History ButtMonkey / WesternAnimation

** Bart has his moments as the Butt Monkey. He often gets strangled by his father, nearly killed by Sideshow Bob for 20+ years, was almost killed by Mr. Burns twice (Burns ran him over with his car in one episode, and later, locked him in a safe and sunk him to the bottom of the lake), and has been subject to really hurtful shamings by the whole town (as seen in "Bart's Girlfriend," "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace," and the notorious "The Boys of Bummer." "The Telltale Head" is a gray area. On the one hand, you have the entire town going after Bart for decapitating the Jebediah Springfield statue. On the other hand, Bart apologized for what he did and, in a TV-exclusive scene, shamed by mob for losing their way as Springfield citizens).

** That said, Igthorn is no less prone to suffering abuse than Toadwart. He's suffered a string of humiliating defeats and has been flung from various Gummi devices, tied up by his own underlings, gotten [[TarAndFeathers tarred and feathered]], been thrown into moats [[CoveredInMud or mudholes]], [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and had his vocal chords shrunk by a voice-altering spell]].

** That said, Igthorn is no less prone to suffering abuse than Toadwart. He's suffered a string of humiliating defeats and has been flung from various Gummi devices, tied up by his own underlings, thrown into moats or mudholes, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and had his vocal chords shrunk by a voice-altering spell]].

** From the same series, we have Hunter. ''Some'' kind of misfortune, from AmusingInjuries to {{Trauma Conga Line}}s, befalls him in almost every episode he appears in.

** Brad and Sheldon could be considered this, too, since they both are frequently called geeks and tend to be very unlucky in love.

** Dr. Drakken is driven out of university after being incessantly laughed at by his friends, constantly and vigorously mocked by his sidekick who is undeniably superior to him in just about every way, constantly and repeatedly beaten by Kim (who often takes little or no effort to do it), and occasionally reminded that Professor Dementor [[VillainCred has a more impressive reputation than him]] as a villainous MadScientist. Like Ron, he ends up with his female partner, so it does even out in a way.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
** Whoever wants to be the Mayor of a WretchedHive like Gotham is asking for it: Mayor Hill even once was [[InvokedTrope framed up]] by the ClockKing to be a ButtMonkey in revenge for an AdviceBackfire.
** Harley Quinn was a relatively rare female example before she TookALevelInBadass.
** Harvey Bullock is an out-of-universe example. He's given token respect by the characters, but part of the fun for the audience of seeing any episode with Bullock in it is waiting for him to stuff junk food in his face or say or do something stupid. Kudos to ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' for doing its part to salvage this much-maligned character.
** Sid the Squid is a manchild and self-admitted idiot and the events of his only episode "The Man Who Killed Batman" sees him become a target for many of Gotham's other criminals after he seemingly kills Batman by accident. Yet, he may also be an inversion as despite going to prison after the still-alive Batman saves him from Rupert Throne, Bats himself points out that Sid might actually have a good reputation in prison after what's happened and Sid concludes that going to prison was WorthIt after he's greeted to cheers from his fellow inmates as the guy who almost killed Batman and made idiots of the Joker and Throne.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': The Penguin seems to be the Butt Monkey of almost every episode he's ever made an appearance in, no matter how short it was. Heck, he was the movie's Butt Monkey! Though oddly enough, he ''wasn't'' one in "Team Penguin", simply because [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Killer Moth was.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'':
** ComicBook/{{Bane}} of all people is this, being an AdaptationalWimp [[ExtremeDoormat (in terms of spirit)]] who gets pushed around by all the other villains despite the fact that he [[BullyingADragon could easily break any one of them in half]].
** Kite Man to a lesser extent. Just like the other iterations of the character he's [[HarmlessVillain seen as a joke]] by pretty much every supervillain and is an ExtremeDoormat who rarely stands up for himself, but he doesn't let it get to him much. [[spoiler: However ComicBook/PoisonIvy, the only person who ever respected him, winds up cheating on him with Harley and ultimately leaves him for her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': The Flash tends to be seen as a clown and buffoon whose [[CasanovaWannabe interest in the ladies far exceeds his ability to impress them]]. However, it's mitigated by the fact that when push comes to shove his teammates really do trust and respect him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'':
** Beast Boy. Poor guy even suffers in the DownerEnding. No wonder he's embarrassed that his first name is the same as that of [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} a certain well-known cat]].
** Even worse is [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain poor Doctor Light]]... Anytime he appears and Raven is involved, you can expect him to suffer.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'': Robin is generally disrespected by the other Titans and is mocked, injured, or ignored at least OncePerEpisode. But then again, Robin's a total jerk and control freak to his teammates who won't hesitate to whack them with his staff or foist laundry duties on Raven when it's his turn. Robin gets this doubly in crossover episodes where the rest of his team will faun over the guest stars and Robin is ignored by them.

