History Main / DevilComplex

Some villains are proud of the fact they're villains, [[CardCarryingVillain fully admitting they're evil]] and boasting about it. But some go even further, by claiming to ''be'' who many consider [[{{Satan}} the ultimate villain, the Devil himself]]. Or a GodOfEvil, or [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils a high-ranking demon or demon king]]. In short, they have a Devil Complex, or alternatively, they are an ''[[https://the-dere-types.fandom.com/wiki/Onidere onidere]]''.

Some villains are proud of the fact they're villains, [[CardCarryingVillain fully admitting they're evil]] and boasting about it. But some go even further, by claiming to ''be'' who many consider [[{{Satan}} the ultimate villain, the Devil himself]]. Or a GodOfEvil, or [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils a high-ranking demon or demon king]]. In short, they have a Devil Complex.

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Kaizer Ghidorah claps back with this after having listened to Grand King Ghidorah's AGodAmI boast, before proceeding to kick the other astral hydra's ass:

 

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'': Right before you fight him in the series' GrandFinale, Dr. Weil declares himself as the devil (shouting "Ware ga Akuma da" which translates to "I am the Devil") before fighting Zero. [[OmnicidalManiac Pretty fitting for]] [[CardCarryingVillain the guy]].

* ''Series/DoctorWho''

Some villains are proud of the fact they're villains, [[CardCarryingVillain fully admitting they're evil]] and boasting about it. But some go even further, by claiming to ''be'' who many consider [[{{Satan}} the ultimate villain, the Devil himself]]. Or a GodOfEvil, or [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils a high ranking demon or demon king]]. In short, they have a Devil Complex.

A sub-trope of CardCarryingVillain, a character that identifies as evil or otherwise wrong but not to the extent of calling themselves a demon. Sister trope to AGodAmI, where someone boasts of being a divine being and not an infernal one. If the narrative is comparing them to the Devil instead, they're a SatanicArchetype.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan'': When Broly is called [[YouMonster a monster]], Broly replies back "No, I'm the devil!" in a BadassBoast.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'': At the end of the film, [[spoiler:Homura Akemi grabs hold of [[MessianicArchetype Ultimate Madoka]] to [[{{Yandere}} keep her close]] forever, stealing away some of the Law of Cycles's power for herself. Using that power to rewrite the universe according to her own wishes, Homura grows a pair of huge black wings and switches to a new outfit. From there, she declares herself ''akuma'', or the Devil, to Madoka's God. Though the description is [[SatanicArchetype quite fitting]] (the entire film is a WholePlotReference to ''Literature/ParadiseLost''), it is never quite made clear what Homura has become aside from a memory-manipulating HumanoidAbomination, and for all her self-proclaimed devilry it is clear that [[SelfInflictedHell she hates every minute of what she has created]].]]
* A {{Downplayed}} heroic example in ''Manga/TricksDedicatedToWitches''. Makito really doesn't think he's the devil but, given that the church is (at that time) TheCaligula whose idea of entertainment is the torture and execution of witches (some of whom are really just talented people or those with an empath for animals), he decided to use that moniker (and getup) when opposing them.
* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', several characters accuse Lelouch / Zero of being The Devil after he simultaneously outsmarts them and proceeds to do something worse than they imagined. Lelouch himself plays into this through being a LargeHam CardCarryingVillain with a boisterous EvilLaugh [[spoiler: but it is all part of his (ironically) ZeroApprovalGambit ti being peace to the world by uniting everyone against a common enemy, even if that enemy is himself.]]

