REAL LIFE SUPER-VILLAIN: Rupert Murdoch

Even Super Villains need advice... and role models.

An Australian born businessman.
Executive Chairman of News Corp (2013–present)

Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox (2013–present)

Chairman and CEO of News Corporation (1979–2013)

Most obvious and commonly cited inspiration for the Bond villain Elliot Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies [1][2] (ignoring for a moment, as most do the software reference and the cover story for his death matching software and media owner Robert Maxwell.)   So no need to go on right?  Then again, this is a blog, not a microblog so let's fill the space.

CODE NAME

Keith Rupert Murdoch

AKA

• Keith Murdoch II
• Rupert Murdoch - After his maternal grandfather Rupert Greene.

Nicknames in the British Press (When he began acquiring British Newspapers and putting topless women on page 3):

• Koala Kong
• The Dirty Digger
• Murdoch of the Mammaries

DISTINCTIVE LOOK

Not so distinctive.  He has the look of a businessman and the self-caricature we all get with age.

GIANT BUILDINGS & VEHICLES

Has mansions all over the world.  But no real giant buildings.

SHADY PAST

I, honestly, know nothing about his past.  So I'm going to rely solely on the 2002 Australian film Black & White.  In it an Aboriginal man is found guilty on dubious evidence of the murder of a white woman and sentenced to death.  Eventually, there is a campaign to free him and a leading voice in that campaign becomes the newspaper Adelaide News under its young owner Rupert Murdoch.  The establishment doesn't want the verdict overturned and Rupert Murdoch receives a visit.  He then no longer appears in the film and the Adelaide News no longer supports the cause.

LEGITIMACY

Murdoch has legitimacy.  And when things are done and laws are broken at his papers, like phone hacking and secret payments, it is only because he knew nothing about it because his organisation was so big. [3][4]

WORKING FOR THE GREATER GOOD

Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth says: "My dad had the vision, the will and the sense of purpose to challenge the old world order on behalf of the people. But back even then, I understood we were in pursuit of a greater good, a belief in better."[5]  And, of course, his papers have the right to publish anything because of freedom of the press and it's all in the public interest.

CHARISMATIC

It is said that Murdoch runs his companies using Charismatic Authority.[6]

GENIUS

Taking a single newspaper from Adelaide (Yes, Adelaide) and turning it into a multinational media empire takes genius.  Change the way the media works takes genius.  You really can't say he isn't an evil genius.

ACTION VILLAIN

OK, maybe not so much.

MINIONS

Murdoch to the House of Commons:  "I employ 53,000 people around the world who are proud and great and ethical and distinguished people, professionals in their work.  I’m spread watching and appointing people whom I trust to run those divisions."[4]

References:

[1]  The Register.
[2]  io9.
[3] The Telegraph.
[4] The Financial Review.
[5]  Care2.
[6]  Capital New York.

Do the poll.

~ DUG.

Australia Day

26th January

[Australia Posts]

[Real Life Super Villains]

The above is a work of fiction, an similarity to actual persons living or dead is quite possibly the point, but is not meant to prove that they are actually Super Villains.  We leave it up to them to do that themselves.