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1->''"So of course Aquaman's worst enemy is a guy with underwater powers, because if Aquaman's worst enemy had, say, highway overpass powers it wouldn't be much of a show. 'Doctor Turnpike has snarled traffic again? What am I supposed to do, tell a couple giant squid to crawl to Ohio and stop him? Call me if there's a tidal wave or something. I'm good with tidal waves. Did you know that the Japanese call them 'tsunami'?'''
2-->-- '''Creator/LoreSjoberg''', ''[[http://brunching.com/legionofdoom.html The Book of Ratings]]''
3
4It's our hero, the Egregious Trope-Man! [[LuckilyMyPowersWillProtectMe With his amazing trope-related powers]], he always saves the day!
5
6But oh no! Here comes the Legion of Evil: [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr von Trope]], [[KickTheDog The Dog Kicker]], TheChessmaster, {{Superdick|ery}}, Mr. {{Macekre}} (''and'' his [[{{Bowdlerise}} Brotherhood of Bowdlerization]]), and Sir {{Jerkass}}! Together they'll bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt...
7
8Wait, you mean ''all'' his villains have trope-related powers? What's up with that!? Where are all the bank robbers, {{mutants}}, [[TimeTravel time travelers]] and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot magical alien robot monkeys]]?
9
10Yes, it seems that for the vast majority of heroes, many if not all of their opponents will share the same powers, backgrounds, and personalities as our heroes. {{Super Speed}}sters will face other speedsters, {{Psychic|Powers}}s will fight psychics, [[DoAnythingRobot Robots]] will battle robots, and {{Badass Normal}}s will fight other badass normals.
11
12Deeper than that, villains will often have similar motivations and personalities to the hero as well. A light-hearted, jokey hero will get lots of equally light-hearted villains to [[YouFightLikeACow exchange insults with]], while a dark, angsty hero will get a RoguesGallery of emo villains to have dark, nihilistic discussions with mid-battle. A hero with an animal theme will end up being constantly annoyed by animal-themed villains, while an [[ElementalPowers Elemental]] hero will always find bad guys with [[ElementalRockPaperScissors comparable elemental themes]].
13
14Even when characters are ''known'' to live in a shared continuity such as the Franchise/TheDCU or Franchise/MarvelUniverse, villain types will rarely leak from one comic to another - [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] rarely finds himself up against the PoweredArmor villains ComicBook/IronMan faces on a daily basis. Of course, a shared continuity makes this much easier to justify, too. Spider-Man isn't going against the powered armor villains because Iron Man has it handled, that's why.
15
16There are a number of reasons for this trope:
17* If someone wants to read about giant robots or motorbike-riding badasses, that's probably the kind of thing that interests them, so more of the same is always welcome.
18* It might be easier to work with WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief if the character doesn't have a hundred different sub-genres wedging in their own mythology. This is based on what Blake Snyder would call "the rule of Double Mumbo Jumbo," meaning that an audience will accept only one type of magic in a movie. For example, you can't have aliens and vampires in the same movie.
19* It's difficult to write plausible stories for a character with [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway more gimmicky powers]]. A FlyingBrick is effective against a range of adversaries, while if your only power is psychically controlling cupcakes, you'll more likely than not find yourself facing a range of fearsome baking-related foes.
20* If your hero is not all that powerful, putting them up against a galaxy-eating EldritchAbomination is going to end in tears - "[[Characters/MarvelComicsGalactus Galactus]] would kill [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]]." Mismatches like that are just asking for trouble.[[note]]Fun fact: In "What if The Avengers Became Pawns of Korvac" Captain America found himself in the classic Ultimate Nullifier standoff against Galactus. Unlike Reed Richards however, Cap pulled the trigger, erasing them both from existence.[[/note]]
21** The reverse is also true as powerful heroes fighting guys below their weight class does not play well into drama: Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} versus purse snatchers is sort of humiliating for everyone involved.
22*** The RoguesGalleryTransplant frequently ties into this trope as a result. Sometimes, when a villain is created for a particular hero's RoguesGallery, it eventually becomes clear that he's better suited for another hero.
23* It helps link, compare and contrast the hero and the villains he faces if their powers or backgrounds are similar.
24
25In story, this can be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in a number of ways:
26* There is only one basic type of enemy around, or only one type of superpowers exists in this universe (though subtypes are possible). This only holds for a stand-alone series - crossovers with other comics make this justification untenable.
27** {{Manga/Devilman}} fought demons, simply because Demons were the only real threat.
28* The Hero's job is to fight that type of enemy. Other enemies fall under other jurisdictions.
29** The BRPD from ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' fights supernatural threats, because that is the BRPD's purpose.
30* The Hero may be obligated to fight one type of enemy for some reason.
31** WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom only fights ghosts, because it was partially his fault that ghosts were released in the first place.
32* The Hero's power only works on a certain type of foe, or he works within a particular space or domain where he would naturally confront similarly powered individuals.
33** ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} lives underwater, his powers are attuned to be most effective underwater and the ocean is the domain of the planet he is responsible for protecting. Many threats to the world's oceans come from the ocean, and are therefore also beings whose abilities are attuned to be most effective underwater. And both he and them are already there in the ocean, so they will naturally be the first to confront each other.
34* The Hero's powers attracts like-minded villains.
35** ComicBook/IronMan's PoweredArmor appeals to the engineer in PoweredArmor-wearing villains; [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner the Hulk]]'s strength from radiation appeals to villains who want to use radiation to power themselves and their henchmen; the animal totem of [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] calls forth the likes of genetic engineers that will themselves attempt other animals in themselves or in their allies, exceptions such as Sandman, Electro or Hydroman are not far fetched as much as an element replaces an animal and becomes the focus of the wild side in them; Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s insanity appeals to the insane and his gimmicks to those prone to them.
36
37The effects of this trope are generally more pronounced in adaptations, which usually only have time to showcase one or two villains. Hence, rather than get bogged down with dozens of different origin stories for all the different types of villain, the gallery will be streamlined and backstories tweaked so that less explanation is required to get the story going.
38
39This trope often overlaps with PlotTailoredToTheParty, when a disproportionate number of villains appear who to have powers similar to those of a minor or useless hero in a HeroesUnlimited setting show up, just to give the hero something to do.
40
41Of course, pitting heroes against villains that generally outpower them can be a good way of spicing up an ongoing series. [[SugarWiki/MomentofAwesome Moments of Awesome]] result when this is handled well, and the hero comes up with a creative way to beat the bad guy.
42
43In some series, particularly LongRunners that have been developed over many years or even decades, some members of the RoguesGallery may not fit the theme. Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}, for instance, has gathered a respectable number of enemies who have actual super-powers, although the overall theme of his RoguesGallery is that of the crazy BadassNormal whose crimes are based around some sort of specific theme.
44
45Finally, depending on the hero, his or her RoguesGallery may have ''multiple'' themes. Not all of [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]]'s enemies fit the AnimalMotifs theme, but the ones that don't tend to be the results of science gone bad. Indeed, some spider-villains ([[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]], the Lizard, the Scorpion) fit '''both''' themes. This is pretty much destined to happen in well established and long running series, so most superhero comics fit this.
46
47Naturally, contrast OutsideContextProblem when there's one villain who doesn't fit into the theme.
48----
49!!Examples
50
51[[foldercontrol]]
52
53[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
54* Just about every villain in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' is either a Pokemon trainer of some kind or a Pokemon of some kind. Or both, in the case of Mewtwo.
55* This is very prevalent in SuperRobotGenre shows. Usually, HumongousMecha are used to fight equally giant {{Robeast}}s:
56** The ''Mazinger'' franchise:
57*** ''Anime/MazingerZ'' fought Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts.
