Evil Obama: Where does Trump’s alternate-reality version rank in the pantheon of supervillains?

By: Patrick W. Zimmerman

Move over, Lex Luther! We’ve got a new criminal mastermind in town.

Putin? Erdoğan? Grand Admiral Thrawn? As if! None of them could possibly compete with the nefarious plots of Barack Hussein Obama, 44th POTUS and Evil Genius. At least, they can’t match the version of him that seems to exist in his successor’s head.


The question

What if we took Trump at his word?

Let’s see what results if I take every crazy thing our tinfoil-hat wearing Commander has said about Obama and rank him among the other great fantasy supervillains. Where does Evil Obama stack up?



 

Evil Obama

So where do we put Evil Obama? Just how bad is he? (In a hurry? Jump straight to the chart)

Evil Obama conducts a worldwide campaign of Radical Islamic Terror:

Evil Obama systematically undermines Trump’s Presidency:

Evil Obama used his presidency to weaken America:

  • AlternaFact: Obama allowed (possibly in collusion) Russia to “run over” the US for 8 years and is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the Russian missile buildup.
  • AlternaFact: Obama tried to flood our country with dangerous illegal immigrants from Australia.
  • AlternaFact: Obama was “kind to Iran,” giving it a $150 billion donation that allowed it to take over much of Iraq.

The Supervillain Threat-o-meter

I’m going to take a selection of 20 great supervillains (19 plus Evil Obama), trying to cover comics, movies, TV, and books (to whatever extent there’s a difference these days). Note: only Supervillains are considered; a certain level of flair is required. Our chosen set: Cersei Baratheon, Bowser, Montgomery Burns, Doctor Claw, Doctor Doom, GlaDOS, Auric Goldfinger, the Joker, Maleficent, Hannibal Lecter, Lex Luther, Sarah Kerrigan, Magneto, Professor Moriarty, Sauron, Keyser Söze, Darth Vader, Voldemort, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Evil Obama makes 20 because as humans we like numbers that echo our appendages.

Then, I’m going to sort them into a five rough categories. From highest to lowest Villain Threat Level, they are:

Level 1 – Multiplanetary+ – This is for everyone off the scale. Guys who use the God Mode cheat on life. Eldritch abominations, Time Lords threatening to destroy time itself, the mad Titan Thanos, Darkseid, and species capable of assimilating the galaxy go here. These are Big Bads with whom normal, everyday supervillains cannot be compared, so I’m going to lump them into a “yeah, they’re the best” group and not quibble about whether Galactus would beat the Reapers (answer: in single combat, oh yeah. All at once, probably not.).

Level 2 – Planetary – Destruction or conquest at a planetary scale. These people not only want to take over the world, they have at least a puncher’s chance or better at doing so. Nuclear holocaust, biohazards, or other threats are common here. Whether it’s to build a new hyperspace bypass or whether we blew it up ourselves, villains who try (and can) end the world, whether with a bang or whimper, go here.

Level 3 – Multinational – Here be Bond Villains and Warmongers, criminal cartels and multnational terrorists. A classic level of evil genius, they are either trying to take over multiple countries them (economically, culturally, or politically). Goldfinger manipulating worldwide gold prices is a classic example of an economic attempt at domination. Cobra and Hydra are more militaristic. The important difference between this category and Level 2 is scope. Today Europe? That’s here at Level 3. Tomorrow, the world? Level up to Level 2.

Level 4 – National – That’s a nice country you’ve got there. It’d be a shame if something happened to it. Evil Dictators, Presidents gone wrong, and Richard III belong here. Depending on the country, there can be a pretty big grey area between this level and the one above it. Quick check: Does your Evil President have nukes? Does he think it might be fun to use them? If yes, stick them in Level 3.

Level 5 – Municipal or below – A surprising number of villains end up here, as they lack ambition or scope. The Joker is probably the classic example, as he rarely is written as wanting more than to run Gotham, rob banks, and kill Batman. Especially the last one. You’ll find a lot of classic Crime Bosses, evil executives, and extremist civic leaders at this level.


Where does Evil Obama rank?

Answer: He’s clearly a Level 3 Supervillain.

Successfully taking over the government of the most powerful nation in the world and simultaneously founding its most prominent terrorist organization is a resumé that most Bond villains would kill for (literally, most likely). That said, he’s not really a threat to conquer the entire globe. At least not for now.


The Supervillain Threat-o-meter
Maniacal laugh! Maniacal laaauuuggghhhh…..

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About The Author

Architeuthis Rex, a man of (little) wealth and (questionable) taste. Historian and anthropologist interested in identity, regionalism / nationalism, mass culture, and the social and political contexts in which they exist. Earned Ph.D. in social and cultural History with a concentration in anthropology from Carnegie Mellon University and then (mostly) fled academia to write things that more than 10 other people will actually read. Driven to pursue a doctorate to try and answer the question, "Why do they all hate each other?" — still working on it. Plays beer-league hockey, softball, and soccer. Professional toddler wrangler. Likes dogs, good booze, food, and horribly awesome kung-fu movies.

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