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Comic Books
What kind of idiot would knowingly date a girl named Knives?
— Ramona Flowers, Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Your translator doohickey called him "annihilate" or "nihilism" or something. I mean, there's your frickin' clue train pulled right up to the station.
— Ben Grimm on "Nihil", Ultimate Fantastic Four
Evening, gentlemen, we're from X-Factor. My codename is "Can Crush You with a Glance" Man. And this is my partner "Once Disemboweled a Fellow Just to Watch Him Die" Girl. Let's take ten seconds to consider why we're called that, and what it could mean for your long-term health prospects.
Kirsten McDuffie: Do you figure his parents just assumed he'd grow up to be evil when they named him "Zebediah Killgrave"?
Matt Murdock: Yeah. We call it the "Victor von Doom" paradox.
Matt Murdock: Yeah. We call it the "Victor von Doom" paradox.
— Daredevil Vol 4 #10
"Shit— well, that tells you everything you need to know, doesn't it?"
— Herr Starr in Preacher upon hearing of the Saint of Killers
Nodwick: Look, I think I know this place well enough. I just can't get the names straight, that's all.
Artax: And if a legionnaire asks you your business and you mistakenly call the Hall of Evisceration the March of Severed Heads? What then?
Nodwick: Who named all of these places, anyway?
Artax: Who do you think? A worse question would be why...
Artax: And if a legionnaire asks you your business and you mistakenly call the Hall of Evisceration the March of Severed Heads? What then?
Nodwick: Who named all of these places, anyway?
Artax: Who do you think? A worse question would be why...
— Nodwick #10
Films — Live-Action
I'm not called the Torturer because I don't torture people.
— The Torturer, American Dreamz
Heydrich apparently hates the moniker the good people of Prague have bestowed on him. Actually, why he would hate the name "the Hangman"
is baffling to me; it would appear he's done everything in his power to earn it. I, on the other hand, love my unofficial title.
is baffling to me; it would appear he's done everything in his power to earn it. I, on the other hand, love my unofficial title.— Hans Landa the Jew Hunter, Inglourious Basterds
Let me introduce my associates. This is Mr. Broken Teeth, Mr. Ruptured Spleen, and my right-hand man, Mr. Rape Your Daughter With Assault Unless You Play Ball.
— Mr Brown, Race for the Yankee Zephyr
Major "Mad Dog" Hollister, isn't it? Sandy "Take No Prisoners" Charlesworth, SAS.
— Major Charlesworth, Water
They literally call themselves "Decepticons!" That doesn't set off any red flags?!
— Agent Burns, Bumblebee
"Susie... Sarah... I once read that names which begin with the letter 'S' are the names of SNAKES! Sssss! Ssssss!"
—Olga, Suspiria (1977)
Literature
''Don't fear! Dark Apocalypse is here! ...Hello? (crowd runs away screaming)
— Does This Cape Make Me Look Fat?, by Chelsea Cain and Marc Mohan
Wedge Antilles: Admiral, have you wondered why the Emperor gave such nasty names to his Star Destroyers? Executor, Agonizer, Iron Fist, Venom?
Teren Rogriss: I've heard every schoolboy theory proposed on that matter.
Wedge: This one comes from Luke Skywalker-
Rogriss: Having exhausted the schoolboys, we now turn to the farmboys? How charming.
Wedge: -who has a certain perspective on the matter the rest of us don't. He thinks it all has to do with corruption, with the seduction of the not-too-unwilling. [...] Put a man or woman in a situation where the actions he's obliged to take, such as serving Emperor Palpatine, are a certain path to personal corruption. Fill his ears with words saying that his actions are honorable ones. But surround him with constant reminders of the wrongness that he's doing. Our victim will cling to the words but will, at some level, always be aware of the wrongness — he can't escape it. The symbols, such as the names of the ships he commands, won't let him forget. He's always aware of his descent, of his slow transference to The Dark Side. Skywalker thinks the Emperor found this knowing acceptance of corruption, this half-accepting, half-struggling process, particularly delicious.
Teren Rogriss: I've heard every schoolboy theory proposed on that matter.
Wedge: This one comes from Luke Skywalker-
Rogriss: Having exhausted the schoolboys, we now turn to the farmboys? How charming.
