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Affably Evil (view source)

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[[File:themayor.jpg|link=Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|frame|<small>The Mayor of Sunnydale. [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|Cheerful. Fatherly. Wants to be a giant snake demon.]]</small> ]]
 
 
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Most of the time, when there is a [[Villain]], they're going to have a personality or manner that underscores how evil they are. They may [[Kick the Dog|kick puppies]] [[For the Evulz|for giggles]], be [[Jerkass|particularly insensitive]], [[Coitus Uninterruptus|even during sex]], or might just be too [[The Omniscient Council of Vagueness|unknowable to be anything but evil]].
 
And then, there are villains who are Affably Evil. There is absolutely nothing separating them from being normal, polite people except for the fact that they want to [[Take Over the World]] or use [[Powered Byby a Forsaken Child|human souls]] to power their [[Artifact of Doom]]. They're not the [[Stepford Smiler]] -- their affability is a genuine part of their personality, not a mask. If they have underlings, expect them to be a [[Benevolent Boss]]. In one way, they're the opposite of an [[Anti-Hero]]. They may [[Pet the Dog]] on occasion, but won't hesitate to kick it with steel-toed boots the next second if it helps them accomplish their goals. They may well be a [[Villain Withwith Good Publicity]].
 
This villain will [[Go-Karting Withwith Bowser|invite the hero out to tea]], [[No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine|offer him]] [[Your Favorite|a favorite dish]], make pleasant small talk, try to appeal to the hero's better nature, and convince the heroes that the [[Evil Plan|villain's plan]] isn't worth getting involved in. Of course, if the hero still won't change their mind, the villain will remind them that they are, after all, still a villain. It may or may not involve a [[Death Trap]], depending on how nice the villain really is when crossed. Of course, inviting [[Did Mom Just Have Tea Withwith Cthulhu?|the hero's mom out to tea]] might send a stronger message. The friendliness of said villains can serve to humanize these guys.
 
Almost always either comedic, or a charismatic [[Magnificent Bastard]], or a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] who really [[Knight Templar|believes that they are the good guys]], but the occasional [[Complete Monster]] can exhibit such qualities as well. [[Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor]] is not true for them, and their affability even makes them easy to "compliment" with an [[Insult Backfire]]. Captives of an affably evil villain won't be kept in dungeons, but in a [[Gilded Cage]].
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* [[Punch Clock Villain]], who isn't necessarily evil at all -- they simply have a job to do, and if that job involves slaughtering innocent children or stealing people's life savings, well, that's what they get paid for.
* [[Villains Out Shopping]] for Affably Evil behavior in otherwise normal villains. Often a trait of a [[Card-Carrying Villain]], especially in the more ironic portrayals.
* [[Villain Withwith Good Publicity]]. This trope may be the reason WHY he is so popular with common people.
 
'''Contrast:'''
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