History Main / RepulsiveRingmaster

* The ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' short [[WesternAnimation/{{Boop-Oop-a-Doop}} "Boop Oop a Doop"]] features Betty as a circus performer. The ringmaster of this circus begins to lust after her, and starts making advances on her. When Betty's friend Koko the Clown tries to stop the ringmaster, he starts resorting to violence. Fortunately, Koko wins the fight.

* ''Webcomic/ClownCorps'': The Shadow Circus is an organization of {{Monster Clown}}s opposing the NonIronicClown Corps, who are a former group of rodeo clowns turned crimefighting citizen's militia. Their leader, naturally, is called The Ringmaster.

* ''Webcomic/ClownCorps'': The Shadow Circus is an organization of {{Monster Clown}}s opposing the NonIronicClown Corps, who are a former RodeoClown organization turned crimefighting citizen's militia. Their leader, naturally, is called The Ringmaster.

* Papa Lazeru from ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' fits this to a tee. He's an evil ringmaster who plans to turn people into circus animals. It doesn't help that his appearance has a slight hint of MonsterClown.

* The Piedmon in ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'' leans more towards this than the standard MonsterClown the species is portrayed as. He's the ringmaster of a circus troupe and orders his minions to kidnap children that he forces to walk to tightrope and turns into playing cards, being responsible for an implied 52 victims at bare minimum when Hiro and Ruli gets involved with him.

* Butler, the villain of ''Anime/PokemonJirachiWishMaker'', is one of these. He's a former Team Magma scientist who wants to regain the organization's approval by using Jirachi's powers to revive Groudon.

* ''Series/OnePiece2023'' upgrades [[MonsterClown Buggy the Clown]] from a joke character in the manga into a much more menacing straight example. Destroying an entire town, he chains the populace up and forces them to watch the show, cheerfully putting ColdBloodedTorture in the center ring to get what he wants - ultimately, attention.

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In the episode "[[Recap/HTFMimeToFive Mime to Five]]", Lumpy is a circus ringmaster with a [[DastardlyWhiplash Dastardly Whiplash]]. He whips his animals and gives Mime menial work without pay, despite his clearly demonstrated circus skills.

* The Leading Player from ''Theatre/{{Pippin}''} reveals themself[[labelnote:*]]Their gender depends on the production.[[/labelnote]] to be this as the show goes on. It starts when Catherine goes off-script to sing her own song, and ends with [[spoiler:them trying to convince the eponymous Pippin to commit [[ManOnFire suicide by self-immolation]]. When that fails, they tries to pick someone [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou from the audience,]] before angrily storming off and taking the troupe with him. But then Leo walks up on stage and the Player gladly comes back to take him.]]

* He may be the ''Clown'' Prince of Crime, but even ComicBook/TheJoker has led a circus a few times. For example, in ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' #4, he leads a small circus troupe (actually some {{Mooks}} in disguise) that performs in the mansions of rich people so he can steal from them. Strangely, he does not wear your typical ringmaster outfit, instead he wears a more traditional clown costume, with a cone-shaped hat and a ruffled collar.
* The Showman from ''ComicBook/TheLastTemptation'' by Creator/NeilGaiman emcees [[TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday The Theater of the Real]], and neatly ticks off nearly every stereotype associated with the ringmaster. He spends eternity trying to entice, frighten, and MindRape children and early teens into [[AbstractEater selling him their future, and the potential of everything they could have been]]. Those who agree are essentially transformed into ghouls, and even those who don't are strongly implied to be haunted and changed forever.
* Franchise/MarvelUniverse supervillain The Ringmaster, who runs [[CircusOfFear the Circus of Crime]], and has a special device hidden in his top hat, which he uses to hypnotize his audience so his goons can steal their valuables without any protest.

* {{Inverted|Trope}} with Russel Berry in the case "Turnabout Big Top" of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'', who was a BenevolentBoss that everyone else in the circus loved despite their disputes with each other. He treats his daughter Regina like royalty, he took in Acro and Bat as acrobats when their parents abandoned them (and continued to help and support them after they were both injured and unable to work for him), and he pays the performers' wages with his own money whenever the circus is struggling. Makes you wonder why anyone would want to murder him. [[spoiler:Turns out [[MurderByMistake he wasn't the intended victim]].]]
* Dio, the "fifth-generation ringleader" in ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', complete with the usual marching-band-reject-with-top-hat costume. Unlike almost everything else about the game, Dio's crapulence isn't a spoiler -- he's a thoroughly unpleasant {{Jerkass}} from the word "go". [[spoiler:And that's him acting ''nice''. He's actually ''far'' more evil than he lets on.]]

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In the episode "[[Recap/HTFMimeToFive Mime to Five]]", Lumpy is a circus ringmaster with a [[DastardlyWhiplash Dastardly Whiplash]]. He whips his animals and gives Mime menial work without pay, despite his clear circus skills.

It's also worth noting that, because of the lack of sound systems, ringmasters in the olden days had to shout to be heard. Because of this, evil ringmasters tend to be [[LargeHam extremely]] [[EvilIsHammy hammy]]. Thanks to their long coats, mustaches, and top hats, many evil ringmasters fall into DastardlyWhiplash territory (although, instead of an all-black outfit, they'll usually wear [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver a bright red jacket with black pants and hat]]). It is also common for ringmasters in fiction to be seen abusing their animals and performers. If the ringmaster fights, expect his or her weapon of choice to be [[WhipItGood a whip]] or a [[CaneFu cane]].

* In ''Film/TheBride'', Viktor and Rinaldo travel by foot through Europe, eventually arriving in Budapest, where they become involved with a circus owner named Magar, who hires them despite his dislike for Rinaldo. During a trapeze performance with the circus, Rinaldo is fatally injured in a fall. When Viktor learns that Magar deliberately tampered with Rinaldo's harness, causing the fall, he flies into a rage, flipping Magar's caravan over before murdering one of the performers.

* ''Fanfic/BetweenMyBrotherAndMeMorsOmnibus'',

%%* Roman in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTomThumbAndThumbelina''.
* ''WesternAnimation/AnimalCrackers2017'': Horatio P. Huntington, the BigBad. Horatio used to run a circus with his brother Bob, but was always [[HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight more interested in gaining fame than in the art of performing]]. Bob was a very kind and generous ringmaster (you could say he's a Reputable Ringmaster), and as a result, Bob was more successful, which [[GreenEyedMonster drove Horatio mad]]. Horatio left Bob's circus and started his own with a few sideshow acts, but it wasn't very successful, so Horatio became bent on retaking Bob's circus.

* Mistress Barbara from ''Literature/TrappedInTheCircusOfFear'' is a ringmistress example, being a sorceress who collects children to be converted into her collection of sideshow freaks, having plenty of MonsterClown minions serving her and circus animals like lions under her control, which she sics on the protagonist when he tries to flee.