History Sandbox / MonsterDickTracy

** ''Film/{{Dick Tracy| 1937}}'' (1937): [[BigBad The Spider, or the Lame One]], is a [[DiabolicalMastermind criminal mastermind]] whose true identity is [[VillainWithGoodPublicity seeming philanthropist Walter Odette]]. Having multiple loose ends murdered with the [[CallingCard mark of the Spider]] branded to their heads, he kidnaps Dick's brother Gordon and painfully lobotomizes him to turn him evil, while seeking to [[ArmsDealer sell weapon plans to hostile nations]] and even blow up the Golden Gate bridge, without a care of innocents who die in his attempts at money and domination.

* ''ComicBook/DickTracyForever'' issue #2—"Dick Tracy and That Damned Watch!!": The Brow and Pruneface are criminals with a long history against Dick Tracy. Formerly [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] spies and saboteurs, the two begin to recruit former Nazi scientists, killing all others in their labs to leave no trace. With this achieved, the two have their scientists develop [[DeadlyGas deadly nerve gas]], which they intend to unleash on entire American cities, killing countless victims. Having devastated America, the two plan for an uprising from [[ArgentinaIsNaziland Nazis in South America]] to turn America into a [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica fascist nightmare]].

* [[Film/DickTracy 1990 film]]: [[TheDon Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice]] is a mob boss seeking to control the city. After having a rival gang shot to death while playing cards, he strong-arms Lips Manlis into turning over control of his nightclub, territory and girlfriend Breathless Mahoney—who Big Boy [[WouldHitAGirl threatens and mistreats]]—to him, before having Lips [[CruelAndUnusualDeath killed]] in a [[CementShoes cement bath]]. Part of Big Boy's plan is to unite all the remaining gangs, and when one rejects him, Big Boy has their car bombed as they're leaving. Trying to get Dick Tracy out of his way, Big Boy bribes him, and when this fails, tries to kill Tracy. Upon discovering his new club has been bugged by Tracy, Big Boy has the cop informing on him almost given the same cement bath as Lips and then takes part in killing Fletcher, the DA in his pocket, to frame Tracy. Framed for the abduction of Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart by rival gangster The Blank—really Breathless—Big Boy [[DirtyCoward abandons his men]] and runs off with her, nearly letting her head get crushed by a clockwork. He also shoots and mortally wounds Blank as well.

-->—'''Dick Tracy''', ''Dick Tracy Monthly'' (Dell/Harvey) Issue #36, [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-idi-nsknqy7720ZLnDpEKnAYx_s9KE6in1k9vcYyXYUwKOAYNTGtZislqZpqWr4IJ0x4VByy60B=s0 advertisement for next issue]]

* ''[[Film/DickTracy 1990 film]]'': [[TheDon Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice]] is a mob boss seeking to control the city. After having a rival gang shot to death while playing cards, he strong-arms Lips Manlis into turning over control of his nightclub, territory and girlfriend Breathless Mahoney—who Big Boy [[WouldHitAGirl threatens and mistreats]]—to him, before having Lips [[CruelAndUnusualDeath killed]] in a [[CementShoes cement bath]]. Part of Big Boy's plan is to unite all the remaining gangs, and when one rejects him, Big Boy has their car bombed as they're leaving. Trying to get Dick Tracy out of his way, Big Boy bribes him, and when this fails, tries to kill Tracy. Upon discovering his new club has been bugged by Tracy, Big Boy has the cop informing on him almost given the same cement bath as Lips and then takes part in killing Fletcher, the DA in his pocket, to frame Tracy. Framed for the abduction of Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart by rival gangster The Blank—really Breathless—Big Boy [[DirtyCoward abandons his men]] and runs off with her, nearly letting her head get crushed by a clockwork. He also shoots and mortally wounds Blank as well.

[[AC:Comics]]
* Comic Strip:
** [[ThoseWackyNazis Pruneface Boche]] is a Nazi saboteur who helps to develop a [[DeadlyGas deadly nerve agent]] for his masters, using it on his partner when the man draws police attention. Pruneface attempts to blow up a factory before going on the run, even [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals murdering a dog]] for a sweater. Eventually returning in support of neo-Nazi groups, Pruneface attempts to [[CopKiller blow up police stations and FBI buildings]], even trying to spread [[SyntheticPlague a disease that causes mass blindness]], not caring when even his family die in the pursuit of his revenge against Tracy.
** [[ForeheadOfDoom The Brow]], real name [[ThoseWackyNazis Alfred Brau]], is a [[TheMole Nazi spy]] who helps sabotage ships for his paymasters and reports on their location so the Nazis will be able to sink them. When a pair of twins, May and June Summer, find incriminating evidence, the Brow forces them to run "errands" for him while keeping one twin in a torture device to pierce her legs with nails. When they manage to overcome him, the Brow later returns to murder their taxi driver and [[TrappedInASinkingCar drown the two]] before escaping. After a manhunt, the Brow attempts to [[CopKiller kill all of Tracy's fellow cops]] before Tracy is able to take him down for good.
** [[FourEyesZeroSoul Itchell "Itchy" Oliver]] seeks to [[{{Greed}} gain the fortune]] left behind by his associate Shaky, and will do anything to try and gain it, starting by torturing B.O. Plenty for the fortune, even murdering Shaky's widow when she tries to defend Tracy from him. [[BadBoss Murdering his own men]] as not to split the cut, Itchy goes on the run while killing whoever gets in his way, including a wedding guest to take his car, and a {{cop|Killer}} who stops him at the wrong time. Later capturing Tracy, Itchy attempts to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slowly and painfully starve him to death]], treating torture and murder as simply business as usual.
** [[SlasherSmile Mr. Bribery]] is one of Dick Tracy's most enduring foes. Known for [[BadBoss branding his minions]] with a B upon their heads, Bribery also murders his victims and keeps their shrunken heads as trophies, launching his mentor in this practice into space when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he becomes a liability]]. With a huge body count, Bribery later emerges as [[TheDon the head of a new syndicate]], orchestrating new murders and attempting to [[EvilUncle mold his own niece]] into a copy of her mother to be his new possession before trying to plunder the moon of its gold. Upon being informed said gold is missing, he furiously tries to torture his victims.
** "The Abduction of Tracy's Granddaughter": The unnamed [[WouldHurtAChild pedophile]] is a revolting kidnapper who abducts children to "play" with them, keep them in [[CreepyBasement his basement]] and [[SerialKiller murder them]]. Abducting three kids, including Tracy's granddaughter Jewel, the pedophile reveals he has done this before, with at least one child's skeleton still in the basement. Upon realizing he has captured Dick Tracy's grandchild, he opts to kill the children quicker to dispose of the evidence, and spends his time trying to hunt down an escaped Jewel to murder her.

