Aristocrats Are Evil: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"All baronets are bad; but was he worse than other baronets?"''|'''Ruth''', ''[[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/ruddigore/libretto.txt Ruddigore]''}}
|'''Ruth'''|''[[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/ruddigore/libretto.txt Ruddigore]''}}
 
{{quote|''"[[Even Evil Has Standards|Compared with the purity of the greedy nobles, the villains of the world look pretty damn humane.]]"''|'''Eustass Kid''' ''[[One Piece]]''}}
|'''Eustass Kid'''|''[[One Piece]]''}}
 
A lot of tropes have origins way back when media was still forming; this is one of them.
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For more information on the British title system, see [[Knight Fever]]. Not to be confused with [[The Aristocrats]], a "stock joke" based on this premise.
 
 
----
{{examples}}
== Kings/Queens ==
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* Emperor Zu Zambojil and the whole aristocratic class in ''[[Voltes V]]''.
 
=== [[ComicsComic Books]] ===
* The noble class and the royal family in ''[[Megalex]]''.
 
=== [[Film]] ===
* In ''[[Braveheart]]'', the working class Scottish villagers get pitted against the snobbish, aristocratic Norman nobles led by King Edward, who is portrayed as a [[Complete Monster]].
* Emperor Palpatine in ''[[Star Wars]]'', often regarded as the ''embodiment'' of Evil.
 
=== [[Literature]] ===
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** And naturally, her [[Bastard Understudy|protege]], the Evil Queen from ''[[The Tenth Kingdom]]''.
* The Emperor of ''[[Dune]]'' is only good in comparison to [[Complete Monster]] Baron Harkonnen. The Emperors throughout the series fall under this trope, even the Necessary Evil ones—God Emperor Leto made himself the most reviled being in history, distrusted and despised even by his closest supporters.
* Downplayed with the Queen of Hearts in ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''; she has a foul temper and very fond of ordering executions for petty reasons (her timid husband the King quietly pardons anyone she orders beheaded), but isn't as evil as she is depicted in most adaptations.
 
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
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* Can be said of King Uther in ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', who concerns himself mostly with the nobility and royalty and looks down on peasants and servants as expendable.
** There have also been a number of guest stars that [[Invoked Trope]] and [[Subverted Trope]] this trope. King Odin, King Caerleon and King Alined have been antagonistic, whilst King Godwyn, King Olaf and King Bayard have been anything from benevolent to neutral. As of the end of series 4, [[King Arthur]] and Queen Guinevere are subversions. Queen Annis proves herself an ally to Camelot, whilst Queen Morgana (whenever she manages to seize the crown) is a definite case of [[God Save Us From the Queen]].
* King Mondo and Queen Machina, rulers of the Machine Empire in ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' - both Evil. Later temporarily usurped by Mondo's son Prince Gasket and his wife Princess Archerina, who were just as bad.
 
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Bowser from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''
** The series had other such characters, some more important than others: King Goomba/Goomboss, King Kaliente, etc.
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'':
** The Lich King, evil, [[Arc Villain]] no less.
** Sylvanus the Banshee Queen, [[Sociopathic Hero]] initially, regresses to [[Byronic Hero]], then [[Nominal Hero]], then [[Knight Templar]], and finally (as of ''Battle for Azeroth'') true villain, {{spoiler|but eventually redeemed.}}
** Queen Azshara, evil Queen of the Naga and later [[God of Evil|their goddess]]
** Grand Magistrix Elisande in ''Legion'', Queen of the Highborne, [[Dragon-in-Chief]] of the arc, and [[A Nazi By Any Other Name]].
 
=== [[Web Original]] ===
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=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Some of the viruses from ''[[Re BootReBoot]]''. Megabyte's title is the "King of Control", Hexadecimal's is the "Queen of Chaos" and Daemon's is the "Monarch of Order".
* Fire Lord Ozai in ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender|Fire Lord Ozai]]'' is the king of the Fire Nation. He and the last two generations of Fire Lords were all pretty evil, but the ''next'' Fire Lord is a nice guy. His daughter Azula is no less evil than him, and probably quite a bit more crazy.
* [[Show Within a Show]] example from ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' with Radioactive Man's foe Old King Coal, evil practitioner of [[Cartoonish Supervillainy]].
 
