In a year of tragedy and farce, Guardian cartoonists have looked back at covering powerful figures acting with impunity. The fall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stood out as a rare win for justice and accountability, while dark humour helped make light of ongoing crises. Cartoonists also highlighted reasons for hope, such as the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York.
One cartoonist noted that 2025 was remarkable for what was not drawn: an anonymous government where 95% of the cabinet goes unrecognised, except for Wes Streeting. The wasted comic potential of figures like Pat McFadden, described as a dead spit for Death from a Brueghel painting, was called a national disgrace.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were drawn more than anyone else. While loathed, they make good caricatures due to their unpleasantness. Trump’s active face contrasts with Putin’s still expression, focusing on his glare. The aim is to ridicule and decipher grins and glares to expose motivations of those in power.
Cartoonists believe they can change public perception of authority, even if not bring down governments. However, drawing Trump so many times was deemed damaging for the soul, with one jokingly planning to sue for $10bn.
The year felt like watching repeats of old news while having teeth removed, with familiar horrors in Gaza, bloodshed in Ukraine, the ascent of Nigel Farage, and a Labour government trying to bring back austerity. The challenge was to keep having something new to say in a recurring nightmare, but cartooning remains a versatile medium to capture the heated climate and squeeze out laughs where possible.
