How come it only took that one situation in GMD (the fall from Big Ben) to defeat Ratigan, and he was never beaten before?
a. Fate pretty much stepped in on that situation, though as usual Basil was surviving (literally) by his wits. But the mouse detective was dealing with an enemy who was every bit as intelligent as he was, and who also had the criminal underworld working with him (not to mention that big, mean cat). It was a moral chess game between the two, each having to guess the other’s move. Being bigger was certainly in Ratigan’s favor; what also kept Basil just one step behind was that The Napoleon of Crime was (in Basil’s own words) “a genius twisted for evil”, and he didn’t mind using the most viscious, treacherous means at hand to either fight back or make a getaway. (Darkwing Duck fans might notice an interesting similarity to Negaduck in Ratigan’s criminal methods!) However, it’s Ratigan’s cruelty and hatred for Basil that become his own undoing. Up until the Big Ben scene, Ratigan’s pretty smug and confident that he’s finally defeated Basil, but obviously that hasn’t worked out. As he fight
