The Dreaded / Webcomics

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• In Axe Cop: "The Moon Warriors'', the Moon Warriors can't fight the Vampire Man Baby Kid on their own because he's too powerful and "scary". When Axe Cop sees him, even he says he's scary. Then they kind of forget about that and try to decapitate him in different ways.
• Baskets of Guts: Pangreedi, the head of the Royal Secret Chancellory, is described as "a beast, not a human" with scars all over his face. It turns out to be quite far from truth though, so it's rather a subversion.
• Beneath the Clouds has the ikiryo, rare spirits caused by the bitterness and jealousy of living people. Genza says that "a thousand armed men are no protection" against them.
• Boyfriend of the Dead:
  • All the zombies are terrified of Alex, a perfectly ordinary human girl who decided that the Zombie Apocalypse was a great time to go shopping since there are no crowds anymore. She killed over a hundred just while applying makeup because they kept interrupting her.
  • Turns out it's not just the zombies. Claire (a human) kidnaps N, ties him up, and drags him into the human base to prove that her dad isn't infected. If she was wrong, she could have wiped out the last surviving humans in Tokyo. When N asks why Claire didn't just talk to Alex, Claire says Alex scares her. N can't argue with that.
• Bronze Skin Inc.: Of all the giantesses, Marjorie is the most feared, considered cruel by most people, including other giantesses. She's seen as even worse than Charlotte. Dante had a crush on her since school, way before she became giant, and she was just as cruel to him back then.
• The Photographer in The Chosen Four is feared by Ness, which is Played for Laughs. However, the Photoman is the most powerful being in the comic, per Rule of Funny.
• Erfworld:
  • Charlie has built up quite the reputation as an unseen mastermind, and the world is generally convinced he and his side are entirely unbeatable; he has whole armies of the strongest units in the game and more raw cash than any side can even conceive, and the intellect to wield both perfectly.
  • Parson "Lord Hamster" Gotti himself, of course, usurped this position as the most feared thing in the entire world rather quickly. True, he's technically some creature from beyond with entirely different biology and thinking patterns, to whom the rules of the world cannot completely apply, and that would be enough to be afraid. But on top of that, his Munchkin tendencies, outside perspective, and general knack for both RPG mechanics and general strategy and tactics give him an edge no one else in the world has, figuring out the rules so fast he was already causing terrain-changing carnage in the first battle he was brought in for (something usually reserved only for the creators of the world), and finding little exploits and optimal paths for every action he could take, many of which Erfworld's denizens simply cannot think about. Charlie, who can think of such and has the intelligence to understand just how dangerous Parson really is, is scared shitless of the guy and quickly became his sworn enemy, as none of his plans will succeed when Parson is around to counter them and he knows it. Even his own side thinks of him as someone who could break the entire world.
• In El Goonish Shive, Mr. Verres is feared by Immortals. Even Voltaire didn't dare attack Tedd directly in order to avoid his wrath.
  Voltaire: One does not provoke the wrath of Edward Verres lightly, not to mention his monster hunter ex-wife.
• Freefall: Nonviolent version. While people on Planet Jean view Sam as mostly just a chaotic nuisance and petty thief, the Pournelle/Niven Transfer Station hasn't had time to get used to his Kleptomaniac Hero antics, to the point where the docking process for the Savage Chicken goes a lot smoother and cheaper when the official negotiating it discovers that Sam Starfall really exists and is really there with all of his Sticky Fingers.
  Niomi: The ship's owner is Sam Starfall. Be a shame if he felt cheated and took steps to make up the difference.
  Official: Sam Starfall?! I thought he was an urban legend!
  Sam: Excuse me. What size bolts are holding this thing down?
• Girl Genius:
  • The Old Heterodynes were this. In a world filled with depraved Mad Scientist warlords, the Old Heterodynes were a particularly egregious example... Until the Heterodyne Boys, Bill and Barry, redeemed the family. The current scion, the titular heroine Agatha, has proven to have the capacity for good like her father Bill... and the capacity for brutality of her forefathers.
    • At one point Agatha is able to put the fear of God in Bangladesh Dupree, who so far has not shown to be afraid of anything, after she calmly threatens to unmake her if she even thinks of hurting her friends.
    • The Polar Ice Lords think of Agatha as an abomination that should not be taken lightly. This coming from the same guys whose own abominations are so unspeakable even Queen Albia of England would not speak of them.
  • Apparently Agatha's uncle Barry did something to make the Big Bad fret at the mere offhand-dismissive mention of him, fearful that it might invoke another encounter with him.
