Evil Tropes

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Evil is complex.

Compare Darkness and Shadows Tropes.

Contrast Goodness Tropes and Neutrality Index.

See also Good and Evil for Your Convenience.

Tropes:

• Above Good and Evil: Someone believes their goals to be more valuable than good and evil.
• Academy of Evil: A school dedicated to training future villains.
• Adaptational Villainy: The adaptation makes a good or morally ambiguous character evil.
• Affably Evil: The guy may be evil, but he is cordial and well-mannered.
• Allergic to Evil: The forces of evil make you sick. Literally.
• Always Chaotic Evil: An entire race of evil people.
• Ambiguous Start of Darkness: It's uncertain how the villain became who they are.
• Ambiguously Evil: It's hard to tell what moral alignment a character is, but some of their actions and statements hint that they may be evil.
• Ambition Is Evil: The path to success requires you to commit morally reprehensible deeds.
• Amoral Talent Agent: Talent agents are evil or villainous.
• Anarcho-Tyranny: A rulership seizes or maintains power through an enforced state of lawless or chaos.
• Ancient Evil: An evil force from the distant past.
• And That's Terrible: The work feels the need to point out to the audience when certain actions are bad.
• And Then What?: The villain hasn't considered what they'll do once their plan is successful.
• And Your Little Dog, Too!: A villain shows just how evil they are by threatening the hero's loved one.
• Anti-Villain: The villain has noble and sympathetic motivations, especially the fact that they lack villainous qualities.
• Apocalypse Hitler: Adolf Hitler was certainly a pretty bad dude, but he'd be even worse if he came Back from the Dead.
• Arson, Murder, and Admiration: One villain starts listing the flaws of the other villain, then complimenting their merits
• Artifact of Attraction: An artifact that magically causes everybody to lust after it, generating conflict.
• Artifact of Death: A powerful artifact that leads to its owner's death.
• Artifact of Doom: An artifact which contains powers that are purely evil.
• As Long as There Is Evil: As long as evil exists, the villain will always come back.
• Attention-Deficit Disciple: The Dragon tends to get caught up in the enemy's shenanigans, much to their boss' chagrin.
• Auction of Evil: An auction attended by villains.
• Avenging the Villain: After the hero kills the villain, the hero gets targeted by the villain's vengeful loved ones.
• Baddie Flattery: A villain who compliments the heroes without irony or sarcasm for their virtues, combat prowess, heroism/etc.
• Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: The villains do the things that the heroes aren't willing to do.
• The Bad Guy Wins: The story ends with the villain being victorious and getting what they wanted.
• Bad Guys Have Better Budgets: Villains have access to greater financial resources.
• Bad People Abuse Animals: It's shown how awful the villain is by having them mistreat animals.
• Bad Powers, Bad People: Evil people have powers that are typically used destructively.
• Bad Powers, Good People: The good guys have powers that would be more appropriate for a villain.
• Bad Samaritan: Someone takes in the hero and seems (at first) to be helping, but they have ulterior motives.
• Bald of Evil: The villain is bald.
• Balking Summoned Spirit: A summoned spirit, typically a demon, balks at the requests made of them.
• Bathe Her and Bring Her to Me: The villain has the damsel cleaned up before... well, you know.
• Beard of Evil: The villain has a beard.
• Beauty Is Bad: The villain is pretty.
• Became Their Own Antithesis, when a righteous hero who fights evil becomes that very same evil over the course of the natural evolution of that character.
• Being Evil Sucks: Being the bad guy has its downsides.
• Being Tortured Makes You Evil: Tortured into evilness.
• Better Living Through Evil: The villain makes sure that his job offers are tempting.
• Better Off with the Bad Guys: A character is with the villains because it's a clear step up from where they were.
• Better the Devil You Know: It's a better idea to stick with a bad situation you know about than a new situation that could be worse.
• Beware the Superman: A superpowered being will chose to become a supervillain by using their abilities for personal gain, rather than help those around them.
• Beyond Redemption: A hero decides that a villain is irredeemable, and stops trying to reform them.
• Big Bad: The main antagonist of the work.
• Black Magic: Evil magic.
• Blood Bath: A character who takes a bath in a bathtub filled with blood.
• Bloodbath Villain Origin: The villain's Start of Darkness began with sudden mass murder.
• Board to Death: Villain kills people at a meeting.
• Bondage Is Bad: People who like BDSM are evil.
• Break Them With Lies: A villain lies in order to break someone's spirit.
• Bring Him to Me: The Big Bad brings the captured heroes to their lair.
• Brought to You by the Letter "S": While standard issue for superheroes to have their logo on their chest, the villains, from time to time, have these on their uniforms!
• The Brute: The physically strongest member of the villain's gang.
• Bugs Herald Evil: The arrival of someone or something evil is foreshadowed by a rise in the number of insects.
• Burn the Orphanage: The villain shows how pointlessly evil they are by burning down an orphanage.
• Business Rival Sabotage: A crooked businessperson uses immoral tactics to sabotage their business rivals.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: The villain is confronted by one of their victims over an atrocity that they don't remember due to it being just one of many bad things they've done in their life.
• Butt-Dialing Mordor: Accidentally contacting evil beings.
