# Movies where the villain executes one of his henchmen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084 "2005-07-11T23:52:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/1 "2005-07-11T23:52:23Z")
I was thinking recently about several movies that came out in the 1980s that have one thing in common: at one point in the movie the villain/bad guy executes one of his henchmen. This happens in: _Batman_ The Joker kills one of his own men. _The Untouchables_ Robert DeNiro as Capone, ditto. _The Search for Spock_ The Klingon Commander played by Christopher Lloyd kills his henchwoman/presumed lover early in the film. _Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves_ (OK, that was 1990s). The Sherrif of Nottingham kills his cousin. _The Empire Strikes Back_ Vader, of course. I seem to also remember something like this happening in the Bond flick _A View to a Kill_. There was definitely something similar in _Braveheart_. Was it also used in one of the Robocop movies? In all these movies it seems to serve to emphasize the bad-assery of said villain. Sort of tell the audience this is a heavy dude you don’t want to mess with. Anyway I was wondering if this was a common occurence in movies before the 1980s but I really haven’t seen enough that are older than this to really be sure either way. Are there a lot of examples of this happening before the 1980s? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/2 "2005-07-12T00:05:45Z")
It happened in the James Bond flick _Thunderball_ in the early 1960s. It happened in the novel _Dracula_, published in 1897. Come to think of it, I think a few of Shakespeare’s villains did it. Certainly in _Macbeth_ and _Richard III_, possibly in _Titus Andronicus_. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/3 "2005-07-12T00:08:10Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > I was thinking recently about several movies that came out in the 1980s that have one thing in common: at one point in the movie the villain/bad guy executes one of his henchmen. > > … > > In all these movies it seems to serve to emphasize the bad-assery of said villain. Sort of tell the audience this is a heavy dude you don’t want to mess with. > > Anyway I was wondering if this was a common occurence in movies before the 1980s but I really haven’t seen enough that are older than this to really be sure either way. Are there a lot of examples of this happening before the 1980s? Quite a few. An example that comes to mind is 1967’s **You Only Live Twice** where Blofeld executes an ineffective henchwoman by dunking her in a piranha tank. Basically, it’s the villain’s way of showing that failure is clearly NOT an option under any circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/4 "2005-07-12T00:09:40Z")
Time Bandits. “I’m a reasonable man!” ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/5 "2005-07-12T00:11:09Z")
Team America I think I need a new transrator. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/6 "2005-07-12T00:17:02Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Quite a few. An example that comes to mind is 1967’s **You Only Live Twice** where Blofeld executes an ineffective henchwoman by dunking her in a piranha tank. And before both of those in **From Russia With Love** in 1963. “12 seconds. Someday we really must develop a faster working venom.” ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/7 "2005-07-12T00:19:05Z")
**Mystery Men** : Cassanova Frankenstein electricutes the Frat Boys basically to show the Mystery Men that he was ruthless enough to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/8 "2005-07-12T00:32:02Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > I was thinking recently about several movies that came out in the 1980s that have one thing in common: at one point in the movie the villain/bad guy executes one of his henchmen. This happens in: > > Anyway I was wondering if this was a common occurence in movies before the 1980s but I really haven’t seen enough that are older than this to really be sure either way. Are there a lot of examples of this happening before the 1980s? It was a pretty common practice for Bond villians almost from the git-go. In Thunderball, Blofeld is holding a meeting with his henchmen, and unexpectedly electrocutes one of them who had been holding out on him. In You Only Live Twice, Blofeld feeds one of his henchmen to the piranhas. And if the Bond movies were doing it, you can bet their many, many, many imitators were doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/9 "2005-07-12T00:34:56Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > … > > Come to think of it, I think a few of Shakespeare’s villains did it. Certainly in _Macbeth_… Help me out here, it has been years since I read Macbeth or saw it performed (really)…are you referring to Banquo? Because I am not sure I would consider him Macbeth’s henchman…he isn’t in on the plot, is he? ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/10 "2005-07-12T00:46:21Z")
_Lethal Weapon 2_ I remember the scene where the guy walks into the boss’s office and notice the plastic sheets all over the place. “We’re redecorating,” my foot. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/11 "2005-07-12T00:54:19Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > It was a pretty common practice for Bond villians almost from the git-go. Doctor Evil tried it, but didn’t succeed. At least, not when it was Will Farrell’s character. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/12 "2005-07-12T00:55:18Z")
There was a TV movie of “Spartacus” a year or so ago. After losing a battle to Spartacus, the head of the Roman Legion orders a decimation, where every 10th man in the Legion is killed(I can’t remember if they killed themselves or other soldiers did it). However, the Romans were meant to be the bad guys in the movie, so it counts. They even did that sort of thing in real life too. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/13 "2005-07-12T00:56:03Z")
The trope is so common that it’s gone well beyond cliche into self-parody. Kind of makes you wonder how the villains got henchmen at all. It’s hard to hire good help if they know they’re going to executed if they make a mistake, or just on the whim of the boss. Some examples: **The Fifth Element Scarface: Shame of a Nation** – I believe Paul Muni wipes out his friend George Raft [b}Bugsy\*\* – though Bugsy is the henchman who’s wiped out. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/14 "2005-07-12T04:10:09Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The trope is so common that it’s gone well beyond cliche into self-parody. Kind of makes you wonder how the villains got henchmen at all. Want ads in the classifieds, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/15 "2005-07-12T04:30:39Z")
In _Superman: The Movie_ Lex Luthor kills his henchman Otis. In \*Goldfinger, \* Goldfinger kills most of his prospective confederates. ---
**Author:** ![MackoUr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MackoUr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MackoUr)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/16 "2005-07-12T04:45:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In _Superman: The Movie_ Lex Luthor kills his henchman Otis. Nope. Unless he was raised from the dead for _Superman II_: > **[Superman II (1980) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081573/)** > > Superman II: Directed by Richard Lester, Richard Donner. With Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper. Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he... ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/17 "2005-07-12T04:53:16Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In _Superman: The Movie_ Lex Luthor kills his henchman Otis. :dubious: Well, he got better in Supperman II! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/18 "2005-07-12T04:53:18Z")
Tank Girl- Malcolm McDowell kills his lead henchman by plunging some water sucking stabby thing into his back and after making him walk barefoot over broken glass. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/19 "2005-07-12T06:52:10Z")
Mission Impossible 2. The lead badguy who was played by Dougray Scott\* kills one of his henchmen because he thought he was Tom Cruise. Does that count? Oh yeah, earlier in the movie he cuts off the same henchman’s finger with a cigar cutter. That was better than killing the guy, IMO. \*Dougray Scott was supposed to play Wolverine in X-Men, but lost the part because filming on MI2 took so long. My little bit of useless trivia that you don’t really care about for today. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084/20 "2005-07-12T12:29:22Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > _The Search for Spock_ The Klingon Commander played by Christopher Lloyd kills his henchwoman/presumed lover early in the film. Commander Krug also whacks his tactical officer: “Target emgines only!” “Lucky shot…Sir!” Zap! ^ :dubious: ^ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-villain-executes-one-of-his-henchmen/312084.md?page=2)