Sometimes, it’s clear from the outset that we’re not going to see a new 1st place Big Bad Evil Guy. What we have here, might be a contender for the Top 10. Bill Sykes is not here to take on Jafar, but he could handle a Hopper.
Presence – 2 out of 5
Three big, angry men* are sharing the 4th position on the table. Shan Yu, Ratican and Lyle would all make tremendous villains for your Table Top Role Playing Game.
But these three are so much more than angry men. They are a genuine threat, they bring more than just their physical selves to the story, they are doing more for the story.
Sykes plays a tertiary role to a story about family and belonging. When he’s present, he’s shaking his fists and doing some scene-chewing, but his overall time in the story is very brief, and he’s only intimidating if your character is akin to a Fagin or a small puppy.
If you’re playing an RPG where you are talking dogs (which is totally viable), this could be a point higher, but I just don’t get the same dread aura from Sykes as I do from Shan Yu, he’s not having as much fun as Ratican, and he’s a few layers shy of being a Lyle.
Atmosphere – 1 out of 5
Unless you’re in his dark dingy office, or on a dark dingy pier, your not getting any sense that this guy impacts the world. We’re told he’s a dangerous mogul/mob boss but nothing happens to reinforce this. This dark and dingy world will like be the same illumination and climate without him.
Omniscience – 2 out of 5
We get the sense that Sykes is in charge of a lot of stuff, though we don’t see a lot of evidence of this. There’s a hint that he is well connected, but he’s not reading the heroes every move or planning ahead. He’s just an angry man who wants more money.
Henchmen – 2 out of 5
Two dogs.
In all fairness, if Oliver & Company was a TTRPG, you’d likely be playing dog characters, so Roscoe and DeSoto would be pretty menacing. However, they mostly guard Sykes, so they don’t go out on missions for him, and there’s very little to indicate that they are particularly bright.
At least Ursula’s Flotsam and Jetsam had a certain amount of cunning.
Threat Level – 2 out of 5
As mentioned above, he’s a big angry man. No sense of martial prowess, no obvious weapon proficiency, no powers. Again, in this particular story he’s a threatening presence, especially with command of his dogs and an automobile, but even then he’s not so dangerous as an individual.
Finale – 3 out of 5
I’ve had the conversation about Disney villain deaths more than once. From the skulls in Gaston’s eyes to the shadow in the vines in Tarzan, Disney BBEGs die hard and die spectacularly. But most people forget this one.
This is a wild finale. A car chases a moped covered in dogs through the city streets and onto an electrified rail line. Dogs fight inside, on and between cars, risking death from mauling, falling and electrocution. Both moped and car have to dodge trains coming in both directions. The whole thing ends with two fried henchmen and a car wreck wrapped around the front of a train. In a kids movie.
Having said that, Sykes is driving, with no weapons, so apart from grabbing this within reach he’s not up to much. Also, a lot of the party is hanging on to the moped. Agency is limited if your running this game for more than two people.
Final Score = 2.00
No stats needed this time, I feel. If you’re putting this guy into D&D you could probably use the ‘noble’ stats, or possibly ‘thug’ if you took all the weapons away.
| Disney Villain | Score |
| Ursula | 4.16 👑 |
| Hades | 4.00 |
| Jafar | 3.83 |
| Shan Yu | 3.66 |
| Professor Ratican | 3.66 |
| Lyle Tiberius Rourke | 3.66 |
| Billy Pine, a.k.a Syndrome | 3.33 |
| Elsa of Arendelle | 3.16 |
| Hopper | 3.16 |
| Robert Callaghan | 3.00 |
Another miss. This is going to happen more and more from this point on. Sykes is a fine third act villain placeholder, but for your tabletop game you need something bigger.
Thank You For Reading
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