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I have a candidate from a somewhat obscure comic which I love so I have taken the liberty to make the page for him along with some of the other characters. It'll be pretty short but that's because he doesn't even appear a ton in person in these few issues he's alive.
| “ | It has taken some work to get to this point. Even with Thomason's genius, I had difficulty getting the box to function properly. You see, I don't know the meaning of fear. So I started to test it on street people, and found that I could build an army. | „ |
| ~ Not great but explains some of his followers |
Subtlety isn't this man's concern
What is the Work?[]
I am sure most of us know the iconic Professor James Moriarty to some extent, a brilliant mastermind and crime lord who rivaled one of the most iconic detectives in fiction: Sherlock Holmes. That said today I will be covering the main villain of the first four issues of a comic based around James Moriarty by Image Comics simply called: "Moriarty", it is three parts with one the first volume split into two stories, with the other parts being single issue specials, one on Jade and another in a potential future. The first part of the story takes place twenty years after Moriarty believes he has killed Sherlock in this version in the year 1914, with the death of the Archduke Ferdinand playing a rather big part in the first four issues.
Who is Tartarus and what has he done?[]
Gottfried, better known as Tartarus, is a man obsessed with Greek mythology and an occultist who feels the world should be rebuilt in his image. After he discovered ancient schematics that supposedly date back to at ancient Greece for a device "Cella Animi Obscura" (Dark Chamber of the Mind) said to allow one to see the future or at least that was the intent, in truth it would draw out one's fear and drive people insane by often bringing out their darker impulses to the surface. In an attempt at gaining political power, he started his own street gang called "The Sons of Chaos", using this and a discovering a doomsday cult known as the Black Hand he made them a deal: if they'd kill the Archduke Ferdinand he'd use his political connection to make Russia join forces with them and together they could stop what they thought would be the end of the world. With the Black Hand's resources along with his gang, Tartarus used a beautiful and influential woman by the name of Mata Hari to cause Professor Rupert Thomason, who was a brilliant scientist to be in his debt. With Rupert Thomason now desperate, Tartarus kidnaps him and forces him to work on perfecting the "Cella Animi Obscura"/Dark Chamber while also constructing an underwater layer to hide out in for the last few days. When the first finished version of the Dark Chamber complete, Tartarus sets up a trap to kill Agent Smith who hired Moriarty, a nobleman named Lord Hollingsworth who helped form the Black Hand while exposing Moriarty to the effects of the Dark Chamber all so he'd be his scapegoat. Deciding the Black Hand was no longer useful Tartarus betrays them, exposing them to the effects of the Dark Chamber so they'd see the end of the world as they slaughtered each other.
The effect of the Dark Chamber used on the Black Hand after his betrayal, they were driven homicidally paranoid to the point the last surviving one commits suicide.
Tartarus then makes it clear to the world at large who believed Moriarty was dead aware of his survival and which leads some into thinking he has the device. Not yet content of the devices abilities Tartarus would use it on the homeless to create an army while also creating an airship to hold a larger version the Dark Chamber, with this and the war he had arranged he planned to drive all of Europe and eventually the entire world insane by making sure that when the chaos is done most will die so he can easily subjugate the survivors and make them worship him as their God. As the airship is completed and to ensure Rupert Thomason couldn't interfere with his plans, Tartarus has him repeatedly exposed to the Dark Chamber until he is completely broken and on the verge of death at which point he lets him die on the streets. This ultimately was a fatal error as Moriarty finds the broken professor who clung to life just long enough to give a cryptic clue to where Tartarus was before dying. It doesn't take Moriarty long to find and enter Tartarus' base though he ends up surrounded. Tartarus mockingly congratulates Moriarty, promising to tell Moriarty of his plans before he'll kill him all while bragging of how soon he will remake this world from the ashes and be revered as the world's God. Luckily for Moriarty he managed to give a message to Dr. Watson who arrived thus giving him the backup needed to fight Tartarus. Deciding to advance his plans Tartarus takes his modified airship with its own Dark Chamber while boasting he'd kill Moriarty soon. As Tartarus gleefully tries to get the airship to the surface, Moriarty is able to climb a chain and destroy the chains holding the larger Dark Chamber causing it to explode upon hitting the ground. Furious his plans for conquest are ruined, Tartarus compares Moriarty to an insect while engaging in a brief sword fight. Tartarus is quickly disarmed and loses an eye; Tartarus then decides to in a mocking way tell Moriarty that he left Mycroft Holmes for dead while trying to grab a knife to attack Moriarty only to be kicked off his airship. In one last futile attempt to kill Moriarty out of spite for mortally wounding him, Tartarus hits a detonation switch causing an explosion killing him while Moriarty is shown to have escaped unscathed.
Heinous Standard[]
We may not know what Thomason looked like before, but we can easily see the effects of the Dark Chamber when its used repeatedly on someone as torture.
I won't lie the series is dark and doesn't by any means portray Moriarty as a saint, so I'll cover all the notable ones:
James Moriarty is also shown very pragmatic, asking some thugs to only beat the people following him, hates slavery, respects Sherlock to the point when he feels someone disrespected his old foe, he was willing to attack them. His regicide and a lot of the political leaders being killed is just mentioned by Jade in passing. Outside that he did order onscreen in a flashback a bunch of men killed but even outside the fact it's nowhere near the amount Tartarus has planned. Now he does supposedly "rewrites reality" some in "The Lazarus Tree" with some weird science fiction but this isn't a "world in danger" type, it is his way of describing seeing visons of his death and suspecting events were somehow changed by the Dark Chamber that saved Sherlock's life, even he is unsure on how and is merely a theory. Outside that he has a lot of kills but nowhere near the plan of Tartarus and several were other criminals out for him or asshole victims like slave traders. Even in a potential future he is still pragmatic to a fault and even more resources with him mastering dark matter giving him minor reality warping with some like basically grenades that destroy most matter, force-fields and he describes some as matter manipulation plus seemingly slowed or halted his aging process along with his friends. So let that sink in - he has far more advanced technology, it is very vague how the world got the way in a potential future as we don't know specifics yet far less vile in how he plans to conquer the world.
