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The various antagonist encountered throughout the series.

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Common Tropes:

Arc Villain: The first four Big Bads have absolutely nothing to do with Salem.
Chekhov's Gunman: While it seems that they aren't that important in the grand scheme of things, the Arc Villains (sans Lyra) are all used by Cinder to discredit Ozpin and his inner circle.
Serial Escalation: The Big Bads, of the first part of the series, especially if you consider them chronologically.
- Lyra was an Abusive Parent, torturer of Faunus, and a child murderer.
- Keter was a Serial Killer who killed families across Remnant and became a one-man city-wide threat.
- Abigail was an "Angel of Death" Serial Killer, who hid in plain sight and had a Semblance that was used to kill almost a hundred people.
- Scorch was in charge of a terrorist organization and was the first villain not to be working by himself, unleashing a plot to destroy Vale.
- And thanks to Cinder's actions in Vytal Tournament, the Fall of Beacon has begun.
The Sociopath: This tends to be the case with the Big Bads. While somewhat less prevalent among minor villains, it still happens often. Details for the ones that are will be listed in their folders if they are here. See all of them on this page.

Main Villains

Salem

Appearances: Vytal Tournament, Beacon's Fall, Recovery, Bloodsucker, Atlas, Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, The Ring, Haven, The Road To Atlas, Cold

An Ancient Evil that Ozpin has been fighting. See some more of her tropes under Cinder's folder.

Tropes:

Abusive Mom: She created the sentient Grimm and they refer to her as "mother." It doesn't stop her from punishing them when they don't live up to her standards. She brutally killed the Aswang after failing to kill Ruby, and she lobotomizes the Spider into a mindless beast because he wasn't malevolent like his brothers.
Adaptational Abomination: In canon, Salem is little more than a Monstrous Humanoid with immortality and the ability to regenerate. Her powers in this series paint her more as a genuine Humanoid Abomination.
Adaptational Jerkass: She engages in a petty taunt towards Ozpin in Vytal Tournament. She still views Ozpin as a Worthy Opponent in canon and wouldn't do such a thing. She also takes more relish in the suffering of others. The fact that she's combined with Cinder explains her being more of a bitch and not Affably Evil.
Adaptational Superpower Change: She takes the Fall Maiden's powers for herself. She can also disguise herself and grow to enormous sizes.
Adaptation Origin Connection: She actually created all the Grimm beasts, not the God of Darkness.
Ambiguously Gay: Since she's a Humanoid Abomination and she was only manipulating Emerald, conventional human sexuality may not apply to her. So, it's not outright clear whether she is gay or just used sexuality to manipulate Emerald. It becomes less ambiguous in Salem's Arrival since it appears that she uses Raven for sex as a stress reliever.
Ambiguously Human: She appears to be a humanoid Grimm like in canon, but she can apparently generate an Aura that can be registered during the tournament. Adding to the confusion, she's weak to silver-eyes like the Grimm and bleeds black blood. It turns out that she used to be human before Void found her.
Bad Boss: She doesn't really care about the people under her command and will torture, threaten, and kill them on a moment's notice. Emerald and the Aswang learn this the hard way, and Raven is absolutely terrified of her when she fails to kill Ruby.
The Beastmaster: Even when she disguises herself as Cinder, Salem still has control over Grimm beasts.
Big Bad: Of the series. She reveals that she has been disguising herself as Cinder the whole time. After Beacon's Fall, she takes center stage as the Big Bad.
Black Blood: This is revealed when Pyrrha cuts her.
Brought Down to Normal: After releasing Void from his prison, Salem is "rewarded" with all her powers stripped from her.
Composite Character: Cinder is Salem in disguise, so she is the one to become the Fall Maiden. In addition, she takes on Cinder's impulse to gloat, arrogance, sadism, and lust for power. Waking up at the bottom of the Vault of the Spring Maiden and punching her way out is also something Cinder did in Volume Six.
Dark Lord on Life Support: After being severely injured by Ruby's silver eyes, she has to rest and recover. She can barely move at the moment.
Deal with the Devil:
- Three people^spoilerJacques, Little Miss, and Raven have made deals with her in exchange for survival or power.
- Ironically enough, she made a deal with Void for godhood if she released him from his imprisonment.
The Dreaded: Even among other examples on this page, they all cower in fear of Salem.
Early-Bird Cameo: She got mentioned in the first story.
Evil Matriarch: She created the sentient Grimm beasts and they refer to her as "mother."
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Not her usual form which reflects her true nature perfectly, but her Cinder form is Ms. Fanservice. She was definitely like this when she was younger before being corrupted.
Faux Affably Evil: She can be shamelessly glib and smug when threatening to torture or murder people. When things are in her favor, she can be rather calm but still inject venom into her words.
Freudian Excuse: She was locked away in a tower by her father, but that was for killing her sister. And the megalomaniacal ego trip that she went on after gaining power from Void gains her no sympathy.
The Ghost: She had been mentioned a lot but didn't appear. Subverted in Vytal Tournament when she sends a message to Ozpin. As Beacon's Fall shows, it was really subverted in Field Trip.
Glamour Failure: After severe injuries, she is stuck in her Cinder form. It isn't perfect, though. She gets better with it as she recovers.
Godhood Seeker: The reason she teamed up with Void was to obtain godlike status from him.
Good Thing You Can Heal: As Pyrrha notes, it's one reason she's so cocky when she fights her. Salem can instantly heal injuries and regenerate severed limbs. As long as there are no silver eyes around…
Greater-Scope Villain: The most powerful force of evil in the RWBY universe, but not the direct antagonist yet. Turns out she really was the direct antagonist when Cinder showed up. And there is an even bigger force who sent her to Remnant. However, she still counts as this in any story where she doesn't directly antagonize the heroes and isn't the active main threat.
Hero Killer: She personally kills Glynda, Ozpin, Pyrrha, Weiss and Willow over the course of the series.
He's Back!: She returns with a vengeance in the ending of Cold.
Hidden Villain: She had been posing as Cinder.
I Control My Minions Through...: Fear more often than not, but like in canon, she's flexible with this.
- With Mercury, she promises to allow him the chance to kill people.
- Emerald is controlled by her love of Cinder so, control through seduction.
- Jacques is controlled by their ego and the promise of power that she provides to them.
- Raven is a Dirty Coward controlled primarily through fear since they're afraid of what Salem will do to them.
- Little Miss Malachite gets offered a Grimm beast that she captured and Salem promises to make him more obedient.
I Let You Win: Considering the fact that she could easily demolish all of JNP on her own in no time, she clearly allowed herself to be defeated in Vytal Tournament when posing as Cinder.
Immortal Immaturity: She says she's thousands of years old and she's a Psychopathic Womanchild.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: After Void is killed and Salem has lost all her powers, Winter impales her with Myrtenaster, bringing an end to her evil once and for all.
Inheritance Murder: She killed her sister to get the kingdom. After being released and given power by Void, she went on to kill her father for the chance at godhood.
I Shall Taunt You: She has a message delivered to Ozpin specifically to gloat.
Logical Weakness: She can regenerate any injury if she ever gets cut or loses limbs. That doesn't mean she's not susceptible to concussions as the ending of Haven seems to show.
Master of Disguise: She hides under the alias of "Cinder Fall."
Meaningless Villain Victory: Salem ultimately manages to obtain all four Relics and use them to free Void from his prison. However, rather than give her the godhood he promised her, he takes away her powers and attempts to destroy Remnant. Becomes even more meaningless after Void's destruction by Ruby.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The reason Lionheart knows that his family isn't alive is that she declined to let him see them. She usually did so as a way to rub it in his face due to her sadism, but as soon as she gets angry and refuses to let him see them, he knows that they're dead and she has no leverage over him anymore.
Orcus on His Throne: After Beacon's Fall, she has no choice since she's so heavily injured. This seems to change in Salem's Arrival once she gets back on her feet.
Oh, Crap!: As soon as she sees that Ruby has the power of the silver eyes, she immediately freaks out.
Pragmatic Villainy: She is willing to forgive Raven's cowardice and give them a second chance because of what they provide her. Though, she only allows one more chance. The only reason she's horrified when Mercury accidentally kills Lionheart's wife and child is that they've lost their only leverage over him.
Psychopathic Womanchild: For the ultimate evil in the RWBY universe, she has some very childish behaviors. She spends time taunting Ozpin just before enacting her plan, not suggesting a lot of maturity on her part. Her address to Remnant discrediting Oz and his allies has some rather childish undertones with the name-calling used (specifically calling Glynda a whore-addicted harlot) and the final sentence calling them "stupid, selfish, incompetent, and most importantly, weak." Even as she fights Pyrrha, she engages in petty name-calling and insults. When angered by Pyrrha's insults, one time she only responds with "Screw you!" Her Villainous Breakdown is essentially just a massive tantrum. And she's absolutely giddy when she is about to get the Relic of Knowledge. In addition to all of this, after Void takes away her powers and immortality, her very last words before Winter kills her consist of whining about how unfair the situation is because he promised her great power in exchange for freeing him. Justified since she was locked away in a tower for most of her developmental years. She didn't have the chance to adequately mature mentally, explaining her childish motives and behaviors.
Put on a Bus: Presumably, Salem isn't dead after Haven, but Summer says she's gone and she hasn't been seen in the present storyline after that.
- The Bus Came Back: She returns in Cold.
Sadist: She says that she prefers fear from the prey that she kills. This also explains Cinder's sadism. She outright calls herself a sadist when she listens to how Raven abuses Vernal.
Sizeshifter: She can expand in size during battle. She does this while fighting Pyrrha.
Smug Super: She definitely likes lording her superiority over others. Especially after gaining the Fall Maiden's powers.
The Sociopath: An Omnicidal Maniac bent on causing chaos and suffering. She proves to be a textbook case of the trope. In addition, all of Cinder's sociopathic traits are actually Salem's. And she was like this even when she was young.
Sophisticated as Hell: She has a somewhat formal way of speaking, but it is littered with some informal syntax and mild profanities — something that adds to her image as a Psychopathic Womanchild.
Transhuman Abomination: She looks like a humanoid Grimm who can apparently generate an Aura, is weak to silver eyes just like Grimm, and has the power to change her size and regenerate injuries. She can also disguise herself to look even more like a human, which makes sense since see was human.
Two Aliases, One Character: She is disguised as Cinder.
Undignified Death: At the very end of Cold, she throws a whiny temper tantrum after being betrayed and depowered by Void, and is then killed simply by being impaled by Winter.
Villainous Breakdown: She starts going through a massive one at the end of The Ring. She is furious that Little Miss not only failed to kill Ruby, but is currently on the lamb. Before she can finish being angry about that, Mercury calls and says that he accidentally killed Lionheart's family, losing the only leverage they had over him. When Lionheart calls him, she can barely keep a lid on her anger when he asks about his family while she's trying to keep it a secret. She even gets angered when he hangs up on her.
Walking Spoiler: Mentioning her existence and role in the story is easy without spoiling anything major. You just have to make sure you don't reveal the fact that she disguises herself as Cinder. As her role expands, she shows that she has connections with several characters that could spoil certain parts of the plot.
Was Once a Man: She used to be human before Void granted her powers.
You Have Failed Me: She doesn't take kindly to the fact that the Aswang lost Ruby, Nora, and his hand. He says that it won't happen again, and Salem agrees.

