Treacherous Advisor: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Also called a [[Mentor Mole]], a '''Treacherous Advisor''' character is the type the [[Heroes]] consult when they're digging up an [[Ancient Conspiracy]], or something of the sort, and have hit a dead end. Surely he's in a position to be helpful? After all, he's the scholar/politician/military man/whatever, and just likely to have the information they need. Not to mention he can keep a secret.

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Gil Graham in ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]] A's''.

* ''[[Words Worth]]'': Both Tessio of the Shadow Tribe and Menza of the Light tribe, who are later revealed to be {{spoiler|two halves of the same entity, who is pushing the tribes to remain in a constant state of war to keep the Words Worth Tablet prophecy from being fulfilled.}}

* [[Big Bad]] {{spoiler|Albert Maverick}} from ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'' is this to {{spoiler|Barnaby. He steers Barnaby to become a highly marketable (and easily-manipulated) corporate-sponsored [[Superhero]] who works tirelessly for the company and TV channel of which he is the CEO. Barnaby constantly looks to Maverick for guidance (and obviously considers him to be a [[Parental Substitute]]) for more than two-thirds of the series.}}

 

== Comic Books ==

* In ''[[Spider-Man]]'', when NYPD criminologist Carlie Cooper discovers Officer Vin Gonzales is part of a conspiracy to frame Spidey, she goes straight to the precinct sergeant. He turns out to be deeper in it than Vin, and quite prepared to pin the whole thing on Vin and Carlie.

* In ''[[All Fall Down]]'', {{spoiler|AIQ Squared}} is this to Siphon and the Pantheon. Mildly subverted in that he is legitimately looking out for IQ Squared's best interests.

 

== Film ==

* The film version of ''[[Watchmen (film)|Watchmen]]'' adds shades of this to the relationship between {{spoiler|Dan and Adrian, due to the fact that unlike in the graphic novel, they're close, affectionate friends in this version}}.

* {{spoiler|Teddy Gammel}} in "Memento".

 

== Literature ==

* In [[The Kingdoms of Evil]]: De Macabre for certain, and possibly everyone else in Skrea.

 

* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "Invasion of the Dinosaurs", Sarah Jane Smith falls victim to this trope ''twice''. First, the man she sees for help finding the villains' base turns out to be the one who helped them set it up. Then, after she escapes from him, she takes what she knows to the general who is coordinating the state of emergency, not knowing that, while she was away, he had ''also'' been revealed as a member of the conspiracy.

* From ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'': Claire has been hiding from her father the fact that she heals incredibly fast. She finally can't take the pressure anymore and decides to tell him... and he tells her he already knows, and asks her whom else she's told. Subsequently, every person she mentions has their memories of it wiped, and Claire herself is targeted for a wipe.

* Subverted in one episode of [[Stargate Atlantis]]: When visiting the ruins of a ship that had the crew both in stasis and believing that they were still flying the vessel in a virtual reality setting, the second in command apparently was planning to do something against her boss. However, its later revealed that the actual second in command was killed long before the events of the episode by a Wraith, and a Wraith (presumably the same one that killed her) was impersonating as her.

* ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' has Agravaine as a good example of this. Arthur's uncle and advisor, as well as [[The Mole]]. Merlin and the rest eventually figure him out, but Arthur takes the longest to quit trusting him.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

*The Goddess Ilias of [[Monster Girl Quest]], to Luka. She sends him on his quest, teaches him how to fight, and gives hints on how to defeat enemies, but she has her own agenda and a couple of the "evaluations" lead you astray.

 

* Miranda West in [[The Wotch]] may qualify for this, given that she's keeping some very big secret from protagonist Anne and that she's willing to totally destroy the lives of a few people in order to make sure nobody interferes.

* (Not gonna bother using spoiler tags since there's only one advisor-type character in the comic, but) ''[[Panthera]]'' has Reynder/Ari, who turns out to be [[The Big Bad|Oosterhuis]].

* In [[Pibgorn]], [http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2005/01/22/ a succubus can see that our heroes still find him useful].

* Nicodemus, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[The Dreamland Chronicles]]'' got his start as one of these. Notably, he actually ''told his liege in advance that he would betray him'', though he made it clear that he would only do so if his liege continued what Nicodemus considered to be a self-destructive policy. His liege didn't stop. Nicodemus was true to his word.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==