Basic Trope: An antagonist that never speaks, especially as a way to make them more intimidating.
- Straight: Emperor Evulz, the Big Bad of the story, never speaks.
- Exaggerated:
- Evulz doesn't even make any noise at all - even his footsteps are silent.
- None of the villains speak.
- Downplayed:
- Evulz does speak on occasion, but it's very rare.
- Evulz occasionally makes vocalizations, but never speaks properly.
- Justified:
- Evulz is unable to speak. He could simply be mute, or he could even be an animal, creature, or young child.
- Evulz has learned to be as quiet as possible in order for nobody to hear him coming.
- Inverted:
- Evulz has No Indoor Voice, ever.
- Heroic Mime
- Subverted: Evulz is introduced as silent, but then has a recurring speaking role.
- Double Subverted: However, it only seemed to be "recurring"; this was the only time in the story he ever spoke.
- Parodied: Evulz immediately makes a room silent when he goes into it, to the point in which one can be forgiven if they thought the volume on their TV stopped working.
- Zig-Zagged: Whether or not Evulz speaks seems to depend on the writer.
- Averted: Evulz has a regular speaking role.
- Enforced: Can be a way of using Nothing Is Scarier.
- Lampshaded: "He just doesn't talk... I think that makes him scarier."
- Invoked: Evulz decides to learn to be quieter as a villain in order to be more intimidating.
- Exploited: Evulz uses his silence to sneak up on his victims.
- Defied: Evulz decides to have a regular speaking role.
- Discussed: "Has anyone ever noticed that Evulz never speaks?"
- Conversed: "I wonder why some antagonists don't talk."
Back to Silent Antagonist
