I have an English accent; I must be a villain.

**Karen El** · 05-04-2012, 02:02 PM

Okay, it's been a common thing in American popular culture for a long time now that having an upper class English accent means you are the villain, and although it smacks of bigotry I haven't really minded. In fact it's often amused me, like when playing Star Wars The Old Republic of course I'm Imperial because everyone sounds like me. But I think the Avengers cartoon is taking a bit too far.

I mean there's Enchantress - Norse goddess: British accent. Zemo - German supervillain: British accent. What next? How non-British does a villain need to get before they stop sounding like they live in Surbiton, or possibly East Grinstead?

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

**Chris Jones** · 05-04-2012, 02:05 PM

"East Grinstead" sounds evil as fuck.

**Thequeerjock** · 05-04-2012, 02:10 PM

For the Norse characters I assumed they gave them English-sounding accents because a lot of Americans tend to consider Scandinavian accents to be comical. I have no idea why that is or where that perception comes from, but I can see why they wouldn't want a menacing villainess to have a thick Swedish accent or something. I guess they simply view English accents as being "ethnic" but not "hilarious".

Part of it I also think comes into the idea of British accents being shorthand for "snobby," which is why you see them given to unsympathetic, wealthy characters even when it makes absolutely no sense in context

**K-DoG7p7** · 05-04-2012, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by Karen El

Okay, it's been a common thing in American popular culture for a long time now that having an upper class English accent means you are the villain, and although it smacks of bigotry I haven't really minded. In fact it's often amused me, like when playing Star Wars The Old Republic of course I'm Imperial because everyone sounds like me. But I think the Avengers cartoon is taking a bit too far.

I mean there's Enchantress - Norse goddess: British accent. Zemo - German supervillain: British accent. What next? How non-British does a villain need to get before they stop sounding like they live in Surbiton, or possibly East Grinstead?

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

To be fair, using star Wars as en example is not that good given that the ultimate good guy in the original trilogy was also English

I believe it actually stems from the fact that Propper english sounds smarter then americanized english, and a Smart (sounding) villain is scary

**Karen El** · 05-04-2012, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Chris Jones

"East Grinstead" sounds evil as fuck.

It's where Neil Gaiman used to live before he moved to America. Make of that what you will.

**Morrison_Lad** · 05-04-2012, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by Karen El

P.S. I am not a super-villain.

Super-villains often say that!

**sunbird** · 05-04-2012, 02:37 PM

Eddie Izzard deals with this.

(Extra- the flag reference in the above clip explained).

**Chris Jones** · 05-04-2012, 02:38 PM

Maybe we wouldn't think you were so evil if your evil-ass country wasn't so evil!

Did you ever think of THAT?!?

**Impulse** · 05-04-2012, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Chris Jones

Maybe we wouldn't think you were so evil if your evil-ass country wasn't so evil!

Did you ever think of THAT?!?

Evil arsed. Evil ARSED. Get it right, Johnny Colonies! :P

**Weeto** · 05-04-2012, 02:49 PM

Scottish actors often end up as Russians in movies, often as villains.

Sean Connery, Robert Carlyle, Robbie Coltrane and even the comedian Rikki Fulton have all played Russians in movies. There have been numerous others as well.

I suppose there is a similarity in the accents in ways, especially as Scots, Russians and Germans share the 'ch' sound on words like loch. Germans and Russians seem to pick up a Scots accent VERY quickly here as the sounds are familiar to them.