History KnightOfCerebus / WesternAnimation

** [[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]] introduces himself as this [[FauxAffablyEvil silly]] triangle-like creature, and then he rips out a deer's teeth! [[spoiler: In his second appearance, he gets Dipper to make a DealWithTheDevil, and then [[GrandTheftMe steals Dipper's body]], and abuses it for his own amusement. [[FromBadToWorse And]] ''[[FromBadToWorse then]]'' he and his buddies break into reality to unleash TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. [[TheBadGuyWins Things don't get better]] for a while.]] Bill may look and sound silly, but even ''Gideon'' is terrified of what he can do.

** Joseph Sugarman, Beatrice's father, is already long dead by the start of the series, but appears in the two aforementioned ADayInTheLimelight episodes centered around his daughter. While Beatrice spends most of the series being portrayed as an irredeemable HateSink, when her backstory is revealed and we see the horrible upbringing she had at the hands of Joseph, we can come to conclude that while her treatment of [=BoJack=] was inexcusable, she was merely another victim of generations of familial abuse. While the show goes out of its way to illustrate that each characters' faults are their own, a large amount of problems can be traced in some way back to something Joseph did.

** Joseph Sugarman, Beatrice's father, is already long dead by the start of the series, but appears in the two aforementioned ADayInTheLimelight episodes centered around his daughter. While Beatrice spends most of the series being portrayed as an irredeemable HateSink, when her backstory is revealed and we see the horrible upbringing she had at the hands of Joseph, we can come to conclude that while her treatment of [=BoJack=] was inexcusable, she was merely another victim of generations of familial abuse. While the show goes out of its way to illustrate that each characters' faults are their own, a large amount of problems can be traced in some way back to something Joseph did, effectively making him the BiggerBad of the entire series.

** Beatrice Horseman, unlike Butterscotch, whose abuse is most often that not played as HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood, every flashback with Beatrice is much more serious and played in a rather tragic light. Notably, Beatrice has two ADayInTheLimelight episodes in Season 4 and both of them are considered some [[UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode of the most fucked-up episodes in what is already considered a very dark and angsty show]].

** Despite only appearing in two episodes, Klorgbane the Destroyer may be an even greater example. Not only did he [[SiblingMurder kill one of his own brothers in cold blood]] but in his debut episode "Fists of Justice", but "[[WhamEpisode Skips' Story]]" reveals that [[spoiler: he was responsible for the death of Skips' girlfriend, Mona]]. While not as powerful a villain as the entry above, Klorgbane has the distinction of being the only villain in the show whose actions are ''never'' PlayedForLaughs.

** The series was already pretty dark whenever [[BigBad X.A.N.A.]] got involved. But the series took an ever darker turn with the Season 3 finale "Final Round" and Season 4, as [[SixthRanger William]]'s [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing]] led him to become X.A.N.A.'s {{Dragon}}. William single-handedly proved to be an even greater threat to the Lyoko-warriors than any of X.A.N.A.'s monsters ever were, being extremely brutal in battle, often defeating the Lyoko-warriors by [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe cutting them in half]] or [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling them]], which often needed GoryDiscretionShot. ''A lot''.

** Paige Sinclair and Maximilian Banks are a interesting version of this. Their role on [[spoiler: trying to get to the bottom of the truth about Sarah Lynn's death and their subsequent campaign to bring [=BoJack=] to justice]] makes them major players in the story and ultimately [=BoJack=]'s final and more serious challenge, with that said they bring a heavier tone only in the scenes in which they ''don't'' appear and have the main characters reacting to the events, as their scenes are still PlayedForLaughs despite their very important role and they completely disappear of the story once [[spoiler: [=BoJack=] starts suffering of the concecuences of the truth being exposed]], making them an odd example of characters being both [[KnightOfCerebus Knights of Cerebus]] and getting the ShooOutTheClowns treatment.

* Both lampshaded and played straight in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' episode "Victor Echo November." When Phantom Limb gets in an argument with HarmlessVillain The Monarch, he shows his superiority by calling for the immediate killing of the Venture family, whom the Monarch has ineffectually antagonized for the whole series. When the Guild henchmen prove to be much more dangerous than The Monarch's [[MauveShirt Mauve Shirts]], Dr. Venture asks, "This is different, isn't it, Brock?" Brock replies, "Yeah, we might not win this one." Later on, the Monarch himself becomes much more threatening by Season 4. When the person he's after is not Rusty Venture, he can come off as downright scary.

* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' had a very quirky and upbeat first season. Season 2 opened with Imperiex making it to the past to conquer it, setting up the DarkerAndEdgier season.

** Charlotte and Penny, like Herb they aren't villains but after the events of Season 2 they become a representation of one of [=BoJack=]'s worst mistakes and as such, the tone becomes drastically more serious every time they appear. Hell, only ''mentioning any of them'' is enough for the series to drop all the comedy immediately. [[spoiler: Charlotte suddenly calling [=BoJack=] at the end of "Intermediate Scene Study w/ BoJack Horseman" is what turned the (until then) more lighthearted final season into a series of [[WhamEpisode Wham Episodes]] ]]

** Paige Sinclair and Maximilian Banks are a interesting version of this. Their role on [[spoiler: trying to get to the bottom of the truth about Sarah Lynn's death and their subsequent campaign to bring [=BoJack=] to justice]] makes them major players in the story and ultimately [=BoJack=]'s final and more serious challenge, with that said they bring a heavier tone only in the scenes in which they ''don't'' appear and have the main characters reacting to the events, as their scenes are still PlayedForLaughs despite their very important role and they completely dissappear of the story once [[spoiler: [=BoJack=] starts suffering of the concecuences of the truth being exposed]], making them an odd example of characters being both [[KnightOfCerebus Knights of Cerebus]] and getting the ShooOutTheClowns treatment.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': While the series started out as a comedy with some dramatic moments, Herb Kazzaz was what started the show's transition into a dramedy that deconstructed television tropes and dealt with issues such as existentialism and mental illness. While not a villain per say, his refusal to forgive [=BoJack=] for stabbing him in the back all those years ago, even as he's dying of cancer, as well as [[WhatTheHellHero calling him out on his behavior]], was undoubtedly the heaviest the show had gotten at the time. And to make matters worse, this was their last interaction before Kazzaz died. Despite having passed away by Season 2, the encounter would stick with [=BoJack=] throughout the series and kick start his CharacterDevelopment, as well as his doubt as to if he's a good person; leading to even more depressing and devastating storylines along the way.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' Season 4 has Ed Wuncler II, whose sociopathic antics are rarely ever PlayedForLaughs, who keeps the Freeman family in a multi-million-dollar debt, and his plans to "[[BlatantLies help]]" them only digs them deeper. Robert ends up having to literally sell himself into slavery, and later they have to work in a slavery-themed amusement park called Freedomland, along with others in his debt as slaves. He later [[WouldHurtAChild attempts to cut off Huey's foot]] for defying him.

* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsTheNineRealms'': The moment [[spoiler: Jörmungandr, the Apex Predator of ''all'' dragons is realeased]] there is a tonal shift as [[spoiler: it immediately bites down on the Sky Torcher's neck, drags it into its former prison and [[UncertainDoom presumably mauls it to death]] before it crashes through the gate out of the Dark Realm into the rest of the Hidden World.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsTheNineRealms'': The moment [[spoiler: Jörmungandr, the Apex Predator of ''all'' dragons is realeased]] there is a tonal shift as [[spoiler: it immediately bites down on the Sky Torcher's neck, drags it into its former prison and [[UncertainDoom presumably mauls it to death]] before it crashes throuh the gate out of the Dark Realm into the rest of the Hidden World.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[BigBad The Lich]] is a diabolical UndeadAbomination with an appetite for [[OmnicidalManiac all-encompassing destruction]], and the end byproduct of the [[GreatOffscreenWar Mushroom War]]. While earlier seasons focused on the wacky antics of Finn and Jake, and the main villain was the pathetic and often ineffectual Ice King, the arrival of the Lich signaled a more serious turn for the series. The Lich caused several character deaths (unusual for a children's show), leading inevitably to a darker shift and a focus on characters' relationships. The fact that The Lich is made from a nuclear bomb also led to a greater emphasis on worldbuilding (in contrast to earlier episodes that tended to have a stricter PlanetOfHats structure) and an investigation of the world's dark backstory of a nuclear apocalypse.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[spoiler:King Andrias]], who succeeds as the official BigBad following Captain Grime of the toads. It is revealed in the S2 finale that he's [[spoiler:a genocidal tyrant who came from a family of galactic conquerers, and wants to use the power of the Calamity Box to rule all dimensions, including Anne's world on Earth. And he refuses to let anyone or anything stop him, especially when Marcy messes with the box to help Anne and the Plantars escape prompting him to stab her with his sword.]]

