Villains

If you wanna see evil tonight at its best
We're the cruelest of people, put us to the test
If you're looking for heinous and iniquitous acts
Ethics cannot contain us, sit back and relax!^note Pictured: Back row; Jafar from Aladdin, Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians, The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Front row; The Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog, Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

"I'd rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace, and it better fits my blood to be disdained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love of any. In this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied that I am a plain-dealing villain. … If I had a mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking. In the meantime, let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me."

— Don John, Much Ado About Nothing

The bad guys. The mad scientists, the evil executives, the wicked witches and wizards, the corrupt politicians, the mortal aspects of pure evil, and, more often than not, the people (or otherwise) that instigate the conflict and the story.

Despite how one is supposed to cheer for The Hero to succeed, there has always been a long standing interest in the villains. Some are renowned for their intelligence and cunning Evil Plan, others are awe-inspiring with simply how evil they can be, and yet others are respected because of their determination. No matter how many times the hero breaks open the door and stops their plans, they're always back at it soon enough, with another dark scheme to further their evil goals. On the other hand, not all villains can achieve that secret admiration.

It is said a hero is only as good as their enemies. Thus, a good story has to have a well-written villain, somebody who earns respect. After all, what is a hero without a villain to challenge them? This.

Contrast this index with its antithesis, Hero Tropes. There's also a Wiki. Remember that while all villains can be The Antagonist, not all antagonists are villains.

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Tropes:

Indexes

• Anti-Villain: A villain who has redeemable or sympathetic qualities despite their misdeeds. They are the equal and opposite counterpart of the Anti-Hero.
• Arch-Enemy: A villain who is the most personal, primary opponent of a particular hero. If they're the arch-nemesis to the main protagonist of the story, then they're also the Big Bad.
• Big Bad: The number one villain, responsible for everything bad that happens in the story, and the biggest threat for the protagonists to face.
• The Bully: A particular kind of sadistic jerk who really enjoys abusing and tormenting those weaker than them.
• Criminals: People who routinely violate the laws of civilized society are often (though not always) depicted as morally unscrupulous individuals.
• Dirty Communists: Authoritarian communists who are treated as villains. They're not really fond of capitalism or democracy.
• The Dragon: The second-in-command of the Big Bad, and the main supervisor for all the other Evil Minions and Mooks.
• Evil Minions: Various types of henchmen (or henchwomen) who serve another greater villain.
• Evil Race Tropes: Members of real-life ethnic groups or fictional races/species that are often stereotyped as being inherently villainous.
• Evil Tropes
• Hired Guns: Mercenaries and other hired muscle are usually depicted as being amoral thugs who just enjoy being paid to do bad things.
• Infernal Tropes: Demons, devils, and other evil spirits or monsters, usually associated with hellish realms.
• The Jerk Index: All types of characters who are at least mean and nasty (though not necessarily always evil or villainous, as even good guys can act like pricks).
• Likable Villain: Bad guys whom the audience consider to be interesting, entertaining, charming, or even sympathetic.
• Mooks: Expendable Evil Minions whose only role is to cause some trouble, before getting their asses kicked around by the hero (or by their own masters).
• No One Respects the Spanish Inquisition: Villains who are hilarious and/or incompetent.
• No Sympathy For This Index: Characters with these tropes are almost certainly villains.
• Reichstropen: Those Wacky Nazis and other fascists are among the most common variety of stock villains.
• Scary Animals Index: Animals that we humans believe are frightening and/or dangerous will often play an antagonistic role.
• Sexual Deviance Is Evil: Having unconventional or taboo sexual behavior is associated with evil characters.
• These Tropes Are Evil and Sexy: Tropes related to villains being portrayed as attractive in some way.
• This Index Is a Bitch: Various types of evil women and female villains, because men don't have an exclusive monopoly on being bad people.

#-B

• 0% Approval Rating: The villain is unpopular with their underlings.
• Absolute Xenophobe: Will destroy anything not of their own kind.
• Abusive Parents: Someone who's very not nice towards their kids.
• Abusive Precursors: Just because they created that race or this fancy technology doesn't mean they have to be nice towards them.
• Academy of Evil: A school dedicated to training future villains.
• Accuser of the Brethren: Wants The Atoner to suffer for what they're trying to atone for and doesn't want them to be redeemed.
• Activist-Fundamentalist Antics: They're antagonists because they're trying to force their fervently-held beliefs on others.
• Adaptational Villainy: Someone becomes more villainous in an adaptation.
• The Adjectival Man: If people call them "the [X] Man" — especially if its "the [X] Man of [Y]" — they most likely aren't going to be nice.
• Adorable Abomination: A twisted entity whose horrifying nature is masked by a saccharine appearance.
• Adorable Evil Minions: The villain's forces are not always hideous or monstrous.
• Affably Evil: A villain who's actually quite nice and polite to the people around them, just as long as they're not in the way of their evil schemes.
• African Terrorists: Ruthless militants from a (war-torn) country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The Aggressive Drug Dealer: They really don't want you to walk away from a drug deal.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: When robots, sentient computers, or other forms of artificial intelligence go haywire and betray their creators.
• Airborne Mook: And you thought mosquitoes were annoying...
• Alas, Poor Villain: The villain is so nice or troubled that other characters can feel sorry when they meet their demise.
• Alien Invasion: Aliens try to take over the world.
• Aliens Are Bastards: If you see them kidnapping people, attacking other planets, and abducting cows, it means that you're definitely not dealing with friendly extraterrestrials.
• All According to Plan: No matter how bad it looks like things are going for the villain, it doesn't matter because it's all a part of their master plan.
• Alpha Bitch: High in social status, low in kindness.
• Alto Villainess: Her voice is as low as her morals.
• Always Chaotic Evil: An entire race or species is evil and aggressive.
• Amnesiac Villain Joins the Heroes: A villain working for the heroes and is in the good side only because they forgot their own identity and their past.
• Amoral Afrikaner: A white South African involved in a morally questionable line of work, often with implied racist undercurrents.
• Amoral Attorney: An evil, opportunistic lawyer.
• Ambition is Evil: To improve your situation in life, be as morally despicable to achieve it as you can.
• Ancient Evil: An evil force from the distant past.
• Angry Guard Dog: Evil dogs or other sinister canines guarding the villains.
• Animal-Themed Superbeing: Supervillains (and superheroes) are fond of animal motifs and have powers based on them.
• Animal Wrongs Group: Animal rights activists are often depicted as misanthropes who believe we're morally inferior to non-human creatures.
• Animalistic Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible creature that (sort of) looks and acts like a familiar animal, but this beast is definitely something far worse.
• Antagonist Abilities: Villains tend to have much more raw power than heroes, forcing the latter to get creative.
• Antagonist in Mourning: A villain grieves a hero's (real or apparent) death.
• Antagonistic Governor: An evil, corrupt politician who's in charge of running a provincial or regional government.
• Antagonistic Offspring: The villain is the hero's own son or daughter.
• The Antichrist: The ultimate enemy of the faithful on earth.
• Anti-Role Model: This character shows us what not to be like.
• Apocalypse Cult: All hail The End of the World as We Know It!
• Apocalypse Hitler: Adolf Hitler was certainly a pretty bad dude, but he'd be even worse if he came Back from the Dead.
• Archnemesis Dad: The protagonist's father is the main villain.
• Arc Villain: Not the villain of the whole story, just of a little story arc or a single season.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: Royalty, nobility, and other established members of the social upper-classes are often depicted as cruel, rich assholes who show nothing but contempt for anyone who isn't as wealthy as them.
• Armies Are Evil: A ruthless military force comprised of soldiers that are either violent thugs, or expendable pawns for corrupt leaders.
• Arms Dealer: An amoral merchant of death who sells weapons for a living, to either side of a conflict.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: All ego and power, no discipline.
• Artifact of Doom: This weird doohickey, medallion, or statue causes a lot of problems through its powers or presence.
• Asmodeus: Demon Prince of Lust.
• As Long as There Is Evil: Evil will always pop up as long as evil exists.
• The Assimilator: They want you to be a part of them. Whether you want to or not.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: A diplomat who acts as undiplomatic as possible.
• Asshole Victim: They suffered a nasty fate, but they kind of deserved it, even if they technically didn't bring it on themselves.
• Ax-Crazy: Someone who's unstable and violent.
• Babysitter from Hell: You really shouldn't leave your kid with this person.
• Babysitter's Nightmare: You also don't want to babysit this kid.
• Bad Boss: Doesn't care about their underlings whatsoever.
• Baddie Flattery: The villain compliments the hero.
• Bad Guy Bar: The place where all the thugs like to go out to drink, play pool, and start a big Bar Brawl.
• The Bad Guys Are Cops: Law enforcement isn't always on your side.
• Bad Guys Play Pool: A favorite pastime at the Bad Guy Bar.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Sometimes the villain has their day. Too bad, heroes!
• Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: Morality is subjective, at least for villains.
• Bad People Abuse Animals: Some villains like to literally Kick the Dog.
• Bad Samaritan: Think this guy is helping you out of the goodness of their heart? Think again.
• Bad Santa: Jolly, present-giving, and loves kids? No no no, not this Santa!
• Bait the Dog: The villain is set up to be likeable, only to be revealed to be the opposite.
• Balkan Bastard: Bad guys from Eastern Europe
• Bantering Baddie Buddies: A pair of hired guns who engage in witty banter while committing crimes.
• Baphomet: Goat-headed demon that is often a stand-in for Satan.
• Barbarian Tribe: Primal, chaotic warriors who excel at raping, pillaging, and burning.
• The Baroness: She's seductive, icy, and oh so evil.
• Bastard Bastard: The illegitimate child or heir is evil or a jerk.
• Battleaxe Nurse: When a nurse isn't nice.
• A Beast in Name and Nature: When especially vicious or diabolical villains go by the name of "The Beast."
• Because I'm Good At It: The villain only does things because they're good at it.
• Beelzebub: The Lord of the Flies and Demon Prince.
• Beta Test Baddie: They feel incomplete, so they take out their rage through evil.
• Better the Devil You Know: It's a better idea to stick with a bad situation you know about than a new situation that could be worse.
• Beware the Skull Base: Villainous lairs and locales shaped like skulls.
• Beware the Superman: When a Superman Substitute uses their powers for evil.
• Beyond Redemption: The heroes think a villain is too vile to be redeemed.
• Biblical Bad Guy: People based on villains from The Bible are definitely evil.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: There's two Big Bads working together! They might not get along, though.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Multiple Big Bads in the same story, but not necessarily on the same side. They still might not get along.
• Big Bad Friend: The Big Bad was once such good friends with one of the main characters.
• The Big Bad Shuffle: Villains are working for other villains.
• Big Bad Slippage: The Big Bad slowly becomes evil.
• Big Bad Wannabe: The villain isn't as big of a threat as they seem or try to be.
• The Big Bad Wolf: A powerful wolf from classic fairy tales. Talents include disguise, gale-force breath, and a voracious appetite for pigs, little girls and grandmothers.
• Bigot with a Crush: When a Politically Incorrect Villain finds someone to be attractive despite being a member of a race they hate.
• Big Red Devil: Devils and demons are colored bright red.
• Bishōnen Line: A villain's powerful transformation is prettier and more humanoid.
• Bit-Part Bad Guys: Minor villains who only show up to cause brief trouble for one scene.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: They seem to be nice people at first, but they're really anything but.
• Black Cloak: What better way to obscure yourself than wear a conspicious black cloak?
• Black Knight: A powerful, mysterious knight who wears black armor.
• Black Shirt: They're waiting for the Big Bad to come to power so they can serve them.
• Black Widow: A female serial killer who has murdered several of her own boyfriends or husbands.
• Blaming "The Man"
• Blob Monster: Amorphous and amoral.
• Bloodbath Villain Origin: The villain's Start of Darkness began with sudden mass murder.
• Blood Countess: A female serial killer or regular vampire who loves to utilise people's blood in any way for her nefarious or selfish purposes.
• The Bluebeard: A male serial killer who has murdered several of their own lovers or spouses.
• Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: Militants who use destructive terrorism in hopes of overthrowing all governments and forms of authority.
• Botanical Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible organism that looks like a tree or other plant, but they came straight out of a forest from your nightmares.
• Breaking Out the Boss: The underlings rescue the villain.
• Breakout Villain: The villain became so popular with the fans, that they get to show up more often.
• Bright Is Not Good: Bright colors can be dangerously deceiving.
• Brotherhood of Evil: A villainous organization calling itself "The Brotherhood" or something similar.
• Brought to You by the Letter "S": Should it be a villainous organization, the henchmen will have the logo shown on their uniforms.
• The Brute: The physically strongest member of the villain's gang. May (or may not) be dumber than rocks as well.
• Bumbling Henchmen Duo: A duo of Laughably Evil henchmen.
• The Butcher: They didn't get that nickname from being nice to people.
• The Butler Did It: The butler is the most likely in old-style murder mysteries to be the murderer. An old cliche.

