Who's your favorite Antichrist? (In book or film.)

[BrainGlutton]

This thread -- http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=294394 -- got me to thinking about how the End Times were reliable material for Hollywood, even before the fundies started making their own movies, like Left Behind. And, of course, you can't have a thrilling End Times story without an Antichrist! Who's your fave? So far they've given us:

Adrian Woodhouse: Introduced at the very end of Ira Levin's 1967 novel Rosemary's Baby and of Roman Polanski's 1968 film of the same title. In the book, he has horns and a tail. In the movie, his only unusual physical feature is his glowing slit-pupilled eyes. These eyes seem to have turned normal by the time of the 1976 made-for-TV movie Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (generally loathed, and as Levin was not directly involved in the project he might claim it was non-canonical.) Levin wrote a sequel, Son of Rosemary (Onyx Books 1998) which I haven't read, but I read a review -- Adrian becomes a kind of religious leader. How his character development is presented (and whether he still has those funny eyes), I don't know.

Damien Thorne: From, of course, The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II[i] (1978) and [i]The Final Conflict (1981). Adopted and raised by the American ambassador to Britain and, later, by his brother or cousin (I forget which); definitely a son (adoptive) of the American white overclass, sent to an elite military school. In the second book there was some interesting character development -- Damien learning of the role he was born to play, rebelling against it, finally accepting it -- that is denied to most Antichrists. His only physical stigma is a birthmark, concealed by his hair, in the shape of "666" (in Arabic numerals, which were unknown outside of India when John of Patmos wrote the Book of Revelantion).

Stone Alexander: Played by Michael York in The Omega Code (1999) and Meggido: The Omega Code II (2001) -- which seem less like an original-and-sequel than two alternative treatments of the same story concept. In both, Alexander develops more along the lines of an ordinary political megalomaniac and his satanic nature does not emerge until late in the story. He appears to have been born to human parents in the normal way; I'm not clear on what qualifies him for Antichrist status -- maybe Satan just picks him.

Nicolae Carpathia: From the Left Behind novels of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins -- which I haven't read, but I have seen the films Left Behind (2000) and Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002). These films were made with an obvious soul-saving agenda, and the story focuses on the struggles, spiritual and otherwise, of a band of almost-Christians who missed the Rapture and regret it. Carpathia is actually a secondary character. There's little back-story about his family or background. When we see him, a character emerges who is actually rather emotionally weak, easily angered or frustrated, and unsure of himself -- because he knows it's his time to rule but he also knows he's doomed to lose in the end (something most Antichrists seem to conveniently forget).

Also: What are the basic rules for creating a screen Antichrist? For instance, all the four above are white, and three are American and/or British (Carpathia is a Romanian). Is that a rule you can't break? Are physical signs necessary? What about the status and background of the Antichrist's earthly parents? And, should the Antichrist be partway sympathetic character like Damien Thorne, or a total bastard like Nicolae Carpathia?

[ivylass]

Robert de Niro as Louis Safir (say it real fast) in Angelheart.

I watched that movie on video by myself and was completely and totally freaked out.

And of course, James Woods as Hades in the Disney movie Hercules. Wonderful interpretation.

[Agrippina]

Damien Thorn was later raised by Robert Thorn's brother, a millionaire in his own right. Afterwards, it is unclear where Damien goes. Probably to some elite boarding school.

Damien happens to be my favorite, simply because I know the movies well. But you forgot Adam in Good Omens, the Antichrist who wants to save the world.

[KRC]

Well, Aleister Crowley claimed to be the Beast, but he was a delusional narcissist (and besides, everyone knows that the Beast was really the Roman emporer Nero) so I guess I'll have to go with Johnny Rotten as the anti-christ. Hey, he even said he was the anti-christ! The anti-christ wouldn't lie, would he?

;)

[rjung]

Adam Young, from Good Omens. A ten-year-old boy who just wants to play with his dog, watch sci-fi movies with his friends, and wonders why the adults keep mucking things up.

