Star Trek: Benedict Cumberbatch vs Ricardo Montalban - Who Was The Better Khan?

Trait #4: Manipulative

Benedict Cumberbatch"He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I have designed. But I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?" -Khan, "Star Trek Into Darkness" The quote says it all: Benedict takes this one easily. The entire premise of Into Darkness revolves around a broken man we once saw as truly evil, this time doing all he can to save the only friends in the universe he has left from a tyrannical madman seated in the highest branch of Starfleet. Everything else, including killing Kirk, comes secondary unless the opportunity presents itself. In the scene with the above quote, we actually see what we never saw in the original canon: the human side of this madman. Tears streaming down his face, almost out of guilt for what he had done but felt he had to do under his circumstances, lend a method to Khan Noonien Singh's madness never before seen in the classic Star Trek. Using this sob story as well as the Enterprise's rather nasty predicament at the edge of Klingon space to his advantage, Khan manipulates Kirk and Scotty into helping him board the U.S.S. Vengeance, Admiral Marcus' ship which Khan designed while with Section 31, only to seize control of the ship, kill Marcus and return his focus to destroying the Enterprise crew to retrieve his own. The rampant twists and turns are what makes the new movie spectacular! Ricardo - 2; Benedict - 2 And now for the tie-breaker...
Contributor
Contributor

Steve is an unrepentant nerd who enjoys all things Disney, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. He is currently finishing his undergraduate degree in political science at Temple University and divides his time between his homes in Philadelphia and Orlando.