History Characters / GravityFallsBillCipher

* AssholeVictim: It's save to say that Bill deserve his death for everything he have done.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Twists and mangles Preston Northwest's face, ''then'' turns him to stone. Preston being a lying, no-good, thieving, rich jerk who had just attempted yet again to profit at the expense of others, it's hard to feel too bad for him.

* IgnoredEpiphany: [[spoiler:The Axolotl states that he misses his home dimension and is saddened by its destruction, but he also [[NeverMyFault refuses to admit the fact that]] ''he'' destroyed it in the first place]].

* ImmortalsFearDeath: [[spoiler:When he's about to be erased after living over a trillion years, Bill is ''terrified''. It's the first, and naturally last time, he shows any fear. ExpandedUniverse materials imply his invoking Axolotl to save himself was an act of complete desperation to avoid his fate that will have a price to pay on his end.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler: No, Bill isn't ''destroying'' dimensions, he's ''liberating'' them. Glaringly, this is the only matter in which Bill refuses to own up to his madness, whereas everywhere else he's all too happy to revel in it because it's the one thing he might actually regret.]]
* InsultBackfire: We see that calling Bill insane is never an insult to him. Both Gideon and [[spoiler: Ford]] called him this and he readily admits to being so.
* IronicEcho: Bill seems to be a fan of this. Bill's "Eenie, Meenie, Miney, you" phrase has been said by Stan in the first episode, [[spoiler:in the end of "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future", the cryptogram asks "DID YOU MISS ME?", something he asked Dipper in Sock Opera and he says "Right? Isn't that what you're all thinking?", something Grenda asks in Sock Opera.[[note]]"Right? Isn't that what we're all thinking?[[/note]]]]

* JackassGenie: Mostly averted. Bill doesn't necessarily ''have'' to complete his side of any bargain he makes. His usual level of trickery results in getting what he wants beforehand, [[spoiler:such as gaining Dipper's permission to possess him with some clever wording]], and once that happens he typically ignores his side of the agreement. That being said, if the person making the agreement can't be immediately tricked into giving Bill what he wants, Bill has been compliant in fulfilling his part of the bargain. Further, it appears that without finishing the contract, Bill's magic isn't permanent. For example, [[spoiler:he asked for a puppet from Dipper, as a means to possess him, in return for access to the Author's laptop. Bill destroyed it instead to protect his plans, but the next time Dipper's body fell asleep, Bill got kicked out, giving Dipper control over his body again.]]
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:He finally gets his comeuppance at the end of [[GrandFinale "Weirdmageddon"]]. While his last backward message is invoking the Axolotl to revive him, the Axolotl has no intention of letting him shirk the consequences of his actions and intends that resurrection to force him to 'absolve his crimes.']]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:After making [[DealWithTheDevil twisted deals]] the entire series to harm others, he's destroyed when Ford and Stan turn his final deal back against him.]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:Twists and mangles Preston Northwest's face, ''then'' turns him to stone. Preston being a lying, no-good, thieving, rich jerk who had just attempted yet again to profit at the expense of others, it's hard to feel too bad for him]].
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Ford completely erased him in Stan's mind, with his brother punching him directly in the eye]]. However, Bill [[spoiler: invokes what seems to be a regeneration spell in his final moments via translated backward audio, but it's unclear whether or how it worked. After everything returns to normal, a statue of Bill remains in the woods...]]
* KnightOfCerebus: Introduced in what's being considered the darkest and most terrifying episode of the series to date, despite his LaughablyEvil personality and oddball design. Within his first few seconds onscreen, he telekinetically yanks out a deer's teeth and gives them to Gideon. At least he undoes it a moment later, though it's still rather horrifying. He only gets worse in his second episode, where he starts by giving Dipper a "present" of his own: ''a severed head that's constantly screaming''. Even his entry in Journal #3 is horrifying. Not only are the pages covered in what is likely '''blood splatters''', but a warning is also written in red ''never to summon him''. Taking into account the Author wrote both Journal #2 (which summons him) and Journal #3 (which has an incantation to fight against him), it was an early hint about what happened between him and Ford. [[spoiler: Even more so after he merged Earth with his Nightmare Realm, causing an ApocalypseHow.]]

** He does try framing himself as a liberator when trying to convince Stanford to [[spoiler: reveal how to get around the weirdness magnetism]], though it's not clear if he's being genuine or not since all he shows is [[ItsAllAboutMe his personal indulgence]].
* KnowledgeBroker: ''Very'' knowledgeable, may potentially know all the answers to the greatest mysteries. Every deal he has made so far has been leveraged with information only he could provide or acquire. He often suggested that knowledge is the key to true power. Ironically, [[spoiler:he is forced to go to ''Ford'' for help in the finale because Ford knows how to bypass the WeirdnessMagnet effect of Gravity Falls and Bill does not. This likely means that Bill's vast knowledge is due to his DreamWalker abilities more than actual omniscience -- since Ford safeguarded his mind against Bill's intrusions later on, the dream demon did not have access to some of his latest discoveries.]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: When he starts Weirdmageddon, he taunts Dipper to actually punch him, knowing full well there's nothing he can do. [[spoiler: When trapped in Stan's mind as it's getting erased, Stan takes him out with one punch since he's now vulnerable.]]
* LaughablyEvil: All of his villainy is accompanied by a strange and twisted sense of humor. [[spoiler:Taking over and/or destroying the world is no different; he's doing it because it's all just a funny, cosmic joke to him.]] Plus, he's a living EyeOfProvidence triangle with stick-figure arms, a top hat, and a bow tie. That design is inherently comical, which just makes his shocking levels of heinousness all the most glaring.
* LaughingMad: He combines this with his SlasherSmile as he [[spoiler: tricks Mabel into bringing about the apocalypse]].

* LiterallyShatteredLives: [[spoiler:When Stan punches him, he shatters into pieces.]]
* LogicalWeakness: [[spoiler:When he pulls a GrandTheftMe on Dipper, he is bound by the physical limitations of his body. As Mabel points out, she knows all her brother's physical weaknesses and Dipper is very sleep deprived]].
* LyricalDissonance: His cut VillainSong "It's Gonna Get Weird" is an upbeat, cheerful number...about [[spoiler:him raining down Weirdmageddon on Gravity Falls]] and all the horrible things that entail.

* ManipulativeBastard: He takes advantage of people's desperation to keep them from examining his own motives too closely. He's also only been seen making deals when the other party is either overconfident or not in their right mind. [[spoiler:He expertly manipulated Stanford Pines into creating the portal, through a combination of charm and appealing to Stanford's ego.]]

* MirrorCharacter: Grunkle Stan. Both are theatrical conmen who enjoy pulling the wool over others' eyes. They also share similar speaking habits ("Eeny, Meeny, Miney, ''you!''") and traits, to the point where Bill predominantly replaced Stan in his own opening credits. It is their similarities that eventually [[spoiler: make Stan the best candidate to take Bill down.]]

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: [[spoiler: His 3D form in "Weirdmageddon Part 1". He also uses this trope several times throughout the final episode]]
* MysteriousPast: Was in Gravity Falls a long time ago and he has some connection with Stan Pines and the author. [[spoiler: He also possessed a body at some point. Considering the banner hanging in their mansion, he may have a connection to the Northwest family]]. His AMA states that he used to have family, is old enough to imply that the Egyptian pyramids were designed to look like him and that [[spoiler: the tapestry in Northwest Manor]] depicts a prophecy that ''would'' have come true on time for Bill had a shaman accomplice of his been more cooperative. He also apparently made a banking deal with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers Thomas J. Beale]] and regrets it thoroughly. And, if his cameo in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is to be believed, he's an incarnation of [[Myth/NorseMythology Loki]].

* NecessaryDrawback: [[spoiler:Bill Cipher's abilities allow him to invade another person's mind. Unfortunately for Bill Cipher, in the event that he's inside someone's mind and their memories end up being erased, he'll be erased along with them.]]
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:According to the Axolotl, he regrets the destruction of his home dimension, but refuses to admit that it was his fault]].

* NoNonsenseNemesis: After Bill and his fellow abominations [[spoiler:enter the physical world]], Bill finds his lair assailed by [[spoiler:Time Baby and the TimePolice]]. Bill's response is '''''frighteningly''' abrupt''.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Hinted at in "Gravity Falls: Lost Legends", where two cryptograms say "CIPHER LIVES" and "BILL LIVES".]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He claims he wants to [[spoiler:liberate the heroes' dimension and make it a fun world with no rules or restrictions. However, that would [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy render it pure chaos inhospitable to non-demonic life]], and it and his Weirdmageddon back in his own decaying world are heavily implied to be why it's decaying in the first place. Considering his sadism and how he admits [[CardCarryingVillain he's insane either way]], it's very likely his claim is just an excuse [[ItsAllAboutMe for his own enjoyment]].]]
* NoodleIncident: The author wrote in the journals that he considered Bill his best friend. Then something happened that made him cross out that entry and write "Can't be trusted" and "DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!" His entry in Journal #3 is covered in ''blood''. [[spoiler:Eventually revealed to be that Bill had told the author that he was a muse who came to visit and assist geniuses once a century, he helped the author with constructing the portal, but when the truth got out, the author changed his mind about everything. Also, it turns out that it's red pen ink, not blood]]. [[spoiler: Then even more is revealed in the Journal 3 book release -- some of it ''is'' blood; Ford's eye bled after Bill possessed him and dropped onto the page.]]
* OhCrap: An epic one when [[spoiler:Stan traps him in his mind, allowing Ford to use the memory gun to weaken Bill before Stan destroys him.]]

