Line #40 PlayingWith/CardCarryingVillain


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character (who may be low on the SlidingScaleOfAntagonistVileness or [[AntiVillain relatively high]]) self-identifies as "evil", "a villain", or the like.
2	* '''Straight''': The BigBad, [[EvilOverlord Supreme]] [[EmperorScientist Emperor]]-[[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor]] [[DirtyCommunists Vladimir]] [[MadScientist “Villainous”]] [[EvilGenius Evulz]], styles himself as a smart character who knows he's a villain, refers to himself whenever the subject comes up, often responds to someone's criticisms of his moral character with a hearty InsultBackfire rejoinder, and even carries a card around with him that literally ''details'' his villainy.
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Evulz appears to be basing his every action on what would be the most villainous thing to do.
5	** StupidEvil
6	** Evulz is so into the idea that he's a villain, he [[AtLeastIAdmitIt actively hates any villain]] [[KnightTemplar who doesn't acknowledge they are in the wrong]].
7	** Evulz’s main goal is to punish others for what he refers to as "crimes of virtue".
8	** Evulz considers himself to be [[CompleteMonster irredeemably, abominably, and nightmarishly diabolical]], fueled by [[ThePowerOfHate the power of]] [[FinalSolution genocidal]] [[ThePowerOfHate hatred]] gained from [[HatedByAll all who sincerely hate him]], and claims to have went beyond [[MoralEventHorizon crossing the line]], [[ForTheEvulz which he]] [[ButForMeItWasTuesday routinely does]], and [[EvilFeelsGood that it feels very great]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and he can jaywalk without fail]]. He also calls himself the Ultimate Evil [[GodOfEvil God of]] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Evil]] and a [[BrownNoteBeing walking nightmare]] who believes that [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans unconditional tyranny]] is the best thing in the world, even [[EvilTastesGood tastier]] then [[EarthShatteringKaboom annihilating worlds]]. He goes on to say that he [[MadeOfEvil is made of pure, unadulterated evil]], and those who try to see how evil he is [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm will not able to put it into words how wicked he is]], assuming that you don't GoMadFromTheRevelation, and [[AtrocityMontage archiving all of his innumerable evils]] [[BeyondTheImpossible would fill the Library of Babel several times over]].
9	** Evulz not only revels in his evil, but he has gone so far as to say that [[IAmTheNoun he]] ''[[AnthropomorphicPersonification is]]'' [[DevilComplex Evil.]]
10	** CartoonishSupervillainy
11	* '''Downplayed''':
12	** Evulz claims that he's evil, but doesn't have the [[NobleDemon heart]] to use vile methods to achieve his goals and because of this can only PokeThePoodle.
13	** Super Bob is [[AntiHero morally]] [[AntiVillain ambiguous]] and [[AboveGoodAndEvil quite proud of it]].
14	** Evulz doesn't go out of the way to claim he's evil, but doesn't quibble when he's called that and proud of his more immoral talents.
15	** JustForFun/ReportSiht is a {{Jerkass}} and [[CardCarryingJerkass quite proud of it]].
16	** Evulz is a WellIntentionedExtremist who actively prides himself on his brutality in pursuit of his noble goal, as he believes that only ruthlessness gets things done and [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids pacifists are deluded cowards who refuse to do what is necessary to achieve their goals]].
17	** Evulz doesn't actively flaunt that he's evil, but whenever anyone calls him [[YouMonster "evil", "vile", "monster", and "villain"]], [[InsultBackfire he doesn't really care, takes it in stride]] and [[SarcasmMode thanks the guy for pointing out the obvious]]
18	** RedBaron
19	** Evulz is aware that others think he's evil and is slightly irritated by it, but doesn't let it bother him and continues committing immoral acts.
20	** Evulz never calls himself evil, but doesn't object when people call him that, even cracking a prideful smirk occasionally.
21	** Evulz is proud about being evil but [[EvenEvilHasStandards won’t prove that he’s evil in committing]] [[KickTheDog some random]] [[StupidEvil villain acts]] [[ForTheEvulz for no reason whatsoever]].
