{"id":5861,"date":"2024-11-21T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldclassservers.net\/blog\/2024\/11\/21\/the-worst-emperors-in-pop-culture-from-gladiator-to-star-wars\/"},"modified":"2024-11-21T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:00:00","slug":"the-worst-emperors-in-pop-culture-from-gladiator-to-star-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextlevelnews.co.uk\/blog\/2024\/11\/21\/the-worst-emperors-in-pop-culture-from-gladiator-to-star-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"The Worst Emperors in Pop Culture, From Gladiator to Star Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Set roughly two decades after the events of the Oscar-winning first film, Gladiator II<\/a> tells a new tale about the Roman Empire and those who dared to defy it. Ridley Scott\u2019s original film featured two Roman emperors, one good (Marcus Aurelius) and one very bad (Commodus); likewise, Gladiator II<\/a> also features a pair of real-life emperors, only this time both fit most clearly into the villain category. As played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, respectively, Geta and Caracalla are twin brothers whose reign as co-emperors is marked by cruelty, corruption, and chaos. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cTheir bloodthirsty whims and equally unpredictable mood swings make this nightmarish pair of little freak boys worthy successors to Joaquin Phoenix\u2019s supremely simpering Commodus. Their antics border on slapstick, but Quinn and Hechinger are each so temperamental and off-putting that they never let you forget the danger Geta and Caracalla pose to Rome\u2019s future,\u201d wrote IGN\u2019s Tom Jorgensen in his Gladiator II review<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Geta and Caracalla, however, are just the latest in a long line of wicked emperors to grace the screen. Indeed, evil emperors \u2013 some real, some fictional \u2013 have long been the villains that the forces of freedom must overcome in movies, video games, TV, literature, and comics. <\/p>\n\n

Here are the 10 best worst emperors that pop culture has yielded thus far, starting with \u2026<\/p>\n

Caligula<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

This 1979 Italian cult classic stars Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as the titular young Roman who assumes control of an empire in decline and, by the film\u2019s end, has grown mad in his quest to destroy and humiliate Rome\u2019s ruling political class. Depravity and corruption abound in this erotic production from Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, who added hardcore sex scenes in post-production. Stalwarts of the British stage and screen like Helen Mirren, Peter O\u2019Toole, and John Gielgud round out an ensemble far too classy for this notoriously crass affair. <\/p>\n\n

Commodus<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Another real-life Roman emperor, Commodus, the demented son of the esteemed Marcus Aurelius, was portrayed by Christopher Plummer in 1964\u2019s The Fall of the Roman Empire and, more famously, by Joaquin Phoenix in 2000\u2019s Gladiator. Phoenix plays Commodus as murderously jealous of his father\u2019s most loyal general and surrogate son Maximus. After Commodus kills Marcus, Maximus goes on an epic journey that sees him become a gladiator out for revenge against now Emperor Commodus. Ridley Scott\u2019s sumptuous sword & sandal epic not only vividly recreates Ancient Rome but, through Phoenix\u2019s Oscar-nominated performance, further seared the image of the thumbs-down, mad emperor in the public imagination.<\/p>\n\n

Doctor Doom<\/h2>\n

Already the monarch of the fictitious nation of Latveria, Marvel\u2019s greatest supervillain<\/a> is poised to get promoted next year in Marvel Comics\u2019 crossover event The Rise of Emperor Doom<\/a>. The synopsis for the storyline suggests some of Earth\u2019s heroes wonder if the world isn\u2019t better off under Doom\u2019s control. This won\u2019t be the first time Doom has become an emperor, mind you. In 2015\u2019s Secret Wars, he became God Emperor Doom after stealing the Beyonders\u2019 powers.<\/p>\n\n

Han<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Jet Li starred in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as the titular villain, a fictionalized version of the founder of China. In the film, the third and final entry in the Brendan Fraser-led franchise, the vicious tyrant Qin Han conquers ancient China, builds the Great Wall and gains supernatural power over the elements. He is later cursed, and he and his soldiers turn into terracotta statues. Han is resurrected centuries later and resumes his conquering ways only to meet his end at the hands of plucky adventurer Rick O\u2019Connell and his pals.<\/p>\n