* TheOmniscient: Bill paints himself as something close to it, claiming to see a "kaleidoscope of temporal probability with fluctuating range" and infinite alternate universes as well as alternate versions of himself. [[SubvertedTrope However]], while he does boast an incredible amount of knowledge and demonstrates some degree of [[{{Seers}} clairvoyance]], Bill is still able to be tricked and taken by surprise, indicating that he's talking up his knowledge to a degree. [[spoiler:His lack of true omniscience ultimately becomes his undoing, as he's unaware of Gravity Falls' [[WeirdnessMagnet law of weirdness magnetism]] until he's already put Weirdmageddon into motion. This forces him to try and extract the equation that cancels out the effect from Ford so that he can take his plans global, giving the resistance an opportunity to fight back against him. Similarly, he doesn't pick up on Stan and Ford's ClothingSwitch gambit until it's too late, leading to his ultimate defeat.]]
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:While just getting a physical body probably counts, one of his shapeshifted forms, in particular, stands out: the form he chases Dipper and Mabel through his castle with is by far Bill's most terrifying incarnation in the show. He goes 3D, his body turns red, he gains an eye (now with black sclera) on each side, his bottom segments become mouths with jagged yellow teeth (with the bottom-most having ''two'' tongues), and he has six arms (two of which come out of his bottom mouth).]]

** Firstly, while he [[spoiler: does manage to get the rift and blend Gravity Falls with the Nightmare Realm, Ford took precautions to make sure both the Mystery Shack was protected and that he didn't disclose about the barrier over the town which keeps Bill from getting any further. Bill has to practically try to force Ford into removing it so he can take continue his world domination plan.]]
** [[spoiler: And secondly when trying to convince Ford to join him doesn't work, he holds Dipper and Mabel, hostage, to get Ford to cooperate. Not only did keeping the kids contained take a large amount of effort, but he made the mistake of leaving Stan and Ford together to hash out a quick plan "B" and forgetting to take into account that the two are ''twins'', thus leading to him accidentally bargaining with Stan rather than Ford. By the time Bill realizes his mistake, it's far too late. He's back in the dream world where's he vulnerable, Ford erases Stan's mind with Bill trapped inside, and no amount of bargaining is going to keep Stan from taking him out.]]
* OutOfCharacterAlert: When he [[spoiler: poses as Soos]], there are a few tells that can clue in an astute viewer just before the reveal. [[spoiler: He expresses disgust at a flashback of Stan, in stark contrast to Soos' usual hero-worship of him; and makes casual reference to his 'big fat arms' when the real Soos is very sensitive about his weight, as shown in "The Land Before Swine".]]
* PaperPeople: He's quite specifically a ''triangle'', not a geometric pyramid. He implies [[Literature/{{Flatland}} Edwin Abbott Abbott]] guessed the closest to what his origin may have looked like. [[spoiler:His entrance into the physical realm involves him taking a 3D form, and though he takes on several different triangular and pyramid-like shapes, his ShapeshifterDefaultForm is still a thin triangular plate.]] Justified; [[spoiler:if his account of his origin is truthful, he was originally from the second dimension; continuing the ''Literature/{{Flatland}}'', he decided the Gospel of Three Dimensions was thinking too small.]]
* PerpetualSmiler: His affable tone in his pyramid form suggests this, but he has NoMouth to smile with. Once he [[spoiler:possesses Dipper's body]] and actually has a mouth, it stays in a cheery grin for most of the time.

* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler:During Weirdmageddon.]]
-->'''Bill:''' I control space, matter, and [[spoiler:now that that dumb baby's out of the way,]] ''time itself!''

* PsychopathicManchild: Ford said Bill's plan to [[spoiler:[[HellOnEarth merge the Earth with the dreamscape he's from]]]] is just a game to him. When Bill and his fellow demons were taunting Ford about it being inevitable, they sound like a bunch of guys excited for a night on the town. Once [[spoiler:he and his gang are free to roam the physical realm]], he acts like a bully who picks on people just to impress them, and their party at the Fearamid is a Teen Comedy Romp, complete with Bill telling everyone to play it cool once [[spoiler:the Time Cops show up]].

* RealityWarper: Is pretty near omnipotent... [[DreamWeaver when he's in the dream realm]]. Not so much in the waking world, [[spoiler:until he makes the two one and the same.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: He has this color scheme in the final form he takes before [[spoiler: Stan literally [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punches him out]]]].

* SadClown: [[spoiler:The Axolotl flat out states that when he claims to be happy, he's a liar and deep down ''does'' feel sad he lost his home dimension and everyone in it... but [[NeverMyFault will never admit he's responsible]].]]

* SatanicArchetype: A more subtle example, and despite also being [[EldritchAbomination rather Lovecraftian]], Bill fits this trope quite well. For starters, there is the Cipher part of his name, while obviously connected to the algorithm of encryption, but also to LouisCypher. He also uses a lot of common tropes associated with Satan and devils, including DealWithTheDevil, DemonicPossession, VoiceOfTheLegion, and is outright called a "demon". His [[LightIsNotGood association with light]] connects him directly to Lucifer, and the "Eye of Providence" symbol that he is based on is connected to {{God}} and His [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels, who often are described manifesting as strange, geometric shapes (including a whole choir called Wheels)]]. On top of all that, [[spoiler: the actual Stanford Pines]] mentions in his backstory that a friend of his referred to a "beast with one eye" when he accidentally peeked into an AlternateUniverse.

* SelfMadeOrphan: According to Bill's Reddit AMA, he ''used to'' have a family, and now doesn't. [[spoiler: He hints in "Weirdmageddon: Take Back The Falls" that he didn't just kill his family, [[GenocideFromTheInside but everyone who lived in his entire dimension]]. The Axolotl implies Bill ''does'' feel bad for it, but [[NeverMyFault will never admit it's his own fault]].]]
* SenseFreak: Bill mentions that he hasn't been in physical form for a long time, so he enjoys the physical sensations he can experience [[spoiler:while possessing Dipper's body, ''especially'' pain, which he inflicts on the body throughout the episode. This contributes to his defeat later.]]

* ShapeshifterSwanSong: [[spoiler:Goes through one as he's being erased along with Stan's mind.]]

* SinisterSurveillance: Yeah, those images of him mentioned earlier? Those are [[ParanoiaFuel peepholes he can look through from the Dreamscape]]. A page about him in Journal #2 has a picture of him on the -$12 bill that says [[PretentiousLatinMotto "Semper vigilantem"]], "Always watching". [[spoiler:Becomes AscendedFridgeHorror at the end of "The Last Mabelcorn" where it shows him spying on the Pines family. He loses this when he merges the two worlds, resulting in him being easier to take off guard]].
* SlasherSmile: He sports a rather unsettling smirk while possessing [[spoiler:Dipper Pines, and later Blendin Blandin]].

* SmugSuper: [[spoiler:Once Weirdmageddon begins and Bill gets a physical form, he brings his RealityWarper abilities with him and proceeds to flaunt his power at every opportunity, conquering the town within ''minutes''. The number of scenes where he ''doesn't'' flaunt can be counted on one hand. He's gradually brought through a VillainousBreakdown in the finale as the heroes repeatedly prove that his vast power doesn't make him invincible.]]
* TheSociopath: Bill shows all the symptoms of sociopathy. [[TheCharmer Superficial charm]] [[LackOfEmpathy without any empathy]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulativeness]] and [[ConsummateLiar consumate lying]]; [[ItsAllAboutMe an ability to help others]] [[AllTakeAndNoGive while only using them to serve his own whims]] ([[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness seeing them only as tools to use and discard thereafter]]), a [[ItsAllAboutMe grandiose]] [[SmugSuper sense of self-worth]], and a [[TheHedonist pathological need for stimulation]]: in his case, AxCrazy [[{{Sadist}} Sadism]]; an unbridled taste to sow chaos and hurt others. What little empathy he does feel is toward those [[ItsAllAboutMe he sees as just like himself]], [[spoiler:namely, his group of close demon friends ([[ControlFreak who're more like groupies or underlings that he controls]])]]. It doesn't help that he's fully aware of his actions and doesn't care. [[spoiler:According to Axolotl, he also [[NeverMyFault refuses to believe anything is his fault, including the destruction of his dimension and]] [[GenocideFromTheInside possibly his race]].]]

* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:According to Axolotl, Bill's not as cheery as he always seems, implying that he might regret destroying his own dimension.]]
-->[[spoiler:Saw his own Dimension burn. Misses home and can't return. Says he's happy. He's a liar. Blame the arson for the fire.]]

* TakeOverTheWorld: [[spoiler:Bill's ultimate goal is to merge the Nightmare Realm with the Physical Realm, and let loose his demon friends to rampage through our dimension and rule over what remains.]]
* TakenForGranite: [[spoiler: When he leaves his physical body to re-enter the dreamscape, his body turns to stone. And, after his mindscape form is erased, the statue remains all that is left of him.]]
* TechnicolorDeath: [[spoiler: He starts thrashing around glitching out more horribly [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay than the T-1000]], as Stan's mind, memories, and him, are being slowly erased.]]

* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: Bill's ultimate goal is [[spoiler: to plunge the entire universe into chaotic madness where anything horrible can happen because that's his idea of a party.]]
* TomTheDarkLord: You wouldn't expect some guy called "Bill" to be a powerful dream demon who managed to [[spoiler: cause an apocalypse on a city and coming close to unleashing it on the entire universe]]. Despite his name, he is the BigBad of the show and the most dangerous creature the heroes have faced.
* TooKinkyToTorture: As shown in "Sock Opera", it has been so long since he [[spoiler: possessed a physical body (Dipper's in this case)]] that he enjoys inflicting pain on himself. [[MutilationConga He slaps himself, tumbles down the stairs, smashes his arm in a drawer and stabs it with forks.]] [[spoiler:When Dipper gets his body back towards the end of the episode, Dipper discovers that Bill caused so much damage to his body that he feels he need to go to a hospital.]]

* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Bill definitely ''did'' die, but cried out the name of "Axolotl" (backward) asking to return. It's unknown if it worked, and it may have just stabilized his ShapeshifterSwanSong long enough to make one last attempt on Stanley. Some of the comics released after the series have suggested Bill really did come back (''ComicBook/GravityFallsLostLegends'' has cryptograms baldly spell out "BILL LIVES" and "CIPHER LIVES"), but also that the Axolotl is a benevolent being with no plans to aid Bill's misdeeds. It states Bill can only "absolve his crime [in] a different form, a different time", implying he'd only be resurrected/reincarnated as someone much less powerful and dangerous and forced to atone for his crimes.]]
* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler: Grunkle Stan faces the prospect of his whole mind being erased with calm acceptance. Bill goes out panicking and begging.]]
* TheUnfettered: Big time. In fact, he's so dedicated to his own freedom that [[spoiler:he destroyed his home dimension to break down all physical laws and restrictions, which he now seeks to do again by bringing Weirdmageddon.]] Described by Alex Hirsch as a "trickster jerk."

