Red Right Hand: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''On a gathering storm''

''Comes a tall handsome man''

''In a dusty black coat''

 

There are heroes and then there are villains. And the audience needs to know which is which, even before anyone gets to [[Kick the Dog]] or [[Pet the Dog]] or [[Tropey the Wonder Dog|does anything involving the metaphorical dog]]. The hero, in order to be properly heroic, will be [[Beauty Equals Goodness|sickeningly handsome]]. The villain may be good-looking as well, but if they are, they will often have some type of [[Obviously Evil|physical defect or tip-off to their monstrous nature.]]

 

Related to [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]], [[Scary Shiny Glasses]] and [[Hypnotic Eyes]]. If this appearance also comes with labored breathing or a cough, it's [[Vader Breath]]. If this appearance carries discolored veins, it's [[Tainted Veins]]. Of course, you should be more scared if you [[Ultimate Evil|don't see the villain at all]]. A [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]], the [[Undeathly Pallor|undeathly pale]] and an [[Evil Albino]] will typically fall under this category. Contrast [[The Grotesque]], whose outer deformity hides an inner goodness, although Grotesques may occasionally be given a Red Right Hand, usually symbolic of their struggle ''against'' inner evil or madness. May be [[Justified Trope|justified]] with depicting the villain as having become evil [[Freudian Excuse|because of being bullied or mocked for the deformity in question]] (the best known example of this is probably [[Frankenstein's Monster]]). If it's a sign of demonic possession, see [[Mark of the Beast]]. Also Contrast with [[Hidden Evil]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Most if not all villains in ''[[Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin]]'' and its [[Ginga Densetsu Weed|sequel]] have at least [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|scars]] of some kind, but [[Mutants|Kaibutsu]] from ''[[Ginga Densetsu Weed|Weed]]'' takes the cake on this one. He's a former dog [[Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke|who has been turned into a monster by genetic engineering]] and as a result is a [[Hell Hound|giant semi-dog like creature]] who has near-impervious skin. On the other hand, he has ''no skin at all on the left part of his upper body''.

* Sora, in an arc of ''[[Naruto]] Shippuden'', has a demonic-looking right hand. He wasn't necessarily evil, just a [[Jerkass]] {{spoiler|who also happens to be a vessel for some of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra that has been cultivated and injected into Sora by the real villain}}.

** When Naruto tries to [[Battle in the Center of the Mind|defeat the Kyuubi on his own]], he has his former inner hatred shoved into his face, and then Naruto's left eye transforms into that of his inner evil counterpart. On the outside, he develops a 2-tailed fox cloak on the right side and a 2-tailed V2 cloak on his left.<ref>It would have gone further if his mother didn't intervene.</ref>

 

== Comic Books ==

* In [[Cross Gen]] comic ''Sojourn'', Mordath's evil nature warped the Sigil he recieved, so instead of a red-and-yellow yin-yang symbol it was entirely red. Recieving the Sigil in the first place brought him [[Back from the Dead]], so he's also a zombie.

* Justified example in ''[[Creature Tech]]''. Jameson exchanged his hand for that of the demon Hellcat so he could gain demonic powers.

 

== Film ==

** One of the most literal is Red Grant of the book version of ''[[From Russia with Love]]'' whose nickname besides referencing his allegiance to the Soviet Union, refers to his unpleasantly red skin tone which indicates the evil behind otherwise handsome features.

** Zao from ''[[Die Another Day]]'' has diamonds seared to his face.

* Azrael, the secondary villain in ''[[Dogma]]'', has little tiny horns. Though this is less a physical defect and more that he's literally a demon.

* In the movie ''[[Mystery Men]]'', Casanova Frankenstein has creepy fingernails.

* An inversion of the trope was used by the Mole character in ''[[Austin Powers]] in Goldfinger''. His main characteristic was a large mole on his face. Despite this, he's actually one of the good guys (a double agent that was officially serving Dr. Evil's organization, but his actual employers were Austin Power's organization), and was largely responsible for Mini-Me's [[Heel Face Turn|defection]].

