History Main / EvilRunningGood

* Though most of the Marines in ''Manga/OnePiece'' are made up of volunteers dedicated to protecting the public from dangerous criminals and enforcing law and order on the seas, the top brass is mainly run by AxCrazy KnightTemplar officials who are more than happy to wipe out entire islands or slaughter innocent bystanders to get their targets or simply remove a potential threat to their agenda. Not to mention being subservient to the [[AristocratsAreEvil World Nobles]], the [[CorruptPolitician Five Elders]], [[spoiler:and secretly [[ShadowDictator Imu]]]].

* In ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'', we have Asimov. Asimov is the RebelLeader of LaResistance organization QUILL, who, while [[TheSpock cold and pragmatic]], is very devoted towards the freedom of the [[PsychicChildren Adepts]] and [[TheHero Gunvolt]] sees him like a father figure. Then, after you beat the FinalBoss, it's revealed that his goal actually stretches further: he wants full supremacy of Adepts and to KillAllHumans. Gunvolt is understandably shocked and decides to go against him.

* Though most of the Marines in ''Manga/OnePiece'' are made up of volunteers dedicated to protecting the public from dangerous criminals and enforcing law and order on the seas, the top brass is mainly run by AxCrazy KnightTemplar officials who are more than happy to wipe out entire islands or slaughter innocent bystanders to get their targets or simply remove a potential threat to their agenda. Not to mention being subservient to the [[AristocratsAreEvil World Nobles]].

* In the attempted ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' FixFic ''Sunspot'', it becomes strongly implied that the heroic VampireHunter organization to which the main characters belong was created and bankrolled by [[GreaterScopeVillain the eldest and most powerful vampire coven]], whose members overpower ordinary vampires as much as [[SuperiorSpecies vampires]] overpower [[PunyEarthlings humanity]], solely so that no other vampire coven can ever become powerful enough to unseat them, since any who try would be killed by the hunters. The most idealistic and newest recruits are unaware of this. That said, the story is completed without this plot being followed up on, and though [[SavedForTheSequel the writer claimed he would one day write a sequel]], he ultimately deleted the first fic without ever writing another.

* In the animated adaptation of ''ComicBook/The99'', the kids are first gathered by Rughal, the series' Big Bad. After realizing who Rughal is and what his intentions are, the kids break away and join up with the more benevolent Dr. Ramzi.

* In ''{{Comicbook/Aztek}}'', the Q Society is an Ancient Tradition working to avert the end of the world. In the present day, it's heavily dependent on financial support from a wealthy sponsor who is revealed partway through the run to be [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor]]. To be fair, he [[EvilVersusOblivion genuinely wants them to succeed in their task of saving the world from Tezcatlipoca]], but until Tezcatlipoca shows up he intends to take full advantage of effectively owning his own superhero.

* In the original ''{{Comicbook/Runaways}}'', most of the kids believed that they'd been brought together by Alex Wilder to stop their supervillain parents from bringing about the end of the world. In reality, their parents' plans were already likely doomed, as the human and non-human families were planning to double-cross each other at the last possible moment. Thus, the real reason that Alex brought them together was to create a common enemy to force their parents to work together so that they would carry out their plan and bring about the end of the world, at which point he expected that his family would get special favors from their benefactors.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', [[{{Chessmaster}} Yukari Yakumo]] seems to be a PragmaticVillainy version of this, verging on [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Blue Running Orange]]. One of the leaders of the {{youkai}}, she also gives the human youkai exterminator [[TheHero Reimu]] training and resources, and may have appointed her to her position in the first place. Unusually, her nature is ''not'' a secret to Reimu - it's just that Yukari wants [[FantasticNatureReserve Gensokyo]] to have an impartial human sheriff to prevent the youkai from [[CorneredRattlesnake pushing humans too far]] and sparking a war, and Reimu agrees with this goal. While Reimu doesn't usually trust Yukari (and has even fought her in the past), [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow she's willing to follow orders from her if the situation is serious enough]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', the leader of the ImpartialPurposeDrivenFaction of the Greybeards (who are the good guys in the time frame of the game since they a) take you under their wing and b) facilitate peace talks for the ongoing civil war) turns out to actually be Paarthunax, one of the ancient dragons, a mass murderer, and a former top lieutenant of the [[BigBad Alduin]] himself, who became disillusioned with Alduin's goals but is otherwise quite morally ambiguous--the Blades, for one, still believe him to be an evil, manipulative schemer.