** [[SadistTeacher Mr. Crocker]] lives with his mother, has a hunch back, and his ears are on his neck, and he gets beaten and mauled by everyone on a regular basis.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Beast Boy. Poor guy even suffers in the DownerEnding. No wonder he's embarrassed that his first name is the same as that of [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} a certain well-known cat]]. But he's much better off than [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain poor Doctor Light]]...

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'':

** Raphael. Donatello is also getting shades of this -- to the point where fellow nerd Leo gets on his case about TechnoBabble, and Michelangelo takes literal ''and'' figurative swings at him in a decidedly non-AnnoyingYoungerSibling way. That's not even mentioning the out-of-the-blue insults and general smacking around by [[DestroyingThePunchingBag Raphael]].

** Bart has his moments as the Butt Monkey. He often gets strangled by his father, nearly killed by Sideshow Bob for 20+ years, was almost killed by Mr. Burns twice (Burns ran him over with his car in one episode, and later, locked him in a safe and sunk him to the bottom of the lake), and has been subject to really hurtful shamings by the whole town (as seen in "Bart's Girlfriend," "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace," and the notorious "The Boys of Bummer." "The Telltale Head" is a gray area. On the one hand, you have the entire town going after Bart for decapitating the Jebediah Springfield statue. On the other hand, Bart apologized for what he did and, in a TV-exclusive scene, shamed the mob for losing their way as Springfield citizens).

** Michelangelo. Donnie is also getting shades of this -- to the point where fellow nerd Leo gets on his case about TechnoBabble, and Mikey takes literal ''and'' figurative swings at him in a decidedly non-AnnoyingYoungerSibling way. That's not even mentioning the out-of-the-blue insults and general smacking around by [[BigBrotherBully Raphael]].

* Numberblocks has Thirteen, and 13IsUnlucky. Need we say more?

*** Edd, despite his clearly polite manners and dexterous knowledge on all subjects, gets no respect from anybody. He never gets thanked or compensated by Eddy for all the hard work he puts into Eddy's scams, and usually all of Edd's incredible gadgets just go to waste because the scams fail to sell. Even so, if Eddy and/or Ed do something unethical then the kids assume Edd is equally responsible and [[MisplacedRetribution punish Edd]].

** Jimmy always gets the heat on him when it comes to anything that's not involving an invention. And when it ''does'' come to inventions...things always go wrong in some way.

** Lemongrab gets pranked, insulted, assaulted, fed extremely spicy food, bullied by his own mother, falls out of a window, falls out of a tree...and at the end, he's fired, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and his mom calls him a "butt."]] He has since nearly bled and starved to death.

** Archer abuses Woodhouse, seeing him as some kind of unbearable BumblingSidekick despite all evidence to the contrary. In one notable example, he is tied up in a hotel room by the villains. Archer is completing his mission, and suddenly realizes that Woodhouse is still tied up, alone, hungry, and probably dehydrated...and laughs his ass off.

