It is often the case that Being Evil Sucks.
Sometimes, those who pursue evil ends find themselves fully aware of the fact that they are fallen, that they are tainted. They see Good Feels Good while their pursuits are shallow, tawdry, and often emotionally or spiritually lacking.
Then they come across something that reminds them that Beauty Equals Goodness. A shining light in the darkness. Something that is pure, that is innocent. And they crave it. It is a stark reminder of what they have lost, and they desire it.
The desire could be sexual in nature, but in some cases, it could be purely platonic. In many cases, the interest could be the result of Because You Were Nice to Me. In some instances, this is a more familial sentiment.
They might see this as an opportunity to Corrupt the Cutie, though failing to realize that this will destroy the very quality that drew them in in the first place. In other instances, the innocent they fall in with becomes a Morality Pet.
Their infatuation may also be inspired by a Madonna-Whore Complex, and a young woman who captivates them may only be "innocent" in their imagination, idolizing her from afar. When he learns anything about her that taints this image, he will either ignore it to further his illusion, or fly into a rage and seek her immediate destruction for "deceiving" him.
If nothing else, they might choose to leave this shining light alone, or even protect it, leading to a Pet the Dog moment, showing that the villain is not necessarily beyond redemption.
Of course, not all emotional or moral issues are always clear-cut. An evil character who finds themselves drawn to an innocent may feel conflicted about it. In some cases, they might try to destroy the innocent party, either to remove the draw to a more moral stance or simply because that is the only thing they know. In other instances, The Dragon may take the opportunity to remove what they consider a distraction to their master, who they now see wavering due to the influence of an innocent character. Likewise, a villainous character may know that their involvement with the innocent character will mean destruction and/or ruin for one or both of them, but be unable to break away.
Though innocence in fiction tends to be represented by female characters, (such as The Ingenue, Rose-Haired Sweetie, and The Cutie) this is not inherently an Always Female trope, as there are plenty of villainesses who have interest in morally upright and pure male characters. That said, a villainous woman attracted to female characters doesn't necessarily play against this trope, either. Older works might even use the depiction of the Psycho Lesbian pursuing a girl of Incompatible Orientation (or have the latter drive the villainess to the former). See also Femme Fatale, The Vamp, and Lesbian Vampire for villainess roles associated with this trope. Male villains will run the gamut from Complete Monster, The Dragon, The Corruptor, and Noble Demon to The Heavy and The Brute.
This can be the logical inverse of All Girls Want Bad Boys, and together explain what the two characters see in each other. Also a case of Opposites Attract if it works out.
May overlap with And Now You Must Marry Me. Evil being evil, in more extreme cases, this might overlap with Rape as Drama.
In more positive examples, it might inspire a Heel–Face Turn/High-Heel–Face Turn. See also Too Good for This Sinful Earth. May overlap and/or result in Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Fans may create this dynamic with an Angel/Devil Shipping.
Compare and contrast Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny.
In the case of the platonic/familial version, a related trope is Evil Parents Want Good Kids.
As a morality-centered trope, No Real Life Examples, Please!.
Examples
- Inuyasha: There once was a badly injured bandit named Onigumo, who was being cared for by a kind and gentle Miko named Kikyo. Onigumo lusted after Kikyo and offered himself up to the demons of the area in exchange for the ability to pursue her. Thus was born Naraku, who proceeded to pit Inu-Yasha and Kikyo against each other, since she had given her love to the half-demon. Later on, he finds that he cannot harm a resurrected Kikyo, as Onigumo's heart is still present within him, and still yearning for Kikyo.
- Moriarty the Patriot: William views himself as an evil devil and Sherlock as a shining, innocent light and beacon of justice, and admires him for that—and wants to keep Sherlock that way. So when Sherlock murders someone in cold blood in front of him and he is forced to realize that he was wrong and that innocence doesn't exist, he has a bit of a meltdown to say the least.
- Wasteful Days of High School Girls: Downplayed. Lily Somiya is an out-and-proud lesbian who, while not inherently evil, has what she herself refers to as a "predator mode", which is her basest sexual desires. Those desires always seem to focus on Saku "Loli" Momoi, a high school girl who doesn't even know "where babies come from". While helping "Loli" fix her eyebrows after a shaving debacle, Lily has to sharply pinch her own cheek to avoid kissing the girl, which Lily describes as "keeping inner demons at bay", and when helping her with a bra fitting at a department store, she gives in to her "predator mode" and begins actively fondling "Loli"'s modest chest.
