History Main / EvilTowerOfOminousness

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Igor}}'', the country of Malaria, where mad science is the main export, there's a tower extending into the perpetual storm that blankets the land, topped with giant metal skulls that shoot electric beams every which way in the sky, ostensibly as a beacon to the world of the evil over their heads. [[spoiler:The climax reveals that it's actually a weather control machine, and the beams are drawing in clouds to perpetuate the storm that makes farming impossible and forces Malaria to threaten the world with mad science to support itself.]]

** Bandora of ''Series/KyouryuSentaiZyuranger'' and Rita Repulsa from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' have a tower on the moon. In the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Lord Zedd takes this tower over from Rita.
** The demonic villains from ''Series/RescueSentaiGoGoFive'' and ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'' have have a tower with a huge skull on top of it.
** Jakanja, the villain group from ''Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricanger'' plunged their space ship vertically into the earth, resulting in a variation of this trope. The American counterpart ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'' averts this as the villains have a completely different spaceship which stays in orbit of the planet.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Igor}}'', the country of Malaria, where mad science is the main export, there's a tower extending into the perpetual storm that blankets the land, topped with giant metal skulls that shoot electric beams every which way in the sky, ostensibly as a beacon to the world of the evil over their heads. The climax reveals that it's actually a weather control machine, and the beams are drawing in clouds to perpetuate the storm that makes farming impossible and forces Malaria to threaten the world with mad science to support itself.

* The Ministry of Truth in ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is an "enormous, pyramidal structure of white concrete, soaring up terrace after terrace, three hundred metres into the air." Not a wholly inaccurate exaggeration of Stalinesque architectural ambitions. But somehow an [[LifeImitatesArt eerily prescient]] description of the real-life Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang from 1992 to 2008.

* Creator/PatriciaCWrede's ''Literature/CaughtInCrystal'' has the Twisted Tower, a black, bent tower inhabited by a shadowy evil creature. Our heroine was part of the first disastrous expedition to the Tower, and now must return, sixteen years later, to discover what really happened the first time and finally set it right.
%%* The Tyrant's Fortress (in original Italina "La Rocca") in Literature/ChroniclesOfTheEmergedWorld. %%Missing context: Example lists just a name.
* Ridjeck Thome (aka Foul's Crèche) from the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' is a combination Evil Tower of Ominousness and ElaborateUndergroundBase in the tradition of Angband; though it features a truly ominous tower, the bulk of the structure, including Lord Foul's throne room, is below ground.

* Jessica Meats' Codename Omega stories have Grey's Tower. It's not much of a skyscraper but it is in the middle of York and there were planning permission issues -- they weren't allowed a helipad. The fact that Mrs Grey was able to build it at all implies evil influence.
%%* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/TheScarletCitadel", Tsotha's citadel, on its hilltop. %%Missing context: Example lists just a name.
%%* The title "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant", too. %%Missing context: Example lists just a name.
* ''Franchise/TheDarkTower'':
** The Dark Tower stands at the center of the ''multiverse''. It's a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion in this case. [[spoiler:The [[BigBad Crimson King]] is waiting for the hero there, but he doesn't own the place -- he's been trapped by it. The Tower itself is actually a CosmicKeystone that the Crimson King was trying to destroy, and it was [[GeniusLoci somewhat able to defend itself]].]]

* Lord Dreadgrave the Necromancer's castle in ''Literature/Mogworld'' is affectionately referred to as a "Doom Fortress" by its undead staff, and is said to bear a resemblance to "an incontinent titan squatting over the river."

->''"Then at last his gaze was held: wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant, he saw it: Barad-dûr, Fortress of Sauron."''

* The GENOM corporation of ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' has several of these around the world. Most of them get destroyed by KillSat.
* Damocles, the ionospheric-low-earth-orbiting nuke-spamming doom fortress from ''Anime/CodeGeass''.
* The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in ''Anime/DigimonTamers''. Any scene the building is shown, ominous music plays. One character even remarks he's gets a creepy feeling from it, despite the structure being a well-known landmark. It becomes even creepier when [[spoiler:its assimilated by the [[BigBad D-Reaper]] after the latter invades the real world, eventually creating the Mother Reaper out of it]].
* A fair share of these are seen in ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', such as the Cassandra prison tower and the Imperial Capital.

* The giant skyscraper where immortal Marcus Octavius lives in ''Anime/HighlanderTheSearchForVengeance''. It is the center of his empire.
* The Ziggurat from ''Anime/Metropolis2001''.

* In the ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' OVA, this is Cross Karakoram (although it's disguised throughout).
* Rezo's tower in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''.
* The Kaibacorp Building and Duel Tower in ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
* Maze Castle in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''.

* The ComicBook/PostCrisis version of ComicBook/LexLuthor held bragging rights to the tallest skyscraper in the world, even beating out the Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur. The original towers were a riff on Manhattan's World Trade Center, except with the towers shaped like Luthor's initials. This was later retconned into a giant claw-like monstrosity hanging over the city. Various incarnations of the [=LexCorp=]/[=LuthorCorp=] building appear in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''Series/LoisAndClark'' (in which Lex commits suicide by jumping from it) and ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', of which the exterior shots were of the Government of Canada building in Vancouver, which is right next to the Marine Building which serves as the ''Daily Planet''.

* ''Fanfic/InnerDemons'': There's one of these in the middle of [[{{Hell}} Tartarus]] that [[BigBad Twilight]] takes as her lair following her VillainousBreakdown.
* In ''Fanfic/KeepersOfTheElements'', [[BigBad Radcliffe]]’s lair is described as being this.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'': With the way Lord Business acts, it would be highly uncharacteristic for him not to have this. It's a soaring, [[ExaggeratedTrope infinitely-floored]] Octan office tower built overlooking a swirling vortex of nothingness, complete with thunder and lightning. Also includes a Think Tank to imprison and torture Master Builders in. [[StarScraper It's so absurdly tall, certain floors have spaceports for spaceships to dock onto]].
* The first ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' movie did a LampshadeHanging; when Shrek sees the towering castle of BigBad Lord Farquaad (an [[TheNapoleon ill-tempered, tyrannical midget]]), his first thoughts are "Do you think maybe he's compensating for something?"
* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', one of the scariest straight examples was the setting of the final confrontation. Also a rare female villain-version.

* ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' the Drej [[TheMothership Mothership]] would be a mobile version of this.

