[[quoteright:259:[[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baldofevil2.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:259: The chrome-dome of [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom DOOM!]]]]

->''"Hair are your aerials. They pick up signals from the cosmos and transmit them directly into the brain. This is the reason bald-headed men are uptight."''
-->-- '''Danny the Dealer''', ''Film/WithnailAndI''

In fiction, baldness often equates with lack of moral fortitude. Many, many villains are recognised as such by the audience by their shiny, shaven noggins. It might be the CorruptCorporateExecutive in a political thriller, the sinister evil sorcerer, unholy priest, cult leader, or EvilOverlord in sword-and-sorcery, or a thuggish GiantMook readying to crack the hero in two. However, it is most commonly applied to the EvilChancellor and the MadScientist.

Where the hero has his flowing golden locks or a boyish, tousled mop of {{red|HeadedHero}} or brown hair to indicate his youthful purity, something about the complete ''absence'' of hair makes a bald villain look particularly nefarious, especially while he's [[SlouchOfVillainy slouched on his throne]], steepling his fingers and delivering a BreakingLecture while the ominous backlight shines off his gleaming chrome-dome.

This might be a throwback to ancient belief in hair as a symbol of health and virility, as exemplified by the Biblical story of Samson; it may also be more primal still, as a shaven head more closely resembles a skull and, combined with the natural tendency for us to lose our hair as we grow old, is therefore symbolic of aging and death. As a matter of fact, in ancient Rome, baldness was considered a [[{{Squick}} gross deformity]]. Somehow, that didn't stop the very bald Creator/PatrickStewart from being called "The Sexiest Man on TV" in 1992.

Whatever the original reason, Hair Hates Evil, and about the only times you'll see a kind and moral character without his (or her) hair will be when it's an egg-headed SmartGuy (who's [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} probably also in a wheelchair]]), a Buddhist monk, a BaldBlackLeaderGuy, or the [[LittlestCancerPatient Littlest Leukemia Patient.]]

The only other good guys who go shaven are {{Badass}} {{Anti Hero}}es, so if a hero shaves his head as part of an ImportantHaircut, it is a sure sign he's about to get DarkerAndEdgier.

The tendency is, indeed, for the moral decay of a character to be inversely proportionate to the length of their hair, with innocent, virginal princesses practically drowning in their romantically flowing locks while the hard-bitten {{Badass}} sports a spiky military crewcut. The most frequent {{aver|tedTrope}}sion of this trope is the WhiteHairBlackHeart, whose usually long and luscious tresses exist as a ''symbol'' of his evil, not in spite of it.

For the ultimate combination, supply a bald villain with a [[BeardOfEvil villainous goatee.]] This trope is also a function of GoodHairEvilHair.

Taking this trope way beyond its logical extreme, occasional ''very'' [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil mad]] [[MadScientist scientists]] will also shave off their skin and the top of their skull, leaving their {{brain|InAJar}}s completely exposed.

For aversions, see BaldOfAwesome.

[[noreallife]]
----
!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Franchise/DragonBall''
** Nearly all of the major villains have no hair: Pilaf, both Piccolos, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu. They're not exactly bald, though, they just have no hair -- with the possible exception of Pilaf, none of them are mammals.
** Plenty of bald heroes too: Tenshinhan, Krillin, and Master Roshi. But Tenshinhan was originally a villain (albeit one who almost immediately performed a HeelFaceTurn a few eps after his introduction), so the point stands.
** Krillin originally convinced Master Roshi to train him by bribing him with pornography. And Krillin isn't naturally bald, as he grows his hair back (as a sign that he was no longer living as a monk who renounced all worldly pleasures) after marrying [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Number Eighteen]].
** Toriyama might be playing with this a bit. Tenshinhan is a bald villain, but becomes a good guy when he finds out people respect it more. Nappa was a classic "bald" villain (and a classic villain in many respects), but gets trumped by the true hero in mere seconds and replaced by a preferable, haired antagonist.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''
** Lordgenome. Also has the AntiHero goatee. And epic chest hair. And his scalp catches fire when he does awesome things such as beating the crap out of mechas with his bare hands.
** [[spoiler:Even The Anti-Spiral fits this trope.]]
* Ivan the Terrible (or Ivan of Russia, in the Japanese version) from ''Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still'' is bald, though he's not the most nefarious of the evil group he's a part of, even though he may be one of the biggest nutcases in the entire anime. Though, to be fair, one of the guys dead-set on doing good is bald as well.
* Gluttony of ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'', although he's actually not nearly as evil as many of the other homunculi, but more of a PsychopathicManchild.
* All over the place in ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo''. The BigBad is Czar Baldy Bald IV, head of the Chrome Dome Empire, and his {{Mook}}s are generally bald as well.
