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[[quoteright:350:[[Wrestling/{{Kane}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwe_kane1.png]]]]
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->"''C-a-i-n, like in Literature/TheBible, but I didn't kill anybody.''"
-->-- '''Herman Cain''''s typical self-introduction

Ever since that guy in Literature/TheBible killed his brother, characters named {{Cain}}, Caine, Kane, [[XtremeKoolLetterz Kayne]], or variants, have had a bad reputation. They tend to be villains. Since EvilIsCool, though, it was only a matter of time before the name became acceptable fodder for the odd {{antihero}}, as well. Either way, they tend to be morally sketchy, and probably badass.

For when the character is actually Cain himself, see {{Cain}} and BiblicalBadGuy. For when the character is descended from him, see TheDescendantsOfCain.

A specific form of NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast, and, of course, a MeaningfulName. Also see {{Cain}} and CainAndAbel, for obvious reasons. SisterTrope to VillainBaal. Compare JustForFun/OneMarioLimit.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Literature/TrinityBlood'': Cain Knightlord is the BigBad of the story, being leader of the terrorist organization Rosencreutz Orden and the older brother for Abel Nightroad, Seth Nightlord and Lilith Sahl (the latter killed by Cain). Although the series is based in a {{Steampunk}} future version of the Dark Age, the many biblical references of the main characters, as well all of them being [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Crusnik]] (lab-created vampires that feed from other vampires), makes this Cain a ''big'' reference to the original one as well to Caine, the ''first'' vampire from ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade''.
* ''Literature/LostUniverse'': Kane Blueriver, a space adventurer with his own ship who's also a descendant of [[Literature/{{Slayers}} Lina Inverse]] thousand of years in the future. Inverted here, since he's the HeroProtagonist of the series and an AllLovingHero.
%%* ''Anime/{{Nightwalker}}'': Cain.
* ''Anime/BakutenShootBeyblade'' : Kane is played straight in the manga and played with in the anime. In the manga, he's an evil genius who's willing to play dirty to defeat Takao, although DefeatMeansFriendship kicks in after he fails to secure victory. In the anime, he's sociable and hits it off with Takao right away. Then he becomes BrainwashedAndCrazy and is turned into a severely unhinged variant of his manga self. He gets better.
* ''Manga/CountCain'': While Cain is actually the protagonist, he was given the name because his father believes him to be cursed. He has a troubled past, is known as a ladies' man, collects poisons for a hobby, and has the unlucky tendency of having the people around him die often, and in gruesome ways. However [[spoiler:on his death]], Alexis reveals that he named his son "Cain" because even though the biblical Cain committed a terrible sin, God still forgave and protected him, and eventually allowed him to settle down.
* ''Golden Cain'': The title refers to the main character's enigmatic love interest who's trouble, to say the least.
* ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'': ''Teknoman'', the US adaptation, renames EvilTwin Shinya Aiba into Cain Carter... possibly to make up for renaming his tekkaman form to Teknoman Saber instead of the extremely descriptive "Tekkaman ''Evil''". The name Cain actually makes sense here, though: Based on the flashbacks, it seems that the twins' incredibly screwed up parents had been intentionally goading their sibling rivalry into full blown homicidal malice for pretty much their entire childhood, before anyone had ever heard of a tekkaman.
%%* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'': The anime uses a guy named Kaine the Longshot to replace a less family-friendly villain in the manga version.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Sergeant Kain Fuery. Subverted in that he's a rather shy and somewhat geeky communications officer. WordOfGod says that the author picked most of the first names for more minor characters at random from a dictionary of European names. It's actually a misromanization of Huey, after the [[EveryHelicopterIsAHuey iconic helicopter]], as part of the military characters' ThemeNaming, all of them being christened after military aircraft. Huey Kane does sound a bit more fitting for the character.
* ''Manga/DawnOfTheArcana'': Prince Cain. He is Caesar's older half-brother and the first-in-line to the Belquat throne. However, he holds a strong hatred for Caesar as Caesar's mother was put as queen while Cain's mother was dethroned, Caesar has black hair (hair color is taken as SeriousBusiness with black hair being the most favorable while the rest of the hair colors are seen as "common"), and Cain's fiancee Louise has feelings for Caesar.
* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'': A combined subversion and straight use of the trope. The Cain of this series is [[spoiler: Leader of an alien civilization destroyed by the Zonder. Cain also developed the G-Stone technology and sent Galeon to Earth with his son, Latio (AKA Mamoru). In short, a strong candidate for the show's [[BigGood Big Good]].]] However, in FINAL, [[spoiler: A replicant of Cain, named Pei La Cain, acts as one of the villainous 11 Sol Masters. Notably, his only two contributions to FINAL's plot are a brief appearance that costs Guy dearly in his first duel with Palparepa, and serving as Mamoru's opponent in the final battle.]]
* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has ''two'' such characters, both villains. The first is Kain Hikaru, a member of the dark guild Grimoire Heart that believes the BigBad to be the DarkMessiah; his name is technically Japanese-based and rhymes with the English word "pine", but he has a connection to a later villain not-so-subtly named "Able". The second, Zash Caine, is TheHeavy of the movie ''Anime/FairyTailDragonCry''.
* ''Manga/BananaFish'' features Cain Blood, an African American in charge of a New York gang. He's a neutral third-party, perhaps somewhat rarer for characters with this name.
* ''Manga/ToTheAbandonedSacredBeasts'': Cain Madhouse, the BigBad, is an AxCrazy [[TakeOverTheWorld megalomaniac]] who believes it is the right of the Incarnates to rule the world with him in charge.
* In the first ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' movie, ''Tenchi Muyo in Love'', the villain of the movie is named KAIN, a strange amorphous creature that took the combined might of the Galaxy Police and the Royal Juraian Family to contain. When he broke out, we travels back in time to kill the weak link in the royal bloodline - Tenchi's mother, Achika.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicStrip/BuckRogers'': One of the recurring enemies is one Killer Kane. Originally simply a CrazyJealousGuy soldier who became Buck's enemy after his girlfriend Wilma Deering left him for Buck, he was later upgraded into a "super-racketeer" who rules the Earth of 2440 as its supreme dictator.
* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
** ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}: Son of the Demon'': Qinlan is a former member of the League of Assassins whose parents were killed during the Hiroshima bombing. Blaming Ra's al Ghul for his parents' deaths, Qinlan became obsessed with death and changed his name to Qayin, after a variation of the name Cain.
** ''[[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Batgirl Vol. 2]]'': Cassandra Cain, the second Batgirl, is the daughter of an assassin (David Cain) and the world's greatest martial artist (Sandra Woosan, a.k.a. Lady Shiva). Cain raised her to kill practically from birth, but she escaped and became a superhero. Her name is probably a MythologyGag for the first Bat-Girl.
** ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'':
*** Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman, and her niece Bette Kane, Bat-Girl. Unambiguously heroic, but usually treated as pests or second-raters by ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', whose mother's maiden name also happened to be Kane. Probably named after ''Batman'' creator Creator/BobKane, who appears not to have been a real-life example of this trope. [[http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/389/ Maybe.]]
*** The Post-Crisis Batwoman, Katherine "Kate" Kane, has been drawn into the inner workings of the [[ReligionOfEvil Religion of Crime]] due to her presence at the heart of their prophecies regarding the "twice-named Daughter of Cain". As a "twice-named" (referring to [[spoiler:her twin sister, who she thought was lost as a child]]) and the daughter of a "Kane," the religion has become somewhat preoccupied with her sacrifice.
** ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis: Revelations'' establishes that much of the concept of Cain was actually based on the immortal supervillain Vandal Savage, who used Cain as one of his [[IHaveManyNames many aliases]].
** ''ComicBook/HouseOfMystery'': Cain is the sinister trickster host; his brother Abel hosts its sister series, ''House of Secrets''. While originally the names weren't strictly meant to say that they're ''the'' CainAndAbel, their appearances as supporting characters in ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' established that they're really a pair of StarfishAliens from billions of years ago who were the first sentient lifeforms in the universe to intentionally kill another of its own kind and its victim. The first act of murder was so monumental that they became archetypes living on for all of history in the collective unconscious of all life, [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith perceived by each new observer as one of their own]] and inspiring stories such as the Bible story of Cain and Abel. It's interesting to note that, while Eve is also a character in the comics, she does not consider herself to be related to them and denies it when Cain calls her "Mother". Cain responds that she is "everyone's mother", [[NoodleIncident and leaves it at that]].
** ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman2006 Wonder Woman Vol. 3]]'': Kane Milohai is a Hawaiian god and ally of Wonder Woman's. He helps her get back into Olympus, and is rewarded for his efforts by having his heart ripped out by Zeus.
* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
** ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': One of the Falcon's early enemies is a Daryl Kane, a low-level crimelord who creatively began calling himself "Nemesis" after clashing with Sam.