58*** ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' fought Mykene's Warrior Beasts. The Mykene army also was split in seven thematically-organized divisions: the armies of Superhumans, Evil Ghosts, Mammalian, Avian, Aquatic, Insect and Reptilian Battle Beasts.
59*** ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' was an alien-created HumongousMecha fought robots created by an alien civilization.
60** ''Manga/GetterRobo'' fought cybernetic dinosaurs, robotic demons, insect-like alien races or any other EldritchAbomination foolish enough to attack Earth.
61** ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' fought the Haniwa Phantom Gods, ancient statues reanimated and transformed into spectre-like giant monsters through sorcery.
62** ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' fought robotic demons.
63** The ''Anime/RobotRomanceTrilogy'':
64*** ''Anime/CombattlerV'' fought Campbellians Slave Beasts and Magma Monsters.
65*** ''Anime/VoltesV'' fought Beast Knights, fighting robots that mimicked Earth animals, humans, and in one instance, a fire hydrant.
66*** ''Anime/{{Daimos}}'' fought Battle Robots and Mecha Warriors.
67** ''Anime/{{Zambot3}}'' was another "alien robot fighting other alien robots" situation. In this instance, its enemies were the Mecha Bursts.
68** ''Anime/{{Daitarn3}}'' waged war against the Mega Borgs.
69* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'': The FiveManBand fought the armies and animal-shaped giant mechas from Galactor.
70* Saints in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' only seem to fight similarly armoured enemies, with similar [[KiManipulation Cosmo]] based powers. {{Justified|Trope}} in early arcs since their enemies were Saints from the Sanctuary, just like our heroes. Later on, not so much.
71* Naturally, just about every recurring villain in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' is an evil gamer of some sort. Even before the Duel Monsters card game took over the show, most of the villains who weren't random thugs tried to challenge Yugi to a game, often with the intent of dethroning him as the King of Games.
72* The heroes of ''Manga/Cyborg009'' often found themselves up against evil cyborgs created by the same evil organization that created them. The titular character in particular tends to fight foes with the same [[SuperSpeed acceleration]] power as him, because they're [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere the only ones who can really give him a good fight]].
73* In ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'', most of what Chrono and Rosette fight are demons, with the occasional supernatural beast. However, like the ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' example in the description, the religious order they work for only focuses on destroying those types of creatures.
74* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', every villain from Part 3 onward is a [[FightingSpirit Stand]] user. Which is a bit jarring, since the previous 2 arcs mainly involved fighting ''vampires'', with an assortment of other foes such as cyborg Nazis. Also, Part 3 specifically had Stand users themed around horror movie monsters.
75* In ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', the protagonist starts by learning martial arts to fight only regular bullies, progresses through fighting teenage delinquents who are martial arts users, and eventually ends up fighting martial artists who are actively opposing [[MartialPacifist Martial Pacifism]]. We don't actually see him fighting ordinary delinquents (except a little in the earlier period).
76* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', nearly every major antagonist is a powerful wizard or magical monster. The only exceptions were a pair of martial artist brothers who spent a lifetime training to counter wizards and got curbstomped by Natsu anyway, and the ArcVillain King Faust, who was an ordinary person piloting a magical HumongousMecha. Some of the main ''Fairy Tail'' characters also fight different types of enemies. Natsu either fights the ArcVillain -- since he is a.) TheHero and b.) his SuperMode is usually the only thing powerful enough to beat the ArcVillain -- or other Dragon Slayers. Erza more often than not fights other weapon users. Lucy usually has to fight other wizards who use SummonMagic or [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower some oddball power]]. Gray's foes often have more variety, but a good number of them are also [[AnIcePerson ice wizards]].
77* In ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'', WordOfGod has it that each of the main villains were designed to be a foil to some aspect of the heroes' personal philosophies or ethics. The Land of Waves arc set this up well, with Zabuza articulating and representing pretty much all of the villainous themes that all subsequent major villains symbolised in one way or another- the series is ''loaded'' with this trope. Some of these "bad guy" themes are:
78** Contempt of Bonds: While Naruto is a poster boy for ThePowerOfFriendship, nearly all of the villains in the series are Missing-Nin- ninja who have defected from their village, for whatever reason but in most cases after committing some serious crime. Sasuke left the Leaf because he felt that his bonds were holding him back from his potential; Akatsuki symbolise the cutting of their bonds to their village by scratching the symbol on their headbands; in ROOT as well as the old "Bloody Mist" nin are required to kill their classmates in fights to the death so that bonds and emotions don't get in the way of completing their mission; the Mangekou Sharingan usually requires murder of friends and family members to be attained. Several villains try, and sometimes succeed, to kill their old mentors or parental figures as well, as well as their old friends.
79** Transcending Humanity: As Zabuza articulated, ninjas are human, even if they try not to be. Most of the bad guys take this and run with it, doing all sorts of horrible things to themselves to become something other than human- Orochimaru, Sasori, Kabuto, Kakuzu and Danzou all use all sorts of body modification jutsu on themselves (several heroes and hero-clans do this too, but the bad guy versions are usually a lot more radical and inhuman, sometimes intentionally). Others are more psychological- this was Itachi's original justification for massacring his clan (to "test my capacity"), while Nagato thinks he has evolved to become a god, something Madara and Orochimaru aim for [[GodhoodSeeker more literally]].
80** Peace: Naruto and other good guys want to make the world more peaceful. Likewise, Pain and [[spoiler: Itachi]] are both {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s using more radical measures to attain or maintain the peace; Orochimaru, meanwhile, believes WarIsGlorious which was one of his justifications for attacking the Leaf Village- he had grown tired of the peace, and wanted to start a war. Danzou is somewhere in the middle, basically believing ninja should frequently engage in battle, brutality and political backstabbing so that they can be tough enough enforce the peace for their respective villages.
81** Human Weapons: The tension between the idea that ninja are both living weapons to be used as tools, and human beings with feelings and dreams. Haku to Zabuza and both to Gatou; the Sound ninja (esp. Kimmimaro) to Orochimaru; ROOT to Danzou; Akatsuki and Sasuke to Madara; Team Hawk to Sasuke. Pain both tries to avert this trope (thinking his fellow Akatsuki should work together and respect each other) and takes it to an extreme (using dead ninja as extensions of his own body and mind). The jutsu Edo Tensei (where dead ninja are resurrected as zombie pawns) and Sasori's human puppets both invoke this theme literally.
82* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': As a Bakumatsu-era swordsman, Kenshin Himura tends to fight other swordsmen. Many of these adversaries tend to be focused on some psychological aspect of that era that they just can't let go of (for example, Jin-E couldn't forsake his bloodthirsty tendencies despite the Meiji era being one of nominal peace, Aoshi was obsessed with having never gotten to prove the Oniwabanshu's combat strength, and the majority of the Six Comrades wanted revenge for having suffered various personal losses by Kenshin's hand during that period) or hate the current government for its disguised corruption and/or perceived BadassDecay and want to take it down (Shishio and the anime's version of Raijuta, for instance).
