Many villains populate the story of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and one of the most fearsome opponents of all is Wrath/King Bradley, the homunculus who bears the Ultimate Eye. He was born mortal but had the Philosopher's Stone embedded in him, and he became something far more. He's also the ruler of the entire nation of Amestris, and he knows what he's doing.
But not always. Wrath is a smart and merciless opponent, and he often takes an active role in the story when Father needs him most. Sometimes, Wrath's enemies get the better of him, or he makes false assumptions or has the totally wrong idea about what's going on. When was he right, and when did he make the wrong call in the story?
10 Was Right: About Not Holding Back
Early in the story, the homunculus Greed captured Alphonse Elric to try and make a deal with Ed, and the fight was on. Then, King Bradley formed a raid team with Major Alex Louis Armstrong to raid Greed's lair, the Devil's Nest.
Major Armstrong took his brawny opponent lightly out of a sense of fairness, and that prolonged the fight. Wrath correctly fussed at him, saying that showing mercy was a weakness and that it held Armstrong back from getting promoted. This is war, not chess.
9 Was Wrong: Following Lan Fan's Blood Trail
A little later in the series, Wrath worked together with his large brother Gluttony when they went up against the Xingese warriors Lan Fan and Ling Yao. Lan Fan and Ling were on the run at some point, and Wrath chased right after them.
But Lan Fan had a trick up her sleeve. She took the drastic step of slashing off her arm and tying it to a dog, so that dog would wander off and leave a false blood trail. Wrath followed it, and he commented on Lan Fan's cleverness.
8 Was Right: Splitting Up Roy's Aides
As the series progressed, Colonel Roy Mustang started to show his ambitious side, aiming to become the next leader of Amestris. He was also totally on the Elric brothers' side and wanted to help root out Central's corruption.
So, Wrath decided to use his authority to send Roy's most trusted friends and subordinates all over the nation, such as Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Fury, and Falman, among others. In theory, that would totally shut Roy down.
7 Was Wrong: About Sabotaging Roy
Wrath's plan made sense, but in the end, it didn't stop Roy Mustang from taking the fight to Father and the corrupt generals in the Amestris military. He was underestimating Roy's resolve, and like his big brother Pride, he was taking humans too lightly.
Despite being distanced from his best supporters, Roy found a way to keep resisting King Bradley and Father, and when the Promised Day came, Roy was able to coordinate with his friends to fight back even more. No one can keep Roy away from his trusted friends.
6 Was Right: About Fuu's Last-Ditch Attack
This was more of a cool combat trick than anything, but it does show how insightful and efficient Wrath can be in combat, and he made exactly the right move to protect himself from Fuu during their fight on the Promised Day.
Fuu lit several explosives tucked in his bandages, and he leaped at Wrath, intending to blast them away at close range. In one move, Wrath not only saw that coming but made a single sword stroke that defused the explosives and inflicted a fatal wound on Fuu's chest.
5 Was Wrong: Not Finishing Off Buccaneer
Wrath had a real glory moment when he dealt that blow to Fuu, but it didn't last long. He had made a mistake by dealing with serious wounds to Captain Buccaneer but failing to finish him off, and Buccaneer made him pay for it.
Just as Fuu got slashed, Buccaneer came up from behind Fuu and stabbed him deeply. Why? To attack Wrath from behind cover, and the sword went all the way through Fuu and into Wrath's own chest. Not even the Ultimate Eye could see that coming. For his own sake, Wrath should have beheaded Buccaneer earlier.
4 Was Right: Rallying His Troops
During the Promised Day, Wrath wisely chose to return to Central when he heard the news that it was under siege by Fort Briggs troops (led by Major-General Olivier Armstrong). He made haste for Central and made a show of entering the battlefield in person.
By showing off his presence in such a bold manner, Wrath inspired and rallied all the defending Central troops, and he declared that he would storm the central palace's front gates to take it back. Why he wondered, should he have to enter his own house through the back door?
3 Was Wrong: About Roy's Portal Price
This was a minor detail, but Wrath still got a little ahead of himself when his side was winning. Earlier in the story, Edward and Alphonse lost their limbs or entire bodies when they attempted human transmutation by opening the Portal of Truth. Then Roy opened it.
Wrath and Pride both wondered which body parts Roy would lose as a price, and Wrath taunted the heroes by saying that he couldn't guarantee Roy coming back with all his limbs. But Roy didn't lose any limbs; he lost his eyesight, as the assassin homunculus Lust once predicted.
2 Was Right: Enjoying His Human Side
Wrath was a homunculus, but he lived a more ordinary life than the others. Pride had to live in a giant tunnel, and Gluttony was little more than a tool, but Wrath could live as King Bradley, complete with a wife and "son." He also spent a lot of time around ordinary people.
He actually enjoyed that, and in his dying moments, he commented on how he savored the chance to choose a human wife and marry her, with that being the only part of his life he could control.
1 Was Wrong: Underestimating Scar
Once again, Wrath was taking his enemies too lightly, and he didn't fully appreciate what people are capable of when their backs are to the wall. It's true that Scar, the vengeful monk, didn't want to use creative alchemy, but there is always the possibility.
During their duel, Scar used creative alchemy for the first time and took Wrath by total surprise. This move shifted the battle's tide back in Scar's favor, and a ruthless opponent like Wrath should have been prepared for that possibility.