History Main / EvilPuppeteer

* One of the openings of ''Manga/CrimsonSpell'' combines this with EvilOvelooker, depicting Rimris holding up a [[FanDisservice slumped, shirtless Vald]] with marionette strings.

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* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Chrollo is this trope whenever he uses the Order Stamp. It's a wooden [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTIn stamp]] with a marking that, when stamped onto a puppet's forehead, allows the puppet to be given simple orders by the stamp's wielder, which it will follow until the puppet is destroyed or the ink is removed. Chrollo is shown to be able to control dozens, if not hundreds, of such puppets simultaneously with the Order Stamp.

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* [[VillainousHarlequin The Jester]] from ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn'' steals the souls of his victims and transforms their bodies into creepy marionettes.

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* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has Barakaka, who for some reason really wanted to boil ohpink (pink ranger) alive. he even hosted his own puppet show to show children how he was going to do it.

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* Subverted with Mangiafuoco/Fire-Eater from Carlo Collodi's ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio''. While he initially acts very hostile and wants to finish cooking his roasted goat by burning Pinocchio as punishment for interrupting his puppet show, and then gives off a BadBoss vibe when he decides to burn his Harlequin puppet in Pinocchio's place, he is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold moved]] when Pinocchio begs mercy for Harlequin and tells him about his poor father, to the point Mangiafuoco decides to spare Harlequin's life by choosing to eat his roast half-cooked and gifts Pinocchio some golden coins to help Geppetto.
* In the Literature/ModestyBlaise novel ''I, Lucifer'', the Big Bad's hobby is constructing hand-made marionettes and putting on creepy puppet shows with his wife. One of his underlings reflects that part of why the puppet shows are so unnerving is that they're a reminder that he has real people dancing to his strings as well.
* Gaspare Grisini from ''Splendors and Glooms'' by Laura Amy Schlitz is a famous, beloved puppeteer - [[VillainWithGoodPublicity who secretly has a criminal background]]. He kidnapped the two protagonists from an orphanage when they were very young and trained them as assistants for his puppet show.
* Madame Tarsa from ''Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'' is more [[BlueAndOrangeMorality blue-and-orange]] than ''evil'', but she's definitely very creepy and very unreliable. And also a bit of a scammer: the first of her creations encountered by the characters is a "ventriloquist's dummy" which ''[[IntangibleTheft steals your voice]]'' to speak with, and won't give it back to you until you buy it from Tarsa.
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[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* [[FauxAffablyEvil Stromboli]] from ''Disney/{{Pinocchio}}'', who has his own circus of puppets and hires Pinocchio, but treats him badly: he underpays him, locks him up in a cage, and threatens to chop him into firewood.

* In ''Webcomics/{{Homestuck}}'', while at first Bro's manipulation of puppets via FlashStep and use of them to gaslight and torment Dave is [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood played for comedy]], it gradually becomes clear that his raising of Dave crossed the line into severely damaging physical and psychological abuse. Dave (after a long period of denial that anything was wrong or strange about his childhood) eventually acknowledges this.

Another reason why puppet masters may be portrayed as bad guys is because of the symbolism that they inspire. The way a puppeteer controls a puppet is easily comparable to someone manipulating others socially. The mastermind behind a gang or conspiracy is often referred to as "the one pulling the strings", and the image of a hand holding a puppet control bar is usually used to indicate power and control.

* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Chrollo is this trope whenever he uses the Order Stamp. It's a wooden [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTIn stamp]] with a marking that, when stamped onto a puppet's forehead, can then be given simple orders that it will then follow until the object is destroyed or the ink is removed. Chrollo is shown to be able to control dozens, if not hundreds, of such puppets simultaneously with the Order Stamp.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'': In the trailer, Funtime Freddy is seen with a Bonnie handpuppet. It's currently unknown what he will use it for in-game. This is likely a MythologyGag, as there are theories that the character [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 Mangle]] was meant to be a ventriloquist before it became [[MeaningfulName mangled]].

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* ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'': Sasori of the villainous Akatsuki organization fights mainly using special puppets that he controls with chakra strings. He also converted the late Third Kazekage's corpse (who can control iron sand) into his special doll, and it's also revealed that he converted ''his own body'' into a puppet, with the only living part of him being his intact heart. He's opposed by his grandmother, Lady Chiyo, a good puppeteer.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villain The Ventriloquist always carries with him a murderous dummy named Scarface. Part of the fear factor in the Ventriloquist's character is that nobody knows for sure who's really controlling who - some speculate that the Ventriloquist's meek behavior is just a facade for his bloodlust, while some think that Scarface is actually alive, and forcing the Ventriloquist to commit crimes. In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatesSeries'', Scarface appears to be a SplitPersonality of his.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villain The Ventriloquist always carries with him a murderous dummy named Scarface. Part of the fear factor in the Ventriloquist's character is that nobody knows for sure who's really controlling who - some speculate that the Ventriloquist's meek behavior is just a facade for his bloodlust, while some think that Scarface is actually alive, and forcing the Ventriloquist to commit crimes.

* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'': In "The Great Fusilli", the sound of CreepyCircusMusic alerts the Bagges that their house has been visited by a magic stage run by a WickedCultured crocodile named Fusilli. Fusilli encourages Muriel, Eustace, and Courage to perform on his stage, eventually convincing them to [[DealWithTheDevil sign a contract to become full-time actors]]. Things only get worse when Courage goes backstage and discovers many lifeless puppets - and he and his owners are next! [[spoiler:Courage goes back to the stage to warn them, but he's too late - letting out a triumphant EvilLaugh, Fusilli uses his stage to turn Muriel and Eustace into puppets. Fusilli is eventually HoistByHisOwnPetard when he falls onto the stage, and his natural showmanship causes him to performed even as he is turned into a puppet himself, but Muriel and Eustace are still stuck as puppets.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'': In "The Great Fusilli", the sound of CreepyCircusMusic alerts the Bagges that their house has been visited by a magic stage run by a WickedCultured crocodile named Fusilli. Fusilli encourages Muriel, Eustace, and Courage to perform on his stage, eventually convincing them to [[DealWithTheDevil sign a contract to become full-time actors]]. Things only get worse when Courage goes backstage and discovers many lifeless puppets - and he and his owners are next! [[spoiler:Courage goes back to the stage to warn them, but he's too late - letting out a triumphant EvilLaugh, Fusilli uses his stage to turn Muriel and Eustace into puppets. Fusilli is eventually HoistByHisOwnPetard when he falls onto the stage and is turned into a puppet himself, but Muriel and Eustace are still stuck as puppets.]] It's worth noting that many fans find this to be one of the show's most disturbing episodes, leading to many creepy fan stories and theories.

* Downplayed with Mr. Garrison from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. He has his puppet Mr. Hat in the first few seasons, but although he's not exactly evil, he's a major {{Jerkass}}.

NeedsABetterName, NeedsABetterDescription, NeedsMoreExamples. RollingUpdates.

Suggested page image: [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c2/49/a1/c249a1686b6e91f619c69c0558f20501.jpg "The Puppeteer", by sculptor Thomas Kuebler]].
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Indices:
+ SubvertedInnocence
+ ToyTropes
+ ImageSource/Art