* Both played straight and inverted in ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}''. Buffaloman, originally introduced as the most powerful Devil Superman in the series, reveals himself to be bald in the following arc. However, the reveal only happens when he officially pulls a HeelFaceTurn.
* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''
** Vargus, who was initially introduced as a thuggish bully of a GiantMook that attacked Negi in the Magic World for no reason, though it's later shown that he's actually a lot nicer than he first appeared.
** There's also the leader of the Bounty Hunters later on, but he is more of a PunchClockVillain; he meets Negi in a bathhouse later "off the clock" and comments that he has no intention of pulling anything.
* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'': In FINAL, Palparepa, the lead protagonist's evil counterpart, is completely bald.
* ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'': In the film version, all the Zentradi are bald (though their morality varies considerably), and in the original TV series, Bodolza is very bald and very evil ([[KnightTemplar or at least so mission-oriented as to not care about insignificant things like planetary omnicide]]).
* In ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'', three morally questionable characters are bald. (Though ''most'' morally questionable characters are not.)
* The evil school inspector in ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}''. Some villains can make their ScaryShinyGlasses gleam menacingly; this man creates the same effect with the top of his head.
* In order to illustrate their pre-series FaceHeelTurn, ''Manga/TokyoTribe 2'''s Mera and Skunk both shave their heads. Kai even comments on Mera's shaven head before he becomes aware that [[spoiler: he's one of two people that Mera vowed to kill.]]
* Bask Om of ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', although he usually hides it by wearing a hat.
* ''Anime/InuYasha'' has Renkotsu from the Band Of Seven.
* Inverted with the Kongo twins in ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}''. Unsui's baldness is meant to reflect his monk-like attitude and is a generally swell guy. His brother, on the other hand, has a huge mane of dreads and is a total jackass. In fact, Agon [[spoiler:shaving his head is seen as a mark of improvement in his character]].
* Kazundo Gouda, the BigBad from ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG]]'', combines this with SmugSnake and MagnificentBastard for a formidable trifecta of nastiness.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'''s [[TheDragon Odion]]. As Mai put it on the dub, in his duel against Joey:
-->Mai: [Joey]'s gone too far to lose it all to a creep with a bad attitude. Not to mention a bad hairdo. It's more of a [[IncrediblyLamePun hairdon't]].
* Onimaru Takeshi, the BigBad of ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'', sports one. Also, the fallen monk [[TheBrute Seikai Miyoshi]].
* In many H-doujinshi featuring rape, the men are mostly featureless, which includes making them bald.
* Rikkudo in ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' is a Buddhist monk turned moral-less demon-killer.
* [[spoiler: The Chairman]] in ''Literature/{{Paprika}}''.
* [[spoiler:Kriem]] when [[BaldWomen she]] appears in Episode 18 of ''Anime/TigerAndBunny''. [[FridgeBrilliance It makes sense]], really, [[spoiler:when you consider that her hair enables her to control inanimate objects to wreak havoc. The hospital staff probably shaved her head so that she wouldn't be able to when she woke up]].
* In the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' manga, Robin Wolfe has a bald head that is quite shiny and catches Maya's attention as soon as they meet. The "evil" part comes when it turns out he called an arachnophobic employee to his home, restrained him in a chair in a guest house full of spiders, and left him there for hours, leading him to be DrivenToSuicide.
* In ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride'', the main baddies at Shouran are all bald;Hitotsukabuto Kiyoharu and Nakazaki Hitoshi and Kyouichi.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* SelfDemonstrating/LexLuthor is a classic example, particularly considering his SilverAge motive for villainy was ''[[DisproportionateRetribution revenge against Superman for making him bald]]''. And it wasn't really Supes' fault, but Lex blamed him after one of his experiments went wrong.
** Naturally, this has had fun poked at it several times, such as by [[Characters/GLOrangeLanternCorps Larfleeze]] during the events of ''BlackestNight''. Also, in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Lex, accompanied by ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and {{Steel}}, revealed that he had a secret laboratory... fronted by a ''barbershop''.
-->'''Steel:''' Gotta hand it to you, Luthor; nobody would think to look for you here.
** The funniest thing is ''Luthor wasn't originally bald''. He was actually an EvilRedhead until someone drew him without hair.
* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' villain Dr. Sivana (who predates Luthor by a couple of months) is another bald mad scientist, who is also diminutive, gangly, ugly, and wears coke-bottle glasses. He has a thing for talking worms.
* TheKingpin, in MarvelComics. Bullseye from the ''{{Daredevil}}'' comics is also bald and has a bullseye scarred into his forehead.
* ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}''
** Professor Xavier of is ''almost'' a textbook example of the "kindly eggheaded [[TheProfessor Professor]]" aversion, as he's sometimes portrayed as being morally ambiguous and slightly sinister, and let's not go near his various {{Super Powered Evil Side}}s. It's worth noting that Creator/PatrickStewart is a classic example of BaldOfAwesome.
** Apocalypse also lacks hair.
* Remember ArchieComics' own super hero imprint? Well, a recurring super villain dubbed the "Brain Emperor" introduced in the original "Mighty Crusaders" becomes the BigBad in ''Comicbook/NewCrusaders''.
* MarvelUniverse semi-aversion: Moondragon, even when she was not being actively influenced by the malevolent monster she named herself after, fit TheGift trope to a tee. Her girlfriend Phyla mellowed her out, some.
* In the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' comic series, Superboy shaved his head bald before going on an insane killer rampage and beating up the entire rest of the team. [[BrainwashedAndCrazy This was due to a mental command which was placed in Superboy's brain from after he was cloned in Cadmus.]]
* Henry Bendix, the Weatherman from ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' and ''{{Stormwatch}}''.
* In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' Vol. 1, BigBad Professor James Moriarty is bald (in keeping with his character in the original SherlockHolmes stories).
* Nobeard, one of the Subway Pirates in ''SevenSoldiers'' and rival of the thick BeardOfEvil-sporting Allbeard. It's commonly believed that the two represent series writer GrantMorrison and AlanMoore.
* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}''
** Tintin encounters badguy Rastapopoulos on several occasions.
** Also, recurrent conspirator Jurgen is short on hair, though he has some on the top of his head.
* ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'''s Zelda -- a genetically engineered mook to an evil (but he's getting better) child genius -- has no body hair at all, not even eyebrows (or possibly eyelashes). She hates it (she used to have very long and luscious hair). It's explained as the result of having "Dolphin DNA" being used in her gengineering.
* The Duke of Lorraine in ''Rex Mundi''.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''
** [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr.]] Hugo Strange, the first recurring villain.
** The Penguin is often shown to be bald when his top hat is off.
* The Absorbing Man from ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''.
* Many ''SinCity'' villains have this going for them: Manute, Wallenquist, Liebowitcz, Cardinal Roark, and the Yellow Bastard. There was also an evil rich guy with an odd sense of [[ParentalIncest family values]] in the short story ''Daddy's Girl''.
* In ''[[ComicBook/{{Asterix}} Asterix and the Goths]]'', at least seven of the rival kuningōz are bald.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* In the original ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' comic strips, Prince Barin sported a clean-shaven pate in his first appearances -- but when he did his HeelFaceTurn, his hair grew out with astonishing rapidity. Ming, however, is bald as...someone who is bald.
* In ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'', many baddies sport bald pates. In General Tara's case, it is possible that the baldness is a choice to indicate virility, since he augments his intimidating dome with a large bushy handlebar moustache (gleamingly waxed) and matching goatee. To indicate his self-indulgent lifestyle, the fat buffoons in the Phantom strips (Tara included) always carry an extra bulge of flab at the base of their shiny skulls.
* Charles Addams' depiction of UncleFester in ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' is utterly bald, without even eyebrows. Like most of the Addams characters, Fester is a bit more on the "demented" side than actually "evil" ''per se''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Philium Benedict's bald enforcer in ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'' qualifies for both this and TheDragon.
* Surprisingly, Rapunzel from ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} the Third'' was revealed to actually be this. Going by her reaction when it was exposed, apparently, this was not something she was proud of, to say the very least.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''. Well, I guess he ''kinda'' counts...
* Similarly, [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe Gru]] may also count.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/JamesBond''
** Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Oddly, Blofeld was portrayed with hair in ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'', though he wasn't any less evil for it. By the time of ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'', he was bald again.
** Renard from ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''.
** Kratt, one of Le Chiffre's henchmen in ''Film/CasinoRoyale''. Mostly because Clemens Schick looks ''hilarious'' with a full head of hair and mysterious and sexy without it.
* ''Film/AustinPowers''
** By natural extension, Blofeld's parody incarnation, Doctor Evil.
** When Scott Evil goes Eeeevil, he gradually loses his hair.
* Galbatorix in TheMovie [[Film/{{Eragon}} version]] of the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. With a [[BeardOfEvil goatee]]!
* Imhotep in ''Film/{{The Mummy|Trilogy}}''; {{justified|Trope}} as it was the standard hairdo for Egyptian priests. Also, many, many Egyptian villains.
* ''Franchise/IndianaJones''
** Mola Ram in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom.''
** Also, the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi mechanic]] GiantMook in ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk,'' whom Indy fought in a PunchPunchPunchUhOh scenario.
* Shinzon and the Remans in ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', whose look was supposedly based on ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}''.