** Eventually, we learn that Bill's EvilPlan is to [[spoiler:use the inter-dimensional portal to [[HellOnEarth merge his home (the nightmare realm) with our dimension]].]]

* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: Has one with his Henchmaniacs, throwing parties with them and bringing them along on his Weirdmaggedon. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in that it seems to be out of a want for the company rather than care, as he wastes no time berating them after they've been severely injured in battle.]]

** In "Dreamscaperers", losing the code to the vault and Gideon cutting off his deal does not make him happy. So he reaches a UnstoppableRage level and TurnsRed. [[spoiler: This is then subverted when he calms down, concedes the fight, compliments the group for their ingenuity, gives some cryptic warning and vanishes.]]
** When he realizes [[spoiler: that he and his creatures are trapped in a bubble around Gravity Falls]] -- and even worse, he doesn't know why -- he ''snaps''. His outburst even scares his Henchmaniacs, with whom he ''never'' raises his voice.
** His ultimate breakdown in the finale is when [[spoiler: he becomes increasingly enraged as he starts to lose the final battle; it finally comes to a head when he's about to be erased, the powerful dream demon gets reduced to begging for his life as his body rapidly changes into out of control forms before he's destroyed by Stan. Even his final backward message is ultimately this rather than a last trump card, as invoking the Axolotl to save him amounts to begging the one being in existence he hates as much or more than Time Baby to save him in a desperate attempt to shirk the consequences of his actions in the last moment]].

* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler:He pathetically begs Stan to spare him, offering Stan anything he could imagine. Stan has none of it and finishes him off. The Axolotl implies that his invoking it 'so he may return' was also this trope, as it likens it to trying to shirk the consequences of his actions in the last moment, and the two are implied to be enemies. The Axolotl implies he ''will'' have mercy on Bill...to the extent of reviving him so he may 'absolve his crime.']]

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: [[spoiler:Takes the form of Soos to trick the twins into showing him the combination to the safe.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: His relationship to [[spoiler:Stanford]] as well as [[spoiler:his plan to bring about the apocalypse by merging his nightmare realm with the world]] makes it hard to explain much beyond his surface motives.

* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers [[spoiler: Stanford Pines]] an opportunity to join him twice during the [[spoiler: Weirdmageddon]]. The second time he gives quite an awesome speech to make it sound good.
-->''"Listen, [[spoiler:Ford,]] if you just tell me that equation, finally your dimension will be free. (Projects himself drawing a smiley face in the midwest United States, then takes a bite out of the Earth and flies past his friends, who are destroying other planets, then to Ford, who is standing in the middle of a galaxy) Anything will be possible. I'll remake a fun world-- a better world! A party that never ends with a host that never dies! No more restrictions! No more laws! You'd be one of us. All-powerful. Greater than anything you've imagined! And all I need is your help."''

* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: [[spoiler: He reveals to Ford that he was a denizen of a flat "Second Dimension", but that he "liberated" it by causing a Weirdmageddon there as well. The Axolotl says he feels guilty about it, [[NeverMyFault but refuses to admit that it's his fault]] .]]
* WorthyOpponent: He compliments Dipper and company's wit, and as such, [[ILetYouWin claims to have let them live]]. He seems to have kept this viewpoint in "Sock Opera" [[spoiler: to the point that he sees them as a threat to whatever his plans are. Alex Hirsch says that he felt the need to destroy Journal 3 because with it, Dipper was capable of discovering and stopping the activation of the Portal and thus stopping Bill's HellOnEarth plan, which is what would have happened if not for [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Mabel]]]]. However, Bill maintains the ideology that because they're weaker than him, they're still not a ''critical'' threat, which comes back to bite him.
* WouldHurtAChild: As "Sock Opera" clearly demonstrates, Bill has no qualms about hurting children. In fact, while he [[spoiler: is possessing Dipper's body]] he hits Dipper in the face, throws his body down a flight of stairs, pours soda in his eyes, and repeatedly slams his arm into a drawer -- only to retract said arm with forks sticking out of it. By the end of the episode, Dipper outright says he thinks he needs to go to a hospital.
** [[spoiler:In "Weirdmageddon Part 1", he ''vaporizes the Time Baby.'']]
** The finale has him drop all pretensions of civility and [[spoiler: flat out intending to ''kill'' Dipper and Mabel unless Ford gives him what he needs to break the barrier surrounding the town. "I've got some CHILDREN I need to make into CORPSES!" and "When I get my hands on you kids, I'M GONNA DISASSEMBLE YOUR MOLECULES!"]]
** Included in ''[[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]]'' is a note from Bill written [[spoiler: while inside Dipper]] outright stating that he subjected Dipper's body to stabbing, burning, and drowning. He then goes on to mention that his ultimate goal, had Mabel not forced him out, was to throw Dipper from the water tower and make it look like the boy committed suicide! He then ominously asks Mabel if she would like to get in on the "fun".

** During the "Weirdmageddon" episodes, the theme song is taken over by Bill, with the "Created By Alex Hirsch" replaced with "Created By Bill Cipher". The reversed message at the end of the opening titles, up to this point a whispered hint to unscramble the end credits' cryptogram, becomes Bill saying "[[SinisterSurvaillance I'm watching you, nerds!]]"

* FlawExploitation: As a being that can only influence the world through the deals he makes, Bill is an expert in using what he knows to push just the right buttons to get people to agree to his deals. He manipulates Dipper through his desperation and desire for knowledge, [[spoiler:the Author]] through his intelligence, and Mabel through her fear of the future.

** [[spoiler: During the "Weirdmageddon" episodes, the theme song is taken over by Bill, with the "Created By Alex Hirsch" replaced with "Created By Bill Cipher". The reversed message at the end of the opening titles, up to this point a whispered hint to unscramble the end credits' cryptogram, becomes Bill saying "[[SinisterSurvaillance I'm watching you, nerds!]]"]]

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Implied in this case. In the ''Gravity Falls: Lost Legends'' comic [[spoiler: (specifically the third story, which is set after Weirdmageddon), 8-Ball and Keyhole, two of his former Henchmaniacs,]] can be seen in another dimension (presumably their home dimension) looking at a statue of Bill labeled "he was the worst".
* FromNobodyToNightmare: If we take his account of his origin as being trustworthy, [[spoiler:he was originally a citizen of the flat, second dimension. He got bored with that, so he "liberated" his world, resulting in him becoming what he is now]].

* TheGlovesComeOff: [[spoiler:Throughout the last episode, Bill's Henchmaniacs get curb stomped and Bill himself gets put through the wringer solely because of Dipper and Mabel's planning and quick thinking. By the end, he has ''had it'' with the younger Pines twins and decides they need to die now, taking his most monstrous form ever seen in the show and outright stating he will murder them horribly. He nearly follows through on it until [[TwinSwitch "Ford"]] gives in.]]

* GracefulLoser: Averted when his FauxAffablyEvil goes straight out of the window when his plans are ruined, [[spoiler: but then played straight when he decides to let the kids go for their effort]].

* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Takes over Dipper's body after Dipper agrees to a deal with him.]]
** [[spoiler: He does the same thing to Blendin.]]

* GreaterScopeVillain: Bill was introduced as someone Gideon summoned for a job near the end of the first season, but with vague mentions of a wider plan. He quickly became the BigBad proper in the second season, [[spoiler:and turned out to have been a major figure in the Author's background as well]].

* HellOnEarth: [[spoiler:A bridge to the Nightmare Realm would allow him and his fellow nightmare creatures to cross over to Earth, where Bill's DreamWeaver powers would become straight up {{Reality Warp|er}}ing and they could do whatever they wanted forever. He's finally successful in "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future".]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: It's clear that he's planning something, but it's not clear what it is. [[spoiler:Finally revealed in "The Last Mabelcorn." He wants to bring the Nightmare Realm into our world, effectively bringing on TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. As of "Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future", he's succeeded. Uh-oh.]]

** [[spoiler:At some point, he had a family, and the Nightmare Realm isn't his home dimension -- the Second Dimension is. But, as Bill puts it "flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams"; it's expressed that the stiflingly static nature of the dimension drove him to madness, and he obliterated it in turn.]]

** Turns out that [[spoiler:Dipper wasn't an ideal host because he'd been sleep-deprived from obsessing about the laptop (which Bill himself manipulated into his favor in the first place). Constantly and senselessly damaging the body he was in didn't help.]]
** Even more fittingly, [[spoiler:his ultimate fate came from being burned by one of his own deals]].
* HumiliationConga: "Take Back the Falls" is essentially this for him. [[spoiler:In order, when the resistance arrives in a giant robot, he sends his henchmen, thinking that they'll be able to take care of the problem, only for them to fail horribly. When he decides to fight himself, he finds out that the shack is protected from him and gets his eye yanked out, the first part has him being thrown around like a rag doll before finding the robot's weakness. When it looks like he has the upper hand, he gets sprayed in the eye, allowing Dipper and Mabel to escape and outmaneuver him until he manages to catch them, forcing 'Ford' to make a deal with him. However, when it seems like he's finally won, it turns out that Stan conned him and traps him in his mind while they both get erased, reducing Bill to a screaming, begging wreck. ExpandedUniverse material shows it goes a step further: his last evocation was essentially begging the Axolotl, the one being in existence he hates as much or more than Time Baby, to save him...and the Axolotl fully intends to burn ''him'' on the deal by making his resurrection/reincarnation a means to make him atone for his crimes.]]

** It's small, [[spoiler:but when he takes physical form, he insults humanity for our "ONE-LIFESPAN". If his absolute terror at being erased in Stanley's mind is any indication, he also only has a single lifespan, which [[ImmortalsFearDeath he's just as, or in some cases, even more, terrified by the end of]] as the humans he thinks he's superior to.]]

