Man Explains 6 Reasons Why Rose From The Titanic Is The Greatest Movie Villain Of All Time
I'll never let go... of the idea that Rose was the bad guy all along.
Sarunyu L via Shutterstock / @petroni.pov via TikTok / sparklestroke via Canva Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you most likely have seen or at least heard of the 1997 film “Titanic” which depicts the tragic love story of Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson aboard the doomed ship.
Rose is the protagonist of the movie, played by actress Kate Winslet, and one of the few survivors demonstrated in the film after the Titanic’s sinking. Her character is young and in love, desperately trying to find solace and escape an abusive relationship with her fiancé.
However, one fan of the movie theorizes that Rose from “Titanic” is the greatest movie villain of all time.
He has some rather interesting points that validate his beliefs. Although he claims that his theory is not one to be taken seriously, he does a solid job of convincing fellow Titanic movie fans that Rose is the true villain of the film over the course of several TikTok videos.
Here are six examples of how the man explains that Rose was the villain all along. Warning: Spoilers of the movie “Titanic” to follow.
1. She did not inform Brock Lovett and his team that she had the 'Heart of the Ocean' necklace all along.
The movie “Titanic” opens up with treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team exploring the wreckage of the sunken ship on the ocean floor, in search of a necklace with a rare diamond, also known as the “Heart of the Ocean.”
If you’ve seen the film, you know that the necklace was an engagement gift to Rose from her fiancé, Cal Hockley, given to her nearly a century earlier. It has been in her possession since the Titanic’s sinking. Of course, Lovett and his team are unaware of this.
Instead, they find a safe that contains the portraits Jack Dawson sketched of Rose wearing the necklace. When an elderly Rose calls Lovett, she asks him if they had found the necklace in the wreckage yet, and informs him that the woman in the sketches is in fact her.
“This is already a game to her,” J.P. says in his first video, depicting the exact movie clip on his television in the background. “These men are risking their lives diving down miles below the surface to find this damn stone… if she just told them, ‘Hey yo, I have it’ they’d stop doing that.”
2. She referred to the Titanic as a ‘slave ship’ that was taking her ‘back to America in chains.’
As we see a young Rose board the ship with her mother, Ruth, and fiancé, Cal, an elderly Rose recalls the exact moment, referring to the massive ship as a “slave ship taking me back to America in chains," while it was a "dream ship" to other passengers.
Of course, her statement is a metaphor for her engagement to Cal which was arranged by her mother. However, given the fact that Rose is telling her story in the late 90s, J.P. notes that calling the Titanic “a slave ship” is insensitive considering the history of slavery.
“The film’s roots had already been out for decades, and she made that comparison,” he says.
He also points out that Rose is a first-class passenger who is staying in one of the most luxurious suites on the ship.
3. She blew smoke into her mother’s face after she was politely asked not to.
While seated in a dining room, Rose is smoking a cigarette at the table. Her mother Ruth politely asks her daughter to refrain from smoking, adding that she “doesn’t like it.” Instead of putting the cigarette away, Rose turns to her mother and continues to smoke close to her face while she is eating.
“I feel like that’s a pretty fair request,” J.P. says of Ruth. “If you’re smoking a cigarette and I’m just trying to enjoy a nice burger or omelet, I’d be like, ‘could you stop that.’”
J.P. also points out that Rose was disrespectful to her mother, the woman who “loves her unconditionally.”
4. She posed nude for another man while she was engaged.
In one of the most iconic scenes of the movie, Rose asks Jack Dawson to draw her “like one of your French girls” in a portrait. She tells him that she will be wearing her 'Heart of the Ocean' necklace (and only the necklace), for him to sketch.
While we all know, and J.P. recognizes that, Cal is not the ideal choice for Rose to marry and she is obviously not in love with him, he says that posing nude for another man to sketch her in a suite that Cal paid for is not exactly a wise choice.
“I think it’s crossing a line,” he shares.
He also believes that this is not “the big romantic moment” we all perceive it to be, noting that Rose may only realize that Jack is a talented artist and that she is perhaps planning on selling the drawings once she reaches the States.
5. She unintentionally distracted the ship lookouts from spotting the iceberg that resulted in the Titanic sinking.
While this is not historically correct and simply a detail added by the director of the Titanic movie, just before the ship hits the iceberg, Jack and Rose are having an intimate moment on the deck. They are spotted by the lookouts who are supposed to be keeping an eye open for any dangers in the ship’s path.
The lookouts become monetarily distracted by the two before turning their attention back toward the sea and spotting the iceberg.
J.P. refers to the scene as the “definitive moment” of proof that Rose is the ultimate movie villain. “Let us watch as she twists the hands of fate to damn the ship to sink!”
J.P. adds that if Rose was not out cheating on Cal with Jack, the lookouts would not have been distracted and caught the iceberg sooner. He blames the ship’s sinking in the movie on her infidelity.
6. She jumped off the lifeboat and back onto the sinking Titanic to be with Jack, which may ultimately have cost him his life.
As Rose is being lowered into the Atlantic Ocean in the safety of a lifeboat while Jack remains behind on board, being a third-class passenger, she suddenly leaps from the boat and back onto the ship, refusing to leave Jack behind.
While some may view this as an act of selflessness, J.P. explains why it is actually the opposite. If Jack had been on the sinking ship without having to look after Rose, he may have had a much better chance of survival.
After the two plunge into the freezing water, we all know that Jack finds a door off its hinges floating in the wreck. Since it can only hold one person without flipping over, he gives the spot to Rose while he freezes to death in the ocean.
Had Rose remained on the lifeboat, Jack would have had the door for himself and just may have survived.
“It would’ve been like three hours of separation,” J.P. points out. “Are you that needy that you can’t wait three freaking hours?... Now your fata– is gonna take up the entire door and he’s gonna freeze in the water.”
Was Rose really the villian of 'Titanic?'
Of course, J.P.’s beliefs that Rose is the true villain of the Titanic movie are just jokes, as he implies in one of the captions of his videos. Whether or not you truly believe Rose to be a villain is up to you to decide.
In the meantime, J.P. shares that next he will be delving into the hit show “The Office” to explain why he believes Jim and Pam are the true villains of the show. Office fans, get excited!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.