History Main / FauxAffablyEvil

* ''TheSimpsons'' has Mr. Montgomery Burns. Though granted, DependingOnTheWriter Mr. Burns can be anywhere between a CompleteMonster and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* Liruru Von Astaroth, in the ''MSFhighIRC'' and ''MSFHigh'' forums (Backstory only), is somewhere between this, AffablyEvil, and CompleteMonster. She, amongst other things, has a genuine {{Nakama}}, is a kind, gentle ruler of a planet... and is willing to commit millions of deaths for her goals, and has, thanks to AMillionIsAStatistic.

* The Brother Cavil model (the Ones) of Cylon from ''BattlestarGalactica'' display this sort of behaviour. Cavil, despite being depicted as the most out and out evil of the Cylons (perhaps the only one) is continually making snarky asides and hilarious observations about his fellow Cylons and humanity. This was even brought up by one of the others when he even cracked a joke after having been shot on the orders of the speaker.

* The presentation of the Thenardiers in the ''[[{{Theatre/ptitlenjisnv3p}} Les Misérables]]'' musical is a good example -- they do pretty much all of the same evil things as the characters in the book, but because of their humorous way of doing it, they are some of the most popular characters.

Do not confuse LaughablyEvil, for a villain who is funny rather than polite. While many Faux Affably Evil villains are also LaughablyEvil, many other villains are one but not the other. Compare and contrast AffablyEvil (whose affability is sincere) and this Trope's [[OppositeTrope opposite]], NobleDemon (whose demeanor is evil, in contrast to their actions). ForTheEvulz is a common motivation, though using this trope as a form of ObfuscatingStupidity is also possible. Also see BitchInSheepsClothing, where a JerkAss is hiding behind a NiceGuy facade.

A villain whose polite mannerisms only serve to enhance their evil. They lack a villainous demeanor, yet they are truly, wholly, unrepentantly evil regardless. This kind of villain maintains a [[MoodDissonance friendly, courteous mask]] even as they commit [[MoralEventHorizon incredibly heinous acts]]. Unlike AffablyEvil characters, whose niceness is genuine, Faux Affably Evil villains ''adopt'' this pleasant persona. An AffablyEvil villain will treat TheHero like a friend, and will be reluctant to mark them as an enemy. A Faux Affably Evil villain will treat The Hero like a friend even as they are [[ColdBloodedTorture vivisecting]] him.

->'''[[PsychoForHire Prometheus]]:''' So what's TheJoker like?\\
'''LexLuthor:''' Frighteningly sick in the head...but strangely compelling company.
-->--''{{JLA}}'' #36

A villain whose polite mannerisms only serve to enhance their evil. They lack a villainous demeanor - while being truly, wholly, unrepentantly evil regardless. True psychopaths, these villains maintain a [[MoodDissonance friendly, courteous mask]] even as they commit [[MoralEventHorizon incredibly heinous acts]]. Unlike AffablyEvil characters, whose niceness is genuine, Faux Affably Evil villains ''adopt'' this pleasant persona. To illustrate: An AffablyEvil villain will treat TheHero like a friend up until said hero draws the line, at which point the AffablyEvil villain will regretfully mark them as an enemy. A Faux Affably Evil villain will continue to treat TheHero like a friend even as they [[ColdBloodedTorture vivisect]] said hero.

The key difference between Faux Affably Evil and AffablyEvil is whether or not the niceness is ''genuine''. An AffablyEvil character is an otherwise ordinary person who has a villainous goal, i.e. Nice Is Not Good or Evil Is Not Mean. Outside of that evil goal, they are ''genuinely'' pleasant, polite, "normal" people; this serves to humanize them and may even make them sympathetic to the audience. By contrast, a Faux Affably Evil character's demeanor is an act. At heart, they're utterly soulless, but they mask it with a pleasant, polite, "normal" attitude, perhaps because they have [[WickedCultured social standards]] they live up to or because their pleasantness reflects [[EvilFeelsGood their sheer enjoyment of evil]].

If a Faux Affably Evil Villain suffers a VillainousBreakdown, it's unlikely that their polite mask will shatter completely. Instead, expect a whole lot of DissonantSerenity as the villain's faux-friendly demeanor is paired with a SlasherSmile and some type of MoralEventHorizon.

Do not confuse LaughablyEvil, for a villain who is funny rather than polite. Many Faux Affably Evil villains are also LaughablyEvil, but that is not a requirement for either trope.

Compare and contrast AffablyEvil (whose affability is sincere), and the opposite trope NobleDemon (whose demeanor is evil, but actions aren't). ForTheEvulz is a common motivation, though using this trope as a form of ObfuscatingStupidity is also possible. Also see BitchInSheepsClothing, where a JerkAss is hiding behind a NiceGuy facade.

A villain whose polite mannerisms only serve to enhance their evil. They lack a villainous demeanor - while being truly, wholly, unrepentantly evil regardless. True psychopaths, these villains maintain a [[MoodDissonance friendly, courteous mask]] even as they commit [[MoralEventHorizon incredibly heinous acts]]. Unlike AffablyEvil characters, whose niceness is genuine, FauxAffablyEvil villains ''adopt'' this pleasant persona. To illustrate: An AffablyEvil villain will treat TheHero like a friend up until said hero draws the line, at which point the AffablyEvil villain will regretfully mark them as an enemy. A FauxAffablyEvil villain will continue to treat TheHero like a friend even as they [[ColdBloodedTorture vivisect]] said hero.

The key difference between FauxAffablyEvil and AffablyEvil is whether or not the niceness is ''genuine''. An AffablyEvil character is an otherwise ordinary person who has a villainous goal, i.e. Nice Is Not Good or Evil Is Not Mean. Outside of that evil goal, they are ''genuinely'' pleasant, polite, "normal" people; this serves to humanize them and may even make them sympathetic to the audience. By contrast, a FauxAffablyEvil character's demeanor is an act. At heart, they're utterly soulless, but they mask it with a pleasant, polite, "normal" attitude, perhaps because they have [[WickedCultured social standards]] they live up to or because their pleasantness reflects [[EvilFeelsGood their sheer enjoyment of evil]].

If a FauxAffablyEvil Villain suffers a VillainousBreakdown, it's unlikely that their polite mask will shatter completely. Instead, expect a whole lot of DissonantSerenity as the villain's faux-friendly demeanor is paired with a SlasherSmile and some type of MoralEventHorizon.

Do not confuse LaughablyEvil, for a villain who is funny rather than polite. Many FauxAffablyEvil villains are also LaughablyEvil, but that is not a requirement for either trope.

* Genma from the new season of ''DarkerThanBlack'' is a pretty laid back guy who [[BaitTheDog initially seems to be Plucky Comic Relief]], and keeps that attitude even after it becomes clear that he is a vicious psychopath. The first indication of his FauxAffablyEvil nature is a train hijacking he does, wherein to create a distraction, he runs down tons of people and shouts out something like (paraphrased) "All aboard" with the mangled corpse of the actual conductor beside him. Also fitting this trope is the fact that while he's clearly a DepravedBisexual pedophile, he expresses this through behavior and commentary that is disturbingly similar to your typical LovableSexManiac.

* Yanno, [[{{Deadpool}} I]] have always been CrazyAwesome, but I vary between being a NobleDemon and being FauxAffablyEvil depending on my current state sanity/[[DependingOnTheWriter who is currently writing me]]. It should be noted apropos the page quote (now former page quote, screw you Tropers! Vengeance will be mine), when NolanNorth voiceds me, he playeds a CompositeCharacter version, with the personality and dashing good looks of Deadpool in the main universe (in which my morality and sanity varies) and the motivation of UltimateMarvel Deadpool (in which I am a [[CapeBusters Cape Buster]] and straight up villain).

* {{Disney}}'s ''{{Disney/Hercules}}'' has Hades as its FauxAffablyEvil BigBad. He talks like a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]] and makes wisecracks while screwing over everyone as much as possible.

** Littlefinger sits uneasily between this and AffablyEvil. He always has a joking, flippant attitude even around people he's about to backstab (which is [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder pretty much everyone]]), and that does seem to be genuine to the extent that he acts the same way around those he (probably) isn't plotting against. What makes him more FauxAffablyEvil is that he seems to totally lack genuine emotion and empathy toward others.

* Spike, of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Comparing him with The Mayor is a good object lesson in the differences between the FauxAffablyEvil and the AffablyEvil.

** I'd also toss in Antwon Mitchell from season four; Antwon may be the only villain from the show that would qualify for FauxAffablyEvil as opposed to being just another CompleteMonster. The imfamous scene where he [[spoiler: kills a young girl to blackmail Shane Vendrell with the crime after Shane gets all uppity towards Antwon]], showcases actor Anthony Anderson's ability to be mix unrelenting sadism with a sly sense of humor as he humiliates Shane with his cruel actions.

* ''DeepSpaceNine'''s Garak is a rare example of a FauxAffablyEvil character on the side of the heroes. However, his StrangeBedfellows eventually turn him into more of an AffablyEvil character, and eventually into an outright AntiHero. He's more AffablyEvil even when we first meet him, his FauxAffablyEvil days having occurred off-screen before the series starts.

* ''[[YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' has Yami Bakura. Unrepentantly evil, Sadistic, HotBlooded, and extremely charismatic.

