History Main / HammyVillainSeriousHero

The villain, in contrast, is energetic, chatty, and [[EvilIsHammy hammy]]--maybe naturally, maybe because they are an[[AttentionWhore attention-seeker]], or an opposite response to trauma. They may be [[FriendlyEnemy overly-friendly]], AxCrazy, happily and proudly {{sadist}}ic, [[SissyVillain flamboyant]], [[TricksterGod mischievous]], [[AllergicToRoutine easily bored]], and/or [[PsychopathicManchild childish]]. They will often have NoSenseOfPersonalSpace (much to the hero's chagrin) and prefer brighter, flashier clothing.

The villain, in contrast, is energetic, chatty, and [[EvilIsHammy hammy]]--maybe naturally, maybe as an [[AttentionWhore attention-getting device]] or an opposite response to trauma. They may be [[FriendlyEnemy overly-friendly]], AxCrazy, happily and proudly {{sadist}}ic, [[SissyVillain flamboyant]], [[TricksterGod mischievous]], [[AllergicToRoutine easily bored]], and/or [[PsychopathicManchild childish]]. They will often have NoSenseOfPersonalSpace (much to the hero's chagrin) and prefer brighter, flashier clothing.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast1991'': Belle and Gaston are polar opposites in every way imaginable. Belle is kind, patient, calm, and intelligent. Gaston, meanwhile, is rude, impulsive, loud, and dumb. These negative qualities are, understandably, way too much for Belle to handle, which is why she continuously rejects Gaston's advances, no matter how hard he tries, acting super loud and impulsive all the while. [[MemeticMutation No one is hammy like Gaston!]]

* Barry Allen from the ''Series/TheFlash2014'' isn't as dark and stoic as most superheroes, but he's usually the straight man to his team's zaniness. But even Team Flash is no match for the zany unpredictability of Toymaster, who loves explosive ordinance and a hammy joke.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaMan'', the protagonist is a robot with the mindset of a young boy devoted to protecting others and promoting everlasting peace. While off the clock, he's polite, task-oriented, and kind. His ArchEnemy is Dr. Wily, a bombastic CardCarryingVillain who loves to create giant fortresses and loudly proclaim himself the greatest roboticist in the world while constantly trying to one-up Mega Man's creator, Dr. Light.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Superman/Clark Kent most of the time is a quiet, polite, professional, and friendly guy in his superheroic persona. Many of his long-running villains are rather hammy and grandiose, such as CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor, LargeHam Bizarro, Brainiac, galactic conqueror Darkseid, egostical Lobo, and mischievous Mister Mxyzptlk.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Diana and Circe have had this dynamic since 90s. While Diana isn't much for brooding and does have her humorous moments, she is rather serious-minded and reserved. Circe by contrast, is a cackling VainSorceress with a theatrical flair.

* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': The main heroine Snow White is demure, hard working and friendly while her EvilStepmother the Evil Queen is a domineering, spiteful ColdHam.

* ''Film/KongSkullIsland'': Slightly {{downplayed}}. Packard, the GeneralRipper main human antagonist, is played by Creator/SamuelLJackson, and although Packard ''is'' played with quite a brooding demeanor and a near-chronic DeathGlare, it's pretty clear that there was no stipulation saying that Sam L. could only play the character as a ColdHam. Conrad, Weaver and Randa, by contrast, are a lot more broody, calm and no-nonsense, and at least two of them have very dark backstories to reflect this.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': A little bit {{downplayed}}. The main heroes -- the Winchester family and Castiel -- all have their goofy sides which show here and there, but in general they're presented as broody, grim and troubled. By contrast, most of the {{Big Bad}}s and more of the other villains than not love to ham it up and chew the scenery, with Lucifer and Azazel/Yellow-Eyes (two of the heroes' most personal foes whose actions have ramifications across the ''entire'' fifteen-season series) being two prime examples of hammy villains. The heroes' long-term on-off frenemy Crowley is also quite the ham.

* ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures'': Due to preferring the tactics of TheCowl, the Red Panda tends to be less hammy more serious in nature. At most, he veers in the direction of corny more than anything. In contrast, the second supervillain shown in the series, Professor Zombie, was intended to be a StarterVillain, but the sheer hamminess of her actress's performance as she threatened a music hall audience saw her upgraded to recurring villain and eventually a BigBad in her own right. Other hamtastic villains include the Mad Monkey, the Red Panda's self-proclaimed archnemesis whose EvilLaugh is punctuated by ape grunts, and the Nazi mad scientist Friedrich von Schlitz, who is fond of proclaiming that victory is assured or that one has not heard the last ''of Friedrich von Schlitz!''

* ''VideoGame/RyseSonOfRome'': Main villain Emperor UsefulNotes/{{Nero}} is a fat, cowardly despot whose EstablishingCharacterMoment consists of him running through the besieged halls of his palace and hysterically screaming for Rome's legions to defend him. His sons Basileus and Commodus are [[RoyalBrat Royal Brats]], the former of whom waxes poetical about his [[InLoveWithYourCarnage love of watching fights and murder]] and making gigantic marble statues of his father as a birthday present in a glib, FauxAffablyEvil EffeminateVoice, and the latter makes grandstanding speeches in [[BlingOfWar solid golden armour]] in the Coliseum about how much of a glorious general and a god he [[SmugSnake thinks]] he is. Main hero Marius Titus, on the other hand, is a dour, deep-voiced, hardened soldier who [[NoNonsenseNemesis doesn't mess around when he fights]], and only raises his voice when he's about to start threatening someone who ''really'' deserves it.

* ''WebAnimation/TheRhinoAndTheRedbill'': Rolo is always giggling (he is a [[TheHyena hyena]] after all) and doesn't puts on a serious face while doing his job as a scavenger until the climax, whereas Niles is a PerpetualFrowner that rarely raises his voice even to scream. Red, on the other hand, is a bit more quirky and emotional than his friend, which makes him a fine line between the two.

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* Series/{{Jessica Jones|2015}} is a dour and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] detective and her ArchEnemy is Kilgrave, a theatrical PsychopathicManchild with a [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor terrible sense of humor]].

** Boyd Crowder (series-long antagonist) is known for his big smile and his silver tongue and will often give rousing speeches to win over the local populace convincing them that his increasingly violent crime is in their best interest. Lawman and criminals alike comment on how Boyd loves to use a ten-dollar word when a two-dollar word would do. Boyd contributes this to all the reading he did in the free time prison allotted him.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* All three girls of the titular [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerPuffGirls [=PowerPuff=] Girls]] can be emotional, especially Bubbles, but they can be more serious than some of the hammy villains they face off against.

* Series/JessicaJones is a dour and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] detective and her ArchEnemy is Kilgrave, a theatrical PsychopathicManchild with a [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor terrible sense of humor]].

* Jinx and Raven from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. They are enemies who face off from time to time. Jinx has violet clothes and bright pink hair and is a PerkyGoth who wears fashionable feminine clothing while Raven has dark purple hair and dark blue clothes and a cape that covers her whole body. She's also a BrokenBird brooding goth who is TheStoic (but only because her powers are dangerous and fueled by emotion) while Jinx is more expressive.

* Tsuna of ''Manga/Reborn2004'' can be a very expressive NiceGuy and dorky but around some of his enemies who are AxeCrazy he can be more serious, no-nonsense, and reserved in contrast. As it turns out this is an effect of one of the states of his powers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Kris, although a bit weird, is stoic, quiet, and cynical, never showing any outward reaction to the weirdness of the Dark World. The ArcVillain of Chapter Two is Queen, an AffablyEvil LadyDrunk with a NoblewomansLaugh and a larger-than-life personality, who likes blowing things up and making {{Big Entrance}}s. Many funny moments are had when Kris and Queen interact, with Kris not even changing their deadpan expression as Queen goes on one of her tangents, leans on their head, or treats them [[FriendlyEnemy like an old pal]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''WebComic/OnePunchMan'': This is the dynamic between Saitama and (Speed-O-Sound) Sonic. Saitama is a boring InvincibleHero (accentuated in [[VictoryIsBoring BORING]]) (well, [[ComicallyInvincibleHero boring to him anyway]]) who can't find a suitable opponent that defeats him and finds everything and everyone boring. On the other side, there's Sonic, who's an EvilIsHammy {{ninja}} who's declared "fast as the speed of sound" who finds Saitama entertaining and he self-declares as TheRival ([[UnknownRival without being noticed by Saitama]]).