There's an altruistic group or organization, often run by an idealist or goody two shoes chock full of [[NiceGuy nice guys and girls]] and legions of people generally with a motto of WeHelpTheHelpless. Often the group in question is a charity organization dedicated to adopting forgotten orphans, finding homes and care for discarded animals, curing disease, [[ChurchOfHappyology spreading peaceful spirituality]], or advancing human rights in a peaceful manner.

And then one day or perhaps from the beginning, either as part of an Evil Plan, a cover-up, or just a FaceHeelTurn, a bad guy ends up running it. Often villains would refuse the chance because all those goody goodies would be consistently around them, but some take the chance to use it to their advantage. Rarely are these villains anything but a BadSamaritan, BitchInSheepsClothing, TreacherousQuestGiver, or FauxAffablyEvil characters, but at times they may be [[AffablyEvil genuinely polite]], [[StraightEdgeEvil proper]], and thoughtful folk. They just happen to have sinister pastimes on the side or a grand malevolent goal in the future.

* Rashid ad-Din Sinan aka Al-Mualim from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'' is an example for the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins. Despite having a highly positive effect on the progress of the Assassin Order and promoting the spread of peace in his homeland, Rashid's desire to obtain an Apple of Eden led to him secretly working with the Knights Templar, sworn enemies of his own Order, in an attempt to tyrannically secure power and betray the order. May count as an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] as the Assassin Order is only seen as a benevolent organization from the viewpoint of the player while being in truth morally dubious at best.

* In the ''Fablehaven'' series, the good secret organization, Knights of the Dawn, is led by a mysterious masked and magically voice-disguised figure, [[spoiler:the Sphinx,]] who turns out to also be the leader of the evil secret organization, Society of the Evening Star. Slightly subverted, as the SES has slightly different goals and he ends up using both organizations for his own purposes.

!Examples

[[folder:ComicBook]]

* Murdock from the comic ''ComicBook/DarkGods'' is this. He was originally an [[ContemporaryCaveman early Cro-Magnon male]] who gained magical powers after establishing order among his tribe and creating a figure of worship for them. The belief of his tribesman opened a door for an EldritchAbomination to possess his body and allowed him to live over the centuries as various god guises to combat malevolent monstrosities and eventually founded The Storm, an organization dedicated to stopping them. Unfortunately, by the modern day he has gone to believe he is the true God of humanity and vowed to rule them a tyrant after using his followers' belief to increase his power and destroy the monstrous god, Tiamat.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', [=MI6=] is run by a man known as "M", which they assume to be Mycroft Holmes. This causes some hilarity in M, who is actually Professor Moriarty.
* In the original ''{{Comicbook/Runaways}}'', most of the kids believed that they'd been brought together by Alex Wilder to stop their supervillain parents from bringing about the end of the world. In reality, their parents' plans were already likely doomed, as the human and non-human families were planning to double-cross each other at the last possible moment. Thus, the real reason that Alex brought them together was to create a common enemy to force their parents to work together so that they would carry out their plan and bring about the end of the world, at which point he expected that his family would get special favors from their benefactors.
* In ''{{Comicbook/Aztek}}'', the Q Society is an Ancient Tradition working to avert the end of the world. In the present day, it's heavily dependent on financial support from a wealthy sponsor who is revealed partway through the run to be [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Lex Luthor]]. To be fair, he [[EvilVersusOblivion genuinely wants them to succeed in their task of saving the world from Tezcatlipoca]], but until Tezcatlipoca shows up he intends to take full advantage of effectively owning his own superhero.

