History Main / VillainwithGoodPublicity

** In ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin Wilson Fisk]] originally subverts this, trying to be a Villain with '''''No''''' Publicity: he goes to great lengths to stay out of the limelight, and [[SpeakOfTheDevil uttering his name carelessly]] will cause him to order a hit on you and everyone you ever cared about as a message to others. Eventually, his new mistress Vanessa Marianna persuades him to make a public appearance as a philanthropist in order to get some good publicity in response to the [[Characters/DaredevilMattMurdock Devil of Hell's Kitchen]] becoming a pain in his side.

* ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'': Zachary Hale Comstock is seen as the Hero of Wounded Knee. See a description of that [[CurbStompBattle "battle"]] for why that term '''is not''' appropriate. Hell, the dude has even fashioned a religion based on ''his'' version of American Values and is often referred to as "The Prophet" in Columbia.

** Superman actually tries to use this angle in the ''Fall of Metropolis'' storyline in Action Comics #700. Lois is about to release her exposé on Luthor, exposing his crimes and deceptions throughout the years. Luthor, meanwhile, with all of this, and dying from cancer, felt he had nothing left to lose, as he informed Superman he had several missiles set to go off destroying most of Metropolis, deciding if he was going down, he was going to take most of the city with him, and there was no way Superman could stop them all. Superman then reminds Luthor that most of Metropolis had never even known of his dark side up to that point, and in their minds, he was still the Lex Luthor who built schools, hospitals, funded scholarships, and if he pulled this stunt, in their eyes, he would have officially crossed the MoralEventHorizon, and essentially become the "American Hitler". He then asks Luthor if that's what he really wants. [[SlaveToPR Luthor realizes that Superman is right as he groans, "No, damn you!"]]

** The Homunculus Wrath's public identity is [[spoiler:Führer King Bradley, the leader of all Amestris, as revealed in a WhamEpisode during his battle with Greed]]. The difference between the persona he puts on that the people believe and who he is underneath it all is both vast and ''amazing''. But the real kicker is that [[spoiler:his true nature is known to the entire military high command, who are knowingly collaborating with the enigmatic "[[BigBad Father]]" and his homunculi, and can be found discussing, among other things, possible "[[ArcWords human sacrifices]]"]]. Wrath's public persona is [[UniversallyBelovedLeader adored by the people of Amestris]], so much so that at the end of the series [[spoiler:the heroes realize they can't expose his crimes without causing a mass panic. Instead, [[FramingTheGuiltyParty they pawn them off on the surviving members of Central Command]] and [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade claim Bradley was killed trying to stop them]]]].

** Played Straight, but later Subverted. Kumiru Shikimi puts up the façade of [[TheFakeCutie being a perky and fun-loving high school girl]]... but since she's spent ''years'' having transactional relationships ''at best'' with her classmates, no one really likes her or trusts her word anymore. Even when she [[FrameUp framed]] Kiritaka for stealing her gym clothes two years ago, he noted that few of their classmates ''believed'' her claims- they were just worried about ending up the next victims if they called her out. Fast forward to the present day, and her ''latest'' claims that there's a pervert in class are met with apathy and accusations of [[NotMeThisTime trying her old tricks]].

** Superman actually tries to use this angle in the ''Fall of Metropolis'' storyline in Action Comics #700. Lois is about to release her exposé on Luthor, exposing his crimes and deceptions throughout the years. Luthor, meanwhile, with all of this, and dying from cancer, felt he had nothing left to lose, as he informed Superman he had several missiles set to go off destroying most of Metropolis, deciding if he was going down, he was going to take most of the city with him, and there was no way Superman could stop them all. Superman then reminds Luthor that most of Metropolis had never even known of his dark side up to that point, and in their minds, he was still the Lex Luthor who built schools, hospitals, funded scholarships, and if he pulled this stunt, in their eyes, he would have officially crossed the MoralEventHorizon, and essentially become the "American Hitler". He then asks Luthor if that's what he really wants. [[SlaveToPR Luthor realizes that Superman is right as he groans, "No, damn you!"]]

* ''Fanfic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria'': In ''Mare of Steel'', [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander Silversmith]] has worked hard to be this. At one point, he instructs his daughter Silver Spoon on the importance of keeping up such a façade in order to get away with anything.

