History Characters / Overlord

* IronicHell: His abyss; he's trapped in his tree form and forced to watch his subjects massacred over and over in a ([[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking badly acted]]) play about the genocide of the elves.

* FallenHero: All of them except the Wizard, [[spoiler: because he was possessed by the Overlord so it isn't even be him anymore]], were hailed as Heroes until they became corrupt.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: If you try to hurt her she will slap the Overlord so hard he will fall to the ground despite wearing armour strong enough to withstand armies. If you try to run away she will chase you and your only escape is to move to a different area of the Dark Tower.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: If you try to hurt her she will slap the Overlord so hard he will fall to the ground despite wearing armour strong enough to withstand armies. If you try to run away she will chase you and your only escape is to move to a different area of the Dark Tower.

* AnAxeToGrind: His default weapon is a battleaxe.

* {{Lust}}: While most directly seen with his association with [[HornyDevils the Succubus Queen and her subjects]], Sir William lusts after ''everything'' to the point of general hedonism.

* SimpleStaff: Wields an ebony staff in battle; it ends up becoming loot for the minions once he's defeated.

* MightyGlacier: He's slower than his Minions, but stronger and more durable. UpToEleven if you [[GameBreaker upgrade the best equipment with only Brown Minions]], where he becomes an unstoppable OneManArmy.

* MercyKill: In the final stage of the boss battle, he begs you for one of these. [[PetTheDog You oblige him.]] Of course, the Overlord [[PragmaticVillainy can't reach Dwarven lands without killing him...]]

* VillainousFriendship: Goldo sent him a wedding present which suggests that the two are still close... though when the wedding is called off, Goldo is prepared to take the present back.

* AndIMustScream: His afterlife comprises him being turned into a sentient golden statue that can never move (it can certainly writhe in pain, but not move)... and once his subjects get a hold of him, he doesn't even get to stay in the same shape anymore since they break him into chunks.

* GreenEyedMonster: Got something you value? Even if it's just an old teddy bear, Jewel wants it. What you treasure, she wants out of nothing more then jealousy.

* UnstoppableRage: Got to put him down to end the invasion. And he's [[{{Foreshadowing}} convinced the Overlord is in cahoots with the Wizard]].

* SmugSnake: Pride's his hat. This had to come into play somewhere.

* BigBad: [[spoiler: He's actually the Overlord who was killed by the Heroes, having performed a GrandTheftMe on the original Wizard and purged his soul from his body. He uses the player to kill the Heroes after corrupting them and leaving them vulnerable while he recovered. When Kahn is killed, he takes that as his cue and returns to the Tower to steal back his power and kill you.]]

* ImAHumanitarian: According to captured peasants, Melvin's appetites have extended this far.

* JabbaTableManners: Disgusts even the Minions, who urinate on everything and wear dead rats for hats.

* DespairEventHorizon: After coming back from fighting the previous Overlord, he got tired of fighting or just making any effort at all. He ended up part of the forest and subservient as his willpower waned.

* TokenGoodTeammate: The only one of the heroes who expresses regret over what they've become, and the only one not enjoying himself; furthermore, the Wizard later reveals that [[spoiler: when the Eighth Hero fell to his apparent death, Oberon was the only hero who insisted that they try to rescue him.]] Even his sin (simply tiring of conflict) is rather light compared to the others. This may be why he has a sympathetic death scene, and [[spoiler: his Abyss ends with him flat out destroyed and given the peace of true death while the others get their ironic hells shifted to another form of ironic torture.]]
* TragicVillain: The Elf may have caused most of his species to die by not wanting to fight, but it's considerably more sympathetic than the other heroes who laughed as they went down the slippery slope.

* VillainousFriendship: Goldo sent him a wedding present suggesting the two are still close, though when the wedding was called off Goldo was prepared to take the present back.

* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His castle hoard tons of gold.

* PunnyName: It apparently runs in the family as, according to Gnarl, his mother hiscalled Goldie Golddigger while his cousin is Golden Goldeater.

