History Main / TheBadGuyWins

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* Mojo Jojo wins in the final DC Comics story of ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'', "Smart And Smarter" (issue #59, Cartoon Network Block Party). Blossom lets [[InsufferableGenius her ego swell]] after being admitted to a school for exceptionally smart children to the point where she alienates her sisters and Mojo. In a mano-a-mano battle, Blossom shoots her ice breath at Mojo, who counters with a heat shield. The trail of melted ice reaches Blossom's foot (which she doesn't see) as she emits static electricity from her hands. The result: Blossom gets fried to a frazzle from electrocution. The story ends with Mojo and Buttercup [[EnemyMine shaking hands]].

* Dick Dastardly actually wins in two ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' stories, but there were catches to them. In "The Scavenger Scramble" (Gold Key #7), a big purse (normally a largesse of cash) is at stake, and what Dick wins is a big flowery ladies' purse. In "Trek to Tanzania" (Archie Comics #1), Penelope Pitstop helps Dick win but only because she was recruited as a special agent to an outfit investigating a crooked ruler of whom Dick is in cahoots.

* Comic Books

* A special promotional set was released for ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' called "Thousand Years of Darkness", showing what would have happened if a Shadowlands player had succeeded in winning the final tournament for the Distant Thunder story arc (which very nearly came to pass). The set's storyline ends with Rokugan overrun with monsters and the undead, and the last surviving heroes sailing for another land.

* Both Franchise/TheDCU and Franchise/MarvelUniverse have their [[TheBadGuyWins/TheDCU own]] [[TheBadGuyWins/MarvelUniverse pages]]
* The backstory of ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'' is that this happened 20 years ago. Also, the outcome of the series itself no matter which side wins.
* Minor example in a ''Anime/TransformersEnergon'' toy pack-in comic. Normally mini-comics packaged with toys are a page or two to advertise the rest of the line. Good guys are minding their own business when the bad guys show. Good guys show off their features while driving bad guys back. The end. In ''this'' case, though: Inferno, Prowl, and Landmine find some energon. Megatron shows up. Inferno dramatically combines with Prowl to form... '''Powerlinx Inferno!''' Landmine dramatically combines with [[KibblesAndBits the parts of his vehicle mode that aren't normally part of his robot mode]] and becomes... '''Landmine Brute Mode!''' And together they... get {{curbstomp|Battle}}ed by Megs and his new [[{{Mooks}} Terrorcons]] and are sent scurrying away with their tailpipes between their legs while Megatron [[EvilGloating laughs at them]]. The Decepticons take all the energon. The end!

* ''ComicBook/SinCity'' short stories often end with the bad guys winning. The most well-known example of this is in "Daddy's Little Girl" where [[VillainousIncest an incestuous father-daughter couple]] kill the protagonist as a means of foreplay. The main stories play with this trope. Even when the heroes die or their lives are destroyed, the villains suffer great losses as a result or even die themselves.
* Jonathan Hickman's ''The Nightly News'' has this. The group responsible has just got away with orchestrating the mass murder of people connected with the news media by [[BatmanGambit manipulating people damaged by media lies and framing an undercover journalist]]. The next thing they plan to do is kill all the lawyers.

** [[MagnificentBastard Arsenal]], high priest of the god of war, and manipulative [[IAmYourFather father of the female lead]] manages to get the world's InfinityPlusOneSword, which is capable of killing ''anything'' with just one slash, this sword being his main objective since ''years'' before the story even begins.

--> '''Sszzaas:''' Why do you look at me like that? Can't a major god be in a good mood? After all, it's not always that a great adventure ends with [[http://i.imgur.com/vawgc.jpg the victory of the villains!]]
--> '''Sckhar''': Speak for yourselves! I only got screwed in this story!
* This happens all the time in [[Creator/ChaosComics Chaos! Comics]]. In fact, WordOfGod states that the whole idea of designing ''Evil Ernie'' was over the question, "Why does the bad guy have to lose?" ([[FridgeLogic Maybe it]] ''[[FridgeLogic is]]'' [[FridgeLogic a rather interesting question when you think of it...]])
* "Endangered Species", the final major storyline for ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' prior to ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'', ends with Thrash the Devil successfully banishing all echidnas except for Knuckles into another dimension.
* ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' :
** ''Hilariously'' done in an arc of strips featuring an AlienInvasion. When the Zygorthian Raiders invade the Earth and [[SexSlave enslave women]], torch cities, and [[ToServeMan devour humans]], they wind up becoming [[VillainWithGoodPublicity international celebrities]] due to careful choosing of their victims. (For example, atrocities they commit include [[PlaceWorseThanDeath destroying Detroit]], [[CausticCritic blowing up works of abstract sculpture]], eating [[TakeThat Joan Collins, Peter Holm, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir]], and concentrating their slave gathering to game show hostesses.) They're let go after public uproar demands it.
** Also hilariously done during the arc where the characters went on strike against the Bloom County Productions, Inc, and its fat, greedy boss, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive W.A. Thornhump III.]] The issue at hand was the continually shrinking size of the comics page. [[AuthorFilibuster (something Berkely Breathed had himself found annoying)]]. Eventually, Steve crossed the picket line and the "employees" didn't get anything, the only comeuppance delivered to Steve. (Who was pelted with eggs by Opus, but little else.)

* ''ComicBook/{{Superlopez}}'': Thanks to an ironic twist ending. The unnamed MadScientist in ''Chiclón Attacks'' wants to get rid of all the noise of the big city... by attacking the city with a [[HumongousMecha giant robot]] and forcing everyone out. For his troubles, he gets put in a prison cell... where he can finally enjoy some peace and quiet.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': "Dark Judges: Dominion" is a pretty depressing example. It's told in the form of an ApocalypticLog by a woman whose space colony was attacked by the Dark Judges, omnicidal monsters who believe all life to be a crime. After starting a ZombieApocalypse they kill everyone on the planet with the last survivor knowing that they'll find her eventually and pledging to [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled save her last bullet for herself]].
* Mojo Jojo wins in the final DC Comics story of ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'', "Smart And Smarter" (issue #59, Cartoon Network Block Party). Blossom lets [[InsufferableGenius her ego swell]] after being admitted to a school for exceptionally smart children to the point where she alienates her sisters and Mojo. In a mano-a-mano battle, Blossom shoots her ice breath at Mojo, who counters with a heat shield. The trail of melted ice reaches Blossom's foot (which she doesn't see) as she emits static electricity from her hands. The result: Blossom gets fried to a frazzle from electrocution. The story ends with Mojo and Buttercup [[EnemyMine shaking hands]].