 
== Dukes/Duchesses ==
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=== [[Film]] ===
* The Duke is the main antagonist in ''[[Moulin Rouge]]''.
* One of the four fascist libertines in ''[[SaloSalò, Oror Thethe 120 Days Ofof Sodom]]'' is known as the Duke. No guesses on [[Complete Monster|just what kind of guy he is]].
* The self-proclaimed Duke of New York in ''[[Escape from New York]]''. He wasn't a real aristocrat but behaves as if he was.
 
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* Duke Niccolo di Chimici in the ''[[Stravaganza]]'' series is the main villain of the first three books. On the other hand, the Duchessa of Bellezza is good.
* The Duke in [[James Thurber]]'s ''[[The 13 Clocks]]'' has killed time, so that his thirteen clocks do not move, and sets [[Impossible Task]]s to the princes who want to marry his nieces. {{spoiler|Finally he reveals that she is not his real niece but a princess he kidnapped and intends to marry; he let the princes try their luck because he was under a curse.}}
* The [[Complete Monster|Duc de Blangis]] and his companions in ''[[Salo Or The 120 Days Of Sodom|The 120 Days of Sodom]]'' are guilty of almost anything you can think of, and some things you probably can't.
* Downplayed with the Duchess in ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''. She's an [[Abusive Parent]] and in a foul mood when she an Alice first meet, but she's far friendlier the second time, although she also has [[No Sense of Personal Space]].
 
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* ''[[Power Rangers Wild Force]]'' had [[Co-Dragons]] Jindrax, Duke of Orgs and Master of Blades and Toxica, Duchess of Orgs and Mistress of Magic; both evil, both [[Card-Carrying Villain]]s, both [[Large Ham]]s.
 
=== [[Music]] ===
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=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* DuchnessDutchness [[Raven Waves]] from ''[[Lady Lovely Locks]]'' is pure evil.
* Duke Igthorn from ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears|Duke Igthorn]]'' is an evil duke and would-be usurper.
* [[I Love Nuclear Power|Duke Nukem]] (not [[Duke Nukem|that one]]) from ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]''.
* Duchess from ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'', evil initially, but later [[Villain Decay|just annoying.]]
 
 
== Marquesses/Marchionesses (Marquis) ==
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* The Marquis de La Tour d'Azyr in [[Scaramouche]] is a ruthless, manipulative killer.
* Marquis de Carabas from [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[Neverwhere]]''. A {{spoiler|good guy}}, and a scheming [[Magnificent Bastard]]. Though technically, he's not even really an aristocrat, as he is said to have taken his title from "a lie in [[Puss in Boots (novel)|a fairy tale]]". He's also only technically a {{spoiler|good guy. More on the 'helping the heroes because there's a lot in it for him' side}}.
* ''[[Discworld/The Fifth Elephant|The Fifth Elephant]]'' by [[Terry Pratchett]] makes references to a "Marquis of Fantailler", who got into a lot of fights (mostly by way of being called the Marquis of Fantailler), and felt this entitled him to write a book. This book was called "The Noble Art of Fisticuffs" and was mostly a list of places where people weren't allowed to hit him. Whether he was particularly good or bad is never brought up, but it's implied that he was kind of an idiot because, as Vimes notes when Carrot tries to fight according to Marquis of Fantailler rules against an opponent who would have to back off a bit to qualify as dangerous, it only works when both people think so.
** This is of course a parody of the real life 9th Marquess of Queensberry, whose name was given to rules for boxing codified in the 1860's1860s, i.e. the Marquess of Queensberry rules. The real life Marquess was the father of Lord Alfred Douglas ('Bosie'), outspoken (or reckless, considering the times and who his father was) lover of Oscar Wilde. Angered by his son's relationship with Wilde, he was central to the trial and prison sentence which led to Wilde's early death. If you're a fan of Oscar Wilde, it makes this Marquess pretty evil.
* From the ''[[Carrera's Legions|Carreras Legions]]'' series, the Marchioness of Amnesty (as in Amnesty International), as part of a future UN that's become a true world government, and over the centuries became a [[Feudal Future]] government. The original Marquis of Amnesty<ref>who basically bought the title and position with gold from Terra Nova, paid by Carrera's ancestor to buy arms to fight the proto-United Earth forces</ref> and the two marchionesses who have been shown to hold the title prior to {{spoiler|Captain Wallenstein}} being made Marchioness of Amnesty in ''The Lotus Eaters'' resemble the stereotypical depiction of the [[Marquis de Sade]].
 