** Sokka, as a frequent source of [[PluckyComicRelief comic relief]] throughout the series, is a victim of increasingly violent slapstick and harsh mockery. Basically if someone is going to get [[CoveredInGunge covered in sewage or bison snot]], it will undoubtedly be Sokka. [[CartwrightCurse Aside from humor, he once fell for a princess, only to learn that she was engaged, which was a moot point once]] [[spoiler:she got [[TonightSomeoneDies killed off and turned into the moon.]] Which was rough]]. There was even an episode in the second season where he was stuck in a hole for the entirety of the episode. It comes to a head in the final season, where he leaves the group for a few weeks in an attempt to become a strong enough warrior to lose this status. Sokka's bad luck was Lampshaded in the Season 1 episode "The Fortuneteller," where the titular fortune-teller Aunt Wu tells Sokka "Your future is full of struggle and anguish ... most of it self-inflicted." Aunt Wu's point is soon demonstrated when Sokka, complaining about her prediction for him, vigorously kicks a small stone, which ricochets violently off a sign and strikes him.

** The title characters are arguably the series' biggest examples. Their stupidity and obnoxious behaviour frequently get them in trouble with the wrong kinds of people and throw them into bad situations that they only worsen with their idiocy. Nonetheless, the results are hilarious. Beavis gets the worst of it.

* ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'': Poor, poor Zak - he may prefer things calm, neat and clean, but he's [[ConjoinedTwins literally]] always stuck with wild and hyperactive Wheezie, which frequently gets him into trouble and results in arguments between the two. He is also the prime target of most of the show's slapstick.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Donald Duck again. Eventually deconstructed in "The Golden Spear" when he begins molting from stress, leading to his doctor prescribing a ''hammock'' to him. His family ends up taking pity on him and [[ThrowTheDogABone book him a month-long cruise]]...which goes horribly wrong when he stumbles upon [[spoiler:his sister]]'s rocket seconds after she leaves it and accidentally launches himself into space...[[YankTheDogsChain where he is immediately taken hostage by aliens]].

** Alongside [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Meg]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]], Squidward Tentacles is easily one of the most infamous ones in cartoon history. The worst things tend to happen to him, including but not limited to being: shot out of a cannon, doused with gas and set on fire by the Krusty Krab's security system...''twice'', squished by a boulder, stung mercilessly by jellyfish, stampeded by a crowd, repeatedly attacked by a sea bear, zapped multiple times by the Flying Dutchman, skinned alive, cut in half with a giant pair of scissors from nowhere, gruesomely separated from the toenail he suddenly has, and blown up by various means on numerous occasions. He seems generally hated by everyone in Bikini Bottom, including inanimate objects and the universe -- in "My Pretty Seahorse", Squidward willfully ignores [=SpongeBob=]'s baiting, telling himself 'don't say anything, Squidward, remember your karma'. Karma's response? The front wheel breaks off Squidward's bicycle for no apparent reason causing him to fly off the seat, fall down a cliff, and ''explode'' [[https://youtu.be/0waJjf-ki34?t=3]]. The only people who ''do'' like him are his mindless next-door neighbors on each side who persistently bother him when he repeatedly insists that they don't, making them the source of much of his suffering. Only five episodes ("Band Geeks", "Suction Cup Symphony" ,"Love That Squid", "Enchanted Tiki Dreams", and "House Fancy") have ever truly ended up in his favor -- and even then, "Band Geeks" saw him constantly humiliated and nearly impaled and "House Fancy" included the notorious toenail incident.
-->Squidward: "Why must [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall every eleven minutes of my life]] be filled with misery?! '''[[BigWhy Why?!]]'''"
-->[=SpongeBob=]: "Oh cheer up, Squid. It could be worse."
-->Patrick: "Yeah, [[FalseReassurance you could be bald]] [[ItsBeenDone and have a big nose]]."
** [=SpongeBob=] also has his moments of abuse and bad luck. Don't believe it, watch "Scaredy Pants", "The Chaperone", "Jellyfish Jam", "Rock Bottom", "Fools in April", "Grandma's Kisses", "Gary Takes a Bath", "Missing Identity", "Pre-Hibernation Week", "The Sponge Who Could Fly" and "Can You Spare a Dime?". In the last one, he gets forced to put on a maid's uniform and serve lemonade to Squidward in his ''own'' pineapple home!