Wedge: -who has a certain perspective on the matter the rest of us don't. He thinks it all has to do with corruption, with the seduction of the not-too-unwilling. [...] Put a man or woman in a situation where the actions he's obliged to take, such as serving Emperor Palpatine, are a certain path to personal corruption. Fill his ears with words saying that his actions are honorable ones. But surround him with constant reminders of the wrongness that he's doing. Our victim will cling to the words but will, at some level, always be aware of the wrongness — he can't escape it. The symbols, such as the names of the ships he commands, won't let him forget. He's always aware of his descent, of his slow transference to The Dark Side. Skywalker thinks the Emperor found this knowing acceptance of corruption, this half-accepting, half-struggling process, particularly delicious.
But still, it was hard not to worry about what would happen if Sermung ever fell. The Crystal Titan was a name that carried so much weight behind it. In some places, its mere utterance was enough to prevent war. And as long as those other names were out there — names like the Mad Demon, the Living Void, the Monster of the East, and the Salesman of Death — as long as those existed, the Crystal Titan seemed entirely needed.
Ryan: Seriously, Fleshrender? That's a little on the nose, isn't it?
Lyelee: Yes. She named herself. She was proud of what she could do.
Keetin: That's a little creepy.
Ryan: So she wasn't born with the name and then decided to live up to it?
Lyelee: Yes. She named herself. She was proud of what she could do.
Keetin: That's a little creepy.
Ryan: So she wasn't born with the name and then decided to live up to it?
Live-Action TV
Bloodmist: Poor, lost creature. Wandering, not knowing who or what you are. What is your name, lost one? Do you even know?
Rev Bem: My name is Brother Behemial Far-Traveller. I am a Wayist of the Sacred Order...
Bloodmist: Behemial Far-Traveller! That is a food name, not fit for a Harbinger of the Abyss. I asked you what your name is. The name your father gave you!
Rev Bem: RED PLAGUE!!!
Rev Bem: My name is Brother Behemial Far-Traveller. I am a Wayist of the Sacred Order...
Bloodmist: Behemial Far-Traveller! That is a food name, not fit for a Harbinger of the Abyss. I asked you what your name is. The name your father gave you!
Rev Bem: RED PLAGUE!!!
Wanda: (flipping through the dentist section of the Yellow Pages) Dr. Hertz... Dr. Payne... Dr. Yankum...
Brent: Oh, you're making those names up.
Wanda: (shows him the phone book)
Brent: Wow. Dr. Payne. I think he fought Spider-Man.
Brent: Oh, you're making those names up.
Wanda: (shows him the phone book)
Brent: Wow. Dr. Payne. I think he fought Spider-Man.
Wilson: This guy's name is Weber, not von Lieberman!
House: I call Weber "von Lieberman." Way eviler.
House: I call Weber "von Lieberman." Way eviler.
— House
If your name is Sepp, at the bare minimum, you've strangled someone in a bar fight. That's just a fact.
— John Oliver on Sepp Blatter, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
"This is insane! There's a reason we call him...Mad Pierrot!"
— Dr Godard, Cowboy Bebop (2021), "Sad Clown A-Go-Go"
Magazines
What, was "Hitler von Killington" too subtle? How about "Sergeant Satanstein?"
Radio
Oh, tut tut tut. You're far too modest, Edwin. You have restored the name "Blackgaard" to a position of honor! Not an easy thing to do...
— Dr. Regis Blackgaard, Adventures in Odyssey
Theater
My name from Adam Goodheart, you'll find
Is changed to Gideon Crawle
For a bad Bart's steward
Who heart is much too hard
Is always "Gideon Crawle"
Is changed to Gideon Crawle
For a bad Bart's steward
Who heart is much too hard
Is always "Gideon Crawle"
— Old Adam, Ruddigore
Video Games
He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him... the Doom Slayer.
— Slayer's Testament I, Doom
I'd like to know who this "Corypheus" is. With a name like that he's bound to go "mwa-ha-hah!" at some point, I just know it.
— Hawke, Dragon Age II "Legacy" DLC
Lord Yama the Vengeful? Wekehsa, in the future, you might want to refrain from stealing things belonging to anyone with "the Vengeful" in their name. You should also add "the cruel" and "the bloody" to that list.
— Koss, Guild Wars
Alert! Class 12 psionic waveform detected. The Queen of Blades is inbound.
