History Main / NebulousEvilOrganisation

* The Black Council in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. So far very little is known about it, but it's certainly organised, evil, and particularly nebulous since there's little direct evidence of its existence yet. "The Black Council" is the name assigned to it by the heroes after deducing its existence from various anomalies, such as small-time villains being given big-time magical weapons by unknown sources and members of other organizations pursuing secret objectives behind their leaders' backs. [[spoiler:Later books imply that the Black Council is less an organised group of villains working together and more so the various pawns, plots, and mind-controlled puppets of Nemesis erroneously assumed to be the result of multiple individuals.]]

* The Black Council in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. So far very little is known about it, but it's certainly organised, evil, and particularly nebulous since there's little direct evidence of its existence yet. "The Black Council" is the name assigned to it by the heroes after deducing its existence from various anomalies, such as small-time villains being given big-time magical weapons by unknown sources and members of other organizations pursuing secret objectives behind their leaders' backs.

See also NebulousCriminalConspiracy, which the operations extend beyond one single organization. Compare and contrast GenericDoomsdayVillain.

* Cobra from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is one of the classic examples. In most versions, it's actually a conglomerate of various evil factions, like the arms manufacturer MARS, under the control of Cobra Commander.

* ''Series/GetSmart'' had KAOS, which is more of a LaughablyEvil organization of [[PunchClockVillain Punch-Clock Villains]], but they're still treated as a credible threat since they operate globally. Some of their plans, while silly, quite nearly succeed, especially whenever [[SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness Sigfried]] is involved. This trope also came in handy for the writers as the VillainOfTheWeek was often a parody of genre bad guys, so the nebulous nature of KAOS meant they could justify the inclusion of a Fu Manchu-expy, a MadScientist or an anachronistic Nazi like Siegfried regardless of logic.

* ''Series/GetSmart'' had KAOS, which is more of a LaughablyEvil organization of [[PunchClockVillain Punch-Clock Villains]], but they're still treated as a credible threat since they operate globally. Some of their plans, while silly, quite nearly succeed, especially whenever [[SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness Sigfried]] is involved.

** SPECTRE, the '''SP'''ecial '''E'''xecutive for '''C'''ounter-Intelligence, '''T'''errorism, '''R'''evenge and '''E'''xtortion. In [[Literature/JamesBond the novels]], this role is mostly filled by the real-life Soviet organization SMERSH,[[note]]Even then, SMERSH was something of this trope, as the real-life SMERSH had been disbanded barely a year after World War II, having only been active as an anti-deserter unit of the NKVD during the war.[[/note]] but SPECTRE shows up late in the series, starting with ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}''. In the films, SPECTRE appears in some way or another from ''Film/DrNo'' to ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' (with the exception of ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', which has a villain not related to them), before legal red tape concerning the creation of the ''Thunderball'' novel prevented Creator/EonProductions from using the organization again until 2015's ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' (in which it no longer carries [[FunWithAcronyms the acronym]]). They show up again to torment Bond in ''Film/NoTimeToDie'', [[spoiler:only to have their heads [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains completely wiped out by the new villain]]]].
** The mysterious Quantum plays this role in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' (in which they are unnamed) and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace''; they replace SMERSH, the organization that played the role in the original ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' novel. ''Spectre'' [[spoiler:[[HijackedByGanon retroactively implies them to be a subsidiary of Spectre]] (though it's also likely that Quantum was reorganized ''into'' Spectre)]].

* Cobra from ''Franchise/GIJoe'' is one of the classic examples. In most versions its actually a conglomerate of various evil factions, like the arms manufacturer MARS, under the control of Cobra Commander.

* The Templar Order in ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'', just like in the [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed games]]. They're particularly interested in the mind-controlling properties of Apples of Eden to control humanity.

* The Umbrella Corporation from the ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' seem to do little more than make SuperSoldier zombies for no apparent reason... even AfterTheEnd. [[spoiler:The [[Film/ResidentEvilTheFinalChapter final film]] reveals that they're deliberately trying to scour the Earth clear so they and their rich allies can inherit the world for themselves]].

* Dark Matter in ''Literature/SpaceAcademyWashouts'' is compared to Cobra and SPECTRE. It is involved in virtually every war humanity has fought in since its arrival in space. Taking it down has been the goal of [[spoiler:Director G]] for decades. It has access to its own private space navy, megacorporation holdings, as well as Elder Race technology.

** Destron in the sequel series ''Series/KamenRiderV3'' is a restructured [[TheRemnant remnant]]/SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of the original Shocker that swaps their [[PuttingOnTheReich Nazi vibes]] out for more creepy {{Cult}} vibes. Besides them, other organizations that take after Shocker include [[Series/KamenRiderX Government of Darkness (often shortened to simply GOD)]], [[Series/KamenRiderAmazon Geddon, the Garanda Empire]], [[Series/KamenRiderStronger Black Satan, Delza Army]], [[Series/KamenRiderSkyrider Neo-Shocker]], [[Series/KamenRiderSuper1 Dogma Kingdom, Jin Dogma]] and the [[Film/KamenRiderZX Badan Empire]].

* ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'' has the Talon Company from ''[[VideoGame/Fallout3 3]]'' and the Gunners from ''[[VideoGame/Fallout4 4]]''. They're ostensibly mercenaries, but we never see anybody hire them (for instance, to take out the [[ArtifactMook raider camps outside of every single town]]), nor do they appear to have the infrastructure to support the hundreds of well-equipped troops they deploy. They have no role in the plot and only exist to trouble the player character and occasionally his/her allies. Talon Company is a particularly egregious example, as the reason they come after the player character is explicitly because [[ForTheEvulz their unnamed employer thought that the player was being too nice]]. Really.

** [[spoiler:The Ultimate Despair are the ones responsible for the [[DeadlyGame Mutual Killing Games]]. Initially a small ApocalypseCult founded by [[TeenIdol popular]] high school [[TheFashionista fashionista]] and BigBad Junko Enoshima, they are a group that seeks to [[HopeCrusher spread despair]] across the world. To this end, they infiltrated Hope's Peak Academy, killed multiple students and faculty, and recruited the experiment [[UltimateLifeForm Izuru Kamukura]] to their cause -- with him on their side, they became unstoppable and caused mass rioting, leading to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt The Tragedy]]. As of the main story, they have become TheEmpire ruling over the [[VillainWorld post-Tragedy world]], and employ tactics like {{brainwash|ed}}ing, robot invasions, and [[ImmoralRealityShow the titular televised killing game]] to control the population.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': The Guild of Calamitous intent, in addition to being a WeirdTradeUnion. Also the original incarnation of S.P.H.I.N.X before they were destroyed by the [[HeroesRUs OSI]] during the Pyramid Wars of 1987.

Often led by a DiabolicalMastermind, and sometimes developed enough to have [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness its own bureaucracy,]] It is a vast, deep-pocketed ''machine'' with one apparent goal: The proliferation of evil across the globe, maybe with some personal profit on the side.

* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'': [[spoiler:[[GreaterScopeVillain The Organization]]. They are the ones sending out hunters to kill the Yoma, but they also are the ones behind the Yoma. The whole reason for it all is to create Awakened Beings to use as weapons in a giant, unseen war far away from the island the story takes place on. The entire island is just one big laboratory and testing ground]].
* The ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' franchise has Panther Claw, with innumerable [[{{Mooks}} guys in spiffy cat masks and cool hats]] and all manner of typically-female monsters, usually led by either Panther Zora or her subordinate Sister Jill. The original series gave us their goal early on as "the rest of the world doesn't deserve cool stuff, only us!" Different incarnations are different, though: In ''Series/CutieHoneyTheLive'', Panther Claw was about making lots and lots of money through outlandishly evil means (sometimes CrazyIsCool, sometimes NightmareFuel), but ''always'' with a way to directly profit from the plot of the week.

** The Red Ribbon Army was an NGOSuperpower that wanted to TakeOverTheWorld using the power of the Dragon Balls. They had ''vast'' resources and technology, having such things as tanks, aircraft, submarines, androids, and MiniMecha. At one point, Bulma states outright that Earth's actual military doesn't stand a chance against them and [[AllThereInTheManual the Daizenshuu stated they were responsible for producing 16% of the world's vehicles]] before their destruction at Goku's hands.
** While the [[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza Force]] is more of a planet trade organization/[[TheEmpire empire]], its form of government resembles a corrupt monarchy engaged in illegal activities such as trafficking and terrorism.

* Asclepius, the Ku Klux Klan-like organization from ''Anime/FlipFlappers''. They aim to collect Amorphous and use it to TakeOverTheWorld, and have no problem experimenting on children.
* ''Manga/GiantRobo'''s Big Fire, an evil organisation who's only goal is absolute world domination. "Together, allegiance or death! Big Fire!" [[spoiler:Amusingly enough they actually end up helping the Heroes when [[OmnicidalManiac someone]] [[EnemyMine even worse comes along.]]]]

*** Interestingly, very few characters in Yami are actually amoral people: because the "good-teacher" attribute is mandatory to qualify for the One Shadow Nine Fists, several of the ten martial artists in the group come across as being not so much evil as simply being dedicated to their philosophy--once the reader gets to know their personalities--and in fact a number of them [[EvenEvilHasStandards still have certain moral guidelines that they will not violate]], chief among them the silent agreement with Ryozanpaku that a master should never interfere with his/her student's battles with another student and should never interrupt or intervene in a fight between two masters.
* The ''Manga/LiarGame'' Tournament Office. A shady organization out to make a profit, they manage to secure 100 million yen (about US$1.5 million) for each of the participants in the first round (that's ''US$1.9 trillion'').
** The final chapter reveals [[spoiler:the LGT is actually a BenevolentConspiracy in opposition to a GovernmentConspiracy]].

* Tanpopo from ''Manga/MissionYozakuraFamily''. Their soldiers, technology, and resources can rival entire countries and it's clear they're up to no good. But no explanation is given as to why Tanpopo is the way it is. [[spoiler:According to Kawashita, Tanpopo is working to answer people's will to live, including "saving" the terminally ill like Shirai. It's later revealed that he's been trying to fufill the wishes of the Yozakura founder, who wanted to elimiante the relevance of the Yozakuras by spreading the power of her blood across the globe.]]

** Akatsuki from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', first introduced in the last quarter of Part I and later became the main antagonists in Part II[=/=]''Shippuuden'', their actions focused on capturing all the Tailed Beasts for an unknown purpose. Later, it was revealed that [[spoiler: their main objective was the resurrection of the PhysicalGod, Kaguya Otsutsuki]].
** From ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'', the "Kara" organization, whose motives and connection to the [[spoiler:Otsutsuki clan]] are still wrapped in mystery.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Cosmo Entelechia, originally led by [[GreaterScopeVillain The Lifemaker]] and now controlled by his boy protege, [[BigBad Fate Averruncus]], are the enemies of [[spoiler:Nagi's group in the past]]. It wouldn't be quite so nebulous if it weren't [[BoisterousBruiser Jack Rakan]] doing all of the explaining. Whenever he goes into the backstory of anything roughly half of it consists of "and then other stuff happened."
%%* The Society of Eight Gods of Fortune from ''Literature/OcculticNine''.

* In ''Manga/{{Shy}}'' this role is taken by the mysterious Amalareiks who oppose the heroes of the world and serve the series BigBad ''[[EnfantTerrible Stigma]]''. They share his goal to [[spoiler: destroy the current world and create a new one without adults, but how they want to reach that goal remains unknown.]]
* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': Galactor is an international terrorist organization with highly advanced technology. Lead by the mysterious [[BigBad Leader X]] and his majordomo, [[DiabolicalMastermind Berg Katse]], they seek to conquer the world by controlling it's resources. In the opening episode, no one at the International Science Organization even knew about them, except for [[TheMentor Dr. Nambu]]. The exact history of the group is unknown, though we do get to learn a bit about Katse. Older english dubs of the series, such as ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'', turned them into more traditional AlienInvaders.
* ''Anime/TenrouSiriusTheJaeger'': [[spoiler:In Episode 4, it was revealed that the Alma Company hires the vampire to do their own bidding and selling illegal weapons to other people including the military]]. The independent terrorist organization, Hyakko Party also counts as this, as they kill innocent scientists because they're employed by the Vampires.
* ''Manga/TentaiSenshiSunred'' features a HarmlessVillain example in Florsheim, an Evil Organization of monsters bent on [[TakeOverTheWorld World Domination]]. Step 1 of their plan is to take out their ArchNemesis, Sunred; dozens, if not hundreds, of fights later, Florsheim remains winless and are probably in the ''negative'' column where 'evil acts' are concerned, spending most of their time volunteering in the neighborhood. Sunred, on his side, retired from heroics years ago and now has to contend with Florsheim being the only friends he has left.
* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': The Jahana Group led by [[BigBad Miranda Jahana]] [[note]]which isn't to be confused with the Jahana Corporation, which sponsors the VG tournament and is led by her daughter, Reimi[[/note]] [[NotJustATournament pulls strings and steers events at the VG tournament from behind-the-scenes.]] They lure unsuspecting entrants to become unwitting test subjects, and manipulate Satomi by having [[TheDragon Damian]] offer to cover her brother's medical expenses in exchange for her participation at the tournament. Then uses her for [[CodeName the "Black Goddess"]] project and field test her abilities in unsanctioned matches, [[spoiler:all for the sake of creating [[GrandTheftMe the ideal host body]] for Miranda]].

** Leviathan started out in ''ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison'' as Talia al Ghul's organisation, the main motivation of which seemed to be "show Bruce and my father that I don't need either of them". In ''Comicbook/EventLeviathan'', a tie-in to ''Comicbook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis'', it got co-opted by [[spoiler: Mark Shaw, the Manhunter]], who then engineered hostile takeovers of most of the groups mentioned above, as well as most of the heroic spy organisations.

** [[Characters/MarvelComicsHydra HYDRA]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM A.I.M.]], U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M., S.I.L.E.N.T., R.A.I.D., the Secret Empire, Black Spectre, Agence Byzantine, and [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheHand the Hand]] are only a few. Many of these began as branches of Hydra: Advanced Idea Mechanics, for example, was their original research and development team before they decided to become independent. Apparently, Hydra's motto ("cut off one head and two will take its place") applies to their branches as well. It gets so bad that one issue of ''ComicBook/SecretWarriors'' reveals that [[spoiler:''even ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}'' was a Hydra splinter organ, something ''not even ComicBook/NickFury himself'' found out until it was too late]] (to wit, this was early in ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', when they had been shut down). For a supernatural flavor, the OccultDetective comic series ''Nightstalkers'' has Hydra's Department of Occult Armaments [[FunWIthAcronyms (DOA)]].

** There's also Weapon Plus, the organization that was [[GreaterScopeVillain responsible for the creation of many heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe]]. They created ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} via their "Weapon X" branch, they created ComicBook/CaptainAmerica via "Project Rebirth" (retroactively named "Weapon I"), and it's implied in some comics that Weapon Plus was involved in the Red Room Black Widow Ops program that created the ComicBook/{{Black Widow}}s (Including Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova) and the prison experiments that gave ComicBook/LukeCage his powers. They may not be seen as much as other evil organizations like HYDRA or A.I.M., but they ''have'' been known to work together with them on a few occasions. Weapon Plus is also a secret governmental organization that is hellbent on eradicating [[ComicBook/XMen mutantkind]], meaning that it has ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.

* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', according to the LemonyNarrator, there is a secret organization known as the Echelon, which [[TheConspiracy controls all of Equestria behind the scenes, and was created by Celestia herself.]] Of course, at this point, it's been established that most of her theories were made through InsaneTrollLogic and blatant disregards for common sense, so this claim is questionable.
** According to her, the organization is responsible for [[spoiler:creating a parade out of nowhere to distract a young Rainbow Dash from anti-Celestia public speeches and deliberately setting up the friendship problems of the show's episodes through their socioeconomic power to build the mane six's friendship]], which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the organization's existence.

** HYDRA, as per usual, and though we get an insight into their operations, they're actually considerably more frightening and effective than usual - particularly once Lucius Malfoy decides that Baron Von Strucker is [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness now part of the problem]]. It doesn't hurt that they've got the Winter Soldier on a leash and are allied with a Loki level necromancer called Gravemoss. That said, they aren't invincible and are liable to make mistakes - especially once the Winter Soldier slips his leash.
** Then there's the rather more nebulous and disturbing Red Room, a formerly defunct Soviet organisation, which isn't even glimpsed until the sequel. Only occasional references that make it clear that pretty much everyone (even HYDRA) is afraid of it, a brief appearance by a few of its less competent operatives and the presence of the Winter Soldier and Natasha, both of whom are products of the Red Room, and in chapter 70, mentions of HYDRA assaulting what WordOfGod confirmed was a Red Room facility and disappearing, confirm that it actually exists. However, again, it's not invincible, with Ivan Petrovitch noting how it once tried to attack [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Simon Pietrovitch's Archangel base]]. Since Pietrovitch was a member of the Senior Council of the White Council and AsskickingLeadsToLeadership very much applies, this was an idea so bad it was awful. Then, in the sequel, they [[spoiler: kidnap Harry, with ambitions to turn him into 'the Red Son', the successor to the Winter Soldier]]. This idea works... for a short while. Then it backfires, spectacularly.

