History Main / LaughingMad

* [[spoiler:Azula]] in the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', during a schizo FreakOut.

* In an early ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' arc when both Garfield and Odie run away, Jon calls out for them, thinking they're playing a joke. Then, he starts laughing. [[http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1986/ga860828.gif Cue his neighbor's reaction]]:

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13722414/6/The-Villainess-quits The Villainess Quits]]'', Malty breaks down in drunken insane laughter at Naofumi ''still'' being framed for rape despite her doing all she could to prevent it. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome This naturally convinces both Naofumi and his alleged victim that she planned the whole thing]].

* In ''Film/Batman1989'', the Joker laughs a ''lot'' during the film, with him going way off the deep end near the climax when he is taunting Batman and Vicki while they are hanging for dear life. Joker even lampshades it in the same climax, where he goes into a fit of laughter, turns to a gargoyle behind him and yells "What're you laughing at?!" and then resumes laughing.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Log Date 7 15 2", having [[HeelFaceTurn just committed treason against Homeworld]] by disobeying and [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu insulting Yellow Diamond]], [[spoiler: Peridot is having the FreakOut of a lifetime, alternating between fits of horror and fits of manic giggling while replaying the phrase "traitorous clod" over and over again on her tape recorder. When Steven asks if she'll be okay, she turns around with a manic grin and delivers an equally deranged [[BluntYes "No!"]]]]

** In "Fragments", a DrunkWithPower Steven does this in his CurbStompBattle with Jasper.

* In ''Film/DoctorAtSea'', Captain Hogg cackles maniacally during his drunken episode after he throws a bottle at Mr. Hornbeam.

Expect the laughing character to either gain control of themselves and apologize for losing it (while still [[SanitySlippage emotionally fragile]], of course), or, alternatively, simply [[StoppedCaring stop caring about life]]. This may lead to them becoming [[TheStoic distant]], or become [[AntiHero more harsh than before]].

* ''Literature/TheStorm'': As her husband bleeds out, the realisation that she truly killed him setting in, the wife smiles and laughs uncontrollably, the moonlight reflecting the blood on her face.

* In ''Webcomic/ILoveYoo'', when Nol gets [[spoiler: punched off a banister, landing on a glass table,]] he reacts by laughing and then immediately leaving the party.

* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': When Simon thinks he's [[spoiler:killed Grace]], [[VillainousBreakdown he has total mental breakdown]], CryLaughing maniacally as [[spoiler:his passenger number rapidly climbs up far enough to completely cover his face.]] The laughter stops ''really'' fast when he realizes [[spoiler:Grace survived]].

* In Creator/GuillermoDelToro's ''{{Film/Nightmare Alley|2021}}'', Stan Carlisle [[DespairEventHorizon snaps]] and breaks down laughing upon realizing [[spoiler: his ultimate fate of working as a carnival geek, [[DramaticIrony the very thing he despised the most]], after [[RichesToRags losing everything]] to Dr. Lilith Ritter.]]

* In ''Film/TheMummy1932'', after Ralph Norton sees the eponymous creature rise from its tomb and walk off, he is found giggling insanely and gibbering "he went for a little walk!"

* Buzz Lightyear in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' does this after realizing he's just a toy. ("You see this hat? I am Mrs. Nesbitt!") He stops after [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Woody slaps him]] with his own detached arm.

%%* The ''Franchise/EvilDead'' series is quite fond of this trope.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' turns a bleak scene -- two mortal enemies about to die together -- into an inappropriately hilarious one through this trope. In "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E02Convictions Convictions]]", a bombing leaves Londo [[LockedInAFreezer trapped in a burning elevator]] with G'Kar, right after [[spoiler:he orchestrated the total defeat and violent subjugation of G'Kar's people, which has driven G'Kar to desperation and despair]]. He points out that they are likely to die if they don't work together to escape, and that, whatever their differences, G'Kar wants to live just as badly as he does. Cue AnAesop, right? WRONG! G'Kar refuses to help, and tells Londo that he doesn't want to live NEARLY as much as he wants to see Londo die, and [[MurderByInaction this way he doesn't even have to do anything that would prompt retaliation]] - [[GallowsHumor all while giggling so hard he can barely speak]].

-->'''Millie''': Rob, what can I do?
-->'''Rob''': ''[still laughing]'' Take advantage of my temporary insanity and get out of here!

** When the "Battle of the Bastards" finally comes down to a one-on-one between Ramsay and Jon, Jon ends up straddling Ramsay's chest, pummeling him to a bloody pulp with his fists for all the hell Ramsay has done to his family and the devastation Ramsay has wreaked. After the first couple of punches, Ramsay starts laughing deliriously. After a few more punches, he suddenly ''stops'' laughing when it becomes clear that Jon is going to kill him then and there — but Jon stops when he sees his sister Sansa, who puts Ramsay awake (and smiling the best he can) in the dungeons. Then Sansa [[FedToTheBeast feeds Ramsay to Ramsay's own starving dogs]].

