After its second episode on Sunday it is safe to say that AMC's Preacher is off to a brilliant start, from its darkly comical tone to its excessive violence, the show really captures the spirit of its source material. Based on the comics by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher follows troubled reverand Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) whose life changes forever after he is possessed by a mysterious entity. We've already been introduced to a number of strange and colourful characters from the comics, from Custer's companions Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Cassidy (Joe Gilgun), to the disfigured but kindhearted Arseface (Ian Colletti), showrunners Seth Rogen , Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin are already beginning to build the world of Preacher on the small screen. But every great hero has a nemesis and in Jesse Custer's case he's got one hell of a rogues gallery, we've already met the maniacal meat-lover Odin Quinncannon (Jackie Earle Haley) and have got a glimpse at the formidable Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) in the opening of this weeks episode, but so far we've only scratched the surface. Ennis and Dillon have created a large number of villains in their Preacher comics and as a fan of the comics myself, I'm going to give you a (spoiler free) look at some of the deranged and outlandish baddies that will hopefully turn up in AMC's Preacher.
Allfather D'Aronique
This grotesque man is the leader of a secret organisation known as The Grail whose main goal is to maintain the bloodline of Jesus Christ in order to present a new messiah during the impending apocalypse. Arrogant and gluttonous, D'Aronique has a large number of Grail members waiting on him hand and foot, be it for carrying him around or cooking him vast feasts, this nasty piece of work has an entire army at his command. He also has a habit of sticking a long stick down his throat directly after eating so that he vomits up the remnants of his meal all over himself, it's probably up to one unlucky Grail member to clean him up after. Don't let his appearance fool you though as D'Aronique is a clever man, he has a vast knowledge of every Grail member and their lives as to avoid betrayal, he is not a man to be messed with. It will be interesting to see how D'Aronique is portrayed onscreen, whether his grotesque nature will be toned down or not is yet to be seen but with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg behind the show it is safe to assume that they will push the limits of television as much as they can.
Jesus DeSade
The only way to describe DeSade is a cross between Jay Gatsby and Christian Gray on crack, this perverted hedonist is by far the most bizarre character from the comics. Having only a short appearance in the Hunters story arc, DeSade is known for throwing lavish parties in his San Francisco mansion where the guests are encouraged to indulge in every sick perversion they can think of, Jesse and the gang run into him while investigating the death of Cassidy's ex-girlfriend. DeSade himself joins his guests in their outlandish sex acts, having a penchant for armadillo's among other things, and at times shoots adult films in one of the bedrooms of his mansion. He's not really a threatening villain, he's more just a sicko who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with Jesse Custer and doesn't really pose a threat in comparison to some of the other people on this list. I can't really imagine such a controversial character appearing on the show, especially since his appearance is often considered unnecessary, but if toned down to a certain extent then he could very well make an appearance somewhere down the line, hopefully giving him a bit more depth than his comic book counterpart.
Jody and T.C.
This duo of psychotic rednecks worked for Jesse's evil grandmother, making his childhood a living hell from a very young age. Jody is the stronger of the two and he spent years beating and taunting Jesse, ultimately this is what gave Jesse those fighting skills we saw in the pilot but it left the preacher troubled for years. Many consider Jody to be unbeatable, he even killed a gorilla once, his strength is incomparable and there aren't many who would dare get on his bad side. The other half of this dynamic duo is T.C., lacking in both brains and brawn, the only thing this vile man has on his mind is what he'll have sex with next, be it a chicken or a birthday cake, T.C. is attracted to anything. Although not as strong as Jody, T.C. gave Jesse an equal amount of trouble in his childhood, going as far as killing one of his friends for catching him getting it on with a chicken, he's a nasty little man. These two would not only make for great antagonists on the show but they could also help in developing Jesse's backstory, especially with the death of his father, the rivalry between these two and Jesse is definitely one of the most personal, especially with Jody.
