History Main / DiabolicalMastermind

* The Octopus, archfoe of Will Eisener's much-acclaimed ''TheSpirit'', is a classic example. Debuting in the 1940's, he anticipated both Dr. Claw and Blofeld in that his face was never seen -- even on those occasions when he confronted the Spirit in person, his face was always in shadow, his most distinctive feature being his purple gloves with three yellow lines down the back. Initially a crime-boss, the modern-day reboot by Darwyn Cooke recreates him as the leader of a terrorist group -- the Octagon.

* The Illusive Man of ''Franchise/MassEffect'' is this for a sci-fi setting. He's a WellIntentionedExtremist who believes that HumanityIsSuperior and sees aliens as tools at best and enemies at worst. While he does claim that his actions are solely for the benefit of humanity and will handwave any {{Moral Event Horizon}}s of Cerberus as "rogue cells", in his opinion [[ItsAllAboutMe Cerberus is Humanity]] and it seems that he only does so if said Moral Event Horizons lead to colossal failures (which tends to be [[GoneHorriblyWrong incredibly frequent]]).

* The Series 1 finale of ''Series/LifeOnmars'' saw the unit in pursuit of the Morton brothers (a fictitious analogue to the Kray twins), a gangster duo seizing control of Manchester's racketeering outfits by killing their rivals. Their only lead on the brothers' whereabouts is Sam's father, Vic Tyler, a petty crook who i sthe only person to have lied eyes on the Mortons. [[spoiler:Vic is later revealed to be the true gang leader, with the "Morton brothers" acting as his nonexistent bosses]].

* Solidus Snake functioned as one during the events of ''MetalGearSolid2''. Unfortunately for him, in a series where triple-crosses and ManBehindTheMan reveals are commonplace, he didn't last past two games. In the original ''MetalGearSolid'', he was technically the U.S. President, but had little freedom and mostly carried out whatever TheIlluminati told him to do. He broke out of the system by attempting to form a coalition with Russian troops in Alaska, an operation spearheaded by Liquid Snake, who believed he was acting alone. When this fell through, Solidus went underground (though publicly he resigned and suffered a heart attack) and regrouped with the Russians, this time seizing an offshore battle cruiser and declaring Manhattan a "free" republic. Just as before, Solidus accomplishes this task by hiding behind a phony hostage-taking.

* Makoto Shishio from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' seems to be a combination between a DiabolicalMastermind and a BadAss.

* Subverted in {{Gundam 00}}. We all thought the true DiabolicalMastermind was [[spoiler: Alejandro Corner]]... but it was [[spoiler: his EnigmaticMinion, Ribbons Almack]].

* Lex Luthor in the original ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movie. The character's MadScientist aspects were dropped, and the DiabolicalMastermind parts played up for everything they were worth.

* Jim Moriarty, the BBC series ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'''s interpretation of the literary character, is a "consulting criminal", which winds up being a cross between DiabolicalMastermind and PsychoForHire. Moriarty is portrayed as rivaling Sherlock in terms of intelligence; but where Sherlock stimulates himself by solving crimes and mysteries, Moriarty plans perfect crimes (mostly for other people to actually commit) for the same kind of rush. The money and (incidental) power are just pleasant bonuses for him.

** The Sovereign is the official DiabolicalMastermind of the series as the head of the Guild of Calamitous Intent. However, his actions thus far in the series hasn't been overly villainous.

* Dr.Heinz Doofenschmirtz from ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''. Although it could be argued that he is half DiabolicalMastermind and half AbsentMindedProfessor.

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* Gru, the VillainProtagonist of ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'s'' titular character falls somewhere between a low-budget version of a DiabolicalMastermind (with a small number of flying robot minions, a series of secret lairs and endless, albeit simple, schemes to stop Metroman once and for all) and the MadScientist (which is far more prevalent).

* Keyser Soze from ''TheUsualSuspects''.

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* ''[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' had Richard Wilkins III, the folksy Mayor who concealed his satanic bargains behind closed doors. He used a lot of intermediaries to carry out his plots, and rarely set foot outside of City Hall.

* ''TheGoodies''. Spoofed in "The Lost Island of Munga" when the Goodies meet a villain of previous acquaintance.

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* ''TheGreatMouseDetective'': Professor Ratigan's VillainSong explicitly points out that he is "the world's greatest criminal mind".

* Clarence Boddicker in ''RoboCop''.