* In the orginial [[Texas Chainsaw Massacre]] The Hitchhiker has a large and prominent birth mark on the side of his face.

 

== Literature ==

* In the ''[[Silmarillion]]'', Morgoth has incurable burns on his hands from handling the Silmarils. And he was also eventually cursed with a permanent ugly appearance.

* The main villain of Derek Landy's novel ''[[Skulduggery Pleasant]]'' literally has a red right hand—that is to say, there is no skin on that hand, only muscle and bone. He can use this to channel a torturous killing curse.

* [[Red Dragon|In the]] [[Silence of the Lambs|books]], Hannibal Lecter had six fingers on his left hand (later in the series, he had the extra finger removed because it made him recognizable) and maroon eyes. Creepy.

* The title character of [[Philip K. Dick]] novel ''The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch'' has horizontally slitted metal eyes, metal teeth and a mechanical right arm: all physical signs of his metaphysical transformation into something very other than human.

** In other Discworld novels it is stated that the Gods can look like anything they choose, but that the one feature they cannot disguise is their eyes.

* T. H. White does this with Mordred in ''[[The Once and Future King]]'', and explicitly makes a comparison to ''[[Richard III]]''.

* Saint Dane's chilling ice-blue eyes in ''[[The Pendragon Adventure]]''.

** {{spoiler|Victarion Greyjoy has a literal example with his burned arm. After Moqorro the Red Priest healed his festering hand wound, the relevant arm became permanently burned to the elbow, but functions perfectly well and is implied to now be super-strong, at one point doing a [[Neck Lift]] on some poor bastard with enough force to rip the man's throat out. Oh, Victarion also got ''real'' fond of human sacrifice after this}}.

* Crowley in ''[[Good Omens]]'' is only moderately evil, but he does have yellow snake eyes (hence the [[Cool Shades]]). Since he gets given human bodies to blend in on Earth, the implication is that he/Hell can't change these. He also has snake-skin boots that are implied to not be boots and he can "do interesting things with his tongue", both of which are suggestive of his origin as the Snake which tempted Eve.

* Inverted in the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' novel ''[[Grey Knights]]'', where {{spoiler|the Allking of Sophano Secundus}} and his retainers appear normal at first, but only reveal their Chaos mutations once the truth is guessed at.

* In ''[[The Magicians]],'' The Beast (AKA {{spoiler|Martin Chatwin}}) appears completely human except for three or four extra fingers on each hand.

* In the original version of ''[[The Silence of the Lambs]]'' and its sequel, Hannibal Lecter has an extra finger on his ''left'' hand. This was considered for the film version, but later dropped because the FX would have been too expensive.

 

* On ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'', [[Serial Killer]] [[Brother-Sister Incest|brother-sister couple]] Edward and Tubbs Tattsyrup both have piggy noses. There's also [[Monster Clown]] Papa Lazarou's blackface makeup, which is later hinted to be his actual skin color.

* On ''[[Supernatural]]'', both demonic possessions and shapeshifters are indistinguishable from the real person except for occasionally discolored eyes.

* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', vengeance demons and Dark Willow are both explicitly described as "veiny". When Warren acquires a talisman of super-strength, Andrew is disappointed that it didn't make him "all huge and veiny".

* In ''[[The Invaders (TV series)|The Invaders]]'' (1967–68), the aliens (at first) can't bend their pinkies.

 

== Music ==

* In Jewish folklore as well as some Eastern European traditions demons and vampires look like normal people except that they have bird's feet.

* Several types of malevolent spirits in English and Celtic mythology looked like horses or cows with hooves pointing backwards. Indian folktales had female spirits with the same defect.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* In ''[[Nobilis]]'', Lord Entropy (a.k.a. The Darkest Lord, Imperator of Scorn, Desecration, and Destruction, and the leader of Earth's Imperators in the War for the survival of Creation) has hands that constantly drip blood due to the sheer evil of the deeds he has done in the service of Creation.