- The Way Of The House Husband: Tatsu was a brutal thug and a feared member of the yakuza. Then Miku finds him injured and carries him to safety. Cue a weirdly sweet and romantic series that opens with Tatsu having already reformed and swearing off his yakuza ways, but still carrying out things to help his wife in typical yakuza fashion.
- Wolf's Rain: Lord Darcia zigzags this trope with respect to Cheza. He does seek to possess her, but only because of her Healing Hands. When Harmona is killed, he doesn't hesitate to beat Cheza brutally, having decided to destroy the world and arrange for himself to be the only one to enter Paradise.
- Batman: No Man's Land: Poison Ivy, noted misanthrope and often Straw Feminist, takes in the orphans of Gotham City after it's devastated by a massive earthquake and abandoned by the government, providing for them and looking after them with the same care and love she usually reserves for her plants, seeing them as pure and untainted.
- Cloak and Dagger: Dagger, aka Tandy Bowen, in her early days, was depicted as naive and innocent, and became the object of lust to Father Delgado, who, after years of cynicism and failure to make any impact in the neighborhood, was veering into Sinister Minister territory, and the evil Mr. Jip, who wanted to Corrupt the Cutie.
- Usagi Yojimbo: Jei-san is a supernaturally-powered lunatic who kills people he deems to have sinned, without any explanation as to what those sins are. He's accompanied by a Cheerful Child named Keiko he calls "my innocent" and is very attached to her, growing agitated if she's in danger (one possible reason is that whatever Jei is, he needs an "innocent" to incarnate in if defeated).
- A Loud Among Demons: Verosika Mayday is a literal demon from Hell who has partaken in her fair share of debauchery and indulgence being a succubus, but she quickly finds herself being drawn to the pure and innocent Lincoln Loud for his kindhearted nature. The same can also be said for the other female members of her crew, each one of them wanting to get a piece of the boy for themselves.
- An American Tail: Fievel Goes West: Cat R. Waul has devious plans to earn the trust of all the mice, lure them to his town in the Wild West, and then, once the town is firmly established, turn them all into mouseburgers. He is, however, captivated by the singing voice of Tanya Mouskewitz and seeks to keep her safe for himself, to the point where, when she is on the deathtrap, he halts his own scheme to save her.
- Cinderella (2015): Implied to be why Lady Tremaine is so particularly cruel to Cinderella, though there is an added layer of Sour Outside, Sad Inside. Tremaine is herself a widow who lost her happy ending and married for money to protect her daughters' livelihood, so it's implied she sees in Ella everything she once was.
Cinderella: [after Lady Tremaine shatters her glass slipper on the wall; horrified and angry] Why? Why are you so cruel? I don't understand it. I've tried to be kind to you.Lady Tremaine: You? Kind to me?Cinderella: Yes. And though no one deserves to be treated as you have treated me. Why do you do it? Why?Lady Tremaine: Why? Because you are young, and innocent, and good, and I...[pause. she furiously turns to leave, locking Cinderella in her room]
- Legend (1985): Darkness seeks to cast the world into eternal night. But he is captivated by the purity and innocence of Lili. His father recommends he Corrupt the Cutie, and she even makes it seem like it's working when she pulls a Fake Defector.
- Moulin Rouge!: The Duke switches to this motive halfway through the musical number "Like A Virgin" when Satine is characterized like a virgin. However, rather than seeing her supposed innocence as alluring or beautiful (as was expected) — he is thrown into lustful rapture wanting to defile it.
- Poltergeist (1982) and Poltergeist II: The Other Side establish that Reverend Cain was drawn to Carol-Anne as the radiant light of her innocence allowed him to easily dominate and control the other restless spirits in his sphere of influence.
- Carmilla: Laura, the narrator of the story, is a naive young woman who is the object of obsession by the titular Carmilla, perhaps the earliest depiction of the Lesbian Vampire. Carmilla is so drawn to Laura that she begins to attack the other young women of the nearby village to stave off Laura's destruction as long as possible, as Carmilla knows that she cannot stop herself from killing Laura altogether, only draw it out.
- Mikhail Lermontov's poem Demon focuses on a demon who falls for an innocent woman, Tamara. Given he's a demon, this manifests as killing her fiancé. Tamara pities the demon and embraces him, but that kills her, though she ends up going to heaven.
- Hallowe'en Party: Miranda Butler is described as a wood nymph at home in the lavish garden where Poirot finds her. She is also the subject of interest by her father, one of a pair of murderers, who grooms her to become a willing sacrifice. Thankfully, she is saved by a pair of schoolmates before she can drink the poison her father offered her.
