History Main / VillainWorld

* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe gets turned into this during ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', and it takes three whole movies and over 20 years to even begin to [[LaResistance set it right]].

* By the climax of ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'', the Matrix is wholly populated by [[spoiler: Agent Smith's copies]]. Of course, the Matrix was ''already'' a Villain World run by ruthless machines, but now it has been take over by an OmnicidalManiac.
** The "real world" beyond the Matrix was like this ever since humanity had the bright idea to black out the skies in an effort to deprive the machines of the sunlight that powers them. The RobotWar itself scorched the land and blacking out the sun was the final nail, forcing the machines to turn to HumanResources for their power and ensuring humanity's ultimate defeat.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' has a young Link obtain the Spiritual Stones in order to open the inner area of the Temple of Time, where the Master Sword rests. Upon grabbing it, however, Young Link is sealed away by [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]] for seven years (since he was too young to be the Hero of Time). In the time he was sealed, Ganondorf was able to gain possession of the Triforce of Power and take over Hyrule. He froze Zora's Domain, destroyed the castle town and made it a place where only [[OurZombiesAreDifferent ReDeads]] live, and made a formerly overworked Ingo into the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. Link, now older, must collect the 6 Sage Medallions in order to be able to enter the castle and defeat Ganondorf. Afterwards, Zelda sends Link back in time so that he can live out his own childhood, as well as prevent Ganondorf's reign of terror before it begins. However, this ends up [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker consigning her own timeline to an even worse fate]], while the timeline in which Link lived out his childhood and saved a distant land was threatened by Ganondorf again, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess this time after being sent to the Twilight Realm by the Sages after failing to execute him]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' has a young Link obtain the Spiritual Stones in order to open the inner area of the Temple of Time, where the Master Sword rests. Upon grabbing it, however, Young Link is sealed away by [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]] for seven years (since he was too young to be the Hero of Time). In the time he was sealed, Ganondorf was able to gain possession of the Triforce of Power and take over Hyrule. He froze Zora's Domain, destroyed the castle town and made it a place where only [[OurZombiesAreDifferent ReDeads]] live, and made a formerly overworked Ingo into the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. Link, now older, must collect the 6 talismans in order to be able to enter the castle and defeat Ganondorf. Afterwards, Zelda sends Link back in time so that he can live out his own childhood, as well as prevent Ganondorf's reign of terror before it begins. However, this ends up consigning her own timeline to an even worse fate.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', the player faces off against a LegionOfDoom made up of the AlternateUniverse counterparts of past villains in the series, each [[TheBadGuyWins having made their respective goals a reality]] because no main characters existed to oppose them.

* The second half of ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' has the Bagra Army to this to the Digital World.

* Season 4 of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' has the virtual world known as the Framework. Originally created by [[MadScientist Holden Radcliffe]] to be a LotusEaterMachine where people can live their perfect lives, free of regret. [[ForWantOfANail Unfortunately removing May's regret]] makes it an AlternateUniverse where HYDRA managed to TakeOverTheWorld, turning it into a PoliceState where [[FantasticRacism hatred of Inhumans]] is institutionalized, the only media is a PropagandaMachine, and all historical records have been [[OrwellianRetcon rewritten]] to teach people not to question this sort of thing and that [[ANaziByAnyOtherName HYDRA]] were [[WrittenByTheWinners the good guys]].

* ''Videogame/XCOM2'' is set in a world where the Earth is subjugated and forcefully unified by the aliens into the ADVENT Coalition, which is fully ruled by the aliens. Gene therapy clinics, which eradicate diseases and ensure the people to live its fullest, are a front for a DNA-harvesting scheme by the aliens. XCOM, which was once a multinational initiative to prevent alien incursion and terror, are now branded as terrorists and has to move covertly.

One major source of VillainDecay comes from the fact that, no matter how [[SortingAlgorithmOfVillainThreat dangerous]] the BigBad is presented as, the risk of them winning becomes an InformedAbility since StatusQuoIsGod means [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin they don't win]], ''and'' whatever horrible plot they hatched and [[StoryBoardingTheApocalypse rant about]] doesn't even scratch at the {{Masquerade}}. This is why audiences are genuinely shocked when TheBadGuyWins, and why it's one of the most powerful {{Downer Ending}}s possible. Some stories try to avoid the former by using a limited form of the latter in the form of the heroes visiting a BadFuture, and returning to the present with the motivation to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong Set Right What]] ''[[TimeTravelTenseTrouble May]]'' Go Wrong. But not all stories allow for TimeTravel, so an intermediate and more challenging route is to have the Villain win part way and have the setting become a Villain World.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIlUhckC_B4 Doomed Forgotten Realms]] is an AlternateTimeline where Vecna created a world where every Forgotten Realms BigBad won.

* Starting from ''Literature/TheHomestuckEpilogues'', Earth-C becomes this in the ''Candy'' timeline courtesy of [[spoiler:a Jane that became essentially the human version of the Condesce]]. Under her reign, she puts xenophobic laws in place and outright starts interspecies war with [[spoiler:the Earth-C trolls]], with a resistance formed to overthrow her before things get any worse. The ''Candy'' portions of ''Webcomic/Homestuck2'', being an interquel, take place in the middle of her tyranny.

->'''Marty:''' I don’t get it, Doc. I mean, how can all this be happening? It’s like we’re in hell or something.\\
'''Doc Brown:''' No, it’s Hill Valley, though I can’t imagine ''hell'' being much worse!

The EvilOverlord will have their EvilPlan go off without a hitch either because TheHero and their friends were put out of action, or ''despite'' their best efforts, or simply because they weren’t around at the time. The [[ArmiesAreEvil armies]] of the Big Bad are everywhere, every country and [[UNIsASuperpower the UN gives them absolute power]], which they use to institute their [[VisionaryVillain vision of the world]]. Usually the world becomes a {{Dystopia}}, sometimes a {{Utopia}} with a "minor" flaw like UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans or removing TheEvilsOfFreeWill. Expect them to rename [[{{Egopolis}} cities after themself]]. May also result in a CrapsackWorld (though one dominated by a specific entity as opposed to just generally crummy). Or they may bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt and create HellOnEarth. Either way, the heroes have failed to stop them, they have changed the face of the world, and the heroes must now fight to save what's left before the Evil Overlord grows too powerful.

--> '''Megamind:''' Imagine the most horrible, terrifying, evil thing you can possibly think of... and multiply it... by six! In the meantime, I want you to carry on with the dreary normal things you, normal people do. Let’s just have fun with this, come on! And I will get back to you.