History Main / VillainousDemotivator

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Azula has this problem with keeping Ty Lee and Mai loyal. She initially pressures Ty Lee into leaving the circus by setting loose all the animals and ''setting her trapeze net on fire!'' Later on, when Mai betrays her out of love for Zuko, it's explicitly because [[spoiler:Mai loves Zuko more than she fears her.]] Of course, at this point [[spoiler: Ty Lee ''also'' betrays her upon seeing Azula threaten Mai with lifelong imprisonment, winding up to put a bolt of lightning into Mai for it. What gets worse is that this is how Azula treats people she ''likes''.]]

* {{Inverted|Trope}} in Chapter 22 of ''R1'' of ''Fanfic/CodePrime'', [[spoiler:Megatron beats the crap out of the Seekers and Airachnid before ordering them to work together, with the added threat that if any of them screw over the Decepticons in any way, ''all'' of them will be terminated]]. Notably, Megatron is actually aware of positive reinforcement, it's just that the lackeys in question are [[DirtyCoward spineless]] [[TheStarscream backstabbers]] [[WeAreStrugglingTogether who have their own motivations for fighting the Autobots and Black Knights]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' explores and [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructs]] this. The Monarch inflicts harsh "discipline" upon his henchmen, threatening and intimidating them to bolster his VillainCred. He wants no doubt that he is ''evil'' - which, in his mind seems to mean StupidEvil. Accordingly, his tyrannical attitude doesn't work in at all: his henchmen are not merely stressed and depressed, they are utterly and hilariously incompetent. This is one of many ways The Monarch's efforts to be taken seriously as a CardCarryingVillain instead make him an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
** Further explored and [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when The Monarch employs Dr. Henry Killinger as an EnigmaticMinion. He decries The Monarch's methods as "far too draconian." In contrast, Killinger adopts the role of therapist/coach/mentor to the henchmen. Soon, his well-groomed henchmen are not merely happier and healthier, but terrifyingly competent and effective. The Monarch, dumbass that he is, quickly rejects Killinger's reforms and is once again SurroundedByIdiots.

** In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Vader tells a subordinate, "I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." This from a guy prone to crushing windpipes for minor irritation.
** In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Darth Vader says, "[[ILied I am altering the deal.]] Pray I don't alter it any further." According to the DVD commentary, it's implied it'll just keeping getting worse and worse if Lando continues working under him.

** Beautifully subverted in the third ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' novel, ''[[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy The Last Command]]''. Grand Admiral Thrawn confronts the officer who failed to stop Luke Skywalker from escaping, and the poor sap expects a Vader-style execution like the ones quoted above. Indeed, an officer who'd failed in the same thing and then tried to pass the blame had been killed, so everyone believes this one is out of luck. Instead, Thrawn ''promotes'' him, praising his creative attempt even though it failed.

* Even though [[Literature/TheBookOfLordShang Shang Yang]] was cynical and ruthless enough to make Machiavelli look like a hippie, he understood in [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] this problem. Shang explained that unreasonably cruel and chaotic use of punishments and executions by a ruler can ruin a kingdom just as easily as him being excessively merciful, so he describes in great details how and when you must punish your minions. Yang also [[InvertedTrope inverted]] this trope, stressing the importance of reward and promotion for efficient and loyal subordinates.

* Late in ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', [[AuthorityGrantsAsskicking high ranking aliens]] are threatening their men into killing (or better, capturing) the titular "[[OneManArmy human anomaly]]", with lines such as:

-->-- ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "Through the Looking Glass"

** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Ork]] [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Nobz]] are fond of this kind of approach as well. If a squad fails a morale check, a Nob with a Bosspole can "break a few heads" to restore order.

* Late in ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking high ranking aliens]] are threatening their men into killing (or better, capturing) the titular "[[OneManArmy human anomaly]]", with lines such as:

** ''Film/Avengers2012:'' Loki is shown to be terrified of Thanos, with the Other promising unspecified violent retribution if he doesn't bring the Tesseract.

-->'''Motti:''' [[FlatEarthAtheist Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader.]] Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the rebels' hidden fortress- ''(Vader [[PsychicStrangle curls his fingers and Motti abruptly stops talking]])''
-->'''Vader:''' I find your lack of faith disturbing.

* Even though [[Literature/TheBookOfLordShang Shang Yang]] was cynical and ruthless enogh to make Machiavelli look like a hippie, he understood in [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] this problem. Shang explained that unreasonably cruel and chaotic use of punishments and executions by a ruler can ruin a kingdom just as easily as him being excessively merciful, so he describes in great details how and when you must punish your minions. Yang also [[InvertedTrope inverted]] this trope, stressing the importance of reward and promotion for efficient and loyal subordinates.

** In ''Literature/AClashOfKings, while trying to hire the blacksmiths of King's Landing to forge [[spoiler: a gargantuan chain across the city's harbour to impede Stannis Baratheon's invasion fleet]], Tyrion is informed by one smith that [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Cersei]] has hired the smiths to forge weapons and armour for her soldiers...and threatened any smith who doesn't meet their quota will have their hands smashed on their own anvil. An [[WeAreStrugglingTogether exasperated]] Tyrion has to promise the smiths he won't let Cersei do anything so dramatic.

** In ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformers Marvel's Transformers]]'', Megatron rarely if ever praises ''anyone''. Threats, on the other hand, he delivers in spades. At one point, he crushes the Combaticon Brawl's head for talking back to him [[note]] Brawl was trying to shake Megatron out of a funk by pointing out that with Optimus Prime dead, why didn't the Decepticons just run roughshod over the Autobots and humans? [[/note]].