Can we get a real villain?

[Owlrust]

Note: This is not to discredit Charlie in any way as a villain, but to give a new perspective on a thought that had been in my mind recently.

Back when I first played the original Don't Starve, Maxwell was the original "villain" of the game; and I thought he was someone who obviously showed they were at least 20 steps above the player and had been posed as a rather large threat to them as well. At this time, we had a face, a name, a voice, and an ever looming presence of something far greater and more powerful than you can imagine all bundled into this man that both showed immense power and charisma to boot. This was all tied together in the original cinematic "Forbidden Knowledge" where we see first-hand both his influence and his sinister plans in a way that makes the player feel like this is the "Bad Guy". Fast forward some time and we get to the end of the game only to find that he is merely a pawn that was trapped in his own throne and given a large amount of power, with someone (or some"thing") feeding it to him for their amusement. Fast forward yet a little more and you discover traits about his past that gives perspective on his life and the people that were in it as well, in the form of puzzles. These puzzles gave insight as to what had happened, and they (in a sense) humanized Maxwell; he was no longer the "Puppet Master", or the "Bad Guy" that we assumed had created the Constant for his amusement.....he was William Carter, an ex-magician that was given incredible powers by an unseen force that had been pulling strings long before him, and his actions were all at the cost of both his and Charlie's freedom. Fast forward one more time and we get close to where we are now with Charlie having taken the mantle of "Puppet Master" / "Bad Guy", and Maxwell becoming both a survivor and the butt of all jokes as the "former bad guy".

This power seems to be passed down from one pawn to the next, granting the user incredible powers and manipulative authority over everything in the constant. We have (currently) seen at least 3 people harbor this power (the first being Maxwell, then technically Wilson, and then finally Charlie) only to be kicked out and replaced each time up until Charlie's Reign. This makes me think that eventually Charlie herself will be cast out as well someday, requiring the forces that are much higher than her or anyone before her to find a replacement "Monarch". Charlie's role as a pawn, just like Maxwell, is evident for a couple of reasons: she did not create the Constant, nor was she the first in her role; she was simply a human woman that was forced into this plane of existence with new powers she did not ask for. These facts make it evident that there is a supreme entity that is pulling all the strings, and is far above everyone we've seen thus far (including any of the villains we've seen in the past).

I would love if we got a new "face" as a villain; someone to take seriously as a permanent threat, and someone to shift all the blame on that is obviously the highest in the hierarchy. Pawns come and go, but when will we get a REAL King/Queen that started this all?

[minespatch]

This guy.

[h1mk]

That would be awesome ^^^^

but at the same time, kinda lame because of the story so far. Idk, I think it's too late to have some sort of shakespearean bad guy or really a human at all

[Zeklo]

"They" are the highest in the "hierarchy". To be clear, not the Shadow Creatures but the non-gendered entity known as "Them". But "They" as a whole are faceless only [presumably] being depicted as an eye in the murals. "They" are practically god-status above our perception, but undoubtedly the primary antagonist. 

With that said, Charlie is a step up from your typical pawn showing power over the Nightmare Throne while even Maxwell remained binded to it. There's clearly more to her and her plan involving Nightmares natural opposite... the moon. Not something a pawn would  willingly incur.

[OMGkawaiiAngel]

Yeah see? Charlie is innocent! She's a current puppet of "Them" at the moment.. If "They" or "Them" are actual entities, I'd imagine them like the ancient herald from hamlet, they could be the permanent antagonists of the game. if that was the case.. Whatever happens, I hope she gets freed some day. And if her reign ended, which it will at some point I imagine, I'm sure she won't go back to be the night monster there's way more Klei can do than that.

[Mike23Ua]

I kinda want the main villain to be Wagstaff, I mean- The dude creates WX78 who wants to destroy all humans, had access to his very own portal, can teleport all over the place using his Go-Go Gadget Umbrella. And has quotes like “Fascinating.. I wonder if I could end the world sooner?”

Yeah I’m not sensing the whole loving little old bearded man who’s curiosity got the better of him vibe. But.. I’ve discussed that topic in another thread already so yeah.

[me real life]

51 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

And has quotes like “Fascinating.. I wonder if I could end the world sooner?”

I really really don't understand why people cling to this quote so much, and why it's always taken completely out of context.
"Wonderful! I wonder if I could make the world end sooner."
This quote is for the Aporkalypse Calendar, which literally tracks the end of the world and can be used to make that happen sooner. Wagstaff is seeing the Calendar, expressing just as much excitement over it as everything else he sees in the Constant, and then theorizing (correctly, might I add again) about its use. He's not coming up with some kind of evil plan to end the world.

I'm also really not a fan of the "what if Wagstaff's evil" theory in general, as it feels like people completely ignoring Wagstaff's established and interesting character in favor of a theory that completely misinterprets like maybe two of his quotes. Wagstaff's actual character is so much more interesting, he's like the ultimate chaotic good, he wants to take items from the Constant back to the real world, with the intention of helping the world, he's just not considering the consequences. Some examples of this:
NIGHTMAREFUEL = "I must find a way to return with this. It will revolutionize the world!!"
NIGHTSWORD = "Dark fuel forged into a fascinating weapon! Its military applications are endless!"
ARMORSLURPER = "This dark fuel could truly solve the world's hunger problems."
PIRATIHATITATOR = "If I could return home with this machine, I could revolutionize the world!",
SAIL_STICK = "A superlative utilization of dark fuel. The world will be better for its introduction!"
BONESTAFF (pugalisk wand) = "Another vanguard device I could use to bring the world to a new age!"
Really, most any Wagstaff quote other than the Aporkalypse Calendar shows how interesting of a character he is, and I really wish it wasn't so popular to just turn him into some kind of villain. Maybe he's reckless, maybe he supports the military (like most anyone from his time period would,) and maybe he's a bit unmerciful with how he approaches some of the constant's creatures*. But evil? Because of one quote that can be interpreted to have a completely different meaning than it does? No.
 

Spoiler

* But is that anything new?

 

[Well-met]

I'd like Charlie to exist outside of comics and cinematics. I do wonder how good Klei can replicate her graphics within gameplay.

[maciu67]

They are first villain and Moon is second villain.

Survivors and other characters are only puppets.

[Datanon]

the point of them depicting Charlie as a queen implies that she is the strongest piece of the checkerboard. from the beginning she became a part of the Constant, unlike Maxwell, as the night monster, and we saw how she was a bit too well when getting inbued with shadow magic after a bit of a struggle. maybe she's possessed, but then again the figure that we see having the most power outside of lore clues is her

theres also the theory that Charlie may be letting Them use her so that she can use Them and their magic to do something else in the Constant. maybe she isnt yet entirely evil and is just playing with the tools she has to achieve something (which yea, wouldnt make her a villain per say but would make her character interesting imo)

[minespatch]

I still want Mourier to become a swindler character in the lore. Kind of like Professor Fate from Great Race.

There's also Maxwell's old loan shark Witherstone.

[OMGkawaiiAngel]

1 hour ago, minespatch said:

I still want Mourier to become a swindler character in the lore. Kind of like Professor Fate from Great Race.

There's also Maxwell's old loan shark Witherstone.

Oh! you mean the guy that Maxy owned money to!

[minespatch]

2 minutes ago, Charlie Dark said:

you mean the guy that Maxy owned money to!

Mourrier and Witherstone are two different characters.

[OMGkawaiiAngel]

Just now, minespatch said:

Mourrier and Witherstone are two different characters.

I know, but that's who you meant right? 

[minespatch]

Just now, Charlie Dark said:

I know, but that's who you meant right? 

Yes, that's who.