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It's not that [[Evil Is Cool]]. Rather, this is more like "Evil is Intellectual." Evil is smart, wicked, sarcastic with a biting sense of humor. Evil is smooth and eloquent, if not outright suave. Evil [[Man of Wealth and Taste|dresses well]], has a [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness|polysyllabic lexicon]], quotes [[Shakespeare]], sips [[A Glass of Chianti|fine wine]], listens to Beethoven and Brahms, and in general is shown to be cultured if not necessarily civilized. This can apply to any villain, [[Anti-Villain]], or associated character types.
May overlap with [[Dumb Is Good]], but it doesn't have to. The hero of the story can easily be a more rugged intellectual, or he reads/writes poetry, which is almost never perceived as an "evil" form of culture. Closely related to the [[Magnificent Bastard]], whose sheer tactical and strategic brilliance often sets him inside the trappings of
When [[Aristocrats Are Evil]], they almost always follow this trope; when enough of them do, you get [[Deadly Decadent Court]]. They are likely to practice [[Brains and Bondage]] without any trace of [[Safe, Sane, and Consensual]].
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Don't confuse with [[Sophisticated As Hell]].
{{noreallife|calling real-life people "evil" [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|is an ''extremely'' bad idea.]]}}
{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* In between various [[Kick the Dog|dog-kicking acts]] (and occasionally [[Moral Event Horizon|burning them]]) and sending his [[Ax Crazy]] minions after the heroes, Dio Brando of ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure|Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' enjoys literature, music, and classic art.
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* Aizen of ''[[Bleach]]'' uses very long words, [[Gambit Roulette|even longer plans]] and as a scientist is second only to [[Trickster Mentor|Urahara]] (which continuously annoys him, and somewhat justified too, as {{spoiler|Urahara plays a vital role in his defeat}}).
* Solf J. Kimblee of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' has got this down pat. Immaculate white suit? Check. Nice, calming voice? Check. An interest in the alchemical arts, as well as a seeming passion for music? Chack. [[Blood Knight|Oh, and did we forget to mention that he's a psychopath]] [[Mad Bomber|who has made it his life's work to blow up anything and everything for the heck of it?]] [[Why Am I Ticking?|And he can turn people into living bombs?]]
* Izaya Orihara from ''[[Durarara!!]]'' [[Fur and Loathing|wears fur-lined coats]], speaks Russian, reads [[Oscar Wilde]] and throws around psychology terms like "misattribution of arousal". He's also Japan's biggest [[Troll]].
* Proist, the eventual [[Big Bad]] of the 2005 ''[[Gaiking]]'' series. She has a thing for Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony—spoken of its 2nd movement: “While the culture of the Earth is barbaric, this song by that composer Dvorak is magnificent.” When things get serious, she acknowledges that this movement is no longer adequately suited to the moment, and starts up the more dramatic 4th movement. Her personal [[Eldritch Abomination]] is even named after the composer himself. Also, she arranges meetings with rebellious subordinates during teatime, and coolly responds to having a reckless (and unexpected) guest draw a sword on her by asking him how many sugars he wants in his tea.
* Invoked by Yahiro Saiga of ''[[Special A]]''. He's not actually [[Jerkass Facade|that]] [[Zero-Approval Gambit|bad]], but with his love of opera, fine clothing and dining he certainly looks like an example.
== Comic Books ==
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* ''[[Sin City]]'': Manute speaks in a very polite and eloquent manner. He seems to have little regard for hookers and "the dregs of Sin City". When Dwight implies Manute's only serving the [[Big Bad]] because she slept with him (her usual MO), Manute finds the suggestion vulgar and insulting. Mere sex is no reason to follow anyone.
* Magneto in ''[[Ultimate X-Men]]''. Despite his disdain for humanity, he has his minions steal all of the greatest works of art that they can before he begins a scheme intended to wipe out the entire human race, reasoning that humanity's only worthwhile creations (to paraphrase his terminology) deserve better than to be destroyed with their makers.
== Film ==
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* ''[[Star Wars]]''
** Count Dooku, who notably uses a fencing grip on his lightstaber
** His master Palpatine/Darth Sidious has shades of this as
* ''[[Scanners]]'': Darryl Revok has a really nice apartment with some modern art here and there.
