History Main / BlackAndGrayMorality

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic has its share of problems, including rampant corruption, cultural stagnation, and bureaucracy. Their armed forces use cloned humans who possess free will as slave soldiers, their military leaders (including Jedi generals) are disturbingly comfortable with [[WarCrimeSubvertsHeroism committing outright war crimes]] to achieve victory, and their current elected head-of-state is [[EvilRunningGood secretly a Sith Lord]] scheming to impose a totalitarian dictatorship. It is still ''vastly'' superior on a moral level to the Imperium of Man, a MartyrdomCulture of [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who believe they have a UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny to conquer the universe and [[AbsoluteXenophobe exterminate all non-human life]] in the process.

* "Fanfic/ShortestWarEver": The USS ''Bajor'' observes a [[SpaceColdWar nuclear standoff on a prewarp planet]] between two {{Space Filling Empire}}s. The Alliance for Global Unity is the de facto {{empire}} of a single kingdom whose people live in poverty and whose ruling class have mostly fallen for their own propaganda, while the People's Syndicalist Dominion is a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny that uses single-list yes-or-no balloting to simulate free elections, and the Alliance's intelligence chief, a SarcasticDevotee, openly says their new PuppetKing in a state bordering the Dominion is just as bad as the overthrown pro-Dominion leader. Eleya places faith in the fact that a wave of popular uprisings is starting to actively reject the whole system, assuming the two power blocs don't nuke the whole planet into oblivion first.

* In the ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' series, Starfleet does lots of questionable things and has a superiority complex, plus they save planets in exchange for obedience. But their foes are all violent conquerors and destroyers. Except for some strawman rebels.
* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a regressive, totalitarian {{police state}} led by AxCrazy [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly seek to [[AbsoluteXenophobe cleanse the universe of all non-human and synthetic life]]. Even the sympathetic Imperials that the fic portrays as well-meaning anti-villains are still 100% A-OK with committing mass genocide against InnocentAliens. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

Obviously, the heroes of such settings tend to be {{antihero}}es. In such a world, any characters who appear to be good in any way will eventually be revealed as a KnightTemplar in disguise, a DarkMessiah inches from the edge, or a deeply flawed AntiHero. And if there ''are'' any [[WideEyedIdealist genuinely good]] characters on the show, they'll quite likely either [[FaceHeelTurn 'come around' to]] TheDarkSide, [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth die horribly]], remain a figure of [[ButtMonkey perpetual mockery]] or, if ''very'' lucky, [[KnightInSourArmor grow a protective shell of cynicism]].

