History Characters / GravityFallsMainAntagonists

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name is often misspelled Bill ''Cypher'', even though his name is spelled out on his page in Dipper's journal. [[IncrediblyLamePun Spell My Name]] [[EyeMotifs With An Eye?]]

[[folder:Bill Cipher]]
!!All spoilers are unmarked.

[[Characters/GravityFallsMysteryShack The Mystery Shack]] ([[Characters/GravityFallsDipperPines Dipper Pines]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsMabelPines Mabel Pines]]) | [[Characters/GravityFallsTheAuthor The Author]] | Main Antagonists | [[Characters/GravityFallsAdults Adults of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsYouth Youth of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsCreaturesAndOtherOddities Creatures and other Oddities]]-]]]

[[Characters/GravityFallsMysteryShack The Mystery Shack]] ([[Characters/GravityFallsDipperPines Dipper Pines]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsMabelPines Mabel Pines]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsGrunkleStan Grunkle Stan]]) | [[Characters/GravityFallsTheAuthor The Author]] | Main Antagonists | [[Characters/GravityFallsAdults Adults of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsYouth Youth of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsCreaturesAndOtherOddities Creatures and other Oddities]]-]]]

[[Characters/GravityFallsMysteryShack The Mystery Shack]] ([[Characters/GravityFallsDipperPines Dipper Pines]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsMabelPines Mabel Pines]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsGrunkleStan Grunkle Stan]]) | [[Characters/GravityFallsTheAuthor The Author]] | Main Antagonists ([[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]]) | [[Characters/GravityFallsAdults Adults of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsYouth Youth of Gravity Falls]] | [[Characters/GravityFallsCreaturesAndOtherOddities Creatures and other Oddities]]-]]]

!! Character-specific pages:
* '''[[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]]'''

[[folder:Li'l Gideon Charles Gleeful]]
!!Li'l Gideon Charles Gleeful
[[quoteright:326:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gideongleeful.png]]
[[caption-width-right:326:''"This isn't over. [[WeWillMeetAgain This isn't the last you'll see of widdle ol' me.]]"]]
!!!'''Voiced By:''' Creator/ThuropVanOrman

The main antagonist of Season 1. Gideon Charles Gleeful, better known by his stage name, Li'l Gideon, is a self-proclaimed television [[PsychicPowers psychic]]. He owns the Tent of Telepathy and is a competitor of the Mystery Shack. He had one of the journals, and spent the first season trying to destroy the Pines family and the shack, trying to get his hands on the rest of the journals. At the end of the season, he was thwarted, thrown in into prison, and his journal was seized by Stan, but he still plans on escaping. He represents the pentacle on the Zodiac.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Mabel. Not that she hates him, she just likes him [[LikeBrotherAndSister like a little sister she can do girly things with]], [[spoiler:until he tries to kill Dipper. Then she doesn't like him ''at all''.]]
* AlliterativeName: '''G'''ideon '''G'''leeful.
* AnimalMotifs: He’s frequently associated with pigs, due to being porcine and greedy. He has a rather pig-like nose, and is known to let out a piggish shriek on occasions where he's in trouble or has been hurt.
* ArcVillain: The main antagonist of Season 1. He knows that the Mystery Shack is surrounded by secrets, which includes the journals that he's looking for, and he will do anything to get them. In "Dreamscaperers" however, he releases a powerful demon named Bill Cipher to do his bidding. Bill is very much his own boss, and his deal with Gideon was only temporary. When Bill and Gideon return in Season 2, Gideon is eventually DemotedToDragon.
* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:The mystical amulet he used to fake having psychic powers is said to corrupt one's soul ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and whiten your hair]]) in Journal #3.]]
* AttentionWhore: As his career path should be a hint to, he loves attention and showing off.
* AxCrazy: Considering he tried to kill Dipper for getting between him and Mabel (who very obviously can't stand him). And that was just in his first appearance.
* BeehiveHairdo: His tall, glossy hairstyle emphasizes his feminine personality and gives his tiny stature a few extra feet.
* BeingEvilSucks: [[spoiler:Being punished by Bill Cipher for betraying him and forced to dance for all eternity made him realize he's had enough of doing evil and swears it off altogether]].
* BenevolentBoss: Oddly enough, to his fellow inmates. Specially his [[TheDragon Dragon]] Ghost Eyes.
* BerserkButton: Never tickle him. Ever.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Appears to be a lovable little scamp to the whole town, but is otherwise a very vile little fellow.
