History Main / TheManBehindTheMonsters

Every horde of monstrous {{mook}}s will be [[MonsterLord led by a powerful]] and (relatively) human-[[SculptedPhysique looking]] figure. If the mooks are already vaguely human, the leader will be downright ''[[ThePrettyGuysAreStronger gorgeous]]''. There's no stated reason for the use of this trope, but it allows for the heroes to have someone in the enemy camp with whom they can interact, and a slavering monster does not make good drama (fear, revulsion, terror, yes. Drama? Not so much). Otherwise, they're essentially fighting an enemy with all the charisma of a wave of lava.

Frequently, the mooks are themselves incapable of organizing into a vast army. [[FantasticRacism Those dirty monsters can't do anything]] without a proper [[HumansAreSpecial HUMAN leading them!]] Subversively, they may turn out to have been GoodAllAlong and bullied or [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] by the BigBad into evil. BeautyEqualsGoodness on its ear, as it were.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', Naraku reassigns Kagura to command his army of flying worms.

%%zce* Zeus from ''Manga/KingOfThorn''.
* Griffith after [[spoiler:his reincarnation]] in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. A beautiful knight in white shining armor, leading an army of Apostles. [[spoiler:He still has all the power of his Godhand incarnation as Femto, and can even [[OneWingedAngel take on Femto's sinister bat-winged form]] if he feels the need]].
* In ''Manga/WorldEmbryo'', the Coffin Princesses who direct the Kanshu (humans transformed into hideous monstrosities due to infected electromagnetic waves such as cell phone signals) look like cute young girls with the second pair of ear-like extensions on the top of their heads. One of the Princesses, Neene, who looked like the protagonist's beloved deceased aunt Amane, had manipulated said protagonist into protecting her until she matured into a {{Queen Bee}} and planned to destroy the entire world by absorbing the memories of the entire populace, nearly putting him through the {{Despair Event Horizon}}.
* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' reveals that the yoma are actually created by [[spoiler:the Organization which also controls the Claymore. The entire continent is just a testing ground for them]].
* Dante of ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' is the woman behind the creation of most of the Homunculi and led them with the promise of them finally being able to be human thanks to the PhilosophersStone. [[spoiler:In reality, she wants the stone for herself alone]].

* Creator/MarvelComics seems to love this trope. Among others, you have the Subterraneans, led at times by the handsome ancient roman scientist, Tyrannus, and the ugly misshapen victorian-era explorer, Mole Man, the Trolls and Ice Giants of Asgard, who will often find themselves rallying behind such villains as Loki and the dark elf Malekith, and the Inhuman's subhuman slaves, the Alpha Primates, who are always a ready army for Maximus the Mad.
** On the non-villainous side, ''ComicBook/MonstersUnleashed'' introduces Kid Kaiju whose ability as an Inhuman is to summon monsters by drawing them. He's even able to use this ability to create ''new'' monsters in this way, bringing his own team of heroic kaiju into existence.
* ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': Most of the demons of hell are of the BigRedDevil type, but the [[{{Satan}} Prince of Darkness]] himself looks like a TallDarkAndHandsome man in ornate robes.
* In ''Camelot 3000'', the alien invaders are controlled by the human sorceress Morgan la Fay, who usurped the power of their HiveQueen.
* ''Characters/TheSandman1989'' features Lucifer Morningstar, ruler of Hell, and while it's purely a matter of appearances, Lucifer plays this trope to the full. While most of the demons of Hell (including its two other nominal co-rulers) are hideous and monstrous, Lucifer appears human and androgynously beautiful. But all of those demons are rightly respectful or just plain scared of Lucifer.
* ComicBook/WonderWoman's villain Circe is an immortal demigod sorceress whose favorite minions are [[BeastMan bestiamorphs]], humans that were turned into monstrous animals.

* This trope is used as an explanation for why advanced robots were outlawed between the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series in [[http://forums.bobandgeorge.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=16332 The Prototype]]. After [[spoiler:Dr. Wily's death]], King takes control of the remaining robot master armies. The narrator notes that people were more or less okay with being attacked by killer robots because they knew that a human was in control of them, and it was something they could understand. But when a ''robot'' is in control, that scares the populace so much that they outlaw advanced robots like [[spoiler:the deceased]] Mega Man and Roll, at least until X is discovered.

* Henna in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieMariposa'' controls the vicious, dimwitted Skeezites to serve her whim and attack Flutterfield.