83* All ''Franchise/DragonBall'' main villains after and including King Piccolo up to Omega Shenron from ''[[Anime/DragonBallGT GT]]'' were sadistic [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Arrogant Kung Fu Guys]] equipped with [[EverybodyWasKungFuFighting supernatural]] [[SupernaturalMartialArts kung fu]], including the standard {{Flying Brick}} KiManipulation power set (the only exceptions are the Androids, and they were really never the big bad of their arc, and had energy attacks that were functionally the same as Ki), whose main motivations were to prove their superior power and rub in that fact to weaker beings. They all also tended to be [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] of the opinion that HardWorkHardlyWorks, to contrast them with Goku. Although to be fair, the villains were all very creative and different from the last
84* ''Franchise/OnePiece'': While they tangle with the Marines a fair amount, the Strawhats still primarily fight other pirates who are competing in the Grand Line. On a broader level, this connects to the theme of Dreams in the series; many of Luffy's fellow pirates are aiming for the treasure One Piece as well but for often for vastly different reasons: Power, Respect, Influence in contrast to Luffy's love of freedom on the ocean.
85** Most of the main antagonists also tend to be people who abuse their subordinates, use them as pawns, or hold some sort of twisted/false relationship with them; a contrast to Luffy's emphasis within the story as a friendly captain and honest leader figure. Some main antagonist examples are Caesar, Spandam, Linlin, Hody, Kuro, Krieg, Morgan, and Enel.
86* In ''Manga/EdensZero'', one of the overlying themes is that AndroidsArePeopleToo, so a sizeable chunk of its villains are either robot-hating humans who believe every last one is JustAMachine, or human-hating robots [[BoomerangBigot (and some humans)]] who are out to KillAllHumans. The series also sees a sharp increase in evil [[MagicByAnyOtherName Ether Gear]] users once the {{Badass Normal}}s, {{Cyborg}}s and HumongousMecha pilots start to lag behind the heroes, who also use Ether Gear. Also, nearly every significant villain and some of their subordinates are abhorrent {{Hate Sink}}s who maim and kill others around them on a regular basis, or have a history of doing so, to highlight both [[CrapsackWorld the universe's cruelty]] and [[TrueCompanions the heroes's uncommon camaraderie]].
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Comic Books]]
90* ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'': Aquaman's entire RoguesGallery has almost no non-ocean related villains. Admittedly, there was a lot of variety among them otherwise, and once he moved to Sub Diego, there was a lot of more usual crime to foil (like robbery and such). Marvel's ComicBook/SubMariner has the same thing going on, even though he can also fly. It's when people mess with that formula that things get weird.
91* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Most of Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s RoguesGallery are out and out lunatics without any real superpowers. Some have argued that this is an indicator of Batman's own obsessive nature - he too is almost mad, in his own way. In addition, since Bats himself is just a man CrimeFightingWithCash, making his villains equally normal [[CompetitiveBalance keeps things balanced]] - Batman would be ''screwed'' if someone like [[RealityWarper Mxyzptlk]] decided to make the short journey from [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} Metropolis]] to Gotham.
92** Ironically, Batman ''did'' have his own interdimensional imp villain, [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast Bat-Mite]]. In fact, Aquaman had one as well, Qwisp. Neither appeared in continuity in decades - until Qwisp popped up as a villain in Grant Morrison's run on [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] in the 90s. Morrison was also the one to bring back Bat-Mite. It's debatable in that Bat-Mite wasn't as ''malicious'' as Mister Mxyzptlk was to Superman, and he leaves on his own accord if he really angers Batman. Also, Bat-Mite admires Batman, unlike Mxyzptlk. ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfBatman'' had his heart in the right place, if his actions did more unintended harm.
93** There's also a theory that Batman's Rogues each exemplify a single aspect of his personality, but taken to extremes: [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two-Face]] the Batman/Bruce Wayne duality, [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] his mental instability, [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] his use of fear as a weapon against criminals, and so on.
94** And this isn't counting the list of Bat Rogues who are essentially [[EvilCounterpart "Batman, except at this causal fork in his life, Bruce went one way, and this guy went the other".]] To illustrate. [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin Oswald Cobblepot]] is also the orphan of rich parents, except Bruce's parents loved him and wanted him to not value material possessions. Tommy Eliot is in the same boat as The Penguin, except that Hush actually killed his parents to get to their inheritance faster, and then trained himself into a Jack of All Trades of Batman-like proportions for... some reason. Roman Sionis's parents were good friends of the Waynes, only they put on a show of being charitable philanthropists while being greedy dicks in private, the duality leading to Sionis's obsession with masks. Also, [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] is an official Batman-trained caped crusader... who kills (as a way to stop the [[CardboardPrison revolving door policy of Arkham]]), etc.
95** One could also potentially argue that there is a much more secondary, but still fairly common theme among many of Batman's foes. Specifically, they seem to fit classic horror tropes such as MonsterClown (The Joker), monster (Clayface and Killer Croc), mad doctor (Hugo Strange, Professor Pyg), zombies (Solomon Grundy), bats (Batman himself and Man-Bat), and less obvious ones like killer plants ([[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]]), living dolls (Scarface) and living scarecrows (Scarecrow).
96** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' villains move away from being themed around general street-level insanity to more Spider-Man-like power levels and science. Some of them are still pretty damn crazy but less psychologically riveting and more well...sciency. Stories featuring Mad Stan, Spellbinder, Blight and an older Bane and Mr. Freeze explore some very plausible futuristic concepts and with the series being set in a future Gotham it's possible the creators were aiming for this overall theme.
97* ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'': The Black Panther regularly tangles with villains who are tailored to fight an African king, ranging from political rivals who seek to usurp his throne (Man-Ape and Erik Killmonger), apartheid-supporting white supremacists (the Supermacists), and outsiders who seek to loot the country's wealth for themselves (ArchEnemy Klaw). More recently, he (or rather his sister Shuri]], who's [[TakingUpTheMantle taken up the mantle]] due to him literally being at death's door) took on Morlun, an enemy of [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] who feeds on animal totems, including that of the Panther. This is in addition to his frequent tussles with fellow African heads of state like Moses Magnum, Dr. Crocodile, and Afrikaa.
98* ''ComicBook/CaptainAlcohol'': With the exception of the Ravenmen, all of his villains are alcohol-related. For example, Billy Vermin is addicted to alcohol and the Captain's dad turns into Firey Fritz when he cannot fight the urge to drink.
99* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] is mostly known for fighting symbols of some un-American concept - many of them represent fascism or Nazism (Captain America has met the [[YouClonedHitler clone of Hitler]] several times, not to mention his [[ShadowArchetype personal nemesis]] the [[Characters/MarvelComicsRedSkull Red Skull]]), some represent communism, and other, less obvious political positions represented by his villains include OneWorldOrder (Flag-Smasher), censorship (The Watchdogs, MoralGuardians gone vigilante), blind patriotism to corrupt government (many, many "evil" Captain Americas), vigilantism (the Scourge of the Underworld), technocracy (Advanced Idea Mechanics), unrestrained capitalism (Roxxon Corporation), and corrupt labor unions (Serpent Society), though the writers are usually careful to note that these are extreme versions of their viewpoints, and that they aren't commenting on the philosophies themselves. On the other hand, he's messed with many non-political villains, including the [[AxCrazy Animus]], [[PlayingWithFire Solarr]], the [[WeirdTradeUnion Serpent Society]], the [[ButtMonkey Porcupine]], and even other heroes' enemies, including the [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Scorpion]], [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Mister Hyde]], and Marvel's version of the [[ComicBook/GhostRider Scarecrow]]. In that vein, he also tends to fight a lot of {{Nebulous Evil Organi|sation}}zations. He's clobbered whole rooms full of {{Mooks}} from A.I.M., HYDRA, U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M., and more.
100* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'': When [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]] isn’t fighting off threats of alien races like the Kree, Skrulls or Brood, she tends to fight self-made women and/or geneticists like Grace Valentine, Moonstone, Dr Minerva, Dr Eve and Toxic Doxie.
101* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsMattMurdock Daredevil]] fights a lot of [[PsychoForHire mob-employed costumed killers]], or martial artists with a supernatural bent. These two themes frequently cross-over (e.g. Characters/{{Elektra}} and Lady Bullseye and both agents of the Hand- a mystical ninja cult- as well as professional assassins; [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]] took control of the Hand). More generally, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Characters/{{Darkhawk}}, [[Characters/MarvelComicsMoonKnight Moon Knight]], Characters/LukeCage and Characters/IronFist's rogues all tend to be either street-level villains, or more powerful crime lords and mercenaries.
102* ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'': Doctor Strange had a lot of mystic opponents. This seems to be because it was stated MANY times that he has no greater strength or agility than any other man. Oddly enough, in his early adventures, he [[KungFuWizard let his fists do the talking]] about as often as he whipped up a spell to take care of things. {{Justified|Trope}} when he was the Sorcerer Supreme and it was his job to protect the [[{{Muggles}} mundane world]] from supernatural threats.
103* ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'': The Doom Patrol specialize in weird cases and opponents. For just a few examples: the sentient transgender street, a Cloudcuckoolander Dadaist turned CorruptCorporateExecutive, a woman made of porcelain nanomachines, a sentient and infectious face-and-mind-eating black hole, and ComicBook/AmbushBug.
104* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': The Fantastic Four's villains tend to be of the "EvilGenius bent on world conquest" mold, (like [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]], the Mad Thinker, the Wizard, Diablo, Maximus the Mad, the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, even Mole Man...) or alien would-be {{Galactic Conqueror}}s (like Blastaar and son, Annihilus...)
105* ''ComicBook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}}''. Averted, as while his ArchEnemy Killer Frost represents the thematic conflict between fire and ice, he also has villains as diverse as self-cloning Multiplex, the mind-controlling Mindboggler, the werewolf-like Hyena, the rope assassin Slipknot, and the sand-manipulating Sand Demon.
106** Firestorm tends to have villains with other elemental powers like Killer Frost, Brimstone, Sand Demon, Goldenrod, Naiad, and Stratos. Characters whose powers are nuclear power formed like Pozhar or Tokamak. Ones with personal grudges against the Firestorm hosts like Plastique, the 2000 Committee, or Cliff Carmichael, the new Thinker. Or a combination of all three, like Typhoon. While Firestorm is a fusion of two people, his foil, Multiplex, is a fission of one. Magic powered beings like Black Bison and the Hyena are the outliers.
107* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Averted by the Flash, who has only a few speedster villains. In fact, the only speedster a given Flash is likely to face is their personal EvilCounterpart. His rogues gallery is otherwise populated by a very eclectic group, with few villains having much in common with one another. Ironically, the Flash rogues are a rather tightly knit group in spite of this.
108** Indeed, Captain Boomerang was a Flash villain, but his [[LegacyCharacter son]] Captain Boomerang Jr. is not -- and the son is the speedster.
109** Practically the only way that they could be considered themed is in a purely symbolic way, of a man of science defeating the old superstitious ways of thinking. Ex. Captain Cold (Water), Heatwave (Fire), Gorilla Grodd (animals), Abra Kadabra (Magic), Trickster & Pied Piper (Folklore) etc.
110** Given that virtually all the main Rogues use technological gimmicks ([[ClarkesThirdLaw even]] Abra Kadabra), it may be more of a case of science vs. science. This has become less significant in recent comics, but in the Silver Age, each of the Rogues represented a scientific concept (heat, reflections, elements) so that Barry Allen used his superior understanding of the science involved to defeat them. Flash Fact!
111** The Flash villain theme is derived from their middle-American roots. "[[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed Central City]]" is an {{expy}} for St. Louis and the American midwest, which when The Flash first came out in 1959 was the center of American self-image and culture - the "American Dream". The vast majority of Flash villains are ''self-made men'', who ''achieved'' their abilities. As such they represent the Dark Side of the American Dream, those who achieve for their own selfish ends. Gorilla Grodd is both a renegade from his own culture and a violation of "natural law" (talking gorilla). As such he represents the dangers of the Radical Outsider (foreigners, Communists, subversive thinking, etc).
112** Isn't another recurring theme of the Rogues their collective suffering from CutLexLuthorACheck Syndrome, where so many of them have developed fantastic scientific achievements and use them to commit petty local robberies?
113* ''ComicBook/GhostRider'': There's nary a villain who isn't a demon or demonically powered. And if they aren't either of those, they have a wicked sick awesome vehicle. This and the above occasionally overlap. The few who don't fit either category are artifacts from his days as a more normal superhero, where none of his villains would've looked out of place fighting Captain America or the Fantastic Four. Granted, guys like the Water Wizard and the Orb weren't exactly the greatest threats the world has ever seen... Archangels have also been added to his rogues gallery.
114* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': Green Lantern has a lot of enemies who can--like him--create weapons and monsters out of thin air: Tattooed Man, Star Sapphire, Evil Star, Effigy, etc. The granddaddy is of course [[Characters/GreenLanternThaalSinestro Sinestro]], a former Green Lantern with a yellow power ring. Played even straighter with the introduction of entire Corps to oppose the GL Corps who use power rings of different colors, such as red, orange, and black. Sinestro even starts his own Yellow Corps as well. Also inverted by giving Green Lantern some new allies who also use power rings of different colors, such as blue and indigo.
115* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': While Iron Man's [[ArchEnemy archnemesis]] is the magical/[[GreenRocks alien powered]] psychic Mandarin, most of the rest of his Rogues Gallery consists of people like Iron Monger, the Crimson Dynamo (and there have been ''fourteen'' [[LegacyCharacter Crimson Dynamos]]), Dreadknight, Controller, Titanium Man etc, all of whom wear PoweredArmor.
116** It should be noted that the Mandarin isn't so much magic-powered as it's alien tech that just looks like it's magic-powered.
117** Another underlying theme is how Iron Man's enemies are related to capitalism in some way. [[YellowPeril The Mandarin]] was created when Mao Zedong was at the height of his power in RedChina and has since gone on to become a reactionary feudalist who wants to turn back the economic and social clock to the days of Imperial China. The Titanium Man, the Unicorn and the Crimson Dynamo represented UsefulNotes/{{Soviet Russia|UkraineAndSoOn}} at a time when the UsefulNotes/ColdWar was at its height. The American villains also apply; the original Blizzard was a dishonest employee fired by Tony Stark for stealing from the company, the original Firebrand was an anarchist who wanted to destroy big business, and guys like Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer were {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s who utilized underhanded and illegal means to get a competitive edge on Stark, who, while amoral and hedonistic before the near-death experience that made him a superhero, was never as cut-throat as either of them. Obadiah Stane's son, Ezekial, is an anarchocapitalist libertarian.
118* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Most [[Characters/MarvelComicsBruceBanner Hulk]] villains are big and very strong - heck, many of them are even green. Those who aren't, like Leader and [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]], tend to be exact opposites: small, weak but very intelligent, with lots of high-tech to help them. But still often green. And then, that whole strong and green thing is because several have a similar origin. In ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'', Leader and the Abomination actually got their powers ''from'' the Hulk, and Doc Samson likely would have too.
119** Less obviously, Hulk's rogues tend to be like the Green Giant himself: monstrous outcasts who crave the love and acceptance that will never be. The Abomination has deep self loathing and pines for his lost humanity, the U-Foes are freakish versions of the Fantastic Four whose powers keep each other from touching despite their bond, Xemnu is the last of his race, and even the Leader seeks to create a utopia where Gamma Mutates and humans can live in harmony.
