Line #100 Main/FemmeFatale


1	%% Please add examples in alphabetical order.
2	%% Image source: [[http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/03/filmnoir_portfolio200703#slide=6
3	[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackwidowkillercaught.png]]
4	[[caption-width-right:330:Whatever [[Creator/JenniferConnelly she]] did, be glad it wasn't to you.]]
5
6	->''"They're the kind of dames who can wear floor-length gowns and look completely naked. The kind with hair piled up on their head like compliant serpents, or falling down in smooth lustrous waves. Dames with hard faces and mocking smiles and eyes that sized you up and found you wanting… but you’d do, for now."''
7	-->-- '''James Lileks''', ''The Bleat'' for [[http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/03/0203/020703.html February 7, 2003]]
8
9	First, she turns you on. Then, she turns on you. The typical client in a HardboiledDetective story (French for "fatal woman", idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. Dressed all in black with legs up to here and shady motives, she [[EvilSlinks slinks]] into the [[PrivateDetective P.I.]]'s office, sometimes holding a [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking cigarette on a long, long holder]], saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? [[PrivateEyeMonologue Do I care?]] [[{{Sexophone}} Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from?]] Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely keeping some secrets.
10
11	The Femme Fatale is [[SexIsEvil sexy]] [[WaxingLyrical and she]] [[Music/{{LMFAO}} knows it]]. Made famous by FilmNoir and hard-boiled detective stories, she manipulates and confuses TheHero with her undeniable aura of sexiness and danger. Unlike the virginal and sweet DamselInDistress (or possibly ActionGirl), the Femme Fatale exploits with everything she's got to wrap men around her finger. (In some eras, [[MakeupIsEvil use of make-up is a tell-tale sign.]]) He ''knows'' that she's walking trouble and knows much more about the bad guys than she should, but damn it if he can't resist her feminine wiles.
12
13	If the Femme Fatale is vying for the hero's romantic attentions she will likely have a [[BettyAndVeronica sweeter and purer rival]]. The hero might decide that she's not worth the trouble she causes, but if he doesn't, then they might become an OutlawCouple.
14
15	While related to TheVamp, the Femme Fatale is not just any seductress; she has a distinct look and feel. The main distinction is how she presents herself. If you ''know'' she's dangerous from the start, but she's sexy enough that you don't care, she's likely a Femme Fatale. On a lesser note, the Femme Fatale generally uses sensuality instead of upfront sexual advances. She may ''imply'' that you could have sex later, but she'll never promise it, not even say it -- that would decrease her air of mystery and power. Her wiles may include apparent helplessness and distress, and appeals to the man's greed, desire for revenge, or gullibility, as well as the implication of ''possible'' romance or sexual rewards, while TheVamp more often relies on raunchy sex or the promise of it sometime real soon.
16
17	The Femme Fatale is generally villainous, and heroic exceptions -- in an artificial context to snare the bad guy -- are closer to HeroicSeductress. Frequently, she is a WildCard, changing sides according to her own desires and goals; she does not often go through a HighHeelFaceTurn. If she's actually a kind-hearted person who puts on this facade [[ItAmusedMe just for fun]], this is TricksterGirlfriend.
18
19	She's often TheChanteuse or the LadyInRed but possibly dressed like [[NaiveEverygirl everyone else]] so as to not be ColourCodedForYourConvenience. The Femme Fatale is one of the female character types that can often be seen wearing HighClassGloves, especially in conjunction with her sexy evening gowns, and, during the daytime (particularly in old FilmNoir movies), is often seen wearing a "fascinator" or "pillbox" hat with a partial- or full-face veil. She's ''definitely'' not above using the KissOfDistraction.
20
21	If [[DarkActionGirl she can fight as well]], then she's ''really'' going to be trouble.
22
23	Subtrope of ManipulativeBastard. The younger version of this is the FilleFatale. The spy version of this is FemmeFataleSpy. If the femme fatale also eats the targets of her manipulations, she's a LiteralManeater.
24
25	If she's a prostitute, she may also be a ShadyLadyOfTheNight.
26
27	Often, this is the characterization given to the CollegeWidow, a DudeMagnet who lives near a male-only institution and encourages the attention she receives.
28
29	A NiceGuy might inspire her to [[EvilDesiresInnocence desire innocence]].
30
31	''[[TropeCo/FemmeFatale This item]] is available from the TropeCo/TropeCo catalog.''
32	----
33	!!Example Subpages:
34	[[index]]
35	* [[FemmeFatale/AnimeAndManga Anime & Manga]]
36	* [[FemmeFatale/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
37	* [[FemmeFatale/{{Literature}} Literature]]
38	* [[FemmeFatale/LiveActionTV Live-Action TV]]
39	[[/index]]
40
41	!!Other Examples:
42	[[foldercontrol]]
43
44	[[folder:Art]]
45	* The Femme Fatale is an archetype that was commonly used by the Symbolist Movement. In ''Art/TheSin'', Eve is portrayed almost Myth/{{Lilith}}-[=like=] in how the shadows frame her as this voluptuous lure of physical delights, [[AdaptationalVillainy a far-cry from the passive waif Abrahamic art usually portrays her as]].
