History Main / Greed

May lead to DeathByMaterialism. GoldFever, LovesOnlyGold, GreedMakesYouDumb, and OnlyCaresAboutInheritance are all {{SubTrope}}s. Often goes hand in hand with [[VillainousGlutton gluttony]]. Compare {{Lust}}, which is desire for abstract concepts and feelings as opposed to material possessions. If a greedy character is featured in a musical, expect a MoneySong.

May lead to DeathByMaterialism. GoldFever LovesOnlyGold, GreedMakesYouDumb, and OnlyCaresAboutInheritance are all {{SubTrope}}s. Often goes hand in hand with [[VillainousGlutton gluttony]]. Compare {{Lust}}, which is desire for abstract concepts and feelings as opposed to material possessions. If a greedy character is featured in a musical, expect a MoneySong.

* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': The page image is "Agent Orange", real name Larfleeze, "leader" of the Orange Lantern Corps in ''ComicBook/GreenLantern''. In the emotional spectrum, Orange represents selfishness and greed, and Agent Orange is the greediest creature to ever live. True to form, he's the only true member of the corps; the others are all spirits of the people he killed in his constant search for '''''more'''''.

* Pictured above is "Agent Orange", real name Larfleeze, "leader" of the Orange Lantern Corps in ''ComicBook/GreenLantern''. In the emotional spectrum, Orange represents selfishness and greed, and Agent Orange is the greediest creature to ever live. True to form, he's the only true member of the corps; the others are all spirits of the people he killed in his constant search for '''''more'''''.

* In ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis: Superman Beyond'', Superman's EvilTwin Ultraman mentions that on his world, ruled by evil, the only god people knew was {{Mammon}}, the demon who patronizes greed in the SevenDeadlySins. However, when Ultraman found out about [[MultiversalConqueror Mandrakk]] [[OmnicidalManiac The]] [[CosmicEntity Dark]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Monitor]], he was more than happy to follow this [[EvilerThanThou greater evil]].

* Jack Horner of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' shows how much greed can stab you in the back. After losing a fortune several times in his series, he resigns to never spend the gold he gained from El Dorado, just to ensure he can't lose it. [[spoiler:He consequently becomes a dragon as a result of his greed. He spends at least a few years (if not decades) in this state before the last issue, in which {{everyone dies|Ending}}.]]
* In ''ComicBook/WhiteSand'', greed is said to be Drije's main motivation behind betraying the Sand Masters - he wants to sell his skills for money, while they disagree.

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Volume 1]]: Byrna Brilyant's motivation to become a supervillain. Despite being a genius roboticist who has also perfected her chemist father's "blue snow" she hides her abilities in order to hold entire communities hostage for money as the "Blue Snowman", and once she's stolen everything from those who live there she discards them.

** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Volume 2]]: While Thomas Randolph's lust for power is a powerful motivator he also really wants to make money and sees power as a means to that end. This is the reason the [[VillainWithGoodPublicity White Magician]] sells the items he then uses to frame his "villains" and the reason he ends up on the mob's payroll.

* This is a recurring motif in the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' series, especially among the villains. They won't stop trying to get whatever priceless MacGuffin they're searching for, even if that means traipsing through war zones or death. This is also what did in the pirate colony, Libertalia, from the [[VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd fourth game]]. The pirates were pulling a long [[TheCon con]] to rob the settlers of all their money and then turned on each other in a brutal GambitPileup, meaning no one got the money. Notably Nadine from that game is the only villain to survive because she specifically walks away from the job when she realizes it's gone off the rails even though that means she won't get her cut of the treasure.

** Greed is said to be her defining trait. Since chromatic dragons are naturally greedy creatures, Tiamat is the worst. The acclimation of wealth is said to be her goal above all else, and she will abandon any sort of plan if it means getting even more of it. Her DragonHoard is said to be the treasures of a hundred worlds of the multiverse, despite the fact that she has nothing to use all that treasure for. Tiamat just wants more because it's more; that's the beginning and end of it. And just as an exclamation point, Tiamat's lair is known as "the Cave of Greed".

** Luz believes that her All For One Quirk is the symbol of Greed after learning about its PowerParasite nature, allowing them to amass unchecked power at a whim. [[CardCarryingVillain Shigaraki doesn't deny this.]] As the story goes on, being influenced by not only a Quirk that makes you think and shapes your belief structure to assume that everything belongs to you, including other people's lives, and having a ManipulativeBastard living rent-free in her head, leads to her taking more powers than her body can handle even some KickTheDog moments.

* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz'': Luz believes that her All For One Quirk is the symbol of Greed after learning about its PowerParasite nature. She also doubts that she could sue for peace with the other 2 teams because the prize money promised by the AntagonisticGovernor would make them cave in and kill one another for his sick amusement. [[spoiler:She's later proven right as they pull an EnemyMine and wipe out half her team to try and get her after the governor jacks up the price for Luz's head.]]