Joker<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

In Jeph Loeb\u2019s Superman: Emperor Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime tricks fifth-dimensional being Mister Mxyzptlk into giving him nearly all of his reality-bending powers. The now-omnipotent Bat-villain uses them to warp existence into an absurdly hellish realm where he can do anything from repeatedly killing Batman and Lex Luthor to consuming the population of China<\/a>. The Emperor Joker story was later adapted for an episode of the animated series Batman: The Brave And The Bold.<\/p>\n

Leto II<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

While Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV might be more widely known to general audiences through his depictions in David Lynch and Denis Villeneuve\u2019s respective Dune movies, we\u2019re opting to include a far stranger character from that franchise on this list. The son of Paul Atreides and his Fremen concubine Chani, Leto II eventually became known as the God Emperor of Dune. Like his aunt Alia, Leto II is a pre-born (deemed by the Bene Geserit as abominations) who possesses the memories of his ancestors. He ultimately undergoes a ritualistic test, consuming vast quantities of spice melange, and, over centuries, transforms into a human-sandworm hybrid. <\/p>\n\n

As emperor, he ruled the universe for over 3,500 years, following the Golden Path that necessitates he serve as a divine tyrant so that humanity eventually learns that it must not succumb to charismatic leaders if it\u2019s to survive and thrive. Yeah, it\u2019s all really weird but ultimately the point is that Leto II let himself become a literal monster emperor in order for humans to finally get their shit together. So yay? James McAvoy played a pre-sandworm Leto II in the TV miniseries Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune.<\/p>\n

Ming the Merciless<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Over decades of appearances in comic strips, serials, TV, and in film (most famously played by Max von Sydow in the 1980 cult classic), the intergalactic despot Ming the Merciless rules the planet Mongo with an iron fist. For the most part, Ming made the conquest of Earth and the enslavement and punishment of the citizens of Mongo his top goals, but was steadfastly resisted by the heroic human Flash Gordon and his allies at every turn.<\/p>\n

Palpatine<\/h2>\n

One of cinema\u2019s best-known villains, Star Wars\u2019 Sheev Palpatine was a member of the Galactic Senate who, in fact, was also the dark lord of the Sith known as Darth Sidious. He corrupted the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, eventually turning him into his protege and top enforcer Darth Vader. Palpatine engineered the downfall of the Senate and established the Galactic Empire with himself as ruler. The Rebel Alliance eventually defeated and seemingly killed the Emperor at the Battle of Endor \u2026 only to find out decades later \u201csomehow Palpatine returned.\u201d This time, Palpatine\u2019s Jedi granddaughter Rey finished the job Luke Skywalker and friends had started.<\/p>\n

Shao Kahn<\/h2>\n

This iconic Mortal Kombat baddie is the Emperor of Outworld and the archenemy of Raiden. A cruel, highly intelligent and god-like tyrant with the power to absorb souls, Shao Kahn\u2019s prowess in the dark arts aids him as a combatant but his arrogance has cost him many victories, especially in his quest to conquer Earth. In addition to being a fixture of the Mortal Kombat game franchise, Shao Kahn has also appeared in live-action in film and TV adaptations.<\/p>\n

Zurg<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Buzz Lightyear\u2019s archenemy, Zurg is the Toy Story franchise\u2019s riff on Darth Vader. Zurg is out to conquer the universe with only the heroic Star Command standing in his way. A towering, armored figure, the movie Lightyear revealed a shocking backstory for Zurg that put a major twist on the relationship between the Pixar franchise\u2019s space-faring hero and his chief foe. <\/p>\n

For more evil emperors, check out IGN\u2019s Gladiator II review<\/a> and our Gladiator II ending explained<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Set roughly two decades after the events of the Oscar-winning first film, Gladiator II tells a new tale about the Roman Empire and those who dared to defy it. Ridley Scott\u2019s original film featured two Roman emperors, one good (Marcus Aurelius) and one very bad (Commodus); likewise, Gladiator II also features a pair of real-life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Worst Emperors in Pop Culture, From Gladiator to Star Wars - Next Level News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stay on top of the gaming world with Next Level News. 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