22	* '''Justified''':
23	** Evulz is evil because he has built his entire belief system and methodology around the idea that he is a superior and better being ''because of his cruelty and malice''. This belief system was taught to him by other equally cruel and warped people, who see it as their right to harm others because they view everyone else who doesn't subscribe to their beliefs as unworthy. As such, Evil is Good and Powerful and Good is Evil and Weak in their eyes.
24	** The world is ruled by a BalanceOfGoodAndEvil, and Evulz gains power by allying with the forces of evil.
25	** EvilIsCool: Evulz doesn't personally think he's evil, however, he pretends to think he's one as [[RootingForTheEmpire villains are popular]], and [[DracoInLeatherPants chicks dig the bad guys]].
26	** Evulz can't possibly find a way to justify or excuse his actions as anything [[FortheEvulz other than him being evil]].
27	** Evulz is an AxCrazy [[TheSociopath sociopath]] (if not flat-out [[CompleteMonster pure evil]]) who gleefully embraces his title as a villain and [[{{Sadist}} loves seeing others suffer]].
28	** [[AntiVillain Evulz]] is a PunchClockVillain. He knows that he commits evil for a living, but [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes also has kids to feed]].
29	** [[TragicVillain Evulz]] has been ForcedIntoEvil (possibly coerced into working for [[ManBehindTheMan someone worse]]), and hates the position he is in.
30	** Honesty is [[EvenEvilHasStandards the only]] [[EvilVirtues virtue]] Evulz respects, so he's (ironically) [[AtLeastIAdmitIt morally against hiding his nature.]]
31	** Evulz has BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality and thus desires to be evil as much as a normal person would desire to be good.
32	** Evulz is TheMole and is overplaying his role.
33	** Evulz has BlackAndWhiteInsanity and thus thinks that if he does anything even remotely evil then he is evil.
34	** Evulz is MadeOfEvil.
35	** Evulz was raised by a [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether family]] and/or [[VillainWorld society]] who was just as proud of their villainy.
36	** Evulz is an alien from a BlueAndOrangeMorality setting who thinks the word “Evil” is just another mundane word and what comes off as being evil in normal societies [[ValuesDissonance comes off as “normal behavior” in Evulz’s society]].
37	** [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Evulz is a villain because he feels that society has only ever seen or treated him as one, so he's decided to embrace the title]].
38	** Evulz [[IrrationalHatred hates Alice so damned much]] that he has dedicated his life to wrecks hers and enjoys the outrage she showcases whenever she calls him "evil".
39	* '''Inverted''':
40	** KnightTemplar, a bad guy who thinks he's moral and just, and would scoff at the label of being "evil".
41	** VillainWithGoodPublicity, who works hard and successfully at convincing the world that he is good and not evil.
42	** A Card-Carrying IdealHero who always proudly declares how good and noble he is.
43	** Alternatively, the IdealHero is [[BeingGoodSucks ashamed of being good]], and [[EvilIsCool would rather be evil]].
44	** An AntiVillain who knows that BeingEvilSucks.
45	** ObliviouslyEvil
46	** A MinionWithAnFInEvil hates themselves for not being evil enough.
47	** AlmightyIdiot
48	* '''Subverted''':
49	** The heroes confront the WellIntentionedExtremist and he remarks, "Right, my only reason for doing any of this is that I'm evil." [[SarcasmBlind The heroes fail to note that he is being sarcastic]].
50	** The villain is HatedByAll, so he pretends to be a CardCarryingVillain.
51	** A character who is [[IdealHero not]], [[KnightInShiningArmor in fact]], Evil [[AllLovingHero in the]] [[IncorruptiblePurePureness slightest]] (or is [[KnightInSourArmor just a bit worse]] [[PragmaticHero than ideal]]), still pretends to be such to the heroes because he finds it funny, doesn't want to discuss morality with heroes or just has a [[EvilVersusEvil jaded outlook]] on the [[CrapsackWorld world]]. Or because it's [[ZeroApprovalGambit all a part of his plot to save the world]]. [[JustifiedTrope Or for some other reason a genuine villain can do this]].
52	** Evulz [[MeanCharacterNiceActor isn't a bad guy]] -- he's only acting like it because it makes him [[EvilIsCool seem cool]].