— Adjutant, Starcraft II Wings Of Liberty
Dr. Camden: We can't call a plant "murder potato"!
Nakmor Vorn: Even if we're the only ones who know about it?
Nakmor Vorn: Even if we're the only ones who know about it?
Trying to cook up a name that sounds more powerful than "ultima" was actually kind of hard. We're still not entirely pleased with the results, but hopefully you'll be too busy getting your keister handed to you to notice or care.
—Mirage Manual entry on Supraltima Weapon, World of Final Fantasy
Web Comics
Maureen: Maybe Maxim is smart enough to sense danger and just leave.
(Gilligan Cut)
Maxim: "Haunted forest of painful agonizing death." That's a funny name. Wonder what it means...
(Gilligan Cut)
Maxim: "Haunted forest of painful agonizing death." That's a funny name. Wonder what it means...
"Ah, but I'm being rather impolite. I am Mathangi ten Meti, "Murder the Gods and Topple Their Thrones". I would like to tell you I am a noodle vendor — but alas! Instead I am a student of the principle art of cutting."
— Murder the Gods and Topple Their Thrones, Kill Six Billion Demons
Lucien: You're being perfectly ridiculous! No vampire has ever changed their name just to sound more "evil"-
Ginevra: By the way, Lucien, it's possible both Demonia and Lord Batfang of the Blood were captured as well.
Lucien: (sigh)
— Bite Me!
Web Original
That's a headline you never want to see: "Captain Murderstab has been released on parole".
Then you fight "Dark Warrior." Oooh, scary name. How about "Death Guy" or "Mr. Kill?"
Remember, kids: In comics, if your name sounds like anything, you will become a super villain.
— Linkara
Dr. Manfred... Zongor. Y'know, some people were just born to be supervillains.
— Linkara on Captain Electron
Man, Brain Business, I want to be sympathetic to your plight, but this is totally your fault for rooming with a guy named Darkness. It's right there in the name: If somebody asks you if you wanna move into an apartment owned by Darkness, you say "No, thanks — I'll just chip in and share a motel room with The Nothing." You don't lease a boat from Baron Fuckdestruction, you don't buy a used car from Azazel, King of the Void, and you don't "crash" with Darkness itself.
Hey, if you didn't want your kid to eventually be murdered by a man with a strong jawline and a penchant for puns, you shouldn't have named him shit like "Davros" to begin with.
Wiz: This man would emerge as the feared bounty hunter, "Sol Badguy".
Boomstick: So, he's clearly the bad guy?
Wiz: Actually, he's the main hero of the story.
Boomstick: W-wha- why would the-?...
Boomstick: So, he's clearly the bad guy?
Wiz: Actually, he's the main hero of the story.
Boomstick: W-wha- why would the-?...
And in addition, he did all this with the most evil fucking name I've ever heard. Goge Vandire. Seriously, how could you ever trust a guy with that name. G-O-G-E VANDIRE. That name is just screaming "I'm gonna take your eye sockets and put my penis into them". I mean, fuck.
— The Emperor of Mankind in the middle of a rant, If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device
REMEMBER: IF IT STARTS WITH "MOR," IT'S EVIL
Also on this ship is Commander Nefarious, Captain I'm-A-Bad-Guy, and Admiral Bone-to-Pick. But they don't mention them.
— Mr. Plinkett reviews Revenge of the Sith, RedLetterMedia
Did they consider naming him Meanacing T. Badperson?
Walpurgisnacht is from German, translated literally as "Oh fuck me, RUN!!"
— SF Debris review of Puella Magi Madoka Magica ep 6
Mephiles... badly tries to convince Shadow to join the dark side, to which Shadow clearly rejects because he's already had enough of that shit in the last game, and that THIS GUY'S NAME IS FUCKING MEPHILES. It might as well be Mephistopheles, or, better yet, the Devil.
— Some Call Me Johnny regarding Mephiles from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Isn't it funny how psychos have such unique names? This is questioned in Dark Ride, indeed why is it always Jeremiah, Elias, or Isaac? And if your surname happens to be Slaughter, Gore, Knifey, Cutty, or Carver then it appears you can skip that career aptitude normalizing test.
— Vegan Voorhees, on Carver
, on Carver"Kor Phaeron". Your Mummy doesn't name you that unless she expects you to go on a genocide or two.