 

* [[Older Than Steam]]: One of the [[Zeroth Law of Trope Examples|paragons]] of this is [[Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] ''Richard III'', who has a whole set: hunchbacked, with an atrophied arm, one leg shorter than the other, and born with all his teeth already in place. The real Richard III did not have these deformities.

* Almost literal in Friedrich Durenmatt's ''The Visit'', in which Claire, the villain, has an artificial hand and foot to symbolize her inhumanity.

 

== Toys ==

* ''[[Bionicle]]'' has Takanuva gain one when his light is drained, his right hand having shadow powers. The mix of light and shadow in him during that period creates a lot of conflict inside.

 

== Video Games ==

* [[BlazBlue|Ragna the Bloodedge's]] right arm {{spoiler|is the corpse of an [[Eldritch Abomination]]}}.

 

* In ''Comedity'' one of Garth's personae, number 47, literally goes by "The Red Right Hand" and while not strictly evil is all of Garth's violent tendencies embodied. [http://www.comedity.com/index.php?strip_id=167 Hello again, Natalia.]

* ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'': Dominic's older brother Jacob is missing most of the flesh from one arm and the bottom half of his face due to his screwing around with necromancy. Though it's been restored a couple times, as well as being turned pitch black (momentarily) by absorbing pure undiluted Undead Blight.

* In ''[[Homestuck]]'', whoever wears one of the Queens' rings gain physical features of each player's prototyped spirit; ie, wings, long tentacles and a sword through their torso. After Jack becomes the only one left wearing the ring, he gets a literal Red Right Hand. It's covered in the blood of {{spoiler|WV, who Jack punched through the stomach to get the uranium he ate.}}

** Many characters, including Jack, are also missing an arm and an eye. Not all of the others are evil, though.

 

== Web Original ==

* Linkara's robot double Mechakara in ''[[Atop the Fourth Wall]]'' has a mechanical left hand. {{spoiler|Which makes for an absolutely wonderful piece of foreshadowing later on.}}

 

== Western Animation ==

* Mozenrath, a villain in Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' television series, wears a magic gauntlet that stripped away the skin and muscles of his hand leaving a skeletal hand that ''still continues to feel pain'' from the gauntlet. He's furious that Aladdin got "easy" power through his Genie, as opposed to the sacrifice he made and suffering he endures.

* Most of the villains and villainesses in ''[[Jacob Two Two]]'' have poor dental hygiene and off-white eyes. Those that don't are unbearably clean [[Smug Snake|smug snakes]].

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Zuko's [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|scar]] and [[Expository Hairstyle Change|hair]] are used to mark him as a bad guy. {{spoiler|[[Heel Face Turn|After turning good]], he changes his hair to make his scar look less ugly.}}

*** Really, once we learn how Zuko ''got'' the scar ( {{spoiler|[[Abusive Parents|Fire Lord Ozai burned his face as punishment for speaking out of turn during a war meeting (against using new recruits as cannon fodder) before banishing him]]}}), it came to be a mark of Zuko as a ''victim'' {{spoiler|and his [[Complete Monster|father]] true villain}}.

* Many villains introduced in Season 1 of ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'' had some sort of deformity, often an animal-like feature. Mr. Boss has a hunched back. Mr. Wink has buffalo-like horns, and his partner Mr. Fibb has walrus-like tusks and flipper-like hands. Mrs. Goodwall has an ox-like tail and nose and a hairstyle that suggests horns. [[Word of God| Mr. Warburton]] claimed he had planned for an episode explaining this odd trend, but [[Aborted Arc|but it was scrapped.]]

** Professor XXXL has a different mutation in every one of his appearances, although in his case it can be attributed to being a [[Mad Scientist]] who tends to be lax on safety. He's a crab-like arm in the pilot (which was torn off in his [[Noodle Incident| ill-fated attempt to confront the PTA]]), a turtle's shell in his second appearance, and squid's legs in the third; cameos show him with additional mutations, including the lower body and shell of a snail, a beaver tail and teeth, and moose antlers

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Evil Tropes]]

[[Category:Obviously Evil]]

[[Category:Personal Appearance Tropes]]

[[Category:This Index Is Not an Example]]