Indeed, the original question was an either/or. Obviously, getting the job done with style is the most preferable way to do it. Circumstances dictate how you handle each situation, however.
Let’s say you’ve trapped the hero, and you’re about to activate the generator which will power up your McGuffin o’ Evil, giving you control of the kingdom/country/planet and somehow, despite everything the Acme representative told you, the hero escapes.
Now, you can stop everything, and challenge him to one on one combat (or simply agree to the same challenge when the hero, and they always do, presents it to you) and take a chance on him somehow disabling your machinery during the fight. This is your basic stylish approach.
Your next option is to order the thirty armed minions you’ve placed around the room to open fire on the hero. Assuming you’ve hired competant minions, they’ll gun him down, without managing to shoot you, or your infernal machine, in the process. That there’s your bottom line getting the job done approach.
But, ideally, you’ve got a third option. Accept the hero’s challenge of one on one fisticuffs, and then suddenly pull out a big honkin’ hand cannon, blasting his liver out the back of his codpiece, whilst simultaneously pushing the button on the remote control in your other hand, activating the machine. Stylish, yet effective.
Most evil overlords, it seems, are good at either style or efficiency (occasionally you get the genius who is equally good at both. but for the most part, an evil overperson’s talents will lie in one or the other). So, they spend all of their prep time on their stronger element and just assume that the other element will show up. It obviously doesn’t work that way.
Given that as the evil overlady/lord you’re pretty much in charge of the schedule, all that needs to be done is to pencil in sufficient time to work on that missing piece. Take the time to make sure your contraption actually kills…yes, some test subjects might die, but you’re evil! What do you care? Or work out a nice speech, a few witty bon mots, a new hat, perhaps, to use while you sever the heroes’ heads from their bodies. See what your henchmen think. Yes, this kind of planning does take a bit more lead time, but it’s all worth it at the completion of the scheme.
It is hard to be graceful with an armored division rolling over the country side. What we lack in finesse we make up for in dhrrt volume and…and…if you are not careful, matey, we’ll airdrop David Hasselhof on your country.
That’ll teach you.
I agree with spogga, the English have finesse and style out the wazoo. James Bond, the Avengers, the Scarlet Pimpernel…fighting evil and looking good.
Back to the original question, "Should You Be And Evil Overlord With Style Or One Who “Gets The Job Done”, I think it’s more of a personal choice, with no right or wrong answer. What’s needed here is a Beatles/Elvis quiz ala Pulp Fiction to determine the right choice for each individual.
For example:
Auric Goldfinger… or Tony Montana?
Freddy Krueger… or Leatherface?
Lex Luthor… or Doomsday?
1920’s Death Ray or Chemical Weapons?
I am sure there are more qualified dopers with the time and vision to provide this needed service.
Rather than killing the Hero, subvert the masses to your iron will.
(how you achieve this is entirely your discretion, I recommend the Ron Popeil Method)
Then when enough of the population are your mindless slaves they will rise up against said Hero, and you can then steal his girlfriend, cut off his earlobes and hang him upside-down in a vat filled three feet deep with his own excrement. Muu-WAH-Ha-ha-ha-ha!
Now thatsome stylish evil. You get a 9.5 for style and a 10 for creativity(steal his girl, GENIUS) and a 10 for complexity. for a total score of 9.83. Good job
Although it’s fine and dandy to hang your arch nemisis upside down in a vat of his own excrement, I think we need to take a little time to appreciate the blue collar villains who day in, and day out do their work without recognition. They may not get the publicity of a prominent evil-doer with a snazzy death ray, but they work just as hard with the same dedication to enslave humanity. This one’s for them.
What if the Evil UberLord owned the TV, cable and satellites and forced commericals upon the down trodden masses for sugary drinks, violent games, vacation to amusement parks filled with hot sweat masses, over priced sports cars and exercize equipment? Things you never need. And This UberLord ran these commercials for these products, which he had stock in them all, every…oh …ten minutes…round the clock.
The world would be your puppet.
Stylish without bloodshed. Control with little effort.
[Harry Solomon]
It’s so simple. Yet Brilliant! I love it!
I can’t see this reference in the thread, though it’s getting a bit long to check sffectively - sorry in advance if you all know it so well that there’s no need:
