History Main / KnightOfCerebus

In order to [[CerebusSyndrome add more drama to a series which has been, up until that moment, lighthearted and comedic in nature,]] a villain (or antagonist of some sort) is introduced and is portrayed as a genuine threat, in contrast to the [[HarmlessVillain bumbling]] and [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain comedic villains]] the heroes have faced before. The villian's arrival is sudden, and is usually either a totally new character, or a character that has undergone a particularly [[FromNobodyToNightmare dramatic]] FaceHeelTurn.

%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image.

!!Example Subpages:

!!Other Examples:

A Knight of Cerebus may be a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, or even an InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. They are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. Sometimes this type of character can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series. Often this character's arrival is a GutPunch.

Remember, CerebusSyndrome is a prerequisite for this trope. '''The Knight of Cerebus heralds a long-term tone shift in an episodic work and cannot exist within a single installment.''' An [[TheClimax increase in danger]] as a conflict escalates is [[OmnipresentTropes present]] in almost any story with a villain, and is not automatically notable. Can overlap with VileVillainSaccharineShow when the setting itself contrasts heavily with the character's grimness (and in fact, VileVillainSaccharineShow may be what you want for a single work).

%%* Stalker in ''Literature/{{Tasakeru}}''.

* KnightOfCerebus/WebComics

!Examples:

* KnightOfCerebus/{{Film}}

* KnightOfCerebus/{{Webcomics}}
* KnightOfCerebus/WebOriginal

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!!Other examples:

