Evil Overlord: Difference between revisions

[[File:Sauron5.jpg|link=The Lord of the Rings (film)|frame|A lot of them look like this. Face is optional, [[Spikes of Villainy|incredibly spikey crown]] is not.]]

 

 

The [[Archetypal Character|archetypal]] [[High Fantasy]] (and sometimes [[Heroic Fantasy]]) [[Villains|villain]].

Not to be confused with the video game ''[[Overlord]]'' and its sequels, which feature these characters as [[Villain Protagonist]]s. Or an [[Drunk on the Dark Side|Evil Overload]], although he will likely have one at some point.

 

{{examples|'''I demand examples!! So speaks DOOM!!'''}}

* Many of the [[Big Bad]]s from ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' and ''[[Dragon Ball GT]]'' fall into this category, including Commander Red of the Red Ribbon Army and Frieza.

* Il Palazzo from ''[[Excel Saga (manga)|Excel Saga]]'' is a notable parody as well a deconstruction. {{spoiler|When his dark side takes over him, he's a frighteningly capable Evil Overlord.}}

* Claw from ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]''.

* Moo from [[Monster Rancher (anime)|Monster Rancher]].

 

== Comic Books ==

* Emperor Golgoth of ''[[Empire]]''.

* The mummified, sinister King Yod of ''[[Megalex]]''

 

== Film ==

** 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 (film)|Legend]]'' fits this to a T.

 

== Literature ==

* ''[[Animorphs]]''. Two words: Visser Three.

* As always, ''[[Discworld]]'' provides examples.

** Lord Vetinari from the same series has all the trappings of an Evil Overlord, except that he happens to be a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] who is [[Genre Savvy]] enough to know that evil doesn't pay. His only act of public villainy was having all mime artists tortured to death via scorpion pit. That only made him more popular.

* 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.

* Capricorn from ''[[The Inkworld Trilogy]]'' is a cookie-cutter example of this trope. He's also something of a capricious ganglord punk. Depends what you take from it.

** 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.

** 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.

* 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.

* 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.

* {{spoiler|Freddy Johnson as}} Osiris in [[The Tumbleweed Dossier]].

 

** 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 (comic strip)|Flash Gordon]]'', and the associated serials and TV shows, though in the [[Flash Gordon (film)|1980s film version]] he has been elevated to ''[[Galactic Conqueror]]'' status what with threatening entire solar systems on a whim and such.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Exalted]]'' boasts a wide variety of very powerful villainous types, but the closest to the Evil Overlord archetype would definitely be the Deathlords, leaders of the Abyssal Exalted and servants of the [[Eldritch Abomination|Neverborn.]] In a minor variation, they're not out to conquer the world so much as they want to [[Omnicidal Maniac|kill everything that lives and destroy everything that's not alive, consigning all of existence to Oblivion.]]

** 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]]).

** 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 with Good Publicity|adored]] by his people (not unlike the real-world Khan).

* Likewise ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', including Volrath, Crovax, and [[The Man Behind the Man]] for both of these, Yawgmoth. Various other examples from ''M:TG'' include Baron Sengir, Lim-Dul the Necromancer, and Memnarch.

** 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 ==

* [[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.

* The title character of ''[[Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman]] What Did I Do To Deserve This?'' mixes this trope with the [[Dude in Distress]], being utterly helpless from abduction by heroes without the help of his God (the player character) and the creatures that inhabit his underground lair.

* Lord Bane from the old TBS ''Warlords III''

* Draygon in [[Crystalis]].

 

* Lord Tedd in ''[[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]]".

* ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' has fun with this.

** [[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.

* The Editor of ''[[Evil Overlords United]]''.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'':

* Parodied in ''[[Overlord of Ravenfell]]''.

* ''[[Dark Wings]]'' has Veslin, the mysterious leader of [[The Empire]]. Believed to be an evil [[Our Dragons Are Different|dragon]], but she might be anything, even a [[Omniscient Council of Vagueness|whole group of people]]. All we really know is that there's ''something'' powerful and intelligent driving the Veslians.

 

== Web Original ==

* [[The Nostalgia Chick]] gets called a dictator by her [[Sex Bot]], gives Disney villains helpful advice and enjoys playing in God's domain just a bit too much.

* [[Diamanda Hagan]] actually ''admits'' to being this, having minions [[Bad Boss|who she regularly orders to execute themselves]].

 

== Western Animation ==

* 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.

* Trigon the Terrible from ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|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]]''.

* [[Vile Villain Saccharine Show|Discord]] from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]''. Over 1000 years ago, he ruled Equestria in a state of eternal chaos and suffering, with everypony reduced to being his personal playthings. Eventually, the Princesses discovered the Elements Of Harmony and rose up against him, [[Taken for Granite|turning him to stone]] and [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealing him away]]. When he eventually escaped his prison, he took over Equestria and went right back to being this trope.

 

== 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".

 

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Authority Tropes]]

[[Category:Archetypal Character]]

[[Category:Villains]]

[[Category:Power]]

[[Category:No Real Life Examples, Please]]