History Main / PsychoticSmirk

* In the ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession6SympathyForTheDevil Sympathy for the Devil]]", once Once the truth about Wen is revealed, he starts flashing these sorts of smiles. It's rather unsettling to see on someone who [[CreepyChild looks like a child]].

* Male {{Yandere}} Masato Kusaka from ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'' used to do this when he was trying to separate Takumi from his friends... until episode 30, when it morphed into a creepy SlasherSmile.

See SidewaysSmile for the generally less-evil-more-neutral version.

* In Creator/JamesSwallow's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} ''[[Literature/BloodAngels Deus Encarmine]]'', when Arkio has touched the [[BladeOnAStick Spear of Telesto]] and briefly taken on the appearance of the primarch Sanguinius, much [[TheChosenOne impressing his fellow Blood Angels]], Inquisitor Stele can not keep "a thin, icy smile" from his lips.

The Psychotic Smirk is a favorite with {{Big Bad}}s everywhere. There's no need to broadcast just how dangerous they are - everyone's got a pretty good idea already, but no one can prove it. The important thing is to smile with only one side of the mouth. Sometimes, it's accompanied by a FingerWag as if to say "Nice try, sucker" if the hero had attempted to defeat them.

* Naraku from ''Manga/InuYasha'' typically has this expression when he has the upper hand and isn't trying to trick the heroes into thinking he doesn't (which is pretty much always).

* Everyone in ''Anime/JokerGame'' does this in one point or another, but especially Yuuki, after successfully gaining what they want from the villains.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures MaNi/Elder Brother]] has a smirk on his face before he stabs [[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]] in a way he knows will be extremely uncomfortable.

* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseHumans Walter Simmons]] has a particularly small yet devious one on his face when he enters the control hub, right before the test run begins and [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla in all its frightening glory]] is revealed to the audience and to Team Godzilla (whom Simmons is unaware are watching).

* [[BigBad Vincent Volaju]]'s default expression in ''Anime/CowboyBebop: TheMovie'' is this.

* Gauron from ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'', being the SmugSnake he is, has this as his constant default expression. Only broken when he's having one of his [[SlasherSmile Slasher Smiles]].

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD'': [[CombatSadomasochist Akeno Himejima]] LOVES to play with her prey. The LecherousLicking only enhances the effect.

* Kazuma from ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma''. He really doesn't like the Tsuwabuki family...

* [[MagnificentBastard Tomomi Saikyo]] of ''LightNovel/LadiesVersusButlers!'' is commonly seen with this when she is about to/planning to screw over a classmate of hers. It's hinted that she manipulated [[UnluckyEveryDude Akiharu Hino]], a childhood friend, into saying, "I want to become a bride."

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'':

* Xellos from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is also an antihero version. Of course, he smiles all the time, so his smirks are definitely important when they show up, usually complimented by a slight opening of his eyes, another important visual cue.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}'s enemy ComicBook/TheRiddler is fond of doing these.
* The ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain Bullseye does this a lot.
* {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} does this a lot, too...
* Mender of ''ComicBook/{{Elfquest}}'' fame does the same when riled up during a fight. He uses the FacepalmOfDoom for extra benefit.
* The ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' villain Kid Twist has one as he guns down the Street Arabs. Given that he is a 1900's expy of the above-mentioned Bullseye, this is probably to be expected.
* Cheshire sports a particularly frightening one while spying on Deadshot and Catman in [[ComicBook/SecretSix Villains United.]]
* [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel's]] ComicBook/{{Thanos}} of Titan combines the Psychotic Smirk with the GlowingEyesOfDoom (which occasionally has a smoking effect for the extra panache).
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Who could forget Ozymandias' classic smirk when Dan questions his ability to catch a bullet?

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Frozen]]'', Elsa does one at the end of "Let it Go."

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', Frollo does this after he explains to Quasimodo that he plans to find the gypsies' secret hideout and arrest the gypsies, Esmeralda included.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* ''Franchise/{{Buffyverse}}'':
** Within the first ten minutes of the episode "Innocence", the Judge walks up to Angel, and tries to burn him. Since the Judge can only burn someone with humanity in them, it serves as a marker that Angel has lost his soul. He turns to Drusilla, and says "I'm back," with a very muted psychotic smirk.
** Angelus also sports a particularly evil smirk when he's watching Buffy and Willow break down upon being told about Jenny's murder. In fact, Angelus is nearly always wearing one.

** This is to the First Doctor what the CheshireCatGrin is to the Fourth — it's his trademark "I've-just-done-something-very-clever" expression. Excellent examples are when he knows he's got the Daleks beaten at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]], when he's teasing his torturer with a PsychicBlockDefense in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E7TheSpaceMuseum "The Space Museum"]], and when he's embarrassing Emperor Nero in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans "The Romans"]].

* On ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', we have [[spoiler:Morgana]]. Dear God [[spoiler:Morgana]]. Everytime she does something ''evil'' her psychotic smirk goes on a rampage and smacks us in the face. Worse? She does it in broad daylight in front of the people she is convincing that she is [[spoiler:still]] good. ''And they never notice it.'' It does [[spoiler:''finally'' blow her cover]] when [[spoiler:Gwen]] notices it.
* ''Series/MrRobot'': Post her FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler: Angela]] sports one of these when Mr.Robot calls her out on exploiting Elliot's mental illness.

