Line #1 Main/GrayscaleOfEvil


1	[[quoteright:300:[[Film/OneHundredAndTwoDalmatians https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cruella_bnw.jpg]]]]
2	''[[caption-width-right:300:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcdQk7JBPzQ If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will...]]]]''
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4	%% Image and caption selected based on discussion from this Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1563195568021548400
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6	%% Please don't change without opening a new discussion.
7
8	->''Gray is the queen of colors, because she makes everyone else look good.''
9	-->-- '''Helen Van Wyk'''
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11	%% Quote source: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1193424
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13
14	The gold standard of differentiating the heroes from the bad guys is making the heroes' [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color scheme]] [[LightIsGood sufficiently brighter]] and the villains' [[DarkIsEvil sufficiently darker]]. However, this ends up looking [[DeliberatelyMonochrome pretty bland]]. Sure, it's [[BlackAndWhiteMorality very intuitive]], but still cliched and overused. However, the dichotomy of dark shades against solid white backdrops is striking and [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority highly effective]].
15
16	Cue this trope, where villains feature mostly black, white and gray color motifs, with at the most a [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver dash of red]] here and there [[WhiteAndRedAndEerieAllOver for effect]]. The heroes might occasionally wear [[DarkIsNotEvil black]] ''or'' [[LightIsGood white]] when this trope is in effect, but rarely at the same time ''or'' to a degree that exceeds the villains. The heroes will instead usually favor a more vibrant color scheme with fluid colors and a [[RainbowMotif rainbow]] [[RainbowPimpGear mix]], to further contrast the villain's shaded motif.
17
18	What happens when LightIsNotGood and DarkIsEvil are combined. Contrast PrimaryColorChampion, SecondaryColorNemesis and of course BrightIsNotGood.
19	Compare ''and'' contrast RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver and WhiteAndRedAndEerieAllOver, where red is used as a pop of villainous color.
20
21	Supertrope to EnemyMime.
22
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'': Lucemon Falldown Mode, the OneWingedAngel form of the BigBad Lucemon, is stylized as a FallenAngel and it shows: he has both white feather wings and black bat wings, and his clothes incorporate black and white.
30	* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', Death Gun has a black cloak, white bandages on each arm, and a silver mask. This is a reference to his old identity; [[spoiler:back when he was controlling the [=XaXa=] avatar, Shouichi Shinkawa wore a black cloak with a white skull mask]].
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Books]]
34	* Venom is black and white in color in contrast to ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'''s colorful costume and starts out as a villain, until he became more of an AntiHero.
35	* While not exactly "evil", ComicBook/ThePunisher is a brutal and merciless vigilante who dresses in a black t-shirt with a white skull emblem while out murdering criminals.
36	* ComicBook/HarleyQuinn from ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' wears a black and red jester outfit with white makeup, resulting in an amalgamation of this, RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver, and WhiteAndRedAndEerieAllOver.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': Ami's first dungeon has a black and white [[AstralCheckerboardDecor chessboard theme]]. Downplayed, because while she's not evil, everyone who shares her occupation of Dungeon Keeper is, and everyone else [[AggressiveCategorism assumes]] she's evil because of that.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
44	* Dr. Evil from ''Film/AustinPowers'' is famously depicted as wearing grey Nehru jackets, and his lair in ''International Man of Mystery'' is quite grey in its color scheme. This helps to contrast him with the more colorful Austin.
45	* ''Film/BatmanReturns'': In contrast to the [[BrightIsNotGood garishly coloured]] antagonist of the [[Film/Batman1989 previous film]], this time the villains are devoid of colours:
46	** The Penguin wears grayscale Victorian clothing, and has a pale, colourless complexion as well.
47	** Max Shreck is always seen in grayscale suits as well, with an occasional red bowtie as the only splash of colour.
48	** Catwoman, though more of an AntiVillain, is dressed in black leather with white stitches and seams.
49	* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTales'' has the ruthless Captain Armando Salazar and his crew. All of them appear as [[MonochromeApparition monochrome ghosts]], making a contrast against the main characters' brighter and more earthy getups. Even before Salazar and his crew were turned into ghosts, they wore grayscale outfits not seen on any other crew in the series.
50	* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'':
51	** Todd Ingram and Envy Adams have a black and white color scheme.
52	** The Katayanagi Twins take this a step further. One wears black, the other white.