** The Hellfire Club, specifically the Inner Circle, has a habit of using their influence to manipulate world events in their favour - in between Magneto's spirited attempts to wipe them out, that is.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ThreeMonthsAFox'' has The Purpose, a shadowy prey supremacist organisation with origins dating back [[AncientConspiracy hundreds of years]] and a far-reaching, powerful influence, with cells of members spread across the country and possibly the entire world. They are the true force responsible for orchestrating the Savage Crisis, as [[BigBad Dawn Bellwether]] is a member, along with her fellow co-conspirators [[CorruptPolitician Kyle Hayworth]] and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jayson Talon III]]. Their desired end goal is nothing less than the total subjugation of all the world's predators and any prey mammals sympathetic to them, and are willing to use any tactics necessary to achieve that goal.
* In ''Fanfic/FallenKingdom'', the Seven Stars lead the criminal underworld and have designs on taking over the Koopa Empire.
* ''Fanfic/ThereWasOnceAnAvengerFromKrypton'': In MCU canon, Project Centipede was a subset of HYDRA. Here, it's a coalition of various factions pooling resources in a competition to see who can TakeOverTheWorld first.

* The Templar Order in ''[[Film/AssassinsCreed2016 Assassin's Creed]]'', just like in the [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed2016 games]]. They're particularly interested in the MindControl properties of Apples of Eden]] to control humanity.

** SPECTRE, the '''SP'''ecial '''E'''xecutive for '''C'''ounter-Intelligence, '''T'''errorism, '''R'''evenge and '''E'''xtortion. In [[Literature/JamesBond the novels]], this role was mostly filled by the real-life Soviet organization SMERSH[[note]]Even then, SMERSH was something of this trope, as the real-life SMERSH had been disbanded barely a year after World War II, having only been active as an anti-deserter unit of the NKVD during the war[[/note]], but SPECTRE showed up late in the series, starting with ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}''. For the films, SPECTRE appears in some way or another from ''Film/DrNo'' to ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' (with the exception of ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', which has a villain not related to them), before legal red tape concerning the creation of the ''Thunderball'' novel prevents Creator/EonProductions from using the organization again until 2015's ''Film/{{Spectre}}''[[note]]where it no longer carries the acronym[[/note]]. They showed up again to torment Bond in ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' [[spoiler:only to have their heads [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains completely wiped out by the new villain]].]]
** The mysterious Quantum plays this role in ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' (in which they are unnamed) and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace''; they replace SMERSH, the organization that played the role in the original ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' novel. ''Spectre'' [[spoiler:retroactively implies them to be a subsidiary of Spectre (though it's also likely that Quantum was reorganized ''into'' Spectre).]]
* ''Film/{{Spies}}'', a silent film that that comes off like someone took a time machine to 1928 to make a ''James Bond'' flick, has the Haghi Bank. Haghi has a big bank right in the middle of town, but it's really an evil spy group, which appears to be spying for profit.
* M.A.R.S. from ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra''. And Cobra itself in the sequel.

* ''Film/CaptainAmerica1990'': The Red Skull's secret cabal of {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, {{General Ripper}}s, and leaders of TheSyndicate. It has secretly run the world since TheFifties, and bumps off anyone who gets in its way (including both Kennedys and MLK Jr.).
* The Umbrella Corporation from the ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' seem to do little more than make SuperSoldier zombies for no apparent reason... even AfterTheEnd. [[spoiler:The [[Film/ResidentEvilTheFinalChapter final film]] reveals that they're deliberately trying to scour the Earth clear so they and their rich allies can inherit the world for themselves]].

** The Ten Rings in ''Film/{{Iron Man|1}}'' is an evil organization whose exact goals and workings are never really explained. According to how they are described, their business is just, well, about anything evil that allows them to harness power or money. ''Film/IronMan3'' seemingly reveals that they're [[spoiler:a front for AIM, who is trying to control both sides of the UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror]], but the ''Film/AllHailTheKing'' short film reveals that [[spoiler:AIM stole the name from an actual AncientConspiracy that's still active]].
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' reveals that [[spoiler:HYDRA, thought to be disbanded in WWII, has been hiding within SHIELD and manipulating world events for decades, with the intention of getting people to hand over power and give up free will ''voluntarily'']].

-->'''Faisil:''' Now he's formed his own splinter faction called Crimson Jihad.
-->'''Gib:''' Yeah, I guess he thought the other terrorist groups were a little too warm and fuzzy for his tastes.
* ''Film/HobbsAndShaw'' has Eteon, a sinister group that vaguely resembles [[Franchise/JamesBond Spectre]] and ComicBook/{{HYDRA}} in scope and overall objectives.
* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'' has APEX, a rival organization to [[HeroesRUs Monarch]]. Ren, the son of the late Serizawa, is one of the employees.
* Minos from the ''Film/EscapeRoom2019'' series is a mysterious organization that is known for creating their deadly escape rooms. As of [[Film/EscapeRoomTournamentOfChampions the sequel]] they have already been designated as a criminal organization.
* In ''Film/DeathMachines'', there's the group who created the Death Machines, and whom Madame Lee works for. The whole plot of the film seemingly happens because they wish to monopolize crime in the unidentified city where the film takes place (and eventually the world).
* The High Table from the ''Franchise/JohnWick'' franchise is the vast crime organization behind assassins going after John Wick. While they're global in scope and their presence looms over the movies from ''Chapter 2'' onward, they're a nebulous threat apart from the waves of goons they send out. In ''Chapter 4'', [[spoiler:when they finally unleash their full power and go scorched Earth on anything and anybody who is an ally to John Wick, Wick accepts that there is no way that "[[GottaKillThemAll murder all of them]]" [[SimpleSolutionWontWork is going to work as a solution]] and uses Winston's idea to challenge the Marquis (the "wartime" leader of the Table and the man who decided to unleash said Scorched Earth tactics) [[ChallengingTheChief to a duel]] to make them back off. It works… [[TheHeroDies with a cost]].]]
* The enemy faction in ''Film/TopGunMaverick'' is effectively this. We don't learn anything about them other than they're running illegal nuclear operations, with their pilots all being FacelessGoons.

* In the 1990s, ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' introduced "The Assassins," a group of TerroristsWithoutACause with hundreds of {{mooks}} and elaborate bases and cloning technology, whose activities tend to enter Bond territory - for instance, the plot to use nuclear bombs to blow up the Ring of Fire volcanoes, reshaping the layout of the Earth's crust.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': The Black Council. So far very little is known about it, but it's certainly organised, evil, and particularly nebulous since there's little direct evidence of its existence yet. "The Black Council" is the name assigned to it by the heroes after deducing its existence from various anomalies, such as small-time villains being given big-time magical weapons by unknown sources and members of other organizations pursuing secret objectives behind their leaders' backs.
* Mark Walden's ''Literature/HIVESeries'': "G.L.O.V.E."', or the Global League of Villainous Enterprises. A council of the leading supervillains controlled by the sinister 'Number One'.
* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' : Though nothing is ''explicitly'' stated, heavily implies that the [[ArcWords mysterious letters]] "VFD" refer to the name of an organization that split down the middle into a HeroSecretService of firefighters and one of these, dedicated in particular to arson. [[ArchNemesis Count Olaf]] appears to be the group's enforcer, and later on, we meet the leaders...
* In the ''Literature/{{Replica|MarilynKaye}}'' series, the evil organization known as "The Organization" is constantly trying to capture Amy so they can breed a master race.
* The Shop in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'' seems to fall under this category. One of their goals is to create a drug that will turn humans into weapons, and when two of their test subjects have a child together, they are willing to chase them to the ends of the earth to capture her and use her for their own ends. They are so widespread that they have spies in ''every single town'' the protagonists flee to. It seems that they have infiltrated every branch of government and they are completely above the law.
* The Sombra Corporation in Creator/StephenKing's fiction weaves a twisting web of influence throughout many of his works. Described in more depth, finally, in ''Literature/TheDarkTower'', in which it is revealed that they serve The Crimson King, and are therefore pawns of the ultimate evil force in the multiverse.
* Scorpia in the ''Literature/AlexRider'' series (standing for '''S'''abotage, '''Cor'''ru'''p'''tion, '''I'''ntelligence and '''A'''ssassination) has secret bases and employees from all over the world, allowing them to operate almost everywhere, from anywhere.
* "The Organisation Which I Represent" is... ''probably'' this is the ''Literature/MediochreQSethSeries''. They're ''so'' [[HiddenAgendaVillain nebulous]] it's hard to tell.
%%* [[spoiler:Nightrise]] from ''Literature/ThePowerOfFive''.
* In Creator/RALafferty's "About a Secret Crocodile", the Secret Crocodile and its many subordinate organizations control, well, just about everything, in a conspiratorial hierarchy which takes all the allegations of Secret Masters up a notch. The only likely threat to it is another secret society which has no name except "Good Guys and Good Gals", which comprises all the good guys and good gals of the world.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' is fairly thick with conspiracies, with the result that several HighFantasy versions of this exist therein, including the Diagram, the Sons of Honor, the Skybreakers, and the Ghostbloods. The first three all have a fairly KnightTemplar-ish slant, to various degrees (the Diagram's leader [[spoiler:Taravangian]] follows a convoluted plot to become ruler of the world because he believes it's the only way to save humanity; the Sons of Honor want to bring about the apocalypse so that the Heralds of [[{{God}} the Almighty]] will come back, and the Skybreakers seek to brutally enforce their own idiosyncratic ideas of justice, including executing all [[FunctionalMagic Surgebinders]]), and it's still uncertain what the Ghostbloods want, except that they have agents all over the world and are more than willing to lie, cheat, steal, extort, and kill in service to their goals.
* The ''Literature/NemesisSaga'' has the [[FunWithAcronyms Genetic Offensive Directive]], a black-ops genetic weapons program within DARPA originally founded to continue the horrific research started by the Japanese on Island 731 during WWII. Over time, however, it has grown into a NGOSuperpower, which seems to be experimenting with creating monsters purely for its own sake. [[spoiler:Then it turns out they're actually a front created by the [[HumanoidAliens Ferox]] as a means of insuring that Earth is properly prepared to defend itself when it is inevitably drawn into their ForeverWar with the [[StarfishAliens Aeros]].]]