  • On the Wulfenbach's side, there's the Dreen, strange, clawed cyclops with conic hats and veils that don't quite look that threatening. But once they enter the fray, general Zog's plan immediately turns towards getting the hell out of here. A reminder: These creatures scare the crap out of a centuries-old Super-Soldier general who single-handedly shot down a carrier full of troops. And just to rub it in, one particular Dreen casually survives a stomp by a Humongous Mecha intact and blows it up by touching it, immediately afterwards. It's later revealed they might be related to the enormous Eldritch Abomination currently threatening Mechanicsburg.
  • For reasons that haven't entirely been made clear, Oglavia Spüdna. Post-Time Skip, she's a fairly high-ranking spy, she's written a book...and a keeper of the Incorruptible Library breaks and starts begging to talk the moment she introduces herself.
• Kore in Goblins has a tendency to induce Oh, Crap! moments in those he meets, or even those who hear stories of him, particularly since he has utterly no qualms about killing anyone if he perceives them as evil, and is said to have fought entire armies and won. Even a fellow dwarf paladin refers to him as "the Cursed Scourge of the Realm". And then there's the fact that he Would Hurt a Child...
• Slade from Heart Core, The Dragon of Royce Lashiec. Not only does he love to cause even MORE pain than his master does, not only does Ame, the third strongest living demon so far, fear the mere thought of being in his presence, but not even his own allies can be with him without fearing for their lives, knowing how he can at any point kill them just out of curiosity and boredom.
• HeroKiller: Fear of The Steel Witch moves the plot. Her utter decimation of Nera, at the peak of their power and in mere moments, cemented her as a force everybody are afraid of and none has much of an answer for. Engen is banking a lot of his hopes on Ihwa one day surpassing her, and even the elders, the other candidates for this title, are aware she is probably superior. Victoria in particular shows palpable anger whenever the Witch is mentioned because the Witch's mere existence threatens her self-perception as the Strongest.
• Homestuck:
  • Jack Noir is a fairly light-hearted take on this. Due to some alternate timeline stuff, not always so lighthearted.
  • Doc Scratch, who is feared by anybody knowing him (including Jack). He has nothing on his boss Lord English, though; even Hussie (the author of the comic) is afraid of him.
• Dana from I Don't Want This Kind of Hero. A variation in that it's not the enemy that fears her: it's her own side. Her reputation is well-known among her subordinates, Naga describes her as the scariest person he knows (she takes that as a compliment), and it's joked that joining Knife and being killed by her would be more terrifying than being killed by Knife for not joining them.
• Karin-dou 4koma: Seren is infamous as a brutal Person of Mass Destruction, with nicknames such as "The Human Solar Cannon" and "The Bomb Princess". Before Meguru actually met Seren, her mental image of Seren featured a Slasher Smile, glowing eyes, and claw-like fingernails. She's really not a bad person. She is still a Person of Mass Destruction, however.
• Omnicidal Maniac Jagganoth is first introduced to Kill Six Billion Demons by attending a Concordance of the Demiurges, who immediately stop bickering when he shows up. We later see Mottom, one of those Demiurges, openly admitting to Allison that Jagganoth's existence means she's ruled by fear because it's only a matter of time before he decides the time is right to destroy The Multiverse, and only the very tenuous alliance between the other six keeps him in check. When he finally makes his move at the end of King of Swords, being informed of his coming ends up freaking the heck out of previously unflappable Solomon David.
• The Last Human In A Crowded Galaxy: One Heads-Up Display scans Shenya and in bright red letters spells out "DO NOT ANTAGONIZE".
• In The Mansion of E, Uncle Frederick's bed-mate is called variously the Woman of Mystery or the Scary Lady.
• Misfile:
  • Kamikaze Kate, who, as the name implies, is known for racing in a suicidally reckless way. After her sister was killed by reckless racers (who got off scot-free), she started to act like she was trying to kill everyone on the track, including herself. She raced every single person who showed any talent, wrecked most of their cars, and nearly killed several of them. Just hearing her name is enough to make Ash shiver. It turns out that a large part of Kate's advantage came from the fact that she was possessed by her sister's vengeful ghost, but she's still genuinely the best racer around.
  • Played for Laughs after Kate's sister is exorcised and she undergoes a Heel–Face Turn. Kate becomes a friendly and helpful mentor to Ash, even calling Ash "little sister" and inviting Ash to be the maid of honor at Kate's wedding. But Ash is still completely terrified of her, to the point that she can tell when Kate is near by the nameless feeling of dread.
• In Our Little Adventure, Angelo invoked this feeling when he confronted Randi and Peganone during their quest to capture Umbria. He probably would have for Eva as well, but she retained her resolve due to her Paladin's fear immunity. What happened to Eva due to her not backing down and running away was accordingly horrifying.
• Polandball comics tend to portray Reichtangle as a pants-shitting terror for most of Europe, as it represents the full scope of German imperialism, militarism, and the attendant attitudes that primed the tinder for both World Wars. Notably, Reichtangle is one of a very small number of things that demonstrably frightens◊ the otherwise homicidally fearless ISISball with nothing more than reputation and unflinching, unnerving politeness.