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': Shuichi is the stoic hero to Kokichi's MagnificentBastard CardCarryingVillain persona. Shuichi is fully committed to ending the killing game, as very serious and analytical as the Ultimate Detective, coupled with his self-deprecating nature. However, his attempts to solve the various cases are often thwarted by Kokichi just for fun, as he wants to avoid 'boring' things and finds the killing game rather exciting. He often annoys all the other characters with his antics, such as his compulsive lying and insensitive jokes. [[spoiler: However, his hammy persona is subverted towards the end, as his last words demonstrate that he truly wants to end the killing game as well, and this, significantly, [[GoodAllAlong is not a lie.]] Tsumugi immediately hams it up after being outed as the true mastermind of the Killing Game.]]

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Natsuki Kuga and Nao Yuuki are {{Mirror Character}}s, both having lost their mothers at a young age due to violence, and both of them revealed to be [=HiME=]. Natsuki is TheStoic who tends to brood, but after becoming FireForgedFriends works with the the heroine, Mai. Nao, on the other hand, is a FilleFatale who engages in EnjouKosai with a twist, being that she uses her powers to assault and rob her "clients". Nao also delights in such hammy tactics as FingerLickingEvil (and has served as the TropeImage for same), and phoning Mai when she's going after her brother in a case of TargetedToHurtTheHero. When Nao goes after Natsuki, she ties her up and takes pictures of her in her defeat before attempting to put her eye out. And later, when Nao attacks Natsuki again, she is now using her as bait to draw out Natsuki's LoveInterest Shizuru for a rematch and mocks Natsuki by making kittenish gestures.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Upon his debut, Discord is a LargeHam Spirit of Chaos, bent on spreading chaos all over the land and causing, well, discord towards mission-driven Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Superman/Clark Kent most of the time is a quiet, polite, professional, and friendly guy in his superheroic persona. Many of his long-running villains are rather hammy and grandiose, such as CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor, LargeHam Bizarro, Brainiac, galactic conqueror Darkside, egostical Lobo, and mischievous Mister Mxyzptlk.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Dipper Pines]], with his dark blue vest and personality that is most of the time serious and at odds with his age (12-going-to-13 years), contrasts with both of the show's main antagonists, [[EnfantTerrible Lil' Gideon Gleeful]] and [[EldritchAbomination BillCipher]]. In Gideon's case, with his [[SissyVillain sassy-like style of outfit]] and wimpiness over facing defeat, and in Bill's case, with a bright yellow body that glows while he talks and TricksterGod tendencies. In ''both'' of their cases, they invoke EvilIsHammy.

The villain, to contrast, is energetic, chatty, and [[EvilIsHammy hammy]]--maybe naturally, maybe as an [[AttentionWhore attention-getting device]] or an opposite response to trauma. They may be [[FriendlyEnemy overly-friendly]], AxCrazy, happily and proudly {{sadist}}ic, [[SissyVillain flamboyant]], [[TricksterGod mischievous]], [[AllergicToRoutine easily bored]], and/or [[PsychopathicManchild childish]]. They will often have NoSenseOfPersonalSpace (much to the hero's chagrin) and prefer brighter, flashier clothing.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'': Jotaro Kujo's almost comically serious disposition goes up against the flamboyant, loud and DrunkOnTheDarkSide DIO in the part's climax. DIO's dialogue is full of shrieking maniacally and ThisCannotBe, while it's almost impossible to tell what emotions are running through Jotaro's head during the fight.