* ''Film/BladeII'': The Reapers are clearly portrayed as feral animals who do little more than snarl and roar after being changed. Nomak is the only Reaper shown to have enough control of himself to make plans and talk, to the extent that [[spoiler:he spares Whistler's life so that the human can deliver a message, where any other Reaper would have just torn Whistler's throat out the moment it had the chance]].
* In ''Franchise/StarTrek'', the Borg, being a HiveMind collective, didn't have a leader... until some writer decided to create the [[HiveQueen Borg Queen]], who fits this trope.
* The Wicked Witch of the West and her Flying Monkeys from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. Notable in that the monkeys were the first to cheer when the witch died, as they weren't serving her willingly. Subverted by the Winkies, who had the same green skin and long noses as the Witch herself; however, they were foreigners (with the witch even [[BreakingTheFourthWall turning to the audience]] in the stage adaptation and explaining that "Oh-Ee-Oh" is one of their native folk songs).
* The Goblin King from ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is played by Music/DavidBowie; his subjects are played by UglyCute {{muppet}}s.
* ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' film has Loki and his alien army. Played with in that the army is a loan. Although [[spoiler:Thanos]] is still more humanoid-looking than the rank-and-file Chitauri grunts.

* Anton Arcane spends most of ''Film/SwampThing'' as a handsome older man played by French actor Louis Jordan. This is a case of AdaptationalAttractiveness, as he quickly went from gnarled old man to grotesque zombie-like figure in the comics.
* In ''Film/Hellboy2019'', though aided by some human cultists, Nimue has an army of monsters at her beck and call to unleash havoc upon the world.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'': [[GodOfEvil Lord Foul's]] minions include a wide variety of monstrous beings, but in his true form (or at least, the form he reverts to after Covenant's WildMagic injures and weakens him), Foul himself resembles a dignified, elderly human [[note]]In the default form Foul assumes when he's at full power, he looks more like a LivingShadow than anything, but still has a more generally humanoid appearance than most of his minions[[/note]].

* ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'': Although the White Witch is distinctly ''NOT'' human in terms of species (Mr. Beaver says she is half jinn and half giantess), she is certainly more human-looking - and more beautiful - than her army of followers; they mostly consist of humanoid creatures mixed with animal/plant elements, or twisted into evil forms.
* ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'': Subverted. The local army of monsters is composed of Bukken (tunneling goblins), Hunen (hairy giants), and Norns (arctic dark elves), but appears to be acting on the orders of the human [[AntiVillain King Elias]] and his [[EvilChancellor advisor]], the also-human [[EvilSorcerer Pryrates]]. Except that the army is a loan from [[BigBad the Storm King]], an undead specter who was once a humanoid [[OurElvesAreDifferent Sitha]] but is now a borderline-EldritchAbomination [[spoiler:and he always intended to backstab Elias and Pryrates, with his minions being full aware that their "service" to Elias is a temporary indulgence only]]. Of course, the main characters are all aware that the Storm King is the ultimate string-puller for most of the series -- the trick is convincing ''everybody else'' that Elias is not, in fact, the BigBad ''du jour''.
* ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'': ZigZagged. The [[EvilOverlord Lord Ruler]] looks like a normal young man, if you can get past [[EmotionBomb the sheer aura of apathy and despair that he emanates]], and his two races of minions are monstrous: [[TortureTechnician Inquisitors]] look like humans with metal spikes pounded through their eyes, and [[TheBerserker Koloss]] are giants with sagging skin that will die from overgrowth. Religion claims that the Lord Ruler [[GodEmperor is a god rather than a man]], but the heroes discover that [[spoiler:he's just a man who won the SuperpowerLottery]]. The truth is more complicated: [[spoiler:he ''was'' a god, but only for a few minutes. In those few minutes, he learned how to [[GameBreaker break the magic system wide open]], which granted him immortality while leaving him technically human]].
** This trope is best shown in the final battle: the Inquisitor [[spoiler:Marsh]] turns on him and tries to exploit the weakness built in all Inquisitors ([[spoiler:a metal spike on the back that grants them power]]), only for him to discover that [[OhCrap he doesn't have one]].
* ''Literature/TheRunelords'': [[EvilOverlord Raj Ahten's]] mooks consist of ordinary humans backed up by enhanced humans and monstrous Nomen and Frowth Giants. Ahten himself is an androgynous, incredibly beautiful, and charismatic human. This is because he's taken so many [[FunctionalMagic endowments]] of glamour from his subjects, which ''force'' anyone who looks at him to perceive him as beautiful. [[spoiler:This effect is so powerful that it still works later in the series when half his face has been burned off]].
* Invoked in ''Literature/TheLegendOfSunKnight'', where the Demon King commands hordes of undead, but isn't permitted to be undead himself. Demon Kings are a kind of BarrierMaiden; all the world's dark energy is [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan sealed inside of them]] for them to consume, lest it blight the earth. But since dark magic induces insanity, the Demon King winds up wreaking havoc. The Cathedral of the Shadow God regards this as a necessary evil, and tries to contain the damage by selecting the least bad candidates. The undead candidate [[spoiler:Roland]] is the only one they don't support because the Demon King has to die after expending all of their dark magic; if an unkillable Demon King emerged, the world's suffering would never end. [[spoiler:Naturally, he becomes the Demon King anyways]].