=== [[Theater]] ===
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* Count Kasino from ''[[Les Legendaires|Les Légendaires]]''. [[Smug Snake|Arrogant]], said to rule his own territory as a ruthless dictator, and evil enough to [[Ambition Is Evil|attempt murder on his cousins in order to become]] [[The Wrongful Heir to the Throne|king]].
 
=== [[Fan FictionWorks]] ===
* Count Mott in ''[[Points of Familiarity]]''.
** And in ''[[Unfamiliar]]'' as well.
 
=== [[Film]] ===
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* Count Ugo Carifex from the [[Young Bond]] novel ''Blood Fever''.
* Viscount Hundro Moritani in the ''[[Dune]]'' prequels. As much, if not more, of a bastard than Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (see below). Most of his subjects take after him. His ambassador shoots a rival at a state dinner. He orders the bombing of civilian targets despite the declaration of Kanli, a war limited to military targets. He has his rival's son and daughter kidnapped and publicly executed. When another House condemns these actions, he orders the assault on their planet to steal their most holy relic. An ally of the viscount's assassinated the rival's second daughter at her wedding to Duke Leto Atreides (the ally was himself a Duke, by the way). He gets what's coming to him, though.
* Counts in the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'' vary. Most of them are presented as fairly normal politicians though the worst of them grind down on their fiefdoms tyranically.
 
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* Count Baltar from [[Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)|the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica Classic]]'']] - Betrayed the entire human race.
** Count Iblis. "Iblis" is actually the Arabic name for the devil.
* Countess Marguerite Isobel Theroux from ''[[Smallville]]'' - Evil witch.
* Count von Count from ''[[Sesame Street]]'' - Good or benign, depending on how generous you are. Despite some numerical obsessions, he is a really decent fellow. The constant counting ''might'' get on one's nerves. It might also put you off math forever.
* Averted by Count Blah from ''[[Greg the Bunny]]'', who is actually a pretty nice guy. Especially considering he's a vampire and all.
* Count Dregon, [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Masked Rider]]'', evil. Possibly the [[Evil Uncle]] to the protagonist, [[Aborted Arc|depends on who's talking.]]
 
=== [[Newspaper Comics]] ===
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* Count <s> [[My Name Is Not Durwood|Vulgar]]</s> Veger from ''[[Jak 3]]'': evil, [[Holier Than Thou]], and a prime example of how [[The Fundamentalist]] operates when everything goes to hell.
* Count Bleck from ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' is evil, {{spoiler|at least for most of the game.}}
* Countess Alcina Dimitrescu from ''[[Resident Evil: Village]]''; evil vampire and cultist.
* Lara Croft from ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' is Countess of Abbingdon; [[Lovable Rogue]] and [[Anti-Hero]], definitely, but whether she is Good or Evil [[Alternative Character Interpretation|depends on whose opinion you believe.]]
 
=== [[Web Original]] ===
* In ''[[The Gamers Alliance]]'', the four demonic Dreadlords/ladies of Yamato hold the rank of count/countess, and they are very cruel and ambitious while serving their masters' needs. Counts Belial and Antigonus of Maar Sul are a bit of a mixed bag, though: on the one hand they are very ruthless in politics and tend to use people for their own ends, but they also have a code of honour.
 
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Countess Cleo from the [[Netflix]] version of ''[[Carmen Sandiego]]'', [[Affably Evil]].
 
