I've Been Tinkering with Bob Odenkirk's 'Badass' Rating, And His Mr. Show Crew Are Absolutely Broken
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Bob Odenkirk's action turn in *Nobody* was ace, but Jeff argues his *Mr. Show* characters were truly unhinged, reality-bending 'glitch bosses' whose absurd power and chaotic antics redefine what it means to be a true badass in the gaming universe.
Right, so five years back, Bob Odenkirk threw us all for a loop. From morally ambiguous lawyer to retired assassin in *Nobody*? Fair dinkum, it was a bloody blast, like watching an NPC suddenly unlock a hidden, overpowered skill tree. Everyone, myself included, was pretty chuffed seeing him utterly dismantle blokes twice his size. But here’s the thing, mate: while Hutch Mansell is tough as old boots, I’ve been doing a bit of deep diving – a real lore expedition, you might say – into Odenkirk’s earlier work, specifically his cult classic sketch show, *Mr. Show with Bob and David*. And what I’ve found has me wondering if we’ve been looking at the 'badass' meter all wrong.
See, *Nobody* is grounded in gritty action, but *Mr. Show*? That was pure, unadulterated, reality-bending chaos. It was like playing a game where the developers just chucked the rulebook out and spawned ludicrous glitches. What if true 'badassery' isn't just about high-level combat perks, but about breaking the game's physics, twisting the narrative, or just being so wonderfully broken you become an entity unto yourself? I reckon the characters Odenkirk conjured up in *Mr. Show* weren't just tougher than Hutch; they were straight-up glitch bosses, operating on a level of reality-defying power *Nobody* could only dream of. Stick with me, because this isn't just about comedy; it's about understanding true, untamed character builds. And yes, it’s wilder than it first appeared, just like that time your spell went a bit too well.
### The Kidnapper: The Accidental Self-Harm Speedrunner First up, 'The Kidnapper' from season four. Hutch Mansell, our *Nobody* hero, is sharp, precise. This bloke? He's precision-engineered for self-sabotage, like an AI pathfinding bug gone sentient. He kidnaps a kid, returns him ransom-free, then calls up, utterly baffled, asking about a severed toe he supposedly left. Turns out, he accidentally chopped off his *own* toe by mistake. Mixed up his inventory, I reckon. Hutch keeps all his digits, even after a proper scrap. This guy, though? Missing a toe, not from a brutal interrogation, but from sheer, mind-boggling incompetence. You know, like accidentally dropping your legendary weapon off a cliff. That’s not just physical toughness; that’s an almost spiritual level of not giving a toss about your own well-being. He’s a self-destructing chaos agent. Who’s the bigger badass? The one who strategically avoids injury, or the one who accidentally self-amputates and just rolls with it?
### Don Tirelli: The Tyrant Who Tried to Kill Math Next, 'Don Tirelli', a mobster from season three who truly understands bending reality. Hutch battles within physics; Tirelli believes he can rewrite arithmetic itself. He's chilling in a pizzeria, his goons debating if any numbers exist beyond 24. Tirelli, exasperated, declares '24 is the highest number, and that’s it!' A proper boss-level decree. Then, the bill comes to $25. He pays with $30. The goons' minds are blown, realising numbers *do* exist beyond 24. And what does Tirelli do? He shoots three of them and sends the fourth out to spread the '24 is highest' gospel. Hutch is deadly, but he's not trying to kill *math*. Tirelli isn't just killing people; he’s trying to impose a draconian, mathematically incorrect world order through intimidation and lead. That’s a level of dictatorial power, a desire to manipulate the fundamental rules of the game, that makes any mere assassin look like a small-fry grunt. This isn't just about a high kill count; it’s about being so terrifyingly irrational you enforce arbitrary cosmic laws. That's a whole new game mode, where the final boss controls the very operating system.