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Natsuki Kuga and Nao Yuuki are {{Mirror Character}}s, both having lost their mothers at a young age due to violence, and both of them revealed to be [=HiME=]. Natsuki is TheStoic who tends to brood, but after becoming FireForgedFriends works with the the heroine, Mai. Nao, on the other hand, is a FilleFatale who engages in EnjouKosai with a twist, being that she uses her powers to assault and rob her "clients". Nao also delights in such hammy tactics as FingerLickingEvil (and has served as the TropeImage for same), and phoning Mai when she's going after her brother in a case of TargetedToHurtTheHero. When Nao goes after Natsuki, she ties her up and takes pictures of her in her defeat before attempting to put her eye out. And later, when Nao attacks Natsuki again, she is now using her as bait to draw out Natsuki's LoveInterest, Shizuru, for a rematch, and mocks Natsuki by making kittenish gestures.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Superman/Clark Kent most of the time is a quiet, polite, professional and friendly guy in his superheroic persona. Many of his long running villains are rather hammy and grandiose, such as CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor, LargeHam Bizarro, Brainiac, galactic conqueror Darkside, egostical Lobo, and mischievous Mister Mxyzptlk.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' the hero's father Mufasa and his evil brother Scar. Mufasa is a stern and dignified ruler, whereas Scar is hammy and snarky. This is less pronounced at first with the hero Simba, who is more carefree spirit than his dad, but he becomes very serious by the final confrontation with Scar.

* ''Film/Batman1989'': While most live action Batman films tend to make the Joker more menacing and psychotic, Creator/JackNicholson's take leans more into his goofy, comedic nature with hammy dances, one liners, and sight gags, really making him stand out against the brooding, serious Batman.

* ''Film/Daredevil2003'': The titular hero is very intense and harsh. By contrast, the villains [[BigBad Kingpin]] and [[TheDragon Bullseye]] are humurous, extravagant and comical in the way they act.
* ''Film/DemolitionMan'': John "the Demolition Man" Spartan is a CowboyCop known for all needless CollateralDamage he causes when he arrests a criminal, and his current ArchNemesis is Simon Phoenix, an [[AxCrazy psychopathic crime lord]]. Although Spartan has moments where he has outbursts of anger, for the most part he's pretty reserved and can maintain his cool, Phoenix on the other hand relishes that [[LargeHam he's a total wack-job with a penchant for the dramatic]].

* In ''Film/FaceOff'', Castor Troy is a LargeHam terrorist and arms dealer, while Sean Archer is an emotionally-withdrawn FBI agent.

* In ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', Creator/CaryElwes plays Robin as a fairly straight-laced DeadpanSnarker. The Sheriff Of Rottingham, on the other hand, is wildly hammy with a major flair for the dramatic. To give a quick illustration of the difference, at one point during their [[DuelToTheDeath final duel]], the two get into a BladeLock. Robin spends the hole time with a slight smirk of confidence, while Rottingham is growling and snarling in an animalistic fashion.

** Sidney is the protagonist of Screams 1-4, and she is withdrawn, quiet, stoic, and depressed following the death of her mother (and, later, the murder of nearly everyone else she's close to). She is contrasted by the killer in each instalment, who are (for the most part) showmen or women. In ''Film/Scream1996'', she's contrasted against [[spoiler:Billy and Stu, who are both goofy, loud and full of themselves]]; in
** In ''Film/Scream2'', she's contrasted by [[spoiler:Mickey, who initially appears to be more on Sidney's wavelength as more sombre and withdrawn before being revealed as perhaps the showiest Ghostface, ''aiming'' for a sensationalized trial, and Mrs Loomis, who is dramatic and motivated by relentless anger towards Sidney and the people she blames for Billy's death.]] In ''Film/Scream4'', she is also contrasted by [[spoiler:her EvilCounterpart, Jill, who is portrayed as a Sidney {{Expy}} with similar even-handedness compared to her goofy best friend, Kirby...until she takes off her Ghostface mask and reveals herself as a ColdHam.]]
** The protagonist of ''Film/Scream2022'' and ''Film/ScreamVI'' is Sam Loomis, who is a guilt-ridden ProdigalHero who is forced back to her hometown by her sister Tara's attack. Tara appears to have been bubblier prior to her attack by being severely injured in the opening scene takes its toll on her, too. They are contrasted by the killers, [[spoiler:Sam's goofy boyfriend, Ritchie, who loses none of his easy and chatty charm when he's revealed as the killer, and Tara's best friend, Amber, who beams with joy and brags exuberantly about how she killed Dewey.]]