* Nero in the new ''Film/StarTrek'' movie pulls this off superbly, combining it with a variant of TattooedCrook.
* How do you make {{Dracula}} creepier? Give him rat-teeth, long spidery fingernails, bald him up, and call it ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}''. "Graf Orlok" is so distinctive and has been [[TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem aped]] [[Film/ThirtyDaysOfNight so]] [[Literature/SalemsLot many]], [[TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}} many]] [[Film/{{Blade}} times]] that the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Nosferatu-type]] vampire is [[LooksLikeOrlok a trope unto itself]].
* Even Creator/PatrickStewart gets evil sometimes in ''Film/ConspiracyTheory'', ''Film/MobyDick'', ''Film/{{Masterminds}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''.
* The two main antagonists in ''Film/IronMan1'', as fate would have it, are both bald. Reportedly, Jeff Bridges leaped at the opportunity to shave his head. As if to make up for this, it has two ''good'' bald characters.
* Riddick from ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' has a shaven head, but he falls into Badass AntiHero territory. Less so in ''Film/PitchBlack'', where he plays a criminal turned into a [[ResignedToTheCall Reluctant Hero]].
* Cypher from ''Film/TheMatrix''. BaldBlackLeaderGuy Morpheus gets a pass.
* ''Film/ApocalypseNow'': Col. Walter Edmund Kurtz.
* Kobras of ''Film/PumaMan''. The guys on ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' never let him forget it either. Played by DonaldPleasence who was also [[Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice Blofeld]].
-->'''Tom Servo:''' Set it to BALD!
:: Pleasance has been a villain many times, and ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' has also dealt with him in ''Film/WarriorOfTheLostWorld''.
* ''Film/{{Beowulf}}'' makes Grendel completely hairless. Also, [[BodyHorror none of his tendons are the right length]]. What's more, the Dragon in his human form is also bald.
* Darryl Revok of ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' is, at the very least, thinning.
* According to the commentary for ''Film/ShootEmUp'', the director considered having [[TheDragon Mr. Hertz]] be bald, a look dubbed "The Full Blofeld".
* ''Film/{{Bullshot}}''. The villain, Otto von Bruno, is bald, so when he boasts that the hero will soon be out of his hair, it earns him a puzzled look from his henchman.
* The Strangers in ''Film/DarkCity''.
* The Cenobites in the ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}'' movies.
* After the events in ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', both Vader and Sidious are bald. As was Maul. (In Maul's defense, his entire species is bald, and not all of them are evil.) Conversely, most of the Jedi have long hair.
* The main character Pink in ''Music/TheWall'' is on a downward spiral of insanity from the beginning of the film, but when he really loses it and envisions himself as a Nazi-like tyrant, he shaves everything: face, head hair, body hair, eyebrows, nipples...''everything!''
* The Nazi consul (played by Otto Preminger) in ''Margin for Error''.
* ''Film/{{Shocker}}'''s villain, Horace Pinker, has it and has [[GoodScarsEvilScars burn-marks]] on it, too.
* The main villain of ''Film/TheHouseByTheCemetery'', Dr. Freudstein, is bald. But people do tend to lose all their hair when they have been dead for decades...
* Rasputin from ''Film/{{Hellboy}}''. Also see BeardOfEvil.
* Ming the Merciless from ''Film/FlashGordon'', combined with BeardOfEvil and YellowPeril.
* Ben Kingsley's character in ''Film/SexyBeast''.
* Him in ''WeAreTheStrange'' is bald and lacks body hair of any kind. All he's got are his eyebrows.
* Probably the finest example in cinema is Mr. Potter from ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife''.
* Both Colonel Koobus Venter and Wikus' father-in-law in ''Film/{{District 9}}'' qualify for this.
* The Zodiac in ''Film/CurseOfTheZodiac''.
* Bane is portrayed in this fashion in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.
* Several villains played by MarkStrong: Sorter in ''Film/{{Revolver}}'', Frank D'Amico in ''Film/{{Kick-Ass}}'', Godfrey in ''Film/RobinHood2010'', Clive Cornell in ''Film/TheGuard''...
* Cirus the Virus, from ''Film/ConAir''. Also possibly Diamond Dog, though he's not quite as evil.
* {{Satan}} in ''ThePassionOfTheChrist'' is meant to be androgynous, with a deep voice but played by a [[BaldWomen Bald Woman]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Voldemort in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', to play up the whole [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent reptile angle]]. To be fair, in his case, Voldemort was so far gone from anything remotely human that having hair at all would have been an accomplishment.
* BigBad Vorbis from the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SmallGods'' deliberately shaves and polishes his scalp. InvokedTrope?