=== Real Life ===
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* Earl Lloyd Asplund of ''[[Code Geass]]'' is a genius mech designer and a fan of pudding, and whilst vocal and carefree to the point of rudeness is personable in public.
* The whole Earldom of Phantomhive is evil Earl, including the protagonist Ciel Phantomhive of ''[[Black Butler]]''.
 
=== [[Gamebook]]s ===
* Lord Kelnor, the Earl of Drumer from the ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' gamebook ''[[House of Hell]]''; evil cult leader.
 
=== [[Film]] ===
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* Baron Zemo from the [[Marvel Universe]] - A [[Legacy Character]] supervillain, although the most recent Zemo has reformed.
* Baron Karza from the [[Marvel Universe]] - Nemesis of the [[Micronauts]] as well as being an expy from the toyline of that same name. Given that the title baron is at the low end of the hierarchy, one has to wonder why Karza didn't promote himself when he gained control of the Microverse. It should be noted that in the toyline, Karza was but one of several characters (along with Force Commander) below an underboss called Red Hawk and an Emperor called Magus.
* The villainous Baron Agua Sin Gaaz from ''[[Young Justice]]'', Jamaican crime boss and [[Hollywood Voodoo| vodoun Priest]].
 
=== [[Film]] ===
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* Baron and Baroness von Uberwald - Angua's parents and morally myopic werewolves in the ''[[Discworld]]'' novels. Their son and Angua's brother, [[A Nazi by Any Other Name|Wolfgang von Uberwald]] was truly evil though.
* Baron Harparin in ''[[The Elenium]]'' trilogy by [[David Eddings]]—evil. Allies himself to the evil churchman and the evil prince, and is a noted pederast besides.
* In ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'', all of the barons of Jackson's Whole are evil: the worst is [[Complete Monster]] Baron Ryoval, who is in the sexual slavery business and is an enthusiastic practitioner of [[Cold-Blooded Torture]], employing a number of [[Torture Technician|technicians]] to aid his hobby; his brother, Baron Fell, is a notorious arms dealer specializing in biological weapons, and Baron Bharaputra has a genetics clinic specializing in a procedure for the wealthy but aged, in which a young clone of them is produced, and then the clone's brain is ripped out and the original person's implanted instead).
**House Arqua [[Even Evil Has Standards|by comparison]] is almost respectable. They are certainly amoral in a properly Jacksonian way but they specialized in the fairly normal trade of running a port, the seemy but not precisely evil activity of knowledge brokering and the reasonably honest trade of hostage negotiation(helped by all the contacts made in less honest dealings of course).
* Baron Bela Stoke from ''[[Mithgar]]''- ''very'' evil. Think "expy of Vlad the Impaler if Vlad was also a shapeshifting necromancer" evil.
* Baron High Ridge in [[Honor Harrington]] is a downplayed version. He is not evil in the normal sense but he is corrupt and selfish and allows an unnecessary war to break out through his incompetence and his obsession in maintaining his leadership of a fairly mundane cabal of politicians.
* Baron Front de Boeuf in [[Ivanhoe]] is one of the nastiest characters there. Aside from being brave he has no redeeming qualities.
* The only good baron in ''Otto of the Silver Hand'' by Howard Pyle is the title character and he is mostly a [[Living MacGuffin]]. In general barons spend their time feuding and robbing peaceful travelers(the term "Robber Baron" originally meant "baron who is a robber", not "capitalist" and was very much [[Truth in Television]] ). Otto's father at least has the redeeming traits of [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|loving his wife and son.]]
* John Mannering, jewel thief turned antique dealer and [[Amateur Sleuth]] in several novels by John Creasey is only '''[[Sobriquet|nicknamed]]''' "the Baron," so this may not count as a subversion. When the character was adapted in a TV series, he became an American who'd never been a criminal and was working with a branch of British Intelligence.
 
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
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=== [[Newspaper Comics]] ===
* Baron de Plexus from ''[[Terry and the Pirates]]''.
 
