Villains Done Right - Death (Puss In Boots And the Last Wish) 

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The Last Wish has all three villain types, the sympathetic villain of Goldie, the pure evil of Jack, and the force of nature, Death. It's refreshing that it handles all three well.

You know a villian is good when hearing there whistle irl gives you actual anxiety before you fully realize what it is

Wolves aren't just any predator. They're *persistance* predators. Always coming after their prey until they're too tired to run anymore. A hunter that never stops. Like Death.

Death may have taught Puss to value his life in general but it certainly was not his intention. When he says "¿Por qué diablos jugué con mi comida?" It roughly translates to "Why the hell did I play with my food?" He was fully intent on killing him, but Death has his principles and after seeing Puss does finally value his life he was content with letting him live, albeit a bit salty about it.

All the villains were done right. We had the "not so bad" Goldilocks and the 3 bears, the true neutral of Death, and the complete monster in Jack. Puss in Boots 2 did it great.

The Wolf is literally everything I love about the Lich(from adventure time) but I love how he’s a bit of lawful evil even tho he straight cheats to try and kill Puss but that’s another thing that makes him great like he forces Puss to reevaluate/appreciate his life more and I just love those kinds of themes

There's a Spanish myth called the silbon, It has a characteristic whistle that resembles the musical notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B in that order. Rising in tone to F, then lowering to B. It is said that when the whistling sounds close, there's no danger, and the whistler is far away, but when the whistling sounds distant, it means it is nearby. It is also said that hearing the whistling foretells one's own death, and one may hear it anywhere at any time. I believe that Death in Puss in Boots was based on the myth.

10:32 actually what makes death scary is that he’s not hunting puss for sport but for personal reasons. He has gotten so annoyed by Puss’s flagrant disregard for his own life that he intended to take Puss in Boots final live not only preemptively but personally as well. It was only by changing his image and being humbled before death did Puss get off of Deaths shit list so he is able to live his final life without death looming over his shoulder.

It's crazy how Puss in Boots 2, a film no one expected or even really was asking for had one of the most terrifying and foreboding villains in recent animated history.

At the end of the final fight with Death you hear him yelling in Spanish “why the hell did I play with my food”.

Death is the villain you want when the protagonist needs to grow as a character, he may not have been in the movie much but that just adds to the impact he has when actually does show up. Though Jack Horner was a surprise standout, hope he does come back in the future because his particular brand of evil was refreshing after all the redeemable antagonists that we’ve had for the past few years.

"And I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way. I'm Death. Straight. Up." One of my most favorite 'villain' quotes in recent memory. Plus his voice, Wagner Moura did an absolute fantastic job, is just... yes. Good job DreamWorks. 💛👍🏾 Edit: Also someone at DreamWorks must be a fan of Dark Souls cause before the finale battle starts, his entrance gave me invader vibes. Edit 2: I love another quote that Death says when he knocks away Puss's sword in the finale fight. "You really gotta stop losing that." With that cocky, smug expression. Good video MK. 💛 (You unlocked a memory when you showed The Reaper from Grabbed by the Ghoulies. I loved that game when it came with the original XBOX. God I'm old. 🥹)

Jack Horner was such a breath of fresh air to me because so many times people think that a villain needs to have sympathetic motives or backstory to be interesting. But here's Jack, reminding us that sometimes a villain can be entertaining by how evil they can be. We don't always want every villain to sympathise with the orphan they run into because they remind them of their traumatic childhood. Sometimes, we want to laugh as the villain seems to sympathise before literally booting the orphan off a cliff for the sake of it.

Death was such an interesting character in this movie as was everyone. I know there's no such thing as a perfect movie, but for an animated movie with these characters, these lessons and this story its almost as close that you could make one especially for a kids film

Death wolf was truly one of the most unique villains I've seen in Dreamworks movies since Lord shen from Kung Fu Panda 2 and man that Whistle and scenes with him can really give you chills down your spine and goosebumps 💀

Another clue to Deaths identity in the film is he always appears when someone dies, when Puss dies, the serpent sister turns to gold, Jack indiscriminately killing and turning his men to confetti, etc. With each opportunity he appears, he uses it to remind Puss he's there

A neat thing about the wolf's whistle is that its tune matches with a fairly famous line associated with Death and Memento Mori. "Don't ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." A line that, among other things, is a reminder that death will eventually come for us all. That also makes the whistle a subtle way of declaring who he is and what he's doing, because it announces that "Death is coming for you" As a bonus, when Death stops hunting Puss and leaves at the end, he does his iconic whistle as he leaves, but doesn't complete it. he leaves before the part that would line up with "it tolls for thee" because in that moment, Death is no longer actively coming for Puss.