* IJustWantToBeFree: [[spoiler:His core motivation. He grew sick of being stuck as a 2D being bound by restrictive physical laws and responsibilities, so he unleashes Weirdmageddon to permanently remove anything that might impede his freedom.]]
* ILetYouWin: He claims to have stopped fighting in "Dreamscaperers" by his own choice and responds sarcastically when Dipper referred to that as defeating him. He's got a vested interest in seeming undefeatable, though, so he might not be the most unbiased authority on the subject. [[spoiler: A FreudianSlip during his last episode VillainousBreakdown reveals that yes, the Pines twins' victories over him were legitimate, and it ''drives him up the wall.'']]

** To Stan[[spoiler:ley]]. They're both rather ruthless {{con m|an}}en, they're {{man child}}ren and they have a knack for making deals with people. [[spoiler:It's these similarities that allow Stan to trick and defeat Bill in the finale.]]
* EvilFormerFriend: The journals have [[spoiler:Ford]] speaking favorably and personally of Bill until a certain point where he suddenly starts calling him insanely dangerous and untrustworthy. Given his behavior, Bill was likely a FalseFriend even back then. [[spoiler: Turns out Ford had made a deal with Bill in the past, helping him build the portal without telling him that it would lead to the merging of his world with ours. Ford, of course, didn't take this betrayal well and shut down the portal.]]
* EvilGenius: He's a clever demon and [[spoiler:been manipulating everyone behind the scenes.]]

* EvilPlan: [[spoiler:He plans to open a doorway from the Nightmare Realm to the real world so he and his fellow dream demons can enter the real world and terrorize it, in effect, bringing about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]]. An earlier hint to this was one of the ciphers in ''Sock Opera'':
-->"[[spoiler:No Puppet Strings Can Hold Me Down, [[SinisterSurveillance So Patiently I Watch This Town]], Abnormal Soon Will Be The Norm, [[AStormIsComing Enjoy The Calm Before The Storm]].]]"

* EvilWearsBlack: His black top hat and bow tie evoke this. When he takes control of [[spoiler:Dipper]], he wears a black reverend's outfit to infiltrate Mabel's play.

* FalseFriend: To [[spoiler:Stanford, claiming to be a muse of geniuses while manipulating Stanford for his own ends.]]

* FightingAShadow: A recurring problem fighting him: he's still an incorporeal entity in another dimension, so no matter how badly damaged the body he's using is, Cipher himself isn't hurt. [[spoiler:He loses this when he assumes physical form, but he also becomes nigh-omnipotent, so it doesn't help much.]]
* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:He's the final and one of the most dangerous demons the Pines ever face.]]

* DemonicPossession: Bill Cipher can take control of a mortal body if he [[DealWithTheDevil obtains the consent of his host]] ([[ManipulativeBastard or tricks them into giving consent]]), thus allowing him to directly interact with the physical world. He has done this to [[spoiler:Dipper (in "Sock Opera"), Stanford (as seen in a flashback to the past from "The Last Mabelcorn"), and Blendin Blandin (in "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future")]].

* EldritchAbomination: Very quirky and [[FauxAffablyEvil seemingly affable]], but is at least a trillion years old, and is still a very alien and incomprehensible being. Even his moniker as a "[[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]]" is rather superficial. [[spoiler:The 3D form he takes after breaking into the physical world in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" is an even better fit than his standard 2D form.]]
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: [[spoiler:His plan is to merge the human world with the dream world, which will destroy the world according to Ford. He dubs the event "Weirdmageddon" and as of the end of "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future", it's begun.]]

** Though ultimately a FalseFriend to [[spoiler:Ford]], the implication exists that Bill genuinely found something of an interesting kindred spirit. Or at least a favorite toy, which is about as close as [[AxCrazy Bill]] gets to care about anybody.

** Despite being a SelfMadeOrphan, according to the Axolotl [[spoiler:he misses his home and wishes to return]].

** In his first appearance, [[spoiler:when he was disguised as Soos]], he watched a very [[invoked]] {{Squick}}y memory of Stan's, which caused him to cringe in disgust.

** Bill's reaction to [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice Stan letting both their minds being erased]]]] is to [[YouFool call him an idiot]]. Bill tries to beg mercy by offering Stan personal gain, only for an angry Stan to refuse [[NiceJobFixingItVillain by stating that Bill (despite his high intelligence) was stupid himself for making a foolish mistake in messing with the Pines family in the first place]]. However, Bill refuses to accept this by claiming that Stan is making a bigger mistake, but Stan himself will have NONE of it for good.

* CatchPhrase: He's rather fond of saying 'Well, well, well' to start a conversation in a number of instances. Taken to a [[BrokenRecord greater extent]] when he taunted [[spoiler: Ford]] in his dream.

* DomainHolder: Inverted. He's a nigh-omnipotent RealityWarper in his natural state, but noticeably weaker in someone else's Mindscape, having to actually fight the heroes rather than just [[ForcedTransformation transform]] them away. [[spoiler:When said Mindscape is being erased, his powers fail to work at all and he's in danger of being actually killed.]]
* DragonAscendant: Went from Gideon's "minion" to [[spoiler:unleashing madness on Earth by merging it with the Nightmare Realm]] and effectively turning Gideon into ''his'' Dragon.

* TheDreaded: The journal describes him as the single most dangerous creature in Gravity Falls. Even Gideon is scared of him. Hell, he's even portrayed with very real dread, as evidenced by Dippers and [[spoiler:Great Uncle Ford's]] interaction.
-->'''[[spoiler:Stanford Pines]]''': Just hand me the gun[[note]]The memory gun[[/note]], p-\\

'''[[spoiler:Stanford Pines]]''': I was gonna say "please", kid!

* BreakoutVillain: In season 1, he was originally a one-shot villain, but with so many cameo appearances and having some connections to the author, Ford Pines]], he became the main and final villain of the entire series, also having a special intro of him [[spoiler:succeeding.

* ClothingAppendage: That "hat" is part of his body. [[spoiler:When Ford blasts it with a gun, you can see what appears to be bones and organs.]]

* {{Cyclops}}: Most of his forms only have one eye. The only exceptions are [[spoiler: his OneWingedAngel form and his ShapeShifterSwanSong]].
* DarkIsEvil: [[spoiler: In some episodes he takes on a pitch black appearance. Like at the beginning of "The Last Mabelcorn" or "Weirdmageddon, Part 1".]]

** He agrees to help Gideon take over the Mystery Shack in exchange for help with his secret plan. He acts as the devil in this scenario, and the way he phrases the deal implies that Gideon wouldn't agree to help if he knew what was in store for him. [[spoiler:However, Mabel's interference keeps Cipher from upholding his end of the bargain, so Gideon gets off with no consequences. However, at the end of "The Stanchurian Candidate", Bill gets another chance when Gideon summons him to make another deal.]]
** He tries it with Dipper in "Sock Opera". Dipper knows that it's a horrible idea, [[spoiler:but he ends up agreeing to help Bill anyway in return for the password on the laptop after the laptop prepares to erase all of its data due to too many incorrect passwords. Naturally, it goes horribly, with Bill taking Dipper's body and destroying the laptop before trying to get his hands on the Journal. Bill could still give him the password meaning he hadn't actually broken their deal, he'd just rendered the password useless, so he didn't get kicked out of Dipper's body.]]
** [[spoiler:He makes one with Ford and Stan in the finale... but finds out too late ''he'' [[KarmicDeath was the one on the losing end that time.]]]]
** [[spoiler:ExpandedUniverse stuff implies that his final invocation was one on his end, as the Axolotl gives a cryptic statement that he'll have to invoke its name (which he does) and there's 'one way to absolve his crime.' Add to this the implications in the same material that he and the Axolotl are enemies, and it becomes apparent it was out of pure desperation on Bill's part and there will be a price to pay on his end. Ironically, this one is more a BargainWithHeaven, [[LeonineContract just a very (deservedly) one-sided one]].]]
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler: Bill, the ultimate conman who had tricked majority of the Pines family by using a false promise, meets his final fate after being tricked by a Pines member using a false promise.]]
* DeathCryEcho: [[spoiler:Lets out one when Stan finally destroys him completely.]]

* DiscardAndDraw: [[spoiler:His entrance to the physical world. He gains near omnipotent power, but because his omniscience came from watching the physical world from the Nightmare Realm, he loses his ability to keep an eye on everything at once (since both worlds are now the same thing). Because he is now physical, he can ([[FightingAShadow unlike before]]) be directly confronted and destroyed.]]

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Bill invokes this trope in his backwards message just before he's destroyed by Stan: "A-X-O-L-O-T-L, my time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" It's not clear whether this will hold true or not. [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]] references to [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Axolotl]] as some sort of divine being and axolotls are named after an Aztec god of death (and ''twins'') called Xolotl. However, other materials imply this isn't so clear cut: apparently, the Axolotl is Bill's enemy, and he was both acting out of complete desperation and will have a price to pay for doing so.]]

* BigBad: The main antagonist of season 2, and the entire series. Bill's goal is to unleash Weirdmageddon, a "party that never ends" which would ultimately collapse space-time in this dimension. [[spoiler:He succeeds in "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future" when he possesses Blendin and tricks Mabel into giving him the dimensional rift, letting him enter this dimension in Gravity Falls. However, the "weirdness magnet" keeps him from leaving the valley Gravity Falls is located in. The rest of the series focuses on the denizens of Gravity Falls, lead by Dipper and Mabel, trying to stop Bill before he can escape the valley and take Weirdmageddon on a "world tour".]]

* BreakoutVillain: In season 1, he was originally a one-shot villain, but with so many cameo appearances and [[spoiler: having some connections to the author, Ford Pines]], he became the main and final villain of the entire series, also having a special intro of him [[spoiler:succeeding]].

* TheChessmaster: Bill has been engineering events for at least the last thirty years, all to complete his plan of [[spoiler:merging his world with the real world, freeing him and his other nightmare demons]]. This was just the final and first successfully completed plan in a long line of plans executed since, presumably, [[spoiler: the beginning of the universe.]] Previous plans included [[spoiler: convincing a shaman to try and build a portal long before it was technologically feasible. When the shaman found Bill out, he set himself on fire ("DRAMA QUEEN"). Also, the original intention for Ford's portal was simply a gateway for Bill and Co. to pass through which Ford thought was for his own research purposes. After Ford spent thirty years in various dimensions, breaking the Rift the portal created upon his return became the new plan.]] As a VisualPun, he's seen playing chess with Ford. Ford also writes in code in the journal after he discovers Bill's trickery, "INTERDIMENSIONAL CHESS ISN'T FUN WHEN YOU'RE A PAWN."

* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:During his ShapeshifterSwanSong, Bill keeps spawning various forms of himself in a last-ditch effort to break out of Stanley's mind before it's erased, but the erasure screws all of them up so badly that he can't even maintain them for more than a second. When he finally gets a form that's stable, it's so weak and fragile that Stan destroys him in one hit.]]

** "The Last Mabelcorn" reveals two more: Unicorn hair can act as a barrier to his magic, and in a quite ironic twist, [[spoiler:the memory erasing gun [=McGucket=] created to get Bill's horrors out of his head turns out to also be a handy way to kick him out of a person he's possessing.]]
** [[spoiler: If Bill ''can't'' get out of the mind as it's being wiped, forced or not? He gets erased along with it or is weakened enough that the mind's subconscious can finish him off. This ends up being his final fate at the hands of Stanley.]]
** [[spoiler:Whatever force that's responsible for turning Gravity Falls into the haven for weirdness it is is apparently stronger than Bill. Despite all of his reality-shattering power, he cannot break out of the weirdness-attracting field.]]
* AcidTripDimension: His home realm of existence, the Nightmare Realm. [[spoiler:It is populated by many other {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, who have been trapped there for one trillion years or more. Not only this, but Bill describes his dimension as "decaying". Naturally, they want out, and in "Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future", a gateway finally opens for them to the physical world, with the Nightmare Realm visible on the other side.]]

* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler:Bill pleads for his life against Stanley in the latter’s mind, promising him riches, galaxies, the whole works just for his life to be spared, only to be obliterated right after.]]

* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler: He's apparently the bigger fish to the Time Baby, and presumably the smaller fish to [[TopGod the Axolotl]].]]

** To the Time Baby. It's more evident when [[spoiler: he is confronted by, and then ''obliterates'' Time Baby. For the most part, he treats his torments on the people of Gravity Falls as a game. But in the case of the Time Baby, his murder was a lot more malicious and spiteful]].
** In Journal 3, one of Bill's cryptograms mentions the Axolotl[[note]]Or possibly The Oracle[[/note]] and Time Baby in the same sentence, with Bill calling it the 'big frilly know it all,' implying Bill's relationship with it is similar to his and Time Baby's [[spoiler:only the Axolotl gets the last laugh on Bill.]] The Axolotl's own words on Bill show if nothing else, it has a very low opinion of Bill in return.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: It's save to say that Bill deserve his death for everything he have done.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Bill is both terrifying and the leader of the {{Eldritch Abomination}}s for good reason, in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" he [[spoiler:conquers the entire town with his chaos magic and the help of his demonic friends, [[FacialHorror twists and mangles the face]] of [[AssholeVictim Preston Northwest]], [[BadassInDistress immobilizes Stanford Pines]] and [[TakenForGranite turns him into a golden statue/backscratcher]], and [[CurbStomp completely obliterates]] the [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Time Baby]].]]

!Bill Cipher

->'''Voiced by''': Creator/AlexHirsch\\\
''"A darkness approaches. A day will come in the future where everything you care about will change... until then, I'll be watching you! I'll be watching you..."''

* BadassInCharge: The leader of the EldritchAbomination army that invades the earth and accomplishes quite a lot. He conquers the entire town with his chaos magic and the help of his demonic friends, [[FacialHorror twists and mangles the face]] of [[AssholeVictim Preston Northwest]], [[BadassInDistress immobilizes Stanford Pines]] and [[TakenForGranite turns him into a golden statue/backscratcher]], and he [[CurbStomp completely obliterates]] the [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Time Baby]].

* DragonInChief: ''Somewhat'' to Gideon in ''Dreamscapers''. Bill is very much his own boss and the deal was only temporary. Upon his plan being thwarted, he compliments the heroes and leaves Gideon to eventually be defeated.

* TheDreaded: The journal describes him as the single most dangerous creature in Gravity Falls. Even Gideon is scared of him. Hell, he's even portrayed with very real dread, as evidenced by Dippers and [[spoiler:Great Uncle Fords]] interaction.

* TheOmniscient: Claims to see a "kaleidoscope of temporal probability with fluctuating range" and infinite alternate universes as well as alternate versions of himself.

* SigilSpam: Look closely at past episodes. Pictures of a triangle with an eye are seen in otherwise random places.

-->"You deserve a prize! Here, have a head that's always screaming."

* LaughablyEvil: All of his villainy is accompanied by a strange and twisted sense of humor. [[spoiler:Taking over and/or destroying the world is no different; he's doing it because it's all just a funny, cosmic joke to him.]]

* MysteriousPast: Was in Gravity Falls a long time ago and he has some connection with Stan Pines and the author. [[spoiler: He also possessed a body at some point. Considering the banner hanging in their mansion, he may have a connection to the Northwest family]]. His AMA states that he used to have family, is old enough to imply that the Egyptian pyramids were designed to look like him and that [[spoiler: the tapestry in Northwest Manor]] depicts a prophecy that ''would'' have come true on time for Bill had a shaman accomplice of his been more cooperative. He also apparently made a banking deal with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers Thomas J. Beale]] and regrets it thoroughly.

''"A darkness approaches. A day will come in the future where everything you care about will change... Until then I'll be watching you! I'll be watching you..."''

A dangerous [[EldritchAbomination interdimensional dream demon]] that was summoned by Gideon in his efforts to take over the Mystery Shack. Bill Cipher is [[GreaterScopeVillain the true main antagonist of the series]] who works behind the scenes in the first season, becomes prominent in the second season, and ([[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou potentially]]) exists in a meta level than the rest of the show's cast. He is a jovial and sadistic trickster who makes [[DealWithTheDevil devilish deals]] to get what he wants, and claims that [[VaguenessIsComing something big will soon change the world...]]

** Bill can possess people, and enter their minds to extract whatever knowledge he wants...but he can only do so if someone willingly shakes his hand and lets him do so. Sure, he can manipulate the rules of the deal, or torture them and people they love to pressure them into agreeing, but ultimately, if they still refuse that handshake, there's not much he can do.
** Possessing a human gives Bill a new form of power in being able to affect the physical realm, but, as Mabel demonstrates in ''Sock Opera''...he is still possessing a human being. No longer harboring the abilities of 'a being of pure energy' and having to follow the limitations of a human body is a major drawback.

** [[spoiler: If Bill ''can't'' get out of the mind as it's being wiped, forced or not? He gets erased along with it, or weakened enough that the mind's subconscious can finish him off. This ends up being his final fate at the hands of Stanley.]]

* TheAgeless: He was trapped in his dimension for ''one trillion years'', making him way way older than our universe. And all murals and flashbacks make it clear that, over the course of human history, he hasn't aged a day.

** On a lesser-scale, The Pines family. He manipulates Stanford into building a portal machine so he could bring Weirdmageddon through it; he antagonizes the Pines Twins, Dipper in particular; and lastly there's Stanley since he was the one who destroyed him.
* ArcVillain: For the second half of Season 2, as the majority of it is about stopping Bill from succeeding in his plans. Also counts as one for the entire season, but his plans were unknown up until the second half.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Bill invokes this trope in his backwards message just before he's destroyed by Stan: "A-X-O-L-O-T-L, my time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" It's not clear whether this will hold true or not. [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]] references to [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Axolotl]] as some sort of divine being, and axolotls are named after an Aztec god of death (and ''twins'') called Xolotl. However, other materials imply this isn't so clear cut: apparently, the Axolotl is Bill's enemy, and he was both acting out of complete desperation and will have a price to pay for doing so.]]
* BadBoss: When things are going his way, he's the LifeOfTheParty among his Henchmaniacs. When things turn sour, he starts randomly discharging his power in anger with no concern for their safety. He also insensitively tells his Henchmaniacs to "Walk it off!" when they were hurt slamming into the ForceField.

* BadassInANiceSuit: As "[[DemonicPossession Bipper]]", he wears a snazzy reverend outfit. Even as a basic triangle, his black limbs, cane and bow-tie suggest a dapper outfit in a minimalistic sort of way.
* BaitTheDog: Because he's funny, goofy and charismatic, the threat he presented wasn't immediately obvious to the characters ''or'' the fanbase until it was too late.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: We don't get to see the full extent of his impact on the world, but he's been around for a long time, and he has been busy. What we ''do'' know is that he contacted the ancient Egyptians, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, and Creator/StanleyKubrick to build a portal to the Nightmare Realm. When they failed, [[KickTheDog Bill cursed them with intense nightmares]], which led to numerous historical events. The pyramids? Tributes to Bill by the Egyptians to appease him after their failure, with time eroding the arms, eye, bowtie, and top hat off. Washington's wooden teeth? He ground up his teeth because of the nightmares. Some of Kubrick's movies were inspired by the nightmares he was plagued with. Wherever you see the Eye of Providence or a similar symbol, that's a sure sign that Bill has been involved. Also, given the heavy use of triangles in their architecture and necessity of parts from their ship to build the dimensional portal Bill is heavily implied to have influenced the aliens who crashed in Gravity Falls. In his Reddit AMA, he implies that UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper was an associate of his, knowing about Jack's embarrassing love for clown masks which he reveals because "WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR ME LATELY?"

* BigBad: The main antagonist of season 2, and the entire series. Bill's goal is to unleash Weirdmageddon, a "party that never ends" which would ultimately collapse space time in this dimension. [[spoiler:He succeeds in "Dipper and Mabel vs the Future", when he possesses Blendin and tricks Mabel into giving him the dimensional rift, letting him enter this dimension in Gravity Falls. However, the "weirdness magnet" keeps him from leaving the valley Gravity Falls is located in. The rest of the series focuses on the denizens of Gravity Falls, lead by Dipper and Mabel, trying to stop Bill before he can escape the valley and take Weirdmageddon on a "world tour".]]