* Many, ''many'' ''[[James Bond (film)|James Bond]]'' villains have taste and class, often used to contrast against the somewhat less (though still quite) cultured secret agent:
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** Francisco Scaramanga, [[The Man with the Golden Gun]]. He was rich, played by [[Christopher Lee]] (see Count Dooku) which already makes him suave and dangerous, and he even had an eco-friendly [[Evil Lair]]... located in the Phang Nga Bay.
** The higher-ups of [[Quantum of Solace|Quantum]] [[At the Opera Tonight|love]] their ''[[Tosca]]''.
* To a degree, Khan from ''[[Star Trek: The
** General Chang from ''[[Film/Star Trek VI The Voyage Home|Star Trek VI The Voyage Home]]'' is definitely this. The man could barely get through a given day without gratuitous Shakespeare quoting; even when trying to smash the ''Enterprise''.
*** You should hear him quoting Shakespeare in the <s>Klingon original</s> original Klingon!
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* Klytus from the 1980 ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'' manages this by speaking in the arch, refined tones of Peter Wyngarde, and holding a hankerchief to his face during an execution.
* Subverted by Otto in ''[[A Fish Called Wanda]],'' who ''believes'' himself to be well-educated and tasteful, but is in fact a thuggish moron.
* Agent Stansfield in ''Leon''/''[[Léon: The Professional]]'' has a love of classical music and hard drugs.
{{quote|'''Stansfield:''' You're a Mozart fan. I love him too. I looooove Mozart! He was Austrian, you know. But for this kind of work, ''(imitates playing the piano)'' he's a little bit light. So I tend to go for the heavier guys. Check out Brahms. He's good too. ''(proceeds to slaughter the family)''}}
* Col. Hans Landa of ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' is witty and articulate in at least four languages, often engages in philosophic debates with his quarries, and prides himself on having a deep understanding of the human psyche. One of the first things he does in the movie is massacre an entire family of Jewish people.
* [[Christopher Lee]] as Lord Summerisle in ''[[The Wicker Man]]''. He plays the piano, lives in a castle, sings folk songs, is the go-to guy on local history, wears nice suits...
{{quote|
** In contrast to that the "Good Guy" bludgeoning a man and [[It Makes Sense in Context|stealing his clown suit]].
* In ''[[The Abominable Dr. Phibes]]'', the [[Villain Protagonist]] is an award-winning concert organist, holds two degrees from prestigious European universities (including one in theology), and enjoys composing poetry and ballroom dancing to music supplied by the clockwork band he has built. He's utterly mad and spends the movie brutally murdering a whole bunch of innocent people.
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* Moriarty in ''[[Sherlock Holmes (film)|Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows]]'' is portrayed as a fan of opera, listening to a phonograph of Schubert [[Soundtrack Dissonance|whilst torturing Holmes with a meat hook]]. Similarly, His [[The Dragon|Dragon]], Moran, regrets not having the chance to see [[Don Giovanni]] in Paris.
** Don't forget that he's also a well-known university professor with many friends in the British government. He also enjoys playing chess with a worthy adversary. Being in decent physical shape as well as a past boxing champion, while it doesn't make him cultured, does make him a well-rounded person.
== Literature ==
* Most Forsaken in the ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' books fit this trope perfectly. Not surprising, given that they are from a much more civilized time where they were among the highest ranked scholars and wizards in the world.
* Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil from ''[[Dangerous Liaisons|Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]''. She's obviously the most cultured, clever and deepest character of the book (Valmont also counts, but he's her villain sidekick). Her choice to pursue a career in evilness was heavily influenced by the philosophers she read. She would probably protect intellectuals and free speech if she wasn't too occupied ruining other persons' lives.
** Her modern, American, and underage counterpart in ''[[Cruel Intentions]]'' also fits this trope, but it's largely an act: she's a slut, and has a surprisingly filthy mouth.
* Headmaster Maximilian Nero of [[
* ''[[Left Behind]]'' seemed to be aiming for this with Nicholae Carpathia.
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** Vetinari, periodically. In particular, his hobby of reading the ''[[Discworld]]'' equivalent of classical music, because actual instruments are just too unrefined.
*** Though, really, he's an ascetic more than anything. Sure, he's well read and educated, but he dresses simply, subsists on bread and water, has no known vices (apart from an uncompromising attitude toward
** Odd subversion in ''[[
** Let us not forget the Dragon King of Arms in ''[[Feet of Clay (novel)|Feet of Clay]]''. A vampire over five hundred years old, he was in charge of Ankh-Morpork's heraldry.