* ''ComicBook/RickAndMortyOni'': Rick once abandoned his workers on a dinosaur island for twenty years. After they catch him, instead of killing him, they just demand a way off (even going so far as to chastise the one survivor who keeps threatening torture). By the end, they are all eaten by dinosaurs, and Rick, Summer and Morty get off the island scot free.
--> '''Rick''': ''G-Good work, kids. You just saved me a ton in likely workplace lawsuits. Y-y-y-you want to see some real bloodthirsty carnivores? Get tied up with some labor attorneys.''
* Robot takes over Earth in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' and eventually changes the planet to such an extent that it becomes unrecognizable. The last issue reveals it to be a PyrrhicVictory - Invincible destroys his body, and allows his BrainInAJar to keep existing as an advisor to the Immortal, though still unable to control any device he could use to escape - and his ex-wife grows to hate him, leaving him to an eternity of loneliness. [[AllThereInTheManual If you read the bonus material on the collected editions]], you'll learn that he eventually drove the Immortal to madness to seize power once again. Though to not make it too depressive, things work out in the end since [[ItMakesSenseInContext Invincible travels to that time thanks to a pair of teenage bystanders to stop Immortal and kill him]].

* ''Literature/{{Kolobok}}'': The titular character -a little round bun- is tricked and eaten by a cunning fox.

* Several of the stories in ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureauWorldsWhereItWouldntWork'' end with another villain from one of the worlds Xlestia invades turning the tables on her.
** Special note goes to ''Boss Rush'', which involves every cannon villain coming back to beat Xlestia, one after the other.

-->'''Michio''': You know, Shinichi. There are times the good guys win, but there are also times when the bad guys win. In this case, I win. The bad guy has won this round.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Origins}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'' MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, so far the Flood has won--kicking the heroes out of their galaxy with a second one virtually fallen.

* In ''Fanfic/TheCATverse'', Batman isn't always around to save civilians from Gotham's supercriminals. This is played for BlackComedy in ''Tourist Trap'' and seriously in ''Small World''. In both stories Crane abducts and tortures a victim into insanity without Batman or anyone else intervening or the victim getting away, and in the latter [[WouldHurtAChild the victim is his younger sister]].
* Even though he gets killed in the end of ''Fanfic/TheVirtueOfRevenge'', it's made clear that the Joker ''won''. He completely broke Jason into becoming a murderer, tormented Batman with the boy's demise, and dies knowing that Batman will carry this guilt with him forever. This is shown by him going out the only way he knows how: ''laughing'' at his enemy's misfortune.

* The Evil Scientist, the BigBad from Creator/PeterChimaera's ''[[Fanfic/PeterChimaerasDigimonTrilogy DIGIMON SAVEZ THE WROLD!!1111]]'', successfully destroyed the road connecting an island to the mainland, essentially trapping people on the island. The narrative depressingly says that Digimon, the main character, couldn't do anything to solve this situation, causing him to [[HeroicBSOD go home and cry]].
* By the end of the ''Literature/HanselAndGretel'' fanfic ''[[https://ficbook.net/readfic/1313912 Captives of a Candy Shack]]'', the Witch's son has married Gretel and keeps Hansel locked up forever ForTheEvulz. Gretel has technically agreed to the marriage but only thanks to her developing severe UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome after prolonged MindRape, Hansel barely retains his sapience, let alone sound mind, after years of solitary confinement, and the Witch's son continues to successfully impersonate his own mother, who used to be TheDreaded, and frighten off anyone who could attempt to attack him.
* ''Fanfic/ShinraHighSOLDIER'': Hojo kills Sephiroth's wife and son, effectively breaking his spirit, and continues undisturbed to inject him with more Jenova cells.
* ''Fanfic/HumanCuriosity'' largely takes place about a hundred years ''after'' the villains win. The secretive HCS kidnapped most of the Nations, subjecting them over time to increasingly atrocious experiments. Many of the remaining Nations had given them up for dead.
* ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'': Season 1 Episode 16, the HalloweenEpisode, ends with Zim getting his hands on the [[DismantledMacGuffin Meekrob crystals]] enabling him to find the way to [[LostSuperweapon Project Domination]].