I remember someone pointed an interesting detail about Death's whistle. When he meets Puss he uses only 8 notes which represents Puss's lost lifes. The melody is made that way that your ear wants to finish it by the last 9th note, but its absent. And it lasts until the very end when Death finally uses the last missing note before vanishing in flames and telling that after all they will meet again This is the most ironic thing. The most competent villain, who can't even be considered as fully villain, is a freaking Death incarnate! I can't say that Jack Horner was a terrible villain in comparison with Death. He was cool exactly because of being terrible as person. Evil because he is just evil, without any deep backstory or hidden motives. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but sometimes simplicity is a better choice. They just played different roles in the movie: Jack in being the competitor for Puss in finding The Wishing Star, and Death being both a teacher and the lesson for Puss to value his life. I definetely would like to listen about Jack in the future videos

This guy is so good my Mama even likes him as well, calling him way better than anything Disney has ever put out in the last couple of days. It’s also fun when it’s late at night and you just do the whistle and try to scare some kids

I love in this film how jack was the comedic straight villian that you are happy to see to fail. Goldie was the sympathetic villian with redemption, and death was the big threat that puss had to learm from and overcome. The balance the film had between them all without compromising the journey of puss and boots party is amazing.

I love how they not only make him the “force of nature” villain, but they also implement a motive for him that 100% makes sense and fits with the fact that he is the literal personification of Death.

I also like how Death appears more when Puss is most worried about dying. I the first fight, he’s just hidden in the background because Puss isn’t worried about death at the moment. In their first meeting, Death appears right next to him because he’s probably quite concerned about being on his last life. And in the forest Death is everywhere because he’s absolutely freaking out about dying.

Honestly, a lot of people thought Puss was imagining fighting Death at first, since he was the only one who could see him. That is until their final battle.

Goldilocks is a sympathetic villain done right. Big Jack Horner is refreshing in how unapologetically evil he is. And Death? Everything about him clicks together better than the cogs of a clock! What I like most about him is his motivation for stalking Puss in the first place. He wanted to teach Puss a lesson, the FINAL lesson. And looking back, Puss lost his 8 other lives in pretty embarrassing and downright stupid ways all across the board didn’t he? I mean launching himself out a cannon just to prove a point? Overheating an over while baking cookies with Gingy? Drunkenly falling off a tower(and definitely NOT landing on his feet)? Eating shellfish despite knowing he’s allergic? Lifting weights WITHOUT a spotter? I bet the Wolf specifically gave Puss those humiliations to try and crush his ego before finishing the job in person.

That tiny bit where death says "I find the very idea of mine lives ABSURD! And you didn't value any of them" added so much depth to him in that one line we get The reason he's angry at puss Why he chose to chase puss specifically That he hates cats because they have a unfair advantage in their world This guy left such a cut in the Shrek universe you know they'll have to reference him or have him return in later installments

-I’m bothered that the Wolf’s Whistle isn’t in the soundtrack and- I definitely like how when he clarifies that he’s straight up Death, he has an exasperated tone, like he definitely knows of many who claim to be death himself and is annoyed by them using his name to describe themselves Don’t know what else to say except I want to see Death fight Shigaraki from My Hero Academia. Like he’d probably have an issue with the Noumu seeing as they’re walking killdozers but I think he’d have a good reason to go after Shigaraki after he revived himself through hatred in the PLF War arc.

