The Villain that Laughs in the Face of Every Other Villain

After watching Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a few days ago, I can confidently say it is my new favorite movie. The story deals with anxiety and mortality, which are some notably macabre topics, especially compared to other Dreamworks movies. The main antagonist, as well as how the final scene plays out, is a huge step in the other direction from other animated films. I like to describe it as a movie for older Dreamworks fans.

Let’s start from the beginning. The main character is named Puss, a boisterous, fearless cat. He, as all cats do, has 9 lives. He has lived them to the fullest by hosting countless parties, battles, performances, etc. His humor is self-centered, but is made up for by his aforementioned awe-inspiring (some may say reckless) acts. Puss is accompanied by his partner in crime and ex-fiancé, Kitty Softpaws, and a stray, to-be therapy dog Perrito. They sojourn together to find a fallen shooting star and make a wish. Along the way, they run into some others with the same goal, who don’t take very kindly to them. We are introduced to the antagonists: basically Jeff Bezos, a gang family with a fugitive adopted daughter, and everyone’s favorite, Death. 

Death is literally Death incarnate: “Not metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way, straight up Death.” His introduction perfectly sets the scene for his character. Immediately following the scene of Puss defeating a Giant with ease, and him saying “Puss in Boots has never been touched by a blade”, Death appears out of thin air, whistling his signature tune. He’s dressed in a black cloak and acts like a creep. After a short exchange when Puss picks up some clues that Death is more of a bounty hunter, our view of him changes drastically. Puss strikes up a sword duel but is immediately disarmed. Throughout the following fight scene, Puss and the audience slowly start to see that Death isn’t any ordinary bounty hunter, and that it will be unlikely, if not impossible, for Puss to defeat him. After the terrifying fight, a bit of drawn blood, some incredibly cold dialogue, and a clanging of his sickles, a sense of anxiety for Death is instilled into Puss and the audience. In the words of someone on TikTok: “Death easily solos Goku."

In most movies geared towards children, the villain is usually some Joe-Schmoe with a dark backstory, whose motive for villainy is to get revenge on their past. But this is not the case for Puss in Boots. Death’s motivation isn’t because Puss destroyed his life or killed his family or anything similar; he simply has seen Puss use up his eight previous lives recklessly and decided enough is enough. He believes that “the very idea of nine lives is absurd! And [Puss] didn’t value any of them!” His role in the movie is straight up to kill a cat who doesn’t value his life enough, while also having a ton of fun along the way. 

Death’s lack of screentime is made up for with his lingering presence throughout the movie. Every time it seems Death has stopped stalking Puss, we get a scene that shows he’s following Puss everywhere he and his companions go. Every time Death appears, his presence is spine-chilling. Whether it's standing menacingly in the background, or clanging his sickles, he strikes fear into the hearts of the audience and Puss. He appears in the creepiest way possible, usually out of thin air and whistling his signature motif. Also every time he’s on screen with a speaking part, he says something memorable, like his famous quote, “Lives flashing before your eyes?”

At the movie's climax, Puss and Death get into their final battle. Death has had enough fun playing with Puss and decided it's time to put an end to the fun. Puss puts up a surprisingly good fight against the most overpowered Dreamwork villain. He just barely scrapes by a few times. But just as it seems like Puss is about to be brutally defeated, he pulls out his diamond in the rough, Kitty’s gatito blade that he had been gifted earlier, and turns the tides of the battle. Puss is now in the lead. He forces Death into a defensive position, and with a kick to the head, Death crumples to the floor. In a final act of defiance, Puss kicks one of Death’s sickles to him and commands him to “Pick it up,” as a reference to the beginning of the movie, when Death had bested Puss: “I know I can never defeat you lobo, but I will never stop fighting for this life.” Death realizes that the arrogant legend he had been chasing has now become appreciative of his last life, and lets him live.

The climax really makes this movie the most unique and interesting Dreamworks movie to date. The antagonist is incredibly powerful, but if he were to be defeated, the movie wouldn’t feel satisfying. So, Death is not violently murdered or sent to another planet or befriended by Puss and company; he admits that his original motive has disappeared and gives up, with the coolest line in movie history: “Por qué diablos fui a jugar con mi comida!?”, which translates to “Why the hell did I play with my food!?”