** Among other minor examples, the new-series episode "School Reunion" features Creator/AnthonyHead as the leader of a group of bat-like, flying aliens -- he says he keeps a human-like body as a "personal preference".
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Angelus, the Mayor, Glory and the First [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm (usually)]] all looked more human than many of their servants. Also throw in Spike and Drucilla, Faith and Caleb as human-looking [[TheDragon dragons]].
** And while Adam definitely didn't look human, he had a woman behind him, his creator Maggie Walsh.

* Subverted somewhat with ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}''. The Shadows [[spoiler:and the Vorlons]] are [[Main/StarfishAliens very much not humanoid]], but they have much more normal-looking agents that can move freely amongst the younger races, Mr Morden being the most famous example.
* ''Series/TheSandman2022'' features Lucifer Morningstar, ruler of Hell, who as in the original comic (see above), appears more or less human and beautiful -- and all the other mostly hideous demons of Hell are respectful or deeply scared of their boss.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': The Jem'Hadar are the somewhat reptilian genetically engineered soldiers of the Dominion. Their superiors are the much more human-looking Vorta, who also serve as the "public face" for the Dominion. The Vorta themselves report to the Founders, who in their natural state are [[Main/StarfishAliens shapeshifting blobs of orange liquid]], though they do have a regular humanoid form they use for interacting with "solids", and they can impersonate humans exactly if they wish; so your mileage may vary on whether this counts as a subversion or not.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Once she joined forces with the Kazon, Seska would qualify (technically she looked Bajoran/Cardassian, but she still looked and behaved more human than the Kazon).

* Downplayed example in ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower''. The orcs are led by Adar, who appears to be a very dishevelled-looking elf. It's later revealed that he's actually a prototype orc, and his army are implied to be his progeny.

* Wrestling/PaulHeyman is the normal-sized handler of [[RedBaron "The Beast"]], Wrestling/BrockLesnar. Humorously, however, other WWE celebs often refer to Heyman himself as if he were a monster, calling him a "walrus" or a fat ogre.

* The Great Khali tended to be managed by very small [[note]] by pro wrestling standards, anyway [[/note]] men, such as [[Wrestling/ShawnDaivari Khosrow Daivari]] or Ranjin Singh. Although Singh was arguably a subversion because he was revealed to be Khali's non-handicapped brother.
* Armando Estrada (another relatively small man) managed [[Wrestling/{{Umaga}} "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga]] before embarking on an in-ring career of his own.

* The ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' setting for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Each dragon army was made up of an assortment of monsters and led by a human(oid) Dragon Highlord.
* Averted in TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} with Genestealer cults. The genestealers start off looking human, then the next generation gets a few extra limbs or extending jaws, and so on, until purestrain genestealers, who look like beefy [[Franchise/{{Alien}} xenomorphs]]. They're led by a Magus, who looks like a human with [[MyBrainIsBig a huge, veined cranium]], and a Patriach, a disgustingly obese, multilimbed monstrosity.
* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' While the bulk of the Darkness's armies tend to consist of the clearly inhuman Darkspawn, they will often be led by a Mnemosyne or Cataphract, who possess mostly-human bodies and minds and as such are capable of strategic planning and long-term thinking.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'''s Phyrexians [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zag]] this, since they were originally led by Yawgmoth, a human physician often described as handsome and charismatic. He did eventually [[EldritchTransformation transform into a giant demonic entity as he]] [[PhysicalGod became Phyrexia's god]], but after his death, the rise of New Phyrexia was led by Elesh Norn, which also stands out as being the most humanlike of all Phyrexian Praetors.

* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s Visorak horde, an army of {{Giant Spider}}s, are led by the humanoid Sidorak and Roodaka on behalf of the also-humanoid ([[ShapeShifting usually]]) Brotherhood of Makuta.

