Villain With Good Publicity / Western Animation

• Adventure Time: The self-proclaimed King of Ooo is a smarmy, schmoozing Con Man and cult leader who has been a thorn in Princess Bubblegum's side since before his introduction in "Apple Wedding". But because the people of the Candy Kingdom are so gullible, he becomes popular enough to usurp Princess Bubblegum by popular election in the penultimate episode of Season 6, "Hot Diggity Doom". Fortunately, after the King louses things up during the events of the "Stakes" miniseries, the Candy People finally realize what a fraud he is, overthrow him, and take back a humbled Bubblegum as their ruler.
• Arcane: After the time skip, Silco is known as an extremely powerful industrialist in Piltover; Caitlyn expresses surprise when Vi states he's actually a criminal. Not so much in Zaun, however, where he is feared by all and known as a crime lord.
• In Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's made clear that citizens of the Fire Nation are mostly just ordinary, decent people who happen to be led by evil people, and they all genuinely believe that Fire Lord Ozai and his family are wise, just leaders trying to share the Fire Nation's glory with the rest of the world. The fact that Ozai is an absolute ruler with total control over the school system and the media makes it pretty easy for him to achieve this; it's at the point where he doesn't even need to worry (or at least, not care) about spinning a genocide, since his people already accepted one as necessary a century ago. To be fair, it's not clear how well-known the plan to destroy the entire Earth Kingdom was in the Fire Nation, but no one in the High Command or military otherwise, at least, is seen protesting it. Princess Azula does not seem to have had this though, since everyone who comes across her is immediately terrified of her.
• Galactic Conqueror Vilgax of Ben 10 at some point during the Time Skip between Ben 10 and Ben 10: Alien Force went back to his homeworld and took it over, presenting himself as a Noble Demon and becoming so beloved by his people they went along with him renaming their planet and species after himself. Things get even better for him after he reappears in the episode "Ghost Town" when Ben helps him save his race from Ghostfreak and lets him have all the credit. This continues into Ben 10: Omniverse as the citizens take up arms against the Incurseans' attempt at killing Vilgax.
• On paper, there is no reason for Jimmy Pesto in Bob's Burgers to be successful. In his personal life, he has only one true friend (who he treats like garbage) and is reduced to showing up uninvited at parties, trying to join clubs that don't want him, and frequenting prostitutes as women find him repulsive. Professionally, his restaurant's food is sub-par, his own culinary skills are almost enough to kill someone, he uses cheesy gimmicks and he even fakes his last name to project Italian heritage. He even gleefully and publicly tries to put Bob out of business in one episode, even though that means Bob and his family would lose their home. Despite all this, his eatery is wildly popular making Jimmy wealthy enough to have a much nicer home, luxuries, and vacations than the Belchers could dream of. To his credit, he understands marketing and publicity much better than Bob, a common trait seen in this trope. Bob even copies his successful ideas, like Super Bowl specials and brunch promotions in order to cash in. Naturally, he fails to have the same results. In Season 11's "Romancing the Beef", Bob successfully copies Pesto's Valentine's Day promotion, leading to Jimmy genuinely, albeit condescendingly, telling Bob he is proud of him. This endorsement is not something Bob is proud of.
• Vlad Masters/Plasmius in Danny Phantom. Prior to becoming a reasonably respected mayor in Amity Park (to secretly torment Danny), he was already a well-known billionaire celebrity.
• Within the DC Animated Universe, there's Lex Luthor (during his Superman: The Animated Series days and in the Cadmus Arc of Justice League Unlimited), naturally enough, but we also have Vandal Savage (during the Justice League episode "Maid of Honor") and Derek Powers (until he unintentionally publicly exposed his radioactive condition).
• Victor Veloci from Dino Squad is seen by the public as a great servant to the community. He is, in reality, an evil shapeshifting velociraptor bent on returning the world to the Mesozoic era. Seriously, who would even suspect that to be the case?
• Bob Santino from Dogstar, who constantly manages to paint himself as humanity's saviour, despite being responsible for many of its catastrophes.