46	* Creator/JohnWilliamWaterhouse early on was enamored by the visual of a dangerous woman ensnaring a man, and he painted many 19th-century examples.
47	** ''La belle dame sans merci'', titled after the Creator/JohnKeats ballad, depicts a wayward woman seducing what should be an honorable knight.
48	** Mythical creatures that often took the form of beautiful and seductive, but dangerous, women, such as nymphs, sirens, and lamia, were frequent subjects.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
52	* Betty Jo Bialosky ("everyone knew her as Nancy") from Creator/TheFiresignTheatre's "AudioPlay/TheFurtherAdventuresOfNickDanger" (a parody of FilmNoir tropes) drugs Nick and frames him for [[spoiler:the murder of the villainous Rocky Roccoco]].
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Comic Books]]
56	* Not surprisingly, due to its noirish roots, ''Comicbook/SinCity'' has quite a few. Almost every female character counts, and Dwight is the one that gets in trouble with them as they tend to go back and forth between DamselInDistress and TheVamp. The most triumphant example from the series is in ''The Babe Wore Red''. Dwight said it best:
57	-->'''Dwight''': The moment I lay eyes on her, I know I'm in trouble.
58	* ''ComicBook/{{Fatale}}'' by Creator/EdBrubaker and Creator/SeanPhillips places a horror spin on this trope which also serves to make the femme fatale in question more sympathetic; it's implied that she's supernaturally cursed to forever remain young and beautiful, and the spell also works to cause men to fall hopelessly in love with her to the point where it leads to their own ruin. It's clearly established that she hates her life and the effect that she has on men, but can't escape it.
59	* Characters/{{Batman\|TheCharacter}}'s RoguesGallery gives us quite a few, with [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] and Characters/{{Catwoman\|SelinaKyle}} standing out. They have both repeatedly tried to beguile him, though Poison Ivy cheats by using {{pheromones}}. And well, Batman technically ''is'' a detective who lives in a ViceCity...
60	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Characters/{{Black Cat\|MarvelComics}}, being the Franchise/MarvelUniverse’s [[AlternateCompanyEquivalent answer]] to Catwoman, is a pretty classic Femme Fatale, but while very obviously seductive and manipulative her love for Spidey is actually quite genuine and marked her turn from villainess to AntiHero. Although, her infatuation for the Wall Crawler managed to bring out the worst in her as well as poor MJ learned first hand.
61	* Talia in ''ComicBook/BrodysGhost'' is a very unusual version of the trope. She's not explicitly played up for sex appeal as she's a dead teenager, but she's the one who enters Brody's life to set him on a "case", in this case catching the Penny Murderer, has a sweeter and less snarky opposite in Brody's ex Nicole, and [[spoiler:is revealed to be way more manipulative, immoral, and untrustworthy than she lets on. Thanks to her involvement, Brody's already crappy life is completely destroyed by the end of the series, with things only getting better thanks to outside help.]]
62	* ''ComicBook/{{Blacksad}}'': Surprisingly, mostly {{averted\|Trope}} for a comic so steeped in 1950s FilmNoir. Of Blacksad's love interests, Natalia Wilford is TheLostLenore for Blacksad whose worst crime was being a bit of a vain woman, and Alma Mayer is a BrainyBrunette NiceGirl. [[MeaningfulName Jezebel]] Karup sort of fits the archetype, but is really a subversion of the trope since the people she seduced to lead them to their doom are the leader of a racist lynch mob [[spoiler:who also happens to be her father]] and his even more vicious right-hand man, not the detective hero.
63	* ComicBook/BlackWidow started off as a FemmeFataleSpy working for the KGB who used her feminine wiles to fool both ComicBook/IronMan and ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}. Turns out she was a victim of brainwashing though and eventually pulls a HeelFaceTurn to the Avengers. She also TookALevelInBadass, not having to rely purely on seduction to be effective, having crazy SheFu abilities and ImprobableAimingSkills which she retroactively always had. Her ComicBook/UltimateMarvel counterpart is a more classically cruel Femme Fatale seducing and having sex with Tony right before betraying him and even killing Hawkeye’s family.
64	* ''ComicBook/TheDregs'': Arnold, who is obsessed with noir fiction, hallucinates a beautiful woman styled in midcentury glamor (complete with cigarette) at pivotal moments in his investigation. Near the end of the story he asks her to betray him since that's her role, but she merely vanishes.
65	* ''ComicBook/Rocket2017:'' Otta, Rocket's ex-girlfriend (an otter-alien). He didn't take the hint she was bad news when she set him up to be arrested by the Kree the last time they saw one another, and this time is suckered in by a story about reclaiming land deeds for her people from a greedy corporation. [[spoiler:It's another set-up. At the story's climax, Otta turns out to be massively unhinged, wanting to outright eradicate her people for looking down on her, and draws a gun on Rocket.]]