* Many old [=RPGs=] use this. Some examples include Garland from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' and The Dragonlord from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI''. Oftentimes, they'll eventually [[OneWingedAngel turn into monsters themselves]].
* Blizzard Entertainment
** ''Franchise/StarCraft'' has Kerrigan, the (human with shoulder-mounted extensible claws) leader of the insectoid Zerg after the Overmind's fall. Before she arrives, however, the trope was averted: the Overmind [[EldritchAbomination couldn't look less like a humanoid]].
** ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
** The Old Horde, featured in ''Warcraft I'' and ''II'', generally averted this; they were primarily ruled by orcs. The few conspirators manipulating the horde were demons; their ancestors were once the mortal Draenei, but they have been exposed to so much mutating Fel corruption over eons that they can no longer be called a race of Men.
** The trope was invoked in between ''II'' and ''III'' with the actions of the human lord [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Aedelas Blackmoore]], who sought to train the now-enslaved orcs to serve as his personal army. However, his plans backfired, resulting in the orc rebellion and the formation of the modern, semi-civilized New Horde.
** The ''Dark'' Horde (a [[TheRemnant remnant]] of the Old Horde), one of the antagonists of vanilla ''World of Warcraft'', subverts this trope. At first, it appears that it is led by the human Lord Victor Nefarius; however, eventually Nefarius is revealed to be a dragon in disguise. Kairozdormu, another dragon in disguise, attempted to take control of the Iron Horde, another remnant of the Old Horde created using [[GivingRadioToTheRomans time travel]], but he was killed before he could do so.
** The New Horde plays with this trope a little. Its first Warchief, Thrall, has a unique model which is slightly more humanoid than the normal orc one, with eyebrows and teeth that are flat rather than sharp. He would [[DownplayedTrope downplay]] this trope; he was still RaisedByHumans. His successor, Garrosh Hellscream, ''was'' a bad guy, but he [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman was even monstrous than the other orcs]], thus averting this trope. After him came Vol'jin, who was neither a bad guy nor humanlike. The fourth Warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner, was the first, and so far only, Horde leader to actually play this trope straight, being a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds very]], [[HopeCrusher very]], [[OmnicidalManiac ''very'']] evil sexy high elf.
** The Lich King might count, as he looks pretty much as he did in life, except all pale and dead, while the common soldiers of the Scourge are skeletons, barely humanoid ghouls, and abominations stitched up from corpses. In fact, most of high-ranking Scourge (except the liches, who look like floating ghostly skeletons, and crypt lords, who are giant undead insects) look more human than their underlings, as the dark magic that sustains them also helps to preserve their bodies.
* The Ancestor from ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is directly responsible for almost every enemy you face, and the rest are probably his indirect fault as well. Brainwashing fishmen, demonic swinefolk, undead legions, parasitic fungus and vampirized aristocrat ex-pals were all created and/or summoned by his hand, and when the villagers complained, he hired a group of bandits to keep them in line and gave the witnesses to the creatures he had created. The reason behind all this is he was bored and wanted eldritch power for a laugh. This being a CosmicHorrorStory, it all went wrong quite quickly. Unusually he is (maybe) not the BigBad, as he killed himself after [[HeelRealization realizing what he had done]] and supports you via narration as you clean up his mess.
** In the sequel, The Scholar who acts as mission control became The Ancestor's unwitting understudy in monster-making; The Ancestor lured them to his manor, and then used them as one of many test subjects, exposing them to eldritch corruption and cosmic knowledge. Unbeknownst to The Ancestor, the Scholar survived, but had been renewed with the same madness and corrupt ambition as The Ancestor. They built up the Cult of the Old Gods based on an ancient artifact they studied back in their university, and managed to ascend to eldritch godhood through ritual sacrifice. This act unleashed a horde of monsters on half of humanity, while driving the other half monstrously insane. Ascension ripped The Scholar's soul apart, and one of the soul shards with humanity remaining became horrified at what they had done. After some convincing from the ghosts of their human sacrifices, they decided to fix their mistake.
* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' subverts this trope with the Seven Great Evils: despite leading the LegionsOfHell, the Prime Evils and Lesser Evils don't look humanoid in any way themselves; it says something that the only one who looks vaguely humanoid, Andariel, is a giant woman with claws and SpiderLimbs.
* While not human, Tabuu from ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'s'' Subspace Emissary mode.
* Magus from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', leading the Mystics/Fiends.
* Ganondorf from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', but only when he's Ganondorf rather than Ganon. The other villains flip between doubly monstrous {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and humanoid[=/=]AmbiguouslyHuman demons or sorcerers who [[OneWingedAngel tend to transform into monsters at some point]].
** Ganondorf is also an example of the inversion, as he and Twinrova, by far the most evil members of the race, have inhuman green skin in contrast to the dark skin of all other Gerudo.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** A heroic example, the dominant species of the Mushroom Kingdom are the Toads, but Princess Peach Toadstool is a human.
** Possibly ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': Count Bleck [[spoiler:and Dimentio]] may or may not be human. It's ambiguous, but most others in the setting look ''far'' less human. Count Bleck is, in fact, [[spoiler:of the Tribe of Darkness]] (which is implied to be the same species as Merlon or similar). [[spoiler:Dimentio]] isn't clear.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': Queen Myrrah is a human woman and is the HiveQueen of the Locust horde. [[spoiler:Though, she is human in appearance and is just as much of a mutant as every other locust, the first of which were created from Myrrah's DNA.]] Baird and Cole even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] this when they first encounter her in ''Gears of War 2''.