While they make it clear Jade and her group see killing as an art most of her kills in the story are against those who are attacking her and/or helping Tartarus, Dr. Watson was the exception and even he was pulling a gun out. Much like Moriarty her mention of how he ordered her to kill royalty and political figures in the past not being shown on-screen plus even if one wants to treat it as if it were these never led to a world war unlike Tartarus. Even in a potential future she mostly acts as an enforcer and even then it's mostly attacking Sherlock's forces.
Dr. Watson and the British government aren't portrayed as the most likable people, wanting the Dark Chamber out of fear and in another instance trying to maintain their power in conquered areas and killing some natives or ordering a doctor killed. Obviously, the government has so many resources it's and treated as just a government so comparing to Tartarus would be both unfair in resources but even then, he outdoes them in attempted body count with so much less. Dr. Watson is kind of a morally grey individual, he is doing what his government wants and allows a small rebellion to happen to make himself look better but outside supposedly trying to kill one doctor he's hands off. That along with killing some natives being more the overall government than strictly Dr. Watson who even personally helps Moriarty earlier in attacking Tartarus and can put his differences aside at times. Even though Dr. Watson is more a grey zone felt like covering him as I can see a potential argument on a page due to these more shady activities for his government. In a possible future and the last installment I can find apparently Dr. Watson had some part in Sherlock in dystopian world rise in power but it's very vague.
Sherlock Holmes in one potential future is implied to have tried to bring order to the world to help everyone but created a dystopian world but not only is it described as a potential future it's all very vague in details with it just being a very short one-shot.
Eustace Morely Sr. is a slave owner and possible seller who uses his connections to control a city in Jamaica. Now he is an easy Hate Sink and no nothing redeeming given while he wants his son to eventually take over it's not elaborated on and he threatens Moriarty but not much else. He makes a threat while taunting Moriarty but within one issue is killed along with some corrupt officials who aren't elaborated on while Moriarty freed his slaves and stole important documents to take control of the city himself. For context Moriarty is a friend of his son and they work together throughout the series so either his own son didn't care or didn't realize his father was killed by Moriarty.
Idher Ao. U Suu Kyin is a cowardly would-be tyrant and slaver who wants to overthrow the British government so he can have more power in his area. To do this he wants to control the opium supply and tries to both intimidate along with bribing Moriarty. In his little screen time, he has some reenact the battle between natives and the British for amusement, he wants Moriarty to leave Morely Jr.'s investigation as he feels it might get in the way of his plans and even tries bribing him with some women he owns, only to immediately beg when easily defeated. He is another easy Hate Sink but given very limited time, not elaborated on quite enough and ultimately feel he just fails to others especially when his rebellion is encouraged supposedly by Dr. Watson to make one officer look bad but implied said rebellion would easily be stopped by Dr. Watson.
Colonel Moran is an interesting one, he has several deaths onscreen including Eustace Morely Sr., several corrupt officials, some natives in India and Eustace Morely Jr. but felt bad for killing Eustace Morely Jr. when he realized he was trying to use the Lazarus Tree to revive his son. He is civil to friendly with Moriarty and agreed to not only lead him to revive Morely Jr., revived the man's son before but agreed to work with Moriarty again after being left for dead. He also killed some of the revived not just out of greed but felt it was unnatural for people to be revived so him using the Lazarus Tree to revive the kid paints him as having at least some compassion even if he does enjoy his job a bit too much.
Tartarus though? Nothing but a terrorist and backstabbing sadist who purposely wanted to start a world war, experimented on the homeless and knowingly drove some so insane they became paranoid and uncontrollably homicidal with plans to do this to most humanity. While Moriarty does plan at one point to conquer the world he is nowhere near as destructive or blood thirsty. Throughout the four issues Tartarus appears we see the effects of the Dark Chamber from the Black Hand hideout being riddled with their corpses where even the last one kills himself and Rupert Thomason is basically a near corpse that has a blood-stained mouth before coughing up so much blood he dies. I feel Tartarus stands out pretty well given he doesn't appear much and with how destructive his method especially is when some with more firepower do a lot less damage in less graphic visuals.
Excuses and/or migrating issues?[]
Nothing really to talk about here, Tartarus is a fun but very blatant card-carrying villain who gleefully plans to drive the world into war because he wants to be revered as a God of Chaos essentially. He breaks every promise he's known to make, leading a cult into thinking he will give them great power and help them stop an apocalyptic event if they kill the archduke only to drive them so mad they ultimately kill each other with the last member comparing him to the devil.
Now he does actually seem to think he that he is destined to win and brags he is fearless, going as far as to say this is why it took him so long along with making references to Greek mythology such as "Mother Gaia, see your son take his throne!" but they make it crystal clear he is because he knows morality just doesn't care due to his ragging God Complex that loves chaos and causing pain. The only other minor thing is he congratulates Moriarty at one point for discovering his underwater lair, however this isn't migrating in the slightest: he taunts Moriarty by calling him inferior, short sighted and points out he will gladly tell him his plans with the intent to killing him afterwards. As you can tell really nothing especially when bested and going to die anyway, he tries to blow them both up out of spite for ruining his plans for world domination.
Verdict[]
While up to you he's to me an easy yes.