History Main / EvilerThanThou

* A major plot element in ''Film/TheNinthGate'' is that two very rich and rather nasty people -- a Satanist and a guy who [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney just wants the power]] -- are both after [[TomeOfEldritchLore a book believed capable of summoning the devil]]. Ultimately this leads to an epic scene in which the latter crashes the former's black mass, kills her in plain sight of the other cultists, and gives a rant saying "You Satanists are amateurs, only ''I'' understand the true power of this book" while they flee in terror.
-->'''Balkan:''' Look around, what do you see? A bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. You think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself before the likes of you? He never has and he never will!
* The "black" Predators in ''Film/{{Predators}}'' are bigger, nastier and somehow even ''uglier'' than the ''classic'' green Preds. Instead of hunting humans on their own turf, they kidnap human warriors to hunt them on a "game preserve" planet, in between torturing the classic ones they've captured.
* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', [[ComicBook/RedSkull Johann Schmidt]] betrays a delegation of ''ThoseWackyNazis'' when they come to see his work (having [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassigned him to the Alps]] for his [[FacialHorror transformation]]), revealing that one of the cities he plans to bomb in his attempt to gain power with his [[SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology Asgardian weapons]] was ''Berlin''. You know the guy is evil when he becomes worse by ''[[InvertedTrope taking off]]'' [[PuttingOnTheReich the Reich]].
* In Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/{{Ran}}'', the SettingUpdate of ''Theatre/KingLear'', [[spoiler:Lady Kaeda]] plays the same role that Edmund plays in the play, but she is even ''more'' evil than Edmund, as it turns out that [[spoiler: the daimyo in the role of Lear destroyed her entire family when she was little, and she's been in it for revenge for decades.]]
* In ''Film/HellraiserBloodline'', Pinhead berates his demon ally Angelique for trying to win John Merchant over through seduction. He thinks it takes too long and wouldn't be as much fun as torturing John and his loved ones until they give in.
* In ''Film/StargateContinuum'', the other Goa'uld [[EvilOverlord System Lords]] are appalled at Ba'al's [[PragmaticVillainy choice of a pragmatic strategy]] for the invasion of Earth by framing it as the start of a benevolent new alliance for the Tau'ri/humans. [[spoiler:His consort Qetesh assassinates him for this and orders the fleet to get back to their traditional way of doing things: obliterate every human on the planet with an orbital bombardment.]]
* ''Film/MightyMorphinPowerRangersTheMovie'': Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa free [[BigBad Ivan Ooze]] from his [[SealedEvilInACan prison]], expecting him to be willing to work for them. Instead, Ivan [[EvilIsNotAToy imprisons them in a snowglobe and usurps their minions and operations]].

* [[Creator/Iron117Prime Iron117Prime]]'s works utilize this trope on whoever is the CrossoverVillainInChief of said work.
** If it's a work that includes any iteration of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', expect any version of [[BigBad The Shredder and/or the Foot Clan]] to be the top dog when it comes to villainy. Pretty much every other villain, even the other series' respective BigBad, is nothing to his power and influence. [[spoiler: Just ask [[Film/{{Frozen}} Hans]] and [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Lord Ozai]].]]
** ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1'':
*** As the story goes on, it becomes increasingly apparent that [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Daolon Wong]] is worse than [[WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}} Prince Phobos]]. While Phobos is an EvilOverlord, he still has some [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]]; by contrast, Wong [[CardCarryingVillain relishes in being evil]] and actively works to try and make Phobos do so as well.
*** When Phobos tells his other chief minion, Lord Cedric, that he has no intention of killing Elyon once he has stolen her magic, Cedric's thoughts reveal that he thinks Phobos is too soft and that like Daolon Wong, [[TheStarscream he's planning to usurp Phobos when the time is right]].
*** When it becomes clear to Phobos that Tarakudo's plan to [[spoiler:make Jade the [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Queen of the Shadowkhan]] again]] [[NiceJobFixingItVillain only resulted in]] [[spoiler:her becoming the [[SixthRanger Guardian of Shadows]]]], he threatens to end his VillainTeamUp with the Oni King. Tarakudo responds by restraining the prince with his telekinetic powers and tells him [[TranquilFury in a calm tone]] that while he intends to keep his end of their bargain, he won't tolerate such a tone from Phobos in the future, or there'll be unspeakable horrors in store for the latter. Fearful for one of the few times in his life, Phobos relents.
*** [[spoiler: Shendu tears the villains a new one in the final chapter, managing to incapacitate Phobos and kill Cedric, right as he is about to begin his stint.]]
** ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': The Britannians are an empire of {{Social Darwinist}}s who brutally oppress everyone they conquer. However, for the most part they still operate with a certain honor code, if only to delude themselves into thinking they're in the right. By contrast, the Decepticons are even more brutal and [[CardCarryingVillain they fully embrace it]], not even trying to pretend to be anything else. [[spoiler: And in the end they prove themselves more powerful, easily crushing the Britannian military and destroying their capital, seizing control of all their territory.]]
* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsAFairlyOddFriendship'': [[spoiler: The Dazzlings]] establish themselves as the most dangerous villains in the setting, not just outwitting everyone but managing to intimidate [[spoiler: Doombringer]] into being their minion.

* [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042995 Stormwolf Timeline]] has [[spoiler:the Force Dyad between Rey and Kylo being created by the Dark One, an evil worse than Palpatine who is also an enemy of him.]]
* ''Fanfic/BecomingATrueInvader'': [[BigBad The Employer's]] forces make mincemeat of the Irken Empire, quickly devastating every major planet they come across.

* At one point during ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'', Ikazuki proves himself eviler than [[DarkMagicalGirl Jade]], due to his greater experience (and arguably the fact that he's a full-blooded Oni, compared to Jade's hybrid status), and quickly assumes control of the Shadow Hand, forcing her to serve him.

* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''FanFic/ConstantTemptation'' [[LightNovel/AnotherNote Beyond]] somehow manages to make Kira look like a decent human being.
* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fic ''FanFic/ACureForLove'' when Misa approaches the [[WesternTerrorists terrorist organization]] [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Astraea]] for help, they are not at all impressed, and if not for [[MamaBear Rem]] they would have killed her. However, most of Astraea's members {{Squee}} like rabid [[FanBoy fanboys]] when they meet Light, the original Kira. Light himself is less than impressed with them and takes issue that [[EvenEvilHasStandards they used his name and his powers to target innocents.]]

* The ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'':
** This happened in [[BadFuture Dark World]] when Discord [[EvilVersusEvil fought with Grogar]] when Grogar escaped [[SealedEvilInACan his prison]]. Played with in that while Discord won, ponies are honestly divided on which of them are the LesserOfTwoEvils, and Grogar got the last laugh -- [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu literally, he laughed in Discord's face as he was banished back to his can.]]
** Dark World also plays this [[KnightOfCerebus horrifically straight]] when it comes to [[spoiler: [[GreaterScopeVillain Nightmare Eclipse/Paradox]] compared to Discord. We see from [[GroundhogDayLoop past time loops]] that Discord saw her as a momentary distraction and wasn't that concerned about her in the early loops, only on getting her out of the way so he can continue his games, perhaps even happy to have "start overs" when he lost. Cut to several hundred ''million'' years worth of time loops later, Discord's little more than a tortured PuppetKing who considers being killed several ''billion'' times by his family as punishment for his crimes ''relaxing'' compared to the torture she put him through, and is only still evil because she won't let him perform a HeelFaceTurn. Paradox herself? An OmnicidalManiac who's erased Dark World and everyone in it so many times [[ButForMeItWasTuesday she can't even remember how it started or the names of any of the "[=NPCs=]"]] she's {{Ret Gone}}d. In-universe, everyone who knows what she's done justifiably considers her worse than Discord, including Discord himself.]]

* ''Fanfic/HeavensLight'': [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Mother Gothel's]] no saint, but when she gets mixed up with [[WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Frollo]], it's clear who the bigger bad is.
* [[ManipulativeBastard Mercury]] of the Literature/InheritanceCycle fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9998018/1/Phoenix-fire Phoenix-fire]] gave a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech about the old BigBad Galbatroix to the captured female protagonist, [[spoiler: who is also his former/current LoveInterest]]. What makes it especially interesting is that Mercury [[SociopathicHero had up until that story worked with the dragon riders]].

* During her attempts to convert various worlds in ''FanFic/TheConversionBureauWorldsWhereItWouldntWork'', Xlestia has repeatedly come across even worse villains who often turn the tables are her.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' fic ''Fanfic/TheVow'', [[AristocratsAreEvil Lord Shen]] acknowledges that the destruction [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Tai Lung]] wrought upon the Valley of Peace upon the snow leopard's FaceHeelTurn doesn't look nearly as heinous as the panda massacre the peacock noble himself committed.
* Played with in ''Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil'' when Valerie compares [[DragonsAreDemonic Shendu]] with [[DiabolicalMastermind Valmont]]; she never thinks that either of them is morally superior, but she decides that the demon dragon who has continuously [[VillainousRescue saved her life]] and is [[VillainousCrush trying to win her heart by her terms]] has more honor than the greedy crime lord.
-->In her eyes — she didn't know whether it had always been so, or if this was something new — Valmont was a scumbag criminal who would [[{{Greed}} stoop to any means and do anything and everything just for a little money]]. But Shendu, despite being a [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder lying]], murderous and evil demon, had at times shown [[NobleDemon some form of honour]], and he was more [[WickedCultured sophisticated and regal]] then Valmont. Valmont hid what he was behind an air of aristocracy and superiority that made her blood boil, but Shendu let you know up front what you were dealing with. That little shred of honesty, no matter how vile in its using, still made Shendu more worthy to Valerie then Valmont could ever hope to be.

* ''Fanfic/NightmareInArkham'' (''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' )
** One fascinating truth about the Batman comic and the "villains" inside it is that there really are no bad guys per se. Yes, there are people who do evil deeds, but all of them are also victims of society themselves once, just like Batman. That's another important connection that links them all together. Freddy Krueger, on the other hand, chooses to be evil from the start, and the twisted methods he uses to kill the "villains" of Arkham by targeting their tortured pasts really highlights how human they really are. And When Batman goes up against him, he actually proves to be just as vulnerable as the rest of his victims because of his relatable flaws and fears and the tragic events that molded him into what he is. But then Freddy comes face to face with the Joker.
** The only villain in the Batman universe that actually deserves the title of "villain" is the Joker. The Joker has no credible backstory, no clear motivation, and no reason in his decision making. He is the complete embodiment of pure insanity, which is actually way worse than the embodiment of fear/evil like Freddy. The main difference is, evil is predictable. People who are evil have clear motivations and will stop at nothing to carry them out, no matter who or what has to suffer for it. Fear can easily be overcome by a willing victim, but insanity is a whole different story. There is no predictable pattern when it comes to insanity, and sometimes not even a motivation. Insanity can sometimes be treated, but it can never be fully cured or even completely understood. This is how the Joker is able to turn the tide against Freddy. With absolutely nothing to exploit from the Joker, Freddy's power of fear and evil is rendered completely useless against the Joker's chaotic, twisted mind.
* In ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost'', [[spoiler:[[EvilAllAlong Prince Jewelius]] allies with Queen Chrysalis to conquer Equestria on Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding day, but he ends up betraying her and helping Twilight Sparkle in stopping the Changelings so that he can [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste use the aftermath of the invasion]] to make himself Equestria's king. He afterwards plans to create a SlaveRace out of the imprisoned Changelings and have Chrysalis killed like an animal, [[DidYouActuallyBelieve mocking her for actually believing]] he'd start an UnholyMatrimony with a "despicable animal" like her. In the end however, once all of Jewelius' minions are defeated and he's cornered by the heroes in the climax, the escaped Changelings (whom Jewelius [[SkewedPriorities arrogantly refused to consider as a threat]]) come to take their [[DevouredByTheHorde gruesome revenge]] on Jewelius who's too spineless to even fight back]].
