Adaptational Villainy: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"As many people have noted throughout the years though, [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney]] has been rather...[[Disneyfication|lax]] when it comes to adapting books and fairy tales into movies. [[Pragmatic Adaptation|This is understandable in some cases]]. Still, it can be a bit galling when one knows that the fire-breathing, demonic witch on the screen was a kindly old lady in the source material."''|''[http://zelda-queen.livejournal.com/46445.html Top Five Miscast Disney Villains]''}}

The villain of an adaptation or retelling of a story is a familiar character who wasn't as bad in the source material. Sure, they may have been [[Jerkass|annoying at times]], or [[True Neutral|couldn't care less about the good guys]], but they weren't ''evil''. Maybe they were even an ally of the main characters who leaned a little too far on the [[Sliding Scale of Anti Heroes]], or a villain [[Even Evil Has Standards|with standards]] or who was [[Pet the Dog|known to show a softer side]]. Maybe the character rubbed the heroes the wrong way, but never caused any real harm and was otherwise a decent person.

The villain of an adaptation or retelling of a story is a familiar character who wasn't as bad in the source material. Sure, they may have been [[Jerkass|annoying at times]], or [[True Neutral|couldn't care less about the good guys]], but they weren't ''evil''. Maybe they were even an ally of the main characters who leaned a little too far on the [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes]], or a villain [[Even Evil Has Standards|with standards]] or who was [[Pet the Dog|known to show a softer side]]. Maybe the character rubbed the heroes the wrong way, but never caused any real harm and was otherwise a decent person.

In any case, the character '''seriously''' [[Took a Level In Jerkass]] in the [[POV Sequel]], [[The Movie]], [[The Film of the Book]], or any other reimagining of the original material. Where he was simply a pest before (and never treated as anything worse than that), or even nice, he now [[Kick the Dog|kicks puppies]] [[For the Evulz|for fun]].

This trope can take several forms, depending on the adaptation and the character. The [[True Neutral]] figure is actively villainous instead of simply not caring or choosing not to get involved. An imposing and potentially dangerous, but ultimately helpful, ally may become an enemy instead. The [[Anti Villain]] and [[Tragic Villain]] will probably lose most or all of their sympathetic side and have fewer, if any, [[Pet the Dog|nicer moments]]. This occasionally happens to characters who were explicit good guys in the source material, and if it does it's sometimes a [[Take That]] to [[The Scrappy|an unpopular one]] or to make the character [[Darker and Edgier]].

This trope can take several forms, depending on the adaptation and the character. The [[True Neutral]] figure is actively villainous instead of simply not caring or choosing not to get involved. An imposing and potentially dangerous, but ultimately helpful, ally may become an enemy instead. The [[Anti-Villain]] and [[Tragic Villain]] will probably lose most or all of their sympathetic side and have fewer, if any, [[Pet the Dog|nicer moments]]. This occasionally happens to characters who were explicit good guys in the source material, and if it does it's sometimes a [[Take That]] to [[The Scrappy|an unpopular one]] or to make the character [[Darker and Edgier]].

[[Tropes Are Not Bad|This is not always a bad thing]], however, and indeed some iconic villains have come about in this way, although it will probably lead to accusations of [[Adaptation Decay]] or [[Character Derailment]] from purists. Unlike [[Ron the Death Eater]], there is usually more justification for the change in the character. Sometimes Adaptational Villainy is a result of [[Composite Character]] - the composite mixes the harmless character and a more villainous one - or [[Adaptation Expansion]], when [[No Antagonist|there is no obvious villain]] in the original work, and a [[The Ghost|Ghost]] or another minor character [[Ascended Extra|gets the part]]. Sometimes it's to [[Lighter and Softer|make the moral lines of an otherwise edgy story more clear]] or to [[Adaptation Distillation|simplify]] a complex character. A [[Perspective Flip]] often uses this deliberately to subvert the audience's expectations of who the hero and villain are. If the adaptation does well, the darker incarnation of the character may become more popular and [[Adaptation Displacement|eventually overshadow the original]]. This may happen for [[Adaptation Displacement|a variety]] [[Evil Is Cool|of]] [[Draco in Leather Pants|reasons]].