** Anarchy from Season four really gets a kick out of seeing what people do in the absence of societal constraints. This is a stark contrast to Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, whose main priority is restoring balance and order by removing the city's villainous underbelly. Anarchy is always giggling maniacally and bouncing from place to place while Oliver rarely cracks a smile and is very methodical in his actions.

** Mags Bennet (season 2) is also charismatic using her unassuming southern granny charm to disarm people. That is unless you get on her bad side. Then she'll set off on a scathing rant that will embarrass you enough to want to leave town. She's also known to break out in song on occasion.

* Series/JessicaJones is a dour and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] detective, and her ArchEnemy is Kilgrave, a theatrical PsychopathicManchild with a [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor terrible sense of humor]].

* ''Podcast/RedPandaAdventures'': Due to preferring the tactics of TheCowl, the Red Panda tends to be less hammy more serious in nature. At most, he veers in the direction of corny more than anything. In contrast, the second supervillain shown in the series, Professor Zombie, was intended to be a StarterVillain, but the sheer hamminess of her actress's performance as she threatened a music hall audience saw her upgraded to recurring villain and eventually a BigBad in her own right. Other hamtastic villains include the Mad Monkey, the Red Panda's self-proclaimed archnemesis whose EvilLaugh is punctuated by ape grunts and the Nazi mad scientist Friedrich von Schlitz, who is fond of proclaiming that victory is assured or that one has not heard the last ''of Friedrich von Schlitz!''

* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'': The BigBad [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]] is this compared to the rest of [[LaResistance the Crimson Raiders]] and [[PlayerCharacter the Vault Hunters]] from ''2''. Jack is the wealthy CEO of the most powerful corporation in the world of the game, Hyperion. He loves to flaunt how much of a big deal he is, he's sadistic, marcissist, hams like there's no tomorrow and whenever the Crimson Raiders get hit he enjoys the hell out of it. He even has [[{{Egopolis}} his own town]] shaped to his image, "Opportunity". The Crimson Raiders and the Vault Hunters from ''2'', on the other hand, have no big wishes or desires outside of taking down the megalomaniacal Jack and making money as mercenaries. This especially counts for [[BigGood Commander Roland]], one of the Vault Hunters from ''1'', who's the most heroic, no-nonsense and stoic of all the Raiders.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'': Scrooge [=McDuck=] is a savvy businessman and ExperiencedProtagonist who believes in hard work over all else, while his business competitor Flintheart Glomgold spends most of his time and money on [[EvilPlan evil schemes]] to take down/kill Scrooge that fall prey to ComplexityAddiction. Scrooge mainly sees Glomgold as a nuisance more than real threat. Their dynamic is perhaps best captured [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA8RlYzQSEw here]]. Zig-Zagged since Glomgold has moments of BewareTheSillyOnes, particularly in Season 2, and Scrooge sometimes takes his bait, such as during their staring contest in "The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks".

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Kim is TheAce who takes crime fighting in stride, while most of her villains, like Dr. Drakken and the Seniors, are AffablyEvil or FauxAffablyEvil with ridiculous, over-the-top schemes. She can have her moments of NotSoStoic in her [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld highschool life]], however when facing bad guys, she is far more mature and serious. This is especially in play when she faces [[MadScientist Dr. Drakken]], who often comes up with various ridiculous plots, such as mind-controlling the elderly into his army.

** Upon his debut, Discord is a LargeHam Spirit of Chaos, bent on spreading chaos all over the land, and causing, well, discord towards mission-driven Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', the Monarch is the hammy CardCarryingVillain prone to over-the-top speeches and classic "dramatic" villainy foil to Rusty Venture's "hero". Rusty, a jaded former boy adventurer, has SeenItAll and the Monarch's villainous theatrics do little more than ''annoy'' him. For the first several seasons, Rusty [[UnknownRival barely acknowledged]] the Monarch as anything more than the rest of his RoguesGallery constantly distrupting his life while Monarch has always considered Rusty to be his true ArchEnemy.

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Indexes: DuoTropes, HeroTropes, {{Villains}}, {{Foil}}