History Main / VileVulture

* One anti-smoking advertisement had a man lost in a desert beg a pair of vultures for a cigarette even though he should be asking for water. After the man smokes one cigarette he asks for another and one of the vultures has an idea. The vultures put a cigarette on the end of a fishing line and use it to lure the man into falling off of a cliff so they can eat him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'': A flock of [[SeldomSeenSpecies white-backed vultures]] led by Mzingo act as recurring villains - often working alongside [[HeinousHyena Janja and his hyena clan]]. However, this eventually becomes an aversion when they perform a HeelFaceTurn in the Season 3 premiere.

* ''ComicBook/BruteForce'': One of the members of the villainous team Heavy Metal is an evil vulture named Tailgunner.

* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'': While the majority of the prehistoric vulture species rescued for the titular park tend to incidentally act somewhat antagonistic over the course of their initial encounters with the rescue team, the teratornis duo in particular stand out by not only proving entirely willing to personally finish off an already badly wounded American cheetah in their home time period so they won't have to wait for it to die naturally before they eat it, but also proving especially pugnacious and difficult to work with even after they've started life in their new home at the park. And they prove even more vicious and aggressive than they already are when they end up temporarily infected with a HatePlague.

* ''VideoGame/BountyOfOne'': ZigZagged by Roger, a vulture shopkeeper who is the only benevolent NPC in the game and aids the wrongfully-outlawed player characters, but at the same time he is in charge of a BlackMarket.

As anthropomorphic characters, vultures have been often portrayed as apathetic and pitiless to the lives of others. They may use gallows humor to entertain themselves by providing commentary for dire situations and making jokes at their prey's expense. If they are in the story, it means a character is doomed or facing certain death. In other cases, the vulture is scheming their deaths and orchestrating these fatal situations in the first place.

As a motif, vulture motifs are used for people who steal from the dead or have a profession that involves tending to the dead (e.g. undertakers and grave robbers). The motif is also given to people who are trying to gain from another person's troubles (e.g. businessmen, insurance salesmen, and grave robbers). This motif is very rarely given to a heroic character, they are either opportunistic antiheroes at best or greedy villlains at worst when this is their motif.

In real life, vultures play an important role in their ecosystem, because they clean up carcasses that are infested with hazardous diseases. A vulture's urine is able to sanitize their food, cool the bird off on a hot day, and sanitize the vulture's feet by neutralizing the harmful pathogens found on the carcass. Their stomach acids also neutralize harmful pathogens and diseases such as rabies, cholera, botulinum, and anthrax. Their feathers are also too thick for bacteria and parasites to pass through and cause infections.

Vultures are also quite patient, as they'll steer clear of larger, stronger carnivores. They'll wait until a carcass has become "softer" through decomposition since their talons aren't strong enough to restrain or lift prey, and their beaks aren't strong enough to puncture the skin. At best, they'll start by eating the softer parts of a body, such as the [[EyeScream eyes]] and the [[AssShove anus]]. At worst, they will finish off dying animals if they are desperate enough for food and have no other option. It should be noticed they are under competitive stresses other carnivores don't face (since they can't go out and make their own dinner, and often can't avoid other scavengers when they do find it) so they can be aggressive, but generally are noted by zookeepers to have calm demeanours otherwise.

In a classic example of reality being unrealistic, vultures can indeed often be seen hanging out in dead trees. The sinister image is for entirely practical reasons: they can see farther without leaves in the way. They're also big birds, and the smaller twigs having broken off also makes it easier to perch (especially since they have flat, chicken-like feet that affects their ability to grasp). They're just as happy on a water tower... or an EvilTowerOfOminousness.

* The "Vulture King"[[note]]Rei Urubu in Brazilian sources; roughly translates to this in English[[/note]] is an ambivalent figure in Tupi-Guarani mythology. Sometimes, he is an antagonist to the hero twins. Other times he is a NobleDemon who honors his promises.

Vultures are also quite patient, as they'll steer clear of larger, stronger carnivores. They'll wait until a carcass has become "softer" through decomposition since their talons aren't strong enough to restrain or lift prey, and their beaks aren't strong enough to puncture the skin. At best, they'll start by eating the softer parts of a body, such as the [[EyeScream eyes]] and the [[AssShove anus]]. At worst, they will finish off dying animals if they are desperate enough for food and have no other option.

* Mr. Buzzard in ''Literature/BirdLifeInWington'' is a subversion. While he will dine on the corpses of his neighbors should one be available, he's shown to be a calm, solemn, honest and patient fellow whom some consider over-religious (and this in a ''Christian'' book). For example, in the story where he's introduced, he's talking to Mr. Hawk. The subject of breakfast comes up, and Mr. Buzzard admits he hasn't had his yet, saying "It's best to wait on the Lord; He always provides." Mr. Hawk scoffs at this and tries to kill Bill Robin and have him for breakfast [[HoistByHisOwnPetard but ends up impaling himself on a fence post]]--whereupon Mr. Buzzard claims ''him'' for breakfast, saying [[IronicEcho "It's best to wait on the Lord; He always provides."]]

