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{{trope}}
[[File:Sauron5.jpg|link=The Lord of the Rings (
{{quote|''"People of Earth! I am Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips! Here is [[Superman
|'''[[Darkseid]]'''|''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'', "Apokolips... Now Part 2"}}
▲{{quote|''"People of Earth! I am Darkseid, Lord of Apokolips! Here is [[Superman (Comic Book)|your savior]], cowed and broken. I have crushed him as easily as I have crushed all who have dared to oppose me throughout the Cosmos. I am power unlike any you have known: absolute, infinite, and unrelenting. You have no choice but to prepare for a long dark future as my subjects--and my slaves."''|'''[[Darkseid]]''', ''[[Superman the Animated Series]]'', "Apokolips... Now Part 2"}}
The [[Archetypal Character|archetypal]] [[High Fantasy]] (and sometimes [[Heroic Fantasy]]) [[Villains|villain]].
[[Orcus
Prone to [[Good Colors, Evil Colors|black]], and [[Always Male|generally male]]: hence, Dark Lord. Even more prone to being symbolically associated with [[Evil Is Deathly Cold|death, cold]], destruction, pain, and other bad things: [[
Seldom enjoys [[Royal Blood]], just to make taking him down proper. Nebulous lords of evil tend to work best as a [[Sorcerous Overlord]] which often makes a righteous physical butt kicking all the more satisfying. May have [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|a]] [[Overlord, Jr.|kid]].
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If [[The Bad Guy Wins|he wins]], he'll probably establish [[The Empire]]. In fact, [[The Emperor]] is at about the same rank or higher in tropes on authority, and a single character is likely to be both. See also [[Diabolical Mastermind]] for the step below and [[Galactic Conqueror]], [[Dimension Lord]], [[Multiversal Conqueror]], [[God of Evil]] and [[Eldritch Abomination]] for the steps above.
Not to be confused with the video game ''[[Overlord]]'' and its sequels, which feature these characters as [[Villain Protagonist
{{noreallife|calling someone "evil" is [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|rarely a good ides]].}}
=== I demand examples!! So speaks DOOM!!: ===▼
== Anime
* Many of the [[Big Bad
* Il Palazzo from ''[[Excel Saga (
* Various ''[[Digimon]]'' villains, including most of the ''[[Digimon Adventure|Adventure]]'' bad guys and the [[Digimon Adventure 02|Digimon Kaiser]].
** Bagramon tops this for conquering all of the digital world, as well as nearly conquering Earth as well.
* Emperor Beld and Wagnard from ''[[Record of Lodoss War]]''.
* Gakuto/Gackto/Gaito ([[Spell My Name
* {{spoiler|Sosuke Aizen}} from ''[[Bleach]]'' is a sociopath manipulator who betrays everyone who trusts him and doesn't hesitate to leave even his closest associates [[Not Quite Dead]] on the floor.
* ''[[Inuyasha]]'' subverts the trope. Naraku does take over a castle but that's because he wants control over the people who serve the young lord whose body he's possessed. He kills everyone in the castle soon enough and focuses on building up enemies and destroying the bonds between people at every opportunity. He has absolutely no interest in taking over the world, however. He simply wants to [[The Corrupter|twist all bonds]].
* Talpa from ''[[Ronin Warriors]]''.
* Lelouch and Schneizel from ''[[Code Geass|Code Geass R2]]'' are fighting for this position. Slightly subverted in that {{spoiler|Lelouch appears to be one but pulls a Milliardo Peacecraft maneuver like in ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' by dying a villain but uniting the world}}, while Schneizel acts all nice when it's been indicated he's the real deal. Having a father who promoted Social Darwinism means they may need something more to overshoot him...or not.
