Music for the First half of the articleMost 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 have a good 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.
They often demonstrate traits such as being Suave, Gentlemanly, Mysterious, Aggressive, Powerful, Deadly, Stubborn, Polite, Sophisticated, Graceful, Greedy, Determined, Selfish, Scheming, Sinister, Cunning, Charismatic, Shady, Wicked, Paranoid and Sympathetic
He will never hit an unarmed woman, has a policy for always saying the truth, is respected and loyally followed by his comrades, can even be nice if he when in a good mood and his respect for those who have earned it is genuine.
He can stand out as the only villain who is really a nice guy. He is undeniably the most polite, classy, generally mannered and the LEAST violent villian of all. Also, unlike other villains, he technically isn't evil, but just willing to do whatever to get what he wants and will often join hero in silly antics like loving to play video games and considering the Hero his roommate
They often demonstrate traits such as being Suave, Gentlemanly, Mysterious, Aggressive, Powerful, Deadly, Stubborn, Polite, Sophisticated, Graceful, Greedy, Determined, Selfish, Scheming, Sinister, Cunning, Charismatic, Shady, Wicked, Paranoid and Sympathetic
Over the course of a series' many Story Arcs, the two will develop a grudging respect for their eachother. It can sometimes grow to the point that the villain will refrain from killing the hero in a "cheap" or dishonorable way, and even start to concoct bizarre excuses to avoid doing so entirely, spare his life, or even saving him. In these cases
They are shown to have become good friends after all of their encounters and fights, resulting in Villian asking The Hero to look after his child for him and hide him from the government after he dies, and The Hero being accepting of this.
Music for the second half of the articleHere are some examples of this type of villian in a Police lineup:
Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:46 pm
