Unholy Matrimony: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:unholymatrimony 200.png|link=The Venture
{{quote|"''Once you have frozen mankind, these babies will overrun the globe, and we shall rule them, for we will be the only two people left in the world.''"
"''Adam and Evil.''"
You know how the story goes, right? [[The Big Bad]] meets [[The Baroness]], [[The Baroness]] meets [[The Big Bad]], their eyes meet, and horribly discordant music that sounds not unlike the screaming of tortured souls arise. It's black magic... a match made in hell!
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* In the ''Yank Wilson'' story in the first issue of ''Next Issue Special'', Rajiv Bahdgi and his wife Berlin Holiday are... special. Bahdgi's villainous activities have become wild, unfocused, and more destructive than ever since his marriage. When Yank Wilson and his team are sent to apprehend him, we discover why: his overbearing wife has been driving him mad and he wants to be captured just so he can get away. Unfortunately for him, due to the heinous nature of his actions, the government has a special arrangement for him in Leavenworth: he and his wife will be sharing a cell. Cue [[Big No]].
* In the Crime Syndicate, the [[Mirror Universe]] version of the [[Justice League of America]], Superwoman (evil [[Wonder Woman]]) is married to Ultraman (evil [[Superman]]). But she's totally contemptuous of her husband, and her illicit affair with Owlman (evil [[Batman]]) is closer to the trope.
* In the ''[[
** There's also the Iron Queen and King, who [[Interspecies Romance|thank]][[Squick|fully]] were just a marriage of political convenience. Though, the Queen did have a thing on the side with Snively, and each seemed to be using each other to advance their positions in Eggman's empire.
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** The only time Darwin loses his [[Psychotic Smirk]] is when {{spoiler|Minerva is horribly killed by a splash of molten lead}}.
* Possibly, Magneto and Mystique of ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men]]''.
== Literature ==
* The antagonists of [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'' are the cruel king cobras Nag and his even crueler mate Nagaina. Nag is killed by the mongoose protagonist halfway through the story, causing Nagaina to seek revenge against him and his adoptive human family.
* Bibok and Calosta in [[Esther Friesner]]'s ''[[Majyk By Design]]''. On Orbix, Majyk is a psuedo-sentient tangible substance that actually provides the power behind spells. Our hero Kendar may have scads of Majyk, but the two of them together are positively dripping with it. Married wizards and sorcerers have a heck of a time getting divorced if their Majyk doesn't want to separate. {{spoiler|This is taken care of during the final fight when Kendar's ex-wife pretends to have had an affair with Bibok. Calosta proceeds to turn him into a variety of amusing shapes until finally he's turned into a rat which Scandal, Kendar's talking cat, eats, thereby gaining his share. Calosta was winked out of existence by Kendar's Aunt Carageena (Or was it Glucosia?) when her Sacred Eye of Delbert paperweight slipped out of her hands and struck Calosta in the chest. They didn't realize that the paperweight was, in fact, the actual artifact.}}
* In one of the ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' stories, titled ''[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_People_of_the_Black_Circle The People of the Black Circle]'', a villainous sorcerer's [[Lady Macbeth|lover convinced him]] that he should betray his four masters and [[Take Over the World]] on his own. {{spoiler|He was actually able to use [[The Power of Love]] to hold all four of them off for a while -- until they realize what's happening, and target HER instead. He gets the last laugh as he [[Almost-Dead Guy|live just long enough]] to give Conan information on how to kill them}}.
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* ''[[In Death]]'' series: This has happened a couple of times, like in ''Salvation in Death'' and ''New York to Dallas''. However, in those cases, one of the couple is genuinely in love and the other has nothing but contempt for the other. The contemptuous one will murder the other one, thereby crossing the [[Moral Event Horizon]]...if s/he has not already done so!
* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: A number of stories has this going on between the bad guys, like in ''Lethal Justice'', ''Vanishing Act'', and ''Deadly Deals''. However, the "love" between such couples is apparently not genuine, and they will inevitably turn on each other once the Vigilantes and [[Karma]] start closing in on them!
* From ''[[Cthulhu Mythos]]'':
** The Great Cthulhu itself has a mate named Idh-Yaa, another of the Great Old Ones, who much like Cthulhu, is of ambiguous gender. They have a daughter named Cthylla who in one story tried to wed Hastur the Unspeakable (aka the "King in Yellow".).
** Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, the rulers of [[Fish People| the Deep Ones]]. Whether they are Great Old Ones or simply larger-than-average Deep Ones is not known, but they are clearly as malevolent and murderous as their subjects.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Angelus and Darla of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[Angel]]'' fame. Darla was a [[Complete Monster]] to begin with, but once she teamed up with Angelus, the duo started traveling the world, staying wherever a genocidal civil war was currently going on. Those were the only places they would not have to restrain themselves too much without being discovered.
** Likewise, Spike and Drusilla, who seemed to be genuinely in love, albeit still quite psychotic. Sad it didn't last through all of the seasons. Spike's later relationship with Harmony counts as this as well, though it rather notably doesn't really work quite so well and doesn't last nearly so long, for [[Replacement Goldfish|more]] than one [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|reason]].
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** YMMV in regards to Angelus and Darla. It was stated that Angelus was not capable of actual love, and Darla was quick to sell him out in a tight spot (they were trapped in a barn with vampire hunter [[The Determinator|Holtz]] and his followers outside and one horse. She hits him over the head and rides off on the horse.)
*** But when he catches up with her he makes her "pay for her sins. Again and again." And then they get back together. And when Angelus is trapped and tortured by the same man, Darla sets up a rescue party.
*
** In ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'', Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa actually went as far as subverting the inevitable failure of the [[Love Potion]] - and eventually getting married. Later its revealed that Zedd loves Rita for real, when he is exposed to an antidote against the love potion. The behind-the-scenes reason for this Unholy Matrimony is that the [[Moral Guardians]] thought Zedd, acting as an evil overlord, was too scary for kids during his early run. Therefore the producers toned him down by making him part of a bickering married couple.
** This is why [[Space Pirate]] Divatox wanted to release Maligore in the ''[[Power Rangers Turbo]]'' movie. She started having second thoughts after getting a good look at him, seeing that he is a berserk fire demon.
** In ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' there were two cases of villains who had been married before making their first appearance (in a way, considering that both couples were robots). King Mondo had Queen Machina as his royal consort, and likely had for a long time. Also, Mondo's firstborn (first-built?) son Prince Gasket had eloped with Princess Archerina, the daughter of Mondo's rival, at some point in the past, and the two later returned when Mondo was believed to be dead.
** Sledge and Poisandra in ''[[Power Rangers Dino Thunder]]'' first became engaged ''65 million years'' before the start of the series. Sledge was always reluctant to actually wed Poisandra, being too [[Married to the Job]] (it seems even intergalactic bounty hunters like himself can have that problem) to do so. {{spoiler|They finally tied the knot in "Edge of Extinction".}}
* Anita and Roger Roycewood, the couple of {{spoiler|child abductors and murderers}} from ''[[Criminal Minds]]''.
* A couple in ''[[Dexter]]'' show up as Victims of the Week, telling each other that they love each other even while Dexter is about to kill them for murdering several innocent immigrants.
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== Mythology ==
* [[Hero-Killer|Typhon]] and [[Mother of a Thousand Young|Echidna]] from [[Greek Mythology]]. She's a beautiful woman with the lower body of a snake, and a fondness for eating travellers. He's a giant with one hundred dragon heads, and a tendency towards deicide. Together they sired the [[Hell Hound|Hellhounds]] [[Multiple Head Case|Orthrus and Cerberus]], the [[Mix-and-Match Critters|Chimera]], the [[Nigh Invulnerable]] [[Panthera Awesome|Nemean Lion]], the [[Riddle Me This|Sphinx]],
== Newspaper Comics ==
* From ''[[Dick Tracy]]''; nobody knew until years after his death that [[Those Wacky Nazis| Pruneface]] had a wife, but [https://dicktracy.
== Tabletop Games ==
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* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'':
** Count Strahd Von Zarovitch believes that {{spoiler|every hundred years his old love interest from before becoming a vampire is reborn. Naturally, he tries to marry her every single time.}}
** Belgos and Silussa, a drow vampire and succubus who make up a Dual Boss in the 1st Edition module Vault of the Drow (written by [[Gary Gygax]] himself) are stated to be consorts and lovers, but whether they truly love each other isn't clear. As far as the written strategy goes for the module, Belgos does indeed gain a bonus to his attack roles if Silussa is in danger, but Silussa will abandon him and flee if her life is in danger.
