History Sandbox / KnightOfCerebus

This villain's arrival is heralded by a sudden downturn in humor (although if the villain is LaughablyEvil, expect it to turn into BlackComedy), to show the audience this one means business. In other words, a catalyst for a drastic change in mood toward the dark and dramatic. Some characters may take the story to darker territory without being villainous in the slightest, but this trope is reserved for evil creatures. GrimDark shows and stories that take place in a CrapsackWorld are much less susceptible to this kind of influence, but even they have exceptions if this villain shifts the story from BlackComedy to being more serious. This isn't only about the character themself, it is also about their relation to the story.

In shows that are generally LighterAndSofter, said villain may have [[LaughablyEvil some light-hearted or comical traits]], but still gives a much higher sense of dread and genuine threat to the heroes than previous adversaries. Some cases of the trope may be harder to define by comparison in a particularly ineffective RoguesGallery, though a clear cut example at the very least can actually place the protagonist in real danger compared with the HarmlessVillain that [[PokeThePoodle poked his poodle]] in a previous arc. A typical symptom of CerebusSyndrome.

A Knight of Cerebus may be a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, but also runs the risk of becoming an InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. They are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. Sometimes this type of character can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series. Often this character's arrival is a GutPunch.

Arguably a subtrope of ThresholdGuardians. See also DeadSerious, NotSoHarmlessVillain when a villain starts as ridiculous but, because of some changes, ends up becoming this. Compare ShooOutTheClowns, when the darker tone coincides with decreased screentime for comedic characters.

A Knight of Cerebus may be a blatant HeroKiller who poses an actual threat, but also runs the risk of becoming an InvincibleVillain. They also tend to be the trigger of TheWorfEffect against the hero. They may be the ArchEnemy as they might have a strong personal tie to the hero or heroes of the work. They are usually distinguished from the other villains as perhaps being [[EvilerThanThou worse]], [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil stronger]], or more [[ItsPersonal personally]] tied to the protagonists. Sometimes, this type of character, if bad enough, can be a CompleteMonster if they have no redeeming traits and do terrible things by the standards of history in an initially more lighthearted series. Often this character's arrival is a GutPunch.

Remember, CerebusSyndrome is a prerequisite for this trope. '''The Knight of Cerebus heralds a long-term tone shift in an episodic work and cannot exist within a single installment.''' An [[TheClimax increase in danger]] as a conflict escalates is [[OmnipresentTropes ]] present in almost any story with a villain, and is not automatically notable. Can overlap with VileVillainSaccharineShow when the setting itself contrasts heavily with the character's grimness.

This villain's arrival is usually heralded by a sudden downturn in humor (although if the villain in question is [[LaughablyEvil amusing in their own right]], expect it to turn into BlackComedy), to show the audience this one means business. In other words, a catalyst for a drastic change in mood toward the dark and dramatic. Some characters may take the story to darker territory without being villainous in the slightest, but this trope is reserved for evil creatures. GrimDark shows and stories that take place in a CrapsackWorld are much less susceptible to this kind of influence, but even they have exceptions if this villain shifts the story from BlackComedy to being more serious. This isn't only about the character themself, it is also about their relation to the story.

In order to [[CerebusSyndrome add more drama to a series which has been, up until that moment, lighthearted and comedic in nature,]] a villain (or antagonist of some sort) is introduced and is portrayed as a genuine threat, in contrast to the [[HarmlessVillain bumbling]] and [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain comedic villains]] the heroes have faced before. The villian's arrival is sudden, and he is usually either a totally new character, or a character that has undergone a particularly dramatic FaceHeelTurn.

This villain's arrival is usually heralded by a sudden downturn in humor (although if the villain in question is [[LaughablyEvil amusing in their own right]], expect it to turn into BlackComedy), to show the audience this one means business. In other words, a catalyst for a drastic change in mood toward the dark and dramatic. There are examples of characters who take the story to darker territory without being villainous in the slightest, but this trope is reserved for evil creatures. Grim-dark shows and stories that take place in a CrapsackWorld are much less susceptible to this kind of influence since it is really hard to stand out as the darkest when everyone is really dark, but even they have exceptions when the plot is [[BlackComedy comedic in a dark way]] and the character in question is on an entirely different level of terrifying and serious. This isn't only about the character themself, it is also about their relation to the story.

Remember, CerebusSyndrome is a prerequisite for this trope. The Knight of Cerebus heralds a '''long-term tone shift in an episodic work''' and cannot exist within a single installment. An [[TheClimax increase in danger]] as a conflict escalates is [[OmnipresentTropes ]] present in almost any story with a villain, and is not automatically notable. Can overlap with VileVillainSaccharineShow when the setting itself contrasts heavily with the character's grimness.