My 1st thought was the Wolf was just a manifestation of Puss' fear of dying since he always appeared seemingly out of nowhere. So when he reveals who he truly is, I was pretty shocked at how close it was

"Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are... Death awaits you." -Nyx, _Persona 3_

This is one of the few movies where we can say pretty much all side characters are great and Jack is one of the best unapologetically evil villains we got in recent years and Death then we need more villains like him let’s hope other studios take notes and for DreamWorks keeps this quality up

Death is so damn good and this sequel was up there for sure

2:26 As a Xenoblade fan, using Lanz and Eunie quotes over Goldilocks and Baby Bear had me wheezing.

One thing I noticed during my first watch is the "the wolf" never showed up on the map like everyone else. Whenever they revealed themselves as Death, it all made perfect sense. Death is a part of nature. I liked this detail they added because it adds a whole new level of his haunting aura. Even with the map, Puss could never know where Death is or where he could be headed. This makes the whistle all the more scary whenever you never know when you'll hear it as a viewer.

I like how despite literally being Death itself, the reason he's angry at Puss because he took 8 of his 9 lives for granted, and it was only until Puss fought and cared for the one life he has remaining that he grows respect for him.

Death was such a great antagonist. I love how he was presented as playful in the beginning (before the pub fight) showing that this whole chase is a game for him, but was ultimately what he regretted the most since Puss changed his ways as the chase went along. Then there's his rising power level each time he shows up. Bar scene - He showed himself as someone who can finish Puss off Cat home (kinda didn't show up) + Jack Horner escape - He can track Puss down anywhere he goes Forest - Didn't show in the map, but was still in the area hinting that he is more than a bounty hunter. Cave scene - Reveals that he is Death Star scene - With his identity revealed, gloves are off. This monstrosity just walks through the wall of disintegration like it's nothing, AFTER THE MOVIE MAKES A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT!!!, and summons a wall of flame to fight Puss in a 1v1 Death match. That entrance through the star's wall must be my favorite part of the movie. It's just so badass and horrifying when you get what this means for Puss.

One thing I thought about regarding death, was that the fact that he was a wolf emphasizes his place as the "alpha predator" to puss, a cat. As in, dogs are always depicted as antagonistic and dangerous to cats, but death goes the step above being a dog and is rather a wolf. This makes it clearer the threat that he is to Puss. Just a fun idea I thought about.

One of my favorite scene with Death is when he kick the sword to Puss and said, "Pick it up. Pick. It. Up." Then at the final battle with Death. Puss said the same thing that Death did while also kick one of his sickle. It shows how much he learned from the journey to get the wishing star. Also at the end of the final battle when Death said, "You know we'll meet again. Right?" His whistle was in higher pitch. Meaning Puss have finally valued his life. He's not just a villain. He is a antagonist as a force of nature. Also I don't know if these items count as magical, but can Jack Horner bring Dante's Rebellion and Vergil's Yamato. Thank you!

The two villains of puss in boots the last wish are really good A villain who is evil through in through and revels in it in an entertaining way And a villain who is more of a being of fear and gives you a reason to value your life more and more

Death is More of a Antagonist than a Villain,He’s a Forced of Nature that Harsh but Fair,He’s a Charming yet Creepy Character, He’s Dark and Badass but like the Wolf that loves to Play with His Meal to Excalate Fear,He Has a Dark and Uncomfortable Humor but but He’s Serious,and He Takes His Job Serious that He Gets Piss of Others Not Valuing Life that Pretends to be A Immoral Legend but He Isn’t Blind to See that Others Accepts the Little Time they Got Left as Life Is Short and Precious,In Many Ways Death is a Complex in Many Way,Shape,and Form.

Puss in Boots the Last Wish was a big surprise. The hype around the movie got me to go back and actually watch the first Puss in Boots movie which I skipped out on back when it came out due to apathy after the Shrek series started to fall in quality. It really is refreshing to see a movie like TLW come out of nowhere and become a success purely on word of mouth talking about how good it is. And Jack Horner being a straight up villain that even mocked the idea of having a sympathetic backstory was incredibly refreshing. Also the Pied Piper's pipe

Death was truly symbolize as a relentless, menacing and unstoppable predator. His excitement grew as Puss grew more in his anxiety. This anxiety peaked in the Cave of lost souls as Death fittingly shatters reflections of Puss's previous lives (or deaths as the Wolf likes to call them). When Puss came to terms with his mortality and values everything in his remaining moment in life, Death lost interest and left for another day. This maybe cheesey but, "Death didn't want to be feed, he wanted to hunt."

