History Main / DevilInDisguise

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
* In an old fairy tale from Piedmont (a region of northwestern Italy) there's a tale similar to the one of Bluebeard, where the BigBad is the devil disguised as a human who takes human girls to his castle (which hides the entrance to Hell in a secret room) to work for him. Furthermore, [[RedRightHand his nose is made of silver]].
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[[folder:Oral Tradition]]
* One popular story that has had variants told for centuries is about a dark and mysterious stranger showing up for a dance and impressing both his partners and the onlookers with his dancing skills... until someone looks at his feet and notices [[RedRightHand he has cloven hooves]].
[[/folder]]

* Satan from ''Radio/OldHarrysGame'' disguises himself whenever he visits Earth (except when he's going to scare somebody).

* Mr. Anon from ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'' is a case where the name isn't quite obvious. Indeed, it doesn't even seem to mean anything, and isn't even shorthand for Anonymous. The clue for [=RPers=], however, are his catchphrases, tendency to [[ShoutOut ask people to guess his name]], and favorite activity of [[DealWithTheDevil making deals with people]].

SuperTrope to LouisCypher, which is a trope where he leaves rather obvious hints as to his identity. For the situation described in the Elvis song, see FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon. Contrast GodWasMyCopilot.

* A common situation in Jack Chick's ''ComicBook/ChickTracts"' (for example, ''Somebody Goofed''). A person is considering accepting Jesus, but a friend convinces him not to — "you'll lose all your friends" or "you have plenty of time for that later". The person dies unsaved, goes to hell, and sees who his "friend" was all along.

'''Mr. Burns:''' WHA?!! WHO TOLD Y—! Oh, err, heh heh...

SuperTrope to LouisCypher, which is a trope where he leaves rather obvious hints as to his identity. For the situation described in the Elvis song, see FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon.

[[folder:Comic Books]]'' A common situation in Jack Chick's ''ComicBook/ChickTracts"' (for example, ''Somebody Goofed''). A person is considering accepting Jesus, but a friend convinces him not to — "you'll lose all your friends" or "you have plenty of time for that later". The person dies unsaved, goes to hell, and sees who his "friend" was all along.

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* [[spoiler:Ronnie Sukiart]] from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' is the demon who gave the alchemists immortality taken human form.

[[folder:Comic Books]]

* A common situation in Jack Chick's "ComicBook/ChickTracts"' (for example, ''Somebody Goofed''). A person is considering accepting Jesus, but a friend convinces him not to — "you'll lose all your friends" or "you have plenty of time for that later". The person dies unsaved, goes to hell, and sees who his "friend" was all along.

* Implied in Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou when the main three pick up a hitchhiker named Tommy Johnson (who may or may not be [[HistoricalDomainCharacter the real-life blues musician by that name]]) who claims to have [[SoldHisSoulForADonut sold his soul to the devil]] in exchange for the ability to play the guitar. He describes him as being a white man, having mirrors for eyes and a vicious dog. For some people, it takes a second viewing to discover that those descriptions perfectly fit Sheriff Cooley, the antagonist hunting the three down.
* ''Film/AngelHeart'': The Devil poses as a human businessman named Louis Cypher to lead a man to his doom who previously made a DealWithTheDevil before trying to screw him over. At the end, when the man discovers the truth but is still very much in denial, Mephistopheles suggests he could just turn into a BigRedDevil if that's what it takes to convince him. He doesn't, instead settling for some [[SupernaturalGoldEyes spooky yellow eyes]] for a few seconds.
* Played with the 1989 comedy ''Limit Up''. A down-on-her-luck broker meets a woman named Nike who appears nice with advice that leads to successful investments. But then Nike reveals her devil-like abilities and how she wants Casey to tank the economy to get her own way. Refusing, Casey instead pulls off a great deal that not only gets her some money but paves the way toward a better economy for struggling nations. The final scene has Nike meeting her boss (Ray Charles)...to reveal she's not a demon at all.

* The wizard [[spoiler:Pralaya]] in ''The Wizard's Dilemma'' (Diane Duane's Literature/YoungWizards series) is "overshadowed" by the Lone Power (meaning, possessed by the Devil, basically).

* ''Literature/TheMasterAndMargarita'': Woland is actually Satan disguised as a professor and magician while visiting Moscow.

* ''Series/UltramanNexus'': Dark Zagi disguises himself as one of the human characters until his body is fully restored in the last episode.