* Mr. Buzzard in ''Bird Life in Wington'' is an subversion. While he will dine on the corpses of his neighbors should one be available, he's shown to be a calm, solemn, honest and patient fellow whom some consider over-religious (and this in a ''Christian'' book). For example, in the story where he's introduced, he's talking to Mr. Hawk. The subject of breakfast comes up, and Mr. Buzzard admits he hasn't had his yet, saying "It's best to wait on the Lord; He always provides." Mr. Hawk scoffs at this and tries to kill Bill Robin and have him for breakfast but ends up impaling himself on a fence post--whereupon Mr. Buzzard claims ''him'' for breakfast, saying [[IronicEcho "It's best to wait on the Lord; He always provides."]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'': Trigger and Nutsy, the Sheriff of Nottingham's vulture henchmen, assist him in making life difficult for the beloved outlaw. Nutsy is a subversion, as he's too good-natured and, frankly, too dense to do anything terribly villainous, but Trigger plays it straight. However, unlike the Sheriff himself, the vultures are only PunchClockVillains who are following orders.

* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'': Commander Seagrid, the main villain during the first act of ''Nobita and the Winged Braves'', is a humanoid vulture plotting to wipe out humanity as revenge for shooting out one of his wings.

* ''WesternAnimation/The3LittlePigsTheMovie'': Two vultures eagerly wait outside the Inn of the Gentle Wolf, hoping that the arriving patrons will let them have some bones to gnaw on after the DinnerTheatre [[CarnivoreConfusion is over]].

* ''War of the Birds'' (''Fuglekrigen i Kanøfleskoven''): Fagin, a cruel and sinister vulture, is the film's main antagonist. He's responsible for killing the parents & siblings of Oliver, Olivia's parents, the mice's mother, and later Betty, Oliver & Olivia's caretaker (but not without losing an eye). He is feared by the birds of the forest and of the city and considers himself king of the birds. Throughout the film, Oliver & Oliva attempt to kill the vulture, but their plans often fail [[spoiler: due to Fagin's spy the Dove warning him about them. He is eventually killed in the final battle, after the dove stands up to him, after which both of them fall into a fire, started by Oliver, Olivia & the mice.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica'', Beavis and Butt-Head are lost in the desert and too dehydrated to move. The vultures start circling. The boys, even in their distress, are amused by the fact that two of the vultures are mating.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'', a sinister-looking vulture appears at the beginning of the Night on Bald Mountain sequence, where it appears perched on a gallows.

* ''Literature/RickyRicottasMightyRobot'': ''Ricky Ricottas Mighty Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus'' has the titular heroes fight Victor von Vulture and his army of alien vultures. The vultures perform a MassHypnosis on Squeakyville to force the residents to give them all their food.
* In the ''Literature/SweetPickles'' series, Vulture tries to subvert the trope by dressing well, (The books were first written in the late 70's, so he looks a bit like a DiscoDan) keeping well groomed and only eating what he gets from Elephant's grocery store, and even then in moderation. Ironically, his vanity can become an unattractive trait at times.

* Averted in the Literature/{{Ramayana}}, where demi-gods Jatayu and Sampati take on the form of vultures and are very much [[Main/NobleBirdOfPrey Noble Birds of Prey]], with Jatayu in particular even sacrificing himself to save Sita from her kidnapper Ravana. Hell, he even provides the page quote for the latter trope.
* The Gwythaints from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' are a subversion. In the books (unlike in [[WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron the movie]], where they are depicted as dragons), they are huge black vulture-like birds that serve as messengers and spies for the arch-villain Arawn. However, they are not inherently evil and have the potential for good-- Taran befriends one, which goes on to save him in a HeroicSacrifice in the last book.

* ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'': Butterfly the raccoon is doing a death-defying climb, only to look up and see that her eagle, who catches her if she falls, [[http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2014/02/03/0551-bad-reputation/ has been captured and tied up]] by a vulture.

* Invoked by the idiom "Culture Vulture", which is a person who adopts something from a different community and makes it their own. It is also used to describe someone who has an avid interest in the arts.

* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'': While the majority of the prehistoric vulture species rescued for the titular park tend to incidentally act somewhat antagonistic over the course of their initial encounters with the rescue team, the teratornis duo in particular stand out by not only proving entirely willing to personally finish off an already badly wounded American cheetah in their home time period so they won't have to wait for it to die naturally before they eat it, but also proving especially pugnacious and difficult to work with even after they've started life in their new home at the park.

As a motif, vulture motifs are used for people who steal from the dead or have a profession that involves tending to the dead (e.g. undertakers). The motif is also given to people who are trying to gain from another person's troubles (e.g. businessmen, insurance salesmen, and grave robbers). This motif is very rarely given to a heroic character, they are either opportunistic antiheroes at best or greedy villlains at worst when this is their motif.

Vultures are seen as a bad omen and a symbol of death because they can sniff out a dead animal from a mile away. In fact, when a group of vultures is feeding on carrion, it's called ''a wake''. Due to their hunting habits, vultures are vilified by the public and unfairly blamed for killing livestock.

As anthropomorphic characters, vultures are often portrayed as not caring for the lives of others. They may use gallows humor to entertain themselves, for example providing commentary for dire situations and making jokes at their prey's expense. If they are in the story, it means a character is doomed or facing certain death. In other cases, the vulture is scheming their deaths and orchestrating these fatal situations in the first place.

As a motif, vulture motifs are used for people who steal from the dead or have a profession that involves tending to the dead (e.g. undertakers). The motif is also given to people who are trying to gain from another person's troubles (e.g. businessmen). This motif is very rarely given to a heroic character, they are either opportunistic antiheroes at best or greedy villlains at worst.

As anthropomorphic characters, vultures are often portrayed as not caring for the lives of others. They may use gallows humor to entertain themselves, for example providing commentary for dire situations (e.g. bloodsport commentary or insulting the dead). If they are in the story, it means a character is doomed or facing certain death. In other cases, the vulture is scheming their deaths and orchestrating these fatal situations in the first place.