Void (Spoilers)

Void, The Brother God of Darkness and Destruction

Find his tropes here.

Team CMEN

General Tropes

Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neopolitan

Pronounced "caiman".

Tropes:

Early-Bird Cameo: They show up in the last chapter of Field Trip while discussing their evil plan.
False Friend: Even if it wasn't made obvious, if you knew about the show, you know they're gonna stab our heroes in the back eventually.
Hidden Villain: For the first four stories since they were still working from the shadows. They aren't even mentioned until their appearance in the final chapter of Field Trip. And as Vytal Tournament shows, they were working in the shadows even during the Keter incident.
Last Episode, New Character: They finally appear in Chapter 7 of Field Trip.

Cinder

Cinder Fall, Codename: "Fire Starter"

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Beacon's Fall

The Leader of Team CMEN and cover identity of Salem. See some more of her tropes under the Salem folder.

Tropes:

Abled in the Adaptation: She didn't lose her eye or her arm due to actually being Salem. She was able to recover and the Cinder disguise isn't disfigured like canon!Cinder is.
Actually, I Am Him: She's Salem in disguise and she reveals this after Ozpin asks what Cinder has to gain from Salem by doing all of this.
Batman Gambit: He uses Skull's CCT raids to make Ironwood paranoid enough to use his knights and paladins.
Big Bad: Of the first part of the series. She officially takes this role in Winter Has Come. Since she's really Salem, she's also the Big Bad of the whole series.
The Chessmaster: She plans on using Ironwood's knights and paladins to take down Vale using Skull's attacks to make him paranoid. She also orchestrates the plan to frame Pyrrha for attacking another student.
"Excellent. All According to Plan."
Curb-Stomp Battle: Delivers this to Jaune and would've won had Pyrrha and Nora not intervened.
Deadpan Snarker: She tends to have a few sarcastic lines. Especially when lampshading his murderous methods.
Demoted to Extra: She was one of the major villains in the series and still continues to play a major role. After the reveal that she's actually Salem in disguise, Cinder is delegated to nothing more than Salem's cover identity rather than a genuine character.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Even more than in canon since she's really Salem in disguise.
Faux Affably Evil: Her calm demeanor and ability to act innocent contrasts her absolute ruthlessness. This is exemplified by her murder of Emerald.
Gambit Roulette: Several of the things in her plan are really hinged on events that she couldn't have accounted for. This is clear when she says that Scorch's attack was not expected. However, when the plan is to create chaos, a focused plan isn't technically necessary.
Hero Killer: Not only is she responsible for the canon death of Amber, but she also kills Glynda beforehand. Not to mention being indirectly responsible for the deaths of Jaune and Penny.
Hoist by His Own Petard: She does this to Ironwood and Ozpin. She had the recordings of them dismissing Keter's rampage and allowing people out on the streets to rock the people's faith in them.
Kick the Dog: Killing Emerald just because the girl wasn't ruthless enough.
Lack of Empathy: She constantly chides Skull for his blatant Bad Boss tendencies, but she doesn't really seem to care about them specifically. Just that it seems wasteful to kill them all the time. The only thing she feels bad about after killing Emerald is losing a valuable asset.
Let No Crisis Go to Waste: She uses the previous Arc Villains (sans Lyra) to discredit Ozpin and his allies.
Lipstick Lesbian: She is very feminine in canon and in this version is in a relationship with Emerald.
Manipulative Bitch: She manipulates both Ironwood to make him paranoid enough to bring in his drones and uses Emerald's Semblance to trick Pyrrha into attacking others student to turn everyone against her. She also manipulates Emerald by making her devoted to her after saving her life from Neo. She even uses a disguise to hide the fact that she's Salem.
Mind Rape: Using the Seer Grimm, she does this to Neo to rescue Emerald from being raped by her.
The Sociopath: She manipulates others into doing what she wants and plans to kickstart a massacre in Vale. She even smiles as she orders Emerald to use her Semblance to frame Pyrrha, one time resulting in a death. She later kills Emerald for not being ruthless enough.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: A new one for this continuity:
"Look, at what your headmasters have brought upon you. They force children to fight in their battles against the Grimm and look what it causes, a student who snaps a girl’s arm after winning a fight? Then brutally murders another for holding a blade up in her own defense? This could’ve been avoided if they had punished her accordingly, but they did none, coming to her defense and allowing her to commit these crimes unstopped. This is just one of the many things your headmasters have done behind their backs...I wonder what else they’ve done?"

[plays recording of Ozpin and Ironwood discussing Keter]

"That was Atlas General James Ironwood oh-so responsibly deciding to let a deranged serial killer run free on Halloween night to save his reputation. As for Ozpin? Well, you don’t remember him putting up a curfew or canceling Halloween, do you? The men who are supposed to be protecting care more about their reputation and personal relationships with one another than the actual safety of the people. This along with hiring drug addicts, adulterers, alcoholic womanizers, and whore-addicted harlots to teach your kids and protect your city. Look how good a job that was, a serial killer allowed to run free, a mass murder at a hospital, a terrorist killing off a large section of the city...and me...a servant of a deity far beyond any of your comprehension. A deity you’ve been kept in the dark about because of men and women who arrogantly believed they could save you from her without you even knowing she existed."

"The Grimm are coming for you, and know that your headmasters and huntsmen and huntresses will never be able to save you, because they’re stupid, selfish, incompetent, and most importantly, weak."
This Is Gonna Suck: When she discovers Pyrrha's polarity Semblance, she has an annoyed reaction to the fact that she's about to lose the battle.
Xanatos Speed Chess: She's a master of taking events that happen and turning them in her favor. When she goes to save Emerald, she was just trying to make her devoted by saving her life. However, finding Neo raping her allows her to Mind Rape Neo and get another servant. She only meets Mercury in the woods by chance but hearing that he became a Self-Made Orphan For the Evulz makes her hire him on the spot. The plots of Ruby's Birthday, Weiss and Pyrrha, and Field Trip provide cannon fodder to discredit Ozpin.

Mercury

Mercury Black, Codename: "Skull"

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Recovery, Bloodsucker, Salem's Arrival, The Ring, Haven

Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: He was a sadist and a sociopath on the show, but this version is an outright murderous maniac who loves to kill people. Also, he only killed his parent's because he could here, whereas in canon his father Marcus is all but stated to have been both The Alcoholic and an Abusive Parent.
Ax-Crazy: He looks forward to committing serial murder. He also kills his own workers, taking pleasure in murdering allies and enemies alike.
Co-Dragons: With Emerald. They both carry out Cinder's orders. Upgrades to just The Dragon after Emerald is killed.
Death by Adaptation: He survives the attack on Haven in the show. He was killed by Ironwood here.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: He tends to make a lot of sadistic jokes at the expense of other's suffering. He even finds suffering inherently humorous.
For the Evulz: All he wants to do is kill people, and he takes every opportunity to do it. When offered the job, Cinder appeals to him by telling him that he can kill as many people as he wants. He even killed his parents for no other reason other than, "Why not?" Later, he's seen shooting people during the Fall of Beacon just for kicks. This gets deconstructed since Mercury starts to torture Lionheart's family because he was bored and he gets carried away, leading to him having to kill them to keep them from screaming too much and losing Salem's leverage over him.
Insult Backfire: On the receiving end from Pyrrha after he tries to troll Team JNP. And it is glorious!
Jerkass: Unapologetically, making it more satisfying when Pyrrha puts him in his place.
Kick the Dog: He was sniping civilians during the Fall of Beacon For the Evulz.
Lack of Empathy: Doesn't even care about Jaune grieving over Ren's death. He outright admits his lack of empathy during his message to Vale:
Skull: People of Vale, I hate to barge in after the recent attack by Scorch, but I'm afraid money can't buy me the empathy for your recent plights.
Laughably Evil: Despite his ruthlessness, he is still entertaining due to his several quips given.
Oh, Crap!:
- He is shocked when Amber reveals her Fall Maiden powers.
- He is terrified of what Salem does to the Aswang because he's afraid that it could happen to him.
- The bullet point above is confirmed when he accidentally kills the Lionhearts when he was bored.
The One Guy: On Team CMEN.
Pass the Popcorn: He starts munching on more popcorn just before Cinder tells Emerald to frame Pyrrha.
Self-Made Orphan: He killed his own parents For the Evulz.
The Sociopath: He willingly takes the lives of friend and foe alike. He even kills his own men just to get a bigger cut from Cinder. He's also a Consummate Liar since his men expected to make it out alive. The reason he murdered his parents in this story isn't that his father was abusive. When asked why, he says "Why not?"
Spanner in the Works: Thanks to his screw-up in killing Lionheart's family, Lionheart suspects that they were killed and knows Salem has nothing over him. Now, Lionheart decides to turn on Salem, costing her the relic.
Straight Gay: He shows no stereotypical behaviors of being gay and you only find out when he starts hitting on Jaune.
Teens Are Monsters: He is seventeen and he looks forward to murder.
Troll: Scares Emerald by wearing the skull mask. He also kills his men just after finishing a job.
Two Aliases, One Character: Before being revealed to be the Skull, he is treated as a separate character with Skull's identity being hidden.
Undignified Death: After getting his ass handed to him by Zwei of all things, he has his legs destroyed by Nora and is left begging for mercy, but Ironwood shows him none.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Emerald.