* In ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'', [[spoiler:DCI Jim Keats]] — who appeared to be a helping hand to Alex — is revealed to be the Devil in the GrandFinale. Gene Hunt possibly knew this right from the first episode of Season 3.
* [[Series/{{Hannibal}} Dr. Hannibal Lecter]] — or at least, that's the subtext of the series. During his audition for the role of Lecter, Creator/MadsMikkelsen pitched his take on the character as a literal manifestation of Lucifer, and showrunner Creator/BryanFuller ran with it.
-->''He talked about the character not so much as 'Hannibal Lecter the cannibal psychiatrist', but as Satan — this fallen angel who's enamored with mankind and had an affinity for who we are as people, but was definitely not among us — he was other. I thought that was a really cool, interesting approach, because I love science fiction and horror and — not that we'd ever do anything deliberately to suggest this - but having it sub-textually play as him being Lucifer felt like a really interesting kink to the series. It was slightly different than anything that's been done before and it also gives it a slightly more epic quality if you watch the show through the prism of, 'This is Satan at work, tempting someone with the apple of their psyche'.''

You're the devil in disguise."''

* Implied in Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou when the main three pick up a hitchhiker named Tommy Johnson (who may or may not be [[HistoricalDomainCharacter the real-life blues musician by that name]]) who claims to have [[SoldHisSoulForADonut sold his soul to the devil]] in exchange for the ability to play the guitar. He describes him as being a white man, having mirrors for eyes and a vicious dog. For some people, it takes a second viewing to discover that those descriptions perfectly fit Inspector Javin, the antagonist hunting the three down.

* This trope was invoked in ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'', during Jesus's final temptation while on the cross. A young girl introduces herself as an angel, says that Jesus has done enough, and offers him an escape from the cross. This girl accompanies him as a friend through a happy life with a wife and children. But this friend is actually Lucifer, and these years after escaping the cross were AllJustADream to tempt Jesus into abandoning his role as SacrificialLion. As soon as Jesus rebukes this temptation, the illusion ceases and he instantly returns dying on the cross, accepting it as his destiny.
* Implied in Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou when the main three pick up a hitchhiking Tommy Johnson ([[HistoricalDomainCharacter a possible wink at Robert Johnson]]) who claims to have [[SoldHisSoulForADonut sold his soul to the devil]]. He describes him as being white, having mirrors for eyes and a vicious dog. For some people, it takes a second viewing to discover that those descriptions perfectly fit Inspector Javin, the antagonist hunting the three down.

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
* In an old fairy tale from Piemonte (North-West of Italy) there's a tale similar to the one of Blue Beard, where the BigBad is the devil disguised as a human who takes human girls to his castle (which hides the entrance to Hell in a secret room) to work for him. Furthermore, [[RedRightHand his nose is made of silver]].
[[/folder]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Art]]

[[folder:Theater]]

* Mr. Anon from ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'' is a case where the name isn't quite obvious. Indeed, it doesn't even seem to mean anything, and isn't even shorthand for Anonymous. The clue for [=RPers=], however, are his catchphrases, tendency to [[ShoutOut ask people to guess his name]], and favorite activity of [[DealWithTheDevil making deals with people]].
-->'''Mr. Anon:''' Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a ManOfWealthAndTaste.

'''Bart:''' (''nonchalant'') Hey.

* John Milton in ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate''. He's able to pass for human without fail, only dropping hints because he ''wants'' the protagonist ([[TheAntichrist who is really his son]]) to find out that his boss is the Devil himself.

* Implied in Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou when the main three pick up a hitchhiking Tommy Johnson ([[HistoricalDomainCharacter a possible wink at Robert Johnson) who claims to have [[SoldHisSoulForADonut sold his soul to the devil]]. He describes him as being white, having mirrors for eyes and a vicious dog. For some people, it takes a second viewing to discover that those descriptions perfectly fit Inspector Javin, the antagonist hunting the three down.

* John Milton in ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate''. He's able to pass for human without fail, only dropping hints because he ''wants'' the protagonist ([[TheAntichrist who is really his son]]) to find out that his boss is the Devil himself.

* John Milton in ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate''.

* Xellos from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''. Among his AlwaysChaoticEvil kind he's the most powerful one not counting godlike Dark Lords, but prefers to use manipulation rather than violence. Two most powerful Dark Lords died from consequences of one of them employing Xellos against the other -- the second strongest managed to injure him in one-on-one battle, but he still got away. He's also [[NobleDemon honorable in his own way]] and [[AffablyEvil can be a good company]] when he wants. In his world few humans have thorough knowledge of demonology, so he walks among them under his own name and title. Not to mention that his ''self-proclaimed'' title is "Mysterious Priest". If people assume "Priest" always means "user of WhiteMagic", it's their fault.

* In the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' comics in the early 90s, it was revealed that publisher Colin Thornton, who had hired Clark Kent away from ''The Daily Planet'' to serve as editor for ''Newstime'', was a mortal disguise used by the demon Lord Satanus.
* ''ComicBook/WelcomeToTranquility'' has Funky Freddy Beasel a seemingly ageless radio DJ who turns out to be a satanic demon known as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Host.]]
* A common situation in Jack Chick's "ComicBook/ChickTracts"' (for example, ''Somebody Goofed''). A person is considering accepting Jesus, but a friend convinces him not to—"you'll lose all your friends" or "you have plenty of time for that later". The person dies unsaved, goes to hell, and sees who his "friend" was all along.