** Also Lord Hong of ''[[Interesting Times]]'', who not only lives in a [[Deadly Decadent Court]], but has mastered all the Orientalist arts of his culture. Nobody concentrates!
* Yawgmoth from ''The Thran'' is a scientist and a physician, has a wide knowledge and learns very quickly. He's going to become the most dreaded [[Big Bad]] in [[Magic: The Gathering]] history.
* Parodied in ''[[Neverwhere]]'', in which [[Those Two Bad Guys|Mr. Croup]] collects priceless Chinese porcelain {{spoiler|to eat}}.
* Patrick Bateman, the [[Villain Protagonist]] of ''[[American Psycho]]'' ''thinks'' he is, but then goes and describes Whitney Houston as [[Comically Missing the Point|"the most exciting and original black jazz voice of her generation."]] Then again, Bateman is ''supposed'' to be a vain, hollow fake.
* Captain Nemo of ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]'' conducted most of his discussions with Dr. Arronax in his fantastic library, decorated with the finest original and replica art, a catalog of priceless biological specimens, and of course his massive [[Ominous Pipe Organ|organ]], on which he played music by the foremost composers. Only a borderline example, because Nemo isn't entirely a villain.
* In William King's ''[[Warhammer
{{quote|''a great patron of the arts -- all the great lords are.''}}
* Captain Hook of ''[[Peter Pan]]'' is generally portrayed as cultured, and often something of an [[Anti-Villain]]. Peter, by contrast, is a feral tyrant, ruling by whim but setting strict rules for the Lost Boys. (In some adaptations this is taken farther: Peter is incapable of learning or memory, and murders the Lost Boys if they don't follow his rules.)
** In Disney's otherwise very loosely adapted version, he speaks pleasantly to Wendy while switching to a prettier gold (with ruby ring!) hook to play the
* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[Warhammer
* Several [[Dean Koontz]] villains are (or fancy themselves as) this.
* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]''. Despite being a homicidal maniac, he has decidedly highbrow hobbies. This is carried over to the Lloyd-Webber show, although his talents as a musician being somewhat lacking.
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** Jerec of ''[[Dark Forces Saga|Dark Forces II]]'' is revealed to enjoy classical music from around the galaxy, even pieces written by noted traitors to the empire.
** The [[Retired Monster|Imperial war criminal]] Kardue'sai'Malloc (the horned alien in the Mos Eisley cantina) is an obsessive collector of music: not only does he own a treasure-trove of rare recordings, but he spent many years following some of the greatest musicians of the age in the hope of attending a performance, and only settled on Tatooine when the artist he'd been hoping to witness there was arrested and executed. Of course, after being captured by Boba Fett, Malloc ensures that his collection is donated to a museum.
* Most/many of [[Anne Rice|Anne Rice's vampires]] are this. Lestat, at least in the ''Interview with the Vampire'' film, twice puts blood in a glass and offers it to Louis, Armand loves his sparkly rings, Claudia is a well-read, impeccably dressed child who plays Mozart and Liszt. Marius takes this to slightly [[
** Rice even explores this through Lestat's voice in [[The Vampire Chronicles|The Vampire Lestat]], as he muses that it's not surprising Louis thought he was lying about his [[Blue Blood]]: Louis was a member of the American ''nouveau riche'' who put on what they imagined were aristocratic airs, while Lestat came from "a long line of Barons who threw chicken bones over their shoulders" and slept with their hunting dogs.
*** Rice has lots of fun with this. For all his sophistication, Lestat learned English from reading cheesy, low-brow pulp detective [[Dime Novel|dime novels]], and loves slang because of it. He describes his own way of speaking as [[The Maltese Falcon|Sam Spade]]-ish.
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* Count [[Dracula]], being a Voivode and all, comes across as a fairly refined, rich old gentleman before he's revealed as a vampire.
* Alex from ''[[A Clockwork Orange (novel)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.
* The [[
* In ''[[Night Watch]]'', [[Magnificent Bastard|Zavulon]] (or Zabulon) always appears wearing a suit and rarely shows anger. However, he is a scheming bastard who would be considered an outright villain if not for this world's [[Grey and Gray Morality]]. His Dusk appearance, however, is that of a demon (the author even felt the need to mention his [[Squick|spiked penis]]). [[The Movie]] version shows him more as an anarchist wearing black leather and a bandana.