* Lord Tywin Lannister and Varys the Spider are this in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. Tywin combines his with enormous mutton chops to make a [[BaldOfAwesome bald of extremely awesome.]]
* Something of a subversion: Literature/{{Matilda}}'s father (who has plenty of hair and happens to be unscrupulous) believes that smart people have good, strong hair and that, therefore, bald people are dumb. (Matilda points out that Creator/WilliamShakespeare was bald.)
* ''Harap Alb'', a Romanian folk tale, has "Spânul', "The Bald Man", as the primary JerkAss villain. The main character is told that the only thing worse than a bald man is a red haired one...Guess whose daughter he is forced to win over later?
* Although he was not described specifically in the stories, Franchise/SherlockHolmes' ArchEnemy Professor James Moriarty was presented as being bald in the earliest illustrations of the character. In many later illustrations, he just has a very badly receding hairline, which also makes him look more professorial.
* Rare female example: in IanMcDonald's ''Desolation Road,'' [[spoiler: Arnie Tenebrae]] becomes a psychotic, sadistic warlord. At one point, it's mentioned: "She was busy shaving her head."
* [[spoiler:Bayaz]] of ''TheFirstLaw'' combines this with BaldOfAwesome, though the "evil" part is less evident until later in the series.
* Darth Bane (the legendary Sith Lord who began the "Rule of Two" tradition among the order) in the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse has this all the way down.
* Straker from the Creator/StephenKing novel ''Literature/SalemsLot''.
* Pavel Kazakov, BigBad of the DaleBrown novel ''Warrior Class''.
* Diabolus Darkdoom and his son, Nigel, in ''[[HiveSeries H.I.V.E.]]'', a series about a school for villains. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Nero at one point.
-->'''Nero:''' Darkdoom? Oh, ''why'' is it always the bald ones?
* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' has [[NoNameGiven the man with a beard but no hair]], who's apparently so evil that Lemony Snicket won't even tell us his name, and the bald man with a long nose, one of Count Olaf's henchmen.
* The title character in the ''Literature/AToZMysteries'' book ''The Bald Bandit'', who steals from a bank.
* [[SmugSnake Sadi]], one of the [[EunuchsAreEvil evil eunuchs]] at Salmissra's court in ''TheBelgariad''. In fact, most Nyissans shave their heads, if for no better reason to keep out the lice. In ''TheMalloreon'', Sadi allies with the heroes, [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]], and graduates to BaldOfAwesome. Even in the ''Belgariad'', by about midway through when Sadi no longer stands to gain anything by opposing the protagonists, having him as the ''de facto'' ruler of Ny-Issa is about as welcome a development as could reasonably be hoped for (and certainly better than when Salmissra was in charge in any meaningful way).
* In ''BloodMeridian'', the monstrous giant Judge Holden is utterly hairless, lacking even eyebrows and eyelashes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* LexLuthor in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' after he turns bad, [[CaptainObvious obviously]].
* ''Series/DoctorWho''
** The Sontarans, partly because of the PeopleInRubberSuits effect.
** Davros, the creator of the Daleks.
* Colin Mochrie in ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' is a borderline case; while he's not evil per se (at least, we can hope not), he is balding with a very, ''very'' dark sense of humor.
* Although ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is usually [[BaldOfAwesome an aversion]], given Creator/PatrickStewart's impressive skull, the Borg were more often than not depicted as bald, especially when fully assimilated.
* Speaking of Patrick Stewart, he's the BigBad in TheBBC JohnLeCarre serials ''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' and ''Smiley's People''. When playing the villain in ''Series/IClaudius'', however, he's got hair -- either for the above-mentioned 'deformity' reason or because his bald head had not yet become famous.
* Rare female example: as ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'''s president Laura Roslin loses her hair [[spoiler:to cancer treatments]], she also becomes increasingly totalitarian.
* ''BlackHoleHigh'': Victor Pearson, the series' antagonist, is bald in the present day, but in the 1987 time zone, he has a full head of hair. Almost everything we see of him in this period is sympathetic. He also manages to keep his hair in an alternate timeline where he's a slightly dotty science teacher. The final kicker: in the series finale, which reveals Pearson's ultimately noble motives, Victor is starting to grow his hair back.
* The Technomages of ''Series/BabylonFive'' all shave their heads, for easier access to the brain and spinal column. Their evilness varies from person to person.
* Vic Mackey, of ''Series/TheShield'', though YMMV for how ''evil'' he is.
* Billy Zane in ''Series/TalesFromTheCrypt: Demon Knight''.
* Subverted with John Locke in ''Series/{{Lost}}'', [[spoiler:but played straight in the season 5 finale, when it is revealed that Locke had been dead since several episodes and that [[NotHimself the one who had taken his shape]] was the BigBad]].
