History Main / PaintItBlack

* In ''Literature/FateApocrypha'', [[spoiler:[[ArcherArchetype Atalanta's]]]] clothes turn black (and {{Stripperiffic}}) and her hair turns grey after activating her second Noble Phantasm, [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel Agrius Metamorphosis]]]]. She normally hates using this, since it [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity drives her insane]], but the events of the War [[SanitySlippage take a toll on her psyche]]...

** Another Phoenix example is when Characters/{{Emma Frost|WhiteQueen}} briefly possesses the Phoenix Force during ''Endsong'', her normally white costume becomes black and gold [[{{Stripperiffic}} and more slutty. Yes, it's possible]].
** Every Phoenix host seems to get a new Phoenix-ified version of their outfit. Even Spider-Man, [[spoiler:though he wasn't ''actually'' a Phoenix host at the time, [[FridgeLogic so where'd the outfit come from?]]]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Spoofed in ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'', when Angelika [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0307.html dones a Cloak of Charisma]] that immediately gives her a DarkerAndEdgier look. Her familiar concludes that she must have turned evil.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "Rebel Without a Glove", WesternAnimation/BugsBunny loses his signature white gloves, which turns him into a NervousWreck because he feels they define his personality. As a last-ditch replacement, he purchases some black leather gloves, which causes his personality to transform into that of a NinetiesAntiHero, resulting in him being a {{Jerkass}} to everyone around him.
* While she's first introduced in the evil persona, this is the case for Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic.'' As the good Princess Luna, she has a dark blue coat and a lighter blue mane. As the evil Nightmare Moon, her coat is black and her mane becomes darker and even more nebulous than usual (when she first transforms back, her mane is light blue and looks more like hair, but in her subsequent appearances, it's darker and flows more like Celestia's).

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Happens in reverse for Raven. Normally, she's under her father's influence but in control of herself, and her costume is dark blue, but when she's in a very good mood or completely free of her father's control, her outfit turns white.

A possible variant is when a character happens to be [[StarfishCharacter split between good or evil]] or gain an EnemyWithout (sometimes just for a MirrorMatch); the EvilTwin (or both) might immediately get ColorCodedForYourConvenience in the process. In visual media, it naturally [[RuleOfPerception helps the viewer telling apart the good guy and the bad guy]].

This trope is [[TropeNamer named]] for Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} song "Paint It Black", although the song itself is completely unrelated to the trope, being about grieving a loved one's death. For the Creator/NancyACollins novel (also named after the song), see ''Literature/SonjaBlue''. It is also unrelated to RonTheDeathEater, formerly known as the ''other'' thing named after the same song ("Paint the Hero Black"), which involves more than a costume change.

* In ''VisualNovel/ElevenEyes'', [[spoiler:when Lisette becomes Liselotte, her ElegantGothicLolita outfit changes from white to black.]]

* In ''Literature/FateApocrypha'', [[spoiler:[[ArcherArchetype Atalanta's]]]] clothes turn black (and {{Stripperific}}) and her hair turns grey after activating her second Noble Phantasm, [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel Agrius Metamorphosis]]]]. She normally hates using this, since it [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity drives her insane]], but the events of the War [[SanitySlippage take a toll on her psyche]]...
* In ''Literature/FateZero'', an unwilling [[spoiler:Irisviel]] has this, [[spoiler:when her mind gets absorbed by all the Evils in the World -- Angra Mainyu.]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': ComicBook/MaryMarvel's white costume switched to black when she received Black Adam's powers in ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'' -- which had the side effect of [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil turning her evil]].

** In ''ComicBook/GirlPower'', Supergirl was exposed to black kryptonite and she was split into her normal self and an evil (and oversexed) alternate personality that wore a black-and-silver version of her normal costume. The black costume returned in a later ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' storyline where a battle with the Omega Man accidentally reawakened the Dark Supergirl persona within her.

