Míster Danger

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Míster Danger (pronounced [ˈmihtɛr ˈdandʒɛr]), or Señor Peligro, is an epithet that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has used to refer to United States President George W. Bush.^[1]^[2] The name comes from the novel Doña Bárbara, written by Venezuelan novelist and former president Rómulo Gallegos.^[3]^[4] Both forms of the name appear in the novel, though the former is more prevalent. Mister Danger and Mr. Danger are used commonly in English-language publications although this forms do not appear in the Spanish original.

In the novel míster Danger, or "Guillermo Danger", is an American from Alaska of Danish and Irish heritage who resides mostly in Venezuela (Gallegos capitalizes the moniker Míster Peligro, though the same treatment is not accorded to the alternate form of the name). Míster Danger allies himself with the much-feared and eponymous Doña Bárbara, a malevolent and powerful figure from whom the novel's title is derived. Doña Bárbara's infamy stems from her reputation for amassing property in the Llanos through litigation, as well as for her alleged practice of black magic. She and míster Danger manage to swindle lands out of unknowing Llaneros' hands and their efforts represent the principal source of opposition to the novel's protagonist's mission to bring law and order to the Llanos. The novel's protagonist, Santos Luzardo, is a Llanos-born lawyer from Caracas who returns to his native land on a short trip to assess his family's landholdings. He ultimately takes it upon himself to rid the region of the pervasive influence of míster Danger and Doña Bárbara.

The band Ministry has a song titled "Señor Peligro" on their album "Rio Grande Blood", which seems to refer to Hugo Chávez's references to Mr. Danger.^[5]