History Main / FemmeFatale

* Femme Fatale was the name of a one-shot villainess in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|1998}}'' episode "Equal Fights." The only thing she really had in common with this trope was the name as she was a StrawFeminist who tried to indoctrinate the girls into "solidarity" as she really DoesNotLikeMen. Sedusa is an even bigger example. She is a mistress of seduction who manipulates men into doing her bidding and has snake-like hair she uses as tentacles for battle; both representing her MeaningfulName.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', Helga Sinclair has the [[ContraltoOfDanger sultry voice]] and beautiful looks of a typical femme fatale; however, she is never seen seducing anyone, and does have ''some'' hesitation towards [[spoiler:stealing the Heart of Atlantis once she learns it is the life force of an entire civilization of people.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' has Mirage, who lures Mr. Incredible onto a desert island where the BigBad can kill him, [[spoiler: although she does pull a HeelFaceTurn and begins helping his family when her BigBad [[BadBoss Boss]]'s mistreatment of her goes too far. It is also ''strongly'' implied that Mirage feels something for Mr. Incredible, even if she knows he is married and with children]]. He also doesn't seem particularly interested in her but in her offer which allows him to return to his glory days as a superhero.

First, she turns you on. Then, she turns on you. The typical client in a HardboiledDetective story (French for "fatal woman", idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. Dressed all in black with legs up to here and shady motives, she [[EvilSlinks slinks]] into the [[PrivateDetective P.I.]]'s office, sometimes holding a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking cigarette on a long, long holder]], saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? [[PrivateEyeMonologue Do I care?]] [[{{Sexophone}} Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from?]] Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely [[MysteriousWoman keeping some secrets]].

* Benedikta Harman from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'' has shades of this. She certainly looks the part, dressed in an elegant black SpyCatsuit, and is indeed the spymaster of the Kingdom of Waloed ''and'' romantically involved with the king, Barnabas Thamr.

* Benedikta Harman from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'' has shades of this. She certainly looks the part, dressed in an elegant black SpyCatsuit, and is indeed the spymaster of her kingdom ''and'' romantically involved with the king.

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** While hardly alluring at ten years old or younger, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro played this role in the ''Franchise/IndianaJones''-themed episode "Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon". She even has [[MyCard a card]] that calls her such.
** Vanessa coincides between this and DaddysLittleVillain.

* In ''AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', Helga Sinclair has the [[ContraltoOfDanger sultry voice]] and beautiful looks of a typical femme fatale; however, she is never seen seducing anyone, and does have ''some'' hesitation towards [[spoiler:stealing the Heart of Atlantis once she learns it is the life force of an entire civilization of people.]]

First, she turns you on. Then, she turns on you. The typical client in a HardboiledDetective story (French for "fatal woman", idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. Dressed all in black with [[ShesGotLegs legs up to here]] and shady motives, she [[EvilSlinks slinks]] into the [[PrivateDetective P.I.]]'s office, sometimes holding a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking cigarette on a long, long holder]], saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? [[PrivateEyeMonologue Do I care?]] [[{{Sexophone}} Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from?]] Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely [[MysteriousWoman keeping some secrets]].

[[quoteright:330:[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackwidowkillercaught.jpg]]]]

%% Image source: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/03/filmnoir_portfolio200703#slide=6

[[quoteright:330:[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackwidowkillercaught.jpg]]

[[quoteright:330:[[Literature/VanityFair https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackwidowkillercaught.jpg]]]]

* Aphrodite of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Roman Mythology]] often got what she wanted through seduction. For example, she offered Paris any woman he wanted if he chose to give her the Apple of Discord.

-->-- '''James Lileks,''' ''The Bleat'' for [[http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/03/0203/020703.html February 7, 2003]]

First, she turns you on. Then, she turns on you. The typical client in a HardboiledDetective story (French for "fatal woman," idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. Dressed all in black with [[ShesGotLegs legs up to here]] and shady motives, she [[EvilSlinks slinks]] into the [[PrivateInvestigator PI]]'s office, sometimes holding a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking cigarette on a long, long holder]], saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? [[PrivateEyeMonologue Do I care?]] [[{{Sexophone}} Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from?]] Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely [[MysteriousWoman keeping some secrets]].

The Femme Fatale is [[EvilIsSexy sexy]] [[WaxingLyrical and she]] [[Music/{{LMFAO}} knows it]]. Made famous by FilmNoir and hard-boiled detective stories, she manipulates and confuses TheHero with her undeniable aura of sexiness and danger. Unlike the virginal and sweet DamselInDistress (or possibly ActionGirl), the Femme Fatale exploits with everything she's got to wrap men around her finger. (In some eras, [[MakeUpIsEvil use of make-up is a tell-tale sign.]]) He ''knows'' that she's walking trouble and knows much more about the bad guys than she should, but damn it if he can't resist her feminine wiles.

While related to TheVamp, the Femme Fatale is not just any seductress; she has a distinct look and feel. The main distinction is how she presents herself. If you ''know'' she's dangerous from the start, but she's sexy enough that you don't care, she's likely a Femme Fatale. On a lesser note, the Femme Fatale generally uses sensuality instead of upfront sexual advances. She may ''imply'' that you could have sex later, but she'll never promise it, not even say it--that would decrease her air of mystery and power. Her wiles may include apparent helplessness and distress, and appeals to the man's greed, desire for revenge, or gullibility, as well as the implication of ''possible'' romance or sexual rewards, while TheVamp more often relies on raunchy sex or the promise of it sometime real soon.

The Femme Fatale is generally villainous, and heroic exceptions--in an artificial context to snare the bad guy--are closer to HeroicSeductress. Frequently, she is a WildCard, changing sides according to her own desires and goals; she does not often go through a HighHeelFaceTurn. If she's actually a kind-hearted person who puts on this facade [[ItAmusedMe just for fun]], this is TricksterGirlfriend.

If [[DarkActionGirl she can fight too]], then she's ''really'' going to be trouble.

Subtrope of ManipulativeBastard. The younger version of this is the FilleFatale. The spy version of this is FemmeFataleSpy. If the femme fatale also eats the targets of her manipulations, she's a LiteralManEater.

%%* Princess Salome from Richard Strauss' ''Salome'' strips before her stepfather while demanding the head of Jochanaan, and then kisses Jochanaan's severed head while declaring her love for it in front of everyone.
%% Commented out because the example is still very unclear. Who is Jochanaan, why does Salome demand his head, what has this demand to do with her dancing, and what has kissing a severed head to do with being a Femme Fatale?