120* ''ComicBook/KBarKate'': K-Bar Kate usually fought corrupt ranchers out to squeeze in on her father's territory.
121* ''ComicBook/KismetManOfFate'': As a member of the European Resistance in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, Kismet usually fought ThoseWackyNazis.
122* ''ComicBook/MartianManhunter'': The Martian Manhunter's enemies either have Shapeshifting or psychic abilities to match him, are martian themselves or have something to do with [[KryptoniteFactor fire]].
123* ''ComicBook/MetalMen'': The Metal Men mostly fight robots. Usually they're robot aliens or monsters and the question of who built them is never addressed. {{Discussed|Trope}} in Metal Men #20, when the Metal Men read their fan mail and find that readers are pretty tired of robot monsters and want them to go up against something else.
124* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Averted by [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]], oddly enough. While Goldilocks did fight divine villains from Asgard (most notably his evil half-brother [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] and the seductive [[FemmeFatale Amora]], also called [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheEnchantress The Enchantress]]), Thor also quickly gained a rogues gallery of recurring mortal villains that could just as easily have been enemies of Spider-Man or the Hulk, including the Wrecker, the Absorbing Man, the Grey Gargoyle, Mister Hyde, and the Cobra. Many of these guys would also become {{Rogues Gallery Transplant}}s when they branched out and started tangling with other mortal heroes.
125** Not always averted. In additions to a few evil Norse gods, he also frequently fights mythological creatures such as giants, trolls and dark elves. Recurring foes include Ulik (troll), Malekith and Kurse (dark elves), The Executioner (half-giant) and Surtur (fire giant).
126* ''ComicBook/PatPatriotAmericasJoanOfArc'': Pat usually fought [[TheMole Nazi fifth columnists]] out to sabotage the American war effort.
127* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'': The Runaways' initial enemies were their own parents, collectively known as the Pride. Afterwards, they often fought against people who were somehow connected to the Pride, either former allies or old enemies.
128* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': Traditionally the Marvel Family's antagonists are pretty diverse, but over time DC has been trying to emphasize the series' magical elements [[DerivativeDifferentiation to help differentiate them]] from ComicBook/{{Superman}}. As a result, the ComicBook/New52 changed Sivana, formerly a MadScientist, into a wizard and has Mr. Mind come from a MagicalLand instead of another planet.
129* ''ComicBook/{{Sleepwalker}}'': Sleepwalker's enemies are either street-level villains (the Chain Gang, 8-Ball, Spectra, the Bookworm, Lullaby, Mr. FX, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, etc.) or demonic entities (Cobweb, Psyko, Mr. Jyn, Eddie Cicala).
130* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': The comic took the "nature vs mechanics" theme of the first Sonic game and extended it, giving a few villains other than Robotnik and Eggman who used technology to reach their goals; Snively, ADAM, Iron Dominion (and Iron Queen), and The Dark (Egg) Legion. Many of these started by serving Robotnik/Eggman or are serving him now. They also use a number of magical villains; Ixis Nagus, Enerjak, Mammoth Mogul, Iron Queen (again), [[spoiler: Geoffery St. John]], and Dr. Finitivus.
131* ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'': Most of Spawn's enemies are demons, angels or people from his past life.
132* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d and {{justified|Trope}} during ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManJMichaelStraczynski''. A character named Ezekiel Sims talks about this phenomenon for the ''X-Men'', ''Captain America'', and ''Thor'', as well as Peter's own tendency to fight animal-themed villains - such as Doctor Octopus, the Vulture, and the Rhino. And the Scorpion, and the Jackal, and the Black Fox, and the Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}}, and the Grizzly, and the Gibbon, and the Kangaroo, and the Walrus, and the White Rabbit, and...
133-->'''Ezekiel:''' You ever hear the phrase "you know a man by his enemies"? Look around… Captain America ended up with guys like Baron Zemo and the Red Skull. The X-Men got Magneto. Thor's got Loki… One type attracts another, similar type. Gods against gods, patriots against people who think they’re patriots, mutants against mutants. The kind of enemy you get tells someone a lot about the kind of person you are. Now consider your situation. From the very beginning, more than anyone else out there, you have been beset by totemistic pretenders. And the kicker is… they probably don't even realize what they're doing. Vultures and crocodiles, scorpions and cobras, jackals and cats and foxes and octopi and everything in between. ''Look'' at them, Peter. Look at the pattern.
134** The main theme of Spidey's gallery, however, is Power and Responsibility. Like Spidey, many of his enemies got their powers by chance, either being offered it by somebody out of nowhere (Rhino, Scorpion, Eddie Brock) or like Peter as the result of a FreakLabAccident (Ock, Osborn, Sandman, Curt Connors). In both cases they chose to use their powers irresponsibly, and unlike Spider-Man they were ''always'' either looking for it or at least given the choice not to attain it or reject it, rather than having it totally thrust on them as Peter did (Ock, Osborn and Connors all had accidents, but there were ''also'' always messing with science and power they should not have been, or at least should have been more careful with- thus, they pursued power irresponsibly).
135** Later Ezekiel used it again as an argument for totemic theory of Spidey's origin - the fact that Peter was fighting more magic-themed villains (Morlun, Shatarra, Shade) lately was supposed to be a proof that his powers come from Spider-God Anansi. Subverted when it was revealed that most of those guys [[spoiler: were supposed to be Ezekiel's enemies and Peter was fighting his battles]].
136*** Most of Spider-Man's enemies either had AnimalMotifs and/or were the results of science gone bad. More generally than that, several villains who became {{Rogues Gallery Transplant}}s when it became clear they were outmatched by their original adversaries (Boomerang vs. the Hulk, anyone?) mean that almost all of Spidey's rogues (with the exceptions of Doctor Octopus and the [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Green Goblin]]) are street-level villains.
137*** When you think about the potential some of these street-level villains' powers and skills have they become much more than street-level. Sometimes it's even blatantly clear how strong they can be. The fact that most of the these guys are still stuck fighting Spider-Man, and haven't moved on to bigger levels of villainy than doing things like robbing banks, can be explained by a lack of ambition, as well as by the fact that Spider-Man wouldn't be a match for such seemingly unbeatable villains on his own.
138** It's also worth noting that Spider-Man's main villain, the Green Goblin, has inspired a {{legacy|Character}} of his own and a couple {{Jack the Ripoff}}s. Then you have ComicBook/{{Venom}}, who keeps spawning, so that Peter's rogue gallery can basically be summed up as about 50% animal, a bunch of PuppeteerParasite aliens, assorted goblins and a few, like [[ShockAndAwe Electro]] and [[DishingOutDirt Sandman]], who are just kind of "other."
139* ''ComicBook/{{Starman|DCComics}}'': Many of Starman's enemies were carnies like the Ragdoll, Bliss and his mook Crusher.
140* ''ComicBook/{{Static}}'': Virtually everyone Static fought got their powers from [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent the same chemical accident]] Static himself did.
141* ''ComicBook/SuperAmerican'': The Super-American fought military commanders out to invade the United States, as befits his codename.
142* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'s enemies don't have an immediately obvious unifying theme, but a closer glance shows that the underlying connection between this collection of {{mad scientist}}s, {{alien inva|sion}}ders, {{cyborg}}s, [[RoboticPsychopath robots]], and ray-gun wielding gangsters is one of pulp science-fiction. There's not a single Superman rogue who wouldn't be out of place in a thirties pulp novel, or a 1950s B-movie, which given Superman's status as a popularizer of many sci-fi tropes, makes perfect sense.