* Devil in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'' can be very funny when he's in a good mood. And sometimes throws loud but harmless hissy fits like a prima donna. Of course, depending on the [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2069 subject]] hilarity can be [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2260 more]] like [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2273 this]] -- [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2791 hilarious]]. And when he's in a ''bad'' mood, there may be [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3974 barely enough time]] to say "OhCrap"

* Season 2 villain Discord in ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He keeps up the act even while he [[spoiler:''[[MindRape mind rapes]]'' the Mane cast]]! The first time it slips -- and the ''only'' time in the first part of a two-part episode -- is when [[spoiler:Fluttershy proves too accepting of her own faults for this to work on her and [[VillainousBreakdown he gets furious]]. And the sudden snap just made it all the more frightening.]] He lets it slip again twice in the second part, first by [[spoiler: taking obvious sadistic glee in finally breaking Twilight -- mind you, this isn't just being happy he won; he'd already won by that point, and is just delighted to see his last opponent emotionally devestated and utterly crushed on top of it.]] Later [[spoiler: it slips in favor of ''fear'' rather than malice when he realizes that all his plans thus far have failed and he's about to be defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

* Season 2 villain Discord in ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He keeps up the act even while he [[spoiler:''[[MindRape mind rapes]]'' the Mane cast]]! The first time it slips -- and the ''only'' time in the first part of a two-part episode -- is when [[spoiler:Fluttershy proves too accepting of her own faults for this to work on her and [[VillainousBreakdown he gets furious]]. And the sudden snap just made it all the more frightening.]] He lets it slip again twice in the second part, first by [[spoiler: taking obvious sadistic glee in finally breaking Twilight -- mind you, this isn't just being happy he won; he'd already won by that point, and is just delighted to see his last opponent opponent emotionally devestated and utterly crushed on top of it.]] Later [[spoiler: it slips in favor of ''fear'' rather than malice when he realizes that all his plans thus far have failed and he's about to be defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

* Season 2 villain Discord in ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He keeps up the act even while he [[spoiler:''[[MindRape mind rapes]]'' the Mane cast]]! The first time it slips -- and the ''only'' time in the first part of a two-part episode -- is when [[spoiler:Fluttershy proves too accepting of her own faults for this to work on her and [[VillainousBreakdown he gets furious]]. And the sudden snap just made it all the more frightening.]] He lets it slip again twice in the second part, first by [[spoiler: taking obvious sadistic glee in finally breaking Twilight -- mind you, this isn't just being happy he won; he'd already won by that point, and is just delighted to see his opponents utterly crushed on top of winning]], and later [[spoiler: it slips in favor of ''fear'' rather than malice when he realizes that all his plans thus far have failed and he's about to be defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

* Season 2 villain Discord in ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He keeps up the act even while he [[spoiler:''[[MindRape mind rapes]]'' the Mane cast]]! The first time it slips -- and the ''only'' time in the first part of a two-part episode -- is when [[spoiler:Fluttershy proves too accepting of her own faults for this to work on her and [[VillainousBreakdown he gets furious]]. And the sudden snap just made it all the more frightening.]] He lets it slip again twice in the second part, first by [[spoiler: taking obvious sadistic glee in finally breaking Twilight]], and later [[spoiler: it slips in favor of ''fear'' rather than malice when he realizes that all his plans thus far have failed and he's about to be defeated by the Elements of Harmony.]]

** Yzma from ''TheEmperorsNewGroove''.

* Season 2 villain Discord in ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. He keeps up the act even while he [[spoiler:''[[MindRape mind rapes]]'' the Mane cast]]! The ''only'' time it slips is when [[spoiler:Fluttershy proves too accepting of her own faults for this to work on her and [[VillainousBreakdown he gets furious]]. And the sudden snap just made it all the more frightening.]]

Compare and contrast AffablyEvil (whose affability is sincere), and the opposite trope NobleDemon (whose demeanor is evil, but actions aren't). ForTheEvulz is a common motivation, though using this trope as a form of ObfuscatingStupidity is also possible.

* The Sheriff of Nottingham in the BBC ''Series/RobinHood'' series kind of fits this, being a SmugSnake with an extremely cruel sense of humor, yet hard to loathe given the humorous way he goes about his crimes. Notably, his insults against Robin generally are accurate in identifying [[DesignatedHero unpleasant aspects of his character]], and similarly, the Sheriff is very effective in mocking his [[{{Unfunny}} humorless]] and angsty [[TheDragon Dragon]], Guy of Guisbourne.

* The Daredevil villain Bullseye. He may be a PsychoForHire with few redeeming features, but he does love to [[DeadpanSnarker quip]].