* BlatantLies: In one of the "Creepy Letters From Little Gideon" segments, he apologizes to the people of Gravity Falls for going "too far" in his attempts to bring down Stan.
* BrokenPedestal: The town sees him as their darling, until it turns out he spied on them so that his psychic act would be more believable.
* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:After Mabel destroys his amulet. Not like this makes him any less dangerous.]]
* BullyingADragon: [[StupidEvil Where do we begin?]]
** His antagonism of Dipper post-"Gideon Rises" definitely crosses into this territory. It's typically pure luck that has him get away (physically) unscathed- "The Stanchurian Candidate" has Dipper outright state that he knew Gideon was controlling his father all along, with Dipper not being able to break the screen (or just attack Gideon via attacking the puppeted Bud the same way he did in the former episode) due to a) Bud picking both of them up while their guards were down, and b) the screen ultimately breaking anyway due to being smashed by falling debris from Befufftlefumpter's memorial. Not to mention that in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" he's surrounded by his henchmen...with ''Wendy'' directly across from him in a clear path, and Dipper just getting angrier and angrier when he describes in ''very'' vivid detail how he plans to keep Mabel trapped forever.
** Pushing Stan around [[EvilIsPetty just to piss him off]] in Season 1 backfires on him multiple times, since Stan's prone to using the nearest long object in sight to shoo him away ("Oh no, not the broom!") or just yanking him by the collar (which, nonetheless, he usually can't do [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin without being stopped by some authority figure]]).
** Mouthing off to Bill simply to show that no one can be wrapped around his finger, though it eventually becomes justified when he explicitly decides to [[spoiler: [[HeroicSacrifice outright become Bill's prisoner and his source of the most humiliating entertainment imaginable for Mabel's sake]]]].
* TheBusCameBack: Reappears in "The Stanchurian Candidate" attempting to have Bud become mayor in order to be pardoned from jail. [[spoiler:He then becomes a part of the GrandFinale.]]
* TheCaligula: Definitely has hints of this. He has almost everyone in Gravity Falls catering to his every whim no matter how ridiculous, is very intolerant of being told that Mabel doesn't want to see him anymore (and blames Dipper for it), and he also has a bit of a [[AGodAmI god complex]], even calling the people of Gravity Falls "sheep".
* CampStraight: He is outrageously feminine, but he has a major crush on Mabel.
* ControlFreak: He demands everything that he says be done accordingly.
* CrazyJealousGuy: And when we say crazy, [[{{Yandere}} we mean it literally]].
* CreepyBlueEyes: Confirmed by Alex Hirsch on his Twitter.
* CreepyChild: And HOW! He tries to [[spoiler:cut Dipper's tongue out and kill him when Dipper tells him that Mabel doesn't LIKE-like him]] and he summons a dreamwalking demon to try to get the code to the safe with the deed to the Mystery Shack in it. It's also implied that he has caused his mother to be so scared of him that she's gone crazy, chanting [[SurvivalMantra "Just keep vacuumin', just keep vacuumin'..."]]
-->'''Gideon:''' (to his father) I can buy and SELL you, old man!
* TheDandy: He and Mabel share a mutual appreciation "for the sparkly things in life".
* DealWithTheDevil: During "Dreamscaperers", in order to get the deed to the Mystery Shack, Gideon agrees to perform an undisclosed favor for [[GreaterScopeVillain Bill Cipher]] in exchange for the code to Stan's vault. However, he backs out of the deal after Bill loses the Safe Vault's combination [[spoiler:[[CuttingTheKnot and decides to just blow the safe door open instead.]]]] [[spoiler:At the end of "The Stanchurian Canidate", after his latest scheme to free himself from prison is foiled, Gideon decides to retake the deal]].
* DeliberatelyCuteChild: He plays up his cuteness in order to manipulate everyone in town.
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:In "The Stanchurian Candidate," he uses a spell from a page of ''Journal #2'' to possess his father's body and win the mayoral election for him.]]
* DemotedToDragon: In "Weirdmageddon", he is Cipher's lackey.
* DirtyCoward: Beneath his high and mighty exterior, he's really just a scared little boy who knows he's in too deep with whatever evil phoniness he's up to, but can't escape without living vicarously through people (his parents, the former mayor) that he knows aren't actually going to put up a fight. "The Stanchurian Candidate" has him outright state that he was waiting for the mayor to die of natural causes so Bud (via being mind-controlled by Gideon) could thwart his way to victory and immediately pardon him from prison, which, while [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] in the long run, just makes him look incredibly desperate, essentially using the mayor as nothing more than a bargaining chip because he's so terrified by the idea of Bud actually challenging someone with the same amount of (former) power as his son, however small it may be, whether it's the 103-year-old Befufftlefumpter or Stan (tellingly, Gideon doesn't even bother digging up dirt on the latter, yet still makes a show about the Pines family not "getting in his way").