** A straight example would be the Founders, a cabal of scientists who used genetically-engineered troops and designer viruses to keep their subjects in line. The Founders, renowned for their xenophobia, were later unmasked as hermits who reside on a nondescript, arid border planet. Because the Founders were persecuted throughout history, they made it a rule never to venture from home unless on a reconnaissance or sabotage mission. When the Klingons managed to locate their planet and destroy it, it turned out that they had vacated to someplace else without leaving any trace.

** A straight example would be the Founders, a cabal of scientists who used genetically-engineered troops and designer viruses to keep their subjects in line. The Founders, renowned for their xenophobia, were later unmasked as hermits who reside on a nondescript, arid border planet. Because the Founders were persecuted throughout history, they made it a rule never to venture from home unless on a reconnaissance or sabotage mission. When the Klingons managed to locate their planet and destroy it, it turned out that they had vacated to someplace else without leaving any trace.

* Solidus Snake functioned as one during the events of ''MetalGearSolid2''. Unfortunately for him, in a series where triple-crosses and ManBehindTheMan reveals are commonplace, he didn't last past two games. In the original ''MetalGearSolid'', he was technically the U.S. President, but had little freedom and mostly carried out whatever TheIlluminati told him to do. He broke out of the system by attempting to form a coalition with Russian troops in Alaska, an operation spearheaded by Liquid Snake, who believed he was acting alone. When this fell through, Solidus went underground (though publicly he resigned and suffered a heart attack) and regrouped with the Russians, this time seizing an offshore battle cruiser and declaring Manhattan a "free" republic. Just as before, Solidus accomplishes this rask by hiding behind a phony hostage-taking staged by "terrorists."

* ''{{VideoGame/Hitman}} Blood Money'' introduced The Franchise, a rival outfit to the protagonist's murder-for-hire "Agency." As Mr. 47 climbs his way up the criminal ladder, killing off the Franchise's mooks, he's captured by the authorities in an untimely raid -- whereupon the Franchise's founder is revealed to be [[spoiler:the game's narrator, a retired FBI director]]. The real objective was to get their hands on 47's enhanced DNA to produce more assassins like him: he systematically backed 47 into a corner by killing his associates, hiding behind a phony contract killing business to divert them -- all the while giving interviews to the press condemning human cloning (to remove the competition).

* Albert Wesker eventually became this in ''ResidentEvil4'' and the spinoffs surrounding it. The comical part is that Wesker was originally just a goon working for the evil Umbrella Corporation. By this time, he was retconned as a Blofeld-type in a black leather chair who carried out orders via monitors and satellites.

** A straight example would be the Founders, a cabal of scientists who used genetically-engineered troops and designer viruses to keep their subjects in line. The Founders, renowned for their xenophobia, were later unmasked as hermits who reside on a nondescript, arid border planet. Because the Founders were persecuted throughout history, they made it a rule never to venture from home unless on a reconnaissance or sabotage mission. When the Klingons managed to locate their planet and destroy it, it turned out that they had vacated to someplace else without leaving any trace.

* Solidus Snake functioned as one during the events of ''MetalGearSolid2''. Unfortunately for him, in a series where triple-crosses and ManBehindTheMan reveals are commonplace, he didn't last past two games. In the original ''MetalGearSolid'', he was technically the U.S. President, but had little freedom and mostly carried out whatever TheIlluminati told him to do. He broke out of the system by attempting to form a coalition with Russian troops in Alaska, an operation spearheaded by Liquid Snake, who believed he was acting alone. When this fell through, Solidus went underground (thought publicly he resigned and suffered a heart attack) and regrouped with the Russians, this time seizing an offshore battle cruiser and declaring Manhattan a "free" republic. Just as before, Solidus accomplishes this rask by hiding behind a phony hostage-taking staged by "terrorists."

* ''{{VideoGame/Hitman}} Blood Money'' introduced The Franchise, a rival outfit to the protagonist's murder-for-hire "Agency." As Mr. 47 climbs his way up the criminal ladder, killing off the Franchise's mooks, he's captured by the authorities in an untimely raid -- whereupon the Franchise's founder is revealed to be [[spoiler:the game's narrator, a retired FBI director]]. The real objective was to get their hands on 47's enhanced DNA to produce more assassins like him: he systematically backed 47 into a corner by killing his associates, hiding behind a phony contract killing business to divert them -- all the while giving interviews to the press condemning human cloning (to remove the competition).

* Albert Wesker eventually became this in ''ResidentEvil4'' and the spinoffs surrounding it. The comical part is that Wesker was originally just a goon working for the evil Umbrella Corporation. By this time, he was retconned as a Blofeld-type in a black leather chair who carried out orders via monitors and satellites.

** A straight example would be the Founders, a cabal of scientists who used genetically-engineered troops and designer viruses to keep their subjects in line. The Founders, renowned for their xenophobia, were later unmasked as hermits who reside on a nondescript, arid border planet. Because the Founders were persecuted throughout history, they made it a rule never to venture from home unless on a reconnaissance or sabotage mission. When the Klingons managed to locate their planet and destroy it, it turned out that they had vacated to someplace else without leaving any trace.

* Lionel Luthor on ''{{Smallville}}''. Much like his hair follicle-challenged son in the ''Superman'' timeline, his agribusiness [=LuthorCorp=] has plenty of underworld connections: Lionel killed his parents in a staged 'accident' and used the insurance payout as a startup for his company. (This backstory was borrowed from the post-[[CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] Lex Luthor.) His friend and partner in crime was Morgan Edge, who of course later went on to become a major kingpin in Intergang. [=LuthorCorp=] functions as a standard soap opera antagonist in the series, meddling in the small town politics and running clandestine mutant research in underground labs.
** Earth-2 Lionel Luthor in Season 10 of By fusing [=LuthorCorp=] and the Metropolis underworld he's become the most powerful man on Earth-2, and is one step short of becoming the CorruptCorporateExecutive version of TheEmperor. A ruthless SocialDarwinist, he values power and control not so much for their sake, but as proof that he, by virtue of his position, is the greatest survivor on Earth-2. Having an [[EvilTwin evil]] {{Superman}} at your [[TheDragon beck and call]] can help with that.

* ''{{VideoGame/Hitman}} Blood Money'' introduced The Franchise, a rival outfit to the protagonist's murder-for-hire "Agency." As Mr. 47 climbs his way up the criminal ladder, killing off the Franchise's mooks, he's captured by the authorities in an untimely raid -- whereupon the Franchise's founder is revealed to be [[spoiler:the game's narrator, a retired FBI director]]. The real objective was to get their hands on 47's enhanced DNA to produce more assassins like him: he systematically backed 47 into a corner by killing his associates, hiding behind a phony contract killing business to divert them -- all the while giving interviews to the press condemning human cloning (to remove the competition).

* Earth-2 Lionel Luthor in Season 10 of ''{{Smallville}}''. By fusing [=LuthorCorp=] and the Metropolis underworld he's become the most powerful man on Earth-2, and is one step short of becoming the CorruptCorporateExecutive version of TheEmperor. A vicious SocialDarwinist, he values power and control not so much for their sake, but as proof that he, by virtue of his position, is the greatest survivor on Earth-2. Having an [[EvilTwin evil]] {{Superman}} at your [[TheDragon beck and call]] can help with that.

* The Illusive Man of ''Franchise/MassEffect'' is this for a sci-fi setting. He's a WellIntentionedExtremist who believes that HumanityIsSuperior and sees aliens as tools at best and enemies at worst. While he does claim that his actions are solely for the benefit of humanity and will handwave any {{Moral Event Horizon}}s of Cerberus as "rogue cells", in his opinion [[ItsAllAboutMe Cerberus is Humanity]] and it seems that he only does so if said Moral Event Horizons lead to colossal failures.

-->"Who am I? I...am the Napoleon of Wickness. The Most Naughty Man in the World! {{Master of Disguise}}s (Sussex University). Arch Rascal, Prince of Mischief. You many know me as... ''(henchman plays OminousPipeOrgan)'' Nasty Person!"

-->->"Who am I? I...am the Napoleon of Wickness. The Most Naughty Man in the World! {{Master of Disguise}}s (Sussex University). Arch Rascal, Prince of Mischief. You many know me as... ''(henchman plays OminousPipeOrgan)'' Nasty Person!"

** DavidBowie is the official DiabolicalMastermind of the series as the head of the Guild of Calamitous Intent.

* The Illusive Man of ''MassEffect'' is this for a sci-fi setting. He's a WellIntentionedExtremist who believes that HumanityIsSuperior and sees aliens as tools at best and enemies at worst. While he does claim that his actions are solely for the benefit of humanity and will handwave any {{Moral Event Horizon}}s of Cerberus as "rogue cells", in his opinion [[ItsAllAboutMe Cerberus is Humanity]] and it seems that he only does so if said Moral Event Horizons lead to colossal failures.

* In the NES adventure game ''VideoGame/Nightshade'', you play as a wannabe crime fighter seeking to fill the vacuum left by Vortex, the city's late superhero. On the flip side, the criminals have their own vacuum to fill: without a hero to fight, the gangs descend into all-out war until a Pharaoh-themed supervillain, Sutekh, proposes that they unite. As his reward, Sutekh is now at the helm of a mega-gang that controls the city.

* Professor James Moriarty from ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' is one of the earliest examples of this trope.

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[[caption-width-right:300:The TropeCodifier in his natural habitat.]]

* Frank Fontaine in ''{{Bioshock}}''. Originally a Brooklyn hoodlum, he made his way to Rapture and cornered the market on fish, which led to his discovery (and later monopolization) of plasmids, which effectively made him the "guv'nor." Fontaine is like teflon; He even opened a "House for the Poor" to engender loyalty from the less fortunate.

** Ernst Stavro Blofeld, nemesis of Film/JamesBond and leader of supercrime organisation SPECTRE, is probably the most obvious example. Employees of SPECTRE, even famous ones such as Dr. No, probably shouldn't count, since they are subservient to Blofeld, but they do otherwise have most of the neccesary qualifactions and certainly act as such in the context of their SPECTRE missions.

* Most villains from the ''[[Film/JamesBond]]'' movies are diabolical masterminds. The average Bond villain has A) wealth, generally in the millionaire range or higher; B) the unswerving loyalty of large numbers of {{Mooks}} ranging from a large criminal gang to an army; and C) political (and usually criminal) connections which leave the villain untouchable through regular channels. Some also have D) political mastery of a small country, or at least [[TheManBehindTheMan control of it for all practical purposes.]]

* Ernst Stavro Blofeld, nemesis of Film/JamesBond and leader of supercrime organisation SPECTRE, is probably the most obvious example. Employees of SPECTRE, even famous ones such as Dr. No, probably shouldn't count, since they are subservient to Blofeld, but they do otherwise have most of the neccesary qualifactions and certainly act as such in the context of their SPECTRE missions.
** Most villains from the Bond movies are diabolical masterminds. The average Bond villain has A) wealth, generally in the millionaire range or higher; B) the unswerving loyalty of large numbers of {{Mooks}} ranging from a large criminal gang to an army; and C) political (and usually criminal) connections which leave the villain untouchable through regular channels. Some also have D) political mastery of a small country, or at least [[TheManBehindTheMan control of it for all practical purposes.]]
*** Film/{{Goldfinger}} is a big time international gold smuggler and a millionare entrepreneur, with ties to the Reds.
*** Kananga from ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'' is an island dictator and [[spoiler: drug lord Mister Big]].
*** Stromberg in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' is a billionare shipping magnate with an underwater base who steals nuclear submarines.
*** Hugo Drax in ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' is a billionare industrialist with his own secret space station who makes shuttles for NASA.
*** The BigBadDuumvirate in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'' are an AxCrazy Russian general, and an Afghan smuggler and prince living in India, respectively.
*** [[Film/AViewToAKill Max Zorin]] is ''yet another'' billionare industrialist, as well as a rogue KGB agent and the product of Nazi genetic engineering.
*** The BigBadDuumvirate in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' are once again a corrupt Soviet general and a criminal, this time a KGB chieftain and a crooked arms dealer respectively, who plan to have Bond murder the formers KGB superior to cover up their ring of embezzlement, drug running and diamond smuggling.
*** [[Film/LicenceToKill Franz Sanchez]] is a big time drug lord with "an invisible empire from Chile to Alaska" and the local dictator in his pocket.
*** ''Film/GoldenEye'' has Janus, who is the head of a big time arms dealing syndicate that has got its hands on a KillSat.
*** Media magnate Eliot Carver from ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', who uses money from his media empire to create tomorrow's headlines.
*** Renard from ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' is a notorious international terrorist, while [[spoiler: Elektra King was an oil heiress, until she killed her father for revenge and to get rid of the "heiress" part]].
*** ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' has Gustave Graves, a millionare jeweller who secret trades in conflict diamonds, passing them off as from a diamond mine in iceland. [[spoiler: He's actually corrupt North Korean colonel General Moon]].
*** The various members of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Quantum]], from ''Film/CasinoRoyale'' and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'', count where SPECTRE agents do not, as they seem to be an organization of equals. Aside from phony green activist Dominic Greene their leadership includes a former Russian minister turned billionare mine owner; a former Mossad agent turned telecom bigwig; and an advisor to the British Prime Minister.

* Dr. Arless Loveless in ''Film/WildWildWest''.