* Although ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' was never exactly light or fluffy, considering it launches viewers right into a 100 year war dealing with the consequences of genocide, things get darker when [[BigBad Fire Lord Ozai]] is introduced in "The Storm". We discover that in addition to being the leader of [[TheEmpire the Fire Nation]] he also [[AbusiveParents physically and emotionally abused his son Zuko]], [[MoralEventHorizon permanently disfiguring]] ''his face'' with '''[[KillItWithFire fire]]''' [[DisproportionateRetribution and banishing him for speaking out of turn.]] A reason for this is given in the tie-in comics that further emphasizes Ozai's role thus: Zuko's mother, Ursa, [[spoiler:had a lover before the Fire Nation effectively forced her to marry Ozai due to her being Avatar Roku's granddaughter, and [[GildedCage cut off all connections from her old life.]] In an attempt to regain her old life, Ursa wrote [[RedHerring a letter that states Zuko's is her lover's son]] to provoke Ozai into revealing his meddling of letters. She had underestimated [[DisproportionateRetribution Ozai's reaction]].]]
** When [[TheDragon Princess Azula]], [[DaddysLittleVillain Ozai's daughter]], made her first ''proper'' appearance in Season 2, [[MagnificentBastard she brought in a level of villain competence that hadn't been seen before]]. [[WakeUpCallBoss Not even the Gaang was fully prepared to deal with her at that point]], leading to the second season ending with [[TheBadGuyWins a crushing defeat for the heroes]] and their DarkestHour in the entire series.

** Amon from the SequelSeries, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. The couple of episodes before his first appearance were quite lighthearted. Once he showed up, the first season got darker and darker with each episode.

*** Kuvira from Season 4 is a notable [[AvertedTrope aversion]] of this. While no less threatening than the other villains in the series, Season 4's considerably darker tone and subject matter makes her stand out less in terms of making the plot serious.

* The original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' series had, for the most part, episodes that feel somewhat like Silver Age stories, with a usually comical feel to it. This rule doesn't apply to Vilgax and Ghostfreak. Vilgax pointedly showed more explicit hints to the first season's StoryArc and Grandpa Max's HiddenDepths. He managed to instill enough fear into Max that he decided to retrieve all of his best gear before going to rescue Ben. He was also so powerful that Ben had to resort to outsmarting him rather than simply using an alien to overpower him in every confrontation up until the movie, [[spoiler: where he unlocked Way Big and tossed Vilgax into space.]] Ghostfreak started out as a rather scary alien in the Omnitrix, but later he broke free and became one of the most ruthless and terrifying villains in the series.

** In that same vein, the Forever Knights in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'', combined with TookALevelInBadass. In the earlier series and several earlier episodes, they were pathetic {{mook}}s that got beaten easily and usually made Creator/MontyPython references. In the episode "the Purge" their founder, Old George returns, ends their EnemyCivilWar and unites them as one faction to rid the world of aliens, and the excrement hits the cooling device.

** [[BigBad Bill Cipher]] introduces himself as this [[FauxAffablyEvil silly]] triangle-like creature, and then he rips out a deer's teeth! [[spoiler: In his second appearance, he gets Dipper to make a DealWithTheDevil, and then [[GrandTheftMe steals Dipper's body]], and abuses it for his own amusement. [[FromBadToWorse And]] ''[[FromBadToWorse then]]'' he and his buddies break into reality to unleash TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. [[TheBadGuyWins Things don't get better]] for a while.]] Bill may look and sound silly, but even ''Gideon'' is terrified of what he can do.