* ''ComicBook/{{Fatale}}'' by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (of ''ComicBook/{{Criminal}}'' fame) places a horror spin on this trope which also serves to make the femme fatale in question more sympathetic; it's implied that she's supernaturally cursed to forever remain young and beautiful, and the spell also works to cause men to fall hopelessly in love with her to the point where it leads to their own ruin. It's clearly established that she hates her life and the effect that she has on men, but can't escape it.

!!Examples:
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%%Note: A large number of examples were moved to the discussion for repairs.%%
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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Bitch-sensei Irina Jelavic from ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom''. Before coming to class 3-E, she was an assassin famous for her HoneyTrap method. Now that she is a teacher, she's more than willing to pass her skills to her students and at least [[FilleFatale two of them]] are already on the way to become this trope.
* ''Manga/BananaFish'''s protagonist Ash is a rare, intentional male example. He frequently uses his charm and good looks to seduce adults (usually middle-aged men) to get information out of them. It factors into his tragic backstory, as it stems from him being a former child prostitute and the sex toy of a mafia don.
** He even went as far as performing a striptease in front of a security camera to try and trick the guards into visiting his [[spoiler:hospital]] room by [[spoiler:Throwing a blanket over the camera]]. [[spoiler:It worked for one of them, who was promptly shot.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', the kunoichi Kagerou's HeadTurningBeauty leads many unknowing (and even some knowing) to their deaths due to her breath turning [[PoisonousPerson poisonous]] when [[DeathBySex aroused]]. [[KissOfDeath A simple kiss from Kagerou is lethal enough to drop a man dead almost instantly]]. While very useful, not very helpful to Kagerou as she can never even embrace the man she's deeply in love with.
* ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'': In the public eye, Sylia Stingray is the modest entrepreneur of the Silky Doll fashion boutique. But, away from prying eyes, she's an alluring businesswoman who brokers backwater deals with wealthy clients and informants in high-level government positions, who also act as [[BigGood her eyes and ears]] against [[MegaCorp the Genom Corporation.]] And while she doesn't mind them looking, she makes it clear that her body is never part of the deal.
* Erica Blandelli of ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}'' is an unusual example, since she's also the main heroine and {{Love Interest|s}} for the protagonist. While she's manipulative and seductive towards [[TheHero Godou Kusanagi]], she genuinely loves him and everything she does is for his sake.
* Faye Valentine of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' has all the hallmarks of the Femme Fatale, a sultry dark haired beautiful and curvaceous woman who’s very seductive to gullible men, while also being quite a deadly wanted swindling criminal in her own right. Spike and Jet understandably distrust her and handcuff Faye in their first and second encounters with her. Subverted as Faye is really a {{deconstruction}} of a Femme Fatale, since a lot of her surface feminine wiles give way to [[TheKlutz klutzy dorkiness]] as Faye does some very [[TheLadette unclassy things]] like eat dogfood and in later episode get diarrhoea which would never happened to other Femme Fatales listed here. [[spoiler: It turns out Faye’s Femme Fatale behaviour is really just a put on, since being a HumanPopsicle for fifty-four years BeneathTheMask she genuinely has no idea who she is and being a sultry swindler is just a defence mechanism. Considering the first man Faye met in the future Whitney (whom she fell for), betrayed and ripped her off, you can’t fault her for adapting to that lifestyle to survive.]]
** Interestingly Julia is closer to being a straight example, as seen in the vague flashbacks where she’s wearing a black leather getup and sleeps with Spike while still being in a relationship with Vicious. She’s also very much capable of murder and abandonment. Her genuine love for Spike however does undercut this, but even Faye can’t get a good read on Julia, saying she’s either a demonic angel or angelic demon.
* Soti from ''Manhua/CyberWeaponZ'' left Park Iro for [[BigBad Leiting]] and at first looks like an indecisive DarkMistress. However, she's not above infiltrating the Shaolin temple to spy on the man she once loved and gain information for her new boyfriend but usually doesn't act directly against him out of respect for what they once had. Iro is often troubled by her presence since her sweet face and apparent harmlessness still get to his heart, despite the fact that she's a quite capable DarkActionGirl.
* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
** Bulma usually uses her looks and body to manipulate guys to do her bidding. She tried using it on Goku initially, but it failed.
** Hasky a female mercenary hired by the Red Ribbon army in the anime, is an effective Femme Fatale who almost steals the Four Star ball off Goku. Unfortunately for her Goku was a PintSizedPowerhouse.
** Colonel Violet proved to be one in the anime, throwing two of her men overboard in crocodile infested waters to save her own skin and feigning loyalty to her superiors before stealing the money in their vault. Although granted, it’s the Red Ribbon army she’s betraying.
* Two of the three ''Series/{{GARO}}'' animated spin-offs have subversions:
** ''Anime/GaroTheAnimation''’s Ema Guzmán is mysterious, flirtatious, icily beautiful, sharp-tongued, and exceptionally dangerous in a fight, but she soon proves herself to be an entirely trustworthy and reliable ally who just happens to [[TheTease enjoy messing with the heroes’ heads]] when she’s off the clock. While she does have secrets, they’re more dangerous to her than to anyone else.
** ''Anime/GaroVanishingLine'' has Ema’s {{expy}}, Gina, who occupies pretty much the same narrative role with slight variations. She plays up the Femme Fatale vibe in her introductory episode, before settling down as a reliable member of the team and a CoolBigSis to the KidHero, Sophie. She does still spend most of her time dunking on Sword, the resident muscle, but [[IdiotHero then again, who can blame her?]]
* ''Manga/InoHeadGargoyle'': Shizuka Aomori is drop-dead gorgeous and knows how to use her charms, but ends up dragging Saejima into her RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the gang that forced her into prostitution.
* ''[[Franchise/LupinIII Lupin III's]]'' [[MsFanservice Fujiko Mine]] is anime's primary and longest-running example. She's a doll and [[ProudBeauty she knows it]], often using her sex appeal to charm her way into her mark's good graces, while plotting to [[ClassyCatBurglar rob them blind.]] Naturally, [[ChivalrousPervert Lupin]] can't resist the challenge of trying to smooth talk her into bed[[note]][[DependingOnTheWriter with varying degrees of success]][[/note]], despite usually being left empty-handed.
** Fujiko's fame reached a climax in 2012 when, after forty years and much egging by the fans, she had a spin-off series that featured her and the rest of the Lupin gang as a series-long OriginsEpisode, similar to the Monkey Punch era titled ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine''.
* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', there is Due, the second Number, who infiltrated the Grand Cathedral of the Sankt Kaiser Church ten years before the story began. As a MasterOfDisguise, [[TheMole she pretended to be an innocent-looking sister]] and seduced an unnamed priest in charge and persuaded him to steal the Shroud of the Sankt Kaiser for her. The DNA of Olivie Sägebrecht was used by the BigBad [[MadScientist Jail Scaglietti]] to create a clone of her, Vivio Takamachi, Nanoha's (and [[LesYay Fate's]]) adopted [[HasTwoMommies daughter]].
* Nao Yuuki from ''Anime/MyHime'', with [[FemmeFatalons claws to match]]. She uses her feminine wiles to lure overly eager sexual predators [[EnjoKosai with promises of dating them]] and separate them from their money [[spoiler: as a sort-of revenge for the family she lost: thugs robbed her family, killed her father, and left her mom in a ConvenientComa]]. (Oh, and [[DarkMagicalGirl she can fight, too]].)
