History Main / BiblicalBadGuy

-> ''"Like unthinking animals they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion."''

* ''Franchise/TheWorldOfDarkness'':
** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', the first vampire Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. She was implied to be a mage from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension''.
*** TabletopGame/{{Orpheus}} suggests she might be Grandmother.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' loves this trope, both in the tales and the [=SCPs=] itself. [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-073 SCP-073]] "Cain" and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-076 SCP-076-2]] "Able" are an inversion. They are the biblical CainAndAbel, but Cain is actually a NiceGuy who voluntarily works with the foundation both as a contained anomaly and as a biological backup to their archives, thanks to his photographic memory. Pretty much the only reason he's contained is because he's immortal, anything dead biological material he touches dissolves, and his attacks are all reflected on the attacker. Able (not Abel), on the other hand, is an immortal killing machine who tends to murder everything in sight should he ever get out of his box. The Foundation tried to weaponize him for a while, but wisely decided to can the project.

* ''ComicBook/VandalSavage'' [[DependingOnTheWriter may have been]] {{Cain}} [[TheFogOfAges and forgotten]].

* In ''ComicBook/TheUnwritten'' it's pretty clear that [[spoiler:Pullman]] is Cain as well as some other mythological bad guys.

* In ''[[ComicBook/TheMultiversity Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1]]'', ComicBook/VandalSavage of Earth-40 is heavily implied to be {{Cain}}, with the meteor that gave him his powers being the rock that he used to kill Abel.
* Cain from ''ComicBook/TheStrangeTalentOfLutherStrode'' is explicitly the biblical Cain.

** Surprisingly averted with {{Cain}}, who is not only revealed to be a sympathetic figure but also [[spoiler:Vampirella's father]].

* ''Film/HeNeverDied'' features Cain as [[spoiler:the main protagonist, still alive in the modern day]].

* [[Literature/{{Beowulf}} Grendel]] is sometimes portrayed as Cain in later adaptations. What we have of the original was rewritten to include Christian elements, so this isn't particularly surprising (though the wording it uses would imply a ''descendant'' of Cain).

* Played with in Creator/JoseSaramago's ''Cain''. Since God has ordered that Cain cannot be harmed by any living being -- including Himself -- Cain gets to [[WanderingJew live through all of the Old Testament]], bitter at being turned into the first murderer because he, unlike his brother, ''didn't'' want to spill blood to appease God, and horrified by the events of the OT becomes convinced that GodIsEvil. He spends a lot of time [[RageAgainstTheHeavens calling the old man out]], before eventually [[spoiler: hitching a ride on Noah's ark. When all of humanity but God's chosen survivors have drowned, Cain takes out Noah and his family SlasherMovie style, leaving God alone with an empty world. End of creation.]]
* {{Defied}} by the eponymous Demian of {{Creator/Hermann Hesse}}'s novel, who insists that Cain was a special figure whose Mark was really talent or intelligence that set him apart from than the people around him, who ultimately slandered and exiled him out of resentment.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Cain killed Abel to prevent his brother from being corrupted by Lucifer and then became one of the first demons. He was the first [[EliteMooks Knight of Hell]] and trained all the others, including BigBadEnsemble member Abaddon. He then [[LoveRedeems fell in love]] with a human woman and had a HeelFaceTurn. After she was killed by Abaddon, he slaughtered most of the other Knights and went into hiding. Dean and Crowley accidentally track him down when they search for a weapon that can kill Abaddon.
** Biblical bad guys make up about 90% of the villains on Supernatural, with Lucifer being the bad guy for two seasons and various demons and [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] making up the rest. Archangel Michael, while technically a WellIntentionedExtremist, was actually just as bad as Lucifer. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were also major villains, with the character of Death recurring every other season or so. Death wasn't a bad guy, but the other three definitely were. Even the Whore of Babylon makes an appearance as a MonsterOfTheWeek.
* Cain shows up in Season Three of ''Series/Lucifer2016'' as [[spoiler:Lt. Marcus Pierce]]. Whether or not he proves to be a villain or have had a HeelFaceTurn over his long life is left up in the air over the course of the season [[spoiler: before settling on villain in the final episodes]].