** As per canon, Giovanni is this. To the outside world, he's just the benevolent, if somewhat demanding, leader of the Viridian Gym. A sidestory reveals that the Pokémon G-Men are aware he's the leader of Team Rocket, but have been unable to find decisive evidence to expose him.

* Gaston from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. He's handsome, muscular, an excellent hunter, beloved by everyone in town, and probably the best thing to happen to Belle's village. The problem? He's vain, self-absorbed, only interested in Belle because of her beauty, rude, scheming, and crazy enough to try killing the Beast in the end. Yet, everyone is loyal to him and doesn't question his character whatsoever. That's because [[MemeticMutation no one has more good publicity than Gaston]].

* Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheFallOfNumenor'': Ar-Pharazôn was a brutal warlord who despoiled the Middle-Earth's lands; but he was extremely popular among the Númenoreans because he was very generous with his loot.

* ''Literature/NadiaStafford'': Sebastain Koss is a beloved figure to the Canadian public: a Canadian crown prosecutor who has been instrumental in the pursuit of justice for rape victims and is beloved by both police and rape activists for his work. [[spoiler:It is a shame that that's a façade. You see, in reality, Koss himself is a SerialKiller and SerialRapist of young girls, using his position to gain information to scout for victims. He is a creepy pedophile who preys on young girls, and if they fight back, he kills them.]]

** Molitzmós is another good example, he is a member of the nobility of [[MayIncaTec The Lords of The Sun]], someone apparently intelligent, wise and compassionate, especially with the peasants burdened by high taxes. However, in reality he is secretly a traitor and a servant of Misaianes.

* ''Series/InFromTheCold'': [[spoiler:Felipe and Andrés Calero]] lead a racist terrorist group which kills many people. They're respectively a well-known philanthropist and respected diplomat, which leads to skepticism from Ohana, a chief inspector of the police, about them doing this.

* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': While most of the Princes of Hell who affect to compassion, charm or nobilty have a [[FauxAffablyEvil façade that's clearly skin deep]], Malphas, the Prince of Factions, is one of the few princes who is actually well-liked, popular with his peers and trusted by his servants. It's no less fake, though -- he's one of the biggest sociopaths in a metaphysical pit full of sociopaths, and carefully affects his affable persona to make others easier to manipulate.

** Blake Hall from ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'' is the president of Altru Inc., the largest corporation in Almia. He is highly popular among the citizens of Almia because he claims to have invented an efficient alternative to fossil fuels, but [[spoiler:he drove his father from his own company because he didn't want to use the Dark Crystal]], and [[spoiler:his 'efficient energy source' involves using the Dark Crystal to make every Pokémon in the region his mindless slave]].
** Elite Four Malva in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' was a famous reporter in addition to being [[TokenEvilTeammate one of the heads]] of the Pokémon League, and abused her position to act as TheQuisling for the ApocalypseCult [[EcoTerrorist Team Flare]]. Despite this [[KarmaHoudini she doesn't face any repercussions for supporting them]] and even ''continues to do so'', expressing resentment towards the PlayerCharacter for stopping their EvilPlan (which was ''[[ANaziByAnyOtherName genocide]]'').

* Bruno Dondurma in ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'' is the leader of the Kurvaz military group, and managed to keep his position by blackmailing and threatening others into doing business with him rather than display any actual skill in combat. He also knows how to work around the confines of the law while maintaining a relatively clean public image, granting him immunity on both fronts. [[spoiler:Even after his death and the much more benevolent Opéra takes over as the Kurvaz leader, some soldiers still hold him to high regard, completely ignoring how he almost caused TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt through his own [[AmbitionIsEvil power-hungry ambitions]].]]

[[caption-width-right:230:Can you really complain? Hell has some [[{{Pun}} smokin' hot]] babes!]]

* Victor Veloci from ''WesternAnimation/DinoSquad'' is seen by the public as a great servant to the community. He is, in reality, an evil shapeshifting velociraptor bent on returning the world to the Jurassic era. Seriously, who would even ''suspect'' that to be the case?

* Some ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' movies:

* This trope is practically [[PlanetOfHats the hat]] of the Machine Empire in ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''. Virtually every world in two galaxies sees them as the wave of the future. Even the protagonist, who watched his own mother being brutally gunned down by Machine-Humans, simply concludes that if he'd been a Machine-Human himself, he would have been powerful enough to stop them.
* Gaining his good publicity precisely because of his villainy, The Laughing Man in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' has become a self-propelled pop culture phenomenon in Japan in 2030.

