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And this isn't even close to the worst thing that Johan has done, either. Take Our Word For It.

"I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes... the Devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil."
Dr. Loomis, Halloween

This is it. The end of the line for evil and evil tropes. Simply, there is nothing worse than being this. Trying to put a value to how horrible the qualifications to be a Complete Monster are is like trying to assign Bill Gates a credit score: it becomes a moot point. This is not the villain who is designed to be comic, or tragic, or even so awesome you can't help but root for him. This is the villain who is so repulsive and completely irredeemable, that the only satisfying end for him is a death just as horrible as he is... or hopefully worse.

Complete Monsters typically appear in Darker And Edgier works and those on the very cynical side of the Sliding Scale Of Idealism Vs Cynicism. In Lighter And Fluffier works, it's incredibly hard to depict a character bad enough to invoke this trope without breaking the mood. On the other hand, as a work slides into Black And Grey Morality, it gets harder to be so evil that you become the focus of the audience's hatred. Thus, only the most exceptional of villains can qualify - only the worst of the worst belong on this page. Far from every Serial Killer, Psycho For Hire, Ax Crazy, or Omnicidal Maniac is bad enough to be a Complete Monster. While most Complete Monster villains are Obviously Evil, not everyone who is Obviously Evil is a Complete Monster.

  • The character must do truly horrendous acts, and the story makes no attempt to gloss these over or present them in a positive light. Acts concealed behind a Villainy Discretion Shot don't count. In other words, the Complete Monster usually starts at the Moral Event Horizon and keeps on running. He must also have a direct, active role, and the Evil Overlord doesn't count if he only sends out waves of minions to do horrible atrocities - he must perform these himself or force someone else to do it while he looks on. It's the character that's supposed to scare and disgust you, not his Mooks.
  • A Freudian Excuse is either not present, or inadequate to excuse his behavior.
  • The character must show no regret or remorse for his actions, however terrible. It's better if he obviously enjoys it, but complete emotionlessness or lack of caring will suffice. For this guy, Its All About Me is not just a choice; it's the core of his existence.
  • The character must evoke fear and/or hatred from the other characters in the story. If there are other villains around, they are afraid of him/dislike him too — Even Evil Has Standards, after all. If this character is not the Big Bad, there's likely to be an Eviler Than Thou subplot.
  • The character should affect the tone of the work. His scenes are the darkest, scariest, and most serious. He can push a work into Darker And Edgier territory simply by his presence, and if it's already dark, he makes it a candidate for High Octane Nightmare Fuel. This type of villain will almost never appear in a comedic work unless it is a Black Comedy of the nastiest sort.
  • Defeating the character should be a major element of the story, if not the main plot — especially if his opponents are motivated by revenge or hatred for him. When it happens, it's usually someone's Crowning Moment Of Awesome. If the villain wins, it's game over for the good guys, and even if he's defeated, he often leaves one heck of a mess behind.
  • Most importantly, the character must have no chance of redemption without being considered a Karma Houdini. The only way the story could come to anything resembling a happy ending is if he dies or is otherwise removed. A Heel Face Turn is out of the question, and nobody would believe it if it happened. There can be no Redemption Equals Death for this character, and no Fate Worse Than Death is too extreme.

Remember, it takes something truly, truly special to be a Complete Monster. Far from every villain qualifies, especially if they turn out to mean well. No Real Life examples, please.

Tread carefully through the examples. It probably goes without saying, but due to the nature of the trope, there are huge spoilers that may or may not be marked. And also, some of the deeds listed here are quite disturbing, even though they're all fictional.


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