History Main / HiddenAgendaVillain

* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'' has damn near ''[[GambitPileup everyone]]'' working for their own unknown goals. More often than not, when they talk about their plans for the future, they talk in inscrutable riddles that, if you're lucky, will make sense in the context of future issues. You'll have to read between the lines to fully grasp the implications of the plot.
* Mr. Sinister from ComicBook/XMen is often like this, with no one being aware of the goals behind his villainous plot of the week. For example one time he went through the trouble to get a sample of Rachael Summers DNA and then, did nothing with it.
* A possible way to view ComicBook/TheJoker. It is never made clear what his past and goals are [[MultipleChoicePast as he constantly contradicts himself]]. This makes him even scarier.
* ''ComicBook/TheLosers'': The parts of [[ShroudedInMyth Max's]] plan they uncover seem to suggest a movie-Lex-Luthor-esque large scale land grab. Turns out that's only phase one.

* In the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse story "Threat From the Infinite" the T'Zook are introduced this way: they're aliens who are looking for ''something'' and causing damage to the environment in the process, but the Junior Woodchucks, the only ones to have chanced on their existance, have no idea ''what'' they're looking for or why, or even their name. This makes TheReveal even scarier when the SpacePolice (who had been chasing them for years to serve them fines for polluting hundreds of words) arrives and reveals that [[spoiler:[[{{Ultraterrestrials}} they were originally from Earth]] and want the planet back, and are looking for the ancient cities that contain devices that would help them do just that]].

* ''Fanfic/LiesOfAttrition'': [[BigBad Chrysalis] ''claims'' that her goal is to undo Monarque's Wish and set things right, but her motives for this are unclear. And her EvilGloating to Ladybug makes it clear that she's ''no'' WellIntentionedExtremist. And since she's a ConsummateLiar, this may not even be her true goal at all.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': InUniverse, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonHumans The Collaborators]], [[spoiler:Apex Cybernetics]] (who only make a ContinuityCameo in this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction). It's unclear exactly what this continuity's version of them want. They do appear to have a little more respect for Godzilla and the Titans as the Earth's real line of defence, compared to their canon counterparts' MugglePower agenda; or at least [[spoiler:Maia Simmons]] makes it seem like that's the case with them. [[spoiler:Maia]] expresses an interest in making the human race better able to match the Titans' power level, supposedly with the aim of ''supporting'' rather than attacking Godzilla and his allies in defence of the world.

* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseRenSerizawa Ren Serizawa]] in the movie version, as it's never explained why he's joined [[EvilInc Apex Cybernetics]]' MugglePower plan with Mechagodzilla and in doing so gone against every single value that his late father ever stood for, but it's hinted when Ren glares at Godzilla from afar that ItsPersonal. The {{novelization}} on the other hand fleshes out Ren's personal motivations and the source of his hatred for Godzilla.

* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': [[TheDreaded Alastor the Radio Demon]] obliterated the elite lords of Hell almost immediately after arriving there and has been a feared and extremely powerful tyrant for decades. His goals and motivations are known only to him, [[MysteriousBacker including his reasons for suddenly deciding to sponsor the Happy Hotel]] (his stated reason is that he wants to [[ItAmusedMe entertain himself]] by having a front row seat when the whole thing proves to be a failure).

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has Bill Cipher, a [[BewareTheSillyOnes goofy-yet-sinister]] "dream demon" who is summoned by Li'l Gideon to steal the combination to Grunkle Stan's safe, so Gideon can get his hands on the deed to the Mystery Shack. Bill agrees to do it in exchange for help with "something I've been working on", and is rather furious when Dipper, Mabel, and Soos manage to get in his way and drive Gideon to break off the deal. After being fought to a standstill in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, Bill departs with a cryptic warning. Bill returns in the season two episode "Sock Opera" and tricks Dipper into a DealWithTheDevil, only to [[spoiler: double-cross Dipper, [[DemonicPossession steal his body]], and attempt to frustrate his investigations, first by damaging the old laptop found in "Into the Bunker", then by trying to steal and destroy Journal #3]] because he fears Dipper is getting too close to solving the mysteries of the town. [[spoiler: It's finally revealed what his plan is in the latter half of Season 2: he wants to open a rift between reality and the Nightmare Realm, allowing him to take a physical form and bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]].

* The writers of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' confessed they at first had no idea what they would make Slade's plan in Season 1, explaining why the viewers, let alone Robin, had no idea either. Come to think of it, what Robin was meant to DO was never really specified either. The one thing he stole was meant for him anyway. And how Terra's running everyone out of town benefits him is never mentioned either.
** Seeing how Terra [[CurbstompBattle curbstomping]] the Titans resulted in him having total control of the city with his robot armies goose-stepping through the street, the benefit to him seems [[EvilOverlord quite obvious]]. The real question is [[AndThenWhat where he was intending to go from there]]. Slade is the God of this trope.
** He had a clear agenda during the Trigon arc, at least. Of course, that was because he was ''dead'' and very clearly didn't want to stay that way.
* In the original season of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' the main protagonists know that Valmont and the Dark Hand are after the talismans, but they don't know that said talismans are meant to bring BigBad Shendu back to life. In this case, [[DramaticIrony the audience knows the intentions of the villains but the protagonists don't]].
* Grodd in the third season of ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]''. He brought together the supervillains of the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse into one combined force, came up with a plan for granting invulnerability to all of them, coerced ''Lex Luthor''... and what was his ultimate plan? [[spoiler:Turning the entire planet into apes!? Needless to say, [[DisappointedByTheMotive it ended with Luthor shooting him in the face.]]]]