• Card-Carrying Villain: The villain is proud of being evil and revels in it.
• Chance Meeting Between Antagonists: A coincidental meeting between enemies.
• Chaos Is Evil: Chaos is a force for villainy
• Chaotic Evil: No order. No mercy.
• Chronic Villainy: It's impossible for the villain to be completely reformed because they keep on going back to committing evil deeds.
• Clothes Make the Maniac: An evil set of clothes or item that takes over its wearer/user.
• Co-Dragons: Two or more underlings who are both second-in-command to the main villain.
• Complete Monster: A villain so vile, cruel, and horrible that they have no redeeming qualities or scruples whatsoever.
• Complexity Addiction: Complicated plans are more fun than simple ones, even if they're doomed to fail!
• Conducting the Carnage: During something awful, someone is moving their hands like a conductor.
• Conquering Alien Prince: An Alien Prince who wants to take over another planet.
• Corrupt Church: A (nominally) good religious organization that has turned evil, run by crooked priests that are all a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites.
• The Corrupter: A villain who tries to tempt others into becoming evil themselves.
• Cosmic Chess Game: Two or more gods (or similarly powered entities) use the entire world as a game board.
• Creepy Cave: Caves are associated with evil.
• Creepy Jazz Music: Jazz music used to signify creepiness, often a particular villain.
• Creepy Souvenir: A memento that is either creepy or has a creepy past.
• Cross-Melting Aura: A monster with an immunity to traditional holy weapons.
• Cruelty by Feet: Acts of violence or humiliation associated with feet are evil, or at least can be.
• Cute Is Evil: A cute character turns out to be evil.
• The Dark Arts: A profession or discipline that is deemed evil.
• Dark Is Evil: Sinister-looking characters are automatically evil.
• The Dark Side: The overall faction of evil and villainy in the world.
• The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: A character who uses evil means to accomplish a good goal loses sight of the goal over time.
• Dead Guy on Display: Displaying a corpse for everyone to see.
• Dead Serious: Showing how serious a threat the villain is by having them kill someone the audience cares about.
• Decadent Court: Deadly, depraved throne room politics.
• Deck of Wild Cards: Every underling plans to overthrow the main villain.
• Deface of the Moon: The villain's scheme is to vandalize the moon.
• Deliver Us from Evil: An evil person turns good after starting a family.
• Demanding Their Head: Antagonists putting out a bounty on a severed head.
• Despotism Justifies the Means: The villain doesn't care about the state of the world as long as he can rule it in the end.
• Detect Evil: A special ability to detect the presence of evil.
• Devour the Dragon: The villain sacrifices their underling to gain power.
• Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: The villain cheats during a race even though the hero has no chance of winning, which ironically gives the hero time to beat them to the finish line.
• Digital Piracy Is Evil: A work makes it clear that they are against digital piracy.
• Disney Villain Death: The villain dies by falling to their doom.
• Doomsday Device: A device/object capable of destroying the world.
• The Dragon: The villain who is the Big Bad's right-hand man.
• Dragon Ascendant: The villain's second-in-command becomes top banana after their boss is defeated.
• Dragon-in-Chief: The second-in-command is a more capable and active threat than the main villain.
• Dragon with an Agenda: The second-in-command opposes their master's goals and acts independently from the main villain.
• Dread Zeppelin: Airships are associated with villains.
• Dress-Coded for Your Convenience: Good and evil dress in distinctive ways.
• Driven to Villainy: Someone's misfortunes drives them into becoming evil.
• Drunk on the Dark Side: A villain destroys and Chews the Scenery to celebrate becoming all-powerful.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: The villain wants to create a Dystopia.
• Easy Road to Hell: Doing any bad thing at all is enough to condemn you to Hell.
• Ecocidal Antagonist: Intentionally polluting the environment or grievously harming nature is associated with malice and villainy.
• Enemy Civil War: Two evil factions are fighting each other.
• Enemy Within: Evil force inside someone struggles for control.
• Enemy Without: Evil force inside someone escapes.
• Enlightened Antagonist: They have deeply pondered about and finally understood the meaning of life, but it won't stop them from continuing their evil goals.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: An evil organization invites everyone regardless of what race, gender, etc.
• Even Evil Can Be Loved: Just because the villain's evil doesn't mean there are no people who care about him.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Even the villains have people they love and care about.
• Even Evil Has Standards: There are some misdeeds that even the bad guys refuse to do or are disgusted by.
• Even Mooks Have Loved Ones: Evil henchmen aren't evil to their families.
• Evil All Along: A villain's true colors are revealed via plot twist.
• Evil Brit: A British villain.
• Evil Brunette Twin: An evil twin who is dark-haired while the good twin is light-haired.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: The villain misinterprets or is unable to understand why the good guys do what they do.
• Evil Cannot Stand Cuteness: A character's evil is characterized by their disgust of cutesy or adorable things or topics.
• Evil Costume Switch: Upon becoming a villain, the person switches to more sinister apparel.
• Evil Counterpart: When the villain is an evil version of the hero.
• Evil Counterpart Organization: A villainous organization mirrors the heroes' organization.
• Evil Counterpart Race: An Always Chaotic Evil species mirrors another, more positively-presented species.