* In ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', Emilio Largo is a member of the International Brotherhood for Assistance of Stateless Persons, a philanthropic organization based in Paris. He is also "Number Two" in the criminal organization known as SPECTRE [=Special=] Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). The Brotherhood acts as a front group for SPECTRE.

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' the heroes find out that SHIELD and other sectors of the government has been subverted by HYDRA. Some time after World War 2 a number of former HYDRA scientists were recruited to work for the agency and while they publicly renounced their former beliefs, in secret they were turning and recruiting people to their own cause and by the time of the movie they have hundreds of SHIELD operatives as well as a Senator in their ranks and the sitting Secretary of Defence as one of their leaders.

* In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', for the whole first season Prof. Eobard Thawne a.k.a the Reverse Flash was using S.T.A.R. Labs crew and Team Flash under the guise of Dr. Harrison Wells, who was Flash's mentor and boss of S.T.A.R. Labs, in the hope of escaping his TrappedInThePast state.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* In ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'', we have Asimov. Asimov is the RebelLeader of LaResistance organization QUILL, who, while [[TheSpock cold and pragmatic]], is very devoted towards the freedom of the [[PsychicChildren Adepts]] and [[TheHero Gunvolt]] sees him like a father figure. Then, after you beat the FinalBoss, it's revealed that his goal actually stretches further: he wants full supremacy of Adepts and to KillAllHumans. Gunvolt is understandably shocked and decides to go against him.
* ''Franchise/MegaMan''
** In the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, Copy-X, leader of Neo-Arcadia, would serve as an example. [[TheEmpire Neo Arcadia]] Army functions as the HeroAntagonist faction of the game dedicated to restoring the world from the marks of Elf Wars, maintaining the sole surviving human population, and protecting the empire against the threats of LaResistance (i.e the player's side). Unfortunately, Copy-X is a KnightTemplar who thinks that slaughtering [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Reploids]] in the name of solving an energy crisis is a good thing to do.
** Downplayed in ''VideoGame/MegaManZx'' Advent where it is a case of evil "hiring" good, but Master Thomas has given the player orders to thwart the enemies'plans and also commands the BountyHunter organization to stop the BigBad. In TheStinger, your benefactor reveals himself to have a similar goal as the BigBad's (RestartTheWorld), but he just did not like how the BigBad tried to go about it.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', [[{{Chessmaster}} Yukari Yakumo]] seems to be a PragmaticVillainy version of this, verging on [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Blue Running Orange]]. One of the leaders of the {{youkai}}, she also gives the human youkai exterminator [[TheHero Reimu]] training and resources, and may have appointed her to her position in the first place. Unusually, her nature is ''not'' a secret to Reimu - it's just that Yukari wants [[FantasticNatureReserve Gensokyo]] to have an impartial human sheriff to prevent the youkai from [[CorneredRattlesnake pushing humans too far]] and sparking a war, and Reimu agrees with this goal. While Reimu doesn't usually trust Yukari (and has even fought her in the past), [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow she's willing to follow orders from her if the situation is serious enough]].

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FinalSpace'': The Infinity Guard, seemingly the Galaxy's hope against the forces of evil with Superior Stone being the apparent BigGood of Season 1, turn out to have become minions of the Lord Commander at some point in the past following John Goodspeed's sacrifice and are actively helping the Commander open Final Space.

[[caption-width-right:265:Meet Maxwell Lord. Wealthy Philanthropist. Founder and long-time leader of the Justice League International. Manipulative Sociopath]]

** Played With in ''Videogame/ResidentEvilRevelations2''. It's revealed that Terra Save, a anti-bioterroism peace group that Claire Redfield and Moira Burton work for, is actually good, but Neil Fisher, a senior staff of the company, used the company to help the [[BigBad Alex Wesker]]. Neil is revealed to be a WellIntentionedExtremist but caused the main characters to lose faith in him.