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/NewWorldOrder. They debuted in one of wrestling's most cartoony eras and proceeded to utterly annihilate every face who stood in their way. They were led by Wrestling/HulkHogan, formerly an InvincibleHero, now a cruel and vindictive heel who loved to play the numbers game. Hell, they were so dark that Sting went through a personality 180 from a cheery surfer to a brooding Crow-type just so he could effectively combat them!
* Wrestling/TheUndertaker's Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness. They crucified and hanged their enemies, kidnapped women, brainwashed midcarders, made blood pacts in the middle of the ring... only infighting and The Undertaker getting injured put an end to them.
* Wrestling/TheNexus made their debut by savagely beating down everyone around the ring- and we mean ''everyone''. The faces, the heels, the trainers, the announcers, the commentators... they even destroyed the ring! Wrestling/RAW ended with the seven of them standing tall, everything around them utterly annihilated. [[FromBadToWorse And it got worse from there.]]
* Wrestling/TheWyattFamily. With the WWE's current LighterAndSofter atmosphere, it's really jarring to see a gimmick like this one, especially considering it may be one of the most disturbing and genuinely unnerving characters in the history of the company.
-->"Hey, wanna see something... really scary?"
** Taken UpToEleven with Wrestling/BrayWyatt's "The Fiend" persona. How so? When he debuted at [=SummerSlam=] 2019, the show was given a TV-14 rating simply because of his presence. And what is Bray like when he’s not the Fiend? A frightening but ultimately harmless DepravedKidsShowHost.
* A well-booked WrestlingMonster usually qualifies, since they will steamroll face after face until someone puts them down. Well-known examples include Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, Wrestling/MarkHenry since his 2011 FaceHeelTurn, and even Wrestling/BethPhoenix.
* Wrestling/TheShield. While they've started to fall apart in 2014, they debuted as a brutal SWAT Team-like trio who would steamroll anyone with flawless teamwork and then Triple Powerbomb them through a table.
* Wrestling/RandyOrton. It's easy to forget that, prior to the summer of 2007 when he really began to establish himself as a main-event heel, WWE had for months and months been a carnival of kooky gimmicks: evil cheerleaders, [[Wrestling/{{Hornswoggle}} a leprechaun]], a "[[Wrestling/{{Boogeyman}} monster]]" who ate worms, Wrestling/BookerT thinking he was a medieval king, Mr. [=McMahon=] getting his head shaved...Even the [[{{Kayfabe}} (kayfabe)]] destruction of [=McMahon=]'s limo and Wrestling/ChrisBenoit's (real-life) death earlier that summer couldn't quite put a damper on the silliness. Then Orton loses his title bout against Wrestling/JohnCena at ''[=SummerSlam=]'', pouts about it...and, after Jonathan Coachman tells him that he hasn't "proven himself" yet, [[MoralEventHorizon kicks Cena's father in the head]] just to ''guarantee'' that he'll get a rematch.
* Wrestling/SethRollins has gotten progressively unhinged, then came the last RAW of 2014. He holds Wrestling/{{Edge}} hostage and actually threatens to kill or at least paralyze him via NeckSnap. When John Cena tries to save him, Seth orders him to stop and laughs that if Edge is unable to hold his daughter for the rest of his life due to paralysis, it is all on Cena's head. Cena gives in to all of Seth's demands, only for him to calmly say, "Damn, you gotta know me better than that, John. I'm gonna kill him anyway." Fortunately, Cena was able to stop him from stomping on Edge's neck, but still.
* Wrestling/KevinSteen was already a pretty dark character in his "wrestling's worst nightmare" persona, but then he came to NXT under the name Kevin Owens. He has since established himself as the [[TheSociopath darkest]], [[AxCrazy cruelest]], [[ManipulativeBastard most heartless]] heel in NXT's young history- injuring anyone who he doesn't like, damn near killing his former best friend Wrestling/SamiZayn, and generally asserting himself as someone who does not give a damn about who or what he breaks on his way to the top. Case in point, he vowed to beat Wrestling/JohnCena at ''Elimination Chamber 2015'' and he kept his promise, not only throwing everything he got, but also got a '''CLEAN''' win over Cena, which very few in the WWE have managed to do.
* Wrestling/LuchaUnderground has three Knights of Cerebus
** First there is Pentagon Jr. a brutal luchador who became this when he started attacking and breaking the arms of those on the roster, snapping them like twigs and dedicating each one to his [[EvilMentor Master]]. Showing zero interest in capturing titles as the only thing that mattered was sacrificing limbs to his Master. He even proved that gender was no issue to him when he not only attempted to [[WouldHitAGirl break the arms]] of the ring announcer but Sexy Star as well.
** Second is Mil Muertes, a giant of a man who flat out demolishes those he faces. Unlike others on the roster, [[NoNonsenseNemesis he]] does not waste any time or give his opponents even though he outclasses them opportunities to fight against him.
** Last but not least is Matanza, who is the brother of The owner of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto. Kept locked in a cell in the basement in The Temple, its been stated that he was responsible for the deaths of Black Lotus's parents and also her village. He's kept locked up and we never get a scene with him but the only sound you hear is his snarling and breathing from within his cell. Matanza finally proved himself to be this when Dario, furious after a henchmen of his had failed, forced them against the bars of Matanza's cell and Matanaza destroyed him with blood splattering all over the room.
* Wrestling/JimmyHavoc became this for Wrestling/{{Progress Wrestling}} when he turned heel, before that most of the heels were just assholes, Havoc was Ax-Crazy, some of the things he did was threaten to set Mark Andrews on fire for a title match and he tried to cut Will Ospreay's ear off to make a point to the companies management. When he was threatening to set Mark Andrews on fire for a title match someone from the crowd shouted out "you're a psychopath".
* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} is pretty well known in the wrestling world for being a mostly lighthearted, family-friendly and often comedic wrestling promotion, filled with goofy colourful gimmicks, slapstick comedy routines during matches, and storylines that would not seem out of place in a superhero comic. And then in 2014 along came The Flood, a massive stable of almost every single major villain and rudo-stable the company had ever seen. And leading them was Wrestling/{{Deucalion}}, a massive body-armour-clad black-eyed super-soldier in a gas mask who looked more than a little bit like Bane from the Batman comics, with one goal: To destroy CHIKARA and all that it stands for, from the inside out. What resulted was a massive year-long war between The Flood and the technico-wrestlers. Now CHIKARA had seen it fair share of serious villains, such as Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes and GEKIDO, but there was one major difference: Deucalion was not afraid to kill (in kayfabe, anyway) any wrestler that got in his way, regardless of what side of the war they were on. And he had been responsible for the 'deaths' of six wrestlers before he finally met his demise at the hands of Icarus. To date he is still the darkest and most dangerous wrestler that CHIKARA has ever seen.
* Wrestling/JakeRoberts: A thinking man's heel, "The Snake" was ahead of his time with his masterful promos and character work. Some of his most "memorable" KickTheDog moments include [=DDTing=] Wrestling/RickySteamboat on concrete, locking Wrestling/UltimateWarrior in a room full of snakes, and having Wrestling/RandySavage bitten by a king cobra in front of a live audience. It is telling that even The Undertaker, who was once his accomplice, eventually [[EvenEvilHasStandards had enough of his actions]] and [[HeelFaceTurn turned against him]].