* ''Film/Batman1989'': The Anton Furst-designed Gotham City was a ''city'' full of these. Carl Grissom's penthouse suite definitely qualifies, though.
* ''Film/TheBrothersGrimm'' took its cues directly from {{Fairy Tale}}s, so naturally a tower was needed. In the middle of a [[EnchantedForest Haunted Forest]], a tower with no doors, surrounded by twelve stone sarcophagi, and the nest for [[CreepyCrows a murder of shrieking crows]]. Jakob wants to get in to meet the girl of his dreams. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong
* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' has a smashing one of these in the Skeksis' fortress. In the end, we see underneath it is really a beautiful crystal tower of pure cut diamond.
* ''Film/GameOfDeath'': The pagoda in the original film appears as this when seen from distance. It's also the home of five of the most deadly martial artists in the world.
* ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'': 55 Central Park West becomes one of these, thanks to its fictional backstory of being designed by MadArchitect Ivo Shandor.
* ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'': The gothic-looking skyscraper which houses Sanford Scolex's corporate headquarters. Although it looks like something created for a movie baddie, it is actually a real building, the PPG Place in Pittsburgh.
* ''Film/IRobot'': The US Robotics tower.
* ''Film/{{Krull}}'': The Black Fortress is mobile and is even capable of traveling through space. In the film, it teleports around the planet. In the book, it's described as flying from place to place instead.

* ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'': The [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic New Tower of Babel]], Joh Fredersen's headquarters.
* ''Film/OnceUponAWarrior'': Sorceress Irendri's citadel is located in the middle of a wasteland, which used to be a lush valley full of life until she uses her supernatural powers to have the tower manifest in it's very middle. It's also modified based on a serpent's head, befitting Irendri's nature being a snake-themed villainess.

* ''Film/SpiderMan1'' has the Osborn Penthouse, which really is an EvilTowerOfOminousness, BigFancyHouse, BigFancyCastle (slightly, as it's gothic in design), and even HauntedCastle (with the eerie Green Goblin spirit haunting it) all at once.

** The second Death Star had a tower at its north pole, containing the Emperor's penthouse suite, complete with handy-dandy bottomless pit that led into the reactor core for some reason. The first Death Star had a similar tower in it, according to ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed''.

** ''Film/RogueOne'' shows that Vader has a personal SupervillainLair on [[spoiler:Mustafar]], which naturally includes one of these.
** Darth Sidious uses an abandoned industrial tower of some kind during the prequel era. He later has it refurbished into the headquarters and hangout for the Jedi hunting Inquisitors.
* ''Film/StarWarsEwokAdventures:'' The brutal Sanyassans live inside a large castle which is introduced in a creepy fashion.

* ''Film/TimeBandits'': The Fortress of Ultimate Darkness.
* ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'': Elliot Carver's building in Saigon, which dwarfs everything else and has a giant poster of his face on the side.
* ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'': The titular chocolate factory has a very imposing appearance when it's first seen, not helped by the accompanying music. Subverted in that Wonka is ultimately a good guy and the interior of the factory isn't all that scary. ([[NightmareFuel Except for the boat ride.]])

* The ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' {{Gamebook}} ''Literature/TowerOfDestruction''. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin There's one of these, and it flies around destroying things]]. Oh, and demons.

* The Tyrant's Fortress (in original Italina "La Rocca") in Literature/ChroniclesOfTheEmergedWorld.
* Ridjeck Thome (aka Foul's Crèche) from the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' is a combination Evil Tower of Ominousness and ElaborateUndergroundBase in the tradition of Angband; though it features a truly ominous tower, the bulk of the structure, including Lord Foul's throne room, is below ground.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/TheScarletCitadel", Tsotha's citadel, on its hilltop.
%%* The title "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant", too.

** Stephen King topped them all --- the Dark Tower stands at the center of the ''multiverse''. It's a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] in this case. [[spoiler:The [[BigBad Crimson King]] is waiting for the hero there, but he doesn't own the place -- he's been trapped by it. The Tower itself is actually a CosmicKeystone that the Crimson King was trying to destroy, and it was [[GeniusLoci somewhat able to defend itself]].]]
** The MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas becomes a straight one for Randall Flagg in ''Literature/TheStand''.
* The Blood Spire which is the MacGuffin for the protagonists of ''Literature/DiamondDogs''. It's an alien-build tower on an uninhabited planet that [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass 'tests' anyone who enters it with increasingly complicated deathtraps]] as they work their way to the top. The POV character thinks it might have been deliberately designed to look this way as a deterrent [[spoiler:but he later thinks it's actually designed to lure in intelligent beings and 'harvest' them like a sentient Venus Fly Trap, so you could say it is just plain evil.]]
* The Literature/{{Emberverse}}'s Castle Todenangst, built tyrant Norman Arminger, is a deliberate attempt to evoke this effect.
* The idea is satirized in ''Literature/GoingPostal'', when anti-hero Moist von Lipwig looks up at the Tump Tower, the nearest thing Ankh-Morpork has to a skyscraper office block, and reflects that the ''modern'' Dark Lord doesn't need the expense of an army of Orcs and ten thousand ogres camped around the Evil Dark Tower. All he needs to spread the maximum of evil and misery are amoral accountants and sympathetic lawyers. And they can work from indoors, inside the Tower.

* OlderThanPrint: Kajebi fortress in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knight_in_the_Panther%27s_Skin ''The Knight in the Tiger's Skin'']] (12th century)

** Minas Morgul, aka the Tower of Dark Sorcery, was built as Minas Ithil by the exiled Númenóreans to protect Gondor from Sauron's forces. Then the Witch-King of Angmar, TheDragon to [[BigBad Sauron]], showed up with an army and made himself at home.
** The indestructible tower Orthanc was built by descendants of the Númenóreans as part of Gondor's defensive network, eventually abandoned, and finally given to the wizard Saruman. Pity he turned out to be a FallenAngel in human form.

** Sauron's personal tower Barad-dûr, raised by his magic in the heart of Mordor to become the greatest stronghold of all Middle-Earth. With the final destruction of Sauron's power, it [[LoadBearingBoss promptly fell apart]]. It provides us with the page image and quote. A massive castle with steel gates and a keep made of ''black diamond,'' set into a mountain-sized deposit of iron, surrounded by a moat of lava from the local volcano.
* ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' subverts this by having the FinalBattle take place atop Green Angel Tower, a place of inhuman beauty and the sole above-ground remnant of the ancient [[TheFairFolk Sithi]] city of Asu'a (humans built the Hayholt atop the old city after capturing it). It's also not coincidentally the location of the Storm King's attempted HeroicSacrifice five hundred years ago, and the place he chooses to [[SealedEvilInACan reenter the world]] in the present. It's still a big-ass tower where the heroes fight the BigBad, though.