** This seems to extend to all the Pines ''collectively'' as well (bar Ford, who he hasn't personally interacted with). Ignoring how having all his henchmen at his side is mostly just a power-hungry thing rather than trying to make himself look brave, he stays a good thirty feet away from Dipper in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" when announcing his plan to keep Mabel locked inside the prison bubble, clearly taking every precaution not to run into a fight with him again no matter how unnecessary said precautions are. Moreover, he's surprised to see Wendy there, indicating that he was just waiting around for Dipper to confront him until enough time had passed to safely say he hadn't survived, [[StupidEvil not considering the possibility that]] ''[[StupidEvil maybe]]'' [[StupidEvil one of the former's allies might have enough skills to survive and tag along with him]]. His lust for Mabel ''does'' seem to outweigh any fear he has of Dipper (for sporadic periods of time, at least), but he's still willing to selfishly throw her under the bus just for the sake of clearing any evidence (see the end of "Gideon Rises" right before he gets arrested and "The Stanchurian Candidate").
** A more minor example, but he noticeably crumbles and starts to panic when Stan outs him as a fraud and the town turns to see the real him for the first time.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Was the primary antagonist for Season 1 before getting succeeded by Bill Cipher, the true villain of the show.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Gideon both invokes and subverts this trope. He is devoted to Mabel, but she just wants to be friends, and in-universe everyone seems to think that his attempts to win her over are charming...but the truth is, Gideon is an AxCrazy EntitledBastard who uses emotional manipulation to trap Mabel into a relationship. He performs over-the-top acts of kindness, manipulates her into going into more dates with him by asking her very publicly in front of large crowds of Gravity Falls citizens who think it's just ''so adorable'' that Gideon might finally get a girlfriend, and completely ignores her wish to not be in a relationship with him. Eventually, Dipper tries to break the news that Mabel is not interested in Gideon to him, and Gideon responds to this by attempting to ''murder'' Dipper because he believes that Dipper got in between him and Mabel. Thankfully, Mabel sees this and intervenes, and she rejects him not only romantically, but as a friend, too.
-->'''Mabel:''' ''(after rejecting Gideon again)'' But we can still be makeover buddies, right? Wouldn't you like that?\\
'''Gideon:''' Really?\\
'''Mabel:''' ''(rips amulet away from Gideon)'' No, not really! You are, like, attacking my brother! What the heck!?
* DomesticAbuse: Hinted at. His parents are severely intimidated by him, ''especially'' his mother. He regularly and loudly belittles his father, and in "The Stanchurian Candidate", [[spoiler:Gideon uses magic to possess his father, something shown to be excruciatingly painful]].
* TheDragon: To Bill in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" [[spoiler:until he defects.]]
* DudeLooksLikeALady: During the season 1 finale, after Gideon [[spoiler:steals the Mystery Shack]], Dipper and Mabel invoke this to enlist the help of the gnomes, promising Jeff that he can marry Gideon by describing him as a "beautiful girl with white hair". When Gideon later gets the upper hand by using a dog whistle on the gnomes, they swear allegiance to "the most beautiful girl [they] have ever seen". Gideon angrily shrieks that he's not a girl, greatly confusing the gnomes.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Appears in one of the pictures in the opening. Also appears on the back of the magazine Dipper was reading in "Legend of the Gobblewonker".
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:Played with; while Mabel is still creeped out by him, she and the others don't have time to hold grudges due to Bill. Later on, he attends the twins' birthday party with no objection.]]
* EntitledToHaveYou: "Your sister will be MINE!"
* EnfantTerrible: One of the biggest and most credible threats to the Pines family, and at only 10 years old. Think Disney's version of [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Eric Cartman]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He seems to have come to care for his adult prison inmates as much is possible for him to care about anyone, particularly his "hench-angel" Ghost Eyes.
** While his crush on Mabel is creepy and totally unreciprocated, at the end of "Weirdmageddon Part 1", [[spoiler:he turns on Bill to buy Dipper some time to rescue Mabel.]] Say what you will about him, he's willing to sacrifice himself to save someone he knows will never love him back.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He is genuinely disturbed by Bill Cipher's "present" of teeth that he just saw him telekinetically yank out of a deer's mouth.
* EvilCounterpart: To all three of the core main characters, amazingly.
