TV's Frink said:

twooffour said:

Grievous could have one of the best things about the prequels if they hadn't given him that lame-ass cough and made him into a chicken-shit coward.

Fixed.

"Sleazy villains" are often "cowardly" to some extent - the Joker from TDK fights like a pussy (heck, even Nicholson's in the old film), Raul Julia in Street Fighter, and I could probably name others (but these two have already gained "iconic" status in pop culture, so hey).

Using dirty tricks, being weak and attempting to run away all the time makes them less "badass", but all the more "sleazy" and "despicable", and all in all in no way weaker villains cinematically.

The cheesy, stupid cough is part of why I find watching him so enjoyable. Basically, if you compare him to Vader or even the Emperor, he's pretty much a cackling, mustache-twirling Disney villain, but as far as I'm concerned, a damn entertaining one.