| “ | Attention, Springfield. Your government has realized that putting you inside this dome was a terrible mistake. Therefore, we are commencing with Operation Soaring Eagle... [crowd cheers]... which involves killing you all. | „ |
| ~ Russ Cargill revealing his true nature, before planting a bomb inside the domed city of Springfield. |
| “ | Well, always leave 'em laughing. Goodbye, sir. | „ |
| ~ Russ Cargill's last words before trying to kill Homer. |
Russell "Russ" Cargill is the main antagonist of the 2007 animated feature film The Simpsons Movie, the film adaptation of the long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons.
He is the head of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), who traps Springfield in a dome after Homer Simpson's shenanigans results in a squirrel being mutated.
He was voiced by Albert Brooks.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- He incited President Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose incompetency he took advantage of, into choosing to encase the city of Springfield inside one of the domes Cargill's company fabricates to contain the high pollution levels Lake Springfield has since Homer Simpson dumped a silo with his own and his pet pig Plopper's feces into it.
- During the dome's installation, Martin Prince was ejected from a seesaw into another part of the dome, possibly injuring him, a panicked man got fatally crushed by the dome while deciding on whether staying trapped inside or alone outside, and a flock of swallows crashed against the dome and knocked them out so the hungry cats below could devour them with little difficulty.
- Before the third option being chosen, Cargill gave Schwarzenegger four other options, but it's likely that these weren't anything good, given how he said that all five solutions would cause "untold misery" to Springfield.
- He removed any mentions of Springfield from GPS devices from all America to prevent anyone from finding out what has happened to Springfield.
- He organised a manhunt after the Simpson family once they find a way out of the dome, framing them as wanted criminals by the American government, also making sure to replenish his troops around the dome to prevent any others from escaping.
- The dome caused the citizens of Springfield to start causing riots and public disturbances as the dome deprived them from their basic needs, while also risking several lives due to the hospital generator about to give out.
- He proppsed President Schwarzenegger to adopt new measures once an elephant manages to leave a crack on the dome to prevent any Springfielders from escaping and alerting others, tricking Schwarzenegger into choosing the fourth option, which involved blowing up Springfield from the face of the Earth, rather than the third one again.
- To cover up for Springfield's attempted annihilation, he recruited renowned Hollywood actor Tom Hanks to promote a new touristic attraction called the New Grand Canyon, which is meant to be the crater of what will remain of Springfield after Cargill detonates the bomb, he intends to use to obliterate the city.
- He announced his destructive intentions to Springfield's population by making it look like the government will remove the dome and give them back their freedom, then suddenly declaring his intentions to kill everyone while saying it was the government's decision.
- As the bomb is being lowered to destroy Springfield, Russ was sadistically smiling and kept his monitor on so he could watch it be destroyed.
- He spitefully attempted to shoot Homer Simpson with a shotgun for ruining his plans and it's heavily implied he was going to do the same to his son Bart for aiding his father in destroying the dome with the bomb.
- While Sideshow Bob also tried to destroy Springfield, Russ stands out since none of Bob's other acts pass the baseline, while Russ trapping the town does since it risked several lives.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- Like most villains from The Simpsons, Cargill has some comedic moments, such as him throwing binoculars at the dome only for it to hit him back, Bart tricking him into calling himself "a weiner", and him getting defeated by Maggie throwing a boulder at his head.
- He did have some good intentions to save the environment, as what started his conflict with Springfield is Homer Simpson dumping large amounts of pig feces and a few of his own into the Springfield Lake, which was harmful for the wildlife, causing him to take action against Springfield so stuff like that wouldn't happen again.
Trivia[]
- Early iterations of the story for The Simpsons Movie had Hank Scorpio from the Season 8 episode "You Only Move Twice" as the film's main antagonist, but weeks into development, was replaced by the newly-created Russ Cargill as the writers felt that Scorpio was too likeable to target the Simpson family in spite of his friendship with Homer Simpson and that audiences that didn't see his episode would feel alienated. Had this concept been kept, it's possible that Scorpio would have qualified as Near Pure Evil or Inconsistently Heinous.
- Another early concept for the film conceived by Mike Scully had Steven Spielberg himself being the one behind the plot to destroy Springfield just to shoot a new movie with Tom Hanks, a plot most producers liked but opted to mix with Matt Groening's idea of involving pig-waste managent before coming up with the character of Russ Cargill. Just like Scorpio, had he been kept as the main villain, Spielberg would have possibly qualified as Near Pure Evil or Inconsistently Heinous.
- Russ Cargill is the only The Simpsons Near Pure Evil to come from canon media.
External Links[]
- Russ Cargill on the Villains Wiki
- Russ Cargill on the Simpsons Wiki
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 Near Pure Evils
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