History Main / CardCArryingVillain

While the trope can and often results in an entertaining villain, [[TropesAreNotGood If not done right (and it is very, very easily done wrong)]], that is to say, if the card is [[{{Narm}} too serious or obvious]], the result can be cheesy, annoying, and {{Anvilicious}}, and the villain can come off as [[FlatCharacter very one dimensional]], especially if it's one of if not their defining traits. Though, in comedy situations/shows, this fate is usually averted, as it's a humorous thing (and thus right in place). It can also be used with a darker twist - showing a person so beyond redemption, so beyond what we call usual morality, that he is literally impossible to argue and reason with. This trope is also ''inconceivably'' difficult to pull off convincingly in a more serious, dramatic work or just live action in general. Most people in real life simply aren't that evil or conceited enough (or stupid enough) to proclaim themselves as such in any way.

In the final stage, you have a villain who insists on justifying their actions because "it's what villains are ''supposed to do''"; see ContractualGenreBlindness.

Card-carrying villains are particularly likely to do something ForTheEvulz.

Expect them to have [[DarkIsEvil relations with the dark]] and/or have [[BadPowersBadPeople evil powers.]]

Many if not most examples of RonTheDeathEater are also this.

While the trope can and often results in an entertains villain, [[TropesAreNotGood If not done right (and it is very, very easily done wrong)]], that is to say, if the card is [[{{Narm}} too serious or obvious]], the result can be cheesy, annoying, and {{Anvilicious}}, and the villain can come off as [[FlatCharacter very one dimensional]], especially if it's one of if not their defining traits. Though, in comedy situations/shows, this fate is usually averted, as it's a humorous thing (and thus right in place). It can also be used with a darker twist - showing a person so beyond redemption, so beyond what we call usual morality, that he is literally impossible to argue and reason with. This trope is also ''inconceivably'' difficult to pull off convincingly in a more serious, dramatic work or just live action in general. Most people in real life simply aren't that evil or conceited enough (or stupid enough) to proclaim themselves as such in any way.

[[TropesAreNotGood If not done right (and it is very, very easily done wrong)]], that is to say, if the card is [[{{Narm}} too serious or obvious]], the result can be cheesy, annoying, and {{Anvilicious}}. Though, in comedy situations/shows, this fate is usually averted, as it's a humorous thing (and thus right in place). It can also be used with a darker twist - showing a person so beyond redemption, so beyond what we call usual morality, that he is literally impossible to argue and reason with. This trope is also ''inconceivably'' difficult to pull off convincingly in a more serious, dramatic work or just live action in general. Most people in real life simply aren't that evil or conceited enough (or stupid enough) to proclaim themselves as such in any way.

[[TropesAreNotGood If not done right (and it is very, very easily done wrong)]], that is to say, if the card is [[{{Narm}} too serious or obvious]], the result can be cheesy, annoying, and {{Anvilicious}}. Though, in comedy situations/shows, this fate is usually averted, as it's a humorous thing (and thus right in place). It can also be used with a darker twist - showing a person so beyond redemption, so beyond what we call usual morality, that he is literally impossible to argue and reason with.

* In the WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures fic ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'', Jade, after her FaceHeelTurn, openly identifies as being evil, as does practically every other villainous character.
* Queen Celesia from ''Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure''.
* In ''Harry Potter and the Evil Summer Vacation'', villains and villain wannabes had a magazine called ''Evil Monthly''. Hermione mentioned having read an article in it about the conference Harry had mistakenly attended that summer and when he asked her what she was doing with it, she replied [[TakeThat "I'm sure you know that both my parents are dentists."]]
* According to ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsofRationality'' anyone creating a horcrux would have to be a completely unironic Card Carrying Villain. The theory is, you need to do something so depraved and inhumane that you cannot live with yourself and break your own soul to get a piece to put in the horcrux.
* Titan from ''Fanfic/MyLittleUnicorn''. He introduces himself as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Emperor of Chaos and Nightmares]], but most of the time does nothing besides [[OrcusOnHisThrone gloat on his throne]].

* Queen Celesia from Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure.
* In ''Harry Potter and the Evil Summer Vacation'' villains and villain wannabes had a magazine called ''Evil Monthly''. Hermione mentioned having read an article in it about the conference Harry had mistakenly attended that summer and when he asked her what she was doing with it, she replied [[TakeThat "I'm sure you know that both my parents are dentists."]]

* Dr. Brainstorm of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'' is a HarmlessVillain who gleefully follows several cliche MadScientist tropes.

A subversion is for these folks to ''not'' actually be cruel, greedy, or unnecessarily violent, but [[PunchClockVillain just doing their jobs]]. A NobleDemon is a CardCarryingVillain who talks the talk, but has a tendency to hold back or even help from time to time.

See also AlwaysChaoticEvil, BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad, LawfulStupidChaoticStupid, StupidEvil and EvilerThanThou.

** While not official to Christianity, ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters'' (written by Creator/CSLewis) depicts hell's demons as a mix of this and CorruptCorporateExecutive. [[CaptainObvious Their business deals with humanity's damnation.]]

** While not official to Christianity, the Screwtape letters (written by [[ChroniclesOfNarnia C.S. Lewis]]) depicts hell's demons as a mix of this and {{CorruptCorporateExecutive}}. [[CaptainObvious Thier business deals with humanity's damnation.]]

Villains like this may be greedy, violent, BadAss, etc. but most importantly, they are [[ObviouslyEvil Evil]]. It's in the job description. They refer to ''themselves'' as Evil, with a capital "E". Stretch it out to "Eeeeeevil" for emphasis. (They may even pronounce the "I" with emphasized shortness. Ee-vill. Like the froo-it of the dev-ill.) Terminal cases even require their minions to call them "[[TheMagnificent Your Evilness]]". In fact, calling them evil, vile, ruthless, or any generally negative epithet will [[InsultBackfire backfire]] and be received by these villainous types [[ArsonMurderAndAdmiration as the kindest of compliments.]]

There are, in general, three spheres of Card Carrying Villainy:
# ''[[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans Control]]'' - the Villain wants to rule; be it a gang, a city, a state, the country, [[TakeOverTheWorld the world]], or a similar goal, and have everyone else below them obey their every whim.

* The ironically named Mr Gently Benevolent in the Dickens parody ''Radio/BleakExpectations''. Also, the less ironically named Hardthrashers and their cousins, the Sternbeaters, Whackwallops, and Grimpunches.

Contrast with KnightTemplar, a villain who completely believes that they are good. They can become a Card Carrying Villain if they have a HeelRealization and decide to keep being a villain anyway. Also contrast MoralMyopia, where the villain doesn't consider the evil he's doing to others to be wrong. ''Also'' contrast PunchClockVillain, who doesn't take any particular glee in being evil, instead looking it as just their job.

* In the JackieChanAdventures fic ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', Jade, after her FaceHeelTurn, openly identifies with being evil, as does several of the other villainous characters.

Contrast with KnightTemplar, a villain who completely believes that they are good. They can become a Card Carrying Villain if they have a HeelRealization and decide to keep being a villain anyway. Also contrast MoralMyopia, where the villain doesn't consider the evil he's doing to others to be wrong.

See also AlwaysChaoticEvil, BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad, LawfulStupidChaoticStupid, StupidEvil, EvilerThanThou, and PunchClockVillain.