53	** Evulz was actually BrainWashedAndCrazy or under a DemonicPossession
54	* '''Double Subversion''':
55	** [[StrawHypocrite The villain]] [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist doesn't actually believe in his]] "WellIntentionedExtremist" motivations at all, and really is just doing it ForTheEvulz.
56	** A character believes himself to be a non-Evil subversion, but is in fact a WellIntentionedExtremist or KnightTemplar or HeWhoFightsMonsters, which is why heroes actually believe him.
57	** Evulz was actually BrainwashedAndCrazy or under a DemonicPossession, but it turns out he's still a Card-Carrying Villain anyways.
58	* '''Parodied''':
59	** Evulz carries a literal CallingCard to prove he's the villain, and [[DeathDealer uses it as a weapon]].
60	** Evulz has a literal card saying he's a villain, a member of [[WeirdTradeUnion the local Villains' Guild, to be specific.]]
61	** Even when he's [[TheMole trying to infiltrate the heroes' organization,]] [[ObviousJudas Evulz still gives himself away by referring to himself as a villain.]] (Or, he would have given himself away, but such examples [[RuleOfFunny almost always]] [[MostDefinitelyNotAVillain go unnoticed]] by [[GoodIsDumb the heroes]].)
62	** Evulz considers himself a monster, [[HarmlessVillain yet he]] [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain can't harm]] [[PokeThePoodle a fly]].
63	** Evulz gives a long-winded and [[ChewingTheScenery overly]] [[LargeHam hammy]] declamation on how infinitely Eeeeeevillll he is.
64	** Not only does Evulz take pride in his villainy, but even ''[[LampshadeHanging lampshades]]'' the fact that he is a Card-Carrying Villain, [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall boasting about how]] Website/TVTropes [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall will list him as such]].
65	** Evulz takes pride in his villainy, but prefers to let his actions speak for him. When his minion explicitly calls him [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad 'Your Evilness',]] his response is an irritated "As if the kids couldn't figure that out".
66	* '''Zig-zagged''': Sometimes, the villains are ObviouslyEvil and admit it, while other times, the same villainous characters are portrayed as [[GreyAndGreyMorality far more morally complex]], believing that EvenEvilHasStandards, [[PetTheDog liberally engaging in dog-petting]], and so on.
67	* '''Averted''':
68	** The villains may be clearly bad people, but they show no sign of thinking of themselves that way.
69	** KnightTemplar or WellIntentionedExtremist.
70	* '''Enforced''':
71	** [[ExecutiveMeddling It was decided that]] [[ViewersAreMorons the audience wouldn't be able to tell that Evulz was a bad guy unless they gave him that kind of name and self-description.]] Perhaps because [[AnimationAgeGhetto it’s a children’s show]], or [[DesignatedHero without it, there wouldn't be much difference between Dr. Evil and his enemies.]]
72	** The actor wants to play a LargeHam, and being a CardCarryingVillain will enhance the hamminess.
73	** BlackAndWhiteMorality: They have to [[{{Anvilicious}} enforce the idea that evil people think they're eeeevill!]]
74	** It's a comedy, and being a hammy CardCarryingVillain just adds to this.
75	** The writers wanted to make the villain [[CompleteMonster as loathsome as possible]] [[HateSink and someone for the viewers to root against]]. To emphasize this, they have him be fully aware of how evil he is and love every second of it.
76	* '''Lampshaded''': "It's really [[EvilFeelsGood quite a lot of fun,]] being evil."
77	* '''Invoked''': In the [[StartOfDarkness story of Evulz’s turn to villainy]], a major milestone was when he began self-identifying as evil.
78	* '''Exploited''':
79	** Heroes use this to try to identify villains who can be redeemed; their logic being that villains who self identify as evil will do a HeelFaceTurn as soon as they get another option.
80	** As an inversion, the heroes use this to determine when villains are faking doing a HeelFaceTurn. As they see it, people who are so proud of being evil that they literally advertise it and don't put in a similar amount of effort to show that they changed are probably just awaiting the perfect moment for a "gotcha!" and betrayal. It's not fool-proof, but [[ProperlyParanoid it has worked out more often than not]].