** Since Discord turned up in Season 2, the stakes definitely got high because of him. While Nightmare Moon was previously defeated by the BigGood Princess Celestia, and failed to effect the heroes before they [[HeelFaceTurn redeemed her]] by [[ThePowerOfFriendship the Elements of Harmony]], Discord was immediately established as [[AlwaysABiggerFish too powerful for Celestia]] and succeeded in [[BreakTheCutie mentally breaking]] the heroes leaving the Elements, his only weakness, ineffective and previously tormented the land as an EvilOverlord. They singlehandedly turned the setting into a CrapsaccharineWorld with a dark past and the previously infallible forces of good were proven vulnerable, and the previously light series started to get darker episodes and themes.
** Lord Tirek from the Season 4 final "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 Kingdom]]" steals everyone's magic and cutie marks, [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows without which]] it would cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. [[spoiler:To hammer the point home, see Discord up there? Tirek managed to one-up Discord by playing and ''emotionally breaking'' him, something no-one thought was even possible considering that was Discord's schtick.]] He also [[TrashTheSet destroys]] [[spoiler:[[TrashTheSet Golden Oaks Library]], Twilight's home]], the first time the heroes suffered a permanent loss. Season 5 onward proceeds to have even darker moments.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Most villains working for the Emperor are either cartoonishly over-the-top villainous, delightfully incompetent, working their way towards a HeelFaceTurn, or any combination of those three. Emperor Belos himself, however, is ''none'' of that. All jokes grind to a screeching halt when he steps onto the screen, both his enemies and his subordinates are ''terrified'' of him, and during their first proper fight, he effortlessly wipes the ''floor'' with Luz. Things don't improve when we get to know him better either -- his cult leader-esque personality means he has everyone on the Isles wrapped around his finger, and his abuse of Hunter is played horribly straight, leaving Hunter with permanent physical scars and severe mental health problems. [[spoiler:It later turns out Belos is actually Philip Wittebane, a human witch hunter who hates witches so much he [[SiblingMurder murdered his own brother]] for falling in love with one, and whose ultimate goal is to [[FinalSolution wipe out all life on the Isles]]. Even after his defeat in "King's Tide" he's far from harmless, and single-handedly pushes Disney's censors to their absolute limits when he possesses Hunter in "Thanks to Them", devours a dead Grimwalker in "For the Future" to keep his body from falling apart, and outright ''[[TheHeroDies kills Luz]]'' in "Watching and Dreaming" ([[DeathIsCheap although it doesn't stick]])]].

** Evil Morty serves as this in every episode he appears in:

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has [[DragonWithAnAgenda Toffee]], an "[[CardCarryingVillain Evil Efficiency Expert]]" who manages to manipulate [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Ludo]], the main villain up to that point, into hiring him. From that moment on, viewers know something is up. This comes into fruition when, by the Season 1 finale, he has taken control of Ludo's army, kidnapped Marco, and [[TheBadGuyWins defeated]] Star, forcing her to destroy her wand after outright telling her that he is nothing like Ludo. And that was only the first stage of his plan, as in the second and third seasons, he proves to be even more dangerous by [[spoiler: [[CurbstompBattle effortlessly defeating the Magic High Commission and Queen Moon]], manipulating [[BigBadWannabe Ludo]] into killing Glossaryck, and very nearly killing Star]]. We also learn that [[spoiler: Toffee ''killed'' a previous Queen, Moon's mother and Star's grandmother, Comet Butterfly]]. Even though he is defeated in the third season, it can be argued that he ''still'' won in the end, as the series finale has [[spoiler:Star fulfilling his goal of destroying all magic in the multiverse anyway]], and our heroine begrudgingly acknowledging that "[[VillainHasAPoint Toffee was right]]".

** At the end of the fourth season, the darkness levels are taken up to eleven when [[spoiler: Darth Maul himself makes his return.]] Over the course of the fifth season, [[spoiler:he goes on a galaxy-wide killing spree, resulting in the death of hundreds of innocent civilians (including [[WouldHurtAChild children]]), the brutal takeover of the peaceful planet Mandalore, and the cold-blooded murder of Obi-Wan Kenobi's LoveInterest Duchess Satine ''right in front of Obi-Wan's eyes''.]] When he makes first appears in the final arc of the series, the tone of the final season instantly blackens with no respite for the rest of the show, though this time less due to his own actions and more due to his knowledge and utter dread of [[TheBadGuyWins what's coming for the galaxy]], reminding the audience of the ForegoneConclusion.

** Tarkin himself should not be underestimated either. When he arrives on Lothal, he comes down ''[[TheBadGuyWins hard]]'' on our heroes, and makes it abundantly clear that [[YouHaveFailedMe failure will not be tolerated]].
** The WhamShot at the very end of the first season finale and previews of the Season 2 premiere indicate that [[spoiler:Darth Vader]] is stepping up to serve this role. And boy, does he show it [[spoiler:by undoing everything the rebels managed to complete for the past several episodes, by orchestrating Minister Tua's death and framing the protagonists for it, and then by remorselessly trying to kill his former padawan Ahsoka]].

