History Main / EvilOrphan

* {{FamilyGuy}} spoofs this with Stewie's pet turtle.

** Lord Voldemort was raised in a Muggle orphanage, where he spent his free time bullying the other children in a variety of cruel and magical ways. He later became a SelfMadeOrphan by tracking down and murdering his muggle father (along with his mother's father and brother, out of embarrassment).

** Lord Voldemort was raised in a Muggle orphanage, where he spent his free time bullying the other children in a variety of cruel and magical ways. He became an orphan in the first place by his own hand.

* Johan from ''{{Anime/Monster}}'', is the ''monster''in the title.

As if they don't have enough to worry about, the couple's biological child is making up crazy stories about how the orphan is planning to [[AxCrazy kill them all]] in their sleep! [[CassandraTruth They will be ignored]]. Sometimes one or both of the parents figure it out [[RuleOfDrama at the very last minute]]. Sometimes [[AdultsAreUseless it falls to the children]] to stop her.

* The antagonist of ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/TheAvengers'', Loki, had this trope forced on him, seeing as he was lied to his entire life about his parentage. He didn't become evil until he was found out he was adopted.

* Alexander on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is an infant clone of LexLuthor. Tess Mercer hoped that by raising him to be good, she could save him from the Luthor legacy. Unfortunately, Alexander has all of Lex's memories, and is aging very rapidly to boot. As of "Luthor" he's gone AWOL, and is out there, somewhere, plotting revenge on her and Clark. [[spoiler:Eventually inverted, since he ended up losing these memories and becoming {{Superboy}}.]]

%%* ''Film/TheRing'': Samara Morgan, oh so very much.
%%* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'': Yeah. [[CharacterTitle That one]].

%%* The title character of ''{{Mikey}}''.

** Of course, he's also a [[spoiler:SelfMadeOrphan, as his father Laufey was still alive in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' until Loki tricked and killed him]].

[[HowToStopTheDeusExMachina For the sake of the story]], the young couple will have no idea anything is wrong, but [[TvTropesWillEnhanceYourLife tropers will know]] right away there's something not right with this newcomer. She's a CreepyChild, who looks like she strolled out of the UncannyValley. It's not long before things start going wrong around her. [[EvilDetectingDog Pets start acting up]]. Things go missing. There are [[PyroManiac fires]]. Injuries. [[OwlBeDamned Nocturnal birds of prey]] show up ''everywhere''.

Feminine pronouns are used because {{Evil Orphan}}s are most times little girls but evil little boys are hardly uncommon.

* ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'': Nancy Olesen, given her extreme behavior issues and destructiveness. Although it is possible, even probable that Nancy has some very dark secrets in her past, the main reasons given for her extreme destructive, mean behavior center on her being moved from orphanage to orphanage due to her behavior problems (resulting in an unstable life) and the death of her mother while giving birth to her (a condition that today is known as pre-eclampsia). Indeed, in her first episode, Nancy – who deep down likely knows why her mother is not part of her life – claims she was [[ParentialAbandonment abandoned by her dear, sweet mother]].

Sometimes you get lucky, and the MysteriousWaif you adopted becomes a [[HappilyAdopted well-adjusted and welcome addition]] to the family. Other times...[[AlwaysChaoticEvil not so much]].

[[HowToStopTheDeusExMachina Of course]], the young couple has no idea anything is wrong, but [[TvTropesWillEnhanceYourLife tropers will know]] right away there's something not right with this newcomer. She's a CreepyChild, who looks like she strolled straight out of the UncannyValley. It's not long before things start going wrong around her. [[EvilDetectingDog Pets start acting up]]. Things go missing. There are [[PyroManiac fires]]. Injuries. [[OwlBeDamned Nocturnal birds of prey]] show up ''everywhere''.

As if they don't have enough to worry about, the couple's biological child is making up crazy stories about how the orphan is planning to [[AxCrazy kill them all]] in their sleep! [[NotNowKiddo They will]] [[CassandraTruth be ignored]]. Sometimes one or both of the parents figure it out [[RuleOfDrama at the very last minute]]. Sometimes [[AdultsAreUseless it falls to the children]] to stop her.

The EvilOrphan is the modern-day incarnation of the ChangelingTale. It uses the tried-and-true horror of SubvertedInnocence and the DevilInPlainSight, as there is little that can compare to the fear and revulsion of discovering that [[TheFarmerAndTheViper one has been succoring evil incarnate in ones own home]].

* Johan from ''{{Anime/Monster}}'', of course.

* While Orochimaru of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' didn't defect from Konoha until around 10 years before the start of the story, the Third Hokage noticed there was something unsettling about it, but largely turned a blind eye to it because of his talent.

* Dio from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
** Diavolo too.

* ''Film/TheRing'': Samara Morgan, oh so very much.
* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'': Yeah. [[CharacterTitle That one]].
** In fact [[spoiler: 33 years old but looks 9 so it may be a subversion]].
* Subverted in ''Film/TheGoodSon'': the evil one is the kid with both parents, but he manipulates the people around to make it look like his innocent, half-orphaned cousin is the bad seed.

* The title character of ''{{Mikey}}''.
* The antagonist of ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/TheAvengers'', Loki, had this trope forced on him, seeing as he was lied to his entire life about his parentage.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Lord Voldemort was raised in a Muggle orphanage, where he apparently spent his free time bullying the other children in a variety of cruel and magical ways. Harry, of course, is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], as is [[spoiler:Teddy]] in the last book.
** Voldemort is something of an odd case, as he's only an orphan because [[spoiler: he [[SelfMadeOrphan murdered his father]] while still a teenager]].

