History Main / FauxAffablyEvil

* In ''ComicBook/PeterCannonThunderbolt2019,'' while [[spoiler:Thunderbolt]] isn't so much affable as calm and insufferably smug, he maintains a facade of politeness and good humor. He's a god and believes [[spoiler:''mostly'' correctly]]) that he can obliterate anyone he chooses on his own territory, at whim.

* [[BadBoss Sir Gregory Pitkin]] in BBC's ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'' can sometimes be rather friendly on Mr. Lamb and Lennox-Brown when things go well, but it's just a mask and he'll do a 180 degree turn once things go downhill.

* Alex from the eponymous ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' [[Fanfic/{{Alex}} fanfic never drops her polite demeanor even when she's hurting both [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Marceline]] and [[GratuitousPrincess Princess Bubblegum]].

* Alex from an ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic named [[Fanfic/{{Alex}} after her]] is really on polite terms even when it comes to hurting both [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Marceline]] and [[GratuitousPrincess Princess Bubblegum]].

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsAFairlyOddFriendship'':[[spoiler: Adagio]] acts like Timmy's friend and savior, but it is a barely veiled attempt to manipulate him [[spoiler: into giving her what she and her sisters want. She uses her "saving" him from Sunset's "evil" in order to bully him further. This facade falls apart when Timmy utterly refuses her demands point blank.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dt961.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"I needed someone who acts like a friend but secretly delights in the misery of all people."]]

%%
%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
%%
%%
%%
%%

* In ''Podcast/{{Wolf 359}}'', the protagonists discover that their bosses are involved in some sort of evil conspiracy and are almost certainly plotting to kill them. When, we finally meet a member of Mission Command, Mr. Cutter is exceedingly polite, soft-spoken, and personable. In fact, he is all of these things to such an exaggerated degree that it comes across as a bit unnerving. It quickly becomes clear that his friendly demeanor is just a calculated façade he uses to better play his role as a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate executive]]. And he's very good at his job - by the time he makes his exit, he's played various mind games with the characters, sown seeds of doubt about everything they're doing, and manipulated them into considering killing a person... all while addressing them on a first-name basis, asking about their Christmas celebrations, and telling them how happy he is with the great work they're doing. Since both characters and audience are aware that he is an active and present threat, the fact that he's so overbearingly polite and friendly just makes him feel more unnerving and unpredictable.

* In ''Radio/CabinPressure'', when the pilots first meet Gordon Shappey, he comes across as friendly enough, despite what Carolyn and Arthur have been telling them. (Martin even makes the mistake of telling Carolyn "He didn't seem too bad", before hastily amending it to "Didn't ''seem'' too bad, but he obviously ''is'' awful.") As soon as the actual negotiations start, he shows himself to be utterly vindictive, culminating in a KickTheDog moment when he throws an extremely nervous Arthur's gift back in his face out of sheer spite.

* Creator/WilliamShakespeare was good at this, with ''Richard III'' and Shylock from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice''. And Iago from ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', who manages to be everyone's favourite character.
* ''Theatre/SpiesAreForever'': [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Baron von Nazi]] tries to make a point that the Nazis are actually the good guys despite him avoiding [[ObliviouslyEvil all the terrible things they did and threatening to take over the world]] ... [[VillainRecruitmentSong Through]] [[https://youtu.be/WrYtzn2n4qg?t=183 song]].

* ''Webcomic/GhostsOfTheFuture'': [[spoiler:Nicole]]. She appears as friendly and approachable as her mainstream counterpart. But don't let that fool you - she's got a cruel streak matched only by her ruthlessness.

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': When King Pryan Sor approaches DimensionLord and EvilOverlord Mottom with a "gift" of the bones of his people who have died of famine because of her actions, she gently tells her she's been touched by his words and promises to grant him unending life and the ability to feed others. Then she violently transforms him into a tree.
* ''Webcomic/{{Bastard}}:'' Dongsoo Seon seems like a friendly business man and a good father...but he's also a vicious serial killer who has used his kindly persona to fool many people, including the police several times.