** [[spoiler: Thrawn]] is even worse than the others. He is able to outsmart most of the rebels and defeat the Bendu (albeit temporarily).
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' began as a purely lighthearted, episodic show about Steven and the Gems fighting random monsters or having a comedic day. However, that begins to change with the appearance of Lapis Lazuli in the middle of the first season. She is much stronger than any antagonist faced before, and is actually sentient in comparison to the monsters the team had fought. This is where the concept of Corrupted Gems is introduced, and is the first showing of the series' having multiple ShadesOfConflict, and is the first set of episodes to cast doubt on how ''good'' the Crystal Gems actually are. Every antagonist after this is just as bad; most are even worse.
** Jasper, introduced in the first season finale, is a BloodKnight with a personal grudge against the Crystal Gems that serves as an enforcer for the Gem Homeworld. Her brutish nature and the implication it is the ''norm'' for Homeworld really helps to sell just how serious the show's MythArc will be.

** Things become more serious every time the Diamonds, Homeworld's mysterious rulers, are brought up; but things really begin to take off after Blue Diamond appears ''in person'' in season 4. Her actions and desires remain the driving force of the plot well into season 5.

** The Shredder was made crueler and more brutal and competent in the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003 cartoon]]. This was just a small change compared to his even more completely monstrous self in ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever''. And so far he's been this in the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 series]]. Even with the show operated on RuleOfFunny, none of the scenes with him were PlayedForLaughs. When the Turtles actually face off against him for the first time, they end up getting their shells handed to them; they only manage to escape because the Shredder was distracted by Xever and Bradford [[spoiler:mutating]]. Following that, the show got darker with the other main villains the Kraang becoming far more of threat with the gradual reveal that their plan was to terraform the entire Earth to suit their needs. Shredder's seriousness as a villain in this series only gets worse [[spoiler:when he mutates and eventually kills Splinter]].

** The Malevolent One, or Mal for short, is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] alternate personality of Mike. When he's not [[EvilIsPetty breaking people's video games and phones]], he regularly goes around harming people ForTheEvulz. Such incidents of this include, but are not limited to, brutally beating down Izzy in a boxing match when all he had to do was defeat her, attempting to knock Zoey off a cliff, and later drown her, attempting to leave Cameron to die by pushing him in the way of bloodthirsty animals effected by the Harvest Moon while Cameron was blind, breaking Alejandro's wrist as well as using Svetlana's athletic abilities in such a process that makes her slowly fade out and causes her pain to beat the crap out of Alejandro in a challenge, and attempting to toss Heather into a pool full of toxic waste even though she was trying to help him win a million dollars. Not only that, but it's revealed he actually got himself/Mike sent to juvy, before Mike could seal him inside his mind.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'':
** King Andrias, who succeeds as the official BigBad following Captain Grime of the toads. It is revealed in the S2 finale that he's [[spoiler:a genocidal tyrant who came from a family of galactic conquerers, and wants to use the power of the Calamity Box to rule all dimensions, including Anne's world on Earth. And he refuses to let anyone or anything stop him, especially when Marcy messes with the box to help Anne and the Plantars escape prompting him to stab her with his sword.]]
** The Cloak-Bot from the beginning of Season 3 takes this up several notches. Unlike the past minor antagonists, this one is a [[spoiler:KillerRobot who can actually destroy or terminate anything in its path [[OneHitKill in just a second.]] And unlike Anne's battles with other villains up to now, her fights with the Cloak-Bot almost culminated with it nearly killing her without her parents even knowing.]]

* Toadborg from ''ComicBook/BuckyOHareAndTheToadWars''. The Air Marshal was ineffectual. Toad troops were ineffectual. Toadborg was powerful, cold, calculating and competent.
* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'':
** NOS-4-A2 stood out as a villain who was taken more seriously and was generally more of a threat than Zurg or the rest of the rogues gallery (although he still had the occassional comedic moment or mild humiliation). Episodes featuring him tend to be DarkerAndEdgier in tone, such as when he was terrorising a world full of robots and killed a girl's robotic surrogate parents, or when he turned Ty Parsec into Wirewolf. To really hit this home, in his final appearance, he formed a team-up with XL and almost effortlessly [[EvilerThanThou took over Zurg's home world]], turned the galaxy into machines existing only as his food source, and raised the stakes so high that it caused XL to have a HeelFaceTurn. He was also the only villain to be KilledOffForReal, mainly because he was too big a threat to be left alive.
** Evil Buzz, too, at least at first. In his initial appearance, he is an incredibly sinister threat, with very practical if ruthless methods of villainy compared to Zurg's [[AffablyEvil antics]]. He even successfully conquered his home universe thanks to his competence, as well as his methods of subjugation and genocide. When he is eventually defeated by Buzz, he opts to stay behind in his ship to die rather than surrender, and even then he still survives. Downplayed in his second appearance, however. While he's still a credible threat, his level of seriousness is toned down thanks to his [[SickeninglySweethearts sickening romantic interactions]] with Gravatina. [[FetishizedAbuser Although when push come to shove, he still quite harshly leaves her to die when the ship they're in is about to explode]], so even then he was still quite the evil-doer.