81	** Evulz applies this logic to his entire organization: [[SlaveToPR they'll feel obligated to do wicked deeds]], [[AtLeastIAdmitIt while feeling morally superior due to admitting it]] and [[RefugeInAudacity being able to distance themselves from their crimes due to their ludicrous, supervillainous nature.]]
82	* '''Defied''':
83	** "Yes, I was convicted in that plot to blow up the White House, but I'm really a nice guy. [[FalselyReformedVillain I've changed, honest!]]"
84	** Screw this! I'll do whatever the hell I want from now on, evil or not, and I sure as hell won't advertise it!"
85	* '''Discussed''': "You're one hell of a scoundrel, you know that? [[InsultBackfire Wait, you probably take that as a compliment.]]
86	* '''Conversed''': "Why do the villains on these shows just come right out and say that they're 'bad'? It's almost as if they're [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad unclear on what the word 'bad' means]]."
87	* '''Implied''': Evulz never says anything about being evil, but [[InsultBackfire his expression noticeably brightens whenever someone calls him evil]].
88	* '''Deconstructed''':
89	** Evulz is doomed to be HatedByAll because he never pretends to be anything but evil.
90	** The reason Evulz chose that name is that he's actually disgusted by the moral absolutism of the [[KnightTemplar "heroes"]]. Ultimately, he ends up saving the world since he's a NobleDemon, but since he presented himself as the ultimate bad guy, no one realizes this until long after his lonely and [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing celebrated]] death, [[SlaveToPR having been bound by his own ideological image.]]
91	** Evulz comes to the realisation that he no longer needs to justify his actions in any moralistic fashion, since it would clash with seeing himself as the villain. This leads him [[TheUnfettered to become unrestrained in his evil]], [[MoralEventHorizon plummeting into depravity.]]
92	** Evulz sees himself as evil due to his self-hatred.
93	** Evulz wants to be evil because he believes that EvilIsCool.
94	** Turns out that someone so proud of doing evil [[FortheEvulz for evil's sake]] all day, every day [[SanityHasAdvantages is crazy]], what would you know?
95	* '''Reconstructed''':
96	** [[LegionOfDoom The Evil League of Villains]] gains a great deal of grudging respect from most non-members because, after all, they are [[EvilIsCool cool and powerful]], and [[AtLeastIAdmitIt at least they're not hypocritical about their evilness]], like so many other people.
97	** Evulz is proud of his own evil, but is smart/clever/cunning enough to put up a facade to fool people into getting what he wants. Any kind of noble or reasonable words he says to fool or gain support are flat-out lies.
98	** Emperor Evulz's disgust with the hero's [[KnightTemplar moral absolutism]] is justified: [[HeWhoFightsMonsters but the lengths he goes to combat it are not,]] bearing an [[EvilCounterpart uncanny similarity to their own.]] Ultimately, he is not a HeroWithBadPublicity: He is just another villain who lucked into a PyrrhicVictory.
99	** Evulz comes to the realisation that he no longer needs to justify his actions...which changes very little, as he needs no [[AntiNihilist justifications to commit good actions either]]. While he still proclaims himself as evil with a capital E, in truth he's a WildCard that does what he wants when he wants, whether it's to PetTheDog or KickTheDog.
100	** Evulz's self-hatred [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone comes from his numerous vile deeds.]] It's ultimately a vicious cycle, that Evulz lacks the strength of character to escape from.
101	* '''Played For Laughs''': Evulz has a literal card that describes him as "evil" and does StupidEvil actions because to ''not'' do them would mean he's not evil.
102	* '''Played For Drama''': Evulz does atrocities of all sorts, from [[EvilIsPetty the most petty]] to the most destructive, and refuses any kind of negotiation for him to stop, [[CutLexLuthorACheck no matter how much it would benefit him]], because it would be a denial that he's "evil".
103	* '''Played For Horror''': Evulz rapes and murders in massive amounts because that's what must be done to preserve his fragile ego and status as the [[EvilerThanThou greatest of all evils.]]
104	----
105	Back to CardCarryingVillain, which would like to remind you that it is absolutely evil and plots to [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife suck up your free time.]]
106	----
107	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
108	%%
109	%%*
110	%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
111	%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

Context PlayingWith / CardCarryingVillain