* Most of the conflict in ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'' occurs [[InsideAComputerSystem within the titular network]], but a significant portion of the climax takes place in the real-world skyscraper that forms the headquarters of J Corp. Black, ominous, and massively taller than anything else nearby, it's a suitable home for CorruptCorporateExecutive Felix Jongleur and [[spoiler:gets spectacularly flattened when the Other decides to commit suicide via DeathFromAbove]].

* The Dark Tower from the ''[[Literature/{{Somewhither}} Tale of the Unwithering Realm]]'' series. It's the heart of an entire multiversal empire, and it's absolutely [[StarScraper colossal]], inhabited by possibly the population of a country, many of which never even left it all their lives.

* Prince Xizor in ''Franchise/{{Star Wars|Expanded Universe}}: Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire'' has one, of the skyscraper variety. Partially subverted in that ''every'' building on Coruscant is a skyscraper. [[spoiler:It collapses after Lando Calrissian drops a ''[[StuffBlowingUp thermal detonator]]'' in the garbage chute.]]
* The Black Rose Tower in ''{{Literature/Tasakeru}}'' is a complex case, not so much ''evil'', but definitely ominous. Originally built by a would-be world conqueror, it was quickly abandoned when said conqueror did a HeelFaceTurn. It was revealed later to have strange magical properties, including repairing itself when damaged and limited shapeshifting. [[spoiler:The inside is even weirder: it adapts to the needs of whomever calls it their home.]]

* The Iron Tower of Carcë in E. R. Eddison's ''Literature/TheWormOuroboros'', lair of the [[SorcerousOverlord sourcerous King]] Gorice of Witchland.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' -- Z'ha'dum, the home planet of [[BigBad the Shadows]], had rather ominous-looking stone spires jutting out of the {{Mordor}}-like landscape.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':

** Classic series example: The Tower of the Three Who Rule in the Fourth Doctor story, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay "State of Decay."]] This being ''Doctor Who'', the Tower is really a crashed, defunct spaceship.
** Also from the classic series, the [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors Tower of Rassilon]]. When the Doctor spots it he knows he's in the Death Zone, which is unpleasant as its name suggests.
** The Daleks' headquarters in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E1DayOfTheDaleks Day of the Daleks]]" is a tower surrounded by post-apocalyptic wasteland. The original broadcast portrays it as a windowless tower block, while the EnhancedOnDVD edition makes it far more intimidating.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Played for laughs and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] when the staff of the radio station have to confront their boss in an office building known as The Black Tower.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':

* There are a couple in ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' but the titular Dark Tower takes the cake.
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with the tower where Rapunzel is trapped in the ''Series/OnceUponATime'' version of that story: It seems like it should be this, but is in fact just an old tower of no special significance. Rapunzel is only trapped there [[spoiler:spoiler:by a physical embodiment of her own fear, created when she ate an anxiety-curing vegetable called Nightroot.]] It would have appeared to stalk her whether she was in the tower or not.

[[folder:Music]]
* The song "The Dark Tower of Abyss" by Rhapsody is about such a tower.
[[/folder]]

* Naturally, ''Pinball/TheLordOfTheRings'' has Barad-Dûr, which the player must knock down.
* The "Tower" table in ''VideoGame/RuinerPinball'' is set in one of these.

[[folder:Radio]]
* Novacom's radio tower in ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey''.
[[/folder]]

* In ''TabletopGame/Cyberpunk2020'', the skyscrapers of the different {{Megacorp}}s are the equivalent, with those of Arasaka fitting the bill quite well being black, very high (often the highest building of the cities where they're based), and having a design that is common to most of them.

** Also, the Tower of Calamities, from the same set.

** Towers stick out of Naggaroth, land of the Dark Elves, like it was a pincushion.

** Hotel Hightower, the Japanese ''Tower of Terror'' at Tokyo [=DisneySea=] almost exaggerates this with its exuberantly gothic architecture.

* The Metru Nui Coliseum of ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''. Despite this being Toys/{{Lego}}, it was never made into a toy apart from its entrance gate, though it did show up in the background of all the 2004-2005 promo adverts and was prominently featured in the second and third DirectToVideo movies. Originally a symbol of law and order, a sporting arena and storage complex, it was taken over by [[BigBad Makuta]] and then his minions Sidorak, Roodaka and the [[GiantSpiders Visorak]] horde. The city's power plant was underneath, as was [[spoiler:[[PhysicalGod Mata Nui]]'s core processor/brain module]].

* ''VideoGame/Asteroid5251'': The fortress in the Nether has a couple of these, all topped with SpikesOfVillainy.

** Both ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' have towers as the BonusDungeon of the add-ons. ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateTalesOfTheSwordCoast Tales of the Sword Coast]]'' has Durlags Tower, a deathtrap dungeon build by a mad dwarf king, while ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal Throne of Bhaal]]'' had the Watcher's Keep, which sits atop the prison of a Demonic Overlord of Hell. As a slight subversion, the Watcher's Keep is entered by climbing a massive set of stairs to reach the main door, located at it's top.
** In the expansion for the first game intended to bridge the gap between it and its sequel, ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear Siege of Dragonspear]]'', the final battle with [[spoiler:Belhifet]] takes place atop a large basalt tower in Hell itself. Complete with a long elevator ride beforehand where you're flanked by demons.
** In the first console-exclusive ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' game, TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon was in Onyx Tower that had something like fifty floors, though you actually played in less than half of them.

%%* Wonder Tower in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''.
%%* The Ithavoll Group headquarters in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.
%%* The Citadel in ''VideoGame/BeyondDivinity''. Actually, it's not the final dungeon but the very first one.
%%* King Drool's tower in the ''VideoGame/{{Bonk}}'' games.

* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireI'' has many wonderful towers to climb, from beginning to end.
* The Castle Keep in nearly every ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' game, where Dracula is fought (there are several towers in the games, including the infamous Clock Tower where Death is usually fought, but the Castle Keep is always the tallest one).
* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' the final battle takes place on the Lord of the Dead's Tower (Its a giant pillar that is larger even then the others, and is flanked by two massive lion statues.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Who can forget the scene where the party first sees Magus's Lair in all its gloomy glory?