C-D

• The Caligula: A dictator/monarch who's completely insane, always making batshit crazy abuses of their power.
• Cannibal Clan: The family that eats people together, stays together.
• Cannibal Tribe: A tribe of people-eaters.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Aware they're evil and proud of it.
• Carnival of Killers: A wide assortment of assassins, usually attracted by an open contract on someone's hide.
• The Cartel: Latin American gangsters and mobsters. Well known for producing and trafficking illegal drugs of all kinds.
• Cartoonish Supervillainy: The (mostly) harmless antics of a stereotypical supervillain.
• Cast as a Mask: A character's different identities are played by different actors.
• Chaotic Evil: No order. No mercy.
• The Chessmaster: Always has a plan, and uses people as pawns.
• Child Eater: Primarily preys upon children.
• Child Hater: Hates children and wants to make them suffer.
• Childhood Memory Demolition Team: A construction team that destroys a character's childhood memories when said character grows up.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: A particularly treacherous villain who frequently betrays their own allies or partners.
• Chronic Villainy: Can't seem to escape being evil.
• Churchgoing Villain: They'll go to church on Sunday and rob a bank on Monday.
• Church Police: They're out to enforce God's Law - whether it's just or not, and whether everyone else consents or not.
• Circus of Fear: Overnight, the circus came to town. But something's wrong — very wrong.
• Classic Villain: A villain who acts as an evil foil to the hero's personality and is a main block to their journey towards their destiny.
• Clock King: Plans everything down to the last second.
• Co-Dragons: More than one Dragon.
• Les Collaborateurs: Opportunistic traitors who willingly betray their own country by serving an enemy nation, especially an occupying power.
• The Collector: Collector of the Strange, people version.
• Colonel Kilgore: You call it hell, I call it home.
• Combat Sadomasochist: This villain gets off on pain — both yours and theirs.
• Commie Nazis: Bad guys who combine the worst traits of both communism and fascism.
• Complete Monster: The worst of all villains. They engage in utterly despicable acts, are completely irredeemable, and rotten to the core.
• The Computer Is Your Friend: An AI which is a Knight Templar due to not having a moral compass.
• Conflict Killer: Someone who suddenly interrupts the conflict of others, causing the others to join forces against the former.
• The Conqueror: They came, they saw, they conquered.
• Conqueror from the Future: Take Over the World meets Time Travel.
• The Conspiracy: An evil organization that secretly controls everything behind the scenes.
• Contagious A.I.: An artificial intelligence that expands by downloading itself into other computers, spreading like an out-of-control malware virus.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: A villain appearing in the sequel is notably different from the villain of a previous work in the series.
• Cop Killer: A criminal who has murdered a police officer.
• Corrupt Bureaucrat: Lazy, incompetent, always passing the buck, and more than willing to accept a bribe to "speed things up".
• Corrupt Church: A (nominally) good religious organization that has turned bad, run by crooked priests that are all a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: An evil business leader who'll do anything to satisfy their lust for money and power.
• Corrupt Politician: A government official who habitually abuses their power and authority for personal gain, with no regard for their fellow citizens.
• Corrupt Quartermaster: A wartime version of Honest John's Dealership.
• Corrupted Character Copy: A villain based on a hero from another work.
• The Corrupter: Wants to bring out the worst in everyone around them.
• The Corruption: A mental and/or physical affliction that can turn an otherwise decent person into an evil monster.
• The Cracker: An evil hacker who breaks into systems with criminal intent.
• Crazy Survivalist: I've prepared for this nightmare. Screw you.
• Create Your Own Villain: Sometimes a villain's origin is the result of the hero's own actions.
• Creepy Child: A strange kid who is either just really weird at best, or outright evil at worst.
• Creepy Crossdresser: Evil crossdresser who does NOT look good in drag.
• Creepy Doll: Dolls used as creepy characters or props.
• Creepy Mascot Suit: An evil or scary person in a mascot suit.
• Creepy Old-Fashioned Diving Suit: Old models of bulky diving suits used to convey eerieness and scariness.
• Creepy Twins: Twins who talk, walk, and act so much alike each other that it's creepy.
• Creepy Uncle: This guy is interested in their niece/nephew in all the wrong ways.
• Criminal Convention: Fan conventions for villains.
• Criminal Craves Legitimacy: When a villain does not want to stay evil, merely use it for initial gain or a more lucrative position.
• Criminal Doppelgänger: When they're also a professional outlaw.
• Crooked Contractor: Handling no job too small or too dirty as long they can raid the place in the process.
• Crossover Combo Villain: A special villain appearing in a crossover, who mixes together elements from both stories.
• Crossover-Exclusive Villain: A villain exclusively created for a crossover, with often no relation to previous canon.
• Crossover Villain-in-Chief: When villains from different universes meet, one rises to become the leader of the pack.
• Cruella to Animals: A habitually animal-abusing villain.
• Cult: A generic term for a (smallish) religious group. Not all of them are necessarily evil, but some can be quite nasty...
• Culture Police: They want to stamp out all art that dissents against what they want, by any means necessary.
• Cute and Psycho: A villain who looks and acts absolutely adorable.
• Cute Is Evil: Don't let their adorable appearance fool you, they're far more vicious than they seem.
• Daddy's Little Villain: A villain's equally evil daughter, niece or granddaughter.
• Dangerous Deserter: Those who abandon their post are not only evil, but also extremely dangerous.
• Dark Action Girl: An evil (or morally dark-shaded grey) Action Girl.
• Dark Lord on Life Support: A bad guy who is incapable of living without the assistance of a machine or another person.
• Dark Magical Girl: A Magical Girl who serves the cause of evil.
• Dark Messiah: A villain who secures the fanatical following of a substantial multitude by presenting himself/herself as a saviour.
• Dark Mistress: A villain has a love interest.
• The Dark Side: The overall faction of evil and villainy in the world.
• Dastardly Whiplash: A classic stereotypical villain with top hat and twirly mustache, who likes to "mwahaha" a lot. Relegated to the realm of parody these days.
• Davy Jones: The Devil of the Seas, so to say.
• Decadent Court: Deadly, depraved throne room politics.
• Deadly Doctor: A villainous Combat Medic.
• Dean Bitterman: The stereotypical nasty school principal.
• Deceptive Disciple: They're letting you teach them for the wrong reasons.
• Demiurge Archetype: A wicked false God posing as the true God based on the Gnostic Demiurge.
• Demonic Dummy: A malevolent ventriloquist dummy.
• Demonic Vampires: The villain is a vampire with demonic qualities.
• Demon/Devil Distinction: A work treats demons and devils as different beings.
• Demon King Nobunaga: Oda Nobunaga is an evil being with supernatural powers.
• Demon Lords and Archdevils: Powerful demonic beings at the top of a hellish hierarchy.
• Demoted to Dragon: The current Big Bad being revealed as the Dragon to a bigger threat.
• Depraved Bisexual: An evil bisexual who grosses everyone out because of their proclivities towards more than one gender.
• Depraved Dentist: A sadistic, abusive dentist.
• Depraved Dwarf: Stunted in both morality and height.
• Depraved Homosexual: A sexually villainous or antagonistic gay person.
• Depraved Kids' Show Host: Child-friendly TV show host on camera, but not so child-friendly in real life.
• Deranged Park Ranger: Forest Rangers are not the most all-there people, mentally speaking.
• Designated Villain: The plot says they're evil, so they're evil. Even if their actions and motives say otherwise.
• Design Preservation Villain: This villain has visual similarities to a previous antagonist due to their design being favored.
• Despotism Justifies the Means: The villain doesn't care about the state of the world as long as they can rule it in the end.
• Destroy the Villain's Weapon: A hero manages to stop the villain by destroying their weapon.
• Devil Complex: When one proclaims to be the very embodiment of evil itself.
• Devil in Plain Sight: Obviously Evil to the audience, but the other characters don't notice.
• Devil's Pitchfork: Tridents associated with and used by evil characters, particularly demons and Satan.
• Diabolical Dog Catcher: An animal control agent who enjoys their job a little too much.
• Diabolical Mastermind: The underground Evil Overlord: no legal country, but kept immune from national/international law through minions and blackmail.
• Digital Abomination: A twisted entity formed out of cyberspace, typically an AI that has gone far beyond its programming, and became quite a terrifying thing.
• Digitized Hacker: The only thing more dangerous than The Cracker is a hacker who's inside the internet.
• Diligent Hero, Slothful Villain: A villain is defined by their laziness.
• Dimension Lord: An entity, often evil, placed in charge of a parallel universe.
• Diplomatic Impunity: A villain abuses diplomatic immunity to get away with committing crimes.
• Dirty Cop: A corrupt police officer who's involved in criminal activity instead of fighting it.
• Dirty Coward: Someone who's out to save their own skin at other people's expense.
• Disappointed by the Motive: The hero(s) is disappointed by the villain's reason for doing what they did, or by the villain's belief that their reason makes their actions acceptable.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Appears to be the main villain, but is far from it.
• Disproportionate Restitution: Compensation that's far less than what is deserved.
• Disproportionate Retribution: A punishment that exceeds the offense.
• Doctor von Turncoat: A scientist who committed atrocities for the enemy is allowed to defect to the protagonists' side and given immunity in exchange for working for them.
• Doctor's Disgraceful Demotion: A Mad Doctor or Mad Scientist loses their medical license for malpractice.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: When the true enemy is hiding in plain sight.
• Dominance Through Furniture: A villain proves their power by using someone as a chair — or worse.
• The Don: The leader of The Mafia or The Syndicate.
• Doom Troops: Scary-looking mooks with a reputation of fear.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Some misaimed fans develop unusually strong sympathy for a villain, despite how evil they actually are.
• Draconic Abomination: An eldritch dragon or an eldritch being that resembles a dragon. Most of the time, they're actively malevolent or at least extremely dangerous. Demonic dragons easily overlap with this trope and vice-versa.
• Dracula: The most infamous (and influential) of all vampires.
• Dragon Ascendant: When the Dragon takes over after the current Big Bad's defeat.
• Dragon-in-Chief: A Dragon that is a greater threat than the Big Bad himself.
• Dragon Lady: A sexy, seductive villainess of East Asian ethnicity.
• Dragon Their Feet: When the showdown with the Dragon happens after the Big Bad's defeat.
• Dragon with an Agenda: A Dragon with separate goals from the Big Bad.
• Dragons Are Demonic: The villain is an evil dragon that might also just happen to be symbolic of evil itself.
• The Dreaded: The kind of guy who strikes fear into the hearts of others, to the point of scaring them when they see them.
• Driven by Envy: The villain acts on the heroes out of their envy towards them.
• Driven to Villainy: Traumatic experiences cause someone to be evil.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: The villain wants to create a Dystopia.

