User blog:XOBITES/Pathetic Pinhead Proposal: King Runeard

I know this might sound crazy. But I've been doing some thinking. And for how intimidatingly he is portrayed, Runeard might just be a glorified Pathetic Pinhead, since he really is one of the most simultaneously detestable and useless Disney villains of all time.

What's the Work?
Frozen II is the 2019 sequel to Disney's 2013 hit Frozen, about the fictional kingdom of Arendelle, its two rulers-to-be, Anna and Elsa, and the magic they discover together.

Who is He, What has he Done?
King Runeard is the first known ruler of Arendelle, who, in an effort to conquer the neighboring people of the Northuldrans, built a dam to ruin their lands before killing their leader and launching a battle which got himself killed and the Enchanted Forest, the home of the Northuldrans, locked in an impenetrable mist, trapping both the surviving Northuldrans and Arendellian soldiers.

Immorality
Where to begin... He treated his wife, Rita, who had been forced to marry him, with no love, causing her to have her memories wiped and disappear forever. He abused his son. He engendered all the xenophobia toward magic (and its users) for constantly blaming it for his own mistakes. Wanting to dominate the Northuldrans, he built a dam to dwindle their resources. He killed their unarmed leader in cold blood and started a horrible battle which had many devastating consequences.

Stupidity/Incompetence
At a glance, Runeard might seem clever for building a dam to deplete the resources of the Northuldrans. But this project, massive as it must've been, ended up not mattering at all as the Northuldran chief instantly figured out something was wrong, causing Runeard to panic and just skip straight to the Northuldra-killing. Furthermore, it's revealed that if broken, the dam would unleash a tidal wave which would wipe out all of Arendelle. That's right, Runeard's most logical action enabled his own kingdom to be entirely annihilated. Good job...

As for the battle, as far as we know, Runeard only succeeded in killing an unarmed old man. The only combat we see Runeard directly involved in ends in him being pushed off a cliff and dying. He was one of the first people to die in a battle he himself started, and it was in combat with a guy who only wielded a STICK. Meanwhile, his son, Agnarr, was bleeding to death, and would've died if not for the Northuldran child Iduna. So Runeard got himself killed and almost killed his own heir, nearly destroying his own bloodline.

While Runeard's goal was all about crushing the Northuldrans and securing his control, he instead got himself murdered in a sporadic decision to kill the chief due to the latter figuring out his plan, screwed Arendelle over by funnelling its entire guard into a forest to kill people with sticks and inadvertently screwed them even further by causing them to be locked in a mist for over thirty years.

Lack of Charisma
There is nothing entertaining about Runeard. No Evil is Cool moments are to be found here, no jokes cracked. He is nothing but a bitter and fearful man.

Hateability
Let's see, a tyrannical xenophobe who abused his wife and child, tried to cripple an innocent indigenous people out of fear of them revolting, started a bloody war which killed many and scarred even more and caused literally all the suffering, directly or indirectly, in the franchise due to his own sheer blood-and-power lust? I know I hate him.

Final Verdict
Don't let the fact that he's an intimidating king character fool you. Runeard is as pathetic as he is depraved. Out of his own paranoia and racism, he tried to destroy an "opposing" people but ended up only destroying himself, his legacy, and nearly his own kingdom. With all the immense power at his disposal, he does nothing but ruin everything, for others and himself. An unconventional candidate, for sure, but an eligible one, I believe.