* In ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', this is the case regarding the subplot about the search for the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Teachings of Eternal Shadow]], as [[VillainProtagonist Jade]] succeeds in recovering all three tablets containing them.
** While Jade and [[GreaterScopeVillain Tarakudo]] are defeated in the FinalBattle, the epilogue shows that [[EnigmaticMinion Blankman]] was successful in his own goals, stealing ten of the talismans to take over the Magisters with, as well as ensuring Jade remains too corrupted to ever become TheChosenOne.
* ''Fanfic/LeftBeyond'' technically ends like this, in that Yahweh is able to defeat both Satan and humanity's freedom fighters and enact the Judgement. It turns out to be an example of PyrrhicVictory though since the Omega ensures that the Judgement gets stuck in a processing loop which gives the human astronaut corps a chance of survival in another world.
* ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTimeDragonRand100'': As far as Link and many in Hyrule are concerned, Ganondorf won by the time he woke up from his seven years of absence. Many in Hyrule are incredibly demoralized by all that occurred and it takes massive strives to undo all that was committed with heavy costs inflicted including the death of Princess Zelda herself.
** This still applies in the sense that Ganon cannot be fully killed but instead sealed away thanks due a seal created by the seven sages, implying Ganon could return. As a meta point, by the time of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' Ganon does return. Despite this, Link and the heroes are convinced that they will be prepared for such a return and that they can save the world again if necessary.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Game Theory|LyricalNanoha}}'', although this isn't actually a bad thing, due to [[GoodVersusGood the nature of the story.]] Precia succeeds in reviving Alicia and dupes the TSAB into believing she is dead.
* Several issues of ''Fanfic/UltimateSleepwalker: The New Dreams'' and its companion series ''Fanfic/UltimateSpiderWoman: Change with the Light'' ends with the title heroes being defeated by the VillainOfTheWeek, who accomplishes their goal. Notably, the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil and VillainDecay do ''not'' apply here, as the RoguesGallery in both series often keeps pace with the heroes in their competence.
* ''Webcomic/DadVillainAU'':
** The whole alternate universe was created by Gabriel succeeding in his plan to get his hands on the Ladybug Earrings and Black Cat Ring, combining them to make a [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy reality-altering Wish]]. He proceeded to use this power to [[EvilIsPetty spitefully]] ensure that Ladybug and her loved ones would ''suffer'' for how she'd fought against him for so long, Wishing that they would suffer the magical backlash from Emelie using the broken Peacock Pin. This eventually results in Tom Dupain-Cheng using the Butterfly Brooch to [[RoleSwapAU become Viceroy]], hunting for the bastard who killed his beloved Sabine...
** Chloé's constant harassment and bullying of Marinette culminated in her convincing Kim to give the poor girl a box full of spiders on what turned out to be the day that Sabine's health took a turn for the worst. This heavily contributed to Marinette deciding to dial back her attendence of Francoise Dupont as much as possible so she could help out at the bakery. When she learned about this, Chloé gloated that she'd gotten her to drop out, declaring "Finally! She should have known better than to stand up to me!"
* ''Fanfic/OneStepBackwardsAndThreeForwards'' opens with Hawkmoth successfully obtaining the Miraculouses he needs to make his Wish thanks to Lila convincing Alya and Nino to [[FaceHeelTurn betray the other heroes]]. He also grants his supporters the chance to make their own Wishes, heedless of the fact that they are making these requests from a [[JerkassGenie pair of vengeful kwami]]. The story goes on to detail how their [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor their deepest desires]] are twisted and turned against them, ultimately [[HoistByHisOwnPetard leading to their downfall]].
* ''Fanfic/SinsOfThePast'' [[DownerBeginning opens with]] [[ManipulativeBitch Lila Rossi]] successfully turning all of Marinette's friends and classmates against her. Including Adrien, who [[BlamingTheVictim blames Marinette]] for trying to expose Lila's deceptive nature in the first place, claiming that makes ''her'' a bully. Then one of Hawkmoth's akumatizing butterflies finds her... [[TimeSkip Fifteen years later]], Lila Rossi is now the Mayor of Paris, with an adult Team Miraculous at her beck and call and no Ladybug in sight. Not until [[FanCreatedOffspring Kamala Lavillant-Couffaine]] finds herself with a pair of blackened earrings which cause her to start seeing a ghostly apparition calling herself Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
* In ''Fanfic/AnotherFormOfPower'' and its sequel ''All for Power'', the GreaterScopeVillain All for One wins despite dying at the climax of the first story. He [[PlotRelevantAgeUp ages Izuku]] and trains him in business, law and politics, guiding the "teen" into becoming a politician instead of an [[FandomSpecificPlot/MyHeroAcademia average villain]]. Not only did Izuku succeed in legally dismantling the Japanese Hero Society, spreading its success to the rest of the world, while ruling the Underworld as the League of Villains secret leader, but he easily kills off his enemies and loose ends to keep his power, which includes [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness Shigaraki]], [[NiceJobBreakingItHero All]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Might]], [[{{Revenge}} Bakugou]] [[TheDogBitesBack Katsuki]] ... and All for One himself. [[KarmaHoudini Izuku ultimately comes out unscathed as the most powerful, well-liked politician in Japan]].
* The ending of the first series of ''Fanfic/ConversationsWithACryptid'': All for One successfully escapes prison, restores himself to his past glory, evades suspicion for himself and Izuku, rescues his son, slaughters most of his son's enemies, forces Izuku into compliance and reunites with his family.
* In ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/267881/ambition Ambition]]'', Nightmare Moon, merged with Luna no longer, takes over Equestria. She has her hooves full though: creatures from another dimension are converging on her new kingdom, and the Princesses, Twilight, and her friends aren't out of the fight yet.
* ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/259713/chrysalis-wins Chrysalis Wins]]'' starts out with just that: Chrysalis winning during the events of ''A Canterlot Wedding''. [[AndThenWhat The rest of the story deals with her dealing with the consequences of her actions]].
* ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'' started a trend for [[DarkerAndEdgier "grimdark as fuck"]] ''[=FiM=]'' fanfics where an innocuous character is [[CanonDefilement made into]] a villain and slaughters some other characters with extreme prejudice. 99% of the time, this villain is successful and [[KarmaHoudini receives no retribution]], also in the vein of ''Cupcakes''.
** ''Cupcakes'' itself: Not only does Pinkie get away with murdering Rainbow Dash, but she also takes Apple Bloom on as an apprentice and they work on Silver Spoon together. Note, however, others have written alternate endings, some where she does get her comeuppance after all.
* ''Fanfic/CheerileesGarden'': Sure, Cheerilee dies in the end, but she's never connected to the murders at all. In fact, she's seen as one of ''Twilight's'' victims, as the people blame Twilight for everything.
* The ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' has the AlternateUniverse "Epilogue", which shows what would have happened had Discord succeeded in defeating the Mane Six. To say that it's a CrapsackWorld would be a ''vast'' understatement. It's explored in more detail during the ''Dark World Arc'' of Season 6.
** It turns out that Nightmare Eclipse wrenched control from Discord a long time ago and has been defeating the heroes and destroying the universe repeatedly ever since. Ultimately subverted, however, since [[EarnYourHappyEnding the heroes ultimately win]].
* ''Fanfic/TwilightRevised'': Nightmare Moon imprisons Twilight in the sun alongside Celestia, and it's implied that eventually, her eternal night will kill everything back on the planet proper.
* The BadEnding of ''Fanfic/VivaLaVida'' has Olive completing her FaceHeelTurn and succeeding in the theft of Precinct 13579's [[PowerSource power cantaloupe]], with the power shutting off for good and everyone in a panic and with Otto's final effort to make her have a HeelRealization a failure.
* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': The open ending leaves no doubt that doctor Baselard has fooled Galbraith after all.
* ''Fanfic/CommonSense'': [[BunnyEarsLawyer Team]] [[NotSoHarmlessVillain Rocket]] gets quite a few victories against Ash, such as successfully stealing the [[MagicMeteor Moon Stone]], a majority of the Pokémon at Pokémon Tech, the Squirtle Squad and a number of Pokémon from the passengers of the St. Anne.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has quite a few examples:
** The main story has Belladonna Tyrian, who is introduced with the goal to kill Tokiomi Borealis. She succeeds, albeit while (unknowingly) going against the same wishes she was trying to fulfill. However, she does also gain something else during the act: the revelation of a possible half-brother in Ash Ketchum.
** Twenty Gyarados Bill Gaiden ends with the title character fatally wounded along with his Mega-Gyarados, [[DyingSmirk but smiling in triumph]], since with all the destruction he caused, he succeeded in ensuring that [[WhosLaughingNow nobody will ever laugh at him again]].
** Sabrina Gaiden ends with the title character not only getting away scot-free with all the things she did in her hometown, but happily knowing that she was proven right on her theory, thus putting her on the road to make her ideal world by forcing people to work on their potential and removing those she considers mediocre or unremarkable.
* ''Fanfic/ByTheFiresLight'' ends with the Slender Man taking control of the Earth.
* ''Fanfic/TheRavensPlan'': The story actually [[DownerBeginning opens]] with [[EvilOverlord the Night King]] succeeding in destroying Westeros, with the prologue being built around the LastStand against his forces. The entire plot is driven by the heroes [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong going back in time to prevent this from happening]].
* ''Fanfic/ThereAndBackAgain'' turns [[Recap/GameOfThronesS8E6TheIronThrone the end]] of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' into this when Jon Snow is informed by [[GodOfTheDead The Stranger]] that all the events of the series were the result of the manipulations of the EvilSorcerer Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers (aka, the Three-Eyed Raven) to escape from Beyond the Wall, seize power in King's Landing as an ImmortalRuler (via hijacking Bran Stark's body in a BodySurf), and exile the last Targaryen. The gods, displeased with this outcome, thus decide to pool their resources to PeggySue Jon and several other important players and allies back in time to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong and make it so the Prince Who Was Promised truly [[RightfulKingReturns fulfills his destiny]].
** To a lesser extent, Littlefinger successfully killing Jon Arryn and kicking off the War of the Five Kings was one of his big victories in the original timeline, as well as [[spoiler:passing off Sweet Robin, who is actually the product of the long-standing affair between Baelish and Lysa, as Jon Arryn's legitimate son and heir]]. Varys, who is one of those sent back by the gods to assist Jon Snow, thus prevents this by exposing Littlefinger's treachery, which keeps him from causing the same old troubles as before.
* In the GameMod of ''VideoGame/StardewValleyExpanded'' if the player sides with [=JojaCorp=] and restores the Community Center with their route, they will greatly expand their activities in Pelican Town, driving Pierre out of business, and [[MouthOfSauron Morris]] will become the new mayor of the town.
* Lex Luthor grants Lois Lane an interview in ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8700173/1/Lex-Luthor-Triumphant Lex Luthor Triumphant]]'' 8 months after Superman vanished without a trace. We're told in 12 agonizing chapters how Superman is being dissected for science and profit, how his Fortress of Solitude is breached and seized, how Batman miscalculated Luthor's genius, how Wonder Woman and the JLA are duped into fatal scenarios, and how, in the end, Lex Luthor ushers humanity into a golden age thanks to all the magic and science he took from the heroes.
* In one of the most shocking twists in the entire story, The winner of ''Fanfic/TotalDramaStranded'' is none other than local {{Jerkass}} Calvin, though he is considered the better option when two of his fellow finalists are [[BigBad Keith]] and [[BaseBreakingCharacter Chelsea]].
* ''Webcomic/InvertedFate'' starts off in a timeline where Frisk wasn't able to beat Flowey once he became Asriel in the True Pacifist Route, so he was able to reset the timeline, but botched it and ended up in a different timeline with certain characters in different roles with the memories of the original timeline.
* The ''Blog/BetterBonesAU'' includes the book ''Sol's Game'', which centers around Harry joining [=SkyClan=] in hopes of finding a third [[HumanSacrifice kitten to sacrifice]] in order to become the vessel of the god Sol. He ultimately succeeds at killing one of Leafstar and Billystorm's kits for this purpose.
* At the end of the first ''[[http://kleinerkiller.deviantart.com/gallery/41037509 Yognapped]]'', [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Project Ironskies]] has been stopped, but it essentially succeeded: thousands of innocent Minecraftians were killed, the capital cities of Icaria and Stoneholm were destroyed, the [[FloatingContinent Skyhold]] fell, and all of the heroes save a couple of straggling Yogscasters are sent to an early grave. [[PyrrhicVictory Even though its leader is killed, he won in spirit.]]

* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeries'': The Season 2 midpoint chapter "Return" ends with Nerissa and Drago succeeding in their goals of both stealing Elyon's powers and freeing Shendu from his imprisonment.
* ''Crazy Irken and ?'', an ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim''-based crossover fic anthology by Creator/DRissing and Creator/{{nightmaster000}}. [[note]]Unable to link due to violating Content Policy, but it can be found on their Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn pages.[[/note]], tends to end each chapter with Zim successfully claiming victory of some sort through whichever girl has ended up in his clutches:
** In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' chapter, Zim breaks Starfire to his will and uses her to conquer his city, kill Dib, and also enslave Gaz, leaving him in prime position to TakeOverTheWorld. [[spoiler: GIR, meanwhile, has somehow taken over Jump City by himself in the meantime.]]
** In the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' chapter, Zim and Courtney's team-up has resulted in them conquering Earth, crushing Dib's LaResistance and now preparing to overthrow the Tallest as well.
** In the ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty'' chapter, a thoroughly broken Betty gives Zim all of the Galactic Guardians' secrets, allowing him to undermine them while usurping Maximus as leader of the criminal underworld [[spoiler: and ending the chapter by destroying their HQ with her knowledge of their self-destruct codes]].
** Downplayed in the fourth chapter, as the only victory Zim claims is winning the science fair and potentially having access to Professor Membrane's experiments to use in his schemes as part of the prize. On a more personal level, he's now in a genuinely loving relationship with Zita, who encourages him to not only take over Earth but also overthrow the Tallest.
** Also downplayed in the ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'' chapter, where Zim's only personal victory is claiming Penny as a [[spoiler: [[NotBrainwashed willing]]]] pleasure slave, though his actions also indirectly lead to a victory for the Irken Empire as a whole [[spoiler: by unintentionally exposing the Resisty's hideout and allowing the Armada to destroy them]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' is completely based around this trope. The entire plot of the movie begins with our supervillain fighting his superhero nemesis like always, but then he actually manages to win, and the hero dies. Nobody comes to save the town, the villain takes over, and everyone is sad, however, the villain [[AndThenWhat comes to wonder what to do next]]. The rest of the film is basically what might follow with the villain [[VictoryIsBoring suddenly not having an arch-rival]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoxtrolls'', Snatcher does get a white hat, and he does taste cheese in the tasting room in the end. [[PyrrhicVictory That tasted-cheese causes his allergy (along with the rest of his built-up allergic reaction) to do him in]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension'', the show's BigBad Dr. Doofenshmirtz finally gets one as he opens a portal to an alternative dimension, with the help from Phineas and Ferb. Plus, in that alternative dimension, there is an alternative version Doofenshmirtz, who is far more competent and successful than his original counterpart, as he defeated the alternate Perry the Platypus by turning him into his [[TheDragon loyal cyborg sidekick]], took over his Tri-State Area with [[MechaMooks an army of hovering robots]], and ruled it with an iron fist for 5 years.
** In the episode sequel ''[[Recap/PhineasAndFerbTalesFromTheResistance Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension]]'', the alternate Doof's wife (the alternate Charlene) counts as well, as she managed to [[UnwillingRoboticisation turn several animal agents into cyborgs]] to enforce their reign and later help Doof escape from prison in case he was overthrown. Special points also goes to their daughter (the alternate Vanessa), who managed to formulate a clever escape plan for her family in case they face arrest for their crimes against humanity.
* [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoBatmanMovie''. While the Joker's army of villains was sent back to the Phantom Zone and he ultimately failed to take over Gotham City, he still got Batman to [[FoeRomanceSubtext see the importance of a relationship between them (which the main motivation behind the Joker's actions), and accept him as his arch-enemy.]]
* ''Animation/{{Hofeher}}'': in this dark and cynical retelling of ''Literature/SnowWhite'', the evil queen Arrogancia ends up marrying the Prince and becoming an empress as she planned.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyGuBM1ELf4 Zurg in the fight against Buzz]] in the [[FakeOutOpening Fake-Out Opening.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'': Gabby Gabby succeeds in taking Woody's voice box. While she is the antagonist, it's debatable whether she's a true villain, and Woody gives it to her willingly. However, the whole reason she wanted the voice box was to impress a young girl at the antiques store. [[MeaninglessVillainVictory However, even with the voice box, the girl still isn't impressed, so the plan fails.]]