"I don't see what's so triffic about creating people as people and then gettin' upset 'cos they act like people," said Adam severely. "Anyway, if you stopped tellin' people it's all sorted out after they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive."
--Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

[Gail]

I'll have to go with Randall Flagg "the walking dude" from Steven King's The Stand

[ivylass]

I'll have to go with Randall Flagg "the walking dude" from Steven King's The Stand

He wasn't Antichrist...he was just a demon, just like Mother Abagail wasn't God, but an agent of God.

(Yes, I'm a major SK geek, and I have The Stand on tape from its premiere. ;) )

[Revtim]

He wasn't Antichrist...he was just a demonNot according to the last Dark Tower book. It was indicated he was born as a human in the Dark Tower world, so he's neither the devil nor a demon, as I understand them.

[betenoir]

Adam Young, from Good Omens. A ten-year-old boy who just wants to play with his dog, watch sci-fi movies with his friends, and wonders why the adults keep mucking things up.

Damn (so to speak). I wanted to be the one to mention Adam Young. And I could have if I'd open the thread when I saw it and it only had 4 responses. I blame Satan.

Ok then I pick WomanofScorn's offspring (well she made a deal with the devil and now she's going to have his baby). Either that or faithfool.

[ivylass]

Not according to the last Dark Tower book. It was indicated he was born as a human in the Dark Tower world, so he's neither the devil nor a demon, as I understand them.

Gail referred to his appearance in The Stand. Tom, while under hypnosis, says that his name is Legion and that Jesus once knocked him into a herd of pigs.

Remember, the DT book worlds are parallel universes of our own, so Flagg may indeed be human in another world.

[CalMeacham]

Long before the Left Behind series was written, someone else had written a book with the same premise. A friend who was into it loaned me his copy (this was circa 1980). I don't recall the authors or title, but the book was a hoot. The AntiChrist was Pope Sixtus the Sixth. A name like that is just asking for trouble (they worked the third "six" in there somehow, but I can't recall.)

asde from that, one interpretation of Hieronymous Bosch's paintings holds that the mysterious character wearing a crown, and with a white bandage on his leg who shows up in his depictions of the Adoratio of the Magi is really the AntiChrist visualized as the Jewish Messiah. It's thoroughly of-the-wall, and I think it may be Wilhelm Fraenger's interpretation (which is always interesting although, I think, worthless).

[Tracy Lord]

Damn (so to speak). I wanted to be the one to mention Adam Young. And I could have if I'd open the thread when I saw it and it only had 4 responses. I blame Satan.

Double damn! As they say. The Spanish Inquisition in the duck-pond definitely propels Adam Young to my favorite. :)

[BrainGlutton]

The AntiChrist was Pope Sixtus the Sixth. A name like that is just asking for trouble (they worked the third "six" in there somehow, but I can't recall.)

Isn't obvious? There are six letters in "Sixtus"! :)

[Quartz]

Double damn! As they say. The Spanish Inquisition in the duck-pond definitely propels Adam Young to my favorite. :)
No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[START]

Stone Alexander: Played by Michael York in The Omega Code (1999) and Meggido: The Omega Code II (2001) -- which seem less like an original-and-sequel than two alternative treatments of the same story concept. In both, Alexander develops more along the lines of an ordinary political megalomaniac and his satanic nature does not emerge until late in the story. He appears to have been born to human parents in the normal way; I'm not clear on what qualifies him for Antichrist status -- maybe Satan just picks him.

That pretty much says it for me, I love that movie and Michael York's performance.
You can't talk about the Antichrist in film or bad guys in general without bringing up Micael York in Megiddo. BTW, I hated the first Omega Code.

[Denis]

I'm still struck by S. King's description of R. Flagg's "hideous good cheer" in The Stand.

Damien was well done too.

[FriarTed]

Long before the Left Behind series was written, someone else had written a book with the same premise. A friend who was into it loaned me his copy (this was circa 1980). I don't recall the authors or title, but the book was a hoot. The AntiChrist was Pope Sixtus the Sixth. A name like that is just asking for trouble (they worked the third "six" in there somehow, but I can't recall.)