* ''[[The Dresden Files]]''' Nicodemus, the host and compatriot of a fallen angel, definitely qualifies. He's the scariest and evilest creature in a series full of scary, evil creatures who could squash him with their pinkies, but he does it with impeccable taste.
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* Although he's pretty clearly a [[Complete Monster]] as well as a terrifying [[Body Horror]] (it's implied that he "[[Re Made]]" himself by choice), the gangster Mr. Motley of ''[[Perdido Street Station]]'' is definitely this. He's well informed about what's going on in the avant garde art scene and has this very [[Sophisticated As Hell]] way of speaking in which in a cultured voice and with [[Big Words]], he talks about things like his philosophy on life and which of his rivals he plans to kill.
* In [[Sherlock Holmes]], Holmes insists that all of the incredibly successful criminals are well-rounded, usually in the aristocratic arts. His nemesis Professor Moriarty definitely fits the bill.
* In the [[Gentleman Bastard Sequence]] series, Capa Barsavi of Camorr was once a literature professor...and one of his former students is a pirate captain, who loves to discuss classical literature when he can find someone who shares his interest.
* [[Nightrunner|Lynn Flewelling]] apparently is ''in love'' with them.. "Nightrunners" gives us first Lord Mardus. Gentleman, with high intellect and large interests, which are just as broad as the ones of one main character. Extraordinarily well mannered. Polite even to the prisoner he plans to bloodily sacrifice. Really, if you didn't know {{spoiler|he aspires becoming the Avatar of a God of Destruction}} you'd really like him. Later Ulan
* [[Flashman]] villain John Charity Spring was on the Oxford don career path before getting booted out and seeking an alternate career in the slave trade. Spring is a brilliant classical scholar who constantly throws [[Gratuitous Latin]] tags into his conversation, but he's also a psychopath with a [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]. While there isn't a [[Good Is Dumb]] contrast (since Flashman is a [[Villain Protagonist]]), there is a contrast in intellect, since Flashman is [[Book Dumb]] and while he's an [[Omniglot]] when it comes to learning to speak living languages, he could never pick up Ancient Greek and Latin.
* General Zaroff from ''[[The Most Dangerous Game]]'' is your typical aristocratic big game hunter, with an eloquent manner and a taste for the final things in life. He's also a depraved serial killer.
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* ''[[The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel]]'' has Machiavelli. Well-dressed, well-spoken in an absurd amount of languages, esteemed art collector...and [[Magnificent Bastard]] immortal in service to an evil god.
* After concluding his [[Dead Person Impersonation]] in the first novel by forging a will from his impersonee leaving everything to himself, [[Villain Protagonist]] Tom Ripley of ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley]]'' and other novels lives the good life in a French chateau, becoming a talented dabbler in art (both as an expert and as a painter), music, and fine cuisine. In between entertaining guests, he likes to amuse himself by carrying out odd jobs for gangsters, and once in a while (i.e. at least once per novel) kills the odd person who gets too close to exposing his past
*Nazis in Wouk's [[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance]]. Sometimes just when [[Affably Evily|you start to like them]] they do a double take and shock you with how evil they really are. In fact they are a quite believable portrayal.
== Live-Action TV ==
* Jim Moriarty from BBC's ''[[Sherlock]]''. He's never shown in anything less than a suit, except when {{spoiler|he's Jim from IT, Richard Brook or just undercover}}, and he speaks very well, when he's not talking in sing-song. He's very contrasting, and the first impression the viewer gets is that he's silly. This is very quickly shown to be wrong, as his mood swings can be genuinely scary.
* Jonathan from [[Advance Wars: Eternal War]] fits this trope perfectly.
* Sort of [[Real Life]], since it's reality TV, but Joe & Bill (a.k.a. Team Guido) from ''[[The Amazing Race]]''. They were relatively old, gay, had lived all over Europe, spoke several European languages and were overall kind of prissy. Needless to say, the other teams did not like them. Although they did give reason to, most famously because one of them shoved somebody's mother and reduced the daughter to tears.
** The "Cultured" part definitely applied to them (they were even the first team to wear matching outfits), but, [[Nostalgia Filter|in retrospect, they weren't really that "Wicked"]]. It was mainly three teams who were complaining about them, and the things they were complaining about are now considered basic strategies that every team is expected to know. Meaning these days, Joe & Bill come of as innovators, while the other three teams appear to be [[Scrub|whining about a team actually trying to win]]. The only really wicked thing Team Guido did was trying to block said three teams from getting on their plane, which led to the aforementioned shoving incident, somehow shoving a woman who was standing behind them.