* Terrence in ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is this 60% of the time (he has a terrible temper, though).
* Simon Talbot from ''Literature/TheDescendants'' makes up terribly punny names for his various experiments. For example, he asks if 'Cadmus' is too cutesy for a project involving inflicting BodyHorror on a captive to splice dragon genomes into her. He then names her after a Disney villain.
* ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'':
** In the second installment, Tony the Talking Clock at first acts like a kind teacher who wants to show the puppets the importance of time. He drops the act quickly when Green Bird presses his BerserkButton by questioning the existence of time, at which point he [[SuddenlyShouting yells at them literally until their ears bleed]] and then [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution rots them alive.]]]]
** Similarly, in the fourth installment, Collin the Computer claims to want to help the puppets and show them how to be clever like him. It quickly becomes clear that he has no intention of helping, and [[HatesBeingTouched after Red Thing touches his keyboard]], he fulfills the "evil" part of the trope by [[spoiler:instead trapping the puppets in a digital world where they can't do anything except open doors for eternity.]]
** The Food Band from the fifth episode pretend to be friendly, but they ignore everything the main characters say, and it’s heavily implied they tricked Yellow Guy into [[spoiler: ''eating Duck Guy after harvesting the latter’s organs '''while he was still alive''''']].

** Depending on your opinion on the alignment in the setting, Amberley Veil, Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos, is a particular example that might fit with the trope. More generally, any leader of the designated good guys[[note]]Imperium, Tau and Eldar[[/note]] who isn't too busy being an obvious jerk, a LargeHam or a genuine good guy (the later being very rare instance) fits the description as well. [[note]]It is very CrapsackWorld. Even that IG soldier that isn't [[Literature/CiaphasCain "cheerfully sociopathic maniac"]] is probably xenophobic, overzealous ShellShockedVeteran that will shoot down a worker mob rebelling against unbearable conditions on his 16-hours workplace without flinching an eye.[[/note]]

** The Penguin zigzags between this and being genuinely AffablyEvil DependingOnTheWriter. At times he can be shown to be genuinely polite and respectful of others while having [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]]. When he's in a foul mood or the writers want to emphasize his more villainous nature, he will be this.

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'' has a few examples:
** [[MadScientist Dr. Finitevus]] from is one of the most urbane characters you'll ever meet - it also happens that his main goal is to "[[OmnicidalManiac purify the world in flames.]]"
** Dr. Eggman himself has nearly all the same whimsy and charm as his [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog video game counterpart]], but is far more murderous and irredeemable, having personally taken over and destroyed the alternate Mobius he hails from.
* ''Comicbook/{{Batman}}'':

* Erik Killmonger from the ''Comicbook/BlackPanther'' series. He presents himself as a WellIntentionedExtremist who wants to conquer Wakanda because he genuinely thinks he'd be better for the country than T'Challa, but in reality, he's mostly motivated by revenge. He even boasts that he'd murder the entire population just so long as it meant that T'Challa would no longer be able to rule over them.
* The ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain Bullseye. He may be a PsychoForHire with few redeeming features, but he does love to [[DeadpanSnarker quip]]. His [[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX MAX counterpart]] is even more friendly, seeming downright ''cheerful'' most of the time. But that's probably because he's a [[AxeCrazy complete and utter maniac]] who makes mainstream-Bullseye look sane.

* [[Comicbook/{{Deadpool}} Deadpool]] varies between this and being genuinely AffablyEvil. He's always had SuccessThroughInsanity, but he varies between being a NobleDemon and being Faux Affably Evil, depending on his current state of sanity/[[DependingOnTheWriter writer]]. When Creator/NolanNorth voiced him, he played a CompositeCharacter version, with the personality and dashing good looks of Deadpool in the main universe (in which his morality and sanity varies) and the motivation of ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Deadpool (in which he is a [[CapeBusters Cape Buster]] and straight up villain).

* ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'':

* The Xenophage, an alien that preys on symbiotes like Comicbook/{{Venom}}, is a very eloquent brain-eating monster.

** In ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', Lex is a xenophobic, pitiless, egomaniac, manipulative, murderous, smug monster. He directly or indirectly murdered [[spoiler:Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'s baby [[Franchise/{{Superman}} cousin]] and Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}'s parents]]. However, he is always cool and polite. He even beams at you as he explains that he has been manipulating you all along and he is now going to kill you.

