History Main / PaidHarem

* NXIVM claims to be feminist organization which works for the betterment of women and girls. Vancouver was home to one of their self-help centers. But in the end, it seems to all be a recruitment tool for Keith Raniere. And it's hard to deny that he's been successful: he has financial support from two multi-millionaire sisters, his own harem with several film and TV actresses, and he was apparently the reason why the Dalai Lama fired his secretary (who broke his vow of chastity while at the cult). It was Raniere who convinced Allison Mack to quit ''{{Series/Smallville}}'' and Nicki Clyne to quit acting and leave ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' (both of them filmed in Vancouver). Because she quit acting, Clyne was no longer eligible for the kind of visa she needed to stay in the US, so she married Mack in a sham ceremony. If rumors are to be trusted, he is the real father of Kristanna Loken's son.

* In the campy 1975 film adaptation of ''Film/DocSavage'', Captain Seas is accompanied by two paramours, Adriana and Karen. This turns into a BrickJoke when he undergoes BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood and is seen at the end of TheMovie working as a Salvation Army bandleader, with the two girls looking rather bored while holding collection plates and singing along.

** ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' has a subversion when Bond is able to sneak into the villain's lair because one of his harem is [[DistractedByTheSexy having a secret affair with one of his bodyguards]]. With all these beautiful woman sitting around all day getting bored waiting for the BigBad to make use of them, [[RealityEnsues what do you think is going to happen?]]

* ''Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'': following his arrest in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', Lex Luthor has escaped from Arkham Asylum and is residing on a luxury yacht with the expected [[PaidHarem bevy of beautiful women]]. However there's no MaleGaze on the bikini girl in the swimming pool; instead there are several women dressed in {{Stripperiffic}} [[BadassInANiceSuit suits]], with [[BodyguardBabes automatic weapons and serious expressions]], guarding Luthor.

[[/folder]]

Might be found in the DenOfIniquity during off-duty hours. Compare IgnoredEnamoredUnderling. Also compare RoyalHarem, where the relationship is more institutional than paid. See also IHaveYouNowMyPretty and GoGoEnslavement, where the villain tries to press a heroic lady into the harem. A GoldDigger on the other hand may see this as a viable lifestyle choice, making the villain a SugarDaddy.

* NXIVM claims to be feminist organization which works for the betterment of women and girls. Vancouver was home to one of their self-help centers. But in the end, it seems to all be a recruitment tool for Keith Raniere. And it's hard to argue that he's been successful: he has financial support from two multi-millionaire sisters, his own harem with several film and TV actresses, and he was apparently the reason why the Dalai Lama fired his secretary (who broke his vow of chastity while at the cult). It was Raniere who convinced Allison Mack to quit ''{{Series/Smallville}}'' and Nicki Clyne to quit acting and leave ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' (both of them filmed in Vancouver). Because she quit acting, Clyne was no longer eligible for the kind of visa she needed to stay in the US, so she married Mack in a sham ceremony. If rumors are to be trusted, he is the real father of Kristanna Loken's son.

* [[Magazine/{{Playboy}} Hugh Hefner's]] bunnies, but given his [[ChivalrousPervert personality]], they did seem to like him. To his credit, he called them "girlfriends" as opposed to something more demeaning.

* In ''Theatre/StarlightExpress'', the electric locomotive [[BiTheWay Electra]] enjoys an equal-opportunity entourage. Although they never explicitly refer to themselves as his harem, their actions tend to imply it.

[[folder:Film]]

* Subverted in the first ''{{Literature/Deathlands}}'' novel "Pilgrimage to Hell". The Baron of Mocsin, Jordan Teague, has two girls by his side who don't change their bored expressions even when he uses them; not that Teague can do much as he's [[AdiposeRex too fat]] and doped out to care.

* In the Adam West ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' show, if the villain of the week was male, he would invariably have an attractive female henchman serving alongside the mooks. On rare occasions, they actually served some purpose other than scenery.
* Season one of ''Series/{{Homeland}}'' features a woman who is in charge of an Arab prince's harem. Women are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a one-year term. Judging by the number of interviews the woman has to oversee, there are plenty of willing volunteers.

