History Main / EvilRedhead

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'':
** Ali Al-Saachez is red-haired and one of the most evil characters in the series. For one, he was once a "freedom fighter" who recruited child soldiers to fight in the name of "God", even though he's an atheist who just wanted an excuse to carry out acts of terrorism.
** Nena Trinity, though she's more ''[[CuteAndPsycho batshit insane]]'' than anything else.
** Patrick Colasour, though he's more of an IneffectualSympatheticVillain than truly evil.
%%** Bring Stabity and Devine Nova fits this trope to a T. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)

* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'''s Claire Stanfield straddles the line between this and redheaded AntiHero, as a red-headed AxCrazy Heroic Sociopath in a BlackAndGreyMorality universe. It doesn't help that he's a complete WildCard.

* While not necessarily on the [[BigBad enemy]] side, ''Manga/BrokenBlade'''s Girge is a full-on SociopathicHero. Not to mention his golem's [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color]], and BloodKnight title. What's wrong with this guy?

* Principal Gakuencho from the first ''Anime/DevilHunterYohko'' {{OVA}}, who wants to assist a demon queen with taking over the world, and who is hot for students to boot.

* While not so much evil as "egotistical", flame-haired Maaya Nanako of ''Manga/KenkoZenrakeiSuieibuUmisho'' claims to be leading male Kaname's UnluckyChildhoodFriend. His memories of her are not at all pleasant.
* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': Mary Waverly has reddish-pink hair and is a self-absorbed SmugSnake who lives for bullying little Lynn. One of her {{Establishing Character Moment}}s [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals is kicking her cat]], who's nothing but sweet to her, when she's mad. [[spoiler:In the second season, Mary becomes full-on evil as she tries to push the Russell family to bankruptcy by using her grandfather's power to stop them from receving payments they're owed and manipulating Lynn into staying away from the Lady's Crest]].

** Aside from Fuku (who never attacks the Mermaid Princesses directly, anyway), the first real member of Michel's Winged Ones who shows up is [[VillainousCrossdresser Lady Bat]], who also has burgundy red hair.

** Eustass Kid, who starts [[spoiler:[[AxeCrazy impaling people with glee]] once he's in the New World]].

** Vinsmoke Ichiji, the oldest son of the royal Vinsmoke family [[spoiler:and Sanji's oldest quadruplet brother]], was ''born'' with red hair despite both of his parents being blond-haired. He's also an EvilPrince who shares his father's Darwinist beliefs in the strong ruling over the weak and royals not serving anyone, [[spoiler:and even joined in his younger brothers' vicious bullying of Sanji for being compassionate]]. However, there's a reason why he's evil: [[spoiler:He and his younger brothers were experimented on in utero against their pregnant mother's will by Judge, who wanted his children to become strong, ruthless warriors by irreversibly removing their empathy. The mother, Vinsmoke Sora, desperately tried reversing Judge's modifications by consuming a dangerous drug to save her sons but ended up saving only Sanji. Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji only have a shred of empathy left.]]

** Jessie, the self-appointed leader of the TeamRocket trio, is a mild example: a villain who works for a criminal organization, she's [[FieryRedhead hot-tempered and morally dubious]], but arguably [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold too decent at heart]] to qualify as evil. Her hair also becomes less "red" and more "purple that's on the red side" from ''Gold and Silver'' onward, though it had a hint of purple even at the start.

* ''Anime/VoltesV'':Accidental example. Heinel is referred as a blonde by his character designers (like in the Literature/RomanRoboAnimeClimaxSelection), but at certain points of the anime, it appears to be ginger or a ginger-blonde colour.

* [[FoxyVixen Fiona Fox]], the LoveInterest of Sonic's EvilCounterpart Scourge, in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' after her FaceHeelTurn. Not only her hair is red, but also her ''fur''.

** ComicBook/{{Carnage}}'s alter ego Cletus Kasady has red hair and was a SerialKiller serving eleven consecutive life sentences before being infected by the Carnage Symbiote.
** ComicBook/NormanOsborn, the first Green Goblin, is described as having reddish-brown hair and is a very evil supervillain.