** ''ComicBook/GhostRider'': Vincent Cain aka Cain the Gris-Gris Man. Despite his name, he's not actually a Gris-Gris Man or even a man at all, but rather a murderous avatar of vengeance created by the elderly and bitter voodoo practitioner Ruby Avedon.
** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Kaine from ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''. Being an unstable, overpowered psycho clone who simultaneously loves and hates Peter Parker (and Ben Reilly) is pretty fitting here. Anyone he killed had an ugly scar on his face called "The Mark of Kaine," and he could even put this mark on someone ''without'' killing him if he wanted to make a serious point. Basically, as a clone of Spidey, he uses the power that lets him stick to walls... '''on your face.''' Ow. Nowadays, as the new ComicBook/ScarletSpider, he's calmed down considerably, but he's still quite the threat, especially being bonded to The Other.
** ''ComicBook/XForce'': Garrison Kane was originally a subversion, as despite his RageAgainstTheMentor motivation he was still a hero, and frankly ComicBook/{{Cable}} kind of deserved it for leaving Kane to die. Later after his original creators left he played his name very straight, falling prey to CyberneticsEatYourSoul and becoming the merciless enforcer for the mutant concentration camp Neverland.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'' has Cain Marko, [[TheJuggernaut THE JUGGERNAUT]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCH!]] Even more [[MeaningfulName appropriate]] given he's Xavier's [[CainAndAbel older, stronger, bullying stepbrother]], [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything jealous of his brother's intelligence and family favor]]. If you're still not convinced, [[{{Pun}} flip his names around]].
* ''ComicBook/MonstersUnleashed'': Solomon Kane is a HunterOfMonsters who has sworn to kill the French bandit Le Loup.
* ''ComicBook/TheTenSeconders'': Kane is a BadassNormal who has taken the fight to the "Gods" and killed several of them.
* ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight'': Joshua Kane, hunter of big game and werewolves in issue 4 and his unscrupulous businessman brother, Luther Kane.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/RebornTrilogy'': Boba Fett takes on the title of Darth Kain when he joins forces with Palpatine and becomes a Sith Lord. [[spoiler: He ends up renouncing it and becoming Boba Fett again just before his HeelFaceDoorSlam.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': The villain of the first movie is named Kain (though it's pronounced like "kine" in accordance with Japanese phonetics).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/CitizenKane'''s Charles Foster Kane is ''definitely'' an {{antihero}}.
* ''Film/RoboCop2'': the drug lord (torturer, murderer) Cain.
* ''Film/RaisingCain'': One of John Lithgow's split personalities is a serial killer named Cain.
* ''Film/{{Doomsday}}'' has the MadScientist Marcus Kane, and his AxCrazy son Sol... whose full name is presumably Solomon Kane.
* In ''Film/SouthlandTales'', Boxer Santaros's cheesy screenplay centers around a badass character named Jericho Cain (who he hopes to be able to play himself).
* ''Film/EndOfDays''' lead, Jericho Cain, played by Schwarzenegger. A total antihero, and implied to be the second-coming of Christ (J.C., get it?).
* Gabriel Caine in ''Film/{{Diggstown}}'', while a con man, is basically good and is an unambiguous hero of the story.
* Sutter Cane, from ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'', is an horror writer whose latest novel would have disturbing consequences. Seems to be more an allusion to Creator/StephenKing than to AbelAndCain, though.
* ''Film/{{Alien}}'': Kane was the crewmember who "gives birth" to the terrifying xenomorph. May be averted as the crewmember Kane is not a bad guy, just a terribly unlucky guy who found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time.
* Subverted in ''Film/Lifeforce1985''. Special Air Service Colonel Colin Caine stays completely heroic.
* In ''Film/HollowMan'', Dr. Sebastian Caine becomes invisible, and gradually goes mad with the power it gives him.
* In the ''Film/TheHaunting1999'' spoof in ''Film/ScaryMovie2'', the villainous ghost was called Hugh Kane. The original character in ''Haunting'' was called Hugh C'''r'''ain, technically getting just around this trope even though it's still evoking the phonetic symbology of the trope.
* Early drafts of the script for what became ''Film/ANewHope'' had Luke Skywalker called Annakin Starkiller, the son of a well-known warrior named Kane.
* The vicious Asiatic warrior in ''Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer'' who kills and rapes for fun is named Kane.
* ''Film/IComeInPeace'': Jack Caine, who is a CowboyCop AntiHero who frequently flouts protocol.
* ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing3LastMission'': the AntiHero is Hazen Kaine, a HitmanWithAHeart.
* ''Film/{{Soldier}}'': A new genetically engineered SuperSoldier who becomes Todd's arch-enemy is named Cain.
* ''Film/MenaceIISociety'': The main character is a hood guy named Caine. While he's not as bad as his AxCrazy friend O-Dog, he still can't escape the culture of violence.
* ''Film/Holocaust2000'': Subverted by Robert Caine, who merely unknowingly fathered TheAntichrist, but played straight by his diabolical son Angel Caine.
* ''Film/FatalInstinct'': Seriously, when you run into a FemmeFatale named "Lola Cain", don't be surprised that she's morally bankrupt.
* The protagonist of ''Film/MoreDeadThanAlive'' is named Cain. [[OnlyOneName Just Cain]]. A gunslinger released from prison after 18 years, Cain is trying to go straight but finding it hard as people cannot see him as anything more than a brutal killer. Not helped by people continually referring to him by his old nickname: "Killer" Cain.
* ''Film/{{Swelter}}'' has Kane, the most amoral of the CaperCrew and the (half-)brother to the crew's Mastermind. Interestingly, while Kane is still the evil one (relatively), in this case, it's him who is killed by his brother, not the other way around.
* ''Film/{{Zachariah}}'' has Job Cain, one of the most dangerous criminals in the West.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
%%* Subverted in ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles'' by Rick Riordan.
* In Pat Conroy's novel ''The Lords of Discipline'' there is an antagonistic character named Cain Gilbreath. Lampshaded mercilessly by the main character.
* The Jeffrey Archer book ''Kane and Abel'', although Abel wasn't portrayed as the "good" one.
* Literature/SolomonKane is a somber Puritan swordsman WalkingTheEarth with the only goal of vanquishing whatever evil he encounters.
* Karl Edward Wagner's ''Literature/KaneSeries'', who is in fact a Conan-esque (that's the description for those who have never read the Kane books... he's actually not much like Conan at all) version of the Biblical Cain, with stories that take place in a dangerous and dark prehistory. Kane himself was cursed with immortality by an insane elder god after having strangled his brother, Abel. From the evidence given in the stories, it's pretty clear that the insane elder god is meant to be Jahweh, i.e., {{God}}.
* From ''Literature/TheBourneSeries'', Jason Bourne's codename in the books is Cain, and [[spoiler:after Bourne's brother is brutally killed and Bourne is framed, one of the characters wonders if the name hadn't been prophetic]]. Also, in the movies, an alias of his is John Michael Kane.
* Caine of Garthan Hold (aka Hari Khapur Michaelson), of Matthew Stover's ''Literature/TheActsOfCaine'', who definitely has the morally ambiguous badass anti-hero thing down pat.
* Downplayed with ''Literature/CiaphasCain'', '''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!!!''', a FakeUltimateHero, has not one but two names with unfortunate Biblical implications. His surname of "Cain" gives away the fact that he not quite squeaky clean -- after all, he serves a fascistic organization.
* The [[spoiler:EvilTwin]], [[MeaningfulName Caine]], of Michael Grant's ''Literature/{{Gone}}''.
* The Ellery Queen novel "The King is Dead" features rich munitions maker King Bendigo, his wimpy brother Abel, and his drunk brother Judah. King Bendigo's real first name is Cain. He's the BigBad [[spoiler: even if he is not the murderer but the victim]].
* The Caine in ''Literature/TheCaineMutiny''. Tom Keefer even specifically says he feels the ship, a WWI relic held together by rust and grime, is as detestable as its Biblical namesake.
* Valkyrie Cain in ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' is one of the good guys, but she specifically picked her name based on the expression 'raising Cain' (making trouble).
** [[spoiler: She goes on to fulfill her name when she is forced to kill her sister in the final book to save the world, although she does immediately resurrect her.]]
* Subverted by Robin Kane, who is a teen girl detective, sort of like Nancy Drew.
%%* Enoch "Junior" Cain in Dean Koontz's ''From the Corner of His Eye.''
* The name of Marc [=DuQuesne=], the EvilGenius villain of the Literature/SkylarkSeries, is a relatively subtle pun on "mark of Cain" since it requires the reader to know that the surname is pronounced "du-CAIN".
* Caine, one of princes of [[Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber Amber]]. It's typical for Amber siblings to plot against one another, form strategic alliances and break them but Caine is the only one that actually gets to [[spoiler: kill his brother, or more precisely, half-brother Brand]].
