| Dravenet7 said: I'm flabbergasted, but impressed by your optimism of the character. |
I stan for no cartoon villain; I'm merely trying to bring some much needed objectivity to the discussion.
| Dravenet7 said: No, I did not think that was a possibility because its not. Let me preface the fact that Mumm-Ra never is that smart by stating this: After sending Mumm-Ra flying, Snarf immediately became disinterested in his newfound power and asked Lion-O to nullify it. He used the sword of omens to do so, which is well within the feats of the sword. This point is proven by the fact that the episodes following proved to have no issue for the character whatsoever. This proves that Mumm Ra did not have the foresight for such a plan and the ASOE were more than likely just tired of him. |
Mumm-Ra not smart? You don't get to be ever-living by accident, my friend. In fact, Wikipedia has this to say about Mumm-Ra: "Mumm-Ra is also praised for being much more competent than other famous cartoon villains from the 1980s; such as Skeletor of Masters of the Universe fame." That's Wikipedia, bruh. It must be true.
And yes, of course, Snarf rejected the dark power insofar as he was able. He is, after all, a hero. But seduction is a curious thing -- it works on a person from the inside. As I'd said before, Mumm-Ra is playing the long game, willing to "lose" certain battles in order to win the war. Just because Snarf displayed no obvious residual effects in following episodes, don't naively conclude that things weren't still going exactly according to his plan. That's precisely what an evil genius like Mumm-Ra would want you to think.
| Dravenet7 said: Speaking of the ASOE, they were really tired of Mumm-Ra, who has proven time and again that he fails to follow through with any of his plans. Its so bad that they literally have to given him instructions and hold his hand step by step on how to do it. |
It's a given that evil beings don't get along with one another. It's not as though they're just on a different team than the heroes -- like playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, or something -- they're evil. They don't play well with others. But the relationship between the ASOE and Mumm-Ra is symbiotic: they need each other. Mumm-Ra knows this and he uses the ASOE to his own ends. In fact, it is conceivable that Mumm-Ra is playing against them as well, such is his strategic vision. In any case, we discuss Mumm-Ra as the ThunderCats' antagonist, because he is. He's the face of evil, the man (or mummy) in charge.
This is unlike, say, the relationship between Skeletor and Hordak, where Skeletor bungled a routine kidnapping, betrayed his boss and got bounced from the operation. Within his sphere, Mumm-Ra is the unquestioned master of evil; but Skeletor himself is only a distant number two (in power, in intelligence, in evil) behind Hordak, not that this is any great accomplishment. If Skeletor ever looks competent, it is only because he's standing next to guys like Trap Jaw and Mer-Man. In fact, that probably explains why he keeps such incompetent subordinates around. It helps him to feel better about himself.
| Dravenet7 said: As for Demolisher, no. He proceeded to lose to (and I emphasize this) a literal child aged into a man's body after basically defeating Mumm-Ra with little effort. This dude barely had any effort expended and by the time he came to face Lion-O he was well rested. I question if L-Ra even makes for a good minion. |
I think the video evidence speaks for itself -- Mumm-Ra nearly defeated the Demolisher single-handedly, so he was greatly diminished by the time Lion-O finished him off. This is no mark against Mumm-Ra (or Lion-O) -- the Demolisher was the Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy. Dude had a skull for a belt buckle, that's how hard he was.
And you also greatly undersell Lion-O's skill. He's a "literal child aged into a man's body"? Transformations can be powerful. I mean, as much as I recognize the superiority of Mumm-Ra and the children of Thundera generally against the so-called "Masters of the Universe," I can still recognize that some of those characters are powerful. Battle Cat, for instance, is a powerful creature. But Cringer...? Is not. Because Battle Cat is a transformed version of Cringer, that doesn't mean that Battle Cat is any less awesome; and Lion-O, whatever his origin, is a powerful and resourceful hero.
You say that Lion-O is "a literal child aged into a man's body"? I'd say that almost describes He-Man, too.
But in all of this, I note that you concentrate on Mumm-Ra's supposed defects, and make little mention of Skeletor himself. It's understandable in a way. If I were you, I wouldn't want to discuss Skeletor either. But it turns out he also has a few... skeletons in his closet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3065gA1S0I
What I want you to concentrate on here is not the fact that Skeletor loses. Of course he loses. It's not even the humiliating way he loses, or how Orko plays an integral role (and whatever else we can say about them as heroes, Snarf >>> Orko) and even finds time to dunk on Beast Man. Instead, concentrate on how unserious Skeletor and his "threats" seem. The way He-Man and company treat Skeletor as a joke -- and that Skeletor is the only one who doesn't get it.
Mumm-Ra and Skeletor both struggle to overcome their heroic adversaries. But at least Mumm-Ra is taken seriously.
***
Edited to add: I wish I understood the formatting a little better... sometimes, I feel like such a Skeletor...
Last edited by donathos - on 21 November 2018