E-F

• Eats Babies: Infant consumption as an indicator of evil.
• Eat the Summoner: Sealed Evil in a Can is summoned, and kills the one who summons it.
• Ecocidal Antagonist: This kind of villain doesn't care about the environment and are more than willing to pollute nature to death for their own selfish and malevolent purposes.
• Eco-Terrorist: They really care about protecting the environment... if a bit too much, to the point that they'll try to punish all of humanity for their crimes against nature.
• Egomaniac Hunter: Hunts the rarest, most exotic, most dangerous game, just to prove that they can.
• Eldritch Abomination: A strange monster or entity that is surreal and incomprehensible in nature. Due to their inscrutable natures and immense powers, they're usually very evil and/or dangerous (with some occasional exceptions).
• Elite Mooks: Stronger than the average Mook, which isn't saying much.
• Embodiment of Vice: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• The Empire: An autocratic superpower with ambitions of conquest.
• Enemy Mime: The fact that they don't talk at all just makes them all the scarier.
• Enemy to All Living Things: A villain whose powers/aura hurt everything that breathes.
• Enemy Within: An evil force inside someone struggles for control.
• Enemy Without: An evil force inside someone escapes.
• Enfant Terrible: A young child with evil, sociopathic tendencies.
• Enigmatic Minion: An antagonist whose villainy, and true agenda, are ambiguous and not fully known.
• Enlightened Antagonist: They have deeply pondered about and finally understood the meaning of life, but it won't stop them from continuing their evil goals.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: They'll gladly hire anyone to do their dirty work; regardless of gender, sexuality, race, religion, etc.
• Eternal Villain: A villain who continuously appears in the world throughout the ages. A baddie who's dead set on coming back no matter what.
• Eunuchs Are Evil: A castrated antagonist.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Mothers are important to everybody, even villains.
• Even Evil Can Be Loved: A villain who is humanized by the attachment a virtuous character feels for them.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: A villain who cares deeply about their family and friends.
• Even Evil Has Standards: A villain is unwilling to go too far by committing certain misdeeds that even they find disgusting.
• Everybody Hates Hades: When the god of death or the underworld is portrayed as evil, even if they weren't in the original mythology.
• Evil All Along: An unsuspecting character turns out to have been behind the bad things that happened all along.
• Evil Brit: A villain who's British.
• Evil Brunette Twin: I wonder who dyes?
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: The villain is unable to understand the hero's motivations.
• Evil Cannot Stand Cuteness: A character's evil is characterized by their disgust of cutesy or adorable things or topics.
• Evil Chancellor: The ruler's top royal advisor is evil and (usually) trying to overthrow them.
• Evil Chef: Villain skilled in the culinary arts.
• Evil Colonialist: A foreign exploiter of poor and ignorant nations.
• Evil Counterpart: A villain who serves as the hero's foil.
• Evil Counterpart Race: The nastier version of an Always Lawful Good race.
• Evil Cripple: Observing their evil army from the comfort of their wheelchair.
• Evil Debt Collector: Pay up or else, deadbeat!
• Evil Diva: A villainous Idol Singer armed with Mind-Control Music.
• Evil Doppelgänger: The good guy's clone, or Alternate Self from another universe, is evil.
• Evil Duo: Two villains for the price of one.
• Eviler than Thou: A villainous force claims themselves to be superior to the others.
• Evil Former Friend: Your old buddy is now your worst enemy.
• Evil Genius: An extremely smart villain whose intelligence is their most important skill.
• Evil Gloating: A villain who wastes their time gloating.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Some villains may have a sick and twisted sense of humor.
• Evil Hero: Nominal Hero meets Villain with Good Publicity.
• Evil, Inc.: An evil corporation.
• Evil Is Bigger: Big villains.
• Evil Is Cool: Evil is stylish, awe-inspiring, and badass.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: Don't dare to open the can if you can't control the evil inside of it.
• Evil Is Petty: Not just evil on large scales, but on small scales too.
• Evil Jesuit: Church Militant meets Wicked Cultured.
• Evil Knockoff: A villain makes an evil copy of the hero to serve them.
• Evil Laugh: A villainous laugh due to evil-derived satisfaction.
• Evil Lawyer Joke: Because of how ill-reputable the legal profession can be, it's a source of humor.
• Evil Learns of Outside Context: An evil or antagonistic force has become aware of characters or settings previously outside of their scope.
• Evil Librarians: People with direct control over the spread of free information to the youth aren't trustworthy.
• Evil Living Flames: Malicious motes of animated fire that live to set things ablaze.
• Evil Luddite: They're utterly convinced that all technology and other artificial creations are evil... along with anyone who uses them.
• Evil Malthusian: A villain who wants to forcibly control/reduce the population and avert an Overpopulation Crisis.
• Evil Matriarch: The mother of one of the characters is the main antagonist.
• Evil Mentor: A character who mentors the hero for their own evil purposes or to corrupt them.
• Even Mooks Have Loved Ones: When a Mook has to choose between their loved ones and their loyalty to the Big Bad.
• Evil Nephew: The villain is the hero's nephew.
• Evil Nerd: A villain with a very geeky or nerdy personality.
• Evil Old Folks: Get off this mean old geezer's lawn, or else they'll really make you regret ever being born.
• Evil Orphan: Sometimes the Mysterious Waif you adopted becomes a welcome addition to the family. Other times...not so much.
• Evil Orphanage Lady: A Child Hater who runs an Orphanage of Fear.
• Evil Overlord: A dictator/monarch with absolute authority over a fairly large nation, who rules over their people through fear and brutality.
• Evil Plan: The villain's plan that the heroes try to stop.
• Evil Poacher: Check out how many coats they can make out of those innocent wolf cubs!
• The Evil Prince: An ambitious prince usurps the throne from their parent (the ruler) by deposing or killing them in a coup.
• Evil Principal: A principal who engages in outright villainy.
• Evil Puppeteer: A villainous puppeteer or ventriloquist.
• Evil Reactionary: A conservative villain who wants to restore old cultural norms and traditions from the past, no matter what they have to do or who gets hurt in the process.
• Evil Redhead: A villain with red hair.
• Evil Sorcerer: A wicked wizard who's a master of Black Magic and casting curses, using their supernatural powers to terrorize people.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Deep voices just scream villainy.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: A villain with a coarse, gruff voice.
• Evil Teacher: What happens when a Sadist Teacher starts murdering their students.
• Evil Twin: The protagonist's evil (twin) sibling or other family member.
• Evil Uncle: The villain is the hero's uncle.
• Evilutionary Biologist: A Mad Scientist who seeks to "improve" humanity through genetic engineering.
• Evil Vegetarian: Death to all meat-eaters!
• Evil Versus Evil: The wicked versus the loathsome.
• Evil Weapon: Side effects may include Demonic Possession, unquenchable bloodlust and wielder death.
• Ex-Big Bad: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself stop being the villain.
• The Extremist Was Right: It turns out that they may have actually had a good point after all, and the ends really do justify their means.
• Face–Heel Turn: When a hero turns evil.
• Faceless Goons: Masks, visors, or helmets used to obscure the mooks' faces.
• Face–Monster Turn: Someone who is forced to turn evil due to circumstances beyond their own free will (i.e. mind control).
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: They look rather pretty, but it's just used to feign niceness.
• The Fair Folk: Think faeries are all sweetness and light? Think again!
• Fair-Play Villain: An honorable villain who prefers to give the heroes a chance.
• Fairy Devilmother: A Fairy Godmother that is more of a detriment to their godchild than a saving grace, usually on purpose.
• Fake Defector: Thought I turned good? SUCKER!
• Fake Faith Healer: A Phony Psychic Con Artist who cheats the sick and injured.
• Fake King: A good ruler is secretly replaced by an evil lookalike who then abuses their position.
• Fallen Angel: When an angel falls from grace, be afraid. Be VERY afraid.
• Fallen Cupid: A cherub who's arrows sow lust and hatred instead of love.
• Fallen Hero: This villain used to be a hero before undergoing a tragic fall from grace.
• False Friend: A so-called "friend" of yours who turns out to be anything except a true, loyal buddy.
• False Prophet: A religious figure lying to their followers for personal gain.
• Falsely Reformed Villain: A villain who pretends to change their ways to further their latest evil plan.
• Familial Foe: A villain who opposes a family from generation to generation.
• The Family for the Whole Family: Gangsters and mobsters who are too pathetic for the brutal world of organized crime.
• The Family That Slays Together: A family of murderers or other criminals.
• Family-Values Villain: The villain still has traditional morals like those of a parent.
• Fantastic Terrorists: Terrorists who use methods and/or are motivated by things that're only available in their Speculative Fiction setting.
• Far East Asian Terrorists: Ruthless militants from a country in East/Southeast Asia.
• Fashionable Evil: Evil, and with great fashion sense.
• Fashion-Victim Villain: This bad guy has a poor taste in clothing.
• Fat Bastard: Their sins are exceeded only by their girth.
• Fat, Sweaty Southerner in a White Suit: A Southern, white-suited Fat Bastard.
• Faux Affably Evil: They act superficially kind and polite, but it's just a cover for their cruel and wicked personality.
• Feral Villain: Evil-doer who acts like a wild animal.
• Femme Fatale: A beautiful yet scheming woman who knows how to exploit her good looks against gullible men.
• Femme Fatale Spy: A secret agent who uses sexual seduction to make certain men spill important secrets.
• Fetus Terrible: A villain who hasn't even been born yet.
• Filler Villain: The (minor) antagonist of a filler episode or story arc.
• Film Felons: A robbery? No, no, officer, this is just part of our film!
• Final Boss: The last villain or antagonist that must be confronted at the end of the story.
• Forced into Evil: They don't really want to do evil things, they just believe they have no other choice.
• Foreign Wrestling Heel: The evil foreign heel in a wrestling match.
• For the Evulz: What the villain does, they does because destiny says so, for their own amusement, or just because they can.
• Forgotten Friend, New Foe: "Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend."
• Former Regime Personnel: Hired Guns who used to be in the military, but became unemployed.
• Foul Flower: An evil flower.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: A cold-hearted, bespectacled man who prominently wears a pair of eyeglasses.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: This villain can attack the viewers by Breaking the Fourth Wall.
• Frankenstein's Monster: This stock villain is an artificial monster made by a mad scientist who's a bit too obsessed with creating life.
• Friendly Enemy: This villain could actually get along well with the hero if they weren't fighting.
• Friendship-Hating Antagonist: A villain who hates friendship and bonds, serving as an antithesis to the main hero.
• From Camouflage to Criminal: A former soldier turned professional criminal, often very dangerous because of their military training and combat experience.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Formerly an ordinary and unassuming person, now they've descended into terrifying villainy.
• Full-Circle Revolution: Everyone was hopeful for the overthrow of a tyrannical government... until it was replaced by another bad regime.
• Fun-Hating Villain: The ultimate killjoys.
• The Fundamentalist: This villain always wants to be right, and anyone who disagrees with them is wrong.