** [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Terra Tower]], built by the descendants of the Reptites in an alternate future.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' has Temen-ni-Gru, a tower in which most of the game takes place.

** The Circle Of Magi's tower also looks like one (complete with a large full moon in the background), and like Fort Drakon, basically turns into an evil tower after a demon invasion from within. It gets better after you beat the mission, but still looks just as ominous as ever.

* In ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' you can ''build'' (or mold out of obsidian) one of these (or whatever the heck else you want), complete with black stone and spewing rivers of magma. Also, the Dark Fortresses the goblins build are bastions formed entirely from obsidian. Emphasis on formed: they're essentially giant, hollow pillars of solid obsidian.
* Dungeons in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' have random outsides but most of them involve a mound with inlaid stairs (going down, supposedly). However, it also includes full and ruined castle-like backdrops, some in what appear to be former cities or towns, or cut into giant trees. Rarely are their names correctly descriptive. All of the main quest dungeon exteriors are unique (Orsinium is the most unique one), save for the first and the last dungeons of the main quest. In fact, a plainclothes entrance to the Mantellan Crux is accessible on a very small island off of the main map, northwest from your ship.

* Reconstructed with ''VideoGame/Fallout3'''s Dunwich Building, a foreboding tower in an already UsedFuture, especially in contrast to the uncommonly bright and shiny Tenpenny Tower nearby. The entire site is an homage to H.P. Lovecraft.

* Geese Tower in ''VideoGame/FatalFury'', the tallest building in Southtown, and the location of Geese's demise in every continuity.

** Mirage Tower in the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', a spiral-shaped structure whose very top contains a {{teleport|ation}}er into the Sky Warriors' Floating Castle.
** The Emperor's Tower within the Cyclone in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII''. Castle Palamecia and Pandaemonium also qualify.
** The Crystal Tower at the center of the Ancients' Maze, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'', where [[BigBad Xande]] awaits. It stretches upwards far, far above the clouds (it takes both of the Nintendo [=DS=]' screens to show just part of it) and holds the altar/ {{teleport|ation}}er to the Dark World at the top.
** There are ''two'' of these in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' -- the Tower of Zot, where Golbez makes his lair, and the Tower of Bab-il, which extends into the center of the planet and has immense powers, triggered by the game's PlotCoupons.

** Kefka has one in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. TWO, if you count the Cult of Kefka tower. And then there's the cutscene while flying to the Imperial Palace. It can be seen many miles from the continent it's situated upon. The opening cutscene, which shows its summit, is a vast edifice of checkerplate flooring and bastion walls.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Shinra HQ, which rises from ground level and serves as the Midgar Plate's central pillar, certainly has more than enough floors to count (and the player can choose to climb up the stairs). President Shinra's office sits on top.

** The Iifa Tree in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' fulfills this role in-game despite being, as its name implies, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment a tree]].
** The tower of the Temple of St. Bevelle, seen very briefly near the end of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' and the "Tower of the Dead" seen even briefly inside of Sin.
** The Yadonoki Tower BonusDungeon in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' [[UpdatedRerelease International + Last Mission]]''.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII's'' massive Pharos Lighthouse. Based on the ''real'' Pharos Lighthouse, except much, much bigger, and filled with vicious monsters. There's also Sky Fortress ''Bahamut'', which has the appearance of a floating tower but you only get to travel in a small part of it. [[spoiler:It eventually crashes just outside of Rabanastre and becomes a tower ''by default''.]]
** Taejin's Tower in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' has a very [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Barad-dûr]]-like look to it, however in the [[AfterTheEnd 500-some years after the extinction of humanity on Gran Pulse]], the top half of it has toppled over. Despite that minor detail, it's creepiness factor is not in any way diminished.
** ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII:'' The Temple of Chaos is a downplayed example -- it isn't evil, but it is definitely ominous. You also get to go all the way to the top to fight a storyline boss.
** These are all over the place in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''. There are the Castrums built by [[TheEmpire the Garlean Empire]], the Crystal Tower, the Pharos Lighthouse, Eulmore, and the Telephoroi's towers.

** The Citadel. Supposedly one of many around the world, it serves as a dimensional teleport beacon, dark-energy reactor, storage for synths, and a cushy office for [[LesCollaborateurs Combine collaborator]] Dr. Breen (and oh, it's also TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in ''Half-Life 2''). It's so ominous and huge that its top is obscured by clouds, and the next two episodes in the game focus almost entirely on [[spoiler:delaying its exploding before so everyone can evacuate, and when it does anyway, cleaning up the mess -- and superportal -- afterwards.]]

** In ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'', the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', throughout the ''Xen'' level you can see a huge tower hovering in the distance, with an enormous red portal over it that gives it an appearance [[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d856e3d132e863fa2968760/1583457186738-9GKTT8ALFZNW0XQH73FU/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/20200305194702_1.jpg?format=1000w strongly reminiscent of Barad-dûr.]] You finally reach it in ''Interloper'', and spend much of the level making your way up through it. [[spoiler:After you defeat [[BigBad the Nihilanth]], it explodes.]]
* The Citadel tower in ''VideoGame/Halo3''. One of the OST tracks is aptly titled "Black Tower".

* Rokakku builds one in Shibuya Terminal in ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio Future''. It's a freaky piece of modern art, and contained in a warped space inside is the final battle zone. It has no name canonically, but due to one of Rokakku's lines when he's talking it up some fans have taken to calling it "Irrelevant".
* The lair of the Naughty Sorceress in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' is a fair example of this.
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' had a few; the tower of Dark Eden in ''VideoGame/{{Blood Omen|LegacyOfKain}}'' and the Silent Cathedral in ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver Soul Reaver]]'' are the trust in the tower sense. The Sarafan Keep in ''VideoGame/{{Blood Omen 2|LegacyOfKain}}'' could also count.

** Ganon's Tower from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. The latter is in Old Hyrule, not far from Hyrule Castle, but since the whole area is inside an underwater dome, it's not visible from anywhere else. ''A Link to the Past'' also has the Tower area of Hyrule Castle, after it's usurped by Agahnim.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' has two:

*** The Stone Tower Temple in Ikana Canyon. Notable because part of the dungeon is going back outside and hitting a switch to invert the entire place.
** The Black Tower in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages]]''.
** The Tower of Spirits from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]''. The only times you can't see it from your train are when there's physical objects (mountains, trees and the like) blocking your view.