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** Cancer Man/CGB Spender/Cigarette Smoking Man is something of a self-learned intellectual with an amazing capacity for reciting facts and quotations, but we find out in one episode ("Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man") that all he really wants to do is write airport novels about the lone rogue going up against massive conspiracies... it is made pretty clear that he has to tell the truth about what he knows, but the only way to do this without sacrificing everything is to frame it as bad fiction that gets rejected by publishers. So basically, CGB Spender is a ruthless villain with a facade of culture whose actual personal interests are a subversion of the archetype this trope describes.
* On ''[[The IT Crowd]]'', the German cannibal plays the cello beautifully.
* Although Santos from the Argentinian series ''[[Los Simuladores]]'' is not evil, he is incredibly calm and cultured, and runs a shady business of pulling [[Batman Gambit|Batman]] and [[Xanatos Gambit
* Lodz on ''[[Carnivale]]'' was erudite, charming, and persuasive. He was also remarkably evil and showed some signs of [[Nazi]] sympathies.
* Angelus in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[Angel]]''. A lot of older vampires in general, really. But...
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{{quote|'''Albie''': Ya treat us like ''scum'' we start actin' like ''scum''.}}
* Colonel Montoya from ''[[Queen of Swords]]''.
* System Lord Ba'al from ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''. Part of his ascendancy to [[Magnificent Bastard
* In an episode of ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', the team goes to a planet whose leaders struck a deal with the [[Our Vampires Are Different|Wraith]]. The Wraith who regularly visits the planet enjoys fine cuisine and wines, despite the fact that they provide no nourishment for him.
* [[Blade the Series|Marcus van Sciver]] is known throughout Detrot as a patron of the arts and a proponent for the city's cultural revival. At the same time, he's a vicious [[Our Vampires Are Different|bloodsucking]] mastermind, whose goal is to overthrow the vampiric aristocracy. Being [[Evil Brit|British]] helps. Hell, he manages to get Krista to sleep with him after killing her brother and forcibly turning her by telling a sob story about his late wife.
* In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: The
** Also, the self-aware Moriarty holodeck program. Seriously, the holodeck can create some really cultured foes.
* Peter Stone, the [[Big Bad]] of seasons 5 and 6 of ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]]''. [[Executive Meddling]] had him do a [[Heel Face Turn]] in season 7, though. In the meantime, he filmed Manny stripping and sent it over the Internet; took some bikini pictures of Darcy and sent them over the Internet; and planted some weed in Sean's locker.
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* This phenomenon is very common in ''[[Soap Opera]]''s. Many arch-villains have been featured in this way, including vaguely Italian mobsters Stefano DiMera from ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' and Carlo Hesser from ''[[One Life to Live]]'', Swedish-born drug smuggler and arms dealer James Stenbeck from ''[[As the World Turns]]'' and cut-throat businessman Roger Thorpe from ''[[Guiding Light]]''. Such wickedly cultured hallmarks of these characters include the almost painfully stereotypical wearing of finely-tailored suits and the drinking of expensive cognac.
* Some of the villains on ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' fall into this category. [[Evil Brit|Sark]] is fond of Chateau Pétrus (one of the world's rarest and most expensive wines). Also, in one episode, the protagonists drug a bad guy's Cristal at a performance of the London Philharmonic (he goes there on the third Saturday of every month).
* Xavier St. Cloud in ''[[Highlander (TV series)|Highlander]]''. And Consone.
* Most of the Lannisters from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' fall somewhere between this and [[Faux Affably Evil]]. This being a world with a [[Deadly Decadent Court]], it's not surprising.
** Jamie Lannister implicitly takes pride in his beautiful golden armor being without a single dent. He also pushed a child out of a tower.
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** Cersei Lannister is able to match wits with Ned Stark during a subtext-laden conversation about Ned's education as oppposed to his brother's, and understands enough about the military realities of the North to lecture her son Joffrey on the impossibility of occupying the North directly. She's also plotting to kill the King.
** Averted with Joffery, however. He's just [[Ax Crazy]] and clearly has no interest in culture.
== Professional Wrestling ==
* [[Older Than Television]] (well, just barely), as "[[Gorgeous George]]" Wagner first started playing up the gimmick in the 1940s. Okay, so he was more of a [[Sissy Villain]], but he did wear perfume and employ a butler, and entered rings to Elgar's ''Pomp and Circumstance''.