• Evil Desires Innocence: A villainous character is drawn to an innocent.
• Evil-Detecting Baby: A baby that can sense evil.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: A dog (or other animals) can sense when an evil being is present.
• Evil Doppelgänger: An evil version of a character.
• Eviler than Thou: A villain proves themselves to be more evil than the other villain.
• Evil Evolves: Villains will learn new tricks.
• Evil Eyebrows: Arched eyebrows as a sign of villainy.
• Evil Feels Good: The villain is evil because they like being evil.
• Evil Former Friend: The villain used to be the hero's friend.
• Evil Genius: An extremely smart villain whose intelligence is their most important skill.
• Evil Gloating: A villain who wastes their time gloating.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Some villains may have a sick and twisted sense of humor.
• Evil, Inc.: An evil corporation.
• Evil Is Angular: How to get across you're evil? Be imposing. How to be imposing? Start by removing every smooth and rounded shape in your design.
• Evil Is Bigger: Evil characters tend to be larger in size than good characters.
• Evil Is Burning Hot: Fire is associated with evil.
• Evil Is Cool: Even villains deserve respect.
• Evil Is Deathly Cold: Evil is linked with coldness.
• Evil Is Easy: Doing evil is far more easier and convenient than doing good.
• Evil Is Hammy: The bad guy wouldn't be much of a villain if he didn't chew the scenery at every opportunity.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: Someone plans to free the evil being from their imprisonment in hopes of gaining an ally, but they learn the hard way after releasing the evil being that the evil being has no interest in serving them.
• Evil Is Not Pacifist: Villains are always willing to use violence.
• Evil Is Not Well-Lit: Areas where evil lurks have little to no light.
• Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: All the villains get along just fine.
• Evil Is Petty: Villains are willing to commit the most heinous of atrocities just because they're pricks.
• Evil Is Sterile: Evil cannot create, only destroy or corrupt.
• Evil Laugh: The villain laughs maniacally.
• Evil Learns of Outside Context: The villain encounters a character from another land, universe, time, society, or genre.
• Evil Makeover: When a character becomes evil, their appearance changes.
• Evil Makes You Monstrous: A villain turns into an inhuman monster.
• Evil Makes You Ugly: A villain's actions lead them to becoming hideous.
• Evil Mentor: A character who mentors the hero for their own evil purposes or to corrupt them.
• Evil Me Scares Me: A character is terrified of an evil version of themselves.
• Evil Nerd: A villain with a very geeky or nerdy personality.
• Evil Only Has to Win Once: If the bad guy wins, it's over.
• Evil Orphanage Lady: A Child Hater who runs an Orphanage of Fear.
• Evil Overlord: A dictator/monarch with absolute authority over a fairly large nation, who rules over their people through fear and brutality.
• Evil Overlord List: A list of things one must consider if they ever decide to become an evil overlord in order to prevent ever being defeated.
• Evil Parents Want Good Kids: A villain wants their child to grow up to be a decent person.
• Evil Pays Better: A character turns to crime because they find it more profitable than earning money the honest way.
• Evil Plan: The villain's scheme to do something evil.
• Evil Power Vacuum: New villains step up when the old villain is taken down.
• The Evil Prince: An ambitious prince usurps the throne from his father or brother (the king) by deposing or killing him in a coup.
• Evil Redeemed in a Can: After being Sealed Evil in a Can, the evil force has reformed and repented.
• Evil Redhead: A bad guy with red hair.
• Evil Running Good: Heroic groups are being used by a villain.
• Evil Slinks: Seductive villains moving elegantly.
• Evil Smells Bad: The villain smells horrible.
• Evil Sounds Deep: The villain has a deep voice.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: The villain has a raspy voice.
• Evil States of America: The Eagleland as an evil state.
• Evil Tainted the Place: A location that has been corrupted forever because it was once home to an evil presence.
• Evil Takes a Nap: A powerful evil is asleep, and bad things will come if it ever awakens.
• Evil Tastes Good: Villains compare their evil deeds to food and drink.
• Evil Twin: The protagonist's evil (twin) sibling, clone, doppelganger, or counterpart from another universe.
• Evil Versus Evil: A conflict between two people or groups who are both villainous.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: The villain saves the world from an Omnicidal Maniac, purely out of Pragmatic Villainy.
• Evil Virtues: Being effectively evil requires strengths of character.
• Evil Weapon: This weapon has a mind of its own, and wants to use you to work its evil will.
• Evil Wears Black: Villains wear black clothing.
• Evil Welcomes Defectors: Evil factions are very welcoming to traitors and defectors.
• Evil Will Fail: The Big Bad loses not just because the heroes were stronger, but because it is inherent to nature that evil will fail.
• Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: Villains or other evil characters wearing excessive, dark-colored makeup on and around their eyes.
• Exotic Entree: An evil character eats food that's immoral just to prepare.
• Exploring the Evil Lair: The villain's hideout is investigated by the protagonists.
• Face–Heel Turn: A good guy becomes evil.
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Adorable on the outside, evil on the inside.
• Fade Around the Eyes: Everything on the screen fades away around a character's eyes or other facial features for dramatic effect.