* Although Saren from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' isn't exactly a human, his species is generally treated as equivalent to human by the game. The [[MechaMooks geth]] that serve him are not.
** [[spoiler:Eventually subverted, as it's revealed that there's a [[ManBehindTheMan Giant Cthulhu Spaceship Behind The Turian]].]]
** Also subverted in Mass Effect 3: [[spoiler:The Illusive Man and Mr. Olsen try to usurp humanity and the Reapers from behind the scenes, but are actually brainwashed by the Reapers. Turns out that in each cycle, there would always be a faction that sought to become the Man, and the Reapers would always subvert and exploit that.]]

** [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep The Unversed]] are also under the control of [[spoiler:Vanitas, as they are incarnations of his feelings. Vanitas himself is under Xehanort's control as he is his master, although the exact degree of control he is under is [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder debatable]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'', [[HiveQueen Elizabeth]] [[{{Plaguemaster}} Greene]] is the organizing force behind the infection; most of the monstrosities infecting Manhattan are under her direct command. She looks normal enough but is essentially "burned out", with Greene being less of an independent personality than a personification of TheVirus. [[AxCrazy Alex]] [[VillainProtagonist Mercer]] suggests he could [[spoiler:take control of the infection after Greene's death, but he's more focused on killing them than leading them]].
** In ''VideoGame/{{Prototype 2}}'' [[spoiler:Alex becomes this to the ''new'' infection, which he causes.]]
* In ''VideoGame/GalaxiaChronicles'', [[BigBad H]][[NoNameGiven E]] is a noticeably ordinary-looking person (at least, what we see of HIM) compared to the biomechanical Siris, who he is collaborating with as part of [[RunningGag HIS]] EvilPlan. [[spoiler:At one point, HE and [[TheHero Maxx]] draw blood simultaneously after White Shell attacks the latter, implying that they share some kind of connection to each other, or that HE is possibly a future version of Maxx. The game never elaborates on it.]]
* In ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'', [[spoiler:[[BigBad Makoto Kagutsuchi]], a perfect homunculus who doesn't lapse into violence when subjected to sunlight or turn into a zombie upon revival, and the CEO of Amaterasu Corporation, provides for the needs of a populus of defective homunculi, which are essentially a zombie horde that lapses into violence when subjected to sunlight of which default to the identity of false humans, by kidnapping criminals for their food supply, blocking out the sunlight, lying to them about their humanity, and isolating Kanai Ward.]]
* Andross from ''Franchise/StarFox'', although technically not human, is the closest to a human compared to the other characters, genetically speaking, and he's either directly responsible for the events of the series or manipulated the enemy into doing his bidding. In ''Manga/FarewellBelovedFalco'', Andross is resurrected via cloning by a rogue Cornerian officer. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', due to his hijacking the plot, he's implied to have manipulated Scales and the rest of the Sharpclaw army into doing his bidding. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'', it's implied that he was the one who created the main threat of the game, the Anglar Race. In fact, the only main villainous group never affiliated with Andross at all is the Aparoids.
* Professor Hojo in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' created the BigBad, Sephiroth, both naturally and artificially (Sephiroth was Hojo's birth son, and he was injected with Jenova's cells as an embryo), and was implied to have had some involvement in creating Deepground.
%%* Trema from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2''.
* Ein in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'', TheEvilGenius of the Cipher syndicate who created the Shadow Pokémon used by Cipher. He's the last and most powerful of the admins.
* Captain Syrup in ''[[VideoGame/WarioLand Wario Land 1 and 2]]'' who is the only other human member of the game's cast and the BigBad. Also possibly The Shake King in ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'', who while probably not quite human, looks a heck of a lot more so than any of other enemies in the game.
* One of the most common enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Illbleed}}'' are animate crash-test-dummies. Their leader, Dummyman, is not a dummy himself but rather a man in a costume, as can be glimpsed in the Killerman stage. He also doesn't fall apart when defeated like they do.