* Usually happens with Music/{{GWAR}}.

* It is possible to make this happen in ''Pinball/WhoDunnit1995'' if the player fails to catch the killer, either by failing the Taxi Chase or not completing [[RooftopConfrontation The Roof chase.]]

** Khorne, the god of war, is in the same situation: he is powered by blood spilled in battle, be it those of his followers or their enemies, and his throne sits on an ever-growing pile of skulls, again, from {{Worthy Opponent}}s or his defeated champions. The only way to truly defeat Khorne would be to stop everyone from fighting forever- see Necrons above.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'' features an EvilPlan by a quartet of malevolent beings known as the Reckoners, who gain power--and sustenance--from negative emotions, especially fear. Their ultimate goal is to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, thereby transforming most of the world into one huge Deadland (that is, a place that is saturated with fear to the point of becoming warped into something straight out of a nightmare), and becoming able to manifest physically on Earth to finish what they'd tricked humanity into starting. The ''Deadlands'' sister campaign setting, ''Hell On Earth'', is set in [[AfterTheEnd a future where the Reckoners have succeeded]]. However, the sidebar notes in the [=HoE=] rulebook make it clear that it's merely a ''possible'' future; ergo, [=PCs=] in the original ''Deadlands'' game aren't necessarily DoomedByCanon.
* This happens in two ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign settings
** In ''TabletopGame/Midnight2003'' campaign is often described as ''What if [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]] won?''. The Dark God Izrador, who was expelled from the heavens, took over the lands of Eredne by first sowing discords amongst the kingdoms of men and fey. LaResistance is largely engaged on a HopelessWar, as Izrador has successfully cut off the world of Aryth from the heavens, preveting prayers from being answered. He has also installed Black Mirrors to suck all the magic in the world in order to break the veil binding him so that he can enact a HellInvadesHeaven that will also allow him to do a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
** In the classic ''Against The Giants'' module series, which first introduced the world to the dark elves, AKA the drow. Originally hired to stop a series of organized giant raids, the [=PCs=] are also tasked with discovering who is actually behind the attacks. In their investigations, the [=PCs=] can find that a group of drow led by a priestess named Eclavdra organized the raids. The second set of modules traces the [=PCs=]' following the drow back to their underground city, and possibly leading them to attack the temple of Lolth, the demoness who is apparently behind the raids. However, what most people don't realize is that '''Lolth is not responsible for the raids'''. The giant raids were actually organized by a rogue drow house who were seeking to use the giants to create a puppet kingdom on the surface world, and then use the power they gained from it to ''challenge'' the priesthood of Lolth for rulership of the entire drow vault. It's implied that the means for the [=PCs=] to follow the drow back to their homeland was in fact done by Eclavdra, head of the rogue drow house, to fool them into thinking that the priestesses of Lolth were responsible for the attacks and hopefully lead them to retaliate. The beauty of this backup plan is that Eclavdra really [[XanatosGambit has nothing to lose either way]] -- even if the [=PCs=] decide not to follow her back to the drow vault, or are slaughtered in their attack, then she's lost nothing. But if they succeed in banishing Lolth and destroying her temple, they've set up the perfect conditions for her rogue house to seize power over the entire vault, thus accomplishing what she'd initially hoped to do in setting up the giant raids to begin with...
* The ''TabletopGame/GURPSReignOfSteel'' supplement features a setting where {{A|rtificialIntelligence}}Is TurnedAgainstTheirMasters and won decisively, leaving the last remnants of humanity as rats within their walls to be exterminated at their leisure. Most of the remaining conflict is between the AIs themselves, each of which has claimed its own territory and has different ideas of what to do with it.
* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', we have the Shards of Alara and Zendikar blocks. Everything goes almost as [[TheChessmaster Nicol Bolas]] plans: in Alara, he absorbs the [[SwirlyEnergyThingy maelstrom]] and is restored to his previous godlike state. In Zendikar, he succeeds in releasing the [[EldritchAbomination Eldrazi]] without any of the protagonists even realizing that he did it.
** The final set of Scars of Mirrodin is called "New Phyrexia". From the title alone, this is ''really bad news'' for everyone living on Mirrodin and a lot of other people elsewhere. The plot goes one step further: New Phyrexia utterly ''demolishes'' the Mirran resistance. Elspeth and Karn barely make it out alive, while almost all of their allies aren't so lucky.
** Nicol Bolas does it again on Amonkhet. He is able to summon an army of Eternals to his service after his decades-spanning plan goes off successfully and he delivers an absolute CurbStompBattle to the Gatewatch in the process.
** The big twist in the ''Kaldheim'' set is the return of New Phyrexia. Vorinclex makes it onto the plane somehow, takes advantage of all the chaos to break into Esika's sanctum, leaves the goddess dying, and returns to New Phyrexia with a sample of tyrite, completely unstopped and unopposed. Not a great day to be a good guy.
** And somehow it gets ''worse'' in ''Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty''. Tamiyo is captured and ''compleated'' by New Phyrexia. New Phyrexia now has something it's never had, even when Yawgmoth was in control: '''''a Planeswalker.'''''
** New Phyrexia is now officially the most successful villainous faction in ''Magic'', with their roster of victories in ''Dominaria United'' being as follows: Karn is in Phyrexian hands again, ''the Weatherlight'' is compleated, Jaya Ballard is dead, and her killer was '''''a compleated Ajani Goldmane'''''.
* This is par for the course if the players end up getting killed or otherwise failing in their mission...unless they're playing evil characters themselves, in which case this trope may result from the players succeeding.
* ''TabletopGame/BetrayalAtHouseOnTheHill'': After the haunt begins one player becomes the Traitor and it is very common for that player to win depending on the setup of the game til that point. Each haunt has winner flavor text in the good guys' "Secrets of Survival" or the bad guy's "Traitor's Tome".
* ''The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring'' has an after-battle report in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'', wherein the staffers reenacted the Battle of Minas Tirith. Things went decidedly different from the book and movie -- Éowyn and Merry died fighting the Witch King, who in turn fell to Théoden, while Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas fell afoul of the most fortunate Orc archers in the history of Middle-Earth. At the battle's end, trolls had broken into the city gates, the forces of Good were in shambles, only two out of a starting twelve Good Heroes were still alive, and although Théoden had managed to destroy several more Nazgul, he couldn't win the fight alone and was forced to retreat. To quote the magazine itself:
-->'''"Sauron may have lost the Witch-King, but the Pelennor is his. More than nine Good Heroes have fallen, and with them, all hope..."'''
* The 4chan project ''TabletopGame/DisneyVillainsVictorious'' creates a setting where each of the Disney Villains succeeds in their goals, and conquered the world years ago. The bad guys won the first time around, but hope still remains.
** Similar events happen in the expansions and spinoffs of ''TabletopGame/DisneyVillainsVictorious'' though replacing Disney Villains with Nintendo, Cartoon Network, and Saturday Morning Cartoon villains.