** Before ComicBook/LexLuthor started sporting a BaldOfEvil, he was a FieryRedhead. Why he's bald depends on the continuity you're reading or watching. Pre-Crisis a lab accident made him go bald and he blamed Superboy, later incarnations don't really give a reason why he's a chrome dome. This is best exemplified in the Post-''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' relaunch, where he at one point [[ContinuityLockout pretended to be his own son while he was living in a clone body]], and he was [[https://filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0cXrH7Y5ju2Y8IOez.jpeg red-haired alllllll over]].

* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': ComicBook/BlackWidow, a traitor of the team that kills ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s family and Jarvis.

** The second ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} was a redhead, and while she was brainwashed into her villainy, she was also a dangerous murderer in that guise.

** ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'': Dark Phoenix is simply redheaded ComicBook/JeanGrey on [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity too much power]] or [[TouchedByVorlons a confused godlike being]], depending on the story/{{retcon}}/[[CanonDisContinuity ret-retcon]]. The way she's thought of more for that one arc than for her ''decades'' of being a hero before, and after it is [[NeverLiveItDown a trope of its own]].
** Belasco, the red-haired, devil-horned sorcerer who stole Illyana Rasputin's childhood.

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsMadelynePryor Madelyne Pryor]] goes through a TraumaCongaLine[[note]]abandoned by Scott Summers, attacked by Mr. Sinister, learns that she's a clone of ComicBook/JeanGrey, and that Scott and Jean are now a couple. Ay ay ay.[[/note]], then a FaceHeelTurn that has her make a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with N'astirth the demon]] to become the evil Goblin Queen and helps bring about the ''[[ComicBook/Inferno1988 Inferno]]'' story arc.

%%** The shape-changing ComicBook/{{Mystique}}, whose default body is a combination of blue skin and red hair.

* The evil alchemist and serial killer Harmonia Pie in ''Fanfic/HisRecipeForLove'' not only has red hair but in the exact shade of red as her decidedly NiceGirl descendant, Pinkie Pie.

* Downplayed in ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku''. Alexis Lois "Lexi" Luthor is the granddaughter of the infamous ComicBook/LexLuthor and the heir to his company. She isn't shown to be ''evil'' per se and claims that her family has long since left supervillainy. On the other hand, she's certainly amoral, slipping Izuku [[IfIWantedYouDead thinly veiled threats]], effectively stalking him by dredging up all of his personal details through her connections, and not caring if people get hurt by an out-of-control robot that she's more than capable of stopping. All that matters to her is that [[ItAmusedMe she's entertained]] and that she gets one step closer to making the [[ItsAllAboutMe world revolve around her]].

** General Hux from ''Film/TheForceAwakens''. Played with, but ultimately affirmed, in ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', where [[spoiler:he betrays the First Order. It's not a HeelFaceTurn, though -- he's not doing it because he wants the Resistance to win, he's doing it because he wants [[EvilVersusEvil Kylo Ren to lose]].]]
** Emperor Palpatine. He was red-haired before his hair went white, and is the [[BigBad main villain]] of the whole series, who [[TheCorrupted corrupts]] Anakin to serve as [[TheDragon his lieutenant]] before seizing control over the Republic, turning it into the [[FinalSolution genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism speciesist]] Empire.

* ''Series/{{Justified}}'' has the [[BanditClan Crowes]], an extended [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether family]] of [[EvilPoacher poachers]], smugglers, and ne'er do-wells, most whom have red, or at least red-tinged, hair. Individual members include IneffectualSympatheticVillain Dewey; his [[OpportunisticBastard opportunistic]] thug of a cousin, Daryl; Daryl's [[AmoralAttorney crooked paralegal]] sister, Wendy; and their [[AxeCrazy psychopathic]] brother [[PsychoKnifeNut Danny]], whose actor joked that Season 5's message is "don't mess with gingers."

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Prior to her HeelFaceTurn, AntiVillain and WellIntentionedExtremist [[DarkActionGirl Tess Mercer]] is this.
%%** [[spoiler:Tess's brother]] ComicBook/LexLuthor is technically also this, though due to an accident he's actually BaldOfEvil. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)

* This was Music/DannyElfman's stage persona during his Music/OingoBoingo days. He looks so cheerfully demonic that you have to wonder why he wasn't cast as ComicBook/TheJoker.

