Probably one of the most chilling scenes provided by someone whose usually a comedic type of guy, in his original reality that is.
| “ | Sonny: Well, what's a matter, Miss Bishop? Are you feelin' a little woozy? (chuckles). It's a little hypnotic little ditty, ain't it? I acquire this little piece of "persuasion tech" on a job I did on Russia, and added a little do-si-do. Hawkeye: The... The laborers... That's how you controlled them. Sonny: Song's an earworm. That's why you gotta plug up before it bores into your head. Tick-tock, looks like time's runnin' out for your boy out there. I'm afraid he's gonna die alone. You won't be able to save him, just like you weren't able to save your whole family. You see, the Hood didn't kill your parents, Miss Bishop... I did. You're parents' fortune went a long way fundin' this here venture of ours. But I'd be lyin' if I told you that killin' them was strictly business. No, no, it wasn't. (laughs). It was so much fun. I'm a man who tries to enjoy his killings, Miss Bishop. And killing you with your own mama's guns, well, that's mighty poetic ain't it? (laughs evilly). |
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| ~ I'm starting to get the feeling he fits more here than the real deal being played for laughs. Baffled as I am, I'll admit how chilling this dialogue sounded. |
Okay so I decided to get out of my goddamn slump after a week's worth of two period breaktime since Summertime is lovin' and all that, but now that I'm back, I hope you really clicked this proposal because this'll surprise the living sh*t out of all of you who did not expect this specific candidate to actually have a legitimate proficiency to qualify. Now, hopefully y'all remember what happened to the possibly last season of What If...?, so much of its storywriting has been wasted, forced, or simply the writers got drunk and gave up. But who thought it was a good idea to make a comic relief character turn out for the worst?
I kid you not, 1872 was kind of a letdown for me but did holds some promise, admittedly, but the candidate in question today... caught me off-guard to baffling levels of insanity. I was like "What the actually f-ck were they doing in their spare time making this nonsensical oompa-loompa turnoff of an idea?". Best not to question how much in and out of context it provides, it's just there. No, really, he was just there... for like, zero reasons nobody wanted or asked for. But it happened, so, I can only answer in shrugs. Nevertheless he still makes the cut. Now I was originally going to let somebody else handle him in the nearby future... but my motivation drive lessened due to the constant stress that I needed a break for a moment and decided like this; "Y'know, f*ck it. Might as well complete MCU's What If? roaster".
Everyone, today we're talking about perhaps one of What If...?'s most baffling candidacy for a goddamn Pure Evil of all things, we're tackling the discussion of the version of Sonny Burch who is a slave driver. Yes. Sonny Burch. Sonny mothereffin' Burch. Sonny Betch. Sonny B*tchboi. Sonny'a Gun. Sonny Pictures. Yeah... Sonny jokes don't hit the funny bone much, huh?
What's the Work?[]
What If...? is the 2021 animated anthology series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, created by A.C. Bradley and first premiered streaming on Disney+. Everything's based on the famous What If...? comics from the Marvel franchise.
Uatu the Watcher, the series' narrator, is the one telling us many stories across the entire multiverse. For each episode depicts a number of alternative realities and countless dimensions that forsaken many possibilities to come. Each and every one tells a different story based on the titular question and shows us what would be played differently, what would be swapped from these roles, and what would happen if (blank) did this, did that, or whatever comes around.
Who is He? What has He Done?[]
Sonny Burch... yes, that Sonny Burch, unlike his Sacred Timeline counterpart whose a greedy slimeball and a biddy-eyed wimp of a coward, here is a human-trafficking investor and financier who aids the Hood and her gang into hunting down villages full of immigrants and has them hypnotized in a frozen trance.
Obtaining a special pocket watch withholding the unique hypnotic technique during a side-job he had from Russia, Sonny's done a multitude of jobs before meeting the Hood and later becoming his right-hand collaborator in financing their operations handsomely and nonchalantly. Through making good use of his hypnotic pocket watch, throughout every raid the Hood and her gang led to destroying immigrant camps and villages, Sonny hypnotizes the immigrants and puts them in a frozen trance whilst listening to his every demand, and while unbeknownst to the true motives of the Hood herself - Xu Xialing - where she wants the immigrants liberated and promised the "real American Dream", Sonny doesn't seem to mind or question at all... so as long as the trafficking operations continue to benefit him monetarily in selling the immigrants to slave labor.