It's not Adaptational Villainy if [[Canon Foreigner|an entirely new character]] is created to be the villain. This trope only applies if the villain in question is recognizable from the original work, but was [[Anti Villain|a more sympathetic]] or [[Tragic Villain|tragic]] figure, had some form of standards or was less menacing, had [[Pet the Dog|sympathetic moments]], was strictly neutral, or wasn't evil at all.

It's not Adaptational Villainy if [[Canon Foreigner|an entirely new character]] is created to be the villain. This trope only applies if the villain in question is recognizable from the original work, but was [[Anti-Villain|a more sympathetic]] or [[Tragic Villain|tragic]] figure, had some form of standards or was less menacing, had [[Pet the Dog|sympathetic moments]], was strictly neutral, or wasn't evil at all.

This trope is [[Older Than Dirt]], since this sometimes happened to religious or mythological figures who, over time, became more malicious then they were in the older versions of their myths due to displacement or conquest.

Compare [[Everybody Hates Hades]], which is this trope applied to certain [[Dark Is Not Evil]] gods in mythology, and [[Historical Villain Upgrade]], which is a variant for [[Real Life]] figures. [[Ron the Death Eater]] happens when a section of a fandom demonizes a character rather than one specific adaptation. Contrast [[Villain Decay]], in which an established villainous character becomes less frightening or villainous over time and isn't taken as seriously by the heroes or the audience as a result.

== Anime and Manga ==

* In the ''[[Vision of Escaflowne (Anime)|Vision of Escaflowne]]'' movie, Folken is a psychotic [[Big Bad]], while in the original series he was more of an [[Anti Villain]] or a [[Dragon With an Agenda]] to the actual [[Big Bad]], Emperor Dornkirk (who is absent from the movie altogether). {{spoiler|In fact, in the series he eventually has a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}

* In the ''[[Vision of Escaflowne (Anime)|Vision of Escaflowne]]'' movie, Folken is a psychotic [[Big Bad]], while in the original series he was more of an [[Anti-Villain]] or a [[Dragon With an Agenda]] to the actual [[Big Bad]], Emperor Dornkirk (who is absent from the movie altogether). {{spoiler|In fact, in the series he eventually has a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}

* To a lesser extent, King Dedede of ''[[Kirby of the Stars (Anime)|Kirby of the Stars]]''. While still rarely exceeding a petty comedic [[Jerkass]], his anime counterpart has far fewer [[Pet the Dog|benevolent moments]] than that of the [[Kirby|original games]] (who leans more as an [[Anti Villain]] - he was known to [[Enemy Mine|occasionally team up with Kirby against a more serious threat, such as Zero or Nightmare]]) and usually plays the main antagonist of each episode.

* To a lesser extent, King Dedede of ''[[Kirby of the Stars (Anime)|Kirby of the Stars]]''. While still rarely exceeding a petty comedic [[Jerkass]], his anime counterpart has far fewer [[Pet the Dog|benevolent moments]] than that of the [[Kirby|original games]] (who leans more as an [[Anti-Villain]] - he was known to [[Enemy Mine|occasionally team up with Kirby against a more serious threat, such as Zero or Nightmare]]) and usually plays the main antagonist of each episode.

* Some of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members in ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|Pokémon]]''. While most of them (with the exception of Giovanni) are basically good guys in the games - Lance and Lorelei even helping out the player character at key points - Lt. Surge, Koga, Sabrina, Agatha, Lorelei, Lance, Karen, Will and {{spoiler|Pryce}} became villains in the manga adaptation ''[[Pokémon Special (Manga)|Pokémon Special]]''. {{spoiler|To be fair, though, Pryce is a more sympathetic [[Anti Villain]], Lance is a [[Well Intentioned Extremist]], and most of the other characters listed [[Heel Face Turn|reform]] later on, with the exception of Agatha.}}

