Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains: Difference between revisions
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Related Tropes: [[Hitman with a Heart]], [[Minion with an F In Evil]], [[Would Not Shoot a Civilian]], [[Never Hurt an Innocent]], [[Even Evil Has Standards]], [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child]], [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]], a darker [[Noble Top Enforcer]].
It's obvious that these types of villains don't WANT to be evil; circumstances just make them out to be. They may act out of [[Undying Loyalty]] or [[Love Martyr|love for someone]] or maybe they're simply fighting for their own survival. Others are [[Break the Cutie|broken cuties]] who have snapped and want to end their suffering by destroying everything. Usually they are suffering from their alignment. The characters garners our sympathy not because their goal is good but because we can see how the [[Crapsack World]] made them the way they are. Often suffer from a damaged psyche. [[Anti-Villain|Anti-Villains]] in this category may become true villains, but they're also just as likely to turn into an Anti-Hero.▼
The defining trope for this type of Anti-Villain would be a '''[[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]'''.▼
Related Tropes: [[Sympathetic Murderer]], [[Jerkass Woobie]], [[Tragic Villain]], [[My Master, Right or Wrong]], and a typical [[Dark Magical Girl]].▼
The [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]. They may believe in a good goal, but use whatever means there are to achieve it. The sympathy the audience can garner for this character comes from the fact that they basically share the same goal as the hero, but are pragmatically, expediently, or pessimistically, ruthless about it. They can very much be conscious about their morally questionable actions, but feel that there is no other way. Common antagonist in [[White and Grey Morality]] scenarios and relatively likely to be redeemed if shown the error of their ways depending on ''how'' "extremist" they are. These [[Anti-Villain|Anti Villains]] may become more malicious true villains, but they are more likely to either stay in this category or possibly morph into a Type II [[Anti-Villain]]. The Type III can also be a revolutionary of some sort, fighting against the main character only due to their affiliation to some government or organization, and usually fighting for a noble cause. Alternatively, [[Obliviously Evil|they may not even realize what they're doing is wrong or making things worse in the first place]].▼
The defining Trope for this type of Anti-Villain would be the '''[[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]''', of course. Might overlap with [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type III Anti-Hero]].▼
Related Tropes: [[Necessarily Evil]], [[Obliviously Evil]].▼
=== Type IV: [[Anti-Villain|"Villain"]] In Name Only ===
These characters either lack any villainous traits whatsoever or have so much concern over others that any signs of villainy are nearly completely drowned out. Frequently, these characters are called villains only because they fight against the hero. Basically, these guys are NEVER actively malevolent. They usually have some other reason for opposing the hero besides evil schemes. Ironically, these characters can be extremely dangerous to the hero as their high skill at arms/competence more than makes up for their lack of vileness. Fighting them also poses a moral dilemma which can also sap the hero's morale. It is at this point where an [[Anti-Villain]] starts to blur with the [[Hero Antagonist]]. Having to kill a particularly well liked type 4 in a boss fight can be a [[Player Punch]]. Their deaths are extremely likely to be a [[Tear Jerker]]. These [[Anti-Villain|Anti-Villains]] have virtually no chance of becoming a true villain - in fact, if they did, it would probably mess up the flow of the story.▼
A defining trope for this type of Anti-Villain is the '''[[Designated Villain]]'''.▼
Related Tropes: more benign [[My Country, Right or Wrong]] or [[My Master, Right or Wrong]], [[Non-Malicious Monster]], [[Punch Clock Villain]], [[Noble Top Enforcer]] (when not a Type I), mild examples of [[Necessarily Evil]], those who are [[Forced Into Evil]], and occasionally a [[Token Good Teammate]] (when amongst a bunch of scumbags).▼
{{examples}}
==
* Evangeline from ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''
* Tia Harribel and Gin Ichimaru of ''[[Bleach]]''. {{spoiler|At least, Gin claims to be this at best and acts the part, but it turns out he's actually Type III, a well-intentioned extremist whose actions have put him well beyond any level of hero territory and far into anti-villain territory.}}
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** When said duel is interrupted by Cytomander, who takes Yoko hostage and orders Viral to perform a [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] on Gurren Lagann, Viral refuses and sheathes his axe, knowing that his honor cannot be regained that way.