* Played with the Chilean comic book ''[[ComicBook/DiabloChile Diablo]]''. After making a DealWithTheDevil to come BackFromTheDead as [[DevilsJobOffer the Lord of Entropia's]] herald, Alex got the disguise and the codename of "Diablo" (Devil in Spanish), but he says he serves the Devil himself instead of being one, as said in the first issue:
--> '''Alex/Diablo''': The mask isn't for hiding, it's to show you who sent me.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the French comic ''ComicBook/ProfessorBell'': The devil goes around Earth and at one point gets into a conversation with a priest, asking questions on the nature of good and evil. When the devil asks what the priest would do if a man came up to him claiming to be the devil, the priest would recommend seeing a psychiatrist.
* In Marvel comics there are a vast number of actual demons and rulers of various underworlds and afterlives. But if any of them were ever to try and claim to actually be THE Devil the others would promptly put aside any and all disputes to rip the pretender apart.
* ''{{ComicBook/Tintin}}'': In the first English translation of ''[[Recap/TintinFlight714 Flight 714]]'', Rastapopoulos and Carreidas both declare “I am the Devil incarnate!” during their EvilerThanThou fight. (In the animated series, this was toned down to “I’m the baddest!”)

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

--> '''Bruce''': You're not the Devil. You're ''practice''.

--> '''Otis''': I am the devil. And I am here to do the devil's work.

* ''Film/Highway61'': Mr. Skin is a delusional man who thinks he's Satan, played charmingly by Earl Pastko, has taken upon himself to "collect souls" by making deals with people when they are still alive, then returning to steal their corpses when they die. He is one of the antagonists of the film when he follows the protagonist hoping to claim the corpse of someone who previously made a deal with him, but whose body has been stolen by the protagonist to use in a smuggling drug-mule trip under the guise of giving it a decent burial back in his hometown. Mr. Skin also believes he is the devil due to a bizarre belief that he was born on the same day that multiple famous celebrities died (including Elvis) and that their deaths were the costs to bring him into Earth.

* In ''Film/StreetFighter'', Bison alternates between having a [[AGodAmI God Complex]] and a [[DarkMessiah Messiah Complex]] for most of the movie, but begins [[LargeHam directly comparing himself]] to {{Satan}} in the final battle with Guile when he starts using his ShockAndAwe lightning powers.
--> ''"You still refuse to ACCEPT...my [[AGodAmI godhood?]] KEEP your own {{God}}! In fact, this might be a good time to PRAY to Him! ''[[Literature/TheBible For I beheld Satan as he]]'' '''[[Literature/TheBible FELL FROM HEAVEN!]]'''...'''''[[IncomingHam LIKE LIIIIIIGHTNIIIIIING!!!]]"''''' ''
-->-- '''M. Bison to Guile'''

* In ''Literature/{{Phantoms}}'' the "Ancient Enemy" (a living mass of primordial protoplasm that has eaten entire towns throughout history) definitely falls under a broad definition of "EldritchAbomination" but it believes itself to be the actual Biblical Devil because so many of the ''populations'' of towns of people it has absorbed obviously thought it was something unholy as their final thoughts. The result is a tremendous arrogance that eventually brings its downfall.
* In ''Literature/RedDragon'', there is ''a lot'' going on in the head of the serial killer who serves as the book's main antagonist... and at one point, his thoughts turn to a snatch of the book of Revelation -- about the Dragon casting down with its tail the stars of heaven -- as something that, apparently, he fully expects to ''get to.''
** Hannibal Lecter himself, while he never explicitly expresses it, is strongly implied to view himself as The Devil or something similar, as he has a cynical view of human and divine morality as well as of God himself, while himself being significantly smarter and more cultured than every other character in the franchise; in the third book, he even gives a lecture about a sinner stuck in Hell for avarice in Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Inferno]]'' in the presence of a CorruptCop he is about to kill for his greed, and his whole pathology is centred about tortured, cannibalising and murdering people he considers to be "bad" in some way.