* Some of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members in ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|Pokémon]]''. While most of them (with the exception of Giovanni) are basically good guys in the games - Lance and Lorelei even helping out the player character at key points - Lt. Surge, Koga, Sabrina, Agatha, Lorelei, Lance, Karen, Will and {{spoiler|Pryce}} became villains in the manga adaptation ''[[Pokémon Special (Manga)|Pokémon Special]]''. {{spoiler|To be fair, though, Pryce is a more sympathetic [[Anti-Villain]], Lance is a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]], and most of the other characters listed [[Heel Face Turn|reform]] later on, with the exception of Agatha.}}

** And occasionally the Pokémon themselves (particularly either Poison- or Dark- types), such as in the ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Video Game)|Mystery Dungeon]]'' games. In the games and anime, even Pokémon seen working for the antagonists aren't really evil, [[Punch Clock Villain|just doing their jobs]].

** This is utilized to a lesser extent with their anime counterparts. Sabrina is converted into something of a demonic witch who antagonizes Ash and co., while many others are egotistical [[Jerkass|Jerkasses]] that have a bigoted or bullying demeanor regarding how they handle Pokémon. Just about all of them [[Defeat Equals Friendship|make friends with the heroes]] in the end, however, similar to their manga counterparts (this is something of an important plot point early on, since more often Ash earns his first gym badges out of reformed kindness from the leaders rather than actually winning against them).

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== Comicbooks ==

* In the ''[[The Mighty Thor]] comics'', Loki is generally depicted as an evil god (though some individual writers have made him more of an [[Anti Villain]]), but in the original Norse mythology he's a much more ambiguous figure, usually taking the role of [[The Trickster]].

* In the ''[[The Mighty Thor]] comics'', Loki is generally depicted as an evil god (though some individual writers have made him more of an [[Anti-Villain]]), but in the original Norse mythology he's a much more ambiguous figure, usually taking the role of [[The Trickster]].

* Played with in the case of the Greek gods and goddesses in ''[[Wonder Woman]]''. A number of them started out as [[Lighter and Softer]] than they were in [[Greek Mythology]]. However, Ares, the God of War, is portrayed as so dangerous and [[Too Powerful to Live]] that Wonder Woman has to actually ''kill'' him in at least one adaptation. Ares in the Greek myths, although [[The Berserker]] and ironically a bit of a [[Dirty Coward]], [[Hidden Heart of Gold|looked after his kids]] and was worshipped like the other gods. However, the more recent Wonder Woman stories have taken to portraying the pantheon as somewhere closer to what they were like in mythology.

* In ''[[Ultimate Fantastic Four]]'', {{spoiler|Reed Richards}}, a hero in the original [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|comics]], becomes a major villain.

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== Films -- Animated ==

* One of the most famous examples is Kaa from ''[[The Jungle Book (Literature)|The Jungle Book]]'' by [[Rudyard Kipling]]. In the book, he is a mentor and friend of Mowgli, helping to save him when he is kidnapped by monkeys and offering him advice for battle, indeed never harming or threatening him in any way. The other animals in the jungle respect and fear him for his [[Old Master|wisdom]] and powers of hypnosis. In the [[The Jungle Book (Disney)|Disney movie]] and its sequel, he is a [[Smug Snake|cowardly, greedy villain]] who only sees Mowgli as potential food. Apparently [[Executive Meddling|it was thought by Disney]] that audiences [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|wouldn't accept a snake as a heroic character.]] And in the sequel [[Villain Decay|Kaa loses any menace he once had]]. The live-action remake of the movie portrayed him as a mindless monster who is used as a [[Shark Pool]] by King Louie against thieves (in the novel, incidentally, Kaa was the only animal that the monkeys were afraid of); this depiction draws on a ''different'' snake who appeared in ''The Second Jungle Book''.

** Speaking of ''[[The Jungle Book (Literature)|The Jungle Book]]'', [[Big Bad|Shere Khan]] himself is upgraded slightly with each Disney adaptation. In the books he was an antagonist, but represented as somewhat pitiful, is something of an arrogant fool, and is taken half-heartedly by a lot of residents of the jungle, including Bagheera. In the original Disney film, he is somewhat [[Laughably Evil|comedic]] and playful, but is genuinely feared and implied to be stronger than many animals put together. In ''[[Tale Spin (Animation)|Tale Spin]]'', he is given a much more deathly serious and calculating demeanor, but also is rather [[Affably Evil|affable]] and more of an [[Anti Villain]] in many of his appearances, with [[Even Evil Has Standards|a moral code]] that restrains his villainy. In the sequel to Disney's ''Jungle Book'' he is an [[Knight of Cerebus|out and out dark presence whose only goal is to rip Mowgli to shreds]].