=== [[Tabletop Game]] ===
* From ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'', Baron Lum the Mad, a warlord from (probably) [[Greyhawk|Oerth]]; evil and [[The Caligula| hopelessly insane]], driven to madness by the dreaded [[Artifact of Doom|Machine of Lum the Mad]].
 
=== [[Theater]] ===
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* The eponymous character in the [[Interactive Fiction]] game ''[[The Baron]]'' - Evil {{spoiler|incarnation of the protagonist's incestuous desire for his daughter.}}
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' features a boss named Baron Rivendare, who appears in the dungeons Stratholme and Naxxramas. Before he was raised into a Death Knight, he was a wealthy land owner who fell under the sway of the lich Kel'Thuzad and helped him structure the Cult of the Damned.
* Baron Spider, the second boss in ''[[Ninja Gaiden II]]'', evil, probably insane, and not a real Baron.
* The Black Baron from ''[[MadWorld]]'', evil, a [[Large Ham]], the [[Final Boss]], and according to Keese, not a real Baron.
 
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
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* Norbert from ''[[The Angry Beavers]]'' once had a supervillain persona as Baron Bad Beaver. In a later episode, the Baron has a [[Heel Face Turn]] into Baron Once Bad Now Good Beaver, only to make a [[Face Heel Turn]] into Baron Once Bad Then Good Then Bad Again Beaver.
* Baron Greenback is the usual villain in ''[[Danger Mouse]]''.
* Minor crime boss Baron Wacklaw Jozek from the ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' episode "The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy"; he's really more selfish and egotistical than evil, but he's an associate of Wormwood, a criminal whom Batman needs to catch, leading the hero to track Jozek down and question him (rather harshly), making Jozek pretty upset. Jozek later hires Wormwood to steal Batman's cape and cowl. {{spoiler|Or so it seems. Jozak actually left town to go to Europe after the confrontation with Batman, and Wormwood had been dealing with Batman himself, in disguise, [[Batman Gambit| using the strategy named after him]].}}
 
=== Real Life ===
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=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* Lord Blackpool from ''[[Lady Mechanika]]''. Given he is a [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]], it seems likely his title is a life peerage awarded for services to industry.
* [[Marvel Comics]]: Lord Parnival Plunder, aka the Plunderer; super-villain and modern-day [[Pirate]]. However, his brother Kevin is also a Lord and he's a good guy, specifically the [[Nature Hero]] Ka-Zar.
 
=== [[Film]] ===
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"A branch of them—possibly," conceded Douglas. "I know some titled and wealthy people who would be dumbfounded over that woman's ideas." }}
* Lord Ruthven, of course, the titular character from [[The Vampyre]].
*The Vor class of Barrayar had a reputation for being colorfully brutal and obsessed with [[Family Honor]]. They were however [[Noble Bigot|brave enough]] to lead a revolt against invaders.
**The Cetagandans have two noble orders the Ghems, and the Haut. The Ghems were fairly typical, being militaristic and conventionally ambitious and [[Not So Different]] from the Vor of Barrayar. The Haut were kind of odd, being a combination of [[The Chessmaster|chessmasters]] and [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]] and [[Mad Artist|Mad Artists.]]
*Nobility in [[Honor Harrington]] is mixed but in general no better or worse then other authority figures. Grayson's are an admirable [[Proud Warrior Race]] but some are distasteful religious fanatics. Manticorans have a mixed breed, some of them brave naval officers or wise statesmen, others corrupt politicions, and one a rather erratic sociopath. Manticore has a British style limited aristocracy and while they can be snobs they do not grind down to much on the commoners. The worst thing they did was when one cabal used a cease-fire to establish it's power while delaying negotiations so that they could avoid calling an election. In this case they thought of it as normal political manipulation and were basically to incompetent to realize that they were risking a war. To multiply their incompetence they even downsized the navy. Fortunately they were made up for by a number of reasonably decent nobles.
**They are however many surprisingly ''blackmailable'' Manticoran aristocrats and a mole is able to stalemate the House of Lords by the whisper of the vast hoard of information she has. Which does not make them evil precisely, but it does mean that some of them have something to hide and enough cowardice to let that manipulate them against their countries interest.
**At the same time they are as likely as anyone to be found on the front lines either fighting well, or if they can't do that, getting blown up [[Family Honor|to prove a point.]] Pavel Young(one of the series' most distasteful villains) of course is an exception and not only is he a miserable person he does not even have the grace to get killed in a gentlemanly way.
* In [[Belisarius Series]] there are a number of aristocrats some of whom are sadistic to the point of stupidity and others of whom are attractive enough. As this is the Middle Ages no one is to squeamish about ruthless behavior.
** Neither aristocrats nor commoners are particularly gentle though not all of them are precisely cruel. But the villain is a demon robot from the future. Making normal earthly class and tribal rivalries petty.
 
