Villain Song/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: The villain sings about villainy.

  • Straight: Count Basso Profundo explains his plans in an operatic aria.
  • Exaggerated: The aria is so obviously evil that a horrified bystander shoots him on the spot.
  • Downplayed: Count Basso Profundo sings quietly to himself about his plans.
  • Justified: Profundo is an opera singer, and the song is part of a performance.
    • Profundo has both a huge ego and an equally large love for music. What better way to show off both than with a show stopping musical number?
    • Profundo uses Magic Music and his powers require him to sing in order to use them.
  • Inverted: In private, Profundo sings a heartfelt love song. Meanwhile, the heroes sing about crushing him.
  • Subverted: Profundo cackles, the orchestra swells menacingly, the heroes shiver... and then he launches into an interpretive dance.
  • Double Subverted: Midway through the dance, he starts to sing.
  • Parodied: The hero kicks Profundo in the groin, but he sings his whole song - in falsetto.
  • Deconstructed: Profundo stumbles repeatedly, improvises badly, can't make the lyrics work, and finally decides just to sing "Be Prepared" from The Lion King...
    • The Villain Song is pointed out to be emblematic of the villain's pride/megalomania/invincibility complex. It serves no other purpose than for him to revel in how cool he thinks he is.
    • Singing is NOT a free action.
  • Reconstructed: ... which he does brilliantly.
    • Which is kind of the point.
    • So he ties the heroes up before he starts singing.
  • Zig Zagged: Profundo is killed during the first verse. Shortly thereafter, he's resurrected as a singing zombie, but is pushed into an incinerator before the end of the first verse. Later, the hero admits that he really wanted to know how the song ended, and makes up the rest of it himself.
  • Averted: Profundo does not sing.
  • Enforced: Profundo is played by an opera celebrity. If he didn't get a song, there'd be blood.
  • Lampshaded: "As a villain, I naturally have an excellent singing voice. Ahem..."
  • Invoked: "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now!" "Well, don't you have to sing your song first?"
  • Defied: Profundo declares that he'll sing after the hero's dead. He never gets the chance.
  • Discussed: Profundo is an expert on villain arias, and discusses all the major examples in a lecture.
  • Conversed: Profundo isn't a villain, and the show isn't a musical. However, he notes that with a name like "Count Basso Profundo," he'd probably make a great singing villain.

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