* BizarreAlienBiology: His eye doubles as his ''mouth''. Also, in his Reddit AMA one user asked him about the length of the sides on his body, prompting him to respond with "[[SickAndWrong THATS A SICK QUESTION]] [[AccidentalPervert YOU PERVERT]]". Also, according to him, the thing Fiddleford saw in the portal that led to his descent into madness was Bill removing his exoskeleton to feed.

* TheChessmaster: Bill has been engineering events for at least the last thirty years, all to complete his plan of [[spoiler:merging his world with the real world, freeing him and his other nightmare demons]]. This was just the final and first successfully completed plan in a long line of plans executed since, presumably, [[spoiler: the beginning of the universe.]] Previous plans included [[spoiler: convincing a shaman to try and build a portal long before it was technologically feasible. When the shaman found Bill out, he set himself on fire ("DRAMA QUEEN"). Also, the original intention for Ford's portal was simply a gateway for Bill and Co. to pass through which Ford thought was for his own research purposes. After Ford spent thirty years in various dimensions, breaking the Rift the portal created upon his return became the new plan.]] As a VisualPun, he's seen playing chess with Ford. Ford also writes in code in the journal after he discover's Bill's trickery, "INTERDIMENSIONAL CHESS ISN'T FUN WHEN YOU'RE A PAWN."

* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:During his ShapeshifterSwanSong, Bill keeps spawning various forms of himself in a last ditch effort to break out of Stanley's mind before it's erased, but the erasure screws all of them up so badly that he can't even maintain them for more than a second. When he finally gets a form that's stable, it's so weak and fragile that Stan destroys him in one hit.]]

* CoolCar: He may be a sadistic, inscrutable and unpredictable EldritchAbomination, but ''damn'' that's a ''wicked'' hot rod he has, and it flies!

* CuteAndPsycho: His simplistically goofy design, generally small size, shrill voice, cartoony effects and general cheerfulness can sometimes come across as cute. Like when he was messing with Gideon, or trying to convince Dipper to make a deal with him. When possessing the latter, most of his actions come across as both this and creepy.

* DarkIsEvil: [[spoiler: In some episodes he takes on a pitch black appearance. Like in the beginning of "The Last Mabelcorn" or "Weirdmageddon, Part 1".]]

** He tries it with Dipper in "Sock Opera". Dipper knows that it's a horrible idea, [[spoiler:but he ends up agreeing to help Bill anyway in return for the password on the laptop, after the laptop prepares to erase all of its data due to too many incorrect passwords. Naturally it goes horribly, with Bill taking Dipper's body and destroying the laptop before trying to get his hands on the Journal. Bill could still give him the password meaning he hadn't actually broken their deal, he'd just rendered the password useless, so he didn't get kicked out of Dippers body.]]

* {{Determinator}}: Bill tried to find a way into the physical realm for what could have been as long as ''one trillion years.'' He's attempted manipulating humans into building him a portal for as long as humanity has existed, but it was only with Ford when he finally succeeded.

** The real life version of Journal 3 goes a step further and describes him as the most dangerous being in the known multiverse.

* EarlyBirdCameo: [[FreezeFrameBonus He appears briefly in the intro of episode 1 as well as many other off-hand cameos]] before making his debut in the season 1 finale, Dreamscapers.

** Though ultimately a FalseFriend to [[spoiler:Ford]], the implication exists that Bill genuinely found something of an interesting kindred spirit. Or at least a favorite toy, which is about as close as [[AxCrazy Bill]] gets to caring about anybody.

** Apparently hates (those he perceives to be) perverts. When asked by a fan on reddit whether his triangle sides were equilateral or not, Bill retorted "THAT'S A SICK QUESTION YOU PERVERT".

-->'''Bill Cipher''': (being trapped in Stan's mind while Ford uses the Memory Gun) What the?! Oh, NO NO NO NO NO!!!!\\
'''Grunkle Stan''': (smiles) Oh, yeah, you're going down, Bill! You're getting erased. Memory gun... pretty clever, huh?\\
'''Bill Cipher''': You idiot! Don't you realize you're destroying your own mind, too?!\\
'''Grunkle Stan''': Eh... it's not like I was using this space so much, anyway.\\
'''Bill Cipher''': (terrified) Let me outta here! LET ME OUT!! Why isn't this working?!\\
'''Grunkle Stan''': (angrily) Hey, look at me. TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT ME, YOU ONE-EYED DEMON!!! You're a real wise-guy, but you made ONE fatal mistake: YOU MESSED WITH MY FAMILY!!\\

** Mabel has some anarchy in her, is a little bit selfish, and likes to have fun at all costs, and Bill is all those things times ''a billion.'' Alex Hirsch confirmed Bill has realized their similarities, and was using it to his advantage when he tried to get her to abandon Dipper for the sake of her play.

* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: The things Bill considers funny or 'rewards' tend to be bizarre and gruesome, like [[TheToothHurts telekinetically yanking all of a deer's teeth out]] ''(Deer teeth! For you, kid! Ahahaha!)'' or gifting Dipper with [[LosingYourHead "a head that's always screaming"]] Oh, and when he briefly possesses Dipper's body, he states that he [[SenseFreak finds pain 'hillarious' too]].
* EvilIsAngular: Bill Cipher is the big bad: a mind-travelling and conniving demon with nigh RealityWarper powers originally from a 2D universe... and also best described as a yellow pyramid with an eye (yes, a single eye), a tophat consisting of two rectangles and a walking cane.

-->'''Alex Hirsch''': I think Bill is angry at the world for the same reason anyone can get mad at the world. Everyone has days where they don't get their way, where you have to go to bed early or you have too much homework to do or you can't eat the candy you want or your miss your favorite TV show, and in those moments you just want to tear the whole world down. Bill is a character who's been around for countless billions of eons, but [[ImmortalImmaturity he hasn't grown up in that time]]. He's a character who has accumulated many frustrations, many moments of destruction like that, and they've built up over time. Now he's decided he wants a world where there is no homework, where there is no bedtime -- where you can eat any candy you want and do anything you want.

* EvilLaugh: Alex Hirsch actually strained his vocal chordes.

* EvilVersusEvil: He hates the Time Baby's guts, and wants a physical form partly just to get at him. The Time Baby, in turn, is aware of, and unnerved by, his existence.
* EvilWearsBlack: His black top hat and bow tie evoke this. When he takes control of [[spoiler:Dipper]], he wears a black reverend's outfit to infiltrating Mabel's play.
* EvilerThanThou: To Gideon, whom he DemotedToDragon. Also Preston Northwest, whom he turned into a ButtMonkey.

* EyeOfProvidence: His design is based off the the Eye of Providence. Appropriate, considering it represents Divine Omniscience (Bill being all-seeing while in the Nightmare Realm) and conspiracies (being the one responsible for the Author's disappearance and all of the weirdness surrounding it). Though ironically, the Eye is supposed to represent the benevolent gaze of {{God}}, with the triangle shape symbolizing the Holy Trinity, and Bill is a demon.

--> '''Grunkle Stan:''' ''You're a real wise-guy, but you made one fatal mistake: you messed with my family.''
* FauxAffablyEvil: The author's entry on Bill goes from nothing but compliments to a caps lock warning that he's not to be trusted under any circumstances which implies that this is Bill's MO. By playing nice and downplaying his sinister, ulterior motives, he's able to coerce people into going along with his plans without realizing just what they've signed onto.

** Some of the end page cryptograms are clearly written from Bill's perspective. Given he's [[SinisterSurveillance constantly watching everyone]], it's possible ''most'' of them are.

** In the finale, Bill's backwards message[[note]]"My time has come to burn. I invoke the ancient power that I may return."[[/note]], the cryptogram on the bus[[note]] "Hidden deep within the woods, a buried treasure waits. Secrets lost and statues found beyond the rusty gates.[[/note]], and the very last shot of the series[[note]]A statue of Bill in ''live-action''[[/note]] vaguely hint that Bill died in the world of ''Gravity Falls'', but came back in ''ours''.
* FreezeFrameBonus: A lot about Bill can be viewed in the Journal's pages if checked close enough.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Implied in this case. In the ''Gravity Falls: Lost Legends'' comic [[spoiler: (specifically the third story, which is set after Weirdmageddon), 8-Ball and Keyhole, two of his former Henchmaniacs,]] can be seen in another dimension (presumably their home dimension) looking at a statue of Bill labelled "he was the worst".

* TheGlovesComeOff: [[spoiler:Throughout the last episode, Bill's henchmaniacs get curbstomped and Bill himself gets put through the wringer solely because of Dipper and Mabel's planning and quick thinking. By the end, he has ''had it'' with the younger Pines twins and decides they need to die now, taking his most monstrous form ever seen in the show and outright stating he will murder them horribly. He nearly follows through on it until [[TwinSwitch "Ford"]] gives in.]]
* {{Gonk}}: While non-canon, Alex Hirsch said "canon" human Bill would look like ''[[https://i.redd.it/fgiy44ijixwx.png this]]''. Talk about a TakeThatAudience

* HellOnEarth: [[spoiler:A bridge to the Nightmare Realm would allow him and his fellow nightmare creatures to cross over to Earth, where Bill's DreamWeaver powers would become straight up {{Reality Warp|er}}ing and they could do whatever they wanted forever. He's finally successful in "Dipper and Mabel vs the Future".]]

* HiddenDepths: Who would have thought an ancient, extra-dimensional nightmare being liked playing piano and singing?

* HumiliationConga: "Take Back the Falls" is essentially this for him. [[spoiler:In order, when the resistance arrives in a giant robot, he sends his henchmen, thinking that they'll be able to take care of the problem, only for them to fail horribly. When he decides to fight himself, he finds out that the shack is protected from him and gets his eye yanked out, the first part has him being thrown around like a rag doll before finding the robot's weakness. When it looks like he has the upper-hand, he gets sprayed in the eye, allowing Dipper and Mabel escape and outmaneuver him until he manages to catch them, forcing 'Ford' to make a deal with him. However, when it seems like he's finally won, it turns out that Stan conned him and traps him in his mind while they both get erased, reducing Bill to a screaming, begging wreck. ExpandedUniverse material show it goes a step further: his last evocation was essentially begging the Axolotl, the one being in existence he hates as much or more than Time Baby, to save him...and the Axolotl fully intends to burn ''him'' on the deal by making his resurrection/reincarnation a means to make him atone for his crimes.]]