53	* No matter who plays the role of Ghostface in the ''Film/{{Scream}}'' franchise, the costume is always the same; a black cloak and hood with a white mask.
54	* ''Franchise/StarWars''
55	** During the Clone Wars, warships such as the Republic Army's attack cruisers and the Confederacy's dreadnoughts were largely the same dull color palette aside from highlights of red and blue respectively. Just like how [[TheChessmaster their leader]] was the same, they were mostly the same shades of gray.
56	** Darth Vader in black, stormtroopers in white. George Lucas made a point of this, in fact, using warmer earth tones for the heroes to better contrast the lack of color of TheEmpire. Carrying over from the Clone Wars, their star destroyers are shades of dark grey, this time without red markings.
57	** The First Order continues this tradition with a black-clad Kylo Ren and white-suited Stormtroopers. Their ships are an even darker grey than the Empire's were, but [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] given they incorporated [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver reds]] into their architecture.
58	* Although the BigBad of ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' starts off with a colorful costume straight out of the comics, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Mysterio's true costume is a black, gray, and white mocap getup]].
59	* The "uniform" of the War Boys from ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' is white body paint and black eye shadow. Played with by Nux, who starts the film as a War Boy [[spoiler:and keeps the color scheme after his HeelFaceTurn]].
60	* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Judge Doom's black suit, clean white shirt and unnaturally pale skin makes him stand out from the lead characters (namely, [[HardBoiledDetective Eddie's]] brownish tones and [[NonIronicClown Roger's]] bright colours), hinting about his malicious nature. However, [[spoiler: it's [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when Doom's true appearance is revealed to be that of a very colourful Toon, with his human appearance simply serving as a disguise]].
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Literature]]
64	* ''Literature/AvestaOfBlackAndWhite'': The mysterious arch-demon and effective leader of the forces of evil Nadare has a black and white DualityMotif going on with her black and white clothing and even the sclerae of her eyes being mirrored in color. [[spoiler:This hints to her nature as a Sensory of the ruling God Mithra whose red and blue DualityMotif makes Nadare come across as a monochrome copy of her]].
65	* ''Literature/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'': Cruella de Vil. Black leather, white furs. Hair that's half black-half white. Wants to skin a bunch of black and white ''puppies'' to make clothes.
66	** The [[WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians Disney animated version]] adds ashy grey skin, as well as red lining on her fur coat to underline her demonic nature.
67	** In [[Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians1996 the live-action version]], while not always clad in furs, she keeps the black and white motif in her wardrobe.
68	* In ''Literature/GrimoiresSoul'', Kesterline's Mages are basically its SecretPolice, and they normally wear mostly white robes and shoes with black accents.
69	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Lord Voldemort and his subordinates. The Death Eaters concealed themselves in black cloaks and silver skeletal masks, sans their leader with his bone-white skin and [[RedEyesTakeWarning blood-red eyes]] on show. The only splash of color they had was the EmeraldPower of the Killing Curse.
70	* ''Literature/KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark'' has [[MeaningfulName Grey]] [=McCarron=], who [[BadassInANiceSuit dresses in monochrome]], is regularly described in terms of black and white and light and dark, and [[spoiler:betrays the Order under MindControl]]. Ultimately a subversion, as [[spoiler:once the [[MindRape enthrallment]] is removed he's left a conflicted BrokenAce but still very much a good guy]].
71	* ''Literature/LaughingJack'': The titular clown is all black and white, and ultimately proves to be a lethal FalseFriend to James. The mother finds herself in an eerie black and white AmusementParkOfDoom inhabited by disfigured children in her nightmare, which is implied to be Laughing Jack's realm. In the origin story, Laughing Jack was once a colorful clown, but years of abandonment caused his colors to fade away, and being exposed to violence made him a murderous MonsterClown.
72	* ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'': The Lord Ruler is a [[ImmortalRuler thousand-year-old]] GodEmperor, HopeCrusher, and PersonOfMassDestruction who wears stark black-and-white suits in his appearances. He also has RavenHairIvorySkin to accentuate the look.
73	* Inverted in ''Literature/TheNightCircus''. The ''Cirque des Reves'' is intentionally set up so that almost everything in the circus is colored either black or white, but the circus is benevolent, and it is intended to bring joy and wonder to people around the world.