** An evil counterpart to Dipper in several respects: they are both incredibly mature and intelligent despite their respective ages, they are both journal holders ([[spoiler:though Gideon has since lost his]]), they both have crushes on girls three years older than they are (9-year-old Gideon on 12-year-old Mabel, and 12-year-old Dipper on 15-year-old Wendy), and they're both all too eager to enlist supernatural help to achieve their goals without thinking through the potential consequences. They also are both driven to discover the secrets of Gravity Falls, for differing reasons. The similarities end there, however, as beyond that their personalities clash heavily.
** He is also an evil counterpart to Stan in several respects. They're both businessmen who make a living out of faking the supernatural (Stan with his fake exhibits, Gideon with his phony psychic act) [[spoiler:while possessing links to and knowledge of the genuine paranormal]], both are brilliant showmen and con artists able to easily entertain and trick the masses, and both are a lot more aware and intelligent than they first appear. Furthermore, their personalities are inversions of each other and contrast perfectly; Stan initially comes across as selfish, gruff and cold, but really is a warm hearted and compassionate individual (to his family and ones he cares about at least), while Gideon initially comes across as (and makes a big thing of having) a kind and loving image, but is really a cold blooded, cowardly, self-absorbed sociopath who only cares about himself. [[spoiler:This is taken even further by the reveal that they both possessed journals and have both been searching to unlock the secrets of Gravity Falls; while Gideon longs to do so to use the power to rule like a king, Stan's entire motivation is to save his lost brother.]]
** Even to Mabel; there's a reason they got along in the beginning. Both are highly creative, good at socializing, and have a love for the "sparkly things" in life. Both also have magnetic personalities that others love to be around and have problems recognizing faults in (well, [[spoiler:until Gideon is arrested]]), and both have a problem with selfishness. But while Mabel usually bears no deliberate ill will and often will feel bad when she realizes her misdeeds, Gideon has a distinct LackOfEmpathy and seems to revel in it.
* EvilGenius: Considering he's only nine and he's able to be a competent business rival for Stan, set up plans to conquer the world & manipulate everyone in the town.
* EvilIsHammy: Has a very high strung and volatile personality.
* EvilIsPetty: Even when he's not trying to drive the Pines family out of their home, he's usually seen tormenting Stan.
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Much notice is taken of his cherub-like appearance, especially his cute baby face. He exploits this to hide his sociopathic nature.
* FatBastard: He's overweight and evil as they come.
* FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit: Well, a light blue suit (also he's actually from Oregon [[UnexplainedAccent despite his accent]]), but the effect is much the same.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Calling Dipper "friend" while trying to [[spoiler:'''''cut out his tongue and kill him''''']] definitely qualifies him for this. He is also remarkably bad at hiding his animosity towards the Pines, though nobody else seems to notice.
* HadToComeToPrisonToBeACrook: While he was already a psychopathic, fraudulent criminal mastermind on the outside, he becomes a full-fledged gang leader in jail.
** [[spoiler:As shown in a "Gravity Falls Public Access TV" short, he's since reinvented himself as an "inspirational" life coach after the loss of his amulet and appears to be gaining followers amongst the more mentally unstable inmates by feigning interest in their problems. Later episodes show that [[PetTheDog this isn't actually feigned]], he seems to have [[VillainousFriendship genuinely bonded with them.]]]]
* HairTriggerTemper: He requires very little provocation to fly off the handle.
* HammerspaceHair: He hides pieces of the journal inside his over-sized pompadour.
* HazyFeelTurn: [[spoiler:What his HeelRealization (see below) ultimately is, to the point that Alex Hirsch himself states that this isn't ''really'' redemption for Gideon, and that he may never actually redeem himself at all. His main motivations for his actions are mostly born of powerlust, and part of the reason why he turns on Bill to work with Dipper, who he still very much hates, is to prove that he's no one's lackey. However, this ''does'' graduate into a HeelFaceTurn in Part 3, where he decides to fully join the heroes against Bill and gives up evil altogether. Sure, he gets his henchmen to beat up a bully who made fun of him, but at least he's trying, and he's nice enough to attend the Twins' birthday party with no more visible animosity]].
* HeartbrokenBadass: [[spoiler:As of "Weirdmageddon", he finally seems to accept that Mabel will never return his feelings for her (his previous plan being to wait for an eternity until her spirit was finally broken in captivity) and decides to redeem himself instead by charging into Bill's minions to aid Dipper and his friends in her rescue. Dipper even promises to honor Gideon's request to tell Mabel of his sacrifice]].