** He hates deals that ended up being broken, yet he almost never sticks up to his end of his bargains and always backstabs anyone whom he makes deals with.
** It's small, [[spoiler:but when he takes physical form, he insults humanity for our "ONE-LIFESPAN". If his absolute terror at being erased in Stanley's mind is any indication, he also only has a single lifespan, which [[ImmortalsFearDeath he's just as, or in some cases, even more terrified by the end of]] as the humans he thinks he's superior to.]]

* ILetYouWin: He claims to have stopped fighting in "Dreamscapers" by his own choice and responds sarcastically when Dipper referred to that as defeating him. He's got a vested interest in seeming undefeatable, though, so he might not be the most unbiased authority on the subject. [[spoiler: A FreudianSlip during his last episode VillainousBreakdown reveals that yes, the Pines twins' victories over him were legitimate, and it ''drives him up the wall.'']]

* ImmortalsFearDeath: [[spoiler:When he's about to be erased after living over a trillion years, Bill is ''terrified''. It's the first, and naturally last, time he shows any fear. ExpandedUniverse materials imply his invoking Axolotl to save himself was an act of complete desperation to avoid his fate that will have a price to pay on his end.]]
* InsistentTerminology: [[spoiler: No, Bill isn't ''destroying'' dimensions, he's ''liberating'' them. Glaringly, this is the only matter in which Bill refuses to own up to his madness, whereas everywhere else he's all-too-happy to revel in it, because it's the one thing he might actually regret.]]

* IronicEcho: Bill seems to be a fan of this. Bill's "Eenie, meenie, miney, you" phrase has been said by Stan in the first episode, [[spoiler:in the end of "Dipper and Mabel vs The Future", the cryptogram asks "DID YOU MISS ME?", something he asked Dipper in Sock Opera and he says "Right? Isn't that what you're all thinking?", something Grenda asks in Sock Opera.[[note]]"Right? Isn't that what we're all thinking?[[/note]]]]

* JackassGenie: Mostly averted. Bill doesn't necessarily ''have'' to complete his side of any bargain he makes. His usual level of trickery results in getting what he wants beforehand, [[spoiler:such as gaining Dipper's permission to possess him with some clever wording]], and once that happens he typically ignores his side of the agreement. That being said, if the person making the agreement can't be immediately tricked into giving Bill what he wants, Bill has been compliant in fulfilling his part of the bargain. Further more it appears that without finishing the contract, Bill's magic isn't permanent. For example, [[spoiler:he asked for a puppet from Dipper, as a means to possess him, in return for access to the Author's laptop. Bill destroyed it instead to protect his plans, but the next time Dipper's body fell asleep, Bill got kicked out, giving Dipper control over his body again.]]
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:He finally gets his comeuppance at the end of [[GrandFinale "Weirdmageddon"]]. While his last backwards message is invoking the Axolotl to revive him, the Axolotl has no intention of letting him shirk the consequences of his actions and intends that resurrection to force him to 'absolve his crimes.']]

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Ford completely erased him in Stan's mind, with his brother punching him directly in the eye]]. However, Bill [[spoiler: invokes what seems to be a regeneration spell in his final moments via translated backwards audio, but it's unclear whether or how it worked. After everything returns to normal, a statue of Bill remains in the woods...]]
* KnightOfCerebus: Introduced in what's being considered the darkest and most terrifying episode of the series to date, despite his LaughablyEvil personality and oddball design. Within his first few seconds onscreen, he telekinetically yanks out a deer's teeth and gives them to Gideon. At least he undoes it a moment later, though it's still rather horrifying. He only gets worse in his second episode, where he starts by giving Dipper a "present" of his own: ''a severed head that's constantly screaming''. Even his entry in Journal #3 is horrifying. Not only are the pages covered in what is likely '''blood splatters''', a warning is written in red ''never to summon him''. Take into account the Author wrote both Journal #2 (which summons him) and Journal #3 (which has an incantation to fight against him), it was an early hint about what happened between him and Ford. [[spoiler: Even more so after he merged Earth with his Nightmare Realm, causing an ApocalypseHow.]]

* KnowledgeBroker: ''Very'' knowledgeable, may potentially know all the answers to the greatest mysteries. Every deal he has made so far has been leveraged with information only he could provide or acquire. He's often suggested that knowledge is the key to true power. Ironically, [[spoiler:he is forced to go to ''Ford'' for help in the finale because Ford knows how to bypass the WeirdnessMagnet effect of Gravity Falls and Bill does not. This likely means that Bill's vast knowledge is due to his DreamWalker abilities more than actual omniscience -- since Ford safeguarded his mind against Bill's intrusions later on, the dream demon did not have access to some of his latest discoveries.]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: When he start Weirdmageddon, he taunts Dipper to actually punch him, knowing full well there's nothing he can do. [[spoiler: When trapped in Stan's mind as it's getting erased, Stan takes him out with one punch since he's now vulnerable.]]

* LyricalDissonance: His cut VillainSong "It's Gonna Get Weird" is an upbeat, cheerful number...about [[spoiler:him raining down Weirdmageddon on Gravity Falls]] and all the horrible things that entails.

* ManipulativeBastard: He takes advantage of people's desperation to keep them from examining his own motives too closely. He's also only been seen making deals when the other party is either overconfident, or not in their right mind. [[spoiler:He expertly manipulated Stanford Pines into creating the portal, through a combination of charm and appealing to Stanford's ego.]]
* MeaningfulName: It's no coincidence that the most mysterious entity of the show (and possibly the one [[KnowledgeBroker with the answer to all the mysteries]]) has almost the same name as one of the most famous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers unsolved cipher codes]] in US history. [[note]]The reddit AMA has him advising everyone not to do business with the guy who wrote it.[[/note]] "Bill" might also refer to a banknote, as Cipher's body shape closely resembles the Eye of Providence found on the US dollar bill (which was confirmed in the Between the Pines special). Last but not least, a possible reference to LouisCypher.

* MirrorCharacter: Grunkle Stan. Both are theatrical conmen who enjoy pulling the wool over others' eyes. They also share similar speaking habits ("Eeney-meeny-miney-''you!''") and traits, to the point where Bill predominantly replaced Stan in his own opening credits. It is their similarities that eventually [[spoiler: make Stan the best candidate to take Bill down.]]

* MysteriousPast: Was in Gravity Falls a long time ago and he has some connection with Stan Pines and the author. [[spoiler: He also possessed a body at some point. Considering the banner hanging in their mansion, he may have a connection to the Northwest family]]. His AMA states that he used to have family, is old enough to imply that the Egyptian pyramids were designed to look like him, and that [[spoiler: the tapestry in Northwest Manor]] depicts a prophecy that ''would'' have come true on time for Bill had a shaman accomplice of his been more cooperative. He also apparently made a banking deal with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beale_ciphers Thomas J. Beale]], and regrets it thoroughly.
* NearVillainVictory: In the series finale, Bill has countered and played wise to all of his enemies' moves; even managing to have his minions recapture all of the freed citizens and trapping the Pines family (including Dipper and Mabel), all just to coerce Ford into giving the equation into breaking down the barrier that would allow him to take Weirdmageddon globally by threatening to kill both Dipper and Mabel. However, this all went moot as he never anticipated the fact that the captured Ford and Stan would switch identities with each other at the last minute so that Stan could fool Bill into entering his mind and that Ford can use the memory-erasing weapon to erase Stan's mind and destroy Bill for good.
* NecessaryDrawback: [[spoiler:Bill Cipher's abilities allows him to invade another person's mind. Unfortunately for Bill Cipher, in the event that he's inside someone's mind and their memories end up being erased, he'll be erased along with them.]]

* NeverSayDie: Zig-zagged, usually he'll have some colorful substitute for murdering something (i.e. "I've got some children I need to make into corpses"), though at the same time he explicitly states his intention to kill one of the twins in the series finale "[[ForTheEvulz just for the heck of it]]".

* TheNicknamer: When speaking to someone, he'll often refer to them by a symbol associated with them (typically visible on an article of clothing; they've also appeared in a circle around him), e.g. calling Dipper "Pine Tree" and Soos "Question Mark." The only times he drops the habit are when he's addressing close friends or people he respects, or when things have gone to hell in a handbasket.

* NoMouth: [[TheNoseless Or nose]]. He's quite expressive with his single eyeball, though. [[ActionFigureSpeech His outline pulses in turn with his words.]] It turns out that [[BizarreAlienBiology his mouth IS his eye]], by way of morphing the lids to act like lips to eat/drink like he does in Weirdmageddon.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He claims he wants to [[spoiler:liberate the heroes' dimension, and make it a fun world with no rules or restrictions. However, that would [[RealityWarpingIsNotAToy render it pure chaos inhospitable to non-demonic life]], and it and his Weirdmageddon back in his own decaying world is heavily implied to be why it's decaying in the first place. Considering his sadism and how he admits [[CardCarryingVillain he's insane either way]], it's very likely his claim is just an excuse [[ItsAllAboutMe for his own enjoyment]].]]
* NoodleIncident: The author wrote in the journals that he considered Bill his best friend. Then something happened that made him cross out that entry out and write "Can't be trusted" and "DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!" His entry in Journal #3 is covered in ''blood''. [[spoiler:Eventually revealed to be that Bill had told the author that he was a muse who came to visit and assist geniuses once a century, he helped the author with constructing the portal, but when the truth got out, the author changed his mind about everything. Also, it turns out that it's red pen ink, not blood]]. [[spoiler: Then even more is revealed in the Journal 3 book release -- some of it ''is'' blood; Ford's eye bled after Bill possessed him and dropped onto the page.]]

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:While just getting a physical body probably counts, one of his shapeshifted forms in particular stands out: the form he chases Dipper and Mabel through his castle with is by far Bill's most terrifying incarnation in the show. He goes 3D, his body turns red, he gains an eye (now with black sclera) on each side, his bottom segments become mouths with jagged yellow teeth (with the bottom-most having ''two'' tongues), and he has six arms (two of which come out of his bottom mouth).]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: As revealed by his AMA on Reddit, "Bill Cipher" is just a pseudonym because if we'd hear his real name we'd evaporate to dust with an expression of horror and ecstasy on our face.

