History Main / CruelCoyotes

* In the Archie Sonic comic books, Antoine D'Coolette the LovableCoward is an Aversion. His mirror universe counterpart, Patch, however is incredibly cruel. He switches places with Antoine, dumps Twan's loving girlfriend while disguised as him, then schemes to take over the kingdom by poisoning King Max and marrying Princess Sally. Patch nearly succeeds. Sonic almost doesn't catch the deception in time, though once he figures out Patch isn't the coyote he knows and trusts, Sonic quickly defeats him and returns Antoine to his proper universe. Patch did however manage to fatally poison Antoine's dad, mostly because he could, and even taunts Antoine about it the next time they meet. More than most counterparts the two coyotes truly detest each other.

* In the Archie Sonic comic books, Antoine D'Coolette the LovableCoward is an Aversion. His mirror universe counterpart, Patch, however is incredibly cruel. He switches places with Antoine, dumps Twan's loving girlfriend while disguised as him, then schemes to take over the kingdom by poisoning King Max and marrying Princess Sally. Patch nearly succeeds. Sonic almost doesn't catch the deception in time, though once he figures out Patch isn't the coyote he knows and trusts, Sonic quickly defeats him and returns Antoine to his proper universe. Patch did however, manage to fatally poison Antoine's dad, mostly because he could, and even taunts Antoine about it the next time they meet. More than most counterparts the two coyotes truly detest each other.

* In the Archie Sonic comic books, Antoine D'Coolette the LovableCoward is an Aversion. HIs mirror universe counterpart, Patch, however is incredibly cruel. He switches places with Antoine, dumps Twan's loving girlfriend while disguised as him, then schemes to take over the kingdom by poisoning King Max and marrying Princess Sally. Patch nearly succeeds. Sonic almost doesn't catch the deception in time, though once he figures out Patch isn't the coyote he knows and trusts, Sonic quickly defeats him and returns Antoine to his proper universe. Patch did however, manage to fatally poison Antoine's dad, mostly because he could, and even taunts Antoine about it the next time they meet. More than most counterparts the two coyotes truly detest each other.

* The main antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' is a sadistic, heartless coyote named Dag, who leads a pack of coyotes just as vicious as he is and terrorizes the farm where the main characters live. Whereas his pack hunt for food, he seems to prefer killing his victims over eating them and even proves this by holding a keychain adorned with chicken feet. Finally, he is even responsible for the death of Otis' father Ben, fully pushing him into the [[MoralEventHorizon irredeemable]] territory. To further illustrate just how truly evil Dag is, the film's otherwise comedic tone disappears in a flash whenever he shows up.

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For other antagonistic canids, see BewareOfViciousDog, BullyBulldog, FoulFox, HellHound, MisterMuffykins, PsychoPoodle, and SavageWolves. See also ThoseWilyCoyotes, which can sometimes overlap with this trope.

* ''VideoGame/BugsBunnyRabbitRampage'': Wile E. Coyote serves as the boss at the end of Level [really long math formula].

This trope has probably been around for as long as humans and coyotes have been in contact. Coyotes are nothing if not opportunistic, and will gladly prey on farmers' chickens or even gang up on larger livestock such as sheep. Coyote packs are not as structured or as coordinated as wolves, and violence between pack members is more frequent, making coyotes appear more savage to human eyes. In fact, real coyotes, specifically the urban ones you see roaming around cities or neighborhoods, can be just as dangerous, if not more, attacking small children and pets out of nowhere for no good discernible reason, and in some cases, even killing the latter. There have even been two confirmed cases of coyotes actually taking the lives of humans, with the first one being a little girl named Kelly Keen and the second being Canadian singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell.

And just when you think things couldn't get any worse, coyotes are also known, alongside foxes and raccoons, to sneak into a farm and kill some of the animals living there, including chickens, much to the detriment of the poor farmers who work there.

Coyotes have made a name for themselves, both in real life and in mythology, as [[ThoseWilyCoyotes one of the wiliest animals on planet Earth]], being portrayed as clever tricksters and even spirit guides. But then, there's the other portrayal of coyotes, which paints these canines in a more negative light.

This trope is when coyotes are depicted as just plain unpleasant, perfectly willing to go after and antagonize innocent animals, and in general, just being ruthless bastards. In fact, real coyotes, specifically the urban ones you see roaming around cities or neighborhoods, can be just as dangerous, if not more, attacking small children and pets out of nowhere for no good discernible reason, and in some cases, even killing the latter. There have even been two confirmed cases of coyotes actually taking the lives of humans, with the first one being a little girl named Kelly Keen and the second being Canadian singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell.

* The Mexican-American TricksterGod Coyote (named for the animal, whose form he takes) is renowned for carrying out instructive practical jokes on unwary humans, shamans, and Seekers After Truth. Some of his pranks can justly be regarded as having an edge of sadistic cruelty to them. For instance, Huehuecoyotl, aka the Old Coyote, from * Myth/Aztec Mythology *, is a shape-shifting trickster known for being equally likely to perpetrate cruel pranks against his fellow gods and mortals alike.