* Default expression for Lionel and ComicBook/LexLuthor in ''Series/{{Smallville}}''.
** [[spoiler:Chloe]] gets a small one when Lionel convinces her to do a temporary FaceHeelTurn.

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Mirror Sulu does this right after he announces his plan to kill off both Kirk and Spock while casually tilting his knife from side to side. These MirrorUniverse security chiefs seem to have a thing for being a SmugSnake...
*** Also, in "Return To Tomorrow" the alien of the week who has body-snatched Spock wears either this or a SmugSmile in almost every scene he is in. Especially disturbing, since the audience is used to Nimoy keeping his face perfectly calm and expressionless as TheStoic Vulcan.

** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': [[BritishStuffiness Stiff-upper-lip]] tactical officer Malcolm Reed does this when taken over by a non-corporeal alien in ''The Crossing'', and when he's just plain MirrorUniverse evil in "In a Mirror, Darkly" (check out the scene where Reed watches his own ship get destroyed).

** The Trickster wears this a couple of times - there's a particularly good example in the episode "[[http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/12300000/Changing-Channels-gabriel-the-trickster-loki-12335281-640-480.jpg Changing Channels]]".

As far as [[MagnificentBastard the most devious and subtle of villains]] are concerned, when it comes to facial expression, less is more. A CheshireCatGrin only warns people that something's afoot; a SlasherSmile is even more glaringly obvious. No, when someone's about to walk straight into your DeathTrap or your EvilPlan is about to pay big dividends, it's best to show your smug superiority with a devious little smile, probably behind your victim's/lackey's back, or [[FingerTenting behind your hand (or hands)]]. Only the villain and the viewers know that alarm bells should be ringing in the good guys' heads - but hey, they're the enemy, why give them advance notice? For obvious reasons, this subtle hint of treachery is especially likely to turn up as part of a TraitorShot.

* A staple in ''Film/JamesBond'' films, usually for villains and henchmen:
** [[ArchEnemy Ernst Blofeld]]
** ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'': Auric Goldfinger and Oddjob
** ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'': Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd
** ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'': Baron Samedi and Tee Hee Johnson
** ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'': Francisco Scaramanga and Nick Nack
** ''Film/AViewToAKill'': Max Zorin
** ''Film/LicenceToKill'': Franz Sanchez
** ''Film/{{Goldeneye}}'': Alec Trevelyan and Boris Grishenko.
** Creator/DanielCraig gives one in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' after a bomber gets blown up.
** Creator/TimothyDalton gives one in ''Film/LicenceToKill'' right before he uses a tanker trunk to crush a henchman's jeep.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures MaNi/Elder Brother]] has a smirk on his face before he stabs [[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]] in a way he knows will be extremely uncomfortable.

* Severa, from [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6606275/1/bKnights_b_and_bDragons_b Knights and Dragons]], a ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' fic, is like this. Permanently.
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': Ami, like her canon counterpart, is as about a nice a girl as you can get. But occasionally she'll have a really 'good' science related idea or figure out how to get back at a villain in the perfect way. Then a very disturbing smile appears on her face, and it really doesn't help that her eyes glow [[spoiler: red]]

* The ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fanfic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29792 Trick of the Light]]" has this description of the ManipulativeBastard Roy Mustang:

* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', Prince Jewelius gives Queen Chrysalis a sly and malicious grin right before Twilight Sparkle uses [[ChekhovsGun the spell he showed her a few chapters earlier]] to turn Chrysalis and her entire Changeling army tiny enough to trap them all in the glass jar he just revealed. [[spoiler:This is also foreshadowing to a later revelation that [[EvilAllAlong Jewelius]] and Chrysalis at first worked together to take over Equestria on Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding day until he decided to make Twilight his pawn and help her defeat the Changelings while making the public believe all the other heroes are to blame.]]

** ''Investigations 2'' takes the Psychotic Smirk UpToEleven with [[spoiler:Horace Knightley]], [[spoiler:Sirhan Dogen]], [[spoiler:Dane Gustavia]], [[spoiler:Blaise Debeste]], and [[spoiler:Simon Keyes]], all making frequent use of one.

* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': [[BigBadWannabe Walter Simmons]] has a particularly small yet devious one on his face when he enters the control hub, right before the test run begins and [[spoiler:Mechagodzilla in all its frightening glory]] is revealed to the audience and to Team Godzilla (whom Simmons is unaware are watching).

** A rare heroic example, perhaps, would be Commander Shepard him/herself. While the [[AntiHero Renegade Shepard]] does this quite often, there are two particular occasions when even the Paragon Shepard cannot help but break out that signature Shepard smirk that says "I just saved the galaxy and I'm not even tired. What can ''you'' do, suckers?" These occasions are when [[spoiler:Shepard emerges quite alive from the rubble after the battle with Saren/Sovereign]] and when [[spoiler:Shepard tells [[TheMan the Illusive Man]] to go fuck himself right after blowing up the Collector base]].

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/DeathNote [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_lights_evil_grin_at_l.png]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:300:She's got a plan and it's not a very nice one!]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

A particular type of AntiHero does this, too: the [[GuileHero soft-spoken, underhanded ones who always know more than they let on]], but never see fit to warn others of the danger.

See SidewaysSmile for the generally less evil version.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', Frollo does this after he explains to Quasimodo that he plans to find the gypsies' secret hideout and arrest the gypsies, Esmeralda included.

* Elsa from ''[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Frozen]]'' does one at the end of "Let it Go."

* Elsa from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' does one at the end of "Let it Go."