* OurDemonsAreDifferent: He's referred to as a demon on two separate occasions, though he hasn't use this term himself. While looking and acting very atypical, he has almost all of the powers and methods that you'd expect a demon to have: [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting]], [[DemonicPossession possession]], [[PlayingWithFire using fire]], [[MoreThanMindControl temptation]], and [[DealWithTheDevil striking up deals in order to get what he wants]]. He's implied there is a hierarchy of sorts by his comments on dressing for the job he wants instead of the one he has, and has [[BadassBoast claimed other demons would be lucky to be on good terms with him]].

** [[spoiler: And secondly when trying to convince Ford to join him doesn't work, he holds Dipper and Mabel hostage to get Ford to cooperate. Not only does keeping the kids contained take a large amount of effort, but he made the mistake of leaving Stan and Ford together to hash out a quick plan "B" and forgetting to take into account that the two are ''twins'', thus leading to him accidentally bargaining with Stan rather than Ford. By the time Bill's realizes his mistake, it's far too late. He's back in the dream world where's he vulnerable, Ford erases Stan's mind with Bill trapped inside, and no amount of bargaining is going to keep Stan from taking him out.]]

* PetTheDog: Within seconds of being introduced, he rips the teeth out of a deer. He undoes it afterwards and, considering [[{{Sadist}} who Bill is]], this is actually rather kind of him.

* PlayingWithFire: Although he uses blue fire, as seen on the picture.
* PracticallyJoker: Is a nigh-invincible Eldritch Abomination who planned to make the universe itself the ultimate rave party not caring that his reckless actions could result in the destruction of reality. Bill advocates chaos over order, has a disturbing sense of humor, and loves messing with the minds of his pawns. He also has a MysteriousPast and occasionally espouses StrawNihilist views.

* PunnyName: Given his name, SinisterSurveillance and the ubiquitous Eye of Providence on US dollars, having bills on you means having Bill on you.
** It's also a pun off of the Baele Cypher, the most complex cypher in American history (and much like Bill, almost certainly all a lie/scam to boot)

* SatanicArchetype: A more subtle example, and despite also being [[EldritchAbomination rather Lovecraftian]], Bill fits this trope quite well. For starters there is the Cipher part of his name, while obviously connected to the algorithm of encryption, but also to LouisCypher. He also uses a lot of common tropes associated with Satan and devils, including DealWithTheDevil, DemonicPossession, VoiceOfTheLegion, and is outright called a "demon". His [[LightIsNotGood association with light]] connects him directly to Lucifer, and the "Eye of Providence" symbol that he is based on is connected to {{God}} and His [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels, who often are described manifesting as strange, geometric shapes (including a whole choir called Wheels)]]. On top of all that, [[spoiler: the actual Stanford Pines]] mentions in his backstory that a friend of his referred to a "beast with one eye" when he accidentally peeked into an AlternateUniverse.

* SelfMadeOrphan: According to Bill's reddit AMA, he ''used to'' have a family, and now doesn't. [[spoiler: He hints in "Weirdmageddon: Take Back The Falls" that he didn't just kill his family, [[GenocideFromTheInside but everyone who lived in his entire dimension]]. The Axolotl implies Bill ''does'' feel bad for it, but [[NeverMyFault will never admit it's his own fault]].]]

* SensoryOverload: When he possesses Dipper, he regains his senses and instead of being horrified by the damage he inflicts on himself, he finds it hilarious. He deliberately falls down the stairs, repeatedly slams a drawer on his arm and [[JabbaTableManners messily]] [[MurderArsonAndJaywalking drinks soda.]] When Alex Hirsch drew a [[https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/comments/5ccxh1/here_he_is_folks_the_canon_human_bill_cipher_from/ canon human version of Bill]] in a charity livestream, he portrayed him as morbidly obese and highly deformed with crooked teeth. Hirsch drew him this way because he imagines Bill overindulging himself and neglecting his personal health.

* SigilSpam: Look closely in past episodes. Pictures of a triangle with an eye are seen in otherwise random places.

* SinisterSurveillance: Yeah, those images of him mentioned earlier? Those are [[ParanoiaFuel peepholes he can look through from the Dreamscape]]. A page about him in Journal #2 has a picture of him on the -$12 bill that says [[PretentiousLatinMotto "Semper vigilantem"]], "Always watching". [[spoiler:Becomes AscendedFridgeHorror at the end of "The Last Mabelcorn" where it shows him spying on the Pines family. He loses this when he merges the two world, resulting in him being easier to take off guard]].

* SmugSnake: Bill has three layers to his personality. A [[FauxAffablyEvil goofy facade]] while buttering up up to his potential partners, a [[SmugSnake smug mocking state]] when he's got the upper hand and all parties know it, and a [[ILetYouWin petulant state]] when he knows he's been bested and needs to save face. No matter which mode he's in, he positively oozes condescension.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name is often mispelled Bill ''Cypher'', even though his name is spelled out on his page in Dipper's journal. [[IncrediblyLamePun Spell My Name]] [[EyeMotifs With An Eye?]]

** However, he thoroughly {{deconstruct|edTrope}}s this trope in the climax. Between his constant self-harm and Dipper's own self-inflicted sleep-deprivation, Bill ends up being [[HeroicRROD too exhausted and crippled to get The Journal back from Mabel]] while confined to Dipper's body, and [[OhCrap doesn't seem to be enjoying himself either]].
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:Bill definitely ''did'' die, but cried out the name of "Axolotl" (backward) asking to return. It's unknown if it worked, and it may have just stabilize his ShapeshifterSwanSong long enough to make one last attempt on Stanley. Some of the comics released after the series have suggested Bill really did come back (''ComicBook/GravityFallsLostLegends'' has cryptograms baldly spell out "BILL LIVES" and "CIPHER LIVES"), but also that the Axolotl is a benevolent being with no plans to aid Bill's misdeeds. It states Bill can only "absolve his crime [in] a different form, a different time", implying he'd only be resurrected/reincarnated as someone much less powerful and dangerous and forced to atone for his crimes.]]

** He hits on Wendy a couple times while in Dipper's body, though whether it's to troll Dipper or because he's actually attracted to her is uncertain.

* VillainousFriendship: [[spoiler: Has one with his Henchmaniacs, throwing parties with them and bringing them along on his Weirdmaggedon. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in that it seems to be out of a want for company rather than care, as he wastes no time berating them after they've been severely injured in battle.]]
* VillainHasAPoint: It was a strategy to manipulate Dipper, but Bill wasn't wrong when he pointed out that Dipper has made constant sacrifices and compromises for Mabel and that at best she has pretty much done nothing to pay him back and at worst keeps putting herself before him.

** His ultimate breakdown in the finale is when [[spoiler: he becomes increasingly enraged as he starts to lose the final battle; it finally comes to a head when he's about to be erased, the powerful dream demon gets reduced to begging for his life as his body rapidly changes into out of control forms before he's destroyed by Stan. Even his final backwards message is ultimately this rather than a last trump card, as invoking the Axolotl to save him amounts to begging the one being in existence he hates as much or more than Time Baby to save him in a desperate attempt to shirk the consequences of his actions in the last moment]].

* VillainsWantMercy: [[spoiler:He pathetically begs Stan to spare him, offering Stan anything he could imagine. Stan has none of it and finishes him off. The Axolotl implies itself that his invoking it 'so he may return' was also this trope, as it likens it to trying to shirk the consequences of his actions in the last moment, and the two are implied to be enemies. The Axolotl implies he ''will'' have mercy on Bill...to the extent of reviving him so he may 'absolve his crime.']]

* WeatherManipulation: With his rage, he summoned thunderclouds so fierce they damaged the pillars int he Fearamid.

** He says this to Dipper and company at the end of their first meeting.

* YouCantMakeAnOmelette: An... interesting variation in his reddit AMA.
-->'''Bill''': HEY IF YOU WANT TO MAKE AN OMELET YOU HAVE TO BREAK A FEW SKULLS! I'M TALKING ABOUT A BRAIN-OMELET HERE, MOMMA.

** He can be seen on a sticky note in the ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'' episode "Beware The B.U.D.D.Y. System!"

For Bill's take on it, see [[SelfDemonstrating/BillCipher how he tells it.]]

* NoIndoorVoice: He seems to shout everything he says, not unlike the [[Creator/AdultSwim Williams Street]] interpretation of [[WesternAnimation/TheBrakShow Brak]]. Somehow, he manages to shout even louder when he loses his cool. This is a holdover from the original intention of having Creator/DavidLynch voice him, which fell through. Instead, Hirsch does an impression of Lynch's character Gordon Cole, who always shouted his lines because he was hard of hearing. In the AMA, every answer he writes is in ALLCAPS.

A dangerous [[EldritchAbomination interdimensional dream demon]] that was summoned by Gideon in his efforts to take over the Mystery Shack. Bill Cipher is the true main antagonist of the series who works behind the scenes in the first season, becomes prominent in the second season, and ([[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou potentially]]) exists in a meta level than the rest of the show's cast. He is a jovial and sadistic trickster who makes [[DealWithTheDevil devilish deals]] to get what he wants, and claims that [[VaguenessIsComing something big will soon change the world...]]

'''Bill Cipher''': [[CardCarryingVillain Sure I am]]. What's your point?

* DomainHolder: Inverted. He's a nigh-omnipotent RealityWarper in his natural state, but noticeably weaker in someone else's Mindscape, having to actually fight the heroes rather than just BalefulPolymorph them away. [[spoiler:When said Mindscape is being erased, his powers fail to work at all and he's in danger of being actually killed.]]

* AmbiguousGender: Everyone addresses him as male, but, according to him, he comes from a dimension with 14 billion different genders. So what that leaves him as is up for debate.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: As revealed by his AMA on Reddit, "Bill Cipher" is just an username since if we'd hear his real name we'd evaporate to dust with an expression of horror and ecstasy on our face.

** [[spoiler:At some point, he had a family, and the Nightmare Realm isn't his home dimension -- the Second Dimension is. But, as Bill puts it "flat minds on a flat world with flat dreams"; it's expressed that the stiflingly static nature of the dimension drove him to madness, and he obliterated it in turn.]]