=== Comics ===
* Captain Cold of ''[[The Flash]]'' and most of the Rogues' Gallery are an example of this.
* [[The Darkness]]
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* Envy Adams of [[Scott Pilgrim]].
=== Film ===
* From the ''[[Pitch Black]]'' series, we have [[Noble Demon]] Riddick. He's a villain in almost every way; a savage murderer and psychopath with a ''really'' sick sense of humour, but [[Even Evil Has Standards]], and it seems he [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child]] (he seems to like children, and in return he often fascinates them).
* [[Megamind]] is somewhere between this and a Type II.
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* Bill the Butcher from ''[[Gangs of New York]]''. He's a vicious, racist nutjob, but he has a sense of honor and a few [[Pet the Dog]] moments.
=== [[Literature]] ===
* The titular character of ''[[Dexter]]''.
* Lord Vetinari of ''[[Discworld]]''.
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* Napoleon in the ''[[Temeraire]]'' series. Indeed he often comes off as better than the people running Britain.
=== [[Live Action TV]] ===
* Garak in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', he does have standards. He is also quite utterly unapologetic about the rather horrifying things he has done (and does).
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Default position of most demons in ''[[Disgaea]]''
* Elvis from ''[[God Hand]]''.
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* Carl "C.J." Johnson from [[Grand Theft Auto San Andreas]]
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Ty Lee and Mai from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''.
* Brain and his Dragon Pinky from ''[[Pinky and The Brain]]'' are a mix of Type 1 and Type 3.
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* Tom of ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'', [[Depending on the Writer]]. Although he does get sadistic pleasure out of tormenting Jerry and at the beginning of some shorts is shown doing so, in other shorts he's really only forced to go after Jerry by his owner. Jerry does his share of provoking their battles as well, sometimes to the point of [[Disproportionate Retribution]], and sometimes even just because he feels like it.
== Type II Examples ==▼
===
▲It's obvious that these types of villains don't WANT to be evil; circumstances just make them out to be. They may act out of [[Undying Loyalty]] or [[Love Martyr|love for someone]] or maybe they're simply fighting for their own survival. Others are [[Break the Cutie|broken cuties]] who have snapped and want to end their suffering by destroying everything. Usually they are suffering from their alignment. The characters garners our sympathy not because their goal is good but because we can see how the [[Crapsack World]] made them the way they are. Often suffer from a damaged psyche. [[Anti-Villain|Anti-Villains]] in this category may become true villains, but they're also just as likely to turn into an Anti-Hero.
▲The defining trope for this type of Anti-Villain would be a '''[[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]'''.
▲Related Tropes: [[Sympathetic Murderer]], [[Jerkass Woobie]], [[Tragic Villain]], [[My Master, Right or Wrong]], and a typical [[Dark Magical Girl]].
▲== Examples ==
▲== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ==
* Fate Testarossa in the first season of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''.
* Suzaku from ''[[Code Geass]]''.
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** After the [[Time Skip]], she evolve to Type 4, since she, though not doing evil herself, still hates the main heroine.
=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* Mr. Freeze in ''[[Batman]]'' [[Ret Canon|post-influence from]] [[Batman: The Animated Series|the animated series]].
** Also, Two-Face from the very start.
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* ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' has the Ultimate version of Shocker, who was screwed over by the company he worked when he tried to make legit money.
=== [[Film]] ===
* Big Daddy from [[Kick-Ass]] (film version only). He may be a bit mixed with a Type III, but he's more closer to this {{spoiler|once you see what happened to him five years ago}}.
* Magua from ''[[The Last of the Mohicans|Last of the Mohicans]]''.
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* Sweeney Todd from ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (film)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''
=== Literature ===
* {{spoiler|Simone and her sisters}} in ''[[Rivers of London|Moon Over Soho]]''. Never asked or set out to be what they became (and weren't even truly aware of it until the end), and whose origin was entirely accidental.
* Murtagh and Thorn from ''[[Inheritance Cycle]].''