* ''{{CSI}}'' has the very [[CreepyChild Creepy]] InsufferableGenius Hannah, whose parents have died ([[FridgeHorror the details are never explained]]) by her second appearance. [[spoiler: In her first appearance she gets her brother off a murder charge (albeit an accidental one). In her second she frames him and [[DrivenToSuicide Drives Him To Suicide]] to keep him dependent on her]]. She also {{Hannibal Lecture}}s Sara, possibly contributing to her decision to [[PutOnABus go on a vacation to the rainforest]].

* Alexander on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is an infant clone of LexLuthor. Tess Mercer hoped that by raising him to be good, she could save him from the Luthor legacy. Unfortunately, Alexander has all of Lex's memories, and is aging very rapidly to boot. As of "Luthor" he's gone AWOL, and is out there, somewhere, plotting revenge on her and Clark.
** [[spoiler:Eventually subverted, since he ended up losing these memories and becoming {{Superboy}}.]]

The EvilOrphan is the modern-day incarnation of [[TheFairFolk the changeling tale]]. It uses the tried-and-true horror of SubvertedInnocence and the DevilInPlainSight, as there is little that can compare to the fear and revulsion of discovering that [[TheFarmerAndTheViper one has been succoring evil incarnate in ones own home]].

* ''TheRing'': Samara Morgan, oh so very much.

* Subverted in ''TheGoodSon'': the evil one is the kid with both parents, but he manipulates the people around to make it look like his innocent, half-orphaned cousin is the bad seed.
* ''TheOmen''. The boy Damien is an orphan substituted for the couple's real child, who died shortly after birth.

Sometimes you get lucky, and the MysteriousWaif you adopted becomes a [[HappilyAdopted well-adjusted and welcome addition]] to the family. Other times. . .[[AlwaysChaoticEvil not so much]].

[[HowToStopTheDeusExMachina Of course]], the young couple has no idea anything is wrong, but [[TvTropesWillEnhanceYourLife tropers will know]] right away there's something not right with this newcomer. She's a CreepyChild, who looks like she strolled straight out of the UncannyValley. It's not long before things [[ItGotWorse start going wrong]] around her. [[EvilDetectingDog Pets start acting up]]. Things go missing. There are [[PyroManiac fires]]. Injuries. [[OwlBeDamned Nocturnal birds of prey]] show up ''everywhere''.

* [[spoiler: Rosemary]] from AshitanoNadja [[UsedToBeaSweetKid didn't start]] [[HeartwarmingOrphan as this]], but she got in the role ''very'' quickly after [[spoiler: a major FreakOut caused by seeing that her old friend Nadja was the one living her formerly innocent dream.]]
* While Orochimaru of {{Naruto}} didn't defect from Konoha until around 10 years before the start of the story, the Third Hokage noticed there was something unsettling about it, but largely turned a blind eye to it because of his talent.
* Mukuro from {{Katekyo Hitman Reborn}} is adopted by another family but soon uses the man taking care of him to kill off the entire family.

* The title character of {{Mikey}}.

* Alexander on ''{{Smallville}}'' is an infant clone of LexLuthor. Tess Mercer hoped that by raising him to be good, she could save him from the Luthor legacy. Unfortunately, Alexander has all of Lex's memories, and is aging very rapidly to boot. As of "Luthor" he's gone AWOL, and is out there, somewhere, plotting revenge on her and Clark.

* During a questline in ''WorldOfWarcraft'' Alliance players encounter Hope Saldean, a friendly young lady who was adopted by the Saldean couple four years earlier. While Hope seemingly spends much of the Westfall-storyline feeding the homeless, a shadowy figure is gathering the old members of the Defias Brotherhood. In the end Hope reveals herself to be [[spoiler:Vanessa Vancleef, the daughter of Defias leader Edwin Vancleef]], who has been secretly plotting against the Kingdom of Stormwind the whole time.

* [[spoiler:Clive]] in ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture, who lost his parents in [[spoiler:a time machine explosion]] 10 years ago, and schemed to take vengeance on the people responsible with the money he inherited from his adoptive mother.

** Voldemort is something of an odd case, as he's only an orphan because [[spoiler: he murdered his father while still a teenager]].

* The antagonist of ''{{Thor}}'' and ''{{The Avengers}}'', Loki, had this trope forced on him, seeing as he was lied to his entire life about his parentage.

* ''HarryPotter'': Lord Voldemort was raised in a Muggle orphanage, where he apparently spent his free time bullying the other children in a variety of cruel and magical ways. Harry, of course, is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], as is [[spoiler:Teddy]] in the last book.

* Heathcliff in ''WutheringHeights''. His FreudianExcuse is relatively strong, but at any rate, he ends up a usurping beast of pure spite, and his intentions are just that.

* ''HarryPotter'': Lord Voldemort himself was raised in a Muggle orphanage, where he apparently spent his free time bullying the other children in a variety of cruel and magical ways. Harry, of course, is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], as is [[spoiler:Teddy]] in the last book.

* ''{{CSI}}'' has the very [[CreepyChild Creepy]] InsufferableGenius Hannah, who's parents have died ([[FridgeHorror the details are never explained]]) by her second appearence. [[spoiler: In her first appearence she gets her brother off a murder charge (albeit an accidental one). In her second she frames him and [[DrivenToSuicide Drives Him To Suicide]] to keep him dependant on her]]. She also HannibalLecture's Sara, possibly contributing to her decision to [[PutOnABus go on a vacation to the rainforest]].

* ''{{Supernatural}}'' has a young girl in the first season who not only cut the throats of her biological and adoptive families, but made it look like her adoptive father did it. Then she did it to people who owned a painting of her adoptive family.