History Main / MarkOfTheBeast

-->-- ''[[PlanescapeTorment Planescape: Torment]]''

* The odd stylized eye that appears on the forehead of the Yami (Name) Characters in ''Anime/YuGiOh''
** This symbol is based on the Eye of Wdjat [[note]] pronounced ''oo''-jaht[[/note]], an Egyptian heiroglyph that symbolizes rebirth or regeneration, and is supposedly the eye of Horus.
** A better example is the Seal of Orichalcos. Its users have the Seal appear on their foreheads and become obsessed with evil.

* ''Manga/DragonBall Z'': The stylized M on the forehead of every minion of Babidi, which Vegeta received after his FaceHeelTurn.

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', when the Book of Darkness awakens [[spoiler: and takes over Hayate]], red lines spread all over her body. These lines disappear once the Book of Darkness is cleansed of its corrupted self-defense program.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'' gets facial stripes only when his demon blood takes over and he goes berserk.
** His full-blooded demon brother Sesshomaru has them all the time.
* The odd stylized eye that appears on the forehead of the Yami (Name) Characters in ''Anime/YuGiOh''
** This symbol is based on the Eye of Wdjat [[note]] pronounced ''oo''-jaht[[/note]], an Egyptian heiroglyph that symbolizes rebirth or regeneration, and is supposedly the eye of Horus.
** A better example is the Seal of Orichalcos. Its users have the Seal appear on their foreheads and become obsessed with evil.
* The Homunculi in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' have an ouroboros somewhere on their bodies (e.g. Lust by her collarbone, Gluttony on his tongue, etc.). The humans turned into homunculi also gain this mark upon ingesting [[spoiler:a philosopher's stone with Father's soul]] and it disappears when [[spoiler:the soul]] is removed. It's meant to represent their immortality, as the ouroboros is a symbol for eternity. Originally the Ouroboros symbolized how process and result are one thing (it devours itself and thus creates himself) - and thus was a symbol for the Philosopher's stone itself.
* Those who make a contract with Ai in ''Anime/HellGirl'' and send their tormentor to Hell gain a black fire mark on their chest to remind them always that they will be dragged to Hell upon their own death as payment for the deed.
* Variant: those offered as a sacrifice to the Godhand by Behelit users in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' have the Mark of Sacrifice -- three crossed lines -- carved into some place on their body, signifying that they are food for demons and attract their attention. They bleed and cause pain as the demons near, and most don't survive the experience. The final strike is when they die, no matter how, the Mark condemns them to the lowest level of {{Hell}} that exists.
* In ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'', the kiss of a Satan leaves the mark of said satan behind. It seems to give the Satan power over the victim [[spoiler: as with Noise]], but can also be a sign that someone made a deal with a Satan [[spoiler: Arakune who turns out to be a traitor.]]
* When it's your turn to pilot Zearth in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'', you'll get a mark on your body. They're often FacialMarkings (like [[spoiler: Ushiro]] and [[spoiler: Youko]]), but not always: Mako's marks were on her thighs, and Kirie's were on his stomach.

* Miu from ''Manga/AkumaNaEros'' gains one on the back of her shoulder after making a DealWithTheDevil.

* [[ComicBook/XMen Rachel Summers]] used to have facial tattoos from her grim and nasty future as a mutant hunter, which she could conceal until stressed or using her powers.
* A subplot in ''{{Spawn}}'' comics had an army of vampires who decided to only eat unholy sinners; which of course meant anyone they disagreed with. A bit of magic 'marked' them with sigils only the monsters could see. Spawn managed to turn off the mark for all. They didn't know who to eat so couldn't risk eating anyone 'innocent'.

* In ''Film/TheOmen1976'', it is revealed that Damien has the "666" mark, but up above his hairline where you'd never see it unless you specifically searched for it.
* In Snoop Dogg's ''Hood of Horror'', Devon gets a stylized [=HoH=] on the back of his neck when he [[DealWithTheDevil sells his soul,]] and agrees to become the Hound of Horror to bring his sister back from the dead.

** In the Film/{{Apocalypse}} film series, those who receive the MarkOfTheBeast may also experience miraculous healings, such as the blind woman in ''Revelation'' receiving her sight, the wheelchair-bound man in the same movie being able to walk, and the one-armed man in the hospital in ''Tribulation'' receiving his right arm again. There's also the BlessedWithSuck element of the recipients being blessed with limited telekinetic and telepathic powers, as featured in the movie ''Tribulation''.
** One example of such is the series that begins with ''A Thief in the Night'', in which citizens must be tattooed with 666 (disguised as digital code) and must have it scanned at all supermarkets before they can buy food. Those who refuse this mark are sent to the guillotine.
** ''Film/SixTheMarkUnleashed'' calls it The Holy Implant.