• The Machine's alter ego in the Animated Adaptation of Free Willy before Jesse got proof linking him to weapon smuggling.
• Futurama:
  • Mom appears as a sweet, lovable old lady in public, but is really a Corrupt Corporate Executive. She may not always be planning to take over the world, but it is canon that she intends total global (or more) economic domination.
  • Zapp Brannigan also counts as one, a narcissistic, oversexed boob who is incompetent at best, but keeps his job because people still somehow think of him as a hero.
• Cobra Industries in G.I. Joe: Renegades. They are seen in the public as a noble company that seeks to benefit the world with their revolutionary technology, but underneath their bright faces, they're a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. Cobra Commander deserves special mention since he's known to the public as Adam DeCobray, a philanthropist who seeks to bring world peace, but he's really a monstrous terrorist leader who craves power and relishes in his villainy while his persona is completely fabricated by a hologram to hide his true hideous appearance.
• Gargoyles: Xanatos went to prison at one point and still manages to be this.
• Gravity Falls:
  • Everyone in town and in his audience sees Li'l Gideon as a cute, lovable child. It quickly becomes clear that he is anything but. He loses it in the Season 1 finale when it's revealed by Stan that his psychic powers are really him spying on the town.
  • The Northwest family are popular, well-respected aristocrats, going back to Nathaniel Northwest, the founder of the Gravity Falls. Turns out Nathaniel Northwest was just labeled "the founder" so the government could cover up the existence of President Quentin Trembley, and he was a selfish crook who cheated the townspeople out of a grand party after they gave flesh and blood to build him a mansion. Preston Northwest himself is only the latest in a long line of cheats, and behind closed doors, he abuses and controls his own daughter Pacifica, who seems to be breaking the cycle of bad Northwests.
• Kaeloo:
  • Despite being an unrepentant jerkass and a liar, Mr. Cat is widely adored by the populace of Smileyland, and it certainly doesn't help that they're not particularly bright. The residents of Smileyland hang onto every word he says and consider him an authority on everything, which has led to countless deaths, injuries, and other misfortunes (all of which are Played for Laughs). The trope is particularly noticeable in seasons 4 and 5, where we see characters other than the usual main and recurring cast and they all listen to everything he says.
  • In seasons 2-4, Pretty, the local Alpha Bitch, was a popular social media influencer with several fans.
• Dr. Emilia in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. When she's first introduced, she seems to be a Reasonable Authority Figure who wants only to save humanity from enslavement by Scarlemagne. However, she's quickly revealed to be a Bad Boss with a hatred of mutes (slang for mutants) due to her blaming them for driving the humans from the surface and into Burrows in the first place. When Kipo and Crew defeat her plan to capture Scarlemagne and kill Song and Kipo, she retaliates by converting the other humans from Kipo's Burrow to her way of thinking. The third season shows that she's a Complete Monster who killed her own brother when he started to believe that humans and mutes could coexist, creates a "cure" that causes a Death of Personality to any mute it touches, and willingly turned herself into a mutant kaiju so she could ''kill an entire party full of people. Fortunately, Kipo eventually lets everyone see the woman's true colors, and her followers slowly but surely leave her.
• The Legend of Korra:
  • The Equalists' Evil Genius Hiroshi Sato kept up this act for twelve years after the death of his wife at the hands of a firebending gang left him with a hatred for all benders. He gives up the act in the same episode it's revealed to be an act with The Reveal of his latest invention: a Mini-Mecha capable of curbstomping all but the most skilled benders.
  • Invoked by Amon when he stated this as a major part of his plan needing followers to accomplish what he was doing, therefore avoiding actions that would put him in a negative light until he had enough. He was incredibly successful, amassing enough followers to threaten all of Republic City.
