Hello

I'm on the lookout for an existing MacGyver villain (original series) who just can't be killed...
Murdoc is the obvious example, but there are others.

Who do we know who looks as though they couldn't possibly survive what just happened to them but , mysteriously, we never see the body?

I'm currently using The Von Leer Brothers for a rewrite, I'm working on. I've also used Deborah in one of my stories and I still have plans for her in a new one. Those are three villains who were actually very dead at the end of their episode(s). Yet we saw Deborah's body but somehow I wondered if she was actually dead and have always thought about what might have happened in the coroner's car. Then again, probably not much since she landed on her back after that fall and probably broke it five places. Erich was lasered to death and crushed by a collapsing cave and Nikolaus Von Leer was crushed by that stone. Even thought there may have been no body seen afterwards they looked pretty dead to me. You might also consider Piedra as one of them, even though there was a body too that time by his own ironic death.

Hmm, Piedra...
Which episode was he in, again?

The Assassin

Yeah, Piedra comes to mind. I felt his death was a bit too... clean, if you get my drift. Maybe he planned it so he could come back later? I always felt he would have been a great recurring villain. Him and Deborah if she had survived that fall in Unfinished Business.

But that evil grin Piedra gives when he thinks he's about to kill the Archbishop was pretty creepy... plus, I always thought Murdoc was based off him, to some degree. Maybe a nice tie in with Murdoc if Piedra was working for HIT or something, right?

I'm mostly just rambling... XD

No no, rambling's good

I'll have a look at Piedra, thanks

Piedra was killed.

He died a rather dramatic death in front of MacGyver and Pete confirmed he was dead right there and then.

Hi.

Well, I'm mostly just thinking outside the box a bit on that.

For instance, remember in Walking Dead they used a poison from blowfish (I believe it was from blowfish) on Cherine and MacGyver? It causes their heart rate to lower and their muscles to freeze making them appear dead. Maybe Piedra used the same kind of poison on his targets, and his dramatic death was the poison taking effect. Would explain why he didn't shoot MacGyver... because maybe he couldn't.

Perhaps he has a tolerance to the poison or slipped himself the antidote while nobody was looking. Never know!

No, if he's been confirmed dead on screen then he's disqualified as an unsquashable.

Nikolaus Von Leer qualifies because no-one rolls back the rock to check if he's actually under it.
Tia Carrere's character from The Wish Child counts because although she goes sailing through the window, we don't see her splattered on the ground afterwards (I think).

Any others?

Crap... oh well, I tried. lol Sorry!

Thanks anyway

Actually I just saw The Eye of Osiris and considering the speed and weight of the rock and him being buried underneath must've pretty much squashed him like a fly. Then again, it depends on how you look at it and that's the beauty of fiction, you can do whatever you want. People come back from the dead all the time now.

My current explanation in my fanfic is that Nikolaus Von Leer was found after the tomb of Alexander was made public even though Axford said the tomb held powers the world wasn't ready for. So perhaps it was better sealed off as it concludes like that in the episode. And with Erich Von Leer, I explained that despite Erich got lasered into the entrance of the cave which collapsed after that and that also boulders fell inside on and around the temple, Erich's henchman, Mammon found Erich and than dug his way out of the cave.

Besides I think you're talking about Victoria James in Phoenix Under Siege since Tia Carrera played Lisa Chan's, Paul sister in The Wish Child and actually was a good guy, nor did she die in Murderers' Sky despite being the villain. Maybe you can explain Victoria being saved by Superman who happened to fly by.

The possibilities are endless, aren't they!

I'm fine with the pyramid builders having built in a trap door or other device that allowed Nikolaus Von Leer to survive the rock.

Victoria James definitely went through the window (no body). I need to watch the Tia Carrere ones again - I may have them mixed up...
If Murdoc can survive falling from a great height, I'm OK with Victoria James being able to do it too.

The question remains:
Are there any other unsquashable villains out there?

I'm working on a list of antagonists that would likely do MacGyver harm if given the chance. I could post it for you. Still working on season 1 baddies.

Yes please

Though he didn't die and failed miserably despite his own army, I think Axminster is also an unsquashable villain. But I think Kurt Neilson and his men from Nightmares were the first real villains in the show because they were the first in succeeding capturing MacGyver, even though I don't consider them unsquashable.