• Fallen Hero: The villain used to be a hero, but their reputation has sunk.
• Family-Values Villain: The villain cares about things being family-friendly.
• Fangs Are Evil: Villains have fangs.
• Fascist, but Inefficient: The Empire is both cruel and ineffective.
• Faux Affably Evil: The villain's still a bad person, their politeness is merely an act.
• Femme Fatalons: A villain has long well-kept fingernails.
• Filler Villain: A villain created for Filler material.
• Final Solution: A villain devises a plan to drive a group, race or species they have targeted to extinction.
• Finger-Lickin' Evil: Evil women with claws lick them.
• Finger-Tenting: Villains steeple their fingers.
• Flaying Alive: Skinning someone while they are still alive.
• Flies Equals Evil: The arrival of flies, mosquitoes, wasps, or other creepy crawlies to indicate something horrible is about to happen.
• Flying Cutlery Spaceship: Impractically aggressive-looking spiky, bladed spaceships.
• Forced into Evil: A character commits evil acts against their will.
• Forced to Watch: The villain forces someone to watch someone they love die or go through hell.
• For the Evulz: The villain commits their bad deeds just because.
• Four Is Death: Four is considered an extremely unlucky and evil number.
• Freaky Electronic Music: Electronic Music is the theme of villains.
• Freudian Excuse: A traumatic incident in someone's childhood or adolescence that drove them towards villainy.
  • Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: No traumatic incident is treated as an excuse for why the villain does bad things.
• Friendship-Hating Antagonist: An antagonist who hates friendship and bonds, serving as an antithesis to the main hero.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: The most feared villain started out as an insignificant loser.
• Fun-Hating Villain: The villain actively goes out of his way to prevent other people from enjoying themselves.
• Game Face: Revealing the true face of evil.
• Genocide from the Inside: The villain has exterminated his own race.
• Glamour Failure: An evil being is unable to hide aspects of their appearance that give away who they truly are.
• A Glass of Chianti: Villains love drinking red wine, often while lounging evilly.
• Gloved Fist of Doom: An evil pose a villain makes by shoving their gloved fist with an upward thrusting motion.
• Glove Snap: A character puts on latex gloves with a loud snap.
• God and Satan Are Both Jerks: God and the devil are both antagonistic towards humanity.
• God Is Evil: God is not benevolent in the least.
• God of Evil: A deity of pure evil.
• Good Colors, Evil Colors: Character Alignment depends on Color Motif.
• Good Girl Gone Bad: A good girl turns evil due to tragedy or trauma.
• Good Hurts Evil: Good powers are very painful for evil to handle.
• Good Powers, Bad People: The villain has powers more suited for good guys.
• Good Running Evil: Heroes take control of evil organizations.
• The Good, the Bad, and the Evil: Good guys, bad guys, and really bad guys all fighting each other.
• Got the Whole World in My Hand: Symbol of a hand grasping at the globe.
• Grayscale of Evil: Someone or something's that devoid of color is depicted as evil.
• Hand Rubbing: Evil characters rubbing their hands together.
• Hate Crimes Are a Special Kind of Evil: The perpetrators of hate crimes are portrayed as irredeemable.
• Heinous Villainy Needed: A hero is severely disappointed to learn that Grey-and-Gray Morality applies, and their antagonist is less evil or threatening than their actions made them out to be.
• Hearing Voices: A character hears disembodied voices due to insanity or supernatural forces.
• The Heavy: The antagonist that does the most work in driving the plot forward.
• Heinousness Retcon: A returning villain's crimes or personality are retconned to make them better/worse than originally established.
• High Collar of Doom: An evil character wears a high collar.
• Hobbes Was Right: Humanity defaults to evil. A very cynical worldview.
• Hope Crusher: A villain who specializes in taking hope away from other characters.
• Hope Spot: Things start looking up, only for that hope to be swiftly taken away.
• Horns of Villainy: The villain is horned.
• Human Sacrifice: Killing someone as part of an evil ritual.
• Humans Are Bastards: Humans are depicted as cruel and evil.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Humans are regarded as worse than the beings considered monsters.
• Human Shield: Someone grabs a hostage to be placed in front of them in order to dissuade enemies from attacking.
• Humiliation Conga: The villain is subjected to a series of humiliating defeats.
• Hunting Is Evil: Evil people hunt.
• I Can Rule Alone: One half of a group decides to backstab the other half in order to take full power for themselves.
• I Control My Minions Through…: A villain uses evil methods to ensure loyalty from their minions.
• If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: A person is asked to commit an atrocity to prove how evil they are.
• Ignored Epiphany: The villain briefly considers renouncing their ways but decides not to.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: The villain has the girl in his grasp and doesn't even try to deny having unsavory intentions with her.
• Immortality Immorality: Immortality causes one to act evil.
• The Imp: A small, antagonistic creature who's more annoying than outright evil or malicious.
• Inbred and Evil: A villain who was conceived from an incestuous relationship.
• Industrialized Evil: Evil deeds performed in a systematic, automated and impersonal manner, reducing victims to one more cog in the machine or object on the assembly line.
• In Their Own Image: A character tries to destroy the world and remake it on very self-serving terms.