* The Architect from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', the "creator" and leader of the "awakened" darkspawn.

** In the first section of the game (On Solomon Island), you fight a number of zombies, giant bugs, ghosts, and such, but the main villain is the human-looking Beaumont.

* In the original ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' You fight a bunch of monsters and demons, but [[BigBad Zilla]] is just a CorruptCorporateExecutive who made some kind of [[DealWithTheDevil pact to summon said creatures from the spirit world.]] The same is mostly true in the [[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013 remake]], although in [[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2 the sequel]] (where the material and spirit worlds have collided and monsters are as common as wild animals) he mainly uses robots and humans with PoweredArmor.
* ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'': While they're still creepy cyborg [[HumanoidAbomination Humanoid Abominations]], the higher ranks of the Abyssal Fleet look more human-like than the lower-ranking units, who are more animalistic [[SeaMonster sea monsters]].
* The first two ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'' games feature Dr. Curien and Caleb Goldman, respectively, are the ones behind the zombie outbreaks. Thornheart seems to be this for ''Scarlet Dawn''. Averted in ''III'' and ''IV'', where there are no human antagonists (unless you count Goldman filling the BigBad role in ''IV'' posthumously), and even Curien, while he returns, is now one of the boss monsters in ''III''.

* A number of the Sparks from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' have turned themselves into this due to being just as willing to experiment on themselves as they are other people and animals.

* In Book 2 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', [[spoiler:Unalaq can turn spirits dark and command them, although he himself is working for a [[GodOfEvil Vaatu]], who is an AnimalisticAbomination. Eventually, they merge together.]]
* As [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain incompetent as he usually seems]], Duke Igthorn from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' somehow manages to get a bunch of dimwitted brutish ogres, all of them twice his size, to do what he says.
* Subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS2E3Splicers Splicers]]" by Abel Cuvier, who runs a gang of aggressive teenage hoodlums who have been "spliced" (mutated with DNA from various dangerous animals). Cuvier is spliced himself and looks only slightly less grotesque than his young charges. An even greater subversion occurs at the episode's climax when he takes an ''enormous'' dose of DNA and fights Batman as a gigantic amoeba-like thing.
* Subverted on ''WesternAnimation/GodzillaTheSeries'': one of the mutations the H.E.A.T team and Godzilla fight are Dragmas, [[DragonsAreDemonic dragon-esque monsters]] created by Dr. Jonathon Insley, head of the Democratic Resurgence Against Global Mechanized Armageddon project (D.R.A.G.M.A), who believed [[EvilLuddite mankind's overreliance on technology would bring about its extinction]], and [[WellIntentionedExtremist wanted to use his creations to force mankind to embrace a more simpler time that would ensure humanity's survival]]. Unfortunately, Insley's creations owed him no more loyalty than they did any other human; the team are shown a grim vision of the future where [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters after killing their creator]], the Dragmas got loose and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt virtually annihilated the entire world]].

