Henchman 21 & 24 from Venture Bros.
I’m actually working with a theme this week and that is to honor the unsung villains of fiction. We wipe out henchmen in video games and watch them getting decimated in movies and TV shows. When the first part of a trilogy is coming to an end, they’re on the wrong end of the final battle and yet there are always more for the next adventure. It’s like they’re grown in a lab or the recruiters are amazingly good at their jobs. Either way, where would a villain be without his henchmen?
First of all, he or she would be doing a lot of their own legwork. Henchmen maintain the evil base and do all the messy stuff that their superiors are too busy for. This could include cleaning the lair, weapon maintenance, cooking, and whatever else is needed to make sure HQ is ready for the heroes. Let’s also remember that henchmen slow the good guys down and give their leader time to pick the right greeting pose. Imagine if you could just walk in the front door without making a noise. You could walk in to find your nemesis in the bathroom or slumped in his throne watching reality TV. Nobody wants to start a fight that way, so you’d have to wait in the hallway for a bit and then the whole thing feels awkward.
Let’s not forget about their importance on the battlefield. Thanks to waves upon waves of henchmen, the good guys have to use up a lot of their ammunition and energy before reaching the big fight. It’s all about numbers and these people are invaluable to the villainous strategy of creating an unfair fight. I mean, why would a villain want to fight a fully stocked and well-rested hero? So much smarter to put an army of fodder in the way and waste some time. Besides, you never know when an employee will get a lucky shot in on the good guys. After all, a Stormtrooper hit Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi. He probably would have been promoted to special henchman if he survived.
So, what do you think about henchmen? Do they deserve more than an eventual bullet to the head or fiery demise?
Legends of Windemere 
This is awesome. It’s something nobody ever writes about, and you made it fun. Sidekicks are another area of expertise. I wonder if sidekicks and henchmen exchange recipes while doing the shopping?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve actually seen a lot done about sidekicks. They get a lot more attention than henchmen for some reason. To be fair, a friend of mine does a physical comic book called ‘Sidekicks’, so I might be biased. As for the recipe exchange, I could see that happening. Maybe the henchmen could suggest something that the hero is allergic to and get a bonus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fun post. All my henchmen end up dead. Well, one is so badly wounded you have to assume he was dead. The trouble with dead henchmen is that they leave a trail of bodies, unless you spend time cleaning them up and that’s not always possible.
LikeLike
Poor henchmen. The trick is to have more of them in reserve to clean up the fallen. That or get a pet dragon that enjoys carrion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Let Charles know your opinion in his blog comments 🐵
LikeLike
Thanks for the reblog. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome Charles – Great topic 👍😃
LikeLike
My favorite ‘henchman’ moment comes at the end of an Austin Powers film (can’t remember which one–two, maybe). It is an outtake or ‘extra’ in which a henchman’s wife is raving about his new job…and then gets the news he was run over by a slow-moving motor cart. Funny bit that didn’t make the film, I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I remember that as an extra on the first one. Comedies definitely do a lot with henchmen in that respect. Reminds me of a scene from the Deadpool movie too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I believe you’re looking for this?
LikeLike
Can’t get the link to work for some reason. Think it’s the brackets.
LikeLike
Erm, it appears inline (inside the comment) on my screen!
LikeLike
Maybe they should allow those to be seen in the notification bar. Only to make my life easier.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the same problem 🙂
LikeLike
I love henchmen. That’s all I wanted to be when I was a kid. Sadly, I flunked out of Henchman U. My parents never spoke to me again.
LikeLike
That’s a shame. It really isn’t as easy as the professionals make it look. Some go the sidekick route if they flunk out, but it isn’t the same.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Henchmen are often good for a spot of comedy, especially when they’re winding up their boss!
LikeLike
That does seem to be one of their strongest skills. Can’t have a Disney villain without a henchman of some kind. At least the modern ones.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Love this post. I’m always amazed that henchmen continue to work for megalomaniacs. Even when one group of henchmen are killed, there are always more to take their place. Perhaps they’re well paid. But they’re like red shirts–the first in the line of fire. They need a better union. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m guessing it’s the pay and benefits package. Their union is probably amazing considering they keep so many people on board.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Still, I like the henchmen. Whenever I play Pokémon, I love the battles with the henchmen (or grunts as they are usually called). 😀 The payout is decent!