* Judai Yuki of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' fits almost all of this trope's requirements (up to and including [[Spikes of Villainy]]) during his time as [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Haou]], a merciless tyrant obsessed with the completion of a powerful card and with the elimination of all evil in the
* Kira or Light Yagami from ''[[
* Queen Esmerelda of ''[[Dai Mahou Touge]]'' is the queen of the supposed [[Mary Suetopia]] Magical Land. She's also an massively evil being who issues slave labor for public transportation, ruthlessly dispatches with protesters and gained her position via slander and mudslinging against the previous rulers. The main character Punie is a [[Magical Girl]]
* [[The Emperor|Emperor Ganishka]] of Kushan in ''[[Berserk]]''. He [[I Have You Now, My Pretty|kidnaps]] Queen Charlotte and creates a demonic army by dropping pregnant women into an [[Eldritch Abomination]], after which their corrupted children rip themselves out of their mothers' wombs and devour them. Playing this trope straight is probably the only reason that ''[[Berserk]]'' isn't a complete [[Deconstructor Fleet|deconstruction]] of [[Heroic Fantasy]].
* [[Big Bad|Great Demon King Chestra]] from ''[[Violinist of Hameln]]''. You can guess this from his title, really. Though ''[[Violinist of Hameln]]'' is an action/comedy series that parodies a lot of shonen and fantasy tropes, this particular trope is played [[Complete Monster|horrifyingly straight]].
* Claw from ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]''.
* Moo from [[Monster Rancher (
== Comic Books ==
* Lord Void of ''[[Dreamkeepers]]''. [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|We mean, look at his name.]]
* [[Doctor Doom]] holds a lock on this position in the [[Marvel Universe]].
* ''[[
* [[The DCU]] villain [[Darkseid]] embodies<ref>
* The [[Marvel Universe]] has the interdimensional entity [[Dimension Lord|Dormammu]], who has less of a street cred than Darkseid, but is so ridiculously more powerful that he [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|routinely beats up various cosmic entities through his own power]], by far outranks all Marvel's known rulers of hell, and is worshipped as god in thousands of magical universes. His pleasant ambition is to slaughter and usurp all higher entities, conquer all life and afterlife, and turn all of existence into an eternal torture camp dedicated to his personal glory... He's essentially Marvel's most terrifying villain when you think about it, more akin to an [[Eldritch Abomination]] really, except being even more powerful... But then you remember that his head is on fire, and that he's usually severely downscaled to let anyone even have a shot at surviving.
** Several Marvel villains fit this trope. Shuma-Gorath is an even more powerful demon than Dormammu, and all the Hel Lords those two are above are still this in their home turf, as is virtually any demon or evil Death God with their own realm. [[Doctor Doom]] qualifies for this trope, as does Loki and other arch-villains whenever they gain territory, or world domination as they often do for a time.
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* One of the more common types of foe in ''[[The Warlord]]''. Deimos was the most dangerous and most persistant.
* Emperor Golgoth of ''[[Empire]]''.
* The mummified, sinister King Yod of ''[[
== Film ==
* Emperor Palpatine from ''[[Star Wars]]'' (as opposed to his alter ego Senator/Chancellor Palpatine, a [[Villain
** Most other Sith Lords in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' universe with a position of command of some sort fit this trope as well, notably Darth Vader and Count Dooku (two of Palpatine's [[The Dragon|apprentices]]). In the ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]'', we have Darth Revan, Darth Nihilus, Darth Malak, Darth Krayt, and many, many others.
* Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness in Riddley Scott's ''[[Legend (
== Literature ==
* Sauron from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. In ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', Sauron was merely [[The Dragon]] to Morgoth, the [[Big Bad]]. Morgoth himself fits a lot of criteria of the
* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'': Although the Evil Overlord is usually both male and associated with black (hence, Dark Lord), C. S. Lewis' ''The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe'' presented a female [[Winter Royal Lady|associated with whiteness]], the White Witch, as Narnia's evil ruler. ''The Magician's Nephew'' revealed that she had been Empress of Charn and destroyed all the life in her original world rather than lose. And in ''The Silver Chair'', {{spoiler|the Lady of the Green Kirtle is queen of Underland and out to conquer Narnia.}} Human Evil Overlords include the Tisroc of Calormen in ''The Horse and his Boy'' and Caspian's Uncle Miraz in ''Prince Caspian''.
* ''[[
* As always, ''[[Discworld]]'' provides examples.