* TankGoodness: Rollie.
* VillainousFriendship: A bit of a stretch but while he does try to take it back after the wedding is called off he still sends a present to Sir William suggesting that they remained close after the heroes went their seperate ways and became corrupt.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: When you capture and interrogate her, she just... disappears from the game. Mention is made of an iron maiden from Gnarl, but Jewel doesn't even show up in an abyss, so it's unlikely she died from it.

* BigBad: [[spoiler: He's actually the Overlord who was killed by the heroes, having performed a GrandTheftMe on the original Wizard and purged his soul from his body. He used the player to kill the heroes after corrupting them and leaving them vulnerable while he recovered. When Kahn is killed, he takes that as his cue and returns to the Tower to steal back his power and kill you.]]

* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:He brought back the Eighth Hero to "succeed" him and kill off the other heroes so that he could easily reclaim his power. Not only did the Eighth Hero turn out to be a better master than he was, he ended up killing the Wizard after a brief struggle for power.]]

* HannibalLecture: During his fight he taunts you with words he told the heroes when he was corrupting them.

* ThanatosGambit: [[spoiler:His death allowed him to possess the Wizard and get close to the heroes, corrupting them into the aggressive menaces encountered over the course of the game; once his replacement had done his dirty work in getting rid of them, he can take back his throne with no opposition from any of his former "allies", with a renewed and more powerful army of Minions to conquer the world.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:The Wizard's failure to truly defeat the Overlord which led to him being possessed is to blame for everything that came after. Using the Wizard's body the Overlord was able to corrupt the seven heroes, with Gnarl believing that it was their villainy and deaths that made it possible for gates to be opened to the Abyss. This led to the new Overlord being trapped and leaving the Dark Tower defenseless when Florian sneaked in and caused the Tower Heart to explode, resulting in a magical plague that made people hate magical creatures and cause the creation of the Glorious Empire. The only way good was able to return by the time of ''Fellowship of Evil'' in the form of the Shining Justice organisation is because his grandson, who was the new Overlord, stopped the Devourer and restored order through dismantling the Empire and becoming ruler.]]

* AntiHero / AntiVillain: A low corruption Overlord is a merciless force towards threats, and seems to very much enjoy the power and position he holds, but he never raises a violent hand towards innocents, and at several points makes choices that are decidedly heroic.

* AxCrazy: You have to play this way if you want to go for 100% corruption, as the most Evil choice at various points in the game usually involve people getting violently killed, sometimes by the Overlord's hand. One of the biggest chunks of corruption - and likely to be the last one you need before 100% corruption, is to kill a thousand citizens. If you want to be true evil, a ''lot'' of innocent people need to die to the Overlord directly.

* TheDragon: He unknowingly played this for [[spoiler: the previous Overlord inhabiting the Wizard's body]], offing the other fallen heroes so he could reclaim his throne.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: No matter how evil you make him in your playthrough, canonically, he made at least two Good-aligned choices according to the sequel. Namely, [[spoiler: he canonically saves the last elven women (as the elves are still around, likely meaning he's not into causing racial extinction), and he stays faithful to Rose (whether it be through actually loving her, being against adultery, or [[PragmaticVillainy acknowledging her usefulness]] over her less reliable sister)]].

* KnightOfCerebus: Downplayed. While the rest of the evil cast, be they blatantly evil and proud of it or nominally good guys who've become blatant hypocrites, are over the top and ridiculous, the Overlord himself is played very straight. He's a giant among men, can kill almost anything in a one on one fight with better equipment (though it will be a bit tedious without help from the Minions), and his cold menacing aura contrasts sharply against the wanton destruction he's capable of. He's less of a Sauron parody and more of a Sauron Expy that landed in a parodic story.
* LargeAndInCharge: Most of the minions do not seem to exceed 4 feet in height, the Overlord is so tall that he can not enter the homes of the villagers since their doors are too small.

* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:He was the eighth hero who was left for dead by his allies.]]
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Your predecessor in the Overlord position only had you revived as part of a long game while he corrupted the other heroes: he corrupts them into Evil, you kill them, and their deaths unleash enough Evil energy into the world for him to come back.]]