* The enigmatic [[spoiler:Kaworu Nagisa]] of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' fame is the AmbiguouslyGay male equivalent. He turns up in TheHero's lonely life to seduce him, [[note]]Nothing explicitly sexual occurs on screen, but we do get treated to loads of ''extreme'' HoYay, and many female examples in other stories (like ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'''s archetypal Brigid O'Shaughnessy) don't move beyond flirting and implications either.[[/note]] all while secretly moving toward [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt his own morally questionable goal]]. Like many female examples of this trope, he's less ''evil'' than he is misguided, and in the end, [[spoiler: after presumably falling in love with TheHero, he [[RedemptionEqualsDeath redeems himself through a]] HeroicSacrifice]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'' surprisingly has numerous Femme Fatales making up most of the female cast with only a select few NiceGirl exceptions such as Kaya and Tashigi. Among the main heroines there’s Nami (a seductive ClassyCatBurglar who has a nicer side but is still very manipulative), Robin (a sultry former female assassin), Vivi (who spent years masquerading as one under the guise of Miss Wednesday, before revealing she’s actually PurityPersonified) and Boa Hancock (the Pirate Empress who’s immensely powerful feminine wiles can overcome just about everyone with the exception of ChasteHero Luffy). There are also a few actually villainous ones like Miss Valentine, Miss Doublefinger, Kalifa and much later Black Maria, although Valentine and Doublefinger turn over a new leaf.
** [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] [[spoiler:Pudding]] and Komurasaki [[spoiler:Hiyori]]. The former starts off a sweet and bubbly NiceGirl before revealing herself as CuteAndPsycho albeit a BrokenBird deep down whilst the latter is introduced as a manipulative courtesan who robs gullible men of their money but turns out is GoodAllAlong.
* Inari of ''Manga/PrincessJellyfish'' uses her good looks to bend men to her will. It doesn't work on Shu though.
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', many female ghouls fall into this category.
** Rize Kamishiro is a beautiful and sadistic Ghoul that enjoys preying on men. She uses her good looks to seduce her victims, often playing coy and innocent to draw them in before revealing her true nature. The story is kicked off when she appears as the mysterious and beautiful girl at the coffee shop that ill-fated Kaneki asks on a date. She plays the damsel, faking tears and asking him to walk her home because she's afraid of doing it alone... then attempts to eat him once she has him in a suitably deserted area. After being transformed into a HalfHumanHybrid as a result of receiving a transplant from her, one of Kaneki's primary goals is to learn who Rize actually was and what made her abandon her original identity and spend her life on the run.
** Nutcracker, from the sequel. A beautiful ghoul obsessed with money, she works in a hardcore S&M club as a {{Dominatrix}} as a means to meet potential victims. Arranging to meet clients outside the club, she lures them to private locations in order to eat them. Besides that, she also works for a human trafficking ring and lures young women with the promise of well-paying jobs.
* Barbara in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', specifically the Crashtown Arc. She not only used her charms to gain Yusei's trust, only to betray him later (and ''then'' offer to spare him if she willingly submitted to him, something he refused) she later betrayed her original lover, showing true loyalty -- apparently -- to her equally-rotten boyfriend (husband in the dub) Lotten, and was, like him, one of the few villains in the franchise incapable of redemption. (Ironically, despite the fact that she didn't duel even once -- whether she even ''did'' that or not isn't even known -- Barbara remains one of the most hated villains in the franchise by fans.)
* Played with in ''Anime/YuriOnIce'': When [[ShrinkingViolet Yuri]] performs his Eros program, he uses the Femme Fatale archetype as inspiration, figuring that "feminine seductress" is truer to his personality than "masculine playboy."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Brigid O'Shaughnessy from ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'' is one of the earliest examples in noir fiction. She's directly involved in betrayal, theft, and several murders all while trying to play innocent to (not to mention seduce) the lead character throughout most of the film and the book.
* Kathie Moffat ([[Creator/StevenMoffat no relation]]) from ''Film/OutOfThePast'' is the quintessential film noir example. She lies, steals, kills at least three people, and conspires to commit another murder, uses sex to ensnare men to do what she wants, and looks great in a cocktail dress.
* Catherine Tramell in ''Film/BasicInstinct'' is one of the most iconic examples in modern filmmaking. No surprise, seeing as how the entire film is a '90s update on the FilmNoir genre. She seduces both men [[DepravedBisexual and women]] to attain her goals, tempts Nick with her emotional vulnerability after [[spoiler:Roxy]]'s death, [[spoiler:and probably committed all the murders]].
* The eponymous ''Film/{{Nikita}}'' is alongside aforementioned Catherine when it comes to modern iconic examples of this and Nikita managed to inspire other examples listed here such as Ada Wong from ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''. A professional assassin who uses her sex appeal to murder for the French government, Nikita is actually a more subverted and deeply sympathetic example being a BrokenBird who’s drug addiction was used against her by her government handlers and who’s torn between her work and genuine {{Love Interest|s}} Marco who wants help try and escape from the system.
* [[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]] has always been a classic example, but the way Creator/AnneHathaway portrays her in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' takes it to a whole new level. Suffering from a major case of HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, her tough, street-smart cat burglar is as elegant as she is dangerous, something Bruce Wayne both notices and forgets when he's in her presence. Director Creator/ChristopherNolan claims that he has always envisioned Catwoman as an "old-school femme fatale".
* Summer in ''Film/DefinitelyMaybe'' is the sexually adventurous "bitch" that destroyed her boyfriend's career to advance her own.
* Phyllis Dietrichson from the classic noir ''Film/DoubleIndemnity''. She starts an affair with Walter Neff, an insurance agent. Together, they convince her husband to take out a life insurance policy, then kill him and MakeItLookLikeAnAccident so they could collect the money.
* Another great noir performance by Creator/BarbaraStanwyck as Martha Ivers in ''Film/TheStrangeLoveOfMarthaIvers''. She kills her aunt as a young child and stops at nothing to make sure no one finds out.
* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'': Angelica is very flirtatious towards Jack and tends to manipulate him to do her father's bidding. The mermaids use their charms to lure sailors to their deaths.
* Europa trilogy by Creator/LarsVonTrier has two examples. Because these are Lars Von Trier movies, both characters are examples of ruthless deconstruction of the Femme Fatale trope, both utterly fail their agenda and turn out to be extreme versions of JerkassWoobie trope.
** In ''Film/TheElementOfCrime'', there is Kim, an Asian prostitute who slept with SerialKiller the protagonist is looking out for, and she tries to misguide the protagonist, but fails and, in the end, she can do nothing but cry when he watches [[spoiler:how the man who was, in fact, her real lover and father of her child is hanged by himself]].
** The other example is Katharina Hartmann from ''Film/{{Europa}}'', who seduces the hero, makes him fall in love with her and marry her, exploiting her image of InnocentBystander who merely got involved with Nazi underground, [[spoiler: while in fact she was a HoneyTrap for the hero, and she drove her father to suicide and tried to make the hero commit bombing killing many allied officers]]. She utterly fails at the end, [[spoiler:and is killed along with every major character in the movie by suicidal bombing of the train by the protagonist]].
* The shade of Mal in ''Film/{{Inception}}''. She killed or tried to kill someone in about every other scene she was in, but she still gave the hero pause when he was faced with stopping her.