** The Evil Lord Harry Dread from ''[[
** Lord Vetinari from the same series has all the trappings of an
* Lord Voldemort from the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series. Even though he only really becomes any sort of Overlord in book seven, people treat him as one from the start, including his followers using the term Dark Lord. But up until he actually takes over, he's more of a terrorist/cult leader.
* Ardavan of ''[[The Assassins of Tamurin]]'' is one
* The Shadow Lord from Emily Rodda's series ''[[Deltora Quest]]''.
* Arawn the Death Lord of Annuvin from the ''[[Prydain Chronicles]]''. He actually started out in the series backstory as the [[The Dragon|right-hand man]] to the previous Dark Lord, Queen Achren, but [[The Starscream|deposed her.]] It is worth noting that Arawn subverts certain aspects of this trope. Rather than being an unfathomably powerful opponent, he is portrayed as a [[The Chessmaster|cunning trickster]] who corrupts mortals through illusion and deceit. In combat, he proves to actually be [[Anticlimax Boss|quite weak,]] relying on his army of [[Nigh Invulnerable]] undead minions to protect him.
* Capricorn from ''[[
** The Adderhead, [[Big Bad]] of the [[Show Within a Show|Book within a Book]] and [[Refugee From TV Land|Capricorn's]] former boss, is a much clearer example.
* The Internet story ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20081023215415/http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=750856 Tales of Lokaria]'' has the Black Master: a man who has lived nearly a thousand years and rules over much of the known world. Did we mention that he has hidden [[Mind Rape]] powers? His castle is constantly upgraded with the latest technology. He then purposefully leaves openings to let rebels and heroes in to kill them. He does have a [[
** His team is as follows. His [[The Dragon|Dragon]], Dracon (no less!) is an ancient half-elf who is [[Immortality|immortal]] and extremely powerful, and his best friend. [[The Dark Chick]] was mind-raped into submission. [[The Brute]] (the [[Mook]] Captain) is entirely loyal and very intelligent. The [[Mad Scientist]] has yet to be introduced, but can produce technology to warp reality and use magic.
* Rugaard from E. E. Knight's ''Age of Fire'' series is a partial subversion of this trope. While he's an Evil Overlord, he's a dragon, carries a good approval rating from most of his underlings, even his personal slaves Rayg, Rhea and Fourfang with him intervening to save them more than once, practices Equal Opportunity Evil, shows most of the traits we'd expect of a fantasy hero, and oh, plans to subjugate all the hominids in the world. But it's all justified, you see, because not a single free homonid he's encountered has ever been vaguely nice to him.
* The usurper Waldo in ''[[One for
* Brandon Sanderson's ''[[Mistborn]]'' trilogy deconstructs the idea of the
* Belial from ''[[The Salvation War]]'': [http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=118769&highlight= Armageddon]. Interesting subversion: He's not the guy in charge, in fact he's a nobody in Old Nick's court. So much so that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were considered highly amusing party tricks - and he's just there as the ''court jester''. Turns out, however, that they're not quite [[Superweapon Surprise|"party tricks" after all]]...
* Darken Rahl and Emperor Jagang in ''[[The Sword of Truth]]'' series by Terry Goodkind. Rahl is more archetypal since his minions ''know'' he's evil but still follow him out of loyalty, while Jagang and his empire think they're right.
* Lord Foul in ''The [[Chronicles of Thomas Covenant]].'' He wears black, has [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|glowing red eyes]], lives in [[Mordor]], wants to [[
* Paul Atreides of ''[[Dune]] Messiah'' is somewhat of a deconstruction/subversion of the trope. He is worshiped as a god by his Fremen legions whose jihad has spread their religion across the universe at the expense of billions of people, the once [[Proud Warrior Race]] is now rich and corrupt, and in comparison the Shaddam IV who he overthrew seems like a saint. However, none of this was Paul's intention. A group of overzealous Fremen started the religion and jihad and after 12 years it escalated to the point of Paul being a figurehead without any power to stop it, leading to the irony of being a powerful emperor who commands his subjects yet a powerless god who can't stop his worshipers. He also still manages to be the hero of the story because almost all of his enemies want to overthrow him for their own selfish purposes rather than stop the jihad. Paul was on top of this to begin with mostly because as enough of a prophet to see the big war is coming (back in the first book), he tried to somewhat limit the inevitable destruction by taking control.