* Armondo Guitierrez has shades of this role in the early episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''. Most of the villains were primarily SketchComedy caricatures, providing laughs first and conflict second, but the cliffhanger ending of [[OriginsEpisode "The Chip: Part 1"]], where Guitierrez has Dexter tied to a chair and orders a man with a gun to kill him, is played completely straight. In his second appearance, he returns as Freakazoid's fully realized EvilCounterpart and only loses [[NearVillainVictory by a fluke]].
** The character still has a bit of comedy in him; in his first appearance he tends to [[ActorAllusion unintentionally quote Khan Noonien Singh]], while in the second he gained Freakazoid-like wackiness along with his powers, in particular [[BerserkButton flipping out]] whenever Freak calls him a weenie ("DON'T SAY THE WEENIE WORD!")

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': [[DomesticAbuse Leanne Platter]]. The whole reason Luanne lives with her aunt and uncle is because her mom stabbed her dad with a fork. Only appeared on screen in one episode where she gets released from prison, but it's clear she hasn't changed a bit.
** It's also a significant departure from the usual ''KOTH'' antagonists, who usually tend towards being [[KnowNothingKnowItAll supposedly smarter people]] who come into conflict with the Hills [[SmallNameBigEgo because of their own bloated egos]] and are generally just jerks who really can't/won't do much in the long run.

* ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR'': The appearance of [[spoiler:Evil Coop]] marks the only time in the show's run were the villain was taken completely seriously. [[spoiler:Given he destroyed his dimensions' versions of the Glorft, the S-Force, RECR and ''[[HeroKiller even Megas]]'']].

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'': The Cluster usually straddles the line between serious and comical, but for purely serious villains there was Armagedroid, a gigantic robot designed to destroy all weapons and almost killed Jenny in its first appearance, and Gigawatt, a towering electricity-eating energy vampire who although a bit quirky, proved to be one of Jenny's most difficult opponents.

* While all the villains ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' are either a GenericDoomsdayVillain, a complete {{jerkass}}, or [[HarmlessVillain too much of a joke to be seen as a threat]], these villains stand out from the rest:
** [[SatanicArchetype HIM]], compared to the rest of the show's IneffectualSympatheticVillain cast, had a much more disturbing presence (even noted frequently by the cast ''and the narrator'') and frequently supplied MindRape or other much deadlier tactics of bringing the girls to an end. Granted he also often supplied NightmareRetardant and did have the occasional bumbling or comedic role (he was a SissyVillain after all and one of the most [[CampGay daring]] villains on a Cartoon Network comedy ever;) but he was still miles deadlier than most of the RoguesGallery, especially when he was the villain of the episode, in which none of the scenes with him were PlayedForLaughs [[note]]if he wasn't the villain, he was just as comical as the other villains[[/note]]. And then there's the episode "[[BadFuture Speed Demon]]" where he turned Townsville into a living hell on Earth when the girls accidentally traveled forward in time. One exception is [[spoiler:Season 4's "Him Diddle Riddle"]] in which if the girls don't solve all his riddles in time, Professer Utonium would have to pay [[spoiler:for breakfast]]. And the 2016 reboot's HIM is no slacker. Just as diabolical, deadly, and twice as inconspicuous with his ploys as before.
** Excluding their appearance in the ClipShow episode, the [[ThePsychoRangers Rowdyruff Boys]] are treated as very serious threats that only increase once the aformentioned HIM removes the weaknesses to cooties and made them stronger upon ressurecting them.
** [[OurGnomesAreDifferent The Gnome]], besides being another serious villain, is [[MagnificentBastard the series most powerful and frigteningly competent villain]], as he was able to successfully manipulate and defeat the girls and his plan to turn Townsville into his own utopia was a success before [[DrivenToSuicide killing himself]] after [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizing the errors of his ways]]. He's also the only character who's able to defeat '''HIM''' of all villains with complete ease.
** [[BitchInSheepsClothing Dick Hardly]] is the only villain to have ''no'' sympathetic or (overtly) comediec traits whatsoever. He's also notably one of the villains that [[NearVillainVictory came the closest to killing The Powerpuff Girls]] and would've ''succeeded'' if Professor Utonium didn't arrive in time.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'': While the show was usually light-hearted in nature, there were many episodes featuring a ghost that was truly sinister, serious, and far more lethal than most threats the boys in gray faced. Notable examples include the Boogieman, who scared the living daylights out of children For the Evulz, and the Grundel, whose M.O. was corrupting kids to transform them into members of his own kind. One example that really stands out, though, is Mee-Krah from the episode "Standing Room Only". The episode in question was from one of the Lighter and Softer later seasons, but Mee-Krah was an Eldritch Abomination that sought to devour every ghost it could find and had caused an alarming swath of destruction before the Ghostbusters succeeded in destroying it.

