What is the Difference between Villians With Real Politeness and Villians With False Politeness?

Affably Evil



Music for the first half of the article

Most of the time, when there is a villain, they're going to have a personality or manner that underscores how evil they are. They may kick puppies for giggles, be particularly insensitive, or might just be too unknowable to be anything but evil.

And then, there are villains who are Affably Evil. There is absolutely nothing separating them from being normal, polite people except for the fact that they want to Take Over the World or use human souls to power their artifact of doom. They're not fakeing it — their friendliness is a genuine part of their personality, not a mask. If they have underlings, expect them to be a Benevolent. In one way, they're the opposite of an Anti-Hero. They may help someone on occasion, but won't hesitate to kick the person with steel-toed boots the next second if it helps them accomplish their goals. They may recieve a good opinion from the public.

This villain will invite the hero out to tea, offer him a favorite dish, make pleasant small talk, try to appeal to the hero's better nature, and convince the heroes that the villain's plan isn't worth getting involved in. Of course, if the hero still won't change their mind, the villain will remind them that they are, after all, still a villain. It may or may not involve a Death Trap, depending on how nice the villain really is when crossed. Of course, inviting the hero's mom out to tea might send a stronger message. The friendliness of said villains can serve to humanize these guys.

Almost always either comedic, or a charismatic villian who outwits the hero while looking cool doing it, or a Well-Intentioned Extremist who really believes that they are the good guys. They Do not have a bad sense of Humor and their frienliness even makes them easy to "compliment" with an Insult Backfire. Captives of an affably evil villain won't be kept in dungeons, but in a Gilded Cage.

Faux Affibly Evil



Music for the Second Half of the Article

A villain whose polite mannerisms only serve to enhance their evil. They lack a villainous demeanor, yet they are truly, wholly, and unrepentantly evil regardless. This kind of villain maintains a friendly, courteous mask even as they commit incredibly heinous acts. Unlike Affably Evil characters, whose niceness is genuine, Faux Affably Evil villains adopt this pleasant persona. An Affably Evil villain will treat The Hero like a friend, and will be reluctant to mark them as an enemy. A Faux Affably Evil villain will treat The Hero like a friend, even as they are brutally injuring them.

A Faux Affably Evil character's demeanor is an act. At heart, they're utterly soulless, but they mask it with a pleasant, polite, "normal" attitude, perhaps because they have social standards to live up to or because their pleasantness reflects their sheer enjoyment of evil. They might engage in friendly-seeming banter with one of the main characters, whose grandfather he brutally destroyed. It's anyone's guess what this kind of villain will do if they suffer a mental breakdown; maybe they will drop all pretenses and find that they are Not so Above It All, or maybe they will fall into a state of Serenity, blabbering off-kilter pseudo-mannerisms as they lapse into their final and greatest puppy extermination spree. While many Faux Affably Evil villains are also funny, However there are just as many Faux Affably Evil villains are DEAD SERIOUS.

Although they are often used as as a popular way of characterizing villainous characters in the more light-hearted story, if a complete monster played seriously would ruin the mood.

Incase you're wondering how evil they are at best they come dangerously close to crossing the line and at worst they are simply a Complete Monster that pretends to be a charming, laid-back guy, but in reality, they're just being condescending; other people are insignificant insects to them and he doesn't hesitate to tell them this, when he doesn't need them anymore, all we know is when they are about to loose the Mr. Nice Guy -act goes right out the window.

WOW who knew

I can see a book written by Zack Schwarz

I think the first evil is what you mostly encounter in movies-quiet then next secret lab in their garage