* This trope was invoked in ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'', during Jesus's final temptation while on the cross. A young girl introduces herself as an angel, says that Jesus has done enough, and offers him an escape from the cross. This girl accompanies as a friend him through a happy life with a wife and children. But this friend is actually Lucifer, and these years after escaping the cross were AllJustADream to tempt Jesus into abandoning his role as SacrificialLion. As soon as Jesus rebukes this temptation, the illusion ceases and he instantly returns dying on the cross, accepting it as his destiny.

* In ''Literature/RaiseSomeHell'' This trope is played [[spoiler: straight, in the case of Dean Montgomery]]

* In an old fairy tale from Piemonte (North-West of Italy) there's a tale similar to the one of Blue Beard, where the BigBad is the devil disguised as a human who takes human girls to his castle (which hides the Hell in a secret room) to work for him. Furthermore his [[RedRightHand nose is made of silver]].

* In ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' the Devil and his underlings usually appear in the guise of ordinary people.
** In "The Howling Man" he appears to be some poor guy who's been imprisoned by an apparently crazy monk, but when someone takes pity and releases him his horns and tail reappear.
** In "Escape Claus" the Devil appears as a man named Cadwallader, although he all but admits that its a false name ''"It has a nice feeling on the tongue."'' and while he never admits to being the Devil, he makes very little attempt to hide the fact apart from his human form.

** Professor Daemon from "The Chaser" is implied to be this trope
** Mister Smith in "Printer's Devil"
** Miss Devlin in "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", although she drops the act once the protagonist figures out what she is
* In ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' [[spoiler:DCI Jim Keats]] - who appeared to be a helping hand to Alex - is revealed to be the Devil in the GrandFinale. Gene Hunt possibly knew this right from the first episode of Season 3.
* [[Series/{{Hannibal}} Dr. Hannibal Lecter]] -- or at least, that's the subtext of the series. During his audition for the role of Lecter, Creator/MadsMikkelsen pitched his take on the character as a literal manifestation of Lucifer, and showrunner Creator/BryanFuller ran with it.

* In ''TabletopGame/DemonTheDescent'', ''every'' demon is in disguise: a demon without a Cover has a lifespan comparable to that of a vampire going for a jog in the park at noon on a sunny day. Many painstakingly build effective disguises by squirrelling away bits of other people's lives or even [[DealWithTheDevil stepping fully formed into the life of someone who's made a soul pact]]. Many of the more powerful abilities of the Unchained fray their Cover a bit, and "going loud" - sacrificing their Cover for a massive, if temporary, power boost - is viewed as a DangerousForbiddenTechnique and considered "the nuclear option", because few demons who pull it live long enough to do so twice.

* In ''VideoGame/HellgateLondon'', the story's narrator / hero's sidekick Murmur turns out to be [[spoiler: the Duke of Hell with the same name]]. To be fair, the name's a lot more subtle that Lou Cypher, and isn't likely to mean anything to players without a background in demonology mythology and/or who aren't ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' fans.
* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'', you are accompanied for the span of one dungeon by an adventurer named Seth. While his name doesn't really say anything of what he really is, using the Talk command from the menu gives subtle hints, and his abilities (most, if not all of which were used in previous fights by [[spoiler: Dark Force]]) are almost a dead give away if you are paying attention. "Seth" is also the name of the ancient Egyptian god of darkness, as well as the father of all mankind in Judeo-Christian mythology.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', The Hidden Secret Reports reveal that [[spoiler: Sanae Hanekoma is a fallen angel that gave the taboo powers to Sho Minamimoto]].
* The mysterious stranger in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' never actually identifies himself (he claims, in a possibly sarcastic tone, to have forgotten his name,) but he appears in locations that such a SharpDressedMan has no business in being, knows a huge amount about John's past (including the name of one of the random civilians John's gang killed in their outlaw days), calls himself "an accountant, in a way", and when John gets fed up and demands answers or "[he] will not be responsible for [his] actions" he calmly tells him "Oh, but you will be responsible". John then shouts "Damn you!", the man replies "Yes, many have", doesn't seem to notice the three bullets John shoots at him and then just vanishes. [[spoiler: This is after a conversation where he muses over what a beautiful spot they're at, which is right where John later gets buried.]] It's not clear who exactly he is; common interpretations are that the man is God, St Peter, Death, or, of course, the Devil.

* In ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'', it is revealed that [[spoiler: Ryan's friend Ralph]] is actually the devil rather than the figure that the comic had presented as such.

'''Mr. Burns:''' WHA?!! WHO TOLD Y--! Oh, err, heh heh...

* In ''Series/AshesToAshes'' [[spoiler:DCI Jim Keats]] - who appeared to be a helping hand to Alex - is revealed to be the Devil in the GrandFinale. Gene Hunt possibly knew this right from the first episode of Season 3.

'''Mr. Burns:''' WHA?!! WHO TOLD Y... oh, er, heh heh...