History Main / PragmaticVillainy

* The Illusive Man from MassEffect goes out of his way to ensure his employees are kept comfortable for a long as they are able to serve him. Of course he'll still gladly sacrifice any of them if he thinks the potential gain from doing so is large enough.

A subversion of the EvenEvilHasStandards trope, when a villain averts the VillainBall and refuses to [[KickTheDog do something abhorrent]] not because it is too horrible, but rather because [[StupidEvil it is too inefficient or ineffective]], or there isn't much to be gained from it. He's tried [[KickTheDog kicking the dog]] or at least studied those who have. No matter the combination of dogs and boots, and he's investigated thoroughly, there [[CutLexLuthorACheck just isn't any profit]] and his toes started to hurt after a while. It all depends; [[StockEvilOverlordTactics which option]] would [[EvilPlan fulfill his needs]] best. Being evil for these types just means there are more options to choose from.

A subversion of the EvenEvilHasStandards trope, when a villain averts the VillainBall and refuses to [[KickTheDog do something abhorrent]] not because it is too horrible, but rather because [[StupidEvil it is too inefficient or ineffective]], or there isn't much to be gained from it. He's tried [[KickTheDog kicking the dog]] or at least studied those who have. No matter the combination of dogs and boots, and he's tried them all, there [[CutLexLuthorACheck just isn't any profit]] and his toes started to hurt after a while. It all depends; [[StockEvilOverlordTactics which option]] would [[EvilPlan fulfill his needs]] best. Being evil for these types just means there are more options to choose from.

A subversion of the EvenEvilHasStandards trope, when a villain averts the VillainBall and refuses to [[KickTheDog do something abhorrent]] not because it is too horrible, but rather because [[StupidEvil it is too inefficient or ineffective]], or there isn't much to be gained from it. He's tried [[KickTheDog kicking the dog.]] No matter the combination of dogs and boots, and he's tried them all, there [[CutLexLuthorACheck just isn't any profit]] and his toes started to hurt after a while. It all depends; [[StockEvilOverlordTactics which option]] would [[EvilPlan fulfill his needs]] best. Being evil for these types just means there are more options to choose from.

An obvious foil to EvilIsStylish abiding villains (who will do the evil deed [[ForTheEvulz anyway]]), though some do manage to pair the two. Not to be confused with DoWrongRight, where an evil act is decried for being poorly executed. See also CutLexLuthorACheck, DickDastardlyStopsToCheat, SanityHasAdvantages, and BreadAndCircuses. Compare EvilVirtues, where a villain has good traits.

* In ''TheTenCommandments'', Moses is given charge of using slave labor to build Pharaoh's new treasure city. When he takes charge, he improves the slaves' food ration and gives them a day off to rest. When Rameses protests that he's being wasteful, Moses replies, "Cities are made of bricks. The strong make many, the weak make few, the dead make none," and then shows Pharoah that the city is being built faster than before.

* In the ''{{Draka}}'' series, the [[VillainSue Draka]] are horrified at the Holocaust. Because the death camps were a massive waste of resources.

** Indeed, they had a battalion of Indian soldiers made up of POWs who were willing to fight the British, though they didn't do much, and they made deals with Bosnian Muslims to help hold the Balkans.

** While not considered as ubermenchen, the Asian people was still held in high regard by the Nazis. They were regarded almost as the Aryan race's closest cousin.

* In ''TheGodfather'', Vito Corleone defends his refusal to involve his family with the drug trade by claiming that [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections his friends in the criminal justice system]] would quickly turn against him if they found out his business was drugs, as opposed to "harmless vices" like gambling or prostitution.

* In PiratesOftheCaribbean Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa requires the blood of Elizabeth Swann to remove the curse of undeath plaguing him and his crew (or at least he believes so, not realizing it's Will Turner's blood he needs), and seems prepared to kill her for it, until revealing he only needs a few drops of her blood.

* ''The Prophecy'' featured a pragmatic Lucifer (played by [[TheLordOfTheRings Viggo Mortensen]]) who has the angelic habit of perching atop things like a bird. Satan [[spoiler: saves the main cast from an evil Gabriel, who was on a rampage against mankind. His own selfish motives being "we don't need another hell up there"]].

* In PiratesoftheCaribbean Curse of the Black Pearl, Captain Barbossa requires the blood of Elizabeth Swann to remove the curse of undeath plaguing him and his crew (or at least he believes so, not realizing it's Will Turner's blood he needs), and seems prepared to kill her for it, until revealing he only needs a few drops of her blood.

* In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', the hommunculi generally try to avoid killing the humans (superior alchemists), they've designated as "Sacrifices". This doesn't stop them from trying or succeeding in killing those humans' friends or maiming those humans though.

* The government in NineteenEightyFour outlaws the death penalty, preferring torture & brainwashing potential rebels into model citizens, rather than killing them and risk them becoming martyrs for the next generations rebels.

** For obvious reasons, when Corran Horn goes undercover as a pirate in ''I, Jedi'', he prefers this sort of piracy, encouraging the gang to kill as few as possible to encourage cooperation in the future. While a few of the pirates are in it more ForTheEvulz, most of them recognize the potential of this racket [[spoiler: and end up accepting a legitimate security contract at the end of the novel]].

* The government in [[1984]] outlaws the death penalty, preferring torture & brainwashing potential rebels into model citizens, rather than killing them and risk them becoming martyrs for the next generations rebels.

* The government in {{1984}} outlaws the death penalty, preferring torture & brainwashing potential rebels into model citizens, rather than killing them and risk them becoming martyrs for the next generations rebels.

* TheKingpin was presented this way in the 90's SpiderMan animated series, even occasionally teaming up with Spidey against more OmnicidalManiac villains because "there's no profit to be had in the end of the world".

An obvious foil to EvilIsStylish abiding villains (who will do the evil deed [[ForTheEvulz anyway]]), though some do manage to pair the two. Not to be confused with DoWrongRight, where an evil act is decried for being poorly executed. See also CutLexLuthorACheck, DickDastardlyStopsToCheat, SanityHasAdvantages, and BreadAndCircuses.

* Vetinari, from the ''{{Discworld}}'', does not really rule his realm with an iron fist. He has the novel idea of maintaining control by making people actually WANT him in charge, or at the very least, [[VetinariParadox make removing him from power an unsavory prospect]].