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3%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread.
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10[[quoteright:290:[[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilkins1.png]]]]
11[[caption-width-right:290:The former mayor of Sunnydale.\
12[[BreadEggsMilkSquick Jovial. Fatherly. Got his wish to be a giant snake demon]], and is feeling peachy-keen!]]
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17->''"This is very embarrassing. It seems there is a red box in your car. They can't get to it. They want ''me'' to make ''you'' unlock the car. I feel like an idiot, I don't know what to say... I am to torture you if you don't do it."''
18-->-- '''Dr. Kaufman''', ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies''
19
20Traditional villains are evil in thought, word, and deed. They KickTheDog every day, just because [[ItAmusedMe they think it's funny]], [[LackOfEmpathy they can't sympathize with the pain of others]], and/or [[KnightTemplar they think no suffering is too great when it serves their cause]]. Alternatively, they may simply be too [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness inscrutable]] and/or [[EldritchAbomination inhuman]] to inspire anything but terror.
21
22Then there's Alice. Alice is an unassuming, ordinary, nice person (who wants to use an infant's soul to power her Doomsday Machine so she can TakeOverTheWorld). And you'd never know it, because you only see her when she invites all the neighbors over for a barbecue in her backyard. A less-developed villain would be the StepfordSmiler or the BitchInSheepsClothing -- but she's not: Alice's good humor is a genuine part of her personality. She's the very opposite of [[GoodIsNotNice Charlie]]: she's so thoroughly dedicated to Evil that she can be pleasant and kind in her daily life without any risk of slipping to the other side. Alice would KickTheDog she just petted if it got her closer to her goals, but she won't do evil [[FortheEvulz just for evil's sake]]. She's devoted to her family, [[BenevolentBoss fair to her employees]], and [[VillainWithGoodPublicity enjoys a good reputation in the community]], because being anti-society doesn't mean you have to be ''anti-social''.
23
24If this trope gets exaggerated, Alice will [[GoKartingWithBowser invite Bob the hero out for an afternoon on the lake]], [[NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine offer him]] a [[YourFavorite favorite dish]], talk to him like he's an old friend, and try to convince him that [[EvilPlan her plan for the world]] is a cause [[WeCanRuleTogether worth joining]]. But a villain is still a villain, and Alice has no use for Bob if he won't change his mind. It may or may not involve a DeathTrap, depending on how nice she ''really'' is when crossed. And Bob would have every reason to be nervous if she [[VillainOverForDinner had his mother over for tea]]...
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26Whether an Affably Evil villain is [[ALighterShadeOfBlack less scary]] than the traditional type depends on how the work wants to play it. They can be more relatable and sympathetic than a traditional monster (especially if the work has a 'real' villain as well), and are often used in works intended for children to provide an antagonist [[ButNotTooEvil without having them be too evil or scary]]. Conversely, they can be ''much'' worse: there's something inherently terrifying about [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse an ordinary, even pleasant person]] doing horrible things. They are usually witty, WickedCultured, charismatic, [[TheChessmaster and skilled at social engineering]]. Comedic types act TooFunnyToBeEvil, but serious types are the WellIntentionedExtremist who truly [[TautologicalTemplar believe that they are right]]. More often than not, they are the AntiVillain (because a straight villain wouldn't be so genuinely good-natured). EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor is not true for them, and their affability even makes them easy to "compliment" with an InsultBackfire. Their captives won't be thrown into dank dungeons but 'hosted' graciously in a GildedCage. Even an outright psychopath can be charismatic and funny enough to fit this trope, or at least to convincingly waver between true [[FauxAffablyEvil and false friendliness]], since the contrast is explained by their mental instability.
27
28In the event an Affably Evil villain does undergo a VillainousBreakdown, the very traits that make them so pleasant often serve to make their breakdown extremely creepy or outright scary. [[BewareTheNiceOnes A kind, friendly man suddenly going into a psychotic rage]] is ''so'' much more frightening than a man who was cackling from the start. If they [[DissonantSerenity keep their inviting personality]] while going AxCrazy, they may cross into FauxAffablyEvil territory with only skin-deep manners, which is a much more frequent behaviour than a truly kind criminal.