* Nerissa from the first half of the second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}''. [[spoiler: It's later revealed she's a WellIntentionedExtremist who wanted to end all war and suffering- by making herself goddess of all reality]]. Before she got anywhere close to attaining this, though, her plot was [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked by Phobos]], a much more straightforward EvilOverlord.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has Bill Cipher, a [[BewareTheSillyOnes goofy-yet-sinister]] "dream demon" who is summoned by Li'l Gideon to steal the combination to Grunkle Stan's safe, so Gideon can get his hands on the deed to the Mystery Shack. Bill agrees to do it in exchange for help with "something I've been working on", and is rather furious when Dipper, Mabel, and Soos manage to get in his way and drive Gideon to break off the deal. After being fought to a standstill in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, Bill departs with a cryptic warning. Bill returns in the season two episode "Sock Opera" and tricks Dipper into a DealWithTheDevil, only to [[spoiler: double-cross Dipper, [[DemonicPossession steal his body]], and attempt to frustrate his investigations, first by damaging the old laptop found in "Into the Bunker", then by trying to steal and destroy Journal #3]] because he fears Dipper is getting too close to solving the mysteries of the town. [[spoiler: It's finally revealed what his plan is in the latter half of Season 2: he wants to open a rift between reality and the Nightmare Realm, allowing him to take a physical form and bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': Emperor Cloyd and The Enchantress are a villainous duo that are responsible for sending Luci to Bean. They are clearly evil, but their end goal is never revealed. In fact, the country where they are isn't even revealed until late in season 1. [[spoiler:It's revealed they are planning for Bean to get her hands on the Elixir of Life and they want Dreamland to fall. Season 2 reveals they and Dagmar have made a bargain with Hell which they want Bean to fulfill, but the specifics of that deal, even by the end of season 4, are similarly unclear, and by then Cloyd and Becky have changed plans to stealing Dreamland's magic for their own reasons.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': XANA's motivations, or the reasons for its hostility to human life, are completely unknown, and unlike most examples, the heroes ''never'' find out. It's not clear if it wants to [[TakeOverTheWorld rule the world]], or [[OmnicidalManiac destroy it]], or [[AndThenWhat what it plans to do after that]] (if anything), or why it would want either. Its immediate goals get revealed as it pursues them, but any kind of end goal it has in mind is a complete mystery. It's never seen by the heroes, and it rarely bothers communicating with them, much less give a MotiveRant. Being that XANA is essentially a sapient computer program, for all anyone knows it could just be malfunctioning, but that's just speculation. ''None'' of this makes XANA [[NothingIsScarier any less frightening]].

* [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]]. [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Maybe]].

* ''Webcomic/DragonBallMultiverse'': [[spoiler:U5's XXI.]]

** The [[BigBadDuumvirate three directors]] of the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission; we know that they want to unite the fiend races, and that the (apparent) reason they made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal]] with [[spoiler: Vaarsuvius]] was to [[spoiler: "knock [[BigBad Xykon]] out of his comfort zone"]] as part of their larger EvilPlan (which apparently also involves the Gates. We know that they want to attack [[{{Heaven}} The Upper Plans]] but we don't know why or how. In short, we know nothing of their long-term goals.
** [[GreaterScopeVillain Snarl]] eventually evolves into another example. We are told that it is a world-destroying, god-killing abomination, but its real goals appear to be more than just destroying everything, and the person telling the Snarl's story is quickly revealed to be a ConsummateLiar anyway. It is made clear that the heroes don't know everything about it, and it's quite possible not even gods know what Snarl is really after.

* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': Rex Godwin, whose true agenda is ''so'' well hidden that the both the viewer and the other characters are constantly forced to revise their opinions of whether or not he's a villain. At first, he looks like a fairly standard AffablyEvil {{Chessmaster}} type of character. Then it turns out that [[spoiler: he's a StealthMentor to the protagonists, using questionable or outright reprehensible methods but with the ultimate end of helping them save the world from the Earthbound Gods.]] Then the situation is complicated by the revelation that [[spoiler: he's the better half of a CainAndAbel situation with his brother Rudger, leader of the Dark Signers, ''and'' both of them worked with Yusei's father in the past and may have had a hand in causing the huge disaster seventeen years ago that led to the current conflict.]] And then, finally, it turns out that [[spoiler: rather than trying to seal away the Earthbound Gods, he was using the protagonists as pawns in his EvilPlan to gain their power, [[GodOfHumanOrigin become a god]], and ScrewDestiny by [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans destroying the world and creating a better one]].]]