I have that book THE SEVEN LAST YEARS by Carol Balizet, with C.C. Carlson (who was Hal Lindsey's co=writer for The Late Great Planet Earth). Pope Sixtus VI's third six comes from his adding to his signature a little arrow looping into a circle like a figure 6, signifying God becoming the World.

It wasn't actually a bad book, and not anti-Catholic as one might think, as the prior Pope & all true Catholic C'tians are raptured, leaving only the structure of the RCC with those nominal Catholic C'tians to be taken over by the AntiChrist.
The desecration of the Temple is accompanied by his desecration of the Eucharist by proclaiming it as doctrine that the Bread & Wine are now to be held as the Body & Blood of Divine Humanity, not of Christ.

[FriarTed]

Now to my favorite- tho I also would contend that Randall Flagg was a potential AntiChrist-

alas, this is a spoiler for James BeauSeigneur's THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY...














Christopher Goodman, cloned from cells on the Shroud.

[rfgdxm]

His only physical stigma is a birthmark, concealed by his hair, in the shape of "666" (in Arabic numerals, which were unknown outside of India when John of Patmos wrote the Book of Revelantion).
Might not John have been told by God the number of the Beast, without John knowing what numeral system it would be in?

[faithfool]

Damn (so to speak). I wanted to be the one to mention Adam Young. And I could have if I'd open the thread when I saw it and it only had 4 responses. I blame Satan.

Ok then I pick WomanofScorn's offspring (well she made a deal with the devil and now she's going to have his baby). Either that or faithfool.

Oh my unholiness! For my first ever vanity search, this adorable quote came up from you betenoir! I can't begin to tell you how much this had made me grin like the potential mad(wo)man that I am, running for this position and all, but I'll definitely hit the sack sometime in the morning (when all 'good' evil-doers must sleep) with this knowledge happily dancing in my head. :)

So, when the time comes, can I offer you some sort of job as my, uh, left hand (correct for the underworld?) #1 baddie? I'm sure you'll do a most excellent job and there are benefits. To be mentioned later, after I get more funding from Micro$oft and am able to have good ol' M. Manson to translate my bylaws into commandments. I'm sure it'll be around addendum 6.66 though.

[Woohoo! Someone, an esteemed someone at that, knows who I am without a direct response to something I've already posted. I'm a real Doper now!! I might even be special. You like me, you *really* like me. :D :p Even if it is for my new-found wickedness and what I'll undoubtedly be responsible in the future. I'm famousssssss.]

::: dances off doing the much required voodoo chant and basic (only version 1.4 so far) wanton ungodliness :::

Sorry for the hijack. I'm just so thrilled and honored. Thank you academy! My fans and whichever Big Guy you choose. {{{mwah!}}}

[Otto]

Adrian Woodhouse: Introduced at the very end of Ira Levin's 1967 novel Rosemary's Baby and of Roman Polanski's 1968 film of the same title. In the book, he has horns and a tail. In the movie, his only unusual physical feature is his glowing slit-pupilled eyes. These eyes seem to have turned normal by the time of the 1976 made-for-TV movie Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (generally loathed, and as Levin was not directly involved in the project he might claim it was non-canonical.) Levin wrote a sequel, Son of Rosemary (Onyx Books 1998) which I haven't read, but I read a review -- Adrian becomes a kind of religious leader. How his character development is presented (and whether he still has those funny eyes), I don't know. IIRC he could control the look of his eyes for a limited time so that they looked normal. The book was very bad.

[Otto]

Oh, and to nitpick:
In the movie, his only unusual physical feature is his glowing slit-pupilled eyes.
We never see the child in the movie so we don't know if there are any other unusual physical features.

[BrainGlutton]

Might not John have been told by God the number of the Beast, without John knowing what numeral system it would be in?

Of course, but since part of the atmosphere of The Omen is created by Biblical scholarship and rummaging around in old texts, I think it might have made a slightly better movie if Damien's birthmark had been in the shape of the Greek (digamma kappa kappa) or Roman (DCLXVI) numerals for "666". More authentic, you know?