** His son, Leto II, the [[God-Emperor]], is another deconstructive example. He rules over [[The Empire|territories from several galaxies with an iron fist]], [[A God Am I|demands that his subjects worship him]], [[Amazon Brigade|commands an army of savage female fanatics]], and [[Unobtanium|uses his monopoly over the spice]] to prevent any challenge to his authority. What only he knows, however, is that he is using his reign as a means to free humanity from prescient rulers like himself and to ensure that humanity follows his "Golden Path" - the path away from extinction. His contemporaries think he is simply a power hungry despot.
* In the ''[[New Jedi Order]]'', the absolute ruler of the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens|Yuuzhan Vong]] actually has "Supreme Overlord" as his main title. {{spoiler|It turns out he's just a mindless shell [[The Man Behind the Man|Onimi]] uses to act as his public face}}.
* Lord Sparr in ''[[The Secrets of Droon]]''. {{spoiler|At least until he pulls a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}
* Big Brother from ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' is very much the ''idea'' of the
* Parodied in ''[[Myth Adventures|Something M.Y.T.H. Inc.]]'', in which the common people of Possiltom ''think'' Skeeve is an example of this trope because he consorts with (friendly and likeable) demons, keeps a (goofy pet) dragon, and has (out of dire necessity) raised their taxes.
* The ''[[Shannara]]'' series is littered with them:
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** The Dagda Mor and his eventual heir, Tael Riverine, who lord over an [[Evil Dimension]] of creatures sealed away long ago who merely seek freedom, though freedom entails overrunning the world with monsters.
* Completely subverted in Jacqueline Carey's duology "[[The Sundering]]" which is told from the viewpoint of the Evil Overlord. Although he suffers from chronically bad press it turns out that he and his subjects just want to be left alone and it is the god of the Elves who is trying to throw down.
* The ''[[Black Company]]'' novels by Glen Cook has a [[Sorcerous Overlord]] collection, sometimes subverting this back and forth. The main
* ''[[The Tough Guide to Fantasyland]]'' naturally has a whole peice about Dark Lords, including the rarity of Dark Ladies.
* [[Gone (novel)|Caine Soren]] aspires to be one, but is deposed soon into book one. {{spoiler|In book four, he succeeds.}}
* Used frequently in [[John Carter of Mars]]. In the first three books alone we get several distinct flavors of this one- [[Villainous Glutton|Tal Hajus]], [[Priest King|Matai Shang]], [[God Guise|Issus]] and [[The Caligula|Salensus Oll]].
* {{spoiler|Freddy Johnson as}} Osiris in [[The Tumbleweed Dossier]].
* [[The Master (trope)|The Master]] from ''[[
▲== Live Action TV ==
▲* [[The Master]] from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
** Giles becomes this in the serial novel "The Lost Slayer", after getting vamped. He's king of Sunnydale and some of the rest of southern California.
* Darken Rahl in ''[[Legend of the Seeker]]''
* Chancellor Dongalor is a parody of this in ''Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire''
* ''[[
* Lord Zedd of ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'' is introduced as this. Even after his [[Jaded Washout|slide into has-been territory]], it was still a very real, very frightening moment when he appeared in the Command Center after capturing Kimberly and forcing the Rangers to pilot his evil zords. His subsequent hand-to-hand fight with Tommy later confirmed his status in this category.
* The Gorma Emperor from ''[[Gosei Sentai Dairanger]]''.
== Newspaper Comics ==
* Ming the Merciless in ''[[Flash Gordon (
== Tabletop Games ==
* Commonplace in ''[[Warhammer
* ''[[Exalted]]'' boasts a wide variety of very powerful villainous types, but the closest to the
** And then there are the Infernal Exalted, who ''must'' play this trope to the fullest, since it's their way of working off [[Villainous Breakdown|Torment]]. As per usual, this also has a [[Dark Is Not Evil]] aspect, as Acts of Villainy aren't actually inherently evil (The one drafted by [[Evil Matriarch|Kimbery]], for example, asks that you give your opponents [[Cruel Mercy]]...but doesn't actually have provisions for making it so that living is a [[Fate Worse Than Death]]).