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:Played with in that while his motives are still somewhat selfish, he decides to act for good instead. In ''Weirdmagedddon'', Gideon helps capture Mabel and puts her in her crystal prison, with Bill promising him that she will love him. After he calls Bill's goons to capture Dipper, Wendy and Soos, Dipper convinces him that by doing an ostensibly heroic thing ''for'' Mabel rather than an outright villainous one ''to'' her, she might at least be able to see Gideon in a better light. After a reflection, he leads his prison gang in what's heavily implied to be a HeroicSacrifice.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:His surveillance on the town to appear psychic, ultimately just a minor scheme compared to his other plots, is what finally gets him caught for his crimes.]]
* IAmSong: "Li'l Ol' Me". Not quite a VillainSong, but certainly egocentric.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: In the finale, [[spoiler:Gideon decides after everything he went through, he [[HeelFaceTurn swears off evil altogether]] and decides he just wants to be a regular kid...albeit retaining leadership over his prison gang]].
* IfICantHaveYou: He won't hesitate to try to kill Mabel alongside her brother if she doesn't agree to be his queen.
* IronicName: His surname "Gleeful" is '''''very''''' contradictory to his default personality throughout the show.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's nothing but sociopathic towards others, including the Pines family [[spoiler:(at least, up until the end)]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Becomes this in the Weirdmageddon arc, giving up all animosity he once had for the Pines family and opening up his heart to kindness.
* KickTheDog: He pulls this on Dipper ''hard'' in "Gideon Rises", taunting Dipper for having no muscles, no brains, [[spoiler:and only winning victories because of the journal that Gideon just took]].
** He also [[spoiler:kidnaps Mabel's pet pig Waddles when he steals the Mystery Shack and tries to turn him into "Li'l Gideon Jr.," his mascot. Waddles]] isn't happy about this, but when Gideon spots him looking longingly out the window, he shouts at [[spoiler:Waddles]] and makes him go back into the corner.
* LaughingMad: In "Little Dipper". Exploited, even. [[spoiler:He is defeated when Dipper and Mabel tickle him enough to make him lose control.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://soundcloud.com/bradbreeck/gf-e102-gideons-theme-intro A short, unsettling melody on music box and theremin]] that plays whenever he's particularly angry and brooding.
* LightIsNotGood: In contrast to the dark and mysterious air put forth by Stan and the Mystery Shack, the Tent of Telepathy contains a brightly lit stage, with Gideon frequently wearing bright, flashy outfits.
* LikesOlderWomen: He has a crush on Mabel, who's three years older than him.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: A side effect of using his amulet, besides corrupting his soul, was whitening his hair.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Though he was ''definitely'' messed up before he met Mabel, sudden {{Yandere}} tendencies aside.
* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler:It's his love for Mabel that ultimately causes him to betray Bill, and, thus, help Dipper save the world]].
* ManipulativeBastard: Controls the town through [[CutenessProximity a cute and childish facade]] and pressures Mabel to continue dating him by putting her in situations where she'd feel guilty turning him down.
* MeanBoss: He regularly belittles his parents.
* MeaningfulName: Gideon can mean "feller of trees" which is fitting as he has a rivalry with the ''Pines'' family, and tries to hack them to pieces (''[[ShearMenace quite literally so]]'' in Dipper's case).
* MoodSwinger: Good ''God'', is he ever. In one moment, he'll talk like a friendly, cute child; the next he'll suddenly start screaming threats like a madman or running around and shrieking like a greased pig.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: He attempts to cut Dipper in half with a pair of ''sheep shears'' after Dipper tells him that Mabel doesn't want to see him anymore.
* TheNapoleon: Not touched upon much, but his lack of height seems to affect him, such as him forcing others to lift him up so he can address people face to face.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Had Gideon not put a pin on Stan during his opening speech in the Season 1 finale, Stan wouldn't have figured out the truth, the twins would be in prison, and Gideon would have been victorious.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Gideon's age and the Tent of Telepathy's ScamReligion overtones are evocative of Marjoe Gortner, famous for being a morally dubious evangelist at the age of four.
* NoIndoorVoice: His parents don't even try to talk sense into him because they (especially his mom) are so afraid of his violently loud responses.
* NotGoodWithRejection: He doesn't take it well when Dipper informs him that Mabel doesn't want to date him.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: [[spoiler:Dipper eventually finds out that Gideon actually has powers after all. What he hasn't found out at the time is that he also has a journal like his.]]
* NotSoPhonyPsychic: Played with in that he's wielded genuine occult powers, but they come from artifacts and rituals he uses, not inborn abilities. The psychic powers he uses for business are entirely fake [[spoiler:and he's exposed for such in the first season finale.]]
* OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: He's the younger villain when up against Stan.
* PetTheDog:
** Some of his interactions with Mabel, such as giving her gummy koalas.
** His relationship with his prison inmates, in particular when he's genuinely concerned after Wendy beats up Ghost Eyes and [[spoiler:he later attempts a HeroicSacrifice following his HeelRealization.]]
** After [[spoiler:Bill Cipher has been defeated, he attends the Twins' birthday party, ''and'' he even signs Dipper's farewell card]].
* PsychoExBoyfriend: Does not react well after knowing that Mabel wanted to break ties with him.
* PsychicPowers: Claims to have them. [[spoiler:He does, but only as long as he has his amulet/lucky bolo tie]]. His powers are mentioned again in the season finale with him knowing things that should be impossible [[spoiler:only for Stan to reveal the Gideon pins that were handed to everyone are bugged with cameras so he can watch and hear everyone's secrets.]]
* PunnyName: "Giddy and Gleeful".
* PuppyDogEyes: He uses this to great effect as part of his DeliberatelyCuteChild persona, and that's how he manages to get Mabel to agree to go out with him. It's even lampshaded during his show at the Tent.
-->'''Gideon:''' I predict that you will soon all say, "aw."\\
'''Crowd:''' Aww!
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:For the entire first half of Season 2, save for a cameo of him in his cell in the premiere.]]
* ReformedButNotTamed: [[spoiler:In the finale. He has given up on doing evil schemes and tries to be a normal, nice kid, but he still has no problem sending thugs to beat up a bully who insults him.]]
* TheRival: To the Pines family in general; in some episodes he's the rival to Stan, others he's the rival to Dipper.
* SimpletonVoice: Gideon has the voice of a southern accented [[WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack Flapjack]] and while he sounds a tad goofy, it also proves to be quite unsettling.
* SitcomArchnemesis: To Stan, in episodes where he's not the main antagonist.
* SissyVillain: Mabel even mentions that she initially liked him as a little sister figure.
* SmallTownTyrant: Gideon is able to manipulate his popularity and money to effectively rule the town, having the police department and nearly everyone in his pocket.
* SmugSnake: While he has his moments of genuine cleverness, he ultimately gets in his own way by thinking that he's much, much smarter than he really is. [[spoiler:He throws a childish tantrum when he finds out there's three journals instead of just two.]]
* TheSociopath: Probably one of the characters on the show that best fits the criteria for antisocial personality disorder: he is vain, self-centered, selfish, power-hungry but incredibly intelligent, manipulative, deceitful, and has a complete disregard for the rights or even lives of others. He doesn't even display any affection for his own parents and his fixation on Mabel is more obsession than anything, something quite common in some sociopaths. He only comes to develop some real affection for people after suffering in prison.
* SouthernFriedGenius: Well, ''evil'' genius anyway, but he's demonstrated well above average intelligence, especially for his age. It's another part of what makes him so terrifying.
* SpoiledBrat: You especially see it when his dad asks him to clean up the mess he made of his room. Gideon's response?
-->'''''"I CAN BUY AND SELL YOU, OLD MAN!"'''''
** Gideon's mother is actually terrified of him; his very presence mortifies the poor woman.
* StalkerWithACrush: Gideon still maintains an obsessive crush on Mabel, despite getting rejected by her many times.
* SurveillanceAsThePlotDemands: [[spoiler:Is revealed to have planted miniature cameras throughout the town by way of his pins in "Gideon Rises."]]
* TakeOverTheWorld: He plans to do this once he has all three books in his possession. [[spoiler:When this fails, he settles for becoming Bill's right-hand man during the apocalypse.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Very downplayed in Season 2. During his time in prison, he's gained a touch of sincerity from bonding with his cellmates, and this is what earns their respect enough to become his henchmen. [[spoiler:After his HeelFaceTurn, he became much nicer towards the younger Pines Twins, even thanking them for putting him on the right path]].
* {{Troll}}: When he's not making moves against the Pines or terrorizing his parents, Gideon's preferred activity is giving Stan grief, such as by throwing tomatoes at him when he's locked in the stocks in "Irrational Treasure" or taunting him over having taken his favorite pool chair in "The Deep End".
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Summoning demons and plotting murder at the age of ''nine.''
* UnexplainedAccent: He speaks with a Southern accent, even though [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gravityfalls/images/f/fd/S2e8_robbie_squirt.png/revision/latest?cb=20141117170325 we know that]] [[http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/gravityfalls/images/8/8a/S2e8_big_wheels.png/revision/latest?cb=20141117170326 he was born in Oregon]].
