Villain by Default: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''...And there's this Nazi, who's a bad guy! Why is it that Nazis are always the bad guys?''|'''[[Bum Reviews (Web Video)|Chester A. Bum]]''', [http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/bum-reviews/31211-x-men-first-class reviewing] ''[[X-Men|X-Men: First Class]]''}}

Close relatives of [[Always Chaotic Evil]], these characters are defined morally and narratively by ''what'' they are, rather than ''who'' they are. Inevitably, the [[Villain Byby Default]] is a member of an organization or class that society as a whole has agreed is evil. For this reason, they require little to no additional characterization to cement their position in the story or motives, and in fact, most [[Villain Byby Default]] characters receive none.

Nazis and neo-Nazis are possibly the ultimate example of modern cinematic [[Villain Byby Default]] characters, since these need no additional characterization - most of society agrees Nazis were evil simply by [[Those Wacky Nazis|being Nazis]], and neo-Nazis are even more evil because they're the really dedicated ones (as opposed to the occasional Nazi that was conscripted).

Other common examples of [[Villain Byby Default]] types:

* Anyone or anything in a [[Sci Fi]] show that claims to be a deity, [[No Such Thing Asas Space Jesus|even (or especially) if they have a good case.]]

Naturally, whenever a group is cast as Villains By Default without additional justification there will be a part of the audience that's going to [[Alternative Character Interpretation|disagree with the assessment]]. This is particularly true of works that are [[Pandering to Thethe Base|subtly or unsubtly pandering to one "fashionable" prejudice or another]], or that are aimed at very specific audiences. This is where [[Values Dissonance]] will kick in: a work created by a fundamentalist Christian might have a "sinful" person (stripper, alcoholic, what-have-you) as an irredeemable villain, whereas a work by someone who despises Christians will want his/her audience to assume that ''Christians'' are the evil ones.

* Significant aversion: One episode of ''[[Kino's Journey (Light Novel)|Kino's Journey]]'' involves slavers who had [[I Am a Humanitarian|eaten their "cargo"]] to survive in a snowstorm. However, the episode is devoted to showing that despite how wicked their profession, actions, and plan seem once revealed, they're people as well, with loved ones, hopes, and dreams. Which only goes to show that ordinary people, too, are capable of acts of astonishing callousness -- and conversely, that no matter how callous a person is, they're still a ''person''.

* Subverted to hell and back again on ''[[Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure (Manga)|Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure]]'' (''Part II: Battle Tendency'') with '''[[Those Wacky Nazis]]'''! [[Beyond the Impossible|No, really!]] Have we already mentioned that this manga is bizarre? To elaborate: At first, the Nazis are seem trying to revive an [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|ancient race of fossilized Mesoamerican vampires]], most likely for the sake of harnessing their power. However, later on it's revealed {{spoiler|that they were investigating them, from the very beginning, for the sake of finding [[Immortality|a way to eliminate them]], as their resurrection would mean the end of the human race}}. In the end, they come up as heroic and badass. They even give the hero, [[Crazy Awesome|Joseph]] [[Trickster Archetype|Joestar]], a cool mechanical hand as a thanks gift after he lost it in the final battle.

* The [[Anti-Hero|Anti Heroes]] of ''[[Sin City]]'' have taken on many a [[Villain Byby Default]] in their stories.

* The Nazis in the ''[[Indiana Jones (Franchise)|Indiana Jones]]'' series, naturally.

** Interestingly, at least in ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark (Film)|Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', the common grunt soldiers were shown as simply [[Punch Clock Villain|Punchclock Villains]], with Indy sharing a smile with one - right before punching his lights out - and even engaging in an [[Mook Chivalry|honorable one-on-one duel]].

*** They were still Punchclocks in ''[[TheIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film)|The Last Crusade]]''. It's just that the [[Big Bad]] used locals (that he hired of course), so for the most part you didn't see it as much.

* In ''[[Star Wars]]'', any military officer of the Galactic Empire is treated as thoroughly evil, even in situations where it's clear they are [[Punch Clock Villain|only doing their jobs]]. Note that in ''[[A New Hope (Film)|A New Hope]]'', one Imperial officer racially abuses Chewie. (Though honestly, once your bosses have not only built but ''used'' something like the Death Star, and then started building ''another'' one, you gotta start considering yourself complicit.)

** Another ''[[Star Wars]]'' example: The bounty hunters in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back (Film)|The Empire Strikes Back]]'', including Boba Fett, are portrayed (however briefly) as an unsavory bunch. It was only in the [[Expanded Universe]] and, later, ''Attack Of The Clones'' that Fett attained any real characterization.

* In ''[[MirrorsMirror's Edge (Video Game)|Mirrors Edge]]'' you've got the police which you're more than welcome to beat up, steal their weapons and if the need arises push off the side of a 110 storey building. Fair enough you might think in an "evil" government setting but the main character's sister is also a cop.

* Templars in [[Deus Ex: Invisible War (Video Game)|Deus Ex Invisible War]] are neo-luddites with some legitimate concerns (especially those involving the [[The Cuckoolander Was Right|technocratic conspiracies]]). Their modus operandi is [[Kill'Em All|quite simplistic]] however.

** By way of contrast, the original ''JP'' movie had a ''good'' hunter (technically a game warden), who died in a [[Heroic Sacrifice]], as well as a kindly grandpa CEO - although he was, admittedly, [[The Millstone]], and in the original book he was a standard [[Villain Byby Default]] instead, who outright states that he would never run any business that helps people, as people tend to get upset when you charge them high prices for something they really ''need''. That's why he is building a theme park, because he can charge any amount he wants to. He makes a whole speech about how helping people is bad. He also ripped off the computer programmer, which gives the programmer another reason to betray him, which leads to the disaster. He also represents someone who is an intentional fool, someone who refuses to deal with inconvenient ''facts''. He's much more sympathetic in the movie.

* Most episodes of ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]'' start with a villain beating up shopkeepers or generally being a gigantic jerk. One memorable episode begins with the villains threatening to ''kill orphans'' if another character doesn't sign over an orphanage. Additionally, since ''[[The A-Team (TV)|The A-Team]]'' are fleeing from the military, and they're the heroes, the military is often portrayed as villainous for being after them.

* Being a comic book universe with a lot of [[Black and White Morality]] (as most comic book universes have), the heroes of the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' have faced off against a metric buttload of bad guys who were [[Villain Byby Default|villains by default]]. Corrupt lawyers, gangsters, bikers, hit-men, big game hunters, [[Those Wacky Nazis|neo-nazis]], [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|evil businessmen]], white supremacists, satanists, various other cultists, voracious aliens, terrorists of every stripe and creed. And of course your average supervillain is in it for the greed and the breaking things. The number of villains that introduced shades of gray could be counted on one hand.

* Many of the villains on ''[[Captain Planet and Thethe Planeteers]]'' are industrialists, whose sole motivation seems to be to produce as much pollution as possible. The exception is Looten Plunder, who is of course in it for the money.