* ''Literature/TheriomorphChronicles'': Megiddo is a criminal terrorist organization with sinister goals of world domination and genocide, creating [[HalfHumanHybrid Theriomorphs]] and controlling governments to further their [[HiddenAgendaVillain secret and true goal]].
* ''Literature/TheyCameToBaghdad'': The shadowy group that is attempting to disrupt the Baghdad peace conference. It's not completely clear what they're up to--they're planning to disrupt the conference by entering some fake documents, they seem to have gotten ahold of some uranium deposits, and there's even a suggestion that they may be plotting an assassination of the President of the United States in Baghdad. What is established is that they are attempting to foment a war between the democracies and the communist bloc, so that, after those two factions destroy each other, Edward and his gang will rule the world.

* ''Literature/JamesBond'': Starting with the eighth Bond novel, ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}'', Ian Fleming introduced a Nebulous Evil Organization to replace the Soviet counterintelligence unit SMERSH as Bond's primary enemy. The new organization was S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the [=SPecial=] Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. Like the film version, the literary SPECTRE was a nationless group organized and run by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. However, unlike the film version, the literary SPECTRE was a mercenary group that was in it strictly for the money. SPECTRE served as the BigBad for three novels: ''Thunderball'', ''Literature/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', and ''Literature/YouOnlyLiveTwice''. It returned in the "new" Bond novels, starting with ''Literature/ForSpecialServices'' by John Gardner.
* ''Literature/SpaceAcademy'': Dark Matter in ''Literature/SpaceAcademyWashouts'' is compared to Cobra and SPECTRE. It is involved in virtually every war humanity has fought in since its arrival in space. Taking it down has been the goal of [[spoiler:Director G]] for decades. It has access to its own private space navy, megacorporation holdings, as well as Elder Race technology.
* ''Literature/DeGriezelbus'': Throughout the books, oblique references are made to the organization ''G.G.G.'' aka ''Geesten, Geraamten, en ander Gespuis'' (Ghosts, Skeletons, and other Ghoulies).

* ''Series/GetSmart'' had KAOS, which was more of a LaughablyEvil organization of [[PunchClockVillain punch clock villains]], but they were still treated as a credible threat since they operated globally. Some of their plans, while silly, quite nearly succeeded, especially whenever [[SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness Sigfried]] was involved.
%%* THRUSH (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity), from ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE''.
* The Syndicate on ''Series/TheXFiles'' meet in various rooms in New York City (and London in the movie) instead of a central base (though they have a lot of secret sinister research labs).
* Chrysalis from ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'' TV series. They were so nebulous that one of the Agency's main goals towards them was figuring out exactly what their goal ''was''.
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'' had [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil several of increasing threat]], serving as the BigBad of each season.
** He first semi-regularly faced off against the mysterious RenegadeSplinterFaction of the CIA known as FULCRUM. They emerged as a threat towards the end of the first season, and remained in this role until the end of the second.

** Season 4's main threat is Volkoff Industries, a Russian multi-national with serious criminal connections. [[spoiler:And, as it turns out, major connections to Chuck's family...]]
* This trope appears, sometimes to the point of stretching credulity, on two of the latter J.J. Abrams shows:
** The Alliance of Twelve (which includes SD-6) from ''Series/{{Alias}}''. Also the Covenant, Prophet Five, K-Directorate, the Triad, The Man, and probably several others.
** ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': The Pattern (or rather, [[spoiler:ZFT (Zerstörung durch Fortschritte der Technologie, which translates to Destruction through Technological Progress), massing civilian collateral damage in an effort to wage war with a parallel universe]]).
%%* The Company from ''Series/PrisonBreak''.
* Wolfram and Hart from ''Series/{{Angel}}''. While at first they just appeared to be a particularly [[AmoralAttorney evil-aligned]] OccultLawFirm, it was soon revealed the company was the personification of evil on Earth. Oh, and possibly every other dimension (in slightly different forms) as well. In a twist, Wolfram and Hart doesn't just ''cause'' evil---they actually [[spoiler:get their power from it, specifically "man's inhumanity to man."]]

** The most iconic evil organization in the series by far is Shocker from ''Series/KamenRider'', a secret society formed by surviving members of ThoseWackyNazis bent on world domination. They have secret bases in every major country, legions of fanatical {{Mooks}} and EvilMinions, and their plan involves building an army of [[MonsterOfTheWeek kaijins]] to take over the world and turn into a totalitarian dictatorship. The only thing standing in their way are their [[PhlebotinumRebel escaped lab experiments]], the Double Kamen Riders. They would eventually merge with another nebulous evil organization called Geldam to become Gel-Shocker.
** Destron in the sequel series ''Series/KamenRiderV3'' is a restructured [[TheRemnant remnant]]/SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of the original Shocker that swaps their [[PuttingOnTheReich Nazi vibes]] out for more creepy {{Cult}} vibes. Besides them, other organizations that take after Shocker include [[Series/KamenRiderX Government Of Darkness (often shortened to simply GOD)]], [[Series/KamenRiderAmazon Geddon, the Garanda Empire]], [[Series/KamenRiderStronger Black Satan, Delza Army]], [[Series/KamenRiderSkyrider Neo-Shocker]], [[Series/KamenRiderSuper1 Dogma Kingdom, Jin Dogma]] and the [[Film/KamenRiderZX Badan Empire]].

** Museum from ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' is a [[TheMafia mafia-like]] criminal group operating in Futo City looking to further research into the [[TransformationTrinket Gaia Memories]] by distributing them to criminals. It's eventually revealed they're being propped up by an even bigger Nebulous Evil Organization (see below).

* Not to be left out, these were a common choice for villain factions in the early days of ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', before switching over to more inhumane groups like AlienInvaders.

** Season 2 of ''Akibaranger'' introduces Baros lol, a group founded by a ''Sentai'' villain fanboy looking to imitate the various evil organizations of the ''Sentai'' series. He and Malshina turn out to actually be the only members besides the monsters he creates and he wasn't even aware that his actions were changing reality for the first few episodes.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': Barney Stinson works for the [=AltruCell=] Corporation, and later, Goliath National Bank. Throughout the series he makes references to the shady activities his employers are engaged in.
* ''Series/Revenge2011'': The Americon Initiative, the domestic terrorist group who the Graysons laundered money for (which they then framed David Clarke for). It seems to be trying to become the new BigBad of the series.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' has HR (a ring of corrupt cops), Northern Lights (WellIntentionedExtremist group who use the Machine to stop terrorist attacks), The Brotherhood (a street gang with the usual goals, but tech-savvy and novel in its methods) and Decima Technologies (the human face of WellIntentionedExtremist AI Samaritan).
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': the rogue NID, and their bosses the Committee, both of whom eventually morph into the Trust. They want control of the Stargate program, but what they want to do with it is somewhat less clear; goals range from "protecting the Earth" to "exploiting alien technology for financial gain."
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' has "Project Centipede", the main villains of the first season. Not much is known about them, except they're widespread, have access to technology beyond even SHIELD's reach, and are attempting to create {{Super Soldier}}s for their own benefit. They're eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:a branch of HYDRA]].
* ''Series/{{Nikita}}'': Although Division, the rogue private intelligence agency at the center of the series, has shades of this, the show's writing is ultimately too transparent about it and its leaders' aims--they're in it for the money and the power that comes from unaccountability--for it to count. However, a second group, one that has no real name, but does have sci-fi gadgetry like {{Nanomachines}} and LatexPerfection masks, does. Unlike Division, this more stereotypically TuxedoAndMartini group's structure and plans are much less defined: we only get to really know one of its leaders, and the one plan that we see them execute involves [[spoiler: replacing the president of the United States with a brainwashed double, having their fake POTUS be assassinated, and ultimately placing the blame for the assassination on Pakistan]]. Even then, it's not clear how much we see of the plan was part of their original design and how much was a response to things growing beyond their control.
* On ''Series/MrRobot'', Elliot and Fsociety view Evil Corp (actually E Corp) as this, however it seems to be a run-of-the-mill MegaCorp. The "top one percent of the top one percent" that Elliot warns us about in the pilot episode turns out to be more than just a deranged conspiracy theory. Episode "402 Payment Required" elaborates on this, and Price reveals [[spoiler: to Elliot that Whiterose founded the group, named the Deus Group, after collapse of the Soviet Union. Its members were under the impression that it was a cooporative effort to shape the world for profit. This is a ruse, and the group was created to facilitate Whiterose's "project" and the annexation of the Congo. The members of the group are subservient to Whiterose, or are replaced by someone who will be.]]
* ''Series/KCUndercover'': The Other Side, ArchEnemy to the Organisation. A widespread organization, whose industry includes terrorist plots to release super viruses, and agents spread out around the globe.
* The Cabal from ''Series/TheBlacklist''. An alliance of intelligence agents, bureaucrats, and {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, they seek to manipulate world events, including trying to start a new Cold War, in order to profit from it.
* ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'' has the shadowy organization behind covering Jane in tattoos, wiping her memory, and dumping her in Times Square for the FBI to find. It's so secretive that we don't even know its name (in Season 2, it's dubbed "Sandstorm", but that's just what the NSA calls them), and all we know about their goals is that they view America as hopelessly corrupt and seek to destroy it and start over.
* ''Series/OdiseaBurbujas'' has CYDA, Spanish for Contaminadores y Destructores Anónimos [Polluters and Destroyers Anonymous], notice that CYDA in Spanish sounds exactly like SIDA (AIDS), the series was from the late 70s and early 80s so this could be a coincidence.
* On ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfBeansBaxter'', beyond spreading terror, it is not clear what goals (if any) UGLI ([[FunWithAcronyms Underground Government Liberation Intergroup]]) possesses. Its head, Mr. Sue, is described as being a professional terrorist.
* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryApocalypse'' has the Cooperative, the mysterious organization that built the fallout Outposts. And while their interest in the survival of the human race should make them the good guys, there's a very ominous feel to them, not helped at all by the fact that Michael Langdon -- aka TheAntiChrist -- is a prominent member. The penultimate episode, "Fire and Reign", finally reveals that the Cooperative is quite literally TheIlluminati under a rebranded name, and that its members received their extreme wealth and influence by [[DealWithTheDevil selling their souls to Satan]], thus enabling Michael to use them to bring about the titular apocalypse.