* ''Literature/TheActsOfCaine'': Caine is an assassin for hire in a fantasy world. The fantasy world is real, but Caine is not a real person: he's portrayed by American "actor" Hari Michaelson, whose Studio sends him to Overworld to have adventures they can portray in VR sims.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Erica Kane from ''Series/AllMyChildren'' is generally at worst, a [[MamaBear vindictive matriarch you don't want to mess with]].
* Commander Cain in ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'' is a LivingLegend among the Battlestar fleet commanders and was explicitly based on General George Patton. As well, in comparison to his remake counterpart, he is a much nicer person (not to mention a man).
* Admiral Helena Cain in ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', commander of the Battlestar Pegasus. She quickly turns out to be a fanatical GeneralRipper so consumed with the war against the Cylons that she commits atrocities against civilian fleets.
* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. In "Breakdown", the protagonists seek the help of a Dr [[MyNaymeIs Kayn]] to cure Gan, but he's revealed to be an [[DrJerk egotist and supporter of the Federation]] who has no interest in curing his patient, and is only delaying them until a Federation patrol arrives. Kayn's actions cause the deaths of everyone on the space station, including himself, when it's struck by a MisguidedMissile from a Federation cruiser.
* Gib Cain the werewolf hunter in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', who doesn't care his victims are human 25 days out of the month.
* Paraplegic French cop Frédéric Caïn from ''Series/Cain2012'' is not a bad guy, but he's quite a [[DisabledSnarker snarky]] [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery jerk]].
* [[QuipToBlack Horatio... Caine]] of ''Series/CSIMiami''. He is the closest the franchise gets to a true "super cop", with his capacity for pulling off the StealthHiBye on crooks.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The villain of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E4Dragonfire Dragonfire]]".
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]]: Margaret "Maggie" Cain is one of the first crewmembers to be infected by [[MurderWater the Flood]], and appears to act as the ringleader as well.
* Evil, evil Cain Dingle from ''Series/{{Emmerdale}}''.
* When Stavros Cassadine came back to life on ''Series/GeneralHospital'', he sometimes used the alias Lucien Caine, and even fantasized about calling his hated brother Stefan's attention to the Cain/Abel echoes.
* ''Series/{{Hunter|1984}}'': Captain Cain, Rick Hunter's [[DaChief exasperated superior]] early in season 1. While not an overt antagonist as he's just doing his job trying to rein in Hunter's maverick tendencies, he's a pretty venal example of the "obstructive chief" since he's far more concerned with maintaining the appearance of an orderly department than protecting his officers.
* In the short-lived TV series ''Series/{{Kidnapped}}'', Cain is the name of the family of the kidnapped boy, who are embroiled in all sorts of conspiracies and nastiness.
* An interesting example here is Kwai Chang Caine from ''Series/KungFu1972'' -- generally a good guy, but not wholly unlike his biblical namesake; he killed a man and had to leave his homeland because of it.
* ''Series/TheMandalorian'': It's likely no coincidence that when Elia Kane's name's revealed, her surname's based on that of the original BiblicalBadGuy Cain, since she turns out to be a sadistic FakeDefector from Gideon's Imperial Remnant who's still doing evil.
%%* [[MeaningfulName Adam Kane]] from ''Series/MutantX''.
* ''Series/RomperStomper'': Zoe, who's a Christian, notes Kane's name, and says it's "wicked" (though she finds him appealing). Kane is a Neo-Nazi thug himself.
* Wyatt Cain from the Sci Fi Channel's ''Series/TinMan'', and the ''Tin Man in question''. All around BadassNormal, ex cop and ready for vengeance. But only against the people who destroyed his life and killed his wife and son (he believes).
* Duncan Kane (and his morally dubious dad Jake Kane) from ''Series/VeronicaMars''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/TheBand's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" begins with the line "Virgil Cain is my name" and includes a line reference to raising a Cain back up.
* Completely averted by Music/PaulSimon who used the pseudonym "Paul Kane" for some of his early compositions. At the time he was more concerned about the anti-Semitism he might experience from using his Jewish surname than the negative Biblical undertones of his pseudonym.
* Neo ProgressiveRock band Citizen Cain. Their lyrics exhibit an appropriately dark view of human nature.