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

->''"All my days were happy, fun and cheerful. I liked that world and peace that we had. In that world, there were only thieves who stole wallets from citizens and we played who would get him first. Funny days... Normal days... School, hanging out with girls and finally beating delinquents. But one day they came... that thing came! They took everything from me! My life and my home! My friends are dead! My family was killed in front of me! My happy world fell into darkness and despair! "''

** Taken UpToEleven with Wrestling/BrayWyatt's "The Fiend" persona. How so? When he debuted at [=SummerSlam=] 2019, the show was given a TV-14 rating simply because of his presence.

In order to [[CerebusSyndrome add more drama to a series which has been, up until that moment, lighthearted and comedic in nature,]] a villain (or antagonist of some sort) is introduced and is portrayed as a genuine threat, in contrast to the [[HarmlessVillain bumbling]] and [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain comedic villains]] the heroes have faced before. The villian's arrival is sudden, and he is usually either a totally new character, or a character that has undergone a particularly [[FromNobodyToNightmare dramatic]] FaceHeelTurn.

Their opposite is the FunPersonified, who may not be able to change the tone as effectively, but still work to prevent things from getting ''too'' dark. See also DeadSerious and NotSoHarmlessVillain, when a villain starts as ridiculous but, because of some change from within, ends up becoming this. Compare ShooOutTheClowns, when the darker tone coincides with decreased screentime for comedic characters.

See also DeadSerious and NotSoHarmlessVillain, when a villain starts as ridiculous but, because of some change from within, ends up becoming this. Compare ShooOutTheClowns, when the darker tone coincides with decreased screentime for comedic characters.

A Knight of Cerebus may be a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, or even a nigh-invincible or InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. They are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. Sometimes this type of character can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series. Often this character's arrival is a GutPunch.

A Knight of Cerebus may be a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, or even an InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. They are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. Sometimes this type of character can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series. Often this character's arrival is a GutPunch.

See also DeadSerious and NotSoHarmlessVillain, when a villain starts as ridiculous but, because of some changes, ends up becoming this. Compare ShooOutTheClowns, when the darker tone coincides with decreased screentime for comedic characters.

* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} is pretty well known in the wrestling world for being a mostly lighthearted, family-friendly and often comedic wrestling promotion, filled with goofy colourful gimmicks, slapstick comedy routines during matches, and storylines that would not seem out of place in a superhero comic. And then in 2014 along came The Flood, a massive stable of almost every single major villain and rudo-stable the company had ever seen. And leading them was Wrestling/{{Deucalion}}, a massive body-armour-clad black-eyed super-soldier in a gas mask who looked more than a little bit like Bane from the Batman comics, with one goal: To destroy CHIKARA and all that it stands for, from the inside out. What resulted was a massive year-long war between The Flood and the technico-wrestlers. Now CHIKARA had seen it fair share of serious villains, such as the BDK and the GEKIDO stables, but there was one major difference: Deucalion was not afraid to kill (in kayfabe, anyway) any wrestler that got in his way, regardless of what side of the war they were on. And he had been responsible for the 'deaths' of six wrestlers before he finally met his demise at the hands of Icarus. To date he is still the darkest and most dangerous wrestler that CHIKARA has ever seen.

* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} is pretty well known in the wrestling world for being a mostly lighthearted, family-friendly and often comedic wrestling promotion, filled with goofy colourful gimmicks, slapstick comedy routines during matches, and storylines that would not seem out of place in a superhero comic. And then in 2014 along came The Flood, a massive stable of almost every single major villain and rudo-stable the company had ever seen. And leading them was Deucalion, a massive body-armour-clad black-eyed super-soldier in a gas mask who looked more than a little bit like Bane from the Batman comics, with one goal: To destroy CHIKARA and all that it stands for, from the inside out. What resulted was a massive year-long war between The Flood and the technico-wrestlers. Now CHIKARA had seen it fair share of serious villains, such as the BDK and the GEKIDO stables, but there was one major difference: Deucalion was not afraid to kill (in kayfabe, anyway) any wrestler that got in his way, regardless of what side of the war they were on. And he had been responsible for the 'deaths' of six wrestlers before he finally met his demise at the hands of Icarus. To date he is still the darkest and most dangerous wrestler that CHIKARA has ever seen.