I wish we got more villans like death a villan that is both scary, meanecing, and thretning but you can still understand him and also he is cool

Really need to see this movie at some point, it looks so good. Jack seems like the kind of guy who would use the Draupnir Spear or The One Ring (although that last one would likely screw him over lol)

One thing I've read that was a nice touch is that during fightscenes everyone is animated at 12fps except death who is 24 (similar to the difference between Miles and Peter in Into the Spiderverse). It's such a good way of showing just how much faster and stronger death is than everyone else in the film and one of the cool things you can only really pull off in an animated movie.

As a big head blue villain said: Whats important for a villain is... PRESENTATION!

Puss n Boots the Last Wish was fantastic. In my top five favorite films of last year and between this and the Bad Guys a return to form for DreamWorks.

I just love how the movie used death to derail all of the momentum of the moment just to instill fear.

15:14 - Glad you said any form of media. Jack horner using the Godbird Sceptre would be a terrifying thought, especially if it still has Rhapthorne sealed in it.

I liked that this version of Death isn't good or evil, hell he's not even a villain. Sure, he's enjoying Puss's fear and is technically going after him before his time, but that's mainly because he feels insulted. I mean, imagine being there since the beginning of time, since the birth of the first living thing. You've seen civilisations, planets and galaxies turn to dust and are older, wiser and more powerfull than most beings in the universe by the virtue of being an *inevitability* ; *the end of the journey* . Now imagine meeting this rando. Someone who gets 9 lives instead of the usual 1 that everyone else gets and then uses that to essentially laugh in your face while propping himself up every time he cheats you. You'd feel insulted too. But, near the end of the movie, Death simply walks away once he realises Puss has been him. That he knowd he can never beat Death or escape from it, and that Death himself doesn't have the right to take Puss's final life anymore. But what really sells it is their *final exchange* with Death reminding Puss that they'll meet again *eventually* and then walking away, wthis time with his whistle being *much less* foreboding. And the whistle is key here: Like Death it can be terrifying or calming. An enemy or an old friend. To cut a *long* tirade short, I really hope that if and when they finally decide to retire Puss's character, we see Death again, acknowledging that Puss lived a good life.

Definitely one of the best movies I've seen recently and great breakdown of Death. I loved at the end when Kitty said "when you said Death was after you I didn't think you meant literally." Or something like that. Their final fight was fantastic.

Death is a chilling, neutral villian. Revealing to us the viewers and Puss that he can actually mark Puss terrifies everyone. Hearing his whistle literally brings fear and anxiety to everyone. He literally gave Puss a panic attack, Perrito helps calm him down. Death only leaves Puss alone when he realizes Puss will fight for his last life and he has changed his view on life.

Death is up there in iconic villainy, his whistle is akin to Darth Vaders breathing. Just hearing that sound makes everyone know shit got serious.

Something that really sameness Death’s threat level is when during his and Puss's first fight when he drew blood from passes head. With movies, games, etc for stuff more kid oriented instead of blood it'll be jam or some other red liquid. So when puss began to bleed and I though "alright its just Jam, pan the camera up to show the jar". But it didn't and emedietly I though "oh shit".

When you see the map to the star, even though he was right in the same area as all the other characters, he doesn't get a stamp. This raises more questions if you notice it and adds to the notion of what he really is.

That whistle gives me goosebumps literally every time and I don't know what you did differently with the audio but it sounded so much more eeries during 9:25, it sounds reverbed

Wasn't expecting to see Azem's crystal here. But it definitely got me to smile.

In my country we have the legend of "The Whistler", as the name would suggest his calling card is his signature whistling, and I can't help but get the same vibes I get from that tune than from Death's whistling

I hope that when Puss eventually gets retired as a character, we hear Death’s whistle and have a nice interaction between them before Puss goes peacefully

God, 6:02 that music kicked in and something in my brain was unlocked. I havn't hear music from that game in forever and i just immediately remember it all

Honestly there’s a lot fanart for death in the furry committees and it’s ridiculous, you can tell they really like him since a lot of the art relating to him is extremely detailed.😺

Came back to watch this after watching Puss in Boots twice over the weekend. Such a fantastic movie, and this deep dive does tremendous justice for Wolf. Keep up the amazing work. Also, you may have the best outro theme on RU-vid!

