Super Evil is a deconstruction-reconstruction of the superhero genre. Ellis, an agender shadow manipulator, is targeted by a mind controller and his web of Supers.
It is 20 Minutes into the Future. Cosmic radiation has forced humanity underground, except for the residents of the Dome. The Domeheads live in either the Upper-Dome is constantly sunny, while the Under-Dome runs on a "day" and "night" cycle, where one is lighter and one is darker.
The Dome is policed by three groups: Forward Scouts, the exclusively-Super military force which protects the Dome, Peacekeepers, brave mundanes who handle lesser cases, and Superheroes, exclusively made of Supers.
Super-Evil contains the following tropes:
- Action Genre Hero Guy: Played with. Ellis fits a lot of the tropes, being an ex-Forward Scout, having a dead-family, and insisting upon working alone. But the entirety of the story involves Ellis learning to work with other people.
- Action Duo: Rosie and Mind Melter, then Ellis and Rosie. It is implied Brawn and Phoenix were this.
- Action Girl: Nearly every girl, excluding those who are a Dark Action Girl.
- Affably Evil: Void is a sophisticated man who tried to give his adopted daughter her best chance. That doesn't stop him from encouraging Rosie's terrorizing of the Dome, or planning on blowing up Charma.
- The Atoner: Rosie, who makes sure Ellis doesn't fall to Mind Melter's plot.
- she keeps it up long after her initial act, eventually helping the heroes take down all of her coworkers. Nobody accepts her, though, likely due to her other characteristics.
- Big Good: Dan fills this role, giving Ellis information, managing the heroes, and being a genuinely nice guy while doing it. when it comes to the final battle, however, he takes an offscreen role.
- Brother–Sister Team: Dan and Tara were implied to be this before Tara was captured by Mind Melter.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Ellis and Lynn. Until it's revealed that Lynn was Rosie all along.
- But Now I Must Go: In the final chapter, Rosie, Ellis, and Impulse leave the dome.
- Captive Audience: Ellis' family is murdered in front of em, and they're held in place by Mind Melter's control.
- Damsel in Distress: Rosie. It's implied this has happened multiple times to her, and each time she gets free she gets her revenge.
- Deliberately Distressed Damsel: Rosie uses this to get Mind Melter.
- Death Seeker: Rosie claims to be this, to the amusement of Ellis.
- Depraved Bisexual: Rosie, though arguably her bisexuality has nothing to do with her evilness.
- Deuteragonist: Rosie, though she is behind the scenes for a good portion of the story, the story is arguably as much hers as it is Ellis'.
- Empathic Healer: Carys brings back the dead, but it's killing her.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Rosie and Void genuinely care about each-other. Rosie was even going to make sure Void didn't get any of the backlash from her actions until it is revealed he was her target all along.
- Evil Orphan: Rosie, though this is enforced and encouraged.
- Evil Redhead: Rosie.
- Exaulted Torturer: Brawn believes she is this. Ellis actually is.
- Charma also does this, though is notable by the total absence of physical torture.
- Evil Duo: Mind Melter and Rosie. It doesn't go well.
- Happily Adopted: Rosie and Void are a really happy family. At first.
- False Friend: Lynn to Ellis.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: It's implied Rosie feels this way towards Ellis.
- Good Is Not Soft: In spades. Nearly every character hits this, to the point where one of the most sympathetic characters are one of the villains.
- Genius Bruiser: Brawn is implied to be this.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Rosie claims to have been this before the plot started.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: The only Mundane in the story is Rosie in disguise.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Rosie and Ellis, after Mind Melter's death.
- Immortality Begins at Twenty: Rosie doesn't age, and her blood prevents others from aging as well. She looks to be in her twenties.
- Implacable Man: Rosie and Ellis.
- Insane Equals Violent: Rosie deliberately invokes this.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Rosie in her second fight with Ellis, to Ellis' horror. Turns out there's a reason for that.
- Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Rosie, upon killing Seer, reveals that she knows the heroes won't let her go, that she has limited time left. She just wants to defeat Mind Melter first.
- Let's Get Out of Here: Several times the characters have to quickly retreat and regroup.
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Moral Event Horizon: Mind Melter manages to cross this in the first chapter, and nearly takes Rosie with him. In the eyes of many characters, Rosie has crossed it too. - Morality Pet: It's implied that Rosie has kept several, including Dr. Crane, and Tara, though only her attachment to like-minded Ellis is enough to make her Heel–Face Turn.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Rosie. Though she can still feel pain, it's implied that regeneration is fairly painful, and she tends to purposely deaden her nerves before a big fight, leading to Major Injury Underreaction.
- Nominal Hero: Impulse's
Chaotic Neutral nature makes her this. She is consistently helpful to the heroes, but it is never clear exactly why. - Non-Action Big Bad: Mind Melter. He gets directly involved with the action, but relies on his mind control powers to make sure he comes out unscathed.
- One Person, One Power: A rule of this universe.
- Only Sane Man: Dan. It is Lampshaded in a conversation between Ellis and Rosie at the end of the book, where Rosie postulates Dan has a dark secret.
- Papa Wolf: Void towards Rosie.
- Pay Unto Evil: a given, considering this is, at its core, a revenge story.
- Perky Female Minion: Rosie, at first.
- Personof Mass Destruction: Ellis could have been this at any time in the Underdome, due to it almost always being completely dark.
- Protect This House: Ellis tries this. It doesn't work.
- Power Incontinence: Rosie's powers stop working consistently for a while. This is important because this is key to how Mind Melter dies.
- Roaring Rampageof Revenge: Ellis' plans.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Dan. He falls into Pragmatic Hero upon occasion, by nature of the world he exists in, but he seems to know exactly where the line is.
- Reformed, but Rejected: Rosie. except by Ellis.
- Slave Mooks: It's implied that Mind Melter's entire empire is built from these.
- Shrinking Violet: Lynn.
- Sole Survivor: Ellis, and that was part of Mind Melter's plan.
- The Smart Guy: Dan and Tara for their respective teams.
- Sociopathic Hero: While not a true sociopath, Rosie becomes this. While she seems to show genuine guilt over some of her actions, during a Breather Episode after the climax, she laughs over some of the people she killed.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Ellis does this to Lynn a few times.
- Terror Hero: Ellis has shades of this. The room breathes with em when engulfed in darkness.
- Troubled, but Cute: Rosie.
- Unstoppable Rage: Ellis, especially during er fight with Mind Melter. Mind Melter uses that to his advantage.
- Unscrupulous Hero: Ellis is working for the heroes for er own reasons, has no issue with killing the villains, and tortures er girlfriend when ey discovers she is a villain.
- Brawn is also an example. Brawn also tortures Rosie.
- Villainous Rescue: Void rescues Rosie.
- Was It All a Lie?: Ellis asks Rosie if it was real from her perspective.
- Walking Spoiler: Rosie and Lynn.