* In ''Fanfic/TheDimensionalWar'' Snoke and Count Graduon are quite dangerous on their own. But [[spoiler:[[BigBad Ganondorf]]]] is much worse, tortures the former in two separate pots of tar for each of his halves and brutally kills the latter in one hit when challenged for the throne.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': Discussed in chapter 2 of the sequel, ''Diplomat at Large'', where Queen Tegmina admits that Chrysalis, with her greed and selfishness, was worse than even Tirek, who also lusted for power, in that regard.
* ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMysticForce'': Once the true BigBad [[spoiler: (Ivan Ooze)]] reveals himself, he quickly puts the other villains in their place. [[spoiler: He sends Voldemort [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere running]], [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork kills Imperious and the Ten Terrors]], and [[DePower strips Necrolai of her powers]].]]
* [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/peterkothe.tumblr.com/post/174689569037/when-the-disney-villains-met-thanos-after-infinity/amp This image.]] All the other Disney villains are, for most part, very entry-level in terms of evil deeds. Thanos, however, managed to wipe out half of his universe and considers it to be for good.

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Mayuri Kurotsuchi VS Szayel-Aporro Granz in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', though it is less an "Eviler Than Thou" moment so much as "More CrazyPrepared Than Thou".
** Though Mayuri's BreakingSpeech is all about what he sees as the unscientific nature of Szayel's way of thinking. "More [[MadScientist Mad Scientific]] Than Thou"?
* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth II'' has the girls fending off three invading nations that are all plotting against each other. But when Lady Debonair starts showing up, she ends up coming off as a far more imposing threat.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** Done all the time by Naraku. He's constantly employing lesser villains to help him out and ultimately they die, sometimes due to his direct influence. Seemingly subverted when [[spoiler: Naraku is absorbed and seemingly killed by Moryumaru, but later on we find out Naraku let Moryumaru absorb him so he (Naraku) could absorb Moryumaru from the inside-out]], proving anew Naraku is Eviler than Thou.
** In [[Anime/InuYashaTheMovieTheCastleBeyondTheLookingGlass the second movie]], Naraku is killed during the opening credits, but it turns out it's a ploy to lure the film's main villain out of hiding so Naraku can kill her and steal her powers, and thus he returns at the climax alive and well. Nonetheless, Kaguya proves the greater evil than Naraku this round and sends him packing. When he appears yet again to absorb her while she's distracted, [=InuYasha=] blasts him with a Wind Scar, and he calls it quits... for that movie.
* ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'': [[spoiler:Jinnai [[VillainousRescue joins the heroes at the last possible moment]] due to an EnemyMine situation -- [[EvilVersusOblivion whereas the Phantom Tribe want to destroy the world, he wants to]] ''save'' the world so that he still has a chance of [[TakeOverTheWorld ruling it someday]].]]
* Played with in ''Manga/FairyTail''. Master Hades, leader of Grimoire Heart, had his entire EvilPlan revolve around using [[spoiler:Zeref]] to create a utopia ruled by mages. Despite the fact that [[spoiler:Zeref]] had been built up throughout the entire series as the GreaterScopeVillain, [[spoiler:when he finally appears on screen, it turns out he's a self-loathing WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who wants absolutely nothing to do with Hades or his EvilPlan, and [[KarmicDeath kills Hades on the spot]].]]
** Played straight when [[spoiler:Minerva]], a notorious {{Jerkass}} and all around psycho from previous chapters who joined a Dark Guild for entirely SoreLoser related reasons, comes face to face with [[TheBaroness Kyouka]], and is immediately horrified at Kyouka's merciless slaughter of her ''entire guild,'' with the dismissive reasoning behind it being "[[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil They were weak.]]" When someone like ''[[spoiler:Minerva]]'' is shitting herself in terror, you ''know'' this person is bad news.
*** And ''then'' we have Kyouka cowering in fear of MARD GEER!!! She acted like a battered housewife right in front of him! For good reason to, as he proceeds to torture her and ''callously wipe out his own {{Mook}}s'' in order to defeat Fairy Tail, which horrified even her.
** And Mard Geer himself finds in this position when [[spoiler:Zeref]] shows off his new malevolent turn by [[spoiler:killing Mard while he's helpless and begging Zeref for another chance.]]
** Worst of all, Zeref states that using the Fairy Heart to go OneWingedAngel is the only way for him to defeat Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, and without it even ''he'' is '''absolutely helpless.''' Sure enough, [[spoiler: Acnologia is the TrueFinalBoss of the series, requiring more power to stop than even Fairy Heart Zeref]].
* From Chapters 75 to 77 of the Manga ''Manga/ElfenLied'', we have a three-way portrayal of this trope, showing the three most [[AxCrazy dangerously psychotic]] characters from the whole Manga fighting one another: [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Lucy]], [[PsychoForHire Bando, and The Unknown Man]].
* In ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'', the mercenary Black Beauty Sisters agree to work for both Gackto and Michel so that they can gain powerful humanoid forms. Both times, they plot against their superiors as soon as they get enough power (although in the second season of the anime, their betrayal comes out of a HeelFaceTurn rather than greed, as opposed to the manga). [[spoiler:They're quickly found out both times before they can do anything. Gackto is nice enough just to turn them [[{{Animorphism}} back into fish]]. Michel, however, absorbs their souls in the anime; he has a [[ImAHumanitarian much worse punishment]] in the manga.]]
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Capone Bege thinks he can take on [[spoiler:Big Mom. He is wrong. And Big Mom also pulls it on Vinsmoke Judge simultaneously.]]
* ''[[Manga/YuGiOh Yu-G]][[Anime/YuGiOh i-Oh!]]''
** Pegasus and Bandit Keith Howard in the Duelist Kingdom arc. Pegasus is the BigBad of the arc, a CorruptCorporateExecutive, GentlemanSnarker, and SquishyWizard who desires to see his deceased loved one again. Keith's a [[TheBrute thug]] who infiltrated the tournament and beats people up to take their Star Chips and advance to the finals; his goal is to defeat Pegasus, who once beat him in an exhibition match. After Keith is beaten by [[TheLancer Jonouchi/Joey]] in the semi-finals, he confronts Pegasus and is disposed of (whether or not he lives varies between adaptation).
** And then Pegasus ends up on the receiving end of this trope after he's defeated by Yugi, as Bakura tracks him down and takes his Millennium Eye.
** The duel between Dark (Yami) Bakura and Dark (Yami) Marik. Marik wants to kill Yugi (or to rule the world in the dub), but Bakura is after the Millennium Items for his own purposes, and Marik has the Millennium Rod which he is willing to give up once he achieves his goal. They try to work together, but when Marik's evil alter-ego takes over his body, Bakura teams up with Marik's good half to defeat his evil half with the rod as his reward. Unfortunately for Bakura, Dark Marik turns out to be Eviler Than Thou.
** Subverted in that it turns out later on that Dark Bakura was Eviler than ''everyone'', it just took about "[[WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries another two hundred bloody episodes]]" before he got his chance to show it [[spoiler:...or, as the case would be, even remembered it]].
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' has Yubel vs Amon. Considering this is the first time in the franchise since the above Bakura vs Marik example that two villains turned on each other, it's a great SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome - the gimmick of the two, the Sacred Beasts vs Exodia, doesn't hurt either. Yubel turns out to be Eviler than Amon, but we find out during the duel Amon is a WellIntentionedExtremist who believes UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans, which includes double-crossing his girlfriend and ''killing'' her in order to gain power after she showed UndyingLoyalty to him.
* Goes along with the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil in ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'' and its sequel ''Anime/UltimateMuscle''. At first, there's the Zangyaku/Brutal Choujin, who have no shame in fighting dirty. They don't kill unless they absolutely have to. Then we get the Akuma/Demon Choujin, who fight to kill but have a strong sense of friendship and morals. Then we get the Perfect Choujin, who feel they can do whatever they want provided their "rules" such as "Never lose, use weapons, or show emotion" don't forbid it. ''Then'' we now have the Jikan/Time Choujin, who don't even care if they ''mess up history'' to achieve their nefarious goals.
* ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'' has Abe-no-Kaii making a pretty good try at this trope, what with his willingness to [[spoiler: poison a whole river just to kill Itto, or leaves poisoned spikes on the ground to kill Itto]], plus his tendency to drink urine for no particular reason. Culminates in his [[spoiler: accidentally flooding all of Edo, probably killing thousands.]] The regular evil, Retsudo Yagyu, [[spoiler: eventually sets him up for suicide after Kaii betrays Yagyu.]]
* The current battle between the newly-reincarnated [[DarkMessiah Griffith]] and Emperor Ganishka in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''.
* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': caps off its Hansel and Gretel arc with a confrontation between [[AxCrazy insane]] [[CreepyChild child-]][[PsychoForHire mercenary]] Hansel and [[AffablyEvil charismatic]] [[TheBaroness mafia queen]] [[MagnificentBastard Balalaika]]. [[spoiler:Balalaika uses snipers to effortlessly fell the psychopath and then delivers a crushing BreakingSpeech to him as he bleeds to death on the floor in front of her.]]
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' finishes off the Flying Pussyfoot incident with a train-top show-off between the AxCrazy PsychoForHire Ladd Russo and the AxCrazy ''Awesome'' SociopathicHero Claire Stanfield. In this case it's not so much Eviler than Thou as ''Crazier'' Than Thou (especially since Claire is actually fairly heroic and virtuous compared to Ladd)
** In addition, in the DVD bonus episodes, Ladd and Claire both separately have Crazier-Than-Thou showdowns with TalkativeLoon Graham Spector.
*** And ''then'' Claire gets into a Crazier-Than-Thou match with PsychopathicManchild Christopher Shouldered in the LightNovels. (For those wondering, by the way: ''nobody'' is crazier than Claire.)
** There's also a strange, ongoing Eviler Than Thou competition going on between [[spoiler:Fermet]] and [[spoiler:Elmer]]. [[spoiler:Fermet]] considers [[spoiler:Elmer]] his nemesis, and has tried long and hard to break him through tormenting his loved ones and tearing down any faith in the world he might have - something that's entirely ineffective, because [[spoiler:Elmer]]'s a [[LackOfEmpathy genuine]] [[TheSociopath sociopath]], only sees his "loved ones" as tools, doesn't give a damn about the world beyond [[ItsAllAboutMe what he can get out of it]], and [[UnknownRival couldn't care less about how vile his self-proclaimed "nemesis" may be.]] While [[spoiler:Fermet]] may be an awful human being, as far as he's concerned, [[spoiler:Elmer]] is far worse.
--->'''[[spoiler:Fermet]]:''' Your existence ''itself'' is a world-destroying evil.
* The epic match between [[SociopathicHero Ryo Mashiba]] vs. [[ChaoticEvil Ryuuhei Sawamura]] in ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo''. They even let off lines like "If Mashiba is a demon, then Sawamura is the devil himself". Naturally, the match involves lots of brutal cheating on both sides. In the match however, Mashiba practically loses the veneer of humanity he had and proceeds to lay down a savage beating on Sawamura, gloating over the fact that his bloodlust is back and that he silenced his ''own fandom'' with his cruel actions. Mashiba gets disqualified for it, making Sawamura the winner, but technically Mashiba was the better boxer.