** Speaking of ''[[The Jungle Book (Literature)|The Jungle Book]]'', [[Big Bad|Shere Khan]] himself is upgraded slightly with each Disney adaptation. In the books he was an antagonist, but represented as somewhat pitiful, is something of an arrogant fool, and is taken half-heartedly by a lot of residents of the jungle, including Bagheera. In the original Disney film, he is somewhat [[Laughably Evil|comedic]] and playful, but is genuinely feared and implied to be stronger than many animals put together. In ''[[Tale Spin (Animation)|Tale Spin]]'', he is given a much more deathly serious and calculating demeanor, but also is rather [[Affably Evil|affable]] and more of an [[Anti-Villain]] in many of his appearances, with [[Even Evil Has Standards|a moral code]] that restrains his villainy. In the sequel to Disney's ''Jungle Book'' he is an [[Knight of Cerebus|out and out dark presence whose only goal is to rip Mowgli to shreds]].

* Jenner is quite the [[Complete Monster]] in the [[Don Bluth]] film ''[[The Secret of NIMH (Film)|The Secret of NIMH]]'', what with destroying Mrs. Brisby's home {{spoiler|and killing Nicodemus.}} However, in [[Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH (Literature)|the book the film is based on]], he is not nearly as villainous, but is a slightly more sympathetic and much less malicious [[Commander Contrarian]] who only appears through flashbacks {{spoiler|and [[Doomed Contrarian|dies]] offstage.}}

** In the (non-Bluth directed) sequel to the movie, {{spoiler|Martin}}, a good guy in both the film and book, becomes a crazed villain (although as the result of [[Brainwashed and Crazy|brainwashing]]).

* Ivan Sakharine in the ''[[Tintin]]'' comic ''The Secret of the Unicorn''. While sinister-seeming and a nuisance, he isn't evil, and is victimized by the real villains, a pair of unscrupulous treasure hunters. He even gets an implied [[Pet the Dog]] moment - a cameo in ''Red Rackham's Treasure'' suggests that he offered his own ''Unicorn'' model for Captain Haddock's maritime gallery, and in turn Haddock seems to be on good enough terms with Sakharine to invite him to an exhibition there. In the [[The Adventures of Tintin (Film)|movie]] based on the same comic, he is a much darker and more threatening character {{spoiler|with a blood vendetta against Haddock's family}} who takes over the role of the comic's villains.

* Ivan Sakharine in the ''[[Tintin (Comic Book)]]'' comic ''The Secret of the Unicorn''. While sinister-seeming and a nuisance, he isn't evil, and is victimized by the real villains, a pair of unscrupulous treasure hunters. He even gets an implied [[Pet the Dog]] moment - a cameo in ''Red Rackham's Treasure'' suggests that he offered his own ''Unicorn'' model for Captain Haddock's maritime gallery, and in turn Haddock seems to be on good enough terms with Sakharine to invite him to an exhibition there. In the [[The Adventures of Tintin (Film)|movie]] based on the same comic, he is a much darker and more threatening character {{spoiler|with a blood vendetta against Haddock's family}} who takes over the role of the comic's villains.

* In Disney's ''[[Hercules (Disney)|Hercules]]'', Hades is a [[Satan]]-like villain ([[Everybody Hates Hades|again]]), intent on overthrowing Zeus and taking over Mount Olympus. In [[Greek Mythology]], he was a [[Lawful Neutral|neutral]] but just ruler of the dead and no worse than the [[Jerkass Gods|other Greek gods]]. Hades had no antagonism towards Heracles, only meeting the hero when Heracles asked to borrow Cerberus for one of his twelve labors. Heracles's original divine enemy was Hera, his stepmother and Zeus's wife. As for overthrowing Zeus, Hades never tried that in the myths. While Hades ''did'' kidnap Persephone ([[Jerkass Gods|with Zeus's permission]]), he was nowhere near as bad a husband as his brothers [[Anything That Moves|Zeus and Poseidon]].

