History Main / MadGod

** Most people overlook the fact that the other two members of the Triat are just as insane, the Wyld being an essence of creative chaos and the Weaver a manifestation of absolute order. The Wyld was always, by mortal definitions, "insane," whereas the Weaver tried to figure out why the nice things she made were broken down by the Wyrm to fuel the Wyld. Her first step was to try to define the Wyld by binding it in her webs. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation This ended... poorly]]. She then moved on to the Wyrm, which is why *it* ended up going insane.

** Most people overlook the fact that the other two members of the Triat are just as insane, the Wyld being an essence of creative chaos and the Weaver a manifestation of absolute order.

* In the American ''[[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog Sonic The Hedgehog]]'' comics, any echidna who [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility absorbs too much Chaos energy]] is transformed into the [[PhysicalGod demigod]] Enerjak, and is driven mad in the process. Dimitri and Knuckles have both suffered this at different points, and an AlternateUniverse features a version of Enerjak-empowered Knuckles who's pretty much [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroyed the whole world]].

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-3004 SCP-3004]] is an insane cicada god for some now disappeared druidic cult, the Cétlaidí, operating in Ireland. When its followers were forcibly converted to Christianity in the English invasions, the resulting turn of belief and metaphysical confusion seems to have ''scrambled'' its mind. It now believes it is the Judeo-Christian God and it warps Christian ceremonies into evil rituals often involving {{Animalistic Abomination}}s and self-mutilation to [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly "feed on the faith"]]. Worse, it's actually starting to ''usurp the real God and break into our reality''; the Foundation's plan in that event is to use Thaumiel-level [=SCPs=] and amnesia-inducing agents to completely erase Christianity from the historical record in an attempt to starve it. According to a researcher who communicated with it, SCP-3004 isn't ''evil'', it's just extremely deluded and doesn't understand what its worshippers really want or believe, or the harm its causing.

* Bobo is [[MistakenForGods mistaken]] for this by the ancient Romans in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. Oddly, he's only really "mad" in the sense that he fights lions in the gladiatorial arena for fun- which admittedly is a bit much since the other local "Gods" (Pearl and Brain guy) spend most of their time not doing anything even remotely that impressive.

* Might be what's going on in Phil Tippett's SurrealHorror stop motion animated series ''Mad God''. While no specific character can be identified as the eponymous Mad God, the implication of the title seems to be that the story's [[WorldGoneMad setting]] could only exist in a universe created by such a god. Therefore, Phil Tippett himself might be the Mad God.

** Discord, [[GodOfChaos spirit of chaos and disharmony]] (pictured above), whose body even looks like someone [[MixAndMatchCritters chopped up half a dozen different creatures, lost most of the pieces, and tried to stick them back together]]. As a RealityWarper of near-unlimited power he [[RealityIsOutToLunch turns Equestria almost literally upside-down]], with inconsistent day/night cycles, gravity, and sanity, as well as making roads of soap and cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it]]). At one point, he collects some chocolate milk in a glass, drinks the glass, throws the [[MindScrew apparently solid (but not)]] chocolate milk over his shoulder, where it then explodes off-screen, turning the screen darker instead of lighter. He gets ''some'' sadistic pleasure out of the fact that mere mortals really don't like his chaos, but for the most part he just ignores their griping in favor of detail work on his WorldOfChaos. Overtime, he has learned tone his chaos down and consider others' feelings more, but is still more than willing to cause mischief.

** Discord, [[GodOfChaos spirit of chaos and disharmony]] (pictured above), whose body even looks like someone [[MixAndMatchCritters chopped up half a dozen different creatures, lost most of the pieces, and tried to stick them back together]]. As a RealityWarper of near-unlimited power he [[RealityIsOutToLunch turns Equestria almost literally upside-down]], with inconsistent day/night cycles, gravity, and sanity, as well as making roads of soap and cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it]]). At one point, he collects some chocolate milk in a glass, drinks the glass, throws the [[MindScrew apparently solid (but not)]] chocolate milk over his shoulder, where it then explodes off-screen, turning the screen darker instead of lighter. He gets ''some'' sadistic pleasure out of the fact that mere mortals really don't like his chaos, but for the most part he just ignores their griping in favor of detail work on his WorldOfChaos.

* ''LightNovel/RollOverAndDie'': Origin is the main god worshipped by the people of the setting and is, unfortunately, not very sane and serves as the most malevolent force in the story. Those who hear its voice either hears its MadnessMantra of "Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" or its multiple voices arguing with itself. Those empowered by Origin tend to also go insane and be subjected to BodyHorror.