  • Varrick is well respected in the Southern Water Tribe and Republic City. However, he's very devious behind closed doors such that he blew up the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center, defrauded and nearly bankrupted Future Industries to force Asami to give him controlling interest, and attempted to kidnap the President, all of which was part of his plan to escalate the Water Tribe Civil War. He does get caught later on, but his whole plan went south anyway because he didn't count on Vaatu being involved.
  • The Red Lotus became instant folk heroes to the downtrodden of Ba Sing Se after assassinating the Earth Queen. Played with, however, in that Zaheer dodges around revealing his identity or those of his cronies.
  • Kuvira. To the people she's helping, she's called The Great Uniter, and she has spent the last three years forcing the fractured Earth Kingdom back together. To other world leaders, she's seen as a Well-Intentioned Extremist at best, who needs to step down from power as soon as she fixes the Earth Kingdom. It gets to the point that when she usurps the Crown Prince at his own coronation and declares herself Emperor, she is cheered on by the crowds. However, she does lose it later on as she becomes Drunk with Power, but that doesn't bother her until she's finally defeated and comes to her senses.
• Looney Tunes: Fresh Airedale, a 1945 Chuck Jones cartoon, concerns a "loyal, trustworthy" dog named Shep who gobbles up his master's steak, invites a burglar to ransack the house when the master's away at work, and attempts to kill the nation's "# 1 dog" after reading about him in the paper. A cat repeatedly foils the dog's schemes but ends up taking the blame for them.
• Metalocalypse: Dethklok doesn't count since they aren't the series villains. Their manager, however...
• Miraculous Ladybug has two notable examples:
  • Hawk Moth, whose civilian identity is the well-respected fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. Notably, Ladybug did end up suspecting him in one episode, but he managed to throw her off the scent by akumatizing himself. Note that this does not apply to the Hawk Moth persona himself. He attempted it in his debut, trying to frame Ladybug and Cat Noir as the villains for failing to stop him, but Ladybug quickly shut him down by pointing out that he was the one actually doing the criminal deeds in the first place.
  • Lila Rossi is a Consummate Liar and sociopath who's willingly worked with Hawk Moth on more than one occasion. However, thanks to her intricate lies (mostly facilitated by the Idiot Ball), she's one of the most popular girls at her school, and she's easily able to paint Marinette as the petty, jealous one.
• Monkey Dust: The Paedofinder General goes around accusing innocent people of being paedophiles before executing them, yet his actions are always met with applause by any bystanders present.
• Zigzagged with Abraham Kane in Motorcity, he presents himself as a savior to the survivors of humanity by constructing Detroit Deluxe, a clean "utopia" that's anything but, and constantly portrays the Burners as ruffians and villains. In practice his reception is mixed, some people like and revere him, buying into all the propaganda, some defect and run away from his crazy world, many are just dissatisfied with his controlling of all their lives, but stick with him because, aside from some short-sighted violence he indulges in, the lifestyle is manageable.
• My Life as a Teenage Robot: As far as the robots of the Cluster know, Queen Vexus is a kind and noble leader who's protecting them from the evil forces of Earth, led by the villainous XJ-9. In truth, she's a tyrant who uses propaganda and mind control to keep her people in line. Once the lie is exposed, her powerbase totally collapses.
• Mojo Jojo has this at the end of The Powerpuff Girls episode "Forced Kin" after he single-handedly defeats a giant alien trying to conquest mankind only because Mojo didn't want to be usurped.
• Hannibal McFist in Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. His artificial arm has a visible brain attached to it and that doesn't freak people out. Everybody thinks he's a Honest Corporate Executive but he's plotting to destroy The Hero.
• The Secret Saturdays has V.V. Argost, who hosts a popular TV show about cryptids and is well-liked around the world to the extent that, when the protagonists begin to fight him in a public place, the citizens actually side with Argost in the fight and attack them.
• The Simpsons:
  • Parodied with Montgomery Burns. Despite being a textbook Card-Carrying Villain, he often strives — and always fails — to portray himself either as a sensitive, kindly soul (his autobiography is titled Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?) or as a benevolent super-being (in his film festival entry, he portrays himself as both E.T. and Jesus). Furthermore, when he loses his plant (and in one case, his entire fortune as well) and Springfielders are free to openly hate and mock him, Burns is genuinely shocked that they feel that way.
