Almost everyone agrees Willard gave a good debate performance. And "performance" is the almost universally agreed upon term. The similarities to other characters in fiction are easy to recognize. Willard's grin reminds of the father in "The Shining," even though I've never seen the whole movie, and "As good as it gets" comes to mind. Except, while Willard's behavior is less obviously obsessive/compulsive, he's shown no redeeming social values.
Willard's an unmitigated disaster. His eagerness to injure (fire) people he claims to like should have been a clue from the start. Perhaps people thought it was a joke or he simply misspoke. Who fires people who serve? Who expects to get good service by punishing the good and rewarding the bad? Only someone who thinks his loot is evidence of having done good.
Perhaps, instead of the letter 'c' we should look to the letter 'p' to help us define Willard.
P as in:
prevaricate
perverse
pirate
predator
parasite
poobah
potentate
pissant
perjurer
And where do all these characters belong? On stage or in prison. Perhaps that's what these bad actors have against the arts. They fear the exposure.