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* The "monster" from ''[[Frankenstein (novel)|Frankenstein]]''. He actually recounts how all his thoughts were extremely noble when he had just been hiding and listening to people, but when he actually tried to interact with them and was feared, he became bitter and nasty. Of course, this slides it towards [[Informed Attribute]], but the actual events in the novel also give good enough grounds to say this trope applies, especially when the protagonist Dr. Frankenstein is [[Anti-Hero|not very heroic]] himself.
=== [[Live Action TV]] ===
* Ben from ''[[Lost]]'' usually bounces between this type and Type I and Type III.
* The Master from ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fits into this trope given that the only reason he does what he does is because he's been driven absolutely insane by the drums in his head, and that the drumming was put there deliberately
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* Jefferson aka the Mad hatter from ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]''. He's pushed into what he does by Regina's manipulation and betrayal plus love of his daughter. Also he's been driven more than a bit crazy by his time in Wonderland and being one of the few concious people in Storybrooke.
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* Magnus the Red from ''[[Warhammer 40000]]''.
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Tsubaki Yayoi from ''[[Blaz Blue]]''.
* Sniper Wolf in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''.
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* Yasha from ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'' is a combination of this, a Type 4, and Stoic Woobie, who is legimately the one of the only deities that turned on Asura that feels legitimate regret fro the way they treat humanity after betraying asura, by forcing them into a [[Martyrdom Culture]].
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* In ''151 Hidden Depths'', [http://hiddendepths.smackjeeves.com/comics/1405524/050-diglett/ Diglett] becomes this after evolving into [http://hiddendepths.smackjeeves.com/comics/1407376/051-dugtrio/ Dugtrio]. [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse|Being small]] led him to be rejected from joining the Pokemon Police Force so he proves he's a force to be reckoned with by [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|destroying cities]].
=== [[Web Original]] ===
* Dr. Horrible from ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]'' is a combination of this and Type III {{spoiler|until his [[Despair Event Horizon]] caused by Penny's death plunges him into complete villainy}}
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Zuko from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' is somewhere between this and a Type I, before his [[Heel Face Turn]].
* Most of the members of Batman's Rogue's Gallery become this in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series|Batman the Animated Series]]'', most notably the Mad Hatter, Baby Doll, Clayface, Two-Face, and the aforementioned Mr. Freeze.
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* An interesting subversion/deconstruction of this character type can be found in [[Big Bad|Demona]] of ''[[Western Animation]]/Gargoyles''. She's certainly got enough nuance and tragedy in her backstory to qualify her as a [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]], but at the same time she has both the motive and means to do probably the most large-scale damage of any villain in the [[Rogues Gallery]] and her obsession with getting revenge for her own pain has blinded her to the fact that she's spent the last milennium just digging herself in deeper.
== Type III Examples ==▼
=== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ===▼
▲=== Type III: Well-Intentioned [[Anti-Villain]] ===
▲The [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]. They may believe in a good goal, but use whatever means there are to achieve it. The sympathy the audience can garner for this character comes from the fact that they basically share the same goal as the hero, but are pragmatically, expediently, or pessimistically, ruthless about it. They can very much be conscious about their morally questionable actions, but feel that there is no other way. Common antagonist in [[White and Grey Morality]] scenarios and relatively likely to be redeemed if shown the error of their ways depending on ''how'' "extremist" they are. These [[Anti-Villain|Anti Villains]] may become more malicious true villains, but they are more likely to either stay in this category or possibly morph into a Type II [[Anti-Villain]]. The Type III can also be a revolutionary of some sort, fighting against the main character only due to their affiliation to some government or organization, and usually fighting for a noble cause. Alternatively, [[Obliviously Evil|they may not even realize what they're doing is wrong or making things worse in the first place]].
▲The defining Trope for this type of Anti-Villain would be the '''[[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]''', of course. Might overlap with [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type III Anti-Hero]].
▲Related Tropes: [[Necessarily Evil]], [[Obliviously Evil]].
▲== Examples ==
▲== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ==
* Pain, Konan and {{spoiler|Itachi}} of ''[[Naruto]]''
* Gil Graham from ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As]]''.
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** It turns out that {{spoiler|Gin Ichimaru}} is this {{spoiler|or at least, this is how he started}} although he deliberately cultivates the image of a {{spoiler|Type I Anti-Villain}}. His motive is something the protagonists could sympathise with and even support but the methods he's willing to (and does) use put him well outside the hero scale and firmly in the anti-villain scale. For a Type III, his methods are very extreme and drag him towards the {{spoiler|Type I}} he claims to be.