* [[DiabolicalMastermind Tobi]] and [[{{Necromancer}} Kabuto]] spent most of the Fourth Ninja War Arc competing for the BigBad position of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Tobi was presented as the traditional BigBad and had far more influence over the story than Kabuto, but Kabuto had a trump card over him, along with the StoryBreakerPower of [[AnimateDead Edo Tensei]]. Their goal was to gain the power of the Sage of the Six Paths but each went to do it in their own way. Kabuto planned to achieve this by getting Sasuke's body and developing his Sharingan into a Rinnegan. Tobi planned to achieve this by resurrecting the Ten Tailed Beast in order to become its Jinchuuriki for advance his plan entitled [[AssimilationPlot Infinite Tsukuyomi]]. The conflict has been resolved with [[spoiler:Kabuto getting defeated by Sasuke and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard one of his resurrected pawns Itachi]], his trump card (the real Madara Uchiha) [[EvilIsNotAToy breaking free of Edo Tensei]] and Tobi having used two resurrected shinobi owning Nine-Tails chakra to resurrect the Ten-Tails in any case.]]
* This isn't really touched by the actual villains in ''Manga/DeathNote'', but in the manga, Rem really starts to see [[KnightTemplar Light]] [[VillainProtagonist Yagami]]'s good points when a CorruptCorporateExecutive obtains his ArtifactOfDoom.
* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', many have tried to manipulate Johan Liebert for their own means. Johan shows these people that EvilIsNotAToy. He follows along with them to achieve his own plans but as soon as they have served their purpose, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he disposes of them without a second thought.]] There are also quite a few insane serial killers who meet him and instantly realize that they are way out of their league and become awed by him. For example, one who believed he was a vampire, later claimed he was a mere baby bat compared to him.
* ''Anime/PokemonMewtwoReturns'': Domino proves herself to be the greater evil than Jessie, James, and Meowth; after revealing herself to be a Team Rocket Elite, she pops the trio's balloon while expressing disgust at their [[HarmlessVillain bumbling natures]] and declaring them a disgrace to Team Rocket. Later, she frees them from a cage simply to force them to work as cleaning staff.
** Jessie, James, and Meowth also often got this from Butch and Cassidy in the early seasons, at least before the latter were Flanderized to become just as incompetent as them.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Frieza proves to be this to Vegeta, even to the point of making the latter cry and beg Goku to defeat him, claiming that Frieza is the reason why he and most of his race ended up the way they did.
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' reinforces this trope with Frieza. Whenever he shows up, the story goes out of its way to portray him as more evil than any other villains who happen to be around. King Yemma even states that most other villains that Goku has fought over the years have had their souls purified in Hell and been reincarnated, but Frieza's soul is still intact because he's actively resisting being purified, simply out of pure spite. Particularly in the Tournament of Power, wherein [[spoiler:Universe 9, ruled by incompetent gods with a smarmy, greedy Supreme Kai, are horrified by Frieza's willingness to betray his own Universe if it meant an advantage, and he betrays his Universe 6 counterpart, Frost, while cruelly mocking him for being too soft and trusting (for the record, Frost has deliberately engineered genocides and profiteered off the ensuing wars).]]
* Parodied in ''Manga/TentaiSenshiSunred'': A new and up-and-coming Evil Organization moves into Kanzaki city and demands to become Sunred's ArchEnemy. Sunred points out he already ''has'' an Evil Organization Arch Enemy, {{Harmless Villain}}s Florsheim, and tells them to go beat up Florsheim if they want the spot. Kayoko, his girlfriend, then scolds Sunred for being mean to his Arch Enemies by forcing them into actually fighting people. [[spoiler:Sunred then reveals that Florsheim are actually very powerful as Evil Organizations go, they're just not ''anywhere'' near his level. Que GilliganCut of the up-and-coming Evil Organization being beaten up by a single one of Florsheim's boss monsters and [[WhenIWasYourAge Vamp scolding them for looking like no-good punks who make his monsters look bad]].]]
* ''Anime/{{Shinzo}}'': [[ArcVillain Queen Rusephine]] uses her time travel powers to summon a past version of the [[BigBad Dark King Mushrambo]] so that he'll take care of Mushra, Sago, and Kutal. He immediately kills her instead to absorb her power.
* Not exactly evil, but in the last ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'' story, a male model eventually develops immunity to Tomie's [[CharmPerson seductive power]] by being even ''vainer'' than she is. To put this into perspective, Tomie is so vain that seeing any less than perfect depiction of herself gives her a brain aneurysm. His actions upon losing his beauty are also even pettier than Tomie's. Instead of just taking revenge on pre-existing Tomie, he intentionally creates new Tomies from innocent children to strip away their regenerative powers and watch them grow old.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''ComicBook/DCVersusMarvel'', Darkseid does some LeaningOnTheFourthWall by sneering Thanos is a "pale imitation" of himself.[[note]]Thanos is an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]]
* The ''ComicBook/XMen'' comic book and movies contrast William Stryker, a [[SinisterMinister bigoted clergyman]] who thinks mutants are animals, with ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, a mutant supremacist who thinks mutants should enslave humans (or separate themselves from humans, or just kill the humans; Magneto's opinions on what to do with normal humans vary from time to time and writer to writer, and that's not even getting into his periodic {{Heel Face Turn}}s). The parallels with white supremacists and minority racists are very much open.
** It's a textbook abused-becomes-the-abuser [[AnAesop Aesop]] with Magneto, as he's a [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] survivor. The ComicBook/RedSkull once even said that they [[NotSoDifferentRemark weren't that different]]. Magneto didn't take that well. And kind of proved Red Skull's point by [[BuriedAlive burying him alive]].
** ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} is also often presented as a worse version of Magneto's own philosophy, going beyond even mutant supremacism to ruthless extermination of anyone he considers [[TheSocialDarwinist unfit to survive]].
** In TheMovie Stryker is a GeneralRipper, which temporarily leads to an EnemyMine situation for the two mutant factions.
* In the ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' book ''Flight 714'', the BigBad and an eccentric billionaire argue under the influence of a TruthSerum about who's the most ruthless of them. This is also done faithfully in the AnimatedAdaptation...and is somehow even ''more'' funny when Rastapopolous and Carredias repeatedly say, "I'm the baddest! I'm the baddest!" to each other. JumpCut to Captain Haddock spinning a roll of tape saying, "''I'M'' the baddest!" after having taped their mouths shut.
* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'':
** In "Rage of the Red Lanterns", the Red Lantern Corps pulls this on the Sinestro Corps by interrupting the Sinestro Corps battle with the [=GLs=] to free Sinestro and slaughtering both sides.
** In ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', the Black Lantern Corps have forced all of the other seven corps to [[EnemyMine work together just to survive]].
** When the ''ComicBook/RiseOfTheThirdArmy'' arc ended and the ''ComicBook/WrathOfTheFirstLantern'' arc began, [[RealityWarper Volthoom]] (the titular First Lantern) proves himself to be a far greater threat than the corrupt Guardians by effortlessly imprisoning them and annihilating their Third Army. And while the Guardians were running a universe-wide AssimilationPlot, that pales to Volthoom's plan to unravel time and space for no other reason than to prove his [[AGodAmI superiority]].
* The backstory of ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s master assassin Kanto is that he was a kid on Apokolips called Iluthin who killed the previous assassin, Kanto 13. Kanto 13 was a VillainousValor type who believed in honorable combat. Iluthin challenged him to a fight just after his workout and got his ass handed to him, but just as he was about to strike the killing blow, Kanto 13 keeled over, and it turned that Iluthin had poisoned his water. Darkseid was so impressed and glad to finally get an assassin who was unburdened by honor that he not only gave Iluthin Kanto 13's job and the name Kanto, but he got rid of the numbering system for assassins, indicating that he believed Kanto was the best he would ever get.
* In the ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'' story ''Goblins at the Gate'', the Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley) thinks he's manipulating the Green Goblin (ComicBook/NormanOsborn) to free him from prison and help him defeat Spider-Man, before he executes a takeover of Osborn's business empire. Turns out Osborn ''knew'' Kingsley was trying to use him and was just playing along to find out if Kingsley really had any blackmail material on him -- and has managed to take over all of ''Kingsley's'' business empire instead. How was he able to carry it off so quickly? Easy:
-->'''Norman:''' I'm Norman Osborn.
** Fellow Spider-Man villain Mr. Negative feels no one can approach him when it comes to evil ''or'' good, because he is ''both'' in equally ridiculous proportion. He subscribes to a philosophy that because his alter ego Mr. Li is as kind as a saint, this makes his evil as Mr. Negative all the more despicable, and vice versa. In being both, he is greater than any who is but one.
* In ''ComicBook/SpiderManAndBatmanDisorderedMinds'', ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/{{Carnage}} have an argument over who's the better serial killer. The Joker tops it off by calling himself Creator/OrsonWelles and Carnage Creator/DavidHasselhoff.
* As proved by Alexander Luthor's fate at the end of ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', no matter what cosmic scale genocide or Crisis a DCU villain has carried out, the most dangerous villain is still a [[ComicBook/TheJoker psychopath in a purple suit.]] Cross him at your peril.
** In fact, the villains of the DC universe generally agree that working with the Joker is a bad idea. Only ComicBook/LexLuthor is willing to do it on a regular basis, and makes sure to keep Joker on a short leash when he does, on the grounds it's best to keep him where you can see him.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Justice}}'', Luthor does leave The Joker off the supervillain team, as a reference to The Joker being left out of the Legion of Doom in ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}''. The Joker goes even more bonkers as usual.
* While responding to fan mail in his ''ComicBook/DarkReign'' tie-in, Comicbook/{{Venom}} (the Mac Gargan incarnation) said:
-->'''Venom:''' ''I know I'm not the nicest guy on the Earth, but try to compare me with the rest of my team. Comicbook/{{Daken}} has to kill four people per day to count it as good, [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Bullseye]] once killed a kitty that got struck in a tree just to prove he can, ComicBook/{{Norman|Osborn}} seduced his son's girlfriend, and Comicbook/{{Ares|Marvel}} is fricking GOD OF WAR. Next to them I'm looking like Creator/TomHanks''.
* Whole point of ''Resurrection'' from ''ComicBook/StarWarsTales'' #9 - Sith cultists clone Darth Maul to make him [[LetsYouandHimFight fight Darth Vader]], because they believe Vader has too much good inside him to be Palpatine's apprentice. This could be a SecretTestOfCharacter, schemed by Palpatine to find out if Vader is evil enough as well.
* In the ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' storyline "ComicBook/TheJudasContract", Slade quickly realized that his own [[TheDragon Dragon]] Terra was far more evil and dangerous than him due to her mental problems, worrying him frequently. His plan to bring down the Titans from within went off without a hitch thanks to her prowess, but immediately fell apart the moment she got pissed off at him.
* Relatively early on in ''Comicbook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', [[MagnificentBastard Mammoth Mogul]] proved himself eviler than [[PhysicalGod Enerjak]] (who was more or less the BigBad of the ''Knuckles'' spin-off) by using the Sword of Acorns to [[BroughtDownToNormal steal his powers]], reducing him to a [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld frail old man]], all while giving him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
** Pre-[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide Super Genesis Wave]], Dr. Eggman was said on multiple occasions to be many times more cruel and vicious than the [[DeadAlternateCounterpart original Dr. Robotnik]] ever was. Considering the fact that the original Robotnik roboticized countless Mobians, overthrew King Max, and [[TerraDeforming polluted]] much of Mobius, as well as planned to use his [[KillSat Ultimate Annihilator]] to wipe out Knothole Village completely, that's saying something.
*** This also applies to other villains in the series, pre-Super Genesis Wave. Even if they're immortal, even if they've strange mystical powers, it's almost unanimously agreed upon that Robotnik/Eggman represents the greater ''evil'' even when he's not the most immediate threat.