You can make them all unsquashable or not, I think your looking for the standouts besides the obvious ones like Murdoc, Zito and Deborah. Axminster, Piedra, the Von Leer Brothers are among them.

Ever thought about Tanya Lyaschenka? I think she was one of the better female villains.

I have three others in mind though they were arrested at the end: Bobbie Lee. He's cool, he's tall, he's handsome, he's charming and he's even pretty smart. And he survived that fall from the scaffolding, which means he can surely take a hit.

Ralph Boardman. For a guy who plays with bombs and seemingly has taken on a split personality, he sure is a dangerous man. Yet he would be someone who might die in an ironical way but I can see him coming back from the dead too. Surviving an explosion for example.

And last but certainly not least: Minton. Even if season 7 was the weakest season, yet they still have a few interesting bad guys and Minton surely is one of them. He's so menacing, speaks softly most of the time only to burst out when he's cornered and he's incredibly strong. He owned Mac in that fight. As an ex-cop I think he might take precautions in order to come back for round 2, then again he was someone who had nothing to lose.

Season 1 baddies

Dave Ryerson (The Gauntlet)
- Crime Syndicate
- MacGyver was responsible for his deportation from the US
- MacGyver ruined an arms deal with General Antonio Vasquez in Central America

Jack Catlin (The Heist)
- MacGyver recovered stolen diamonds
- Ruined Catlin's casino and reputation in the Virgin Islands

Nickolai (Thief of Budapest, Lost Love)
- Was shamed for not retrieving KGB information in Budapest
- Macgyver ruined potential relations with Russia and China by exposing Ming Dragon heist

Terry Andrews and company (Last Stand)
- MacGyver thwarted a complex robbery

Joey Bennett (The Prodigal)
- MacGyver protects Bennett brother in order to give testimony against mob

Axminster (Target MacGyver)
- Never missed a target until MacGyver

Curt Neilson (Nightmares)
- East German agent fails to obtain the stolen list from MacGyver

Quale (Deathlock)
- Failed to eliminate MacGyver twice

Chief Trane (Flames End)
- MacGyver stops Trane from selling radioactive Uranium

Micheal Donahue aka 'the Viking' (Countdown)
- MacGyver disarms very complicated bombs aboard cruise ship

GRU agents Lem and Ingrid Bannister (The Enemy Within)
- MacGyver thwarts anymore assasinations within the DXS

Thats all I have right now. Hope this helps some.

Quayle is the only stand out in that list. With exception of Axminster though his reputation was more blown up then anything else. Burning down an entire city block to get one man and when he has to face Mac he goes down rather painfully. Though he might have been more of a killer then any other in the first ten episodes. They were never really scary at all. Most of them were rather stereo typical silly dopes and idiots. Out of those first ten with exception of Axminster, I'd say Buddy from Last Stand was the coolest. A brainless enforcer with a machine gun yet Mac easily kicked his butt.

This is really helpful, thank you

I wouldn't mind seeing Quayle again

I think the most obvious answer is Zito, from Season 4 "Deadly Dreams" and Season 6 "Lesson in Evil." (Hannibal Lecter type serial killer who's very good at getting into people's heads). Being that he's a recurring villain, and the last scene we have with him is him in a prison cell removing a hidden lock pick, and getting an evil smile on his face... It seems pretty clear that he'd have had a Murdoc-like tendency to keep coming back, if the series had gone on longer.

Now, personally, Zito doesn't do anything for me. But lots of other fans disagree, and he does seem like exactly what you're looking for.

I think the trick is to find somebody else besides the obvious ones. This meaning Murdoc, Deborah and Zito, because they made such an impact on the show, whether they have 7 or 2 episodes.

Ever thought of Hakim? Nikolaus Von Leer shot him but we never saw a body. Even though he could've been squashed or buried as well. But there is also Tarik, Hakim's bodyguard from Passages and the guy who got Mac into the coma. Also Tarik was arrested and not seen again. I used Tarik in my latest fanfiction where he meets MacGyver in Egypt and gets into another fight with him.

Whatever you decide Rocket, there are only this many bad guys, so you're bound to end up using the ones that have been used before in another story.

Not a problem - familiar villains is exactly what I'm looking for (planning the next Virtual Season)
The unsquashable thing just caught my imagination!