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Name any media featuring a highly impressive feat of manipulation (by any character).

Arta

Arta

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,445
Hannibal season one is my pick. That's one of the best premiere season of any series all due to the social manipulation taking place. Usually when a show makes a character seem smart by making everyone else overly dumb but in this it's someone outsmarting people who are actually sharp and persistent.

I remember a slightly bafflingly shot early in the season that gets recontextualised at the end, man I nearly dropped my drink when I saw that.

What are your personal examples? Books, anime, movies, games, whatever.
 
JediTimeBoy

JediTimeBoy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,810
In terms of impressive, I'd argue that the 7th Doctor manipulating the creator of a race, to not only blow up his own Sun, but commit genocide, is quite impressive.

Luke Skywalker being able to manipulate Vader by bungie jumping is impressive, most impressive.
 
Vincent Alexander

Vincent Alexander

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,752
Puppet Master / Manipulative villains are some of the hardest to land in my book. It's too easy for a writer to give them knowledge only the writer should know in order to achieve their goals, and they come off like god-like figures. It also hurts that many of these characters don't react like normal people to bad news---everything is according to plan! So you never see them go, "Fuck...." which is never fun to watch.

I think Hannibal is a good choice though. He is more manipulative, and less puppet master...and the latter I dislike more.
 

Deleted member 25600

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
5,701
It's pretty much all he does in the series.

Epc7SNy.jpg
 

Deleted member 16516

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,427
In J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion, specifically the tale known as the Akallabêth, Sauron allows himself to be taken prisoner by the Numenorean King Ar-Pharazôn and via subterfuge convinces the ruling class of the Numernoreans to wage war on the Valar (the archangels of Tolkien's mythos). It ends badly for both the Numenoreans and Sauron with Eru (god himself) intervening and sinking Numenor and a good portion of Middle-earth. But in the end Sauron survived and achieved his goal of wiping the Numenoreans (for the most part) out.

340
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,087
rs09-lg.jpg


100+ suspects and the big bad is literally the last one you would have thought
 
Skunk

Skunk

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,065
Sheev?

Dude masterminded manipulating the Jedi and a massive Republic into allowing him to become Emperor by: identifying the perfect planet to insert himself and puppetmaster a trade dispute to have its ruler start a vote of no confidence so he could ascend to supreme chancellor, where he would set into motion plans he had made *decades earlier* to start a war by which he could grant himself power to become Emperor. All while keeping his actions secret until almost the very moment of his ascension.

Dude swindled the entire galaxy.
 
Doober

Doober

Banned
Jun 10, 2018
4,295
Petyr Baelish (the book version) basically destabilizes an entire continent in order to perv on the daughter of a woman who spurned him.
 
Monster Zero

Monster Zero

Member
Nov 5, 2017
5,612
Southern California
Goku manipulated his son into saving the world. Even going as far as giving the villain a restorative energy boost. He also manipulated God into hosting a tournament he wanted at the peril of multiple universes.
 
Creamium

Creamium

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,700
Belgium
Will again have to mention
Bayaz
from Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. Puppet master on a grand scale.
 
Rirse

Rirse

Member
Jun 29, 2019
2,016
Xanatos on Gargoyles on pretty much any episode he on. Even if his main plot fails, he usually ended up achieving his goals as the plot he started is just a ruse to get his real plan to happen.
 
Psychonaut

Psychonaut

Member
Jan 11, 2018
3,207
I mean, this is The Game. Parasite and The Handmaiden are both centered around deception plots. They're also both amazing.

Also, most murder mysteries are technically this as well, but I suppose that's not what you're looking for.
 
Ramala

Ramala

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,046
Santa Monica, LA
Calles said:
Did that ever get an ending? I remember at one point it just kinda stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The main story did. It ended with
Poet being the last superhuman alive, building a spacecraft, then burning up as a comet over an alien planet, giving that planet's population the same 'gift' of select individuals gaining super powers. So full circle. At least that's how I remember it!
 

Darkgable

Member
Nov 3, 2017
1,325
I'll go with the obvious.

Ozymandias in Watchmen.

Spending billions to sidetrack Dr. Manhattan.
Give the heroes the breadcrumbs to find him, only to inform them that he completed his plan 35 minutes earlier.
 
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