** The first to appear were the four Chaos Gods. Before they showed up, humanity was more or less kicking ass and taking names. Then the Chaos Gods make their presence known by corrupting [[TheHero Horus]], turning half of humanity to their side, nearly wiping out all of Terra, having their new servant Horus cripple [[BigGood The Emperor]] and indirectly causing the imperium of man to become the CrapsackWorld it is today. However, this was only in the Horus Heresy, and it only really applied to humanity. After their first defeat, humanity began gaining ground against the forces of Chaos until they [[VillainThreatDecay downgraded]] to TheUsualAdversaries. Something that The Eldar ALREADY saw them as.

--> "Hey, wanna see something... really scary?"

** Last but not least is Matanza, who is the brother of The owner of Lucha Underground, Dario Cueto. Kept locked in a cell in the basement in The Temple, its been stated that he was responsible for the deaths of Black Lotus's parents and also her village. He's kept locked up and we never get a scene with him but the only sound you hear is his snarling and breathing from within his cell.
*** Matanza finally proved himself to be this when Dario, furious after a henchmen of his had failed, forced them against the bars of Matanza's cell and Matanaza destroyed him with blood splattering all over the room.

** Then came the [[OutsideContextProblem Tyranids]]. In their very first attack, they crippled the most well respected Space Marines in the galaxy. In their second, it took both the Eldar AND Humanity working together just to gain a PyrrhicVictory over them. And their third assault STILL hasn't been stopped, [[GodzillaThreshold despite the sacrifice of billions upon billions of humans]]. Every time a Hive Fleet has appeared, the races of the galaxy have had to cross the GodzillaThreshold in order to stop it. EVERY Hive Fleet is treated as an apocalyptic event for the galaxy and these are just the ''[[UpToEleven scouting fleets]]'', the main force isn't even here yet. While every other Race has spent millennia fighting over one galaxy, the Tyranids are implied to have consumed ''multiple ones''. This is just their next meal. The ''Chaos Gods'' are [[HorrifyingTheHorror scared]] of the Tyranids, because they have the power to completely block out the Warp. And the Tyranids are implied to be ''running away'' from something [[AlwaysABiggerFish EVEN WORSE]].

* TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} effectively has [[SerialEscalation two]] in its history.

** Then came the [[OutsideContextProblem Tyranids]]. In their very first attack, they crippled the most well respected Space Marines in the galaxy. In their second, it took both the Eldar AND Humanity working together just to gain a PyrrhicVictory over them. And their third assault STILL hasn't been stopped, [[GodzillaThreshold despite the sacrifice of billions upon billions of humans]]. Every time a Hive Fleet has appeared, the races of the galaxy have had to cross the GodzillaThreshold in order to stop it. EVERY Hive Fleet is treated as an apocalyptic event for the galaxy and these are just the ''[[UpToEleven scouting fleets]]'', the main force isn't even here yet. While every other Race has spent millenia fighting over one galaxy, the Tyranids are implied to have consumed MULTIPLE. This is just their next meal. The Chaos Gods are [[HorrifyingTheHorror SCARED]] of the Tyranids. Because they have the power to completely block out The Warp. And the Tyranids are implied to be ''running away'' from something [[AlwaysABiggerFish EVEN WORSE]].

* Jimmy Havoc became this for Wrestling/{{Progress Wrestling}} when he turned heel, before that most of the heels were just assholes, Havoc was Ax-Crazy, some of the things he did was threaten to set Mark Andrews on fire for a title match and he tried to cut Will Ospreay's ear off to make a point to the companies management. When he was threatening to set Mark Andrews on fire for a title match someone from the crowd shouted out "you're a psychopath".

