The 2016 election has a lot of people on their toes. Most of us cannot go a day without seeing, hearing, arguing over, and contemplating who is going to be the next president of the United States. As we wait for the new president to be chosen by the masses, let us contemplate the terrible presidents in movies, television, and comic books that make us appreciate the presidential candidates presented to us.
This article contains spoilers for the following: “Marvel 1602,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Jessica Jones,” “The Hunger Games,” and “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
1. President Zaphod Beeblebrox
“The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” is a book written by the late Douglas Adams about a normal man and a big universe. The book is a cult classic that was made into a radio show, a television show, and a movie starring Zooey Deschanel, Martin Freeman, and Alan Rickman among others.
In “Hitchhikers” the president of the galaxy is Zaphod Beeblebrox, a two-headed, three-armed man who is narcissistic, irresponsible, and untrustworthy. In this universe, The presidency is completely a figurehead position so that no one knows who is really in charge. He plays a minor role in the books but had a much larger role in the movie.
In the movie adaptation, his short term as president of the galaxy consists mainly of him kidnapping himself, and stealing a spaceship to find the legendary planet of Magrathea so that he can discover the question of life, the universe, and everything. During his time as president, he doesn’t do anything remotely presidential.
2. President Gaius Baltar
In “Battlestar Galactica” circa 1978, Count Gaius Baltar was the main antagonist that caused the destruction of humanity. The reboot in 2004 took a different approach to Baltar, making him into a genius who unknowingly helps the Cylons destroy humanity.
Roughly midway through the show’s 4 seasons, Gaius Baltar is elected President of the Colonies by the people on the promise that he would usher in an era of peace on a new planet called New Caprica. Which he did, for like a year before the Cylons found them due to the radioactive signature from a nuclear bomb that President Baltar gave to the Cylons. After the Cylons found him, he pretty much immediately surrenders to their control. While under their control, the humans suffer months of oppression by the Cylons. President Baltar, only acting as a figurehead, is forced to allow the execution of hundreds of humans.
Eventually, the people escape from New Caprica, but president Baltar stays with the Cylons as first a prisoner and then a collaborator with the Cylons.
3. President Zabediah Kilgrave
Anyone who watched “Jessica Jones” will remember David Tennant’s portrayal of the villain Zebadiah Kilgrave aka “Purple Man.” For anyone who did not watch “Jessica Jones,” Kilgrave is a mutant in the Marvel universe whose powers consist of the ability to create pheromones that when absorbed through breathing or the skin, allows Killgrave to take control of a person or hundreds of people. Some characters have the ability to resist Kilgrave’s mind control, but Kilgrave has learned to work around that.
In “Marvel 1602” issue 8, we find out Rojhaz is actually a version of Captain America that was fighting “president for life” Kilgrave. President Kilgrave captured him and sent him back to 1587 so that he could continue his term as president indefinitely.
All the reader really knows about Kilgrave’s administration is that he uses mind control to continue his presidency. Anyone who resists his mind control and opposes his presidency is murdered and sent back in time.
4. President Lex Luthor
“Batman vs. Superman” made 166.1 million dollars at the box office. The viewers of that movie got to see Jesse Eisenberg play a wackier version of Lex Luthor. Other fans may have watched “Young Justice” in their childhoods and are used to the imposing figure of Lex Luthor that was shown in the animated television show.
Lex Luthor does not have any powers of his own. He does, however, possess a genius intellect, and does run his own multi-billion dollar company.
Lex Luthor becomes president of the United States on a public platform of technological progress, but secretly was built on the back of murder and forging deeds to buildings. Typical presidency, right?
This is all very normal for presidents, the truly terrifying thing about Lex Luthor’s presidency, other than his appointment of Amanda Waller as Secretary for Metahuman Affairs, is how he leaves it.
His removal from office starts with the Justice League opposing his presidency. To fight Superman, President Luthor takes a sort of uber steroid that drives him even more insane than he was in the first place, which causes him to confess to causing all of the problems he “fixed.” He later finds out that his acting CEO sells his company to Wayne Enterprises leaving him bankrupt and insane.
5. President Coriolanus Snow
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, won over the hearts of many fans when the book released in 2008. The novel about a future dystopian United States took off and went on to spawn two other books and four movies.
The president of Panem is the aging President Coriolanus Snow played by Donald Sutherland. He is a ruthless leader who has no qualms about killing anyone who threatens his power. I guess he gets points for honesty because he is completely honest with everyone that he definitely kills people to maintain control.
Throughout the books, President Snow is an imposing figure, who, like most presidents, is very good at the art of manipulation. He just manipulates people using terrible methods. He gains the ability to control Peeta’s mind using tracker jacker venom and forces him to try to kill Katniss because he knew that Peeta was her weakness.
6. President Jack Cahill
“Escape from LA” is the 1996 sequel to “Escape from New York” starring Kurt Russell. The movie takes place in 2013, roughly 16 years after the first movie. In the time between 1997 and 2013, Los Angeles has been separated from the continental United States due to a flood in the San Fernando Valley.
Jack Cahill uses this event to run for President for a lifetime term. He is a fundamental theocrat who claims that God is punishing Los Angeles for falling into hedonism. Once elected, President Cahill condemns Los Angeles to a prison island, much like Manhattan Island in the first movie.
President Cahill is a nightmare president. He outlaws anything he deems immoral such as tobacco, alcohol, recreational drugs, red meat (for some reason), premarital sex, and freedom of religion is punished by banishment to Los Angeles Island unless they repent and die by electrocution. His own daughter is brainwashed and travels to Los Angeles Island to meet with a revolutionary with a weapon of mass destruction, and he does not care. To him, she becomes a traitor and can stay on Los Angeles Island.
