being very lecherous).
 * Chris Finch-Widely considered the only character in The Office that is truly despicable. Unlike David Brent, who only causes insult through ignorance, Finch is openly disrespectful of anyone around him. He's also a sore loser.
 * Nick the Neo-Nazi- Of all the people that William Foster came across in Falling Down, Nick came out as the biggest jerk of all them, due to his bigoted views against blacks and his neo-nazi beliefs.