** ComicBook/JeanGrey[=/=]Phoenix. When she first becomes Phoenix, the new suit is just there, and when she becomes Dark Phoenix, it turns red. Later in the original Phoenix arc, she can tell how close she is to losing control by what she sees her costume is doing. In the ''Endsong'' storyline, she frequently changes from green to red as her personality shifts between "Jean with Phoenix powers" and "cosmic destroyer". When her issues are finally resolved, it becomes ''white''. (The white suit has its own meaning, which, like all things Phoenix, is needlessly complicated.) [[note]]When Jean reassembles all of the lost pieces of the Phoenix Force, her costume is white and gold and she becomes the White Phoenix of the Crown, the most complete Force/Host combination. However, we'd seen the outfit once before -- in a flashback sequence to her after her HeroicSacrifice at the end of the original Phoenix story. DependingOnTheWriter, she was, at the time, either Phoenix with a bit of Jean's soul, Phoenix impersonating Jean but ''absolutely completely not her,'' or Jean with some of the Phoenix Force in her. So...enjoy the pretty new suit and don't think too hard on it. [[MST3KMantra Trust us on this one.]][[/note]]
** Another Phoenix example is when ComicBook/EmmaFrost briefly possesses the Phoenix Force during ''Endsong'', her normally white costume becomes black and gold [[{{Stripperiffic}} and more slutty. Yes, it's possible]].

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': {{Inverted}} with [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX San]], the former [[MultipleHeadCase left head]] of Ghidorah. After being cut off from Ghidorah, [[TwoBeingsOneBody merging with Vivienne Graham tp form a new two-headed creature]], and undergoing a HeelFaceTurn; San loses Ghidorah's [[BrightIsNotGood gold scales]], and in his and Vivienne's second fused form, San's head looks just like he originally did when part of Ghidorah except that he now has charcoal-black skin and gray spurs.

** As Willow powers up for her homicidal FreakOut, the {{phlebotinum}} involved turns her [[GoodHairEvilHair hair]] and [[GoodEyesEvilEyes eyes]] black in front of an astonished Anya.

** In ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'', Yuusuke Godai's black SuperMode originally comes from a serious mad-on and threatens to make him a DestructiveSavior. However, when powered by his sense of justice, "Ultimate Kuuga" is... still black, but the eyepieces go from black to their usual red. In ''Series/KamenRiderDecade,'' the black-and-gold but ''much'' more evil-looking Rising Ultimate Kuuga form, with SpikesOfVillainy, is bestowed upon Yuusuke ''Onodera'' by the LegionOfDoom when they brainwash him. You get the black eyes until he gets de-brainwashed, and again, they become their normal red.

* Inverted in ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy'': when [[spoiler:Viktor]] goes on a rampage and starts building up telekinetic energy, his outfit and [[spoiler:violin]] turn completely white from the power.

** There's also the [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Black_repaint Black Repaint]] page at [=TFWiki=], which covers when toys are specifically recolored black. In a great many cases, the recolors are issued as {{Evil Twin}}s, especially if it's a version of Optimus Prime (although some black Optimus Primes are simply cases of Optimus Prime wearing black). Again, though, if the recolored toy represents the same character as the original version, it generally doesn't affect the character's personality.

** This happens to the [[spoiler:[[PowerArmor Susanooh Unit]]]] at the climax of ''Central Fiction'', when [[spoiler:[[BigBad Yuuki Terumi]] kills [[WorldsStrongestMan Hakumen]] (specifically his soul) and [[GrandTheftMe takes it over]], changing the normally-white Susanoo into a black form with a SicklyGreenGlow and [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily lots of teeth]]]]. Strangely though, [[spoiler:this form is actually what the Susanooh Unit ''really'' looks like since Terumi is the original host; in other words, this is what [[AllMythsAreTrue the god Susano'o himself]] [[GodOfEvil actually looks like]]]].

* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7'', [[spoiler:while Arle is possessed by Ecolo,]] her outfit has a dark color scheme. When Ringo and her gang [[spoiler:drives Ecolo out of her body, her clothes turn back to normal. Though some fans were shocked when she was not wearing her usual blue.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', Wander's hair becomes darker and his skin becomes paler as you progress through the game, and then at the end, [[spoiler:you become the new embodiment of Dormin, which kind of explains everything.]]

** And then, When Malack [[spoiler:reanimates Durkon as a Vampire, his armor instantaneously become dark grey and black, his Holy Symbol becomes gold and black, his eyes red, and his skin and beard get paler.]]

* Happens in reverse for ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''' Raven: normally, she's under her father's influence but in control of herself, and her costume is dark blue, but when she's in a very good mood or completely free of her father's control, her outfit turns white.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': {{Inverted}} with [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX San]], the former [[MultipleHeadCase left head]] of Ghidorah. After his HeelFaceTurn and after his and Vivienne's second [{{Metamorphosis}}, San fully trades Ghidorah's gold scales for gray skin and spurs.

* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': Smurfette originally had black hair, as she was a creation of Gargamel, but when Papa Smurf changed her into a real Smurf, her hair became blonde. In [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs the cartoon show]] episode "Smurfette Unmade", the spell that Gargamel casts on her to undo the spell that made her into a real Smurf causes her hair to turn black as she reverts to her "un-Smurfy self". In ''Film/TheSmurfs2'', Smurfette's skin also changes to pale grey as she turns back into a Naughty, although this only occurs in a dream sequence.

* In ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'', [[spoiler:[[ArcherArchetype Atalanta's]]]] clothes turn black (and {{Stripperific}}) and her hair turns grey after activating her second Noble Phantasm, [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel Agrius Metamorphosis]]]]. She normally hates using this, since it [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity drives her insane]], but the events of the War [[SanitySlippage take a toll on her psyche]]...
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', an unwilling [[spoiler:Irisviel]] has this, [[spoiler:when her mind gets absorbed by all the Evils in the World -- Angra Mainyu.]]

* [[spoiler: Trisha Elric]] in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' has brown hair, but in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]], when she is [[spoiler:"resurrected" as a [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent homunculus]]]] named Sloth, her hair is jet black. Black hair and paler skin seem to be a general effect on the homunculi of the anime. Lust's human form was Ishvalan, and they're all mostly middle-eastern in appearance.

* Sara in ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' flashes back to [[spoiler:her FreakOut that [[ThrowawayCountry destroyed the Indian Ocean]] and killed Kaito's parents]]; she used to have bright red hair, but once she embraces her hatred and fear, her hair and [[TransformationTrinket pearl]] (and, in the manga, costume) turn black.

%%* [[spoiler:Messenger Nia]] in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' gets this with TronLines.

* Smurfette in ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'' originally had black hair, as she was a creation of Gargamel, but when Papa Smurf changed her into a real Smurf, her hair became blonde. In [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs the cartoon show]] episode "Smurfette Unmade", the spell that Gargamel casts on her to undo the spell that made her into a real Smurf causes her hair to turn black as she reverts to her "un-Smurfy self". In ''Film/TheSmurfs2'', Smurfette's skin also changes to pale grey as she turns back into a Naughty, although this only occurs in a dream sequence.
* Evil Sonic (a.k.a. Scourge) from ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' eventually goes green and vile-looking when he absorbs enough energy from the Master Emerald, which also helps drive him a bit mad and he becomes even more evil when Sonic points out their similarities. In the end, this leads to his using his super form, a bizarre inverse of his usual color scheme with purple hair, black eyes with red pupils and even a slight outfit change, with the red and green parts becoming purple and blue. It's a surprisingly creepy looking form, fitting for how crazy he's become.
* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}:
** In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Supergirl Vol 5]] #3'', Supergirl was exposed to black kryptonite and she was split into her normal self and an evil (and oversexed) alternate personality that wore a black-and-silver version of her normal costume. The black costume returned in a later ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' storyline where a battle with the Omega Man accidentally reawakened the Dark Supergirl persona within her.
** This was based on a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] story in which Kara was exposed to a piece of ''red'' kryptonite that created [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Satan_Girl_(Pre-Zero_Hour) Satan Girl]], who likewise wore a black outfit. Her version had a cowl and no S-symbol, because her identity was originally a mystery.
* Inverted for ComicBook/{{Raven}} of the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', who usually switches from her dark-blue to a white outfit when her demon father Trigon's influence becomes too great.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':