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' has a number of bald [[MonsterOfTheWeek demons]], the most famous of them being The Master, Season 1 BigBad, and The Gentlemen, from "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E10Hush Hush]]", the silent episode.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': regular Wraith are evil and have long white hair. In one episode, the heroes confront a Wraith EvilChancellor, who is extra special evil. And bald.
* The Goa'uld System Lords Heru'ur and [[{{Satan}} Sokar]] from ''Series/StargateSG1''.
* General Lonot from ''Series/TinMan''.
* Egghead, as played by VincentPrice on the 60's ''Series/{{Batman}}''.
* In an episode of ''Series/TheWalkingDead,'' [[spoiler:Shane]] is shown shaving his head soon after he shot someone in the leg as a diversion to escape some zombies.
* G.B. Vonturgo from ''BringEmBackAlive''.
* In an episode of ''Series/HoneyIShrunkTheKids: The TV Show'', Nick gets affected by one of Wayne's experiments, giving him the ability to suck other peoples' intelligences. As he becomes more intelligent (and evil), he develops an overly large, bald head.
* Walter, Mike, Gus and the entire Salamanca family from ''Series/BreakingBad''. Walt's is an ImportantHaircut shortly after he starts taking treatment and his hair begins to fall out anyway.
-->'''Walter Junior:''' (seeing Walt bald for the first time) Badass, dad!
-->'''Jesse:''' (ditto) You look like Lex Luthor.
* In ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the TokenEvilTeammate of the good guys' side, Roose Bolton, has a receding hairline, instead of his way more over-the-top villainous appearance in the books which included more or less every possible visual cue ''aside'' from baldness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* In Music/MyChemicalRomance's concept record ''Music/DangerDaysTheTrueLivesOfTheFabulousKilljoys'', the prominent antagonist, Korse, is obvious bald in both music videos and promotional posters. His character is generally portrayed as an apathetic villain to the story's heroes, who are played by the band.
* [[Music/LimpBizkit Fred Durst]].
* DoctorSteel is bald, and wants to take over the world. (On the other hand he just wants to promote fun, and loves children.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* The Hood, from ''{{Thunderbirds}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/{{WWE}} wrestler Wrestling/{{Kane}} became bald when he lost his mask in a match. By no coincidence, this is also when he started getting really, ''really'' evil. Like, cackling horror-movie-villain evil.
* King Kong Bundy was the greatest example. Apart from his eyelashes, he was completely hairless.
* Genki Horiguchi of ''Wrestling/DragonGate'' calls himself H.A.G.E of Evil (hage is Japanese for bald).
* The Straight Edge Society in the Wrestling/{{WWE}} is a whole stable of these. Inverted in the leader, Wrestling/CMPunk, whose mane is the whole selling point of the gimmick... Punk lost to Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}} at Over the Limit 2010 and got shaved bald, but it's averted(?) in that he covered it up with a black mask.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* This even shows up in ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'', a radio show. For a long while during the Novacom saga, Mr. Charles was informally known as "the bald guy."
* MarkKermode and Simon Mayo even made up a rule about it (when reviewing ''Prince of Persia'').
-->"Never trust a bald man with mascara."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}''
** Played with in the 2nd Edition art; the "Ultraviolet-Clearance" section contains pictures of a "typical GM", an evil-looking robed fellow who is usually seen cutting up the rules or cracking a whip and is completely bald.
** The generic High Programmer depicted in the art of the original edition likewise bears more than a passing resemblance to UncleFester of ''Series/TheAddamsFamily''.
* One of evil magocracies of ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' is Thay, where ruling [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Wizards_of_Thay Red Wizards]] (both men and women) has shaved ''and tattooed'' heads. This tradition was questioned when [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Lauzoril Lauzoril]] (the most charismatic leader there) ignored it and broken when traditional power structure was smashed by internal strife.
* Artwork of various Chaos leaders, especially sorcerers, in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' usually portrays them as bald, with various Chaos symbols worn on the scalp.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer''
** Kane is an example of the aforementioned bald-with-goatee combo.
** Yuri from ''Red Alert 2'' also counts and, like Kane, has an evil beard.
* StarWarsExpandedUniverse
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has several examples, including the BigBad Darth Malak, his apprentice Darth Bandon, and Sith Academy headmaster Uthar Wynn.
** Darth Malgus, a prominent BigBad in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', is also bald. The [[InternalHomage similarities between these various Star Wars villains and one of the playable classes]] can be seen [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/machineman/JUGS.jpg here.]]
* Kratos in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is bald with an ''{{antihero}}ic [[BeardOfEvil goatee]]'', which should [[VillainProtagonist tell you everything you need to know about him]] at a glance.
