The small stature of the villain Zorg in The fifth Element does not stand in the way of his big dreams. “If you want something done,” he murmurs mid-film, “do it yourself.” Though evil, murderous, and selfish, the guy makes a point.
Villains in sci-fi are privileged to be larger than life, while characters firmly anchored in our own reality risk exaggerating their own importance and ability to cause mayhem. Record Ivan Drago Rocky IV. It may symbolically represent the Soviet side of the Cold War, but in reality it is only an overall physical threat to a few people and on a generally limited platform. But Agent Smith is there The Matrix is a threat to humanity and human consciousness to all humans everywhere, a proxy for the Matrix itself and all its magnificent potential for destruction.
In space no one can hear you scream – but that doesn’t stop a bad guy from trying. This week, Polygon celebrates all forms of sci-fi villains because someone has to (or else).
Which brings us to Zorg. Masterfully dubbed by Gary Oldman in Luc Besson’s 1997 sci-fi space opera, Zorg is the perfect example of what happens when middle management gets a little too drunk with limited power.
In The fifth Element, Zorg is an errand boy for the great evil force that tries to destroy life throughout the universe every 5,000 years. On Earth, Zorg is the leader of a huge corporation. In one of his first screen appearances, which also includes the film’s hero, cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), he recklessly lays off a million of his workers. His general disinterest in the emotional well-being of other people is evident, but he does have a certain streak that advocates for the financial well-being of others. That’s not to say he’s looking out for anyone but himself, but he does make the case for boosting the economy through chaos and destruction.
Aside from his egotism, Zorg seems to be guided by the parable of the French economist Claude-Frédéric Bastiat the broken windowthe same argument over 100 years ago The fifth Element. If a window is intact, no business is created and no goods and services are exchanged. But when a window breaks, glaziers, suppliers and drivers are suddenly on the move to fix the problem. Each of them gets paid, which drives more money into the economy. Zorg tries to make exactly the same argument in the film with a drinking glass and automatic vacuum cleaners (which felt futuristic in 1997). Although this economic parable is widely considered a fallacy, this kind of chaos in Zorg’s little world would actually bring him much profit.
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Image: Gaumont
As we will see later, one of Zorg’s many industries is weaponry. What better way for him to sell more guns than to create havoc and destruction across the galaxy? Aside from the lives lost and suffering, which Zorg is sure to ignore, this plan of his to help the big villain in this scheme could net him and his workmates a ton of money.
Zorg isn’t the only villain whose motivation for his evil deeds is pretty logical. Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in Black Panther is one of the newer opponents who can be seen as right. He comes to Wakanda to challenge the crown, but he does so lawfully and not only within that country’s customs, but also within the ethical basis of his claim. Removed from his blood right, Killmonger only returns to right a wrong done to him. If the story of Wakanda were told from his perspective, Killmonger could be seen as the hero and T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as the man unjustly enthroned as the advanced African nation. But Killmonger only fights for what is due him on a personal level. He is driven by a sense of justice and only wants what should be his. He doesn’t try to change the world or destroy anything but T’Challa’s world.
A more apt MCU comparison to Zorg is Thanos. He, too, aimed for large-scale elimination of life from the entire universe (50%, to be precise), but his reasons for doing so were a bit rocky. It is true that resources may have been scarce in certain locations, but he posits that these depleted reserves were widespread enough to justify such extreme measures. And why did he care so much? He tries to make people believe that he is such a protector of life that he alone sees the need to make a big decision to protect it, but no one has appointed him guardian of the galaxy.
On the other glove-free hand, Zorg is unabashedly acting for himself. He’s invested in this ruse to make more money and never feels the need to apologize or ever invent an alternative argument. Zorg wants what he wants, and he’s willing to help the great evil force get it.
In the end, things don’t go so well for Zorg. While he thinks he’s the victor in the battle for control of the universe, that he can bid for the big villain and smile to the bank, he’s horribly mistaken. Ultimately, his hubris and underestimation of everyone around him causes him to blow up when he thinks he’s won. Zorg’s death makes way for the film to have a happy ending, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was completely wrong.
Zorg’s motivations are clearer than Thanos’s, yet no smaller. Both villains want widespread devastation and massive species loss, but Zorg’s reasoning is more believable and understandable. And he does it all in great style.