** Inverted with Hera, however. In the movie, she is portrayed as Hercules's loving mother. In mythology, she was his main enemy, since he was the product of one of Zeus's "escapades".

* The Sea Witch in the [[Hans Christian Andersen]] fairy tale ''[[The Little Mermaid (Disney)|The Little Mermaid]]'' is a [[True Neutral]] character who shows no vindictive intentions toward the unnamed mermaid, only making the famous tongue-for-legs exchange, even warning the mermaid of the consequences of the transformation. She doesn't go back on the deal or interfere with her relationship with the prince until she is asked to by the mermaid's sisters, and even then only indirectly. In the [[Disney Animated Canon]], she is named Ursula, is an out-and-out villain with a tendency toward [[Deal With the Devil|Faustian deals]], and gets in the way of Ariel's romance with Prince Eric far more than the character in the fairy tale did.

** Ursula also takes the place of the princess who the prince eventually marries in the original, who is innocent in Andersen's fairy tale and genuinely loves him.

* It may be surprising to learn that [[Sinister Minister|Archdeacon Claude Frollo]] of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Literature)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' was [[Anti Villain|a more sympathetic character]] in the original novel by [[Victor Hugo]]. While driven to evil deeds later by his lust for Esmeralda, he willingly adopts and cares for Quasimodo, instead of threatening to throw him down a well as he did in the [[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)|Disney version]] of the story. All while looking after his layabout of a brother, Jehan, and being orphaned himself to boot. He was also more tolerant of gypsies, asking only that they keep their activities away from the cathedral rather than actively hunting them down.

* It may be surprising to learn that [[Sinister Minister|Archdeacon Claude Frollo]] of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Literature)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' was [[Anti-Villain|a more sympathetic character]] in the original novel by [[Victor Hugo]]. While driven to evil deeds later by his lust for Esmeralda, he willingly adopts and cares for Quasimodo, instead of threatening to throw him down a well as he did in the [[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney)|Disney version]] of the story. All while looking after his layabout of a brother, Jehan, and being orphaned himself to boot. He was also more tolerant of gypsies, asking only that they keep their activities away from the cathedral rather than actively hunting them down.

** Inverted with Phoebus, however. In the book, he is a [[Jerkass]] and a [[Karma Houdini]]. In the movie, he is a much more sympathetic character who is Quasimodo's ally and {{spoiler|marries Esmeralda in the end.}}

* The [[God Save Us From the Queen|Queen of Hearts]] is depicted as an [[Axe Crazy]] villainess in the [[Alice in Wonderland (Disney)|Disney]] and [[Alice in Wonderland (Film)|Tim Burton]] adaptations of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]''. In the book by [[Lewis Carroll]], while she does constantly order executions, the King quietly pardons everybody she sentences to death when she isn't looking and no real harm is done. She never notices this, and the inhabitants of Wonderland just choose to play along with her.

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== Films -- Live-Action ==

* In the original ''[[Land of the Lost (TV)|Land of the Lost]]'' TV show, Enik the Altrusian was [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold|gruff and somewhat self-centered]], but was otherwise a good guy and helped the main characters when they needed it, in contrast to his more vicious Sleestak relatives. In the [[Land of the Lost (Film)|2009 live-action]] [[The Film of the Series|movie]], he is a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who wiped out his own people, tries to [[Take Over the World]] with an army of mind-controlled Sleestaks, and briefly tricks the main characters into helping him do so.

* In the book ''[[The Space Odyssey Series|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' by [[Arthur C Clarke|Arthur C. Clarke]], HAL-9000 is a beautifully-defined and deeply sympathetic character who is so human that he develops a psychosis. [[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|The movie]], deprived of the ability to use an [[Author Tract]] to make this clear, makes HAL seem far more monstrous than the original intent, and sadly the film is often cited as an example of [[AI Is a Crapshoot]].

