User blog:X9 The Android/PE Proposal: Eli Raphelson

Hello guys! Today, here's my twentieth-fifth PE proposal, and it's about Eli Raphelson, the hidden main antagonist of the 2013 epic action thriller film White House Down. Yeah, I know that Eli is already listed as PE, and thus here are my reasons for which why Raphelson must be officially approved as PE.

WHO IS HE / WHAT HAS HE DONE?
Before the film, Speaker of the House Eli Raphelson gives John Cale a cushy job as a Capitol Policeman and his bodyguard after Cale saves his nephew's life from an IED explosion. When the White House is taken over by Martin Walker and Emil Stenz and his group of terorrists, Raphelson tries alongside Carol Finnerty to see a way to solve the problem as the White House is send into lockdown. As the authorities refuse to accept Ralphelson's suggestion to blow up the White House to kill the terrorists and everyone inside for the country's safety, Vice President Alvin Hammond gets killed aboard Air Force One due Skip Tyler's machinations, leading Raphelson to be promoted to President of the United States and swear his oath in.

However, unknown to everyone, Raphelson orchestrated the whole attack and lets Walker and Stenz to do the dirty work in taking over the White House and hold Sawyer hostage as Raphelson dissaproves the peace treaty Sawyer had written up for many countries because that meant for him that the United States was vulnerable to foreigners. Thus, he had come out with a plan to dispose of Sawyer and Hammond to become President. After Hammond's death, Raphelson secretly sends the nuclear launch codes to Walker so he can activate the nuclear football to lay down a series of attacks against various cities in Iran, which will eventually result in the retaliation of various countries and the start of World War III. Not wanting any trace of evidence left, Raphelson orders an air strike on the White House under the pretext of eradicating the threat.

Unfortunately for Raphelson, Cale foiled his plans, killed Walker and Stenz alongside most of the terrorists and realized his treason upon looking at Walker's pager as Emily, John's daughter, calls off the air strike with a flag signal, making the pilots refuse to endanger her life. In the aftermath of the attack, Raphelson greets Cale and Cale deliberately lies to him by saying that Sawyer was killed before confronting and exposing him alongside Carol when she dials the call-back number of Walker's pager.. Angry for being discovered, Raphelson taunts Cale that no one will believe his claims until Sawyer reveals his survival and orders Raphelson's arrest for his actions. Unable to accept his defeat, Raphelson swears to get back at Sawyer, Cale and Emily assuring that he has friends to help him, but Sawyer promises to send them all to jail if they try to do so. Given his crimes against humanity, it's likely that Raphelson was executed for his act of treason and attempts to ignite another world war.

WHAT'S THE WORK?
White House Down is a 2013 epic action thriller film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. The film is about a US Capitol officer named John Cale whose daughter Emily alongside President James Sawyer and many of his fellow politicians are kidnapped in the White House when a massively destructive terrorist assault on the building takes place.

MORAL EVENT HORIZON
Although his true role as the mastermind behind the White House attack goes unrevealed until the end, Eli Raphelson demonstrates to be a tyrannical and ruthless ruler who just cares for military action towards foreign countries for the sake of more power under the pretext that he wants to make the United States seem like a powerful country. Unlike Martin Walker and his wife Muriel, who lost their son; and Emil Stenz and Skip Tyler, who lost their jobs; Raphelson orchestrated the terrorist attack and "puppetered" them to achieve his own goals for selfish reasons. Every PE villain must have crossed the Moral Event Horizon to be PE, and Eli Raphelson definitely crosses it when it's revealed that he orchestrated the terrorist attack on the White House and send an air strike to erase any trace of evidence so he can star World War III by ravaging the Middle East.

HEINOUS STANDARDS/MITIGATING FACTORS?
Like many manipulative villains, Eli Raphelson is able to hide his true nature and pass himself as a kind and supportive man who helps John Cale and President Sawyer, willing to do whatever he needs to serve his country. However, when we reach the climax, Eli Raphelson reveals his true colors, demonstrating that he is a scheming, malicious, conniving, corrupt and treacherous politician who just cares for military action and war regardless of the suffering and deaths they brought. Though supposedly an ally of President Sawyer, Raphelson has no true loyalty towards Sawyer and wants to have him killed alongside Alvin Hammond to he can rise to become President of the United States and do whatever he wants, showing his extreme selfishness. Evidently, despite his position as Speaker of the House, Raphelson isn't satisfied with it and desires more and more power, which shows how extreme is his lust for power.

A psychopathic conspirator and racist supremacist, Raphelson only cares for military action and war as previously said. As John Cale later realizes, Raphelson was willing enough to give Martin Walker the nuclear launch codes to lay down a series of terrorist attacks on Iran so many countries of the Middle East will retaliate and begin World War III just for the sake to prove that his country isn't weak, as Raphelson deems the peace treaty President Sawyer signed with other leaders as an example of the United States' weakness to be seen by foreigner, not realizing that these are only his own bigotry and peace is a perfect example of integrity that makes the US look better. This shows us that Raphelson isn't only a selfish and uncaring tyrant who desires war regardless of its victims, but a madman willing to break what most countries have tried so hardly to rebuild after two world scale conflicts which costed billions of lives.

He also sees his allies like disposable pawns and manipulates them to do his bidding, as demonstrated when he takes advantage of the Walker couple's suffering for the loss of their son or of the anger of Stenz and Tyler for getting fired, but not actually caring if they make it alive of the White House or not, to the point Raphelson even sends an air strike to not only eliminate Cale and Sawyer, but to wipe out his own men to erase any trace of evidence linking his involvement. Even before that, he suggests blowing up the White House to ensure all the terrorists' deaths, not caring for the innocents' lives nor for the importance of the building.

Some of you will say that Eli Raphelson may have standards given his apparent love for his nephew, reason for which he gave the position of Capitol Policeman to John Cale. However, considering his lack of care for the lives of other innocent people, it's likely that Raphelson didn't do so out of love for his nephew, but to make himself look better towards Cale to make allies, which he must have see necessary if he was going to become the world's powerful, yet deranged, man. When his wishes are crushed by being exposed, Raphelson immediately swears to make Cale and Sawyer pay for causing his downfall, demonstrating that he is a dishonorable person who will not admit his defeat in spite that he no longer has a chance to escape.

VERDICT
Taking all of this into account, I would say yes about considering Eli Raphelson to be officially approved as PE.