'''Dr Zharko (Creator/TomPoston):''' Mad, am I? MAAAD, AM I?! MWAHAHAHAAA!\\

'''Dr Zharko:''' ''[utterly straightfaced]'' Don't do what?

* ''Series/Babylon5'' turns a bleak scene - two mortal enemies about to die together - into an inappropriately hilarious one through this trope. In "Convictions", a bombing leaves Londo [[LockedInAFreezer trapped in a burning elevator]] with G'Kar, right after [[spoiler:he orchestrated the total defeat and violent subjugation of G'Kar's people, which has driven G'Kar to desperation and despair]]. He points out that they are likely to die if they don't work together to escape, and that, whatever their differences, G'Kar wants to live just as badly as he does. Cue AnAesop, right? WRONG! G'Kar refuses to help, and tells Londo that he doesn't want to live NEARLY as much as he wants to see Londo die, and [[MurderByInaction this way he doesn't even have to do anything that would prompt retaliation]] - [[GallowsHumor all while giggling so hard he can barely speak]].

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''. Fisk, XO of the Pegasus, has a disturbing laugh that he gives after relating how Admiral Cain executed his predecessor. Fisk gives another such outburst in "Resurrection Ship", earning himself a puzzled look from everyone in CIC, who are unaware that [[spoiler:Cain had just cancelled her orders to terminate them all.]]
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}''. In "[[Recap/BlackadderS1E6TheBlackSeal The Black Seal]]", Edmund Blackadder is trapped in a dungeon with an insane old man who laughs maniacally after Edmund asks if there's a way out. We are shown a cue card reading "[[TimeSkip Twelve Months Later]]". And the man is ''still'' laughing.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': in "[[Recap/BreakingBadS4E11CrawlSpace Crawl Space]]", [[spoiler:Walt's reaction when Skyler tells him she gave Ted the $600,000 they needed to escape Gus, who said he would kill them all if Walt interfered by tipping off the DEA about the hit on Hank... which Saul had done on Walt's orders mere minutes before.]]
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E12ProphecyGirl Prophecy Girl]]" Buffy has a mild episode of very unsettling laughter after she overhears [[spoiler:Giles talking about her upcoming prophesied death]]. Played straight with characters who are insane: [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Masie the invisible girl]], MadOracle vampire Drusilla, and Spike at the beginning of Season 7.

* ''Series/GetSmart''. Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 are captured by a MadScientist.

'''Dr Zharko (Creator/TomPoston):''' Mad, am I??? MAAAD AM I??? MWAHAHAHAAA!!!\\

* Adrian Monk in the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike" briefly went laughing mad after deciding to dump garbage trucks overflowing with garbage into the San Francisco Bay one at a time, and coming up with an insane theory about who murdered the Garbage Union Leader (it being the rock star Alice Cooper over envy over a chair) that was more or less done due to the piling garbage driving Monk completely insane, in addition to his previous theory being wrong (and for the record, the debunked theory was actually a lot closer to being correct compared to the second theory).

* In the series finale of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the Cardassian resistance is trying to storm Dominion headquarters, but they can't break down the door. At that point Garak, who has just seen his mother murdered and his childhood home destroyed, and is witnessing the genocide of his people literally happening all around them, cracks up. Then the others start following suit, before the Jem'Hadar open the doors to execute the puppet Cardassian leader, and the resistance takes advantage.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Film/TheDarkKnight "Let's put a SMILE on that face!"]]'']]

[[folder:Films — Animation]]
* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' has TheHyena, Ed, who communicates entirely with obnoxious laughter. Banzai and Shenzi also qualify, but to a far lesser extent. Cancelled storyboards indicated that [[spoiler:Scar]] would have undergone a heavy dose of Laughing Mad shortly after throwing Simba off Pride Rock before being consumed in the flames that destroy Pride Rock.
** It was also originally intended that Gaston from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' would have undergone similar reactions to ComicBook/TheJoker from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' when [[spoiler:falling to his doom upon stabbing the Beast (i.e. proceed to laugh maniacally while falling)]].
** In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', Frollo laughs evilly as he goes to stab Esmeralda with his sword. Given that his next line suggests he thinks he's doing God's will ("And He shall smite the wicked, and plunge them into the fiery pit!"), it's pretty likely he'd also gone mad with power.

* ''Film/AustinPowersInGoldmember'' had Dr. Evil dunking the Japanese CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Roboto into his "sharks with lasers on their head", which were gifts from his son Scott Evil. Although Dr. Evil and his followers did a simple EvilLaugh, Scott Evil's laughter, as well as Dr. Evil's horrified reaction to Scott Evil's amount of laughter, was more similar to Laughing Mad.