Basic Trope: "Cain" and names like it are associated with villainy and/or evil.
- Straight: Count Caspar Kane is one of the main antagonists of Tropers Unlimited and the second-in-command to the main villain, Lord Blackwood. Kane is a sinister young nobleman who is rumored to have murdered his brother to get the title, and tortures the heroes when they are captured by him.
- Exaggerated:
- Every villain in the setting has a name that sounds like Cain.
- Caspar Kane is a Complete Monster.
- It turns out that Kane is actually the biblical Cain.
- Downplayed: Caspar Kane is just a hot-tempered scamp who won't let kids in his way.
- Justified: "Kane" was a moniker given to him by Lord Blackwood after hearing of Caspar's nefarious deeds.
- Inverted:
- Caspar Kane is the most moral character in the story, or at the very least, a Virtuous Character Copy of the Biblical Cain.
- Prince Avel is a Corrupted Character Copy of the Biblical Abel, mainly being a Spoiled Royal Brat who killed his parents who favored him over his brother just so he can gain the throne faster.
- Subverted: Caspar Kane's reputation is merely the result of lies and slander. Not only does he prove himself to be on the side of the angels, he's also an affable guy...
- Double Subverted: Caspar Kane's reputation is merely the result of lies and slander. Not only does he prove himself to be on the side of the angels, he's also an affable guy... at least until he is tempted by an Artifact of Doom and undergoes a Face–Heel Turn.
- Parodied: As soon as "Caspar Kane" is written on the baby's birth certificate, he instantly becomes an Enfant Terrible.
- Zig-Zagged: There are several people in the work with names similar to "Cain". Some of them are evil, while others aren't.
- Averted: No characters named Cain or variants thereof show up in the story. If they do, there are not particularly good or evil.
- Enforced: Caspar's surname in early drafts was Canterbury. The editor did not think it was intimidating enough for a villain of his importance, and suggested "Kane" instead.
- Lampshaded: "No way are we trusting a guy named Kane. Didn't any of you pay attention in Bible study? That guy killed his brother!"
- Invoked: "Caspar Kane" is Bob's Dungeons & Dragons character. He's a Fallen Hero that Bob named specifically for the biblical Cain.
- Exploited: While introducing himself to Lord Blackwood in hopes of joining his legion of villainy, Caspar specifically references his name as proof of his evil.
- Defied: Caspar renames himself in hopes of escaping the bad reputation his name gives him.
- Discussed: "Caspar Kane? If this were a movie, he'd be an obvious villain."
- Conversed: "There's no better way to brand your character a villain than to name him Kane."
Back to Name of Cain
