History Main / VillainInAWhiteSuit

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. Glomgold normally wears a stereotypically Scottish outfit as part of his whole schtick to try and outdo Scrooge at everything, but when Scrooge fakes his own death he shows up to the funeral in a white, sequinned suit and top-hat (along with an absolutely legendary display of LastDisrespects) just so he can rub it in his hated rival's face that he outlived him.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': [[BigBad Emperor Belos]] and his Emperor's Coven wear white {{All Encompassing Mantle}}s as part of their uniform... though Belos himself wears dark armor under his robes, signalling [[RuleOfSymbolism to the audience]] that he's hiding his dark nature under a white cover.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Wilson Fisk wears a white shirt as a new inmate upon his arrival in prison. Midway through season 3, after his release from prison, he's able to upgrade his wardrobe to the fancy white suits he wears in the comics.

* Most of Creator/JohnWoo's villains, who tend to be mob bosses, (Shing from ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'', Ko Ying Pui from ''A Better Tomorrow II'', and Mr. James Wong from the game ''{{VideoGame/Stranglehold}}'' among others) wear white, the better to show off the blood from the bullets they receive. The main heroic Woo example, of course, is Ah Jong from the final showdown of ''Film/TheKiller'' (though then again, [[spoiler:he is the one out of the two heroes of the movie to die]].)

* ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' has Akira Nishikiyama wearing a white suit and tie with a black shirt. Averted in ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', a prequel, in which he dons a more casual [[RedIsHeroic maroon suit]] and is one of your allies from the get-go.

* ''ComicBook/ActsOfVengeance:'' While hiding his identity, Loki dresses in a business suit, rather than his usual Asgardian outfit. It is, naturally, white.

* Gideon Graves from ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'' (both [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld the movie]] and the comics) wears a pristine white suit. He's an evil music executive and final boss who was secretly behind much of the conflict, as he set up the League of Evil Exes.

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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingping.png]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}:''[[spoiler:The BigBad, Ernesto De La Cruz, the HiddenVillain who killed his partner Hector, the protagonist Miguel's great-great-grandfather, and stole his songs, wears a shining white suit with a matching sombrero]].

* In the books of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the wizard Saruman continued to wear white robes after his FaceHeelTurn; however, by the time of the War of the Ring, he had exchanged the white robe for a rainbow-colored one and called himself "Saruman the Many-Colored". It kinda almost still counts because the robe still looks white at a glance; Gandalf has to look a little more carefully before he notices the weird visual effect that the multicolored weave has. [[spoiler:After Saruman's fall from power, when he's encountered as a beggar, such clothes as he has left are "rags of grey or dirty white"]].

* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': Gregory Stark, the older twin brother of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, wears a white suit, and is described as having his brother's genius, and none of his morals. [[spoiler: He turns out to be the BigBad of the ''Ultimates vs. New Avengers'' crossover, and when he activates his powers, the suit turns into pure white light.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}:''[[spoiler: The BigBad, Ernesto De La Cruz, the HiddenVillain who killed his partner Hector, the protagonist Miguel's great-great-grandfather, and stole his songs, wears a shining white suit with a matching sombrero]].

* In the books of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the wizard Saruman continued to wear white robes after his FaceHeelTurn; however, by the time of the War of the Ring, he had exchanged the white robe for a rainbow-colored one and called himself "Saruman the Many-Colored".

* In ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', [[PracticallyJoker Jerome Valeska]] wears a striking white or very light grey suit coat [[spoiler: on the last day of his life.]] He generally tends to favor white, yellow, and red in his clothing, in contrast to [[Comicbook/TheJoker his identical twin brother,]] Jeremiah Valeska, who is much more fond of [[ColorCodedCharacters purple and green.]]

* Derek Simmons of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' wears a white suit and is the villain of Leon's campaign. The suit gets [[spoiler: shredded when Simmons is mutated by Carla]].

* Rare female example in ''WebVideo/AnimeCrimesDivision''. Mrs. Prestige, an executive in Prestige TV City, wears a white suit and has white hair, showing her sophistication and well, prestige, as well as her nefarious intentions. [[spoiler: She's the leader of TOXIC and the BigBad of Season 2. She takes over Neo Otaku City as part of a scheme to convert all the anime fans into Prestige TV fans.]] She's rarely involved in hands-on fighting.
* In ''WebVideo/TheElevenLittleRoosters'', the saboteur, [[spoiler: Gavin the 3rd, aka Mavin due to having a [[SplitPersonality Split Personality with Michael,]]]] wears a white suit while manipulating the other agents into killing each other.