* UngratefulBastard: His parents have spoiled him rotten giving him everything he wants and going along with all his schemes, and he repays them with relentless abuse and belittlement, to the point that his mother has become a shell of her former self and his father repeatedly has his memory wiped just to forget it.
* VillainousBreakdown: He has some minor ones across the show, but always recovers before the episode's through... [[spoiler:with the exception of "Gideon Rises", in which he starts losing his shit entirely when he notices he still needs to find one book. His breakdown reaches its peak when he's defeated for good, and his last minutes onscreen are spent on desperate, furious and barely comprehensible ranting.]]
** And by the time we see him in "The Stanchurian Candidate"...well, prison time did a number on him.
* VillainousCrush: On Mabel.
* VillainousFriendship: With Ghost Eyes and the other inmates.
* VillainDecay:
** [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged.]] After outright trying to murder Dipper in his first appearance, his subsequent appearances consist mostly of [[EvilIsPetty petty]] jabs against Stan. He regains some of his menace in "Little Dipper", and by the end of "[[WhamEpisode Dreamscaperers]]" he's officially in the BigBad seat.
** Essentially, when he's not the primary antagonist, all of his cameos count as VillainsOutShopping, or show the PokeThePoodle-type mischief that he keeps himself occupied with. His physical weaknesses also leave him vulnerable against Stan armed with a broom, so he's usually quite easy to keep out of the Shack.
** While he averts it in his first re-appearance in Season 2, "The Stanchurian Candidate", it's played straight in "Weirdmageddon Part 1", where he is just a flunky to the true BigBad Bill Cipher, and his usual creepiness is completely absent in favor of the pure comedy of him being a stereotypical corrupt hick sheriff (as Wendy puts it, "He's gotten ''folksier!''"). Genuinely caring about his fellow prison inmate gang members also neuters his villainy. In the end, [[spoiler:his HazyFeelTurn doesn't come off as too surprising as a result.]]
* VillainsOutShopping:
** In "Irrational Treasure", he participates in Pioneer Day and throws tomatoes at Stan.
** In "The Deep End", he takes a break from plotting against the Pines family to enjoy a day at the pool. However, he does end up in a squabble with Stan over a chair.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Everyone considers him to be a cute lovable child. [[spoiler:They eventually find out the horrible truth.]]
* VocalDissonance: His voice isn't anything fit for a 9-year-old.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He's got snow white hair and is a power-hungry psycho who will do anything to get what he wants.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: An invisible passage in the defictionalized [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal #3]] reveals that [[spoiler:the mystic amulet he used in his first appearance "corrupts your soul and whitens your hair," implying that Gideon's vicious personality may be due to its influence]].
* {{Yandere}}: He's got a crush on Mabel. Doesn't stop him from trying to murder her family.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Because of his white hair and voice, Gideon may look older to first time watchers. He's actually supposed to be 9 (later 10) years old.
* YouthfulFreckles: Along with having cute chubby cheeks, he also has adorable freckles on top of them, which he uses to play up his DeliberatelyCuteChild facade.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nathaniel Northwest]]
!!Nathaniel Northwest
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nathaniel_northwest.png]]

The 19th century frontiersman who founded Gravity Falls. [[spoiler:Except he didn't found it.]]

* AlliterativeName: '''N'''athaniel '''N'''orthwest.
* AssholeVictim: A horrible monster of a human being who was ultimately killed after he went crazy, and in [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext attempting to eat a tree to prove he was a wizard]], choked to death on a piece of bark. Nobody shed a tear.
* BeardOfEvil: An incredibly long brown one.
* ChekhovsGunman: Turns out a lot of the events of the series were kickstarted by him. [[spoiler:He was selected to be the "founder" of Gravity Falls to cover up President Trembley (which kickstarted the events of "Irrational Treasure"), then he ordered the construction of a massive mansion, which the Northwest family would live in until the series finale. The process of the mansion's creation led to a massive cemetery filled with lumberjack corpses, and one of the lumberjacks, Archibald Corduroy, became a ghost that cursed the Northwests (thus setting up the events of "Northwest Mansion Mystery"). Journal 3 reveals that the land that the lumberjack cemetery was on was eventually sold to Stanford Pines, resulting in the construction of the future Mystery Shack; the lumberjacks are eventually brought to un-life by Dipper in "Scary-oke," which is why there are so many zombies in that episode.]]
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He died eating the bark of a tree to prove he was a wizard.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Goes from a local manure shoveling idiot to a greedy, heartless elitist.