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and his sister, Lady Penelope Peasoup, [[Special Guest]] Villains in a ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' three-parter.
* Lord Zedd, [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', evil.
 
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* [[Final Fantasy Tactics|Lord Dycedarg Beoulve]] is a real piece of work. He {{spoiler|slowly fed poison to his father to kill him without suspicion and take hold of the Beoulve estate, orchestrated the kidnapping of Marquis Elmdore with Corpse Brigade commander Gustav to use as a bargaining chip, orders Gaffgarion to kill Ramza in cold blood, sets up a plot with Duke LargVLarg to kill the Princess, murdered Larg to gain his power as regent, [[Deal with the Devil|gave his soul to the Lucavi Adrammelech]], and killed Zalbaag}}. He's far from successful in the end, but he's arguably [[Complete Monster|the most monstrous character in the game]].
* Subverted by ''[[MediEvil 2|Medi Evil 2]]'''s Lord Palethorn. He's a working class cockney who tried to buy his way into high society.
 
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** There are a couple exceptions in the manga: not counting Serpico (who was not really born a noble) or Farnese (whose [[Heel Face Turn]] coincided with her abandoning her renouncing her status), Roderick is pretty nice, while Laban and Owen actually give a crap about protecting commoners.
* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' has the entire [[Big Screwed-Up Family|Zabi family]], including [[Non-Action Big Bad|Sovereign Degwin]], [[Evil Prince|Prince]] [[Complete Monster|Gihren]], [[Four-Star Badass|Prince Dozle]], [[Evil Genius|Princess]] [[Manipulative Bastard|Kycilia]], and [["Well Done, Son" Guy|Prince Garma]].
 
=== Comedy ===
* ''[[The Aristocrats]]'' joke plays on this trope, the disgustingly [[squick]]y performance being triumphantly named "The Aristocrats."
 
=== [[Film]] ===
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* The [[Kingkiller Chronicle]] books play with this somewhat. Ambrose Jakis is the son of a rich baron and uses his birth and wealth as an excuse to be a colossal douchebag to everyone and especially Kvothe. On the other hand, Willem and Simmon are both sons of minor nobility and Kvothe's best friends, while Count Threpe is a [[Cool Old Guy]] who occasionally helps Kvothe and serves as a patron to a number of musicians and entertainers.
* The [[Low Fantasy]] novel ''Gerfalcon'' by Leslie Barringer subverts this as rank isn't noticeably indicative of goodness or evil; there are two [[Complete Monster]] counts (one's actually a [[Mood Swinger]] who seems more-or-less reasonable '''most''' of the year, but [[Nightmare Fuel|then]]....) and one [[Evil Uncle]] count, but also some good and plenty of neutral counts. The hero starts out waiting to be given the title of baron when he turns eighteen, but becomes a viscount before he can claim his barony ... and within a year is himself a count. His cousin, a viscount, lazy and thoughtless but good-natured, was one of the few people at his uncle's castle who showed him any friendship. Also, one of the kindest men in the story is a baron throughout.
* [[Older Than Radio]], Prince Dakkar, aka Captain Nemo, from ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]''; [[Affably Evil]], [[Tragic Villain]], and [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]].
 
=== Meta ===
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* Sheikhs used to be romantic, but since the 1970s oil embargo they're almost universally bad news in fiction: typically depicted as corrupt, greedy, lecherous, fat, and smug.
 