This trope is [[TropeNamer named]] for Music/TheRollingStones song "Paint It Black", although the song itself is completely unrelated to the trope, being about grieving a loved one's death. For the Creator/NancyACollins novel (also named after the song), see ''Literature/SonjaBlue''. It is also unrelated to RonTheDeathEater, formerly known as the ''other'' thing named after the same song ("Paint the Hero Black"), which involves more than a costume change.

** It's very common for Hasbro and Takara to re-release an existing toy model with a black repaint. This business model is common enough that it has [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Spontaneous_recoloration its own page]] at the [[Wiki/TFWikiDotNet Transformers Wiki]] which explains these changes as "Spontaneous Recoloration". ''{{Webcomic/Shortpacked}}'' frequently [[TakeThat takes shots]] at this. Often, though, the change isn't good/evil, but a powerup that leaves the character's personality alone.

* Bael from ''Webcomic/{{Suppression}}'' does this when he finds his [[NiceHat hat]] [[spoiler:while possessing General Victus]]. He decides it doesn't match his current outfit and [[LovecraftianSuperpower sprouts tentacles that dye both red]].

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In Season 5 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Doctor H. is brainwashed into helping antagonists Big M. and Little M. with their schemes to take over Planet Xing. When Doctor H. is in his evil form, his typical yellow and purple suit and helmet change to black and gray, with the suit in particular having one feature - a vest - that Doctor H.'s normal clothing doesn't have.
[[/folder]]

* ''Comicbook/{{Shazam}}'': ComicBook/MaryMarvel's white costume switched to black when she received Black Adam's powers in ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis'' -- which had the side effect of [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil turning her evil]].

* In ''VideoGame/BowsersFury'', the eponymous Fury Bowser has turned jet-black with FlamingHair and GlowingEyesOfDoom, and with this appearance comes a change or personality. No longer is he the LargeHam BoisterousBruiser he was before, but now he's a feral rage-fueled monster who'll lash out against everyone, even his own son. [[spoiler: Turns out this trope is played literally, as his change in attitude was caused by [[DeadlyPrank a prank gone awry]] from Bowser Junior.]]

** In ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'', Alone, TheProtagonist Tenma's best friend, normally has blond hair, but when Hades' corruption on him starts showing up, his hair turns black. [[spoiler:After Hades' soul is expunged from him, his hair turns back to blond.]]

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'': Although it's not evil, Samus' Phazon Suit is her normal suit mixed with deadly blue stuff.

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'':
** Samus' suit changes in ''Metroid Prime 3'' if you get corrupted. It's implied the suit has a psychic and biological link to Samus.
** Although it's not evil, Samus' Phazon Suit in the first ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' does count, as it's her normal suit mixed with deadly blue stuff.
** In ''Echoes'', EVERY Ing-possessed enemy. Be they bugs, bad guys, or even robots, if an Ing's in charge, expect black-and-purple enemies, maybe with {{Spikes of Villainy}}.
** Inverted in ''Metroid Fusion'' with the [[EvilTwin SA-X]]. It looks no different from Samus' original appearance, while the real Samus sports a mangled and scrawny blue suit which resulted when the federation ''surgically removed her infected power armor''. Said armor ''became'' the SA-X, by the way.

* Inverted in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' -- Ichigo's normal outfit is black and his EnemyWithin is a completely white version of himself with black sclera. While Ichigo's SuperMode turns his sword black, [[FanNickname "Hichigo"]]'s version turns it white. Justified in that white is the color most associated with death in Japan.