History Main / EvilNerd

The common {{Nerd}} is, at worst, a bit annoying. Sure, he might have NoSocialSkills and be overly fond of telling people about his Franchise/{{Pokemon}} collection, but his heart is generally in the right place.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fought a few, most notably the Trio in Season 6. Notably, they were the least threatening of her seasonal {{Big Bad}}s, with their blundering being used mostly as a backdrop for Buffy's own struggle against depression, and their petty sense of entitlement and failure to consider the ramifications of their actions contrasted against the Evil-with-a-capital-E that she usually fought.

* [[EvilGenius Tobey McCallister]] of ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl''. He may not be that strong on his own, but the boy genius' [[RobotMaster giant robots]] often pose a threat to the city at large. The fact that he has a [[VillanousCrush crush on WordGirl]] and a [[MommasBoy weakness to his mother]] lead to this being PlayedForLaughs.

He's often an EntitledBastard who thinks that his superior intelligence ([[KnowNothingKnowItAll which may or may not actually exist]]) should automatically make him adored and successful, and that the people failing to give him his due deserve some sort of [[DisproportionateRetribution exaggerated punishment]] for it. He has often genuinely [[FreudianExcuse been bullied and hard done by,]] but by the time he gets to his MotiveRant he's always done so many horrible things that the protagonists will be [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse less than sympathetic]] - no matter how many lockers you were stuffed into, it just doesn't justify sending demons to rip the living souls out of people out of their bodies.

He's often an EntitledBastard who thinks that his superior intelligence ([[KnowNothingKnowItAll which may or may not actually exist]]) should automatically make him adored and successful, and that the people failing to give him his due deserve some sort of [[DisproportionateRetribution exaggerated punishment]] for it. He has often genuinely [[FreudianExcuse been bullied and hard done by,]] but by the time he gets to his MotiveRant he's always done so many horrible things that the protagonists will be [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse less than sympathetic]] - no matter how many lockers you were stuffed into, it just doesn't justify sending demons to rip the [[JerkJock Jerk Jocks']] living souls out of their bodies.

* Control Freak is a recurring villain in both ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' and especially ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo.'' He's a fat, pasty, {{gonk}} geek who's completely obsessed with pop culture. He frequently uses his UniversalRemoteControl to [[RealityWarper warp reality]] and make the Titans' lives miserable, usually by placing them inside television programming -- including the ''Teen Titans Go!'' cartoon itself.

The common HollywoodNerd is, at worst, a bit annoying. Sure, he might have NoSocialSkills and be overly fond of telling people about his Franchise/{{Pokemon}} collection, but his heart is generally in the right place.

* Cliff Carmichael in ''ComicBook/{{Firestorm}}'', who inverts the usual jock/nerd dynamic common in superhero comics by being the bully that torments the LovableJock protagonist.

Since the Evil Nerd is generally [[GeekPhysiques not the fittest or best-looking,]] there is likely to be overlap with BrainsEvilBrawnGood and BeautyEqualsGoodness as he faces off against the better-groomed and more physically capable heroes. Compare the EvilCripple, whose broken morality is also symbolised and/or caused by a more visible handicap.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mandark_supervillain.png]]]]

!! The following works contain examples of this trope:

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Cliff Carmichael in ComicBook/{{Firestorm}}, who inverts the usual jock/nerd dynamic common in superhero comics by being the bully that torments the LovableJock protagonist.

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' has Rowan North, a geeky guy whose misanthropy pushes him to summon evil ghosts. His MotiveRant toward the Ghostbusters leaves them unimpressed.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Norman Birdwell in the first of the ''Literature/BloodBooks'' is an odious loser who summons demons in a poorly considered effort to become cool and get girls, not caring that every time he sends the demon out to do a favour for him, it kills an innocent before returning. [[EveryoneHasStandards Even other nerds can't stand him,]] even aside from the demonology thing - he keeps getting into heated arguments with them about roleplaying games and just generally being a {{Jerkass}}.