• The Irredeemable Exception: The last villain, in a world where most evil people end up reforming to good, refuses to repent.
• It's All About Me: The villain only cares about themselves.
• I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: A villain motivates their underling by threatening the underling's loved ones.
• Jabba Table Manners: A villainous character has bad table manners to emphasize their badness.
• Jerkass: A character who is rude and unfriendly.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: A character expected to be a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, only to find out they don't have a heart at all.
• Karma Houdini: The villain gets off scot-free for their actions.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: ...but not for much longer.
• Kick the Dog: It's established how rotten the bad guy is by having them do something mean just to prove what a cruel asshole they are.
• Killing Intent: Sensing when someone wants to inflict pain or death on someone.
• Kill the Poor: Attempting to eliminate poverty by killing the destitute.
• Kingpin in His Gym: The villains trains on his off-time.
• Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Villains who murder their own family are seen as especially vile.
• Kneel Before Zod: The villain forces or demands a hero to bow/kneel before them.
• Knight Templar: A villain convinced of their own righteousness, but whose methods are far too vicious to be truly good.
• Lack of Empathy: The villain has no empathy for other people.
• Laughably Evil: The villain is humorous.
• Laugh with Me!: A villain performs an Evil Laugh and demands others laugh with him/her.
• Lawful Evil: A character alignment combining self-interest and order.
• Lean and Mean: Skinny characters who are evil.
• Legalized Evil: Evil is acceptable under the law and the acting authority will not punish someone for doing it.
• Leonine Contract: A one-sided bargain that the victim can't afford to refuse.
• Light Is Not Good: The villain has a deceptively benign appearance.
• Likable Villain: Bad guys whom the audience consider to be interesting, entertaining, charming, or even sympathetic.
• Love Makes You Evil: Villainy motivated by love.
• Loves the Sound of Screaming: Someone finds joy in the loud, loud misery of others.
• Love to Hate: The villain is popular among the fandom precisely because of how despicable they are.
• Made of Evil: An object that is literally composed of malevolence.
• Mage in Manhattan: A villain from a Magical Land comes to our world to cause havoc.
• Magic Is Evil: Magic is associated with evil.
• Makeup Is Evil: Makeup in fiction is a sign of being evil.
• Make Wrong What Once Went Right: A villainous time traveler tries to change the past as part of their evil scheme, or to rectify it.
• Malevolent Angel: An angel that is naturally evil without having once been good.
• Malevolent Mugshot: A villain uses their face and name as their symbol.
• Malicious Mirror: A mirror with malicious intent.
• Malicious Slander: Lies and rumors spread to discredit someone.
• Maniac Monkeys: Monkeys and apes are the bad guys.
• Man of Wealth and Taste: A villain who is rich and fashionable.
• Marital Rape License: The rationalization that marriage makes it okay for one to rape their spouse.
• Mark of the Beast: A physical mark indicating a character is associated with a malevolent being.
• Marveling at the MacGuffin: A villain that's secured the ultimate plot device can't resist the urge to obsess over it.
• May Contain Evil: A super-popular new product has evil side-effects.
• Meaningless Villain Victory: The villain wins, but their victory is rendered pointless by something happening or being revealed at the last minute.
• Memory Gambit: A character sacrifices their own memories for a tactical advantage.
• Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency: Someone has an intellectual disability and is evil.
• Mental Monster: Your inner demons made flesh.
• Million Mook March: A large crowd of marching mooks.
• Missing Reflection: Someone has no reflection in a mirror, they're probably a vampire.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: The villain's minions turn on him in retaliation for his mistreating them.
• Monster Fangirl: A fangirl of a depraved criminal.
• Monstrous Cannibalism: An inhuman being is so vile that it has no qualms with eating its own kind.
• Monument of Humiliation and Defeat: After the villain wins, they celebrate their victory by building a monument with the purpose of rubbing it in that the people they've conquered have lost.
• Moral Event Horizon: The one bad deed so despicable that any ounce of sympathy for a villain is gone, and redemption is out of the question.
• Morality-Guided Attack: An attack that draws its power from how good or evil the user's opponent is.
• The Morality/Mortality Equation: The more evil a villain is, the greater the odds that their loved ones will not survive. The more moral the hero is, the greater the odds that their own loved ones will survive.
• Moral Myopia: The villain considers something an atrocity only if it happens to them.
• Moral Pragmatist: A character ignorantly does evil, until it's pointed out that doing good would help their cause much better.
• Mordor: The dark, hellish wasteland of evil.
• Murder by Suicide: Killing someone indirectly by forcing them to kill themselves.
• Murder Into Malevolence: Someone who was murdered becomes an evil ghost.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: A character's knee-jerk solution to any problem they may face is to kill the people troubling them.
• Myopic Conqueror: When The Conqueror has no plans or interests for a place he conquers.
• Near-Villain Victory: The villain gets close to succeeding, but is beaten at the last minute.
• Neutral Evil: A character alignment which is about doing whatever it takes to accomplish an evil goal.
• Never Hurt an Innocent: The villain will only harm people who are directly confronting them. Innocents who did nothing to him are to be spared.
• No Cure for Evil: Evil does not get healing powers, at least not for anyone but the user.