Tropes specific to his "Skull" persona:

Bad Boss: He readily kills his own heist members to get all the money from the job.
Canon Character All Along: The writer even cites the Arkham Knight in the chapter where this is revealed.
Evil Laugh: He has a tendency to give a sinister chuckle from time to time. In his message to Vale, he gives a proper example of the trope.
Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is digitally altered to be deeper.
Establishing Character Moment: The Villain Opening Scene shows how ruthlessly efficient he is and how callous he is to the lives of others.
Exact Words: It doesn't fool Cinder, but when he says his men "didn't survive the job," that's because he either blew them up trying to get in or shot them while they were completing the task at hand.
The Heavy: For Winter Has Come.
Mad Bomber: He seems to like Stuff Blowing Up.
Malevolent Masked Men: He and his men wear skull masks.
Obviously Evil: In case you're wondering, the guy calling himself "Skull" that has a deep voice and wears all black with a skull mask might not be a good guy.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Kills his men in the Villain Opening Scene after completing the mission.

Emerald

Emerald Sustrai

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past

Tropes:

Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Not only was she homeless, but she was being raped when she was found by Cinder. She loves Cinder, but she was killed by her just because she wasn't ruthless enough.
Adaptational Nice Guy: While she showed some remorse during the Fall of Beacon, she still went along with Cinder. However, the fact that Cinder kills her because she wouldn't be able to handle the plans coming next shows that this Emerald may have more issues working with a dangerous megalomaniac despite the fact that she loves her.
Affectionate Nickname: Cinder gives her the nickname "little gem."
Anti-Villain: She is still morally conflicted about working for Cinder as Chapter 5 of Vytal Tournament shows. And that's exactly why Cinder kills her.
Alas, Poor Villain: The moment of her death is one that gives her a very sympathetic treatment. She was killed by someone she loved and someone who saved her life in the past.
Co-Dragons: With Mercury. They both carry out Cinder's orders.
Death by Adaptation: Cinder kills her for not being ruthless enough.
Death by Flashback: Her death comes during the Villain Episode explaining how Cinder acquired her team.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She still loves Cinder despite the horrible things she has done. Unfortunately for her, Cinder doesn't reciprocate.
Even Evil Has Standards: She is still morally conflicted by what Cinder does. This is why she is killed.
Rape as Backstory: She was raped by Neo.
Shock and Awe: She uses Lightning Dust rounds in her gun, saying that they're her favorites. Unfortunately, she used them against Nora.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Mercury.

Neo

Neopolitan "Neo" Torchwick

Appearances: Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Beacon's Fall

Tropes:

Abled in the Adaptation: She is confirmed mute in canon. Here, it shows that she was previously able to talk before her Mind Rape. However, considering that the Grimm didn't do anything to her voice physically, that implies that she still can talk if she tried.
Adaptational Villainy: She is even more brutal than in canon. She was even a rapist before she was brainwashed.
Asshole Victim: Before meeting Cinder and being brainwashed, she was a Serial Rapist. After meeting Cinder, she was an Ax-Crazy maniac. Being swallowed by a Griffon doesn't buy her any sympathy.
Ax-Crazy: Holy shit! Her introduction shows the aftermath of a bunch of sick violence that could only be described as borderline Gorn, and she sits in the back of the truck with the biggest smile in the world. After slaughtering the crew of the prison ship, she has some fun using the guns to shoot the others down.
Brainwashed and Crazy: She was already sadistic before, but Cinder used the Seer Grimm to put Neo under her control.
Character Exaggeration: Neo is brutal in canon, but the level of violence she commits in her introduction alone is more disturbing than anything she has done on the show.
Composite Character: She takes up Roman's role in the Fall of Beacon by being the Trojan Prisoner. She also dies by being eaten by a Griffon, just like Roman.
Death by Adaptation: In Volume 6, it was recently revealed that she survived the Fall of Beacon. Here, she's eaten by a Griffon.
Establishing Character Moment: Before she is even introduced, we get to see her handiwork in the CCT tower.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Subverted. She says she isn't capable of loving anyone, but if she could love, she would love Roman.
The Ghost: She was mentioned in both Field Trip and Winter Has Come, but she never appeared. She is formally introduced to the story in the fourth chapter of Vytal Tournament.
Lobotomy: Given one by a Seer Grimm and it made her more obedient to Cinder.
Lack of Empathy: Self-admitted. She says that she's not capable of love when she says that she would love Roman if she were able.
Named by the Adaptation: Since she's Roman's daughter here, her last name would be "Torchwick."
Oh, Crap!: She has two moments of this.
- The first is when Cinder comes along and destroyed Roman's operation an then mind rapes her into servitude.
- The second is when Ruby opens up her umbrella on the top of the ship and she flies into the mouth of a Griffon.
Perpetual Smiler: Good luck trying to wipe her disturbing smile off her face. Not even getting choked by Ironwood is enough to take it off.
Psycho Lesbian: She raped women that Roman delivered to her.
Related in the Adaptation: She's actually Roman's daughter in this continuity.
Sadist: She smiles about her handiwork left at the CCT Tower. She also spends time raping women that Roman gives her.
Slasher Smile: She can't stop smiling like this when caught by Ironwood.
The Sociopath: She's a sadistic maniac who takes pride in the carnage she creates. She is also incapable of loving anyone. She admits that she'd love Roman if she were capable, implying that she isn't.
The Speechless: She is confirmed to be mute. That's due to the brainwashing given to her by the Seer Grimm.
Swallowed Whole: When she flies off the ship, she flew into the mouth of a Griffon.
Too Dumb to Live: On two accounts, her death qualifies as this. Like in canon, Ruby takes advantage of her parasol and uses it to blow her off the ship. Secondly, due to being such a sadistic maniac, she is a bundle of malice and negative emotions. Making her prime Griffon bait, just like Roman was in canon. It's almost surprising that she wasn't eaten sooner.
Too Kinky to Torture: If she wasn't just trolling him to get a reaction, it seems like she was enjoying getting choked out by Ironwood.
Trojan Prisoner: She is taken in by Ironwood where she will assume Roman's role in the Fall of Beacon.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: She likes to take her time toying with her prey. This is what allows Ruby the time to open her umbrella and let her get blown off the ship.

Other Henchmen for Salem

Tyrian

Tyrian Callows

Appearances: STRQ

A violently psychotic scorpion Faunus who was a former member of Ozpin's inner circle.

Tropes:

Asshole Victim: Suffice to say, he won't be missed In-Universe.
Ax-Crazy: More apparent than in canon.
Death by Adaptation: He was introduced after the Fall of Beacon in canon. He dies long before it ever happened in this series.
Demoted to Extra: He is a fairly prominent villain on the show, but he is reduced to a backstory villain here. He also dies way before the plot occurs.
Hero Killer: He is responsible for Taiyang's death.
Posthumous Character: He is only seen in flashbacks.
Psychopathic Manchild: He is still psychotically immature, begging for Salem's approval like a child wanting to gain approval from a parent.
Token Evil Teammate: Qrow reveals that he used to work for Ozpin and he was just as crazy then as he is when he appears.
Unwitting Pawn: Raven intentionally sought him out so he could capture him and get an audience with Salem.
Walking Spoiler: His personality traits and appearance aren't spoilers. His role in this series, however, is a rather pivotal one.

Lionheart

Professor Leonardo Lionheart

See his tropes here.

The Branwen Bandit Clan

Raven

Raven Branwen

Appearances: Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

The leader of a bandit tribe, conspiring with Salem, Yang's mother, and Qrow's twin sister.

Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: Coldly crashing a train that Ruby was on, not even hesitating to order that all other survivors are to be killed, abusing Vernal, and most of all, working with Salem all show that this Raven is much worse than her canon counterpart. And that's not even getting into what she did to Nora and Ren's village.
Adaptation Origin Connection: She's the reason Nora and Ren are orphaned and homeless. Not random Grimm attacks.
Asshole Victim: No one really feels bad about Raven's well-deserved death.
Ax-Crazy: While the stories have gone to great lengths to show that Raven isn’t a Sadist, that doesn’t mean she’s not incredibly volatile. From a young age, she’s recommended mass slaughters as a way to boost the Branwen’s power, something that left her father (the current leader of the tribe) shocked and appalled. In the present day, while less keen on expanding Branwen power, her Hair-Trigger Temper makes her a nightmare to be around for ally and enemy alike.
Bad Boss: If her men fall behind, they get left behind. Even in times of peril, she'll abandon them rather than help them. When someone powers Nora up, Raven flies away.
Big Bad: Of Crash.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Averted. She remembers Nora quite well after she escaped the slaughter of her village and finding her at Kuroyuri. She even asks about where Ren is after she finds Nora in the wreckage.
Child Hater: She expresses her annoyance for children when dealing with Nora and Ren. This is implied to be the reason she left after having Yang.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: "Never trust bandits" is kind of her Catchphrase whenever she makes a deal with someone. She always manages to turn her back on someone when she can get away with it. Deconstructed since it comes back to bite her in the ass when asking Summer for undeserved mercy after betraying her for the last time.
Cruel Mercy: She says that she usually kills survivors who slip away from her raids, but she makes an exception for Nora since she led them to another village and says that she'll sell her into slavery instead.
Deadpan Snarker: When Vernal asks if Raven was talking to Salem, Raven sarcastically replies that it was another one of the contacts they have outside of the tribe. Vernal immediately backs down.
Death by Adaptation: She was killed by Summer after escaping the vault.
Dirty Coward: As soon as Nora gets powered up by a stun baton and her men ask for help, she says "good luck" just before morphing into a raven and flying away.
Domestic Abuser: To Vernal. She is physically abusive and emotionally manipulative.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: She seems to have trouble understanding basic ideas of altruism. She continues to say that Qrow should be proud that his birth caused their mother's death. She can understand it enough to manipulate Summer, however.
Faux Affably Evil: She can be charming when she threatens people, but it is very obviously shallow. This is emphasized when she realizes she's being too rough on Vernal.
Hate Sink: Raven seems to have been made as unlikable as possible. Not only is she a ruthless bandit who kills others or sells them to slavery, she is also a cowardly snake who would abandon her own tribe to save her own skin. She is also a Domestic Abuser who takes out her frustrations on Vernal even though she is nothing but loyal to her. STRQ especially shows this by displaying that she plays with others' emotions for her benefit and without regard for others. It's nothing short of satisfying when Summer kills her after her final betrayal.
The Heavy: In Crash and STRQ.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: During her Beacon days. She was still rather abrasive and harbored her sociopathic tendencies, but she was rather affectionate to Summer, suggesting a growing fondness for her. Turns out, she was just a sociopath through and through. Dating Tai for a year while dating Summer and not telling either of them proves it. Even now, Summer still believes that she could have a heart. This is negated by Raven switching to using her sword to beat Vernal after the rescue team leaves and even more so by the flashback showing that she was going make a deal with Salem.
Karmic Death: When she is at her weakest, Raven is killed by Summer.
Kick the Dog: She has a few examples:
- Abusing Vernal was the first. And coldly tossing her body off her after she sacrificed herself to save her is the last.
- Pretty much everything she does to Nora and the Ren family counts.
- But one of the most personal examples is when she coldly dismisses Summer's feelings after being caught cheating on her with Tai. Especially when she rips off the necklace Summer gave her and lets it drop to the ground.
Lack of Empathy: She didn't bat an eyelash when she had a bridge blown up to crash the train Ruby and Nora were riding and then order that any survivors other than Ruby are to be killed. She even leaves her own men behind when things are getting rough. And she coldly reveals to Summer that she and Tai were nothing but means of sex for her.
Manipulative Bitch: She manipulates Vernal in a typical abuser fashion. She also manipulates Summer into not telling Tai about their relationship because she knows it would crush him if he found out Raven was cheating on her.
Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: Ava died when Qrow was born, and Raven continues to call it "his first kill." Unlike most examples, she sees it as something he should take pride in doing.
Maternally Challenged: After meeting her daughter again after close to nineteen years, she doesn't even recognize her until Yang says that Raven is her mother.
Raven: Not sure if you noticed, hon, but I haven't been involved in this girl's life since... well... literally the day she was born.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The reason Ren and Nora were able to escape was that she stabbed Nora with Lightning Dust. This is after Nora discovered her Semblance, so Raven inadvertently made Nora unstoppable for the time being. One of her workers makes the exact same mistake with a stun baton and she panics when she notices this.
Nightmare Fetishist: She read up on serial killers when she was at Beacon.
Patricide: She flippantly refers to the fact that she killed her and Qrow's father.
Pragmatic Villainy: She doesn't stay too long in villages after Grimm beasts start approaching, so she usually makes sure some people are left for bait and the more attractive or healthy survivors are sold off into slavery.
Self-Proclaimed Liar: Something she tells everyone who makes a deal with her including Summer: "Never trust bandits."
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: She admonishes Summer for ever believing that she ever had a heart once she betrays her.
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: She was going to sell off any survivors that were healthy and good-looking enough. It is implied that some are sold as Sex Slaves.
Sleeping with the Boss: It appears that Salem uses her for stress relief from time to time.
The Social Darwinist: More ruthlessly so than in canon. She thought killing everyone at a huntsman academy would be a way to show that the Branwens are stronger than everyone and are not to be confronted.
The Sociopath: She is cold-hearted and lacks empathy for the victims of her raids and occasionally her own tribe. She is also relentlessly ruthless in how she works. Killing people is second nature to her, and she'll turn her back on anyone if it's convenient for her. She also fails to have a comprehension of why Qrow isn't proud that their mother died in childbirth since she says it was his first kill. She displays some rather down-to-earth symptoms when she reveals that she was dating both Tai and Summer at the same time without either of them knowing. All because she was, in her own words, bored and horny.
Teens Are Monsters: It appears that her ruthless side was still present even when she was seventeen. Possibly even earlier than that.
Ungrateful Bitch: Even after Vernal ends up sacrificing herself to keep Raven safe, Raven still doesn't appreciate it and says she didn't even do a good job of it despite the fact that she would've been killed by the explosion otherwise.
Villains Want Mercy: After all the suffering she caused and betrayal she has committed, Raven has the audacity to think that Summer is going to spare her. She was very wrong.
Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: When she backhands Vernal in a fit of rage, she doesn't bother to apologize. Instead, she admonishes Vernal for making her hit her. She claims not to like hitting her, but other events in the story displaying her cruelty imply otherwise.
Would Hurt a Child: Doesn't hesitate to punch young Ren in the stomach and hold him at gunpoint in front of his parents. She also tracks down young Nora after escaping one of her raids. It is implied that she kills children often in villages. And if there were any children on the train Ruby and Nora were riding on, they're going to be killed without a second thought either by the crash or by her personally.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Does this to Raion after he sells out Nora.

Vernal

Appearances: Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

Raven's mistress and assistant.

Tropes:

Adaptational Wimp: Due to Raven's abuse, she is much more submissive than she is in canon.
Alas, Poor Villain: She died trying to protect the woman she loved, and that woman didn't even appreciate it.
Anti-Villain: She is a bandit and seems to be rather comfortable with what she does, but she is being abused by Raven and is incredibly unhappy in her life.
Butch Lesbian: Her regular canon attire is rather tomboyish, and she's in a relationship with Raven here.
Dark Mistress: To Raven.
Didn't Think This Through: When she threatens Little Miss to make sure she gets the full cut, Little Miss fires back by threatening her in return and Vernal's bravado quickly drops.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In canon, she dies because she was impaled by Cinder's Grimm arm. Here, she dies protecting Raven from an explosion.
Even Evil Has Standards: She knows Raven to be ruthless, but she is disturbed by the outright sadism that Salem, Little Miss, and Mercury show.
Love Martyr: It seems that not even the abuse is enough to drive her away from Raven. She even tries to protect her from an explosion.
Sorry I Fell on Your Fist: Raven successfully gets her to believe that it was her own fault that Raven hit her.

Shay

Shay D. Mann

Appearances: Crash

An assistant to Raven.

Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: He openly mocks defenseless victims of the raids and is willing to hurt children.
Adaptation Origin Connection: He is directly responsible for killing Nora's mother and therefore the reason she's on her own.
Ascended Extra: He has a much more substantial role as opposed to being a Butt-Monkey. Instead, he's actually responsible for many ruthless actions. Downplayed as it turns out since he still gets killed by Nora, but his role is more important.
Dirty Coward: As soon as Nora advances on him, he starts cowering in fear.
Karmic Death: Killed by the daughter of the woman he killed in cold blood.
Kick the Dog: Stopping Ophelia and Nora from escaping their home while taunting them about what Raven would do to them since they survived the raid.
Mythology Gag: In a moment when he needed it most to keep himself alive, his gun jams. This happened in the fight with Yang during Volume Five.
Would Hurt a Child: Implied since he seemed perfectly fine with killing Ren and selling Nora off into slavery.

Branwen Parents

Corbin and Ava Branwen

Appearances: STRQ

Qrow and Raven's parents, former leader of the Branwen Clan.

Tropes:

Affably Evil: While he was abrasive to those who do stupid things, Corbin was respectful in other regards. He's a family man and treats them with love and kindness. Doesn't change the fact that he was the leader of a Bandit Clan.
Death by Childbirth: Ava died when giving birth to Qrow.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He genuinely loved his family, which is more than can be said compared to Raven.
Even Evil Has Standards: Corbin is absolutely baffled when a young Raven gets excited at the prospect of slaughtering Beacon’s staff and students.
The Family That Slays Together: Corbin trained Raven and Qrow in the ways of the tribe, as did his father, and his father before that.
Pet the Dog: While Raven partakes in Maternal Death? Blame the Child!, Corbin makes it absolutely clear that he doesn’t believe this and loves Qrow regardless.
Posthumous Character: Ava died in childbirth and Raven admits that she killed Corbin. They are only seen in flashbacks.

Cedar

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

One of Raven's enforcers.

Tropes:

Affably Evil: He's a rather kind person relatively speaking. He is loyal to the Branwens and has been with them for years (first Corbin and then Raven). He is still forced to beat Vernal, but he does not like doing it. He just knows that Raven will treat him much worse.
Apologetic Attacker: He apologizes to Vernal before being forced to beat her for Little Miss Malachite's amusement.
Boom, Headshot!: How he is killed.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Ironwood shoots him in the face out of nowhere.
Jerkass: Downplayed. Despite his Affable nature, he can still be rude and disrespectful. He snarked at Ava while she was going through the pains of childbirth, and while he ultimately feels sorry for her, he is described as coldly looking down at Vernal, and only states his issues with her abuse after Raven forces him to continue beating her.
Old Retainer: He has been with the Branwens even before the twins were born. He still works with Raven even knowing that Raven killed Corbin.

Atlas Dictatorship

Jacques

Jacques Schnee

Appearances: Recovery, Atlas, Salem's Arrival, Cold

The Schnee patriarch and CEO of the Schnee Dust Company.

Tropes:

Abusive Dad: Weiss seems to imply Jacques is still this. When we finally meet him, he seems to be emotionally abusive to Winter even after Weiss dies and she's mourning her sister's death. He also shouts at Whitley to do his piano lessons even though his instructor is out sick. He later slaps Winter after calls him out one too many times for his liking. And this is while he's threatening to lobotomize her if she doesn't join him.
Adaptational Badass: Despite still being a Non-Action Big Bad, he still was able to take over all of Atlas and start commanding armies. In canon, Jacques barely got his seat on the council and couldn't do anything he intended to do before he was exposed and arrested, making him look quite pathetic in the process.
Adaptational Jerkass: Jacques is incredibly abrasive right off the bat.
Adaptational Villainy: In canon, the Schnee Dust Company simply ran Flynt's father's Dust shop out of business. Here, Jacques gets the man arrested for stealing Dust. He's also working with Salem and murdered Nicholas Schnee while threatening to do the same to Weiss if Winter spoke up about it. He also let Willow be raped by women while she was drugged to make her look like a hedonist. He soon goes full-on tyrant once he's left in charge of Atlas without Ironwood around.
And I Must Scream: Willow poisons him with a neurotoxin that paralyzes him. He is unable to do anything while the people he has wronged tear him apart.
Archnemesis Dad: To Winter. He antagonizes her and abuses her and because of this, he has become her personal enemy.
Asshole Victim: Just about everyone has a reason to hate Jacques. So, his fate of being torn apart by the resistance after being paralyzed by a neurotoxin is more than earned.
Bad Boss: He is equally abusive to Klein as he is to his family. He also doesn't care about Little Miss being lobotomized and threatens to do the same to Cardin if he doesn't get Ruby and Nora.
Big Bad: Of Cold since Salem is MIA.
Control Freak: As Winter points out, not having complete control is his Berserk Button. He takes issue with his daughters' defiance against him and often loses it when he doesn't have control over a situation. Winter does this to antagonize him.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: Killed by an angry mob here when he was vaporized by Ironwood on the show.
Dirty Coward: When his empire is crumbling around him and everyone is out for his blood, he locks himself away with Willow in his office and refuses to face the people.
Fantastic Racism: His hatred of the Faunus is made especially apparent here. Destroying Menagerie and lobotomizing innocent Faunus to use as slaves also drive the point home.
Faux Affably Evil: He can be incredibly charismatic despite how much of a scumbag he is. This is basically how he acts when he poisons Nicholas.
From Bad to Worse: How he runs the Schnee Dust Company is already appalling, then he's put in charge of all of Atlas.
The Ghost: In The Road to Atlas. He doesn't make an appearance in the story, but his most prominent action is ordering the destruction of Menagerie, something the heroes see the aftermath of in the story.
Hate Sink: There is practically nothing to like about the guy. He is a Corrupt Corporate Executive who abuses his family and coldly dismisses his daughter's death — years after he threatened to kill said daughter. He looks down on others and sees them as tools for his benefit while showing no remorse for how he treats people. His destruction of Menagerie and the takeover of Atlas firmly set him into irredeemable territory. Everything in Cold only shows him to be a loathsome human being when he has several people killed for defying him, lobotomizes Faunus for labor, plans to do the same to Winter, and later reveals the reason that Willow is a hedonist was that he set her up to be raped by women initially to manufacture that image. These actions were only nails in the coffin and his death is nothing short of cathartic.
The Heavy: After Haven since Salem is MIA in the present.
It's All About Me: Winter correctly states that he has no concern for anyone not named "Jacques Schnee". It's the reason he was in the "Independent Villains" section for so long despite working for Salem (other than the fact that it was a spoiler. Working with her was really just a means to his own ends.
Jerkass Has a Point: For as much of a douche that he is, occasionally, he'll give a point that's hard to argue. Although subverted in both those points since he actually engineered it that way.
- While Jacques did create the circumstances in which Cyrus Coal needed to steal Dust to provide for his family, Coal was still breaking the law. However, this was his plan all along.
- Even though he was going to poison Nicholas for the money, Jacques was right about Willow not being a proper fit to run the company. But that's only because he drugged her and allowed her to be raped by women to manufacture that image.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Ironwood seems to think that Jacques running Atlas while he's gone is the best thing and the council agrees. It's all a ruse by Salem and Jacques clearly doesn't have the kingdom's best interests in mind. It is the annihilation of Menagerie that finally shows Ironwood that he made a grievous mistake.
Karmic Death: He was poisoned by the woman he left to be drugged and raped in the same way he poisoned Nicholas. After being paralyzed by the neurotoxin, he's tossed to the survivors of the people he has wronged and torn apart.
Kick the Dog: Several examples. In his Establishing Character Moment, Jacques basically says that Weiss dying was the inevitable result of defying him. He also says that Whitley would be a worthless heir to the fortune. His biggest moment is the destruction of Menagerie. His role in Cold has him doing nothing but dog-kicking.
Lack of Empathy: He has absolutely no remorse for anything he has done. He shamelessly owns up to the fact that he killed his father-in-law in front of Willow when he knows he's screwed.
Light Is Not Good: With his Adaptational Villainy, this trope is especially pronounced. All the white hair and suits in Remnant cannot mitigate what a horrible human being he is.
Manipulative Bastard: He is conniving and underhanded in all his methods. He convinces Ironwood to hand him control of Atlas while the latter is gone. He also tricks his father-in-law into handing control over the company to him and uses it as a way to poison him. He threatens to do the same to Weiss if Winter speaks up about it. The way he convinced Nicholas that Willow was a hedonist was by drugging her and letting her be raped by women.
Marital Rape License: Implied. Making her averse to her own sexuality is possibly rape by deception since she is manipulated into producing heirs. She wouldn't have sex with him purely of her own volition.
Narcissist: Winter outright calls him one on two separate occasions and it's hard to argue. He has an incredibly inflated sense of self-worth, hates anyone who challenges it, and is willing to do anything to assert his dominance. His alliance with Salem seems to be a way to feed his ego since she promises to keep him in charge of Atlas.
A Nazi by Any Other Name: Come the events of Road to Atlas and his lobotomization of Faunus as well as the genocide of Menagerie, Jacques is even more of a Hitler analog that Adam was in canon.
Never My Fault: During his Villainous Breakdown, Jacques refuses to believe he did anything wrong. He even thought he was actually helping Atlas with his tyranny and lobotomizing Faunus, and thinks that everyone who doesn't like it is an Ungrateful Bastard. As he's about to lobotomize Winter, he insists that it's her fault everyone hates him when it is his own arrogant and selfish personality.
[said without a hint of irony]"I was doing what was best for this city! I was doing what was best for all of you! And do you show me any appreciation?! No! You spit in my goddamn face like the ungrateful little parasites you all are!"
Non-Action Big Bad: He takes the role of Big Bad in Cold, but he only carries out his orders using the Atlas Military. As a CEO, he likely doesn't have any fighting skills of his own. Just before his defeat, he locks himself in his office with Willow and refuses to go out and face all the people he has wronged.
Precision F-Strike: He hadn't really cursed in the story, but he calls Salem a bitch after learning that she failed to kill Ironwood for him.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Not only does he hate Faunus, but he calls Willow's orientation disgusting, implying homophobia.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: A Rape by Proxy example. Willow wasn't always The Hedonist. Jacques engineered this image to make Nicholas sign over the company. He had her drugged and raped by women to make her look like a hedonist. He also did this to make her averse to her own sexuality long enough to conceive an heir (possibly a form of rape by deception). Willow even calls it rape when he confronts him about it.
The Sociopath: No question about it. He is willing to murder his father-in-law to inherit the company and is willing to kill Weiss to make sure Winter doesn't talk about it. He even allies with Salem to take over Atlas. His charm is blatantly superficial and he manipulates people for his benefit. He even drugged his wife and let her be raped by women to make her averse to her own sexuality long enough to sleep with him for an heir. He seems to have no remorse about ordering an attack on the peaceful Menagerie. When cornered, he refuses to believe that he did anything wrong.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: Winter fears this will be the case after Ironwood leaves Jacques in charge of Atlas while he's gone, but Ironwood tries to assure her that he and the council are making a good decision. Winter happened to be right, and Atlas becomes a dictatorship under his rule. This is exactly what happened with the SDC.
Undignified Death: He gets paralyzed by Willow's neurotoxin and tossed out to the crowd who literally tears him apart. All the while, he can't do anything to stop it, much less slow it down.
The Unfettered: Just look at the lengths he took to get control of the SDC. He drugged his wife and let her be raped by women to make her look like a hedonist in the eyes of her father. After that was successful, he poisoned him just to make sure he wouldn't take it back. And when his daughter catches him, he threatens to poison his other daughter (who was an infant at the time) if the former speaks up about it. And that's just one example. Jacques is willing to do anything to benefit himself.
White Hair, Black Heart: Given his personality and actions, this trope speaks for itself.
Would Hurt a Child: When Winter catches him poisoning Nicholas, he threatens to poison the infant Weiss if she says anything.

Winchester (Spoilers)

Cardin Winchester

Appearances: Cold

A former student at Beacon Academy and a soldier working for Jacques Schnee.

Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: He was just a bully in canon, but ultimately was shown performing his huntsman duties. He's working with the villains here and murders several innocent people.
Asshole Victim: No one will really feel sad about him getting killed. If any tears are shed other than his own, they'll be Tears of Joy.
The Bully: Yang implies that he was still this in Beacon. And it appears that his tendencies have not disappeared in a position of power such as the one given by Jacques.
Death by Adaptation: He's presumably still alive in canon.
Didn't See That Coming: Even he's surprised by how ruthless Ruby and Nora were to Miss Malachite by lobotomizing her.
Dirty Coward: Surprisingly downplayed. While he does eventually give Ruby the information she wants, he kept lying about knowing anything up to the point that she shot his left foot and shoved the gun in his mouth. At that point, he has no issue with betraying his employer to stay alive. Unfortunately for him, Ruby leaves him for Flynt.
The Dragon: For Jacques Schnee. He is the highest-ranking soldier in his army.
Jerkass: Exponentially more than in canon. He'll often mock the heroes for their failures and takes pleasure in twisting the knife before killing them.
Karmic Death: Flynt kills him just after he killed Neon.
Kick the Dog: Mocking Jaune's sacrifice for Ruby by saying it was a Senseless Sacrifice.
Lack of Empathy: He doesn't really care all that much about what happened to Miss Malachite. He calmly talks about how Ruby and Nora botched the lobotomization process and that she now suffers a case of And I Must Scream.
Remember the New Guy?: He was neither seen nor mentioned anywhere in the series before his appearance in Cold, but the protagonists remember him as if he was always there.
Sociopathic Soldier: Possibly a Type 2 since he happily aids in Jacques' tyrannical plans. He also shows enjoyment in killing off the resistance fighters.
Speak Ill of the Dead: Even in death, he still picks on Jaune.
Undignified Death: He gets killed after being beaten up by Ruby and having his foot blown off.
You Didn't Ask: Neglects to tell Jacques that electricity would power up Nora's Semblance because he didn't think Little Miss would use that to torture her.

Little Miss Malachite's Brothel

Little Miss

Little Miss Malachite

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, The Ring, Cold

One of Remnant's most ruthless mobsters.

Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: As of right now, nothing on the show suggests that she is nearly as sadistic as she is here.
And I Must Scream: Usually, when getting lobotomized, the victim goes through a Death of Personality to make sure they don't end up resisting. When Ruby and Nora did it to her, Cardin says they apparently botched the process and implies that Little Miss is still in there and fully aware of her surroundings, but is trapped in her vegetative state.
Arms Dealer: Provided weapons to Cinder and her gang to orchestrate the Fall of Beacon.
Ascended Extra: In canon, she's only an Information Broker putting Cinder on the path to Ruby. She is actually connected to a major part of the plot.
Asshole Victim: Ruby and Nora find that letting her be lobotomized is a fitting punishment for her.
Bad Boss: She releases all of the Grimm she has in captivity on Ruby and Nora... only for most of them to turn on her forces because the two were calm and the latter were panicking. Not only does Malachite show no remorse for this, she actually throws one of her Co-Dragons to the Grimm as a punishment for something she has just as much blame in before using Kaida (the other Co-Dragon) as a Human Shield to block Nora’s attack.
Big Bad: Of The Ring.
The Bus Came Back: After disappearing in The Ring, she returns in Cold.
Cruel Mercy:
- She lets Vernal go for attempting to threaten to get more money out of her, but that's only because she knows that Raven will punish her for not getting the full cut due to her arrogance.
- She ends up on the receiving end at the hands of Ruby and Nora. They decide to lobotomize her for her role in the Fall of Beacon. However, they don't know that they screwed it up, so Little Miss is fully aware of her surroundings while trapped in her vegetative state.
Demoted to Extra: While she was important before her disappearance, her role in Cold is only that of an Arc Villain for a couple of chapters.
The Dreaded: She is known of one of the most ruthless, savage mobsters in Remnant's history. The only person she fears is Salem.
Enfant Terrible: Even when she was young, she had sociopathic tendencies.
Face Your Fears: She used to be afraid of spiders, but she sought out to get rid of this fear based on her mother's advice. Meeting the Spider Grimm helped her get over this fear even more.
False Friend: To the Spider. He's so desperate to have friends that when he threatens to kill her for making him kill people, she says he wouldn't kill his Only Friend. As the years go by, she chains him up in a basement and allows him to be lobotomized by Salem.
The Farmer and the Viper: Just after befriending the Spider, she makes him kill her enemies so she can rise up in the ranks of the organized crime scene in Remnant. She mistreated him and left him chained up in a basement and eventually sold him out to Salem and to be turned into a mindless Grimm.
Fat Bitch: She is rather hefty in canon and she's one of Remnant's most notorious mobsters. Salem mocks her for her weight during her Villainous Breakdown.
Fate Worse than Death: She suffers being lobotomized after Ruby and Nora break out.
Gayngster: She's a mobster who runs a lesbian brothel and it appears that she also indulges in some of the girls herself.
Gladiator Games: She also runs fights where people she has captured will fight Grimm beasts. Specifically the Spider. She subjects Ruby and Nora to this after capturing them.
Kick the Dog: She allows Vernal to go back to Raven short on payments knowing that Raven will beat her. Then, she instructs Vernal to make sure Raven records Vernal's punishment. She later forces the benevolent Spider Grimm to start killing people when he only wanted a friend and didn't like killing. For years, she had him chained up in the basement and she eventually told Salem she had him. When Salem promises to lobotomize him, Little Miss doesn't even bat an eyelash to it.
Lack of Empathy: She specifically wanted to get into this state of mind when she was younger.
Laser-Guided Karma: After allowing the Spider to be lobotomized by Salem, she ends up being lobotomized by Ruby and Nora in retaliation.
Locked Out of the Loop: Apparently Salem didn't inform her that Nora powers up her Semblance with electricity.
Love Is a Weakness: She admits that she wants to get rid of things like love, empathy, and conscience — claiming that those are the things that are holding people back in the world.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: She says that she fell asleep to the sounds of the screaming and gunshots from the Fall of Beacon.
Manipulative Bitch: She tricks the Spider into killing everyone in her village. When he threatens to kill her to avoid getting killed by others, she says that he wouldn't kill his only friend.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: It seems that not many people ever learn that electrocuting Nora is basically assuring your own defeat. Even Ruby and Nora have to keep themselves from laughing about it as Little Miss tries to intimidate them.
No Name Given: Even though her past is revealed, her real name isn't. The narration during the flashback only refers to her as "the girl," implying that her name isn't actually "Malachite." A Mistral news report also states that she's only known by her criminal name.
Sadist: One reason why she and Salem get along. And it's why Mercury immediately takes a liking to her. The way to make up for Vernal threatening her is to send her a recording of Raven beating Vernal as punishment. She takes a lot of pleasure in lobotomizing Faunus and preparing to electrocute Nora (not knowing that it would help Nora).
The Sociopath: She is regarded as one of the most ruthless mobsters in Remnant's history. She fell asleep listening to the screams during the Fall of Beacon, takes the anyone Raven abducts from her raids and sells them off into slavery. She also happily works with Salem despite knowing how destructive she is. Even when she was young, she wanted to get rid of things like her love, empathy, and conscience. It appears that she has succeeded.
The Unfettered: When she was young, she specifically wanted to relieve herself of things like compassion, empathy, and conscience because she thought such things were holding her back.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Subverted. Even though she acts nice and sweet and wants to get over her fear of spiders, once the Spider reveals his true nature, she tells him that she wants him to kill her whole village, implying that she was never all that sweet in the first place.
Villain Ball: Not killing Ruby when she had the chance only served to help unravel her plan further.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After screwing up her attempt at killing Ruby, she leaves her with a Sadistic Choice and makes her escape as Ruby saves Nora. The news says she has been MIA.
Villainous Breakdown: She starts losing it after Ruby and Nora manage to kill the Spider, leading to her releasing all the Grimm she has in captivity.
Villains Want Mercy: As Ruby and Nora are about to lobotomize her, she panics and begs for mercy.

Tracy and Kaida

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, The Ring

Little Miss Malachite's enforcers and bouncers at her club.

Tropes:

Asshole Victim: For aiding in the slaughter of an entire hotel, Tracy being fed to Grimm beasts and Kaida getting struck down by Nora won't gain a whole lot of sympathy.
Co-Dragons: For Little Miss. They work together for her.
Early-Bird Cameo: They were the bouncers in Little Miss Malachite's club and were not indicated to be important at that moment. They come back in The Ring.
Little Bit Beastly: They're lizard Faunus.

The White Fang

General Tropes

The White Fang

Appearances: Field Trip

A Faunus terrorist organization.

General Tropes:

Adaptational Villainy: They were against humans in canon, but never against homosexuality. You can thank Scorch for that.
Adapted Out: Sienna Khan's role in the White Fang has been removed.
Adaptation Origin Connection: Inverted. They aren't working with Roman and (indirectly) the Greater-Scope Villain of the show.
Heteronormative Crusaders: Scorch has converted them into this along with being about Faunus-supremacy.
Western Terrorists: They come up with the train plot on their own.

Scorch

Father Tiresias Scorch

Appearances: Field Trip

A homophobic bat-Faunus who leads the White Fang.

Tropes:

Asshole Victim: You likely won't feel bad about Scorch being left to be killed by Grimm beasts. Ozpin finds it to be a fitting punishment.
Bad Boss: Forces any homosexual members of the white fang to kill their lovers, whether that lover is a member or not. He also allows his men to die in the train bombings. He also snaps Trifa’s neck when he learned she felt guilty for killing her lover. Later, when Adam screws up, he kills him on the spot.
Big Bad: Of Field Trip.
Composite Character: A mostly original character, but he takes Roman's role in the train bombing and Sienna's role in radicalizing the White Fang. He also takes Dr. Merlot's role in the Mount Glenn Incident.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: He's the first Big Bad that isn't working by himself. The only other one who could be said is a collaborator is Keter, and he only forced one person to work with him. Scorch is in command of the White Fang. He's also the first successful Hero Killer.
Deadly Euphemism: When he kills Adam after his screw-up:
"Given recent events, I'm afraid I'm going to have to revoke your membership into the White Fang."
Dirty Coward: He hides when things in his plan are going awry. He surrenders to Ozpin to spare his own life, but when he figures out that Oz has other plans, he starts panicking and begging for his life.
Evil Is Hammy: The leader of a terrorist organization has a very large presence.
Evil Is Petty: When the Grimm are driven out and he's on the verge of defeat, he decides to kill Ilia and Ren just to spite the heroes.
Faux Affably Evil: He is a very charismatic leader and can remain rather calm while ordering or committing violence. Like when he snaps Trifa's neck.
A God Am I: When he erupts from the bombed train, he flies past claiming he's a messenger of the gods and proclaims his right to godhood.
Hate Sink: From his homophobia and Fantastic Racism to his willingness to kill his own people for not living up to his standards, Scorch isn't someone who is made to be likable.
Hero Killer: He kills Ren during his escape.
Heteronormative Crusader: One of his first acts is to make Ilia kill her lover to prove her loyalty. Heterosexual-supremacy is one of his main platforms.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Ozpin feeds him to the very Grimm he used to destroy Vale.
It's All About Me: He all but outright states that he intends to impose his will on Remnant. He claims that he is a messenger of the gods, but it seems more like he's only doing it for his own gratification.
Kick the Dog: Even in his first scene, he forces Ilia and her lover to kill each other. Only Ilia does this, but with much regret. He later snaps Trifa's neck for feeling remorse about killing her lover. And after his defeat, he kills Ilia and Ren so he can have the last laugh. (Not that it works out for him.)
Lack of Empathy: Openly states that everything is replaceable, even Faunus. And the reason he kills Ilia and Ren is that he knows the heroes don't share that viewpoint.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: He openly admits that he enjoys the screams of the damned souls as he watches the Grimm tear up Vale.
Mad Bomber: He takes up Roman's role in the Mount Glenn train plot.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Someone with the name "Scorch" is either going to be amazingly badass or a villain. This man is the latter.
Obviously Evil: He's named "Scorch" and has a pair of bat wings. He's not too subtle.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He is explicitly homophobic, considering it to be a great sin against the gods. He's also a Faunus-supremacist.
Satanic Archetype: His deception and corruption of the White Fang mirror this. He appears as a charismatic leader claiming to be sent by the gods, but he radicalizes the White Fang to destroy everyone who doesn't fit in his worldview. Having bat-wings also seems to add to a potential demonic motif. He later proclaims his right to godhood, adding to the Satanic motifs. His eventual fall from grace mirrors Satan's fall from Heaven. Especially since it's due to his own pride. When brought up in Vytal Tournament, Ilia saw him murder her mothers in the past, and she said she saw a demon when hiding in the closet.
Sinister Minister: He has this vibe going. Aside from the fact that he is called Father Scorch, he declares himself to be a messenger of the gods.
Smug Snake: He definitely talks a big game. However, when Ozpin catches him, he surrenders thinking that he'll let him live. He was proven very wrong.
The Sociopath: He proudly takes the lives of others whether they are human or Faunus. He orders gay Faunus to kill their lovers to prove their loyalty. He's also an incredibly charismatic leader. His grandiose sense of self-worth is clear when he declares himself a messenger of the gods. He later admits that he enjoys the screams of what he claims to be the damned souls as Grimm beasts tear up Vale.
Winged Humanoid: He's a Faunus with bat wings.