* Near the end of [[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Grant Morrison's run]] on the pre-reboot Franchise/{{Batman}}'s books, Oberson Sexton [[spoiler:AKA: ComicBook/TheJoker [[HeelFaceTurn playing hero]]]] shows Doctor Hurt why he's pathetic [[spoiler:with a line of dominoes and an IronicEcho of what Hurt said to him.]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Legacy}}'', [[DarkMessiah Darth Krayt]] and [[EvilSorcerer Darth Wyyrlok]] have this happen between them. Wyyrlok begins as Krayt's loyal [[TheDragon Dragon]], [[TheConsigliere advisor]], and [[MouthOfSauron chief spokesman]], but after he decides Krayt is too erratic to be an effective leader any more, he kills him and takes over. [[spoiler: Except Krayt was OnlyMostlyDead and managed to come back for a head-to-head confrontation over which Dark Lord lead the Sith. Wyyrlok was [[TheChessmaster cunning]] and had mastered all sorts of esoteric [[BlackMagic dark powers]], but Krayt [[CameBackStrong basically turned himself]] into the ''Franchise/StarWars'' equivalent of a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] and was a veritable juggernaut of dark side power. Wyyrlok didn't stand a chance]].
* The Beast and the Smiler from ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}''. The Beast is definitely not a good person, and too lazy, venal and cynical to bother with trying. The Smiler, on the other hand, is a [[KickTheDog puppy-punter]] of the first order, who goes out of his way to abuse any power he gets.
* In the Boom Comics ''ComicBook/DarkwingDuck'' series, Negaduck uses this as justification as to why only ''he'' [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou should be the one to turn Darkwing's life into a living hell]]. He also uses it to give Quackerjack TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that broke him so badly, mentioning Negaduck to him sets off his BerserkButton.
* In ''Uncle Sam and the [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Freedom Fightesr]]'', Father Time thought he could use [[PresidentEvil Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard]] as a puppet to rubber-stamp his authoritarian plans for the United States. He discovers almost too late that Gonzo instead plans to plunge the U.S. into chaos, and is thus forced to turn to his enemy Uncle Sam to stop it. [[spoiler: Although it later turns out Father Time knew all along how evil Gonzo was, and set up the scenario to get the Freedom Fighters together and expose Gonzo before turning him into an Orphan Box.]]
* When the ComicBook/SecretSix were first put together, Cheshire proved she was by far the worst of the group when she betrayed them to the Secret Society just to be free of Mockingbird's blackmail. And for added sting, she got around the threats made on her daughter's life by conceiving a replacement baby and then using ''that'' as a way to get Catman to defend her from Deadshot and the others. In every following interaction between Cheshire and the Six, she's tried to manipulate and/or kill them.
* ''ComicBook/Revolution2016'': The different villainous factions all team-up (barring the since dissolved Decepticons, whose antagonistic members largely stayed out of the event). Miles Mayhem teams up with the Dire Wraiths who conspire to bring Baron Karza into their dimension. The Wraiths had promised Mayhem the rulership of Earth, but they betray him and in turn Karza betrays them and absorbs their ground force into himself to become the event's final boss. Interestingly enough of the three antagonists, Karza is the most sympathetic (having definitive [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes loved ones]] and a goal that's [[WellIntentionedExtremist noble but extreme]]) contrasting the Wraith's AlwaysChaoticEvil nature and Miles' megalomania.
* In the ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse story "Fatal Distraction", Black Pete complains that the Phantom Blot is perverse for not wanting to keep stuff he could have stolen, whereas the Blot considers anything less than TakingOverTheWorld as an unworthy evil goal.
* In ''ComicBook/HackSlash'', Akakios murders the Black Lamp leadership for [[spoiler:rebelling against him and wiping his memory]], but also upbraids them for being evil in a self-serving and hedonistic way instead of getting on with his "cull humanity" plan.
* The Batman Who Laughs, first introduced in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'', is this to ComicBook/TheJoker. While the Joker has only once expressed OmnicidalManiac desires (in Emperor Joker) and typically is only a threat to Gotham, the Batman Who Laughs managed to kill everyone on his world (except Damian and Alfred whom he corrupted) and joined Barbatos just so he could keep doing killing entire worlds of people. He even tried to destroy the multiverse. The Joker even leaves the Legion of Doom in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeague2018'' because [[EvenEvilHasStandards he's horrified by the Batman Who Laughs and hates playing the straight man.]] In ''Comicbook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'', he makes another attempt at destroying the multiverse, in which he declares himself Eviller Than Thou to Perpetua, the SocialDarwinist and MultiversalConqueror who up to then had been the BigBad of the DCU since ''Comicbook/DCYearOfTheVillain''.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Wonder Woman considers the second ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} "far worse than Priscilla Rich" because all Priscilla "cared about was personal revenge on her imagined enemies" while the new Cheetah sees "the whole world as her enemy".
* ComicBook/{{Sabretooth}} once managed to bring [[LegionOfDoom Lady Deathstrike and Omega Red]] together to target ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s friends and family, only to end up betraying both of them and forcing an EnemyMine between Wolverine and [[ComicBook/WeaponX2002 the Weapon X Program]] [[GreaterScopeVillain itself]].
* The miniseries ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin three men]] sharing the identity of the Joker. The three Jokers represent different periods in the character’s history: the Criminal (the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Joker) is the most serious and the de factor leader of the trio; the Comedian (''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' Joker) is a sadistic psychopath; and the Clown (the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]/''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'' Joker) is LaughablyEvil and largely along for the ride. The Clown is executed by [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]] in the first issue, and the Criminal serves as the BigBad of the series, working towards a larger goal of creating the ultimate Joker by [[spoiler:exposing Joe Chill to the Joker Venom]], with the Comedian serving as his henchman and focussed mostly on tormenting Jason and ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}. [[spoiler:However, in the final pages of the last issue, the Comedian kills the Criminal,]] leaving him as the one true Joker. He [[MotiveRant explains]] to Batman that [[spoiler:unlike the campy and unimaginative Clown, or the Criminal who had plans and ideals, all he wants is to cause Batman pain until one or both of them is dead, even manipulating Batman into forgiving Chill so the Joker could be the person he hates the most]]. This is also a case of [[spoiler:AdaptationalVillainy, as ''The Killing Joke'' is the most sympathetic backstory ever offered for the Joker. This version is heavily implied to have been an abusive asshole even before becoming the Joker, and it’s revealed that his pregnant wife didn’t die, she faked her death to escape him.]]
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': In the pre-reboot series, Dr. Eggman was considered this to the rest of Sonic's RoguesGallery. Even if they're immortal, even if they've strange mystical powers, it's almost unanimously agreed upon that Eggman represents the greater ''evil'' even when he's not the most immediate threat:
** For starters, he's repeatedly described as many times more cruel and vicious than [[DeadAlternateCounterpart the original Dr. Robotnik]] ever was. Considering the list of atrocities that the original Robotnik wracked up before being taken down[[note]][[note]]Among other things, he roboticized countless Mobians, overthrew King Max, polluted much of Mobius, and planned to use his Ultimate Annihilator to wipe out Knothole Village completely[[/note]], that's saying something.
** During the Brave New Moebius arc, the [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Council of Acorn]] refuse to let the Freedom Fighters take back Freedom HQ from [[EvilTwin Scourge and the Suppression Squad]] for this very reason, insisting that compared to Eggman, Scourge is [[BigBadWannabe no threat]]. Their reasoning is vindicated when Eggman overwhelms and nearly defeats Scourge using Metal Sonic and Metal Scourge, the latter of which he literally put together and sent out on the fly.
[[/folder]]

* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls''. ''The Leaping Lizards Arc'' contrasts a band of [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavers]], the Leaping Lizards, with an Evil Sorcerer who [[PlayingWithSyringes plays with syringes]], Shamuhaza. Both are on the same side (the Black Dogs), but the former, built up as the ArcVillain, is experimented on by the latter offstage By the time the good guys meet them, they are now [[{{Mutants}} mutated]] EliteMooks, with [[MixAndMatchCritters wings, spines, insect legs]], and [[BodyHorror other deformities]] sticking out of them. The one who gets the short end of the stick is Morgan, the leader of the Leaping Lizards, who is heavily implied to be reduced to a mutilated corpse. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even]] Vault, the BigBad, calls Shamuhaza "a [[YoureInsane crazy]] man".
* In ''Fanfic/TheOfficialFanfictionUniversityOfMiddleEarth'', Morgoth and Sauron constantly fight over this.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/TheElricSaga'', Stormbringer compares himself to Elric [[spoiler:immediately after killing and devouring Elric's soul]]. "Farewell friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou." Despite Elric being an anti-hero, having [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed destroyed his homeland]] and most everyone in it, [[DealWithTheDevil partnering with entities of chaos]], conveniently [[LadyKillerInLove falling "in love" with every major female character]] in TheMultiverse and generally being an amoral prick should constitute him evil enough for comparison. Stormbringer '''is''' eviler than Elric though -- Stormbringer is a demon forged into the shape of a sword, and has often been a [[PeerPressureMakesYouEvil corrupting influence]] on Elric. This line could also be read as something of a subversion. Taking responsibility for the actions throughout Elric's life that had left him racked with guilt, rather then claiming superiority.
* Makuta gives at least two of these in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''
** The first came in ''Time Trap'' to the Shadowed One when the latter seals the former in protodermis, says he'll "deal with him later", and turns to leave.
--->'''Makuta:''' Dark Hunter. If you believe that you can "deal with me", then you know nothing of Makuta! (shatters bonds, advances) You have challenged me. Wounded me. Imprisoned me. Dared to place your petty ambitions above my wishes. You sought to make time your ally, Shadowed One-- now let it be your death! (hurls Shadowed One against time-creature Voporak, the former begins to rapidly age)
** The second was given to Karzahni in story serial ''Dreams of Destruction'' after the ancient tyrant decided to MindRape him. Makuta responded by not just bouncing back, but [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame mind-raping Karzahni so hard back he broke his mind]].
--->'''Makuta:''' You...made a...mistake, Karzahni. You see, I don’t get nightmares... (backhands Karzahni and sends him to the ground) I give them. Your shadow plays are impressive, tyrant – but never forget who is the true master of shadows. (proceeds with the MindRape)
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** The early books contrast the all-consuming evil of Voldemort with the petty, selfish bullying of Draco Malfoy. In later books the misguided and corrupt Ministry of Magic, personified especially by Dolores Umbridge, takes over as secondary villain.
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' contrasts the 1940s-era Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald (a KnightTemplar who believed Wizards should oppress {{Muggles}} for the Muggles' "own good") with the series's perennial antagonist Lord Voldemort (a deranged terrorist who thinks Muggles should just be killed). At the end, it's a guy who thought he was doing the right thing (who felt remorse later in life and spent his entire prison sentence wondering if he was right or not), versus someone who's just in it for power and the Evulz. Three guesses who wins.
** However, when the two meet, Grindelwald is an old, powerless man who has been in prison for almost sixty years, pondering whether he was doing the right thing. Grindelwald in his prime could conceivably have been a match for Voldemort in terms of power and wickedness. And Grindelwald refuses to give Voldemort the information he wants, [[DefiantToTheEnd and laughs at him despite knowing that Voldemort would kill him]]. Given that he was entirely at Voldemort's non-existent mercy, that's pretty impressive.
* In ''Literature/{{Tigana}}'', two wizards from different foreign lands have each conquered nearly half of the land where the story is set. One is simply a sadistic bully. The other has more redeeming qualities, but causes his subjects even more misery by crushing a province to avenge his son's death there. Not merely crushing; he seeks to obliterate all memory that it has ever existed, and renamed it after its most hated rival.
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' had Visser Three and Visser One. Visser One was in charge, but Visser Three did the micromanagement and was who the heroes dealt with most often. Nevertheless, on more than one occasion, they had to stop Visser Three from getting promoted, because his tactics would have been worse. And they were. In the arc leading up to Visser One's death and Visser Three's promotion, especially in ''Visser'', [[KillEmAll Esplin (Visser Three)]] proves himself to be far and away eviler than [[PragmaticVillainy Edriss (Visser One)]]. [[VillainBall Stupider]], but definitely eviler.
* In the ChaoticEvil versus LawfulEvil showdown, may we present PsychoForHire John Dread and CorruptCorporateExecutive Felix Jongleur from Creator/TadWilliams' ''Literature/{{Otherland}}''? Fight, boys!