66	* ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'': Darth Talon, the sexy [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe female Twi'lek]] Sith Lord who has significant FoeRomanceSubtext with main character [[AntiHero Cade Skywalker]], even seducing him once during his stay at the Sith Temple. She's counterpointed with Cade's main {{Love Interest\|s}}, the equally [[MsFanservice fanservicey]] but significantly more wholesome Zeltron smuggler Deliah Blue.
67	* [[Characters/MarvelComicsMystique Mystique]] of ''ComicBook/XMen'' fame might as well be the ultimate comic example, a beautiful and curvaceous blue [[VoluntaryShapeShifting shape changing]] mutant woman who has tricked, seduced, and manipulated hundreds of people before cruelly [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betraying them all like clockwork]]. It’s not just gullible men or women who are enamored with her either, Mystique will even manipulate her own children into trusting her before inevitably stabbing them in the back. Granted, it is largely DependingOnTheWriter when it comes to how treacherous and cruel she is.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Fan Works]]
71	* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, heiress [[spoiler:Maia Simmons]] knows how to subtly use her good looks in face-to-face interactions to get what she wants for her company. The trope name is even used by Griffin.
72	* The female [[spoiler:Interrogator in "Nubby's Girlfriend"]] betrays the ''Fanfic/AllGuardsmenParty'' in the middle of a mission.
73	* As befits a NoirEpisode, the second chapter of ''Fanfic/HalfPastAdventure'' introduces a femme fatale (actually a one-off character from the original show thirty years later) in the form of jewel thief [[PunnyName Penelope Farthington]].
74	* In chapter 11 of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/27421807/chapters/89123893#workskin An Impractical Guide to the Force]]'', Anakin and Palpatine each learn too late that all 42 of Dooku's present concubines are skilled fighters, including half of them being trained Force users and one of them being Darth Talon.
75	* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'': Cinder has spent ten years wrapping Jaune around her little finger, making sure he craves her approval and will do whatever she says. Unfortunately for her, since they're LikeBrotherAndSister, this backfired a bit; Jaune is left with a rather odd understanding of what is considered appropriate behavior, and he always obeys strong-willed women unquestioningly. In particular, the fact that his first reaction to meeting a girl is to give her an honest compliment about her looks ([[{{Vanity}} since Cinder always liked that]]) earns him a rather large UnwantedHarem [[CluelessChickMagnet without even noticing]].
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
79	* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', Helga Sinclair has the sultry voice and beautiful looks of a typical femme fatale; however, she is never seen seducing anyone, and does have ''some'' hesitation towards [[spoiler:stealing the Heart of Atlantis once she learns it is the life force of an entire civilization of people.]]
80	* Megara of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' is beautiful, cynical, and mysterious. She is a HoneyTrap working for the BigBad [[spoiler:not by her own volition, and she pulls a HeelFaceTurn after [[LoveRedeems falling in love with the hero]]]].
81	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' has Mirage, who lures Mr. Incredible onto a desert island where the BigBad can kill him, [[spoiler: although she does pull a HeelFaceTurn and begins helping his family when her BigBad [[BadBoss Boss]]'s mistreatment of her goes too far. It is also ''strongly'' implied that Mirage feels something for Mr. Incredible, even if she knows he is married and with children]]. He also doesn't seem particularly interested in her but in her offer which allows him to return to his glory days as a superhero.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Manhua]]
85	* Soti from ''Manhua/CyberWeaponZ'' left Park Iro for [[BigBad Leiting]] and at first looks like an indecisive DarkMistress. However, she's not above infiltrating the Shaolin temple to spy on the man she once loved and gain information for her new boyfriend but usually doesn't act directly against him out of respect for what they once had. Iro is often troubled by her presence since her sweet face and apparent harmlessness still get to his heart, despite the fact that she's a quite capable DarkActionGirl.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Music]]
89	%%* "Killer" by Music/{{KISS}} from ''Music/CreaturesOfTheNight''.
90	* Music/{{Calexico}}'s "Ballad of Cable Hogue" has an Old Western version. She's only ever referred to as "Madame". Even though the narrator suspects that Madame will be the death of him, she sweet-talks him into leaving his gold with her for safekeeping. Then she leads "an army" to his hiding place and guns him down.
91	* Music/DavidByrne's "Miss America" uses this as an extended metaphor for the US's foreign policy. America is a woman who seduces men then discards them when she no longer needs them. The narrator knows how dangerous she is, and he loves her anyway.
92	* "Evil Woman" by Music/SpookyTooth, which was famously covered by Music/BlackSabbath.
93	* "American Woman" by Music/TheGuessWho, which is more of an allegory for the US itself. It was notably covered by Music/LennyKravitz.
94	* Music/VelvetUnderground's "Femme Fatale" from ''Music/TheVelvetUndergroundAndNico'' is literally about a seductive woman.
95	* "Black Lady" by Music/DonnaSummer from ''Music/IRememberYesterday'', which is more about a bad woman than one who has a black skin color.