* Tae-ju in ''Film/Thirst2009'', who seduces Sang-hyun, [[spoiler:convinces him to murder her husband and turn her into a vampire, then turns into a gleeful killer]].
* Jessica from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. She's a toon clearly created by some artist to be the perfect example, from her dangerous good looks and sultry voice to the slinky way she moves. Even her smile is suspicious. [[spoiler: It turns out that she's the RedHerring and was telling the truth all along. She really isn't bad! Just drawn that way.]]
* Viper from ''Film/TheWolverine'', kills with a kiss… [[KissOfDeath literally]]. She does know how to use her considerable sexuality as a weapon.
%% * Emma Frost in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', who is then replaced by Angel. Mystique also [[StartOfDarkness starts to blossom into one]].
* ''Film/NakedWeapon'' is all about a MurderInc organization that kidnaps and trains young Asian girls to seduce and kill their male targets. Their favorite method of killing the target is to ''rip out the spinal cord'', which they can do in the blink of an eye. Often, they will first have sex with the mark and then offer a massage. Cue the spine attack.
* Dr. Elsa Schneider in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. She seduces both Indiana and his father to gain vital information for the Nazi’s mission to find the Holy Grail. Like most femme fatales, she couldn’t overcome her biggest FatalFlaw - {{greed}}. In a LiteralCliffhanger, she thought she could reach the grail with a free hand in time for Indiana to pull her up. Unfortunately, he can’t hold her slippery gloved hand and [[DisneyVillainDeath she falls to her death]].
* Vivian, from noir classic ''Film/TheBigSleep,'' is set up to be the typical Femme Fatale, such as being involved in several shady deals, gambling, and [[spoiler:admitting to help cover up a murder]] all while trying to manipulate detective Marlowe into doing what she wants. Where the novel plays the trope completely straight, the film changes up the game by making her turn heroic halfway through the picture instead.
* In the classic noir, ''Film/{{Fallen Angel|1945}}'', Linda Darnell plays Stella who doesn't care about double-crossing romantic partners or stealing.
* ''Film/TooLateForTears'': Jane (played by Lizabeth Scott) is the cruelest, most without principle femme fatale ever put to screen.
* ''Film/AForeignAffair'' has Creator/MarleneDietrich as a woman with Nazi affiliations who has an American Captain lusting for her.
* In ''Film/ExMachina'', regardless of what Ava's motivations were, she does use her charm to manipulate Caleb. In fact, this is even invoked as a TuringTest by her creator.
-->'''Nathan:''' Ava was a rat in a maze. And I gave her one way out. To escape, she’d have to use self-awareness, imagination, manipulation, sexuality, empathy, and she did. Now if that isn’t true AI, then what the fuck is?
* Katherine "Kitty" March from ''Film/ScarletStreet'', '''and how'''. A model turned amateur scam artist, she wraps the main character around her finger with lies, faux sweetness, and alleged helplessness. Meanwhile, she and her ''real'' boyfriend completely ruin the lead's life in the process.
* Danique of ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'' has this trope down the pat -- she's rich, beautiful in crime noir style, [[SmokingIsGlamorous smokes from a cigarelle]], talks in an elegant and sensual manner, and ''of course'' tries to have Kaulder killed.
* ''Film/{{Detour}}'': Vera sees through Roberts' ruse and blackmails him. She insists that they should milk the situation for all they can, instead of trying to distance themselves from it.
* The German movie ''Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer'' has a rare example where the Femme Fatale is UsefulNotes/{{transgender}}. She is a [[TheChanteuse nightclub singer]] who seduces a closeted public prosecutor so that he can then be blackmailed by political opponents. Previously the singer's boyfriend had been arrested by the authorities for public indecency (homosexuality being illegal at that point in time in the 1950s) and she was offered a reduction to his sentence in return.
* Madelline Linscott from ''Film/TheBlackDahlia'' is the [[LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine Dark Feminine]] to the sweet angelic Kay's Light Feminine, hangs around seedy lesbian bars, and has affairs behind her rich parents' back. It's in constant doubt as to whether she can be trusted. [[spoiler: Turns out she can't, and she's the one who murders Dwight while dressed as a man.]]
* ''Film/TheDreamers'' evokes this trope with Isabelle - who is comfortable [[IncestSubtext being naked around her brother and watching him masturbate]]. There's something very erotically dangerous about her - so it's no surprise that when the movie turns out to be happening during the 1968 Paris riots that Isabelle and her brother immediately get involved. Isabelle's actress Creator/EvaGreen nearly got typecast as Femme Fatales after this.
* ''Film/MulhollandFalls'': Interestingly, subverted with Creator/JenniferConnelly's character Alison despite the setting being ripe for it. While she *did* have a torrid affair with the main character, a married Sergeant in the LAPD, it's never established that she was evil or manipulative in any way. [[spoiler:She's even killed early on and becomes his motive for revenge against the real villains.]]
* ''Film/RocknRolla'' has Stella, who deconstructs the archetype: She has the looks (which allows her to play all sides in order to obtain a whole lot of money stolen from TheMafiya (twice!)), but unfortunately she doesn't really have the smarts to go with it (she became a ''way'' too obvious suspect for the person who did the InsideJob and the only reason she's not found early on is that her boss (the leader of said Mafiya) likes her too much to really listen to [[TheDragon his Dragon]])... [[spoiler:and what does her in is that she accepts a painting that she should have known her boss liked a lot (had she actually bothered to listen to him in details other than what she cared about), and in fact was berserk about it having been stolen, and placed it in her home in a place where he would see it the moment he walked in. Whatever he did to her in retaliation, [[FridgeHorror we were probably better off not seeing]].]]
* ''Film/{{Solo}}'' has Qi'ra, Han Solo's FirstLove, who is even described as such in pre-release material. She's an [[MsFanservice attractive and flirtatious]] young woman who serves as [[TheDon Dryden]] [[BigBad Vos]]' top lieutenant and is a capable DarkActionGirl, though she prefers to use [[TheCharmer honeyed words]] or [[ManipulativeBitch trickery]] to get what she wants. It's not entirely clear whose side she's on or what her motives are, and Tobias Beckett straight-up warns Han he can't trust her (Han being Han, he doesn't pay much attention). As it turns out, [[spoiler: Beckett's concerns are partially right, as while she does save Han’s life over Dryden's, Qi'ra pursues her own self-interests above all else and leaves Han behind to [[KlingonPromotion take Vos' position]]]]. Creator/LawrenceKasdan actually stated he drew inspiration for Qi'ra from Kathie Moffat.
* ''Film/FemmeFatale2002'' naturally has as its main character a female thief like this, played by Creator/RebeccaRomijn.
* ''Film/DeadlyPickup'' has Breezy Johnson, who [[DepravedBisexual seduces men and women alike]], kills them while having sex with them, and steals their valuables.
* Barbara Matthews in ''Film/DriveACrookedRoad''. Her boyfriend Steve sends her to act as a HoneyTrap to recruit Eddie into being the gang's GetawayDriver.
* ''Film/Troll2'': Creedence in her younger human form seduces Brent in this manner.
* Vera in ''Film/{{Quicksand}}'' is a low-rent version of this. It is implied that a lot has happened in her life before she started working as a cashier in Dan's favourite diner. She latches on to Dan as shortcut to getting her longed-for [[PrettyInMink mink coat]]. She doesn't tell him to steal for her--he does that off his own bat--but once she finds out, she is happy to encourage him. And, when things go south, she rats him out to the cops in an attempt to save her own skin.