* Parodied in the early ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' series ''Webcomic/BardQuest'', in which the king keeps a pair of attractive scantily-clad servants by his throne… [[spoiler:But the king is gay, so they're two shirtless muscular ''men''.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', particularly the ''New Adventures'', did this a few times as well, including a villainess with Chippendale-esque henchmen and Mr. Freeze with women in {{stripperiffic}} ''parkas''. When the Penguin became TheDon (much like he currently is in the comic), he employed cocktail waitresses at his nightclub who were also his enforcers.

* Thugnificent in ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' employs several beautiful women to lounge about his mansion, including one whose only job is to announce the presence of visitors by sultrily crooning, "ding... dong." He dubs her a [[JustForPun "whorebell"]].

* Parodied in ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'', but ''not'' with filthy-rich Halekulani; rather, it's ''Giga'' who has this. Which for some reason, includes [[FanDisservice Dengakuman]].

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', the male World Nobles are seen with many women around them. Though it is quite clear they are not there out of choice.

** ComicBook/TheRiddler had [[http://www.comicvine.com/query-and-echo/4060-55971/ Query and Echo]], two Gun Bunnies he was somehow able to talk into working for him as muscle and arm candy. He recruited them when they tried robbing him after he robbed a convenience store.

[[folder:Film]]
* Biff's buxom blondes from the alternate 1985, in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII''.
* Two-Face in ''Film/BatmanForever'' had Sugar and Spice, [[DualityMotif a pair]] of attractive women who represented either fluffy goodness[[note]]Creator/DrewBarrymore[[/note]] or harsh evil[[note]]Debi Mazar[[/note]] in very sexy ways. Although technically, they were both evil.
* Mr. Freeze in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' has Ms. B. Haven.[[note]]Creator/VivicaAFox[[/note]] Given Freeze's obsession with his comatose wife, it's pretty clear she's only there because arm candy is the expected thing.

* Several Film/JamesBond villains have them. Valentin Zukovsky from ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'' had a strip club with several floozies. One of whom was [[StylisticSuck hilariously tone-deaf]] [[TheCameo Minnie Driver]].

* The stewardesses in Tony Stark's private jet double as pole dancers/strippers in ''Film/IronMan''.
* Bruce Wayne in both ''Film/BatmanBegins'' and ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' does this with glee to keep up his playboy image.

* In ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'' (1973 version) Pilate always seems to have a few beautiful women in nice dresses hanging around him, not doing much of anything. King Herod is also surrounded by scantily dressed women... [[DepravedBisexual and men]].
* [[Creator/SamuelLJackson The Octopus]] has [[Creator/ScarlettJohansson Silken Floss]] in ''[[Film/TheSpirit The Spirit]]''. Despite the implications, she's more of a PunchClockVillain who only works for him to pay for her [=PhD=] tuition.
* Honey Swanson is a gangster moll on the lam in ''Film/ASongIsBorn''.
* In the campy 1975 film adaptation of ''Film/DocSavage'', Captain Seas is accompanied by two paramours, Adriana and Karen. This turns into a BrickJoke when he undergoes BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood and is seen at the end of TheMovie working as a Salvation Army bandleader, with the two girls looking rather bored while holding collection plates and singing along.
* ''Film/{{Colombiana}}''. The protagonist is sent to kill an embezzler -- an overweight, middle-aged man who nevertheless has a harem of four gorgeous lingerie-clad women to share his bed.
* Sao Feng's DenOfIniquity in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'' has bored-looking prostitutes decorating the entrance, various female drudges acting as bath attendants, and a set of twins called Lian and Park as his personal masseuses and bodyguards. When they're both [[DisposableWoman killed by Mercer]], he replaces them with two more women.
* In ''Film/ThreeHundred'', King Xerxes has one, and uses the promise of women and gold to successfully tempt Ephialtes--rejected by the Greek army due to his deformity--into selling out his countrymen.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/MacheteKills'', though involving a SleazyPolitician instead of a BigBad. The President of the United States gets a late night phone call from our hero. The phone is picked up by a sleepy yet hot female White House intern, who hands it to another female intern in the bed beside her, who hands it to ''[[OverlyLongGag another]]'' female intern, who hands the phone to the President.
* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'': [[PresidentEvil President Skroob]] has [[TwinThreesomeFantasy Marlene and Charlene]], who he doesn't even bother trying to tell apart.
* Subverted in the opening of ''Film/{{Polar}}''. A retired hitman is shown snorting coke and EatingTheEyeCandy of the [[SexySurfacingShot bathing beauty]] whose name he hasn't bothered to remember. Turns out she's a HoneyTrap working with a professional hit team who kills him while he's DistractedByTheSexy.
* ''Film/{{Swashbuckler}}'': In his first scene, the AntagonisticGovernor Lord Durant is taking a bath surrounded by a bevy of beautiful, scantily clad women that [[AmbiguouslyGay he shows no interest in]]. They do not reappear and seemingly serve no function. Presumably Durant has them because he believes it is the sort of thing an EvilOverlord is supposed to have.

