Evil Tower of Ominousness: Difference between revisions

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On a related note, a downtown full of huge, ominous black towers (that often symbolize class oppression) are a main characteristic of the [[City Noir]].

In video games, this building will almost always be [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]] (compare with [[~~Its~~ All Upstairs From Here]]).

In video games, this building will almost always be [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]] (compare with [[It's All Upstairs From Here]]).

In mythology, often used in a desperate ploy by an [[Overprotective Dad]] to ([[You Can't Fight Fate|unsuccessfully]]) prevent his daughter from getting pregnant. This results in a [[Girl in The Tower]].

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Because [[Evil Is Bigger]], any towers frequented by the good guys will almost always be dwarfed by this. The villain in these cases is almost always male. Many come equipped with a [[Den of Iniquity]] for the [[Mooks]] during their downtime.

Such buildings are [[Its Going Down|highly likely]] [[Load Bearing Boss|to be blown up, torn down,]] or set on fire.

Such buildings are [[Its Going Down|highly likely]] [[Load-Bearing Boss|to be blown up, torn down,]] or set on fire.

== Anime and Manga ==

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** Not forgetting the aptly, and affectionately nicknamed "[[Lord of the Rings (Film)|Wizards Tower]]", the prominent observation platform aboard the Confederate flagship ''Invisible Hand'' in [[Revenge of the Sith]]. It's clearly meant to be very evocative of the Death Star spire too.

<ref>"[[Irregular Webcomic|Do you think I]] ''[[Irregular Webcomic|like]]'' [[Irregular Webcomic|being so pallid? This radiation is designed to give me a nice macho tan.]]"</ref>

* ''[[The Brothers Grimm (Film)|The Brothers Grimm]]'' took its cues directly from [[Fairy Tales]], so naturally a tower was needed. In the middle of a [[The Lost Woods|Haunted Forest]], a tower with no doors, surrounded by 12 stone sarcophagi, and the nest for [[Ravens and Crows|a murder of shrieking crows]]. Jakob wants to get in to meet the girl of his dreams. [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong]]?

* ''[[The Brothers Grimm (Film)|The Brothers Grimm]]'' took its cues directly from [[Fairy Tales]], so naturally a tower was needed. In the middle of a [[The Lost Woods|Haunted Forest]], a tower with no doors, surrounded by 12 stone sarcophagi, and the nest for [[Ravens and Crows|a murder of shrieking crows]]. Jakob wants to get in to meet the girl of his dreams. [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]?

* ''[[I Robot (Film)|I Robot]]'': The US Robotics tower.

* ''[[Time Bandits]]'': The Fortress of Ultimate Darkness.

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* Prince Xizor in ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Shadows of the Empire]]'' has one, of the skyscraper variety. Partially subverted in that ''every'' building on Coruscant is a skyscraper. {{spoiler|It collapses after Lando Calrissian drops a ''[[Stuff Blowing Up|thermal detonator]]'' in the garbage chute.}}

* The Shadow King in ''[[The City of Dreaming Books (Literature)|The City of Dreaming Books]]'' has a tower. Located in a huge vault in the deepest reaching of the city-spanning catacombs.

* The Ministry of Truth in ''[[Nineteen Eighty Four]]'' is an "enormous, pyramidal structure of white concrete, soaring up terrace after terrace, three hundred metres into the air." Not a wholly inaccurate exaggeration of Stalinesque architectural ambitions. But somehow an [[Life Imitates Art|eerily prescient]] description of the real-life Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang from 1992 to 2008.

* The Ministry of Truth in ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' is an "enormous, pyramidal structure of white concrete, soaring up terrace after terrace, three hundred metres into the air." Not a wholly inaccurate exaggeration of Stalinesque architectural ambitions. But somehow an [[Life Imitates Art|eerily prescient]] description of the real-life Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang from 1992 to 2008.

* Harrenhal from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' was originally built by a man named Harren as a fortress/monument to himself. It consisted of five towers, said to be among the tallest in Westeros. Then Aegon the Conqueror showed up with his three dragons and ''melted'' much of it, turning it instantly from some [[Jerkass]]'s self-congratulatory monument to a cursed White Elephant of a fortress that brings bad luck to whoever makes it their seat of power.