* The final level of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' has Shepard [[spoiler:climbing the Citadel tower which has been seized by Saren's Geth. This is notable in that Shepard does not ascend the tower the way it's meant to be done, but instead by exiting it and walking up the side. The boss fight with Saren takes place at the top in the council chamber.]]
* Thane's recruitment mission in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' involves fighting your way to the top of a pair of towers connected by a skybridge. Though since you take high-speed elevators most of the way you only actually fight on about five floors.
* An Evil Tower Of Ominousness shows up as the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAirborne'', of all places in the form of the Flak Tower, a giant concrete tower the size of a large town. WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation remarks that "''I was unaware the Nazis had a gigantic armored concrete tower that could only be described as a DOOM FORTRESS''". Although the Flak Tower is a real WWII German war structure, the allies never actually attacked one during the war (and the Soviets could only siege them until the people inside ran out of food).
* Dr. Wily's castle in the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' series. [[spoiler:In ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'', it reaches all the way up to space.]]
* Area X-2 from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 3'', which extends all the way into space.

* ''VideoGame/Metro2033'' had the relatively intact Ostankino Tower serve as the game's finale. It not only overlooked the Dark Ones' hive, but also seemed to serve as a nest for the game's flying GoddamnBats.
* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VII'' features a downplayed example in William Setag's Tower. It's not actually that tall (any ominousness comes mostly from the fact that there are very few towers period in Deyja), and except for one specific optional quest all you do with it is talk with William Setag, self-proclaimed [[CardCarryingVillain Villain]] -- but it is definitely a tower that looks out of place and is controlled by evil (Setag does things like kidnap 'the fairest lady in Erathia' ''just for the sake of doing it'').
* ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'' has several of them, including the Nightmare Tower from the first world, [[spoiler:the Sky Scraper which is used by the Darker Lord to admire the mayhem he causes in the land from high up]] and [[spoiler:The Tower of Dread from New Lumos]].
* The Shard in ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'', which doubles as the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. It's a game based around LeParkour, and in a city full of skyscrapers, it absolutely dwarfs everything else, and it's just generally made clear in every possible way that [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere you are going up that thing at some point]].
* Thunder Tower in ''VideoGame/Mother3''. More fitting, though, is the Empire [[spoiler:Porky]] Building, which is in fact the home of the BigBad.

* ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' has one of these -- the game being what it is, it's your character's home base. However by Overlord II it has been destroyed when the Tower Heart powering it was tampered with, exploding and corrupting the lands of the first game with a magical plague. You still have sort of an Evil Tower as a base, though it's now located in the Netherworld and hangs upside-down like a giant evil stalactite.
* The [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Tower of Kagutsuchi]], Tartarus in ''VideoGame/Persona3'', [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIMAGINE Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building]] and [[VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga Karma Temple]]. [[Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei SMT]] has a thing with [[TarotMotifs towers]]...
* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', the Fortress of Regrets is a quintessential example. It's also one of the biggest: it is said to be almost the size of [[AlternateDimension a plane]] in itself.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'': Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town pulls this off very well, given it's a towering cemetery that happens to have some bad guys at the top. Which leads to one question: Since it's a tower... [[FridgeLogic where are the dead buried?]] It appears in Gold/Silver/Crystal as well, but as a normal tower.
** Realgam Tower in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'', since it's controlled by the villains. [[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness The sequel]] gets rid of the "evil" and "ominousness" parts and just makes it a normal tower, similar to the above entry.

** The spinoffs have Altru Tower in ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger Shadows of Almia'', the Sky Tower in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonRescueTeam'', and Temporal Tower in ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers of Time/Darkness/Sky''. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with the Tree of Life in ''VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon''.

* Dr. Loboto's tower lab in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', as well as the thorny tower in the Brain Tumbler Experiment.
* ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'''s Tower of the Leptys fits perfectly this trope, being the last level and requiring you to get on top of it to fight the final boss.

* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai'' actually featured three, but the final level of Hassa is the most striking example. So much so that the tower itself functions as TheDreaded for the main characters.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Robopon}}'', Dr. Disc's tower is this in the first game. There's no door for you to enter the tower, except at the very top. Your solution? Blow it up. Zero Castle is this too, though with the warp pads, you don't have to climb all the way up.
* ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' being a HighFantasy setting has a few but the best example would be the main tower of Castle Drakan, whose foreboding presence looms over the [[{{Uberwald}} Sanguinesti region]]. It's also upon its [[RooftopConfrontation roof]] you face off against [[VampireMonarch Lord Drakan]] and the [[TragicMonster Wyrd]] at the end of "The Lord of Vampyrium" and "River Of Blood" quests.
%%* The Philips Building in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2''.
%%* The Syndicate Tower in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''.

* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' features the Orochi Tower, the Tokyo-based headquarters of the [[MegaCorp Orochi Group]]. A Burj Khalifa-esque monolith of steel and glass, it's ultimately TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of the Tokyo story arc: for good measure, it ends with a confrontation with Orochi Chairwoman Lily Engel [[spoiler:AKA [[HumanoidAbomination Lilith]] ]] on the penthouse balcony.

* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIVRogerWilcoAndTheTimeRippers'' had the Xenon Super Computer dome in the Space Quest XII time period, which now served as [[BigBad Vohaul's]] base of operations. It looks like a "vast boil" on the ruined landscape.

** Bowser's Castle in many games in the series, as well as the castle of other villains in the series. The Shroob Castle in [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]] is this kind of sinister place with a huge statue of Princess Shroob, Castle Bleck is a huge castle/tower situated in the [[OminousFloatingCastle void]] and there's probably a lot of other examples.

* The Tower of Salvation in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' subverts this in two different ways; its artful ivory countenance is rather un-ominous and serves as a symbol of hope for both worlds, even after [[spoiler:you discover that the creators are evil]], and the tower itself isn't a lair -- it just contains a teleporter to one.
* The Tower of Tarqaron in ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' on the other hand plays it completely straight. A huge, [[FloatingContinent flying]], black city topped with a giant tower housing a {{Magitek}} weapon powered by the LifeEnergy of every human in the world.