* Many British wrestlers, whether they're face or heel. Currently, Wade Barrett is playing it up.
* [[Triple H]], during his early years in [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]]. He'll still lapse into it a bit on occasion, such as when he recently quoted H. P. Lovecraft.
* Done in a subtle way with [[John Morrison]] when he was a heel: ostensibly a Hollywood "cool dude" with [[Cool Shades|shades]] and [[Badass Long Hair|long hair]], but occasionally known to speak of his "palace of wisdom" (an image from the poetry of William Blake).
* [[Cody Rhodes]] has been using this as his gimmick since 2010. It's really more of a "metrosexual" gimmick (perfect teeth and fingernails, etc.), but he's also known for his rather snobbish New England accent (despite being from Texas!) and occasional [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]].
== Video Games ==
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* Doctor Killjoy of ''[[The Suffering]]'' takes [[Chewing the Scenery|great]] [[Large Ham|delight]] in reciting Shakespearean soliloquies.
* Mr. X from [[Streets of Rage]].
* Mad artist Sander Cohen of ''[[
** Andrew Ryan too, with his pursuit of objectivist philosophy as an end unto itself, and his beliefs that all artists should be free to express their dreams without fear of censorship. Even his passion for Art Deco architecture is obvious in the appearance of Rapture, despite being built thirty years after Art Deco was all the rager.
* General Viggo in ''[[Fur Fighters]]'' tries to come across like this, he succeeds right up until the end when he cracks.
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* [[Batman: Arkham City]]: Subverted with this version of The Penguin - he's [[Jabba Table Manners|a thoroughly coarse]] [[Fat Bastard|and unpleasant]] [[The Bully|individual]], [[Small Name, Big Ego|even if he'd like to think otherwise]].
* Also subverted with Chatterbox, the [[Monster Clown|clown-faced Soho mob boss]] in the videogame version of ''[[The Warriors (video game)|The Warriors]]''. He fancies himself a [[Mad Artist|great artist]] (so much so that he ''kills'' anyone besides himself who tries to create anything resembling art in his neighborhood) - but he's [[Fat Bastard|grotesquely fat]], [[Cluster F-Bomb|foul-mouthed]], [[Bad Boss|cruel to his own men]], and on the whole obnoxious and buffoonish.
* Relius Clover in ''[[
* De Killer from [[Ace Attorney]]
** {{spoiler|Kristoph Gavin}} from [[Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]]
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* Leon Powalski from ''[[Star Fox]]'' is a mix of both this and [[Ax Crazy]].
* Conrad Marburg, [[The Dragon]] in ''[[Alpha Protocol]]''. One mission requires the protagonist to infiltrate his villa, which is decorated from floor to ceiling in neoclassic art and has classical music playing loudly in a number of the rooms.
* ''[[Fallen London]]'':
** Among the high-class clubs in London is Sophia's, where members encage in tea, knitting, political discussion, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking| showing off the head of one's latest kill]]. The player can join if their notoriety is high enough; simply being a member grants [[The Dreaded| +1 to Dangerous and +4 to Dreaded]], and is a good choice for a player who specializes in [[The Hunter| monster hunting.]]
*** The Young Stag's Club is similar, but the members are younger and more the thrill-seeker type. Joining them grants +1 to Shadowy, +2 to Dreaded, and +1 for Bizarre, making them more appealing to [[Gentleman Thief]] types.
** Devils in general. They are often seen engaging in upper class activities like opera, theater, and concerts; this becomes more apparent during a storylet [[Dating Catwoman| where you can date one of them.]]
** Tomb-colonists as well, they [[Smart People Play Chess| are fond of chess]] and high-class physical activities like equestrian sports, fencing, and polo. Many humans are jealous of them.
== Tabletop Games ==
* In ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'', most Invictus vampires are presented this way, as are the Ordo Dracul and Clan Mekhet; of course, just how evil they are depends on the individual and one's point of view. In the [[Vampire: The Masquerade|previous edition]], Clans Ventrue and Toreador were even ''more'' cultured, and the classier Lasombra and Tzmisice really reveled in the ''Wicked'' Cultured part.
== Web Comics ==
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* Mordecai Heller from ''Lackadaisy'' can be considered this.
* John Henry Hunter of ''[[Next Town Over]]'' is quite suave, wearing a [[Man in White|fancy white suit]], playing the violin, and generally serenading people with his smoothness. The [[Deliberately Monochrome]] flashbacks also indicate that he performed publicly before turning outlaw.