* Innumerable examples from ''[[Dungeons
** In [[Forgotten Realms]], the god of tyranny Bane is the clearest example, and his church works with mortal overlords here and there, including [[Sorcerous Overlord|Manshoon]] with his Black Network. The conqueror Yamun Khahan, a pastiche of [[Genghis Khan]] (not only rumours about him are quoted almost verbatim, but the other names are used as is). But is more of a subversion: a ravenous warlord bent on conquering the known world through endless war, yet turning westward was a change of course forced on him in the [[Asshole Victim|Thayvian]] campaign's dead end, and he was a [[Benevolent Boss]] [[Villain
* Likewise ''[[Magic:
** Don't forget Nicol Bolas for [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons]].
== Toys ==
* Makuta Teridax in ''[[Bionicle]]'', {{spoiler|especially when he takes over the universe.}}
== Video Games ==
* Dr. Robotnik of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' in some incarnations.
* [[Big Bad|Ganondorf/Ganon]] from ''[[
** [[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
* The main characters in the ''[[Overlord]]'' series are archetypical Evil Overlords who wields hordes of gremlin-like creatures known as Minions, have mistress(es) and generally look like [[Tin Tyrant
** While canonically the Overlord of the first game was apparently a [[Noble Demon]] who saved the Elves from extinction and kept Rose as his Mistress, his son in the sequel is much more evil, being either an [[Ax Crazy]] butcher or a Dominator who enslaved entire populaces to his whim. Lord Gromgard of Overlord: Dark Legend is portrayed as more an [[Anti-Villain]] who while still an Evil Overlord is a benevolent tyrant [[Villain
* Bowser from the ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' series fits this to a T in almost every game (sometimes even ones where you're just [[Go
** Sir Grodus from ''[[Paper Mario:
** Fawful in ''[[
** [[Paper Mario:
* In ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]] 3'', the Warlocks and Overlords of Nighon fit this trope perfectly.
* Zetta, ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'''s [[Badass]] Freakin' Overlord of the entire Netherworld...until he blew it up. [[Planet of the Apes Ending|Damn you, Zetta! Damn you to]]...oh, wait.
** ''[[Makai Kingdom]]'' reveals that Overlords are a dime a dozen in the [[Nippon Ichi]] [[The Verse|'verse]], as anybody with enough mana can rule over their own collection of vassals and worlds.
* Laharl, ''[[Disgaea]]'''s resident
* In ''[[La Pucelle]]'', {{spoiler|Priere}} can become an Overlord if {{spoiler|she}} [[You Kill It, You Bought It|kills too many demons in the Dark World]], leading to a [[Nonstandard Game Over]]. {{spoiler|Oddly enough, this is actually the canon ending.}} The remake incorporates this into the storyline, making it {{spoiler|a requirement for the good ending.}}
* The titular character from the ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series spends a lot of time as this. He does take breaks to save the world, but he actually just wants to keep it alive so he can keep lording over it.
** Ultimately averted though, Kain wants to purify the corruption of the world and make it a vampire utopia because vampires came first and the world rightfully belongs to them. {{spoiler|(He succeeds in getting it on the right track, but judging by blood omen 2, which results from the paradox he makes, there's a long way to go).}}
* In the ''[[City of Villains]]'', Lord Recluse is king. Well more like [[President Evil|dictator]], but he has all the features- [[Five-Bad Band]], [[Redshirt Army]], island domains that vary between [[Vice City]] and urbanised [[Mordor]].
* Shao Kahn in ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''. And before him, {{spoiler|Onaga.}}
* In the ''[[
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' villains often fall into the Evil Overlord bin: but curiously, very seldom the actual [[Big Bad]].