[[folder:Literature]]
* Rita, the sexy, deadly, devil-may-care manhunter from ''Literature/PutTheSepiaOn'' is named after legendary film femme fatale Rita Hayworth, and lives up to it.
* In ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'' action/comedy series by Harry Harrison, thief turned galactic secret agent 'Slippery Jim' [=DiGriz=] finds himself up against the psychotic (yet beautiful and criminally brilliant) Angelina. Jim falls in love and marries her in the next novel of the series. Supposedly, the psych-techs have straightened out Angelina's twisted personality, implanting her with a conscience, but there are times when her husband has to restrain Angelina's natural enthusiasm for [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and killing. Plus, Jim quickly learns the inadvisability of showing interest in other women or trying to wriggle out of promises (an attempt to back out of their marriage is stopped by Angelina shoving a [[HandCannon .75 calibre recoil free pistol]] up his nose).
* In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Ghostmaker'', Inquisitor Lilith actively tries to incite [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]] in Gaunt as a way to manipulate him. Gaunt calls her on it and tells her it's not needed, he will help voluntarily. She admits at the time that she's not used to voluntary cooperation and, later, when about [[CoolGate to go through a gate to an Eldar craftworld]], that she actually found Gaunt attractive.
* Patience Kys in the Literature/{{Ravenor}} books by the same author is a [[AntiHero heroic]] example; she is a somewhat hostile IceQueen who tends to use her attractiveness to her advantage on covert operations.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** Lara Raith. It helps that she's a [[HornyDevils succubus]]. It contrasts rather nicely to her sister, Madeleine, who ''tries'' to pull this off, bless her sordid heart, but really just comes off as a Vamp.
** The first time we see Mab, [[TheFairFolk the Winter Queen]], she is pulling the classic 'slinky sexpot asks the P.I. for help' routine in Harry's office. Harry gets suspicious and manages to figure out what Mab is (although a ColdIron test is how he was certain). Although it is more surprising for him not to be suspicious of Femmes Fatales.
* [[TheChessmaster Senna Wales]] of ''Literature/{{Everworld}}'', by a combination of physical attractiveness, [[ManipulativeBastard emotional manipulation]], and [[CompellingVoice magic]].
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/TheDevilInIron", the [[MadeASlave slave]] Octavia is ordered to do this to lure Conan.
* In Creator/JosephaSherman's ''Literature/TheShiningFalcon'', Ljuba uses magic and sex to try to work herself into power.
* Cora Smith in ''Literature/ThePostmanAlwaysRingsTwice''. She's married to an old Greek man named Nick who owns a diner. When Frank, a young drifter, gets a job at the diner, Cora starts a passionate affair with him, and together they conspire to kill Nick.
* Homeland Security agent Cassandra Renaldo in the Creator/DaleBrown novel ''A Time for Patriots'', who seduces Bradley to use against Pat.
* In ''Literature/RedeemingLove'' by Francine Rivers, Angel is a former prostitute who has no qualms about using her [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman notoriously drop-dead gorgeous looks]] to get what she wants. Interestingly subverted in that because this is the ''only'' way she knows to get what she wants, it’s a sign of [[BrokenBird immaturity and desperation]] rather than of self-confidence (and normal social skills) via ThePowerOfLove.
* Annabel St. Clair in the short story ''Amante Doree'' from ''Literature/SomewhereBeneathThoseWaves'' -- she's a beautiful, charming Louisianan courtesan-spy for the interests of the French government.
* Subverted in ''Literature/MrBlank'': Our genre-savvy hero just knows Mina will betray him on account of her beauty, [[spoiler: yet she turns out to be the most loyal ally he has]]. Once again subverted in [[Literature/GetBlank the sequel]], where we have Heather Marie Tooms, former movie star and current assassin for a [[ChurchOfHappyology self-help cult]]. While she tries to be flirty (and she's certainly attractive), she's far too creepy and unstable to be alluring.
* Lampshaded in ''Literature/CityOfDevils'' when the hero remarks, upon entrance of the femme fatale, Oscar-winning doppelganger actress Imogen Verity, "not only had I seen the movie, but it had starred her."
* Surprisingly averted in the "Literature/DamselsOfDistress'' series of novellas. None of the members of the all-female mercenary gang are particularly apt at anything related to charming or seducing men. They are deadly, however.
* The backstory of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has [[PredecessorVillain Gellert Grindelwald]], the greatest dark wizard before [[BigBad Voldemort]], as a male example. By exploiting sexual attraction and feelings of love, Grindelwald temporarily indoctrinated [[spoiler:[[WordOfGay Albus Dumbledore]]]] into his WhiteMansBurden-esque plan to conquer {{Muggles}} "for the greater good." However, like many female examples, Grindelwald wasn't purely evil, but instead misguided and capable of redemption. When Voldemort interrogated him about the Elder Wand, he refused to tell, presumably out of respect for the Wand's master -- namely, [[spoiler:Albus Dumbledore]], Grindelwald's former target of seduction.
* Lazlo Woodbine, a parody of the HardBoiledDetective from the far-fetched fiction of Creator/RobertRankin, invariably has a run-in with "the dame that done him wrong".
* ''Literature/{{Gone Girl}}''’s [[spoiler:Amy Elliott-Dunne uses her sex appeal to manipulate situations, befuddle men, and also kill them while they're distracted. She sets up her cheating husband to be falsely accused of her disappearance and possible murder, and even though she didn’t go through with it in the end, she still managed to escape punishment]].
%%* Glimmer from ''Literature/TheHungerGames''.
* Invoked in ''Literature/ShamanBlues'' with Konstancja, whose looks and behaviour quickly make Witkacy start to call her this way in his head. She's beautiful, with black hair and long legs, she's his ex and is troubled by a matter she can't take to the police.
* ''Literature/JoePickett'': Stella Ennis in ''Out of Range''. A TrophyWife who is a lot cannier than her husband thinks she is, Stella turns to Joe to protect her against her husband's schemes. But she is definitely keeping secrets of her own. Significantly, she is the only woman to ever make Joe question his faithfulness to his wife Marybeth.
* ''Literature/TheScholomance:'' Liesel is probably the most sexualized of El's classmates and often gives cooing, insincere compliments to well-connected male enclavers and is an an AcademicAlphaBitch who menaces El a few times and flirts with her boyfriend. In one scene, El finds her dolling up for a date with the well-connected Magnus and gritting her teeth about it when he isn't there to see her. Ultimately though, she's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold at worst.
* Milady de Winter from ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' is one of the earliest examples. Her beauty and cunning turn many men to work for her, such is the case of how she escaped from her imprisonment, seducing her jailor, John Felton, to help her escape and convinced him to murder the Duke of Buckingham.
* The title character of Max Beerbohm's BlackComedy ''Literature/ZuleikaDobson'' is so irresistible to young men that she drives [[RefugeInAudacity the entire undergraduate class at Oxford to commit suicide]]. The novel ends with her [[HereWeGoAgain preparing to do the same thing to Cambridge]].
* Another English ''femme fatale'' is Pamela Flitton in Anthony Powell's ''Literature/ADanceToTheMusicOfTime'', a [[BeautyIsBad beautiful but mean-spirited woman]] who likes to use her power over men to make them destroy themselves. One of the novels in the cycle, ''Books Do Furnish a Room'', is mostly the story of how Pamela seduces a promising young writer, wrecks his self-esteem, destroys his manuscript, and leaves him unable to write again until his early death. One of her last conquests literally dies while in bed with her.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Selena Coombs of ''Series/AmericanGothic1995''. In an interesting inversion, however, her primary sexual usage in the show, aside from being Buck's mistress, is not to turn a good man evil, but to keep a man nominally on the side of evil--Ben Healy--from defecting to the good.