** Cody counts too, and arguably has it far worse (even moreso than his teenage self). In every appearance, he gets hurt in some way and often for no reason; in fact, he's even ''died'' in a few episodes, with the characters being totally nonchalant to it.

** Terrorsaur and Scorponok were co-Butt Monkeys before they met their fate at the start of Season 2, then Waspinator became arguably the sole Butt Monkey (Inferno has been picked on a bit as well).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': Everyone is a loser, more or less, but Billy Quizboy is the true Butt Monkey. Everybody treats him like crap and mocks his pathetic attempts to exaggerate his own abilities. "The Invisible Hand of Fate" [[PlayedForDrama plays it a bit more seriously]] and arguably makes him TheWoobie, if only for one episode.

** [[Characters/RickAndMortyMortySmith Morty Smith]] is often the victim of his grandfather Rick's, selfish shenanigans. Morty got both his legs broken in the first episode, is often pulled out of school by Rick, and is frequently exposed to dangerous and violent situations.

** From the same series as these two, Thundercracker. Dear Primus, Thundercracker. Having [[BadBoss the worst boss ever]] doesn't help. He gets lit on fire by Scourge ''twice''. ([[AmusingInjuries "Would somebody ]]''[[AmusingInjuries please ]]''[[AmusingInjuries put me out?"]]) At the end, after Ransack, Crumplezone, and [[EvilIsSexy Thunderblast]] go back on their {{Heel Face Turn}}s and sneak off in a homemade rocket, poor Thundercracker gets shanghaied aboard when goes to investigate. The Hasbro version of his toy's mold was a major-league example of quality-control failure. (PRIMUS DAMNIT HASBRO!)

** Alongside [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Meg]], Squidward Tentacles is easily one of the most infamous ones in cartoon history. The worst things tend to happen to him, including but not limited to being: shot out of a cannon, doused with gas and set on fire by the Krusty Krab's security system...''twice'', squished by a boulder, stung mercilessly by jellyfish, stampeded by a crowd, repeatedly attacked by a sea bear, zapped multiple times by the Flying Dutchman, skinned alive, cut in half with a giant pair of scissors from nowhere, gruesomely separated from the toenail he suddenly has, and blown up by various means on numerous occasions. He seems generally hated by everyone in Bikini Bottom, including inanimate objects and the universe -- in "My Pretty Seahorse", Squidward willfully ignores [=SpongeBob=]'s baiting, telling himself 'don't say anything, Squidward, remember your karma'. Karma's response? The front wheel breaks off Squidward's bicycle for no apparent reason causing him to fly off the seat, fall down a cliff, and ''explode'' [[https://youtu.be/0waJjf-ki34?t=3]]. The only people who ''do'' like him are his mindless next-door neighbors on each side who persistently bother him when he repeatedly insists that they don't, making them the source of much of his suffering. Only five episodes ("Band Geeks", "Suction Cup Symphony" ,"Love That Squid", "Enchanted Tiki Dreams", and "House Fancy") have ever truly ended up in his favor -- and even then, "Band Geeks" saw him constantly humiliated and nearly impaled and "House Fancy" included the notorious toenail incident.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Everyone is a loser, more or less. But Billy Quizboy is the true Butt Monkey. Everybody treats him like crap and mocks his pathetic attempts to exaggerate his own abilities. "The Invisible Hand Of Fate" [[PlayedForDrama played it a bit more seriously]] and arguably made him TheWoobie, if only for one episode.