* The protagonist of ''Literature/ForLoveOfEvil'' twice has to battle other villains for the job of being {{Satan}}. Oddly enough, he wins, at least in part, because he ''isn't'' as evil as they are -- he has friends who are willing to help him, while his rivals don't.
* Recurring theme in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series by Creator/JimButcher. In the first book, Kord is contrasted with WellIntentionedExtremist Fidelias. It is even explicitly spelled out in one dialogue, where someone concludes that the latter is more dangerous than the former.
** In later books, we see contrast between [[MagnificentBastard High Lord Aquitainus]] and High Lord Kalarus, and ultimately between all of the human(oid) villains and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts the Vord]].
* [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Mordeth]] in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series compared to the [[BigBad Dark One.]]
* In Jim Butcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry has several possible {{Big Bad}}s who want the pleasure of either killing him or having him join them: Cold blooded {{fallen angel}}s, WellIntentionedExtremist / LawfulStupid other wizards, devious vampires, and secret societies. Thus far the fallen angels are probably in the lead, but given that the Black Council has barely acted overtly at this point it seems the likely favorite. Especially as it's been implied that there may be some Denarians in the Black Council.
** In the backstory, there's Heinrich Kemmler, a necromancer from the time of the World Wars (and a serious appreciation for PuttingOnTheReich). While he is [[DeaderThanDead extremely super mega-dead]] in the present, basically everyone who knows about him thinks he's a real monster. Even beings who normally don't bother with morality like Bob the Skull and [[TheFairFolk Queen Mab]] flatly call him a [[YouMonster monster]].
* While William Walker and Doctor Alice Hong from Creator/SMStirling's ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTime'' trilogy are not exactly rivals they do have a conversation about this. Walker argues that while Hong tortures people in an extraordinarily sadistic fashion compared to the normal methods of killing he employs, he is far more evil than she is because of the sheer volume of people he kills. While Hong and her priestesses have tortured hundreds of people to death Walker's armies have slaughtered tens of thousands of people in his campaigns of conquest. Hong concedes that Walker is right. What's most amusing is that this instance of "Eviler than Thou" is actually Walker giving Hong a peptalk. She is feeling a little down what with being a horrible monster who castrates people without anesthetics and gets off on it. He gives her a speech about how he is ten thousand times worse than her and feels nothing because he is an {{Ubermensch}}, and that she should be too. She feels a little better after this hilariously twisted exchange.
* ''Marching Through Georgia'', the first installment of [[Creator/SMStirling Stirling's]] [[Literature/TheDraka Drakaverse]] series, has the sadistic, slaveholding Draka face off against Nazi Germany, whom the Draka see both as a strategic threat and as barbarians for murdering people in concentration camps rather than [[HumanResources putting them to good use]]. The book gives many readers the uneasy feeling of ''[[RootingForTheEmpire wanting the Nazis to win]]'' once the Draka philosophy is outlined.
* ''[[Franchise/FridayThe13th Friday the 13th: Hell Lake]]'' contrasts two serial killers, one based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez Richard Ramirez]] and the other based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy Ted Bundy]].
* In ''Literature/ThePrefect'' by Creator/AlastairReynolds, Panoply's only hope is to defeat an [[AIIsACrapshoot evil super intelligent AI]] is to enlist another super intelligent AI who is merely bad, insane and bent on vengeance ..maybe.
* In Creator/PeterFHamilton's ''[[Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy The Reality Dysfunction]]'', the souls of the dead are returning to possess the living, but they need permission to take control of a live person's body. No problem; they use their reality-warping powers to torture and terrorize the victim until the living soul goes catatonic and lets the dead soul in. Then one of them tries this with Quinn Dexter, who happens to be a Satanic cultist, a psychotic serial killer, and possibly the most evil person in the galaxy. Dexter has no trouble terrorizing ''his own possessor'' into submission, which leaves him in control of both his own body ''and'' his possessor's supernatural powers. The former possessor can only watch helplessly as Dexter becomes a malevolent demigod bent on enslaving humanity and turning the galaxy into a literal Hell.
* In ''Literature/OutlanderLeander'' Signe and Lieran are rival villains. While Lieran is content to keep the counterfeiting ring as it is and staying under the radar of the law, Signe intends to expand her mother's crime ring and gain access to better weapons and vehicles.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Littlefinger ultimately pulls this on House Lannister when he [[spoiler:plots with House Tyrell to kill the Lannisters' PuppetKing, Joffrey Baratheon.]] Stretching even further, they were one of his many {{Unwitting Pawn}}s in [[spoiler:starting the War of the Five Kings]].
** Theon Greyjoy, meet Ramsay Snow. [[ColdBloodedTorture Have fun]].
* In ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', a character representing the Party disparages other dictatorships for not having realized the true ForTheEvulz logic of power and thus being {{hypocrite}}s.
--> We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.
* In the ''[[Literature/JohnCarterOfMars Gods of Mars]]'', [[AlphaBitch Phaidor]] thinks that she and her fellow Holy Therns rule Barsoom, because their fake religion has tricked almost all of the Red and Green Martians into making a suicidal pilgrimage. She is disabused of this notion when the Firstborn show up; it turns out that the ''real'' objective of the Holy Therns' religion is to make them fat and complacent so that the Firstborn can carry them off to be enslaved and/or eaten.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** ''Literature/TalesOfTheBountyHunters'': The IG-88 that took the bounty on the ''Millennium Falcon'' follows Boba Fett to Cloud City, planning to snatch the bounty out from under him. Instead, Fett ambushes the droid and destroys it, [[FreezeFrameBonus hence why there's a dead IG-88 in the scene where Chewie and the Ugnaughts are fighting over C-3PO's limbs]]. Two of the other droids try to avenge their fallen brother between films, but Fett destroys those, too. The last tries to do this to ''Palpatine'' by copying itself over the Death Star computer with the intention of wiping out both sides in the battle of Endor; other than messing with elevator timing nobody ever even noticed.
** The Yevetha from ''Literature/BlackFleetCrisis'' and the Yuuzhan Vong from ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' have a number of similarities, both being ScaryDogmaticAliens with pain obsessions and a taste for genocide. About midway through the ''NJO'' series, a group of planets the Yevetha had previously targeted worry that they're preparing to try again ([[ProperlyParanoid with good reason]]) and make a DealWithTheDevil: they surrender to the Yuuzhan Vong without a fight, in exchange for the Vong glassing the Yevetha homeworld and wiping out the entire species. [[AssholeVictim No great loss.]]
* Judge Holden in ''Literature/BloodMeridian'' confronts [[spoiler: and eventually murders]] the kid, a multiple murderer who's at least complicit in the mass slaughter the gang takes part in, for holding some "clemency" in his heart.
* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': The Masters of Padmasa are the main villains for most of the series, being in charge of an evil empire which constantly threatens the homeland of our main heroes. However, [[spoiler:when Dominator takes the scene in book six, they are instantly eclipsed by him on threat level scale. In the final book, they are basically reduced to his [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns]]]].

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In the ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' episode [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS2E4FaceMyEnemy "Face My Enemy"]], Comicbook/{{HYDRA}} leader [[ThoseWackyNazis Daniel Whitehall]] confronts Raina, who's responsible for stealing the [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Diviner]] before HYDRA could get their hands on it. Raina attempts to talk her way out the situation, [[ManipulativeBastard like she has so often before]], but Whitehall quickly cuts her off and leaves her in no doubt that she bitten off ''way'' more than she can chew getting on HYDRA's bad side.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** The vampires Angelus and Spike during the second season. Angelus, the more sadistic of the two, tried to drag the world into Hell, but was defeated when Spike and Buffy teamed up against him. Ironically, Angelus and Spike ''both'' underwent a HeelFaceTurn (although at different times) from Buffy's arch-enemy to Buffy's ally and lover. Both were karmically "punished" by regaining their souls (and thus their conscience and ability to feel guilt), and both underwent a sort of KarmicDeath: Angel was swallowed by the demon Acathla and spent centuries in hell, while Spike became the show's AntiVillain ButtMonkey, suffering numerous humiliations and beatdowns and BadassDecay. Plus, then he had a ''literal'' KarmicDeath in his HeroicSacrifice in the final episode of season 7, though came back to life (or unlife) for "''Angel''" season 5 and carried on as a character in the comic continuations of both series.
** Mr. Trick comes to regard Kakistos as an old-fashioned fool, abandoning him to be killed by Faith and Buffy ("These vengeance crusades are out of style, it's the modern vampire who sees the big picture.")
%%* The ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "The Last Word" had a pair serial killers essentially in competition with one another. They were polar opposites - The Mill Creek Killer was handsome, suave, secretive, killed upper-class women during the day, and did... [[ILoveTheDead stuff]] to the bodies, while The Hollow Man was disheveled, not that pleasant, craved attention, and hunted prostitutes at night (shooting them from afar, so he didn't have to go near them). How does this fit the trope?
* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'', in its third and fourth seasons, contrasted Jay (a sociopathic criminal mastermind) with Rick (an unstable maniac who beat his girlfriend). When their schemes collided, Jay turned out to be Eviler than Thou -- but Rick got more dangerous as Jay backed him into a corner. The sixth season has contrasted Drake (a violent gang leader) with Peter (a sleazy operator who was born to blackmail and frame people). So far, their schemes have not collided.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The Master teams up with an evil alien in ''all five stories'' of Season 8. With two exceptions, he proves himself Eviler Than They. The exceptions: he agrees to [[EnemyMine help the Doctor destroy Axos]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E3TheClawsOfAxos "The Claws of Axos"]], and he gets completely owned by Azal in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E5TheDaemons The Dæmons]]".
** A very ironic variant in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]". Davros, the creator of the Daleks, ends up being killed by his creations because they are programmed to believe that no other being is superior to them. [[DramaticIrony Including Davros]].
** In "[[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors The Five Doctors]]", the Master teams up with the Cybermen, whose intentions to kill him later are clear to the audience from the beginning of the partnership. They never get a chance to, though, as he leads them directly into a death trap. Ironically, in this example the Master is actually ''on the Doctor's side'', until he finally gets sick of the fact that none of the Doctors — not exactly without just cause — refuse to believe him.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "Army of Ghosts"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]]: An entire army of Cybermen stomps onto Earth from a parallel universe, seemingly taking control of the planet. Then four Daleks show up, and make it clear they view the Cybermen as no more than a pest problem [[spoiler:even before they get matching numbers]].
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]], Rassilon proves to be even more evil than the Master, demonstrating it by listening to the Master's EvilPlan, then effortlessly undoing all he'd done so far with a ''literal'' flick of his wrist, restoring humanity, but not out of altruism — the way he immediately pulls a KneelBeforeZod on everyone present (which, scarily enough, they comply with) shows that he did it solely to screw with the Master and demonstrate who held the power. Needless to say, the Master gets the message, and immediately changes tack, submitting to Rassilon. Heck, [[spoiler:Rassilon turns out to be responsible for driving the Master towards villainy, as part of a plan to escape the Time War and achieve godhood.]] However, the Master ultimately gets his own back, frying Rassilon and [[spoiler:killing him so brutally, electrical energy mixed with ''shoving white star diamonds down his throat'' that his regeneration turned him into a frail old man — and that was ''after'' it was stabilised]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime "World Enough and Time"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E12TheDoctorFalls "The Doctor Falls"]]: [[spoiler:The "Harold Saxon" Master is responsible for the creation of Mondas-type Cybermen aboard a giant colony ship and allying with his future self Missy. Ultimately, though, thanks to the Doctor, the Cybermen grow out of control and start hunting Time Lords as well, and the Master and Missy end up killing one another [[HeelFaceDoorSlam over Missy's plan to go and help the Doctor]].]]