* In ''Music/TheBlackRider'', the bookish Wilhelm makes a deal with [[DevilInDisguise Peg Leg]], a forest-dwelling hermit, to obtain magic bullets that never miss. He uses them to impress the Kaatchen's father (an avid huntsman) and win his permission to marry her. But on their wedding day, during a ceremony in which the groom shoots a wooden bird out of a tree, the bullet arcs and hits Kaatchen in the heart, killing her.
* ''Theatre/TheVisit'' is about an elderly billionairess who returns to her struggling hometown and offers to save them from financial destruction. The only condition is that the villagers must murder her former lover, one of the foremost citizens of the town who wronged her many years before. Although the villagers initially scorn her suggestion, the temptation is too much and they do away with the man.
* The evil sorceress of ''Theatre/DidoAndAeneas'' successfully engineers the separation of the titular lovers and the destruction of Dido.

* In ''Theatre/TheGuyWhoDidntLikeMusicals'': The Apotheosis, [[TheMusicMeister an alien hive mind bent on turning the world into a musical via mind control]], eventually ends up winning in the end. By it's climax, everyone falls under it's control except Emma, who's implied to have fallen to that same fate in the [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening number]].
** ''Theatre/BlackFriday'': Though Wiggly's birth was halted, the nuclear missile that he redirected to Moscow has framed The United States of America as an instigator for [[ThisMeansWar nuclear conflict]]. The ending heavily implies that [[EverybodyDiesEnding the nuke they sent in retaliation killed everyone in Hatchetfield]] [[AllForNothing regardless of their efforts to prevent the end of the world]], all while Uncle Wiley and Wiggly remain safe in the Black and White to scheme another day.
* Unlike in the film version of the musical, ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'' has the hero, his girlfriend, his boss, and his rival eaten by an alien plant with plans for world domination. The story ends with a sales executive taking cuttings from the plant to sell in stores across the world as the narrators warn you not to feed the plants, no matter what they offer you.
* ''Theatre/{{Pagliacci}}'': Tonio plots revenge on his co-actor Nedda [[IfICantHaveYou after his sexual harassment of her backfires spectacularly]]. He poisons the mind of Nedda's husband, Canio, driving him to homicidal insanity with the revelation Nedda is unfaithful to him, before sitting back and watching with grim satisfaction as the mad Canio murders both Nedda and her lover on stage. In several recordings and productions, it is Tonio, instead of Canio, who ends the opera with the line "[[BondOneLiner the comedy is finished!]]", as he was the one to engineer the fall of all three of the principals, [[ManipulativeBastard without ever getting his own hands dirty]].

* ''WebAnimation/MetaRunner'': Season 1 ends with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lucks]] landing a massive blow against the heroes: He shoots Masa’s Meta Runner arm clean off, forces Sofia to surrender the incriminating info against [=TASCorp=] in exchange for Masa’s life, rattles MD-5 by letting Belle reveal Lucina’s demise and Tari’s mysterious involvement with it to them, gets Tari to surrender and join his company in exchange for MD-5’s freedom, and crushes Theo’s cartridge, holding him hostage within his own microchip and using him as collateral, threatening to permanently erase him if Tari or MD-5 try resisting him again. [[RayOfHopeEnding Tari and MD-5 share one more hopeful exchange before being taken away, and a device containing a backup of the incriminating data ends up in the hands of Belle, who keeps it for herself]], but Lucks has totally won as far as he’s concerned. [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty He would however get his just desserts]] in a VERY KarmicDeath at the end of Season 2, being shot down by his own gun via [[DeathByIrony Masa’s new arm]]. Still downplays the trope somewhat, as this would end up with MD-5 becoming wanted by the authorities.

* The prequel to ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', ''StartOfDarkness'', ends with Xykon's victory over Dorukan.
** And the third book, ''War and [=XPs=]'', Xykon kills [[TheHero Roy, wipes out nearly all of the Sapphire Guard, conquers Azure City, and scatters the rest of the Order of the Stick.]]

* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'': Doc Scratch's goal is to die and release his master Lord English, having provided numerous means to serve him. English's success does not matter, but Doc Scratch successfully manipulates events that lead to his death and Lord English's rise to power, his farewell is a quite apt: Suckers.
* ''Webcomic/DragonBallMultiverse'': The villains taking part in the tournament are all from universes where they won.
* ''Webcomic/DraculaRulerOfTheNight'': Dracula does this posthumously. Sure, the hunters kill him and his brides and save Mina; but Dracula lived to see that his vampirism could thrive on foreign soil thanks turning the Westenras (Lucy and her mother, Minerva) which he considers a rousing success when the two become his first non-Transylvania brides, just as devoted to him as his original three. Even better, he manged to turn the wife of Van Helsing, Milly, in the process. By the end, Lucy and Minerva are still on the loose along with several kids that were bitten playing around near Dracula's hideout, ensuring the vampirism will continue into the modern day. What's more and unbeknownst to the heroes, Quincy is reborn as a vampire himself when his body is shipped home to Texas for burial, allowing the curse to be introduced to America as well. It's not a complete DownerEnding since Helsing and the others stay vigilant, record their knowledge for future generations, and since the vampires are leaderless they can be dealt with easier.
* ''Webcomic/NekoTheCat'': At the end of the comic, Michiko's father is dead and it's heavily implied that not only will the stepmother kill again, but that she's indoctrinated Michiko into following in her footsteps.