** Another famous example of this from Dungeons & Dragons (which ended badly) was the relationship between Mammon, the ruler of the third layer of Baator, and Princess Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus. Glasya was his lover and consort, but after the failed mass coup called the Reckoning, Mammon proved to be a groveling coward before Asmodeus. As part of his punishment, Asmodeus forced him and Glasya to annul their marriage. Glasya has since [[Took a Level In Badass| become far more powerful]] and become ruler of the sixth layer, and her attitude towards him now is unknown; some believe that they have secretly renewed their relationship (despite the fact that Mammon has a new consort) while others believe she despises him now for failing to defend their love. A third train of thought believes she never loved him to begin with, and was appointed as his consort by her father, as a punishment, or to function as [[The Mole]] in among his henchmen, or possibly both.
** There was also the rather...twisted relationship between the [[Evil Sorceress]] Iggwilv and the demon lord Graz'zt; they were lovers for a time, he helped her forge an empire, and she bore his son, who would grow up to be the cruel tyrant Iuz...all despite the fact that she had [[Stockholm Syndrome| technically kidnapped him and was holding him prisoner]]. It ended very badly.
** Demogorgon himself is often referred to as [[Horny Devil|Malcanthet]]'s boyfriend. Whether they are presently lovers in current continuity, [[Fan Disservice| they were in the past at least]], and he's still her most powerful ally, a big reason she is the unquestioned ruler of the Succubi.
* From ''[[Deadlands]]'' fluff, we have Miles and Mina Devlin, ruthless railroad barons, dark sorcerers, devoted spouses and loving parents. {{spoiler|After Miles' assassination, [[It Got Worse]].}}
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* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' had a mini-arc "Bang Falls in Lurve!". That being [[Ax Crazy|cheerfully murderous]] Bangladesh DuPree, Vole's [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120224 vision about "unleashing an ocean of blood!"] was what did it to her.
{{quote|'''Gil''': (stunned) You... ''like'' him? You... like... ''you - ?!'' ''Wahahahaha!'' Of ''course'' you do! He's a bloodthirsty, treacherous ''[[Super Soldier|killing machine]]!''}}
== Web Animation ==
* ''[[Helluva Boss]]''
** Subverted with Stolas and Stella; they clearly despise each other and Stolas is not a faithful spouse. It is confirmed at the start of season 2 that their marriage was an arranged one.
** Played straight with Millie and Moxie, possibly the only couple in the history of animation to overlap this Trope with [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]]. In fact, one complaint fans have of the series is that their relationship is ''too'' perfect.
== Web Original ==
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* Trixie and Prince Blueblood in story 2 of the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' fanfic "Legion of Gloom". Not only is their dating considered one of the [[Squick]]iest things in the fic ''in-universe'', their marriage ceremony is...well...
{{quote|'''[[Author Avatar|The Author]]''': Then by the power invested in me by myself, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, though I would prefer if you didn’t.}}
== Western Animation ==
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* Some [[Periphery Demographic|older fans]] of [[Wild Kratts]] sense a bit of [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] between [[Rich Bitch|Zack]] [[Evil Genius|Varmitech]] and [[The Fashionista|Donita]] [[The Cruella|Donata]]; they even went out on a date [[Ship Tease|in canon]]. Although, if there ''is'' any actual attraction, it seems [[All Love Is Unrequited|one-sided]] on Zach's part.
* Chief from ''Pucca'', head of the local [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]], has a crush on Garu's enemy Tobe. In one episode they became this trope after Tobe got [[Love Potion|hit by one of Cupid's arrows]], and they had a little love montage showing them robbing stores together and so on. In fact, before the stuff wore off they were this close to getting married.
* Lampooned in ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode "Treehouse of Horror XXII", where Maude Flanders makes a cameo as [[the Devil]]'s concubine. Yeah, the [[Halloween Episode]]s tend to be weird.
* Subverted in the ''[[COPS (animation)|COPS]]'' episode "The Case of the Bogus Bride". While it seems like the standard gangland wedding, Jenny - the bride - is a con artist who wants to marry Berserko to gain access to the vaults in a hotel owned by the [[Big Bad|Big Boss]], where the wedding will be held, so she can rob it. She cares nothing for him.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Evil Tropes]]
[[Category:Marriage Tropes]]
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[[Category:Villains]]
[[Category:Dysfunctional Family Tropes]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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