• No Delays for the Wicked: Villains are unhindered by logistical or bureaucratic concerns.
• No Honor Among Thieves: Evildoers are prone to betraying each other.
• No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: When the hero is captured and, instead of throwing him in the dungeon, the villain treats him as a guest.
• No Sympathy Between Mooks: The villain's henchmen don't like each other.
• Nothing but Skulls: In a pile of bones, skulls are the only bone present.
• "Not Illegal" Justification: A villain's evil act is immoral without being illegal, which the villain points out.
• Number of the Beast: 666 as a number associated with evil.
• Obliviously Evil: A villain who is completely unaware that their actions are wrong.
• Obsessed with Deadly Item: A villain is obsessed with obtaining something dangerous, even to their own detriment.
• Offing the Mouth: A character is killed for making snarky comments.
• Offscreen Villain Dark Matter: Villains never have problems funding all their expensive evil plans.
• Offstage Villainy: A villain commits some evil act that isn't shown, only referenced.
• Old Man Marrying a Child: A girl who is way too young to be in a sexual relationship is married off to a much older man.
• Orcus on His Throne: The bad guy mostly just sits around and lets his minions do all the work.
• Ordered to Die: A person in authority commands their underling to kill themselves.
• Outscare the Enemy: Yikes! That hero is even scarier than me!
• Overlord Jr.: The Evil Overlord's kid is also evil.
• The Paragon Always Rebels: An inspirational and heroic character turns evil, resulting in many others following their example.
• Passion Is Evil: Heroes are calm and rational whereas villains are passionate and impulsive.
• Past Victim Showcase: To show just how bad the torture someone is about to endure is, the villain shows them someone who has already been through it.
• The Pawns Go First: A villain waits for the hero to defeat their minions before battling them.
• Pedophilia Is a Special Kind of Evil: Establishing a villain as being especially vile by revealing them to be sexually interested in children and having that earn them disgust from others.
• Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: When a character's morally shady friends influence him to lower his own moral standards.
• Pitiful Worms: Insulting someone by comparing them to a bug.
• Playing with Puppets: Controlling someone For the Evulz.
• Poison Is Evil: Killing someone with the use of a highly toxic chemical substance.
• Poke the Poodle: The bad guy's attempts at doing an evil deed come off as more like harmless pranks than anything.
• Politically Correct Villain: The one area of immorality the bad guy draws the line against is bigotry, so they go out of their way to make sure their crimes aren't misconstrued as persecuting marginalized groups, or may even be a Well-Intentioned Extremist with the intent of ending all discrimination.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: The bad guy happens to be a bigot.
• Popular Is Evil: The most popular kids in High School are always the meanest.
• Post-Rape Taunt: A rapist taunts their victim's loved ones about the act.
• Powering Villain Realization: A protagonist realizes that they supply the villain with power, and cut it off.
• Pragmatic Villainy: The bad guy refuses to do a bad deed for practical reasons rather than finding the misdeed inexcusable.
• Preemptive Threat Elimination: A character (usually a villain but not always) kills a non-enemy because they couldn't possibly be a threat in the future.
• Primal Stance: Feral characters walk like gorillas.
• Privilege Makes You Evil: Being handed everything in life makes you corrupt.
• Protagonist Journey to Villain: The story is about the main character gradually becoming a villain.
• Put the "Laughter" in "Slaughter": Laughing while killing someone.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Rape is regarded as the worst crime possible.
• Reading the Entrails: Evil magic users will often divine the future using animal entrails.
• Redemption Rejection: A character is offered a chance to turn from villainy, but refuses.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The villain has red eyes.
• Red-Flag Recreation Material: A character's villainy is highlighted by their choice in reading or viewing material.
• Red Right Hand: The villain is identified by a deformity.
• Regularly Scheduled Evil: Monster or villain always shows up to kill people at a specific time.
• Religion of Evil: A sinister sect that views evil deeds as virtuous, and worship one (or more) malevolent deity(ies).
• Reminiscing About Your Victims: Someone fondly recalls a victim they murdered, raped, etc.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Evil reptiles.
• Repressive, but Efficient: The government may be repressive and cruel, but it gets things done well.
• Residual Evil Entity: Defeating or destroying something evil results in it creating or possessing a new physical form elsewhere.
• Returning Big Bad: A previous Big Bad returns later in the story after a period of absence.
• Revenge by Proxy: A character's seeks revenge against their enemy by targeting the enemy's loved one.
• Revenge Through Corruption: Where a villain gets revenge on a character by making their loved ones evil, insane, and/or under the villain's control.
• Right-Hand Cat: The bad guy has a cat.
• Rock Me, Asmodeus!: Rock music in association with demons.
• Rotten Rock & Roll: Evil rock musicians.
• Royal Brat: A Spoiled Brat who is royalty.
• Rushmore Refacement: The villain's scheme is to add their face to Mount Rushmore.
• Sadistic Thief: A thief steals something because they want to hurt the victim rather than a desire for what they stole.
• Satanic Archetype: A villain is the representation of the Devil in the story's universe.
• The Savage South: Places in southern regions are barbaric and dangerous.
• Save the Villain: A hero saves a villain.