* The "chahk'morg" in ''Literature/TheHauntingOfAlaizabelCray''. It's a mark shaped like a Cthulhu-esque demon that is placed on those marked for sacrifice. The bad guys also use it to summon all of hell by [[spoiler: killing people all over London such that the spots they died will form a chahk'morg when you connect them. Don't ask.]]
* In the framing story for the ''Books of Blood'', by Creator/CliveBarker, a young man who'd made light of communication with the dead is marked all over his body -- even his genitals and eyelids -- by the irate words of outraged spirits, who carved them directly into his skin.
* [[Literature/HarryPotter Lord Voldemort]] isn't a devil, merely a very powerful and evil human wizard, but the way he has his followers brand the Dark Mark (a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth) onto their forearms is strongly suggestive of this trope. It's a rare example of a [[PlotCouponThatDoesSomething Mark with some practical purpose]]. LV uses it to summon his minions to him and, apparently, to track down renegades.

* In ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'', [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Ols]] always have the Shadow Lord's mark somewhere on their body, [[GlamourFailure no matter what form they take]].
* In the ''Literature/ChristCloneTrilogy'', this is done in the form of "communion" injections of Christopher Goodman's blood to willing recipients, while also accompanied by a physical mark on the forehead or the right hand.
* [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Randy "Hawkeye" Morrison]] from ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars'' views his avian eyes as the mark of the beast. Subverted in that the beast he fears does not actually exist. However it does contribute significantly to his paranoia.

* ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'' had the SixthRanger receive a snake tattoo from the BigBad that slowly grew and shortened his life every time he used his powers.
** However, it turned out to be linked to an ''[[MonsterOfTheWeek actual]]'' beast, and by defeating it, the tattoo was destroyed.
* The alien writing that covers the body of the possessed in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Impossible Planet".
* The hero of ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'' has a circular snake tattoo (not ''quite'' an ouroboros) that turns red bit by bit, counting down how soon he'll go AxCrazy from the quicksilver in his system.

* Most of the {{Exalted}} have, as a side effect of using [[KiAttacks Essence]], the effect of generating a BattleAura. One bit of this is the Caste Mark, a representation of your Caste that appears on your forehead. For Solars and Lunars, it's a golden/silver shining disk; for Sidereals, it's the astrological sign of the Maiden they were chosen by. Then you have the [[OmnicidalManiac Abyssals]]. Their Caste Marks ''bleed'' out of their forehead.
** The [[DealWithTheDevil Infernals]] get a similar deal -- they bear modified Solar Caste Marks that burn with the green fire of Ligier, Hell's sun. Each has its own special adornment based on the Caste's [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Yozi]] patron and the Fiend Caste (chosen of the Ebon Dragon) get a special mark -- a solid disk of such utter darkness that it hurts mortals to look upon it.
* Liliana Vess of ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is covered from head to toe in glowing lines, resulting from her deal with four demons.

* The Mark of Torment, its description quoted on the top of the page, on The Nameless One's left shoulder in ''PlanescapeTorment''. Where exactly The Nameless One obtained it is never revealed; it is implied [[spoiler:that it appeared as a result of the combined torment his incarnations accrued over the years]].
* Played with in the 9th and 10th ''FireEmblem games'': The "branded", who are the result of mating between the games' two humanoid species (anthropomorphic animals and humans), [[spoiler:are really only viewed as wrong or evil in the story due to a character rewriting history]].