It tells you how impactful character is when the videos about him are longer than his actual appearance.

Seriously, Death is if not at the same threat level as Thrax from Osmosis Jones. Both are villains that are meant to be taken seriously. You try to pick a fight with either one of them, you’re done for.

Man i love this film and love how so many people talk about it, a good story with amazing visuals with great characters and amazing message I love it and hope Dreamworks continues to deliver more thought provoking films like this and that can also be fun family films

Fun fact this was Wagner Mouras first voice acting work for animation. Dude hit it out the park into the stratosphere.

There’s also tons of subtle symbolism behind death too that i saw in a comment on a different video. The whistle is usually 2 measures with each measure being 4 beats, making the whole whistle 8 beats just like the 8 lives he took from puss. In the giant fight the bell rings 7 times, but rings one more time when it falls on puss, making it 8. You can probably find it all in the internet somewhere if you look it up, but if not i think the comment was left on saberspark’s video.

The whistling is also a reference to a Spanish/Mexican folktale of a whistling entity. It’s said that at dusk if you hear some disembodied whistle, you will die within hours unless you are able to find and dispel the entity.

I've seen this movie twice and that whistle still gives me genuine chills

Would love to hear your fuller thoughts on Goldi and Jack

I saw puss n boots the last wish and my goodness every time I hear that whistle I get goosebumps!

I’d like to see Jack use some sort of magical instrument that forces you to dance, as there are plenty of those in folk tales.

As someone who has a panic disorder, I for one can say that the depiction of Death in this movie is all too familiar. A dark specter that is always behind you. A chill up your back. A ringing in your ear. I often feel the same sort of presence and it is scary. It feels real, even though I know nothing is there. I have been put in scenarios that some may consider near death, and how it feels is that once you cheat death, it always seems to try to follow. To settle a debt. But I survived. The gift of life is fragile, fleeting. Who you spend it with is up to you and although death is inevitable, life is worth living. Your friends, your family those who love you, you must hold them close and cherish them. Fight for what is worth your life and always be there for the lives in need.

Death is scary but not evil. Death is what make life precious.

One part of his design I found interesting was that he was a wolf and his goal was to kill a cat since it’s common knowledge that the two groups are in a constant state of “Predator VS Prey”. I thought it was fitting, but at the same time, I was wondering why Death was a wolf to begin with. Since Death is a force that haunts us all and Puss would find a wolf to be an overwhelming intimidating unbeatable force, my theory is that Death takes on different forms to create the most fearful situations to anyone he’s certainly hunting and anyone else he’s not hunting will simply see what his victims see (I say this last part since Death has no reason to try intimidate others around his main target, so he has no reason to take on any other forms if he’s only focused on one individual in a group he’s purposely trying to make fear him).

I just noticed that the scar that death first gives puss is there for every next scene where you can see his head

2:55 if you look in the back, the puffs of smoke like like crying eyes. I did not notice that before.

I think death's whistling is a reference to the theme from Twisted Nerve where the killer stalks his victims and whistles when he's going for the kill

How others challenge Death in movies: let’s make a wager How Puss challenges Death: memories broken, the truth goes unspoken, I’ve even forgotten my name. I don’t know the season or whatever reason I’m standing here holding my blade. A desolate place, without any trace, it’s only the cold wind I feel. It’s me that I spite as I stand up and fight. The only thing I know for real THERE WILL BE BLOOD SHED. The man in the mirror nods his head. THE ONLY ONE LEFT will ride upon the dragons back, because the mountains don’t give back what they take. Oh no THERE WILL BE BLOOD SHED. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known. Losing my identity, wondering have I gone insane. To find the truth in front of me I must climb this mountain range. Looking downward from this deadly height and never REALIZING WHY I FIIIIIIGGHHHTT

You know what's also precious? Perrito.