143** As the character evolved, another unifying theme emerged in his enemies — HumansAreFlawed. All of Superman’s villains are - to varying degrees - normal people who lucked into power, [[HumansAreBastards but don’t care in the slightest how their actions affect others]]. Superman is, in contrast, a firm believer that HumansAreGood, and fights for a [[TheFutureWillBeBetter better tomorrow]]. Ultimately showing that superpowers, like with any tool, is an entirely neutral force, and people will act on its dark or light impulses depending on what’s in the heart of the user.
144* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'': Most of Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}}'s enemies are female and sci-fi related. Lesla-Lar and Blackstarr are mad scientists, Superwoman, Reign and the Worldkillers are genetically-engineered super soldiers, Kraken is an alien armed with weather-controlling gear, Reactron is a soldier clad in powered armor... plus several of her Rogues (Lesla-Lar, Black Flame, Shyla Kor-Onn, Lar-On...) are also Kryptonian.
145* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'': Swamp Thing routinely encounters plant-based enemies. Sometimes this was handled well. The elemental Wood-Rue, for example, was an old DC loser who was revived as a hideous and terrifying foe. Sometimes it went not-so-good, such as when Swamp Thing fought vegetable aliens flying vegetable space ships with vegetable weapons. Yeah.
146* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': The TMNT usually fight villains of the mutant and ninja varieties (the latter primarily being members of the Foot Clan). They also fight a lot of superscience themed villains and villainous creations, such as Baxter Stockman and his robotic Mousers.
147* ''ComicBook/{{Typhon}}'': Typhon fought many insane underwater rulers in his submarine adventures.
148* ''ComicBook/{{Vampirella}}'': Most of Vampirella's villains tend to be supernatural ranging from other evil vampires (like {{Dracula}}), demonic entities ([[TheAntiGod Mad God Chaos]] and [[TheVamp the Red Queen]]), evil cultists ([[BiblicalBadGuy the Black Pope]]), twisted undead ([[DragonInChief Von Kreist]]) and other monsters. In fact, she was born and trained by her mother Lilith specifically to hunt down monsters that tormented mankind in order to atone for creating them in the first place.
149* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': Characters/{{Wonder Woman|TheCharacter}}'s best villains are definitely female, possibly because she's the one major heroine who [[WouldntHitAGirl writers felt comfortable]] pitting against non FemmeFatale villainesses. Her only major villain who isn't female or a misogynist is Ares, the God of War and ancient enemy of the Amazons and Themyscira. They also tend to be mythological and/or magical in nature, like Wonder Woman herself. As of The ComicBook/New52, she's been rubbing elbows with the gods. Her first major enemy is [[WomanScorned Hera]], then [[PsychopathicManChild Hades]], then [[WickedCultured Apollo]] and Artemis. She's currently being set up to go head to head with another of Zeus' [[ReallyGetsAround many many MANY]] children, specifically his firstborn son.
150** Another common theme most of her enemies have in common is tied in with deceit -- either they some form of trickery, magical illusions, mind control, or are just skilled manipulators to achieve their goals. This starkly contrast against Wonder Woman's belief in honesty, plus that fact she's sometimes [[RedBaron referred to as]], "The Spirit of Truth".
151* ''ComicBook/XMen'': The X-Men mostly fight other mutants and anti-mutant terror cells. The most frequent non-mutant adversaries they face are aliens such as the Brood, the Shi'ar, and/or enemies thereof, and Mojo and Spiral, as well as the occasional magical enemy like Belasco. On several occasions, they've also been pitted against contract killer Arcade. ''X-Men'' is a prime example of villains being {{Retool}}ed to fit the pattern too: Juggernaut (who originally got his powers from a gemstone possessed by a deity) became a mutant in [[Film/XMenTheLastStand the movie]], while alien Spiral became a mutant in the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel continuities.
152* ''ComicBook/{{Zot}}'': [[WordOfGod According to]] Creator/ScottMcCloud each member of Zot's rogues gallery represents a different, harmful vision of the future, with their threat levels directly corresponding to how likely he considered that future to be. Though [=McCloud=] admits he screwed up on the last part with [[CorruptCorporateExecutive the Blot]], a fairly minor villain who represented a corporate-run future.
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156* The ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' franchise's most dangerous enemies are those who wish to disrupt the unity between the people of Berk and their dragons.
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159[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
160* Despite his rep as a poster-boy for anti-Communism (in [[Literature/JamesBond the novels]], true enough), Film/JamesBond most commonly fought corrupt capitalists (Film/{{Goldfinger}}, [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]], [[Film/{{Moonraker}} Hugo Drax]], [[Film/AViewToAKill Max Zorin]], [[Film/TomorrowNeverDies Carver]], [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough Elektra King]]) or apolitical spies, ex-spies, traitors, criminals and terrorists ([[NebulousEvilOrganisation SPECTRE]], [[Film/LiveAndLetDie Kananga / Mr Big]], [[Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun Francisco Scaramanga]], [[Film/ForYourEyesOnly Kristatos]], [[Film/{{Octopussy}} Kamal Khan]], [[Film/TheLivingDaylights Brad Whitaker]], [[Film/LicenceToKill Franz Sanchez]], [[Film/GoldenEye Alec Trevelyan]], [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Le Chiffre]]). The most common motives are profit, revenge or simply pure ego and megalomania, or some combination of the above. The Red Menace ''is'' present but it is usually in the background, either Red China quietly pulling the strings (''Film/DrNo, Film/{{Goldfinger}}, Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'') or the Soviet Union as incidental players, or even victims of the bad guys themselves. [[Film/FromRussiaWithLove Rose Klebb]], [[Film/{{Octopussy}} Orlov]], [[Film/AViewToAKill Zorin]] and [[Film/TheLivingDaylights Koskov]] are all rogue Soviet or ex-Soviet agents, and a few henchmen work or used to work for the Reds, but Bond never fights the Russians or Chinese head-on and usually avoids them completely.
161* The ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' series naturally enough deals with pirates like Barbossa and Blackbeard, corrupt colonial agencies like the East India Trading Company, and ocean-related myth and magic such as Davy Jones and his crew, the undead pirates of the Black Pearl, and sea monsters like the {{Kraken|AndLeviathan}} and Sirens.
162* ''Film/SonysSpiderManUniverse'' has [[Film/Venom2018 Venom]]'s main villains being other symbiotes, including Riot in the first film, Carnage in the second, and (based on the latter's set-up) Toxin in the third.
163* Franchise/{{Godzilla}} mostly fights other {{Kaiju}}. This is justified by the setting (there aren't many other kinds of adversary around) and the fact that a giant monster ripping your city apart is probably the only reason you'd ''ever'' risk calling [[GodzillaThreshold the big lizard]]. On a deeper level, said kaiju tend to be either {{alien|Invasion}}s ([[ArchEnemy King]] [[PsychoForHire Ghidorah]] and his {{exp|y}}ies, Dhesighidorah and Kaiser Ghidorah, [[EvilKnockoff Mecha]][[MechanicalMonster godzilla]] [[RoboticPsychopath I]], [[PsychoForHire Gigan]], [[EvilTwin [=SpaceGodzilla=]]]) whose origins contrast with Godzilla's role as a rather reluctant protector of earth, or fellow mutants (Anguirus, [[GiantFlyer Rodan]], [[TunnelKing Baragon]], [[GiantEnemyCrab Ebirah]], [[{{Planimal}} Biollante]], [[TheSwarm Desto]][[HeroKiller royah]], [[AntiVillain Titanosaurus]], [[BigCreepyCrawlies Megaguirus]]) who, like Godzilla, have become monsters through no fault of their own (some, like [[MuckMonster Hedorah]] and [[GoneHorriblyWrong Orga]] are a fusion of both). It's worth noting that while several of the mutant kaiju have become Godzilla's allies, all of the aliens have remained evil to the end.