* The ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'':

* In ''{{Podcast/Wolf 359}}'', the protagonists discover that their bosses are involved in some sort of evil conspiracy and are almost certainly plotting to kill them. When, we finally meet a member of Mission Command, Mr. Cutter is exceedingly polite, soft-spoken, and personable. In fact, he is all of these things to such an exaggerated degree that it comes across as a bit unnerving. It quickly becomes clear that his friendly demeanor is just a calculated façade he uses to better play his role as a [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate executive]]. And he's very good at his job - by the time he makes his exit, he's played various mind games with the characters, sown seeds of doubt about everything they're doing, and manipulated them into considering killing a person... all while addressing them on a first-name basis, asking about their Christmas celebrations, and telling them how happy he is with the great work they're doing. Since both characters and audience are aware that he is an active and present threat, the fact that he's so overbearingly polite and friendly just makes him feel more unnerving and unpredictable.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':

** Depending on your opinion on the alignment in the setting, Amberley Veil, Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos, is a particular example that might fit with the trope. More generally, any leader of the designated good guys[[note]]Imperium, Tau and Eldar[[/note]] who isn't too busy being an obvious jerk, a LargeHam or a genuine good guy (the later being very rare instance) fits the description as well. [[note]]It is very CrapsackWorld. Even that IG soldier that isn't [[CiaphasCain "cheerfully sociopathic maniac"]] is probably xenophobic, overzealous ShellShockedVeteran that will shoot down a worker mob rebelling against unbearable conditions on his 16-hours workplace without flinching an eye.[[/note]]

* ''WebComic/DragonBallMultiverse'': [[spoiler: U4 Buu. Even as he's ''absorbing the entire stadium'', he doesn't fail to crack a few jokes, but it's clear from, well, the fact that he's absorbing the entire stadium shows that he has no remorse or desire to hold back.]]

* ''WebComic/GhostsOfTheFuture'': [[spoiler:Nicole]]. She appears as friendly and approachable as her mainstream counterpart. But don't let that fool you - she's got a cruel streak matched only by her ruthlessness.

* ''WebComic/TowerOfGod'': In the first season, Hansung Yu is always smiling and offering people [[TrademarkFavoriteFood instant coffee]], but he's revealed to be both willing to manipulate however [[BreakTheCutie ruthlessly]] it need be for his ultimate goal... and just plain sadistic sometimes. The end of the second season and the beginning of the third start to show a different side of him, though. His younger self seems to have been more like just genuinely affable (and not evil).

* Black Hat Man from ''WebComic/{{XKCD}}'', he has no qualms with killing and actively attempts to hurt and humiliate random strangers, but will calmly and politely explain why most of the time.

* ''WebComic/KillSixBillionDemons'': When King Pryan Sor approaches DimensionLord and EvilOverlord Mottom with a "gift" of the bones of his people who have died of famine because of her actions, she gently tells her she's been touched by his words and promises to grant him unending life and the ability to feed others. Then she violently transforms him into a tree.

* ''WebComic/TowerOfGod'': In the first season, Hansung Yu is always smiling and offering people [[TrademarkFavoriteFood instant coffee]], but he's revealed to be both willing to manipulate however [[BreakTheCutie ruthlessly]] it need be for his ultimate goal... and just plain sadistic sometimes. The end of the second season and the beginning of the third start to show a different side of him, though.

* Yocchi from ''Webcomic/{{Yamara}}''. There's hardly anything "redeeming" about her, as she happily plays villain, but...She manages to be so stylish and funny even in the ToThePain [[http://yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2005-12-08 sequence]] that even her victim [[http://yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2005-12-12 doesn't seem]] to hold too much of a grudge, and after all, she herself is [[http://yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2005-12-22 known to be]] TooKinkyToTorture, cheerfully crazy, ''and'' TheChewToy to boot, so it's somehow hard to blame her.

A villain whose politeness is an act that only serves to ''enhance'' their evil. Unlike AffablyEvil characters, whose niceness is genuine despite their malice, these villains ''adopt'' this pleasant persona. They lack a villainous demeanor, yet they are truly, wholly, and unrepentantly evil regardless. This kind of villain maintains a [[MoodDissonance friendly, courteous mask]] even as they commit [[MoralEventHorizon incredibly heinous and horrific acts]]. An AffablyEvil villain will treat TheHero [[FriendlyEnemy like a friend]], genuinely regret having to fight them, and seriously try to win them over. A Faux Affably Evil villain will say, "You know, I always look forward to our little meetings" while [[ColdBloodedTorture gruesomely torturing]] them [[ForTheEvulz for fun]].

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Tirza, TheQueenpin of the Yellow Mask Gang, comes in and shoos away her men from torturing Myrna Dearfield, has the woman unmasked and acts as though the gang's brutality is excessive and tries to get Myrna to tell her where Dr. Dearfield's atomic weapon notes are hidden supposedly to prevent the men from doing more harm to Myrna, while at the same time drugging her. She also intends to kill Myrna for having seen her face and to track down Myrna's young son to use as leverage against her and to kill since he witnessed his mother's abduction.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Ethan is very chatty and lively...but its only to make him more unnerving.