[[AC:Films]]

* ''[[Film/DickTracy Dick Tracy (1990)]]'': [[TheDon Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice]] is a mob boss seeking to control the city. After having a rival gang shot to death while playing cards, he strong-arms Lips Manlis into turning over control of his nightclub, territory and girlfriend Breathless Mahoney—who Big Boy [[WouldHitAGirl threatens and mistreats]]—to him, before having Lips [[CruelAndUnusualDeath killed]] in a [[CementShoes cement bath]]. Part of Big Boy's plan is to unite all the remaining gangs, and when one rejects him, Big Boy has their car bombed as they're leaving. Trying to get Dick Tracy out of his way, Big Boy bribes him, and when this fails, tries to kill Tracy. Upon discovering his new club has been bugged by Tracy, Big Boy has the cop informing on him almost given the same cement bath as Lips and then takes part in killing Fletcher, the DA in his pocket, to frame Tracy. Framed for the abduction of Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart by rival gangster The Blank—really Breathless—Big Boy [[DirtyCoward abandons his men]] and runs off with her, nearly letting her head get crushed by a clockwork. He also shoots and mortally wounds Blank as well.

[[AC:Others]]

%% NOTE: Due to the controversial nature of this trope, any changes (additions, removals, edits) should be discussed here.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brow_4.jpg]]

* Creator/RepublicPictures [[Film/DickTracySerial serials]]:
** ''Dick Tracy'' (1937): [[BigBad The Spider, or the Lame One]], is a [[DiabolicalMastermind criminal mastermind]] whose true identity is [[VillainWithGoodPublicity seeming philanthropist Walter Odette]]. Having multiple loose ends murdered with the [[CallingCard mark of the Spider]] branded to their heads, he kidnaps Dick's brother Gordon and painfully lobotomizes him to turn him evil, while seeking to [[ArmsDealer sell weapon plans to hostile nations]] and even blow up the Golden Gate bridge, without a care of innocents who die in his attempts at money and domination.
** ''Dick Tracy's G-Men'' (1939): [[BigBad Nicolas Zarnoff]] is a spy for the "Three Powers", attempting to help them ruin the United States and killing multiple innocents before being caught and escaping the death penalty. Zarnoff attempts to [[GiantWallOfWateryDoom destroy a dam to flood everything below]]; to murder the president; and to shoot down a packed airship before trying to [[CopKiller gun down the police]], even ending by planning to let Dick Tracy himself waste away from thirst in the desert.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Brow's spike machine, from the June 1944 cover.]]

-->--'''Dick Tracy''', Issue #36 (March 1951) [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-idi-nsknqy7720ZLnDpEKnAYx_s9KE6in1k9vcYyXYUwKOAYNTGtZislqZpqWr4IJ0x4VByy60B=s0 advertisement for next issue]]

* Chester Gould's original run:

* Mike Killian's run: The unnamed [[WouldHurtAChild pedophile]] is a revolting kidnapper who abducts children to "play" with them, keep them in [[CreepyBasement his basement]] and [[SerialKiller murder them]]. Abducting three kids, including Tracy's granddaughter Jewel, the pedophile reveals he has done this before, with at least one child's skeleton still in the basement. Upon realizing he has captured Dick Tracy's grandchild, he opts to kill the children quicker to dispose of the evidence, and spends his time trying to hunt down an escaped Jewel to murder her.
* ''Dick Tracy Forever'' issue #2: The Brow and Pruneface are criminals with a long history against Dick Tracy. Formerly [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] spies and saboteurs, the two begin to recruit former Nazi scientists, killing all others in their labs to leave no trace. With this achieved, the two have their scientists develop [[DeadlyGas deadly nerve gas]], which they intend to unleash on entire American cities, killing countless victims. Having devastated America, the two plan for an uprising from [[ArgentinaIsNaziland Nazis in South America]] to turn America into a [[OppressiveStatesOfAmerica fascist nightmare]].

* Creator/RepublicPictures [[FilmSerial serials]]:

* "Not a Creature Was Stirring", by Max Allan Collins, from ''The Secret Files'' anthology: The [[FatBastard Fat Man]] pretends to be a charity [[BadSanta Santa]] to track down rich families so he can rob them. However, the Fat Man has another vice: Not content with robbery, he is also a SerialKiller of [[WouldHurtAChild children]] who loves targeting the kids of well-off families so he can hurt them, throttling the children with his bare hands. When his latest victim is saved by Tracy, the Fat Man later attempts to target Tracy and Tess's own child, and tries to kill Tracy himself.