* EvilChancellor: For his Overlords, which works out just fine as him and his boss are Evil. [[spoiler: Played completely straight in the first game, as he betrays you for the old Overlord, both out of loyalty and because the old one is potentially ''more'' Evil than you]].

* ManipulativeBastard: There's some implications that have given rise to a fan theory that Gnarl is feigning subservience to you, and that his guiding you around is actually playing you as ''his'' dragon. Seeing as he's the one usually coming up with all the plans and goals and you're enacting them, there's some weight to this.
* MissionControl: His main role in the series is to tell the player what to do and how to do it all the while quipping about evil things.
* NonActionGuy: As the most elderly minion, he doesn't do field work any more and stays in the Tower. This used to be not the case, as Gnarl does reminisce about his time running around as a standard Brown minion early on in the first game.

* PragmaticVillainy: His InUniverse justification for any good choices in the first game. Make yourself look good to fuel a long-term evil empire, since you can't have one if all the empire's towns are burned down and their residents mostly dead.
* Really700YearsOld: He's positively ancient compared to just about any other character, as he still knows what the long-extinct dragons were like. In fact, since he's so old, it's not known if minions can even die of old age.
* WhenIWasYourAge: Played humorously, as Gnarl comments on the younger minions and how he used to be like them, putting all sorts of weird things on his head.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: When the Wizard returns and tries to steal your magic and kill you, Rose (if you didn't spurn her for Velvet) interrupts him by attacking the tower heart, giving you a chance to get your magic back and go after him.]]

* FieryRedhead: She tried bossing the Overlord around the moment they met.

* PolarOppositeTwins: She's an orderly stick-in-the-mud, but her heart is in the right place... usually, who loves the Overlord genuinely. Violet is a chaotic seductress whose love for the Overlord is only pockets deep.

* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: [[spoiler:In the second game, she reveals herself by reflexively telling Gnarl to shut up, after no-one had mentioned his name.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: She initially follows the Overlord out of a belief that his tyranny will bring Order to your kingdom better than the stupid feudal lords and fallen heroes. [[spoiler: In ''2'', she's so fallen into OrderVersusChaos that when Chaos gets an edge, she [[TookALevelInJerkass became much more extremist and much less well-intentioned]].]]
* WomanScorned: [[spoiler:If you spurned her for Velvet, she betrays you in revenge and allows the Wizard into your tower.]]

* WomanScorned: If you reject her, [[spoiler: She finds a way to get the Wizard into the tower.]]

One of the brown minions who originally revives the Overlord and helps him recover the Tower Heart. Later becomes the forge master once the smelters are recovered.

* TheBlacksmith: Once you get the forge operational.

* FallenHero: All of them except the Wizard, [[spoiler: because he was possessed by the Overlord so it might not even be him anymore]], were hailed as heroes until they became corrupt.
* OfferedTheCrown: Some of the heroes became king of their respective peoples after felling the last Overlord.
* SevenDeadlySins: Each hero is modeled after one of the Sins.

* DarthVaderClone: Not a completely straight example since his personality and actions are up to the player but his backstory[[spoiler: as a FallenHero and MagicKnight who was [[ReforgedIntoAMinion Reforged into a]] [[TheDragon Dragon]] while always wearing intimidating armour brings to mind this trope]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overlord1protag.jpg]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:The Wizard's failure to truly defeat the Overlord which led to him being possessed is to blame for everything that came after. Using the Wizard's body the Overlord was able to corrupt the seven heroes, with Gnarl believing that it was their villainy and deaths that made it possible for gates to be opened to the Abyss. This led to the new Overlord being trapped and leaving the Dark Tower defenseless when [[spoiler:Florian]] sneaked in and caused the Tower Heart to explode, resulting in a magical plague that made people hate magical creatures and cause the creation of the Glorious Empire. The only way good was able to return by the time of ''Fellowship of Evil'' in the form of the Shining Justice organisation is because his grandson, who was the new Overlord, stopped the Devourer and restored order through dismantling the Empire and becoming ruler.]]

* PunnyName: It apparently runs in the family as according to Gnarl his mother his called Goldie Golddigger while his cousin is Golden Goldeater.

