Roberto Rastapopoulos, or simply Rastapopoulous, is the overall main antagonist of the Tintin comic book series. He is the archenemy of the titular protagonist of the series, Tintin.
History
Tintin in America
Rastapopoulos made a cameo appearance, at the official dinner, although he wasn't a villain yet.
Cigars of the Pharaoh
| “ | One day you'll regret you crossed my path! Just remember: My name is Rastapopoulos! | „ |
| ~ Rastapopoulos to Tintin at their first encounter. |
Rastapopulos made his villainous debut in Cigars of the Pharaoh. Onboard the cruise ship the Isis, Sophocles Sarcophagus, an absent- minded Egyptologist, accidentally bumped into Rastapopulous. Tintin defended the professor, much to the fury of Rastapopoulos, who warned Tintin that he would regret crossing his path. As Rastapopoulus stormed off, Tintin recognised him as the "King of Cosmos Pictures". Later he appears in a disguise while he and the fakir kidnapped the crown prince of Gaipajama.
The Blue Lotus
In the follow- up to Cigars of the Pharaoh, The Blue Lotus, it is revealed that Rastapopoulos is the head of the sinister opium cartel which Tintin has been pitting his wits against in the course of the two books. At the end, he is defeated and arrested for his crimes.
Rastapopoulos' Return
Sometime later, Rastapopoulos escaped and assumed a new identity.
The Red Sea Sharks
He later reappeared in "The Red Sea Sharks", where he was the leader of a slave dealing organisation. He fakes his death at the ending and Tintin assumes he was truly killed.
Flight 714
His last appearance is an attempt to capture the millionaire Laszlo Carreidas on an island and demand an extortion from him. After Tintin rescued Carreidas Rastapopoulos' memory was deleted by the aliens involved in the events (like the memories of everyone else on the island). He, along with Allan and the traitorous pilots, were whisked off to an undisclosed fate in a UFO.
Tintin and the Lake of Sharks
In an animated film (that was adapted into a similarly-titled book), "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks", he is a villain directing operations from a secret underwater base. He is responsible for numerous worldwide robberies of valuable items and plans to steal a duplicating machine invented by Professor Calculus. On the other hand, in an attempt to escape by submarine, Haddock and Tintin both capture him and he is arrested by the Syldavian Police.
Gallery
Tintin in America
Cigars of the Pharaoh
The Blue Lotus
The Red Sea Sharks
Flight 714
Trivia
- As Tintin and Alph-Art where a man named Endaddine Akass appears, who apparently would have turned out to be Rastapopoulos in disguise, was never finished, Rastapolpoulos' final fate is unknown. In the Yves Rodier edition (an unauthorized version of the unfinished story), Rastapopulos was killed after accidentally falling from a cliff after he tried to hang Tintin and Haddock. But this is not the "official ending" of the Tintin series.
- He is the darkest villain of the series.
- His role in The lake of Sharks is very similar to Ernst Stavro Blofeld, as their faces are first not shown but eventually revealed.