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'' is extremely lighthearted up until Mordred arrives, and then starts building toward a genuine tragedy. This could easily have caused MoodWhiplash, but it's handled extremely well.
* Also in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' when the female giant shows up in act II, lets just say things go down hill from there.
* Similar to the above, the entrance of Bill Sykes near the beginning of Act II of ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' means the story gets ''much'' darker from that point on.
* Don John from ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' is definitely a VileVillainSaccharineShow and his EvilPlan causes CerebusSyndrome to kick in.
* ''Theatre/GreatBritain'' is initially something of a BlackComedy romp about the poor ethics of the British tabloid press, with Paige Britain using her sex appeal and lack of morals to get further ahead. However, two characters manage to cause CerebusSyndrome to kick in during the second half:
** The model Stella Stone is at first something of a joke, appearing to be a BrainlessBeauty that gets a boob job to sell more photos and get better work on Page 7 of the Free Press. However, come the second act her character arc turns into a depressingly real look into anorexia. [[spoiler:Her condition eventually worsens to the point that she cannot recover, one of her family members (it's not revealed who) leaks this to the press, and eventually Paige heartlessly buys the exclusive rights to her death story for £100,000]].
** Kieron Mills, a man suspected by some members of the public of either killing his daughters or selling them, is something of a plot device for the first act, with him being used as a joke about the tabloid press going berserk about paedophilia. His being arrested is also a case of BlackComedy due to the absurd headline that he is given. However, the scene where he and Paige talk in the mental institution is ''not'' PlayedForLaughs, where Paige's questioning makes him go berserk. It later turns out that [[spoiler:Free Press were completely wrong about him, and that the bodies of his daughters were found far away from where he was suspected to have done things. Of course, by the time they find this out, it is far too late and some fellow inmates have stabbed him to death in a misguided case of EvenEvilHasStandards]]. This kicks off the climax and causes the humour to more or less disappear entirely.
* Mortimer's twisted brother Jonathan, being a ruthlessly sadistic sociopath with a short temper and very little (and quite dry) humour, feels like belonging more to a crime-thriller kind of story than even the lighthearted BlackComedy that is ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace''.
[[/folder]]

Remember, CerebusSyndrome is a prerequisite for this trope. '''The Knight of Cerebus heralds a long-term tone shift in an episodic work and cannot exist within a single installment.''' An [[TheClimax increase in danger]] as a conflict escalates is [[OmnipresentTropes present]] in almost any story with a villain, and is not automatically notable. Can overlap with VileVillainSaccharineShow when the setting itself contrasts heavily with the character's grimness.

In order to [[CerebusSyndrome add more drama to a series which has been, up until that moment, lighthearted and comedic in nature,]] a villain (or antagonist of some sort) is introduced and is portrayed as a genuine threat, in contrast to the [[HarmlessVillain bumbling]] and [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain comedic villains]] the heroes have faced before.

This villain's arrival is usually heralded by a sudden downturn in humor (although if the villain in question is [[LaughablyEvil amusing in their own right]], expect it to turn into BlackComedy), to show the audience this one means business. In other words, a catalyst for a drastic change in mood toward the dark and dramatic. There are examples of characters who take the story to darker territory without being villainous in the slightest, but this trope is reserved for evil creatures. Grim-dark shows and stories that take place in a CrapsackWorld are much less susceptible to this kind of influence since it is really hard to stand out as the darkest when everyone is really dark, but even they have exceptions when the plot is [[BlackComedy comedic in a dark way]] and the character in question is on an entirely different level of terrifying and serious. This isn't only about the character themself, it is also about their relation to the story.

In shows that are generally LighterAndSofter, said villain may have [[LaughablyEvil some light-hearted or comical traits]], but still gives a much higher sense of dread and genuine threat to the heroes than previous adversaries. Some cases of the trope may be harder to define by comparison in a particularly ineffective RoguesGallery, though a clear cut example at the very least can actually place the protagonist in real danger compared with the HarmlessVillain that [[PokeThePoodle poked his poodle]] in a previous arc. A typical symptom of CerebusSyndrome.