Adam

Adam Taurus

Appearances: Field Trip

A hyper-aggressive bull-Faunus and White Fang fanatic.

Tropes:

Asshole Victim: He gets killed by Scorch for accidentally letting Blake and Yang out.
Ax-Crazy: He gets excited when Scorch tells him to kill the Beacon students and the intruding huntsmen. He also tends to blow up violently over minor slights. When he found out Blake was gay, he killed several peaceful White Fang members in front of her and joined Scorch on the spot.
Death by Adaptation: Dies much earlier in here than he does in the show, being killed just before The Breach while his canon counterpart was alive until the end of Volume 6.
Demoted to Extra: In the show, he was a major antagonist who was crucial to the White Fang subplot and both Blake and Yang's storylines, as well as being one of Cinder's most dangerous men. Here, he's just a side antagonist who has no connection to the overarching storyline and is uncermonously offed by Scorch for accidentally freeing Blake and Yang.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the show, Adam was killed by being impaled by both Blake and Yang at the end of Volume Six. Here, he gets killed by Scorch.
The Dragon: To Scorch. But not for long.
Entitled to Have You: He believed he was entitled to have Blake and was infuriated to know that she was gay.
Hate Sink: Seemingly set up to be one. He's an immature asshole who mocks Ilia for having to kill her lover. He also hates Blake for being gay because he couldn't have her.
Jerkass: He mocks Ilia's pain when she is forced to kill her lover and joined Scorch's homophobic rhetoric because Blake was gay and she didn't love him.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Along with being a Faunus-supremicist, he buys into Scorch's homophobic rhetoric because he can't have Blake — also implying some misogyny.
Psychopathic Manchild: Even more so than in canon. He employs the No, You defense when his lieutenant calls him immature. The whole reason he's evil is that Blake was gay, and he couldn't have her.
Sacrificial Lamb: His death really shows the fact that canon is officially out the window and that anything goes in this series.
Smug Snake: He thinks he's a force to be reckoned with. Scorch puts him in his place after his lieutenant reveals his fuck-up.
The Sociopath: He relishes in violence and views Blake more as a possession he couldn't have rather than a true loved one. When he finds out she's gay, he's just angry that he can't have her.
Undignified Death: When Scorch learns of the screw-up that caused Blake and Yang to go free, Adam begs for forgiveness just before being impaled by Scorch's daggers.
You Have Failed Me: He's on the receiving end. He gets killed for making a seriously dumb mistake.

Ilia

Ilia Amitola

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Adaptational Early Appearance: She shows up in the story long before the Fall of Beacon.
Anti-Villain: Forced to believe that her homosexuality was a great sin against the gods and was forced to do some horrible things. When confronted, she can barely live with herself and decides to help the heroes. ^note
Apologetic Attacker: She apologizes to Lily before being forced to murder her. She also apologizes when she has to tranquilize the other students.
Break the Cutie: Killing her lover really messed her up.
Death by Adaptation: She is killed by Schorch her whereas she is still alive on the show.
Easily Forgiven: Averted for Glynda. She won't let her forget what Ilia helped the White Fang do to her students.
Evil Former Friend: Barely evil, but she is this to Blake. At least until the climax.
Heel–Face Turn: Blake figures out that she was forced to kill Lily, she is convinced to help them stop the train.
Kill the Ones You Love: She was forced to kill her lover when Scorch caught them kissing.
Redemption Equals Death: Scorch kills her as soon as she decides to pay for her crimes.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Scorch quotes the trope after killing her.
Tragic Keepsake: One of her mothers gave her a locket to keep just before hiding her from Scorch. It now functions as this for Blake.
Villainous BSoD: All Blake has to do is bring up Lily and Ilia breaks down right there. This moment is what prompts her Heel–Face Turn.

The Lieutenant

Adam's Lieutenant

Appearances: Field Trip

An assistant to Adam.

Tropes:

Ascended Extra: He gets more lines and more focus even though he is still killed.
Death by Adaptation: Killed by an Ursa in Field Trip. He is presumably alive in the show.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: His death by Ursa comes out of nowhere.
Only Sane Employee: He's the one calling out Adam's childishness. He also turns on him when Adam screws up.
Undignified Death: Killed by an Ursa Grimm.

Trifa

Appearances: Field Trip

A spider-Faunus in the White Fang.

Tropes:

Adaptational Early Appearance: She doesn't even appear until Volume Five in the show.
Death by Adaptation: She is presumably alive in the show. If she isn't, she didn't die this soon.
Kill the Ones You Love: She was forced to kill her female lover to prove her loyalty to the homophobic Adam.
Neck Snap: How Scorch kills her.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Looked like an Ascended Extra, but didn't even make it past one chapter after her appearance.

Independent Villains

Keter

Admah Keter

Appearances: Ruby's Birthday

A deranged serial killer who is one of Remnant's most dangerous criminals.

Tropes:

Asshole Victim: No one really mourns or objects when Ironwood executes him.
Attention Whore: He loves getting attention for what he does and likes presenting himself in a rather grandiose way. He is furious when Ruby doesn't think of him as a serious threat.
Ax-Crazy: He loves to kill and will do so for little to no real reason.
Big Bad: Of Ruby’s Birthday.
Big Bad Wannabe: Yes, he is a Big Bad, but despite the fact that he is a legitimate threat, he is no match for Yang and Pyrrha. Something Ruby lets him know when he holds her hostage.
Blackmail: He asks another criminal, Hector Blood, to hack into Beacon’s files or else he’ll kill his family.
Bond Villain Stupidity: Due to his Attention Whore tendencies, he engages in a lot of this during the climax of Ruby's Birthday. He starts by gloating to Ozpin and Ironwood about knowing why Ruby is important to them (which will be addressed later) and telling them he's gonna cut out her eyes. They had no idea where he was at the time and could have easily avoided capture and succeeded. The second bit is gloating to Yang and Pyrrha about kidnapping Ruby and stabbing Weiss. Putting an immediate target on his back from two incredibly strong fighters. Finally, he waits for Yang and Pyrrha to arrive before harming Ruby to see the fear in their eyes, but allows himself to get distracted by Ruby's taunts while not listening to her about why picking a fight with them is a bad idea. And remember when he told Ozpin and Ironwood about how he knew about Salem? If he kept his mouth shut about that, they wouldn't have killed him.
Bullying a Dragon: Threatening Ruby and stabbing Weiss was a huge mistake.
Card-Carrying Villain: He proudly proclaims his crimes and revels in how much of a monster he is.
Consummate Liar: He does lie to the guards to get him to let him out. He also lies to Hector Blood about letting him live.
Dirty Coward: He may be a threat, but he goes after unsuspecting targets and people he knows he can take. Once he knows he’s in over his head or out of options, he panics quickly.
Evil Is Hammy/Large Ham: He has a very grandiose presence and loves to act theatrically. His mannerisms wouldn't be too unnatural if they were performed by The Joker. Considering he's a major Attention Whore, it makes sense.
Evil Laugh: Often described as uttering a "sickening chuckle." He also bursts out laughing on occasion.
Faux Affably Evil: He has a very charismatic facade, but it does nothing to downplay how Ax-Crazy he is.
For the Evulz: He doesn't even try to justify his actions.
He Knows Too Much: Ozpin and Ironwood have to kill him because he now knows about Salem and the silver-eyed warriors.
Hoist by His Own Petard: In reality, the reason he was killed was that Ozpin and Ironwood knew he had knowledge of Salem. Something they only knew because he bragged about it while citing it as the reason he would target Ruby. He really did screw himself over in the end.
Kick the Dog: As he walks. Almost every scene that he's on the loose is a new opportunity to show off how cruel he is.
Laughably Evil: He's still a very serious threat, but he often doesn't act like it. He delivers a multitude of darkly amusing lines as well as some genuinely funny things as well.
Manipulative Bastard: He will often lie to people to get what he wants and uses leverage over others to get the things he desires.
Matricide: One of his crimes was killing his mother.
Non-Action Big Bad: Downplayed. He will confront people, but he only does so when he can ambush them and take them by surprise. He doesn’t stand a chance in a straight-up fight as Yang and Pyrrha prove to him.
Oh, Crap!: Most notably when he realizes that Ironwood has to kill him for knowing about Salem and Ruby’s importance in regard to her.
Practically Joker: One can't help but notice the similarities to the Clown Prince of Crime. Killing simply because he finds it funny, a disturbing sense of humor, being laughably hammy, etc.
Psychopathic Manchild: He treats his murder spree like it was a fun little game. His mannerisms are blatantly childish and he seems desperate for attention.
Sadist: Keter states that he gets a rush out of ending people's bloodlines and loves to cause people emotional distress as well. One thing that makes Ruby's lack of fear incredibly frustrating to him.
Serial Killer: He was taken in for murdering his mother and three families.
Spree Killer: After breaking out, this is what he technically does.
The Sociopath: He kills for almost no real reason, manipulates others into doing his dirty work when necessary, and possesses no empathy for the people he kills and torments. He's also superficially charming even though that charm doesn't really hide how despicable he is. His grandiose sense of self-worth shows itself as well when Ruby doesn't think he's a threat.
Villainous Breakdown: He starts getting frustrated with Ruby when she says that she isn't afraid of him. He starts ranting while Ruby waits for Yang and Pyrrha to show up. When they do, he starts panicking quickly and cowers in fear when Ironwood prepares to kill him.
Villain Teleportation: His Semblance. He used it to get inside the families’ homes to murder them. So far, no one has shown any similar abilities.
Would Hurt a Child: He murders entire families, children included. He also plans to cut out Ruby’s eyes because he knows they’re important to Ozpin.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He tends to kill people whenever he's done using them. Hector Blood learns this the hard way.

Hector

Hector Blood

Appearances: Ruby's Birthday

A hacker who worked with Keter in the past.