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a regressive, totalitarian {{police state}} led by AxCrazy [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly seek to [[AbsoluteXenophobe cleanse the universe of all non-human and synthetic life]]. Even the sympathetic Imperials that the story portray as well-meaning anti-villains are still 100% A-OK with committing mass genocide against InnocentAliens. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a regressive, totalitarian {{police state}} led by AxCrazy [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly seek to [[AbsoluteXenophobe cleanse the universe of all non-human and synthetic life]]. Even the sympathetic Imperials that the story portrays as well-meaning anti-villains are still 100% A-OK with committing mass genocide against InnocentAliens. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a regressive, totalitarian {{police state}} led by AxCrazy [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly seek the [[AbsoluteXenophobe total genocide of every non-human and sentient droid]] they encounter. Even the sympathetic Imperial characters that the story portrays as well-meaning anti-villains are still 100% A-OK with committing mass genocide against InnocentAliens. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a regressive, totalitarian {{police state}} led by AxCrazy [[TheFundamentalist religious fanatics]] that openly massacres defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wages unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and even the [[TokenGoodTeammate sympathetic Imperial characters]] in the story still explicitly want to [[AbsoluteXenophobe slaughter every single non-human and droid they encounter]]. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a secret Sith Lord]] slowly corrupting the government into a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough, and was increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]]. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a murder-happy, totalitarian {{police state}} led by [[TheFundamentalist crazed religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly want to [[AbsoluteXenophobe slaughter every single non-human and droid they encounter]]. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''Webcomic/HeroKiller: Ihwa's goal is to kill anyone related to the murder of her sister, which she suspects to be from within the Hero Clan. To do this, she relies on aid from [[TheRemnant The Nameless]] and their unscrupulous leader Engen, but the Hero Clan are no saints either. They sanction callous and even [[BewareTheSuperman murderous heroes]] who harm innocent civilians in their supression of any opposing forces, and often go to brutal measures to keep the control they have over most of the world.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a closet Sith Lord]] scheming to impose a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses cloned humans as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has been increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]], and has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a murder-happy, totalitarian {{police state}} led by [[TheFundamentalist crazed religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly want to [[AbsoluteXenophobe slaughter every single non-human and droid they encounter]]. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a closet Sith Lord]] scheming to impose a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses clones as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has been increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]], and has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a murder-happy, totalitarian {{police state}} led by [[TheFundamentalist crazed religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly want to [[AbsoluteXenophobe slaughter every single non-human and droid they encounter]]. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': The Galactic Republic versus the Imperium of Man. The Republic during the Clone Wars was a failing democracy with many flaws, not the least of which being that their [[EvilRunningGood current chancellor is a closet Sith Lord]] scheming to impose a militaristic dictatorship. Aside from that, the Republic uses clones as slave soldiers despite preaching democratic values, has been increasingly embracing authoritarianism even before their war with the Imperium [[HeWhoFightsMonsters drove them to take desperate measures]], and has military commanders (including Jedi generals) willing to commit war crimes if pushed hard enough. Also, the whole war was started because a Republic warship (secretly acting under the chancellor's orders) rammed an unarmed Imperial refugee vessel during FirstContact, causing the deaths of countless innocent passengers. That said, the Republic's civilians are shown to be good people and some of their senators are honest politicians who genuinely want to improve their constituents' lives. The Imperium, on the other hand, is a murder-happy, totalitarian {{police state}} led by [[TheFundamentalist crazed religious fanatics]] who openly massacre defenseless civilians ([[WouldHurtAChild including children]]) on a whim, wage unprovoked [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar wars of annihilation]] against neutral nations over petty ideological reasons, and explicitly want to [[AbsoluteXenophobe slaughter every single non-human and droid they encounter]]. There's no doubt that if the Imperium had their way, the entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' galaxy would be transformed into a dystopian hellscape, the likes of which would make the Galactic Empire seem like a beacon of liberty by comparison.

*

** On one side, we have:

** On the one hand, we have:

* ''ComicBook/FallenAngel'' in some ways. On the "black" side is the Hierarchy, the people and demons who run the city of Bete Noire, where the book takes place. The "gray" comes from Liandra, a cynical, consistently tipsy fallen angel who serves as a court of last resort, and is willing to do anything, including torture, in order to fulfill her missions. Among her sometime-allies are the city's major drug dealer, the snake from the Garden of Eden, and a man who may or may not be Hitler.

* In ''WebVideo/HalfLifeButTheAIIsSelfAware'', in one corner you have the Science Team, a group of dangerously unhinged and amoral weirdos who range from merely odd to downright psychotic who, whether accidentally or intentionally, kill any civilians they run across without fail, and even Tommy and Gordon, the most traditionally heroic of them, have moments of amorality and [[AxCrazy Ax Craziness]], but have redeeming qualities, genuinely care about each other, and will at least try on occasion to save the civilians they run across, even if they always fail and wind up killing them themselves. In the other hand, you have the US Military, a bunch of idiots whose strategies consist of killing every civilian they run across and even their own men and [[spoiler:may have sold out humanity to an EldritchAbomination]], the aliens, who are AlwaysChaoticEvil and attack everything on sight for no reason, and the BigBad [[spoiler:Benrey, a delusional EldritchAbomination MadGod who also acts like a total {{Jerkass}} and tries to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy the world]] [[DisproportionateRetribution because he didn't get to play]] on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPlus.]]