G-K

• Galactic Conqueror: Gotta conquer 'em all.
• Gang of Hats: The gang is defined by The Gimmick.
• Gangbangers: Criminal thugs who serve urban street gangs, which are smaller than organized crime syndicates.
• Gas Mask Mooks: Mooks who wear gas masks to make themselves appear more intimidating. The gas mask is usually just for show.
• The Generalissimo: The evil oppressive dictator of a Banana Republic.
• General Ripper: An army officer who has no problem with planning war crimes and wasting their own men's lives.
• Generic Doomsday Villain: A two-dimensional villain who just wants to do bad things without much explanation given, and whose goal is to destroy the city/country/world.
• Genetic Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible creature born from genetic engineering.
• Ghost Pirate: Undead pirates.
• The Giant: Large and in charge.
• Giant Mook: We're gonna need a bigger boot.
• Giggling Villain: Tee hee hee! Eee hee hee hee hee hee!
• The Gimmick: Villain uses a gimmick to make himself stand out.
• Girl Posse: The Alpha Bitch and a few cohorts.
• Girl Scouts Are Evil: Buy those cookies she's peddling, or else you'll really pay for it!
• Glorious Leader: A political outsider who uses romantic, idealistic rhetoric to hide a malevolent agenda.
• Glory Hound: Out to win glory, no matter what the cost.
• A God Am I: Don't just play God, believe that you ARE GOD!
• God Is Evil: God Almighty Himself is the single divine being responsible for creating the miserable state of the universe.
• God of Evil: A cruel and sinister deity who goes far beyond being a mere "jerkass", and actively represents the forces of evil and villainy.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: Evil and/or royally incompetent woman in charge.
• Goldfish Poop Gang: Those annoying bad guys that keep popping up again and again.
• Good Girl Gone Bad: A good girl gone to the dark side due to tragedy or trauma.
• Gorgeous George: An effeminate wrestling villain.
• Greater-Scope Villain: A bigger threat than the Big Bad who isn't as directly involved in the plot.
• Greedy Jew: A highly unflattering, racist stereotype of Jewish people as ruthless penny-pinchers obsessed with money.
• Green and Mean: A villain with a primarily green colour scheme.
• Green-Eyed Monster: This villain is motivated by their intense envy and jealousy for others.
• Greenwashed Villainy: A villain presents themselves to the public as ecofriendly while covering up the harm their actions are doing to the environment.
• The Group: The Ancient Conspiracy, mafia syndicate, Government Agency of Fiction or any other sinister overarching group. The "Them" in many conspiracy thrillers.
• Gullible Lemmings: Naive and/or stupid people who willingly help out the villains.
• Hair-Raising Hare: Nightmarish rabbit.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Everything pisses this villain off.
• Halfhearted Henchman: Villains who slack off, have no motivation, and complain about it to their co-workers.
• Hammy Villain, Serious Hero: The villain's over-the-top hamminess is contrasted with their hero's serious nature.
• Hanging Judge: Runs their court like their own personal fiefdom; don't count on any justice if you're brought before them.
• Hard-Coded Hostility: The faction that, unlike other factions in a game, is your enemy no matter what.
• Harmless Villain: A bad guy who poses no real threat and is more likely to foil their own plans than other people.
• The Hashshashin: The original Assassins.
• Hated by All: A villain who is hated by everyone.
• Hate Sink: A jerkass and/or villainous character who is created to attract hatred and disgust from the audience.
• Have You Come to Gloat?: The scene where someone is captured and the captor visits them.
• Headless Horseman: A folkloric stock villain, usually the ghost of some guy who lost their head. Beware, they might try to take your head.
• The Heavy: The antagonist that does the most work in driving the plot forward.
• The Heartless: Your very own inner demon, manifesting from negative emotions.
• The Hedonist: The villain only cares about pleasure.
• Heel: The villain in a Professional Wrestling match.
• Heinousness Retcon: A returning villain's crimes or personality are retconned to make them better/worse than originally established.
• Helpful Mook: A genuinely helpful mook.
• Henchmen Race: A race or species of beings that were created for the sole purpose of acting as troops for their creator.
• Heroes Act, Villains Hinder: The villains are there to stop a hero from what they want to do, rather than the other way around.
• Hero Killer: Anytime this guy shows up, the good guys don't stand a chance.
• Hero's Evil Predecessor: The last person to hold the hero's title wasn't actually much of a nice guy.
• Heteronormative Crusader: This villain's a homophobe.
• He Who Fights Monsters: A "hero" corrupted into villainy by going too far through the Cycle of Revenge.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: The villain keeps their agenda, motives, and goals a secret.
• Hidden Villain: A bad guy whose identity or presence isn't known until The Reveal.
• Hijacked by Ganon: A previously defeated villain returns as a new threat.
• Historical Rap Sheet: This guy is responsible for committing numerous crimes throughout history.
• Historical Villain Downgrade: Someone who was at least (somewhat) evil in real life is depicted as being even less villainous in fiction.
• Historical Villain Upgrade: Someone who was not evil (or was already evil) in real life is depicted as being even more villainous in fiction.
• Hitman with a Heart: An assassin with a surprising softer side.
• Hive Queen: The leader of a Hive Mind.
• Hollywood Satanism: They worship Satan himself, and willingly serve the forces of Hell.
• Holy Hitman: An assassin who's also religious.
• Hope Crusher: Wants to drive people into despair and suffering.
• The Horde: Barbaric and beastly warriors bent on destruction and despair for any civilized area.
• Horde of Alien Locusts: A horde of aliens characterized by their perpetual hunger, and the conversion of all organic matter in the universe into more of them.
• Hordes from the East: They're savage. They're foreign. They come from the East. And there's a lot of them.
• Horror Hippies: Hippies played for horror and evil, often inspired by the Manson Family cult.
• Hostage-Handler Huddle: Villains have captured the hero and argue what to do with him.
• Hostile Animatronics: Animatronics out to kill you.
• Hostile Hitchhiker: Don't ever invite this guy to take a ride in your car.
• Humanoid Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible being that is at least vaguely shaped like a person, or may even look (almost) human at first glance, but something is horrifyingly off about them.
• Human Traffickers: Criminals who smuggle people like contraband overseas, often in a very exploitative way.
• Humiliation Conga: The villain is subjected to a series of humiliating defeats.
• Hungry Menace: This villain is perpetually hungry.
• Hunting Is Evil: Only villains hunt (animals).
• Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Hunting wild animals has gotten boring for them. So they've moved on to chasing other humans.
• The Igor: The classic sidekick of a Mad Scientist.
• Illegal Guardian: The guardian of a young child, who is anything but good to them.
• Imaginary Enemy: The opposite of an Imaginary Friend, they're an antagonist made up in someone's mind.
• I'm a Humanitarian: A cannibal who eats other people, usually after killing them.
• Immoral Journalist: A journalist who doesn't care about writing the truth, and/or doesn't care if getting the story hurts people.
• Implacable Man: A villainous Determinator who cannot be easily stopped or deterred by anything until they achieve their goal.
• I Need You Stronger: The villain intentionally works to build the opposing hero's strength as part of a larger plan.
• Inbred and Evil: A person being born of incest can play havoc with their morals.
• Incidental Villain
• Indirect Serial Killer: A Serial Killer who kills people indirectly.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: A bad guy who could be threatening, but is too stupid or incompetent to really pull it off.
• Infamous, but in Charge: Immoral leaders who does terrible things for little to no reason, but is still in charge.
• In Love with Your Carnage: A villain is turned on by watching a hero kill or inflict extreme violence.
• Insane Admiral: Unstable Flag Officers cause problems.
• Insane Equals Violent: Mentally ill people are more physically aggressive.
• Insufferable Genius: A smart-ass jerkass.
• Insufferable Imbecile: A dim-witted jerkass.
• Intellectually Supported Tyranny
• Intercom Villainy: Villain communicates with the hero.
• Interim Villain: This villain is introduced to fill in the void before the real villains arrive.
• Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: Villains who steal babies.
• Invincible Boogeymen: A villain or monster that cannot be killed, defeated, or even fought; one may only hope to run far away and hide from them.
• Invincible Villain: A bad guy who seems to be damn near unstoppable, if not outright undefeatable.
• Irish Explosives Expert: Ruthless Irish militants who are experienced with committing terrorist bombings.
• The Irish Mob: Irish gangsters and mobsters.
• Jackass Genie: A magical being who will grant your wish... and deliberately twist it into something so bad, that you'll regret even asking for it in the first place.
• Jack the Ripoff: Someone who starts murdering victims in a way that imitates an already notorious serial killer.
• The Jailer: A villain who unlawfully imprisons others.
• Japanese Delinquents: Japanese gangbangers.
• Jerkass: A rude, mean, and unpleasant person. Although most of them aren't actually evil, most villains are jerks to some degree.
• Jerkass Gods: Gods and goddesses who act as uncaring pricks towards the mortal beings they rule over.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: If you thought this douchebag actually had a better nature underneath... you're terribly wrong.
• Jerks Are Worse Than Villains: For various reasons, it's not uncommon for audiences to hate Jerkass characters more than much more harmful villains...
• Joker Immunity: The villain's continued survival is owed to protection by the writers.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: A character's ambiguous moral orientation is proven as evil.
• Just Between You and Me: Villains love to outline their Evil Plan to the heroes.
• Just Like Us: Heroes and villains are the same as us.
• Just You and Me and My GUARDS!: The villain refuses to fight the hero-one-to-one so he calls for backup to do it for him.
• Kaiju: Tall, gigantic, big-ass monsters from Japanese pop culture. Guaranteed to demolish at least one major city.
• Karma Houdini: A villain who has been able to get away scot-free without any punishment for their crimes and sins.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: However, some of them can only evade justice for so long until the consequences of their misdeeds finally catch up to them.
• Karmic Death: A villain dies in a manner fitting for their crimes and is their own fault.
• Keeping the Enemy Close
• Kick the Dog: A despicable crime that's done just to show how awful the villain is.
• Killer Cop: A police officer who is outright murderous.
• Killer Gorilla: Gorillas as savage, violent creatures.
• Killer Robot: An autonomous machine that knows how to kill people.
• Killer Space Monkey: Evil monkeys in space.
• King Mook: Scaled-up, boss version of a regular enemy.
• The Klan: Fictional portrayals of the Ku Klux Klan, an infamous white-supremacist organization from the United States.
• Kneel Before Zod: Bow to me, hero! Acknowledge my supremacy!
• Knight of Cerebus: Everything was (relatively) funny and light-hearted until this bastard showed up.
• Knight Templar: A self-righteous villain on some sort of moral crusade who goes way too far.
• Kosher Nostra: Jewish gangsters and mobsters.
• Kung Fu-Proof Mook: Your standard attacks won't have any effect on this baddie. Try something else.