** Both [[EvilMatriarch Irisu Kiyoka]] and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Sakaki Michiaki]] in ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoKajitsu''. Kiyoka is polite when it comes to conversation but considering the fact that she peppers her dialogue with either death threats or dickish insults along with her actions, it’s clear that she’s nothing but a petty sociopath. Michiaki seems to be a genuinely nice guy with a calm demeanor and reassuring smile, however he is mostly empty in the inside, only caring to further his corporate interests.

** Heath Oslo in ''VisualNovel/TheLabyrinthOfGrisaia'' and ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoRakuen'' is polite, well dressed and fairly charming, but he's also an internationally wanted terrorist, a [[PedoHunt pedophile]], and [[PlayingWithSyringes performs experiments on children]] that give them all cancer or cause them to commit suicide. He also has a nasty temper, but he keeps it bottled up at all times, so it's hard to tell when he's angry.

** Heath Oslo in ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoMeikyuu'' and ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoRakuen'' is polite, well dressed and fairly charming, but he's also an internationally wanted terrorist, a [[PedoHunt pedophile]], and [[PlayingWithSyringes performs experiments on children]] that give them all cancer or cause them to commit suicide. He also has a nasty temper, but he keeps it bottled up at all times, so it's hard to tell when he's angry.

* ''FanFic/HeartOfGoldCardcaptorSakura'': Shinatobe casually chats with Sakura and Syaoran, calmly asking them to "die for her." The fact that she asks them to do so as calmly and casually as asking them a favor completely freaks the two out. [[spoiler:As it turns out, Shina wasn't actually evil, just BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]
* Alex from an ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' fanfic named [[FanFic/{{Alex}} after her]] is really on polite terms even when it comes to hurting both [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Marceline]] and [[GratuitousPrincess Princess Bubblegum]].

* [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/71487/fallout-equestria-snowfall Fallout: Equestria: Snowfall]] has [[spoiler:King Sombra.]] While his current interactions with Sleet Gray and his friends makes him look like a polite and sociable pony, his true wickedness is revealed in the malevolent glee he takes in making the crystal pony among them nearly cross the DespairEventHorizon.

* [[LightIsNotGood Voodoo King Damballa]] of ''FanFic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'', or rather the side story ''Month of Sundays'', laughs and makes smart talk with the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Cosmic Hunting Dogs]] and is such a jovial guy...[[spoiler: who's currently under contract with Shotaro and revived him as a crazy marionette with nails for teeth and is currently doing that to Haruto Souma ''and'' Eiji Hino.]]
* One of the leaders of the HCS, in ''FanFic/HumanCuriosity''. When he finds that [[Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia England]] has escaped confinement, he smiles, politely addresses him, and then beats the ever-loving tar out of him. He then has England dragged downstairs and forces him to look at [[spoiler:the frozen corpse of Portugal]] and, when England tries to attack him, calmly says to not act out or else he'll [[spoiler:be killed and frozen next.]]
* Yuuka Kazami in the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' fanfiction ''FanFic/ImperfectMetamorphosis'' takes great pride in being a gracious host and pleasant conversationalist, and is completely unapologetic about her passion for torture, rape, and mass murder. Indeed, part of the reason [[TheDreaded everyone finds her so terrifying]] is that no one knows how much of her pleasantry is an act, and she is just as likely to affectionately pat someone on the head as she is to casually crush their skull.

* The dark wizard [[SmugSnake Lung]] from the WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures fic ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'' starts out seemingly polite, if a bit condescending. Then he starts torturing Jade in order to try and break her to his will.
* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'': Jovian and Jacqueline Kikion often act polite and sweet, but are openly {{sadist}}ic {{Psycho Lesbian}}s and {{Blood Knight}}s who thrive on causing people pain, doing such things as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexually abusing]] Felucia and Kyouko while holding them hostage and blowing up Tsukune's house right in front of him [[ForTheEvulz for shits and giggles]].
* WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime fanfiction ''Fanfic/TheSevenHunters'' introduces Calin, a fastbiter who puts on a smug, yet cordial demeanor. He even waves and talks in a conversational tone as ''he is discussing how his pack is going to kill the dinosaurs that he is conversing with''.
* ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'':

* Intentionally subverted by Peter Pettigrew in ''Fanfic/{{Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin}}''. As Harry himself put it: “He makes a point of trying to act charming and likeable and deliberately failing....And because he fails to be charming and likeable, people think they see through him and find Lord Potter’s ruthless fixer behind the false image. And they never guess that the ruthless fixer is just another false image to hide the back-stabbing Death Eater that represents his true self.”