* President Funny Valentine (yes, that's actually his real name) of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun'', despite being a very morally ambiguous character who's done more than a few despicable acts during his tenure, manages to be incredibly popular among the American population due to his amazing speaking skills and the fact that he has a series of scars on his back in the design of the American flag. At one point, he's even able to briefly convince [[TheHero Johnny Joestar]] about the justness of his cause.

* An in-universe example in ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' occurs with Lunatic, a mysterious NEXT who only goes after murderers and criminals and kills them to atone for their sins. After years of seeing idealistic, squeaky clean heroes, fans of [=HeroTV=] ''love'' him. [[spoiler:But after the regular heroes defeat Ouroboros, his popularity is short-lived,]]

* [=TransGene=] in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Pastoral". They not only are acquitted of all charges after Roustabout accused them of kidnapping him and others and subjecting them to experiments (of which [[SoleSurvivor only he escaped with his life]]), they get Roustabout convicted of breaking and entering.

* Creator/GarthEnnis' ''ComicBook/TheBoys'' is a DeconstructorFleet for the superhero genre and portrays the majority of costumed supers as sociopaths, narcissists, perverts, and/or child molesters behind closed doors while being adored by the public eye.

* [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] wavers between this and ZeroPercentApprovalRating within [[{{Ruritania}} Latveria]]. At least the citizens prefer him to any ''other'' ruler they've had, and even most members of the super-hero community will admit [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow he's better than the alternative.]] As head of state, he enjoys diplomatic immunity during his official visits to the States. On his "unofficial" visits, however...

* [[ComicBook/Hardware1993 Edwin Alva]] from Creator/MilestoneComics is the leader of an international criminal organization but is viewed by the public as a wealthy and influential philanthropist.
* [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]]:
** Lex got himself elected president and proceeded to cause problems for the ''ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}''. Well before that, he was a classic Teflon-coated CorruptCorporateExecutive, on which absolutely nothing illegal could ever be pinned, no matter how involved he was.

** Superman actually tries to use this angle in the Fall of Metropolis storyline in Action Comics #700. Lois is about to release her exposé on Luthor, exposing his crimes and deceptions throughout the years. Luthor, meanwhile, with all of this, and dying from cancer, felt he had nothing left to lose, as he informed Superman he had several missiles set to go off destroying most of Metropolis, deciding if he was going down, he was going to take most of the city with him, and there was no way Superman could stop them all. Superman then reminds Luthor that most of Metropolis had never even known of his dark side up to that point, and in their minds, he was still the Lex Luthor who built schools, hospitals, funded scholarships, and if he pulled this stunt, in their eyes, he would have officially crossed the MoralEventHorizon, and essentially become the "American Hitler". He then asks Luthor if that's what he really wants. [[SlaveToPR Luthor realizes that Superman is right as he groans, "No, damn you!"]]

* A major theme in ''ComicBook/SinCity'' is that nearly all of the main villains are public figures that are beloved by the media and citizens. This is mostly seen in the Roark family, a family of crime bosses that hold religious and political offices and have had a tight grip over the city for over a century now.

** Even before the Civil War, Osborn managed to pull this off when he publicly returned to life after faking his death following the discovery that his powers as the Goblin included an increased healing factor. Presenting fake evidence that he had never been the Goblin, Osborn was able to take control of the ''Daily Bugle'', gather various mystical artifacts, and even frame Spider-Man for the murder of a small-time crook while also provoking Spider-Man into attacking him on camera (Peter had to resort to [[FramingTheGuiltyParty providing fake evidence that a pair of criminals had attacked Osborn while disguised as Spider-Man]] to clear the second charge, even if he was able to prove who really killed the criminal).

* Starscream in the IDW comics succeeds in this trope during ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'', successfully conning both the Autobots and Decepticons and turning the far larger neutral population to his side, effectively making him the democratically elected ruler. The comics go on to show how difficult it is to get this trope down. All of his actions are being reported on by the media, and even slight outbursts of anger can end with him getting in trouble, numerous citizens either in his old faction, the Autobots, and even the Neutrals don't trust him, and he's always under scrutiny. During ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' he racks up a considerable amount of goodwill in his speeches and appearances at [[spoiler:Megatron's Trial]]. He manages to get his public opinion up, the only problem is his actions have also led to the Autobots getting recognition and the publicity bringing them almost up to his level. He can sway a crowd, but he has to constantly be on the move to keep the goodwill coming.