* In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', the first vampire is named "Caine" and is the Cain from the Bible. In ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'' (in the [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness same universe]]), it's noted that Caine invented murder and the killing of sentients.
** Though in the vampire mythology Caine was the MessianicArchetype who righted wrongs and punished the wicked.
** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. She was implied to be the a mage from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension''.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Cain(e) is alluded to in''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines''. [[spoiler:Apparently, he spends his eternal afterlife working as a cab driver in Downtown LA.]] Playing as a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], you realize this when [[spoiler:you eventually meet him]]. You would GoMadFromTheRevelation, but, y'know, you already ''are''.
* [[spoiler:Naoya]] in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' [[spoiler:is a reincarnation of Cain, punished by God to be reborn every time the old body dies, and has the memory of every life time he has lived ever since his first life. [[ThePunishment Over his long life he has become obsessed with revenge]] and seeks to achieve that by having Abel, the player character]], rebel against God. Granted, this is ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'', so [[GodIsEvil YHWH]] [[GreyAndGreyMorality kinda deserves it]]. It is implied in Overclocked that YHWH [[spoiler:manipulated Cain into killing Abel.]]
* It is hinted at that the Nod commander Kane in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSeries'' is... Cain. Evidence for indicates that he is shown to be the same age during the 1940s, he survives an Ion Cannon blast that he embraces and when assumed to be be the Biblical Cain by followers does not deny it. ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' confirms it, since you find Abel's tomb beneath the Temple of Nod. In the rather poorly received final chapter known as ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianTwilight'', it is revealed that Cain is [[spoiler:actually an alien stranded on Earth for the past thousands of years, and has likely shaped the advance of civilisation to reach a point when he can leave the planet. He phoned home at the ending, leaving through a portal left by a failed AlienInvasion.]]
* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', it's revealed in the optional glyphs that Cain killed Abel [[spoiler:over a Piece of Eden and was the founder of the [[UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar Templar Order]].]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Subverted in the Wiki/{{SCP|Foundation}}-[[TheVerse verse]]. Cain is actually a ''nice'' guy (and in [[BlackAndGreyMorality this world, that's saying something]]) and TheAtoner, only harmful to plants due to his EnemyToAllLivingThings status. His brother [[CainAndAbel Abel]] on the other hand, is a BloodKnight. It's suggested that their lives for the past few millennia have changed them.
** It's implied that Abel only died because of Cain's AttackReflector that he can not turn off.
[[/folder]]

* ''ComicBook/VandalSavage'' [[DependingOnTheWriter may have been]] Cain [[TheFogOfAges and forgotten]].

* In ''[[ComicBook/TheMultiversity Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1]]'', ComicBook/VandalSavage of Earth-40 is heavily implied to be Cain, with the meteor that gave him his powers being the rock that he used to kill Abel.

** Surprisingly averted with Cain, who is not only revealed to be a sympathetic figure but also [[spoiler:Vampirella's father]].

'''Note:''' {{Satan}}, GodIsEvil, [[NephariousPharaoh The Pharaoh of the Exodus]] and the HorsemenOfTheApocalypse have their own tropes -- as do the {{Nephilim}}, who aren't ''always'' evil but often are.

* Played with in José Saramago's ''Cain''. Since God has ordered that Cain cannot be harmed by any living being - including Himself - Cain gets to [[WanderingJew live through all of the Old Testament]], bitter at being turned into the first murderer because he, unlike his brother, ''didn't'' want to spill blood to appease God, and horrified by the events of the OT becomes convinced that GodIsEvil. He spends a lot of time [[RageAgainstTheHeavens calling the old man out]], before eventually [[spoiler: hitching a ride on Noah's ark. When all of humanity but God's chosen survivors have drowned, Cain takes out Noah and his family SlasherMovie style, leaving God alone with an empty world. End of creation.]]

* ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'' deconstructs Judas Iscariot as a tragic and remorseful villain and deuteragonist of the musical, and Pontius Pilate as a world-weary authority figure who doesn't understand why Jesus must die, bust must uphold the law as governor of Judea. King Herod, however, is portrayed as a SissyVillain who condemns Jesus for not performing what amounts to magic tricks for him.

* ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar'' deconstructs Judas.

'''Note 2:''' Simply [[MeaningfulName sharing a name with any of these is symbolic]], but not enough for a character to qualify. They have to actually ''be'' the same person as the one in the Bible to be this trope. If the name is the only connection, see [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/BiblicalNames Names To Run Away From: Biblical Names]]. See also the NameOfCain and TheDescendantsOfCain. For an Abrahamic baddie who originated in Literature/TheTalmud instead of the Bible, see UsefulNotes/{{Lilith}}.