** [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] with most depictions of Mary Magdalene, who is generally portrayed with red hair and ([[WordOfDante countertextually]]) depicted as HookerWithAHeartOfGold, so it depends on one's view on the profession.

* Sweet Nancy dyed her hair red for her {{rud|o}}a run in the International Wrestling Association.

* ''VideoGame/CaptiveRPGMaker'': [[spoiler:The protagonist is a redhead and turns out to be the one who kidnapped and killed all the people in the basement. Downplayed as she did it to cure her dad's illness.]]

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''[='s=] ''Tribunal'' expansion has Almalexia, the redheaded former member of the Dunmeri [[PhysicalGod Tribunal]]. She undergoes a FaceHeelTurn as [[GoMadFromTheRevelation her sanity deteriorates from the loss of her godhood]]. She reaches full-blown AxeCrazy status by the end of the expansion's main quest.

** Jacob Seed from ''VideoGame/FarCry5''. Apart from being TheDragon to the leader of an ApocalypseCult, he's also a SociopathicSoldier and a SocialDarwinist who favours [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing people into becoming killers]], in addition to using SavageWolves as attack dogs. Jacob is notable for being the only Seed brother with red hair, instead of brown. He's also a RedheadInGreen, being a former soldier.

* Tactical {{RPG}}s like ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' portray the enemy units as having red armor and hair. For specific ''Fire Emblem'' examples:
** Michalis from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' is the EvilPrince who murdered his father for the throne of Macedon and sided with [[TheEmpire The Dolhr Empire]] with [[CainAndAbel opposition of his two sisters, Minerva and Maria]].

* Triumph Studios seems to love playing with this trope in their ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' series of games, as Rose, one of the mistresses of the EvilOverlord protagonist from ''VideoGame/OverlordI'', is a redhead. In ''VideoGame/OverlordII'', all three mistresses have hair colors that are various shades of red. However, Rose and Kelda (the most redheaded of the mistresses) are actually non-evil (Rose believes in Order and Kelda is the VictoriousChildhoodFriend) and arguably the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Women]] of the setting.

* ''VideoGame/TraumaTeam'': [[spoiler:The "Raging Bomber" is revealed to be a woman named Sandra Liebermann. When the player finally sees her in person, she's holding an airport hostage with bombs strapped to her chest, and her general appearance can only be described as "AxCrazy".]]

* Lenore from ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' seems like the kindest of Carmilla's sisters, at least compared to Striga's BloodKnight, Morana's TortureTechnician, and Carmilla's AxCrazy FauxAffablyEvil, but she's still fully complicit in their plan to conquer a large region of land and turn the people into livestock. [[spoiler:She shows her true colors in full at the end of the season by tricking Hector into sexual slavery ''and'' normal slavery.]]

** Blossom's two {{Evil Counterpart}}s, Brick of the Rowdyruff Boys and Berserk of the Powerpunk Girls (who is a [[ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls comic-only]] character.

** In the episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E11GingerKids Ginger Kids]]", where Cartman is convinced that "gingers" (pale, freckled, red-headed kids) are monstrous, ''Film/ChildrenOfTheCorn''-like abominations. In what would have been a surprising example of HypocriticalHumor were we speaking of anyone other than Eric Cartman, after his friends try teaching him a lesson by making him up to look like a "ginger" while he sleeps, Cartman soon decides that "his people" are the master race. And since this ''is'' Cartman we're talking about, he's attempting genocide before the end of the episode.

** There are quite a few members of the Charlotte family with varying shades of red: Oven and Basskarte have fire-colored hair, Katakuri has maroon hair, Cinnamon and Mobile are dark brunettes, twin sisters Galette and Poire are fuschia-haired, and Marnier's hair has darker/lighter red-violet colors. All of them are fanatically loyal to their mother, Big Mom/Charlotte Linlin, a ruthless pirate queen who, whenever she craves something, goes on a hunger rampage during which she destroys everything and kills everyone until she gets it.

* Vicky, the {{babysitter from hell}} from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''. Chip Skylark writes a song about her titled "Icky Vicky".

* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': Mary Waverly has reddish-pink hair and is a self-absorbed SmugSnake who lives for bullying little Lynn. One of her {{Establishing Character Moment}}s [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals is kicking her cat]], who's nothing but sweet to her, when she's mad. [[spoiler: In the second season, Mary becomes full-on evil as she tries to push the Russell family to bankruptcy by using her grandfather's power to stop them from receving payments they're owed and manipulating Lynn into staying away from the Lady's Crest]].

** Jessie, the self-appointed leader of the TeamRocket trio, is a mild example: a villain who works for a criminal organization, she's [[FieryRedhead hot-tempered and morally dubious]], but arguably [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold too decent at heart]] to qualify as evil.
** James' fiancee (and Jessie's [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals inexplicable doppelganger]]) Jessebelle is a stronger example: She's controlling, violently abusive, and, going by the things she keeps in the basement, has a penchant for torture, while lacking any apparent positive qualities whatsoever.

* The ''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'' anime gets an episode full of this trope. When Happosai splits [[GenderBender Ranma's male side and female side]] into two different people, the female side turns out to be evil to the core. The glowing eyes, floating red hair, and supernatural powers certainly don't hurt in making her seem any less sinister.

** Before ComicBook/LexLuthor started sporting a BaldOfEvil, he was a FieryRedhead. Why he's bald depends on the continuity you're reading or watching. Pre-Crisis a lab accident made him go bald and he blamed Superboy, later incarnations don't really give a reason why he's a chrome dome. This is best exemplified in the Post-''VideoGame/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' relaunch, where he at one point [[ContinuityLockout pretended to be his own son while he was living in a clone body]], and he was [[https://filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/0cXrH7Y5ju2Y8IOez.jpeg red-haired alllllll over]].

%%** Emperor Palpatine. He was red-haired before his hair went white, and is the [[BigBad main villain]] of the whole series, who [[TheCorrupted corrupts]] Anakin to serve as [[TheDragon his lieutenant]] before seizing control over the Republic, turning it into the [[FinalSolution genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism speciesist]] Empire.

* Yuriannu Faithful from ''Manga/LinebarrelsOfIron'' is one for the villain team, who also engages in purposeful sexual tension with the hero nad has a SexySecretary alter ego.

** ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'': Dark Phoenix is simply redheaded ComicBook/JeanGrey (a founding example of HeroesWantRedheads) on [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity too much power]] or [[TouchedByVorlons a confused godlike being]], depending on the story/{{retcon}}/[[CanonDisContinuity ret-retcon]]. The way she's thought of more for that one arc than for her ''decades'' of being a hero before, and after it is [[NeverLiveItDown a trope of its own]].

%%* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfics that have [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith the Kyuubi assume a human form]] almost invariably have it appear as a [[HeroesWantRedheads beautiful red-headed woman]]. The fact that the Kyuubi's fur is actually ''orange'', not red, is never acknowledged. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; why is the Kyuubi evil?)

%%** Lumiya, formerly known as [[HeroesWantRedheads Shira Brie]].

%%** [[spoiler:[[MeaningfulName Anna Milton]], who ends up fighting the blonde Mary Winchester in]] "[[Recap/SupernaturalS0513TheSongRemainsTheSame The Song Remains The Same]]". This was, however, a rather sad addendum to her original HeroesWantRedheads function (which was perhaps subverted in that the redhead wanted the hero!). (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; how is she evil beyond fighting another character?)

* ''WebVideo/RatsSMP'': The Janitor, a human NPC feared by the entire mischief of rat protagonists for being able to capture them as long as he can see them, unlike other humans who have to chase the rats themselves. He's also seen unleashing MisplacedRetribution on at least one occasion, and is one of the few humans with practically zero redeeming qualities.

** [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations''. She directly killed two people, tried to kill two more, and drove a man to suicide, all to either cover up her earlier crimes or take revenge for being stopped from committing them.

Some heroes [[RedIsHeroic are redheads]] and we all know that HeroesWantRedheads. By contrast, there are also Evil Redheads. These are characters who are ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. (Not to imply that heroes [[DatingCatwoman can't want]] [[EvilIsSexy evil redheads]].)