->''"[Creator/TomWolfe] has said that the outfit disarms the people he observes, making him, in their eyes, 'a man from Mars, the man who didn't know anything and was eager to know.'"''
-->-- '''Website/{{Wikipedia}}''' on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wolfe#White_suit Tom Wolfe's white suit]]

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' tends to associate the color white with evil or at least antagonistic forces. Byakuya was the main antagonist for most of the Soul Society arc and, as with the other Gotei 13 Captains (most of which are this trope as well for this arc) wore a white haori over his black Shinigami uniform. Sōsuke Aizen and his cohorts all wear variations of fancy-looking all-white clothing in contrast to the dark uniforms of the Gotei 13. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName The Wandenreich]], the villains of the final arc, also wear all-white uniforms.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' tends to associate the color white with evil or at least antagonistic forces. Byakuya was the main antagonist for most of the Soul Society arc and, as with the other Gotei 13 Captains (which also qualified for this trope in this arc) wore a white haori over his black Shinigami uniform. Sōsuke Aizen and his cohorts all wear variations of fancy-looking all-white clothing in contrast to the dark uniforms of the Gotei 13. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName The Wandenreich]], the villains of the final arc, also wear all-white uniforms.

See also TheRichHaveWhiteStuff, where characters are shown to be rich by having possessions (including homes and clothing) ostentatiously white.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' tends to associate the color white with evil or at least antagonistic forces. Byakuya was the main antagonist for most of the Soul Society arc and wore a white haori over his black Gotei 13 uniform. Sōsuke Aizen and his cohorts all wear variations of fancy-looking all-white clothing in contrast to the dark uniforms of the Gotei 13. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName The Wandenreich]], the villains of the final arc, also wear all-white uniforms.

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[[caption-width-right:350:With that suit, he's got nothing to hide about his crimes.]]

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' has Paptimus Scirocco, who stands out among the [[StateSec Titans']] leadership with his white CustomUniform, contrasting the [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black and red uniforms]] worn by most Titans officers.
* Similarly, ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'''s Gilbert Durandal ([[{{Expy}} who takes several cues from Scirocco]]) wears a white uniform, making him stand out as the chairman of ZAFT.

* ''ComicBook/{{Oxymoron}}'': Oxymoron uses an all-white suit with a red tie, hinting at his AxCrazy nature.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': All the active agents of the KnightTemplar AncientConspiracy the Grail have a dress code of white suits and red ties.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}:''[[spoiler: The BigBad, Ernesto De La Cruz, the HiddenVillain who killed his partner Hector, the protagonist Miguel's great-great-grandfather, and stole his songs, wears a shining white suit with a matching sombrero]].

* Most of Creator/JohnWoo's villains, who tend to be mob bosses, (Shing from ''Film/ABetterTomorrow'', Ko Ying Pui from ''A Better Tomorrow II'', and Mr. James Wong from the game ''{{VideoGame/Stranglehold}}'' among others) wear white, the better to show off the blood from the bullets they receive. The main heroic Woo example, of course, is Ah Jong from the final showdown of ''Film/TheKiller'' (though then again, [[spoiler:he is the one out of the two heroes of the movie to die]].)
* In ''Eat a Bowl of Tea,'' the [[spoiler:wife has an affair with]] a SmugSnake who wears a white suit -- probably to show how flashy he is.
* The second film in ''Film/TheGodfather'' trilogy had Don Fanucci, a freelance extortionist who was the ''padrone'' of Hell's Kitchen, who would often wear white suits with black overcoat and a white panama hat.
* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'', the StarterVillain wears a full white suit including a trademark white panama hat.
* ''Film/GateOfFlesh'': In this film set in the rubble-strewn slums of Tokyo soon after the end of World War II, Ishii the crime boss strolls around in a crisp white suit. This is especially notable because the little band of prostitutes the film centers around all wear bright primary colors, and all the rest of the Japanese men in the WretchedHive are generally dirty and sweaty and wearing more humble clothing.

* As in the aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', wealthy criminal mastermind Lex Luthor wears a white tie and overcoat in ''Film/SupermanReturns'', plus he spends a lot of time in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' wearing a white jacket and pants.

* ''Film/PacificRimUprising'': Liwen Shao is introduced as a coldly imperious corporate executive in an elegant white [[LadyInAPowerSuit suit]], who [[HatesBeingTouched refuses a handshake]] and exploits a tragedy to promote her business. {{Subverted|Trope}} when she joins forces with the protagonists [[spoiler:to help save the world from the ''actual'' villain]] and {{defrost|ingIceQueen}}s a bit.