* ''StarTrekOnline'' gives us Colonel Hakeev, a senior officer of the Romulan Tal Shiar and BigBad of the Romulan storyline. Obisek, leader of the Reman Resistance, plays this earlier on, but averts it when it's revealed that he and the player are working towards the same goal.
* The same could be said for Agent 47 from the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series, only replace [[AntiHero antiheroic goatee]] with [[AntiHero antiheroic barcode on the back of his head]].
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''
** Dr. Robotnik/''Egg''man. I Am The Eggman, that's what I am...
** And his nephew, Snivelly, in the [[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog comics]] and [[WesternAnimation/SonicSatAm cartoon]], who only has five hairs.
* Also, Dr. Baldhead from the first ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', obviously. Part of the tendency for bald villains to be [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate doctors as well.]]
* Zakhaev from ''CallOfDuty4''. He also has a [[BeardOfEvil goatee]]
* The ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series gave us Dr. Wily (who, admittedly, had [[EinsteinHair rather wild hair]] on the side of his head) and ''VideoGame/MegaManX's'' Sigma.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'' has Arkham. Complete with [[GoodScarsEvilScars giant freaking scar]] over half his face.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' gives us [[ObviouslyEvil Master Xehanort]], who mixes this with a BeardOfEvil and the same outfit that [[spoiler:Xehanort's Heartless]] wore in the first game. [[BlatantLies He's a good guy,]] [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter really.]]
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain''
** Moebius, [[ManBehindTheMan servant]] of the [[EldritchAbomination Elder God]], is a conniving manipulator who eschews hair of any sort and is notably bald even in thousand year old murals depicting his younger days when he led the rebellion against the vampires who ruled over humanity in the past.
** Minor characters Azimuth and Marcus, both antagonists, are also bald.
* The Helghast in the ''Killzone'' series are all bald. Apparently, this is a side effect of having emigrated to a DeathWorld.
* Mr. Big from the ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series: a crime boss who kidnapped a teenage girl to blackmail her father and force both her brother and her best friend to fight him.
* Both Sarevok of ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and Jon Irenicus of ''Baldur's Gate 2'' had shaven heads.
* Bitores Mendez, one of the villains of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', was both {{beard|OfEvil}}ed and bald. In fact, he looked a lot like Rasputin.
* Both [[{{Gonk}} Earthquake and Gen-An Shiranui]] in ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown''. Granted, Gen-An has two or three hairs, but he's still an overall baldie.
* ''Portrait of Ruin'' has Brauner, who seems to be an Orlok double. Still second fiddle to Dracula, though.
* Neff, the main bad guy from ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast''.
* Dr. Elvin Atombender, the MadScientist from ''VideoGame/ImpossibleMission'', making this OlderThanTheNES.
* [[spoiler: Mr. Blank]] from ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5''.
* Every bad guy in ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}''.
* Default Male Shepard of ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' if you go Renegade (Paragon Shepard gets [[BaldOfAwesome the other kind]]). [[spoiler: Seriously, genocide of a race AND several helpings of good old fashioned murder.]] And this guy's the hero. Also, the sequel has DarkActionGirl Jack, who comes along with [[TattooedCrook massive helpings of bod tattoos.]]
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': The Dark Templar was a definite {{subver|tedTrope}}sion. On the first game, they were largely regarded as a bunch of dark, shady heretics. One of their defining traits is that they don't have tendrils on the backs of their heads (the protoss equivalent of hair), making them essentially bald. Zeratul is the most obvious example. It turns out that they are actually one of the most heroic characters in the game. This, in turn, makes the Dark Templar a straight example of ImportantHaircut, but not BaldOfAwesome.
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed''
** Robert de Sable is the bald BigBad ([[BiggerBad mostly]]) of the [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI first game]].
** The Priest from ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' is a bald Templar.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''
* Hot Coldman from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', and he's quite evil, all right. Coincidentally, he is also voiced by {{Mugihito}}, who voiced Sigma.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'', we have Fatman, who, aside from, well, [[FatBastard what]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he is named for]], is also bald (the script implies that his baldness is the result of severe burns). Similar to Coldman, he is a very horrible person.
* In ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', all of the [[SecretPolice Lotus Assassins]] shave their heads.
* [[spoiler: Andre Oliveri]] from ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''.
* The Chaos Cultists and [[BigBad Lord Zymran]] from ''Warhammer40000ChaosGate''.
* Patches from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Although Mafia boss Bruto Cadaverini never actually appears in the third ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' game, his [[http://media.strategywiki.org/images/a/aa/PW_shikabane.png profile picture]] reveals quite an impressive BaldOfEvil.
* Vigagi and Sikalog, both of the Inspectors from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars''. The first shaves his head bald (or so he says, and doubles as a BerserkButton), and the second was apparently born that way.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* The WebAnimation/{{Mastermind}}'s bald head is just one of the many contributing factors to his evil appearance.