Bullies in school media often have red hair because of the [[FieryRedhead temperamental redhead stereotype]]. Note the dovetailing with the ViolentGlaswegian, though that seldom overlaps. Contrast RedheadedStepchild, wherein the redhead is despised but not ''necessarily'' evil, as well as the growing tendency over the past few decades for [[HeroesWantRedheads heroes to have red-haired romantic interests]], especially [[SignificantGreenEyedRedhead green-eyed ones]].

* Yuriannu Faithful from ''Manga/LinebarrelsOfIron'' is one for the villain team, who also engages in purposeful sexual tension with the hero, has a SexySecretary alter ego, and has a definite EvilIsSexy vibe.

%%* In ''Literature/DragonBlood'', the wizard known as Jade Eyes has red hair to go with his green eyes, and he's rather nasty. But [[EvilIsSexy he is said to be very good-looking, with that unusual colour combination]]. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; nasty how?)

%%* Dr. Eggman from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' with his badass auburn moustache.

%%* ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'': The Red Queen. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

* ''Franchise/XMen'':

* ''LetsPlay/RatsSMP'': The Janitor, a human NPC feared by the entire mischief of rat protagonists for being able to capture them as long as he can see them, unlike other humans who have to chase the rats themselves. He's also seen unleashing MisplacedRetribution on at least one occasion, and is one of the few humans with practically zero redeeming qualities.

%%* [[spoiler:BigBad Raflesina]] in ''FanFic/PrettyCurePerfumePreppy''.

* Bob Page, the BigBad of ''Videogame/DeusEx'' (and GreaterScopeVillain of its prequel games). Oddly, in ''Videogame/DeusExMankindDivided'', his hair appears to be black, though this could be due to in-game lighting -- his concept art still has very dark auburn hair.

* In ''Videogame/GrandiaII'', the wings of the evil god Valmar get implanted into the golden-haired Ellena, creating her red-haired SuperPoweredEvilSide, Millenia. Subverted in that Millenia isn't really evil so much as TheUnfettered, and she [[PetTheDog pets enough dogs]] to qualify as fully good by the end of the game.

%%* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'': Marisa Kirisame during ''[[VideoGame/TouhouFuumarokuTheStoryOfEasternWonderland Story of Eastern Wonderland]]''. That is, when she was still evil. Or redheaded. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample)

* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': While it may not be Cerise's natural hair color (she dyes it), the trope most definitely applies. From the moment the Hellrunes transfer to [[AllGirlSchool Artemis]], her actions become progressively darker -- from merely plotting to take over the Coven, to trying to take over their new school. It culminates in [[spoiler:Cerise betraying Melissa and Jacqui by outing them as witches, then trying to kill them along with the student council]].

* Victoria from ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' is a bloodthirsty, ruthless vampire, with fiery red hair to match.

This trope is OlderThanTheyThink -- [[red:red]] hair was supposedly a mark of a witch and favored by Satan himself as well as an identifier of Jewish people. In the Balkans, people unfortunate enough to be born with red hair were said to be doomed to rise as vampires when they died, if they weren't vampires already. In some parts of Eastern Europe, babies born with red hair were once common targets of ''infanticide''.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has the episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E11GingerKids Ginger Kids]]", where Cartman is convinced that "gingers" (pale, freckled, red-headed kids) are monstrous, ''Film/ChildrenOfTheCorn''-like abominations. In what would have been a surprising example of HypocriticalHumor were we speaking of anyone other than Eric Cartman, after his friends try teaching him a lesson by making him up to look like a "ginger" while he sleeps, Cartman soon decides that "his people" are the master race. And since this ''is'' Cartman we're talking about, he's attempting genocide before the end of the episode.\\\
The Ginger kids return in "[[Recap/SouthParkS14E5TwoHundred 200]]" and "[[Recap/SouthParkS14E6TwoHundredOne 201]]" and demand the town hand over Muhammad so they can obtain his ability to not get ripped on. It is revealed that a now AxCrazy Scott Tenorman is their leader. He justifiably wants revenge on Cartman for making him eat his parents and puts him through an ordeal much like the one [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] puts Commissioner Gordon through in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke''.