* The Mexican-American TricksterGod Coyote (named for the animal, whose form he takes) is renowned for carrying out instructive practical jokes on unwary humans, shamans, and Seekers After Truth. Some of his pranks can justly be regarded as having an edge of sadistic cruelty to them. For instance, Huehuecoyotl, aka the Old Coyote, from the Aztec mythos, is a shape-shifting trickster known for being equally likely to perpetrate cruel pranks against his fellow gods and mortals alike.

Coyotes have made a name for themselves, both in real life and in mythology, as [[ThoseWilyCoyotes one of the wiliest animals on planet Earth]], being portrayed as clever tricksters and even spirit guides. But then, there's the other portrayal of coyotes, which paints these canines in a more negative light...

To get straight to the point, these coyotes are just plain unpleasant, perfectly willing to go after and antagonize innocent animals, and in general, just being ruthless bastards. In fact, real coyotes, specifically the urban ones you see roaming around cities or neighborhoods, can be just as dangerous, if not more, attacking small children and pets out of nowhere for no good discernible reason, and in some cases, even killing the latter. There have even been two confirmed cases of coyotes actually taking the lives of humans, with the first one being a little girl named Kelly Keen and the second being Canadian singer-songwriter Taylor Mitchell.

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* In ''Fanfic/OldWest'', Ramirez Arvenga, TheDragon to BigBad Dufayel, is an AxCrazy coyote who is a vicious outlaw. He also scornfully taunts Rango at one point about how [[YouWouldntShootMe he doesn't have it in him to kill the coyote]], whereas Ramirez has killed plenty of people throughout his life with no remorse for what he has done.
* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'': Downplayed with the Pleistocene coyotes rescued for display at the titular ExtinctAnimalPark. While the entire pack (especially their leader Dag) is perfectly happy with [[AnimalJingoism teasing and antagonizing]] the [[NobleWolf dire wolf pack]] that lives in the paddock next door to their own paddock and also not above [[CombatPragmatist trying to cheat in combat in order to gain an advantage in combat against them]], they [[DirtyCoward flee with their tails between their legs the instant the dire wolves have a fair chance at fighting them]].
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For other antagonistic canids, see BewareOfViciousDog, BullyBulldog, FoulFox, HellHound, MisterMuffykins, PsychoPoodle and SavageWolves. See also ThoseWilyCoyotes, which can sometimes overlap with this trope.

* ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'': Downplayed with the Pleistocene coyotes rescued for display at the titular ExtinctAnimalPark. While the entire pack (especially their leader Dag), are perfectly happy with [[AnimalJingoism teasing and antagonizing]] the [[NobleWolf dire wolf pack]] that lives in the paddock next door to their own paddock and also not above [[CombatPragmatist trying to cheat in combat in order to gain an advantage in combat against them]], they [[DirtyCoward flee with their tails between their legs the instant the dire wolves have a fair chance at fighting them]].

* Played with by Bonawte, one of the three [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokemon]] showcased in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSNsFmcbt4 this video]] by Prag Magik for his ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' game concept ''Pokemon Eventide'', set in the Cornera Region (a FantasyCounterpartCulture of the American Four Corners). Bonawte is known as the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Corruption Pokemon]], and takes the form of a bipedal coyote with an [[ObviouslyEvil intimidating sinister appearance]]. In the mythical past of Cornera, Bonawte created three other agents of chaos to plague the people of Cornera with war, floods and fire, out of [[DrivenByEnvy jealousy]] towards his brother Sohawle, the [[GodOfLight Pokemon of Light]]. Years later, Bonawte's darkness still lingers in Cornera in the form of mysterious crystals that [[TheCorruption corrupt Pokemon]] (more specifically, they turn them into the Shadow Pokemon from ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''). Additionally, the local evil organization, Team Echo, are a {{Cult}} that plans to use this darkness to turn ''Sohawle himself'' into a Shadow Pokemon, along with ''every Pokemon in Cornera'', so that they can [[ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil turn their home region into a "lawless dark wild land with no rules but survival of the fittest"]]. With all that in mind, you'd think Bonawte would be perfectly suited to be the BigBad of the game, right? [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Wrong]]. At the FinalBattle, right after Team Echo successfully corrupts and enslaves Sohawle, Bonawte himself [[BigDamnHeroes shows up and joins the Hero's team]], defeating Team Echo and purifying his brother. Afterwards, Bonawte speaks to the PlayerCharacter, and tells them that in his time spent in solitude, he came to realize that [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil light and shadow are meant to work in tandem with each other]], which is why he wanted to stop Team Echo from corrupting all Pokemon with his darkness. He has faith that the player will be able to cure Cornera of his mistakes.]] In other words, Bonawte started off as a Cruel Coyote, but then at some point [[spoiler:had a HeelFaceTurn and became a ''Caring'' Coyote.]]

** A similar pack appears in ''Catamount'' by the same author. They begrudgingly befriend a pack of stray dogs in hopes they can convince them to kill the puma protagonist, so that they can take her territory. They make their contempt for the dogs and the fact that they're using them very clear.

