Aaron Burr (Hamilton)

“	Talk less. Smile more. Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for.	„
	~ Burr's catchphrase.

“	How does Hamilton, an arrogant, immigrant, orphan, bastard, whoreson, somehow endorse Thomas Jefferson, his enemy, a man he's despised since the beginning, just to keep me from winning? I wanna be in the room where it happens, the room where it happens, the room where it happens... You've kept me from the room where it happens for the last time...	„
	~ Burr's villainous breakdown.

Aaron Burr (based on the historical figure of the same name) is the main antagonist of the 2015 Broadway rap musical Hamilton and the 2020 Disney film of the same name, also serving as the narrator.

He is a passive politician who starts off as Hamilton's friend but later becomes his rival as his envy of the latter's political success drives him to blackmail and finally murder.

He was portrayed by several actors across different runnings of the show but was portrayed first and most famously by Leslie Odom Jr.

His Evil Ranking[]

His Villainous Deeds[]

In the song "We Know", he confessed to Hamilton that he knew about the Reynolds Pamphlet and had Jefferson and Madison falsely assure him that no one but them will know about the pamphlet. He then tells Hamilton that all rumours only grow, causing him to write a pamphlet on the event before it gets exposed by someone else, which ends up destroying his political career and reputation as a result.
Feeling like his public image had been damaged since Hamilton voted for Jefferson to be president instead of Burr during the election, he challenges Hamilton to a duel.
Even when Hamilton aims his gun in the sky and tried to surrender in order to diffuse the situation, Burr refused his offer of redemption and shot Hamilton between his ribs, killing him. Despite showing remorse for this act, it doesn't make anything better.
His murder of Hamilton had lasting effects since America forgot him and Burr would be remembered as the man who killed Hamilton and not for his political achievements. Essentially, he tarnished Hamilton's name and legacy for many years after killing him.
While he is not as heinous as King George III, he has less resources due to being a senator for New York while George has hundreds of redcoats by his side and is the king of Britain.

Why Doesn't He Stand Out?[]

Although destabilizing Hamilton's reputation is just barely bad enough to pass the baseline, the only other additional crime Burr has outside of this is one murder, which causes him to fail the heinous standards to James Reynolds, who is an even more personal foe to Hamilton due to orchestrating his downfall with lesser resources.
He has several comedic moments, such as him giving advice to Hamilton by telling him to talk less and smile more while emphasising some of the words in his sentences, him speaking in a singsong voice on many occasions throughout the musical, and his villainous breakdown upon losing the election is played for laughs with him insulting Hamilton in a rather exaggerated manner and singing to vent his anger instead of raising his voice or snapping.
He has a genuinely tragic past, as his parents died with no instructions for him and only a legacy to protect, blinding him to any mistakes he made and causing him to betray and kill Hamilton.
He is shown to care for Theodosia, and by extension, he can be truly affable to people whenever he feels like it.
He's an anti-villain as he wants to enable America to become independent from the British Empire and opposes people who serve as genuine threats to the country.
He showed remorse for shooting Hamilton, admitting he should've known the world was wide enough for both him and Hamilton.

External Links[]

Aaron Burr on the Villains Wiki

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Villainous Benchmarks

Literature
Dirk Hamstone | Dirk Hamstone's Mother | The Eggplant | Massive Meatloaf Man | Snort

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Fanon
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