96	--> ''Black lady, black lady''
97	--> ''She was mean, really bad''
98	--> ''She was slender as a cat at night, she made the men go mad''
99	--> ''Well her eyes were green, and her skin was soft''
100	--> ''And the lady's heart was as hard as rock''
101	* Music/{{Britney Spears}}'s 2011 album Femme Fatale played off of this concept, as did the accompanying tour.
102	* Music/{{Auryn}}'s song ''Heartbreaker'' clearly is about one of these, who seduced the guys only to leave them high and dry. This is emphasized in the music video, in which we see the 'heartbreaker', played by Úrsula Corberó, seduce the five bandmembers and 'kill' them one by one.
103	--> ''She destroyed my life without shedding a tear, like an assassin''
104	* Pretty much the whole description of the girl in Kero One's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlkRubZeOqI So Seductive]]".
105	--> ''She looks so good when she shakes that ass''
106	--> ''Moving like snakes in grass, with a face to match''
107	--> ''But on the inside a straight killer,''
108	--> ''She'll reel ya in, your head spin like a gorilla'' … (And that's just the first stanza.)
109	* "Blood on the Dance Floor" by Music/MichaelJackson is about a woman named Susie who is a SerialKiller that seduces unsuspecting men to kill them after she's had her fun with them. [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou And you're her next hit]].
110	* In the first scene of the video for Music/{{Rammstein}}'s "Deutschland", Germania is seen cutting off the head from a dead body (probably a Roman soldier, evoking Rome's UsefulNotes/GermanicWars); in several scenes throughout the video, Germania is holding, and one time, kissing the head (which appears to be the head of Till Lindemann). This pose evokes two famous femme fatales from Literature/{{the Bible}}, Judith (who seduced Holofernes in order to murder him and cut off his head) and Salome (who used her beauty to [[DemandingTheirHead persuade King Herod to have John the Baptist beheaded]]); both of them are often depicted in art together with the severed heads of their victims. The same characterization is also apparent in a different set of scenes which show Germania watching indifferently, or sometimes with apparent delight, as Till Lindemann gets beaten to a pulp in a 1920s boxing match, [[HumanPincushion skewered with swords in a medieval battle]], hanged as a Concentration Camp prisoner, and beaten up by a policeman in a 19th century prison. The accompanying lyrics (sung by Till Lindemann) fittingly address Germany with the lines "Deutschland – deine Liebe / Ist Fluch und Segen" ("Germany, your love is a blessing and a curse") and "Deutschland – mein Herz in Flammen / will dich lieben und verdammen" ("Germany, my heart in flames / I want to love and to damn you").
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Mythology and Folklore]]
114	* Delilah of Literature/TheBible handily seduces Samson into revealing the truth about the source of his strength.
115	* Aphrodite of Myth/ClassicalMythology often got what she wanted through seduction. For example, she offered Paris any woman he wanted if he chose to give her the Apple of Discord.
116	* Soodabeh in Literature/TheShahnameh is the very attractive wife of Key Kavous who tries to seduce her stepson, Siavash. When Siavash turns her down twice, she claims Siavash sexually assaulted her. Even though the evidence is against her, she uses the aborted deformed babies of a witch to cast doubt on Siavash, who finally proves his innocence by riding through a huge fire and coming out unharmed. Even then she tries to frame Zal for losing the babies which doesn't work and Key Kavous sentences her to be hanged. Siavash knows his father will soon regret having her killed and will hold Siavash in contempt for her death, so he asks for Soodabeh to be pardoned. Soon, despite all she's done, she bewitches her husband once again and starts poisoning his mind against Siavash. When Afrasiab wages war on Iran, Siavash volunteers to go to battle to get away from Soodabeh and her schemes and this ultimately leads to his tragic death.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Opera]]
120	* The title character of ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'' seduces the naive soldier Don José, who abandons his fiancée Micaela and his military duties for Carmen's sake, even running away with her, only to lose Carmen to Escamillo, a toreador. Enraged by Carmen leaving him, Don José kills her outside the bullfighting ring at the end, ultimately meeting his downfall.
121	* Dalila from Saint-Saëns' ''Samson et Dalila''. She seduces Samson with her aria "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" (My heart opens to your voice), demands he tell her the secret of his strength as a proof of his love, pretends to cry when Samson refuses, to which he ultimately tells her and is forced to sacrifice his life in order to redeem himself.
122	%% * The Foreign Princess from Dvorak's ''Theatre/{{Rusalka}}''. %% Zero Context Example
123	* Subverted with Violetta Valéry from Verdi's ''Theatre/{{La Traviata}}''. On one hand, she has all the qualities of a femme fatale: wealthy, a courtesan, and very good at her job. However, she's a genuinely good-hearted woman who truly loves Alfredo and willingly ends her relationship with him at his father Giorgio's request. Then there's the fact that she's dying from tuberculosis.
124	* Manon Lescaut from Massenet's ''Theatre/{{Manon}}'' is a woman who abandons her lover Des Grieux for the wealthy De Brétigny, gloats her power over men, and she seduces Des Grieux from his priest training into becoming a gambler. However, she eventually realizes what she's doing by Act 5, but by then, she dies at Des Grieux's feet after he forgives her.
