Vic Rattlehead

Vic Rattlehead is the illustrated mascot of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. Vic is a skeletal figure wearing a suit who embodies the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" as well as a symbol of censorship. His eyes are covered by a riveted-on visor, his mouth is clamped shut, and his ears are closed with metal caps.

The mythic creation of Vic Rattlehead is addressed in the song "The Skull Beneath the Skin" from the album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!

Prepare the patient's scalp
To peel away
Metal caps his ears
He'll hear not what we say
Solid steel visor
Riveted across his eyes
Iron staples close his jaws
So no one hears his cries

Dave Mustaine sketched the original drawing of Vic for the album's front cover. However, Combat Records lost the artwork and improvised a completely different concept. The original artwork was recovered and placed on the reissue of Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!. The name of Vic stands for "victim" and Rattlehead comes from what Mustaine's mother used to say to him when he was headbanging: "Don't do that or you'll rattle something loose up there!" This then led to the expression "to rattle one's head" meaning head-bang. According to Mustaine, the mascot represents his feelings about religious repression and freedom of expression.

Vic was on the cover art of the band's first four albums (1985–1990): Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, So Far, So Good... So What!, and Rust in Peace.

Vic did not appear on the front cover of any albums or compilations from 1991 to 2000. However, when Megadeth tried to bring back a more "classic" vibe to their material, he returned for the 2001 album The World Needs a Hero, the 2004 album The System Has Failed, as well as the 2007 studio album United Abominations in a human form. He is identified by his visor, metal caps on his ears, and clamps on his mouth. Only Vic's face is shown in the mushroom cloud on the 2005 compilation Greatest Hits: Back to the Start. Vic was once again absent from the cover of Endgame, instead found in the album's booklet much like the inside cover of Youthanasia and Countdown To Extinction. His portrait image can also be found by joining the spine labels of the 7 albums Mustaine re-released in 2004. Vic was mentioned in the band's 2010 video "The Right to Go Insane" and featured on the cover art for the "Sudden Death" single. On the cover of Th1rt3en he is shown with his back turned. Vic can be seen very faintly on the Super Collider album artwork as a reflection in the center of the particle collider; it is revealed inside the cover and on the back that Vic is the Super Collider. On Dystopia, a robot version of Vic Rattlehead is seen. Vic appears on the cover of The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, dressed in medieval-style clothes as opposed to a business suit.

Vic has made small appearances in the music videos for "Anarchy in the U.K.", "Wake Up Dead", "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", "Hangar 18", "Moto Psycho" (at around 3:03), “Night Stalkers”, and "Poisonous Shadows (Live)" (at the end, playing the keyboards).

Vic Rattlehead is a ‘Guise’ for commanders in the online video game “World of Warships”. Megadeth and World of Warships Legends did a collaboration in 2023 featuring Dave and Vic.