# Boring psycopaths
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 4, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607 "2013-07-04T02:44:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/1 "2013-07-04T02:44:13Z")
They say the villain makes the film, but some films – very successful – are saddled with villains who are just plain dull. Howard Chaykin once used the term “boring psychopath” to describe one comic book writer’s take on the Joker, and a lot of modern film villains are just that. They don’t do anything that surprises and just run around being eeeeviiiiilllllll so the hero can ultimately defeat them.
My choice is Darth Maul. Other than the face, there’s no personality, no backstory, no nothing except a double bladed laser sword. (It also didn’t help that, when he fought Obi-Wan Kenobi, there wasn’t the slightest suspense about the outcome (“Gee, which one showed up in Star Wars?”.) All he could do was some long and very tedious fight scenes. I suppose he’s not exactly a psychopath, but he’s definitely boring.
Second is Bane from **The Dark Knight Rises**. Maybe they were trying to tone things down after the bravura performance of the Joker in the previous film, but you could predict exactly what Bane was going to do in every scene he was in.
Who are your candidates?
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/2 "2013-07-04T03:28:05Z")
One villain that comes to mind is the bad guy from **Hannibal**. He doesn’t even run around being evil – he just lies in one place being evil!
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### Author:  [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/3 "2013-07-04T04:27:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> My choice is Darth Maul. Other than the face, there’s no personality, no backstory, no nothing except a double bladed laser sword. (It also didn’t help that, when he fought Obi-Wan Kenobi, there wasn’t the slightest suspense about the outcome (“Gee, which one showed up in Star Wars?”.) All he could do was some long and very tedious fight scenes. I suppose he’s not exactly a psychopath, but he’s definitely boring.
Keeping with Star Wars what about Count Dooku? At first he seems pretty interesting in the scene where he tells Obiwan he has discovered that a sith lord is corrupting the republic which is why he left the jedi order and created the seperatists. But then he apprentices himself to said sith lord?! It is like they had an interesting idea for a character, but then just said shit just make him evil.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/4 "2013-07-04T14:39:10Z")
Another good example: The eeeeevil guy from **Se7en**. The role is almost superfluous.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/5 "2013-07-04T14:43:29Z")
> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Another good example: The eeeeevil guy from **Se7en**. The role is almost superfluous.
In my opinion that is by design.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/6 "2013-07-04T15:19:24Z")
> [@White SIFL](#):
>
> In my opinion that is by design.
Of course it’s by design. John Doe doesn’t show up until 90% of the way through and then it’s only to show how much of an animal and degenerate psycho he actually is.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/7 "2013-07-04T15:34:15Z")
But very, very clever and manipulative. I didn’t find him boring at all.
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### Author:  [@BeeDubU2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeDubU2)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/8 "2013-07-04T16:02:47Z")
Speaking of Kevin Spacey, does his character in _The Usual Suspects_ count? He was being as forgettable as possible during the interview.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring-psycopaths/662607/9 "2013-07-04T16:58:38Z")
> [@BeeDubU2](#):
>
> Speaking of Kevin Spacey, does his character in _The Usual Suspects_ count? He was being as forgettable as possible during the interview.
You think his story about Keyser Soze was forgettable?:dubious: