History Main / EVilOverlord

* The Bog King in ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' who rules over [[TheLostWoods the Dark Forest]] and its goblins denizens. He [[BadBoss physically manhandles his own subjects]] and despises love so much that he attacks the fairy kingdom over them making a love potion. [[spoiler:Except he's correct that a love potion is a terrible idea and ends up falling in love with [[TheHero Marianne.]] ]]

** ComicBook/DoctorDoom, is probably the closest you could get to the classic depiction in a modern setting. He's the ruler of Latveria, and while his official title shifts between "dictator" and "absolute monarch", he is consistently an autocrat. Unlike most Evil Overlords, he isn't oppressive to his people, he actually makes it a point to maintain the prosperity of his subjects but due to his personal issues he likes to keep them isolated from the outside world and in a near-medieval [[Ruritania Ruritanic]] state. He is also a MadScientist who wears PoweredArmor, and a [[SorcerousEvorlord surprisingly powerful sorcerer]] who wants to TakeOverTheWorld, because he geniunely believes that the world would be a more peaceful place under his rule (he has looked into a number of alternate universes, and the one he saw where Victor Von Doom had succeeded in conquering the whole world was a total utopia)
** The interdimensional entity [[DimensionLord Dormammu]], who has less of a street cred than Darkseid, but is so ridiculously more powerful that he [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu routinely beats up various cosmic entities through his own power]], by far outranks all Marvel's known rulers of hell, and is worshipped as god in thousands of magical universes. His pleasant ambition is to slaughter and usurp all higher entities, conquer all life and afterlife, and turn all of existence into an eternal torture camp dedicated to his personal glory... He's essentially Marvel's most terrifying villain when you think about it, more akin to an EldritchAbomination really, except being even more powerful... But then you remember that his head is on fire, and that he's usually severely downscaled to let anyone even have a shot at surviving.
**

* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' had Thanos, the ruler of and most powerful being in the galaxy and the BigBad of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. While his intentions are perhaps more noble than those of most characters who belong to this trope, he's still ultimately seen as a villain.

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': Darken Rahl is a brutal, sociopathic conqueror intent on world domination, who it even turns out is a servant of the Keeper, the god which wants to destroy all life. He rules the D'Haran Empire and is also the main antagonist in the first season.

** ComicBook/DoctorDoom, king of Latveria, holds a lock on this position in the Marvel Universe. However he is actually a decent ruler to his people, having overthrown the corrupt tyrant who previously ruled Latveria, and seems to genuinely believe him ruling the world would make it a better place.

** Several Marvel villains fit this trope. Shuma-Gorath is an even more powerful demon than Dormammu, and all the Hel Lords those two are above are still this in their home turf, as is virtually any demon or evil Death God with their own realm. Doctor Doom qualifies for this trope, as does Loki and other arch-villains whenever they gain territory, or world domination as they often do for a time.

* Mandrake in ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' who wants to overthrow the Leafmen and take over the forest.

** Earl of Lemongrab appears to be a parody of this trope. He's definitely a tyrannical overlord, but he isn't actually evil. Rather, he's [[WhatAnIdiot really really stupid]], [[{{Jerkass}} mean]], and [[NoSocialSkills obnoxious]]. While his intentions are good and he harbors no malice towards anyone, he ''does'' succeed in sending everyone in the kingdom to the dungeon for their whole lives. He comes across as a stupid teenager who was given a position of power that he ''really'' should never have had in the first place.

** [[OverarchingVillain Sosuke Aizen]] is a narcissistic sociopath, who manipulates and betrays everyone who trusts him, and doesn't hesitate to leave even his closest associates nearly dead on the floor. He overthrew Baraggan for control of Las Noches, where he led his army of Arrancars versus the Soul Society. Aizen controls his men with a hand of cold authority and intimidation. Despite the fact that the Espada weren't particularly fond of each other, they were all kept in line by Aizen's tremendous power. He isn't above toying and sadistically playing with his subordinates for his own amusement, as he let Tosen cut off Grimmjow's arm for fun. He is careless of his men's lives, and coldly cuts down Harribel when Starrk lost against Kyoraku, convincing Aizen that the Espada were nothing more than a failed experiment. He desired to usurp the Soul King and become the undisputed ruler of the Cosmos.

See also: OverlordJr, , TinTyrant (often overlaps) DiabolicalMastermind (the real-world equivalent), and GalacticConqueror[=/=]DimensionLord (this trope [[RecycledInSpace In Space!).]] Namesake for the EvilOverlordList. For the most common interpretation of these characters in Japanese media, see MaouTheDemonKing.

Compare with TheCaligula, an AxeCrazy and highly unstable ruler which sometimes overlaps with the Evil Overlord. The difference is that while they are both villains, the Caligula enjoys royal background (which is possibly the only reason why anyone puts up with them) and is likely to be just a plain terrible and ineffective ruler, whereas the EO doesn't have to be either.

* Ben Yussuf in ''WesternAnimation/ElCid''. He might not be supernatural, but he does look ObviouslyEvil with his completely [[DarkIsEvil dark robes]] and [[RedRightHand disfigured face]], and threatens both Christians and Muslims by conquering them through force.

* ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'': Bagramon tops this for all villains in the ''Digimon'' franchise, by conquering all of the digital world, as well as nearly conquering Earth as well.

** [[BrokenAce Sosuke Aizen]] is a narcissistic sociopath, who manipulates and betrays everyone who trusts him, and doesn't hesitate to leave even his closest associates nearly dead on the floor. He overthrew Baraggan for control of Las Noches, where he led his army of Arrancars versus the Soul Society. Aizen controls his men with a hand of cold authority and intimidation. Despite the fact that the Espada weren't particularly fond of each other, they were all kept in line by Aizen's tremendous power. He isn't above toying and sadistically playing with his subordinates for his own amusement, as he let Tosen cut off Grimmjow's arm for fun. He is careless of his men's lives, and coldly cuts down Harribel when Starrk lost against Kyoraku, convincing Aizen that the Espada were nothing more than a failed experiment. He desired to usurp the Soul King and become the undisputed ruler of the Cosmos.

There are a few, more interesting exceptions: Creator/CSLewis's White Witch was draped in [[LightIsNotGood white]], symbolic of joylessness, decay, and [[EvilIsDeathlyCold endless winter]], and his Lady of the Green Kirtle was green, symbolic of [[SnakesAreSinister snakes]] and [[PoisonIsEvil venom]]. Some works also portray these characters as [[LightIsNotGood beautiful and radiant]], in a subversion of both this trope's usual appearance and in the cultural associations of angelic appearances.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Literature]]
* [=RuGaard=] from E. E. Knight's ''Literature/AgeOfFire'' series is a partial subversion of this trope. While he's an EvilOverlord, he's a dragon, carries a good approval rating from most of his underlings -- even his personal slaves Rayg, Rhea and Fourfang, with him intervening to save them more than once -- practices EqualOpportunityEvil, shows most of the traits we'd expect of a fantasy hero, and oh, plans to subjugate all the hominids in the world. But it's all justified, you see, because [[FantasticRacism not a single free hominid he's encountered has ever been vaguely nice to him]].
** ''Age of Fire'' has several other evil overlords -- Thane Hammer (a feudal lord of northern Hypatia, who united his neighbors through force and murder), Gobold Fangbreaker (king of the Wheel of Fire dwarves, who rules with an iron fist and murdered the dragon protagonists' parents), and the Red Queen (ruler of [[TheEmpire Ghioz]], who tries to conquer the whole world).
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''. Two words: Visser Three. The first Visser One might also qualify, as things she does are undeniably ruthlessly evil, but they're more motivated by her military goals than an inherently malicious personality.
* ''Literature/AnnoDracula'' by Kim Newman showed an AlternateHistory timeline where the Count Dracula survived the events of the novel and managed to take over the British Empire by turning Queen Victoria into his bride/[[PuppetKing puppet]] as the tyrannical Prince-Consort, he rules over England as an repressive police state where dissenters are executed without trial... Through impalement.
* Ardavan of ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin'' is another Evil Overlord who is ''not'' the BigBad. Indeed, TheChessmaster had it in for him [[spoiler:had the heroine not killed him first]].
* The Red King in ''Literature/{{Baltimore}}'' is an VampireMonarch who unleashes a campaign of terror upon the world after being woken from his slumber during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and by [[AlternateHistory 1925]] establishes the [[TheEmpire Red Kingdom]], an empire that covers all of Eastern Europe and Asia, ruling over not just vampires but also witches, demons and evil human worshipers that commit random acts of cruelty in his name. Not even an alliance between Germany, USA, England, France and Italy can [[HopelessWar hope to win against the Red King]].
* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' novels by Glen Cook has a SorcerousOverlord collection, sometimes subverting this back and forth. The main Evil Overlord of the books is an Overlady. She's the wife of the former Evil Overlord, the Dominator, but after their time together as SealedEvilInACan she left and made sure he's kept in. Because he's ''too'' evil, too powerful and hey, it was only a political marriage. This gets twisted in more and more ways from there.
* Giles becomes this in the ''Buffy'' tie-in serial novel ''The Lost Slayer'' after getting vamped. He's king of Sunnydale and some of the rest of southern California.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Although the Evil Overlord is usually both male and associated with black (hence, Dark Lord), C. S. Lewis' ''The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe'' presented a female [[WinterRoyalLady associated with whiteness]], the White Witch, as Narnia's evil ruler. ''The Magician's Nephew'' revealed that she had been Empress of Charn and destroyed all the life in her original world rather than lose to her [[CainAndAbel sister]]. And in ''The Silver Chair'', [[spoiler:the Lady of the Green Kirtle is queen of Underland and out to conquer Narnia.]] Human Evil Overlords include the Tisroc of Calormen in ''The Horse and his Boy'' and Caspian's Uncle Miraz in ''Prince Caspian''.
* Arawn the Death Lord of Annuvin from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain''. He actually started out in the series backstory as the [[TheDragon right-hand man]] to the previous Dark Lord, Queen Achren, but [[TheStarscream deposed her.]] It is worth noting that Arawn subverts certain aspects of this trope. Rather than being an unfathomably powerful opponent, he is portrayed as a [[TheChessmaster cunning trickster]] who corrupts mortals through illusion and deceit. In combat, he proves to actually be [[AntiClimaxBoss quite weak,]] relying on his army of NighInvulnerable undead minions to protect him. And even they're just his elites that he can trust; his serious attempts to conquer Prydain have always relied on the armies of petty rulers who are supposed to be allied to the good guys but have turned traitor to do the heavy lifting.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'':
** Lord Foul. He wears black, has [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]], lives in {{Mordor}}, wants to [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroy the world]], is a master of ThePlan and commands several [[LegionOfDoom armies of evil mutants]]- at least in the first trilogy. In the second trilogy, he has more or less obtained domination of the Land but sticks to the shadows, ruling it indirectly through his proxies [[PathOfInspiration the Clave]]. In the final quadrilogy, he's given up on ''rulership'' entirely and is just focused on destroying the Land outright.
** The Gadhi from the same series, however, is a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. He's a brutal tyrant, to be sure, but he and his family only hold their throne through an alliance with an EvilSorcerer, and the Gaddhi is well aware that he needs to stay in said sorcerer's good graces or else he'll end up overlord of ''nothing''. The end result is that he has very little actual power -- even his own ''{{royal harem}}'' defer to [[EvilSorcerer Kasreyn]] first.
* The Shadow Lord from Emily Rodda's series ''Literature/DeltoraQuest''.
* ''Literature/DisAcedia'': most of the Edge Kings, the rulers of Dis, qualify (and fight each others to become the one sole overlord). The protagonist eventually becomes an anti-heroic one.
* As always, ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' provides examples.
** The Evil Lord Harry Dread from ''Literature/TheLastHero'' parodies many tropes of the Evil Overlord: He got started with a Shed of Evil, hires [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy guards so stupid]] they have trouble remembering their names, and ends up briefly allying with the Silver Horde, but then betrays them because, hey, Harry's the ''bad guy'', [[ItsWhatIDo it's what he does]]. Also, he hires his guards to be stupid so that the heroes can escape from his dungeons, and leaves chests full of armour and weapons about his Lairs because ''that's how the game is played.'' The heroes, in return, refrain from killing Harry out of hand and don't look too hard for the inevitable secret escape routes. Both he and the Silver Horde are rather unhappy about this new generation of heroes and villains who make an effort to be competent and thorough at their respective alignments. Heroes who actually capture and kill villains, villains who actually rule with an iron fist, etc.
** Lord Vetinari from the same series has all the trappings of an Evil Overlord, except that he happens to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who is pragmatic enough to know that evil doesn't pay. His only act of public villainy was having all mime artists tortured to death via scorpion pit. That only made him more popular.
* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'': Despotic kings are so common in the world that Solomon is justly be said to be the wisest man alive for managing to maintain monarchy and morality in one man. For a few examples:
** As part of his sick mockery of [[{{God}} the Heavenly Lord]], the Devil takes the title of Emperor of Hell to signify his leadership of the {{Fallen Angel}}s and his role in causing each suffering. Instead of a castle, he has the darkest pit in the universe; instead of towers, his "castle" surrounded by chained giants; and instead of moats, his home is guarded by ten ditches filled with the soul of every liar in history.
** In ''Purgatorio'' XX, three kings named Charles (Charles I, Charles II, and Charles of Valois) are prophesied to become richer in evil than any before them for crimes such as the murder of St. Thomas, the exploitation of Florence, the enslavement of Valois' own daughter. Yet all these horrors pale in comparison to what Hugh Capet sees King Phillip IV committing. For corrupting [[UsefulNotes/ThePope the papacy]] to meet his own political ends, Philip earns the title of "New Pilate" in accordance with his attack on the Body of [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Christ]].
* Paul Atreides of ''Literature/DuneMessiah'' is somewhat of a deconstruction/subversion of the trope. He is worshiped as a god by his Fremen legions whose jihad has spread their religion across the universe at the expense of billions of people, the once ProudWarriorRace is now rich and corrupt, and in comparison the Shaddam IV who he overthrew seems like a saint. However, none of this was Paul's intention. A group of overzealous Fremen started the religion and jihad and after 12 years it escalated to the point of Paul being a figurehead without any power to stop it, leading to the irony of being a powerful emperor who commands his subjects yet a powerless god who can't stop his worshipers. He also still manages to be the hero of the story because almost all of his enemies want to overthrow him for their own selfish purposes rather than stop the jihad. Paul was on top of this to begin with mostly because as enough of a prophet to see the big war is coming (back in the first book), he tried to somewhat limit the inevitable destruction by taking control.
** His son, Leto II, the GodEmperor, is another deconstructive example. He rules over [[TheEmpire territories from several galaxies with an iron fist]], [[AGodAmI demands that his subjects worship him]], [[AmazonBrigade commands an army of savage female fanatics]], and [[{{Unobtanium}} uses his monopoly over the spice]] to prevent any challenge to his authority. What only he knows, however, is that he is using his reign as a means to free humanity from prescient rulers like himself and to ensure that humanity follows his "Golden Path" - the path away from extinction. His contemporaries think he is simply a power hungry despot.
* ''Literature/{{Gone}}'': Caine Soren aspires to be one, but is deposed soon into book one. [[spoiler:In book four, he succeeds.]]
* Lord Voldemort from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series. He was deposed before the start of the series and only eventually regains Overlord status, operating more as a terrorist and cult leader for much of the books, but people still recognize him as one, including his followers using the term Dark Lord. He ends up coming back and basically taking over the Wizarding World of Britain. Of course, just declaring himself Lord in front of the entire wizarding community would be too blatant, so he still operates as TheManBehindTheMan with the corrupted Minister of Magic as his puppet. Gellert Grindewald was one, before he was defeated by [[BigGood Albus Dumbledore]].
* Galbatorix in the ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'' was a fallen Dragon Rider who rose up against the others and destroyed his order, now rules as the King of Alagaesia by right of conquest.
* Capricorn from ''Literature/TheInkworldTrilogy'' is a cookie-cutter example of this trope. He's also something of a capricious ganglord punk. Depends what you take from it.
** The Adderhead, BigBad of the [[ShowWithinAShow Book within a Book]] and [[RefugeeFromTvLand Capricorn's]] former boss, is a much clearer example.
* Used frequently in ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars''. In the first three books alone we get several distinct flavors of this one- [[VillainousGlutton Tal Hajus]], [[PriestKing Matai Shang]], [[GodGuise Issus]] and [[TheCaligula Salensus Oll]].
* Several flavors of this (both played straight and subverted or deconstructed) appear in the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
** In the setting's prehistory, the Jaghut were a race of {{precursors}} who were immensely powerful, nigh-immortal mages, but generally peaceful hermits. The exceptions to this rule were Jaghut Tyrants, who used their vast powers to enslave other races and rule as god-kings. The Tyrants caused such damage that another race of precursors, the T'lan Imass, swore an eternal oath to wipe out the Jaghut to prevent any more tyrants arising. Though Tyrants are referenced many times throughout the series, the only one who is named is [[SealedEvilInACan Raest]].
** [[EvilOldFolks Kallor]], the High King, was the ruler of one of the first human empires, and his rule was so brutal and oppressive that his own subjects [[ColonyDrop colony-dropped]] a ''god'' on him to try and get rid of him. Didn't work. Finally, he destroyed his own empire to prevent the rest of the pantheon from taking it away from him, and for his troubles got cursed to [[TheAgeless live forever]] but to never ascend to godhood himself and to ultimately fail at everything he attempts. He's still around at the time of the main series, and still calls himself the High King, though it's been centuries since he actually ruled anything.
** The Pannion Seer is GodEmperor of the theocratic empire called the Pannion Domin, which is essentially an attempt to create {{Mordor}} on an industrial scale. The Domin is viciously aggressive, works its citizens brutally and keeps a horde of peasants starved into madness and cannibalism to supplement its regular army. It's noted that the Domin is entirely dead in its core regions and alive only at the fringes, and therefore it ''must'' expand constantly. The Seer actually seems to ''encourage'' this, as if inflicting suffering on his people is actually more important than running a functional nation. [[spoiler:He's also one of the last surviving Jaghut in a human disguise, making him a Jaghut Tyrant]].
** Rhulad Sengar, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Emperor of the Thousand Deaths]], is a deconstruction. He never wanted to be an evil overlord, and he does ''try'' to rule well, but his powers come from a cursed sword that [[ResurrectiveImmortality brings him back whenever he dies]] but [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity wears away at his sanity]] and induces BodyHorror every time. As he becomes progressively insane Rhulad becomes progressively brutal and paranoid, and then finally reaches a point where he's so out of it he can't rule at all, leaving his EvilChancellor and the SecretPolice to actually carry out his tyrannical regime in his name.
** The city-state of Darujhistan was once ruled by a succession of powerful {{Sorcerous Overlord}}s called the Tyrant Kings, who made it the capital of a continent-spanning empire. The present Darujhistan threw out the last Tyrant long ago, and is now the closest thing the setting has to a republic. [[spoiler:''Orb, Scepter, Throne'' reveals that the Tyrant Kings were actually ''one'' Tyrant King who hopped from body to body, and in that novel he comes back for another try]].
** The Malazan Empire's founder [[SorcerousOverlord Kellanved]] and current ruler [[DarkActionGirl Laseen]] are both subversions. Kellanved was a mage first and emperor second who saw ruling as being a stepping stone to other, more esoteric forms of power [[spoiler:which he acquired when he ascended to become the god Shadowthrone]] while Laseen is perceived as villainous by many of the protagonists but is genuinely trying to do what is best for her empire and isn't that much worse than any other rulers in the setting.
* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'' averts this trope, and revolves around the [[DeconReconSwitch deconstruction and reconstruction]] of the high fantasy world setting. The "Maou" (demon king) is actually a CuteBookworm who is in no way evil ([[SamusIsAGirl or male]]), and secretly allies with the [[TheChosenOne destined "Yuusha" (hero)]] to stop the war between humans and monsters via economical and political means.
* Parodied in ''[[Literature/MythAdventures Something M.Y.T.H. Inc.]]'', in which the common people of Possiltom ''think'' Skeeve is an example of this trope because he consorts with (friendly and likeable) demons, keeps a (goofy pet) dragon, and has (out of dire necessity) raised their taxes.
* In the ''Literature/NewJediOrder'', the absolute ruler of the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Yuuzhan Vong]] actually has "Supreme Overlord" as his main title. [[spoiler:It turns out he's just a mindless shell [[TheManBehindTheMan Onimi]] uses to act as his public face]].
* Big Brother from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is very much the ''idea'' of the Evil Overlord regardless of whether there's an actual human being behind it or not, or whether or not that person is the "original" if they ''do'' exist. However, Big Brother could possibly be a deconstruction, since he does not establish absolute rule through simple displays of power, but surgical manipulation of information and brainwashing his subjects to love him and consider serving the state their only goal in life.
* The usurper Waldo in ''Literature/OneForTheMorningGlory'': he conquered the kingdom of Overhill and personally murdered two infant members of the royal family when it was massacred; [[FisherKing turned Overhill]] into a [[{{Mordor}} wasteland]]; and set out to conquer the next kingdom with evil magic, undead, and goblin allies.
* ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': The setting of this series was once ruled by one called Stormbringer, the Demon King. The plot of the first book revolves around the recovery of [[SoulJar a living gem]] that he wore in his iron crown.
* Creator/BrandonSanderson plays with this one in all his works:
** Wyrn in Literature/{{Elantris}} is a straight example (so far as the audience can tell- his only onscreen appearance is a cameo).
** His ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'' deconstructs the idea of the Evil Overlord pretty nicely; the Dark Lord in the first novel really [[WellIntentionedExtremist wasn't that bad of a guy, and was only as evil as he was thanks to being psychically tormented by an evil god]]. Also, the entire second novel revolves around what happens when you kill the person holding an entire empire together.
** Susebron the God-King in Literature/{{Warbreaker}} is built up as a terrible, possibly insane Evil Overlord [[spoiler:but is actually a very nice (and very naive) guy who is controlled by his WellIntentionedExtremist priests and his NotSoHarmlessVillain secretary.]]
** From the same book's backstory, Kalad was a legendary [[FunctionalMagic Awakener]] and warlord who was responsible for a cataclysmic conflict called the Manywar that was only ended thanks to the efforts of [[MessianicArchetype Peacegiver]]. [[spoiler:Except, that's not quite true- Kalad and Peacegiver were the same man. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Kalad became sickened by what he'd unleashed]], made peace, hid his undead army away, and abdicated his throne. He currently wanders the world calling himself Vasher, trying to keep anyone else from making the mistakes he did- while safeguarding his ArtifactOfDoom, Nightblood, from the wrong hands]].
** In Literature/TheStormlightArchive The Alethi people are known around the world to be deadly warriors and brutal conquerors, and in his youth Dalinar Kholin helped his brother beat the rest of their kingdom into submission, and now seems to be taking the throne from his Nephew. We see his point of view and know that he really is just doing his best to bring everyone together in the face of [[TheEndoftheWorldasWeKnowIt The True Desolation]], but he frequently notes that the other nations of the world justifiably sees him as a dangerous, conquering warlord and he has to spend a great deal of time proving he really is just trying to help.
* Belial from ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'': [[http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=118769&highlight= Armageddon]]. Interesting subversion: He's not the guy in charge, in fact he's a nobody in Old Nick's court. So much so that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were considered highly amusing party tricks -- and he's just there as the ''court jester''. Turns out, however, that they're not quite [[SuperWeaponSurprise "party tricks" after all]]...
* Lord Sparr in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDroon''. [[spoiler:At least until he pulls a HeelFaceTurn.]]
* In Liliana Bodoc's '' The Saga of the Borderlands'', Misaianes the Son of Death is a good example. He is actually The Eternal Hatred that has taken physical form, which makes it literally an EldritchAbomination. He has started a war that has lasted more than 500 years, and after seizing almost the entire continent of The Ancient Lands, he rules, along with a small elite of magicians and nobles, over millions of slaves who in many cases cannot even possess a name. And now he intends to extend his domain to The Fertile Lands ...
* Dayless the Conqueror in ''Literature/ShadowOfTheConqueror,'' after defeating the aristocracy, became the [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] ruler of the Dawn Empire, setting out to [[TakeOverTheWorld complete his conquests]] with armies equipped with the {{Magitek}} that [[GadgeteerGenius he created]]. He was eventually overthrown by TheAlliance after making enemies of nearly the entire world, [[TheAtoner has since realized the error of his ways, lives with crippling guilt, and is desperately trying to make up for it.]]
* ''Literature/TheShahnameh'' has Zahhak, who might be considered the prototypical example of this trope: A former human who was tempted into evil by the GodOfEvil Ahriman, becoming a cursed demonic tyrant whose reign lasts for a thousand years. He also has TheChosenOne in the form of Freydun who is destined to head a rebellion and seal him within a volcano till the end of time.
* The ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series is littered with them:
** Brona, an undead lord who manipulates various races at various times in his bid for GlobalDomination.
** The Ildatch, a sentient book of pure evil that served as TheManBehindTheMan (or the sentient object behind the man) for Brona, being destroyed some three generations after him.
** The Dagda Mor and his eventual heir, Tael Riverine, who lord over an EvilDimension of creatures sealed away long ago who merely seek freedom, though freedom entails overrunning the world with monsters.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Like many tropes that the series uses, it's usually [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. An infamously cruel king (or someone who merely has that reputation, deserved or not) is likely to end up with no allies or will even see his once-faithful bannermen rise up against him when he kicks one puppy too many. They also ''generally'' lack the sorcerous powers typically associated with a proper evil overlord, though some of the worst members of the Targaryan dynasty certainly had dragons and a form of GreekFire to back their attempts at despotism or tyranny up with.
** Stannis Baratheon seems like this at first glance. He is ruthless and fearsome and his ascension to the throne is seen as a sign of the Apocalypse (because he lacks charisma and is a PrinciplesZealot), lives in the exotic Island fortress of Dragonstone (which he never wanted and suspects his appointment to its lordship is tantamount to exile), consorts with criminals and mercenaries (his vassals don't have enough manpower), has an EvilSorcerer in his service (who believes he is TheMessiah of her faith), murders his brother with dark magic (they were trying to usurp rule and intended to kill Stannis), and is driven to be king by any means (even though he doesn't want to but its his duty to do so and by the law he should technically be King, though because most of the Seven Kingdoms doesn't believe his "nephew" is really illegitimate he is seen as an EvilUncle). He is even called a "Dark Lord" at Joffrey's wedding.
** And then there are characters who are this trope even at second glance. Meet Euron "Crow's Eye" Greyjoy, the pirate king. Raised in a culture that glorifies rape and piracy, who worship a nigh-Cthulhu, and they either distrust, despise, or outright fear him. Went into exile after raping (or seducing) his sister-in-law, and proceeded to sail around the world pillaging and picking up various warlocks and barbarians. Has a posh for black. [[spoiler:Suspected of [[CainAndAbel murdering his brother Balon]] so he could [[TheEvilPrince take the Seastone Chair]], even though Balon wanted his daughter [[EvilUncle to succeed him]].]] And his current plan is to [[spoiler:wake a dragon and conquer all of Westeros]]. [[spoiler:There are even theories he is in league with the Others, planning to bring down the Wall and become their ruler.]]
** Roose Bolton. Rules a terrifying fortress in the GrimUpNorth? Check. Tortures and abuses his subjects? Check. Makes and betrays allies when doing so may benefit him? Check. Makes ''pink'' a highly intimidating colour just by the association with rumours of torture (black is too easy). Check. Is StupidEvil enough to incite rebellions or make enemies of just lords? Uh... well... [[PragmaticVillainy no]], actually. His son, Ramsay Bolton, on the other hand.....
** [[RoyalBrat Joffrey Baratheon]] subverts this, as though he is technically King he is really just TheCaligula and incapable of really running the Seven Kingdoms. His grandfather [[spoiler:on both sides]] Lord Tywin Lannister, the DragonInChief of the Lannister regime may be seen as this. He's the scary head of House Lannister, one of the most powerful families in Westeros, and is a ruthless and powerful commander who even has his own VillainSong "The Rains of Castamere", on how he wiped out a family that rebelled against the Lannisters.
*** Tywin's daughter Queen Cersei tries to emulate him [[spoiler:after her youngest brother kills Tywin]]. Cersei is certainly cruel and tyrannical, however she is clearly not as effective as Tywin, her paranoia, grasping obsession with power, and fears of losing her children dominate proceedings, along with eroding her [[TheCaligula mental stability]], and leaving the Lannister regime unstable.
** Aerys II, very much TheCaligula. He began decent enough, if vain, eccentric, and sleazy, but over time became more paranoid and cruel. Eventually he delighted in burning people alive, even murdering one of his most powerful Lords, Rickard Stark, and strangling their oldest son Brandon while they were ForcedToWatch. However, he serves as a {{Deconstruction}}, as his cruelty and StupidEvil actions led to a huge rebellion against him, with very few powerful figures willing to help him. His constant unpleasantness towards his former HypercompetentSidekick Tywin Lannister leads to them becoming TheStarscream and turning against him when Robert's Rebellion begins winning. Out of spite, Aerys decided to set off wildfire beneath King's Landing, killing Tywin, his troops, and half a million people, leading to a BodyguardBetrayal from Jaime Lannister, who killed him and saved the city.
** Historically, more then two centuries before the books begin, was Maegor the Cruel. He killed [[EvilUncle two of his nephews]] to help his usurpation of the Iron Throne after his brother Aenys' death, murdered some of his wives, and forced one of his nieces to marry him. He has a reputation as the cruelest King to ever sit the Iron Throne because of his numerous atrocities in his war against the Faith. However, his cruelty eventually led to the Seven Kingdoms uniting behind Aenys' last son, and Maegor died mysteriously on the Iron Throne, though many believe he killed himself.
** When the Seven Kingdoms were Seven Kingdoms, there was Harren "the Black" of House Hoare, King of the Rivers and Isles. His grandfather was a King of the Iron Islands who conquered the Riverlands. Harren was notorious for his cruelty and brutality, and was the most feared of the Kings in Westeros of his time. He spent most of his reign trying to built the biggest castle in Westeros, [[{{Egopolis}} Harrenhal]], draining his Kingdom of wealth and resources, and having quite probably thousands work themselves to death in the process. Harren was ''so'' hated that, when Aegon TheConqueror began his conquest of the Riverlands, the River Lords ([[EnemyMine including the Lords Bracken and Blackwood]]) quickly joined Aegon, who then unleashed his dragon on Harrenhal, ending House Hoare. Let's underscore that: the chronically and systemically divided Riverlanders ''actually pulled together'' for once in their history to welcome an outside faction to use nukes against House Hoare.
* ''Literature/TheSpaceTrilogy'': From ''Perelandra'' on, the Bent One is referred to as the Dark Lord of Earth. He rules not by force, but through turning the hearts of men away from their original devotion to [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Maleldil]] and towards self-love so extreme it becomes hatred. With the armies of invisible eldila serving him, the minds of Earth must be extremely dedicated to avoid being dominated by the armies of the Black Archon.
* Randall Flagg in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheStand''. Following [[AfterTheEnd civilization's downfall]], Flagg emerges as the dictator of Las Vegas where people flock under him and he keeps them in line through fear. Flagg is also the ultimate evil, a demon in the shape of a man whose presence brings calamity wherever he goes. It should be no surprise that King [[{{Expy}} based]] him on Sauron.
* Khan, along with the rest of the superhumans in ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars'' carve out their empires in unstable regions like the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. Khan's empire is the largest, encompassing much of Asia. At first he tries to be benevolent, and succeeds. Over time as the battles against the other superhumans and Gary Seven takes more time, attention and resources, he has to come down harder and harder on any trouble until eventually he's just another despot.
* Completely subverted in Jacqueline Carey's duology ''Literature/TheSundering'' which is told from the viewpoint of the Evil Overlord. Although he suffers from chronically bad press it turns out that he and his subjects just want to be left alone and it is the god of the Elves who is trying to throw down.
* Darken Rahl and Emperor Jagang in ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series by Terry Goodkind. Rahl is more archetypal since his minions ''know'' he's evil but still follow him out of loyalty, while Jagang and his empire think they're right.
* The Internet story ''[[http://forum.tip.it/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=750856 Tales of Lokaria]]'' has the Black Master: a man who has lived nearly a thousand years and rules over much of the known world. And there's his hidden MindRape powers. His castle is constantly upgraded with the latest technology. He then purposefully leaves openings to let rebels and heroes in to kill them. He does have a ZeroPercentApprovalRating, but his [[{{Mooks}} Legion of Terror]] is very well trained and loyal. And he's kinder than the elfin Kingdom, led by Tidal, despite what people say. He also is extremely cunning.
** His team is as follows. His [[TheDragon Dragon]], Dracon (no less!) is an ancient half-elf who is [[{{Immortality}} immortal]] and extremely powerful, and his best friend. TheDarkChick was mind-raped into submission. TheBrute (the {{Mook}} Captain) is entirely loyal and very intelligent. The MadScientist has yet to be introduced, but can produce technology to warp reality and use magic.
* ''Literature/TheTapestry'' features [[BigBadWannabe Prusias]], the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demonic]] ruler of Blys (formerly known as [[spoiler:Europe]]). He plays the trope to a T, viciously punishing any insults, trying to TakeOverTheWorld, living in splendor while subjects suffer in poverty, and at one point [[ScarpiaUltimatum holding a woman's daughter hostage to force her to become his concubine]].
** [[BigBad Astaroth]] is a subversion. While he effectively rules the world, he mostly delegates that to the four demon kings (of which Prusias is one), and [[spoiler:doesn't do any ruling at all once the demon kings lose faith in him]]. It turns out that his true ambition is partly this trope: he wants to [[AGodAmI rule the world as its Creator]] and doesn't give a damn about its residents: [[spoiler:when he realizes his dream is impossible because the [[RealityWarper Book of Thoth]] won't let an EldritchAbomination like him create life, he decides to [[OmnicidalManiac kill everybody]] by feeding them to his creators, [[CosmicHorror the Starving Gods]], and making a new universe out of the leftovers that he can rule over.]]
* ''Literature/{{Tigana}}'' has ''two'' of these; the Peninsula of the Palm, the novel's setting, was invaded a generation before the plot proper begins by two rival foreign sorcerers who proceeded to conquer it and then divide it between them. King Brandin of the Western Palm isn't [[NobleDemon really that unpleasant in person]], being an AffablyEvil and WickedCultured VisionaryVillain, but he has an unfortunate penchant for incredibly DisproportionateRetribution against his enemies. Lord Alberico of the Eastern Palm, on the other hand, [[HateSink is little more than a sadistic thug with magic powers and a big army]].
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** Sauron from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. After Morgoth's defeat Sauron proves a more cunning DarkLord who comes [[NearVillainVictory very close to taking over Middle-Earth.]] His [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film incarnation]] provides the Page Image for SorcerousOverlord, the sister trope for Evil Overlords who are also [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]].
** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Sauron was merely TheDragon to Morgoth, the BigBad. Morgoth himself fits a lot of criteria of the Evil Overlord mixed with a [[PhysicalGod Physical]] GodOfEvil, but supplemental material paints a picture of someone less interested in power in the here and now and more in [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum destroying the world because it's not his creation]]. Tolkien even seemed to write in "Morgoth's Ring" that Sauron ended up more powerful then Morgoth as he didn't squander his power.
** Saruman, the fallen Wizard attempts to be this, joining Sauron and planning to get the ring so he can [[TheStarscream rule Middle-Earth himself.]] However he goes through severe VillainDecay and ends up being the Evil Overlord of just the Shire, and [[EvilIsPetty bullying the Hobbits]].
* ''Literature/TheToughGuideToFantasyland'': The Dark Lord, one of whom exists for every Tour trying to destroy everything. However, they can be defeated fairly easily by Tourists near the finale. There are no Dark Ladies, for it seems the Management finds them less sinister.
* ''Literature/TrappedOnDraconica'': Gothon tried to avert this trope (because his dad was evil) but his single-minded focus on his EvilPlan turned him into one.
%%* [[spoiler:Freddy Johnson as]] Osiris in ''Literature/TheTumbleweedDossier''.
* The BigBad in [[Literature/TheTygrineCat the]] ''[[Literature/TheTygrineCat Tygrine Cat]]'' [[Literature/TheTygrineCat series]] is the Suzerain of the Sa Mau, occasionally referred to as the Cat Lord. He leads a dynasty of cats who exemplify their species' predatory instincts, with the goal of [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]] by wiping out the rival Abyssinia Tygrine dynasty, guardians of the souls of every cat on Earth. He also wishes to punish every cat who benefits from interaction with humans in some way. He resides in an underground palace and has powerful occult abilities.
* ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'':
** Archmage Mizzamir certainly qualifies. An ageless elven warlock hiding away in his tower stronghold working to impede and halt the progress of the warriors trying to save the world, watching with distant unseen eyes, having conquered the world and molding it to his image after winning the final battle between Good and Evil a hundred and fifty years ago. The twist is that Mizzamir was actually on the side of ''good,'' and his attempts to mold the world to his wishes involves slowly turning it into a {{sugarbowl}} where evil-doers have no choice but to be Good. The group of heroes are actually a band of villains trying to undermine a Virtuous Overlord.
** Although he's long dead and gone by the time of the book, the Dark King was clearly this. Few details are given, but he'd waged war on the forces of Good, with his armies capturing the last elven city plus many human ones until his defeat by the Six Heroes.
* Lord Dyrr from ''Literature/WarOfTheSpiderQueen'' is the evil ruler of House Dyrr. Oh, and he's also an undead wizard. Note that he is merely TheDragon, not the BigBad.
* ''Literature/WorldsOfShadow'': Shadow, the mysterious ruler of Faerie (aside from small areas that are still free), whose rule is marked by people in terror, incredibly harsh punishments for minor offenses, creating monsters for use against enemies and a desire for world (then eventually interdimensional) domination.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
%%* ''VideoGame/AIDungeon2'': It's very possible to become one, with it being shockingly common to become this by ''[[ObliviouslyEvil complete accident]]''.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' turns ''UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington'' of all people into this trope in the ''Tyranny of King Washington'' DLC, which is set in an AlternateHistory where he went mad with power and crowned himself King instead of President. Instead of the White House, he has a golden pyramid for a SupervillainLair and he plans on launching a fullblown invasion on England, before taking over the entire world.
* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' has Lord Deus, the Demigod Emperor of the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Shinkoku]] who rose to power by overthrowing his benevolent predecessor and serves as the game's BigBad. To match his god complex, his [[MeaningfulName name literally translates]] to [[AnswersToTheNameOfGod "God"]].
%%* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'': Gruntilda.
* ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'': Lothar Rendain has this trope written all over him: he belongs to a race of space-vampires (even though [[InsistentTerminology some don't like being called that]]), looks positively sinister due to his angular features, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver color scheme, a reputation for cruelty, being TheDreaded and came into power by usurping the rightful Empress of the Jennerit Imperium. He subverts this trope due to lamenting being viewed as evil by others, since he [[WellIntentionedExtremist wants to spare the Imperium from being destroyed]] by the [[EldritchAbomination Valresi]] at any costs -- including becoming TheQuisling for them and assist them in destroying the rest of the universe.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'': Dracula. "Dark Lord" is his official title, and after he's killed off for good in 1999, said title is still up for grabs. Nobody's actually succeeded in taking it proper. [[spoiler:Or wanted to, for that matter, in one case -- Soma Cruz from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'', being Drac's reincarnation, came close accidentally, and he had to fight to not turn evil ([[FallenHero and actually does in the bad ending]]). Dmitrii Blinov nearly became the Dark Lord intentionally in ''Dawn of Sorrow''. ''[[EvilIsNotAToy Nearly]]''.]]
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'':
** The titular Lords of Shadow are three malevolent supernatural beings that have plunged the world into darkness. They are Cornell, the Dark Lord of the Lycans; Carmilla, the Dark Queen of the Vampires; and the Necromancer Lord of the Dead. Its revealed that [[spoiler:they are the [[EnemyWithout pure evil halves]] of the Brotherhood of Light's founders who ascended to Heaven after triumphing over Satan]].
** Dracula takes their place and rules as the new "Prince of Darkness" following their downfall years afterwards. [[spoiler:Turns that he isn't so bad as his presence keeps even worse evils like Satan and Zobek from terrorizing humanity. And by the time of ''Lords of Shadow 2'', he has turned into a heroic figure again, subverting this trope entirely]].
* Emperor Draygon in ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'' uses [[{{Magitek}} science and magic combined]] to assemble an army so he can take over the world.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'':
** In ''City of Villains'', Lord Recluse is king. Well more like [[PresidentEvil dictator]], but he has all the features -- a distinct group of henchmen, RedshirtArmy, island domains that vary between ViceCity and urbanised {{Mordor}}.
** Downplayed with [[EvilCounterpart Emperor Cole]] from [[MirrorUniverse Praetorian Earth]], who is a [[KnightTemplar more well-intentioned version]] of this trope, since he rules his "{{utopia|justifies the means}}" with iron fist in the name of "the greater good" and he really dislikes being called "tyrant" by his enemies. [[spoiler:Also turns out defeating him makes things ''worse'', since he was keeping an even greater threat at bay, leaving his Earth vulnerable]].
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Magus the Fiendlord fits this trope rather well: he has an ominous castle, leads an army of fiends and wages war on humanity. [[spoiler:However, his motives make him more of an AntiHero, who [[IDidWhatIHadToDo does what he has to do]] in order to destroy [[EldritchAbomination Lavos]] and find his sister. He can even join the player's party later in the game.]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':
** The "Dark Lord" ending has you become this if you [[spoiler:choose to let the first flame die after killing Gwyn]]. [[DarkIsNotEvil Note that this does not necessarily make you "evil," per se]], depending on your interpretation of the lore and the StoryBreadcrumbs, rather you simply choose to [[spoiler:embrace the inevitable end of the Age of Fire and usher in the "Age of Man"]]. At the end of the day, whether or not your character fits this trope depends on [[GreyAndGrayMorality various points of view and interpretations, including your own]].
** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' has the Lord of Hollows as a title that the player can assume if they fulfill certain story roles revolving around acquiring items called Dark Sigils. This Lord [[spoiler:is a saviour for the Undead anointed by a church that preaches that the age of the gods has ended and that a new ruler should usurp control of the First Flame, giving the world into the hands of the undead as the true face of humanity.]] Like the prior game, whether this goal is good or bad is largely for the player to interpret.
** The third game also has Pontiff Sulyvahn, who serves as HighPriest for the Cathedral of the Deep that also rules the ruined land of Irithyl [[spoiler:and Anor Londo]]. He also shares a few parallels with Sauron, since he corrupts his servants with cursed rings and his knights bear some semblance to the Nazgul.
* ''VideoGame/DarkWatch'': Lazarus Malkoth is a [[VampireMonarch vampire king]] whose release from his prison leads to a [[ZombieApocalypse undead curse]] being unleashed upon the Old West, [[WalkingWasteland causing zombies to emerge from wherever he passes]]. He turns the town of Deadfall into his own {{Mordor}}esque hideout, which is flowing with lava and teeming with TheLegionsOfHell.
* ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and [[VideoGame/Destiny2 its sequel]]:
** Oryx the Taken King is the [[GodEmperor divine ruler]] of the Hive, an evil race of pseudo-undead aliens and effectively an EldritchAbomination of his own right only below [[UltimateEvil the Darkness]]. He is so powerful that he doesn't even exist in this plane, but rather inhabits his own pocket dimension and the player spends most of the time [[FightingAShadow fighting his duplicates]] before confronting him in his full power. His son [[OverlordJr Crota]] also qualifies having carved out his own personal kingdom on the moon.
** Dominus Ghaul, the BigBad in ''Destiny 2'' is a relatively more mundane version of this trope, since he is just an mere warlord rather than a supernatural force like Oryx. Having [[TheUsurper usurped]] his own emperor and taken control of the Cabal, he launched an attack on Earth seeking to harness the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Traveller's]] power for his own. For bonus points, he also wears a [[TinTyrant huge, scary armor]] (though its [[LightIsNotGood completely bright in his case]]) and his title translates to "Lord".
* Laharl, ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}'''s resident Overlord -- though the first half or so of the game consists of you making the role legit (he's been asleep for two years [[spoiler:thanks to Etna poisoning him]]). Other overlords in the series include [[BonusBoss Baal]] and [[spoiler:[[HeWhoFightsMonsters Priere]]]].
** ''VideoGame/Disgaea2'' has Overlord Zenon, the God of All Overlords. He has cast a deadly curse upon the land of Veldime, turning its human inhabitants into demons, which also allows him to drain away their conscious and memories to empower himself. [[spoiler: Except the Zenon whom laid the curse is an impostor. The true Zenon is another story entirely...]]
* Braccus Rex in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity was driven mad by]] the DangerousForbiddenTechnique of Source magic, and used his power to TakeOverTheWorld and inflict horrifying AndIMustScream torture on anyone who dared to defy him. He died long before the events of the first ''Original Sin'' game, [[HijackedByGanon but like Dracula, people keep reviving him for some reason]].
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** The Archdemons serve this role for the setting at large, in theory. They are physical deities sleeping underground that once they are corrupted by the Taint, they become immortal dragon-like beings that command endless legions of [[TheUsualAdversaries Darkspawn]] to ravage the surface. With that said, the Archdemons are less driven by conquest and domination and more by [[OmnicidalManiac wanton destruction]] and have [[GenericDoomsdayVillain very little in way of personality]].
** Corypheus in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' was an {{Ancient|Evil}} [[MadeOfEvil Darkspawn]] [[EvilSorceror Magister]] that aspired to [[GodhoodSeeker become the new God]] of this world, though unlike most examples of this trope who use force of arms and conquer their enemies with their armies, he used subterfuge and behind-the-scenes manipulation by having his minions sowing chaos from within his enemies to weaken them. He is still an very powerful foe individually that is nigh-impossible to destroy.
* You are one of these in ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper''.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', BigBad Dagoth Ur is a [[ZigZaggedTrope complicated example]]. He tics almost all boxes for the trope like [[VolcanoLair living active volcano]] surrounded by [[{{Mordor}} a blighted wasteland]], and many [[BodyHorror twisted mutants]] serve as his [[{{Mooks}} minions]] and [[ReligionOfEvil worship him like a god]]. He is a [[PhysicalGod legitimate supernatural force]] rather than a mere mortal warlord and plots to take over Tamriel using Akulakhan, a HumongousMecha created from the blueprints of the Numidium and powered by the [[GodIsDead heart of a dead god]], while also spreading [[TheCorruption Corprus Disease]]. But as it turns out, he has a somewhat [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds sympathetic backstory]] and he has shades of being a WellIntentionedExtremist, since he wants to [[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry liberate Morrowind from the Empire's influence]].
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', BigBad Mehrunes Dagon, [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[DestroyerDeity Destruction]], fits. His plane of Oblivion is known as the [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Deadlands]], a full blown FireAndBrimstoneHell which, despite the seas of lava, causes mortal vistors to feel an [[EvilIsDeathlyCold unearthly chill]]. Dagon himself takes a MultiArmedAndDangerous BigRedDevil form and his mortal servants are in the Mythic Dawn, a PathOfInspiration that quickly reveals itself to be a ReligionOfEvil. His LegionsOfHell are the Dremora, a ProudWarriorRace of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]] who follow Dagon in an [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Always Lawful Evil]] fashion. Dagon's goal is to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over Mundus]], the mortal plane, so that he can then [[OmnicidalManiac destroy it]], as befitting a deity who is the ''embodiment'' of destruction itself.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
*** Alduin would rather be this trope instead of an OmnicidalManiac, as his role is to [[BeastOfTheApocalypse destroy the world so that it can be remade]], but he would [[ScrewDestiny rather defy his own destiny]] and [[TakeOverTheWorld rule Tamriel instead]]. In ancient times long gone by, he and his kin were revered as gods and brutally ruled Skyrim through their Dragon Cult and now that he is back, he wishes to restore the old times back.
*** Lord Harkon in the ''Dawnguard'' DLC is a VampireMonarch who also fits the trope very nicely, living in a BigFancyCastle filled with his vampire and undead minions.
*** The final DLC ''Dragonborn'' has Miraak, a former Dragon Priest who previously ruled the Skyrim region that would later become the island of Solstheim and upon discovering he was a Dragonborn too, tried to stake his own claim to world conquest. And judging by his powers and his ability to bend dragons to his will, he could very well pull it off.
*** Wolf Queen Potema Setim is a female example of this trope. Though not as prominent as the latter three (given she is an antagonist to a side quest), but she definitely qualified in the game's backstory. Despite being of royal blood herself, she usurped the rightful Empress to install her son as the PuppetKing and over-relied on necromancy to combat her foes. By the time of her death, Potema's court was made up of [[TheNecrocracy zombies, vampires and Daedra that she raised]] after hitting ZeroPercentApprovalRating due to all her supporters deserting her.
** Manimmarco the King of Worms is a recurring example in this franchise, due to being an evil necromancer lord that aims to achieve godhood. With that said, he tends to be a minor antagonist most of the time rather than the BigBad. In ''Oblivion'', he serves as ArcVillain for the Mage Guild's questline while the aforementioned Dagon is the main threat, and he is TheDragon[=/=]TheStarscream to [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]] in ''Online''. In ''Daggerfall'', he is the most ObviouslyEvil out of all patrons but he isn't the BigBad (due to the story having GreyAndGrayMorality).
* In ''Eiyuu X Maou''; VillainProtagonist Felser has this ambition, and goes successfully fast-tracking on his way. The closer he gets to [[TakeOverTheWorld Total World Domination]], the more it's revealed that his {{Motive Rant}}s [[TheExtremistWasRight are right]], and that the current leaders really do deserve to be overthrown and punished.
* Caesar of of Caesar's Legion in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' rules an empire of slavers based upon UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire dedicated to restoring order to the wastelands through RapePillageAndBurn and enslavement. However, he's [[FauxAffablyEvil surprisingly intelligent with a twisted sense of humor]], as well as possessing [[WickedCultured a love of political/philosophical debates]] when the Courier chats with him.
** Also in the same game, Mr. House shows several traits of one, whether or not you view him as evil — he rules over his people from an intimidating and impenetrable fortress, no one ever sees him in person, his will is carried out by a [[PlayerCharacter lone]] [[TheDragon lieutenant]] and an army of replaceable minions, and he's planning to TakeOverTheWorld. He could be considered a {{Deconstruction}} of this trope, showing that one can be the "Overlord" part without necessarily being "evil."
** The PlayerCharacter themselves can become one, assuming that they have evil-Karma and pick the Wild Card route. With an army of MechaMooks at their command and their rivals in tatters, they are free to rule over the Mojave.
** In the ''Nuka World'' DLC of ''Videogame/{{Fallout 4}}'', the player ends up as "Overboss" of the raider gangs of Nuka World after killing the old one. The player can lead their raider gangs on various raids on settlements on the Commonwealth and enslave the local populace like a typical raider boss.
* Pagan Min in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' is a desconstruction of this trope: he is the self-styled king of Kyrat who took power [[TheUsurper by killing the rightful heir]] and turned the country into a narco-state with him claiming [[DarkMessiah divine right to rule]]. Even though he is clearly not a good person, [[spoiler:it's shown that he was not as bad as he used to, thanks to being in love with the protagonist's mother who had a positive influence on him. And later on, the protagonist's own allies are shown to not been any better than Min - in fact, they can turn ''even worse'', showing that being a Evil Overlord doesn't automatically makes one the BigBad]].
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' villains often fall into the Evil Overlord bin: but curiously, very seldom the actual BigBad.
** Quite possibly the best example is the Emperor from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII''. He's a major military power throughout most of the game [[spoiler:and when he dies, he becomes the freakin' ruler of hell]]. He also seeks to overthrow Chaos in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. Quite possibly the only thing keeping him from being more popular is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' being the most overlooked game of the series.
** Golbez of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' [[spoiler:before being revealed to be BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]
** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Exdeath]] of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' is another good example. He also has the distinction of being the most [[WhenTreesAttack evil tree]] to ever appear in any form of media, and certainly the only one who is also the BigBad.
** Gestahl of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is an evil overlord, but sadly also TheUnfought. Kefka is also an example, and is one of the few that actually is an Evil Overlord at the end of the game when you fight him.
** Rufus Shinra and his father in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', since the [=ShinRa=] company essentially rules the world.
** Ultimecia of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' rules all in the future. And she is a rare female example.
** Borderline example, Maester Mika in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', who is the Pope of a ReligionOfEvil. Effectively commits suicide near the end of the game.
** ''Final Fantasy Adventure''/''Mystic Quest'' and its remake ''Sword of Mana'' has an overlord as a villain, they even blatantly name him "Dark Lord". He is not actually the BigBad, to no one's surprise after years of similar storylines.
* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series likes this trope.
** Rudolf of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' is the series TropeMaker, and lends his name to the archetype surrounding this trope. He is a militant emperor and a physically imposing TinTyrant with dreams of world domination. However, he is also an UnbuiltTrope for the series as a whole: [[spoiler:his war was a GenghisGambit to prepare Alm and Celica and make them powerful enough to kill the maddened Duma]].
** Hardin of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'' is the series TropeCodifier, building off of Rudolf and having a unique class and powerful personal weapon.
** Arvis in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' is practically a textbook example, except he is a genuine WellIntentionedExtremist.
** Zephiel in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', though he is ultimately not the BigBad.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** King Desmond can be seen as a similar way, but he does not actually try to hinder the heroes. He in fact wants his favourite child to be the heir, not Zephiel. He is also rather unpopular and incompetent, unlike most examples of this trope.
*** Nergal is this to some extent, but not as much as others like Zephiel and Arvis.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'', Emperor Vigarde suddenly attacks the peaceful allied kingdom of Renais. He does not actually reveal himself to the heroes, only to the player appointing new generals who are just pawns in a greater plan by [[spoiler:the Demon King, Lyon, and Riev]]. In another cliche, he is in fact not the BigBad [[spoiler:or even in control of his actions, since he has been dead for months prior to the game's introduction and was being animated by Lyon's magic.]]
** Ashnard in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' is definitely this, as he launches a bloody invasion of Crimea with the eventual endgame of [[spoiler:turning Tellius into a SocialDarwinist anarchy]].
* ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe'' has Death Adder, the brutal warlord that conquered the kingdom and murdered several of the [[YouKilledMyFather heroes' loved ones]]. In ''Beast Rider'' he gains a more armored look befitting this trope and actually goes [[ScaledUp transforms himself into a snake-like monster]] that he was named after.
* Varesh Ossa in ''Guild Wars: Nightfall'' is a very good example, although unlike other cliched evil overlords, she is in fact control of her actions and knows fully well what she is doing.
%%* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic 3'', the Warlocks and Overlords of Nighon fit this trope perfectly.
* In ''VideoGame/ImperiumNova'', TheEmperor of each galaxy is inevetibally labeled an evil overlord by his or her opponents. Whether or not the labeling is true is a matter of discussion.
* The [[FallenHero "Regime]] [[EvilCounterpart version"]] of Franchise/{{Superman}} in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' presides over an totalitarian regime [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope after being pushed over the edge]] [[DespairEventHorizon by Metropolis' destruction]]. At first he started as a WellIntentionedExtremist, but by the end he is a straight-up [[BewareTheSuperman villain]], willing to kill anyone [[DisproportionateRetribution who even questions him]] [[spoiler:[[WouldHurtAChild like]] [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Billy Batson]].]] In the sequel ''VideoGame/Injustice2'', [[spoiler:he has been arrested and thrown into jail, but he can potentially upgrade himself into MultiversalConqueror]].
* Autarch Scolar Visari in the ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'' series was the supreme leader and dictator of Helghast who is driven to wage a war of revenge against the Vektans and the ISA with many real-life and historical dictators serving as inspiration for him.
* Gadflow in ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'' is the corrupt King of the [[TheFairFolk Winter Fae]] who sends his immortal army, the Thuata Deohn, to genocide the human and elven races of Amalur.
* In ''VideoGame/LaPucelle'', [[spoiler:Priere]] can become an Overlord if [[spoiler:she]] [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt kills too many demons in the Dark World]], leading to a NonstandardGameOver. [[spoiler:Oddly enough, this is actually the canon ending.]] The remake incorporates this into the storyline, making it [[spoiler:a requirement for the good ending.]]
* Mordekaiser in ''Videogame/LeagueOfLegends'' might qualify. It's unclear whether he really rules over a Dark Kingdom (not much is known about his exact position in the Shadow Isles' hierarchy), but he has the stereotypical looks of a TinTyrant.
** With his rework, he's been firmly established as one. A brutal ruler in life, who slew and conquered to rejoin his WarriorHeaven, Mordekaiser was disappointed to arrive in a barren afterlife and resolved to carve a new kingdom out of it, though he also formed a mighty empire after being summoned back on Runeterra by unwitting necromancers. Nowadays, he's inactive in the world of the living but is hard at work creating a kingdom in the afterlife.
** Swain, the ruler of Noxus, is more manipulative and sorcerous and less of an angry metal barrel covered in spikes, but given that Noxus is very much a Might Makes Right kind of country, probably also qualifies.
** Parodied with Veigar, who ''wants'' to be an Evil Overlord, but by virtue of being an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, ends up actually making the lives of the people he's "oppressing" ''slightly better'' because he tends to kill other, more villainous villains in the process.
--->'''Margaux:''' We humbly beg that you spare us and just, umm, you know...keep doing what you're doing...We'll just go home, and you keep doing your...[[BuffySpeak reign of terror...thingy]]. Live and let terrorize, that's what I say.
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series features a couple:
** Nemesis in ''Blood Omen 1'' is a sadistic despot during Kain's time that used to be TheGoodKing in his youth [[FallenHero before being twisted]] and is on a conquering warpath poised to bring Nosgoth to its knees.
** The titular character of the series zig-zaggs this trope: following ''Blood Omen 1'', he rules over the realm of Nosgoth as a VampireMonarch, but he does take breaks to save the world as Kain wants to purify the corruption of the world and make it a vampire utopia because [[WellIntentionedExtremist vampires came first and the world rightfully belongs to them]]. [[spoiler:He succeeds in getting it on the right track, but judging by ''Blood Omen 2'', which results from the paradox he makes, there's a long way to go]].
** The [[KnightTemplar Sarafan Lord]] in ''Blood Omen 2'' on the other hand plays this trope straight, being a brutal ruler that overthrew Kain and for 200 years, has ruled over humans with iron fist and slaughtered any vampires he could find. [[spoiler:Its revealed that the Sarafan Lord isn't even human, but a Hylden (a race of extra-dimensional demons that hates vampires) and a [[HumanoidAbomination powerful malevolent force]] of its own right]].
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Ganondorf/Ganon, King of Thieves and the King of Evil. His trying to and/or conquering of Hyrule drive the plot of several games. He succeeded twice, first in the original ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Zelda]]'', and in a BadFuture orchestrated by Ganondorf, King of Thieves in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]''. Although he was banished, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' he has become the ruler of the Dark World and is trying to take over the Light World as well. Even when he has gotten killed, ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink his minions still wreack havoc in his name]]''.
%%* Balkoth from ''VideoGame/LordsOfMagic''.
* Zetta, ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'''s badass Freakin' Overlord of the Netherworld...until he blew it up. [[EarthAllAlong Damn you, Zetta! Damn you to]]...oh, wait.
** ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'' reveals that Overlords are a dime a dozen in the Nippon Ichi [[TheVerse 'verse]], as anybody with enough mana can rule over their own collection of vassals and worlds.
* ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'' presents us with a humorous, LargeHam version: The "'''Flay'''vor of Evil".
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
** Shao Kahn is the ruler of Outworld, a demonic realm. Basically, his mission is to invade Earthrealm. He accomplished it without much trouble in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 MK3]]''. (Huh. Guess we really ''do'' suck.) In every other game (or movie adaptation), he's been thwarted by the God of Thunder, Raiden, and his lackeys.
** [[GodOfEvil Shinnok]], [[FallenHero a fallen Elder God]], lords over [[SatanicArchetype the]] [[{{Hell}} Netherrealm]]. His lust for power is what caused his peers to exile him to the Netherrealm. There, he suffered constant torture until [[KlingonPromotion he overthrew Lucifer]] and [[HellHasNewManagement became the new ruler]]. By the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:Shinnok has deposed (due to being reduced to a still-suffering head) and [[FallenHero Liu Kang]] has taken over the vacant position with Kitana as his HotConsort]].
** Subverted with Kotal Kahn in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. He becomes the new Emperor of Outworld after usurping it from the rightful heir Mileena after surviving under her and in spite of his sinister appearance and abilities involving BloodMagic, he isn't really interested in conquering other realms like his predecessor and is an NobleDemon ReasonableAuthorityFigure who manages to keep Outworld stable unlike [[TheCaligula Mileena]]. [[spoiler:When he turns against the protagonists towards the story mode's end, he does so in an attempt to spare his world from being destroyed by Shinnok and essentially becomes an AntiVillain]].
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'': The King of Shadows seemingly fits this trope like a glove, since he is a being made of shadows (just like his title says) commanding an undead army to ravage the Sword Coast. [[spoiler:Turns out its more complicated because he is actually a TragicMonster not fighting for power or control, but because he was created to protect the empire he was guarding from all its enemies even centuries after its fall, partly because of ''him'']].
* Every [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Dark Oppressor]] in ''[[VideoGame/NexusWar Nexus Clash]]'' aspires to this. They have an elaborate skillset based on rewarding one's followers and punishing one's enemies and gain power in [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Stygia]] as they surround themselves with followers and allies. They inevitably have other Oppressors as rivals, though.
* UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga in any Capcom game, including the ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' and ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' series (and the latter's {{anime}} adaptation).
* The main characters in the ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' series are archetypical Evil Overlords who wields hordes of gremlin-like creatures known as Minions, have mistress(es) and generally look like {{Tin Tyrant}}s with GlowingEyesOfDoom being the only visible part of the character. ''VideoGame/OverlordI'' lets you decide just how evil the Overlord can be, either a destructive tyrant to a [[AntiVillain leader]] [[VillainWithGoodPublicity beloved by the peasants]]. Although at the end it turns out that [[spoiler:you're just [[TheDragon a patsy]] for the real one]].
** While canonically the Overlord of the first game was apparently a NobleDemon who saved the Elves from extinction and kept Rose as his Mistress, his son in ''VideoGame/OverlordII'' is much more evil, being either an AxCrazy butcher or a Dominator who enslaved entire populaces to his whim. Lord Gromgard of ''VideoGame/OverlordDarkLegend'' is portrayed as more an AntiVillain who while still an Evil Overlord is a benevolent tyrant [[VillainWithGoodPublicity better-liked by his subjects]] more than his {{Jerkass}} siblings.
* ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' has your pick of three evil overlords: A despotic lizard man, a dark cleric, and the ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfMana Mana]]'' series' analogue of Lucifer -- all going to war. Just as the Mana Knight is picked from one of 6 characters, players have control over who gets to be the big boss villain. It also determines which of the three Final Dungeons opens up, too. (This encourages replays.)
* Grigori Rasputin attempts to become this in ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant''.
%%* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' portrays the Almighty (named YHVH) as an Evil Overlord.
* ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' has The Devourlord [[spoiler:aka [[VillainProtagonist you in the Demon Path]]]]. Combines this with OmnicidalManiac for a terrifying result.
* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'':
** [[BlackKnight Nightmare]], though he is more of an OmnicidalManiac throughout the series, he conquered the castle of [[HauntedCastle Ostrheinsburg]] and turned it into a [[EldritchLocation place of ghosts, monsters and Malfested]]. He fits this trope better in ''[=SoulCalibur=] IV'', where he moves on from all-out slaughter to taking over Europe with his Malfested army. It also helps that he is [[TinTyrant clad in dark armor]].
** Algol is a subversion. He is [[PhysicalGod immortal and nigh-powerful]], definitely [[SlouchOfVillainy looks]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AlgolOnHisThrone_1609.jpg the part]], [[DimensionLord rules over an dark plane of existence]] and serves as PredecessorVillain to Nightmare, since he was the original Soul Edge's wielder. Unlike [[TheSociopath Nightmare]], he shows himself to be a NobleDemon and an AntiVillain who [[WellIntentionedExtremist has good intentions for conquering the world]]. Several endings for heroic and neutral characters have them outright sparing him, stating he is not really that evil to begin with.
%%* Jie Revorse in ''[[VideoGame/StarOcean1 Star Ocean]]''.
* Bowser from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series fits this to a T in almost every game (sometimes even ones where you're just GoKartingWithBowser), from ominous castles/lairs, plans for world/universe domination, and infinite hordes of loyal minions.
** Fawful in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi Mario & Luigi]]'', who goes on to call himself 'Lord Fawful' in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' and has one overly long ego trip through the game. He plots to TakeOverTheWorld, lives in... two hijacked [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Evil Tower of Ominousnesses]], has hoardes of... goons which have a copy of his face as their head, starts wearing dark clothing as soon as he turns into Dark Fawful and originally had a ZeroPercentApprovalRating until brainwashing the population.
* ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' turns [[HistoricalDomainCharacter Heinrich I]], the first king of Germany into [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade this trope]]. He is a supernatural warlord that studied the black arts and attempted to conquer Medieval Europe, before being sealed away in a tomb by a mystic because he was too powerful to be killed.
* Dark Warlord Zanshin from ''VideoGame/ThroneOfDarkness''. [[spoiler:The player's lord becomes one after taking his place.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheTiamatSacrament'':
** Ry'jin rules Ildria with an iron fist, heavily taxing his subjects and hunting down any remaining dragons for their DNA.
** The Dragon Shards quest reveals that Ry'jin isn't the only despot in the setting. [[spoiler:Elsium has it's own tyrant, Lord Nephron, who is conducting similar dragon DNA experiments to take over the world.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'', has Kyros the Overlord. The player character is a Fatebinder who [[VillainProtagonist has risen to high rank in Kyros' armies]]. There may be a trace of WellIntentionedExtremist in the Overlord, however; Kyros is said to have embarked on conquest after surveying various warring factions and deciding that "the world would be better" under a single, draconian, code of law.
* Several examples from the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' series:
** Blackhand from ''VideoGame/WarcraftOrcsAndHumans'' is the warchief of the TheHorde trying to conquer the human kingdom. He gets [[TheStarscream replaced]] by his second (and player character) Orgrim Doomhammer, who would prove to be a much bigger threat to the Alliance in '''Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness''.
** Starting with ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'', the Lich King becomes the next big threat after he successfully destroyed the kingdoms of Lordaeron and Quel'thalas with his army of the dead.
** Azshara, once queen of the night elves, is now the empress of the naga, SnakePeople who want control over all the seas in the name of the EldritchAbomination they serve.
** NPC races {{Evil Overlord}}s are some of the most common villains in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Examples include Charlga Razorflank, Gorak Tul, Lei Shen, the Gorian Imperator, and every troll leader.
%%* Lord Bane from the old TBS ''Warlords III''
* The title character of ''[[VideoGame/WhatDidIDoToDeserveThisMyLord Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This?]]'' mixes this trope with the DistressedDude, being utterly helpless from abduction by heroes without the help of his God (the player character) and the creatures that inhabit his underground lair.
* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': King Beyran. Thirteen years ago, he was a thief to whom King Eryk and Queen Aurelea promised their first-born daughter in marriage to get away with their lives. In the present day, he's showing up with an army[[spoiler:, or more accurately, a group of refugees escaping a war-torn land that was mistaken for an army by Eryk's scouts. Beyran has actually cleaned up his act and is ready to discuss and alternative to the initial promise with Eryk. This makes him a subversion of the trope]].
[[/folder]]

Not to be confused with the video game ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' and its sequels , nor the novel series ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' (although they both feature one of these guys as the protagonist).

* ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'': Venger the Force of Evil is a cruel despot who wishes to rule over the Realm and constantly harasses the {{kid hero}}es in order to obtain their magical weapons.

* In "The Crystal Empire" from ''WesternAnimation/{{My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic}}, '' King [[TheDreaded Sombra]] shares many features with Discord: A millenium prior, he was sealed away by Celestia and Luna for being [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating a monstrous tyrant]] who [[SorcerousOverlord maintained his position through the use of immensely powerful]] BlackMagic. However, the evil overlord aspects are even more emphasized in his case, thanks to his [[EvilTowerOfOminousness huge, trap-laden castle]] settled in the center of a domain that (at least while under his influence) is more [[{{Mordor}} outright hellish]] than [[RealityIsOutToLunch insane]], and his portrayal as [[AdvancingWallOfDoom a huge, cascading force]] [[MadeOfEvil of pure malevolence]] in the events of the episode. In spite of Discord being an [[GodOfEvil evil]] AnthropomorphicPersonification [[OrderVersusChaos of chaos]] -- Sombra, by contrast, is a normal pony who simply managed to gain and misuse great power -- whose reign eclipsed Sombra's in scope thanks to his rule over all of Equestria, Discord's character is far less nebulous (or [[BewareTheSillyOnes serious]]).

* [[FatBastard Emperor Ganishka]] of Kushan in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''. He [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty kidnaps]] Queen Charlotte and creates a demonic army by dropping pregnant women into an EldritchAbomination, after which their corrupted children rip themselves out of their mothers' wombs and devour them. Playing this trope straight is probably the only reason that ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' isn't a complete [[DeconstructorFleet deconstruction]] of HeroicFantasy.

** [[BrokenAce Sosuke Aizen]] is a narcissistic sociopath with a god complex, who manipulates and betrays everyone who trusts him, and doesn't hesitate to leave even his closest associates NotQuiteDead on the floor. Fittingly, he rules his army of Arrancar from his enormous white palace of Las Noches.
** [[GodEmperor Yhwach]], is TheEmperor of the [[PuttingOnTheReich Vandenreich]], a hyper-militant Quincy organisation. He's a brutal, intolerant autocrat primarily interested in causing as much discord, conflict, and death as possible. He's completely willing to encourage TeamKiller subordinates to perform UnfriendlyFire at their whim. He rules from his ice palace of Silbern, within the realm of Schatten Bereich, a city that exists [[PocketDimension within the shadows]] of Seireitei. His first act is to conquer [[TheHeartless Hueco Mundo]], so he often recruits and brainwashes Arrancar into joining his army.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer'': Malekith, Witch-King of Naggaroth, initially wanted to become king of Ulthuan and the High Elves before failing, being horrifically burned and retreating to the New World where he would establish the Dark Elves and Naggaroth. In the modern day, Malekith is a megalomaniacal tyrant constantly clad in black enameled armor that he can't survive without, ruling over a society of slavers, sadists and sorcerers where his word is unquestioned law, and dreams of returning to Ulthuan, crushing the High Elves under his feet and becoming the unquestioned ruler of all the elves.

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyBattles'': Malekith, Witch-King of Naggaroth, initially wanted to become king of Ulthuan and the High Elves before failing, being horrifically burned and retreating to the New World where he would establish the Dark Elves and Naggaroth. In the modern day, Malekith is a megalomaniacal tyrant constantly clad in black enameled armor that he can't survive without, ruling over a society of slavers, sadists and sorcerers where his word is unquestioned law, and dreams of returning to Ulthuan, crushing the High Elves under his feet and becoming the unquestioned ruler of all the elves.

* Bowser from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series fits this to a T in almost every game (sometimes even ones where you're just GoKartingWithBowser), from ominous castles/lairs, plans for world/universe domination, and infinite hordes of largely incompetent goons.
** Sir Grodus from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' also fits. He's essentialy what Bowser would be if he weren't PlayedForLaughs, weren't a moron, and actually [[KickTheDog Kicked The Dog]] as opposed to [[PokeThePoodle Poking The Poodle]]. [[spoiler:Then there's the Shadow Queen, who gives Grodus a nasty taste of MakeWayForTheNewVillains.]]

* Innumerable examples from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' settings and fiction, including the evil gods [[Literature/{{Dragonlance}} Takhisis]], [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Bane]], and [[TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} Hextor]]. Possibly the ultimate example from the RPG is Asmodeus, the King of Nine Hells -- the game's equivalent to {{Satan}}.
** In TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms, the god of tyranny Bane is the clearest example, and his church works with mortal overlords here and there, including [[SorcerousOverlord Manshoon]] with his Black Network. The conqueror Yamun Khahan, a pastiche of UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan (not only rumours about him are quoted almost verbatim, but the other names are used as is). But is more of a subversion: a ravenous warlord bent on conquering the known world through endless war, yet turning westward was a change of course forced on him in the [[AssholeVictim Thayvian]] campaign's dead end, and he was a BenevolentBoss [[VillainWithGoodPublicity adored]] by his people (not unlike the real-world Khan).
** ''TabletopGame/GreyHawk'' features two of the most iconic D&D villains being this flavor trope: Vecna (an nigh-almighty lich who actually [[DeityOfHumanOrigin ascended to godhood]]) and Iuz (the tyrannical demigod who rules over a [[TheSocialDarwinist Darwinist]] [[TheEmpire empire]]).
** ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' is built upon this trope: Darklords are the cursed and evil rulers of the Land of Mists, each one of them governing over one particular region. They are powerful forces of darkness with great influence, coming in many diverse forms and shapes (some are proactive leaders of mighty armies and others are subtle schemers who act behind the scenes) and there are ''dozens of them'' for the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] to fight against ([[{{Characters/RavenloftDarklords}} seriously, just check their character page and see how long the list is]]). Here is the twist: every single darklord is plagued by a curse that varies from individual to individual to frustrate their greatest desires, as this was intentionally designed by [[GreaterScopeVillain the Dark Powers]] to punish them, making these Evil Overlords all tormented and damned beings that live in [[IronicHell a hell of their own making]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' boasts a wide variety of very powerful villainous types, but the closest to the Evil Overlord archetype would definitely be the Deathlords, leaders of the Abyssal Exalted and servants of the [[EldritchAbomination Neverborn.]] In a minor variation, they're not out to conquer the world so much as they want to [[OmnicidalManiac kill everything that lives and destroy everything that's not alive, consigning all of existence to Oblivion.]]
** And then there are the Infernal Exalted, who ''must'' play this trope to the fullest, since it's their way of working off [[VillainousBreakdown Torment]]. As per usual, this also has a DarkIsNotEvil aspect, as Acts of Villainy aren't actually inherently evil (The one drafted by [[EvilMatriarch Kimbery]], for example, asks that you give your opponents CruelMercy...but doesn't actually have provisions for making it so that living is a FateWorseThanDeath).
%%* Likewise ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', including Volrath, Crovax, and TheManBehindTheMan for both of these, Yawgmoth. Various other examples from ''M:TG'' include Baron Sengir, Lim-Dul the Necromancer, and Memnarch.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' is also rife with these kind of villains like the Spurgloths of {{Atlantis}}, the tyrannical pharaoh [[NephariousPharaoh Ramah Set]] of the Phoenix Empire and any Vampire Intelligence of the Vampire Kingdoms, but the most prominent example is Karl Prosak of the Coalition States, which used to be a republic with him as PresidentEvil before he decided to just crown himself as emperor. He straights up admires Adolf Hitler and [[ANaziByAnyOtherName bases much of his government style on him]], though [[PragmaticVillainy without repeating his mistakes]].
* Commonplace in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', with every Chaos Lord, Dark Eldar Archon and Ork warboss, and half or more of the Imperium's governors.
** The Fantasy version of Warhammer as well with the Dark Elves, Beastmen, Warriors of Chaos, Vampire Counts, Skaven, Some of the Tomb Kings, Orcs and Goblins. And Ogre kings are not called Tyrants for nothing.
*** The most outright example in ''Fantasy'' is arguably Malekith, Witch-King of Naggaroth who initially wanted to become king of Ulthuan before failing, getting horrifically burned and retreating to the New World where he would establish the Dark Elves and Naggaroth. [[spoiler: And by the End-Times, it turns out he was destined to rule and unite Ulthuan.]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* [[MagnificentBastard Makuta Teridax]] in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', [[spoiler:especially when he [[TheBadGuyWins takes over]] [[PhysicalGod the universe]].]]
[[/folder]]

* Very possible to become one in ''VideoGame/AIDungeon2''; with it being shockingly common to become this by ''[[ObliviouslyEvil complete accident]]''.

* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' has Lord Deus, the Demigod Emperor of the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Shinkoku]] who rose to power by overthrowing his benevolent predecessor and serves as the game's BigBad. Also to match his god-like complex, his [[MeaningfulName name literally translates]] to [[AnswersToTheNameOfGod "God"]].
%%* Gruntilda from ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''.
* Lothar Rendain from ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'' has this trope written all over him: he belongs to a race of space-vampires (even though [[InsistentTerminology some don't like being called that]]), looks positively sinister due to his angular features, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver color scheme, a reputation for cruelty, being TheDreaded and came into power by usurping the rightful Empress of the Jennerit Imperium. He subverts this trope due to lamenting being viewed as evil by others, since he [[WellIntentionedExtremist wants to spare the Imperium from being destroyed]] by the [[EldritchAbomination Valresi]] at any costs - including becoming TheQuisling for them and assist them in destroying the rest of the universe.
* Dracula of ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''. Besides the obvious hints, the "Dark Lord" is his official title, and after he's killed off for good in 1999, said title is still up for grabs. Nobody's actually succeeded in taking it proper. [[spoiler:Or wanted to, for that matter, in one case - Soma Cruz from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'', being Drac's reincarnation, came close accidentally, and he had to fight to not turn evil ([[FallenHero and actually does in the bad ending]]). Dmitrii Blinov nearly became the Dark Lord intentionally in ''Dawn of Sorrow''. ''[[EvilIsNotAToy Nearly]]''.]]

** The titular Lords of Shadow are three malevolent supernatural beings that have plunged the world into darkness. They are Cornell, the Dark Lord of the Lycans; Carmilla, the Dark Queen of the Vampires, and the Necromancer Lord of the Dead. Its revealed that [[spoiler:they are the [[EnemyWithout pure evil halves]] of the Brotherhood of Light's founders who ascended to Heaven after triumphing over Satan]].

** In ''City of Villains'', Lord Recluse is king. Well more like [[PresidentEvil dictator]], but he has all the features- a distinct group of henchmen, RedshirtArmy, island domains that vary between ViceCity and urbanised {{Mordor}}.

* Magus the Fiendlord from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' fits this trope rather well: he has an ominous castle, leads an army of fiends and wages war on humanity. [[spoiler:However, his motives make him more of an AntiHero, who [[IDidWhatIHadToDo does what he has to do]] in order to destroy [[EldritchAbomination Lavos]] and find his sister. He can even join the player's party later in the game.]]
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' series:

This character is often deployed as a SatanicArchetype and associated with [[EvilIsNotWellLit eternal darkness]], [[EvilisBurningHot fire and brimstone]], and {{Ominous Opera Cape}}s. For this and other reasons, they are generally male, because [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent no woman would be a cruel tyrant]] [[WomenAreWiser who screws up her own realm]]. Unless [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen she’s a queen]], that is.

There are a few, more interesting exceptions: Creator/CSLewis's White Witch was draped in [[LightIsNotGood white]], symbolic of joylessness, decay, and [[EvilIsDeathlyCold endless winter]], and his Lady of the Green Kirtle was green, symbolic of [[SnakesAreSinister snakes]] and [[PoisonIsEvil venom]].

Odds are the Overlord probably wants to establish, or already rules, TheEmpire. In fact, TheEmperor is at about the same score or higher in tropes on authority, and [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire a single character is likely to be both]]. If he isn't officially titled "Emperor" (and sometimes even when he is) he will instead adopt a grandiose title that [[CardCarryingVillain openly declares exactly which side he's on]], most often "Dark Lord" or "Demon King".

In battle, the Evil Overlord can be a variety of things, but he is generally the [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking most powerful of his forces.]] He can be(and is quite often) a physical warrior [[TinTyrant decked in armor.]] and usually [[FrontlineGeneral fighting on the frontlines.]] Some overlords, however, rely more on [[SorcerousOverlord magical power]] and [[OrcusOnHisThrone tend to hang behind.]]

A particularly ambitious Overlord often [[AGodAmI declares himself a god]], and starts a ReligionOfEvil with him as it's heart. In cases where an Overlord [[GodOfEvil actually is a god]], he is expanding his empire to [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly attain more worshipers]]. Heroes will have a difficult time dealing with a godly overlord, as he cannot be [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil fully killed]], and often must be [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] for another generation to deal with.

See also: OverlordJr, , TinTyrant (often overlaps) DiabolicalMastermind (the real-world equivalent), and GalacticConqueror[=/=]DimensionLord (this trope [[RecycledInSpace In Space!).]] Namesake for the EvilOverlordList.

* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' has the main character. Although at first he isn't this trope, he is getting there as the novels go on. [[spoiler:By the time of volume 9, he has officially become one.]]

* ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'' had Torquemada, the iron-fisted supreme leader of the Termight Empire - Earth controlled by an absolute xenophobes out to exterminate all alien life on the galaxy - and he served as ArchEnemy to the title protagonist.

* {{Dracula}} in ''ComicBook/RequiemVampireKnight'' fits this trope like a red spiky glove, not only being the king of all vampires, but also of an ''entire hell-like dimension'' that makes {{Mordor}} look like daycare park and he dresses the part, being [[TwentyFourHourArmor clad all the time in a draconic red armor.]] His ZeroPercentApprovalRating aspect is desconstructed when it gets every faction in the setting conspiring to overthrow him - the only reason they haven't succeeded yet is because every single one of them has their own agenda and struggle among themselves as much as against their enemy.

* ''Film/WarriorsOfVirtue'' has Komodo, an insane warlord in the mystical world of Tao that has been [[GaiasLament ruining its ecosystem]] in search for immortality. The sequel has Dogon, who [[TheUsurper usurped]] the realm's rightful queen and has been ruling Tao with iron fist.

** The Gadhi from the same series, however, is a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. He's a brutal tyrant, to be sure, but he and his family only hold their throne through an alliance with an EvilSorcerer, and the Gaddhi is well aware that he needs to stay in said sorcerer's good graces or else he'll end up overlord of ''nothing''. The end result is that he has very little actual power - even his own ''{{royal harem}}'' defer to [[EvilSorcerer Kasreyn]] first.

* Belial from ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'': [[http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=118769&highlight= Armageddon]]. Interesting subversion: He's not the guy in charge, in fact he's a nobody in Old Nick's court. So much so that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were considered highly amusing party tricks - and he's just there as the ''court jester''. Turns out, however, that they're not quite [[SuperWeaponSurprise "party tricks" after all]]...

** Aerys II, very much TheCaligula. He began decent enough, if vain, eccentric and sleazy, but over time became more paranoid and cruel. Eventually he delighted in burning people alive, even murdering one of his most powerful Lords, Rickard Stark, and strangling their oldest son Brandon while they were ForcedToWatch. However he serves as a {{Deconstruction}}, as his cruelty and StupidEvil actions led to a huge rebellion against him, with very few powerful figures willing to help him. His constant unpleasantness towards his former HypercompetentSidekick Tywin Lannister leads to them becoming TheStarscream and turning against him when Robert's Rebellion begins winning. Out of spite, Aerys decided to set off wildfire beneath King's Landing, killing Tywin, his troops, and half a million people, leading to a BodyguardBetrayal from Jaime Lannister, who killed him and saved the city.
** Historically, more then two centuries before the books begin, was Maegor the Cruel. He killed [[EvilUncle two of his nephews]] to help his usurpation of the Iron Throne after his brother Aenys' death, murdered some of his wives, and forced one of his nieces to marry him. He has a reputation as the cruelest King to ever sit the Iron Throne because of his numerous atrocities in his war against the Faith. However his cruelty eventually led to the Seven Kingdoms uniting behind Aenys' last son, and Maegor died mysteriously on the Iron Throne, though many believe he killed himself.

%%* Darken Rahl in ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker''
%%* Chancellor Dongalor is a parody of this in ''Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire''

** King Maegor Targaryen was big, violent and always wore armor. Much like his descendant Aerys, he too drove the entire realm against him because of his unfettered cruelty, especially in putting down the Faith Militant's resistance.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' is also rife with these kind of villains like the Spurgloths of {{Atlantis}}, the tyrannical pharaoh [[NephariousPharaoh Ramah Set]] of the Phoenix Empire and any Vampire Intelligence of the Vampire Kingdoms, but the most prominent example is Karl Prosak of the Coalition States, which used to be a republic with him as PresidentEvil before he decided to just crown himself as emperor. He straights up admires Adolf Hitler and [[ANaziByAnyOtherName bases much of his government style on him]], though [[PragmaticVillainy without repeating his mistakes]].

** Adwaita rules the magical realm of Ledgerdomain with an iron fist. IKnowYourTrueName is in effect, so the Alpha Rune with the true name of magic itself makes him practically a god. Recurring villainess Charmcaster sought to free her world from him, actually departed on friendly terms with the heroes, and went back. [[spoiler:Next time we see Ledgerdomain, it's still under the control of an ironfisted dictator - namely, ''Charmcaster.'' The next round with her sees a few ''thousand'' people die... like the heroes. They get better, as she realizes sacrificing a world to revive her beloved father was going too far, but she was last seen still in complete control over Ledgerdomain.]]
** One of ''Ben's transformations'' is this. Turns out any small part of an Ectonurite contains his consciousness - including the Omnitrix sample. Ghostfreak breaks free of the Omnitrix, restores himself, and proves to have been the evil overlord of his ''own'' world who sought to be the evil overlord of ''everything.'' He even manages to take over Vilgax's homeworld... for one episode, anyway, but damn if that wasn't impressive.

* In "The Crystal Empire" from ''WesternAnimation/{{My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic}}, '' King [[TheDreaded Sombra]] shares many features with Discord: A millenium prior, he was sealed away by Celestia and Luna for being [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating a monstrous tyrant]] who [[SorcerousOverlord maintained his position through the use of immensely powerful]] BlackMagic. However, the evil overlord aspects are even more emphasized in his case, thanks to his [[EvilTowerOfOminousness huge, trap-laden castle]] settled in the center of a domain that (at least while under his influence) is more [[{{Mordor}} outright hellish]] than [[RealityIsOutToLunch insane]], and his portrayal as [[AdvancingWallOfDoom a huge, cascading force]] [[MadeOfEvil of pure malevolence]] in the events of the episode. In spite of Discord being an [[GodOfEvil evil]] AnthropomorphicPersonification [[OrderVersusChaos of chaos]] - Sombra, by contrast, is a normal pony who simply managed to gain and misuse great power - whose reign eclipsed Sombra's in scope thanks to his rule over all of Equestria, Discord's character is far less nebulous (or [[BewareTheSillyOnes serious]]).

-->'''[[MrExposition Aku]]:''' I tore open a portal in time, and flung him into the future - where my evil is ''law''! Now, the fool seeks to return to the past, and ''undo the future that is Aku''!

%%** Don't forget Nicol Bolas for InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons.

* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' has tons of these, such as the Gorma Emperor XV from ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'', Emperor Exhaus from ''Series/GekisouSentaiCarranger'', Electro-King Javious from ''Series/DenjiSentaiMegaranger'', Emperor Ackdos Gill from ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'', Emperor of Darkness Zet from ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQger'', and Don Armage from ''Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger''.