• Scary Symbolic Shapeshifting: A non-shapeshifter symbolically transforms to illustrate their unpleasant nature.
• Scary Teeth: Villains have teeth that look creepy or disgusting.
• Schmuck Banquet: An abandoned feast is Schmuck Bait.
• Secretary of Evil: The character who runs logistics for a villainous group.
• Secret Circle of Secrets: The classic evil Cult, a secret society with robes and masks that meet in secrecy to do evil things.
• Selective Slaughter: A killer refuses to harm certain people or groups, such as children or innocents.
• Self-Constructed Being: A being has to create their own body.
• Self-Recovery Surprise: Someone hurts a villain, who reveals that they have healing powers.
• Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: Good guys dress modestly while villains wear revealing clothes.
• Serial-Killer Killer: A serial killer who murders other serial killers.
• Sex Is Evil: Sex is seen as immoral.
• Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: A character who thinks sex is a sin but has a sexuality.
• Sexy Villains, Chaste Heroes: Villains whose designs are played for fanservice contrast with modest heroes.
• Share the Sickness: A sick villain tries to spread their disease to other people.
• Shiny New Australia
• Shoot the Builder: When the villain has those who built their lair disposed of to prevent any secrets from getting out.
• Shoot the Messenger: Villain reacts to bad news by killing the messenger who brought them the bad news.
• Shoulders of Doom: The villain wears big shoulder clothing.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: The hero gives a counter to the villain's speech on why their heroic efforts are worthless.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: The villain gives a counter to the hero's speech on why they'll lose in the end.
• Silence, You Fool!: The Big Bad yells at their underlings to be quiet.
• Sin Demons: Supernatural beings that personify particular sins.
• Sin Eater: A person who literally or metaphorically takes on people's sins to purify them. Or who claims to be doing this by targeting people they believe to be sinners.
• A Sinister Clue: The villain is left-handed.
• Sinister Geometry: Geometric shapes are associated with evil.
• Sinister Minister: An evil priest who carries out vile deeds under the guise of religion.
• Sinister Nudity: Nudity is used as a signifier of villainy and horror.
• Sinister Sweet Tooth: A taste for sweets is established as a villainous trait.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Slavery and human trafficking are seen as worse than other crimes.
• Sliding Scale of Villain Threat: How much of an evil threat does a villain pose?
• Slouch of Villainy: A villain slouches in their chair to show their aloofness.
• Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Gradually becoming evil without a marked alignment change.
• Snakes Are Sinister: Snakes portrayed as creepy or evil creatures.
• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Each major enemy or group of enemies become more powerful than the first.
• Soviet Superscience: Soviets with technology noticeably more advanced than their Real Life historical counterparts.
• Spare a Messenger: An individual or group spared after a battle because it's part of their attacker's plan.
• Spikes of Villainy: The villain has spikes.
• Spoiled Brat: An egocentric child who becomes bratty if not doted on.
• Spreading the Misery: A miserable character commits evil against others so that others will share the same pain.
• The Starscream: An underling who plans to overthrow the main villain.
• Starter Villain Stays: The Starter Villain remains present throughout the series.
• Start of Darkness: A prequel story about how a villain became who they are.
• Stock Evil Overlord Tactics: Common evil plans that villains come up with.
• Straight Edge Evil: A villain who avoids committing vices like recreational drugs or sexual promiscuity.
• Stupid Evil: The villain commits evil deeds in spite of them being ridiculously impractical.
• Stupid Jetpack Hitler: Advanced, futuristic technology and super-weapons developed by the Nazis.
• Sugary Malice: A character who looks and sounds sweet is actually cruel and hurtful.
• Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: A character (usually a villain) wants to kill themselves and take everyone else with them.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Someone with an evil alter-ego that's more powerful than their normal self.
• Super Supremacist: A superpowered being believes that their abilities automatically make them better than the Muggles they look down upon and may even use their powers to conquer and enslave those they consider inferior.
• Surrounded by Idiots: The villain complains about their minions' incompetence.
• Sympathetic Villain, Despicable Villain: A Foil duo of villains where one is sympathetic and potentially capable of redemption, while the other is irredeemably evil.
• Sympathy for the Devil: The hero sympathizes with the villain.
• Take Over the City: The villain plans to take over the town they live in.
• Take Over the World: The villain plans to take over the world.
• Tested on Humans: A villain tests his weapon on live humans.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: A character is treated like a villain long enough that they decide they might as well become one.
• This Cannot Be!: The villain's plans are foiled; they voice their disbelief that it happened.
• This Is Your Brain on Evil: A character tries being evil and soon becomes addicted to it.
• Threw My Bike on the Roof: A villain decides to vandalize someone else's property for shits and giggles.
• Thrown from the Zeppelin: A villain with a grand scheme disposes of an objector to the plan immediately and in such a way as to quash further objection.
• Tin Tyrant: A villainous character that wears fully concealing plate armor.
• To Create a Playground for Evil: A villain wants to make the world an evil place.
• Token Competent Minion: The one evil minion who seems to know what they are doing.
• Token Evil Teammate: The one member of the hero team who's actually evil in spite of being on their side.
• Too Funny to Be Evil: A villain hides their evil deeds under the guise of a joke.
