Even Evil Has Standards/Comic Books: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:evil standards crop 1 2518.jpg|link=Crossover|frame|Because even when [[The Joker|you're psychotic]], you still have to protect the [[Captain America (comics)|American way.]]]]

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{{examples}}

* This trope explains it all, and made life difficult for the [[Marvel Universe]] ''Nazi'' villain [[Red Skull]], as the other villains he has teamed with, notably [[Magneto]], have ultimately attempted to kill him. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Magneto even left him]] [[Buried Alive]]. Given that Magneto is Jewish (or possibly Roma, depending on which sources you believe) and a Holocaust survivor (in all sources), though, this isn't entirely unexpected...

** Pictured in the main page and here: In a [[Batman]] / [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] crossover book, [[The Joker]] abruptly ends a partnership with Red Skull when his affiliation comes out. Red Skull simply wonders why he is so surprised when he thinks that the Joker would make a great Nazi. The Joker is not too happy at this, proclaiming "I may be a criminal lunatic, but I'm an ''American'' criminal lunatic!" Yes, folks, even an equal-opportunity murderer like ''the Joker'' despises the Nazis! It makes even more sense when you realize that [[Fridge Brilliance|the Nazis systematically killed anyone with any mental illness]], and the Joker is a self-proclaimed "agent of chaos". He's very random in his killing, does anything he can to get a laugh, and is just generally insane. The Nazis are complete opposites. They're a dead serious organization which sticks their noses down on those with mental illnesses and who have a very systematic and bureaucratic method of killing, not to mention no sense of humor. They represent everything the Joker is against, so this becomes [[Hilarious in Hindsight|twice]] as funny after you've read a short story in one of the Batman prose collections, where the Joker falls in love/lust/''something'' with a female Nazi, and to get on her good side, eagerly helps the Reich with its war plans. {{spoiler|Though it turns out to be all [[All Just a Dream]], brought on during one of his shock therapy treatments at Arkham Asylum.}}

*** Still, [[The Joker]] is the incarnation of [[Depending on the Writer]], and that was one of the tamer versions. [[Batman: The Animated Series|Some]] [[Batman: Arkham Asylum|other]] [[All Star Batman and Robin|versions]] probably wouldn't have given a damn, if they'd even partner with anyone else at all.

*** Also, [[The Joker]] does go ''mano a mano'' with the Red Skull, though "it ends in a draw": {{spoiler|In their fight inside a bomber, the releases on the nuke they are fighting on are released. This causes the bomber's doors to open and dump Skull, Joker and the nuke over the ocean...where the next two pages show a mushroom cloud.}} Keep in mind, though, they're using the "Golden Age" Joker, where he ''would'' have these scruples in World War II.

*** Though recently, Doom had no problem giving Red Skull one of his time machines, though that's probably because he got something out of it. The two of them do little more than very rare business encounters. And they've [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|fought on the Moon.]]

**** Even Red Skull has his limits. Most notably, when he discovered what Viper did, he booted her off.

* [[Lobo]]. For all of the [[Omnicidal Maniac]] that he may be (just remember what he did to his homeworld), he will ALWAYS stick to his word. ALWAYS.

** And God help you if you harm his beloved space dolphins.

* ''[[Arkham Asylum: Living Hell]]'' has the Joker talking down to a scam-artist corporate executive who got himself judged "Not guilty [[Insanity Defense|by reason of insanity]]." Granted, he's usually crazily giggling and "playing" with cultural values, and bashing executives sounds right up his alley... except he and the plot are ''completely serious about this.'' As far as can be told, the issue here is that Warren White is just an ''asshole''. More specifically he says "I've killed people, but I didn't steal their kid's college funds."

** Hilariously, the Joker isn't the only one who does this in the story. ''Everyone'' the scam artist meets in Arkham calls him the "worst man I've ever met". The asylum director, Humpty Dumpty, the Joker, and even {{spoiler|''demons from hell''}}. And Humpty is Warren's ''friend''.

'''Cheetah''' [raising her claws to eviscerate him]: Do as I say, not as I do. }}

* In the late [[Bronze Age]] story "The Einstein Connection" by [[Elliot S! Maggin]] (a writer who had a definite soft spot for the original [[Mad Scientist]] Lex), we learn that one of the few people the brilliant Luthor unabashedly considers a personal hero is Albert Einstein. While fleeing Superman at one point, he passes a body of water and sees somebody drowning. Though grumbling about it, he dives in and rescues the person, even though it costs him his escape, because he just ''can't'' bring himself to act like an S.O.B. on Einstein's birthday.

* In the final ''[[Ms. Tree]]'' stories, when the title character is heavily pregnant, there are multiple attempts to kill her. The current head of the Muerta crime family, who now considers the detective family because of her son's strong relationship with his niece, confronts the man who commissioned the attempts and tells him that had he known that Tree was the target he would never have agreed to it. However, what really sets him off is Tree's current state; he roars, "You tried to kill a pregnant woman, have you no shame?!" and immediately orders his goons to kill him.

* In the retelling of ''[[Sleeping Beauty]]'' featured in the comic ''[[Castle Waiting]]'', [[Satan]] himself proves to have standards. Disgusted with the evil witch being willing to [[Curse]] an [[Children Are Innocent|innocent baby]] then subvert the attempts to get around her curse, he disguises himself as the Opinicus (a griffin-like creature) and carries her off to Hell personally. The demon Leeds complains that he loses more friends that way.