Thank you he is one of my favorite villains now. And I hope to see more videos like this.

The way death folds his arms with the scythes seems like those Egyptian depictions of Anubis.

It should also be noted that, while Death was correct in how Puss had little care for his first eight lives at the start, he shouldn’t have done what he did. As it is his job to take souls to the afterlife when it was their time to go, Puss however had one life left that still had some time to go. Showing that even Death (character) can be flawed and make bad decisions. However when he sees that Puss had learned to value his last life during their final fight and was willing to fight for it, he immediately called off his pursuit, slightly disgruntled and annoyed, but accepts it. Showing that while Death can be indiscriminate and fearsome, he isn’t cruel and does play fair, allowing Puss to live his last life until it finally ends.

I just watch this movie last week and Boy I very love Death as a Villain character, through and through.

I love how this is a big sum up of persona's 3 theme of Death and bounds!

sick video, thanks mangakamen! i really liked death in this, he was characterized very well! his motive for chasing puss was absolutely solid and completely understandable. also i think jack horner should get one of the sailor scout devices because i think it would be really funny to see him do a magical girl transformation lol.

People keep bringing up how Death shouldn’t have gone after Puss because, as Puss says when he learns that the wolf is Death and that he’s after Puss, “but I’m not dead yet?” Puss isn’t dead yet, or dying, so Death shouldn’t be after him. I say that their is another way to look at this that is him doing his job. How many people die because of ‘arrogant legends who think themselves immortal’? How many innocents get caught in their wake? Death has a respect for life and is mad Puss wasted his first eight lives, but think also on how many people could have died alongside Puss if he continued on the path he was on. Death is stepping in and reaping a life early, to prevent a dozen of people who don’t deserve to die early from, well, dying early! He’s Death! He likely knows when and how people are meant to die. He was present for all of Puss’s first eight deaths after all. He’s doing his job, and that’s why he stands down. He’s mad at himself that he doesn’t get to kill Puss because he caused him to no longer be that legend, and that shows how sadistic and how much joy he gets out of doing that part of his job. He could have still killed Puss because he only changed during the final fight, but if he did so he’d be breaking the rules for his job. He isn’t happy about it, but he accepts it. He’d eventually get Puss anyway, because Death comes for all.

Another thing about the coins he put over his eyes. Puss was the one that gave him the coins. Cause he blocked the road with people by knocking the coin bags off the back of the wagon, then proclaiming they were a gift from Puss in Boots.

This video immediately got my attention as soon as I saw the thumbnail

This I do believe is what happens when you get people behind a movie who think about the original fans who say the first movie of the original series when they were young and thought "Let's make this for them. They aren't kids now, but they made this happen, they deserve quality writing, they deserve something that also has messages for their age.

I legit get goosebumps from the whistle...

YESSIRRRR I was hoping you'd tackle the best film of 2022

I love this movie. There is so much to talk about and why it's good. I kind of like how Death is a wolf. He's not necessarily a BIG BAD WOLF because if you think about it; he's only doing what is natural as life itself (obviously) and isn't a bad guy in terms of the world. Just an antagonist because of Puss n Boots life ending. And he walked away; respecting Puss n Boots fighting instead of running with glorious animation. Death straight up is an example of writing the personification of Death and being creative with the idea of the Grim Reaper. Instead of just generic versions we see a lot. Although, that's my bias.

you know when i first watched PIB:LW i remembered another villain i loved and that was rattlesnake jake, with both of them being characters that exist to humble the hero and they absolutely own every scene they are in

*in peter griffin voice* "You know what really grinds my gears? People calling Death from Puss in Boots 2 a villain!"

I like that every time Jack shows up he's holding a different item. Nice touch.

Playing the song “ living with determination“ from persona three was a very good choice in this video.

One of the best recent antagonists ever

btw death's whistle being close but further away is kinda like El Sibon (the whistling man)

12:24 Death is fair. It's life that isn't.

the other take I got from this wolf from mythology would be Anubus, mostly in his design and his weapons. Also felt that to be abit ironic given in egypt 'cats where considered protected/holy/whichever you prefer' and his comment of 'nine lives, ridiculous!' giving me a personal chuckle