  Reichtangle: GUTEN TAG.
• Purple Hyacinth: The Purple Hyacinth for being the city’s most notorious assassin. He's even this to other Phantom Scythe members.
• Reunion (2021): Shiro is feared by the thugs who roam the city. The two men who were harassing Rhea start trembling in fear when they realize who he is.
• In Rusty and Co., one very well-organized gang of villains had detailed dossiers on Rusty's crew and all the people who are likely to help them. When Princess shows up and they open her file, the mugshot shows her snarling at the camera from behind her oncoming fist and the notes "DO NOT ENGAGE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. RUN." They stare for a while, and just leave calmly with plans to lay low, stating it's not worth the pay.
• Schlock Mercenary:
  • Para Ventura is a hilarious variant. That's how she got enlisted—Captain Tagon knows the cost of a good reputation (just for comparison, that was the incident which didn't impress the dock bot).
  • Sanctum Adroit, a much more principled sort of mercenary company that's often hired out as security for entire habitats, has gained quite a reputation thanks to their skill, ordnance, incorruptibility, and watchful eye. As a result, when hired for a security gig in a large city, just the fact they're going to arrive deters nearly all crime that day.
    Colonel Menendez: We crunched the public surveillance taken during our precintory's arrival. The results were enlightening. Of the three thousand individuals surveilled, sixteen showed dismay once the Sanctum Adroit flag was visible. Eleven of those sixteen individuals discreetly fled public view. Eight of the eleven have already left Eina-Afa. You asked if we're ready to fight crime? Glib answers aside, we've already begun, and we appear to be winning.
  • Tagon's Toughs, of course, have gained quite a reputation as time has gone by, due to the sheer amount of incidents they've been involved with and survived, along with public opinion doing the rest of the work for them. Being one of Petey's favorite task forces (and the ones that let him form the Fleetmind), personally involved in incidents that destroyed two UNS Battleplates, destroyers of a Dyson Sphere and now personal task force for the Oafans does that to one's reputation. Particular examples among the Toughs are, of course, Tagon himself (the "Destroyer of Battleplates" and the only man badass enough to lead a group like this, complete with fan clubs composed of hardened mercenaries that look up to him) and the titular Sergeant Schlock (the single most dangerous mercenary in their employ, a carbosilicate amorph that's close to unkillable, can already kill just about anything unarmed and loves carrying plentiful tank-slagging weaponry on principle with zero trigger discipline).
• The Irregulars from Tower of God. Normally, people who climb the Tower to get their deepest desire fulfilled have to be Chosen and are invited as Regulars. Not these guys. They came and kicked the metaphysical doors open by themselves and every time that happened, the Tower underwent drastic changes. Five Irregulars are known. One was a man-made god who defeated the entire ruling structure of the Tower and then simply disappeared. Before him came a person who slew a Physical God and could create life. The third followed the former into the Tower, climbed it ten times faster than anyone else^note  it took him 50 years and built an N.G.O. Superpower that rivals the government. The fourth one was almost completely immune to magic and could copy any spell on sight. And the last one was an incredibly normal girl who stabbed her best friend in the back. People are not very fond of Irregulars. They are afraid of them.
• In Trevor (2020), Trevor becomes this the moment his "corpse" sits up in the autopsy room. Everyone from the doctors to the military guards in place knows that the moment he makes contact with anyone else, that person is dead.
• The gleefully evil demon Xaneth Antaris of True Villains is this, knows it, and loves it.
• Unsounded: When Murkoph walked the physical world, he was the single most feared individual to have ever lived, a fact that he is very proud of. As he puts it:
  Murkoph: There were a time I were the scariest godsdamned thing skinside yeh could ever imagine. The moon trembled when I passed under, shakin' the breakers t'suicide all up and down the shores've creation. Hungry and hated, Murkoph ambled from coast to cavern, across countries and counties, bein' all the gods meant the world t'be. Pain, fear, endings upon endings upon endings... heavy with every purpose and no purpose at all. Some said it were the Twins themselves sent me! Some said it were Ssael, others that I was a senet monster. A thousand legends; names; whispered imprecations precedin' me like the shadow thrown afore me by the quiverin' moon. I were shadow itself.
• Weak Hero:
  • Anyone who goes toe-to-toe with Gray ends up absolutely terrified of him. His underhanded, humiliating methods of defeating his foes are far worse to them than the beating they'd expect from any other person.
  • It takes a while for the main villain Donald Na to show up in person, but his presence is still felt by how thoroughly intimidated all of the other characters are by him. Even the most powerful of fighters quiver at the sound of his name.
• We Live In An MMO?! has "the Guards", NPCs who enforce the laws of Mamuon. An Invoked Trope, as it is the threat of the Guards that keep the players in line.

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