  • Senator Mendoza, the Big Bad of the McBain movies, is a Show Within a Show example. Supposedly he's one of the most respected men in Congress in McBain's world, despite being an Obviously Evil leader of The Cartel and ordering the brutal murder of a cop who gets too close. McBain (who clearly is not fooled) gets chewed out by Da Chief for breaking the necks of three of his bodyguards and driving a bus through his front wall.
  • Jebediah Springfield, the town's founder, is believed by the citizens to be a heroic pioneer who wrestled bears. In truth, as revealed by his confession found in "Lisa the Iconoclast", he was a Fake Ultimate Hero. He was actually Hans Sprungfeld, a notorious pirate with a silver tongue (literally; he lost his tongue to a Turk in a groghouse fight and had it replaced with a prosthetic silver tongue) who tried to assassinate George Washington.
• Almost every American celebrity lampooned on South Park is depicted as this trope (though Trey Parker asserted he isn't sincere about his hatred towards the celebrities). In "Mystery of the Urinal Deuce", the President and the White House are made out to be evil people who caused the 9-11 attacks, a conspiracy perpetrated by themselves. Then, in the end, we find out that none of this is true, and the reason they perpetrated the hoax was so that people would think the government had everything under control.
• In The Spectacular Spider-Man, Norman Osborn (who is secretly the Green Goblin) is still an example of this because he is a ruthless businessman, inventor, gifted chemist, the founder and head of OsCorp, and the father of Harry Osborn.
• Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk in the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He's a well-respected member of the community. Peter Parker doesn't even know he's a criminal mastermind until late in the season, and, at one point, saves him from an attack by the Hobgoblin during a ground-breaking ceremony. Norman Osborn is also a Villain With Good Publicity in all versions: Muggles don't know about his criminal activity as a businessman or as the Green Goblin. In this particular series, the other crime lords are the same: even Spidey thought Silvermane was a nice old man.
• Dr. Paradigm of Street Sharks certainly counts. He manages to convince the entire city that the sharks and their father are the real bad guys, essentially ensuring that they blame everything wrong on them. On the other hand, that's the only plan of his that actually works. The Sharks finally manage to put a dent on his credibility by forcing him to assume his Pirahnoid form on national TV.
• Shere Khan in TaleSpin, although feared because of his immense power and wealth, citizens of Cape Suzette do not suspect that he's a Manipulative Bastard and Corrupt Corporate Executive to the point of having dealings with criminals like pirates and gangsters.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
  • In the original 1987 TMNT cartoon, Lord Dregg, the replacement Big Bad for Shredder and Krang for the final two seasons, successfully launched a propaganda campaign against the Turtles, who were already Heroes with Bad Publicity anyway, to make himself one. This lasts until the Season 9 finale thanks to his being unable to fight off the Monster of the Week Doomquest, and an Engineered Public Confession.
  • Darius Dunn in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward.
    • Oroku Saki himself during Season 3 of the Turtles revamp. By singlehandedly funding the rebuilding of New York City after an alien invasion, he was hailed as a hero and humanitarian. While it hadn't directly affected the Turtles' efforts against him much (being ninjas and mutant freaks, they have to work in secrecy anyway), it was still irritating. The public was never the wiser, even constructing a library in his honor when he was finally defeated.
  • And then there's Chris Bradford in the 2012 TMNT cartoon. He's one of Shredder's Co-Dragons and star pupils, and also a well-respected martial arts superstar with a chain of dojos all over the United States.
• Total Drama:
  • Chris McLean, the show's host, may be considered as such by the way he creates dangerous challenges and tweaks the rules to his own sadistic liking.
  • Duncan, the winner of Season 2 in his ending, could count as this. While he torments Harold for the majority of the season (Duncan claims that Harold booted Courtney, while [Harold] had a reason to.), he ends up making the final two where he would win in a close [4-3] vote. Plus, in a real-world example, Duncan wins the online voting with 77% of the votes (while 23% of the viewers wanted Beth to win).
