History Main / LeakingCanOFEvil

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', BigBad Dagoth Ur was initially defeated thousands of years ago and his physical form was destroyed. However, he had already used the [[MacGuffin Tools of Kagrenac]] on the [[GodIsDead Heart of Lorkhan]], allowing him to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend to godhood]]. Over the millennia that the Tribunal, a trio of Dunmeri [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]], ruled Morrowind, he coalesced and returned to a physical form. He ambushed the Tribunal on one of their yearly pilgrimages to the Heart to replenish their divinity and stole two of the Tools. Cut off from their source of power, the Tribunal erected the Ghostfence around Dagoth Ur's citadel of [[{{Mordor}} Red Mountain]], hoping to keep him contained. Unfortunately, his power has waxed since re-awaking, allowing him to spread his influence outside the Ghostfence via [[TheCorruption The Blight]] and [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone psychic dreams]] for his followers.

* In ''VideoGame/{{FEAR}}'', the [[RealityWarper exceptionally powerful]] and [[UnstoppableRage profoundly enraged]] psychic Alma was having a measurable effect upon the outside world long before her vault was opened, causing general malaise among the people of Fairport - especially the ones who lived nearby. Some of Armacham's less-informed staff members thought it might be some sort of chemical contamination and tested the water for it, of course finding nothing. There was also the matter of the Synchronicity Events, when she managed to touch the mind of Paxton Fettel and he went on a murderous psychically-powered rampage. First time, he was a young boy, so several people died, but he didn't get very far. The second time, he was a grown man with a battalion of SuperSoldiers under his direct control.

Is a Subtrope of SealedEvilInACan. If the evil is SealedInAPersonShapedCan it will usually become this trope. If the evil is sealed within a physical object, that object is likely to become an ArtifactOfDoom. Compare MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll, for when this applies to mundane criminals. See also EvilIsNotAToy, EvilTaintedThePlace, and VillainousLegacy.

* [[ExploitedTrope Weaponized]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' with the Jinchuriki, humans with {{Pure Magic Being}}s sealed inside them. For the most part the seal allows a controllable amount of chakra to leak out, letting the Jinchuriki borrow their power, but Naruto's Nine-Tailed Fox in particular is quite malevolent and can take him over if he isn't careful. (The others may or may not be examples: for example, Eight-Tails is pretty friendly with its host Killer Bee, and Gaara's initial {{Ax Craz|y}}iness seems to have been all him rather than a result of Shukaku[[labelnote:*]]One-Tail[[/labelnote]].)

* In LegendOfTheFiveRings [[GodOfEvil Fu Leng]] was sealed in the Twelve Black Scrolls after the First Day of Thunder. Just possessing one of them could cause [[TheCorruption the Shadowlands Taint]] to infect the bearer, leaving him vulnerable to the influence of the evil kami. Past a certain threshold and people exposed to the scrolls could become servants of Fu Leng and try to open the scrolls to set him free.

* Shendu the demon sorcerer from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' was sealed into the form of a statue when the magical talismans that control his power were removed from his body. When in this form he retains the ability to speak and apparently to breathe fire.

Is a Subtrope of SealedEvilInACan. If the evil is SealedInAPersonShapedCan it will usually become this trope. If the evil is sealed within a physical object, that object is likely to become an ArtifactOfDoom. Compare MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll, for when this applies to mundane criminals. See also EvilIsNotAToy, MadeOfEvil and VillainousLegacy.

** Harry Dresden suspects, but doesn't know for exact certainty, the Coin of the Blackened Denarius have a small leakage from the FallenAngel each coin contains. While trapped in the ancient silver, Harry fears there could be some "bad luck" aura about them to make people notice them and pick them up, or bounce away from a dead host in such a way it would hit another human and get their attention.

-->--'''Lord Windgrace''', {{flavor text}} of [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=131005 "Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth"]], ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''

* Series/OnceUponATime: [[spoiler:The darkness is this. Long ago, Merlin fought the darkness and sealed it inside a willing human being and used a magical dagger created from a shard of the sword Excalibur to control them. This being became the first in a long line of beings known as "The Dark One" and appeared as a dark mage of unfathomable power [[TheCorruption and a green scaly appearance]] only a mother could love. So long as the dagger was held by the forces of good, they could control the Dark One and keep him/her from ravaging the land. Unfortunately [[Characters/OnceUponATimeRumplestiltskin one of the latest Dark Ones]] held onto the dagger and was instead tempered from laying waste to the world by his remaining humanity embodied by his love for his son and desire to reunite with him.]]

* In season four of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' we find out that Lucifer is this trope. [[spoiler: Azazel]] first finds "the crack in his cage" in order to communicate with him; it's implied that Lucifer also [[spoiler: made a backup plan that Lilith and Ruby carried out in order to get Sam Winchester to release him.]]
** Later, In season ten, we learn that the Mark of Cain was built to contain [[spoiler: The Darkness, a primordial force defeated by God and the Archangels, after which God locked it away in the mark. However, the mark began to exert its influence on the bearer, corrupting them into being evil, killing machines.]]

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', the Dark One is sealed outside of reality. In the Age of Legends, a bore was made into its prison, and it wreaked havoc across the world until a seal was made. Throughout the series, the seal is weakening, and the crux of the plot is finding a way to restore it before the Dark One can escape and unravel the world.

* ''Webcomic/Homestuck'' eventually reveals that [[spoiler: Lil' Cal]] is this. [[spoiler: Dirk sealed Caliborn, Arquiusprite and half of Gamzee inside Lil' Cal and then had Roxy banish Lil' Cal into the Void for good measure. However, not only does the amalgamation of souls form Lord English, the entity the heroes were trying to stop in the first place, but sending Lil' Cal into the void allows it to manifest in the nightmares of children, giving Lord English a way to propagate himself throughout Paradox Space and paving the way for his rise to power and many of the comic's tragedies in the first place.]]

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', the power of the Millenium Items is supposedly confined to the items themselves until used (willingly or no) by a host. However, for the Millenium Puzzle and the Millenium Ring in particular, the spirits within appear able to used their shadow powers to limited degree anyway, even without a host.

* The titan Typhon from GreekMythology was sealed away along with most of the other titans, but his roars were capable of causing volcanic eruptions across the world.
* Loki from NorseMythology was sealed away in an underground vault, with a snake drooling [[PoisonIsCorrosive venom]] onto his face. His beloved wife is usually there with a bowl to catch the poison, but when she has to empty the bowl Loki's agonized thrashing causes earthquakes.

* In ''Film/TimeBandits'', [[BigBad Evil]] has been locked away in the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness by The Supreme Being. He plots on acquiring the McGuffin map that would allow him to escape and wreak havoc upon all creation. Albeit he's locked away, he can still MindControl the weak-willed bandit across time and space to lead the group into his lair with the coveted map.

* In "Manga/DeadmanWonderland" [[spoiler: the eponymous setting is ''supposed'' to keep the Wretched Egg sealed with the help of the Mother Goose System, but you wouldn't know that based on how she gets to leave the Wonderland to massacre a middle-school class, cause earthquakes and generally wreak havoc such that everyone is forced to evacuate the island (save for the insane scientist who created her). And then we find out all her abilities displayed are not even 15% of her true power.]]