A to Z Challenge – Q

My theme for the A to Z challenge is Villain Archetypes.

Yes, 26 descriptions of some of your favorite villains of literature, TV, and movies.

April 20 – Q is for “Q-Ball” *Special Edition

Yes, I know its properly “Cue” ball, but just let me ramble here. After finishing Marvel’s new Netflix series Daredevil, featuring the bald-headed baddie Kingpin aka Wilson Fisk, and it got me and the SO thinking…why are there so many bald bad guys? Being folically challenged myself, I tend to gravitate towards any bald characters that I can root for. Riddick is one of my favorites. Any Jason Statham character can count me in their fandom. Even when the gals go full bore and shave their heads (Evee from V, or Nebula from Guardians). But when it comes to evil, the shaven-headed options are endless. Therefore, today I give you the “Q-Ball” archetype, the Bald Guy.

A bald antagonist can fill many different roles. Throw in a beard, and you’ve got the definition of untrustworthy and villainous (and also my portrait). They’ve been everything from the most trusted henchmen, to a disposable flunky, all the way up to the top of the food chain as the main antagonist of a multi-volume series.A bare scalp doesn’t contribute to their villainy,  but it definitely helps visually create a visage of evil. They can be wise, foolish, strong, scrawny, irredeemable, or sympathetic. Plenty of baldies have become anti-heroes, and some of the most memorable ones at that. But the question I’ll posit in this post is why? Why are all the bald guys bad?

I believe it lies in the silhouette. We imagine a hero or heroine with gorgeous locks of hair that he or she has to flip out of a perfectly sculpted face. A hairless head implies an imperfection, but also an acknowledgement, awareness, and even embracing the imperfection. There’s something skull-like about the shaven pate that instinctively raises the hackles of any human being. Perhaps its the attention to detail, or the implication of penance due to the semi-religious history of a bald head (used to be called a tonsure worn by monks, etc.). No matter why, bald villains are some of the most memorable in all of fiction, both print and visual. I’m proud to be a member of the brotherhood, villainous or not, and I’ll keep secretly rooting for the folically challenged evil doers until I’m dead in the ground.

Some Famous Bald Villains:

• Lex Luthor (DC)
• Bane (DC)
• Kingpin (Marvel)
• Imhotep (The Mummy)
• The Kurgan (Highlander)
• Ming the Merciless (Flash Gordon)
• Voldemort (Harry Potter)
• Kurtz (Heart of Darkness/Apocalyspe Now)