* NotSoDifferent: He insists that the heroes were not as good as they acted like they were to start with. [[spoiler: As the former Evil Overlord, he takes philosophical dynamics of Good and Evil very seriously. Also, he is not so different from you, obviously.]]

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: One Elf gets tired of war and refuses to fight. Entire species is nearly killed as a result. Gets controlled by a giant tree in the time while the Overlord is sleeping. As it's a magic tree, it turns the entire forest into a literally nightmarish place populated by Skulls (upright-walking skull-headed animal nightmares) and Elf ghosts. Oberon cannot end it himself, seeing as the tree won't let him wake up unless it is in direct danger.

* BadassLongRobe

* GoneHorriblyRight: He brought back the Eighth Hero to "succeed" him and kill off the other heroes so that he could easily reclaim his power. Not only did the Eighth Hero turn out to be a better master than he was, he ended up killing the Wizard after a brief struggle for power.

* MagicStaff

* PowerFloats

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The Wizard's failure to truly defeat the Overlord which led to him being possessed is to blame for everything that came after. Using the Wizard's body the Overlord was able to corrupt the seven heroes, with Gnarl believing that it was their villainy and deaths that made it possible for gates to be opened too the Abyss. This led to the new Overlord being trapped and leaving the Dark Tower defenseless when [[spoiler:Florian]] sneaked in and caused the Tower Heart to explode, resulting in a magical plague that made people hate magical creatures and cause the creation of the Glorious Empire. The only way good was able to return by the time of ''Fellowship of Evil'' in the form of the Shining Justice organisation is because his grandson, who was the new Overlord, stopped the Devourer and restored order through dismantling the Empire and becoming ruler.

* WalkingSpoiler

! The Seven Heroes
[[folder: In General]]

Seven legendary heroes who, many years ago, slew the previous Overlord. However, as the years passed they grew complacent in their fame and gradually succumbed to their selfish desires, becoming villains themselves in the process.

* TheCorruption: Self-inflicted as a direct result of descending into their respective vices, they all have absorbed a great deal of Evil energy.
* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Of the usual StockCharacters in fantasy stories and games, especially ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''.
* FallenHero: All of them except the Wizard, [[spoiler: because he was possessed by the Overlord so it might not even be him anymore]], were hailed as heroes until they became corrupt.
* OfferedTheCrown: Some of the heroes became king of their respective peoples after felling the last Overlord.
* SevenDeadlySins: Each hero is modeled after one of the Sins.

[[folder:Melvin Underbelly]]
!! Melvin Underbelly
!!! '''Species:''' Halfling
!!! '''Appearances:''' ''VideoGame/OverlordI'' | ''VideoGame/OverlordRaisingHell''
A Halfling and the first of the heroes you encounter. Since the Overlord's fall, Melvin has been made King of the Halflings, and has succumbed to the sin of Gluttony.

!!! '''Species:''' Human

* OlderThanHeLooks: The second game establishes that he is the second oldest minion after Gnarl while ''Minions'' is set an unknown amount of time before the first game, but despite this he doesn't look much older than the other minions. Though given how often minions die in the games it's possible that he's simply survived longer than most and is still pretty young for a minion.
* PromotedToPlayable: In ''Minions'', which is a sequel to ''Dark Legend' and therefore set before the events of the first game, you get to play as Giblet along with three other minions.

!!! '''Appearances:''' ''VideoGame/OverlordRaisingHell'

* OlderThanHeLooks: While having appeared in several games set years apart, the second game establishes that he is the second oldest minion after Gnarl despite not looking it. Though given how often minions die in the games it's possible that he's simply survived longer than most and is still pretty young for a minion.

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: His appearance, age and role as the mentor to the Overlords of the first two games makes him seem like an evil version of [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]].

* OverlyLongName: Archibaldamius Methuselah Wobbleboard the 3rd.

!!! '''Appearances:''' ''VideoGame/OverlordDarkLegend'' | ''VideoGame/OverlordMinions'' | ''VideoGame/OverlordI'' | ''VideoGame/OverlordRaisingHell'' | ''VideoGame/OverlordFellowshipOfEvil''

[[!!! '''Species:''' Minion (brown)

!!Archie the Innkeeper