* In the book ''[[The Space Odyssey Series|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' by [[Arthur C. Clarke (Creator)|Arthur C. Clarke]], HAL-9000 is a beautifully-defined and deeply sympathetic character who is so human that he develops a psychosis. [[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|The movie]], deprived of the ability to use an [[Author Tract]] to make this clear, makes HAL seem far more monstrous than the original intent, and sadly the film is often cited as an example of [[AI Is a Crapshoot]].

** The movie of ''[[Two Thousand Ten the Year We Make Contact|2010: The Year We Make Contact]]'' sticks more closely to the book and redeems HAL, but of course it's often regarded as a very poor relation to the original movie.

* Pius Thicknesse of the ''[[Harry Potter (Literature)|Harry Potter]]'' books is weak-willed and not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but isn't a villain until he is [[Brainwashed]] into becoming one by Voldemort through the Imperius Curse. He's presumably returned to normal after the war, although this isn't shown. In the [[Harry Potter (Film)|film series]], he is implied to [[The Quisling|have joined the Death Eaters of his own free will]], as he doesn't display traits of characters under the Imperius Curse in the films and is more self-aware.

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* Scrappy-Doo in the ''[[Scooby Doo]]'' live-action movie. While previously an ally of the good guys ([[The Scrappy|although disliked by a lot of fans]]), he has a [[Face Heel Turn]] and becomes the [[Big Bad]], trying to kill Scooby and friends by sucking out their souls.

* In the film version of ''[[Last of the Mohicans (Film)|Last of the Mohicans]]'', Duncan Heyward, although {{spoiler|he has a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}, is significantly more of a jerk than the character in the [[The Last of the Mohicans (Literature)|book]].

* The [[The Lord of the Rings (Film)|movie]] version of Denethor of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' has fewer redeeming features than his [[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|book]] counterpart, who leaned more as a [[Good Is Not Nice]] [[Anti Hero]] until he [[Jumped Off the Slippery Slope|went mad]] as a result of using [[Evil Overlord|Sauron's]] seeing-stone, which Sauron used to push him over the [[Despair Event Horizon]].

* The [[The Lord of the Rings (Film)|movie]] version of Denethor of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' has fewer redeeming features than his [[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|book]] counterpart, who leaned more as a [[Good Is Not Nice]] [[Anti-Hero]] until he [[Jumped Off the Slippery Slope|went mad]] as a result of using [[Evil Overlord|Sauron's]] seeing-stone, which Sauron used to push him over the [[Despair Event Horizon]].

** The Palantir was not Sauron's. They all rightfully belonged to Arnor/Gondor. The problem came when Sauron took the one that had been in Minas Morgul (previously the Gondorian city Minas Ithil) after he conquered it and he ultimately used the link between the stones to deceive Denethor and eventually help break him.

** It does the same to Saruman. The only people able to use the stones without going mad were Aragorn and Pippin. Aragorn was too powerful for Sauron to break and Pippin was... well, a Hobbit. Denethor was probably down the line of his corruption for the sake of story telling.

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== Literature ==

* In ''Frankenstein's Monster'', a [[POV Sequel]] to Mary Shelley's novel ''[[Frankenstein (Literature)|Frankenstein]]'', Captain Robert Walton is a [[Knight Templar]] who pursues the monster according to Victor's final wishes. In the original book, although Victor does make the same request, Walton feels some sympathy for the monster and allows it to leave his ship without a fight.

** Victor Frankenstein himself gets this in many modern interpretations, in which he is a [[Mad Scientist]], [[Card Carrying Villain]], or both. In the book, his mental instability isn't so obvious, and he is a significantly more complex character, more misguided and pathetic than villainous.

** Victor Frankenstein himself gets this in many modern interpretations, in which he is a [[Mad Scientist]], [[Card-Carrying Villain]], or both. In the book, his mental instability isn't so obvious, and he is a significantly more complex character, more misguided and pathetic than villainous.

* Mr. Rochester is much less sympathetic in Jean Rhys's ''Wide Sargasso Sea'' than he is in ''[[Jane Eyre]]''.

* The [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] novel ''The Resurrection Casket'' is ''[[Treasure Island]] [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE]]!'' Drel McCavity (the Squire Trelawney character) turns out to be a villain, but not ''quite'' as much of one as Salvo (the John Silver character) who's been "upgraded" to a [[Faux Affably Evil]] [[Complete Monster]].