74	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In the episode [[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E23TheThaw The Thaw]], also has a circus but this one is a DangerouslyGarishEnvironment whose governing program has mutated into a personification of fear and runs the place like a BlackBugRoom, using it to torture its RubberForeheadAlien creatures. Unlike nearly every other character in there it's dressed up in grey with a bit of white face paint.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
78	* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Osgood Conklin prefers to dress in black three-piece suits, or at least dark colors. Although the program appeared on television and film in black and white, and didn't "appear" at all on the radio, this tendency is mentioned several times:
79	** "First Day": Mr. Conklin not only dressed in black, but drove a large black sedan that Walter Denton compares to a hearse.
80	** "Friday The Thirteenth": Mr. Conklin brags about his respectable black suit and hat to his daughter. He worries that his "midnight blue" tie might be loud.
81	* ''Series/AmericanGods'':
82	** The Technical Boy and his minions take on this aesthetic. After he abducts Shadow, his limo lair is shown to be as black and white as his costume.
83	** Downplayed with Media, who is only this by virtue of appearing to Shadow through a television currently screening ''Series/ILoveLucy'', which was originally recorded and broadcast in black and white.
84	* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Everything Regina wears after becoming evil is this. Her office in the real world has black and white wallpaper, and black and white knick-knacks strewn everywhere.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
88	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The [[EldritchAbomination Eldrazi]]
89	** Introduced during the Zendikar block, the Eldrazi were mechanically unique at the time for actually ''requiring'' colorless mana to play in some instances.
90	** The Eldrazi made a return in the Innistrad block, introducing horrific fusions of local flora and fauna with Emrakul's essence. Cards that depicted these horrors usually required colored mana to cast, but were marked with "'''Devoid ''(this card has no color)'''''."
91	** The Orzhov Syndicate, a criminal syndicate masquerading as a church, use a combination of black and white mana, so this color scheme [[https://scryfall.com/card/gtc/150/cartel-aristocrat comes naturally to them]].
92	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The color scheme of the Sons of Malice Chaos Space Marines is black and white, representing the renegade Chaos God's paradoxical nature of evil fighting itself, as they're far more likely to destroy other Chaos forces.
93	* The Drow of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons ''have charcoal grey skin and white or very light hair. This makes them stand out among the surface races, but their lack of color is not uncommon among the races of the underdark where they live.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Video Games]]
97	* Applies to Loki who shows up in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' decked out in black and white stripes of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage Dazzle Camouflage]] which is a [[AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance perfect mien]] for him [[spoiler: given that he is the original Persona of Black Mask otherwise known as [[Characters/Persona5GoroAkechi Goro Akechi]].]]
98	* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'': [[BigBad Nova]]'s OneWingedAngel form is a colossal humanoid figure with a black side and white side, and also controls a big black drone and a white one.
99	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Sephiroth]], with his black clothing, pale skin, silver hair, and gray pauldrons. Also his clones -- Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz -- in Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren.
100	* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'': The world of Hollownest [[InvertedTrope flips this trope on its head]]; the world is painted in shades of gray, with the influence of the [[TheCorruption Radiance]] being represented by an earthy orange. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] since the world of Hollownest also features a [[OrangeBlueContrast blue tint in many of its areas and helpful features]].
101	* TheHeavy of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Ghirahim, begins the game with white skin, white hair, and white clothes under a red cloak, but can summon knives and swords with black blades. Parts of his body begin to turn black in his second fight with Link, and he eventually sheds his outer layer to show off his real form, a pitch-black humanoid with white stripes. [[spoiler: He is finally reconverted into a sword by Demise, and becomes pure black]].
102	* ''VideoGame/KanColle'': While their eyes and TronLines vary in color, the Abyssal Fleet have a distinguishing UndeathlyPallor and hair, clothing, and mechanical parts in either black, metallic grays, or white. In contrast, the shipgirls have a normal human range of skin, hair, and eye colors, and dress in colors of all kinds.
103	* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': During the last stage of the FinalBoss battle, [[BigBad Xemnas]] switches from a BlackCloak to a robe with black-and-white patterns resembling the Nobody emblem. The battle itself takes place in a gray void.
104	* ''VideoGame/{{IMGCM}}'': All demons (except the elemental ones) have black and white colors, from the hair, body marks, wings and skins.
105	* ''Romancing [=StellaVisor=]'': In this FanRemake of ''VideoGame/HoshiWoMiruHito'', [[spoiler:Aine [[EvilCostumeSwitch dons a white and black cloak]] in place of her normal VibrantOrange outfit upon the Marionette possessing her [[FightingYourFriend and forcing her to fight the rest of the party]]]].