125	* The Foreign Princess from Dvorak's ''Theatre/{{Rusalka}}''. She seduces the Prince away from Rusalka on his wedding day to her, mainly out of jealousy, and manipulates him using her passion and appealing to his frustration over Rusalka's timidness into rejecting Rusalka, thus dooming him to death, and dooming Rusalka to becoming a spirit of death at the bottom of the lake.
126	* Venus in Wagner's ''Theatre/{{Tannhaeuser}}''. At the start of the opera, she's already seduced the minnesinger Tannhauser into debauchery, and her spell on him is prevalent throughout; during Act II's song contest at the Wartburg castle, Tannhauser is entranced into singing his love for Venus, horrifying Princess Elisabeth and the court, and causing the Landgrave and the knights to condemn him to death. At the end, however, Tannhauser is saved by Elisabeth's love, banishing Venus and allowing Tannhauser to be forgiven before his death.
127	* Kundry from Wagner's ''Parsifal''. In between serving as a messenger for the Knights of the Grail, she also acts as a seductress on behalf of the evil mage Klingsor to try and lure the Knights to their doom in a tempting flower garden of evil. As it turns out, she has been cursed for laughing at Jesus Christ while he was on the cross, and now seeks to be released from her curse.
128	* Princess Salome from Richard Strauss' ''Salome'' strips before her stepfather while [[DemandingTheirHead demanding the head of Jochanaan]], and then kisses Jochanaan's severed head while declaring her love for it in front of everyone.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Pinball]]
132	* Creator/{{Bally}}'s ''Pinball/MataHari'' pinball shows the title character in her bedroom, handing over a secret map with one hand while discreetly clutching a small dagger in the other.
133	* In Creator/{{Capcom}}'s unreleased ''Pinball/{{Kingpin}},'' there's Trixie, the mob boss' [[PaidHarem Moll]] who's a sexy LadyInRed... and handy with a pistol.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
137	* Wrestling/{{Francine}} would get friendly with the baby {{face}}s of Wrestling/{{ECW}}, such as The Pitbulls and Wrestling/TommyDreamer, become their valets, and then screw them out of title shots against their rivals when they least expected it.
138	* Wrestling/BillieKay on NXT has an entrance theme titled 'Femme Fatale', wears black and purple outfits, and [[EvilSlinks slinks her way to the ring]]. Her tag team partner Wrestling/PeytonRoyce is borderline too, though she's more of an {{Expy}} of [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]].
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
142	* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' Princess Stephanika, ruler of the Martian city-state Melikia uses her charms to manipulate the many Earthling diplomats that come to her court. Rumoured to have used her sexuality to keep the various imperial powers focused on one another, Stephanika may be a relatively sympathetic example.
143	* Liliana Vess, the Black-aligned planeswalker from ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''. She sold her soul for eternal youth and beauty and doesn't at all mind leveraging her attractiveness if it'll get her what she wants. She's also an extremely powerful necromancer, ruthless, selfish, and manipulative. Her art and abilities focus equally on these characteristics.
144	* Miss Scarlet in ''[[TabletopGame/{{Clue}} Clue(do)]]''.
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
148	* Lady Luck, the [[TheGambler gambling]] [[ShapeshiftingSeducer seductive shapeshifting]] [[EvilRedhead evil redhead]] icon of [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's]] Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Video Games]]
152	* Aveline in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIIILiberation'' become a femme fatale whenever in her lady persona who can bribe guards and charm gentlemen to have them follow her and then dismisses them when she's done with them.
153	* Elizabeth in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfiniteBurialAtSea Episode I'' as she [[spoiler:lures Booker/Comstock deep into Rapture just so she can kill him]].
154	* ''VideoGame/ChickenPolice'': Natasha Catzenko is a sexy and mysterious nightclub singer, and trouble follows her.
155	-->'''Sonny:''' I knew she was trouble the first time I saw her. She wore danger like a perfume. It was simply part of her being, and it attracted me like light attracts the moth people.
156	* Maggie Chow in ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. [[spoiler:Turns out, she's actually in league with the villains and murdered the leader of the Red Dragon triad and stole his nano-technologically enhanced sword in order to initiate a triad war.]]
157	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'': Klaasje is a subversion. On the one hand: sexy, mysterious, dangerous to know, involved with industrial espionage. On the other hand: she feels guilty about the damage that her spying caused, and is hiding out in Revachol because she thinks that her former employers want to kill her. Her best ending has her go on the run to another city.
158	* Carlotta Von Überwald in ''VideoGame/DiscworldNoir'', the extremely attractive woman who [[DetectivePatsy hires Lewton]] and who turns out to be [[spoiler: directly or indirectly responsible for multiple murders, a ReligionOfEvil cultist, a werewolf, and the Disc's counterpart to the Femme Fatales in ''The Maltese Falcon'', ''To Have and Have Not'', '''and''' ''Farewell, My Lovely'' with elements from ''The Big Sleep'']].