L-N

• Lady Macbeth: Woman spurs a man into villainy.
• Lancer vs. Dragon: When The Dragon takes on their Good Counterpart The Lancer.
• Laser-Guided Tyke-Bomb: A tailor-made Tyke Bomb for a specific purpose.
• Last-Second Villain Recovery: Villain makes a recovery right before they're about to get killed.
• Last Villain Stand: Villain takes a Last Stand.
• Laughably Evil: This villain's purpose is often to make you and the audience laugh.
• Lawful Evil: Order without mercy.
• Lawman Gone Bad: A former police officer who's gone from enforcing the laws to breaking them.
• Leaking Can of Evil: Despite their confinement, they will still try to influence the outside world for their plans.
• Lean and Mean: They're skinny and evil.
• Legion of Doom: All the villains team up for the sake of collective revenge on the hero.
• The Legions of Hell: An army of demonic minions.
• Lesbian Vampire: Gay female bloodsucker.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: This villain is more moral (or at the least not as bad) as the rest.
• Light Is Not Good: Think they're a good guy just because of their "good" appearance and white clothes? Think again!
• Literal Maneater: A predatory female monster who lures in human men to have them for dinner.
• Living Doll Collector: A creepy villain who collects other people like dolls.
• Living Shadow: A monster made from literal darkness.
• Living with the Villain: Person lives with the villain.
• Loan Shark: If you borrow money from these thugs, you better repay your debts to them or else.
• Loony Fan: Crazy, even murderous fans.
• Love-Interest Traitor: At first, she seems like a perfect girl for the hero. But nope, she's planning to sell them out to the bad guys, or actually IS a bad guy herself.
• Love to Hate: Despite how utterly loathsome this villain is, we still find them entertaining anyways.
• Lower-Class Lout: Working-class and poor people are presented as hooligans, criminals or outright villainous.
• Mad Artist: They want to express their artistic visions, with blood as their paint and the world as their canvas.
• Mad Bomber: They're armed with explosives and just want to blow shit up.
• Mad Doctor: A physician or other medical professional who has little or no regard for their patients' well-being.
• Mad God: An all-powerful deity who is completely insane, affecting the world around them in unpredictable ways.
• Mad Scientist: An amoral scholar who conducts scientific experimentation without any regard for ethics.
• The Mafia: Italian gangsters and mobsters.
• The Mafiya: Gangsters and mobsters from Russia (and other ex-Soviet nations).
• Magnificent Bastard: A deviously clever villain^note or morally grey character at best who outsmarts everyone else, and looks good doing it.
• Make My Monster Grow: The villain's One-Winged Angel makes them bigger
• Maker of Monsters: A character who specializes in creating monstrous creatures.
• Make the Bear Angry Again
• Make Way for the New Villains: The old villains are rid of for new villains to take center stage.
• Malevolent Masked Men: They conceal their faces while committing crimes.
• Mammon: A demon associated with greed and wealth.
• The Man Behind the Curtain: The villain who must not be seen is shown to be weak when seen.
• The Man Behind the Man: This villain was behind the actions of the original villain.
• The Man Behind the Monsters: Human leads a horde of monsters.
• The Man in Front of the Man
• Man of Wealth and Taste: Villain is rich and fashionable.
• Maniac Monkeys: Evil, murderous monkeys.
• Manipulative Bastard: A villain who manipulates the characters through their emotions and various other means to further their plan (if they don't just do it intuitively that is) and ultimately, their goals.
• Maou the Demon King: A Stock Japanese Fantasy Evil Overlord who rules all over the monsters, usually in a direct conflict against The Hero who is tailor-made to defeat him.
• Mascot Mook: A common Mook ends up representing the franchise as a whole.
• Mascot Villain: An iconic villain who acts as the Series Mascot.
• Master of Illusion: Villain uses illusions.
• Master Poisoner: Villain uses poison.
• Master Race: A race held to be superior to other races. Proponents of this are usually depicted with Nazi parallels.
• Mecha-Mooks: Evil robots that exist for the sole purpose of being mowed over by the heroes.
• Mechanical Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible machine or robotic contraption that goes far beyond whatever it was originally created for, and became quite a terrifying thing.
• Meet the New Boss: A new villain turns out to be very similar to the old villains, often to the letter.
• MegaCorp: This amoral company has a lot of power and influence over society.
• Memorial for the Antagonist: A deceased villain is given a funeral by the hero out of respect or honor, regardless of the atrocities they have commited.
• Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency: Intellectual disability and villainy are paired.
• Mental Monster: Your inner demons made flesh.
• Mephistopheles: A demon famous for tricking mortals into signing away their souls.
• Merciful Minion: When Evil Minions show mercy.
• Mesopotamian Monstrosity: A Middle-Eastern/Mesopotamian monster.
• Middle Eastern Terrorists: Ruthless militants from West Asia or North Africa. Often (though not always) Islamic extremists.
• Middle-Management Mook: They're above the cut of the average Mook, but not smart enough to be the Evil Overlord.
• Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: Villain's actions accidentally destroy stuff.
• Minion Manipulated into Villainy: When a villain manipulates circumstances that lead to their minions serving them.
• Minion with an F in Evil: Some evil henchmen just really aren't cut out for villainy.
• Misanthrope Supreme: Someone who has an extreme hatred of all other people, and won't feel too bad about committing crimes against humanity as a whole.
• Mister Big: The boss is The Napoleon.
• The Mob Boss Is Scarier: The Don is, naturally, more terrifying than his subordinates that they don't wanna cross him in the slightest.
• Mobile Menace: Fast villains.
• The Mole: An evil character who has infiltrated a good guy group.
• Monument of Humiliation and Defeat: Villain creates a monument of himself to brag about his wins over his losers.
• Monster Clown: A scary, evil circus performer.
• Monster Lord: The ruling monsters over the lesser monsters.
• Monster of the Week: A unique antagonist who usually only shows up for a single episode of a TV series.
• Monster Progenitor: This monster has created more monsters.
• Monster Suit: Monsters piloted by humans.
• Mook Depletion: The villain is in bad straits due to having no more subordinates.
• Mook–Face Turn: When a Mook makes a Heel–Face Turn.
• Mook Lieutenant: The commanding officer of the evil army.
• Mook Promotion: A basic generic minion becomes a major antagonist.
• Moral Event Horizon: An act so horrible and unforgivable that it ultimately earns them the eternal hatred of other characters.
• Moral Guardians: If they cross over into Well-Intentioned Extremist or other Knight Templar territory.
• Moral Pragmatist
• Moral Sociopathy: Has a sense of right and wrong, but also has a complete Lack of Empathy that twists this sense toward evil.
• Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: They earned an esteemed university degree, just to exploit their expertise for amoral purposes.
• Morally Bankrupt Banker: Greedy, ruthless financiers who tend to embody Capitalism Is Bad.
• More Hateable Minor Villain: A minor villain who is even more despicable than the Big Bad.
• More Despicable Minion: A minion who's even more of a villain than their boss.
• Most Definitely Not a Villain: I swear to God, I'm not going to do anything evil at all.
• Mother of a Thousand Young: Villain has a lot of offspring.
• Mouth of Sauron: Character acts as the voice for He Who Must Not Be Seen.
• Multiversal Conqueror: They don't just rule one universe.
• Murder, Inc.: A whole gang of killers-for-hire.
• Murderous Mannequin: Evil mannequins.
• Musical Assassin: This musician's act is quite a killer.
• My Beloved Minions: Villain shows compassion for their minions.
• My Country, Right or Wrong: Character is willing to do for their country, scrupules be damned.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Character is willing to do for their master, scrupules be damned.
• Mysterious Backer: A possibly villainous character is backing The Hero for their own ends, the hero himself be damned.
• Mysterious Mercenary Pursuer: The hitman/bounty hunter for hire sent to kill/capture The Protagonist.
• N.G.O. Superpower: This amoral company is powerful enough to tackle actual countries and be a country in its own right.
• The Napoleon: A very sadistic person whose stature is small in comparison to other characters.
• Narcissist: An egotistic jerk with a ridiculously inflated sense of self-love, believing that the whole world revolves around them. And thus, anyone who refuses to submit to them are enemies.
• Naughty Narcs: A narcotics officer who takes bribes from drug dealers.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: A villain or villainous organization with heavy Nazi undertones and/or inspiration.
• Nazi Grandpa: This old German man is really an infamous (fugitive) Nazi war criminal.
• Nazi Nobleman: When they also double as an upper-class snob.
• Nazi Protagonist: A Nazi Protagonist.
• Nazi Zombies: The only thing worse than a live Nazi is an undead Nazi.
• Near-Villain Victory: When the bad guy almost wins.
• Nebulous Criminal Conspiracy: An alliance of criminals.
• Nebulous Evil Organisation: A large organization dedicated to doing evil from the shadows.
• Necessarily Evil: Doing evil things for the greater good.
• Necromancer: An evil sorcerer who has the ability to bring back the dead to (not-quite) life.
• Nepharious Pharaoh: A mummified Ancient Egyptian king who should probably stay dead and buried.
• Nerd in Evil's Helmet: These villains might seem cool and dark, but they're actually pretty darn nerdy.
• Nerdy Bully: Just because they're socially awkward dorks, it doesn't mean they're nice to other people.
• Neutral Evil: The law? Ha! I only obey the law when it's on MY side!
• Nice Character, Mean Actor: Onstage, this performer plays a decently nice guy. But offstage, they're really a nasty jerkass, if not worse.
• Nightmare Fetishist: Someone who is interested by people and things that most consider Nightmare Fuel.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Someone who's attempts of doing something normal is done in a way that most consider Nightmare Fuel.
• Nightmare Weaver: Screw your happy dreams. Nightmares for everyone, schmucks!
• Night of the Living Mooks: Zombie mooks.
• No Antagonist: Not every story needs to have a villain causing trouble; there can be other sources of conflict or problems affecting the protagonist.
• No Honor Among Thieves: Most villains tend to backstab other villains whom they're working with.
• No Love for the Wicked: A character's lack of interest in sex and romance is used to portray them as freakish, underscoring their villainous nature.
• No One Sees the Boss: The superiors are left unseen compared to their minions.
• No Song for the Wicked: No Villain Song for you!
• Noble Demon: They do bad things, but still have a sense of honor.
• Noble Top Enforcer: The Dragon has a sense of honor.
• Nocturnal Mooks: Enemies that appear at night.
• Nominal Villain: A character who advances a villainous cause, but has no villainous motivations.
• Non-Action Big Bad: A Big Bad who doesn't fight directly.
• Non-Malicious Monster: A creature that is very dangerous but not consciously evil, such as a predatory animal.
• Nothing Can Stop Us Now!: Wanna bet?
• Not Me This Time: When the bad guy is accused of a crime that someone else is responsible for.
• Nothing Nice About Sugar and Spice: When the Girly Girl is actually evil.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: They look like they wouldn't pose a real threat... but they actually do.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: It turns out that their goals are way less noble and far more self-serving than they appear to be.