=== [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPG]]s ===
* Trade Prince Maldy in the goblin starting zone in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' Cataclysm is shaping up to be quite the scumbag.
 
=== [[Recorded and Stand Up Comedy]] ===
* ''[[The Aristocrats]]'' joke plays on this trope, the disgustingly [[squick]]y performance being triumphantly named "The Aristocrats."
 
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
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* ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' features the [[Real Life]] evil Pazzi family, as well as Rodrigo Borgia. It also adds the rest of the Borgia family, as well as fictional Silvestro "The Noble" Sabbatini who engaged in human trafficking.
* ''[[Embric of Wulfhammers Castle]]'' has several nobles, some good, some bad, some minor characters not worth talking about. The Duchess of Elstwhere is a perfectly nice and helpful aristocrat, despite her [[Abusive Parents|childhood]], even willing to milk a cow as part of relieving the fears of the peasants. Her uncle, meanwhile, Bad King Greyghast the Terrible, well, managed to get himself called Bad King Greyghast the Terrible. And Duke Theremin is basically a bit of an entitled snot.
* In ''[[Darkest Dungeon]]'', the Ancestor (who is the [[Narrator]], [[Evil Mentor]] to the player, and {{spoiler|possibly the [[Big Bad]]}}) certainly fits, but his title is not stated. Also, in the Crimson Curse DLC, the Bosses include the Baron, the Viscount, and the Countess.
 
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* The throne of ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]''{{'}}s Asian-themed Azure City is threatened by an evil scheming aristocrat with the title of Daimyo, named Kubota who makes a deal with a (minor) devil in exchange for aid in assassinating the rightful heir Hinjo after he's ascended to the throne just in time to have a war to defend the city fall into his lap and makes several attempts while the battered fleet that evacuated the city seeks to find a safe harbor.
** The previous lord of the city kept all of the backstabbing, ninja-assassin-happy aristocracy from killing him by pretending to be senile so that they instead played an elaborate game to attempt to influence the old man into ruling in their favor.
* The King and Blue Princes of ''[[Winters in Lavelle]]'' aren't well liked. Ashton, unfortunately, happens to share the biggest identifying traits of Princes (almost inhumanly bright blue eyes). They've haunted the poor kid his whole life- his mother was even shown calling him a monster in a flashback, back when he looked to be around ten years old. And of course, nowadays, if any of the Retainers of Wistar- a group aiming to overthrow the king and assassinate the Princes along the way- see him wandering around...
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* During the 18th and 19th centuries, when the concepts of democracy and liberalism were beginning to catch on in the United States and Europe, the aristocratic families of Europe were, for the most part, opposed to liberalism because it meant giving the common people a say in government, and if that was allowed, then they would no longer have absolute power.
* The very existence of aristocracy is based on oligopoly of violence. The concept of nobility is the elite of violence—be they knights, samurai, sipahis, rajputs, narts or savaran—that is, elite soldiers who are stronger than the oppressed masses and are able to subjugate them and live off their work. The alternative for aristocracy is usually either [[plutocracy]] (domination of elite of economy), theocracy (rule by the clergy), or [[Anarchy Is Chaos]].
**Every state is based on an oligopoly of violence. More to the point, no one can help their ancestry and it is not unknown for any given aristocrat to be harmless or even useful in the present. What is closer to making this [[Truth in Television]] is that aristocracies tend to reflect conquests or robberies in the past. In other words aristocrats are hardly automatically evil but a good many of their ancestors were.
* A lot of the problem that created the abuses of aristocracy in the past stemmed from combining proprietary, familial, political, military, and ceremonial authority in the same persons causing them to be [[Drunk with Power]]. Later when the ceremonial aspect was emphasized more and other aspects downgraded the ugly side grew less. In other words a queen whose portrait is on your wall is better then a queen who can [[Off with His Head|cut off your head.]]
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Royalty and Nobility Tropes]]
[[Category:Meaningful Titles]]
[[Category:Naming Conventions]]
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