- The Last Unicorn: The purity and grace of the unicorns is why Haggard had the Red Bull gather all of them and drive them into the sea, where he could keep them to himself.
- Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles has the ancient Baskerville legend of the titular hound, which describes the progenitor of the curse, Hugo Baskerville, as a "profane and godless man", who lusted after the daughter of a local farmer, described as a gentle young woman who avoided Hugo whenever possible. Hugo abducted the unfortunate girl from her home one day when her father and brothers were away. While he and his fellow miscreants were drinking on the lower floor of the manor, she escaped from the bedroom window on the second floor and attempted to flee. Hugo Baskerville, discovering "the cage empty and the bird escaped" gave chase on his horse, only to be pursued by a spectral hound from the pits of Hell itself. His fellows found him and the girl both dead, the girl having died of fright, and Hugo's throat torn out by the hound, which was still standing over him when they found him.
- American Horror Story: Asylum: Psychopathic Mad Scientist Dr Arthur Arden is drawn to the naive and sweet-natured Sister Mary Eunice, not only trusting her with his secrets but playfully offering her a candy apple, taking great delight in watching her struggling with the temptation to have a bite. By contrast, when Mary is possessed by the Devil and tries to seduce Arden, he's repulsed, bringing his Madonna-Whore Complex to light. As the possessed Mary becomes more openly villainous, Arden only grows more despairing and more fearful of her — to the point that he's reduced to Mary's slave in all but name.
Arden: I admired her purity. Her innocence. I never had any, even as a boy. Now it's gone. It's been taken from her.
- Criminal Minds: Frank Breitkopf was a Serial Killer who had killed numerous people across the continent, evading not only capture but even detection because he doesn't have a victim preference. At one point, he abducts Jane Hanratty, preparing to vivisect her the same as he had all his previous victims. However, Jane was under the delusion that Frank was an alien, and so she was unafraid, even telling him "You have the most beautiful eyes." Frank, realizing she won't show him fear, which he craves, releases her. He comes to view his connection to her as "love", and ultimately he ends up committing suicide with her when on the verge of capture by the BAU.
- Daredevil (2015): Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye, is a sociopathic FBI Agent who works as The Dragon for The Kingpin in Season 3. Even though he displays all the traits associated with psychopathy, Poindexter is still troubled by his own dark nature and desperately seeks a kind-hearted, innocent person to function as his Morality Chain, in this case, Julie, a former co-worker he is obsessed with.
- Doctor Who: In "Boom Town," Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen has taken the guise and skin of Margaret Blaine, a British politician recently elected Lord Mayor of Cardiff. Blon plans to construct a deliberately-shoddy nuclear power plant over a local time-space rift, which will blow up the entire Earth and give her a chance to escape into space. Since the plan is filled with obvious flaws, "Margaret" kills anyone who asks too many questions, and when a reporter named Cathy starts investigating, she's marked to die...until the young woman starts talking happily about her plans to marry her boyfriend since she's newly pregnant. Blon is so moved by Cathy's innocence and happiness that she decides to spare the girl's life.
- Atlach=Nacha: Hatsune is an unrepentant rapist and killer, devouring males and females alike, and leaving girls she assaults as "thralls" after she's had her way with them. But she begins to fall in love with Kanako, whom she saved from a group of would-be human rapists, but initially claiming that it was only because she wanted Kanako for herself.
- GrrlPower: A succubus named Parfait (sister to main character Dabbler) is asked by her sister about any buts she’s interested in a relationship with that are more equal to her than her current master. We then see her imagining being bonded to a hitherto unseen angel
. In the text below the comic, the author muses briefly on the source of an attraction to a pure individual for a succubus.
- Sinfest: Fuchsia, a devil girl, first met Criminy when she was teasing him. But his quiet, gentle nature, politeness, and moments of him telling her You Are Better Than You Think You Are and one instance of You Are Worth Hell, ultimately prompt a Heel–Face Turn from her.
- The Raccoons: Cyril Sneer starts the series as a Corrupt Corporate Executive who is all about profit over people, though he does have a sense of honor, as I Gave My Word is a very important matter to him. However, his son Cedric is innocent and doesn't share his father's avarice or ambition. Cyril makes it very clear early on that he loves his son dearly, and even undergoes a great deal of Character Development over the course of the show to put his son in charge of his enterprises as an Honest Corporate Executive, with himself as vice-president. He also has been known to abandon his schemes if they would, in any way, hurt his son, be it physically or emotionally.