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== Live-Action TV ==

* In Forrest Wilson's ''[[Super Gran]]'' books, the character Tub, while initially a somewhat reluctant henchman to [[Big Bad|Campbell]], becomes a good guy in later books following a [[Heel Face Turn]]. In the TV show, he is a [[Card Carrying Villain]] who goes along with Campbell's plans unquestioningly.

* In Forrest Wilson's ''[[Super Gran]]'' books, the character Tub, while initially a somewhat reluctant henchman to [[Big Bad|Campbell]], becomes a good guy in later books following a [[Heel Face Turn]]. In the TV show, he is a [[Card-Carrying Villain]] who goes along with Campbell's plans unquestioningly.

* In the [[Sky One]] adaptation of ''[[Treasure Island]]'', the real villain isn't the [[Affably Evil]] Silver; it's [[Aristocrats Are Evil|Squire Trelawney]], who plots to cheat Jim and Dr Livesey out of their share of the treasure, arranges for Mrs Hawkins to be thrown out of the inn while they're away, has Mr Arrow executed, and eventually {{spoiler|suffers a [[Karmic Death]] by diving after the treasure when Jim throws it overboard}}. Not much like the [[Upperclass Twit|excitable but well-meaning]] "most liberal of men" in the book.

** Tom Redruth, Trelawney's gamekeeper, gets this, too - in the book, he is an elderly man who accompanies Trelawney to the island and is killed by the mutineers. In the series, he is Trelawney's vicious enforcer back in England.

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== Theater ==

* The Wizard in ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', although he becomes one of Dorothy's friends, isn't ''nice'' in his early appearances (after all, he did have Ozma kidnapped to prevent her from interfering with his takeover of Oz). However, in the [[Perspective Flip]] ''[[Wicked]]'' - both [[Wicked (Literature)|the original book]] and the [[Wicked (Theatre)|musical]] - he is [[Fantastic Racism|much worse]]. The musical version is only a little more sympathetic than the [[Complete Monster]] book version, who doesn't shy from personally murdering the Ozma Regent, violently suppressing Animal protesters, and attempting to exterminate the Quadlings just to get at the rubies on their land.

** It's sort of half-way in the musical, the Wizard is sort of a [[Well Intentioned Extremist]] who is puppeteered by Madame Morrible and generally seems to want the best for Oz, as long as he remains its leader.

** It's sort of half-way in the musical, the Wizard is sort of a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] who is puppeteered by Madame Morrible and generally seems to want the best for Oz, as long as he remains its leader.

* While he doesn't become evil, Raoul becomes [[The Alcoholic|a drunken mess]] in ''[[Love Never Dies]]'', [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s sequel to ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'', while he was one of the noblest characters in both the theater adaptation and the original book.

** Meg Giry, on the other hand, plays this much more dramatically. She {{spoiler|goes insane and kills Christine, her friend in the original.}}

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== Western Animation ==

* In the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games and most cartoon adaptations, Dr "Eggman" Robotnik is villainous, but with a highly [[Affably Evil|affable]] and clownish demeanor, and in some cases leans into [[Anti Villain]] territory. Robotnik of ''[[Sonic Sat AM (Animation)|Sonic Sat AM]]'' and [[Sonic Underground]], however, is a monstrous (and far less humorous) dictator that not only has taken over most of the planet but thrives almost lustfully on having any remaining civilians [[Transformation Trauma|painfully]] [[Unwilling Roboticisation|robotocized]]. This depiction is drifted in and out for both comic adaptations (although they refer to his more petty, comical personality a lot more).

* In the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games and most cartoon adaptations, Dr "Eggman" Robotnik is villainous, but with a highly [[Affably Evil|affable]] and clownish demeanor, and in some cases leans into [[Anti-Villain]] territory. Robotnik of ''[[Sonic Sat AM (Animation)|Sonic Sat AM]]'' and [[Sonic Underground]], however, is a monstrous (and far less humorous) dictator that not only has taken over most of the planet but thrives almost lustfully on having any remaining civilians [[Transformation Trauma|painfully]] [[Unwilling Roboticisation|robotocized]]. This depiction is drifted in and out for both comic adaptations (although they refer to his more petty, comical personality a lot more).

