Basic Trope: The villain reveals that they know, or have known, a crucial piece of information.
- Straight: The heroes trigger the self-destruct, only to find out it doesn't work. Lord Evil explains that he disconnected it, knowing they were in his base.
- Exaggerated: Lord Evil is a mind reader who knows everyone's most embarrassing and shameful secrets and delights in tormenting them with that information, possibly even Breaking the Fellowship in doing so, as he reveals internal betrayals and politics to the team of heroes.
- Downplayed: Lord Evil knew the heroes were planning on attacking on a particular date, but he didn't know what the plan entailed. He did take extra precautions as a result, though.
- Justified: The villain knew the whole time because The Dog Was the Mastermind.
- Inverted: Lord Evil disguises himself as a member of the heroes to get close to the leader, only for the leader to reveal that he was Spotting the Thread and knew who Lord Evil was the whole time.
- Subverted:
- After Lord Evil reveals that he had disconnected the self-destruct, The Chessmaster tells him that they knew he would, and that they were just the distraction. Steve's been planting his own bombs around the base in the meanwhile. Cue a distant explosion, followed by another, then another, getting progressively closer and stronger.
- Lord Evil reveals he knows all about Alice's Dark and Troubled Past, and taunts her about it. However, this revelation, rather than breaking Alice, irritates her into punching his lights out.
- Lord Evil proceeds to engage in Bond Villain Stupidity.
- Lord Evil didn't know the truth, but had a suspicion and played on it. The heroes accidentally confirmed the truth, believing that Lord Evil already knew.
- Zigzagged: Bob and Lord Evil get into a I Know You Know I Know situation.
- Discussed: "Did you think that I, Lord Evil, would not know who it was who truly sought my life?"
Back to "The Villain Knows" Moment.
