Punch Clock Villain: Difference between revisions

* [[Bad Boss|Lord]] [[Big Bad|Frieza's]] army, most notably the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Ginyu Force]], from ''[[Dragonball Z]]''.

* ''[[The World of Narue]]'' has a team of [[Ridiculously-Human Robots|gynoids]] who are only "villains" because they follow orders. Then they start [[Mook Face Turn|disobeying orders]] because they realize they like the protagonists.

** {{spoiler|Of course, they aren't really even working for "villains", anyway, just people with an [[Omniscient Morality License]]}}.

* ''[[Gunslinger Girl]]'' has Bruno, who works for the Padania by disposing the bodies they rack up. He mentions at some point that ideals are nice, but they don't feed your family.

** Offset by the fact that tax collectors were known for taking what was owed the government, and then taking pretty much whatever they felt like, meaning that they were little more than thieves employed by the government.

*** That is, when they actually WERE employed by the government. The Roman Empire often made use of "Tax Farming," the practice of selling the authority to gather tax moneys. The purchaser could squeeze people as hard as they liked under the tax laws, and any extra they got was profit. This practice was common in Europe through the Middle Ages, and is likely the cause of the heavy taxes often mentioned in Robin Hood and similar stories.

* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings|The Two Towers]]'', Faramir remarks about a fallen foe (a member of an army marching in support of the Dark Lord), "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he comes from, and if he really was evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home, and would he not rather have stayed there... in peace?" (This rumination was cut from the theater version because it was such a long movie.)

* ''[[In Death]]'': Sylvester Yost from ''Betrayal In Death'' is very much this. He kills people because he's paid to, and he looks at what he does as a job in which he puts a number of years into it, and then he can retire and live in what he considers relative peace. Don't believe for a minute that he's a great guy, however. On the job, he rapes his target and strangles him or her with silver wire. He is [[The Sociopath]] and a [[Complete Monster]] who needs to be stopped.

* The Romulan Commander from the ''[[Star Trek TOS]]'' episode "Balance of Terror":

{{quote|"[[Not So Different|You and I are of a kind.]] In a different reality, I could have called you friend... We are creatures of duty, captain. I have lived my life by it. [[Tear Jerker|Just one more duty to perform.]]"}}

* Most of the Germans from ''[['Allo 'Allo!|Allo Allo]]'', if you think about it.

* The "Mads" from ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. While evil and plotting to take over the world with bad movies, they could also make it clear on occasion that there were really no hard feelings. Dr. Forrester would cheerfully swap invention ideas with Joel, Pearl would invite Mike over for a beer and a chat, and their various subordinates were all basically [[Minion with an F In Evil|too incompetent]] to be really malicious.

** This may be a better example of [[Go-Karting with Bowser]]; nobody was paying the Mads to be evil (with the possible exception of Frank). That was just how they rolled.

* Several villains of this caliber show up on ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', most of whom are actually demons and monsters whose entire existence hinges around doing evil. Most prominent is a demon in Sin City who is [[Locked in a Room|stuck in a caved-in basement with Dean]]. She defends her role in bringing evil to city, claiming that she's just doing her job and most of the [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|humans involved did it out of free will rather than her influence]]. Another example would be a pair of Pagan gods Sam and Dean encounter in the [[Christmas Episode]] who are [[Affably Evil]] and claim that they only take a few lives each year in order to stay alive.

 

 

* An overheard conversation in ''[[Ace Combat X Skies of Deception]]'' shows that at least one Leasath shipman would rather be out fishing than watching the surrounding skies for incoming hostiles. Also subverted in the same game, where someone responding to said shipman nonchalantly tells him that he'll have all the time needed to go fish once Aurelia's been defeated. Several other snippets also show that some Leasath grunts genuinely buy into their commanding officer's desire to see the destruction and downfall of Aurelia.

** ''[[Ace Combat 04 Shattered Skies]]'' has the Erusean 'Yellow' squadron, who are just soldiers and not really villainous for the sake of it. They even befriend the San Salvacion people and abhor the Erusean tactics of posting AA guns on hospitals in occupied cities. Thirteen even ''praises'' the "skilled enemy pilot" who is winning battles all along the way.

* Lucifon of ''[[Princess Maker]] 2'' seems to be very much this. When he is defeated in a duel by the father of the game, he points out that it was the God's will that he attack the corrupted land, a point the father can't argue with. He does seem to treat his role more as a job to be done than a chance to act as your typical scheming villain, though he takes a great deal of pride if he succeeds in corrupting your daughter enough to make her become the next princess of darkness either by marriage or [[You Kill It, You Bought It]]. He and most of the demons are generally [[Affably Evil]].

* At one point in ''[[Deus Ex]]'', the player comes across an NSF platoon that is guarding an underground supply route. When the player reaches the platoon commander, he {{spoiler|surrenders and gives up without a fight}} because "he's just a reservist". He explains that, under scary looking body armour, he's just an accountant, and isn't really big on dying just to protect the supply route.

* Cynthia Charleston from ''In The 1st Degree'' could qualify as this (as well as being an [[Amoral Attorney]]). She is a defense attorney who is defending a man charged with first degree murder and grand theft. However, since the game does not show her or her personality when she is off-duty...

* In ''[[Jak II Renegade|Jak II: Renegade]]'', members of [[Big Bad|Baron Praxis]]' Krimzon Guard can be overheard discussing (among other things) going to see the races during the weekend, having to do sewer patrol after pissing off a commander, and liking [[Heavily Armored Mook|the new armor]], which is apparently "more comfortable in the crotch."

* Plenty of them in ''[[Tekken]]'' as not everyone is that much concerned with the Devil Gene business. The Williams sisters (Nina and Anna) takes any job and wouldn't expand it to personal lives, their aim is just to settle their sister rivalries. Eddy Gordo is only in Jin's army to get the cure for his sickly master. Bruce Irvin is a good friend of Kazuya Mishima and usually serves him well, but outside his servitude, he's a [[Friend to All Children]] and help them out when he can.

 

* [http://www.pholph.com/whole_arc_viewer.php?id=5&sid=563 This Arc] of ''[[Jack (webcomic)|Jack]]'' deals with the ethical dilemmas of finding yourself an unwilling punch clock villain by {{spoiler|discovering half way through your employment that your boss is a twisted paedophile, and being unable to quit or tell anyone because he's also weeks from finding a cure to your wife's terminal cancer.}}

* Gen. William Howe in ''[[The Dreamer]]''. He really doesn't want to fight against the very people he fought with in the French And Indian War, but he has no choice but to follow orders.

{{quote|"Wow. How do you sleep at night with that job?"

[[Jerkass|"Pretty well. I mean, fuck it, why should I care? It's not like they're my kids."]] }}

 

== Web Original ==

* Members of the Hymn of One cult in ''[[Lonelygirl15]]'' are, for the most part, just religious people who like to meditate, find their "inner song", and do charitable work. Unfortunately, the people in charge have other plans.

** Explored further in ''[[Kate Modern]]'', with the character of Steve Roberts. "I was just doing my job!", indeed.

** It's especially prevalent when long-time teammates wind up getting separated due to trades. It's not uncommon to see former teammates and veterans chatting it up amicably between rounds of whatever game—and then turning around and being as brutal as possible during play.

** Interestingly, there's an official rule in Major League [[Baseball]] that forbids players from fraternizing while on the field, enforcing this trope.

** During the French occupancy in WWII, it was not uncommon for off-duty German officers (many of whom served in the front lines in WWI) to exchange stories with retired French WWI soldiers.

** During the battle of Gettysburg, one stream saw both Union and Confederate soldiers drawing water from it and having conversations.