{{quote|'''Deadshot:''' She ran, I shot. I don't know what you want from me.

'''Bane:''' Murdering slaves? Have you no scruples at all, mercenary? }}

* ''[[Watchmen]]'': The Comedian, known for beating and attempting to rape the first Silk Spectre and shooting a pregnant woman who was carrying his child (in the stomach), is horrified when he discovers {{spoiler|Ozymandias'}} plans. Since Comedian was at best a sociopath who, by his own words, saw life as one big Nihilistic joke, [[Alternate Character Interpretation|another interpretation]] is that what terrified and upset Comedian was less the lives lost, but more the possibility that {{spoiler|Ozymandius'}} plan would succeed and create a world that he would have no place in.

* In ''[[Witch Girls Tales]]'', [[Card-Carrying Villain]] Princess Lucinda tends to make statements along the lines of this trope when justifying her [[Noble Demon]] tendencies. Well, either that, or turn the person who dares to doubt her evil into a frog.

* Before Parker Robbins become ''[[The Hood]]'', he was a thief, liar and supervillain fan who seduced and knocked up a gorgeous girl, and was cheating on her with a Russian prostitute. His cousin, John King, is an alcoholic who never worked a single legal job in his life. But when an agent of terrorist organization HYDRA offered them a job, they told him about how much they hate terrorists, beat him and stole his shoes.

{{quote|'''Ezekiel:''' I might deal with murderers, but you guys -- you guys are addicting kids and '''murdering''' them '''yourselves'''.}}

** Though given what Ezekiel gets up to in that story arc, it's pretty obvious he's kind of a hypocrite, even if he did mean that seriously.

{{quote|'''Maelstrom''': But-- I'll NOT slay my own offspring!

'''Antman''': I can't believe this! Maelstrom-- going paternal on us!? }}

* Parodied in ''[[Runaways]]'' with Chase's mom, who reacts with horror at the suggestion that she get an abortion, saying it would make her a monster... while standing in front of the human sacrifice she is about to make in order to bring about the end of the world.

* In ''[[Garfield His 9 Lives]]'' the Incredibly Huge Galactic War Fleet claims to have no hearts. However, they do "appreciate a tidy ship," and so give Garfield two extra minutes to get his spaceship cleaned up before they atomize him.

* Dr. Doom once hired Typhoid Mary to steal the [[Power Pack|Power Pack's]] alien technology, but called it off when she decided the best way to do it was by assassinating their father. After the way he tragically lost his parents, he couldn't stand the thought of the Pack being orphaned the way he was. [[Fridge Logic|Which makes it odd that he's willing to do it to Franklin and Valeria.]] But then, ''that's'' [[Berserk Button|RICHAAAARRRRRDSSSSS]]!

* In an issue of ''[[Spider-Man]]'', Jason Macendale (aka the Hobgoblin) tries to sell his soul to the demonic N'Astirh in exchange for increased power. N'Astith responds by laughing in Macendale's face, telling him that his soul is so warped and disgusting that not even a demon would want to buy it.

* In ''[[Darkwing Duck (comics)|Darkwing Duck]]'', Steelbeak isn't pulling a [[Heel Face Turn]], but unleashing Duckthulu? Even he has his limits. {{spoiler|Only not really}}.

** It gets a bit confusing when you remember that at the very start of the issue {{spoiler|the team}} were shown killing three children. Admittedly the rival may not have actually been there.

* In ''[[Grant Morrisons Batman|Batman Incorporated]]'', one member of the blue-collar crime gang Joe Average and the Average Joes gets very annoyed when it's suggested they have a conection to the similar French group Les Stereotypes, who run a child-slavery ring.

* In the first crossover between Spider-Man and Superman, Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus join forces to create a worldwide hurricane, to blackmail the planet for ten billion dollars. Eventually, however, Luthor reveals that no matter whether they get paid or not, he's going to let the storm run rampant and wipe out humanity to pay them back for laughing at him. This is too much for Octopus, and he smashes the machine generating the hurricane.

* In the one shot issue of The Amazing Spider-man brought out to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 Doctor Doom, Kingpin and Magneto turn up to help with the rescue effort at the World Trade Centre along with all the heroes, and superheroes. This drew criticism, because some of the villains featured have been shown to do worse or as bad as that. Heck, one of them was Juggernaut, who's actually attacked the WTC himself in the past.

* IDW's ''[[Transformers Ongoing|Transformers]]'' series, at least initially. The Autobots and Decepticons are out to destroy each other. But they both adhere to the Code of Interplanetary Conflict, which lists rules that the war must follow.

* Darkseid from DC Comics seems to fall under this. Despite being one of the most evil beings in existence, he does keep his word, such as letting Batman and Supergirl go during the Supergirl arc of Superman/Batman when Bats threatened to destroy his planet. That said, {{spoiler|it didn't stop him from coming down to Earth to royally fuck up Superman, who was not part of the deal}}. There's also the whole deal with trading sons as a peace treaty. He'll find a loophole, but he usually doesn't betray his deals or promises.

** This could be considered [[Fridge Brilliance]]-Darkseid is the living, breathing personification of [[The Evils of Free Will|ty]][[Galactic Overlord|ran]][[God of Evil|ny.]] Yes, he's [[Complete Monster|the negative aspects]] [[Lawful Evil|of law]], but by his very nature he upholds law.

* For a very long time, Spider-Man villain the Lizard was unable to harm Billy Connors, the son of his human alter ego. Somewhat recently, this is no longer the case, and the Lizard devoured Billy.