* Scorpius to Crais in ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. In fact, it is Scorpius's bullying of Crais that leads the latter to his HeelFaceTurn and [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice]].
* The Maniax of ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' had a brief contest between Jerome Valeska and a cannibal named Robert Greenwood, about who should lead the group of escaped maniacs. Greenwood's argument was that he terrorised the whole city and ate twelve women while Jerome merely chopped his mother to death. Jerome retorted that he despite his young age, has a vision and ideas about chaos and ambition and just eating people grows old after a while. And he proves to have all those qualities along with a total disregard for his own life which earns him the leadership among the psychopaths, essentially winning by proving that no matter how depraved others are, he has taken the idea of amorality and evil to a level that very few can even comprehend.
* Bennet and Sylar were villains in the first season of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Sylar being a sociopathic [[PowersAsPrograms power]] [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal]], and Bennet a [[AntiVillain "for the greater good"]] kidnapping GovernmentConspiracy-employed MagnificentBastard. Sylar eventually proved the greater threat thanks to the former's StartOfDarkness and MoralityPet daughter.
** Linderman and Sylar could be considered the two driving villains of the show's first season. Linderman being TheFaceless AntiVillain, wanting to do "good"; and Sylar the ever present ImplacableMan. They never meet or intersect, but Linderman's plot for world renewal hinged on [[spoiler: Sylar (or two other people) exploding in New York.]] His reasons for being so sure this would happen were [[DontExplainTheJoke sketchy]].
** On the other hand, Sylar was given a sympathetic StartOfDarkness episode, too, in which we got to meet him as the gentle and nerdy Gabriel Gray before Chandra Suresh put all that talk about an Evolutionary Imperative into his head. In another episode, we got to meet Gabriel's neurotic mother. Sylar was horrified at the idea of becoming an Exploding Man and wiping out millions of lives. As evil villains go, he's not completely without redeeming qualities. The third season of ''Heroes'' will show if he comes out Eviler than Thou when pitted against other homicidal superpowered villains, or if he effects a HeelFaceTurn.
*** Sylar's doubts about destroying New York last for about ten minutes before he's out pursuing exploding powers, laughing as Peter is about to explode, and preventing Hiro from stopping the Exploding Peter. I don't think we can really think of Sylar as being all that sympathetic.
** And now, Season 3 has brought us Arthur Petrelli, whose plan seems certain to blow up the world... and who has effortlessly defeated most of the other villains on the show. It's gotten to the point where a ''villain'' has defeated at least as many evildoers as the actual heroes!
** It would seem that [[spoiler: Sylar has won the Eviler than Thou contest. Arthur Petrelli lost due to a bad case of bullet to the brain, courtesy of Sylar]].
** The second part of Season Three has Sylar (still a super-powered egomaniac following his own whims) versus Danko (a non-powered, highly disciplined government agent acting on orders from the President). [[spoiler: Sylar turns out to eviller this time too. We should perhaps just accept that you ''cannot'' out-evil Sylar... but Samuel wants to give it a try.]]
** And Samuel vs. Sylar results in a draw on technical grounds -- [[spoiler:because Sylar makes ''yet another'' Heel-Face Turn before helping Peter defeat Samuel]].
* ''Series/HorribleHistories'' gives us four of the nastiest Roman Emperors trying to one-up each other through a VillainSong (based on Michael Jackson's "Bad"). Despite the presence of TheCaligula himself, the clear winner is Nero.
-->'''Nero:''' I'm bad! So baddy! Of badness, I'm the daddy! Come on, I wanna see a more evil bloke than me!\\
'''Others:''' You're bad! Real bad! Nothing more to add! We all thought that ''we'' were awful, but you are really, truly, maaad!
* ''Series/IZombie'': Blaine and Vaughn in the later parts of the first season and throughout most of the second one. Blaine is a small-time crook trying to make it into the big leagues through [[ManipulativeBastard charisma, guile]] and by profiting off of the zombie community. Vaughn is a CorruptCorporateExecutive who only ''[[SmugSnake thinks]]'' he's brilliant and charming but only really poses a threat due to being so obscenely wealthy, and who wants to kill all zombies as a side project. Adding to the symmetry is that they are jointly responsible for the existence of zombies in the first place: the zombie outbreak came from a combination of tainted drugs sold by Blaine and an experimental new energy drink developed by Vaughn's company.
* Several ''Franchise/KamenRider'' shows have this happen to at least one villain:
** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' presents Kazari as the evilest of the five main Greeed, even devouring the Cores of two of his companions in a bid for more power. He's outdone, however, by Dr. Maki, a mere human who Kazari unwittingly hands the keys to become a monster far beyond anything Kazari could have imagined. The flashbacks to the original OOO show it's not the first time [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters a human was a bigger menace than any Greeed]], either.
** ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' sets up a rivalry between the Libra and Cancer Zodiarts, the former being one of the oldest but least talented Horoscopes while the latter is the newest and so talented that even the BigBad is somewhat concerned by how quickly his powers develop. Cancer's newfound and rapidly escalating power [[ArcVillain makes him increasingly arrogant and depraved in his behavior]], but at the end of the arc Libra proves the eviler of the duo and finally gets his revenge.
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' consists in no small part of various villains trying to prove that they're the evilest of thou all. Mitsuzane is usually on the losing end of these arrangements.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' sees the Roidmudes make use of their creator, Dr. Tenjuro Banno, enslaved in the form of a tablet to assist in reviving themselves. Banno at first appears to have been a helpless participant, before revealing that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters he was manipulating the Roidmudes for his own ends the entire time]]. The Angel and Paradox Roidmudes, villains of their respective movies, were also drastically more evil than normal Roidmudes and had plans that would have been just as disastrous for their own kind as for humans.
** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' sees Blood Stalk proving he's the evilest of thou all by backstabbing his way through every other villainous faction in the show, none of whom realize he's actually an OmnicidalManiac as they jockey against each other for a prize that doesn't exist. [[spoiler:He also turns out to be an immensely powerful and ancient alien invader who's wiped out countless worlds.]]
*** And then there his older brother Killbus who can outdo Blood Stalk in the Cross-Z V-Cinema.
* The BadFuture season 1 finale of ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'' does this with Nicholas Rahl, the son of the season's BigBad Darken Rahl and the Seeker's LoveInterest in an IHaveYouNowMyPretty moment. When Kahlen gives birth to a boy instead of a girl, she immediately begs Rahl to let her kill him, as per Confessor custom, as male Confessors invariably go mad with power and confess everybody around them in order to ensure loyal support. Darken Rahl refuses and claims both of them can raise little Nicholas to be a good ruler (yes, Rahl is under the assumption that ''he'' is a good ruler). Instead, Nicholas turns out exactly as expected, gets his mother executed for trying to kill him and confesses a guard to kill Darken Rahl during the funeral. By the time Richard arrives to the future, almost everybody in D'Hara and, possibly, beyond has been confessed by Nicholas Rahl.
* An episode of ''Series/MastersOfHorror'' had two serial killers (one who picked up and murdered hitchhikers, and another who posed as a hitchhiker and killed anyone who picked him up) in competition with each other.
* Has happened more than once in ''Franchise/PowerRangers''.
** Lord Zedd versus Count Dregon in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' season 3's PoorlyDisguisedPilot for ''Series/MaskedRider''.
*** That same season, Master Vile (Rita and Rito's father) dropped by for several episodes. He routinely sought to prove that Zedd was inferior to him. Vile did achieve some major victories (most notably turning the Rangers into children), but he also suffered some big failures. He got so outraged by the Alien Rangers thwarting his ultimate plan that he rage quits and goes back home, much to Zedd's delight.
** The rivalry between Lord Zedd and the Machine Empire in ''Series/PowerRangersZeo''.
*** For a time, Zedd and Rita had to flee rather than face the Machine Empire. They had to go to the one person so evil that even Mondo and Machina would hang back: Master Vile. Unsurprisingly, Zedd was infuriated and felt humiliated.
** Only momentary, but ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'' has Trakeena and Captain Mutiny. Mutiny is greedy and a slaver, but Trakeena is so ruthless she blows his ship out of the sky the moment she sees it.
** In the crossover of ''[[Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue Lightspeed Rescue]]'' and ''[[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy Lost Galaxy]]'', [[EvilPrince Olympius]] shows he's more wicked than Trakeena by sabotaging her plan to remutate herself, causing her to transform into a mindless giant monster.
--->'''Olympius''': [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Be careful what you ask for, Trakeena]].
** The ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]]'' / ''[[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Ninja Storm]]'' ReunionShow ends with the VillainTeamUp breaking down and the two main villains fighting. Mesogog wins by hitting Lothor with his psychic AgonyBeam and... turning him into an action figure. "Very collectible."
** ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' has no less than four villain factions fighting each other as well as the Rangers: Flurious, Moltor, Kandor, and the Fear Cats.
*** Though this is more played as an EnemyCivilWar until [[spoiler: Flurious kills his brother Moltor when the latter is beaten by the Power Rangers]] and then proceeds to [[spoiler: collect all the last {{MacGuffin}}s]] and becomes the series' BigBad.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' has a sketch about a group of {{Mad Scientist}}s competing to make the world's most evil invention. The competition screeches to a halt once one guy, Roy (Wrestling/DwayneJohnson) presents a child-molesting robot. When everybody else is disgusted, Roy reminds them that "evil" means "amoral" and their CartoonishSupervillainy isn't nearly as evil as child molestation.
-->'''Roy''': You know, I want to remind you guys that Webster's Dictionary defines "evil" as "profoundly immoral."\\
'''Baronesse Antarctica''': We know what "evil" means!\\
'''Roy''': Well, doesn't seem like you do, 'cause you built a freeze ray. I mean, UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini used to force-feed people castor oil until they literally died of diarrhea. I mean, that's gotta be where the goalposts are, right? Am I crazy?
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has the Goa'uld System Lords [[AlwaysChaoticEvil who are all]] ''[[AlwaysChaoticEvil completely]]'' [[AlwaysChaoticEvil evil]], but will often fight against each other for territory or other things. Some even manage to outclass the others in pure malevolence.
** Sokar, who was really into that Satan thing. He beats previous BigBad Apophis after the latter's failure to conquer Earth, and then captures him to torture him for eternity [[spoiler:and eventually dumping him on a hell world, giving Apophis time to plan his revenge.]]
** Inverted with Yu, who is a ruthless tyrant like every System Lord, but he still plays things straight when negotiating with the Tau'ri despite their being "inferior" humans. And it was at least implied that he led the call for Anubis's original banishment in part because Anubis was [[EvenEvilHasStandards too extreme even by System Lord standards]]. He was much less megalomaniacal, not desiring galactic conquest and not particularly interested in events outside his area of the galaxy, which included Earth. Yu becomes noticeably ''more'' megalomaniacal after his senility set in; the first time he explicitly declared himself [[AGodAmI a god]] (despite having, unlike every other known Goa'uld, taken on the persona of a real historical figure instead of a god) was shortly after the viewers were informed that Yu was senile.
** Anubis was supposedly way too evil ''even for the Goa'uld''. The Goa'uld System Lords enslaved the galaxy and were extreme egomaniacs. Anubis was more competent than the rest and his ultimate goal was to ''[[OmnicidalManiac erase all life in the entire galaxy]]'' (including the total extinction of his own race) and then [[InTheirOwnImage recreate it according to his own preferences]]. He was smart enough to trick Oma into letting him ascend, making him an immortal EnergyBeing far beyond any regular Goa'uld. Furthermore, he made a lot of Goa'uld (including System Lords) work for him, and crushed the rest of them, including most of Yu's fleet.