*** A father who gets [[TooDumbToLive so stupid he can easily endanger someone's life]] (Homer)
*** Smart, good-hearted idealists who have a laundry list of bizarre psychological and emotional issues and are prone to horrendous breakdowns (Lisa, Marge)
*** Scientists and doctors with [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate dubious credentials]] (Dr. Nick, Dr. Hibbert, Dr. Monroe, Professor Frink)
*** Benign, often nice guys too weak, gullible, restrained, and/or petty to ever do any lasting good (Ned, Principal Skinner, Milhouse, Lou)
*** Loose cannons with the capacity to do both good and bad (Bart, Nelson, Moe)
*** Ordinary schmoes who are harmless most of the time but can be extremely underhanded and crafty (Smithers, Carl, Eddie)
*** World-weary drones beaten down by years of misery and resigned to their dismal fate (Apu, Edna, Sideshow Mel)
*** Bitter cynics (Krusty, Comic Book Guy, Abraham, Mrs Hoover)

*** Punching bags (Arnie Pie, Hans Moleman, Martin, Gil, Kirk, Jack Marley)
*** Clueless dopes (Lenny, Barney, Cletus, Otto, Ralph, pimply-faced teenager)
*** Assorted weirdos, freaks, and lunatics (Superintendent Chalmers, Willie, Crazy Cat Lady, Jasper, Cookie Kwan, Captain [=McCallister=], Duffman)
*** A mostly innocent, but somewhat violent baby (Maggie).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'': Kuzco might be a jerk and a total narcissist, but he's far from being a villain and deep down has a heart. Izma on the other hand is actually evil, [[HarmlessVillain not that she's very good at it]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'': The eponymous duo are selfish, amoral, and perverted, but their antics are rather tame compared to the people they are against, such as Buzzcut, Todd, the psychotic farmer from "Cow Tipping" and the HalloweenSpecial, or the Grimes couple from ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica Do America]]''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''. Sure the protagonists are often {{Jerkass}}es who make other's lives a living hell, but the antagonists are outright [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] out to take over the world.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Yes, of course, the series sometimes even addressed in territories of EvilVersusEvil.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim''. [[Characters/InvaderZimZim Zim]] is a completely evil alien invader with plans to conquer Earth and exterminate humanity (even if he is ridiculously bad at it) and is no less callous and selfish when dealing with his own kind either, to the extent that his people sent him to invade Earth just to get him out of the way. Dib is trying to save the world but is also needlessly antagonistic and mostly seems to want to save the world just so he can get respect as a great hero. Dib also looks down on other people, but given how stupid average people in the series are, that may be justified.

* The ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' episode "Vicktor, The Spoils" invokes this. The nation of Zarkovia is beset by rebels. The prince, disgusted by his father's lack of force against the rebels, uses the braindead body of Dr. Vicktor to attack Ben's team and imprison his father. The king escapes, and uses Ampfibian's powers to transfer his mind into Dr. Vicktor's body. He then reveals that he was biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to crush the rebels. Ben and co. defeat and immobilize King Vicktor, and the prince demands they hand him over. Gwen points out the prince's mind-controlled soldiers, asking "If the prince is a bad guy, who are we here to help?" Kevin suggests the rebels, but Gwen replies "Who's to say they're better then anybody else?" In the end, Ben destroys the prince's mind-control device, allowing the soldiers to choose their own sides, and the group decide not to interfere, and simply let the conflict run its course.

If there are 'true' heroes around along with the 'kinda bad' and 'very bad' characters described above, it's TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil. Coming from the opposite side is ALighterShadeOfBlack, where an EvilVersusEvil conflict is left with one mildly sympathetic side by not making them as unrelentingly evil as their opponents, while both factors are still anywhere from rather consistently dangerous to plain evil.

*** Violent criminals (Snake, Sideshow Bob, Fat Tony and his gang)

*** (At worst) A monstrously evil [[CorruptCorporateExecutive businessman]] with (At best) a skewed moral compass (Mr. Burns)

*** (At worst) A monstrously evil [[CorruptCorporateExecutive businessman]] with (at-best) a skewed moral compass (Mr. Burns)

*** At worst, a monstrously evil [[CorruptCorporateExecutive businessman]] with at-best, a skewed moral compass (Mr. Burns)