** The only person who ''prospered'' after sacking Harrenhal thus far has been Roose Bolton, who's such a [[Magnificent Bastard]] he's apparently even capable of subverting ''curses''.

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* [[Our Ghosts Are Different|Ghost]] [[Dark Action Girl|Widow's]] base in ''[[City of Villains]]'' is a tall tower in the first area (it's also a [[Clown Car Base]]). Several zones in the game have a skyscraper draped in [[The Empire|Arachnos]] banners that acts as a base for them.

** Lord Recluse's Broadcast Tower in Grandville is probably the biggest and most ominous of the towers on Primal Earth. It's big, red, spidery, and {{spoiler|is designed to steal the powers of every Hero on Earth}}. In Praetoria, the honor goes to Emperor Cole's Watchtower in Nova Praetoria, which is supposedly visible throughout the city. It's not so much an Evil Tower of Ominousness as a Shiny Tower of [[Gray and Gray Morality]], but it fits the bill.

* The Shard in ''[[Mirrors Edge (Video Game)|Mirrors Edge]]'', which doubles as the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]. It's a game based around [[Le Parkour]], and in a city full of skyscrapers, it absolutely dwarfs everything else, and it's just generally made clear in every possible way that [[~~Its~~ All Upstairs From Here|you are going up that thing at some point]].

* The Shard in ''[[Mirrors Edge (Video Game)|Mirrors Edge]]'', which doubles as the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]. It's a game based around [[Le Parkour]], and in a city full of skyscrapers, it absolutely dwarfs everything else, and it's just generally made clear in every possible way that [[It's All Upstairs From Here|you are going up that thing at some point]].

* Thunder Tower in ''[[Mother 3 (Video Game)|Mother 3]]''. More fitting, though, is the Empire {{spoiler|Porky}} Building, which is in fact the home of the [[Big Bad]].

* In ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' you can ''build'' (or mold out of obsidian) one of these (or whatever the heck else you want), complete with black stone and spewing rivers of magma.

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* ''[[Devil May Cry]] 3'' has Temen-ni-Gru, a tower in which most of the game takes place.

* In [[Vampires Dawn]] an invisble tower is the home of [[The Dragon]], while the [[Big Bad]] prefers an [[Elaborate Underground Base]].

* The Watcher's Tower in ''[[El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron|El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron]]'', which makes up the bulk of the game. As it was created by fallen angels, the interior is so mind mindbogglingly large, it's not so much divided into individual floors, as into individual ''worlds''.

* The Watcher's Tower in ''[[El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Video Game)|El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron]]'', which makes up the bulk of the game. As it was created by fallen angels, the interior is so mind mindbogglingly large, it's not so much divided into individual floors, as into individual ''worlds''.

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* On ''[[Kim Possible]]'', Dr Drakken's Caribbean lair, the only one he uses more than once, is a tower, on a mountain, on an island, that's supposedly haunted.

* In Disney's ''[[Sleeping Beauty (Disney)|Sleeping Beauty]]'', one of the scariest straight examples was the setting of the final confrontation. Also a rare female villain-version.

* Mozenrath's Citadel in the Disney ''[[Aladdin (Disney)|Aladdin]]'' [[Recycled ~~the~~ Series|series]] is one of these, complete with [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|snake decorations]] on the doors and death traps and zombie guards inside.

* Mozenrath's Citadel in the Disney ''[[Aladdin (Disney)|Aladdin]]'' [[Recycled: The Series|series]] is one of these, complete with [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|snake decorations]] on the doors and death traps and zombie guards inside.

* The Shredder's main headquarters in ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 (Animation)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003) is one of these. In a manner reminiscent of the ''[[Gargoyles]]'' example above, it includes a Japanese pagoda on the top floor.

* ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]'' had the Tower of Dr. Zalost, from which the eponymous doctor launched cannonballs that made everyone depressed. Doubled as a [[Base On Wheels|Base On Legs]].

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