* ''Franchise/StarCraft'' has Kerrigan, the (human with shoulder-mounted extensible claws) leader of the insectoid Zerg after the Overmind's fall. Before she arrives, however, the trope was averted: the Overmind [[EldritchAbomination couldn't look less like a humanoid]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
** The Horde, for the most part, averts this:
*** The Old Horde, featured in ''Warcraft I'' and ''II'', was able to take fight to humanity, and even bring it to its knees in the first part, without any human help whatsoever. While demons ''were'' working behind the scenes manipulating the Horde (more on the Burning Legion below), they did not rule it directly, and for the most part, the Old Horde was corrupted, but otherwise independent.
*** The trope was invoked in between ''II'' and ''III'' with the actions of the human lord [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Aedelas Blackmoore]], who sought to train the now-enslaved orcs to serve as his personal army. However, his plans backfired, resulting in the orc rebellion and the formation of the modern, protagonist New Horde.
*** The ''Dark'' Horde (a [[TheRemnant remnant]] of the Old Horde), one of the antagonists of vanilla ''World of Warcraft'', subverts this trope. At first, it appears that it is led by the human Lord Victor Nefarius; however, eventually Nefarius is revealed to be a dragon in disguise. Kairozdormu, another dragon in disguise, attempted to take control of the Iron Horde, another remnant of the Old Horde created using [[GivingRadioToTheRomans time travel]], but he was killed before he could do so.
*** The New Horde plays with this trope a little. Its first Warchief, Thrall, has a unique model which is slightly more humanoid than the normal orc one, with eyebrows and teeth that are flat rather than sharp. He would [[DownplayedTrope downplay]] this trope if he were a bad guy. His successor, Garrosh Hellscream, ''was'' a bad guy, but he [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman was even monstrous than the other orcs]], thus averting this trope. After him came Vol'jin, who was neither a bad guy nor humanlike. The fourth Warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner, was the first, and so far only, Horde leader to actually play this trope straight, being a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds very]], [[HopeCrusher very]], [[OmnicidalManiac ''very'']] evil sexy high elf.
** The Lich King might count, as he looks pretty much as he did in life, except all pale and dead, while the common soldiers of the Scourge are skeletons, barely humanoid ghouls, and abominations stitched up from corpses. In fact, most of high-ranking Scourge (except the liches, who look like floating ghostly skeletons, and crypt lords, who are giant undead insects) look more human than their underlings, as the dark magic that sustains them also helps to preserve their bodies.

* The Ancestor from ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is directly responsible for almost every enemy you face, and the rest are probably his indirect fault as well. Brainwashing fishmen, demonic swinefolk, undead legions, parasitic fungus and vampirized aristocrat ex-pals were all created and/or summoned by his hand, and when the villagers complained, he hired a group of bandits to keep them in line and gave the witnesses to the creatures he had created. The reason behind all this is he was bored and wanted eldritch power for a laugh. This being a CosmicHorrorStory, it all went wrong quite quickly. Unusually he is (maybe) not the BigBad, as he killed himself after [[HeelRealization realizing what he had done]] and supports you via narration as you clean up his mess.
** In the sequel, The Scholar who acts as mission control became The Ancestor's unwitting understudy in monster-making; The Ancestor lured them to his manor, and then subjected them to eldritch experimentation and cosmic knowledge before casually discarding their body. But instead of dying, The Scholar was renewed with the same toxic ambition as The Ancestor, building up their own cult based on an ancient artifact they studied in university, until they managed to ascend to eldritch godhood. This act unleashed a horde of monsters on half of humanity while driving the other half monstrously insane. Ascension ripped The Scholar's soul apart, and one of the soul shards with humanity remaining become horrified at what they had done. After some convincing from the ghosts of their human sacrifices, they decided to fix their mistake.

* Magus from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', leading the [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Mystics/Fiends]].

* Andross from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', although technically not human, was the closest to a human compared to the other characters, genetically speaking, and he was either directly responsible for the events of the series or manipulated the enemy into doing his bidding. In ''Star Fox: Farewell Beloved Falco'', Andross was resurrected via cloning by a rogue Cornerian officer. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', due to his hijacking the plot, he was implied to have manipulated Scales and the rest of the Sharpclaw army into doing his bidding. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'', it was implied that he was the one who created the main threat of the game, the Anglar Race. In fact, the only main villainous group never affiliated with Andross at all was the Aparoids.

* The Ancestor from ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is directly responsible for almost every enemy you face, and the rest are probably his indirect fault as well. Brainwashing fishmen, demonic swinefolk, undead legions, parasitic fungus and vampirized aristocrat ex-pals were all brought about by his hand, and when the villagers complained he hired a group of bandits to keep them in line and gave the witnesses to the creatures he had created. The reason behind all this is he was bored and wanted eldritch power for a laugh. This being a CosmicHorrorStory, it all went wrong quite quickly. Unusually he is not the BigBad, as he killed himself after [[HeelRealization realizing what he had done]] and supports you via narration as you clean up his mess.

** The Vader Clan from ''Series/DenjiSentaiDenziman'' are {{Human Alien}}s. The monsters that they send to attack earth are hideous things that each look like two halves of different creatures stuck together.

** The Gorma Tribe from ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' all possess human forms, but the top-ranked members never take on monstrous forms in battle. Their battle forms just give them metal masks. Their leader, the Gorma Emperor, doesn't even have a battle form.