* ''Series/MacGyver2016'' has Codex, an international terrorist organization with deep pockets and moles in almost every level of governments and private buissnesses.
* PlayedForLaughs on ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'' with "Drug Co.," the mysterious corporation where Lewis works as a janitor after losing his credentials as a scientist. They're involved in everything from genetic engineering to animal testing to radiation experiments to breeding gigantic sentient insects that speak English. They also fit every employee with a "pain chip" that electrocutes them if they say anything bad about the company and use retinal scanners that cause excruciating anguish as a security system. Their true purpose is never explained, nor exactly ''why'' they want to perform all manner of horrific experiments--which is the whole point of the joke.
* A RunningGag on ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' is that the entire United States Postal Service is a shadowy, evil cabal that controls people's lives from behind the scenes. We largely find out about their mysterious ways through [[SitcomArchNemesis Newman]], a postal worker himself. Among the secrets we discover are that ZIP codes are meaningless, no carrier has ever successfully completed more than fifty percent of their route, and--worst of all--''no one actually needs mail.'' One episode even has Creator/WilfordBrimley in a brilliant OneSceneWonder as the Postmaster General of the United States--and it's clear from his contained rage that he's a SoftSpokenSadist and GeneralRipper who's able to cow the famously independent Kramer into submission.
* ''Series/SevenStarFightingGodGuyferd'' has Crown, a criminal organization that poses as an independent scientific research center and seeks to create the ultimate SuperSoldier using an AppliedPhlebotinum called "Fallah". And that's just one layer! The schemes of Crown get more nebulous and more grandiose the higher you go up in their hierarchy.
* DARK in ''Series/{{Kikaider}}'' are ostensibly a black market organization whose goals are either to make money selling {{Killer Robot}}s or just TakeOverTheWorld. In most episodes though their plan seems to be to just have their robots wantonly kill people.
* ''Series/MetalHeroes'':
** The Neros Empire in ''Series/ChoujinkiMetalder'' are a secret society looking to take over the world. For most of the series though they're caught up on just trying to kill Metalder.
** ''Series/KidouKeijiJiban'' has Criminal Syndicate Bioron. They seek to take over Japan, and they've got hordes of FacelessGoons, an army of {{Bioweapon Beast}}s and multiple hidden missiles bases to help make that a reality.

* ''Series/ProWresNoHoshiAzteckaiser'' has Black Mist, a "dark" wrestling federation that was banned from the sport because of the brutal tactics their wrestlers used. They seek the {{macguffin}} that serves as the source of Azteckaiser's power so they can use it to [[SeriousBusiness take over the sport of wrestling]].
* The Silence in ''Series/DoctorWho''. All we know for about three seasons is that they want to kill the Doctor, and exactly why that is isn't revealed until the Eleventh Doctor's finale.

* The ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' had quite a few of these:
** Pentex, from ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', was a faceless multinational holding company whose goals were to perpetuate chaos, spread pollution and devastation, and ultimately prepare the charred remains of the earth for their CosmicHorror overlords.
** The Technocracy, from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', was a conglomerate of {{Mad Scientist}}s, TheMenInBlack, and {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s who actually ''were'' the secret world government in charge of everything. A bit of a variation in that they already feel they control everything, their main goals are to finally crush all remaining pockets of resistance to their control and to completely quash any lingering belief in the supernatural.
*** Slightly subverted in own sourcebook, which had rules for Technocratic Player Characters, implied most of the conflict would come from their own superiors instead of their [[{{Pun}} "Traditional"]] enemies. It also broke the trend by laying out goals, motivations, and concrete plans that were reasonable *if* you accepted their world view as valid.
** Also from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'': the Nephandi, a group of corrupt and evil mages united mainly in their servitude to demonic beings. If it involves corruption, seduction or destruction, the Nephandi want a piece of it.
* A few of these exist in the ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'' as well:
** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' has both Belial's Brood and VII. The Brood are demon-worshippers and anarchists who believe [[EnemyWithin the Beast]] is a fragment of divine consciousness imprisoned by Humanity. The best way to get close to the Beast is to do awful, awful things -- which often makes them a pain in the ass for other Kindred, as those awful things will draw attention to them. VII is even more nebulous -- all anyone knows about them is they kill other vampires for some reason. Even attempts to crack into their heads via telepathy only turn up "VII" branded into their minds. There's even a whole book devoted to VII that offers up ''three'' different solutions for their origins, and several others are peppered throughout the line.
** ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' has the Seers of the Throne, mages who follow/worship [[DeityOfHumanOrigin the Exarchs]], all-powerful mages who ascended to the Supernal Realms and screwed things up for everyone else in the Fallen World in the process. They believe that magic should only belong in the hands of the worthy ("worthy" meaning "those whose goals align with the Exarchs"), and work to encourage a generally crappy atmosphere in order to discourage uncontrolled Awakenings, mainly through anti-intellectualism, dogmatism, and paranoia.
* The ''TabletopGame/JamesBond007'' game provides TAROT (Technological Accession, Revenge, and Organized Terrorism), a CaptainErsatz version of SPECTRE due to rights issues. TAROT has divisions named after [[TarotMotifs tarot cards]], and is led by Karl Ferenc Skorpios, a Blofeld {{Expy}}. Many of the canon James Bond foes listed in the core rulebook give information on how they connect to TAROT - Alexei Kronsteen from ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', for example, is TAROT's Planning Director of Special Operations, while Karl Stromberg from ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' has no knowledge of its existence.
** ''Classified'', the modern remake of the game system without the James Bond license, provides OSIRIS, whose goal is elimination of nation-states and their replacement by nobility. It is led by a self-styled Emperor, and the leaders of each division is referred to as a King or Queen. For example, the leader of the Influence department is the King of Whispers, while the leader of Assassination is the Queen of Death.

* One of the characteristic themes of the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign setting ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'':

* The Alpha Legion of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' operate in multiple worlds, answer to an invisible leadership, have countless members in all parts of society, all for some nefarious and unknown end. It's suggested that they're nebulous because they're no longer a single organization, with multiple cells all calling themselves "the Alpha Legion" working towards wholly different goals.

