History FauxAffablyEvil / TheDCU

* The villains on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' run the gamut, from genuinely AffablyEvil as long as you don't make them angry to flat-out nasty and no fun at all to be around. The ones who most obviously fall into this trope are [[Characters/DCAUJoker The Joker]] (of course) and the animated series' version of [[Characters/DCAUPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]], who here is one of the most ladylike terrorists and murderesses you can imagine - and is an outright BitchInSheepsClothing as her everyday self, Pamela Isley. Making it all the more satisfying when the tables are turned on her and [[VillainousBreakdown this smug beauty becomes a shrieking harpy]].

** He then backs her against a window, letting on that he might, you know, just decide to shove her out of it. [[HopeSpot Then he puts on a "just-kidding" facial expression, and they both laugh.]] Then he snarls and slams her through.

*** [[spoiler:Slade Wilson]], by the time of his return in the present day. When he meets Oliver Queen's family, he acts incredibly polite and gentlemanly. Once he catches Oliver's sister Thea alone, the mask comes off and he reveals himself to be a psychopath who wants to ruin Oliver's life via his loved ones.
** ''Series/TheFlash2014'': [[spoiler: Eobard Thawne as Harrison Wells]] comes off as a genuinely kindly, almost fatherly sort of guy who cares about Barry and his friends. However, when his true identity is revealed, he shows that he is completely willing to murder the people he cares about in order to ensure his plans are successful. He never quite loses the friendly mannerisms, but his actions speak louder than his words.

* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':

* Mongul in the Creator/AlanMoore ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story ''ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything'' is very much this.

** ComicBook/TheJoker, DependingOnTheWriter. Sometimes he's this, sometimes he's LaughablyEvil, and sometimes he's just a MonsterClown. Sometimes, he's more than one at the same time.
** ComicBook/ThePenguin zigzags between this and being genuinely AffablyEvil DependingOnTheWriter. At times he can be shown to be genuinely polite and respectful of others while having [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]]. When he's in a foul mood or the writers want to emphasize his more villainous nature, he will be this.
** ComicBook/TheRiddler may seem AffablyEvil when he's in a good mood, but his disposition can quickly take a hard swerve into dismissive SmugSmiler on a good day, and AxCrazy murderer if he's particularly tee'd off. His ''Arkhamverse'' counterpart leans more towards this, but it's present to some extent in all his incarnations.

* DC's ComicBook/VandalSavage (who, having been alive since caveman days, is ''a little bit more'' than ReallySevenHundredYearsOld) has often acted quite genteel towards Earth's heroes. He also had an unsatisfactory minion for dinner with some of his colleagues and other subordinates. Sorry, he had the minion ''as'' dinner. He's a sociopath who is surprisingly persuasive. Not actually likable, but still fairly persuasive, if only through the controversial "agree or I burn your parents alive" technique.

* To those she actually sees worthy of respect, ComicBook/LadyShiva is actually incredibly polite, and even cracks jokes on occasion. But even her closest allies are keenly aware that she would kill or even torture them in an instant if it suited her purposes, or even if she just gets bored.
* ComicBook/LexLuthor from Franchise/{{Superman}}, [[DependingOnTheWriter when he's not portrayed as genuine]] AffablyEvil, is this. Beneath his charismatic exterior lies a man who is willing to manipulate, steal, and commit murder to get what he wants.

** Creator/JackNicholson's portrayal of ComicBook/TheJoker in Tim Burton's ''Film/Batman1989'' qualifies as this, like in his scene with Vicki at the museum and his scene with Bruce and Vicki at Vicki's apartment.

** ComicBook/PoisonIvy from ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. She's a very attractive woman who flirts with many different men, but she's a terrorist with plans to have plants take back the world and has a deadly kiss. She plays many men like a fiddle, including Freeze when she lies that Batman and Robin have murdered his wife. The best example though his with Robin, who she flirts with the most and convinces him she loves him. When they are alone in her lair she finally kisses him, only to reveal her true colors and reveals he will die, then shoves him from her throne into the pond to drown him.
* ComicBook/{{Bane}}, the villain in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', is terrifyingly brutal and utterly merciless. But he sounds like Creator/PatrickStewart after four martinis and a large dose of Ecstasy, calm, polite, and friendly... even when he's crushing your skull.

* The villains on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' run the gamut, from genuinely AffablyEvil as long as you don't make them angry to flat-out nasty and no fun at all to be around. The ones who most obviously fall into this trope are [[Characters/DCAUJoker The Joker]] (of course) and the animated series' version of Poison Ivy, who here is one of the most ladylike terrorists and murderesses you can imagine - and is an outright BitchInSheepsClothing as her everyday self, Pamela Isley. Making it all the more satisfying when the tables are turned on her and [[VillainousBreakdown this smug beauty becomes a shrieking harpy]].

--> '''Riddler:''' Well, well. So the shaved monkey has failed. How utterly, utterly expected.

** ComicBook/TheRiddler, he may seem AffablyEvil when he's in a good mood, but his disposition can quickly take a hard swerve into dismissive SmugSmiler on a good day, and AxCrazy murderer if he's particularly tee'd off. His ''Arkhamverse'' counterpart leans more towards this, but it's present to some extent in all his incarnations.

* ''Film/Shazam2019'': Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can act somewhat cordial at times, but it still doesn't hide how truly ruthless and vengeful he is. Case in point, once he intrudes the Vasquez household, he initially compliments the place... before taking it back and spitefully calling it a shithole.

** James Gordon Jr. is a very well-mannered and thought-to-be-rehabilitated psychopath. He's also a very recent villain.

* The villains on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' run the gamut, from genuinely AffablyEvil as long as you don't make them angry to flat-out nasty and no fun at all to be around. The ones who most obviously fall into this trope are the Joker (of course) and the animated series' version of Poison Ivy, who here is one of the most ladylike terrorists and murderesses you can imagine - and is an outright BitchInSheepsClothing as her everyday self, Pamela Isley. Making it all the more satisfying when the tables are turned on her and [[VillainousBreakdown this smug beauty becomes a shrieking harpy]].

* Most of the villains in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' qualify as well. Special mention goes to this version's Joker. For example he spends one episode being nice to a kid named Donnie and pulling pranks on people with him. Then when Donnie is unwilling to pull more deadly pranks (like launching a tied up Batgirl into the side of a building) Joker tries to dump into a vat of chemicals to make him just like Joker.

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Solo and the other Masters of Neptune pretend to cash on earth on accident and be benevolent towards humans. They're actually plotting to turn humans into their pets and slaves and jettison the earth out of orbit and back towards Neptune for their own use.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Tirza, TheQueenpin of the Yellow Mask Gang, comes in and shoos away her men from torturing Myrna Dearfield, has the woman unmasked and acts as though the gang's brutality is excessive and tries to get Myrna to tell her where Dr. Dearfield's atomic weapon notes are hidden supposedly to prevent the men from doing more harm to Myrna, while at the same time drugging her. She also intends to kill Myrna for having seen her face and to track down Myrna's young son to use as leverage against her and to kill since he witnessed his mother's abduction.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'':

!!Franchise/TheDCU

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Tirza, TheQueenpin of the Yellow Mask Gang, comes in and shoos away her men from torturing Myrna Dearfield, has the woman unmasked and acts as though the gang's brutality is excessive and tries to get Myrna to tell her where Dr. Dearfield's atomic weapon notes are hidden supposedly to prevent the men from doing more harm to Myrna, while at the same time drugging her. She also intends to kill Myrna for having seen her face and to track down Myrna's young son to use as leverage against her and to kill since he witnessed his mother's abduction.