* ''Series/BabylonBerlin'' features Svetlana Sorokina, a shady Russian cabaret singer and supposed Trotskyist [[spoiler: who promptly sells her comrades out to the Russian secret police and tries to make off with several tons worth of gold bars intended to fund a revolution]]. That said, she even supplies the show's theme song.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Inverted by Spike (a knowingly seductive, platinum-blond male vampire), who tells Buffy that she belongs "in the dark, with me." Especially pronounced in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E13DeadThings Dead Things]]," the source of the quote.
** Darla also qualifies. She is very manipulative (for example, she easily controls Lindsey in ''Angel'' - who is a lawyer) and exercises sexual power over Angel. She's also something of an AntiHero, however.
** Drusilla is a wholly villainous example. She appears very innocent and vulnerable (for a vampire) at first and often uses this to lure men into her service.
** Faith, who serves as a Foil to Buffy herself. She would often use her sexuality to her advantage, e.g. she tried to get Angel to sleep with her which would cause him to lose his soul and become evil.
* ''{{Series/Charmed|1998}}'':
** The episode "Used Karma" accidentally got Phoebe possessed by UsefulNotes/MataHari, briefly becoming a Femme Fatale who tries to get her ex-boyfriend killed by demons.
** Christy Jenkins is a less sexual version of this, but she acts as a corrupting influence to her sister Billie. Through a WoundedGazelleGambit, she pretends to be a DamselInDistress captured by demons - when she's actually working with them and trying to lure Billie to her side.
** Purposefully invoked by Paige in "Charmed Noir" after she and Brody are sucked into the noir-themed world inside an enchanted book. To move the plot forward Piper and Phoebe influence her to play up the role and flirt her way through the story by writing the DirtyCop dialogue that she's "nothing but a regular femme fatale."
* Dita Von Teese's character in the ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "A Kiss Before Frying" is a serial-killer that seduces Greg so she can find out more about the case, and she tries to kill him like her previous lovers.
* Maneater Edie Britt on ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' seduces and uses any man she comes across, and she doesn't care if they're married either. Special mention goes to Mike, Carlos, and Karl.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** Lady Cassandra is a villainous example. When she was younger, she took the lives of many of her lovers in order to get away with their money. When she possesses Rose in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E1NewEarth New Earth]]", despite showing some differences of personality with her, she actually does fool The Doctor into thinking she really is her by giving him a passionate kiss and even helps him find out the secrets of the hospital before turning on him like in the classic, film Noir fashion.
* ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'': Adelle [=DeWitt=] - charming, morally grey ballbuster who is equally at home with threats and seduction, and approaches Darth Vader levels of nastiness in the second season. She is. In. Charge.
* A villainous example is Commandant Mele-On Grayza from ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. In addition to being very attractive with well-displayed breasts, she also secretes a chemical from a gland between her breasts that literally hypnotizes men into doing her bidding.
* ''Femme Fatales'' was a TV series that was naturally about these. Every episode a story of women like this, based on classic {{film noir}} but in modern settings.
* Saffron (or [[NoNameGiven whatever her name is]]) from ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' is a deconstruction of both this and TheVamp. She's sexy, smart, manipulative, resourceful, and morally ambiguous (if not outright evil), but she's also a borderline sociopath with a lot of other mental problems who seems incapable of forming a genuine connection with anyone. Even the one of her [[SerialSpouse many husbands]] that she genuinely cared for doesn't trust her as far as he can throw her.
* In a comedic vein, on ''Series/ILoveLucy'', Lucy's cousin Ernie, played by Tennessee Ernie Ford, was warned by his mama about "wild, painted-up, wicked city women." Figuring this would cause Ernie to flee home, Lucy plays a vamp with a black wig and dress. Unfortunately, when she "vamps" him (rubs his head, mussing his hair), he likes it too much. Doubled up with {{Squick}}, since the audience knows she's his cousin, in-universe.
* Sam Marquez on ''Series/LasVegas'' works for a casino. Specifically, her job is to keep 'whales' -- big spenders -- happy. Once, she only slept with a guy because he was dying, and she has openly called herself a slut. Strangely, she rarely sleeps with any of the whales themselves, and had to start going to a therapist later in the series after she was [[WhamEpisode abducted and nearly raped and killed]].
* Miss Parker from ''Series/ThePretender''. Makes her entrance stomping out a cigarette on an oil tanker, shoots at the good guy a lot, has UST with him, and regularly growls at and intimidates most men within range.
* ''Series/TheShadowLine'' has Petra Nayler, girlfriend of the missing Glickman. She seduces the married Joseph Bede using her apparent helplessness, [[spoiler:and is later revealed to have done this to Glickman too, under the orders of Counterpoint. Not only that, she only went to Bede to look for leads on Glickman's location, so she could kill him for trying to expose the conspiracy.]]
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
%%** Tess Mercer
** In the episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E20Noir Noir]]", an episode with all the characters in a FilmNoir, Lana takes the role of the Femme Fatale, [[spoiler: having an affair with Clark Kent, an undercover cop, killing her husband, Lex, and framing Jimmy for the murder]].
* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' NoirEpisode "Necessary Evil" has a suspect who oozes this trope. [[spoiler:It's a RedHerring as while she ''is'' a villain, the real Femme Fatale murderer turns out to be series regular [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Major Kira]], whom the investigator Odo is secretly in love with.]]
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': [[Characters/SupernaturalDemons Ruby]] has been known to make use of her sexuality to manipulate others, although it doesn't seem to be her preferred tactic. In "[[Recap/SupernaturalS03E09MalleusMaleficarum Malleus Maleficarum]]", Ruby exploits it to lure her EvilMentor into a false sense of security, and she also uses it throughout Season 4 to strengthen her manipulative relationship with Sam.
* [[RobotGirl Cameron]] of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' has more than once used her physical body's attractiveness to coldly manipulate people, up to and including John Connor himself. It is implied that this was, in fact, the entire reason she was built. [[spoiler: Her external appearance was based on a girl named Allison Young, who was implied to be either a close friend or lover of the future John Connor, and Cameron interrogated Allison to learn her mannerisms before attempting to take her place.]]
* Katherine Pierce from ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' is a classic example. She's willing to seduce anyone that can give her what she needs, and the many, many men that have taken the fall for her over the past 3 seasons are more than happy to comply.
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' has a number of [[GenderInvertedTrope gender inverted examples]], most notably Troy Vandergraff and Logan Echolls - both LoveInterests to the female detective protagonist at some point. The former is a petty criminal masquerading as a NiceGuy, and the latter is a [[WildCard morally ambiguous]] [[TheCharmer charmer]] with shady motives, whose weapons of choice are a) sex and b) psychological manipulation.
* On ''Series/{{Weeds}}'', Nancy may not seem like it at first, but she has this effect on men. They seem to be attracted to her despite the fact that she brings chaos to everything she touches.