* ''WesternAnimation/WildWestCowboysOfMooMesa'' has Skull Duggery, the skeletal ghost of a greedy miner who died in a cave-in while trying to retrieve his hidden fortune of silver. It's especially notable in his second appearance "Skull Duggery Rides Again", where he teams up with two other ghosts in a plan to raze Cowtown.
* Miss Power from ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl''. Magnitudes more powerful than every other villain and [=WordGirl=] herself, and much more intelligent. Pretends to be a hero and trains [=WordGirl=] while slowly corrupting her and the citizens. When [=WordGirl=] finds out she's being played, Miss Power simply beats her up and takes over anyway. And given the nature of her powers, she's pretty much the embodiment of bullying.

** Despite only appearing in two episodes, Klorgbane the Destroyer may be an even greater example. Not only did he kill one of his brothers in cold blood in his debut episode, but [[WhamEpisode Skips' Story]] reveals that [[spoiler: he was responsible for the death of Skips' girlfriend, Mona]]. While not as powerful a villain as the entry above, Klorgbane has the distinction of being the only villain in the show whose actions are ''never'' played for laughs.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Most villains working for the Emperor are either cartoonishly over-the-top villainous, delightfully incompetent, working their way towards a HeelFaceTurn, or any combination of those three. Emperor Belos himself, however, is ''none'' of that. All jokes grind to a screeching halt when he steps onto the screen, both his enemies and his subordinates are ''terrified'' of him, and during their first proper fight, he effortlessly wipes the ''floor'' with Luz. Things don't improve when we get to know him better either -- his cult leader-esque personality means he has everyone on the Isles wrapped around his finger, and his abuse of Hunter is played horribly straight, leaving Hunter with permanent physical scars and severe mental health problems. [[spoiler:It later turns out Belos is actually Philip Wittebane, a human witch hunter who hates witches so much he [[SiblingMurder murdered his own brother]] for falling in love with one, and whose ultimate goal is to [[FinalSolution wipe out all life on the Isles]]. Even after his defeat in "King's Tide" he's far from harmless, and single-handedly pushes Disney's censors to their absolute limits when he possesses Hunter in "Thanks to Them", devours a dead Grimwalker in "For the Future" to keep his body from falling apart, and outright ''kills Luz'' in "Watching and Dreaming" ([[DeathIsCheap although it doesn't stick]])]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Most villains working for the Emperor are either cartoonishly over-the-top villainous, delightfully incompetent, working their way towards a HeelFaceTurn, or any combination of those three. Emperor Belos himself, however, is ''none'' of that. All jokes grind to a screeching halt when he steps onto the screen, both his enemies and his subordinates are ''terrified'' of him, and during their first proper fight, he effortlessly wipes the ''floor'' with Luz. Things don't improve when we get to know him better either -- his cult leader-esque personality means he has everyone on the Isles wrapped around his finger, and his abuse of Hunter is played horribly straight, leaving Hunter with permanent physical scars and severe mental health problems. [[spoiler:It later turns out Belos is actually Philip Wittebane, a human witch hunter who hates witches so much he [[SiblingMurder murdered his own brother]] for falling in love with one, and whose ultimate goal is to [[FinalSolution wipe out all life on the Isles]]. Even after his defeat in "King's Tide" he's far from harmless, and single-handedly pushes Disney's censors to their absolute limits when he possesses Hunter in "Thanks to Them", then devours a dead Grimwalker in "For the Future" to keep his body from falling apart]].

