In the world of firearms, very few handguns are instantly recognizable from across a room—or across a movie screen. The Desert Eagle is one of those rare guns. Big, angular, powerful, and cinematic, it’s been the symbol of overkill and cool since the late 1980s. But few people realize that the newest model in the Desert Eagle family, the L5, wasn’t just a product of innovation or market demand. It was born out of spite. And maybe—just maybe—that’s what makes it so good.