* Venture Tower in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', which serves as the headquarters of the local Camarilla and Prince Sebastian [=LaCroix=]. It dwarfs every other building in Los Angeles' downtown area, and the Prince's office is the penthouse. [[spoiler:The climax involves fighting your way to the top, the final boss battle with TheDragon takes place on its roof, and the uppermost floors are blown to smithereens in [[MultipleEndings some endings]].]]

** The Lich King's Frozen Throne is located on top of a tall spire of ice. Karazhan, the tower of Medivh, is a more straight example, being an ominous tower with evil things inside, including [[OminousPipeOrgan ominous pipe organ music]].
** The Frozen Throne isn't just on top of a tall spire of ice, it IS the tall spire of ice. Another example would be Icecrown Citadel, a massive tower built around the Frozen Throne. It's a giant evil tower built around a giant evil tower.
** But the original and still the best is Blackrock Spire, a [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience black dragon]] doom fortress made out of a [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience Blackrock/Black Tooth Grin]] orc doom fortress made out of a [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience Dark Iron Dwarf]] doom fortress originally intended to carry out the commands of a chaotic demigod made of ''lava''. ''And it still houses all of them!.''
** And then there's also the tower of Auchindoun, though it may not count because it only became evil after it ''blew up''. Also, it is more of an evil ring of remaining tall support beams for a dome or amphitheater of evil.
** The [[http://bp2.blogger.com/_tl3FA5WXvFo/SD4cG8ITMGI/AAAAAAAAAzI/3UW06-2myhw/s400/Sunfury+Spire.jpeg Sunfury Spire]] in Silvermoon can be quite ominous.
** The Mana Forges in Netherstorm are massive structures that drain magic from the space around them, but the big daddy of all these is Tempest Keep which MOVES.

* Syrup Castle in the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series. An absolutely huge [[MalevolentMugshot skull shaped castle]] on a mountain, it's probably big enough to hold a small town, and in both games it appears in has the entire last world inside it. So much in fact the first level inside the area in the second game is actually called 'Get to the Castle' and has an ominous opening cut scene showing Wario looking up at the building.
* Ka Dingle from ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' is so feared by the Guardians that it was sealed away for a thousand years until Zeikfried raised it. However, it's not actually the final dungeon or a villain lair, but an elevator to the New Moon Malduke, the actual final dungeon. Thanks to the final battle occurring in subspace (not advised in the ''Wild Arms'' verse as you could explode from the energy you produce), Ka Dingle goes up in a ball of fire at the very end.
* The Dark Savant's Tower in ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} 8''.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* The BIOCOM Tower from ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints''.
[[/folder]]

* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': How to find Bob's fortress? [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/040902c Actually it's kind of hard to miss.]] Wiley also builds them and rather resents the way they are blown up.

* In ''Webcomic/MoonCrest24'', Aleck von Zander stands on one in the prologue.
* Xykon raises one of these out of the ground in the fourth story arc of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Qxlkbh}}'' has one in [[https://qxlkbh.github.io/91 91: zcomicrg]] as the zvillains'rg lair - it's so evil its name is the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "Evil Spire of Utmost Evil".]]

* The Meyer Security building in ''WebVideo/DoorMonster'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uam0KMyZh2E&index=3&list=PL0u5ZHidq4X4QhFAX9FzSiYJLRen74sLF The Guards Themselves.]]

* In ''Literature/RunningWithRats'', one of the {{Dream Land}}s that the protagonists infiltrate features a government building functioning as this in the middle of [[AbsurdAltitude a maze of floating platforms in the sky]].
* Bohu from {{Literature/Worm}} is a living example of this trope.
* ''WebVideo/Dynamo'': Shade Tower, the headquarters of what appears to be the main antagonist of the series as well as the founder of the city of Shade, Les North. The tower, miles-high with neon-like lights running up its sides, is the point at which the police chopper aircrafts of the Superintelligence Agency are located, and the tower is seen in various shots, mostly looking sinister and foreboding.
* ''WebVideo/DynamoDream'': Shade Tower, just barely glimpsed during Jo's train ride, where Jo gets dizzy and passes out.

* Mozenrath's Citadel in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' is one of these, complete with [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent snake decorations]] on the doors and death traps and zombie guards inside.
* Doom Tower from ''WesternAnimation/AvengerPenguins''.

* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' had the Tower of Dr. Zalost, from which the eponymous doctor launched cannonballs that made everyone depressed. Doubled as a [[BaseOnWheels Base On Legs]].

** [[SorcerousOverlord King]] [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Sombra]] magically converted the central castle of the Crystal Empire into this during [[TheDarkTimes his rule a millenium ago]]. It turns back to normal in his absence, [[spoiler:though it still contains several [[BlackMagic dark magic]] traps that remain active, along with some tricky PocketDimension effects to disorient and delay any intruders]]. [[spoiler:He also used it as the hiding place of the Crystal Heart, because he knew his subjects were so terrified of the place that none of them would ever dare enter, no matter how desperate their situation became.]]
** The Changeling Hive in "To Where and Back Again" resembles an odd combination of a tower and a deformed cave. Either way, it certainly gets the evil part right.

* Aku's Tower in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''. Shaped similarly to Aku himself on the outside with the inside resembling FireAndBrimstoneHell, it's located at the center of an empty crater. He doesn't need any other infrastructure since anyone on the planet can go there with a teleporter (which Aku himself doesn't even need).

* The Republican Party's headquarters on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
* The Shredder's main headquarters in ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003) is one of these. In a manner reminiscent of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' example above, it includes a Japanese pagoda on the top floor.
* WesternAnimation/TomTerrific's foe Isotope Feeney resides in an ivory tower.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama All Stars'' episode "You Regatta be Kidding Me" Mike discovers one in his own mind setting up a StoryArc, considering with him meeting and freeing his other personalities along the way.

* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown2018'' has a mundane variation with the dictatorship warren of Efrafa being hidden underneath the ruins of a human building. The walls and roof have long gone but the brick chimneys remain standing; along with the "iron trees" of nearby powerlines, it gives the warren an ominous appearance.

* ''{{VideoGame/Cyberpunk 2077}}'': Arasaka Tower is taller than all other buildings in Night City, RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver, home of the most powerful, capital-E Evil organization in the game, and contains what is only describable as the closest thing to a gateway to Hell in a world without the confirmed existence of interventionist deities.

** ''Film/RogueOne'' shows that Vader has a personal SupervillainLair on [[spoiler: Mustafar]], which naturally includes one of these.