* ''FanFic/DayOfTheBarneyTrilogy:'' Barney and Baby Bop are turned into this. They maintain their cute, friendly, lovable children's show host mannerisms even as they order out the genocide of adults. They act incredibly friendly to children, but will decapitate boys and impregnate girls with creatures that will kill them during pregnancy once said children turn 13, which they consider to be too old.

* In ''FanFic/TheWeaverOption'' the pirate admiral Travelliath Sliscus likes to present himself as an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste affable, benevolent]] [[FakeAristocrat noble]]. He's also the 92nd most wanted being in the galaxy due to his countless atrocities, including completely depopulating ''fifty worlds'' because they mispronounced his name. Even his allies are well aware that given the slightest reason he'll viciously murder them and make a quip while doing so.

** Even moreso than that is Asdrubael Vect, who is an absolute smuggernaut of raw evil. Though, considering he's a Dark Eldar, the Archon, in fact, this is given.

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

* Greek mythology included Procrustes. A blacksmith who would allow travelers to rest in his home for the night and behave extremely polite toward them...until they were asleep. He always offered them a bed. If they were too short to be a perfect fit, he would get out his blacksmith tools and stretch them out (the guests, not the bed). If they were too tall to make it a perfect fit, he'd get out his blacksmith tools and cut off their limbs. If they were a perfect fit, [[MortonsFork he'd hide the bed and show them another that they didn't fit just perfectly in]]. Acting like a perfectly polite and friendly host in order to hide his sadistic, murderous nature, Procrustes demonstrated this trope quite well.

* The {{Big Bad}}s of the ''Franchise/GrisaiaSeries'' are like this:

* In ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead,'' HumanoidAbomination the Thistle Man first approaches the {{Narrator}} by engaging in seemingly genial, folksy small-talk that leaves her very unnerved. She notes that "nothing about his tone matched [what] he was saying," and subsequently pegs him as having decided to bother her from the first. He keeps up the pretense when inviting her to "see sumthin' funny," which happens to be a private display of his ability to pacify and slowly kill a hapless victim of his choosing, [[spoiler: by eating him alive.]]

-->'''Frieza''': I hear these heroic speeches so wearily often. So I started keeping a mental list of how many times I hear certain lines.
-->'''Namekian RedShirt''': You... you insane bastard!
-->'''Freiza''' ''(cheerfully)'': A hundred and ninety!

** [[TheDragon Cinder Fall]] is [[TheCharmer very charismatic and capable of putting on a polite front as a means of getting what she wants]]. However, it is all a facade to hide her true sinister nature. When negotiating with Adam and the White Fang, she acts polite and respectful towards him and begrudgingly forces herself to bow in respect when he refuses her offer. However, once she obtains half of the Fall Maiden's power, she returns and slaughters his men [[JoinOrDie to force him to join her plans]]. When overlooking the chaos in Vale, she revels in the carnage and tells Mercury to record it. As her sanity decays throughout Volume 5, Cinder's polite facade becomes less sincere as more of her sadistic side shines through, seen in her negotiations with Raven where her politeness is undercut by her thinly-veiled death threats towards her and her tribe.
** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jacques Schnee]], for all his polite talk, [[ManOfWealthAndTaste refined style and mannerisms]] and philanthropic efforts, was the man who brought the Schnee Dust Company to the current "morally grey area" of operations with heavy abuse of its workers, human and Faunus alike, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity covered up by throwing]] [[SlaveToPR tons of PR efforts on it]], -- all to satisfy his pure unadulterated {{Greed}}. It doesn't help that [[spoiler:the [=SDC=] is heavily implied to play a part in the StartOfDarkness for [[RevengeBeforeReason Adam Taurus]], in the end turning him into [[ANaziByAnyOtherName a genocidal human-hating maniac]].]] And that's before getting to his treatment of his family, which resulted in his wife Willow -- who he married in the first place to get control of her father's company -- [[DrowningMySorrows turning to heavy drinking]] and his daughters -- first Winter, then Weiss -- leaving their GildedCage of a home to pursue a career of an army officer and a Huntress respectively.