** At the end of the fourth season, the darkness levels are taken up to eleven when [[spoiler: Darth Maul himself makes his return.]] Over the course of the fifth season, [[spoiler:he goes on a galaxy-wide killing spree, resulting in the death of hundreds of innocent civilians (including [[WouldHurtAChild children]]), the brutal takeover of the peaceful planet Mandalore, and the cold-blooded murder of Obi-Wan Kenobi's LoveInterest Duchess Satine ''right in front of Obi-Wan's eyes''.]] When he makes first appears in the final arc of the series, the tone of the final season instantly blackens with no respite for the rest of the show, though this time less due to his own actions and his knowledge and utter fear of what's coming for the galaxy, reminding the audience of the ForegoneConclusion.

** At the end of the fourth season, the darkness levels are taken up to eleven when [[spoiler: Darth Maul himself makes his return.]] Over the course of the fifth season, [[spoiler:he goes on a galaxy-wide killing spree, resulting in the death of hundreds of innocent civilians (including [[WouldHurtAChild children]]), the brutal takeover of the peaceful planet Mandalore, and the cold-blooded murder of Obi-Wan Kenobi's LoveInterest Duchess Satine ''right in front of Obi-Wan's eyes''.]]

* Although ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' was never exactly light or fluffy, considering it launches viewers right into a 100 year war dealing with the consequences of genocide, things get darker when [[BigBad Firelord Ozai]] is introduced in "The Storm". We discover that in addition to being the leader of [[TheEmpire the Fire Nation]] he also [[AbusiveParents physically and emotionally abused his son Zuko]], [[MoralEventHorizon permanently disfiguring]] ''his face'' with '''[[KillItWithFire fire]]''' [[DisproportionateRetribution and banishing him for speaking out of turn.]] A reason for this is given in the tie-in comics that further emphasizes Ozai's role thus: Zuko's mother, Ursa, [[spoiler:had a lover before the Fire Nation effectively forced her to marry Ozai due to her being Avatar Roku's granddaughter, and [[GildedCage cut off all connections from her old life.]] In an attempt to regain her old life, Ursa wrote [[RedHerring a letter that states Zuko's is her lover's son]] to provoke Ozai into revealing his meddling of letters. She had underestimated [[DisproportionateRetribution Ozai's reaction]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': All humor goes out the window when [[Characters/TheOwlHouseEmperorBelos Emperor Belos]] first shows up. It's revealed that he's been ruling the Boiling Isles with an iron fist for fifty years and anyone who doesn't submit to his reign is either imprisoned or [[TakenForGranite petrified]], which is stated to be impossible to reverse. [[NearVillainVictory He very nearly gets his way]] in "Young Blood, Old Souls" and the sole victory Luz manages to get over him is a [[PyrrhicVictory pyrrhic one.]] In "Hollow Mind" [[spoiler:TheReveal of him being Philip and a ''witch hunter'' planning a FinalSolution on the people of the Isles is played horribly straight, and his actions and behavior in "Elsewhere and Elsewhen" showcase that he's basically a SerialKiller of witches. When the FinalBattle with him occurs in "King's Tide", the fact that he' [[PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize a grown adult attacking a group of children]] with the intent to kill them with no adults around to protect them from him is played for all the horror it's worth, and he ultimately leaves Luz with a [[ScarsAreForever permanent reminder]] of her near-death at his hands.]]

* ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}'':

** Although the characters themselves are rather ridiculous, the Ruby Squad still manage to act as this at the end of season 3, where they reveal that Rose [[spoiler: shattered Pink Diamond]]. Learning this changes how Steven acts for the rest of the series, especially in relation to his mother's legacy. Even the silliest episodes of seasons 4 and 5 have a dark shadow hanging over them as a result.

*** [[GreaterScopeVillain Megatrous]] is an even bigger example than Steeljaw, so much so that he makes all the other Decepticons in the series look downright pathetic in comparison. He's [[TheDreaded feared]] by both Autobots and Decepticons alike and the only antagonist in the series to deliberately attempt an [[OmnicidalManiac extinction-level]] event, wanting to destroy both Earth ''and'' Cybertron in retaliation for his humiliation and imprisonment.