* {{Lampshaded}} with the Agents of S.N.E.A.K. from [[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Bablovia]]. It's mentioned that the primary activity of most of its members is trying to covertly find out what their faction's actual long-term goal is. There is a persistent theory that the faction doesn't actually ''have'' a purpose, and is just a prank that got ''way'' out of hand.
* ''TabletopGame/ClaimTheSky'': The Dagger is a secretive criminal organization that engages in all sorts of criminal activities and occasionally attempts to TakeOverTheWorld. It was founded by three supervillains, one of whom remains as its leader, and is the primary foe of BASTION.
* ''Top Secret/S.I.'' by Creator/{{TSR}} uses The Web as the primary foe of the [[HeroesRUs Orion Foundation]]. Starting as war profiteers during World War I, The Web turned into an underground organization aimed at taking over the world through a combination of political, economic, and military means. They run criminal and legitimate organizations worldwide, and have at some point infiltrated pretty much every significant intelligence organization in the world. They even have an ElaborateUndergroundBase, "The Nexus", hidden under Lake Geneva.
* S.H.A.D.O.W. (Secret Heirarchy of Agents for Domination Over the World) in ''TabletopGame/FreedomCity''. Like HYDRA, they started out as an offshoot of the Nazis, but these days have abandoned most of the trappings and beliefs of Nazism (learning he was the reincarnation of an Egyptian sorcerer cured Kantor of any racism he'd possessed -- after all, he must have been superior to everyone else ''then'' as well). Mostly their goals are that Overshadow should rule the world, and that his hangers-on in the Penumbra will be rewarded when he does. The question of what the rank-and-file think they're getting out of it doesn't really arise, because they're largely near-mindless clones of Overshadow.

* H.A.R.M. from ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever''. There's also Danger Danger. There are a few more organizations named in the various intel items that can be gathered. It's hinted they have a friendly rivalry and take part in various contests against each other.

* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' has the Secret Society of X-Nauts, an evil organization seeking to TakeOverTheWorld and led by a DiabolicalMastermind who's an obvious homage to ''Film/JamesBond'' villains. That's about all we know about them.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': Shadaloo has a hand in every major form of crime and has its agents scattered across the globe. [[BigBad M. Bison]] sits at the head of the organization and is the main villain from the ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' series, to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''. [[SupportingLeader Chun Li and Guile]] lead a joint investigation between Interpol and the US Air Force to shut Shadowloo down and bring Bison to justice.
* ''VideoGame/WarioMasterOfDisguise'' alludes to this kind of organisation with the company mentioned as owned by Count Cannoli, ''International Evil Concerns Inc''. Although the only thing it's shown to do is build robots to try and kill Wario.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' has the Talon Company from ''[[VideoGame/Fallout3 3]]'' and the Gunners from ''[[VideoGame/Fallout4 4]]''. They're ostensibly mercenaries, but we never see anybody hire them (for instance, to take out the [[ArtifactMook raider camps outside of every single town]]), nor do they appear to have the infrastructure to support the hundreds of well-equipped troops they deploy. They have no role in the plot and only exist to trouble the player character and occasionally his/her allies. Talon Company is a particularly egregious example, as the reason they come after the player character is explicitly because [[ForTheEvulz their unnamed employer thought that the player was being too nice]]. Really.
* Cerberus from the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games. Their stated goal is to protect humanity "at all costs", which is so vague as to allow for anything. Ironically a lot of their failed projects tend to result in more human deaths than anything. It all backfires on them when their boss goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' and gets some pretty horrific ideas about what exactly is best for humanity.
* In the ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' series, Megiddo is a secretive, sinister organization that plays a central role in the plot of ''[[VideoGame/SplinterCellConviction Conviction]]''. According to Tom Reed, Megiddo has great influence in Washington, Moscow, and Beijing. President Caldwell will not cooperate with Megiddo, so they plot to assassinate her and replace her with the VP, who happens to be controlled by the organization. Although Sam foils their plot, the organization remains at large. Megiddo does not play a role in ''[[VideoGame/SplinterCellBlacklist Blacklist]]'', aside from being briefly mentioned in a "Gone Dark" mission.

* The ''VideoGame/SpyFox'' adventure games has the Society for Meaningless Evil Larceny Lying and Yelling. Or, S.M.E.L.L.Y. This causes a bit of confusion when an important item of theirs is found in a trash can.
-->'''Mata Hari:''' I got something very important out of a S.M.E.L.L.Y. trash can.\\
'''Spy Fox:''' Well, of course it's smelly if you got it out of a trash can.
* V.I.L.E. of the ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' series. As explained in [[AllThereInTheManual many a game manual]], the letters stand for '''V'''illains' '''I'''nternational '''L'''eague of '''E'''vil. There's subtlety for ya.

* ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' has Ouma, the EvilCounterpart to Shinra. Sheath comes from the North American branch, and she also notes that Ouma has not only a Japanese and North American branch, but a German branch as well. Oros Phlox from the latter game is more of an OddlySmallOrganization.
* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' has NESTS, as well as Addes (and its sub-syndicates/branch organizations the Children of Kokaviel, Kusiel, Mephistopheles, and Belphegor) in the ''MI'' series. Those from the Past started as this, but quickly became a StandardEvilOrganizationSquad as time progressed.

%%* The Drexler Institute from ''[[VideoGame/ArcanaHeart Arcana Heart 3]]'' and its updates.
* General Viper's organization in ''VideoGame/OperationWolfReturnsFirstMission''. Very little is known about the organization, other than the fact they deal in drugs, weapons, and terrorism, and they have also built a power superweapon and taken hostages.
* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': No one in-universe is sure of what exactly international terrorist group Talon's goals are, but their deeds, ranging from kidnapping to mass murder, are all geared towards inciting chaos and strife. It's later revealed that Talon is a deliberately invoked example; while several of its members are in it primarily for personal profit, its primary goal is to [[TheSocialDarwinist make humanity stronger by plunging the entire world into eternal conflict]].
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': The Combine Overwatch was established as the military and civil policing force used by the Combine on Earth. They are the ever-present threat to Gordon Freeman and free humans everywhere.

%%* Geldra from ''VideoGame/RollingThunder''. They seem to be an {{Expy}} of [[Film/JamesBond SPECTRE]].
* The Red Falcon Organization from ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' initially appeared to be an evil force out to conquer the world. We do learn their true goals eventually however, in ''Shattered Soldier''.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Team Rocket. Though some of its individual members in the anime ''do'' have concrete goals in mind (usually some sort of money-making scheme), the organization as a whole, particularly its management, falls under this.
** Teams Magma, Aqua, and Galactic can also be classified as this, but those organizations have shifted from the more [[TheSyndicate Syndicate-like]] criminal organization that Team Rocket was to outright {{Well Intentioned Extremis|t}}m.
** The views of Team Galactic might fit more as UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans with the leadership sometimes bordering on OmnicidalManiac.
** Team Plasma are a band of {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s whose leader, N, seeks to separate Pokémon from humans; [[spoiler:but the true mastermind, [[TheManBehindTheMan Ghetsis]] plans on using the organization so that he can take control of the region]].
* The ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' has Ouroboros, who serve as the overarching antagonists of the various games in the series and are usually pulling the strings behind the scenes.
* ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'' alludes to a group named V.I.L.E. ([[Franchise/CarmenSandiego no relation]]), of which the game's BigBad Capital B is a major representative. [[spoiler:His failure in the game is reported to the shareholders by [[TheDragon Quack]], and he's to answer to them for his screw-up.]]
* The ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'' series is about you managing your own, training an army of minions, launching missions to cause international turmoil, battle spies, and eventually TakeOverTheWorld.
* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' has BAHRAM, an illegitimate anti-terrestrial military organization that is seen as the primary antagonistic force throughout the series. The organization ideology claims to give those independence from Mars, but ultimately, they want command dominance over Mars rather through dictatorship and destruction than liberation. [[spoiler:This veers off to the deep end with destruction on a galactic scale after a Metatron-ridden Nohman is in charge.]]

* ''Webcomic/Project0'' has the [[http://www.centralcitytower.com/2011/05/faction-introduction-lancers.html Lancers]]
* [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/33 This]] organization from ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo''. It's actually Creator/{{Sony}}, hence the UsefulNotes/{{P|layStation2}}S2 thing.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
** Hereti Corp lives and breathes this trope. They've been around for most of the strip's run, and we still have very little idea ''how'' they plan to take over the world, other than that it involves Oasis, a Dimensional Flux Agitator, and a chain of fast food restaurants.
** The Minion Master arc introduced an international collection of these organizations, the most significantly featured are [=NoFun=] Corporation and Crushtro. The Minion Master is as yet still too nebulous (and perhaps too incompetent) to be identified as evil.

[[folder:Web Original]]

%%* An unknown number in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, including The Brotherhood of the Bell, and the Thule Gemeinschaft.
* ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'': The AAHW are an organization that exists primarily to oppose the protagonists and produce CannonFodder for them to fight, with their name being an acronym for "Agency Against Hank Wimbleton".
* Cauldron from ''{{Literature/Worm}}'', which has some vague, grand scheme to prevent the end of the world. Regardless, said scheme involves manipulating politicians and government bureaus, kidnapping, assassinations, alternate universes, and supporting criminals whether they know it or not. Later revealed to be [[spoiler:not preventing, but ''riding out'' the end of the world, such that humanity and/or parahumanity can survive it]].
* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has the Chaos Insurgency, a group that has vaguely defined goals of taking over the world, but their main purpose seems to be as antagonistic to the Foundation as possible. And, let's face it, they called themselves the Chaos Insurgency; being evil is practically a guarantee. Some materials claim that the organization is a long-running, deniable FalseFlagOperation for the Foundation itself, thereby deliberately invoking this trope, up until the point where it went rogue and became this for real.
* Arch.rr in ''Podcast/RollToBreathe'', [[IPhony a fictional equivalent to Apple]], is secretly evil. They have connections to AIGIS, supervillains, and the criminal underworld, although the nature of CEO Archer Fletcher's plan isn't revealed until late in the first season. [[spoiler:It turns out Archer was simply acting under orders of an even more evil and nebulous organisation called The Suits, which the protagonists know next-to-nothing about.]]
* ''Website/{{Cracked}}'': Winston Rowntree details the typical organisation's structure [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18374_evil-crime-syndicate-lower-rungs-you-never-see-5Bchart5D.html here]], including such positions as "evil publicist" and "evil laundry service".
[[/folder]]

* COBRA from the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' cartoons is the icon of this trope. The terrorist organization is dedicated to nothing less than complete world domination, in certain continuities to take over so the lost civilization of Cobra-La can be reborn, but most of the time simply because Cobra Commander wants to rule on high. And the way they intend to conquer the world can range from holding nations hostage with super weapons to kidnapping and experimenting on innocent people or just directly attacking nations.