* HatedByAll: According to the government account, he was actually hated by everyone when he was alive, and nobody missed him after his death.
* HateSink: He ordered the commoners to build a huge mansion which cost the lives of many lumberjacks and innocent people in order to flaunt his fortune in front of others, promising them a big party in return. [[spoiler:Except he didn't even do that; he laughed at them and kicked them out as soon as the mansion's construction was complete, directly causing one lumberjack to invoke a DyingCurse by manifesting himself as a ghost to terrorize the Northwests 150 years in the future, hoping that he could force them to uphold their end of the bargain. The sad part is that everyone who ever knew of his vile nature is long dead]].
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: [[spoiler:He was actually a garbageman]] who was given the title of the founder [[spoiler:to cover up the existence of Quentin Trembley]]. He was also a cheat who cruelly conned the townspeople out of a party.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Easily the cruelest human who ever appeared in the show.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Despite his humble beginnings, he became a classist snob the second he became wealthy.
* {{Jerkass}}: He is the reason why the Northwest family are [[TheSociopath uncaring and unloving]], to both [[AbusiveParents their daughter Pacifica]] and the people of Gravity Falls. His being the founder of Gravity Falls [[spoiler:was a lie and he was given money for the coverup, and he abused his wealth by having the townsfolk build him his mansion in exchange for letting them be invited to his annual parties and then gleefully reneged on the promise. This act is also what caused the MonsterOfTheWeek, a Lumberjack ghost, to threaten the lives of his successors. His cruel and uncaring ways were passed down for generations, with Pacifica's parents emotionally abusing their daughter into following their legacy]].
* LackOfEmpathy: Had no qualms about [[spoiler:cheating the lumberfolk out of their deserved reward, even though many of them actually died creating his mansion]].
* LaserGuidedKarma: Not long after he cheated the lumberjacks, Nathaniel grew mentally unstable and eventually died eating the [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} bark of a tree to prove he was a wizard]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: The modern government records believe that Nathaniel [[spoiler:was really an idiot who killed himself trying to eat a tree to prove he was a wizard.]] However, as a flashback shows, [[spoiler:he was a shrewd and ruthless man who tricked the lumber folk into building him his mansion and then cheated them out of their payment. He was also sharp enough to keep a record of the lumberjack's curse to warn his descendants, and those descendants would wait for a suitable chump to clean up his mess]].
** It is possible that [[spoiler:he really did die in such a manner, but less due to idiocy and more due to mental degeneration in his old age, as he was very clearly [[TheSociopath not a mentally healthy person as it was]].]]
* OurFounder: He's the founder of Gravity Falls. [[spoiler:Or that's the official line anyway. Turns out it was a lie created by the government to hide the existence of Quentin Trembley.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Implied -- one of the images in the Northwest's room of their crimes is him making a deal with a Native American while smirking and crossing his fingers.
* PosthumousCharacter: Long dead by the time the series occurs, but the effects and consequences of his actions are still felt to this day.
* RagsToRiches: He was a mere sanitation worker who was lucky enough to be randomly awarded with lots of wealth by the government.
* TheSociopath: We see where Preston [[ItRunsInTheFamily gets it from]].
* UndignifiedDeath: Already mentally unbalanced, his issues eventually worsened into full-blown madness that consumed and transformed him into an addled husk of a man that ultimately perished eating tree bark out of a delusional belief that doing such would prove he was a wizard.
* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler:Promised the townspeople of Gravity Falls a party if they built him a mansion, only to lock them out and laugh in their faces after they gave sweat and blood (not to mention multiple lives, which were lost in the construction) to do so.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Knowing much about him will spoil much of the events of "Irrational Treasure" and "Northwest Mansion Mystery."
* WickedCultured: Began the trend of the Northwests being evil, but from what we've seen of his home and parties, he certainly adopted good taste very quickly.

[[folder:Preston Northwest]]
!!Preston Northwest
[[quoteright:266:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/preston_northwest.png]]
[[caption-width-right:266:''"Look at who you're talking to, boy. I'm hosting a party for the most powerful people in the world. Do you think they'd come here if they had to rub elbows with ''your'' kind?"'']]
!!!'''Voiced By:''' Creator/ChrisParnell ("Irrational Treasure"), Creator/NathanFillion (season 2)

The main antagonist of "Northwest Mansion Mystery". He is Pacifica's father and patriarch of the Northwest family, the founder of Gravity Falls. A [[IdleRich rich]] and [[VillainWithGoodPublicity publicly loved]] figure for the town, he shows immense disdain for the poor and everyone beneath him.