** Golbez of ''[[
** Gestahl of ''[[
** Garland of ''[[
** Rufus Shinra and his father in ''[[
** Ultimecia of ''[[
** Exdeath of ''[[
** Quite possibly the best example is the Emperor from ''[[
** Borderline example, Maester Mika in ''[[
* Jie Revorse in ''[[Star Ocean 1|Star Ocean]]''.
* The ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' series likes this trope.
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** Ashnard in ''Fire Emblem 9''.
* Varesh Ossa in ''Guild Wars: Nightfall'' is a very good example, although unlike other cliched evil overlords, she is in fact control of her actions and knows fully well what she is doing.
* The Valuan Empire in ''[[
* ''Final Fantasy Adventure''/''Mystic Quest'' and its remake ''Sword of Mana'' has an overlord as a villain, they even blatantly name him "Dark Lord". He is not actually the [[Big Bad]], to no one's surprise after years of similar storylines.
* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' portrays the Source of all Gods (named YVWH) as an
* Grigori Rasputin attempts to become this in ''[[Shadow Hearts]]: Covenant''.
* Magus the Fiendlord from ''[[
* [[Oda Nobunaga]] in any Capcom game, including the ''[[Onimusha]]'' and ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'' series (and the latter's [[Anime]] adaptation).
* In ''[[Imperium Nova]]'', [[The Emperor]] of each galaxy is inevetibally labeled an evil overlord by his or her opponents. Whether or not the labeling is true is a matter of discussion.
* ''[[Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al
* The title character of ''[[Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman]] What Did I Do To Deserve This?'' mixes this trope with the [[
* Lord Bane from the old TBS ''Warlords III''
* Dagoth Ur in ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] III: Morrowind.''
* Dracula of ''[[Castlevania]]''. Besides the obvious hints, the "Dark Lord" is his official title, and after he's killed off for good in 1999, said title is still up for grabs. Nobody's actually succeeded in taking it proper. {{spoiler|Or wanted to, for that matter, in one case - Soma Cruz, being Drac's reincarnation, came close accidentally, and he had to fight to not turn evil. Dmitrii Blinov nearly became the Dark Lord intentionally. ''Nearly''.}}
* Gruntilda from ''[[Banjo
* Nightmare from the ''[[Soul Series]]'' fits this trope perfectly in his appearance in ''Soulcalibur IV''.
* A subversion in ''[[Eiyuu X Maou]]''; [[Villain Protagonist]] Felser has this ambition, and goes successfully fast-tracking on his way. The closer he gets to [[Take Over the World|Total World Domination]], the more it's revealed that his [[Hannibal Lecture
* Dark Warlord Zanshin from ''[[Throne of Darkness]]''. {{spoiler|The player's lord becomes one after taking his place.}}
* The Devourlord from {{spoiler|the Demon Path of}} ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'' {{spoiler|aka [[Villain Protagonist|you.]]}} Combines this with [[Omnicidal Maniac]] for a terrifying result.
* Caesar of of Caesar's Legion in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' rules an empire of slavers based upon [[The Roman Empire]] dedicated to restoring order to the wastelands through [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]] and enslavement. However, he's actually [[Affably Evil|suprisingly intelligent and polite with a sense of humor]], as well as possessing [[Wicked Cultured|a love of political/philosophical debates]] when the Courier chats with him.
* Draygon in [[
== Web Comics ==
* Lord Tedd in ''[[
* ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' has fun with this.
▲* Lord Tedd in ''[[El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)|El Goonish Shive]]'', but his [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-05-17 self-proclaimed] "[[Subordinate Excuse|voluntary servant]]" (it's not entirely clear what position she holds, but it's important) thinks he's a good guy under "[[Poisonous Friend|corrupting influence]]".
** Xykon from ''[[The Order of the Stick
** [[Magnificent Bastard|General Tarquin]] is one of the [[The Man Behind the Man|Men behind the Dragon]] to the Empress of Blood. He's found his chances of survival are improved by acting as a mercenary commander for other
▲** [[Magnificent Bastard|General Tarquin]] is one of the [[The Man Behind the Man|Men behind the Dragon]] to the Empress of Blood. He's found his chances of survival are improved by acting as a mercenary commander for other [[Evil Overlord]] wannabes rather than sitting on the throne himself, but he still runs the show along with his [[Non-Human Sidekick]]. He's also so [[Affably Evil]] that it is approaching [[Draco in Leather Pants]] levels of sympathy among a portion of the fandom. Others, it seems, like him less with every strip.