[[folder:Music]]
%%* "Killer" by Music/{{KISS}} from ''Music/CreaturesOfTheNight''.
* Music/{{Calexico}}'s "Ballad of Cable Hogue" has an Old Western version. She's only ever referred to as "Madame". Even though the narrator suspects that Madame will be the death of him, she sweet-talks him into leaving his gold with her for safekeeping. Then she leads "an army" to his hiding place and guns him down.
* Music/DavidByrne's "Miss America" uses this as an extended metaphor for the US's foreign policy. America is a woman who seduces men then discards them when she no longer needs them. The narrator knows how dangerous she is, and he loves her anyway.
* "Evil Woman" by Music/SpookyTooth, which was famously covered by Music/BlackSabbath.
* "American Woman" by Music/TheGuessWho, which is more of an allegory for the US itself. It was notably covered by Music/LennyKravitz.
* Music/VelvetUnderground's "Femme Fatale" from ''Music/TheVelvetUndergroundAndNico'' is literally about a seductive woman.
* "Black Lady" by Music/DonnaSummer from ''Music/IRememberYesterday'', which is more about a bad woman than one who has a black skin color.
--> ''Black lady, black lady''
--> ''She was mean, really bad''
--> ''She was slender as a cat at night, she made the men go mad''
--> ''Well her eyes were green, and her skin was soft''
--> ''And the lady's heart was as hard as rock''
* Music/{{Britney Spears}}'s 2011 album Femme Fatale played off of this concept, as did the accompanying tour.
* Music/{{Auryn}}'s song ''Heartbreaker'' clearly is about one of these, who seduced the guys only to leave them high and dry. This is emphasized in the music video, in which we see the 'heartbreaker', played by Úrsula Corberó, seduce the five bandmembers and 'kill' them one by one.
--> ''She destroyed my life without shedding a tear, like an assassin''
* Pretty much the whole description of the girl in Kero One's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlkRubZeOqI So Seductive]]".
--> ''She looks so good when she shakes that ass''
--> ''Moving like snakes in grass, with a face to match''
--> ''But on the inside a straight killer,''
--> ''She'll reel ya in, your head spin like a gorilla'' … (And that's just the first stanza.)
* "Blood on the Dance Floor" by Music/MichaelJackson is about a woman named Susie who is a SerialKiller that seduces unsuspecting men to kill them after she's had her fun with them. [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou And you're her next hit]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Folklore]]
* Delilah of Literature/TheBible handily seduces Samson into revealing the truth about the source of his strength.
* Aphrodite of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Roman Mythology]] often got what she wanted through seduction. For example, she offered Paris any woman he wanted if he chose to give her the Apple of Discord.
* Soodabeh in Literature/TheShahnameh is the very attractive wife of Key Kavous who tries to seduce her stepson, Siavash. When Siavash turns her down twice, she claims Siavash sexually assaulted her. Even though the evidence is against her, she uses the aborted deformed babies of a witch to cast doubt on Siavash, who finally proves his innocence by riding through a huge fire and coming out unharmed. Even then she tries to frame Zal for losing the babies which doesn't work and Key Kavous sentences her to be hanged. Siavash knows his father will soon regret having her killed and will hold Siavash in contempt for her death, so he asks for Soodabeh to be pardoned. Soon, despite all she's done, she bewitches her husband once again and starts poisoning his mind against Siavash. When Afrasiab wages war on Iran, Siavash volunteers to go to battle to get away from Soodabeh and her schemes and this ultimately leads to his tragic death.
[[/folder]]

