“ | For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me...it was Tuesday. | „ |
~ M. Bison's most famous quote. |
“ | You still refuse to accept my godhood?! Keep your own God! In fact...this might be a good time to pray to Him. For I beheld Satan as he FELL FROM HEAVEN...LIKE LIGHTNING! | „ |
~ M. Bison's speech while fighting Guile, and his second most famous quote. |
General M. Bison is the main antagonist of the 1994 film Street Fighter, based on the video game character of the same name. Formerly a feared drug lord, he has become a charismatic general who seeks to conquer the world with an army of super-soldiers.
He was portrayed by the late Raúl Juliá, who also portrayed Roberto Straussman in Moon Over Parador and Strom in The Rookie, in his final cinematic film role before his death.
Personality[]
“ | Why do they still call me a warlord? And mad? All I want to do is to create the perfect genetic soldier! Not for power, not for evil, but for good. Carlos Blanka will be the first of many - they shall march out of my laboratory and sweep away every adversary, every creed, every nation, until the very planet is in the loving grip of the Pax Bisonica. And then peace will reign, and the world, and all humanity, shall bow to me in humble gratitude. | „ |
~ M. Bison's delusional plan. |
General Bison is an egomaniac, as well as a megalomaniac with the ultimate goal of ruling the world with an iron fist. However, unlike his original counterpart from the games, who took pride in how evil he was, this incarnation of the character truly thought of himself as a benevolent being whom the world would thank once he started making the changes he felt were necessary.
General Bison is also shown to believe himself to be an honorable warrior, as shown when believed his enemy, Guile, was killed by a simple bomb, but took no pride in it. Instead, Bison admitted he wanted to face him in a one-on-one fight to the death.
Arguably, his greatest weakness is his ego as he considers himself a god, if not God Himself, to the point where he believes himself to be truly immortal and invincible, leading him to underestimate his enemies; best shown in the climax where he charges at Guile, only to be surprised when the latter is able to counter him, leading to his apparent death.
Biography[]
General M. Bison is a notorious drug kingpin who accumulated so much wealth and power that he exercised unchallenged authority over a vast area of southeast Asia (Shadaloo, depicted in the film as occupying the eastern half of Burma/Myanmar), effectively governing this area as a head-of-state, albeit an openly criminal state which was not recognized as legitimate by the international community. Using his vast wealth, Bison acquired weapons as advanced as any in the world and made this territory untouchable.
He gave himself the title of General, ruling Shadaloo and the regional narcotics industry with an iron fist. He comes into conflict with Colonel William F. Guile of the Allied Nations (a United Nations equivalent) on several occasions. Bison's scheme is to create a superhuman soldier that he intends to recreate in order to allow him to gain total control of the world using profits from his narcotic businesses. During the film's climax, Guile confronts Bison in his lair (after Bison fails to kill Guile with proximity mines) and they prepare for a final showdown.
At first, Guile has the advantage and punches Bison into his life support computer system, electrocuting and killing him. However, the system immediately activates and momentarily revives him, after which Bison attacks Guile with electric beams from his superconductor electromagnetism device. The general then uses his powerful technology to levitate himself into the air, allowing him to swoop down on Guile in a final attempt to kill him. As Bison approaches, Guile manages to kick him across the room and into the large monitor screens covering the entire wall of Bison's lair, resulting in an explosion that seemingly destroys him.
In the home media version of the film, a post-credits scene shows Bison's life support system once again reviving him, and Bison's fist is shown punching through the rubble. A computer screen then reads "World Domination: Replay".
Powers and Abilities[]
“ | Something wrong, Colonel? You've come here prepared to fight a madman, and instead you found a god? Do you still refuse to accept my godhood? Keep your own God! In fact, this might be a good time to pray to Him! For I beheld Satan as fell from Heaven! Like lightning! | „ |
~ M. Bison to Guile, showing his great power and god complex. |
Unlike the original, he lacks any powers on his own, but through his suit, he was given multiple abilities, such as flying, shooting electricity from his hands, and the ability to be revived as long as the life support remain intact. With this, he gains a form of immortality as the system seems nigh-indestructible and even when he should be beyond normal medical help it will revive him with little issue while also seemingly restoring his energy.
Aside from his personal fighting abilities and technology, Bison commands modern military forces equivalent to those of a nation-state.
Reception[]
Although the film was panned at the time, Raúl Juliá's performance has been thought of in recent times as delightfully over the top. Similarly to Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek II, Raúl Juliá's M Bison is considered highly quotable and a thrill to watch despite the film's infamous nature. His line "OF COURSE!" would later be adapted by the Nostalgia Critic as a running gag and channel meme used for whenever someone wants to conquer the world.
Quotes[]
“ | Dee Jay: That's great news, General! Congratulations! M. Bison: On the contrary, I mourn. Dee Jay: ...Okay. M. Bison: I was hoping to face Guile personally on the battlefield, one gentleman warrior to another, in respectful combat. Then I would snap his spine! |
„ |
~ M. Bison reacting to the news of Guile's apparent death. |
“ | Sagat: Guile? Alive?! M. Bison: OF COURSE! |
„ |
~ One of M Bison's most famous lines. |
“ | Hiding? What do I have to fear from you? Worker ants, scurrying about with their pitiful weapons...Afraid of the purity of unarmed combat! | „ |
~ M. Bison upon being confronted by Guile and the Allied Nations. |
“ | Anyone who opposes me will be destroyed. | „ |
~ M. Bison to Guile before the final battle. |
“ | M. Bison: You have made me a happy man. Guile: Next, I'll make you a dead one. |
„ |
“ | Guile: A weapon, Bison? What happened to "the purity of unarmed combat"? M. Bison: This is merely super-conductor electromagnetism. Surely, you've heard of it? |
„ |
~ M. Bison after attacking Guile with electricity upon being resurrected through the life support system. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- According to Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 (2005), Bison's profile states that he is 6 ft 2 in, this is Raul Julia's actual height, while in the actual in-game profile, Bison is canonically 5 ft 11 in.
- In this film, General M. Bison seems to have an admiration for the best fighters in the world. In the games however, he arrogantly boasts about their inferiority compared to his powers, even calling martial artists as "shams", but still has motives of recruiting them as subordinates or brainwashing the defiant ones to show his superiority.
- In the scene where M. Bison switches his hat from his usual onyx peak-visor cap to a red one. There is a hat at the very bottom that is actually the authentic one from the games that would later make its appearance worn by Bison in all other title entries after Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994).
- Raúl Juliá took the role because his children wanted to see him in the movie. Juliá was suffering from stomach cancer and knew he did not have long to live, and so decided to have as much fun as he could with the role.
- To prepare for the role, the late Raúl Juliá studied well-known real-life dictators and drug barons for this portrayal, and incorporated many of their characteristics into the character, most notably the following:
- Benito Mussolini: hand gestures
- Joseph Stalin: strict demeanor
- Adolf Hitler: love for arts and crafts
- Pablo Escobar: drug kingpin background, elusiveness and brutality
- It is also noted that other dictators and drug lords studied by Juliá included but not limited to Muammar Gaddafi, Idi Amin, Fidel Castro, and Saddam Hussein.
External Links[]
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