* ''Literature/BusterGirls'' features several aptly named “Bad End” chapters that are either alternate versions of canon stories or non-canon bonus scenarios of a villain miraculously returning and all end with said villains beating the heroines and turning them into their minions.

* Franchise/{{The Slender Man|Mythos}} ends up killing, enslaving, or inducing madness in almost every person he encounters. [[ForegoneConclusion It's in his nature.]] Slender bloggers are DoomedByCanon. The best you can hope for is delaying him long enough to run and spending the rest of your days looking over your shoulder, waiting for him to catch up. The tradition was probably started by Blog/JustAnotherFool, in which the Slender Man killed every single character involved in the blog.
** It is debatable how infallible this is. ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' allows [[spoiler: Tim]] to survive and leave (probably) unharmed. WebVideo/EverymanHybrid looks like it's headed this way, considering how much of the cast has been killed off.
* ''Literature/PenPal'' is about Dathan, a man whose early life was riddled with tragedies thanks to the relentless pursuit of a horrible pedophile who happened to find a kindergarten project. For over a decade, he pursues Dathan from afar, takes up residence in the crawl space under his old house, and even kills people who he thinks are too close to him. These include Dathan's neighbor, his best friend's sister and potential girlfriend, his cat, and eventually his best friend Josh. So how does this psycho ultimately meet his end? After kidnapping Josh and forcing him to pretend to be Dathan, doing lord knows what to him for years, he traps the two of them in a box that he pays ''Josh's father'' to unwittingly bury. After it's excavated, the stalker's body is found with a peaceful smile on his face. [[KarmaHoudini He got exactly what he wanted in the end and died without ever paying for his crimes.]]
** In fact, ''most'' [[CreepyPasta Creepypastas]] have the villain win, or at best the hero will get a BittersweetEnding. It's usually done to make the stories all the scarier. What made ''Literature/PenPal'' even ''worse'' than most examples is that it ''could happen in real life''.

* Einsteinian Roulette ends with the Lurker and the Eater of Stars converging on humanity, and the very laws of physics changing to make life impossible. In the words of Steve, "WE HAVE LOST."
* The 2006 flash animation, ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros World 2-4: Retaliation]]'', has Bowser waging war on the Mushroom Kingdom as revenge for Mario killing him in ''World 1-4: Mario Vs. Bowser.'' He bursts through every door and effortlessly swats away any Toad that impeded his progress. With Princess Peach backed into a corner, [[BigDamnHeroes Luigi]] charges straight at Bowser, only to eventually be held down by two Koopa Troopas he [[DiabolusExMachina incapacitated during the fray.]] He's then forced to watch as Bowser [[OneHitKill kills the princess with one fierce hit and retreats. The movie ends with Mario and Luigi burying the princess while her remaining subjects look on.]]

* Nearly every time in his [[Blog/EpicStorytime "Awkward moments"]], Zane success, [[KarmaHoudini unpunished]], in his {{Roaring Rampage Of|Revenge}} DisproportionateRetribution over whatever [[HairTriggerTemper tiny little thing that set him off]].

* In ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' Episode 49, Crumbs surprisingly defeats Tea and takes control of her body, despite it being a sharp deviation from the original source material, which the series rarely defies.

* In ''[[WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv Death Note: The Abridged Series (kpts4tv)]]'' where Near and his [[TheLegionsOfHell Shinigami legions]] conquer the Earth. Also in one alternate ending Light succeeds at killing the rest of the taskforce and the SPK and then goes out for frozen yoghurt to celebrate afterwards. [[spoiler:Then in a second alternate ending [[TheStarscream Mikami]] kills the SPK, the taskforce AND Light and takes his place as God of the New World.]]
* Tom Collins, the leader of SWAG, got his wish for WebVideo/DemoReel productions to be destroyed and Donnie to die miserable and alone.
* ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' has [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Hitler]] finally [[ThrowTheDogABone succeed]] at the wake of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSZUqisW5_w the World Cup 2014 finals]], where Germany defeats Brazil to the Führer's delight.
* Tellygunge's ''very'' [=NSFW=] original story, ''The Crow's Nest'', ends with Lucinda Crow, along with her partner, [[TheDragon Rachel]], performing a massive HumiliationConga upon Amanda and Helvetica that ends with the latter 2 getting a TraumaticHaircut, then put into an UnwinnableJokeGame where in theory the loser won't be humiliated on-stage. That humiliation is attempting to get the other to orgasm in a ''very'' [[CoveredInGunge messy state,]] but both go out on stage anyway (where the entrance is [[ItMakesSenseInContext a giant vagina]]), where they climax while glue and black feathers cover the victims. Only for the story to end on a non-lethal BolivianArmyEnding for Lucinda where Rachel gets her drunk and [[TheStarscream plans to humiliate her herself]].
* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'':
** Can and will happen when you have EvilVersusEvil episodes; "Shao Kahn vs. M. Bison" ends with Kahn killing M. Bison by ripping him in half and then absorbing his soul, and "Joker vs. Sweet Tooth" ends with the Joker, while badly injured from being impaled on a pipe, tricks Needles Kane (the driver of Sweet Tooth) into getting out of his vehicle to try to kill the Joker close and personal, only for the Joker to spray gaseous Joker Venom into Needles' face, causing him to die laughing.
** This can even happen in episodes where both combatants are heroic, such as Gaara vs Toph, which has Toph intruding upon sacred ground and attacking Gaara when he asks her to leave, culminating in her crushing him to death in his own sand armour, Yang vs Tifa, which has Yang attacking a bouncer, damaging the property, scaring away the customers and attacking the bartender for trying to have her removed from the premises, culminating in her snapping Tifa's neck, and Mob vs Tatsumaki, in which Tatsumaki throws a childish temper tantrum over Mob mistaking her for a middle schooler, ending with her killing Mob by crushing him with a meteor. They may be heroes in their own series, but in these episodes, they are most definitely anything but heroic.
** And of course, there are those times when genuinely villainous characters defeat heroes or [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]], such as "Hulk vs. Doomsday" when Doomsday pummels and kills Hulk when the latter was sent to prevent the former from destroying the world, and "DIO vs Alucard" when Alucard attacks a rampaging DIO and pays for it with his life.
* The Flipbook Studio short film "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXB3jg0JURU Bogeyman]]" ends with the Bogeyman succeeded stealing The Child's soul
* ''WebVideo/JoJosBizarreAdventureAbridged'': PlayedForLaughs in the omake epilogue episode of the OVA, where DIO decides to show Jotaro and the audience "the ultimate reality in which I, DIO, defeat the Joestars!" It's a PyrrhicVictory because while his alternate self ''does'' kill Jotaro via oil-tanker-explosion, he dies in the same explosion too. DIO is left gobsmacked at how anti-climatic his "victory" was while Jotaro muses on how even when DIO wins he still loses.
* ''WebVideo/UnwantedHouseguest'': Several episodes of "TRUE Scary Stories" features human villains who are never identified, and thus never punished.