** Casterly Rock, the home of the [[BigScrewedUpFamily Lannisters]] has all the above beaten. The fortress is three times the height of the wall. The Wall is 700 feet tall, Casterly Rock is 2100 feet high![[note]] To get some perspective, Casterly rock, if it were a real life building, would be the second tallest building in the world. [[/note]], stretches for two leagues (seven miles) and has never been taken before in battle. A fitting home for the likes of House Lannister.

* The Black Rose Tower in ''{{Literature/Tasakeru}}'' is a complex case, not so much ''evil'', but definitely ominous. Originally built by a would-be world conqueror, it was quickly abandoned when said conqueror did a HeelFaceTurn. It was revealed later to have strange magical properties, including repairing itself when damaged and limited shapeshifting. [[spoiler: The inside is even weirder: it adapts to the needs of whomever calls it their home.]]

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with the tower where Rapunzel is trapped in the ''Series/OnceUponATime'' version of that story: It seems like it should be this, but is in fact just an old tower of no special significance. Rapunzel is only trapped there [[spoiler: by a physical embodiment of her own fear, created when she ate an anxiety-curing vegetable called Nightroot.]] It would have appeared to stalk her whether she was in the tower or not.

** Sometimes the Tower will really drive this home as the building is equipped with lightning rods to deflect any bolts away from the riders while adding to its theming. Check out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipMEbqJ6XA8 this amateur footage]].

* Agency tower in ''[[VideoGame/{{Crackdown}} Crackdown 2]]'' is an example. [[spoiler: In the end it turns out to be a giant flashlight, killing every freak in the city and causing an "EarthShatteringKaboom".]]

** Fort Drakon. Technically it's simply part of the city of Denerim, but effectively turns into an evil tower once [[spoiler: the Darkspawn invade the city at the end of the game, which also turns the sky red and gives the tower an even eviler look. It also serves as the [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon final dungeon]] after one of the [[BigBad Archdemon's]] wings is damaged and must land atop the tower]].

** The Citadel. Supposedly one of many around the world, it serves as a dimensional teleport beacon, dark-energy reactor, storage for synths, and a cushy office for [[LesCollaborateurs Combine collaborator]] Dr. Breen (and oh, it's also TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in ''Half-Life 2''). It's so ominous and huge that its top is obscured by clouds, and the next two episodes in the game focus almost entirely on [[spoiler: delaying its exploding before so everyone can evacuate, and when it does anyway, cleaning up the mess -- and superportal -- afterwards.]]

** In ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'', the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', throughout the ''Xen'' level you can see a huge tower hovering in the distance, with an enormous red portal over it that gives it an appearance [[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d856e3d132e863fa2968760/1583457186738-9GKTT8ALFZNW0XQH73FU/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/20200305194702_1.jpg?format=1000w strongly reminiscent of Barad-dûr]]. You finally reach it in ''Interloper'', and spend much of the level making your way up through it. [[spoiler:After you defeat [[BigBad the Nihilanth]], it explodes.]]

* The final level of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' has Shepard [[spoiler: climbing the Citadel tower which has been seized by Saren's Geth. This is notable in that Shepard does not ascend the tower the way it's meant to be done, but instead by exiting it and walking up the side. The boss fight with Saren takes place at the top in the council chamber.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' features the Orochi Tower, the Tokyo-based headquarters of the [[MegaCorp Orochi Group]]. A Burj Khalifa-esque monolith of steel and glass, it's ultimately TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of the Tokyo story arc: for good measure, it ends with a confrontation with Orochi Chairwoman Lily Engel [[spoiler: AKA [[HumanoidAbomination Lilith]] ]] on the penthouse balcony.

* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': How to find Bob's fortress? [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/040902c Actually it's kind of hard to miss]]. Wiley also builds them and rather resents the way they are blown up.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'' the Eternity Spire. [[http://endstone.net/2009/02/15/issue-1-page-3/ Where Jon intended to destroy the world]].

* Templar Towers in ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'' are huge, gunmetal grey edifices surrounded by orbiting red panels near the top. They house a barracks, an absolutely huge PowerCrystal, giant magic batteries, and a mind-control beacon that interacts with specially made {{Slave Collar}}s to ensure that those wearing them can't rebel. Even without the collars, they have a dampening effect on non-human minds, slowly turning the brains of Bastins and Keidrans into mush, making their lands ripe for a Templar invasion.]].

* The Meyer Security building in ''WebVideo/DoorMonster'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uam0KMyZh2E&index=3&list=PL0u5ZHidq4X4QhFAX9FzSiYJLRen74sLF The Guards Themselves]].

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': As opposed to Zim, who operates out of an ElaborateUndergroundBase beneath his house, when [[TheRival Tak]] arrives on Earth she creates a base inside a giant skyscraper [[spoiler: housing a pump set to hollow out the planet]].

** [[SorcerousOverlord King]] [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Sombra]] magically converted the central castle of the Crystal Empire into this during [[TheDarkTimes his rule a millenium ago]]. It turns back to normal in his absence, [[spoiler: though it still contains several [[BlackMagic dark magic]] traps that remain active, along with some tricky PocketDimension effects to disorient and delay any intruders]]. [[spoiler: He also used it as the hiding place of the Crystal Heart, because he knew his subjects were so terrified of the place that none of them would ever dare enter, no matter how desperate their situation became.]]

* Rezo's tower in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''.

* The giant skyscraper where immortal Marcus Octavius lives in ''Anime/HighlanderTheSearchForVengeance''. Pretty much the center of his empire.

* The ComicBook/PostCrisis version of ComicBook/LexLuthor held bragging rights to the tallest skyscraper in the world, even beating out the Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur. The original towers were a riff on Manhattan's World Trade Center, except with the towers shaped like Luthor's initials. This was later retconned into a giant claw-like monstrosity hanging over the city.
** Various incarnations of the [=LexCorp=]/[=LuthorCorp=] building appear in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''Series/LoisAndClark'' (in which Lex commits suicide by jumping from it) and ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', of which the exterior shots were of the Government of Canada building in Vancouver, which is right next to the Marine Building which serves as the ''Daily Planet''.

* ''Fanfic/QueenOfShadows'': The Shadowkhan fortress has at least one of these, which contains the Queen's personal living quarters.
** Jirobo is later revealed to have his own tower as well. But since he's General of the [[AirborneMooks Bat Khan]], it makes sense.