* MAD (Mean and Dirty/Malevolent Agency of Destruction), from ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget''. Led by [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen Dr. Claw]], MAD went around the world causing chaos for... some reason.
%%* F.E.A.R., of the 1960's ''WesternAnimation/Birdman1967'' cartoons.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros''' Guild of Calamitous intent, in addition to being a WeirdTradeUnion. Also the original incarnation of S.P.H.I.N.X before they were destroyed by the [[HeroesRUs OSI]] during the Pyramid Wars of 1987.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{MASK}} M.A.S.K.]]'' has the Vicious Evil Network of [[BigBad Mayhem]] (VENOM). Unusually for cartoons at the time, VENOM's goals are less about world domination and more about profiting from illegal activities and stealing legendary cultural relics to sell. Interestingly, later iterations of the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' toy line would establish VENOM as being a branch of Cobra.
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'''s F.O.W.L. Which stands for "Fiendish Organization for World Larceny," which is about as subtle as the Carmen Sandiego entry. They originally appeared in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', and had a larger role in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. The latter series eventually reveals that the motives of their leader is [[spoiler: to stop adventurers, especially the [=McDuck=]-Duck family, supposedly because they're bad for business, but ultimately due to a personal distaste for adventures. The fact a sinisterly-named shadowy organisation is likely to ''encourage'' adventurers has not occurred to him.]]
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' with [[FunWithAcronyms E.V.I.L.]] a.k.a. "Every Villain is Lemons."

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has The Red Lotus, which has been around for 70 years, who advocate complete anarchy, and seek to eliminate governments, the Order of The White Lotus, and finally the Avatar herself. Their evil ranges from criminal acts, terrorist acts, and plots to assassinate political leaders, all to accomplish their goals.

* S.C.U.M from ''WesternAnimation/JamesBondJr'' are a S.P.E.C.T.R.E [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute stand-in]] behind all of the villains in the series.
* M.A.V.O. (Monsters And Villains Organization) from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''. They're run by a guy who calls himself the "Supreme Oppressor" and are responsible for most of the strife that occurs in the land of Grundo.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' portrays Black Entertainment Television (or Black EVIL Television, as its board of directors calls it) as an evil organisation dedicated to destroying all African American people through their crappy programming, with a chief executive who maniacally demands that all shows be EVIL, and brutally executes any executives and producers who offer less.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' has the League of Villainous Evildoers Maniacally United For Frightening Investments in Naughtiness. aka [[FunWithAcronyms L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.]]
%%* S.N.A.F.U. (Society of Nefarious and Felonious Undertakings) from ''WesternAnimation/TheXs''.

* The enemy faction in ''Film/TopGunMaverick'' is effectively this. We don't learn anything about them other than they're running illegal nuclear operations, and their pilots are all FacelessGoons.

** The most iconic evil organization in the series by far is Shocker from ''Series/KamenRider'', a secret society formed by surviving members of ThoseWackyNazis bent on world domination. They have secret bases in every major country, legions of fanatical {{Mooks}} and EvilMinions, and their plan involves building an army of [[MonsterOfTheWeek kaijins]] to take over the world and turn into a totalitarian dictatorship. In ''Film/KamenRiderTheFirst'', the organization's name is short for the [[FunWithAcronyms Sacred Hegemony Of Cycle Kindred Evolutional Realm]]. The only thing standing in their way are their [[PhlebotinumRebel escaped lab experiments]], the Double Kamen Riders. They would eventually merge with another nebulous evil organization called Geldam to become Gel-Shocker.

** Parodied in ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'' with the Blatantly Evil Marketing Farm B, an evil group which concocts various schemes to turn Akihabara into a boring business district.

** ''Series/KidouKeijiJiban'' has Criminal Syndicate Bioron. They seek to take over Japan, and they've got hordes of FacelessGoons, an army of {{Bioweapon Beast}}s and several hidden missiles bases to help make that a reality.
* ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueForce'' has Neo Terror, a mysterious terrorist organization who cause man-made disasters with the goal of wiping out humankind.

** The mysterious Quantum plays this role in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' (in which they are unnamed) and ''Film/QuantumOfSolace''; they replace SMERSH, the organization that played the role in the original ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'' novel. ''Spectre'' [[spoiler:retroactively implies them to be a subsidiary of Spectre (though it's also likely that Quantum was reorganized ''into'' Spectre).]]

* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' has HR (a ring of corrupt cops), Northern Lights (WellIntentionedExtremist group who use the Machine to stop terrorist attacks) and now, Decima Technologies.

**
** Leviathan started out in ''Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman'' as Talia al Ghul's organisation, the main motivation of which seemed to be "show Bruce and my father that I don't need either of them". In ''Comicbook/EventLeviathan'', a tie-in to ''Comicbook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis'', it got co-opted by [[spoiler: Mark Shaw, the Manhunter]], who then engineered hostile takeovers of most of the groups mentioned above, as well as most of the heroic spy organisations.

* Series/{{Chuck}} semi-regularly faces off against the mysterious organization known as FULCRUM. It turns out that FULCRUM is only part of The Ring, whoever they are. Season 4's Big Bad, this time called Volkoff Industries. At least this time it seems to be a private rather than governmental actor.

* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'''s F.O.W.L. Which stands for "Fiendish Organization for World Larceny," which is about as subtle as the Carmen Sandiego entry. They originally appeared in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', and had a larger role in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2015''. The latter series eventually reveals that the motives of their leader is [[spoiler: to stop adventurers, especially the [=McDuck=]-Duck family, supposedly because they're bad for business, but ultimately due to a personal distaste for adventures. The fact a sinisterly-named shadowy organisation is likely to ''encourage'' adventurers has not occurred to him.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''' Guild of Calamitous intent, in addition to being a WeirdTradeUnion. Also the original incarnation of S.P.H.I.N.X before they were destroyed by the [[HeroesRUs OSI]] during the Pyramid Wars of 1987.

* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'''s F.O.W.L. Which stands for "Fiendish Organization for World Larceny," which is about as subtle as the Carmen Sandiego entry.

** ''Comicbook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' has A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C., led by Brother Hood. In a parody of the usual FunWithAcronyms names of these organisations, A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C stands for something different each time it's mentioned, but always something that lets you know they're CardCarryingVillain.

** ''Comicbook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' has A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C., led by Brother Hood. In a parody of the usual FunWithAcronyms names of these organisations, A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C stands for something different each time it's mentioned, but always something that lets you know they're {{Card-Carrying Villain}}s.

Like TheSyndicate, it has a hand in every conceivable kind of nefarious dealing, from murder to terrorism to grand robbery to [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking bad traffic]]. However, its criminal activities have some grand goal, almost always to TakeOverTheWorld or TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt - which is, by sheer coincidence, nebulous enough that nearly any anti-good act can be shoehorned into it. [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Price-fixing]] of consumer goods, killing political leaders, blowing up buildings, stealing the gold from Fort Knox, and attacking the heroes for no stated reason at all are all things the organization gets up to. Expect vast armies of {{mooks}}, a [[ElaborateUndergroundBase secret underground lair]], immense amounts of advanced technology and [[FunWithAcronyms a clever name]] that often does away with [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast any notion of subtlety]].

* The ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' franchise has Panther Claw, with innumerable [[{{Mooks}} guys in spiffy cat masks and cool hats]] and all manner of typically-female monsters, usually led by either Panther Zora or her subordinate Sister Jill. The original series gave us their goal early on as "the rest of the world doesn't deserve cool stuff, only us!" Different incarnations are different, though: In ''Series/CuteyHoneyTheLive,'' Panther Claw was about making lots and lots of money through outlandishly evil means (someimes CrazyIsCool, sometimes NightmareFuel), but ''always'' with a way to directly profit from the plot of the week.