[[folder: Live-Action Television ]]

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fought a few, most notably the Trio in Season 6. Notably, they were the least threatening of her seasonal [[BigBad Big Bads]], with their blundering being used mostly as a backdrop for Buffy's own struggle against depression, and their petty sense of entitlement and failure to consider the ramifications of their actions contrasted against the Evil-with-a-capital-E that she usually fought.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* The sample adventure for the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' roleplaying game has as its main villain a teenager named Keith Dicks, who is unpopular, unaccomplished and spends most of his time watching crappy science fiction and fantasy shows on TV. Through a wish granted by an evil genie, Keith has gained the power to make the protagonists of his favourite franchises come to life, and is sending them out to kill everyone who's been mean to him.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Mandark from ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory,'' Since [[BigDamnMovie Ego Trip,]] became this. Earlier, he was once the bitter rival of the main character, Dexter. Since then He is now a full-on villain. [[RetroactiveContinuity In his "first meeting" with Dexter,]] makes fun of him for his [[FreudianExcuse hippie attire and name, "Susan."]] This enrages him and becomes Dexter's ArchEnemy.

* ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' has Rowan, a geeky guy whose misanthropy pushes him to summon evil ghosts. His MotiveRant toward the Ghostbusters leaves them unimpressed.

* ''ComicBook/Firestorm'' has Cliff Carmichael, who inverts the usual jock/nerd dynamic common in superhero comics by being the bully that torments the LovableJock protagonist.

[[AC: Film]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live-Action Television]]

[[AC: Tabletop Games]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

* Daly from the episode "USS Callister" of ''Series/BlackMirror'' takes out his resentment against people around the office by creating self-aware digital clones of them and trapping them in his messed-up simulation where he's a heroic space captain who everyone respects and adores - that is, they do if they don't want him to use his [[RealityWarper admin]] powers to torture them! The reasons for his resentment span from the semi-reasonable "screwed me out of credit for my work" to such things as [[EvilIsPetty "insufficient smiling."]]

And then there's this guy (and [[AlwaysMale it's always a guy]]). Either his lack of social niceties is caused by [[TheSociopath a complete disregard for other people,]] or else the loneliness and rejection they've led to has turned him bitter and twisted. Either way, he's out to get everything he's ever wanted, by any means necessary, including revenge on any real and imagined slight he's suffered.

* Control Freak is a recurring villain in both ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' and especially ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo.'' He's a fat, pasty, {{gonk}} geek who's completely obsessed with pop culture. He frequently uses his UniversalRemoteControl to [[RealityWarper warp reality]] and make the Titans' lives miserable, usually by placing them inside television programming -- including the ''Teen Titans Go!'' cartoon itself.

* Mandark from ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory,'' Since [[BigDamnMovie Ego Trip,]] became this. Earlier, he was once the bitter rival of the main character, Dexter. Since then He is now a full-on villain. [[Retcon In his "first meeting" with Dexter,]] makes fun of him for his [[FreudianExcuse hippie attire and name, "Susan."]] This enrages him and becomes Dexter's ArchEnemy.

* Mandark from ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' is this. Raised by {{hippie parents}} with the name Susan, he found himself laughed at by Dexter after a chance meeting for looking like a girl and having a girl's name. Following this, he dedicates himself to becoming the world's greatest supervillain, changing his name and ditching the hippie attire and cutting his hair, and then building a massive hidden laboratory behind his parents' house and beginning a lifelong enmity with Dexter.

* Mandark from ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' is this. Raised by hippie parents with the name Susan, he found himself laughed at by Dexter after a chance meeting for looking like a girl and having a girl's name. Following this, he dedicates himself to becoming the world's greatest supervillain, changing his name and ditching the hippie attire and cutting his hair, and then building a massive hidden laboratory behind his parents' house and beginning a lifelong enmity with Dexter.