* Secondary ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' villain (and big-time sleazebag) Mars is severely bald on the top of his head, with only some grey around the sides and what's left in back pulled into a ponytail.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' added Mynd (a purple palette-swap of Sigma) and Captain Kinesis to the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' mix.
* Dr. Steve from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' fits this trope so closely he may or may not be a Lex Luthor parody.
* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes''
** Dr. Unpleasant: "Hey mister, your head looks like a [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=archive&chapter=29688#strip2 light bulb]]."
** Subverted [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=118629 here]] by Professor Odious, who is actually a [[TropaholicsAnonymous reformed villain.]]
* [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2003-06-04 Vilrath]] from ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan''. [[spoiler:Even though it was just Jacob wearing Vilrath's skin.]]
* Richard from ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'' is most likely bald, since one statue depicting a hoodless near-lookalike of him was bald, a glimpse of him having his head healed didn't show any indication of hair, and an early page where we see an x-ray version of Richard didn't show any hair outlines. Also, we get a few "up-hood" shots, and the fact that the scarily-similar Sisters have little-to-no-hair themselves does not help matters.
* ''Webcomic/TheLawOfPurple'': Silver is bald.
* ''Webcomic/DrNonami'': Aside from his BadassMustache, Mechano is bald.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', Lucky the elven mercenary is bald and very much evil.
* The Watcher in ''WebVideo/KateModern'' is an obvious example, although the show also features Tariq Bhartti, who has a shaven head and is a likable enough individual.
* [[Music/DoctorSteel Dr. Phineas Waldorf Steel]], complete with a BeardOfEvil. Arguably a nice guy, but definitely EvilOverlord-MadScientist themed.
* Darth Apparatus in ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'' is universally known for his bald head, having the [[FanNickname nicknames]] "Chrome Dome" and "Bald Nugget".
* In "Dead End" it's revealed that ''TheLeagueOfSTEAM'' are opposed by a league of bald-headed villains. Their [[YouHaveFailedMe penalty for failure]] is to have a wig glued to one's head.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The {{Big Bad}}s of ''WesternAnimation/{{Skyland}}'', Oslo and Diwan.
* In ''XMenEvolution'', Mesmero is bald, with arcane markings on his face and head. Much creepier than the original.
* Mr. Burns on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* Professor Farnsworth in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', although he's too much of a crazy ineffective old doofus to be truly evil. Plus, he's technically a good guy, as far as taking sides is concerned.
* Cobra scientist Dr. Mindbender in ''Franchise/GIJoe''.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
** [[AntiVillain Zuko]] was at his most evil when he had the least hair. (Maybe his ponytail is symbolic of his inner goodness.)
** [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]] isn't quite bald, but he mostly fits the bill. By what may or may not be coincidence, his voice actor, Clancy Brown, also played Lex Luthor in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. (And [[Film/{{Highlander}} the Kurgan]], who shaved his head.)
** [[ProfessionalKiller Sparky.]] [[ImplacableMan Sparky.]] [[TheVoiceless Boom.]] [[SomethingPerson Man.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'''s greatest adversary has always been Dr. Zin, who has always been distinctly bald.
* Asajj Ventress from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', one of the few female Balds of Evil and surprisingly good looking.
* Freakshow of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Arguably, his whole outfit has a villain look, but when surrounded by {{Goth}}s, not so much.
* Baron Ünterbheit in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers''. The show, however, also subverts this trope in that Rusty Venture is bald and Brock shaves his head at the end of Season 3. On the other hand, it might not be so much of a subversion, when you consider the fact that it would be difficult indeed to ever see Rusty or Brock as anything close to being GOOD - one's a {{Jerkass}} and the other is a SociopathicHero.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Prototype", a cop who's DrunkOnTheDarkSide as the result of using a thought-[[strike:controlling]] controlled PoweredArmor shaves his head to "ensure conductive contact".
* Mr. Rancid, a CorruptCorporateExecutive from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'', Obadaiah Stane's baldness carries over from the comics, down to being conspicuously clean-shaven when compared to Jeff Bridge's recognizable beard from the film. His head of security, O'Brien, is also bald. He carries it well.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': While being masked for most of the series, once The Huntsman reveals his face [[spoiler: (in his last five or so minutes left of screen time before he gets KilledOffForReal)]], he fits the bill.
* Dr. Scientist on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''.
* [[BigBad Bowser]] in ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBros'', unlike in the video games.
* Hacker and Claw from ''WesternAnimation/{{Centurions}}''.
* Abraham Kane, the BigBad from ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'', who also has a BeardOfEvil.
[[/folder]]
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