** SPECTRE - the '''SP'''ecial '''E'''xecutive for '''C'''ounter-Intelligence, '''T'''errorism, '''R'''evenge and '''E'''xtortion. In [[Literature/JamesBond the novels]], this role was mostly filled by the real-life Soviet organization SMERSH[[note]]Even then, SMERSH was something of this trope, as the real-life SMERSH had been disbanded barely a year after World War II, having only been active as an anti-deserter unit of the NKVD during the war[[/note]], but SPECTRE showed up late in the series, starting with ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}''. For the films, SPECTRE appears in some way or another from ''Film/DrNo'' to ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' (with the exception of ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', which has a villain not related to them), before legal red tape concerning the creation of the ''Thunderball'' novel prevents Creator/EonProductions from using the organization again until 2015's ''Film/{{Spectre}}''[[note]]where it no longer carries the acronym[[/note]]. They showed up again to torment Bond in ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' [[spoiler:only to have their heads [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains completely wiped out by the new villain]].]]

* Theseus's company, Spencer Industries, exists as this in Adam R. Brown's science fiction series, ''{{Literature/Alterien}}''.

* The Sombra Corporation, in Creator/StephenKing's fiction weaves a twisting web of influence throughout many of his works. Described in more depth, finally, in ''Literature/TheDarkTower'', it is revealed that they serve The Crimson King, and are therefore pawns of the ultimate evil force in the multiverse.

* The ''Literature/NemesisSaga'' has the [[FunWithAcronyms Genetic Offensive Directive]], a black-ops genetic weapons program within DARPA originally founded to continue the horrific research started by the Japanese on Island 731 during WWII. Over time, however, it has grown into a NGOSuperpower, which seems to be experimenting with creating monsters purely for its own sake. [[spoiler:And then it turns out they're actually a front created by the [[HumanoidAliens Ferox]] as a means of insuring that Earth is properly prepared to defend itself when it is inevitably drawn into their ForeverWar with the [[StarfishAliens Aeros]].]]
* In Eric Ambler's novel ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' (filmed as ''The Mask of Dimitrios''), a writer follows the career of a dead criminal. The man rises from murderous thug, to spy, assassin and smuggler. All the time, behind him, supporting him is "The Eurasian Credit Trust", a shadowy bank based in Monaco, which means they don't have to reveal any information to anyone. The novel has more details as the fact that police all over Europe are sure they are behind the heroin trade and even arranging provocations for war. [[spoiler:Dimitrios isn't dead and it nearly costs the writer his life.]]

* In ''Literature/TheriomorphChronicles''. Megiddo, a criminal terrorist organization who has sinister goal of world domination and genocide, creates [[HalfHumanHybrid Theriomorphs]] and controls governments to further their [[HiddenAgendaVillain secret and true goal]].

* ''Literature/SpaceAcademy'': Dark Matter in ''Literature/SpaceAcademyWashouts'' is compared to Cobra and SPECTRE. It is involved in virtually every war humanity has fought in since its arrival in space. Taking it down has been the goal of [[spoiler: Director G]] for decades. It has access to its own private space navy, megacorporation holdings, as well as Elder Race technology.

* ''VideoGame/BloodyRoar'': The Tylon Corporation is the main source of antagonism throughout the series, though they're never actually seen at any point. All that's known about them is, that they're responsible for conducting inhumane experiments on zoanthropes for the purpose of creating the ultimate man-beast. And they've also created clones with stolen zoanthrope DNA - with the successful ones becoming part of their private army (the ZLF[[note]]the Zoanthrope Liberation Front[[/note]]).

* Cerberus from the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games. Their stated goal is to protect humanity "at all costs," which is so vague as to allow for anything. Ironically a lot of their failed projects tend to result in more human deaths than anything. It all backfires on them when their boss goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' and gets some pretty horrific ideas about what exactly best for humanity is.

** Arachnos, which is also the government and standing army of a Caribbean island nation, and has every kind of {{mook|s}} and villain you can imagine. (and it employs all player-created villains) The Council too. (which has a rivalry with Arachnos)
** The Malta group and the Council. The Malta group has defined goals, though (draconian restrictions on superpowered individuals, or just eliminating them entirely), so they may not count. The Council, on the other hand, is a pretty generic neo-fascist group with no particular goals beyond "be evil".

-->''Mata Hari:'' I got something very important out of a S.M.E.L.L.Y. trash can.\\
''Spy Fox:'' Well, of course it's smelly if you got it out of a trash can.

'''Dex:''' "You don't get it do you? [=GlobeX=] isn't just out for us, they're GLOBAL."

* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'': [[spoiler:The Ultimate Despair are the ones responsible for the [[DeadlyGame Mutual Killing Games]]. Initially a small ApocalypseCult founded by [[TeenIdol popular]] high school {{Fashionista}} [[BigBad Junko Enoshima]], they are a group that seeks to [[HopeCrusher spread despair]] across the world. To this end, they infiltrated Hope’s Peak Academy, killed multiple students and faculty, and recruited the experiment [[UltimateLifeForm Izuru Kamukura to their cause]]- with him on their side, they became unstoppable and caused mass rioting, leading to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt The Tragedy]]. As of the main story, they have become TheEmpire ruling over the [[VillainWorld post-Tragedy world]], and employ tactics like {{Brainwashing}}, robot invasions, and [[ImmoralRealityShow the titular televised killing game]] to control the population.]]
** In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', Kokichi Oma claims to be the leader of an evil organization with over 10,000 members, control over the mafia, and infiltrating agents everywhere. However, given that Kokichi is a self-admitted ConsummateLiar and that not even the Ultimate Detective has heard of such an organization, nobody believes him for a second. [[spoiler:While his organization, D.I.C.E., does exist, everything else about it was a lie. There are only 10 members, they certainly don't control anything, and the full extent of their "evil" is committing petty crimes and pulling harmless pranks on people [[ItAmusedMe for fun]]]].

* ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'' alludes to a group named V.I.L.E. ([[Franchise/CarmenSandiego no relation]]), of which the game's BigBad Capital B is a major representative. [[spoiler:His failure in the game is reported to the shareholders by [[TheDragon Quack]], and he's to answer to them for his screw-up]].

* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' has BAHRAM, an illegitimate anti-terrestrial military organization that is seen as the primary antagonistic force throughout the series. The organization ideology claims to give those independence from Mars, but ultimately they want command dominance over Mars rather through dictatorship and destruction than liberation. [[spoiler:This veers off to the deep end with destruction on a galactic scale after a Metatron-ridden Nohman is in charge.]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'': The AAHW are an organization that exists primarily to oppose the protagonists and produce CannonFodder for them to fight, with their name being an acronym for "Agency Against Hank Wimbleton".
[[/folder]]

* [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/33 This]] organization from ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo''. Nothing nebulous about them. That's Sony, hence the UsefulNotes/{{P|layStation2}}S2 thing.
* Hereti Corp from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' lives and breathes this trope. They've been around for most of the strip's run, and we still have very little idea ''how'' they plan to take over the world, other than that it involves Oasis, a Dimensional Flux Agitator, and a chain of fast food restaurants.

* Winston Rowntree details the typical organisation's structure [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18374_evil-crime-syndicate-lower-rungs-you-never-see-5Bchart5D.html here]], including such positions as "evil publicist" and "evil laundry service.".

* Cauldron from ''{{Literature/Worm}}'', which has some vague, grand scheme to prevent the end of the world. Maybe. Regardless, said scheme involves manipulating politicians and government bureaus, kidnapping, assassinations, alternate universes, and supporting criminals whether they know it or not.
** Later revealed to be [[spoiler: not preventing, but ''riding out'' the end of the world, such that humanity and/or parahumanity can survive it.]]

* Arch.rr in ''Podcast/RollToBreathe'', [[IPhony a fictional equivalent to Apple]], is secretly evil. They have connections to AIGIS, supervillains, and the criminal underworld, although the nature of CEO Archer Fletcher's plan isn't revealed until late in the first season.
** [[spoiler: It turns out Archer was simply acting under orders of an even more evil and nebulous organisation called The Suits, which the protagonists know next-to-nothing about.]]

* COBRA from [[Franchise/GiJoe the G.I Joe cartoons]] is the icon of this trope. The terrorist organization is dedicated to nothing less than complete world domination, in certain continuities to take over so the lost civilization of Cobra-La can be reborn, but most of the time simply because Cobra Commander wants to rule on high. And the way they intend to conquer the world can range from holding nations hostage with super weapons to kidnapping and experimenting on innocent people or just directly attacking nations.
* VILE from ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'', are an excellent example of this and they are led by five members of their organization in total.

* Both the HIVE (which includes a supervillain training center, HIVE Academy) and the Brotherhood of Evil (which the HIVE itself becomes part of) on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' count.

* The Order of Janus from ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'', a secret society of changelings who have infiltrated human civilization in order to pave the way for [[BigBad Gunmar's]] escape from the Darklands and conquest of the world.

* The Sombra Corporation, in Creator/StephenKing's fiction weaves a twisting web of influence throughout many of his works. Described in more depth, finally, in the Dark Tower series, it is revealed that they serve The Crimson King, and are therefore pawns of the ultimate evil force in the multiverse.