Matrim Fox Cauthon Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 That reminds me - John Milton's Lucifer from Paradise Lost (the original Marc Remillard!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFlame Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 Lucifer was incredibly badass. He almost wins. God simply was unbeatable. Actually, I would say God in Paradise Lost was a bit badass. Lucifer's totally devestating the angelic army, smashing wings and all sorts of stuff. God just sits back until he's bored and zaps him down to earth. God was a cranky old guy in that story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLU-RAY Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I'd be inclined to disqualify Hurin for badass status on the grounds that he doesn't have the characteristic amoral ruthlessness. Badasses in my view aren't good guys - they're callous, ruthless arseholes, who happen to be command respect because of their sheer personal toughness and grim competence. didn't you just describe Randyll Tarly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arakasi Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Well Hurin in the first half of his life doesn't have that. However in his dealings with the petty dwarves and Mim he was pretty ruthless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageGuy Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Somebody said Sethra Lavode, but she's never shown being a badass, it's just mentioned that she has a reputation as being extremely badass. Vlad Taltos, on the other hand, exhibits most of the traits of badassery. I'd agree. Vlad and whoever has Blackwand. Begins with an M. Maybe Aerich from the Khaavren romances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanna vander Poele Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Psha. Has no one mentioned Inigo Montaya yet? Guy spends nearly twenty years training to kick the ass of the dude who killed his father. And his final speech to Count Rugen needs to go down as one of the best conversations in fantasy ever. Badass. Giving a brief look at my bookshelf, from the Temeraire series -- Tharkay. Not only is he half-Nepalese (my heritage ), he has eagle scars, manages to wind circles and piss the hell out of Laurence, and coerces feral dragons to travel with him for two continents for the final battle of Black Powder War. He's the bad boy with a past, done very well and in written in an affected English style. How can you resist Locke Lamora? From his days as a shit-stirring thief to the Thorn of Camorr who manages to fool all the nobility into giving him their glitters and gold... I'll talk to Lukas Fehwright abotu 502s anytime. And for now, Artemis Fowl. Hoshit Artemis Fowl is the bomb. Smart as hell and deviously clever, and at the start of the series, he's only twelve years old. Currently fourteen, which is oh ho, totally my jailbait age. He's fine, divine, and pardon me, but he's right - gold is power, and Artemis is stinking full of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oorag Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Sethra Lavode is badass several times. When Morrolan tries to pick a fight with her in Lord of Castle Black, she's so unintimidated that she eventually figures out that he has no idea how powerful she is. She splits his sword in half lengthwise with a gesture and then hands him one of the most powerful weapons on the world. Lets be friends, she says, and of course in other books we already know that he becomes one of her most stalwart and powerful friends. That's badass. But again, this is that sort of anti-badass where she's so badass that she doesn't care about showing off or kicking ass, she simply does the smart and reasonable thing. Vlad, however, is a classic badass. Regarding Satan in Paradise Lost, he under no circumstances "almost wins" and is a total non-badass. He's completely and utterly outmatched, and he knows it. He might as well be a cockroach wrestling a bulldozer, but he's too much of a coward to admit it. God doesn't even bother smiting him. He lets his angels fight him for a while, but since Satan only has half of his forces, God deliberately holds back half his host. Then, when Satan is deadlocked against an infinitely small fraction of God's power, God lets "the Son" take the field, who singlehandedly mows through Satan's entire army. Even in personal combat against the other angels, Satan gets punked. In the opening shot of the war, some chump angel jumps out and clobbers him in the face. Satan staggers back, stunned, and his minions carry him away. Milton's Satan is a little bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahimsa Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Shadow from American gods is kind of a bad-ass. Mentally he has the attitude, but he isn't as tough as your generic fantasy heroes. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are nice and amoral badasses. General Kael from Willow is pretty badass. But I think we all know that the most badass of all is Tom Bombadil.