* Xander is mistaken for such in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5985759/8/Colors-and-Capes Colors and Capes]]'' by actual supervillains. His costume ([[CivvieSpandex a headscarf with eye holes plus whatever he's wearing at the time]]) and name (Flannel Man) both mock the idea of superheroes; he gets paid to beat up scum even supervillains dislike on top of getting away with beating up a superhero; and in his off time, Xander hangs out with supervillains while dating Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

* Bonnie Gleeful in ''Fanfic/GravityFallsRule63''. She's the sweetest person in all of Gravity Falls, always smiling and speaking in a polite tone [[AffablyEvil all the time]]. Not even [[BrainyBrunette Dana]] suspects she's a crazy mastermind who murders anyone who gets in her way.

* ''[[Fanfic/JusticeLeagueOfEquestria Mare of Steel]]'': [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Alexander Silversmith]] has worked hard to be this. At one point, he instructs his daughter [[AlphaBitch Silver Spoon]] on the importance of keeping up such a façade in order to get away with anything.

* Cat R. Waul, BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'' is this, in order to lull the mice into a false sense of security and thus easier to catch and eat. As he explains to his mooks;

* Steele from ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'' could be considered Gaston's canine counterpart. He's the champion sled dog of Nome, and every dog in town practically eats out of his hand, admiring his strength and athletic prowess. He also [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bullies the title character for being half wolf]], and when charged with delivering medicine to Nome to deal with a Diptheria epidemic, is [[GloryHound more interested in the extra good publicity it will get him]] than saving children's lives. This comes to a head when Balto comes to rescue his team when he gets it hopelessly lost. Not only does he actually fight Balto when he tries to grab the medicine, but when he finally takes it, Steele responds by [[DisproportionateRetribution sabotaging Balto's trail markers to get him hopelessly lost]], dooming both his team and [[WouldHurtAChild aforementioned children]] to slow, wasting deaths. When he returns to Nome, he makes up a sob story about how he tried his best to get the medicine through, but that a disaster left him the SoleSurvivor of the mess, which, again, the other dogs in Nome eat up. Unlike Gaston, however, he ends up being found out for the monster he is and ultimately shunned by the rest of the town.

* Ellis [=DeWald=] in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'' is a beloved philanthropist and manages the day-to-day operations of a popular theme park. Axel Foley knows the kind of man he really is but struggles to prove it. In typical form, the first thing he does when he gets to LA is to publicly accuse [=DeWald=] of murder with no evidence and beat the shit out of him. [=DeWald=] later turns Axel into a HeroWithBadPublicity by framing him for the attempted murder of the theme park's founder.

* Literature/{{Flashman}} is an example of this, albeit milder than many examples. He's a coward, a bully, a liar, and a serial adulterer among many other things, yet he's viewed by the British public as a national hero for his brave exploits (which in reality mostly consisted of dumb luck, taking credit for someone else's work or having been coerced. However, the downside is that the need to maintain this facade often results in his being pushed into even more dangerous and terrifying adventures.

** Oliver Chadwick in ''Crisis'' is considered to be a pillar of society and renowned trainer, but he [[spoiler:allowed his sons to sexually abuse his daughter for years, and covered it up while at the same time blackmailing them into doing whatever he wanted with that information.]]
* The reactionary right-wing Catholic order Umbra Domini and its photogenic media-savvy leader Father Silvio della Torre in ''Literature/TheGenesisCode''.

** Joffrey got this as well. As a handsome [[RoyalBrat boy-king]], many people were willing to blame [[EunuchsAreEvil Lord Varys]] and [[TheGrotesque the dwarf Tyrion]] for the problems of the kingdom, believing they'd led him astray. In actuality, Joffrey wanted to shoot peasants with his crossbow, while the other two are doing their best to keep order. This impression seemed to mostly wear off as the situation worsened and rumors about Joffrey's [[BrotherSisterIncest origins]] spread.

* Ashnard of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' is fondly remembered by his peasants even though he killed a thousand of them in addition to every other royal and noble. The invaders are bad but they only rule because Ashnard gave it to them. He's also indirectly responsible for the food shortage but his goal was to destroy to world. [[JustifiedTrope The peasants don't know the truth]] but his concubine does and still remembers him fondly.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' gradually reveals that the late Jonas Venture is clearly this. To the outside world, he was a beloved inventor, super scientist, and media darling whose name still carries weight in the present time. Behind the scenes, however, he was a hideously awful parent and a philandering man-whore who [[spoiler:blackmailed his best friend into being his [[TheDragon personal attack dog]] for years]].

* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'': Everyone who isn't a thought-criminal worships Big Brother, though he is never seen except on propaganda posters and telescreens.

* Many depictions of TheAntiChrist put him in this category. For instance, the incredibly charismatic ([[InformedAbility or so we're told]]) Nicolae Carpathia of the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' series.
** By definition, the Anti-Christ is supposed ''to be seen'' as the greatest force for good since Jesus himself (but isn't), not as the antithesis of Christ (which he is).[[note]]The whole modern concept of the Anti-Christ is a kind of MemeticMutation. While Paul does speak of the coming of "the man of lawlessness" who will be a charismatic leader before Christ's return, the name "antichrist" is separate and just means somebody who claims to be the Messiah, but who isn't Jesus -- i.e., including, but not only, the capital-A Antichrist. ("Just as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared." -- 1 John 2:18)[[/note]]
** Andy, the grown-up ''Literature/RosemarysBaby'' in the sequel, ''Son of Rosemary'' is a perfect example of this. He grew up to be the leader of an international peace-keeping organization. One common interpretation has been that the Antichrist is going to bring peace (though of course it will only pave the way for his rule).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' gradually reveals the late Jonas Venture is clearly this. To the outside world, he was a beloved inventor, super scientist, and media darling whose name still carries weight in the present time. Behind the scenes, however, he was a hideously awful parent and a philandering man-whore who [[spoiler:blackmailed his best friend into being his [[TheDragon personal attack dog]] for years]].

%%* The Fairy Godmother in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', until the end.

* The Mirando corporation in ''{{Film/Okja}}'' thanks to Lucy's tireless marketing campaign hailing the superpigs as environment-friendly and non-GMO. Not so much by the end, when the ALF has exposed the cruel conditions under which Okja and her kind are created. Though we never see the fallout of their reveal and Nancy states that so long as their products are cheap, they'll sell.

* Chancellor Palpatine in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy, where even the protagonists consider him honorable and trustworthy for the first two movies and are [[NiceJobBreakingItHero responsible for him rising to the position of chancellor in the first place]]. This gets reinforced in certain novels.

* Hank Quinlan from ''Film/TouchOfEvil'', who's become a very well-respected policeman through [[DirtyCop careful evidence tampering.]] In the end, it even turns out [[spoiler:that [[FramingTheGuiltyParty the person he was trying to frame in the film was guilty]], giving him the epitaph, "He was a great detective, but a lousy cop."]]

* In ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', everyone who isn't a thought-criminal worships Big Brother, though he is never seen except on propaganda posters and telescreens.

* Prince Regal in Robin Hobbs's [[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Farseer Trilogy]] is adored by the people. The people who've never met him, at least.

* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'': Sir Charles Latrom, [[spoiler:aka Lord Boreal]], of ''The Subtle Knife''. It takes Lyra a while to realize the implications of his good publicity when she tries to get back her BlackBox that he stole: that he is a well-connected pillar of the community while she is a dimension-hopping child who can't actually prove to the authorities that she exists in this particular world, let alone that the alethiometer belongs to her.

* Trenton Aloysius Kalamack, in ''Literature/TheHollows'', by Kim Harrison. A well-respected politician, he's described as "Cincinnati's Most Eligible Bachelor". [[spoiler:Turns out, he deals in biodrugs, which are outlawed in the setting, as well as being a murderer.]] His well-respected status makes him impossible to bring to justice and the protagonist's attempts to do so tend to get her in a lot of trouble. [[spoiler:Eventually, he becomes less of this and more AffablyEvil. Then he and the protagonist get together, so make of that what you will.]]

