Now, I’m fairly certain that everyone has an expectation that the main villain of the series – Vicious – is going to a top pick for today’s challenge, but I’m here to say, “Nay, thou art mistaken.” Don’t worry; I’ll get to that guy later on in the month, but for today, I’m going to surprise you a little bit. Maybe.

Because my favorite villain is Wen from “Sympathy for the Devil.”

The kid looks harmless, yes? So does the rest of the Bebop crew. But then Wen goes all Firestarter on you, and he’s pretty much one of the most difficult bounties (kind of) Spike has to face on the show.

The non-aging kid (who’s like 80 now or something) is nigh unkillable, mutated by the gate accident that is constantly referenced in Cowboy Bebop, and only a bullet tainted with the same material from said gate accident can stop him. Of course, Spike is able to accomplish this in a very Spike-like way (shooting Wen in the middle of the forehead), speeding up the aging process until he just falls over dead, happy to have his life over.

Wen is obviously an asshole, using people and discarding them as he needs them – such as he was doing with Zebra – but you can understand him. He lost both of his parents at a very young age, which is scarring enough as it is, and then discovered he could not die. Sure, it seems cool at the beginning, as that episode of Family Guy and the entirety of Groundhog Day shows, but eventually it loses its luster and you just want it all to end. Wen isn’t really sympathetic, but he’s definitely humanized.

Which actually makes me think of this post about the above picture. Even though some of the facts quoted aren’t entirely correct, it makes a good point about remembering even the worst of us is human. That makes the concept of evil deeds that much scarier because literally anyone can be an agent of darkness. While Wen isn’t near the calibre of Adolf Hitler, had he grown up under different circumstances, he might not have made the choices he did, and both Giraffe and Zebra would still be happily alive at the end of the episode. Well, the episode wouldn’t have even gotten made, actually, so … you get what I’m saying.

Whatever, I’m tired, and whenever I try to be philosophical while I’m sleepy, it never ends well. So good night, all!

Art Credit: PennLive, Overthinking It, Gary’s “Cowboy Bebop” Page, Aw Coffee Nooo