* In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', Species 8472 is [[ExaggeratedTrope more lethal than even]] ''[[ExaggeratedTrope the Borg]]''. Yes, the [[TheJuggernaut near-unstoppable]], [[HordeOfAlienLocusts all-consuming]] cybernetic HiveMind that has been the terror of the galaxy for centuries is completely outclassed by the genetically superior, highly territorial eldritch aliens. The Borg want to assimilate everyone into their collective; Species 8472 wants to [[AbsoluteXenophobe annihilate every other living thing]] because they consider it an affront to their vaunted purity.
* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' frequently features multiple villains of varying importance and potency all [[GambitPileup playing the game at once]], but up until season 4, the AxCrazy [[ItsAllAboutMe megalomaniac]] [[BigBad Klaus]] had been well-established as the most evil and formidable vampire in town (in the ''world'' really) - the mere mention of him was enough to terrify most people. Cue the introduction of Silas, who on his first appearance [[CurbStompBattle curb stomps]] Klaus with little effort and stabs him with a white oak stake, then proceeds to MindRape him brutally with the use of powerful hallucinations. While the other characters would normally rejoice at seeing the [[BreakTheHaughty smug and arrogant]] Klaus receive such a thoroughly [[HumiliationConga humiliating defeat]], when Caroline finds him curled up on the floor weeping, begging for help, and desperately trying to pry a large splinter of wood from his own back with a pair of pliers before it can reach his heart and kill him, she is alarmed, because if Silas is able to reduce ''Klaus'' of all people to a sniveling wreck, she can only imagine what he's capable of doing to the rest of them.
* ''Series/WynonnaEarp'': Bobo Del Rey, leader of the revenants, and Constance Clootie, a "Stone Witch" who seems to have some kind of larger plan involving the Ghost River Triangle, have a fraught relationship over the course of the first season, with it being very unclear who's the real BigBad and who's just TheDragon. [[spoiler: Bobo turns out to be the more dangerous one - when Constance tries to renege on their deal, he attacks her, kills her [[ItMakesSenseInContext newly-resurrected demon son,]] and would have killed her if not for the appearance of the heroes.]]
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' and later ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'': Dahak is [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in another realm]], but he's still so powerful and intimidating that even the Olympians are terrified of just the idea of him getting out. Ares, one of the franchise's biggest threats, is afraid of directly acting against him (relying instead on Xena to do the dirty work) and was even once scared into being DemotedToDragon. On another occasion, Ares (forcibly de-powered after Dahak did enter the world) was on the run and only made a move against Dahak after Hercules had already restrained him with the Stone of Creation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{GWAR}}. In many songs and albums the band find themselves in rivalry with other forces of evil, including among others the devil and a tyrannical theocratic giant robot named Cardinal Syn, who are incompatible with their philosophy of mindless destruction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
** [[spoiler:[[DirtyCoward Flowey]]]] pulls this on [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist Asgore]]]] when he's both at his weakest and while he's [[spoiler: in the midst of a HeelFaceTurn]].
** This also [[spoiler:happens to Flowey himself during the KillEmAll route. Though whether the culprit was [[HumanoidAbomination Frisk]], [[EldritchAbomination the player]] or [[CreepyChild Chara]] is entirely up to speculation]].
* An actual game mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Armello}}'': if two characters infected with [[TheCorruption Rot]] do battle, the one who is more corrupted gains additional dice equal to the amount of Rot their opponent has. Doing this to the King nets the player a Rot Victory.
* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' universe, there's a conflict between YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters and the GovernmentConspiracy. Villains such as Big Boss, Liquid Snake/Ocelot, and Solidus Snake formed their own, child-killing terrorist organizations to free the world's soldiers from the ''real'' villains, the manipulative politicians who consider entire civilizations expendable, particularly [[GovernmentConspiracy The Patriots]] (aka, the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo), whose ultimate goal is [[spoiler:total mind control of all humanity via nanomachines, followed by endless war]]. This forces Solid Snake and his friends to form a third side to combat the threat of both sets of villains, so that they could save the world from the war of two ideologies. [[spoiler:Eventually they decide to side with the Patriots over the increasingly insane Liquid Ocelot, but Sunny manages to triple-cross the Patriots by re-purposing Ocelot's nuclear super-base as a backdoor into the Patriots' AI core, effectively lobotomizing them.]]
** For an extra layer, the Patriots themselves were originally created to combat an even older group of world controlling politicians.
** Metal Gear V's Skull Face [[spoiler:tries to turn the entire world into a totalitarian state by turning every unstable dictatorship into a nuclear power, while infecting everyone with language-triggered diseases so they ''cannot'' talk it out]]. The Patriots are so afraid that they ''save'' Big Boss from death [[spoiler:and create their own super-soldier based on him]] to take Skull Face out.
* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' features a background conflict between the objectivist KnightTemplar Andrew Ryan, who [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans goes to great and terrible lengths in an attempt to preserve his utopia]], and the scheming mobster Frank Fontaine, who's just trying to claw his way to the top in the name of money and power.
** [[VideoGame/BioShock2 The sequel]] also shows that Ryan also faced opposition from collectivist cult leader and enemy of free will, Sofia Lamb.
** ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' also has this as the backstory. On one side, you have Comstock and his cronies who are [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain rabidly bigoted]] and [[TheFundamentalist theocratic]]. On the other hand, you have the Vox Populi resistance, who while [[WellIntentionedExtremist meaning well]], are [[KnightTemplar overly radical]]. [[spoiler: Though the Burial At Sea DLC Retcons the latter as being more reasonable than they seem in the game itself.]]
* The three primary villains of ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' are Hades Izanami, the goddess and incarnation of death, who seeks to kill God and put the universe out of its misery, Relius Clover, a MadScientist and {{Abusive Parent|s}}, who seeks to usurp God and replace it with [[RobotGirl Ignis]] in order to create a perfect world inhabited by perfect humans, and Yuuki Terumi, a right evil [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]], who seeks to kill and usurp God and [[ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil turn the world into a cesspool of hate, fear and despair]]. Though they initially cooperate with each other due to a common shared goal, their end goals are incompatible and their alliance is ultimately dissolved in the third game when Izanami betrays the latter two and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness abandons them to fend for themselves against the heroes]]. [[spoiler:Of course, they both survive, and were the ones who created her in the first place, with Terumi revealing his true form as [[DestroyerDeity Takehaya]] [[GodOfEvil Susano'o]] [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseMythology no Mikoto]] and being the FinalBoss]].
* The villains of the ''VideoGame/StarControl'' series are the two races of Ur-Quan: The green Kzer-Za, who swept around one half of the galaxy ''enslaving every living thing''. (with the ultimate intention of sealing them on their respective homeworlds in impenetrable bubbles. They would also allow relative freedom if your race agreed to serve them as battle thralls.) And the black Kohr-Ah, who swept around the galaxy ''killing every living thing''. Once both met at the opposite end of the galaxy, they were both going to fight it out to decide whose approach is "better".
** Even better yet, both approaches are supposed to be '''for the citizens own good'''. The Ur-Quan were originally part of [[TheFederation The Sentient Milieu]], which accidentally stumbled upon the most evil species ever, the Dnyarri, telepaths so powerful that a single individual could utterly dominate the minds of a solar system. The Ur-Quan barely managed to free themselves from the Dnyarri's control by a fluke and destroy them after millennia of the most horrible abuse imaginable. While both Ur-Quan are ''extremely'' paranoid after said horrible abuse, the Kzer-Za don't want to kill everything, deciding that universal enslavement was enough to ensure that nobody could ever enslave the Ur-Quan, or anyone else, again. (That sounds strange, but the Kzer-Za see themselves as fair masters and usually do not permit their subjects to harm each other. Compared to every other "bad guy" race in the game, and some of your allies, they seemed downright beneficent). The Kohr-Ah just have a few screws loose, and outright state that, since they believe in reincarnation, by killing every non-Ur-Quan race in the galaxy, they are '''doing them a favor''' by giving them a chance to be reborn as Ur-Quan.
*** A rare example when a mediocre villain invoked much more disgust and ire than the major one. Unlike the Ur-Quan who, despite their omnicidal/totalitarian tendencies, retained a strict code of honor and had thorough and near-commiserable motivation, the Druuge were nothing but greedy heartless dregs.
* Kuja, Garland and Queen Brahne in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' all come into conflict with each other over who gets to be the main villain. Brahne and Kuja work together until she betrays him and he kills her, and Kuja is Garland's servant until he overthrows him.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'': Ardyn[[spoiler: plays the Nifelheim Empire so he can cause the apocalypse. Bahamut ''intentionally'' manipulated events so Ardyn would turn evil and cause the apocalypse.]] The novel reveals that while Ardyn wanted petty revenge [[spoiler:and had serious brain damage]], [[spoiler:Bahamut]] was sick of humanity not reaching his unreasonable standards [[spoiler:and wanted to kill them to start over]].
* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' has three factions within the villains - those who want to rule the world, those who want to destroy it, and those who are doing their own thing and don't care about the other two factions. Though the heroes spend most of the time in the spotlight, we see hints of the various villains making plays for power against each other.
* Team Aqua and Team Magma in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Emerald]]'', Aqua wanting to flood the world and Magma wanting to expand the landscape.
* ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]'' has this all over the place. The BigBad orders Dario, the brute, and Dmitrii, the schemer, to compete for the position of BigBad; [[spoiler:Dario winds up dead and Dmitrii goes on to kill the BigBad and become the BigBad himself, albeit only briefly. Unless [[SplitPersonalityTakeover the hero does it first.]]]]
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': The original trilogy's main and opposing evil factions are the Flood, led by the [[HiveQueen Gravemind]], and the Covenant, led by the Prophet of Truth. [[spoiler: In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', the heroes manage to stop Truth's plan to destroy the galaxy, which plays right into the hands of Gravemind's plan to infect the galaxy.]]
-->'''Truth:''' I shall become a god!\\
'''Gravemind:''' You will be food.
* Most games with a KarmaMeter will end up with something like this if the player chooses the Evil end of the spectrum - for example, ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' ends, if you choose to go Dark, with the Sith Lord [[spoiler: Revan]] facing off against [[spoiler: his old apprentice]] Malak, whereas ''[=KotOR=] 2'' has the evil Sith Lord Jedi Exile (again, if you decide to go that way) fighting Darth Traya- [[spoiler: formerly known as Kreia- in the ruins of the world she destroyed ''in the backstory'' to prove there's nothing more she can teach her]].
** Strangely, while it does have Dark and Light endings, ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' plays this straight ''both ways''. [[spoiler:The Dark Side Starkiller ultimately proves eviler than Darth Vader, but then the Emperor ends up being eviler than them. Though ultimately, as the expanded WhatIf Dark Side storyline is to be believed, Starkiller manages to one up the Emperor and Vader by corrupting Luke Skywalker, something that the other two never managed in the real timeline.]]
* In ''VideoGame/OkageShadowKing'', a good deal of the game is spent helping [[LivingShadow Evil King Stan]] beat up the Fake Evil Kings to reclaim his title.
* Appears within the ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' fandom, as many of the players dream up greater and more monstrous ways to abuse the Dwarves, Goblins, Elves, cats, and everything else. One of the most well-known examples being a plan to drain ''an ocean'' in order to capture mermaids, simply because crafts made from their bones are very valuable. The game's creator apparently deemed that stunt to be [[MoralEventHorizon going too far]] as he almost immediately nerfed the value of mermaid bone after finding out about it.
* In ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'', this is ''one'' possible AlternateCharacterInterpretation for the relationship between [[spoiler:the Overmind]] and [[spoiler:the Fallen One]] (the other possibility being a case of GoodAllAlong). Thus far we've only been given teases about it being a future plotline, but what is known is that the latter tried to use the former for his own ends, and the former pulled off a ThanatosGambit to stop him.
* In ''VideoGame/MarioSuperSluggers'', [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] and [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry King K. Rool]] have absolutely ''terrible'' play chemistry when on the same team.