• Trapped in Villainy: Someone commits evil acts because something/someone is forcing them to.
• Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Betrayal is treated as being worse than any other evil act a villain has done.
• Two-Faced: The villain's face is asymmetrical.
• Un-Evil Laugh: The villain's laugh is not frightening or unnerving.
• Unholy Ground: A land haunted and dangerous to any living creature
• Unholy Matrimony: Two villains who are married.
• Unicorn Hunting: Unicorns are sought after for their blood, hair, horns, and magic.
• Unicorns Are Sacred: Hurting or killing a unicorn is a sign of great evil.
• United Heroes, Divided Villains: The heroes are willing to work together while the villains are more divided among themselves.
• Unseen Evil: An evil entity which is never shown on screen.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: The villain was much nicer when they were younger.
• Usurping Santa: A villain plots to depose Santa Claus or another holiday figure to gain their power and fame.
• Vader Breath: Heavy, ominous breathing.
• Viler New Villain: The villain stands out as eviller than the other villain.
• Villain Ball: The villain loses because of an inability to restrain the urge to keep doing bad deeds.
• Villain Cred: The amount of fear and respect that villains get from other people.
• Villainesses Want Heroes: A female villain has an unrequited crush on The Hero.
• Villain Holds the Leash: A villain's pet is the main reason why they're threatening.
• "The Villain Knows" Moment: The villain reveals that they know, or have known, a crucial piece of information.
• Villain No Longer Idle: The villain leaves his throne to take matters into his own hands.
• Villainous Breakdown: The bad guy goes berserk and flies into a rage over their plan failing.
• Villainous BSoD: The villain stops when the gravity of their crimes sinks into their mind.
• Villainous Cheekbones: Prominent cheekbones are a sign of villainy.
• Villainous Crush: A villain is romantically/sexually attracted to one of the heroes.
• Villainous Demotivator: You Have Failed Me = bad Mook morale.
• Villainous Face Hold: A villain holds an incapacitated character's face, forcing said character to look them in the eye as they threaten or gloat at them.
• Villainous Gold Tooth: Gold teeth symbolizing villainy and/or amorality.
• Villainous Incest: The villain has sex with a blood relative just to show how vile and messed up he is.
• Villainous Lineage: Evil is genetic.
• Villainous Medical Care: A villain gets medical care for an injured hero.
• Villainous Plan Inertia: Simply defeating the villain isn't enough to stop his evil plan.
• Villainous Valour: Some villains can be extremely brave and determined in the face of overwhelming odds against them.
• Villainous Widow's Peak: A distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead indicates an evil character.
• Villain Override: The villain mind-controls their less-successful subordinates in order to take down the heroes.
• Villain Pedigree: When the current group of enemies stops being a threat to the heroes, introduce a new one.
• Villain Protagonist: The main character of the work is also the bad guy.
• Villain Respect: The villain admires The Hero for being a Worthy Opponent.
• Villains Blend in Better: Villains adapt into society better than the heroes.
• Villains Learn Faster: The villain has better progress when it comes to learning skills than the hero.
• Villains Love Entertainment: The bad guys enjoy having fun.
• Villains Never Lie: The villain tells the truth in a manipulative way.
• Villain Song: The villain sings about their villainy.
• Villains Out Shopping: The villain is currently taking a break from being evil and is just doing the same things normal people do.
• Villain Takes an Interest: The villain is interested in mentoring the hero.
• Villain World: The aspiring Evil Overlord wins.
• Villainous Fatigue: The villain loses against the hero enough times that they lose confidence in their Evil Plans.
• Villainy Discretion Shot: A character's evil deeds are not shown on screen.
• Virtue Is Weakness: Having a sense of morality is seen as weak.
• Voice of the Legion: The character (usually a villain) has a voice that sounds like multiple individuals speaking in unison.
• Walk into Mordor: The only means of reaching the villain's world is on foot.
• Wardens Are Evil: Wardens are always complete monsters who physically, verbally, and/or sexually abuse their prisoners.
• Weakened by the Light: Evil beings die when exposed to sunlight.
• We Can Rule Together: The villain makes the offer that the hero can join him in their conquest.
• Welcome to Evil Mart: A store that exclusively caters to villains.
• What Is Evil?: The concept of good and evil has no meaning to the villain.
• Where I Was Born and Razed: The villain destroyed his hometown.
• White Hair, Black Heart: An evil character has white hair.
• Wicked Cultured: Villains have a taste for the finer things in life.
• Wicked Pretentious: A villain that tries to pass himself off as Wicked Cultured and fails at doing so.
• Wicked Wastefulness: Wastefulness is a sign of bad character.
• Would Hurt a Child: The villain is willing to hurt children.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: The villain's plan will always reach the final stage no matter what the heroes do.
• You Cloned Hitler!: Someone makes a clone of Adolf Hitler.
• You Could Have Used Your Powers for Evil: A villain sees the hero using their powers for good as a waste of their true potential for evil.
• You Have Failed Me: The villain kills their minion as punishment for failing too often or too severely.
• You Have No Chance to Survive: A villain gloats that the heroes won't survive much longer.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The villain kills a minion after they've completed their task.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: A good person feels shame when a less scrupulous person praises them for doing something bad.