* [http://www.thebeastlegion.com/issue-01-page-21-enter-dragos/ Lord Dragos] from ''[[The Beast Legion]]'' is the perfect example of tyrannical Evil despot who rules the land with an iron fist.
* Stanley the Plaid/Stanley the Tool of ''[[Erfworld]]'' is described as an Evil Overlord by [https://web.archive.org/web/20131127091323/http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0031.html Parson] because of his use of [[
* The Editor of ''[[Evil Overlords United]]''.
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'':
** Lord Horribus, at least during the "That Which Redeems" arc. Oddly enough, Horribus is really only second-in-command of the demon armies. The actual Demon King spends the entire [[Demonic Invaders|Demonic Invasion]] on the toilet.
** A wonderfully [[Crazy Awesome]] version is found in the "Holiday Wars" storyline where {{spoiler|Bun-bun}} realises he can become one and [[Take Over the World]] by becoming the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of all the holidays. (Being the embodiment of Halloween gives the right "dark" flavour among what would otherwise mostly be too cheerful portfolios.)
* Baron Klaus Wulfenbach of ''[[Girl Genius]]'' is something of a subversion. For one thing, he doesn't want to be
* {{spoiler|Sparklelord}} in ''[[
* Parodied in ''[[
* ''[[
== Web Original ==
* In ''[[
* The aptly-named Dark Overlords from the web fiction series ''[[Dimension Heroes]]''.
* ''[[Whateley Universe]]'' example: supervillain Gizmatic, the King of Karedonia. Which he conquered and then enlarged.
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* The Sunflower Emperor in the ''[[Protectors of the Plot Continuum]]'' [[Mirror Universe|Mirror Multiverse]]. The Mysterious Somebody had a similar role in the prime multiverse, as the PPC's former ruler.
* Lord Doom and The Emperor hold this position in the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]''.
* Baron O'Brien is set up to look like one in ''[[
* Discord from the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
* [[
* [[Diamanda Hagan]] actually ''admits'' to being this, having minions [[Bad Boss|who she regularly orders to execute themselves]].
== Western Animation ==
* Fire Lord Ozai from ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* Prince Phobos of ''[[WITCH (
* Master Cyclonis from ''[[
* Aku from ''[[Samurai Jack]]''.
* The Dark Lord [[Fluffy the Terrible|Chuckles the Silly Piggy]] from ''[[Dave the Barbarian]]''.
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* Pariah Dark from ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' who, despite appearing in one hour-long special, managed to take over one world and one entire dimension.
* Maximus of ''[[Atomic Betty]]'' actually calls himself "Supreme Evil Overlord Maximus I.Q.
* ''[[The Fairly
* Emperor Zurg, from the first two ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' movies and the [[Spin-Off]] series ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]'', is a [[Parody]] of this trope.
* Trigon the Terrible from ''[[Teen Titans (
* The [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Blackstar]]'' is called the Overlord.
* Lucius Henious VII on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]''.
* Queen Dark took over the world in ''[[Argai the Prophecy]]''.
* Megabyte of ''[[
* [[Vile Villain Saccharine Show|Discord]] from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
== Real Life ==
* Vortigern was a [[Dark Age Europe|Dark Age]] Romano-British ruler who let the English in from Germany to fight the Scots and then fled when they decided they liked his country and wanted to take the whole thing. Interestingly, his name literally means "Overlord".
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{{quote|
'''Waldorf''': Oh? What's that?
'''Statler''': Quit. They always try to rule over everything. Would ''you'' want to rule this world?
'''Waldorf''': Nah. It's more fun to make fun of it!
'''[[Statler and Waldorf|Both]]''': Doh-ho-ho-ho-ho-hoh! }}
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