159	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series has Mephala, a [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] whose sphere is "obscured to mortals", but who is associated with [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation, lies, sex, and secrets]]. She could practically be considered the patron deity of [[CloakAndDagger spies and assassins]], and to the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmer]], she actually is, being the patron of the [[MurderInc Morag Tong]].
160	* Bonne Jenet from ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]''. She isn't evil per se (despite being a PirateGirl, her Lilien Knights [[JustLikeRobinHood only steal from the rich]]), but she can and ''will'' use her feminine wit and [[{{Stripperiffic}} sex]] [[ForeignFanservice appeal]] to get what she wants (she's also ''very'' [[TheTease flirtatious]]). Oddly enough, she also happens to be a [[TheLadette Lad-ette]].
161	* Ultimecia in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' is this. When she's [[spoiler: possessing Edea - who normally wears a very simple and modest dress -- she makes her wear incredibly ornate and over-the-top "sexy" clothing]]. When you finally meet her in person, the costume she has on is, to say the least, extravagant. She uses her body to get what she wants and was openly called a Femme Fatale in the spin-off game Dissidia.
162	* Olivia Ofrenda in ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''. She dates a mobster and his lawyer at the same time, and exhibits all the traits of one otherwise (true to the game's FilmNoir influence.) {{Subverted\|Trope}} when she helps the resistance against the main [[EvilPlan evil plot]], [[spoiler:but then {{Double Subver\|sion}}ted when it is revealed she tore the leader of the resistance, Salvador Limones, to pieces and betrays [[TheHero Manny Calvera]] to [[BigBad Hector LeMans]], who she is now also dating]].
163	-->'''Manny:''' You know, you have a really bad taste in men.
164	-->'''Olivia:''' No, I have [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys a taste for really bad men.]] [[InsistentTerminology There's a difference.]]
165	* Miranda Lawson in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' at first appears to be a femme fatale, but it's ultimately subverted as she quits Cerberus and makes no attempts at seducing Shepard. She actually tries to avoid a romance, at first, if a Male Shepard pursues it. [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Morinth]] however, is a straighter example, as she is found looking for prey in an exclusive nightclub.
166	* Naomi in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. According to the backstory, she seduced Richard Ames away from his wife, Nastasha Romanenko, in order to get onto the [=FoxDie=] project so she could modify it to kill Snake. She spent the game until the bombshell [[{{Tsundere}} alternately]] acting very cold towards him and [[StalkerWithACrush drooling over him]]. She has good intentions.
167	* Sylvia Christel from ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' manages to convince an impoverished otaku living in a cheap motel to use his laser sword that he got off the Internet to murder people. Granted, said otaku wasn't exactly a prince himself in terms of morality.
168	* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': Invoked by Ann Takamaki's FightingSpirit based on the title character of Theatre/{{Carmen}}, who appears as an attractive woman leading along two men with hearts for heads on dog collars and chains.
169	* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
170	** Ada Wong initially showed very mild DamselInDistress qualities in her first appearance, but by the fourth game in the series, there was no question that she was a first-class example, to the point that it's clear in retrospect that her original helplessness was playact the whole time. Trying to figure out which side the girl is on and if she's going to help you or hurt you can give you (and poor [[TheHero Leon]]) a serious headache.
171	** Excella Gionne from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' is also an example, being Wesker's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. [[spoiler:An example that ends up being {{subverted\|Trope}}: it is she who ends up being manipulated and betrayed by Wesker, who injects her with the Uroboros virus she created. Rather than a manipulative woman behind the man, she's actually just an opportunistic RichBitch who is TooDumbToLive.]]
172	* Janet Page from ''VideoGame/StrikeCommander''. She's a sexy brunette AcePilot who has the hots for the protagonist. Though she leaves TheSquad early on to [[FaceHeelTurn join its rivals]], she spends most of the game atoning for her actions and trying to win back the protagonist's favor. In the end, she offers to help him steal a cutting-edge F-22 fighter jet from the evil Internal Revenue Service, in order to take out the BigBad with it. Once he steals the plane however, she reveals that she's only been in it for herself all along - and demands he hand the plane over, effectively at gunpoint.
173	* Viletta Vadim from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', starting out as TheMole of the team for [[spoiler:Ingram]] and is a deadly pilot in combat. This is later subverted as Viletta [[spoiler:and Ingram]] have good intentions, despite coming off as rather strict [[spoiler:and oh-so-much a MagnificentBastard for Ingram]], not flat out evil. Her looks also gave her the distinction of being one of Excellen's 'Three Beautiful Sisters' and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the only person she'd go]] LesYay with. To hammer it home, her theme song was re-named to this trope when OriginalGeneration got a US translation by Atlus (it was formerly 'Woman The Cool Spy').
174	* In ''VideoGame/{{Thief}} The Dark Project'', Viktoria plays this to Garrett's Noir action hero, tempting him with greed, the power of an exotic blade, and obliquely hints at the possibility of sex. Without Constantine's leadership in ''Metal Age'', she becomes less this, but still remains [[EnemyMine Strange Bedfellows]].