== Web Original ==
* Both Dr. Diabolik and his daughter Jadis, in the [[Whateley Universe]]. Jadis Diabolik is only a high school sophomore, and already feared throughout [[Super-Hero School|Whateley Academy]]. She quotes Shakespeare and Yeats, and knows who is the finest butcher in all of New York City. However, do not make her mad at you.
* In [[Tales of MU]], Embries and The Man both qualify. The former has a gloriously-decorated office and snazzy attire, a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|silver tongue]], and a tea set of which he is very fond. He is also an ancient dragon with a [[I Am a Humanitarian|taste for human flesh]]. The Man is a demon who [[Powered by a Forsaken Child|devours the hearts of virgins]] monthly to sustain himself and impregnated and abandoned the main character's mother twice. He wears a snazzy pinstriped suit and waxes philosophic (sometimes in High Draconic) when speaking with his daughter, however, and like Embries is a master of seduction.
== Western Animation ==
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*** "Hereafter" pretty much confirms it when Superman looks over his library. "Self-help books? You don't seem like the type."
**** To be fair, at that point Vandal had pretty much been by himself for a thousand years, so he was half crazy from boredom and guilt by the time Supes reached him.
* In [[The Simpsons
{{quote|'''Cecil:''' Perhaps a glass of Bordeaux? I have the '82 Chateau Latour and a rather indifferent Rauson-Segla.
'''Bob:''' I've been in prison, Cecil. I'll be happy just as long as it doesn't taste like orange drink fermented under a radiator.
'''Cecil:''' That would be the Latour, then. }}
:* Cecil also attended Princeton, though he wishes his brother would stop referring to it as "clown college".
* All things considered, ''[[Beast Wars]]'' Megatron certainly fits the bill. From his aristocratic accent to his quoting Earth literature, one doesn't doubt that if it had been possible for him to sip a nice chilled glass of red, BW Megatron would have been. Perhaps while doing the [[Slouch of Villainy]] in his command-chair or soaking in his energon hot tub.
** The fact that he bathes with a rubber ducky manages to reduce his cultured aura not one bit, impressively.
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* The Grand Duke in ''Rock-A-Doodle'' is not just a evil owl who spits black magic and wears a dracula cape; he also enjoys embroidery and plays a demonic organ that controls the weather. Being voiced by the urbane Christopher Plummer helps.
* Many Disney villains, including [[Aladdin (Disney film)|Jafar]], [[The Lion King|Scar]], [[Sleeping Beauty|Maleficent]], [[Peter Pan (Disney film)|Captain Hook]] and [[Cinderella (Disney film)|Lady Tremaine]].
** And, of course, the elegantly cultured [[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|Shere Khan]]. The version of him in ''[[Tale Spin
** Also the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of this trope [[The Great Mouse Detective|Professor Ratigan]] (an expy of [[Sherlock Holmes]]' archfoe, Professor Moriarty), which actually enhances his villainy, as it's all a cover for his feral and untamed -- " {{spoiler|rat}}"
* Phantom Limb from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' is a definite example, once called out for having sold out his villainous principles for high culture accoutrements such as dealing in stolen art instead of 'the old stuff'. (In the same episode, he laments how many of his fellow art thieves want to steal the Mona Lisa, for no other reason than it's a famous painting, and not because they appreciate it as art.)
* Monkey from ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' faced a villain (a super-smart ape) who was very cultured. He did a [[Heel Face Turn]] when Monkey convinced him to embrace his primate instincts.
** Perhaps you are referring to SIMIAAAAAAAAN!
* Megabyte from ''[[
* [[Playing with a Trope|Played with]] in ''[[Exo Squad]]''. Phaeton is highly articulate and literate enough to have a quote from Dante inscribed the entrance to his bunker. On the other hand, he is NOT a fan of art, which he (quite passionately) declares to be "a useless Terran pastime".
** This leads to a hilarious moment where Exo Trooper Wolf Bronski, by no means cultured himself, is attempting to save paintings Phaeton has ordered destroyed. During the fights, he yells at the Neo Sapiens, calling them Philistines. Then he turns to the woman with him and asks "Hey, what's a Philistine?"
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Evil Tropes]]
[[Category:An Index of Ladies and Gentlemen]]
[[Category:Villains]]
▲[[Category:Wicked Cultured]]
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