* Music/EthelCain, the StageName of SouthernGothic indie singer-songwriter Hayden Anhedönia, invokes this. Fittingly, Christianity is a recurring theme in her music, especially in her album ''Preacher's Daughter''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/{{Kane}} of Wrestling/{{WWE}}. His backstory is that the seven foot tall monster was burned as a child and raised by "manager" Wrestling/PaulBearer. He is also brother to The Undertaker; although both are dark and evil characters, the biblical brother theme is still present. And then there's the whole "sadistic pyromaniac" aspect of his character, which makes him seem even more demonic. He has since suffered some character decay, according to some.
* Wrestling/TheUndertaker actually debuted as "Cain the Undertaker", although he dropped the Cain part after a few months.
%%* When Harlem Heat (Wrestling/BookerT and [[Characters/WCWBischoff Stevie Ray]]) first arrived in WCW in 1993, they were billed, respectively, as Kole and Kane.
%%* [[Characters/{{ECW}} ECW's Damien Kane]].
* Wrestling/{{Lodi}}'s real name is Brad Cain and, prior to his WCW arrival in 1997, had competed in the Carolinas independent scene as Brad Kane.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* Kain, evil Dragonstorm leader from ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', the biblical Cain (here spelled Caine) was the very first vampire.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' plays this one straight with Khaela Mensha Khaine, the Eldar god of war. In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', he's the God of ''Murder''.
** Also subverted with Commissar Literature/CiaphasCain ('''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!'''), the hero of the eponymous book series. He's a [[FakeUltimateHero self-professed coward]] who gets by with a [[AccidentalHero lot of luck]], however, he's still plenty badass and has taken on some of the worst the galaxy has thrown at him and come out on top on most occasions.
** Iskandar Khayon, chaos sorcerer of the Black Legion (pronounced "''Sekhandur Caine''"), also evokes this, as his attempted coup against Ahzek Ahriman gave the mage a dark reputation, even among fellow heretics.
* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh''; the Japanese name for [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Number_13:_Embodiment_of_Crime Number 13: Embodiment of Crime]] is Cain's Devil; it is a Dark Fiend, and has a Number [[ThirteenIsUnlucky that is traditionally bad.]] The reference gains additional meaning in the issue of the manga where it debuts; it was summoned by Kaito Tenjo after he reduced Shark's Life Points to below half - in short, Kaito played the role of Cain in the duel by acting as the aggressor against Shark.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/SeraMyu'' has Cain the Dark [[spoiler: who is the biblical Cain as a spirit possessing Sailor Astarte and later a homunculus made for him]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* Ride/UniversalStudios ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'':
** Dr. Albert Caine AKA the Caretaker is a MadDoctor who performed gruesome medical experiments on subjects both live and dead to study the soul and the limits of the human mind. His present-day speciality is "living, breathing autopsies", which is about as pleasant for the victim as it sounds.
** There's also [[DaddysLittleVillain his daughter]] Cindy Caine, whose third backstory states that she burned down the orphanage where she lived after abuse from the other children drove her over the edge -- and that was ''before'' the good doctor adopted her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Admiral Edmund Kane from ''VideoGame/{{Backstab}}'' is the game's BigBad, who betrayed his subordinate - the player protagonist Henry Blake - and arranged for a town under his governance to be invaded by the Spanish. Before using his connection to secure a promotion and rule over the seas as a tyrant.
* John "Dutch" Caine from ''VideoGame/BlowOut'' is a badass SpaceMarine and OneManArmy, as well as a BloodKnight who enjoys shooting enemies a little too much. He is one of the good guys, however.
* Kane from the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' games, the DarkMessiah of the Brotherhood of Nod, is heavily implied to be the biblical Cain - he's [[Really700YearsOld certainly been around long enough]], and in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' the player can find Abel's tomb beneath the Temple of Nod in Cairo.
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series stars a vampire named Kain, who later goes on to conquer the world, lead it into ruin, execute [[ThePlan plan after plan]] to save it... Kain's not a ''nice'' guy, but he doesn't start off evil and it's indicated that he doesn't end the series all that evil either. Still not nice, but...
* Lucas Kane, protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'', spends most of the game on the run from the cops after killing a man. Admittedly, he was possessed at the time, but still.
* The Kain family from ''VideoGame/{{Pathologic}}''. Though they aren't evil(there are no exact villains in the game), they are still creepy and mysterious - the [[spoiler: recently deceased]] patriarch of the family was a seemingly immortal man, his sister-in-law was resident TheCaligula, and her daughter [[spoiler: is obsessed and probably in love with one of the protagonists.]]
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series' Dr. Cain isn't a bad guy, but his attempts to copy Dr. Light's research ended in disaster.