* The theme of rapper Common's single "Testify": The man on trial is a petty drug dealer accused of a shooting. His wife is extremely distraught and disruptive in the courtroom and when he is found guilty she seems to break down.... until it is revealed she is a criminal "queenpin" who set her husband up to take the fall for the murder she committed. The dramatic outbursts in the courtroom were entirely for show.

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Einsteinian Roulette ends with the Lurker and the Eater of Stars converging on humanity, and the very laws of physics changing to make life impossible. In the words of Steve, "WE HAVE LOST."
* The 2006 flash animation, ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros World 2-4: Retaliation]]'', has Bowser waging war on the Mushroom Kingdom as revenge for Mario killing him in ''World 1-4: Mario Vs. Bowser.'' He bursts through every door and effortlessly swats away any Toad that impeded his progress. With Princess Peach backed into a corner, [[BigDamnHeroes Luigi]] charges straight at Bowser, only to eventually be held down by two Koopa Troopas he [[DiabolusExMachina incapacitated during the fray.]] He's then forced to watch as Bowser [[OneHitKill kills the princess with one fierce hit and retreats. The movie ends with Mario and Luigi burying the princess while her remaining subjects look on.]]
* At the end of ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'', VillainProtagonist Dr. Horrible's DeathRay explodes, defeating his ArchEnemy Captain Hammer... but killing [[LoveInterest Penny,]] thus fulfilling the criteria (committing murder) for his entry into the Evil League of Evil and establishing him as a bonafide {{supervillain}}. As the final montage makes clear, the price he paid was high... maybe too high.

* In ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' v3 local AxCrazy J.R. Rizzolo is the one student remaining, aside from the people still currently alive in the escape attempt, which as of right now is on a CliffHanger.
** It all balances out in the end, though. Riz's family moves away and disowns him, and though he manages to make a decent living off of his fame, one of the escapees eventually tracks him down and kills him in his own home.
** In SOTF-TV, Karen Ruiz goes home safe and sound after killing 10 people.
* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
** Due to the ''dozens'' of SCP that spell absolutely certain doom for the Foundation, civilization, the human race, Earth, the galaxy, or ''reality itself'', this is eventually going to happen despite the Foundation's best efforts to avert it.
** On a more microcosmic level, a handful of [=SCPs=] have evaded any attempt the Foundation has made to contain them:
*** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1048 SCP-1048]] has successfully tricked the Foundation into giving it free run of the facility by [[BitchInSheepsClothing pretending to be harmless]], and since the reveal of its true nature, has evaded every attempt made by the Foundation to capture it.
*** The Foundation has also given up on safely containing or killing [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2317 SCP-2317. It's expected that it will end the world in around 30 years.]]

* The [[VillainProtagonist Undersiders]] in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' manage, through a combination of coincidence and competence, to take over the city over the course of the first nineteen character arcs.
** Heavily mitigated by the fact that the Undersiders are the protagonists, at ''most'' barely as evil as the government, more interested in the safety of the citizenry than the local government leaders, by far superior to all of the villains they dispose of, and at the hands of the Undersiders, Brockton Bay's quality of life drastically improves after several catastrophic events. And the protagonist joins the government, greatly improving it's efficiency as a crime-fighting organisation, and the Undersiders go on to being instrumental in saving the world.
** Though he is consigned to a FateWorseThanDeath, Jack Slash still manages to convince Scion to destroy humanity. Jack is removed from the picture for good, but he got exactly what he wanted, and literally ''billions'' of people die before Scion is stopped.

* ''Literature/PenPal'' is about Dathan, a man whose early life was riddled with tragedies thanks to the relentless pursuit of a horrible pedophile who happened to find a kindergarten project. For over a decade, he pursues Dathan from afar, takes up residence in the crawl space under his old house, and even kills people who he thinks are too close to him. These include Dathan's neighbor, his best friend's sister and potential girlfriend, his cat, and eventually his best friend Josh. So how does this psycho ultimately meet his end? After kidnapping Josh and forcing him to pretend to be Dathan, doing lord knows what to him for years, he traps the two of them in a box that he pays ''Josh's father'' to unwittingly bury. After it's excavated, the stalker's body is found with a peaceful smile on his face. [[KarmaHoudini He got exactly what he wanted in the end and died without ever paying for his crimes.]]
** In fact, ''most'' [[CreepyPasta Creepypastas]] have the villain win, or at best the hero will get a BittersweetEnding. It's usually done to make the stories all the scarier. What made ''Literature/PenPal'' even ''worse'' than most examples is that it ''could happen in real life''.

* ''Literature/TheQuintessentialMarySue'' ends with Mary-Sue [[EscapedFromHell escaping Hell]] just by willing a portal to appear, gaining so much power that every sapient being on Earth [[InvincibleVillain falls down and worships her with no resistance]], ''consuming'' one-third of the Universe, and then cordoning off Heaven and making it into Hell [[DeityOfHumanOrigin by divine fiat]]. Neither God nor Mary-Sue's [[SplitPersonality good half]] are anywhere to be seen, implying that she surpassed them off page.
* ''Literature/BusterGirls'' features several aptly named “Bad End” chapters that are either alternate versions of canon stories or non-canon bonus scenarios of a villain miraculously returning and all end with said villains beating the heroines and turning them into their minions.

** It is debatable how infallible this is. ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'' continues to be updated even after the protagonists are caught be Slendy, and somehow escape. WebVideo/EverymanHybrid looks like it's headed this way, considering how much of the cast has been killed off.

* Robot takes over Earth in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' and eventually changes the planet to such an extent that it becomes unrecognizable. The last issue reveals it to be a Pyrric victory - Invincible destroys his body, and allows his BrainInAJar to keep existing as an advisor to the Immortal, though still unable to control any device he could use to escape - and his ex-wife grows to hate him, leaving him to an eternity of loneliness. [[AllThereInTheManual If you read the bonus material on the collected editions]], you'll learn that he eventually drove the Immortal to madness to seize power once again. Though to not make it to depressive, things work out in the end since [[ItMakesSenseInContext Invincible travels to that time thanks to a pair of teenage bystanders to stop Immortal and kill him]].