** Major Goa'uld have favored slaves (lo'taur) tending to their every need, so naturally they'd include one or more sex slaves. Baal's favorite concubine fell in love with the Tok'ra Kanan while he was bonded to O'Neill, leading to Baal's ceaseless torture-resurrection-torture of the latter in "Abyss".

* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "Seth" (Season 3, Episode 2), the heroes go undercover in a brainwashed cult to an Earth-bound Goa'uld. Major Samantha Carter becomes part of Seth's harem.

->''"You know, I always loved how in [[Series/Batman1966 the '60s Batman TV series]], supervillainy was like the new rock and roll. Every supervillain had at least one hottie in their lair, as well as generic goons with their nicknames tagged on their sweaters. Where do supervillains go to get groupie chicks? Is there a bar somewhere?"''

* With a female villain, Kronk is a borderline example of this to Yzma in ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove''. She seems to keep him around for his strength much more than his looks, but Kuzco still seems to get the idea:

* Mr. Freeze in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' has Ms. B. Haven.[[note]]VivicaAFox[[/note]] Given Freeze's obsession with his comatose wife, it's pretty clear she's only there because arm candy is the expected thing.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', particularly the ''New Adventures'', did this a few times as well, including a villainess with Chippendale-esque henchmen and Mr. Freeze with women in {{stripperiffic}} ''parkas''. When the Penguin became TheDon (much like he currently is in the comic), he employed cocktail waitresses at his nightclub who were also his enforcers.
* The Penguin in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' has two women dressed as kabuki-styled geishas following him around in his debut episode... who also happen to be ninjas with razor sharp claws.

** ComicBook/TheRiddler had [[http://www.comicvine.com/query-and-echo/4060-55971/ Query and Echo]], two Gun Bunnies he was somehow able to talk into working for him as muscle and arm candy. He recruited them when tried robbing him after he robbed a convenience store.

* The Penguin in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' has two women dressed as kabuki styled geishas following him around in his debut episode... who also happen to be ninjas with razor sharp claws.

** ComicBook/TheRiddler had [[http://www.comicvine.com/query-and-echo/4060-55971/ Query and Echo]]; two Gun Bunnies he was somehow able to talk into working for him as muscle and arm candy, after they tried robbing him after he robbed a convenience store.

* Mr. Freeze in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' has Ms. B. Haven [[note]]VivicaAFox[[/note]]. Given Freeze's obsession with his comatose wife, it's pretty clear she's only there because arm candy is the expected thing.

->''"You know, I always loved how in [[{{Series/Batman}} the '60s Batman TV series]], supervillainy was like the new rock and roll. Every supervillain had at least one hottie in their lair, as well as generic goons with their nicknames tagged on their sweaters. Where do supervillains go to get groupie chicks? Is there a bar somewhere?"''

* In the Adam West ''Series/{{Batman}}'' show, if the villain of the week was male, he would invariably have an attractive female henchman serving alongside the mooks. On rare occasions, they actually served some purpose other than scenery.

* [[Magazine/{{Playboy}} Hugh Hefner's]] bunnies, but given his [[ChivalrousPervert personality]], they do actually seem to like him. To his credit, he calls them "girlfriends" as opposed to something more demeaning.

* Mr. Freeze in ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' has Ms. B. Haven [[note]]VivicaAFox[[/note]]. Given Freeze's obsession with his wife, it's pretty clear she's only there because arm candy is the expected thing.