** The Sowers are publicly known as a small and reserved hyper-fundamentalist Christian sect [[spoiler:who hide in plain sight due to the "metaphysical innocence" from ritualistic sacrificing Azazel, an avatar of Nyarlathotep, which makes them invisible from the eyes of the public]]. If the players go after the Sowers, they'll first start using their own resources and personnel; if the players persist, they'll escalate and hire a law firm to harass and bully the players' agents (if identified) and a PR firm to call the attention of the national — and often conservative — media. Reporters will visit the Sowers' compounds, who will sell their image of an innocent church focused on farming, self-sufficiency, and recovering local communities, and that they are being unjustly persecuted by the federal government.
* Desus, one of the signature characters of ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', is one of the most famous and well-liked of the First Age Solars, and has no real enemies. Even those who oppose his faction are convinced of his nobility and good intentions. As for his true character...Well, he ''repeatedly'' beat his wife, Lilith, until she miscarried, and then brainwashed her into believing that it was ''all her fault''. And that's how he treats the woman he (in his own sick way) ''loves''. You don't even want to know what he does to people he's ''not'' attached to...And let's not even think about what he does to people that he actually ''dislikes''. Considering that Lilith was one of the toughest warriors that ever lived out of a race whose entire shtick is "enduring hardship", that hints at just ''how badly'' Desus was beating her.
* Inverted in ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression''. One of the benefits of having a high KarmaMeter is that people naturally see you as a trustworthy authority figure and have a very hard time believing you're up to anything evil. That said;

* There's a whole lot of these in ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'', but the biggest one is probably Emperor Prosek. Within the Coalition States, he is considered to be incapable of doing any wrong. He gave a live televised speech announcing that he was plunging the nation into a series of unprovoked wars, including a Civil War against one of their own states, and he was cheered on for it. Outside his nation, he is regarded as a JerkAss or a MagnificentBastard, but inside the Coalition States, he's unanimously regarded as the savior of Humanity.
* Aztechnology, in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', makes this their ''modus operandi''. Formed from three Columbian drug lords, the megacorp has PR as one of their main pillars, and it does it ''so'' well that most of the world thinks of them as the angels. Because this is ''Shadowrun'', though, that front hides all the BloodMagic, illegal gengineering, and assorted malfeasance just below the surface. It's so bad that not a single 'runner thinks poorly of Ghostwalker for simply removing them from Denver in the [[KillItWithFire most expedient way.]]

* ''WebComic/ScarletLady'' is ''not'' a good heroine. She's self-centered, petty, and prefers to let Chat do the fighting for her. Unfortunately, she's the only one able to use her Lucky Charm to [[WorldHealingWave restore the damage done]] by akumas and knows how to play to the cameras and work the media. So the public sees her as a savior who saves the day and heals the city with a big, flashy display, while she paints Chat as her needlessly destructive partner who she has to rein in, when in reality, ''he's'' the one doing most of the work.

Bit of a subversion for Avalanche, his genuine no ulterior motive involved rescue of an elderly lady kickstarted their rep as heroes and the final disaster that his friends fled after causing, is stopped by Avalanche working with the X-Men. Lance does reject the label of hero by the end of it, despite showing he's got more standards than you'd think.

* In the scenario of ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 6'', former TragicHero Jin becomes corrupted, takes over the Mishima Zaibatsu, and uses it for various atrocities. The people turned to the G Corporation, led by Kazuya, one of the series' villains (and [[BaitTheDog ex-hero]]), as the savior of the world from the Zaibatsu, and Kazuya happily uses it to his advantage to try to get rid of Jin. Never mind that Kazuya is also evil and has done lots of atrocities with the Zaibatsu in the second series. Or maybe Jin's treatment are way worse. And before Jin took over, Heihachi was known to run the Zaibatsu as this -- however, [[spoiler:it turns out that Jin was in fact a WellIntentionedExtremist who was attempting to draw out Azazel, the source of the Devil Gene, and destroy him]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': After the time skip, Silco is known as an extremely powerful industrialist in Piltover; Caitlyn expresses surprise when Vi states he's actually a criminal. Not so much in Zaun, however, where he is feared by all and known as a crime lord.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', it's made clear that citizens of the Fire Nation are mostly just ordinary, decent people who happen to be led by evil people, and they all genuinely believe that Ozai and his family are wise, just leaders trying to share the Fire Nation's glory with the rest of the world. The fact that Ozai is an absolute ruler with total control over the school system and the media makes it pretty easy for him to achieve this; it's at the point where he doesn't even need to worry (or at least, not care) about [[spoiler:spinning a genocide, since his people already accepted one as necessary a century ago]]. [[spoiler:To be fair, it's not clear how well-known the plan to destroy the entire Earth Kingdom was in the Fire Nation, but no one in the High Command or military otherwise, at least, is seen protesting it.]] Azula does not seem to have had this though, since everyone who comes across her is immediately terrified of her.
* GalacticConqueror Vilgax of ''Franchise/Ben10'' at some point during the TimeSkip between ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' went back to his homeworld and took it over, presenting himself as a NobleDemon and becoming so beloved by his people they went along with him ''[[{{Egopolis}} renaming their planet and species after himself]]''. Things get even better for him after he reappears in the episode "Ghost Town" when [[EnemyMine Ben helps him]] save his race from Ghostfreak and lets him have all the credit. This continues into ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' as the citizens take up arms against the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Incurseans]]' attempt at killing Vilgax.