* Kain of ''Videogame/FinalFantasyIV'', complete with feeling jealous and overshadowed by his brother-figure Cecil. [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Golbez takes advantage of this.]] [[spoiler:Ironically, Golbez turns out to be Cecil's ''actual'' brother. And to have ''also'' been brainwash by the true BigBad.]]
* Cain from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' subverts this, acting as one of Marth's earliest and most staunch allies. And to add to the irony, it's Abel who betrays his kingdom in the sequel.
* General Thaddeus Kaine of ''VideoGame/ZorkNemesis'', a villain happy to use ColdBloodedTorture and who [[AbusiveParents treats his son horribly]].
* In the NES version of ''Manga/{{Strider}}'', one of the supporting characters is named Strider Kain. Strider Hiryu is sent to kill him because he's fallen into enemy hands (Striders caught by the enemy are considered expendable since their identities are now known), but the situation becomes more complicated than it seems.
* The Kane family of the ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' series is one BigScrewedUpFamily. "Needles" Kane is a MonsterClown[=/=]SerialKiller, Charlie Kane is a reanimated corpse being controlled by his son, Marcus Kane is insane, and it's implied the entire series takes place in his head.
* Adam "Kane" Marcus from ''VideoGame/KaneAndLynch'' fits, as although he is a protagonist, he is a ruthless mercenary [[BlackAndGrayMorality who's mostly only heroic because his enemies are worse]].
* Subverted in the ''Videogame/{{Diablo}}'' series. Deckard Cain is a LastOfHisKind scholarly good guy who will identify your magical items for you.
* ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'': The evil knight Kane is one of Runefaust's strongest enforcers. [[spoiler:Fittingly, he's also the brother of the protagonist.]]
%%* Kainas Christi from the obscure ''VideoGame/KartiaTheWordOfFate'', father to Lacryma, one of the two protagonists.
* Billy Kane from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' games, though in this case his surname is pronounced "[[AVillainNamedKhan Khan]]". A vicious fighter and henchman of [[SuperMobBoss Geese Howard]] who also has a [[MonsterBrotherCutieSister cute little sister]] called Lilly Kane, literally the "Abel" of his big brother, but Billy [[BigBrotherInstinct protects her]] instead of wanting to kill her.
* Kain R. Heinlein from ''VideoGame/FatalFury''. Best friend to Abel "Grant" Cameron. You see where this is going right?
* Not a character example, but the M-920 Cain is the most powerful weapon in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. One shot will kill almost any enemy in the game, and the final boss can only take two hits. It has two drawbacks however: a long charge up time and a blast radius large enough to easily kill the player.
* In ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'', an alchemist named Caine appears as a ghost on the now-dead island of Skara Brae. He blames himself for this, as he attempted to make a substance that could kill the lich Horance who was taking over the island, but botched the mixing process which resulted in a colossal fire that destroyed the island. [[spoiler:Subverted in that it actually wasn't his fault, but he inadvertently started Batlin on his path to darkness.]]
* Cain in ''VideoGame/{{Galerians}}'' is a textbook example of this, being a jealous, villainous, and murderous brother.
* Cutter Cain, who kills Seers, typically with a knife, in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes: Going Rogue''; [[spoiler: Subverted in that his actual name is Doctor Steffard; he's actually a [[LaResistance Resistance]] [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified Warden]] trying to help them by removing cybernetic implants binding them to mindless slavery; but the science is so experimental it's not always successful, and at least one was killed by a remote kill-signal in the implants after he had released her.]]
* A character named Caim (a Gaelic spelling of Cain) is the main character of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}''. His moral compass can be described charitably as "{{Anti Hero}}ic" -- in fact, the only thing that keeps him from being a VillainProtagonist is that the target of his RoaringRampageOfRevenge happens to plan to TakeOverTheWorld (and for the record, Caim would still be butchering them all even if their goal happened to be 'build the world's happiest puppy orphanage'). [[spoiler:By the second game he's turned into an antagonistic RogueProtagonist, who seeks to free his pact partner from the Knights even if it means she'll destroy the world when freed.]] Though unlike other examples on this page, Caim is an unintentional example only due to the aforementioned fact Caim is a spelling of Cain in Gaelic: Most of the main cast of characters in Drakengard are named after a demon from the Literature/ArsGoetia, in his case, Duke [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Camio/Caym/Caim]].
%%* Kane a sailor in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. Though it's meaningful in an unorthodox way when compared to other characters like Candy and Gummy.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'' series has the mob boss Solomon Caine.