LikeLike
Forgot about their use in leveling up. Where would an RPG be without henchmen to slaughter for leveling?
LikeLike
You can’t have a good story without interesting henchmen. I’ve even read a few comic stories where the henchmen were the main plot focus. Now those were cool.
LikeLike
Comics do have a lot of henchmen groups. Hydra and The Hand get a lot of traction every now and then. Isn’t there a Hydra agent that hangs out with Deadpool?
LikeLike
I have a great infinity for henchmen. I guess it was from watching old gangster movies where all these guys were sitting around the back room smoking and waiting for the boss to give them a “rub out” assignment. They always seemed so needy and when finally cut down so thankful to have a role.
LikeLike
Gangsters are some awesome henchmen. They tend to be tougher than your average hooligans and can survive more than a punch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They play poker a lot too.
LikeLike
Of my antagonists, I think only one of them has henchmen. She also tends to put ads out for them, and does warn them of the high probability of not making it home. So she’d specify that they don’t have families/especially close loved ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s rather nice of her. You don’t want to deal with all of the paperwork.
LikeLike
I think henchmen are an integral part of any story. 🙂
LikeLike
Can’t be an evil warlord without your henchmen. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Kate McClelland and commented:
Hahahaha never thought about this before – thanks Charles
LikeLike
Thanks for the reblog. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now the question arises, henchmen vs. minions; what’s the difference? Minions have now had their own movie and appear to be a group looking for a villain to follow. My take is that villains recruit henchmen and minions seek out villains. Any other thoughts on this?
LikeLike
If we’re going only by the yellow Minions then I agree with that division. Other minion types seem to fall into the mindless follower category. Henchmen have mental autonomy like Stormtroopers. They follow orders, but have their own thoughts. Minions seem to be bound to a master with very little freedom of thought. This is either because they are under mental control or are not very bright to begin with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good distinction.
LikeLike
I always found it funny when the henchmen were more competent than their bosses. In Kim Possible, there was a villain whose henchgirl was far more competent than him, and when she finally got fed up and took over, her plan got much closer to succeeding than his ever did. Also, if Brain, from Pinky and the Brain, had just listened to Pinky, most of his plans would’ve succeeded.
LikeLike
Gotta love Shego. 🙂 It was always hard to see her as a henchman instead of a fellow villain stuck in an awkward alliance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Henchmen can be useful for giving back story and developing the villain’s character. It’s so much better to have recaps as a conversation than if the villain just sits around HQ plotting in narration.
You can get a good read on how evil vs. honorable the villain is based on how he treats underlings, too.
One recent film that had a strong plot arc for a henchman was Mad Max Fury Road, where the one guy starts as a crazed flunky and grows into a heroic comrade. Darn, now I want to look that guy’s name up.
LikeLike
I think his name was Nux.
Never thought about how the henchmen talking could reveal stuff about their boss. Though I do wonder if talking about the plans in public would get them in trouble. I know a lot of video games have henchmen talking up a storm if you hide around them long enough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Loose lips sink ships,” and all. But I was thinking more of how the villain treats underlings — harshly or kindly, killing them or giving second chances. Sometimes a villain will repent during the story. An “alignment change,” if you will. Showing them being kind to kids, puppies, and underlings can work as foreshadowing to such a plot twist.
LikeLike
True. Though I’m trying to think of a good example. Alignment changes are always tough to do. Even with foreshadowing, you can get into a situation where it does feel entirely natural. Probably involves first impressions there. The henchmen could definitely help ease that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always wonder about the henchmen! Whether they have families, why they chose to be henchmen, all that kind of thing. They are definitely unsung 🙂
LikeLike
The reason is a curious thing. Most would think money, but I wonder if there are other reasons. Maybe a family business or think it’s a way to get work experience?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe they’re the only employer in town? (the evil mastermind or whoever they work for)
LikeLike
Works for fantasy villains.
LikeLiked by 1 person