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Ishamael was one of the [[GodOfEvil Dark One]]'s greatest servants during the [[TheTimeOfMyths Age of Legends]] and was ([[LeakingCanOfEvil incompletely]]) sealed outside reality with him. Centuries of SanitySlippage, aggravated by the [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil Dark One's power]], left him believing that he ''was'' the Dark One himself, and he used that persona to lead the forces of the Shadow during the devastating Trolloc Wars.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars The Pyramids of Mars]]": [[OmnicidalManiac Sutekh the Destroyer]], already [[AncientAstronauts the in-universe inspiration]] for [[Myth/EgyptianMythology the Egyptian]] GodOfEvil, states Satan as one of his identities. Given [[CardCarryingVillain his answer to]] [[WhatIsEvil being called evil]], he's probably unironic about it.
** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit The Satan Pit]]": Ambiguous example with [[BigRedDevil The Beast]], who boasts that he's the inspiration for all Devil figures. Ambiguous because [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane it's not made clear]] whether he's a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien, or actually ''[[SatanicArchetype the real deal]]''.
* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': DiscussedTrope. Lucifer is completely honest with everyone he meets about who he is. People never believe him. They think he's either completely delusional, or engaging in an act to establish a Devil persona for himself — either as a PR exercise as part of his identity as a club owner or to handle his emotional issues and complicated family situation through the use of metaphors. However, he is absolutely adamant that the Devil is not the villain humanity portrays him as. He is a punisher of evil rather than evil itself, and is incapable of creating sin within humans or forcing them to do anything against their will. All he can do is draw out desires humans already possess and encourage them to embrace those desires. When he does encounter people who worship the Devil, engage in murder in his name, or push the belief that the Devil is the source of all evil, Lucifer tends to become extremely upset and angry about it. [[spoiler:This comes to a head in Season 4; after learning the truth at the end of Season 3, Chloe runs afoul of a priest who also knows the truth and inundates her with the history of the Devil as recorded by the Church. When she confronts Lucifer with everything she's learned, Lucifer is both horrified and broken-hearted; it takes Chloe the entire season to reconcile the differences between the Church's representation of the Devil and her own personal understanding of the man she knows.]]

* The "Jimmy Tango's Fat Busters" sketch on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' has one of Jimmy's clients testify that the weight-loss program had helped him lose 65 pounds in four days and find out he was the Devil. The fact that the program involves "an unbelievable amount of pure, raw crystal meth" is possibly related.
-->And I will wash over the Earth, and the seas will run red with all the blood of all its sinners! I am reborn! And I’ve got YOU to thank, Jimmy Tango!
* In ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', WordOfGod has it that Creator/MadsMikkelsen not only played the titular VillainProtagonist this way, but even pitched this interpretation of the character in his audition, as someone who either sees himself as The Devil or possibly even ''is'' The Devil himself in human form, though the latter was something they would only ever imply and not outright state for the sake of maintaining a level of realism. As least one character (a SerialKiller, no less) even refers to Hannibal as The Devil at one point, while Hannibal claims he has a certain kinship with God...who he views as a fellow {{Sadist}} who enjoys killing people.

* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': Naoya Route: [[spoiler:The Player (Abel) becomes the King of Bel after killing every last Bel demon during the lockdown. Naoya (who is actually Cain) congratulates Abel as demons in the lockdown zone come to greet their new overlord. If the player continues in ''Overclocked'' he may choose to perform a war against God]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheIncredibleHulkUltimateDestruction'', [[SuperPoweredEvilSide The Devil Hulk]] names himself when he relates to Bruce how he's powerless to stop him from taking over.
-->''Devil Hulk:'' We're going to be [[AGodAmI gods]] in this world that's rejected and feared you for so long. We're going to tear it into a billion pieces. I'm your inevitable conclusion. I'm the ultimate you. '''I'm the devil.'''

* Jack Lupino from the original ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' is a mobster whose belief that he is the Anti-Christ has driven him to roving insanity. Plus, he is so jacked on [[FantasticDrug Valkyr]], he is both utterly unhinged ''and'' [[DamageSpongeBoss inhumanly durable]].

* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'': Oda Nobunaga, under a massive HistoricalVillainUpgrade, is a CardCarryingVillain who openly proclaims himself to be the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. In later games he's become ''literally'' demonic after coming BackFromTheDead. Of course given how many EvilOverlord tropes he uses, it's not like having a devil complex could make him any more ObviouslyEvil than he already is.

-->"Someone undeniably related to you once described me as Mephistopheles, the Harbinger of Beguiling Light... and a man not unlike a devil."
* Kagaki Minato from ''VisualNovel/FullMetalDaemonMuramasa'' is a somewhat tragic example in that due to the Law of Balance which forces him to kill allies for every foe slain, he has developed the mother of all [[GuiltComplex Guilt Complexes]] and as such views himself as nothing more than a devil. [[spoiler:By the end of the story, he eventually decides to just lean into it and become a full SatanicArchetype in order to spread the ideal of the Law of Balance [[WellIntentionedExtremist until war is no more]]]].

* Dr. Clef of the Website/SCPFoundation has claimed he is the Devil. This may or may not be true.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': Black Mage temporarily becomes King of Hell, gaining extremely destructive powers in the process. However, he's very shortly overthrown by Lich.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': It's revealed that both the current Megatron and the one from [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne Generation One]] took their names from an AntiChrist figure mentioned in [[HollywoodApocrypha the Covenant of Primus]]. Later in the series, Megatron starts identifying more and more with this figure as [[VillainousBreakdown he goes off the deep end]], eventually seeming to genuinely believe [[AGodAmI they're one and the same]]. [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that he's right and that the whole thing is just another part of the StableTimeLoop; the Covenant records the future actions of both Megatrons, and [[SelfFulfillingProphecy they are inspired to fulfill those prophecies by reading them]].]]

-->'''Mrs. Bouvier''': I swear, Monty, you are the devil himself!
-->'''Mr. Burns''': WHO TOLD YOU?! Oh, ah, yes, I'd say you were an angel, but angels don't dance like that!

* It is alleged that Charles Watson — member of [[UsefulNotes/CharlesManson the Manson Family]] and conspirator of the infamous Tate-[=LaBianca=] murders — said "I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business" during the act.

* UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga claimed to be "the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven". This line — combined with his life full of conquest and genocide — would go on to inspire the trope DemonKingNobunaga.[[note]]The title Nobunaga claimed was "Dairokuten Maou" (第六天魔王), which is the demon/devil king of the sixth of the ''kamaloka'', realms of desire within [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddhist cosmology]]. The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven is an aspect or title of Mara, the AnthropomorphicPersonification of desire and the closest Buddhism has to {{Satan}}, attempting to prevent Buddhists from reaching Nirvana by tempting them with power. Nobunaga, known for being something of an eccentric, probably picked the title because [[RuleOfCool he thought it sounded cool]], wanted to be sarcastic by claiming to be the devil himself, or wanted to [[TheMagnificent intimidate his fellow warlords]]: He was probably not being serious about living up to the declaration, but with his brutal conquest being remembered by many people after his death, many future generations afterwards thought he was actually serious.[[/note]]

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', several characters accuse Lelouch / Zero of being The Devil after he simultaneously outsmarts them and proceeds to do something worse than they imagined. Lelouch himself plays into this through being a LargeHam CardCarryingVillain with a boisterous EvilLaugh [[sppoiler: but it is all part of his (ironically) ZeroApprovalGambit ti being peace to the world by uniting everyone against a common enemy, even if that enemy is himself.]]

* In ''Film/StreetFighter'', alternates between having a [[AGodAmI God Complex]] and a [[DarkMessiah Messiah Complex]] for most of the movie, but begins [[LargeHam directly comparing himself]] to {{Satan}} in the final battle with Guile when he starts using his ShockAndAwe lightning powers.

-> ''"You still refuse to ACCEPT...my [[AGodAmI godhood?]] KEEP your own {{God}}! In fact, this might be a good time to PRAY to Him! ''[[Literature/TheBible For I beheld Satan as he]]'' '''[[Literature/TheBible FELL FROM HEAVEN!]]'''...'''''[[IncomingHam LIKE LIIIIIIGHTNIIIIIING!!!]]"''''' ''

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'': At the end of the film, [[spoiler:Homura Akemi grabs hold of [[MessianicArchetype Ultimate Madoka]] to [[{{Yandere}} keep her close]] forever, stealing away some of the Law of Cycles's power for herself. Using that power to rewrite the universe according to her own wishes, Homura grows a pair of huge black wings and switches to a new outfit. From there, she declares herself ''akuma'', or the Devil, to Madoka's God. From what we see of Homura's new world, [[SelfInflictedHell she hates every minute of it]].]]