Paul Ryan
US Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Wikipedia's editing mechanism is its greatest plus point, but when factual inconsistencies creep in, it can prove to be a disaster. US House of Representatives (HOR) Speaker and Republican Paul Ryan is the latest victim of a not so tasteful edit where he has been portrayed as a 'villain.'

The generic definition of villain has been given by Wikipedia as an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. A registered Wikipedia editor changed the main picture of the page from a cartoon to Ryan's and left the caption unchanged as "An archetypical sinister cartoon villain."

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The edit took place on the same day the HOR passed the controversial and much debated American Healthcare Act (AHCA) which has been dubbed as Ryan's brainchild; many even call it "Ryancare." The bill repeals major parts of Obamacare and replaces it with a Republican healthcare plan.

Although Ryan's picture has been removed from the Wikipedia page as of now by moderators, users on Twitter seemed to be upset over the removal. Many hailed the editor who put the picture in the first place as a hero.

This is not the first time Ryan has received flak on social media and Wikipedia. In January, the speaker's name was included as the only human species on the Wikipedia page for invertebrates.