In their latest raid, Sonny begins hypnotizing the immigrant villagers of Point Pegasus - including the father of Jun-Fan - during the Hood's attack, luring them into the Ghost Train to have them sold off in the highest bidder. Though as Shang-Chi, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), and Jun-Fan followed the Ghost Train and entered the cargo, they confront the whatsoever charismatic-poker faced Sonny speaking in a perfect Western accent that nearly impresses nobody ever at this point and gives the former two the pleasantries of meeting the Hood themselves, all while prepared to kill the defenseless Jun-Fan once their backs were turned upon sending his two thugs to deed the dirty deed. Though with Uatu's intervention, Jun-Fan survives his tragic fate, changing what appears to have always been this universe's story line.
Arriving at the Hood's lair, he only has Shang-Chi meet up with her, knowing the latter's capabilities and was sure the former would lose in seconds, all to prepare hypnotizing Hawkeye and putting her in the same frozen trance as the immigrants. Chillingly admitting to be her parents' murderer, Sonny grabs her mother's guns in a cruel, sadistic sense of "poetry" just for shets and giggles, though when it seems to be the end for Shang-Chi and Hawkeye, with Uatu f-cking up fate has Jun-Fan ringing the train bell that freed Hawkeye and the immigrants from Sonny's control as he is left cowering for his life once his men are killed and left at Hawkeye's mercy, to which he is knocked out unconscious. Though with Hawkeye promising to let him live so he could suffer, it appears good ol' Sonny finally got the boot of all things and is paying up his sweet time where he could rot for it.
Heinous Standards[]
If everyone's already gotten the gist on the entire MCU heinous standards, expect jacked-up antics of genocidal warlords, supervillains out for world conquest and having kills in thousands and more, multiversal threats in numbers, and planet-destroyers. Though unless you're in the multiversal wonders in What If...?, there's no need to bring up the Sacred Timeline unless such candidates drove themselves outside their respective worlds. Pretty sure Infinity Ultron and Strange Supreme made that one clear, followed by contenders like Red Skull, Prince Killmonger, Ego the Living Planet, Nova Prime, and Mysterio themselves.
These eyes suggest they are screaming from the insides, but all movements and mouth are kept shut.
Sonny's case? That's no problem. He's merely a human investor with the only means in his pockets is, well, literally a pocket watch with a strong hypnotic lullaby and a few armed thugs at his aid, not to mention he's set in a timeline that's nowhere closely advanced in the next couple of centuries, so for those in a tier similar to him as a human like Yellowjacket, Prince Killmonger, and Red Skull aren't of good comparison by the quality of it. In his rapsheet, human trafficking is a very rare (uncommon rather, but still rare) crime in the MCU, having brainwashed and hypnotized hundreds of Chinese immigrants throughout the Hood's raids, implicating that his trafficking operations were regular and the latest batch from Point Pegasus were next in his sales, sending them into slave labor for profit. While we don't see the labor onscreen, it's made up for the effects of Sonny's hypnosis, as the trance indicates they are fully-aware and unable to move, with him commanding his every whim as claimed, strongly pushing the idea of the laborers' fates. Now as mentioned before, he's not aware of the Hood's real motivations to liberate immigrants, but nevertheless, he has his own motives done out of personal greed and monetary income regardless what becomes of them.
Speaking of personal, he has some personal villainy with Hawkeye due to murdering her parents in cold-blood, even indulging in it while making a mocking attempt to kill her through her own mother's guns and he isn't above having children killed, as he ordered Jun-Fan to be immediately thrown off the train. As previously mentioned with Quentin Beck according to Uatu, there are numerous realities similar to this and having the same outcome like with Infinity Ultron (whereas another version redeemed himself thanks to Captain Carter). I like to point out that with implications suggesting Sonny succeeds in killing Hawkeye and Jun-Fan if Uatu's words is true, then it'll make him worse. But again, this is implied, but does push boundaries to his heinousness. With or without it, how the attempt happened plays onto this. Though like with Beck, we don't see much exploration on other versions like Sonny similar to his reality, making him the only one here present. That aside, human trafficking, likewise, is rare, so easy pass in my book.
Mitigating Factors[]
What do we really expect from who was originally a, but honestly forgettable, comic relief bad guy where in this reality he is a prejudiced, smug, and greedy slimebag who indulges in cold-blooded murder with tons of mockery to his likeliness, isn't above child murder with no boundaries at all, only has a superficial business kind of relationship with his leader, and feigns politeness behind his two-faced demeanor? The obviousness in the room just keeps getting my point anymore warmer than it is colder that elaborating would be a complete joke upfront.
The only difference is that he's not played for laughs comparatively to his Sacred Timeline counterpart, whereas he is dreaded with chilling seriousness at full expense, especially where he's close to killing Hawkeye. Nuff said.
Final Verdict[]
For every time a comic relief villain gets serious Adaptational Villainy cases like this, I'd have two more nickels. But three times a charm, then it's three-hundred bucks, no sweat. Easy yes is what I'm trying to goddamn say, it's still baffling, folks.