29
30'''Compare''':
31* AdaptationalNiceGuy: A {{Jerkass}} villain can become Affably Evil in an adaptation.
32* AmbiguouslyEvil: Can such a nice person really be a bad person? ([[BewareTheNiceOnes Yes]].)
33* AntiVillain: An antagonist that is in a moral grey area can be nice in addition to her other not-particularly-evil qualities.
34* BenevolentBoss: A villain who [[NiceToTheWaiter treats his minions kindly]] and [[NobleDemon actually means it]].
35* BewareTheNiceOnes: As with good characters, a genuinely nice villain is ''terrifying'' when they take the gloves off.
36* ChurchgoingVillain: A villain who doesn't see any reason being a criminal should stop them from being religious (unless they're TheFundamentalist, take part in a ReligionOfEvil, or attend the ChurchOfHappyology, in which case, they're {{Faux|AffablyEvil}}).
37* EqualOpportunityEvil: A villain who doesn't favor one race/gender over the others. That's just not ''polite''.
38* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: A villain who loves or cares enough about certain guys and is nice to them (though some may be {{faux|affablyevil}}).
39* EvenEvilHasStandards: A villain who will not cross certain boundaries, and is disgusted or appalled by those who do.
40* EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: Villains with a relationship of mutual trust and support.
41* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: They may be evil, but they certainly don't want to create a VillainousLineage.
42* EvilVirtues: Villains often have genuine good qualities like courage, perseverance, and the ability to plan for many possible outcomes.
43* FairPlayVillain: When the villain ''invokes'' BondVillainStupidity simply because [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof it's traditional]].
44* FamilyValuesVillain: A villain who holds to good old fashioned down-home family values, because EvenEvilHasStandards.
45* FriendlyEnemy: When the main villain of the work is the protagonist's actual friend.
46* GentlemanThief: Steals things, yes -- [[KarmicThief but only from those who can afford to lose it]], and never fails to be polite and classy about it.
47* GoKartingWithBowser: The villain and the hero play a game or spend some quality time with each other.
48* AHeroToHisHometown: Some villains (or heroes) are beloved by the locals, no matter what their reputation might be elsewhere.
49* JerkassToOne: A character, not necessarily villainous, who is a NiceGuy except to certain people.
50* LaughablyEvil: A villain who is meant to come across as funny will usually be nice (though some may be {{faux|affablyevil}}).
51* LawfulEvil: A nice villain respects certain rules and never deviates from a particular code - the law, tradition, his own personal CodeOfHonor or something else. His code may be what ''leads'' him to do evil, but he's going to hold to his standard.
52* ALighterShadeOfBlack: In an EvilVersusEvil situation, the nicer villain is usually the lesser of two evils.
53* LovableRogue: Technically not ''good'', but a likeable-enough scoundrel will usually be promoted to an AntiHero.
54* NeverHurtAnInnocent: They are never willing to hurt innocent people.
55* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: The villain captures the hero and treats them to a fancy formal dinner.
56* NobleDemon: A villain with standards. She may do evil things, but she'll never cross the line and become irredeemable.
57* ObliviouslyEvil: A villain who doesn't realize that they're a villain.
58* OpponentInstruction: An opponent who tries to coach the hero, even while they're fighting.
59* PerkyFemaleMinion: An upbeat and likable girl who works for a villain.
60* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: The villain doesn't discriminate against any group of people (and may be the {{Foil}} to [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain a villain who does]]).
61* PragmaticVillainy: Sometimes. A villain who does evil deeds just to serve his agenda has no need to be evil himself. He might be genuinely nice.
62* PunchClockVillain: The villain for whom evil is just a day job certainly can be a nice person... depending, of course, on the particulars of his 9-to-5.
63* SouthernGentleman: Southern villains have a genteel manner which is at least FauxAffablyEvil and may be the genuine article.
64* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: These villains don't dress to intimidate. If everyone's in business-casual, they will be too.
65* TokenGoodTeammate: One member of the RoguesGallery isn't as malicious as the rest.
66* TooFunnyToBeEvil: The villain's good sense of humor makes people think they couldn't possibly be a bad guy.