* ''Literature/HankTheCowdog'': Hank's most recurring enemies are the coyote tribe. In the original books they speak in a YouNoTakeCandle way (or at least this is Hank's interpretation), and are known to routinely attack the ranch for its chickens. Their culture is portrayed as enjoying violence, getting drunk on silage, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking singing badly]]. The only exception is Missy Coyote, TheChiefsDaughter whom Hank helped when her head was stuck in a can, and aside from that visits the cowboy Slim when he feeds the cattle.

* ''Series/TeenWolf'': Were-coyotes are notoriously anti-social and can't live in groups larger than two or three because of the constant infighting and tendency towards vicious backstabbing. The other were-communities do their best to completely avoid were-coyotes because of the pure chaos and destruction they can cause. There is a season long plot about Malia (a wolf-coyote were-hybrid) being in danger of being murdered by her full blooded were-coyote mother who believes that giving birth to Malia cost her some of her were-power and killing the girl is the only way to reclaim it.

* The Mexican-American TricksterGod Coyote (named for the animal, whose form he takes) is renowned for carrying out instructive practical jokes on unwary humans, shamans, and Seekers After Truth. Some of his pranks can justly be regarded as having an edge of sadistic cruelty to them. For instance, Huehuecoyotl, aka the Old Coyote, from the Aztec mythos, is a shape-shifting trickster known for being equally likely to perpetrate cruel pranks against his fellow gods and mortal alike.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': One of the enemies in the game is called the Nightstalker, which is a coyote[=/=]rattlesnake hybrid, combining it with SnakesAreSinister. The Nightstalker is commonly seen throughout the Mojave wasteland, but can also be found at the Big Mountain research facility were they were created before the Great War by Doctor Borous, one of the scientists performing research at Big Mountain. When a Nightstalker sees the Courier, they will attack as a group, either with their fangs or with the rattlesnake head which also serves as a tail unless the Courier has the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk, in which case the Nightstalkers will become non-aggressive.

** Wile E. Coyote subverts this for the most part, as all of his schemes and traps fail to catch the Road Runner (or Bugs Bunny) as intended, and even the audience sympathizes with him[[note]]something which was even made into a rule by Creator/ChuckJones[[/note]]. However, ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' plays this straight and puts him on the villains' side, as he tries (and of course, fails hilariously) to murder the four main heroes when they are out in the desert, and later at the film's climax, DJ's father. Interestingly, Wile E. was created in response to Creator/MarkTwain[='s=] dislike for coyotes, and how he had likely lost a few of his nineteen pet cats to them over the years.

*** Calamity Coyote is even more of a major subversion than Wile E. is, as other than following in his mentor's footsteps by chasing Little Beeper, he often helps out the protagonists with his inventions, and some of his free time is spent on working on them. That is not to say he has his moments of the trope though, as he tries to catch Buster for Elmyra Duff in the "Bag that Bunny" segment of "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS1E9ItsBusterBunnyTime It's Buster Bunny Time]]" and is on Montana Max's side in "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS1E44HeroHamton Hero Hamton]]".

** Wile E. Coyote subverts this for the most part, as all of his schemes and traps fail to catch the Road Runner as intended, and even the audience sympathizes with him[[note]]something which was even made into a rule by Creator/ChuckJones[[/note]]. However, ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' plays this straight and puts him on the villains' side, as he tries (and of course, fails hilariously) to murder the four main heroes when they are out in the desert, and later at the film's climax, DJ's father. Interestingly, Wile E. was created in response to Creator/MarkTwain[='s=] dislike for coyotes, and how he had likely lost a few of his nineteen pet cats to them over the years.

* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': The Coyote [[BeastMan Wesen]], the Coyotl's, have a reputation for being nasty, vicious bullies and predators, and are considered the Wesen equivalent of street gangs. Generally they live in large, [[TheClan insular packs composed of close family members]], being hostile to all outsiders, and they hold the pack mentality to the point of murdering members who try to leave. [[VillainousIncest Interbreeding]] is likewise common within packs, to the point of them having a ritual where following a new female's seventeenth birthday, all the male members of the pack will "induct" them on the night of the first full moon. [[ToServeMan Eating humans]] is likewise not unheard of, with a pack being able to strip grown men to the bones. However, there are Coyotl who at least try to break away from the packs and live normal lives, a good example being [[TheLancer Hank]]'s best friend Jarold Kampfer.

* ''Literature/HankTheCowdog'': Hank's most recurring enemies are the coyote tribe. In the original books they speak in a YouNoTakeCandle way (or at least this is Hank's interpretation), and are known to routinely attack the ranch for its chickens. Their culture is portrayed as enjoying violence, getting drunk on silage, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking singing badly]]. The only exception is Missy Coyote, the ChiefsDaughter whom Hank helped when her head was stuck in a can, and aside from that visits the cowboy Slim when he feeds the cattle.

!!Examples

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* In ''VideoGame/DustyRevenge'' and ''VideoGame/DustyRagingFist'', coyotes are a recurring enemy in the desert stages who repeatedly try to attack the titular rabbit. Dusty's ally, McCoy was in fact introduced sniping a coyote gunman trying to ambush Dusty via MoeGreeneSpecial.