-> ''"We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous."''
-->-- '''[[Literature/EpistlesOfJohn 1 John 3:12]]''', ''Literature/TheBible''

The bad guys from Literature/TheBible are well known and as such don't require introduction, and [[VillainByDefault everyone knows they are evil]]. The really handy thing is that many of them are regularly theorized to be [[BlessedWithSuck cursed]] with [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortality]] as part of their punishment for being bad guys, providing a decent reason for them to show up in any time period.

'''Note:''' {{Satan}}, GodIsEvil, [[NephariousPharaoh The Pharaoh of the Exodus]] and the HorsemenOfTheApocalypse have their own tropes.

'''Note 2:''' Simply [[MeaningfulName sharing a name with any of these is symbolic]], but not enough for a character to qualify. They have to actually ''be'' the same person as the one in the Bible to be this trope. If the name is the only connection, see [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/BiblicalNames Names To Run Away From: Biblical Names]]. See also the NameOfCain and TheDescendantsOfCain. For an Abrahamic baddie who originated in Literature/TheTalmud instead of the Bible, see Mythology/{{Lilith}}.

'''Note 2:''' Simply [[MeaningfulName sharing a name with any of these is symbolic]], but not enough for a character to qualify. They have to actually ''be'' the same person as the one in the Bible to be this trope. If the name is the only connection, see [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/BiblicalNames Names To Run Away From: Biblical Names]]. See also the NameOfCain and TheDescendantsOfCain. For an Abrahamic baddie who originated in Literature/TheTalmud instead of the Bible, see {{Lilith}}.

'''Note 2:''' Simply [[MeaningfulName sharing a name with any of these is symbolic]], but not enough for a character to qualify. They have to actually ''be'' the same person as the one in the Bible to be this trope. If the name is the only connection, see [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/BiblicalNames Names To Run Away From: Biblical Names]]. See also the NameOfCain and TheDescendantsOfCain.

* As of the New 52 of DC Comics, [[spoiler:it has been revealed that ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger is Judas Iscariot.]] In this case he's actually repented since then, and has spent the past two thousand years helping people from the shadows as penance. It's not known if this is continued in Rebirth.

* Music/RalphVaughanWilliams's adaptation of ''Literature/ThePilgrimsProgress'' adds Judas Iscariot to the crowd of eager vendors in Vanity Fair. When the Pilgrim defiantly tells them that he buys the truth, Pontius Pilate pops up to say, "What is truth?"

** In one of the 90s Harris stories Vampirella fights the "Black Pope of the Vampire Church", who turns out to be Judas Iscariot.

** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. She was implied to be the a mage from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', described in Gehenna sourcebook as a "proto-vampire Verbena Archmage."

* Cain shows up in Season Three of Series/Lucifer2016 as [[spoiler:Lt. Marcus Pierce]]. Whether or not he proves to be a villain or have had a HeelFaceTurn over his long life remains to be seen.

* Cain is alluded to in''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines''. [[spoiler:Apparently, he spends his eternal afterlife working as a cab driver in Downtown LA.]] Playing as a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], you realize this when [[spoiler:you eventually meet him]]. You would GoMadFromTheRevelation, but, y'know, you already ''are''.

** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. She was implied to be the a mage from''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', described in Gehenna sourcebook as a "proto-Verbana Oracle"

** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. She was implied to be the a mage.''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', described in Gehenna sourcebook as a "proto-Verbana Oracle"

** According to the in-universe Vampire scripture ''The Book of Nod'', Caine spent a good amount of time with Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught him all about the [[FunctionalMagic Disciplines]]. It's not quite clear what she is, but she definitely had some sort of supernatural power and probably wasn't a Vampire herself, at least not in the same way that Caine was.
*** TabletopGame/{{Orpheus}} suggests she might be Grandmother.

** Cain is also alluded to in''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines''. [[spoiler:Apparently, he spends his eternal afterlife working as a cab driver in Downtown LA.]] Playing as a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], you realize this when [[spoiler:you eventually meet him]]. You would GoMadFromTheRevelation, but, y'know, you already ''are''.

** Cain is also alluded to in the VideoGame ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines''. [[spoiler:Apparently, he spends his eternal afterlife working as a cab driver in Downtown LA.]] Playing as a [[MadOracle Malkavian]], you realize this when [[spoiler:you eventually meet him]]. You would GoMadFromTheRevelation, but, y'know, you already ''are''.

* Over at DC Comics, [[spoiler:it has been revealed that ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger is Judas Iscariot.]] In this case he's actually repented since then, and has spent the past two thousand years helping people from the shadows as penance.