*** The New Horde plays with this trope a little. Its first Warchief, Thrall, has a unique model which is slightly more humanoid than the normal orc one, with eyebrows and teeth that are flat rather than sharp. He would [[DownplayedTrope downplay]] this trope if he were a bad guy. His successor, Garrosh Hellscream, ''was'' a bad guy, but he [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman was even monstrous than the other orcs]], thus averting this trope. After him came Vol'jin, who was neither a bad guy nor humanlike. The fourth Warchief, Sylvanas Windrunner, was the first, and so far only, Horde leader to actually play this trope straight, being a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds very]], [[HopeCrusher very]], [[OmnicidalManiac ''very'']] evil [[EvilIsSexy sexy high elf]].

Frequently, the mooks are themselves incapable of organizing into a vast army. [[FantasticRacism Those dirty monsters can't do anything]] without a proper [[HumansAreSpecial HUMAN leading them!]] Subversively, they may turn out to have been GoodAllAlong and bullied by the BigBad into evil. BeautyEqualsGoodness on its ear, as it were.

* The first two ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'' games feature Dr. Curien and Caleb Goldman, respectively, are the ones behind the zombie outbreaks. Thornheart seems to be this for ''Scarlet Dawn''. Averted in ''III'' and ''IV'', where there are no human antagonists (unless you count Goldman filling the BigBad role in ''IV'' posthumously)

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftBroodWar'' has Kerrigan, the (human with shoulder-mounted extensible claws) leader of the insectoid Zerg after the Overmind's fall. Before she arrives, however, the trope was averted: the Overmind [[EldritchAbomination couldn't look less like a humanoid]].

* In ''VideoGame/FalloutTactics'', the army of [[DumbMuscle Super Mutants]] is lead by someone called Gamorin whom they revere. He turns out to be a renegade Brotherhood paladin.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} Warcraft]]'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Series/{{FarScape}}'': The human-looking Peacekeepers are considered the worst threat in the galaxy, with the exception of the Scarrans. Subverted by the fact that Scorpius is the only inhuman-looking Peacekeeper.

* ''Series/{{Star Trek Deep Space Nine}}'': The Jem'Hadar are the somewhat reptilian genetically engineered soldiers of the Dominion. Their superiors are the much more human-looking Vorta, who also serve as the "public face" for the Dominion. The Vorta themselves report to the Founders, who in their natural state are [[Main/StarfishAliens shapeshifting blobs of orange liquid]], though they do have a regular humanoid form they use for interacting with "solids", and they can impersonate humans exactly if they wish; so your mileage may vary on whether this counts as a subversion or not.
* ''Series/{{Star Trek Voyager}}'': Once she joined forces with the Kazon, Seska would qualify (technically she looked Bajoran/Cardassian, but she still looked and behaved more human than the Kazon).

* Subverted on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' by Abel Cuvier, who runs a gang of aggressive teenage hoodlums who have been "spliced" (mutated with DNA from various dangerous animals). Cuvier is spliced himself and looks only slightly less grotesque than his young charges. An even greater subversion occurs at the episode's climax when he takes an ''enormous'' dose of DNA and fights Batman as a gigantic amoeba-like thing.

* Andross from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', although technically not human, was the closest to a human compared to the other characters, genetically speaking, and he was either directly responsible for the events of the series or manipulated the enemy into doing his bidding. In ''Star Fox: Farewell Beloved Falco'', Andross was resurrected via {{cloning|Blues}} by a rogue Cornerian officer. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', due to his hijacking the plot, he was implied to have manipulated Scales and the rest of the Sharpclaw army into doing his bidding. In ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'', it was implied that he was the one who created the main threat of the game, the Anglar Race. In fact, the only main villainous group never affiliated with Andross at all was the Aparoids.

* Dante of ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' is the woman behind the creation of most of the Homunculi and led them with the promise of them finally being able to be human thanks to the PhilosophersStone. [[spoiler:In reality, she wants the stone for herself alone]].

Frequently, the mooks are themselves incapable of organizing into a vast army. [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Those dirty monsters]] [[FantasticRacism can't do anything]] without a proper [[HumansAreSpecial HUMAN leading them!]] Subversively, they may turn out to have been GoodAllAlong and bullied by the BigBad into evil. BeautyEqualsGoodness on its ear, as it were.

* Notably averted with a lot of antagonists of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' franchise; most notably, the protagonist ArchEnemy, Vilgax, is a GalacticConqueror leading an army of MechaMooks. When he himself shows up, turns out he is a {{Cthulhumanoid}} taller than any of Ben's forms. He doesn't even look normal by ''his own species' standards'', thanks to various genetic and mechanical enhancements.
** Played straight with Doctor Animo, a perfectly human-looking MadScientist who relies on mutated animals as his minions.
** Averted again with the Lubracas in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'', who are led by [[EldritchAbomination Diagon]].