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relic Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Hmm, Kellhus perhapse. Maybe Darth vader, if we're saying badassess have to be assholes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artas Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Does that make them badassholes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadiou Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I'd say: -Drizzt Do'Urden: I mean a scimatar + 5, wtf? In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting he is pretty much unbeatable. He does lack any kind of mental 'badassery' though. Not that you could really call R.A Salvatore literature -Jon Irenicus in Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn was pretty badass too. Torture, deceit and unbeatable wizadry. -The Nameless One in Planescape: Torment. The man won't stay dead and writes himself reminders on his body using tattoos and blades. His sidekick is a floating, biting skull. Discworld is full of badasses: -Sam Vimes: the guy is 40 something, an ex-drunkard and was born the poorest of the poor. Yet he manages to hold is own mentally with Vetinari and regularly thrash scum and Golems. on that note: -Vetinari, an assassin dictator...nice. -Granny Weatherwax, nothing really needs to be said here. She is possibly the most badass 70+ elderly woman in literature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahimsa Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 -Granny Weatherwax, nothing really needs to be said here. She is possibly the most badass 70+ elderly woman in literature. Though Granny Next may very well offer a good challenge against Weatherwax.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Ent Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Ungoliant. Eats two trees and gets away with it. Most impressive feat in all of speculative fiction. Eight legs, too, which is always nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 My list is remarkably similar to Arakasi's. I would certainly include a good number of the Eldar Princes of Middle-Earth on this list. I'd also include Gandalf and to a lesser extent than him, Aragorn. The historical knights from Westeros, including Rhaegar, Robert Baratheon, Baelor, Arthur Dayne. I expect we'll meet some more in ADWD. Hobb doesn't do badass characters, but Kay does, for instance with Aileron ( Diarmuid's brother), Lancelot, Arthur, Pwyll Twiceborn, Rodrigo Belmonte, Brandin, Ammar Ibnk Khairan Characters like Cuchullain, King Arthur, Achilles come to mind. So does Anasurimbor Kellhus as both badass mage and warrior. Cnaiur as well. Conan. The Erikson characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errant Bard Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Corwin of Amber, he kills half an army by himself, he drinks and piss on his tomb, laughs in the face of his love at being told he didn't fight fairly, creates his own version of reality, contemplates killing his own family and anyone else if he can get something out of it, and most of all, corrupts a whole forest of convalescent trees with a curse, and forces Benedict to assassinate young trees before fighting him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Lotor Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I think Roy Batty is pretty badass. I think Rutger Hauer's portrayal in the movie "Blade Runner" was amazing. And how come no one has mentioned Lurch from "The Addams Family"? Nobody can out-badass him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Matthew Stover's Caine (Hari Michaelson) is my pick for the current #1 badass. Some relevant quotes: “I fear Michaelson not at all. Michaelson is a fiction you fools. The truth of him is Caine. You do not comprehend the distinction; and so he will destroy you†“He does have power. One power: the power to devote himself absolutely to a single goal, to be ruthless with himself and all else in its pursuit. It is theonly power he needs - because unlike the great mass of men, he is aware of his power, he is willing, even happy to use it†He's #1 SOB, the HNIC, the CEO, Scorsce's Bill Cutting all wrapped in one. Most humorous badasses? Mad Hammish, Truckle the Uncivil, Boy Willie, Caleb the Ripper and Cohen the Barbarian from Pratchett's various Discworld novels. Other nominees: Conan Duncan Idaho Benedict of Amber Jubei Kibagami Kane (Karl Edward Wagner's) Uther Doul EDIT - forgot Cnaiur a bad ass, and literal pain in the ass. ...and although we ony catch a glimpse there is something ominous about John Uskglass that just oozes badassedeness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 C'Nauir Urs Skoitha (Sp? It's been a while.) The most violent of all men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krafus Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Daemon Blackfyre, who led the Blackfyre rebellion. He kicked the crap out of all comers in single combat, until Bloodraven sent a shower of arrows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arakasi Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 I'd agree on C'naiur, Corwin and Benedict. All quite badasses. Another one could be Sam from Lord of Light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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