** Invoked by Amon when he stated this as a major part of his plan needing followers to accomplish what he was doing, therefore avoiding actions that would put him in a negative light until he had enough. [[MagnificentBastard He was incredibly successful,]] amassing enough followers to threaten all of Republic City.
** Varrick is well respected in the Southern Water Tribe and Republic City. However, he's very devious behind closed doors such that he [[spoiler:blew up the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center, defrauded and nearly bankrupted Future Industries to force Asami to give him controlling interest, and attempted to kidnap the President, all of which was part of his plan to escalate the Water Tribe Civil War. He does get caught later on, but his whole plan went south anyway because he didn't count on [[EldritchAbomination Vaatu]] being involved]].

** [[KnightTemplar Kuvira]]. To the people she's helping, she's called The Great Uniter, and she has spent the last three years forcing the fractured Earth Kingdom back together. To other world leaders, she's seen as a WellIntentionedExtremist at best, who needs to step down from power as soon as she fixes the Earth Kingdom. It gets to the point that when she usurps the Crown Prince ''at his own coronation'' and declares herself [[SheIsTheKing Emperor]], she is cheered on by the crowds. However, she does lose it later on as she becomes DrunkWithPower, but that doesn't bother her until she's finally defeated and comes to her senses.

** [[BigBad Hawk Moth]], whose civilian identity is [[spoiler:the well-respected fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. Notably, Ladybug ''did'' end up suspecting him in one episode, but he managed to throw her off the scent by akumatizing himself]]. Note that this does not apply to the Hawk Moth persona himself. He attempted it in his debut, trying to frame Ladybug and Cat Noir as the villains for failing to stop him, but Ladybug quickly shut him down by pointing out that he was the one actually doing the criminal deeds in the first place.
** Lila is a ConsummateLiar and sociopath who's willingly worked with Hawk Moth on more than one occasion. However, thanks to her intricate lies (mostly facilitated by the IdiotBall), she's one of the most popular girls at her school, and she's easily able to paint ''Marinette'' as the petty, jealous one.

** Parodied with Montgomery Burns. Despite being a textbook CardCarryingVillain, he often strives -- and ''always'' fails -- to portray himself either as a sensitive, kindly soul (his autobiography is titled ''Will There Ever Be a Rainbow?'') or as a benevolent super-being (in his film festival entry, he portrays himself as both E.T. and Jesus). Furthermore, when he loses his plant (and in one case, his entire fortune as well) and Springfielders are free to openly hate and mock him, Burns is genuinely shocked that they feel that way.

* On paper, there is no reason for Jimmy Pesto in ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' to be successful. In his personal life, he has only one true friend (who he treats like garbage) and is reduced to showing up uninvited at parties, trying to join clubs that don't want him, and frequenting prostitutes as women find him repulsive. Professionally, his restaurant's food is sub-par, his own culinary skills are [[LethalChef almost enough to kill someone]], he uses cheesy gimmicks and he even fakes his last name to project Italian heritage. He even gleefully and publicly tries to [[Recap/BobsBurgersS1E10BurgerWars put Bob out of business in one episode]], even though that means Bob and his family would lose their home. Despite all this, his eatery is ''wildly'' popular making Jimmy wealthy enough to have a much nicer home, luxuries, and vacations than the Belchers could dream of. To his credit, he understands marketing and publicity ''much'' better than Bob, a common trait seen in this trope. Bob even copies his successful ideas, like Super Bowl specials and brunch promotions in order to cash in. Naturally, he fails to have the same results. In Season 11's "[[Recap/BobsBurgersS11E11RomancingTheBeef Romancing the Beef]]", Bob successfully copies Pesto's Valentine's Day promotion, leading to Jimmy genuinely, albeit condescendingly, telling Bob he is proud of him. [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame This endorsement is not something Bob is proud of.]]