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
109	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': Monokuma, the "headmaster" of Hope's Peak Academy, is a deceptively cute looking black and white bear and the most visible antagonist. He also has a DualityMotif [[note]]one half is white and friendly-looking, the other half is black and evil-looking[[/note]] with a [[RedEyesTakeWarning sinister red eye]] and a SlasherSmile. From the [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc very first game]], it doesn't take long to establish him as the BigBad of the entire series.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Web Comics]]
113	* ''WebComic/ExterminatusNow'': Former Inquisitor and now Chaos SorcerousOverlord Silas Morth is a badger. His entire cult follows black-and-white motifs: [[http://exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/d/20070511.html penguins, zebras, tigers...]]
114	* ''Webcomic/KlonoaDreamTravellerOfNoctisSol'': Nightmare Klonoa, the EvilCounterpart to Klonoa, is all black and gray (with a little white), from his fur to to his clothing. He initially appears in a completely grayscale world, but when he comes to the "real" world, he retains his coloration... aside from his eyes, which turn [[YellowEyesOfSneakiness yellow]]. By contrast, while Klonoa himself has black and white fur, he wears clothing in the [[PrimaryColorChampion primary colors]].
115	%% Despite being in the Video Game namespace, the Klonoa property is actually a Webcomic. Please do not move it from the Webcomic folder.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Web Videos]]
119	* ''WebVideo/NandoVMovies'' made an [[https://youtu.be/R23YRN6r9aU entire video]] decrying the use of this trope in modern big-budget blockbuster films. The argument made suggests that this is becoming a DiscreditedTrope.
120	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has [[BigBad Salem]], who is a HumanoidAbomination with unnaturally white skin, black [[TaintedVeins tainted veins]], and a black dress. The only part of her that isn't black or white are her [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes]].
121	* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'': The AmbiguouslyEvil Dizzy Narwhal prefers to use a greyscale of colours, [[spoiler:while his regular Lovely World counterpart, Fizzy, has a bright colour scheme]].
122	* ''WebVideo/TribeTwelve'': The videos made by members of The Collective -- Slender Man's evil group of possessed souls -- are in an animated sketchy style, making them black and gray. Every picture shown of the collective members is in this same style.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Western Animation]]
126	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': The VillainOfTheWeek Reverser's design is half black and half white, fitting his personality-reversing powers and contrasting his civilian self's RainbowMotif.
127	* The Nixels from ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' are black and white cubes, in contrast to the multi-colored and multi-shaped Mixels they oppose. The goal of the Nixels' is to make the world just as drab and uncreative as they are.
128	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': White Diamond is not only entirely white and black as her name implies, she can control other Gems and turn them monochrome.
129	* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' episode, "Mime For a Change", a happy colorful clown named Rainbow ends up getting accidentally drenched in bleach, turning him into an [[EnemyMime evil black and white mime]] that [[MidasTouch makes anything he touches]] grayscale and lifeless.
130	%% PwrPuffGrls example included for specific HandOfMidas-like context -- other EnemyMime examples should go there.
131	* Murky Dismal from ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'''s goal is to rid the world of color, so naturally he lacks any color himself.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Two-Face is drawn with his trademark two-tone suit being half-white and half-black.
133	* In ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', the High Command of the terrorist group F.O.W.L are depicted as three black shadows with white eyes. They reappear in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' in the form of [[spoiler: Scrooge’s board of directors.]] They wear black-and-white business suits, although the primary member, [[spoiler: Bradford]], gets some [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver reds added to the mix when empowered by the Sword of Swanstantine]].
134	* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': Princess Ivy has hair that's black on one side and white on the other, wears a dress with a black and white pattern, and can even magically summon butterflies that drain the color from anything they touch, leaving her surroundings entirely in grayscale. Her second appearance shows she lives in exile on an island she's turned gray, and she becomes distraught when a patch of colorful flowers blooms and starts spreading to her butterflies. After her HeelFaceTurn at the end, her personal color scheme doesn't change, but she starts wearing tinted glasses to block out color so she doesn't have to remove it anymore.
135	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': Megatron is gray (sometimes silver) and black with a small touch of red, in contrast with his colorful [[PrimaryColorChampion red-and-blue]] opponent Optimus Prime.
136	[[/folder]]

Context Main / GrayscaleOfEvil