* Though it's really a Disguise/Split personality, there's a Cain in ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac''. He wears an eyepatch and his starting skills make him a 'rogue' kind of characters. Abel makes an appearance as an item/familiar. Repentance later added [[spoiler:Tainted]] Cain, a variation that has the eyepatch eye clawed and is unable to pick up items, causing them to burst into pickups. He instead needs to use a special sack to collect said pickups and turn them into items.
* The former FBI director trying to kill Agent 47 in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'' is named Alexander Leland [[MyNaymeIs Cayne]].
* Kayn is a playable champion in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' designed as an edgy assassin wielding a demonic scythe.
* TheRival in ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' is named Kayin. He comes with a boatload of symbolism about his name: his backstory, occupation and stages all harken back to the Biblical figure.
* VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} has an Emperor Cain. And an Abel, no less![[note]]Although he doesn't actually succeed in killing Abel, just his girlfriend/adoptive mother who protected him via HeroicSacrifice. [[WifeHusbandry Yeah.]][[/note]] The game's filled with Biblical references, after all.
* Cain Fact from ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'', [[spoiler:who also goes by "Demon King Darm". He is the main villain of ''VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter'' and ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'' and is responsible for most of the disasters that befell in the world.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'' has a fantasy AU in which [[spoiler: [[TeenSuperSpy Yuuya]]'s]] name is Cain Reprobus. The fantasy AU reflects the normal canon in many ways - Cain's a paladin, a healer-fighter and KnightInShiningArmor much beloved by his people, but his name hints about how [[spoiler: Yuuya killed one brother to save another]] and regrets it, and tries to [[TheAtoner atone]] through general heroism.
* From ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'' there is Tubal Cain, a massive zombie like creature that swings around a mock-up of the holy lance. Though he is named after the biblical man said to have been the first blacksmith instead of the usual Cain.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Despite having a brother called Abel, nothing in ''Webcomic/BeyondTheEnd'' suggests that Cain is the biblical Cain. Him and his brother are just a couple of angels with some unfortunate names [[spoiler: and end up following through on their namesake.]]
* Gabriel Caine from ''Webcomic/{{EVIL|2016}}''.
* The two main characters of ''Webcomic/{{Starfighter}}'' are code-named Cain and Abel. Cain is a cocky, [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark]], FetishizedAbuser and former criminal who's involved in some kind of subterfuge with the higherups. Despite being a major {{Jerkass}} and somewhat abusive, he comes across as cool, competent, and sexy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/TheAmazingDigitalCircus'': The [[AIIsACrapshoot rogue AI]] running the titular Circus who's putting human souls through torment is named Caine, though he's {{affabl|y evil}}e and {{oblivious|ly evil}} rather than straight evil.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': What [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-073 SCP-073]] calls himself. Ironically he's a pleasant WalkingWasteland while [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-076 SCP-076-2]], "Able," is an AxCrazy BloodKnight. Professor Crow's first name is also Kain.
%%* Warrick Kaine, a.k.a. Alloy from ''Literature/TheDescendants.''
* ''Literature/GrandmasterOfTheft'' focuses around protagonist Cassidy Cain, an AntiHero ClassyCatBurglar. Furthermore, she's a member of the Cain Dynasty and family founded [[MegaCorp CAINternational]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* In WebVideo/{{Starpocalypse}}, [[SdrawkcabName Niac]] fits this, being a complete prick who endangers the human race.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In the [[ShowWithinAShow Comic Book Within a Show]] ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Radioactive Man]]'', Radioactive Man's Secret Identity is Claude Kane, probably in parody of this trope. He's depicted as pretty much an IdiotHero.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/DragonBooster'' has a character named Cain, played of course by Creator/ScottMcNeil.
* Episode 11 of ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' has Lance and Illana escaping a mysterious prison with a fellow prisoner named Cain. He's actually a good guy...until he turns out to be TheDragon of the bad guys.
* Abraham Kane of ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'', the show's AffablyEvil BigBad obsessed with crushing what little population of Detroit remains outside of his rule. He even has a fitting voice, being played by Creator/MarkHamill.
* Hunter Cain of ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'', who has no real goal except [[VanHelsingHateCrimes killing EVOs.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', one episode had the Villian Of The Week named Kane North trying to kill his brother Abel. Makes you wonder what their parents were thinking when they named their kids.
* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' has Lady Caine, a recurring villain who first appears in the pilot movie, ''Tangled: Before Ever After''.
[[/folder]]

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