164* Apparently indicated by the first two ''Film/IronMan'' films that ComicBook/IronMan would have to deal with {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, [[spoiler:and revealed to still be the case in ''Film/IronMan3'']]. This trope is frequently used by some fans to defend [[spoiler:the Mandarin twist in ''Iron Man 3'']] by saying [[spoiler:the Mandarin's original, more magic-like concept wouldn't have fit the theme of the movies]].
165** On a related note, some of these fans have also cited this trope to defend the RoguesGalleryTransplant of the [[spoiler:real Mandarin[[note]]who was established to exist in ''Film/AllHailTheKing'' following the divisive reactions to the Mandarin twist[[/note]]]] to ComicBook/ShangChi in ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings''. Namely, [[spoiler:the Mandarin's aforementioned magical abilities, martial arts skills and Chinese heritage]] would make him a more thematically fit villain for a film centered on a superpowered martial artist and Asian lead such as Shang-Chi than for a PoweredArmor-wearing [[CrimefightingWithCash billionaire businessman]] WhiteMaleLead such as Iron Man.
166* Every villain in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' franchise is created, intentionally or accidentally, at Oscorp - much like this version of Spidey himself.
167* Franchise/IndianaJones has fought ThoseWackyNazis (twice), DirtyCommunists, and a full fledged ReligionOfEvil - implying [[TheFundamentalist fanatics of all ideological positions]] are the enemies of the history and culture that Indy and his allies want to preserve.
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171* Played pretty straight in the first 2 seasons of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', then vampires were [[VillainPedigree almost completely phased out]] in favor of other types of demons and sinister humans. Though the overall magic/monster theme still prevailed.
172* In ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow'', all of Fatman's villains are either food based or have an evil plan that's food based.
173* Superdude from ''Series/AllThat'' has a tendency to fight dairy-based villains, such as Milkman, Cow Boy, Butter Boy... This is unfortunate for him, since he is [[WeaksauceWeakness lactose intolerant]]. [[FridgeBrilliance Maybe these are the only villains left to fight him because they would be the only ones he couldn't just use his superman-esque powers to defeat in a matter of seconds.]]
174* Almost every ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' series has this by design. The magically-empowered [[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Magiranger]] only fought mystical creatures, the police-themed [[Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger Dekaranger]] fought criminals, the [[Series/NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger Hurricaneger]] fought space ninjas...no matter what the power set, expect the villains to match accordingly. The few aversions include:
175** ''Series/RescueSentaiGoGoFive'' (that's ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'' to the West) has all-tech heroes up against all-magic villains.
176** ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger'' has angels vs. space aliens, then angels vs. cryptids and angels vs. robots. Although the trope is finally played straight when the real BigBad turns out to be a FallenAngel.
177** In a similar vein to Goseiger, we had ''Series/SeijuuSentaiGingaman'', a mystical elements-of-nature-themed team. They fought, in turn, biker bugs, samurai marine life, mythical monsters, and again finally robots.
178* The ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series tends to have this more often than not. In a general sense almost all Riders and villains have some degree of AnimalMotifs. In a more specific sense magic Riders tend to fight magical enemies and technological Riders tend to fight biological anomalies. Justified in that the Riders themselves are usually {{Phlebotinum Rebel}}s, using the villains own power against them.
179* The recurring villains of ''Series/DoctorWho'' in contrast to the Doctor, an eternal champion of peace and co-operation, mostly tend to be armies (the Daleks, the Cyberman, the Sontarans, the Silurians, the Ice Warriors) or megalomaniacal geniuses (the Master, Davros) who are bent on waging war in one way or another. The revival has also seen a few new types of enemies. Enemies who are in some way un-knowable or beyond comprehension, and enemies who are more automated systems that can't be reasoned with and are merely doing their jobs.
180* ''Series/TheXFiles'' antagonists were usually classified into two groups. Aliens closely knit with shady government cabinets or freaks of the week that weren't necessarily alien but connected with the alien/government myth arcs sometimes.
181* The [[Franchise/UltraSeries Ultramen]]'s RoguesGallery can be summed up in a single phrase: "[[{{Kaiju}} giant monsters]] and [[AliensAreBastards evil aliens]]". The ''kaiju'', much like ''Godzilla'' above, vary between mutants, ancient terrors, extraterrestrials, supernatural beings, and the just plain inexplicable. The aliens are often capable of changing size to match those of the Ultras or controlling a giant monster. Every now and then, there are exceptions to the rule, but every ''Ultraman'' villain is interested in destroying what the Ultramen have sworn to protect -- Earth and the human race.
182* There's a clear split between the kinds of villains each show in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' has to deal with: ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' has criminal conspiracies, ''Series/TheFlash2014'' tackles all sorts of "weird science" concepts like superhumans and alternate dimensions, ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' has time-travelers going against other time-travelers, and ''Series/Supergirl2015'' fights aliens. Lampshaded during the "Invasion!" crossover, where aliens arrive in the Flash's city and he recruits Supergirl's help specifically ''because'' this is her wheelhouse.
183** They do this even earlier to justify a crossover when Vandal Savage first appears, the Flash citing the scenario as feeling 'like Magic' and recognizing it is more Green Arrow's forte thanks to recent developments in their season four.
184* The titular protagonist of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' faces a BigBad each season who is a darker reflection of himself in some way.
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187[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
188* ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' does this with most of its sample rogues galleries. The Centurion, for example, fight enemies with names like August Roman and Nero. The best example, however, might be their Batman {{Captain Ersatz}}, The Raven, who (odd exceptions like Dr. Sin and Luna Moth aside) fights villains named for Creator/EdgarAllanPoe stories or characters: Lenore, The Conqueror Worm, The House of Usher, The Red Death, etc.
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191[[folder:Video Games]]
192* Since ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' is a military-themed series, one could reasonably expect every game to pit the protagonist against an army (and not, for instance, on any other sort of black ops mission). But beyond that, every game features an oddly-themed SuperSoldier QuirkyMinibossSquad with an assortment of unique fighting styles. Except for the B&B Unit in ''[=MGS4,=]'' who were all sexy women in robotic battle suits named after a combination of the names ''[=MGS1=]'' and ''[=MGS3=]'' villains.
193* Be it the Robot Masters of the original ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'' series, the advanced anthropomorphic Mavericks of ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' or the ancient ruin guardian mechs of ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'', bosses in this series are robots, sentient, piloted or otherwise. For ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' it's changed to other Net Navigators. For ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', it's alien EnergyBeings.
194** For ''Star Force'', the baddies from each game have a secondary theme. The EM beings from the first are based on constellations, baddies of the second game are inspired by cryptids, and the ones from the third are patterned after a deck of cards (both the minor bosses and the BigBad's inner circle).
195* VideoGame/CrashBandicoot fights animal mutants similar to himself and mad scientists; the only exceptions to this seem to be [[EvilMask Uka Uka]], [[LargeAndInCharge Papu]] [[WitchDoctor Papu]] and alien racer Nitros Oxide.
196* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games are centered around various types of zombies and the corporations that created them.
197* The villains of ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' are, like the heroes, riffs on the motifs of the Golden and Silver Ages of Comics. Though enemy to enemy, there's no theme to them as they're all exactly the sort of foe the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man would have fought in their early days. In the sequel they travel back to fight Nazis, and the new supervillains represent Nazism/superscience, Italy and Japan. Oh, and a supernatural Communist foe to contrast the clean cut technology fuelled Freedom Force in the present day.