A Knight of Cerebus is very likely to be an [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]] [[LaserGuidedTykebomb trained for killing]], or even a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, but also runs the risk of becoming an InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may also be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. Arch-enemies are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. It could even be the night of cerberus quality that makes the villian an arch-enemy. Arguably a subtrope of ThresholdGuardians. See also DeadSerious, NotSoHarmlessVillain when a villain starts as ridiculous but, because of some changes, ends up becoming this. The show may ShooOutTheClowns first. Often, this results in a case of VileVillainSaccharineShow when the setting itself contrasts heavily with the character's grimness. When this kicks off CerebusSyndrome, his or her arrival is a GutPunch. Sometimes, this type of character, if bad enough, can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series.

This villain's arrival is usually heralded by a sudden downturn in humor (although if the villain in question is [[LaughablyEvil amusing in their own right]], expect it to turn into BlackComedy), to show the audience this guy means business. In other words, a catalyst for a drastic change in mood toward the dark and dramatic.There are examples of characters who take the story to darker territory without being villainous in the slightest, but this trope is reserved for evil creatures. Grim-dark shows and stories that take place in a CrapsackWorld are much less susceptible to this kind of influence since it is really hard to stand out as the darkest when everyone is really dark, but even they have exceptions when the plot is [[BlackComedy comedic in a dark way]] and the character in question is on an entirely different level of terrifying and serious. This isn't only about the character himself, it is also about his relation to the story.

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'' is largely a realistic show about realistic small-town problems, frequently more comedy than drama. It had a few forays into serious territory early on, whether it was an adaptation of a Bible story or a robbery... but when Dr. Blackgaard showed up, things ''changed''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* ''Theatre/{{Camelot}}'' is extremely lighthearted up until Mordred arrives, and then starts building toward a genuine tragedy. This could easily have caused MoodWhiplash, but it's handled extremely well.
* Also in ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' when the female giant shows up in act II, lets just say things go down hill from there.
* Similar to the above, the entrance of Bill Sykes near the beginning of Act II of ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'' means the story gets ''much'' darker from that point on.
* Don John from ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' is definitely a VileVillainSaccharineShow and his EvilPlan causes CerebusSyndrome to kick in.
* ''Theatre/GreatBritain'' is initially something of a BlackComedy romp about the poor ethics of the British tabloid press, with Paige Britain using her sex appeal and lack of morals to get further ahead. However, two characters manage to cause CerebusSyndrome to kick in during the second half:
** The model Stella Stone is at first something of a joke, appearing to be a BrainlessBeauty that gets a boob job to sell more photos and get better work on Page 7 of the Free Press. However, come the second act her character arc turns into a depressingly real look into anorexia. [[spoiler:Her condition eventually worsens to the point that she cannot recover, one of her family members (it's not revealed who) leaks this to the press, and eventually Paige heartlessly buys the exclusive rights to her death story for £100,000]].
** Kieron Mills, a man suspected by some members of the public of either killing his daughters or selling them, is something of a plot device for the first act, with him being used as a joke about the tabloid press going berserk about paedophilia. His being arrested is also a case of BlackComedy due to the absurd headline that he is given. However, the scene where he and Paige talk in the mental institution is ''not'' PlayedForLaughs, where Paige's questioning makes him go berserk. It later turns out that [[spoiler:Free Press were completely wrong about him, and that the bodies of his daughters were found far away from where he was suspected to have done things. Of course, by the time they find this out, it is far too late and some fellow inmates have stabbed him to death in a misguided case of EvenEvilHasStandards]]. This kicks off the climax and causes the humour to more or less disappear entirely.
* Mortimer's twisted brother Jonathan, being a ruthlessly sadistic sociopath with a short temper and very little (and quite dry) humour, feels like belonging more to a crime-thriller kind of story than even the lighthearted BlackComedy that is ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace''.
[[/folder]]

* Similar to the above, the entrance of Bill Sykes near the beginning of Act II of ''Theatre/Oliver'' means the story gets ''much'' darker from that point on.

* Similar to the above, the entrance of Bill Sykes near the beginning of Act II of ''Theatre/Oliver!'' means the story gets ''much'' darker from that point on.

-> ''"All my days were happy, fun and cheerful. I liked that world and peace that we had. In that world, there were only thieves who stole wallets from citizens and we played who would get him first. Funny days... Normal days... School, hanging out with girls and finally beating deliquents. But one day they came... that thing came! They took everything from me! My life and my home! My friends are dead! My family was killed in front of me! My happy world fell into darkness and despair! "''