'''Basic Trope''': A villain who is evil due to terrible circumstances and/or choices that drove them to villainy.
* '''Straight''':
** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Dr. Psychosis]] is a MadScientist and SerialKillerKiller who became evil after his family was murdered.
** Dr. Psychosis is a DrJerk who is out to destroy someone, in revenge, due to being responsible for an incident that turned him into a super-villainous megalomaniac.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** Dr. Psychosis is a FallenHero who becomes an OmnicidalManiac after his country is conquered and his people massacred by the nation he seeks to destroy.
** Dr. Psychosis feels he had been controlled his whole life, like he has no freedom. [[TheDogBitesBack Now it's his turn to control the world.]]
* '''Downplayed''': Dr. Psychosis is an AffablyEvil PlayfulHacker and a DirtyCop who robs banks because [[CorruptCorporateExecutive all the public and private investors]] withdrew funding from his projects.
* '''Justified''': Dr. Psychosis' victims are [[AssholeVictim terrible people]] who have wronged him, so he is driven to [[PayEvilUntoEvil do evil things to them]].
* '''Inverted''':
** TragicHero
** CompleteMonster
* '''Subverted''':
** Dr. Psychosis still kills people regardless of whether they have wronged him or not.
** Dr. Psychosis is offered forgiveness from [[TheHero Bob]] and does a HeelFaceTurn.
** Dr. Psychosis has an IgnoredEpiphany, [[NeverMyFault rejecting any guilt or fault he may feel.]]
** Dr. Psychosis eventually makes a HeelFaceTurn, and becomes TheAtoner.
** EvilIsPetty
* '''Double Subverted''':
** Dr. Psychosis is also killing innocent people because he wants people to hate him enough to want to kill him as he can't live with himself.
** Dr. Psychosis' redemption is temporary and he soon goes back to killing people because he thinks that his methods of justice are better, even if they are evil.
** Dr. Psychosis has been in denial about his feelings of guilt and eventually [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone regrets his actions.]]
** Dr. Psychosis suffers another tragic circumstance, causing him to turn back to his life of evil.
* '''Parodied''': Dr. Psychosis is an exterminator who wants to stop the giant-mutant-radioactive-killer-cockroaches from outer space, but thinks he does not deserve redemption.
* '''Zig-Zagged''': HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.
* '''Averted''':
** There is nothing sympathetic or tragic about Dr. Psychosis' actions.
** [[NoAntagonist There are no villains]].
** GenericDoomsdayVillain
* '''Enforced''': The executives issue a mandate to the writers, instructing them to make the villains [[CryForTheDevil more]] {{sympat|heticMurderer}}[[JerkassWoobie hetic]] to the viewers under the belief that they can attract viewership.
* '''Lampshaded''': "Dr. Psychosis may be a villain, but the world has wronged him in so many ways that I can't hate him for it."
* '''Invoked''': "[[TheyCalledMeMad Those jerks called me mad]], but I'll show them who's mad!"
* '''Exploited''': AntiHero Steel Blood keeps reminding Dr. Psychosis about his past to push him over the [[RageBreakingPoint edge]].
* '''Defied''': "I don't care whether Dr. Psychosis' victims are assholes or whether he knows he's wrong. [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse He's still evil and needs to be stopped]]."
* '''Discussed''': "I know Dr. Psychosis is evil and all, but come on, if [[DarkAndTroubledPast I lived a life like he did]] I'm sure I'd turn evil too."
* '''Conversed''': "Wow, that MadScientist guy sure has gone through some crap in his life."
* '''Implied''': Dr. Psychosis never speaks of his past, but his actions show he's fighting out of desperation, not just ForTheEvulz.
* '''Deconstructed''': Dr. Psychosis lets his past get the better of him and ultimately starts to go insane and [[MotiveDecay forget what he was fighting for in the first place]].
* '''Reconstructed''': Dr. Psychosis eventually manages to put his goals before his emotions and regains his sanity.
* '''Played for Laughs''': "What was that, Steel? [[Webcomic/HiimDaisy I couldn't hear you over the sound of my troubled past.]]"
* '''Played for Drama''': After the heroes defeat Dr. Psychosis, they [[AlasPoorVillain regret having had to do so]].
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