O-R

• Obliviously Evil: This guy has no idea that what they're doing is wrong.
• Obscene OB-GYN: A perverted gynecologist or urologist.
• Obvious Judas: The audience clearly knows the person's a villain but no on in-universe does.
• Obviously Evil: You can tell they're evil just by looking at their appearance.
• Obvious Villain, Secret Villain: A pair of villains: the identity of one is The Reveal and one isn't
• Ominous Adversarial Amusement: You've won! But then the villain starts laughing...
• Omnicidal Maniac: They want to kill everyone and destroy everything in existence.
• The Omniscient Council of Vagueness
• One Bad Mother: A villain whose name happens to be Mother, Mom or the like.
• One-Winged Angel: When the villain shapeshifts into a more powerful, monstrous form.
• Only Evil Can Die: Death comes solely for villains.
• Opportunistic Bastard: Villain takes advantage of any opportunities for their own benefit.
• Opposing Sports Team: A sports team comprised of jerk jocks.
• Oppressive Immigration Enforcement: Enforcers and implementers of stricter immigration control are presented as bigoted, oppressive, and corrupt.
• Order Is Not Good: Because Order likes to oppress freedom and not even looking at people individually, it's often a villain materials compared to Chaos.
• Orderlies are Creeps: Hospital orderlies are often up to really skeezy crap.
• Our Demons Are Different: Always Chaotic Evil, supernatural spirits/creatures/monsters from mythology and religion.
• Outside-Context Problem: This new villain is completely unprecedented and unexpected compared to the previous villains the hero has just fought.
• Outside-Genre Foe: Villain comes from a different genre.
• Overlord Jr.: A villain's son is a chip of the villainous block.
• Pædo Hunt: Child molesters/rapists are especially evil.
• Parasites Are Evil: Parasitic creatures are malevolent (and cowardly) for feeding off of others.
• Path of Inspiration: An evil religion that disguises itself as a good religion.
• Pedophile Priest: A (superficially) holy man-of-the-cloth with a decidedly unholy interest in children.
• Peek-a-Bogeyman
• People Puppets: Villain controls someone's body.
• Perky Female Minion: A Genki Girl minion.
• Persecuting Prosecutor: An evil, opportunistic prosecutor.
• Personal Mook: Sometimes villains have henchpeople dedicated to particular tasks.
• Perverse Puppet: A sentient and evil puppet, doll, or action figure.
• Pick on Someone Your Own Size: A villainous adult has enmity towards a child/teenager.
• Piggybacking on Hitler
• Pirate: Thieves and criminals who operate in bodies of water instead of dry land.
• A Pirate 400 Years Too Late: Anachronistic pirates in the modern day.
• Pirate Girl: Female pirates.
• Plaguemaster: Villain spreads a plague.
• Planet Eater: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. And they're craving Earth for their latest feast.
• Planet Looters: Bad guys (usually aliens) that steal resources from other planets, inhabited or not.
• Plot-Irrelevant Villain: An antagonist who doesn't play a direct role in most of the story.
• Poetic Serial Killer: They like to use an ironic method against each of their victims.
• Poisonous Captive: The villain tries to undermine the heroes even when captured.
• Poisonous Person: A supervillain with the ability to produce deadly toxins.
• Poke the Poodle: A mildly bad deed committed by the villain (usually the incompetent type)
• Police State: A tyrannical government that uses brutal and corrupt police to maintain order and crush resistance.
• Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: Affably Evil versus Good is Not Nice.
• Politically Correct Villain: A bad guy who openly dislikes discrimination.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Someone who's evil because they're a hateful, prejudiced bigot.
• Posthumous Villain Victory: The villain dies, but they still get what they want.
• Powerless at Christmas: Demonic or otherwise evil forces have no power on holy days.
• Practically Joker: A villain based on the Joker, an iconic enemy of Batman.
• Pragmatic Villainy: When the villain chooses not to commit some heinous horror... because it doesn't serve their agenda, or is not worth the trouble.
• Predatory Business: Monopolistic, hegemonic villans
• Predator Pastiche: An alien hunter based on the eponymous creature from Predator.
• Predatory Prostitute: A sex worker who is evil and/or unscrupulous.
• Predecessor Villain: Flashback-only villains.
• President Evil: The scheming, sinister, elected leader of a (nominally) democratic republic.
• Private Intelligence Agency: Private companies that provide intelligence services or specialists for anyone who can afford their services.
• Private Military Contractors: Mercenary soldiers who will fight for the highest bidder in any war, no questions asked.
• Professional Killer: Also known as contract killers, hitmen, or assassins. You pay these guys to murder anyone you want.
• Psycho Electro: A supervillain with electrical/lightning superpowers.
• Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: Pissed-off former lovers from hell.
• Psycho for Hire: A hired agent who's in it for the sadism.
• Psycho Lesbian: A crazy, evil chick who also happens to like other girls.
• Psychopathic Manchild: A villain/antagonist with more than a few childish tendencies, who act too immaturely in a very creepy way.
• Psycho Pink: A villain who wears pink.
• Psycho Prototype: A villainous/antagonistic prototype to a more heroic successor.
• Psycho Psychologist: A psychiatrist or psychotherapist who wants to exploit mentally ill people instead of helping them.
• The Psycho Rangers: The evil version of a heroic team.
• Psycho Supporter: Crazy acolytes.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Someone who willingly works an evil job for a living, but is not inherently a bad person outside of their career.
• A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: A disciple gone rogue.
• Pure Is Not Good: Some people can just be pure evil.
• The Pursuing Nightmare: An imaginary or virtual villain that operates by stalking or chasing down dreamers.
• Put Them All Out of My Misery
• Pushy Gun-Toting Villain: A villain with a short temper, who is usually quick to pull a gun on anyone, and wants immediate retribution.
• Pyromaniac: An arsonist who just loves to destroy things with fire.
• The Queenpin: The female leader of an organized crime syndicate.
• The Quincy Punk: Criminal thugs modeled after punks.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: A kooky group of Elite Mooks.
• The Quisling: The puppet leader of a collaborationist government, appointed by a foreign military occupation. Often the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
• Rabid Cop: A sadistic police officer who really enjoys beating the crap out of suspects.
• Racist Grandma: An old woman who is racist.
• Raising the Steaks: The Undead which are animals.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: The villain color-coordinates with Red and Black.
• Red Scare: Those damn commies are out to get you!
• Regent for Life: A regent seeks to retain power instead of surrendering their authority to the rightful ruler.
• Regularly Scheduled Evil
• Religion of Evil: A sinister sect that views evil deeds as virtuous, and worship one (or more) malevolent deity(ies).
• Renegade Russian: Evil Russians.
• Renegade Splinter Faction: A faction that split off from another that has gone rogue.
• The Renfield: A human who serves as the minion of a vampire.
• Replacement Mooks: A villain replaces older Mooks with new ones, usually because the older ones failed or are no longer useful.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Scaly, reptilian creatures tend to be pretty evil for some reason.
• Reptilian Conspiracy: An Ancient Conspiracy of Lizard Folk, manipulating events from behind the scenes.
• Repulsive Ringmaster: A sinister circus ringmaster.
• Residual Evil Entity: Defeating or destroying something evil results in it creating or possessing a new physical form elsewhere.
• Resurrect the Villain: A dead villain gets brought back to life.
• Resurrected Murderer: A murderous human returns from the dead to keep killing.
• Retired Monster: It's been a while since they were actively engaged in a career of villainy, but that doesn't mean they've reformed their old evil ways.
• Returning Big Bad: After a period of absence, a previous Big Bad returns to the story and acts as the main villain again.
• Rich Bitch: High in wealth, low in kindness.
• The Rich Want to Be Richer: People who are already extremely rich but still go to extreme lengths to obtain even more money.
• Rigged Spectacle Fight: The villain intentionally sets up a spectacle to give them an advantage over the hero.
• Right-Hand Attack Dog: Villains' active fighter pets are usually dogs.
• Right-Hand Cat: Villains tend to have a pet cat by their side.
• Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: Far-right American terrorists who really don't like the US federal government.
• Rival Turned Evil: A rival to the hero turns heel.
• Robin Hoodlum: An Expy of Robin Hood who's a villain or a Jerkass.
• Robotic Psychopath: A machine that consciously knows it's doing evil things, and may enjoy it too.
• Rogue Agent: An intelligence agent who starts operating on their own authority.
• Rogue Protagonist: The hero/protagonist of the previous story is now the villain/antagonist of the sequel.
• Rogue Soldier: A soldier/military officer who goes against their country.
• Rogues Gallery: A large variety of villains who serve as the collective enemies of a specific hero.
• Rogues Gallery Showcase: Multiple members of the rogues gallery decide to fight the hero simultaneously.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: An enemy of one particular hero decides to antagonize a different hero.
• Roguish Romani: A racist stereotype of Romani people as deceitful criminals.
• Rooting for the Empire: Some fans find themselves wanting to see the villains prevail over the heroes for some reason.
• Rotten Rock & Roll: Villains having rock as their theme music.
• Rule of Two: Villains always have only one Dragon.
• Rural Gangsters: The Mafia from the countryside.
• Ruthless Modern Pirates: Unromanticized pirates in the modern day.