67* VillainRespect: They consider the hero a respected rival and WorthyOpponent. Sometimes they'll even join the hero in the fight against EvilerThanThou villains.
68* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Nice villains don't fake politeness to get by in society; they earn a good reputation through fairness and public largesse.
69* VillainsOutShopping: A glimpse of genuine humanity in an otherwise evil person. Often a trait of a CardCarryingVillain, especially in the more ironic portrayals.
70* WellIntentionedExtremist: A person who does evil in the service of (what they believe to be) a worthy cause will often be pleasant, calm, and reasonable.
71
72'''Contrast''':
73* BaddieFlattery: The villain says nice things to the hero, but it's only to confuse them or throw them off guard.
74* BitchInSheepsClothing: Mean characters who seem nice until they reveal their true colors. Affably Evil characters are never concealing a rude or petty nature (just an evil one).
75* CompleteMonster: A character with no redeeming qualities. They ''cannot'' be nice, though they may be able to [[FauxAffablyEvil fake it]].
76* EnemyMine: The villain cooperates with a rival to achieve a common goal, but they feel no need to be ''nice'' about it.
77* EvilIsPetty: A villain who is evil at even the smallest level -- he'll blow up the world ''and'' dock his secretary's pay.
78* FauxAffablyEvil: An evil character who merely ''acts'' nice, essentially mocking this trope. The Affably Evil character will often serve as TheDragon, [[EvilMinions Evil Minion]], or {{Foil}} to this type of villain.
79* GoodIsNotNice: A character who is cold, rude, and even occasionally cruel without ceasing to be a good person.
80* GoodIsNotSoft: A good (and nice) person who is ruthless to those who deserve it.
81* HarmlessVillain: The villain isn't scary because he's toothless, not because he's nice.
82* HateSink: A character put in specifically to draw the audience's ire. Affably Evil characters are not supposed to be hated.
83* IncorruptiblePurePureness: A character with no corrupting qualities. They ''cannot'' be evil, even if the setting and general characterization leads the audience to believe that 'nice' people are probably hiding something.
84* LovableTraitor: Clearly untrustworthy, but still someone you'd have a beer with.
85* MinionWithAnFInEvil: A person who ''tries'' to be evil but is just too nice to pull it off.
86* NiceGuy: A genuinely nice person who is also a good person. Affably Evil subverts this trope.
87* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: ''Looks'' evil but isn't, as opposed to an Affably Evil character who ''is'' evil but doesn't look it.
88* NotMeThisTime: Is a villain most of the time, just not in this particular instance.
89* TermsOfEndangerment: Kind words as a sign that the villain is about to do something especially terrible.
90* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: The hero is dismayed to be seen as the kind of person the villain would respect.
91
92GoodIsNotNice is the InvertedTrope, and such good guys are particularly good at giving the Affably Evil a proverbial punch in the nose. When both GoodIsNotNice and Affably Evil are used, you may end up with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, but if done poorly, you might get a case of JerksAreWorseThanVillains, where the audience hates the heroes for being jerks more than the villain. ImNotHungry is often dealing with this villain. A villain will sometimes engage in TooFunnyToBeEvil to achieve this effect. NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine is a subtrope in many instances. See also SlidingScaleOfCharacterAppreciation.
93----
94!!Example subpages:
95[[index]]
96* AffablyEvil/AnimeAndManga
97* AffablyEvil/ComicBooks
98* AffablyEvil/FanWorks
99* [[AffablyEvil/AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]]
100* [[AffablyEvil/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
101* AffablyEvil/{{Literature}}
102* AffablyEvil/LiveActionTV
103* AffablyEvil/{{Music}}
104* AffablyEvil/NewMedia
105* AffablyEvil/ProfessionalWrestling
106* AffablyEvil/TabletopGames
107* AffablyEvil/{{Theatre}}
108* AffablyEvil/VideoGames
109* AffablyEvil/WebAnimation
110* AffablyEvil/{{Webcomics}}
111* AffablyEvil/WesternAnimation
112* AffablyEvil/OtherMedia
113[[/index]]

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