• Porter C. Powell in Transformers: Animated. Not only did he exploit Sari's lack of a birth certificate to make himself the legitimate CEO of Sumdac Systems (then again, she's only eight), but he also made expert use of legal loopholes to justify his hiring of mad scientist Henry "Headmaster" Masterson. He's shady and corrupt, even getting out of even more legal trouble with his matter-eating virus. He's kicked out of the company when Isaac returns but continues to do business by selling Soundwave toys. After they're revealed as the real Soundwave's minions, the backlash finally puts him out of business. His return in the almanac mentions him having a few more resources at his disposal, which he used to get an AllSpark fragment... which backfired by turning his car into a Decepticon named Tux, who drained the rest of his resources.
• The Venture Bros. gradually reveals that the late Jonas Venture is clearly this. To the outside world, he was a beloved inventor, super scientist, and media darling whose name still carries weight in the present time. Behind the scenes, however, he was a hideously awful parent, a dangerously unethical scientist, and a philandering man-whore who blackmailed his best friend into being his personal attack dog for years.
• In Villainous, most of the Hero Antagonists are at best Smug Supers and at worst, this trope.
  • Airlock was an Ax-Crazy Corrupted Character Copy of Samus Aran who robs one of her employer's lackeys at gunpoint for criticizing her, and yet was a high-ranking member of the local Heroes "R" Us.
  • Ms. Heed was a close friend to the Big Good Goldheart and served on his Super Team, but was a Bad Influencer who enslaved an entire city with her Living Aphrodisiac power and is Put on a Prison Bus once the villains bring this to light.
• Wheel Squad: Enzo is an example of the trope. The most of what we get to see of the good publicity part was in "Water, Water, Everywhere". The heroes took photographs linking him to a scheme of illegal waste dumping that was contaminating the community's water supply and he managed to explain it away by claiming he was there to investigate and help. Fortunately, in order to give credence to these claims, he had to finance a project to de-pollute the water supply.
• X-Men: Evolution:
  • The Brotherhood in the episode "No Good Deed" using Engineered Heroics. The only ones to realize they're up to no good are the X-Men (who they frame for violently using their powers) and Edward Kelly (who doesn't know they're up to no good, but assumes they are because they're mutants).
  • Bit of a subversion for Avalanche, his genuine no ulterior motive involved rescue of an elderly lady kickstarted their rep as heroes and the final disaster that his friends fled after causing, is stopped by Avalanche working with the X-Men. Lance does reject the label of hero by the end of it, despite showing he's got more standards than you'd think.
  • Edward Kelly himself is one to some extent. To many, he's a noble principal who wants to help his students, and to the Muggles, he is legitimately a good principal. He's just such a massive racist against mutants that he tries to encourage fellow mutant hater Duncan to team up with the Brotherhood just so they can pick a fight with Cyclops and get him, and him only, expelled simply for being a good mutant.
• Captain Good in Yogi's Space Race. Everyone in that series sees him as a hero but he's actually Phantom Phink.
• Young Justice:
  • The Reach invoke this by going to the capitol and peacefully meeting with diplomats. It doesn't exactly help that G. Gordon Godfrey has been spending the rest of the season complaining about how the Justice League doesn't do this or, worse, that that he's right to do so.
  • In Season 3, Lex Luthor is once again this. Being the head of the New United Nations that include superheroes from around the world as members and getting laws passed that keeps the Justice League from doing their jobs as heroes with sanctions from many countries. He has successfully convinced many countries, and even some heroes of that country, the Justice League does more harm than good. The heavy restrictions cause Batman and others to leave, believing the league is now useless.
  • G. Gordon Godfrey himself counts since he's actually the New God Glorious Godfrey of Apokolips, Darkseid's specialist in manipulating populations via mass media. His show is quite popular, and even Superboy finds him fascinating.

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