=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* [[The Punisher]]. Also a Type V on the [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes]].
* Erik Magnus/Erik Lensherr AKA [[Magneto]] of ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''
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* [[Batman]]'s foe Poison Ivy, who is also another case of [[Depending on the Writer]].
=== [[Film]] ===
* Ramses II from ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'', mixed with Type II.
* The Operative in ''[[Serenity]]''.
=== [[Literature]] ===
* Nicci of the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series, along with several minor villains who aren't [[Complete Monster|Complete Monsters]], such as Michael and Sebastian.
=== [[Live Action TV]] ===
* Lex Luthor in ''[[Smallville]]'' is often this.
* Walternate from ''[[Fringe]]'' seems to fall into this category. Yes, he wants to destroy our universe, but for all he knows there isn't any other way to save his. Not to mention that he thinks the two universes are at war. True, he is openly malevolent towards {{spoiler|Olivia while she is trapped on the other side, along with anyone that helps her}} and is quite ruthless, but he occasionally has ''higher moral standards'' than Walter. {{spoiler|Most obviously displayed when he flat-out rejects his top scientist's idea to text cortexiphan on children, an idea that Walter developed and executed far before the conflict between the universes began}}.
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* [[Star Trek: The Original Series]] and [[Star Trek: The Animated Series]] are jam packed with this type. Examples include Roger Korby, Kodos, the Talosians, the Gorn, the Horta, Cochrane’s companion, NOMAD, John Gill, Ron Tracey, Loki, Bele, and Stavos Keniclius, to name just a few. The tradition continues in the film series with Sybok, Valeris, Cartwright, and arguably Chang and Kruge.
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* Lizardmen in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]'' if interpreted as villains.
* The Tau Empire in ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' via villainous interpretation.
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** [[Ambiguously Evil|Possibly Alpharius and/or Omegon.]]
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Delita in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'' (goes up the scale).
* {{spoiler|Namatame}} in ''[[Persona 4]]'' (due to being oblivious to the consequences of his actions more than anything else).
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* {{spoiler|Deus}} from ''[[Asura's Wrath]]''.
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* Baron Klaus Wulfenbach from ''[[Girl Genius]]''
* [[The Dragon|Redcloak]] from ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', initially; he became more of a straight villain over time due to his association with [[Complete Monster]] [[Big Bad|Xykon]].
* Tangerine from ''[[Sinfest]]'' doesn't do the stuff she does out of malice, but as a result of not knowing any better.
=== [[Web Original]] ===
* {{spoiler|Jaffers}} and the obstacles {{spoiler|(except for [[That Dude in the Suede|Suede]] at the end of part 5)}} in ''[[Suburban Knights]]'' just want to protect the gauntlet from {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Malecite]] so that he cannot pose a threat to our technology-dependent world}}. In the process, however, they're willing to fight and kill anyone also looking for the gauntlet in order to prevent that from happening.
* Dr. Horrible from ''[[Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]''
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Jet from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. He has a good reason to be opposing the Fire Nation, he just takes his grudge way too far.
* Amon from ''[[The Legend of Korra]]''.
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* Valerie Gray from ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', if you don't view her as a [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type III and/or IV]] [[Anti-Hero]].
== Type IV Examples ==▼
=== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ===▼
▲=== Type IV: [[Anti-Villain|"Villain"]] In Name Only ===
▲These characters either lack any villainous traits whatsoever or have so much concern over others that any signs of villainy are nearly completely drowned out. Frequently, these characters are called villains only because they fight against the hero. Basically, these guys are NEVER actively malevolent. They usually have some other reason for opposing the hero besides evil schemes. Ironically, these characters can be extremely dangerous to the hero as their high skill at arms/competence more than makes up for their lack of vileness. Fighting them also poses a moral dilemma which can also sap the hero's morale. It is at this point where an [[Anti-Villain]] starts to blur with the [[Hero Antagonist]]. Having to kill a particularly well liked type 4 in a boss fight can be a [[Player Punch]]. Their deaths are extremely likely to be a [[Tear Jerker]]. These [[Anti-Villain|Anti-Villains]] have virtually no chance of becoming a true villain - in fact, if they did, it would probably mess up the flow of the story.