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' (or ''Lucifer's Call'' in Europe) has the main character receive insta-tattoos all over his body when he initially receives superpowers from a demonic parasite. (Technically, that would make it a ''symbiote'', but the game calls it a parasite and there are oodles of negative effects so...)
** [[spoiler:This makes it a literal Mark of the Beast, due to the [[LouisCypher true identity]] of the boy who forces the parasite on you.]]
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' has the protagonist receive similar glowing tattoos on his face and left hand after making a DealWithTheDevil.
* Also, the Dark Prince in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheTwoThrones''. Black skin with red tattoos seems to be quite popular.
** In ''Prince of Persia'' (2008), the Corrupted are people who made a [[DealWithTheDevil pact with Ahirman]], and were thus infected with his essence, transforming them into what seems to be physical darkness. [[spoiler:No clue if the Prince gets this after the DownerEnding...]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3''-and-forwards, Jin Kazama gains more and more black tattoos as his 'Devil Jin' mode awakens.
* In ''VagrantStory'', we have the Blood Sin, which controls the Gran Grimoire. Whoever acquires it has control of Lea Monde. [[spoiler: Sydney already has it. Everyone else wants it, and Guildenstern cuts the tattoo from Sydney's back to graft onto his own.]]
* Evil characters in the ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' series develop livid red cracks running across their skin.
* Samus' Phazon corruption in ''MetroidPrime 3'' gradually worsens, causing her suit (and, on those occasions when her face is visible, her skin) to develop glowing blue veins. Eventually one of her eyes begins to glow blue as well.
* [[spoiler:Sakura]] in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' gets spiky black lines that creep over her body at irregular points and then retract again [[spoiler:[[FreakOut after she goes]] into full fledged psychotic {{yandere}} mode. Also, her hair turns entirely white.]]
* The l'Cie of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' are marked with a brand somewhere on their bodies; it functions both as a symbol of their CursedWithAwesome status and a timer [[DeathsHourglass indicating how long they have to fulfill their Focus before]] [[FateWorseThanDeath they turn into horrifying Cie'th monsters.]]
* Kratos of the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series was branded with the Blades of Chaos [[spoiler:after making his deal with Ares.]]
* Eliphas of ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'': ''Retribution'' can equip literal Marks of the Beast, the Marks of the Chaos Gods. These special marks indicate worship of a particular Chaos God, and in turn grant worshipping Cultists different benefits to other units: [[WarGod Khorne]]'s Mark gives all units greater damage and speed, [[PlagueMaster Nurgle]]'s Mark gives better health regeneration and reinforcement of depleted units, and [[TheChessmaster Tzeentch]]'s Mark gives a stealth cloak. If you have the DLC, you can also get the Mark of Chaos Undivided, which [[InfinityPlusOneSword allows all the described abilities]].
* In ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', Booker [=DeWitt=] bears the mark AD on the back of his right hand, which according to Zachary Comstock's teachings in Columbia marks him as the "False Shepherd". [[spoiler:It turns out that AD was a MarkOfShame that he put on his right hand when he had sold off his daughter Anna, who in an alternate reality became Comstock's daughter Elizabeth.]]
** The mark also appears on [[spoiler:the alternate version of Comstock]] in the DLC game ''Burial At Sea: Part 1''.
* ''VisualNovel/DramaticalMurder'' features [[spoiler:Koujaku]], whose tattoos grow exponentially when his SuperPoweredEvilSide takes over.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', selling your soul to a demon will result in a random part of your body turning translucent, marking you as the demon's property and telling other demons not to interfere with you. Biscuit's lips and hair are see-through as a result of such a bargain, [[spoiler:and Dies-Horribly's ears become so after tries to sell himself to a demoness.]]
* Teddy in ''Webcomic/DangerouslyChloe'', acquires a pentacle on the back of the left hand, with which he touched the demon statue. After the [[DealWithTheDevil blood pact]] is sealed, this mark fades out of sight.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', anyone who drew the mark of [[BigBad Tarakudo]] [[CastingAShadow on their body]] would gain demonic powers and slowly turn evil (said mark was on an archive book the [[BigBadDuumvirate Demon]] [[SorcerousOverlord Sorcerer]] [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Clan]] created). Also, the mark ''doesn't come off'', regardless of how it was made, without a spell. It is implied that the mark actually turns the victim into one of the Shadowkhan.
* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', the Eye of XANA is used in this manner with the possessed William, displayed on his forehead, chest and sword.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gravity Falls}}'', [[spoiler:Dipper]]'s eyes turn a shade of yellow and his pupils slit when [[spoiler:Bill Cipher takes control over his body]].Of course, this being Gravity Falls, [[WeirdnessCensor every single character fails to notice this.]]

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' with the "Mark of Hekapoo", which is the result of an ancient and powerful demon sorceress [[spoiler:delivering a DopeSlap that burns the hair off the back of your head]].

* Those who make a contract with Ai in ''Anime/HellGirl'' gain a mark on their chest to remind them always that they will be dragged to hell upon their own death.

* In the final scene of TheDCU's ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed'' CrisisCrossover, in which many many supervillains made a DealWithTheDevil for increased power, the villain Major Disaster is shown gloating about how he got to keep his powers even though the BigBad was destroyed. Then he sees his reflection in a window, and sees the NumberOfTheBeast etched into his forehead...