** Discord, [[GodOfEvil spirit of chaos and disharmony]] (pictured above), whose body even looks like someone [[MixAndMatchCritters chopped up half a dozen different creatures, lost most of the pieces, and tried to stick them back together]]. As a RealityWarper of near-unlimited power he [[RealityIsOutToLunch turns Equestria almost literally upside-down]], with inconsistent day/night cycles, gravity, and sanity, as well as making roads of soap and cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it]]). At one point, he collects some chocolate milk in a glass, drinks the glass, throws the [[MindScrew apparently solid (but not)]] chocolate milk over his shoulder, where it then explodes off-screen, turning the screen darker instead of lighter. He gets ''some'' sadistic pleasure out of the fact that mere mortals really don't like his chaos, but for the most part he just ignores their griping in favor of detail work on his WorldOfChaos.

* In further My Little Pony fics, ''Fanfic/TheAudience'' has a whole cavalcade of mad gods. Specifically, the Draconequui, whose [[OrangeAndBlueMorality rationales and mechanisms vary greatly]]... but whose goals are always towards the furthering of chaos on their own terms.

* The main villain in the flash game ''VideoGame/RealmOfTheMadGod'', the aptly named Oryx the Mad God. Although he is a bit more tame than many of the other examples on this list, as he leans a bit more towards GodIsEvil.

** Even crazier than Tzeentch is Malal the god of [[LogicBomb paradoxes,]] that wishes to destroy Chaos. Being a Chaos god if Malal is ever successful then it would [[TooDumbToLive die as well]] not that the crazy thing cares.

--->'''Discord:''' Discord: Did you know that Celestia once banished the entirety of Equestria to the Moon so that she could take time off to do some surfing? Or that Luna has occasionally turned the Moon into a spaceship and taken it on joyrides? And that's positively tame next to what Tia's student gets up to, to say nothing of the sheer variety of tree sap related mayhem I've been privy to.

** Thanos's title of “The Mad Titan” in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and its sequel is well earned. [[KnightTemplar He sincerely believes]] that he has to wipe out half of the population in the universe in order to prevent even more people from dying due to a lack of resources and overpopulation, even though [[InsaneTrollLogic that makes no sense.]] The “children” who stay faithful to him either have the blind loyalty of people indoctrinated in a cult are insane, or both, and Thanos comes off as the leader of a bunch of delusional extremists. Even though he’s committing mass genocide, he thinks of himself as a hero, and [[ObliviouslyEvil doesn’t even realize he’s evil.]]

* Deus Ex Machina from ''Manga/FutureDiary'' is dying and summons twelve contestants in a battle royal to attain his power by killing off the other eleven contestants in a game of death.

It might pose as a sane and good god because it has momentarily grown BoredWithInsanity. Of course, that doesn't usually last, as sanity tends to bore it greatly as well. If he is [[GodIsGood good]] in [[GodOfGood some sense]] he'll be the KingOfAllCosmos and fond of working InMysteriousWays

* The Wildlords of ''TabletopGame/{{Nobilis}}'' have set their feet on a path leading to a kind of solipsistic insanity.

* ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': Nuggan, despite being [[GodIsDead dead]], manages to effectively behave in this way, forbidding crop rotation, accordion players, the color blue and other absurd things.[[note]]He died due to people only really believing in the list of things he'd forbidden, so since GodsNeedPrayerBadly, all that was left of him was a voice forbidding random things.[[/note]]
** Judging by Nuggan's brief cameo appearance in ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', this is as much a rather extreme case of in-universe {{Flanderisation}} as anything else, because he had an extensive history of [[StopHavingFunGuys banning his worshippers from just about anything enjoyable for petty reasons.]]

This god isn't [[GodIsEvil Evil]] in [[GodOfEvil either sense]], or even a {{Jerkass God|s}}. It is simply insane. Its mad throes create and destroy in equal measure, leading to untold chaos. That there is a universe at all is usually due to it being SealedEvilInACan, dormant, or so random that it's been less destructive over the past few aeons.

** The Supreme Being of Space Sector 3600, the god TDHD, has gone utterly mad, and was for some time walled off from reality by the [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Guardians of the Universe]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'': One of Vampirella's most powerful foes is the "Mad God Chaos", who rules over TheLegionsOfHell. He's usually a stand-in for Satan, but he didn't get the nickname for no reason, since he's literally insane. This has also affected the way Hell is being run for the worse.