-->'''Host:''' That it, you've won it! A (''brand new'') Ferrari!\\

-->'''Host:''' That it, you've won it! A (''brand new'') Ferrari!//
'''Contestant:''' ('''groan'') Oh, we ''have'' a small car already!

* In ''Film/WarDogs'': Ephraim and David end up recieving a contract from the US Government for $300,000,000 to supply weapons and ammunition for Afghani Rebel Groups to fight the Taliban. The order includes, among other things, 100,000,000 rounds of 7.62 ammo. After hooking up with an Arms Dealer who can get them Cold War surplus ammo for ten cents per round, they hit a snag: the ammo is Chinese, and therefore, unuseable due to the US's Embargo on China. So they come up with a plan, hire Albanian workers to repackage the rounds into Albanian ammo boxes and pass the ammo off as Albanian. Not only will this allow the deal to go through, but the lighter packaging materials will save them roughly $3,000,000 in shipping costs. So what causes the plan to ultimately fail? Ephraim tried to get out of paying the Albanians the measely $100,000 they were asking to repackage the ammo. On a deal worth $300,000,000. Even worse? The Albanian boss made it clear that he knew exactly why they were repackaging the ammo, and Ephraim still tried to screw him over, so he reported them to the US Government.

* ''Literature/TalmaGordon'': Captain Gordon committed many terrible deeds out of desire for money.

May lead to DeathByMaterialism. GoldFever is a SubTrope, as is LovesOnlyGold. Often goes hand in hand with [[VillainousGlutton gluttony]]. Compare {{Lust}}, which is desire for abstract concepts and feelings as opposed to material possessions. If a greedy character is featured in a musical, expect a MoneySong.

* In the ''Videogame/{{X}}-Universe'', greed is a defining feature of the LizardFolk Teladi, who are united under the [[OneNationUnderCopyright Teladi Corporation]] lead by Chairman [[PunnyName Ceo]]. Teladi are absolutely ''obsessed'' with profit, to the point [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub where they all but openly sell ships]] to the local SpacePirates. It's rare for them to ''not'' mention profit or credits in a conversation; "Good profit!" is their equivalent to goodbye. That said, Teladi hailing from their homeworld - cut off from the PortalNetwork for a few hundred years - lack this trait.

* Greed is basically the reason ''Videogame/StarFox'''s Pigma Dengar is so repugnant. He sold out the people who were supposed to be his friends to [[BigBad Andross]] just for the money, and a reward is basically his only motivation for doing anything. His greed made him so untrustworthy that his new team, Star Wolf, eventually kicked him out.

* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz'': Luz believes that her All For One Quirk is the symbol of Greed after learning about its PowerParasite nature. She also doubts that she could sue for peace with the other 2 teams because the prize money promised by the AntagonisticGovernor would make them cave in and kill one another for his sick amusement. [[spoiler:She's later proven right as they pull an EnemyMine and wipe out half her team to try and get her.]]

* ''Fanfic/AllForLuz'': Luz believes that her All For One Quirk is the symbol of Greed. She also doubts that she could sue for peace with the other 2 teams because the prize money promised by the AntagonisticGovernor would make them cave in and kill one another for his sick amusement. [[spoiler:She's later proven right as they pull an EnemyMine and wipe out half her team to try and get her.]]

* [[http://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/09/24/greedywario.jpg Wario]] pretty much exemplifies this, in both the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' and ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series. His motivations for most of the game stories are pretty much to get as much money and treasure as he possibly can, doesn't really pay his 'staff' in VideoGame/WarioWare, [[spoiler: ignores the captured damsel in ''Wario Land: Shake It'' for the infinite cash purse]] and manages to subvert the HonestAxe trope.
** His ArchNemesis, [[SamusIsAGirl Captain Syrup]], is also known for her greed, in ''Wario Land: Shake It'', she even[[spoiler: ninjas the said purse behind Wario's back, being that it was the sole reason [[MagnificentBastard she lured Wario there in the first place]]]].

* The major villains of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' correspond to the SevenDeadlySins. The fifth major boss of the game is fast food company CEO Kunikazu Okumura, and he embodies Greed, far more in the ambitious sense, but as a CEO who shows no care for his employees and prioritizes the bottom line, he does show a yearning for money as well. Far from satisfied with being an extremely wealthy business owner, he wishes to enter the political world, despite showing absolutely no talent or skill for that field. While the Phantom Thieves initially pursue him due to him being on the top of an online poll demanding changes of heart, what ''really'' sets them off is how he puts his daughter [[LonelyRichKid Haru]] up for an ArrangedMarriage with the son of a member of the Diet in order to expand into politics, and not only does he view Haru as little more than a bargaining chip/a walking womb, but said son is all too eager to practice the MaritalRapeLicense trope on her. Tying all of this together is that his Shadow's demonic form is that of {{Mammon}}, the demon who classically represents the sin of greed.

* Recurring theme in C.S. Lewis' ''Literature/ChroniclesOfNarnia'':