I’m a big fan of the Inexcusable Villain. It’s nice to have a “Thanos was right”, or a “Snap Out of It” type bad guy from time to time, but we’re saturated with them of late. We need our truly, inescapably Big Bad Evil Guys too. I had a friend state recently: “they’re aren’t any Marvel villains anymore, they are all on redemption arcs”. Which is interesting, sure, but we need Villains-with-a-capital-V too.
So it’s so lovely to revisit a man who is unashamedly evil. Who sings a full song about his own greed. Who hands a firearm to a teenager so they’ll murder a man for him. Who is still being evil when ever other person around him is telling him to chill out.
Presence – 4 out of 5
Almost gave Ratcliffe a 5. He’s not the biggest presence we’ve seen, but he’s integral to the story. He gets lots of screen time, both as a charismatic leader and a brooding warlord wannabe.
He’s such a fun, horrible person. You get a real impression he’s not arrogant just because he’s had everything handed to him. He’s gained more than what he was given through some real grimy behaviour. Not every thing has worked, hence why he’s chancing his hand at this expedition, but this is a powerful guy with a real focus on more power.
Yet he can’t have full marks because, whilst he has the crew half-fooled for most of the time, can be wound up for battle, they don’t like him. His smarmy nature only works under the right circumstances, and, as we will mention more than once, when he plays his full evil hand, no one goes with him.
Atmosphere – 3 out of 5
The Governor is not rotting the earth or darkening the skies, but the landscape is very different once the ship arrives. During the musical number where John reaffirms his deep avarice, a good chunk of forest has been replaced with mounds of upturned soil. The entire mood of the New World shifts. The entire conflict that ensues is due to him pushing his agenda.
Tensions rise because this man has no need or want for negotiations. The local residents entire mindset shifts to match his malice, the sailors are all manipulated by his rage-baiting.
Why should he leave this paradise in one piece, through negotiations or kind gesture, when he has guns?
Omniscience – 3 out of 5
Cunning for sure. Definitely more educated than the average crewmen, a grasp of recent history too. Knows how to twist the truth and understands the wants of his men well.
Doesn’t have a grasp on his enemy, nor does he understand Jon Smith’s perspective on this new, magical land. On that note, he is unaware of magic, which explicitly exists in this version of earth. And when woodland critters are able to have a hand/paw/wing in scuppering your plans, I have to knock a mark off.
Henchmen – 2 out of 5
So this is a tricky thing to measure. On the one hand, he has a very loyal dog that I cannot really give any points for; other than the amusement he might bring to the player characters, he’s not doing much. Then there’s his butler/valet/hype man, wiggins. Between him and the dog we’re still on 1 point.
Then there’s the crew. On the one hand they are a capable bunch, ready to do his bidding, they have their limits. As soon as Ratcliffe asks them to do something obviously reprehensible they baulk. They may have been xenophobic and willing to kill ‘maybe two or three’ native Americans on arrival, when the situation is laid out in front of them, they all understand that the killing is wrong and adamantly refuse Ratcliffe’s orders.
As Billy Connolly Sailor says: “We don’t have to fight!”
Most importantly, they prefer Jon Smith from the start. So whether you were to play this campaign from the perspective of Jon as the player character, or Native Americans, or even Pocahontas herself, Ratcliffe is not surrounded by loyal and capable guards. He has a crew of sailors that will not resist your heroes if they are even slightly reasonable.
Threat Level – 1 out of 5
He’s a big lad, can push and shove people around him, knows how a weapon works, but he’s not that much of a warrior. You get one shot of with a musket, then another shot twenty seconds later at best. A group of sailors hogtie him without issue.
Finale – 3 out of 5
The ending of Pocahontas is phenomenal. Deeply meaningful. Wonderfully tense. And Ratcliffe plays his part in it. But this is another finale where the villain is part-spectator, and its up to the heroes to roleplay their way through it. No great fight, no saving throws or checks to avoid hazards and traps. Just a (very significant) conversation (with high stakes).
Final Score = 2.66
Just missed the leaderboard, but that tracks. Ursula isn’t popular but she’s a powerhouse. Ratican isn’t a magic wielder but his cronies love him. Hopper is neither popular nor magical, but everything around him fears him. Had Ratcliffe upped his Charisma score, we might be looking at a different Top 10.
| 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 |
Thank You For Reading
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Gamer Peak 