". Your Mummy doesn't name you that unless she expects you to go on a genocide or two. — Arch Warhammer, reviewing The First Heretic
, reviewing The First HereticScreenwriter: We're also gonna have this guy Obadiah Stane-
Producer: Oh, so he's the bad guy?
Screenwriter: How could you tell?
Producer: Well, his name is Obadiah Stane, so I figured he's either a bad guy or a general in the American Civil War.
Screen Rant Pitch Meetings, "Iron Man Pitch Meeting"
"In the king's absence, his closest advisor, Lord Blackthorne, assumes the regency of the kingdom, and in a twist that revolutionized all of fantasy fiction forever it turnes out that Lord Blackthorne... is evil! What? Oh come on, there's no way anyone could've seen that coming! Lord Blackthorne is a fascisct dictator? Next you'll be telling me Dr. Wily didn't make robots for the betterment of humanity!"
The Spoony Experiment, "Ultima 5 Retrospective"
Who's behind all this? The sinister Dr. Madd, that's who! He's planning to take "controll" of the world!! I guess if your name is "Dr. Madd", you really can't go into pediatrics.
— Stupid Comics, "Guardians of Justice and the O-Force"
Western Animation
Terry: By the way, what's the creepy lady's power?
Tamara: I'm not sure, but they call her "Bombshell."
Terry: Oh, that's encouraging.
Tamara: I'm not sure, but they call her "Bombshell."
Terry: Oh, that's encouraging.
I'm called Rampage now! A bit obvious, but to the point. Don't you think?
— Rampage (formerly known as Protoform X), Beast Wars
If a guy named Foulfellow asks to take you to a place called Pleasure Island, don't go. I mean he's got the world "foul" right in his name.
His name is Nasty Jack! Not Friendly Jack, or Perfectly Wonderful Jack, no! It's Nasty Jack!
— Piglet, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Iroh: Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname "The Dragon of the West?"
Azula: I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle.
Iroh: It's more of a demonstration, really.
Jake Spankenheimer: Who are you?
I.M. Slime: Cousin Mel's attorney: I.M. Slime.
Jake: You said it, not me.
I.M. Slime: Cousin Mel's attorney: I.M. Slime.
Jake: You said it, not me.
Dil: As long as we get the tape back we'll be fine, Spinesnapper sleeps during the day.
Tommy: You stole it from a guy named Spinesnapper!?
Tommy: You stole it from a guy named Spinesnapper!?
Zurg: Lower it.
Minion: Uh, lower what?
Zurg: It. IT! Oh, you know: The Crystallic Self-Perpetuating Breeder Construction Core.
Minion: OOH, Yes! Excellent idea, My Evil Emperor.
Zurg: And can't you come up with a shorter name for it? Like: "Evil Take-Over Thingy"?
Minion: In Test Markets, 4-out-of-5 victims surveyed were more frightened by big words.
Zurg: Fine, fine, fine. Let The Suits have their way... For now...
Minion: Uh, lower what?
Zurg: It. IT! Oh, you know: The Crystallic Self-Perpetuating Breeder Construction Core.
Minion: OOH, Yes! Excellent idea, My Evil Emperor.
Zurg: And can't you come up with a shorter name for it? Like: "Evil Take-Over Thingy"?
Minion: In Test Markets, 4-out-of-5 victims surveyed were more frightened by big words.
Zurg: Fine, fine, fine. Let The Suits have their way... For now...
Mo: Uh, Dad? Which Decepticon is that?
Alex: That's um... Skullcruncher.
Robby: How'd he get his name?
(Skullcruncher transforms into his crocodile mode and crawls towards the car the humans are in)
Alex: Some things are better left in the history books.
Alex: That's um... Skullcruncher.
Robby: How'd he get his name?
(Skullcruncher transforms into his crocodile mode and crawls towards the car the humans are in)
Alex: Some things are better left in the history books.
Real Life
It was one of those comic book name coincidences, like how you know a college professor named Dr. Klaus von der Murder isn't going to be getting tenure.
I really understand wanting to build a robot army and threaten the UN. Heck, in a few years' time my actual name will be Doctor Trollman — at which point I think that I personally am required by dramatic law to put on a funky costume and cause and/or fight crime.
— Frank Trollman