198* In ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'', all of the bosses Gunvolt fights are [[PsychicChildren Adepts]] like him. Except for Copen, who's a BadassNormal.
199* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', a denizen of DreamLand, will almost always face off against nightmarish {{Big Bad}}s, who love [[TeleportSpam teleporting around]] (inspired by Nightmare from ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'') and often [[OneWingedAngel turn into gigantic eyeball abominations]] (inspired by Dark Matter/Zero from the ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand'' games). Examples include Dark Mind, Drawcia, Dark Nebula, [[spoiler:Magolor]], Star Dream, Void Termina and so on. In fact, those guys may even share certain moves, despite having no apparent connection to each other and being featured in separate, standalone entries. A common trend in modern Kirby games is for them to have secret "Soul" forms that can be fought as {{Superboss}}es as well.
200* In ''VideoGame/RingFitAdventure,'' the various minions of [[BigBad Dragaux]] are based on sports and exercise equipment, including helmets, yoga mats, and dumbbells.
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203[[folder: Webcomics ]]
204* Appropriately enough for a comic about a heroic MadScientist, most of the antagonists in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' are either evil Mad Scientists or the minions and/or creations thereof. Because in the Girl Genius world, those are the only villains out there - until The Other returns. [[spoiler: Oh wait, she's a MadScientist too.]]
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207[[folder: Western Animation ]]
208* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' [[ShowWithinAShow in-show]] comic book "The Crimson Chin", where each of the villains is themed around a different body part and metal. The Copper Cranium, the Bronze Kneecap, the Iron Lung...
209* ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet|AndThePlaneteers}}'' villains are all polluters, poachers and other haters of ecology (appropriately-called "eco-villains"). More specifically, the recurring villains each represent a particular type of eco-crime: Hoggish Greedly is a [[MeaningfulName pig-like]] FatBastard who symbolizes overuse and exploitation of natural resources; Dr. Blight is an [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate evil scientist]] who stands for unethical experimentation and advancing dangerous technologies in the name of science; Looten Plunder is a CorruptCorporateExecutive whose evil acts always focus on unchecked capitalism and exploitation of the world for profit; and so on. The show occasionally went DarkerAndEdgier with enemies like Zarm, a former Spirit of the Earth who [[FaceHeelTurn quit the job]] to conquer other worlds. Villains like Zarm were largely representations of the powers of hatred, which was considered just as dangerous and corrupting as things like toxic waste and air pollution.
210* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Most of the enemies that the Crystal Gems face are Gem-related themselves, whether it be corrupted Gems, Gem monsters, or Homeworld Gems.
211* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', at least at first. The showrunners wanted to present the Decepticons as major threats, so the Autobots faced off against human villains.
212* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode "Super Hero". Master Shake explains how The Drizzle fights crime by controlling the rain:
213-->"Yeah, see, then they gotta pick another day... to do the crime, and... he'd rain it out again! So... haha... he's a step ahead!"
214* Generally averted in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', considering the sheer range of bizarre villains it featured. Even the general theme of quirky harmless villains didn't really hold up--there was very little amusing about Slade, Trigon, or the Brotherhood of Evil, for example. That said, enemies that would face a single Titan primarily were often tailored to them--Robin often faced evil or amoral martial artists (Slade, Red X, Katarou), Starfire aliens (Blackfire, the Gordanians, the Chrysalis eater), and Raven supernatural beings or events (Malchior, Trigon, and her own repressed demon nature), for example. Just to round out the list: Beast Boy faces empowered teen archetypes (The geeky Control Freak, the wannabe Adonis, or the rebel Punk Rocket) and Cyborg deals with tech villains (Atlas, Fixit, Gizmo and Brother Blood, who turned himself into one by copying Cyborg's own tech.)
215* Most of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'''s major enemies are aliens or alien-related in some way, partially because the fact he wears the most powerful weapon in the Universe stuck on his wrist makes him a primary target for all the psychos from outer space who would like to get their hand on it. Notably, this ''isn't'' a hard-and-fast rule-- his RoguesGallery does also include other types of villains, such as Dr Animo (an EvilutionaryBiologist of human origin), Hex and Charmcasters (two dark mages), and an EldritchAbomination. Technically however, said dark mages are more his cousin Gwen's enemies than his, so you could argue Ben fight mostly aliens and scifi-themed villains, while Gwen faces mostly magic-related ones.
216* In ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'', not only are Rex's powers most effective against [[BodyHorror EVOs]], but he also works for Providence, an organization dedicated to fighting and studying them. As a result, with a couple of exceptions almost all of his villains are [=EVOs=] or EVO-related.
217* Largely {{averted|Trope}} on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''--due to its GenreBusting mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements, their enemies can consist of everything from {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s ([[XanatosGambit Xanatos]]), TheFairFolk (many during the World Tour arc), an animal-themed team of {{Cyborg}}s and a mutant ([[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Pack]]), wizards ([[EvilSorcerer the Archmage]]), Shakespearean characters ([[AntiVillain Macbeth]] and some of the aforementioned Fair Folk) and a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot cyborg zombie gargoyle possessed by three different gargoyle ghosts]] ([[SharingABody Coldstone]]). It's worth noting that their BigBad, [[KillAllHumans Demona]], is another gargoyle, albeit one with various magical enhancements.
218* ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' villains were all magical, terrorist, mutant or robotic anthropomorphic cats. Then again, it's set in a world where cats are the dominant species.
219* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is set in a world where ghosts seem to be the only supernatural beings, though [[OurGhostsAreDifferent "ghosts" in this context]] can mean a wide variety of things (genies, evil plant monsters, etc.) Danny also occasionally fights some ghost hunters who are after him ([[AntiVillain Valerie]], [[TheMenInBlack the Guys in White]], his own parents), as well as BigBad [[EvilCounterpart Vlad Masters]], another half-ghost. His only human rogue who isn't a ghost hunter is [[VillainousHarlequin Freakshow]], who uses objects with ghostly powers.
220* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'':
221** Played for laughs in the episode "Return of Birdgirl", where the Justices League (a composite parody of the ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' and the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts U.S. Supreme Court]]) was constantly being interrupted by emergency messages asking for help with threats outside of their jurisdiction. A rampaging giant ape? You get hung up on (and Not-Scalia calls you a moron). If "someone has made an appeal to the Doctrine of Precedent in fav -- Ahh! Giant Ape!", though, they're on their way!
222** In general, the series revolves around cases that use alternate interpretations of old Creator/HannaBarbera cartoon characters to parody social issues and current events when the series ran. For instance, "Return of Birdgirl" had Harvey arguing same-sex marriage before the Justices League on behalf of [[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest Doctor Quest and Race Bannon]], who previously fought over custody of Jonny and Hadji in the pilot.
223* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Smurfs|1981}}'': all their recurring villains are witches and warlocks; Gargamel, Hogatha, Balthazar and Chlorhydris, and all have animals as accomplices.
224* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'': In an interesting take on this trope, the enemies that the titular duo face are the latter's genetic "cousins" who initially use their powers for evil before being [[HeelFaceTurn influenced]] by the duo.
225* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': The titular hero mainly faces either magical creatures that wish to causes chaos in either the magical and/or human world.
226* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra:'' Each BigBad Korra faces are adversaries attempting to make the world a better place, thinking they can do it better than the Avatar. Most tellingly, all of them have a [[VillainHasAPoint valid point]] in their goals but go overboard in trying to implement it.
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