** The title "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant", too.

** Harrenhal was originally built by a man named Harren as a fortress/monument to himself. It consisted of five towers, said to be among the tallest in Westeros. Then Aegon the Conqueror showed up with his three dragons and ''melted'' much of it, turning it instantly from some JerkAss's self-congratulatory monument to a cursed White Elephant of a fortress that brings bad luck to whoever makes it their seat of power. The "curse" actually has a fairly mundane in-universe explanation: the size of Harrenhal makes it an sought after by rivals for the prestige of holding it, yet is so big it is hard to effectively defend. No wonder it keeps changing hands and bringing ill fortune to those who try and hold it.
*** The only person who ''prospered'' after sacking Harrenhal thus far has been Roose Bolton, who's such a MagnificentBastard he's apparently even capable of subverting ''curses''.

* From ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The Darksteel Citadel on the plane of Mirrodin is the lair of the BigBad Memnarch.

* In ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' you can ''build'' (or mold out of obsidian) one of these (or whatever the heck else you want), complete with black stone and spewing rivers of magma.
** Also, the Dark Fortresses the goblins build are bastions formed entirely from obsidian. Emphasis on formed: they're essentially giant, hollow pillars of solid obsidian.

** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has the Lucky 38 Casino (based on the real-life Stratosphere Tower), home to [[TheChessmaster Mr. House]].

* The Citadel in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. Supposedly one of many around the world, it serves as a dimensional teleport beacon, dark-energy reactor, storage for synths, and a cushy office for [[LesCollaborateurs Combine collaborator]] Dr. Breen (and oh, it's also TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in ''Half-Life 2'').
** It's so ominous and huge that its top is obscured by clouds, and the next two episodes in the game focus almost entirely on [[spoiler: delaying its exploding before so everyone can evacuate, and when it does anyway, cleaning up the mess -- and superportal -- afterwards.]]
** The Depot at Nova Prospekt may also count. When viewed from outside, it towers over the entire complex. Up close, it has the same kind of prisoner transport system as the Citadel's, and is literally made from the old prison's materials, thanks to the giant crushing walls nearby.

* Even in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', on the monochrome Game Boy, Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town pulls this off very well, given it's a towering cemetery that happens to have some bad guys at the top. Which leads to one question: Since it's a tower... [[FridgeLogic where are the dead buried?]] It appears in Gold/Silver/Crystal as well, but as a normal tower.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' has the Temple that holds the 16 icons, which is a huge tower which can be seen from miles away.
** Also, the last colossus [[spoiler:actually ''IS'' a tower.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', [[SorcerousOverlord King]] [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Sombra]] magically converted the central castle of the Crystal Empire into this during [[TheDarkTimes his rule a millenium ago]]. It turns back to normal in his absence, [[spoiler: though it still contains several [[BlackMagic dark magic]] traps that remain active, along with some tricky PocketDimension effects to disorient and delay any intruders]]. [[spoiler: He also used it as the hiding place of the Crystal Heart, because he knew his subjects were so terrified of the place that none of them would ever dare enter, no matter how desperate their situation became.]]

* The first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie did a LampshadeHanging; when Shrek sees the towering castle of BigBad Lord Farquaad (an [[TheNapoleon ill-tempered, tyrannical midget]]), his first thoughts are "Do you think maybe he's compensating for something?"

* Wonder Tower in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''.
* The Ithavoll Group headquarters in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.
* The Citadel in ''VideoGame/BeyondDivinity''. Actually, it's not the final dungeon but the very first one.
* King Drool's tower in the ''VideoGame/{{Bonk}}'' games.

* The Philips Building in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2''.
* The Syndicate Tower in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird''.

* Venture Tower in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', which serves as the headquarters of the local Camarilla and Prince Sebastian [=LaCroix=]. It dwarfs every other building in Los Angeles' downtown area, and the Prince's office is the penthouse. [[spoiler:The climax of the game involves fighting you way to the top, the final boss battle with TheDragon takes place on its roof, and the uppermost floors can potentially be blown to smithereens in some of the MultipleEndings.]]

* Parodied in the ''TabletopGame/DiscworldRolePlayingGame'' article "Call No Man Happy Until He Is Dead", which notes that the aversion Dark Lords have to outbuildings and courtyards presumably indicates that they keep their black horses indoors, and they must feel that maintaining the ominousness of the tower makes up for the smell.

In mythology, often used in a desperate ploy by an OverprotectiveDad to ([[YouCantFightFate unsuccessfully]]) prevent his daughter from getting pregnant. This results in a GirlInTheTower.

* In ''TabletopGame/Cyberpunk2020'', the skyscrapers of the different {{Megacorp}}s are the equivalent, with those of Arasaka fitting the bill quite well being black, very high, and having a design that is common to most of them.

* Bowser's Castle from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros.'' series, as well as every castle for every other villain in the series as well. The Shroob Castle in [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]] is this kind of sinister place with a huge statue of Princess Shroob, Castle Bleck is a huge castle/tower situated in the [[OminousFloatingCastle void]] and there's probably a lot of other examples.

* ''Film/InspectorGadget'': The gothic-looking skyscraper which houses Sanford Scolex's corporate headquarters. Although it looks like something created for a movie baddie, it is actually a real building, the PPG Place in Pittsburgh.

** In ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'', the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', throughout the ''Xen'' level you can see a huge tower hovering in the distance, with an enormous red portal over it that gives it an appea [[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d856e3d132e863fa2968760/1583457186738-9GKTT8ALFZNW0XQH73FU/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/20200305194702_1.jpg?format=1000w strongly reminiscent of Barad-dûr]]. You finally reach it in ''Interloper'', and spend much of the level making your way up through it. [[spoiler:After you defeat [[BigBad the Nihilanth]], it explodes.]]

** In ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'', the FanRemake of ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', throughout the ''Xen'' level you can see a huge tower hovering in the distance, with an enormous red portal over it that gives it something of [[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d856e3d132e863fa2968760/1583457186738-9GKTT8ALFZNW0XQH73FU/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kNvT88LknE-K9M4pGNO0Iqd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1USOFn4xF8vTWDNAUBm5ducQhX-V3oVjSmr829Rco4W2Uo49ZdOtO_QXox0_W7i2zEA/20200305194702_1.jpg?format=1000w an Eye of Sauron look]]. You finally reach it in ''Interloper'', and spend much of the level making your way up through it. [[spoiler:After you defeat [[BigBad the Nihilanth]], it explodes.]]

* The Ziggurat from ''Anime/{{Metropolis}}''.