▲A defining trope for this type of Anti-Villain is the '''[[Designated Villain]]'''.
▲Related Tropes: more benign [[My Country, Right or Wrong]] or [[My Master, Right or Wrong]], [[Non-Malicious Monster]], [[Punch Clock Villain]], [[Noble Top Enforcer]] (when not a Type I), mild examples of [[Necessarily Evil]], those who are [[Forced Into Evil]], and occasionally a [[Token Good Teammate]] (when amongst a bunch of scumbags).
▲== Examples ==
▲== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] ==
* Haku from ''[[Naruto]]''.
* Coyote Starrk from ''[[Bleach]]''
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* Alyssa from the [[Mai-Otome]] manga, who wants to end the Otome system so that she can spend more time with her sister.
=== [[Comics]] ===
* [[Sub-Mariner|Namor the Sub-Mariner]] whenever he is antagonizing the other superheroes of the [[Marvel Universe]]. His actions are mostly due to his hot-headed and anti-social personality.
* Lucas Lee from [[Scott Pilgrim]].
* Inspector Finch from ''[[V for Vendetta]]''.
=== [[Film]] ===
* [[King Kong]].
* Roy Batty ends up as this in ''[[Blade Runner]]''.
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* The Spaniard from the fourth ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]''.
=== [[Literature]] ===
* Several of the Havenite military personnel in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' series are only villains because they happen to be part of a nation that is at war with Manticore. This is especially the case after Eloise Pritchart takes over as President and transforms Haven from a [[People's Republic of Tyranny]] into a genuine democracy. {{spoiler|They have now become straight protagonists after Haven and Manticore allied to fight Mesa.}}
* In many of the original [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories, the perpetrator or the closest equivalent turns out to have merely been the victim of the circumstances, not known what they were doing, merely committing a lesser crime for understandable reasons, or at least to be a [[Sympathetic Murderer]] taking justice in their own hands against an [[Asshole Victim]] who really had it coming. Once they're exposed and explain themselves, Holmes tends to let these characters off the hook even when they actually did do something illegal.
=== [[Live Action TV]] ===
* Lt. Kavenaugh on [[The Shield]] at least until the premiere of season 6 when he crosses the [[Moral Event Horizon]].
* Enos from ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]''. He is never really portrayed as corrupt or evil, and despite his [[Designated Villain]] role (by default by being on the same side as Boss Hogg), becomes quite sympathetic and likable over the course of the show. Enos is plagued by a strong sense of duty. He's a deputy, and sworn to uphold the law. Unfortunately for him, Boss Hogg controls the law. At times, one has to wonder if his goofing up isn't at least somewhat intentional as a way of helping the Dukes. Especially considering that he was able to become the head of the Los Angeles SWAT team.
* [[Minion with an F In Evil|Sgt. Shultz]] and [[Innefective Sympathetic Villain|Col. Klink]] from ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]''
=== Theater ===
* John Dickenson in ''[[1776]]'' is staunchly against Independency, even coming to blows with protagonist [[John Adams]]. His only claim to villainy is he's a Loyalist that truly believes America's best course is to remain with England.
=== [[Video Games]] ===
* The Guardians from ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'', especially Harpuia. They're essentially good people (technically, [[Ridiculously-Human Robots|Reploids]]) fighting for an evil government. Eventually they make a [[Heel Face Turn]].
* Meta Knight from ''[[Kirby]]'' though he can sometimes be a Type III in his more extreme moments.
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* The Theives Guild in [[The Elder Scrolls]] IV: Oblivion. Despite being unrepentant theives they never kill, protect the poor and only target people who can easily afford the loss. Their leader the Grey Fox in particualr fits this as he only resorts to crime due to a curse which he seeks to break.
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* Fuschia from ''[[Sinfest]]'' goes from [[Card-Carrying Villain]] to type I to type IV.
* [[Lawful Stupid|Miko]] [[Knight Templar|Miyazaki]] from ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' starts out here, and slides up to a Type III.
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Iroh from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''.
* [[The Chew Toy|Waspinator]] in ''[[Beast Wars]]''.
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