175	* The Consort from ''VideoGame/TownOfSalem'' can Roleblock any target (blocking their Night Ability) on behalf of TheMafia. She is the EvilCounterpart to the [[HeroicSeductress Escort]].
176	* Hilda from ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth''. Though it's {{deconstructed\|Trope}} because a) she's too dumb to convince anybody to do something she wants, b) everyone is numb to her advances because she never turns the seduction off, and c) almost everyone knows she's a crazy, [[BrainlessBeauty idiotic]] UngratefulBitch so they don't pay her any attention. The only time her seduction actually works is on [[HormoneAddledTeenager Hyde Kido, which isn't much of an accomplishment]].
177	* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' allows for the player to play [[VillainProtagonist Ayano]] as one, if they so choose. One gameplay stat is "Seduction", which, when upped, makes the male students more comfortable around you, making it easier to talk to them and ask for favors. If it's upped enough, [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer the girls will too]]. When the stat is in effect, hearts hover around the student's head when talking to them.
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
181	* Rosé Mulan from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG''. She's flirty and dons a simple black dress, bearing an exotic name as part of her stage persona, but she deliberately keeps an air of intrigue around herself while assisting Akira with his investigation.
182	* Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, Emma of ''VisualNovel/TogainuNoChi'' is the kind of woman who doesn't tell you who she works for. She's the one who gets the plot rolling by pressuring Akira into becoming her pawn, although she lies about how she plans to use him.
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Webcomics]]
186	* Lucrezia Mongfish (a.k.a. [[spoiler:''literally the Other herself'']]) from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', as shown in her backstory. She was the [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter beautiful daughter]] of the evil Dr. Lucifer Mongfish, and while she was alive she was able to seduce Bill Heterodyne ''and'' Klaus Wulfenbach with varying results for both of them.
187	* Selenis Zea, the main character from ''Webcomic/SupermassiveBlackHoleAStar'', is an assassin who is willing to utilize her sex appeal and ruthlessness to accomplish her goals, one of which includes refining her [[BodyBackupDrive cloning technology]] that transfer her memories and personality to one of her clones upon her death multiple times.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Web Original]]
191	* Sahar of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse has spent several years seducing any mutant (male or female) with the right powers, so she can copy their best psychic traits. Even the campus Alphas and Intelligence Cadet Corps fear her.
192	* ''WebAnimation/RWBYChibi'': Cinder ends up cast as one in the FilmNoir episode with Junior Detective Neptune as the narrating protagonist. Hot (figuratively and in terms of her powers), looking for a detective's help (still looking for the Fall Maiden), morally suspicious (the CharacterExaggeration the series as a whole does to the canon ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' cast puts her squarely into CardCarryingVillain most of the time), hints at other means of payment besides cash...until Neptune's [[DidIJustSayThatOutLoud not-so-inner monologue]] and comically inept attempts to woo her disgusts Cinder enough to quit and look elsewhere.
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	[[folder:Western Animation]]
196	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': [[DruggedLipstick Poison]] [[TheTease Ivy]] alternates between this and TheVamp, depending on the episode, leaning more towards the latter in her [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE5PrettyPoison debut appearance]].
197	* This page wouldn’t be complete without ''Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' who’s right up there with Catwoman, Catherine Tramell and Ada Wong when it comes to iconic examples of this trope. An elusive global ClassyCatBurglar and VillainProtagonist of a few educational mystery games and a 1994 cartoon series. The [[WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego 2019 Netflix continuity reboot series]], gives Carmen heaps of AdaptationalHeroism making her more of a sympathetic AntiHero who is still very crafty and alluring.
198	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': While hardly alluring at ten years old or younger, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro played this role in the ''Franchise/IndianaJones''-themed episode "Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon". She even has [[MyCard a card]] that calls her such.
199	* ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'': With how she seduced and tricked [[spoiler:Hector]] into slavery, Lenore definitely counts as an example. [[spoiler: She does become more likeable to a degree in Season 4 having fallen for Hector for real, albeit entirely off-screen and apologises for what she did to him before stepping into the sunlight. It’s more than likely Lenore [[EvilCannotComprehendGood being a Vampire couldn’t see the demeaning cruelty of her actions regarding Hector]] and being raised by the Femme Fatale queen herself Carmilla certainly didn’t help either.]]
200	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
201	** Blackarachnia from ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' plays this to the hilt when she gets a chance, towards allies and enemies alike, though she [[DarkActionGirl does less flirting and more fighting]] than is usual for this trope. The choice of a black widow spider as her alternate mode is surprisingly appropriate, though she's not without redeeming qualities.
202	** The Blackarachnia in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' fulfills this trope whenever it's convenient for her, either with the Autobots or the Dinobots. Optimus Prime is especially vulnerable to falling for this no matter how many times she does it. It does make you wonder why she considers herself such a horrific freak when everyone with a spark seems to want to jump her thorax. Probably because of her face under the helmet.