S-U

• Sadist: This guy really loves to make others suffer, don't they?
• Sadist Teacher: A teacher who's overly cruel to their students.
• Sane Boss, Psycho Henchmen: The villain in charge is stable; the people who work for them are not.
• Santabomination: An eldritch mockery of Santa Claus.
• Satan: The Big Bad of Abrahamic mythology and religion. Usually depicted as the evil lord of Hell who opposes God.
• Satanic Archetype: A demonic villain with various Devil-like traits.
• The Savage Indian: A scary Native American warrior, especially one who likes to remove their enemies' scalps.
• Scaled Up: Turn yourself into a reptilian monster for more power.
• Scary Amoral Religion: These guys follow a faith that doesn't even care about "good" and "evil".
• Scary Black Man: A big, thuggish brute of a guy who is of Black African descent.
• Scary Dogmatic Aliens: Extraterrestrial villains who are motivated by some extremist political or religious ideology.
• Scary Scarecrows: The crows are scared of them for a damn good reason.
• Scary Skeleton: Undead skeletons that are evil/threatening.
• Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: That one mean kid who tormented you during childhood, who became an even nastier adult.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: An ancient villain that was (magically) locked away in some sort of prison or container, in order to keep them from wreaking havoc upon the world again. But they inevitably desire to regain their freedom...
• Sealed Evil in a Duel: Getting rid of a villain by keeping them busy with fighting someone else for all eternity.
• Sealed Evil in a Six Pack: Just trapping them in one container isn't enough, you have to split it into multiple pieces.
• Sealed Evil in a Teddy Bear: When you hide the ancient evil inside something that looks too cute to be noticed.
• Secondary Color Nemesis: Villains tend to have colors such as purple and green.
• Secretary of Evil: The villain's second-in-command in charge of logistics and planning.
• Secret Circle of Secrets: The classic evil Cult, a secret society with robes and masks that meet in secrecy to do evil things.
• Secret Police: The hidden enforcers of the Police State, that spy on and arrest people that go against the government.
• Sensei for Scoundrels: Mentors another into becoming a better person with shady, unorthodox, and usually amoral methods.
• Sequel Adaptation Iconic Villain: In an adapted work, an iconic villain from the source material is saved for the sequel.
• Serial Killer: A murderer who makes a habit of gradually killing individual victims, one after another.
• Serial-Killer Killer: A (vigilante) serial killer who targets other serial killers.
• Serial Rapist: A sick pervert who makes a habit of sexually assaulting individual victims, one after another.
• Sexy Villains, Chaste Heroes: When villainous characters are portrayed as more attractive than heroic characters.
• Shadow Archetype: The villain embodies what the hero doesn't like about themselves.
• Shadow Dictator: An unseen despot.
• Shady Real Estate Agent: An unscrupulous real estate agent trying to rip off people.
• Shoot the Messenger: A character shoots someone for delivering them the news they didn't want to hear.
• Siblings in Crime: A Sibling Team who live a life of crime together.
• Silent Antagonist: Dead silence can be quite creepy.
• A Sinister Clue: Left-handed people are evil.
• Sinister Geometry: Geometric shapes tend to be associated with villains.
• Sinister Minister: An evil priest who carries out vile deeds under the guise of religion.
• Sinister Shades: Villains wear shades.
• Sinister Swine: Pigs and piglike characters are cruel or dangerous/scary.
• Sissy Villain: A male scoundrel with effeminate mannerisms.
• Sixth Ranger Traitor: A new "ally" joins the Five-Man Band, only to turn out to be their enemy.
• Sky Pirate: Pirates in the air.
• Slave Mooks: Henchmen or minions who are being forced to fight against their will.
• Sleazy Politician: An elected official who abuses their powers to personally enrich themselves (and their family/friends) through bribery and embezzlement.
• Sliding Scale of Antagonist Vileness: How vile are these villains?
• Sliding Scale of Villain Effectiveness: How likely are they to succeed at their goals?
• Sliding Scale of Villain Threat: How much of a threat do they pose?
• Small-Town Tyrant: A crooked rural authority figure.
• Smug Snake: They has such an over-the-top-ego that we just can't stand them.
• Snakes Are Sinister: Especially if they're serpentine.
• Snowballing Threat: The villain rapidly (but gradually) gets stronger and stronger.
• The Social Darwinist: They use Might Makes Right as an excuse to torment anyone they believe to be weaker than them.
• The Sociopath: Someone who's totally devoid of any real compassion towards other people, allowing them to do evil deeds without feeling any pity or remorse.
• Sociopathic Soldier: A war criminal with zero qualms over committing horrible atrocities against enemy prisoners and innocent civilians.
• Soft-Spoken Sadist: The sadist isn't acting ranting and raving as he's inflicting the pain.
• Sorcerous Overlord: When they use their magic to help become an Evil Overlord.
• Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Each major enemy or group of enemies become more powerful than the first.
• The Soulless: Someone (or something) that literally has no soul, and thus is incredibly dangerous.
• South Asian Terrorists: Ruthless militants from South Asia (Indian subcontinent).
• Southern Gothic Satan: An American folklore representation of Satan, known as a "tall dark stranger."
• Space Pirates: Pirates in space.
• Spree Killer: No cooling off period; essentially a mass murderer who kills multiple people within a short span of time, but with the same sort of bloodlust as any serial killer.
• The Spymaster
• Stalker with a Crush: Often a creepy pervert with an obsessive, one-sided attraction to someone else. May even be a (potential) rapist of their crush.
• Stalker without a Crush: The villain is preying on the person for a reason other than love.
• Standard Evil Empire Hierarchy
• Standard Evil Organization Squad: The villainous organization's own group of baddies distinct from the mooks.
• The Starscream: A traitorous minion of another villain, who's secretly plotting some way to betray their boss.
• Start of Darkness: A prequel story that shows how a villain became a villain.
• Starter Villain: The very first serious antagonist to be confronted at the beginning of the story.
• Starter Villain Stays: A Starter Villain who remains important and relevant.
• State Sec: A government-backed police organization to terrorize.
• Stealthy Mook: A Mook whose specialty is stealth, hiding, and camouflage.
• Stock Slasher: The stock Slasher Movie villain: a physically imposing Implacable Man with a weapon of choice and mask or facial deformity.
• Stompy Mooks: The mooks make noisy footsteps, so it's easy to hide from them.
• Straight Edge Evil: A villain who avoids committing vices like recreational drugs or sexual promiscuity.
• Straw Hypocrite
• Straw Nihilist: Someone who believes that nothing in life has any real meaning or value — including morality.
• Stupid Evil: Does evil regardless of its utility.
• Submarine Pirates: Pirates who are literally under the sea.
• Succubi and Incubi: Succubus/incubus demons who have sex with humans for nefarious purposes.
• Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: A person becomes a heel in the next installment out of the blue.
• Super Mob Boss: A crime boss or gang leader is a major threat to superheroes, rather than a disposable foe.
• Super-Persistent Predator: A carnivore who won't stop until it gets its prey.
• Superpowered Evil Side: Someone with an evil alter-ego that's more powerful than their normal self.
• Superpowered Mooks: Minions who have superpowers, but are not quite at the level of a proper supervillain.
• Super Supremacist: A supervillain who believes that those who have powers are superior to those who don't and should rule over them.
• Supervillains: Villains who are defined by possessing special skills, abilities, superpowers, or at least a gimmicky theme and grandiose personality that sets them apart from more mundane villains. Obviously enough, they're the opposite of superheroes.
• Supervillain Lair: Any larger-than-life evildoer would not be complete without a wickedly cool base or hideout.
• Suspiciously Idle Officers: A corrupt employee is never seen doing their job.
• The Svengali: A manipulative, controlling mentor that exploits their student for their own gain.
• The Swarm: A smaller-scaled Horde of Alien Locusts.
• Swiper, No Swiping!: Oh, man!
• The Syndicate: Typical criminal syndicate.
• Sympathetic Villain, Despicable Villain: A duo consisting of a more sympathetic, potentially redeemable villain and an unambiguously pure-evil villain.
• Systematic Villain Takedown: A group of villains that gets taken down separately over the course of the story
• Take Over the World: One of the goals for a villain.
• Team Killer: A teammate kills his own team.
• Technologically Advanced Foe: Villains got better tech.
• Teen Hater: A character with a passionate hatred for teenagers who may be out to make them suffer.
• Teens Are Monsters: Adolescent youths can be nasty people.
• Terminator Impersonator: A robot enforcer based on the eponymous charatcer from The Terminator.
• Terrible Trio: A team of three villains.
• Terrorists Without a Cause: Ruthless militants who terrorize people under the pretense of an ideology, but lack any real political goals.
• Theatre Phantom: A character modeled after The Phantom of the Opera
• Thematic Rogues Gallery: These villains have some similar traits in common with the hero.
• Theme Serial Killer: This murderer has a predictable gimmick as part of their modus operandi.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: When everyone else keeps treating you as a wicked person, you decide that you may as well prove them right.
• There Are No Good Executives: None of them are honest, honorable, or ethical at all.
• They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Villains who look completely ordinary.
• This Cannot Be!: Once their plans are foiled, they voice their disbelief that it happened, despite the evidence staring them in the face.
• Those Wacky Nazis: German fascists (and their ideological descendants, Neo-Nazis). Best known for their genocidal racism against anyone who's Jewish, Romani, Slavic, or non-white.
• Time-Traveling Jerkass: A villain who use Time Travel to ruin history.
• Tin Tyrant: Evil Overlord in an evil-looking suit of armor.
• To Create a Playground for Evil: Villain wants to create a darwinistic Crapsack World.
• To Serve Man: Monsters and non-humans who eat humans.
• Token Competent Minion: The one evil minion who seems to know what they are doing.
• Token Evil Teammate: Among a group of heroes (or otherwise law-abiding folks), this guy has the biggest mean streak of them all.
• Token Motivational Nemesis
• Tom the Dark Lord: When a supervillain has a rather mundane or non-threatening name. Bringing this up tends to be a Berserk Button for them.
• Torture Technician: An expert on inflicting mental and/or physical pain on other people, whether as a means of interrogation, punishment, or pure sadism.
• Totalitarian Utilitarian
• Toxic Friend Influence: If you hang out with a bunch of rabid dogs, soon you'll pick up fleas from them.
• Tragic Bigot: When they have a Freudian Excuse for their hatred.
• Tragic Monster: An innocent person who has been mentally and/or physically transformed into a dangerous being against their own will.
• Tragic Villain: Someone who turned evil due to something sad and terrible that happened to them.
• Transhuman Abomination: This Eldritch Abomination Was Once a Man.
• Transhuman Treachery: A former human rejects their humanity and becomes evil because of it.
• Trapped in Villainy
• Treacherous Advisor: A right-hand-man/second-in-command who actively manipulates and misleads their own boss for personal gain.
• The Triads and the Tongs: Chinese gangsters and mobsters.
• Truce Trickery: Disrespecting a truce one agrees to is a villainous act (and in real life, a criminal one under The Laws and Customs of War).
• Tyke-Bomb: Character was raised to kill.
• Tyrannical Homeowners' Association: The petty tyrants next door who rule your neighborhood with an iron fist.
• Tyrannical Town Tycoon: Evil theme park owners.
• Übermensch: The villain believes they are above "conventional" norms and morality and uses that as a vehicle to do evil.
• Uncanny Valley Girl; A seemingly ideal girls holds some really unsavory secrets.
• Undead Abomination: A strange, incomprehensible being that blurs the line of life and death.
• Undead Counterpart: Zombie Mooks.
• Un-Evil Laugh: Laughter that is not so frightening or unnerving.
• The Unfettered: They won't let any pesky moral scruples get in the way of their goals.
• Unhand Them, Villain!
• Unholy Matrimony: A couple of villainous lovers.
• Unseen Evil: A mysterious, incredibly dangerous villain who is (mostly) offscreen.
• The Upper Crass: Noble in title, savage in manners.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: They were a nice person in their childhood, but became corrupted with age.
• The Usual Adversaries: Recurring mooks.
• The Usurper: Someone who's willing to use any dirty means to seize a royal throne for themselves.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Villain wants to make what they believe is a utopia, and is willing to do anything to achieve it.