* Variant: those offered as a sacrifice to the Godhand by Behelit users in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' have the Mark of Sacrifice -- three crossed lines -- carved into some place on their body, signifying that they are food for demons. They bleed and cause pain as the demons near, and most don't survive the experience.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', anyone who drew the mark of [[BigBad Tarakudo]] on their body would gain demonic powers and slowly turn evil. Also, the mark ''doesn't come off'', regardless of how it was made. It is implied that the mark actually turns the victim into one of the Shadowkhan.

* [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Rachel Summers]] used to have facial tattoos from her grim and nasty future as a mutant hunter, which she could conceal until stressed or using her powers.

* In ''Film/TheOmen1976'', it is revealed that Damien has the "666" mark, but up above his hairline where you'd never see it.

* The TropeNamer is the Book of Revelation in Literature/TheBible. All must accept the Mark of the Beast "in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark". Turns out not to be a good deal:

* Variant: those offered as a sacrifice to the Godhand by Behelit users in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' have the Mark of Sacrifice -- three crossed lines -- carved into some place on their body, signifying that they are food for demons. They bleed as the demons near.

* In ''AngelSanctuary'', the kiss of a Satan leaves the mark of said satan behind. It seems to give the Satan power over the victim [[spoiler: as with Noise]], but can also be a sign that someone made a deal with a Satan [[spoiler: Arakune who turns out to be a traitor.]]

** The Russian Mob is supposedly so up on symbolic tattoos that one who knows the what the symbols mean can learn a guy's entire history (birth year and/or date, first "job", affiliations, current rank, specialties, etc) ''just by looking at his arm''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Raven gets some in the "all over the body" variety in season 4, apparently heralding the end of the world.
** More interestingly, when [[spoiler: Slade]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell comes back]], he's got a glowing sigil in his forehead, to go with his new, fire-based powers and infernal army. When he loses the powers, the sigil disappears as well...

* Real Life: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_blood_group_tattoo SS Tattoos.]]

** His brother Sesshomaru has them all the time. And he's a full-blooded demon.

* The demonic taint in Ashitaka's body in ''PrincessMononoke''.
* In ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', when the Book of Darkness awakens [[spoiler: and takes over Hayate]], red lines spread all over her body. These lines disappear once the Book of Darkness is cleansed of its corrupted self-defense program.

* [[Literature/TheBible The biblical]] Mark of the Beast. Durr.
** Ironically, it's often misused because it's so well known, people don't do the research on what it really is, assuming they know how to use it properly. First of all, there's a discussion over whether or not 666 is even the right number. Some sources say the number is actually 616, thanks to ancient writing systems. Others maintain that it is meant to be "6 by 6 by 6", or six cubes, which is 216. Secondly, the important part about the Mark is the ''value'', not the ''symbols''. That is to say, writing "29A" in base 16 would mean the same as writing "666" in base ten, but writing three sixes means nothing.

This trope's namesake makes it OlderThanFeudalism.

* Miu from ''AkumaNaEros'' gains one on the back of her shoulder after making a DealWithTheDevil.

* Those who make a contract with Ai in ''HellGirl'' gain a mark on their chest to remind them always that they will be dragged to hell upon their own death.

* When it's your turn to pilot Zearth in ''{{Bokurano}}'', you'll get a mark on your body. They're often FacialMarkings (like [[spoiler: Ushiro]] and [[spoiler: Youko]]), but not always: Mako's marks were on her thighs, and Kirie's were on his stomach.

* The Black Spot in the Second ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie.

* EldritchAbomination Nyarlathotep brands Tatsuya with a black mark on his hand as a reminder of his status as a potential Apocalypse in ''{{Persona 2}}: Eternal Punishment''.

Not to be confused with MarkedChange, which should only include markings gained when a character powers up, not turning evil, or under any 'evil' influences. If demons or mind control is involved, or the powered-up version of the character is known as "Dark(Name)," it probably belongs here. The nicer version of this trope is PowerTattoo or BirthmarkOfDestiny.

* In ''{{Goblins}}'', selling your soul to a demon will result in a random part of your body turning translucent, marking you as the demon's property and telling other demons not to interfere with you. Biscuit's lips and hair are see-through as a result of such a bargain, [[spoiler:and Dies-Horribly's ears become so after tries to sell himself to a demoness.]]