### The Job Interviewee: The Lore Monster with Impossible Feats Then we have 'The Job Interviewee' from another season three gem. Hutch Mansell’s secret past is hardcore, but within human possibility. Odenkirk’s interviewee? His CV, revealed during a lie-detector test for a shoe-salesman gig, is pure, unhinged legend. He’s done every drug, stolen NASA’s space plans, and casually admits to killing a man with his mind. *With his mind*, mate! That’s full-on psychic damage, a power stat that puts any conventional weapon to shame. But the kicker? When asked if he’s ever eaten a train, piece by piece, after derailing it with his *penis*, he truthfully answers, 'Yes.' Bloody hell. A train. Piece by piece. Weaponized anatomy. Hutch is good with a busload of thugs. This bloke has the kind of impossible achievements you’d see on a character sheet from a campaign that's utterly gone off the rails. He’s not just a tough guy; he’s a legendary cryptid, a folk hero of the absurd, probably holding the world record for 'Most Improbable Feats Accomplished While Job Hunting.' Forget a hidden past; this bloke has a past that actively defies logic and physics.
### Todd Benley: The Ultimate Survival Horror K/D Ratio Alright, kill counts. Hutch Mansell, in *Nobody*, racks up a respectable ~78 body count. Decent for a retired chap. But then you meet 'Todd Benley'. Odenkirk, in a truly magnificent fat suit, plays the sole survivor of Peruvian Airways Flight 78, found a month after the crash. How'd Todd survive? Oh, just by consuming his fellow passengers. All 234 of them. Two hundred and thirty-four. That’s a K/D ratio that would get you banned from most online servers for suspected hacking. Hutch takes down bad guys. Todd Benley took down an entire passenger manifest. He didn't just survive; he became the apex predator of a plane crash site. Sure, Hutch doesn’t typically eat his victims – professional courtesy, I suppose. But Todd Benley isn't playing by those rules. He’s in a survival horror game, and he's not just escaping; he's *winning* by utterly dominating the food chain. This isn’t just a high score; it's an existential statement on human desperation and a darkly comedic take on ultimate survival. He’s a master of *sustaining* his own life, whatever the cost, with a kill count that makes Hutch look like he's still in the tutorial zone.
### Edmund Premington: The Multi-Scrotumed Elder Abomination Finally, 'Edmund Premington', Odenkirk's 'great white hunter' from season four. Hutch Mansell is a traditional action hero; Edmund Premington? He’s a character build that defies all known anatomical schematics. He's not just breaking the fourth wall; he's smashing through the game's entire character model. He's giving a speech, talking about the roar of a lion, and how you feel it in your scrotum. Fair enough. But then he keeps going. Hairs on his penis, nipples on his ass, and his scrotum mentioned repeatedly. The audience, bless 'em, eventually asks why he’s fixated. Premington, with the nonchalant air of a wizard revealing a truly outlandish spell, clarifies: 'I was never referring to the same one.' He opens his coat to reveal he has *scrotums all over his body*. Bloody hell. Premington's 'badassery' is purely existential. He’s got more scrotums than a dev glitch on patch day. Hutch has two. Premington has an *inventory* of them, scattered like loot drops. That’s not just a man with balls; that's a man who has transcended biology, a living, breathing Easter egg of anatomical absurdity. He doesn’t need to punch you; he just needs to show you his coat. That's a psychological attack, a status effect causing instant confusion. Hutch fights with fists and guns; Premington fights with sheer, multi-scrotumed audacity. That’s not just a higher 'badass' rating; that’s an entirely different character class, possibly 'Elder Abomination (Chaotic Good?).'
So, what’s the takeaway here, mate? Bob Odenkirk is an absolute chameleon, capable of embodying everything from a mild-mannered suburban dad to a horrifying multi-scrotumed adventurer. But for us gamers, it’s also a reminder that 'badass' isn't a one-size-fits-all metric. Sometimes it’s the quiet, efficient killer like Hutch. And sometimes, it's the utterly unhinged, reality-bending, rule-breaking entities Odenkirk brought to life in *Mr. Show*. These characters didn’t need fancy martial arts. Their power came from pure, unadulterated, chaotic energy – the kind that makes you pause the game and wonder if the devs accidentally left debug commands active. They challenge our perception of power, showing us that sometimes, the most dangerous character isn't the one with the highest damage output, but the one who just accidentally cut off his own toe and is still trying to boss you around. Keep an eye out for those hidden gems, those truly broken character builds, because sometimes, they’re the ones who offer the most unexpected fun. What a legend, eh?
Original article by Brian VanHooker for Polygon.com.
Tags: Gaming Culture, Bob Odenkirk, Mr. Show, Character Builds, Comedy
Original article: Polygon