V-Z

• Vain Sorceress: This witch is quite narcissistic.
• The Vamp: A very evil, conniving seductress who actively leads foolish men to their doom.
• Vampire Monarch: The vampire rules over its progeny.
• Vampire Vannabe: Because they want to become a bloodsucking fiend themselves.
• Vengeful Abandoned Toy: A sentient toy turns evil after being abandoned or forgotten.
• Very Punchable Man: This villain was made to be the punching bag.
• Vicious Vac: Evil/dangerous vacuums.
• Viler New Villain: The new villain in question is intentionally even more villainous than the previous villains.
• Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: A duo consisting of a serious villain with a humorous subordinate.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: An unusually evil antagonist in such a sweet setting.
• Villain Antagonist: Usually, the main bad guy of the story serves as the opponent to the Hero Protagonist (though that's not always the case).
• Villain Baal: If a character is named after Baal from Canaanite Mythology, they're probably a bad guy.
• Villain Ball: When the bad guy makes a really stupid mistake.
• Villain Ball Magnet: No one in universe can or will see this character as anything but evil, effectively treating them as a villain.
• Villain by Default: Some groups, professions or others are considered evil by default.
• Villain Corner
• Villain Cred: The amount of fear and respect that villains get from other people.
• Villain Decay: An evildoer suffers from Badass Decay, becoming less threatening over time.
• Villain Episode: A Day in the Limelight episode featuring the bad guy(s).
• Villainesses Want Heroes: A female villain has an unrequited crush on The Hero.
• Villain Exclusivity Clause: Villain does the same thing in whatever incarnation they're as.
• Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Villain didn't catch up.
• Villain Has a Point: What the bad guy said isn't exactly wrong.
• Villain in a White Suit: A baddie wearing white.
• "The Villain Knows" Moment: The villain reveals that they know, or have known, a crucial piece of information.
• A Villain Named Khan: If you are named after Genghis Khan, that will surely invoke a fearsome reputation.
• A Villain Named "Z__rg": What more popular name to give to a villain than Z*rg?
• Villain No Longer Idle: The villain leaves their throne to take matters into their own hands.
• Villain Love Song: The villain sings about their love for another person.
• Villain of Another Story: A bad guy who isn't relevant to the main plot.
• Villain of the Detour: This villain has nothing to do with the Big Bad. But they have something the protagonists need so they must be confronted.
• Villain on Leave: The main villain is absent for a few installments, and then comes back.
• Villain Opening Scene: The story begins by introducing the antagonist.
• Villainous Advice Song: The villain uses a song to trick the hero into doing their bidding.
• Villainous Breakdown: When things happen that don't go according to their plans, they completely lose their composure.
• Villainous BSoD: The villain realizes how wrong they've been and are consumed by guilt from their actions.
• Villainous Cheekbones: Some villains have distinctively creepy faces.
• Villainous Crush: A bad guy shows creepy sexual lust for someone else (often a good guy).
• Villainous Ethics Decay: Villains aren't as nice as they used to be.
• Villainous Face Hold: Villain holds somebody by the face.
• Villainous Friendship: A bad guy gets along pretty well with another bad guy.
• Villainous Gentrification: Gentrification is bad.
• Villainous Glutton: Their evil is matched by an insatiable appetite for food.
• Villainous Gold Tooth: Gold teeth symbolizing villainy and/or amorality.
• Villainous Harlequin: Clown-like villain who is too harmless and silly to qualify for Monster Clown status.
• Villainous Incest: A bad guy has sexual relations with a biological relative, to show how depraved and disgusting they are.
• Villainous Lament: The villain sings about their sadness.
• Villainous Legacy: Evil actions can have long-term consequences, even after those responsible for them are long gone.
• Villainous Mother-Son Duo: A villainess is assisted by her son.
• Villainous Princess: A wicked princess.
• Villainous RRoD: A villain has a physical breakdown from overexerting themselves.
• Villainous Underdog: Villain gets outdone by the hero.
• Villainous Valour: Some villains can be extremely brave and determined in the face of overwhelming odds against them.
• Villainous Vow
• Villainous Widow's Peak: Some villains have distinctive hairlines.
• Villain Over for Dinner: The main character's parents invite the Big Bad for a party/meeting/dinner/etc.
• Villain-Possessed Bystander: An innocent person who is being mind-controlled by the villain.
• Villain Protagonist: When the main character of the story is very far from being a "hero".
• Villain Raises a Toast: The villain makes an evil toast.
• Villain Recruitment Song: The villain uses a song to convince others to join their side.
• Villain Respect: Even a bad guy can genuinely admire The Hero for proving to be quite a Worthy Opponent.
• Villain Reveals the Secret: A character's or a group's secret is revealed by the villain.
• Villains Act, Heroes React: It's usually up to the main bad guy to initiate the story's conflict.
• Villains Blend in Better: Villains adapt into society better than the heroes.
• Villain's Dying Grace: Villain goes out with dignity.
• Villain Shoes: In a video game, the player gets to control the villain for a short period of time, as opposed to the hero.
• Villains Learn Faster: Villains generally master their skills at a faster rate than heroes.
• Villain Song: A musical piece with a bad guy as its subject.
• Villains Out Shopping: Even bad people still do normal things occasionally.
• "The Villain Sucks" Song: A song about the villain that describes how despicable they are.
• Villain Sue: An annoyingly perfect villain.
• Villains Want Mercy: An evildoer Ain't Too Proud to Beg upon being defeated.
• Villain Takes an Interest: A bad guy wants to train a good guy to become their evil apprentice.
• Villain Team-Up: Multiple villains cooperate together to fight the hero.
• Villain Teleportation: They have the ability to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
• Villain with Good Publicity: They've done a good job of fooling most people into thinking that they're a "good guy". Bonus points if they also trick everyone else into believing that the real hero is the "bad guy".
• Villain World: This is what happens if the Big Bad manages to successfully Take Over the World and rule it as a dystopian dictatorship.
• Villainy-Free Villain: A villain who doesn't do anything unethical or illegal, but is a huge jerk.
• The Virus: A dangerous monster that transforms its victims into more of its kind.
• Visionary Villain: They have some very grand evil schemes to change the way the world works.
• Walking Spoiler: Usually, if a character is one of these, they turn out to be a villain unbeknownst to both the characters and the audience. Or, they're at least hiding some sort of unpleasant secrets.
• Wardens Are Evil: The corrupt administrator who runs the Hellhole Prison.
• The Warlord: A warmongering military leader who causes conflict and answers to no one.
• We Are Everywhere: The villains are everywhere.
• We Have Reserves: The villain doesn't care about their underlings getting killed because as far as they're concerned, more minions will replace the ones that died.
• Weak Boss, Strong Underlings: The mooks are stronger than the Big Bad.
• Welcome to Evil Mart: Evil supermarkets.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: A villain with sympathetic motives to further a good cause, but they use inexcusable methods to reach their goal.
• Western Terrorists: Ruthless militants from a country in the Americas, Europe, or Oceania.
• What Measure Is a Mook?: The lives of nameless henchmen are not treated with any respect by the hero.
• White and Red and Eerie All Over: Villains who mix white with red.
• White Gangbangers: Criminal thugs of non-Hispanic white European descent (in contrast to gangsters of other ethnic groups).
• White Hair, Black Heart: White-haired anime characters are more often than not evil as sin. Especially if they're Bishōnen.
• Who's Laughing Now?: The reason they've become a villain is so that they can enact retribution towards everyone who made fun of them.
• Wicked Cultured: A sinister individual with a taste for high culture and the finer things in life.
• Wicked Pretentious: A villain that tries to pass himself off as Wicked Cultured and fails at doing so.
• Wicked Stepmother: This is what happens when we leave Dad without child supervision.
• Wicked Toymaker: An evil toymaker.
• Wicked Wasps: Due to their hostile nature and nefariously deadly stings, wasps are the villainous counterparts to the heroic bees.
• Wicked Witch: The female variant of the Evil Sorcerer.
• Wise Old Folk Façade: The seemingly wise, kindhearted senior citizen is secretly villainous.
• With Great Power Comes Great Opposition: Those who obtain mass amounts of power will create enemies from both heroes and other villains. Likewise, villains would challenge heroes because of this trope.
• With My Dying Breath, I Summon You: The Big Bad is defeated, but they had just enough strength to summon the real Final Boss before they died.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: The villain has caused a lot of damage, but the reason they did what they did is hard not to pity.
• The Worm That Walks: A villain made up of other organisms.
• Wrestling Monster: A monster in wrestling.
• The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: They may be the rightful successor to a position of power, but they are anything but fit for the job.
• Xenomorph Xerox: A monster based on the iconic creatures from the Alien movies.
• Yakuza: Japanese gangsters and mobsters.
• The Yardies: Jamaican gangsters and mobsters.
• Yellow Peril: Stereotypical villains of East Asian ethnicity. Very common in older, more racist works of fiction.
• You Are Too Late: ...to stop my evil plan.
• You Have Failed Me: They callously punish those who fail to do as they order with the death penalty.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When they decide they no longer need other people, they just simply off them. Callously.
• Young Conqueror: Youthful idealism can be a beautiful thing ... most of the time.

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