* Faye Valentine of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' has all the hallmarks of the Femme Fatale, a sultry dark haired beautiful and curvaceous woman who’s very seductive to gullible men, while also being quite a deadly wanted swindling criminal in her own right. Spike and Jet understandably distrust her and handcuff Faye in their first and second encounters with her. Subverted as Faye is really a {{deconstruction}} of a Femme Fatale, since a lot of her surface feminine wiles give way to [[TheKlutz klutzy dorkiness]] as Faye does some very [[TheLadette unclassy things]] like eat dogfood and later get diarrhoea which never happened to other Femme Fatales listed here. [[spoiler: It turns out Faye’s Femme Fatale behaviour is really just a put on, since being a HumanPopsicle for fifty-four years BeneathTheMask she genuinely has no idea who she is and being a sultry swindler is just a defence mechanism. Considering the first man Faye met in the future Whitney (whom she fell for), betrayed and ripped her off, you can’t fault her for adapting to that lifestyle to survive.]]

* Venus of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Roman Mythology]] (and by the same token, the Greek Aphrodite) often got what she wanted through seduction. For example, she offered Paris any woman he wanted if he chose to give her the Apple of Discord.

* Elizabeth in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' DLC ''BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea Episode I'' as she [[spoiler: lures Booker/Comstock deep into Rapture just so she can kill him]].
* Miranda Lawson in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' at first appears to be a femme fatale, but it's ultimately subverted as she quits Cerberus and makes no attempts at seducing Shepard. She actually tries to avoid a romance, at first, if a Male Shepard pursues it. [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Morinth]] however, is a straighter example, as she is found looking for prey in an exclusive nightclub.
* Naomi in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. According to the backstory, she seduced Richard Ames away from his wife, Nastasha Romanenko, in order to get onto the [=FoxDie=] project so she could modify it to kill Snake. She spent the game until the bombshell [[{{Tsundere}} alternately]] acting very cold towards him and [[StalkerWithACrush drooling over him]]. She has good intentions.
* Ultimecia in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is this. When she's [[spoiler: possessing Edea - who normally wears a very simple and modest dress -- she makes her wear incredibly ornate and over-the-top "sexy" clothing]]. When you finally meet her in person, the costume she has on is, to say the least, extravagant. She uses her body to get what she wants and was openly called a Femme Fatale in the spin-off game Dissidia.

* Bonne Jenet from ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''. She isn't evil per se (despite being a PirateGirl, her Lilien Knights [[JustLikeRobinHood only steal from the rich]]), but she can and ''will'' use her feminine wit and [[{{Stripperiffic}} sex]] [[ForeignFanservice appeal]] to get what she wants (she's also ''very'' [[TheTease flirtatious]]). Oddly enough, she also happens to be a [[TheLadette Lad-ette]].

* Sylvia Christel from ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' manages to convince an impoverished otaku living in a cheap motel to use his laser sword that he got off the Internet to murder people. Granted, said otaku wasn't exactly a prince himself in terms of morality.
* Carlotta Von Überwald in ''VideoGame/DiscworldNoir'', the extremely attractive woman who [[DetectivePatsy hires Lewton]] and who turns out to be [[spoiler: directly or indirectly responsible for multiple murders, a ReligionOfEvil cultist, a werewolf, and the Disc's counterpart to the Femme Fatales in ''The Maltese Falcon'', ''To Have and Have Not'', '''and''' ''Farewell, My Lovely'' with elements from ''The Big Sleep'']].
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': Invoked by Ann Takamaki's FightingSpirit based on the title character of Theatre/{{Carmen}}, who appears as an attractive woman leading along two men with hearts for heads on dog collars and chains.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series has Mephala, a [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] whose sphere is "obscured to mortals", but who is associated with [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation, lies, sex, and secrets]]. She could practically be considered the patron deity of [[CloakAndDagger spies and assassins]], and to the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmer]], she actually is, being the patron of the [[MurderInc Morag Tong]].

* The Consort from ''VideoGame/TownOfSalem'' can Roleblock any target (blocking their Night Ability) on behalf of TheMafia. She is the EvilCounterpart to the [[HeroicSeductress Escort]].
* ''VideoGame/ChickenPolice:'' Natasha Catzenko is a sexy and mysterious nightclub singer, and trouble follows her.
-->'''Sonny:''' I knew she was trouble the first time I saw her. She wore danger like a perfume. It was simply part of her being, and it attracted me like light attracts the moth people.
* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium:'' Klaasje is a subversion. On the one hand: sexy, mysterious, dangerous to know, involved with industrial espionage. On the other hand: she feels guilty about the damage that her spying caused, and is hiding out in Revachol because she thinks that her former employers want to kill her. Her best ending has her go on the run to another city.