** Inverted in ''[[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (Animation)|Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' where Robotnik is instead portrayed as an oafish, cowardly buffoon who does nothing but get kicked around by not only Sonic and Tails, but also his own cronies Scratch and Grounder as well.

* In the song ''[[Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer]]'', Cousin Mel is mentioned a grand total of once, playing cards with Grandpa after Grandma's death. In the [[Christmas Special]] based on the song, she is a [[The Grinch|Christmas-hating]] [[Gold Digger]] and wannabe [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] who [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking|sings one of the]] [[Disney Acid Sequence|oddest]] [[Villain Song|Villain Songs]] [[Arson Murder and Jaywalking|ever written]].

* In the song ''[[Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer]]'', Cousin Mel is mentioned a grand total of once, playing cards with Grandpa after Grandma's death. In the [[Christmas Special]] based on the song, she is a [[The Grinch|Christmas-hating]] [[Gold Digger]] and wannabe [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] who [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|sings one of the]] [[Disney Acid Sequence|oddest]] [[Villain Song|Villain Songs]] [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|ever written]].

* In the book ''[[Cranberry Christmas]]'', Cyrus Grape is a [[Grumpy Old Man|curmudgeonly old man]] who refuses to let anyone skate on his pond, but gets his comeuppance when Mr. Whiskers finds a deed that proves the lake is actually on his property. In the animated special, Cyrus is a much more active antagonist, sneaking around and messing up Mr. Whiskers's house in order to keep Mr. Whiskers from finding that deed (whereas in the book he had no idea it existed).

* ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' actually did this to the character Waspinator from ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]''. While ''Beast Wars'' Waspinator is portrayed as the lovable [[Butt Monkey]] who does nothing but get kicked around by other characters (though he does manage to injure the occasional Maximal, usually not by accident), ''Animated'' Waspinator, now renamed Wasp, is downright terrifying, and wants to get revenge on everyone who abused him.

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* Tublat the gorilla from ''[[Tarzan]]'' by [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]. In Disney's ''[[The Legend of Tarzan (Animation)|The Legend of Tarzan]]'', his character is [[Composite Character|merged rather confusingly]] with another, Kerchak. Since Disney decided to make their version of Kerchak (who is ironically more similar to Burroughs's Tublat in personality) more sympathetic, as a consequence they ended up making their version of Tublat more sinister, like the novel's Kerchak.

* In the TV show ''[[Mega Man (Animation)|Mega Man]]'', Proto Man is one of the major villains. In the games, while he did work for [[Big Bad|Dr. Wily]] [[Mega Man 3 (Video Game)|at first]], he had a [[Heel Face Turn]] and became an ally to Mega Man, if a [[Aloof Ally|distant one]].

* In the ''[[Spider Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'' comics [[Silver Sable]] is an [[Anti Hero|anti-heroic]] mercenary. While she sometimes fights [[Spider Man]], they usually team up to fight the real villain. In ''[[The Spectacular Spider Man]]'', Silver Sable is a [[Mafia Princess]] and a straight up villain, since she's the [[~~Daddys~~ Little Villain|daughter]] of the mob boss Silvermane in the show.

* In the ''[[Spider Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'' comics [[Silver Sable]] is an [[Anti-Hero|anti-heroic]] mercenary. While she sometimes fights [[Spider Man]], they usually team up to fight the real villain. In ''[[The Spectacular Spider Man]]'', Silver Sable is a [[Mafia Princess]] and a straight up villain, since she's the [[Daddy's Little Villain|daughter]] of the mob boss Silvermane in the show.

** [[Word of God]] says that had the show continued, she would have [[Heel Face Turn|evolved]] into her usual anti-heroic persona.

* Anubis is a villain in the TV show ''[[Mummies Alive]]'', when he was actually a [[Dark Is Not Evil|good god]] in [[Egyptian Mythology]] who guarded and protected the dead. Set is also seen with Anubis, while Set disowned him in the myths for siding with Horus.