** Thanos's title of “The Mad Titan” in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and its sequel is well earned. [[KnightTemplar He sincerely believes]] that he has to wipe out half of the population in the universe in order to prevent even more people from dying due to a lack of resources and overpopulation, even though [[InsaneTrollLogic that makes no sense.]] The “children” who stay faithful to him either have the blind loyalty of people indoctrinated in a cult, are insane, or both, and Thanos comes off as the leader of a bunch of delusional extremists. Even though he’s committing mass genocide, he thinks of himself as a hero, and [[ObliviouslyEvil doesn’t even realize he’s evil.]]

* Most of the deities featured in ''Literature/AmericanGods'' are quite stable... except for [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Horus]], he's crazy. Fortunately he's [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly not really in a position to do anything damaging.]]

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' has She Who Must Not Be Named. Introduced in the last sub-series, she [[spoiler: was once the Lover, a being on par with the Creator and Lord Foul; Foul seduced her and than broke her heart in order to taint the concept of love forever, and then they were both imprisoned in the same world by the Creator (him deliberately, her by accident). Foul coped well enough, his nature as the Despiser lending itself well to the situation, but the Lover couldn't handle it and went a ''little'' nuts]]. She became one of the most terrifying entities in the Land, though normally quiescent [[spoiler: and in the end Linden helps her put her mind back together, at which point she helps lay a righteous divine smackdown on her betrayer, Lord Foul]].

* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': Cyric while under the effects of his own Greater Artifact was very much insane to the point of near complete incompetence. Between the Prince of Lies, and before the ending of The Crucible: Trial of Cyric the Mad, he was very much completely out of control insane which lasted for around a decade or so.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', the Tribunal and [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], each of whom [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascended to godhood]] after tapping into the power of the [[CosmicKeystone Heart Of Lorkhan]], the [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]] of Mundus, the mortal plane. Dagoth Ur was much less restrained in his consumption of power from the Heart and experienced much faster SanitySlippage as a result. (Vivec, one of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deities]], explicitly calls him a "mad god" at one point.) However, the Tribunal did not escape with their sanity completely in-tact either. Upon completing the main quest and the ''Tribunal'' expansion, the Daedric Prince Azura states that madness would have befallen each member of the Tribunal eventually, as mortal minds simply aren't equipped to handle the rigors of godhood. In game, [[spoiler:only Almalexia actually shows signs of this, and it seems to be the ''loss'' of her divine power which [[GoMadFromTheRevelation drove her to madness]]]]. Sotha Sil was always reclusive and Vivec, despite his [[BlatantLies lying]], {{Narcissist}}ic ways, doesn't actually seem to qualify as "mad".

* In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', the player is trying to prevent the world's destruction at the hands of Giygas, a powerful psychic entity from the future. Their efforts apparently spook him so badly that he overdoses on evil energy before the final confrontation, turning him into a god ([[EldritchAbomination of sorts]]) and destroying his mind. He rambles insanely during the last fight, and seems barely even conscious enough to know who he's fighting.
* Vertigo from ''VideoGame/PrimalRage'' is the Goddess of Insanity, and a sorceress from another dimension who wants to torture and enslave all of humanity [[ForTheEvulz for her own amusement.]]

** Sargeras was once the champion of the Titans, fighting demons across the cosmos, [[HopelessWar though he was convinced that they could not be truly vanquished]]. He would eventually come across a planet with a world soul, a Titan embryo, covered in void and shadow due to an old god burrowing itself into the surface and corrupting the soul. From the local Dreadlords he learned of the plans of the void, to corrupt one of his kin to destroy existence, and decided the best course of action was to give the universe a cosmic reset; wipe out all of creation and restart it himself, before the void can corrupt one of his infant masters into wiping it out forever.

* [[CallARabbitASmeerp Jubileus The Creator]] of ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' goes insane [[spoiler: once the Left Eye is lost, throwing the [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil Balance Between Light and Darkness]] out of alignment.]] Whether Jubileus was good or evil to begin with isn't clear, since in this CrapsackWorld DarkIsEvil, LightIsNotGood, ''both'' Angels and Demons qualify as [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] and humans are, for the most part [[HumansAreBastards worldly]] or [[TooDumbToLive gullible]] [[UngratefulTownsfolk idiots]].