* ''Film/LordOfWar'': Andre Baptiste, Sr., the brutal dictator of Liberia who uses drugged-up {{child soldier}}s and rules with an iron fist, favors a pure white uniform, except on ceremonial occasions.

* ''Film/Pitfall1962'': An ominous fellow in the white suit stalks the protagonist, an unfortunate miner. The villain's crisp, neat suit stands in dramatic contrast to the filth and dirt and sweaty, desperate people that surround him in Japanese mining country. He gets away with multiple murders.
* ''Film/JamesBond'':
** Sometimes, whenever Bond is wearing his black (or midnight blue) tuxedo, the villain will wear a white dinner jacket to contrast.
** In ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', Francisco Scaramanga is usually seen wearing an all-white suit.
* ''Film/KillBill'': O-ren Ishii's pure white, formal kimono, while it also makes for some nice [[SnowMeansDeath visual symbolism]] during her [[WhiteShirtOfDeath eventual defeat]], it also fits with her role. She's a mob boss, the head of the {{yakuza}}, and a polite, dignified, yet ruthless leader who makes herself scarce when combat begins, only reappearing once all her minions have been killed.
* Saruman the White from Peter Jackson's ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' wears a white robe. Unlike in the books the films are based on, it doesn't seem to be able to change its colour.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Wilson Fisk wears a white shirt as a new inmate upon his arrival in prison. Midway through season 3, after his release from prison, he's able to upgrade his wardrobe to the fancy white suits he wears in the comics.
* ''Series/TheDefenders2017'': One of the Hand leaders, Sowande, is known on the streets of Harlem as "White Hat" because he wears a white Panama hat and suit, which sharply contrast with his black skin.
* Members of unscrupulous [[ResearchInc Dyad Institute]] from ''Series/OrphanBlack'' frequently wear white, but the best example is Rachel Duncan, who is rarely seen wearing anything other than business-wear.

* Vlad from ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 2'', [[spoiler:a traitorous piece of work.]]
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' -- [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Nick]] may be a dubious, morally ambiguous con man who dresses up in a white suit, but he’s not the bad guy.

* [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] wears a white wedding tuxedo in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' when trying to make Princess Peach his wife.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has Rufus Shinra, the Vice President of [[MegaCorp the Shinra Electric Power Company]] and son of President Shinra, who wears an impeccably tailored long white suit while being a BastardUnderstudy to his father and planning to turn the Planet into a police state under his control. Subsequent installments in the ''Franchise/CompilationOfFinalFantasyVII'' would tone his villainy down considerably however, although he remains an untrustworthy manipulator.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', meanwhile, leaves it rather ambiguous as to where his standing as Shinra President will be, as his speech about controlling the Planet through fear is removed, and his father absorbs most of Rufus' original style. However, Rufus himself remains a shady character.

* In the second ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'' game, The Conductor, a mysterious individual who presides over an illegal auction selling evidence from past cases, wears a white suit with a black necktie.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Sugimura, Haru's lecherous, abusive fiance from the ArrangedMarriage her father set up for her, wears a white suit.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'': Ladd Russo is the nephew of the Russo Family [[TheDon Don]]. He suggests a plan where he and his buddies kidnap a train for ransom. His uncle agrees because [[AxCrazy Ladd is nuts]], but asks why they're wearing [[BadassInANiceSuit fancy suits if they plan on killing everyone on the train]]. Ladd explains that he wants to see [[WhiteShirtOfDeath the white suits covered in red blood]], [[spoiler:In the light novel, he then comes back to his uncle and murders him by surprise, which effectively puts him in charge of the family business.]]

* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': Demon Lord [[TheChessmaster Clayman]] wears an all-white ensemble suit and is one of the more malevolent Demon Lords whose constantly scheming for his own ends with no regards to who gets hurt. His subordinate Gelmund wears a similar white ensemble and was the one tasked by Clayman in creating a puppet Demon Lord to rule the Forest of Jura, which involved manipulating and slaughtering the monster races there without a care in order to [[CannibalismSuperpower literally feed]] the growth of the Orc Disaster, himself a manipulated being who just wanted to save his people from a famine. This in turn ends up {{foreshadowing}} [[spoiler:the white-clad Yuuki Kagurazaka as a villain, who is in fact the man Clayman himself is working for.]]

* Saruman the White from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', although it's mentioned to be able to take any colour of the rainbow as well.