'''Basic Trope''': The villain mistreats his minions regularly.
* '''Straight''': Bob treats his minions like trash.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** Bob makes his minions do all the work while not paying them, and [[DisproportionateRetribution kills them for any small mistake]] or [[ForTheEvulz none at all]].
** [[BeleagueredBureaucrat Charlie]] is a worker who works 16 hour shifts, sleeps in his office, is paid two cents an hour, and never sees his family. He confronts Bob, [[PoseOfSupplication genuflecting so hard]] that he's practically kissing the floor, declaring that, WithAllDueRespect, the pay is garbage, [[NoOSHACompliance working conditions are worse]], employees are dying left and right and leaving even sooner, and [[SerialEscalation so on]]. [[ShootTheMessenger Bob]] [[IDontPayYouToThink is]] [[DisproportionateRetribution not]] [[FateWorseThanDeath amu]][[AndIMustScream sed]].
** [[RunningBothSides Using various aliases]], Bob manipulates his employees into joining multiple factions and fighting in an entirely pointless and bloody conflict for [[ItAmusedMe his own personal amusement.]]
* '''Downplayed''':
** Bob is very kind and generous to the minions who earn his favor, but losing his favor can have deadly consequences.
** MeanBoss
* '''Justified''':
** [[SurroundedByIdiots He has chosen incompetent minions who can't get a single thing done right,]] and then abuses them to make sure they don't want him to succeed, because he secretly wants his evil schemes to fail.
** Bob is just a {{Jerkass}}.
** Bob is a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] that suffers from a severe LackOfEmpathy, therefore he cares little about the lives of his minions.
** Bob is [[PointyHairedBoss incompetent]] and has zero rapport with his minions, so he's compensating by being a tyrannical asshole.
** Bob is a CompleteMonster.
** Bob climbed the rank to his current position by [[TheStarscream killing his various bosses]], and assumes his minions have the same ideas.
** Bob believes in motivating his minions with the threat of violence or death.
** Bob has a HairTriggerTemper.
* '''Inverted''':
** BenevolentBoss
** Bob's minions treat ''him'' like trash.
** Bob is a PsychoForHire who takes sadistic pleasure in selling out his employers.
* '''Subverted''': While Bob seems like a horrible boss right now, he [[TookALevelInKindness takes a level in kindness and becomes a better boss as time goes on]].
* '''Double Subverted''': Except he didn’t really [[TookALevelInKindness take a level in kindness]]. He just seemed nicer than the typical jerk of a boss/how he was in the past, but secretly he abuses all of his staff behind their back, while pretending to be a better person.
* '''Parodied''':
** Bob constantly fires some of his staff, every single day, by murdering them in ridiculously elaborate ways, for the slightest mistake.
** Bob viciously mauls one of his minions to death because [[DisproportionateRetribution they didn't add any sugar to his tea]].
* '''Zig Zagged''':
** Bob acts like a BenevolentBoss most of the time, but will become a BadBoss if his subordinates repeatedly fail at certain tasks or if things are falling apart. Nonetheless, he rewards successful minions, you [[GoodIsNotNice just don't want to get on his bad side.]]
** Bob is an incredibly cruel boss, but when people start complaining en masse, [[BaitTheDog he tells them to write a petition for change:]] if enough people sign, he'll work on improving. The petition is submitted, and Bob fires everyone who dared to sign it.
* '''Averted''': Bob behaves in a respectful and professional matter with his minions, or at least doesn't abuse them.
* '''Enforced''': "We need to show that Bob is a really bad person"
* '''Lampshaded''': "Geez, I'm your minion, not your slave! All right, I'm your slave too, but you still don't have to shout at me all the live-long day!"
* '''Invoked''': Bob feels like he has to act like a BadBoss in order to keep his minions in line.
* '''Exploited''':
** The heroes ask if the minions really enjoy working in such a negative environment, trying to provoke a MookFaceTurn.
** [[TheStarscream Daniel]] uses the same tactic as above to gain the support of Bob's employees, so his usurpation of power goes swimmingly and without resistance.
* '''Defied''': Bob treats his employees with respect and dignity, and even rewards them when they do something right, in order to avoid having them turn against him.
* '''Discussed''': "Ugh, why does every villain have to treat their minions like crap? Maybe if they show them some respect they might actually succeed in their evil plans!"
* '''Conversed''': After a meeting at which Alice yelled at some of her minions for screwing up, she talks to her personal assistant, Bob, asking if she had been too harsh with them.
* '''Deconstructed''':
** One of Bob's minions betrays him at a crucial moment due to past mistreatment. This leads to said minion [[TheStarscream offing Bob]] at that moment, [[DragonAscendant becoming the new boss]] in turn.
** Bob's minions get so fed up with his mistreatment towards them that [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal they eventually break off and desert him either randomly or in a time of need]], rendering Bob in either being at a disadvantage or ranting about how his minions didn't respect him at all.
** Bob has trouble recruiting new minions due to his reputation, leaving his forces severely weakened.
** Bob [[WhatHaveIBecome hates what's he's become]] [[LonelyAtTheTop on his way to the top]] and takes it out on his minions, starting a ViciousCycle that fills him with even more self-loathing and loneliness.
* '''Reconstructed''':
** Bob's minions are more afraid of him than the enemy, making them extremely fearsome in combat.
** The DragonAscendant becomes [[FullCircleRevolution twice the tyrant his boss was]], leading to more revolutions in turn while leaving the trend in place.
** The kind of threat you have to be in order to keep the loyalty of minions who are scared shitless of you is investigated.
* '''Implied''': [[TheScottishTrope None of Bob's minions are willing to say their master's name]].
* '''Played For Laughs''':
** Bob punishes his minions for the most minor of transgressions to the point of ComedicSociopathy.
** A random {{Mook}} asks a dumb question, and Bob responds by nonchalantly killing him.
* '''Played For Drama''': Bob's minions are so terrified of him that they often discuss getting rid of him or simply running away, feeling it's only a matter of time before they incur their boss's wrath.
* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': Bob is a MoleInCharge and GoodRunningEvil/[[EvilRunningGood vice versa]]. If it looks like [[GeneralFailure he's trying to kill off all his minions and drive his organisation into the ground]]...[[ObfuscatingStupidity it's because he is.]]
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Get back to BadBoss, or your fired!
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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Implied''': ???
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