Marie L'Angelle
Pulling the strings of Jody and T.C. however is Jesse's wheelchair bound grandmother Marie L'Angelle, she's no sweet old lady though, she's one of the most evil women to ever walk the Earth and has been around for over 100 years. Marie is incredibly religious, forcing her beliefs onto Jesse's mother Christina and eventually Jesse himself, it is because of this that he was forced into becoming a reverand. Despite being devoted to God she is not a loving woman at all, she is cunning and unrelenting and is willing to use her duo of redneck henchmen to murder anybody who gets in her way, her most ruthless action was submerging people underwater in a coffin for long periods of time with only oxygen to keep them alive. L'Angelle plays a crucial role in Jesse's backstory, prompting him to become a man of the lord and making sure he keeps it that way, if she was to come into the show her role would be a big one, perhaps even a big bad for a future season.
Les Enfants Du Sang
A gang of wannabe vampires who reside beneath New Orleans, Les Enfants Du Sang hold a personal vendetta against Cassidy for killing their former leader, a vampire named Eccarius. Les Enfants worshipped Eccarius and hoped that he would one day turn them into vampires as well, so when Cassidy eventually killed him they vowed revenge. Initially Les Enfants are portrayed as weak and powerless but when Cassidy runs into them years later they have become a lot more threatening, utilising a variety of weapons to take out their enemies. Clad in all black, these vengeful goths aren't exactly major villains but their presence is quite entertaining and they could also help to add depth to Cassidy's television counterpart. I'm sure they'll turn up at some point, looking to take their revenge on the unsuspecting Irish vampire.
Bob Glover and Freddy Allen
A duo of 'sexual investigators' (whatever that means), Glover is an aggressive homosexual from England while Allen is the meeker of the two, they are a strange pair. Initially they are hired by Jesus DeSade to retrieve a supply of heroin for his latest party while they unknowingly lead the trio of heroes to said party. Along the way they encounter the Grail and Glover decides to take out his sexual frustration on a certain Herr Starr (we'll get to him later), before the duo are forced to flee from DeSade's mansion for good. Like DeSade, the appearance of these two seems a bit unnecessary and their controversial nature would make it hard for them to appear in the show, however they do act as comic reliefs of sorts. Their appearance in the comics is cut a bit short and I feel like their stories weren't really wrapped up properly, if they did appear in the series they could be given a better storyline with a more conclusive ending. Maybe Herr Starr could even get his revenge on the television series.
Herr Starr
By far the best villain of the comics and one of the most recurring, Starr is ruthless and self centered, carefully plotting his every action in order to benefit himself. He is a high ranking member of The Grail who disagrees with some of their ideas, he believes Jesse would make a better messiah than the one descended from Christ himself. This stern German man sports a star shaped scar on his eye and sustains a number of other injuries over the course of the comics which only make him increasingly aggressive, although he is a ruthless villain Starr certainly gets as much as he gives. He's the most prominent villain in the Preacher comics and is just as important as the main characters themselves which is why it's only a matter of time before he makes his way to the television adaptation. If he does show up in future season he is bound to go down in history as one of the greatest television bad guys of all time.
God
Yes that's right, God is a pretty big villain in Preacher and is essentially the reason why Jesse embarks on a quest in the first place. When Jesse learns that the deity has abandoned heaven, he decides to pursue him in the hope of gaining answers, but a God is not exactly easy to find and it's quite some time before the two come face to face. God acts as a background villain, making appearances every now and again in the hope that he will convince Jesse to abandon his quest. He often proclaims himself to be a loving God and it is that love given to him by people that feeds his power, he is seen as being a bit of an egomaniac. Now obviously if God were to appear on the show it would cause quite a stir among religious groups, but Rogen and Goldberg have been known to be a bit controversial with their past works so I can see them pushing the envelope on this one too.
So that's just a taste of some of the violent and outlandish villains in the world of Preacher who will all hopefully get a chance to shine in the television adaptation. I'm curious myself to see how they're all portrayed but I have faith in the writers and the casting that they will be as close to their comic book counterparts as the other characters have been so far. The third episode of Preacher is set to air this weekend so stay tuned for that!
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