Tropes:

Anti-Villain: He is a criminal, but he tells Keter that he just wants to serve his time in peace. He is also forced to work with Keter because he threatened his family.
The Cracker: He is picked up by Keter because he's good with computers.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He has a family that Keter uses as leverage over him.
Even Evil Has Standards: He does not share Keter's love of senseless violence. He does not hide his disgust for the man.
In the Back: How Keter kills him with his scissors.
Villainous Friendship: Subverted. Keter claims that their friends, but Hector actually hates him and Keter doesn't really treat him with respect.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Keter kills him once he gets what he wants out of him.

Unmarked Spoilers

Nurse Abigail "Abby" Lemon

Appearances: Weiss and Pyrrha

An "Angel of Death" serial killer who tries to kill Weiss.

Tropes:

Ax-Crazy: Subtly. She is a good enough actress to keep it under control when necessary, but The Reveal describes her as having a deranged look in her eyes.
Battleaxe Nurse: Exaggerated. She kills many of her patients and is seen attempting to make Weiss OD on morphine.
Big Bad: Of Weiss and Pyrrha.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She presents herself as a kind an caring person. In chapter one, no one really knows what a monster she is.
Break the Haughty: Pyrrha shatters Abby's godhood delusions by deflecting her bullets just before shattering her teeth.
Bullying a Dragon: She should not have tried to kill Weiss...
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Averted. She has the names of all her kills and the dates they occurred written in a book for Pyrrha to find.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: She is this to Keter. He does what he does For the Evulz and she does it because of a sense of superiority. He openly identifies as a maniac while she sees herself as a goddess and doesn’t think she’s crazy. He does not hide how much of a monster he is, but she puts on an act to avoid suspicion.
Dirty Coward: The moment she gets caught by Pyrrha and knows there is no way out, she is cowering in fear.
EMP: Her Semblance. She uses it to kill everyone on life-support to get away from Pyrrha.
Faux Affably Evil: She can be cordial and sound polite even after it is revealed that she’s a Serial Killer.
A God Am I: She states that having the power over life and death using the hospital drugs and her Semblance makes her a goddess.
Kick the Dog: After failing to kill Weiss, she uses her Semblance to kill everyone on life-support in the hospital.
Lack of Empathy: She has absolutely no concern for any of the lives she takes. Even when Pyrrha confronts her on this, she literally says, "Don't care."
Mundanger: Before the reveal of her Semblance, she isn't unlike a common type of Serial Killer found in real life. See Truth in Television below for details.
Narcissist: The reason she kills people is to feed her own ego. Her outright godhood delusions show just how arrogant she is, even when she has absolutely no fighting ability whatsoever and has to resort to cheap tricks to win against Pyrrha.
Non-Action Big Bad: She has absolutely no fighting ability and only kills people with medicine and her Semblance. She even tries to pull a gun on Pyrrha by surprise rather than take her head-on.
Oh, Crap!: When Pyrrha deflects the bullets from her gun with her Semblance, she is notably flabbergasted.
Serial Killer: An “Angel of Death.” Staff members at the hospital noted that patients under her care tend to die often.
Smug Snake: She is overly confident and exudes a sense of superiority after The Reveal, especially with her godhood delusions. That is until Pyrrha's semblance deflects her bullets, leaving her completely defenseless.
The Sociopath: She kills patients in the hospital because she thinks it makes her a goddess. Her arrogance also shows when she says that she’s better than Pyrrha simply for her control over who lives and dies. She's a master liar and manipulator since no one suspected she was responsible for the deaths and she could act heartbroken about it. And she does not have any remorse for killing almost a hundred people just to make her escape.
Sole Survivor: She's the only one of the four Arc Villains that survives to the end of their story.
The Tooth Hurts: Later mentions of her note that Pyrrha knocked some of Abby's teeth out.
Truth in Television: While this most likely is unintentional on the writer's part, a lot about her barring her Semblance is actually realistic. Usually, Angels of Death work in caretaking fields such as hospice care, retirement homes, and hospitals. This is because the victims are already vulnerable and people won't suspect much if they end up dying. Another thing about them is that they are usually women because, in general, female serial killers tend to kill in ways that are less messy and undetectable such as using poisoning. Also, being a sociopath also helps her because sociopaths and psychopaths are known to be excellent liars. Abigail could fool the staff into thinking she was heartbroken about the deaths. Initially, she is scary for being such a banal threat, but then extra Fridge Horror kicks in when you realize that people like Abigail really exist.
Walking Spoiler: Even mentioning the fact that she's important would spoil the twist of the story.

Lyra

Colonel Lyra Nikos

Appearances: Pyrrha's Past

An Atlesian general and Pyrrha's abusive mother.

Tropes:

Ax-Crazy: Borderline, but she is all too willing to use violence on people when they defy her or if they’re a Faunus. Torture is something that she does casually and violence against her own family is something she’ll do easily. She’s called a psychopath twice and not without good reason.
Big Bad: Of Pyrrha’s Past.
Devil in Plain Sight: It seems that Ironwood has trouble plainly seeing what a psycho Lyra is.
Dirty Coward: She immediately starts freaking out and playing the “mother-card” when she is at Pyrrha’s mercy.
Fantastic Racism: Her disdain for Faunus is taken to extreme levels. She outright murders a single mother simply because she was a Faunus. Lyra assumed that she knew about the White Fang. She only thinks that Rachel is one of the good ones because she knows her place and keeps her mouth shut.
Females Are More Innocent: Inverted hard. She was an outright monster while Orion was the genuinely good parent.
Hair-Trigger Temper: It’s really tough to tell what will make her angry. She goes off on Pyrrha for making her weapons just because Lyra never told her she could do it.
Hate Sink: Unlike Keter and Abigal, she has absolutely no likable or entertaining qualities and only exists to be hated. Being an abusive parent to Pyrrha and killing her father, torturing Faunus simply because of her Fantastic Racism, and torturing and killing children just for attempting to expose her.
Insane Admiral: She's a colonel and a complete psychopath.
Kick the Dog: Several instances.
- She kills her husband just for defying her after she scolded Pyrrha for making her weapons without permission. All while making Pyrrha claim that he was the one abusing her and Lyra was defending her.
- She tortures and kills a single Faunus mother simply because she’s a Faunus. She believed she knew about the White Fang.
- While she simply kills Erin and Ashley when Pyrrha tells them about her crimes, she mutilates Rachel for being a Faunus all to show Pyrrha and twist the knife further.
Lack of Empathy: She doesn’t hesitate to torture and kill a single mother just because she’s a Faunus and is willing to kill her children to make sure it doesn’t raise suspicion. She also kills her husband because she takes Pyrrha’s side when she said not to make her weapons. Then, she kills Pyrrha’s team because they know about her crimes.
Posthumous Character: She is long dead by the time the story began and only seen through Pyrrha’s recollection of her.
The Sociopath: She horrifically abuses Pyrrha, murders her husband for defying her, tortures Faunus because she believes they have associations with the White Fang (whether that’s true or not), and has no true concern for anyone other than herself.
Theme Naming: She and Orion are named after constellations.
Villain with Good Publicity: Even in death, her reputation goes untarnished.
Would Hurt a Child: She abuses Pyrrha horribly and then says that she’d kill the children of a single Faunus mother just so her death won’t raise suspicion. And she kills the rest of Pyrrha’s team when she finds out Pyrrha told them about her killing her husband and abusing her.

Roman

Roman Torchwick

Appearances: Evil's Past

Tropes:

Decomposite Character: Many of his most notable actions from the show including his canon way of death are given to other characters in this series.
Demoted to Extra: He has no role in the major action.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: He dies much sooner in this series than he does in canon. The fact that he's already a Posthumous Character shows this.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: He gets blown up by Cinder.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played with. He seems to have some care for his daughter even though she isn't capable of caring about him.
Faux Affably Evil: He continually has a condescendingly polite tone when talking with Emerald and threatening to have her raped by Neo.
Lack of Empathy: He sees no problem handing women over to Neo for her to rape. He outright tells his men to stop being babies when they hear Neo raping Emerald. He even outright states he has no sympathy for Emerald's plight.
Posthumous Character: The reason he's not around in the present is that he's already dead.
Related in the Adaptation: He's Neo's father.
We Hardly Knew Ye: We don't get much time to get to know him before Cinder has him blown up.
Would Hurt a Child: He states he would have no problem killing children.

Unmarked Spoilers

Harold White

Find his tropes here.

Characters / Ruby and Nora: Villains

Edit Locked

Common Tropes:

Main Villains

Salem

Appearances: Vytal Tournament, Beacon's Fall, Recovery, Bloodsucker, Atlas, Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, The Ring, Haven, The Road To Atlas, Cold

Tropes:

Void, The Brother God of Darkness and Destruction

Team CMEN

Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neopolitan

Tropes:

Cinder Fall, Codename: "Fire Starter"

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Beacon's Fall

Tropes:

Mercury Black, Codename: "Skull"

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Recovery, Bloodsucker, Salem's Arrival, The Ring, Haven

Tropes:

Tropes specific to his "Skull" persona:

Emerald Sustrai

Appearances: Field Trip, Winter Has Come, Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past

Tropes:

Neopolitan "Neo" Torchwick

Appearances: Vytal Tournament, Evil's Past, Beacon's Fall

Tropes:

Other Henchmen for Salem

Tyrian Callows

Appearances: STRQ

Tropes:

Professor Leonardo Lionheart

The Branwen Bandit Clan

Raven Branwen

Appearances: Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

Tropes:

Vernal

Appearances: Crash, Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

Tropes:

Shay D. Mann

Appearances: Crash

Tropes:

Corbin and Ava Branwen

Appearances: STRQ

Tropes:

Cedar

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, STRQ, Haven

Tropes:

Atlas Dictatorship

Jacques Schnee

Appearances: Recovery, Atlas, Salem's Arrival, Cold

Tropes:

Cardin Winchester

Appearances: Cold

Tropes:

Little Miss Malachite's Brothel

Little Miss Malachite

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, The Ring, Cold

Tropes:

Tracy and Kaida

Appearances: Salem's Arrival, The Ring

Tropes:

The White Fang

The White Fang

Appearances: Field Trip

General Tropes:

Father Tiresias Scorch

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Adam Taurus

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Ilia Amitola

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Adam's Lieutenant

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Trifa

Appearances: Field Trip

Tropes:

Independent Villains

Admah Keter