Tom the Dark Lord: Difference between revisions

{{examples}}

* Adam, known by his more [[The Dreaded|feared]] [[Only Known by Their Nickname|nickname]] "the Millenium Earl" in ''[[D.Gray-man]]''?

* In the original ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' comics, Adam Susan definitely counts. However, in the film, it sorta counts, but not quite because while he's still named Adam, his surname has been changed to make him [[Adolf Hitler|Adam Sutler]].

* In the limited series ''[[Venom (Comic Book)|Venom: Lethal Protector]]'', the eponymous [[Villain Protagonist]] was captured by the Life Foundation, who used his symbiote to spawn five offspring, and then gave them to five mercenaries, hoping for a team of warriors that were as deadly as Carnage. They... didn't exactly fit the bill, emphasized by the fact that they went by their human hosts' names, Donna, Carl, Ramon, Leslie, and Trevor. Eventually, once madness took hold (a recognized side-effect of humans who bond with symbiotes) they figured they did need villain-names, calling themselves Scream, Agony, Lasher, Riot, and Phage, not that ''those'' were much better.

* Fandom trope [[Ron the Death Eater/Harry Potter|Ron the Death Eater]].

* In ''[[Hoodwinked]]'', the villain, [[Alliteration|Boingo the Bunny, berates]] his [[Mook]] Keith.

{{quote|'''Boingo:''' ''Dolph, tie up the brat; Liesel, hold the book; Vincent, get the truck; and Keith... darn it, change your name, please. That's not scary and I'm embarrassed to say it. Boris, try that. Keith, ya know? Oooo Watch out for Keith!''/}}

** Which is ironic, considering the name "Boingo".

* Freddy from ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''.

** [[Friday the 13th|Jason]], too.

* "Frank Cotton" seems like an innocent enough name, until you realize he's the sadistic and violent [[Serial Killer]] from the original ''[[Hellraiser]]'' who ''flays victims and wears their skins.''

* [[Trope Namer]]: Voldemort from ''[[Harry Potter]]''. His real name is Tom Riddle. He hates it, in part because of this trope - though more accurately it's because it's not very interesting or unique <ref>In an aversion of [[One Steve Limit]], there is another two characters named "Tom": Voldemort's father, and the [[No Last Name Given]] owner of The Leaky Cauldron.</ref>, rather than not very evil.

** The Death Eater who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort was named "Peter".

* In E. E. "Doc" Smith's ''[[Lensman|Triplanetary]]'', the human characters are menaced by an [[Abusive Precursors|Abusive Precursor]] who introduces himself as "Roger". That's not his real name (it's Gharlane), but still it's oddly funny to have the crew of the ''Boise'' stumble across him on a random planet and go "[[Oh Crap]], it's Roger!".

* A minor villain from the third season of ''[[Lexx]]'' had the name Fifi. It's worth mentioning that this villain is male.

* Among the [[Big Bad]]s of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' there are Richard Wilkins III (The [[Mayor Pain|Mayor]]) and Adam. Also in ''Buffy'', there is The Trio, consisting of three generally pathetic guys whose lair is a basement. Their names are Jonathan, Andrew and Warren.

* BOB, also known as "Killer BOB", the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[Twin Peaks]]''.

* ''[[Bob, Lord of Evil]]'', a [http://www.peregrine-net.com/PGS_PGN_PRODUCTS/Bob_Lord-of-Evil.html Bob, tabletop game] that parodies the horror genre.

* The most significant villain in ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' is named Seymour. The name's not treated as embarrassing in the story - it's not a completely plain name even if it is in use in real life, and it's not an ironically cute name. But it probably still fits this trope.

** It's probably worth mentioning that in Japan Western names are considered exotic in much the same way that Eastern names are in the US. The renaming of Tina to Terra in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' was a way to avert this; in the case of ''Final Fantasy X'' they simply may not have cared. In addition, Seymour's initial appearances are benign, and a clear villain name would have spoiled the surprise later.

* While he's only a villain to the [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]] trying to [[Kill All Humans]], one [[Enemy Chatter]] line in ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' expresses incredulity that the real name of [[The Dreaded]] [[One-Man Army]] slaughtering them is John.

* From ''[[Looking for Group]]'', there is a character whose titles include "Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead, King of the Dance, Mistress of Magma (he's a... man... he's undead, but he was a man in life) and mayor of a little village up the coast (read that as "village of flesh-eating, undead hell-beasts in humanoid form")." The character's name? Richard. This is constantly mocked in the comic. The protagonist Cale is fond of referring to him as Dick just to get on his nerves.

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' we have "Chaz", an unstoppable sword also known as the Unholy Evil Death Bringer, forged in the most insidious of flame by the blacksmith known only as... Bob.

* The titular character from ''[[Jack (webcomic)|Jack]]'', which in life was a powerful genocidal dictator and on death was condemned to be the Grim Reaper and incarnation of the Sin of Wrath. Played with: when the story begins, he is the ''only'' person left with that name, as his infamy was such that no one wanted to be confused or identified with him, bringing what was once a common and ordinary name into extinction.

* ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]''{{'}}s Dr. Doofenschmirtz is often called Dr. Doof. He also provides examples of this himself; in one episode, he started an Evil League called the [[Fun with Acronyms|L]]eague [[Fun with Acronyms|O]]f [[Fun with Acronyms|V]]illainous [[Fun with Acronyms|E]]vildoers [[Fun with Acronyms|M]]aniacally [[Fun with Acronyms|U]]nited [[Fun with Acronyms|F]]or [[Fun with Acronyms|F]]rightening [[Fun with Acronyms|I]]nvestment in [[Fun with Acronyms|N]]aughtiness. Or as it's better known, [[Fun with Acronyms|L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.]]

** Another ''Phineas and Ferb'' one: Khaka Peu Peu.{{context}}

** [[Knight of Cerebus|Dick Hardy]]. Despite the common name and being completely human - until act 3, anyway, where an accident gives him a monstrous body to match his monstrous soul - he's one of the most vile villains in the history of the show; fans often point out that even HIM (the show's version of [[Satan|the Devil]]) has more decent qualities!

** A more lighthearted example with the [[Monster of the Week]] in "Super Zeroes" - a giant, slimy, blob with strong-looking arms, beady red eyes, and a vertical mouth full of sharp teeth. And the name is... Steve. He's likely a parody of [https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Hedorah Hedora], and even {{spoiler|points out the girls should be more secure in who they are, instead of trying to emulate other heroes (which. among other things, was interfering with his attempts to fight them for a [[Rite of Passage]]).)}}

{{reflist}}