203	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'''s ClassyCatBurglar Characters/{{Black Cat\|MarvelComics}} has shades of this trope, willingly flirting with and helping Spider-Man to [[ClearMyName clear his name]] while using the same opportunity to steal jewels on the sly. Though the flirting stopped when [[spoiler:her father (the Burglar who shot Ben Parker) decided to remain in prison to repent. She hates Spider-Man for this and will never forgive him]].
204	* Used in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' in the design of [[BadassNormal Asami Sato]]. With her long raven hair, beautiful figure, red clothes, fighting prowess, [[MugglePower lack of bending]], [[RomanticFalseLead competition as Mako's love interest]], and rich family, she fits this trope like a glove. It was all a subversion, because she really was nice and caring, and not the double-crosser so many fans assumed she'd be based on her appearance. And she went beyond being a RomanticFalseLead for Mako - [[spoiler:she ultimately became ''Korra's'' love interest]]. Asami was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally written]] as a femme fatale Equalist early in development but the writers liked her so much they made her a subversion instead.
205	* Before ''The Legend of Korra'' gave us Asami, the predecessor series ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' also put a twist on this trope in the form of Jet, a sexy, charming ''[[SpearCounterpart boy]]'' who used his outer seductiveness to blind Katara to his dangerous intentions. Like many female examples of this trope, he came to genuinely care about Katara, and [[spoiler:ended up redeeming himself - [[RedemptionEqualsDeath and then dying]]]].
206	* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' ran into this type of villain ''twice''. (Demons and bounty hunters were easy for him; seductresses, not so much.) The first one was actually Aku in disguise, and it ended ''very'' badly for Jack. The second one was Josephine Clench, also a DarkActionGirl and half of an OutlawCouple with her ex-husband Zeke. Apparently, her typical MO was to lure a victim into a false sense of security with her charms so that Zeke could attack by surprise, and then ''she'' could strike from behind when he tried to fight him. It almost worked on Jack, [[spoiler: but the plan fell apart when she tried to double-cross Zeke. Possibly, something like this may have been why they had divorced]]. It's subverted with Ashi, a deadly but sexy young lady of the Daughters of Aku who would fit the trope to a tee, but instead she attempts to kill Jack, [[spoiler:and then romances him later]].
207	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'':
208	** Femme Fatale was the name of a one-shot villainess from the episode "Equal Fights." The name was the only thing she really had in common with the trope, since she was a StrawFeminist who tried to indoctrinate the girls into "solidarity" because she really DoesNotLikeMen.
209	** Sedusa is a bigger example. She is a mistress of seduction who manipulates men into doing her bidding and has snake-like hair she uses as tentacles for battle; both representing her MeaningfulName.
210	* ''{{WesternAnimation/Rugrats}}'' has a film noir parody episode called "Radio Daze" featuring both Angelica and Lil as Femme Fatales. Angelica is the BigBad who's after the MacGuffin - and her name is 'Madame Evil', dressed like a traditional noir villainess. Lil initially appears to be one - drugging Tommy with a HoneyTrap (although since they're babies, this is just giving him warm milk so he goes straight to sleep). But she undergoes a HighHeelFaceTurn.
211	* Shego on ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' overlaps between this and DarkActionGirl besides kicking ass. She’s fully capable of fooling and manipulating people using her beauty. She even playfully tries seducing Ron at one point, in order to seriously piss off her rival Kim.
212	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rarity plays this role in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E16RarityInvestigates Rarity Investigates!]]" as part of her detective investigation, flirting with and charming some guard ponies to get information.
213	* Tanya Keys in ''WesternAnimation/MaoMaoHeroesOfPureHeart'' plays this role. She enjoys teasing Mao Mao to the point he becomes flustered and continues to trick him throughout her debuting episode. It is also teased that she once had a "complicated" adult relationship with Mao Mao.
214	* In the ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' episode "[[Recap/LoveDeathAndRobotsSonniesEdge Sonnie's Edge]]", Jennifer serves as a Femme Fatale assassin for her employer/lover Dicko. She seduces and attempts to murder Sonnie for refusing to throw a match with Dicko. [[spoiler:It doesn't end well.]]
215	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'': Played with via the Martian Queen Tyr'ahnee. She tries to woo Dodgers because she genuinely thinks ''he's'' trying to impress ''her'' with [[BadassUnintentional his (usually accidental) heroics]]. Of course, she did decide to kill Dodgers outright at one point after he turns down her advances flatly.
216	* ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'': In "Alley to Bali", Woody and Buzz Buzzard are two sailors on shore leave who get seduced by a beautiful Balinese priestess looking for [[AppeaseTheVolcanoGod an offering of "long pig" for the local volcano god]].
217	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': [[HospitalHottie Hello Nurse]] plays one in "This Pun For Hire", hiring the Warners to find the MacGuffin so she can take it for herself. The Warner Brothers even catcall her with "Helloooo Femme Fatale Nurse!" when she first appears.
218	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FemmeFatale