Every 1923 Season 1 Villain Ranked From Bad To Worst – Looper

Of course, while Prince Arthur Sr., the Earl of Sussex, may be a nasty sort, he doesn’t quite reach the depths of villainy his son, (Rafe Soule) Arthur Jr., achieves. The younger royal might also have been inspired by a real person: Alastair Arthur Windsor, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. In any case, he’s introduced in an early episode as an uptight Englishman who’s due to be wed to charming Londoner Alexandra, who we learn has a greater taste for adventure than for the quiet life of a royal lady.

When his bride-to-be abandons him for big game hunter and famed World War I American hero Spencer Dutton, Arthur is maddened with the fury of a jilted lover. Though Alex tells him to find someone who truly loves him, this does little to console him. When he turns up again, he’s ready to express that rage at Alex’s newfound husband, Spencer. 

Aboard the RMS Titanic, Arthur repeatedly attempts to offend Spencer, who warns him that he does not want to pick a fight with a man who kills for a living. But Arthur will not be satisfied by reason, and after a public display in a ballroom, he challenges Spencer to a duel. Despite being an expert fencer, Arthur is left bloodied and humiliated. But that isn’t enough to keep him from making a stupid decision. Arthur decides to go further, abandoning the honor of the duel entirely when he picks up a pistol to gun Spencer down. Ultimately, Arthur gets what’s coming to him: Spencer tosses him overboard, to a watery death. But he doesn’t manage to shuffle off this mortal coil without revealing what a vile villain he really is.