* [[LightIsNotGood Galeem]] and [[DarkIsEvil Dharkon]] are both this in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
** And Galeem (And in turn, Darkhon) are this to [[spoiler: [[DownloadableContent Seph]][[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII iroth]] in his Fighter reveal trailer, with Sephiroth destroying Galeem, who worfed the entire Smash Bros Casts pre DLC sans Kirby, in one slash.]]
* In stages that feature both [[MadScientist Dr Eggman]] and [[AliensAreBastards Black Doom]] in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', Eggman's missions are considered the "Hero" ones.
* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', we have ChaoticEvil [[NominalHero Kratos]] against the LawfulEvil JerkassGods. Take your pick.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'': When [[spoiler: Princess Hilda]] reveals herself to be the mastermind behind the sage kidnappings and attempted theft of Hyrule's Triforce, albeit to [[WellIntentionedExtremist save Lorule from destruction]], she demands that [[BigBad Yuga]] give her the Triforce; instead, Yuga betrays her, revealing that he was playing her all along and plans to use the Triforce to remake Lorule in his own image.
* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', the BigBad, Sir Grodus, is trying to unleash and take control of the [[SealedEvilInACan Shadow Queen]] so that he can take over the world. [[spoiler:He does his best to make this work, but she [[OffWithHisHead uses her powers to decapitate him]]- in the first place, he was a pawn of Bedlam, one of his supposed minions]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', you can become this if you are cunning enough yourself, [[spoiler: you can tell the [[ObviouslyEvil Beggar]] is an Abhorrent Beast in disguise by seeing him eating a corpse. Why deal with him on your own when you can [[ThrowEmToTheWolves send him to Iosefka's Clinic?]]]]
* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'': [[spoiler: In the escape, Theodore's soul is the blackest and darkest among the thousands trapped in Limbo. [[AntiAntiChrist He rivals Satan.]] And complete with draconic head firing lasers and wings, he looks like a demon in his own right.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', the Dark Brotherhood versus the Morag Tong. Both are MurderInc, but the Morag Tong is [[ProfessionalKiller government-contracted and has a strict code of ethics]], while the Dark Brotherhood is comprised of PsychoForHire criminals who practice a ReligionOfEvil. Ditto, to a lesser degree, for the ThievesGuild and the Camonna Tong: the former has a strict code of ethics as well and favors clean, stealthy burglary and smooth talking, while the latter is made of [[TheSyndicate xenophobic thugs who just kill and plunder]].
* In ''VideoGame/MogekoCastle'', the Mogekos are rapists who are obsessed with high school girls. Moge-ko is aslo a rapist who is obsessed with high school girls, but torture and cannibalism as well. She also preys on the Mogekos.
* In ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'', there's a clique of bullies, delinquents, an amoral InformationBroker who deals in [[PantyShot panty shots]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking a substitute teacher in gross violation of occupational ethics]]. Yandere-chan can be worse than any of them. [[spoiler: And her mother is worse than ''her''.]]
* ''VideoGame/DoItForMe'': The "Psychopath" ending has [[spoiler:the VillainProtagonist]] mock and kill [[spoiler:his girlfriend]] for thinking [[spoiler:she]] was in control when [[spoiler:he killed the students of his own free will]]. Averted in the other endings, where [[spoiler:the girlfriend remains the BigBad and greater menace]].
* Dr Neo Cortex is routinely usurped and mocked by the other villains for his failure to defeat ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''. Played with however, since very often Cortex, in the end, manages to manipulate things in his favour and take over as top of the RoguesGallery again:
** Uka Uka, being the voodoo mask Aku Aku's evil twin, immediately made his presence known in ''Warped'' by making Cortex ''beg for mercy''. His role as BadBoss to him and the other villains remained throughout the series, though as Uka Uka himself became more and more buffoonish, he became more of a PointyHairedBoss, culminating in Cortex betraying and humiliating him as payback for his past abuse in ''Mind Over Mutant''.
** Said betrayal was pivoted by Uka Uka finally getting sick of Cortex's failures in ''Titans'' (along with foreshadowing signs of Cortex getting impudent around him), and replacing him with his own niece, Nina Cortex, who both he and Aku Aku consider far eviler and smarter than Neo himself. Nina is inevitably defeated however, and Cortex, as punishment, ''literally'' boots her off to Evil Public School.
** The Evil Twins, former abused pets of Cortex who were mutated by their travels to the Tenth Dimension, return to Crash's dimension and decide to ''destroy the world'' as payback, along with messing with Cortex multiple times for petty kicks. [[ButForMeItWasTuesday When Cortex finally remembers who they are]], he and the Twins engage in what can be best described as a game of schoolyard bullying each other into submission, which, with Crash's help, Cortex finally wins, making the Twins retreat in fear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E26TwilightsKingdomPart2 "Twilight's Kingdom, Part 2"]], Lord Tirek proves to be worse than Discord, bullying the former chaos spirit and stealing all his magic when Discord is no longer useful.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E26SchoolRazePart2 "School Raze, Part 2"]], when Chancellor Neighsay takes control of the school Cozy Glow is better at manipulation than him and easily turns the other students against Neighsay and getting control of the school for herself.
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E2TheBeginningOfTheEndPart2 "The Beginning Of The End, Part 2"]], [[spoiler:Grogar]] intimidates Tirek, Chrysalis and even Cozy Glow, who were dangerous villains in their own right, into remaining in his LegionOfDoom after showing them [[MakeAnExampleOfThem how Sombra failed to defeat the Mane Six alone]], and even throws in an ImpliedDeathThreat for good measure.
*** Come [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E24TheEndingOfTheEndPart1 "The Ending of The End", Part 1"]], the above example is subverted when [[spoiler: Grogar turns out to be Discord in disguise, and has his chaos magic drained by Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow]]. Furthermore, [[spoiler: the front he put up was intended to boost Twilight's morale for her coronation; what he didn't anticipate was the villains finding a way to turn the tables in ''their'' favor]].
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has never been subtle about this. Its first season quickly introduced rivals Prince Zuko and Admiral Zhao, the latter whom was eviler than the former. With Zhao's KarmicDeath in the season finale and Zuko's cemented status as an AntiVillain, it became a subject of great debate as to which Season 2 villain would prove the most threatening: Ozai's [[TheDragon Dragon]] Princess Azula, or the EvilChancellor Long Feng (most bets were against a PowerTrio of teenaged girls). [[spoiler:The two eventually teamed up in the second season finale, each and planning to double-cross the other, but the charismatic and sociopathic princess ended up the unequaled victor, which she]] made clear BreakThemByTalking style.
-->'''Long Feng:''' You've beaten me at my own game.\\
'''Azula:''' Don't flatter yourself. [[PretenderDiss You were never even a player]].
** One of the misapplied examples is where Zuko outs himself as ''the heir to the Fire Lord'' to a village wrecked by the Earth Kingdom 'soldiers'. Zuko's banishment is pretty popular out there. However, the exile itself was Ozai showing Zuko how much worse he is.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
** [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] has always been a bit of a dick and definitely a villain. [[spoiler:Too bad [[MagnificentBastard Amon]]'s better]]. In terms of historical parallels, [[spoiler:Tarrlok]] was the fascist to [[spoiler:Amon]]'s communist, which fits the theme of two extremes quite nicely. [[spoiler:It should be noted that it was revealed that Tarrlok was Amon's younger brother, and that of the two, ''he's'' the one who redeemed himself in the long run.]]
** [[BombThrowingAnarchists The Red Lotus]] vs. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen the Earth Queen]] in Season 3. [[spoiler:It ends badly for the Earth Queen. Ironically enough, The Red Lotus [[ALighterShadeOfBlack are actually less evil than the Earth Queen]], but they're also far more competent and dangerous.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'':
** Carl the Evil Cockroach Wizard and his brother Herman get along just as badly as the two main protagonists. Carl retains magical abilities and makes use of planned out schemes, while Herman retains colossal strength (contrasts with his ant-like size) and prefers to use brute strength to achieve victory. Naturally, the two have worked together (albeit forcibly) on occasion to take on Yin and Yang, but their extreme dislike of being within two feet of each other always leads to their failure.
** Played with with Carl and [[BigBad the Night Master]] - Carl helped the heroes defeat the Night Master, because he stole Carl's idea to blot out the suns. Initially, Carl insisted he didn't care and had gotten over such things. Then Yin and Yang pressed his BerserkButton by claiming the Night Master would say he stole the idea from Herman, not Carl.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** This is done with a rare subtlety in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' amongst the Predacons, with a nice contrast between Megatron and Tarantulas. Rather than fighting outright, the two do the best to bend the other to their own purposes. Don't think for a second that it's just between the two of them. Blackarachnia's also a major player, and other contenders come and go from the game over the course of the series, but that'd be telling.
** [[TheStarscream Starscream]] and [[BigBad Megatron]] acted like this ''all the time'' in G1 (and any number of alternate continuities). In general, the Autobots always teamed up with Megatron after he'd inevitably been betrayed by Starscream, because, while often more cowardly and incompetent as an actual leader than Megatron, Starscream's ambition was ''limitless''.
* In the conclusion of the storyline of the fourth season of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Robin formed an uneasy alliance with Slade, after Slade convinced him that Trigon was a far greater evil (which Robin really couldn't deny). Later, however, Slade proved that he was still a contender when he faced Trigon's demonic guardian:
-->'''Demon:''' Fool. You cannot defeat pure evil!\\
'''Slade:''' Yeah? Well... I'm not such a nice guy myself.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'', Venger and Tiamat were at each other's throats just as often as they fought the heroes.
* Speaking of ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'', in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', Megabyte and Hexadecimal could be considered Lawful Evil and Chaotic Neutral. They were constantly trying to get one over on each other, and it was revealed near the end of the second season that they were, in fact, [[CainAndAbel siblings]]. In the end, [[BolivianArmyEnding Megabyte took over Mainframe]], while Hexadecimal did a HeelFaceTurn and HeroicSacrifice. A subversion occurs with Daemon, who is more powerful than ''both'' of them, yet not very evil at all and considers her apocalyptic goal to be "bringing peace to the net".
* In ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'', Blokk and Lamprey were constantly vying for power as the Beast Planet's sole [[TheDragon Dragon]], even though they served the same master both functioned as {{Big Bad}}s. Blokk was overt and militaristic, Lamprey used subtle political manipulations to destroy target worlds from within. Eventually, Blokk was killed in battle and Lamprey may have survived the season 2 battle. Being just parts of The Beast, they can just be replace.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'':
** In ''WesternAnimation/OperationZERO'', Grandfather's first act after getting his memories back is to banish Father for being too ineffectual and not evil enough. Though it's heavily implied that Father is actually ''stronger'' than Grandfather -- he just suffers from a severe lack of self-confidence and major WellDoneSonGuy issues. Ironically enough, of Grandfather's two sons, [[spoiler:Monty Uno, a.k.a. Numbah Zero]] was the favorite.
*** Grandfather's second act is to proclaim his intention to [[ZombieApocalypse zombify]] the children of the world to forcibly bind them to his will -- but not before he does the same to every recurring villain in the series, establishing beyond all doubt that he is the UltimateEvil.
** A lighthearted and ''hilarious'' example occurs in "Operation: A.W.A.R.D.S." The nominees for best villain of the year are Father (who is favored to win), Mr. Boss, Grandma Stuffum, and Stickybeard. Unfortunately, after Numbuh One (who they intended to use as the reward) is rescued by the rest of Sector V, the four villains get into a fight over who should win, and when Knightbrace actually opens the envelope to announce the winner, a bomb set by the heroes goes off, [[HisNameIs preventing anyone from knowing who the winner is]]. (The fight between the four continues into the end credits.)
* Doubly subverted (but not a DoubleSubversion) in ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim''. Tak isn't Eviler than Zim, she's merely more ''competent'' (Tak at least ''tries'' to BreakingSpeech him, but Zim [[OverlyLongGag just continues screaming]]), and Zim doesn't form an EnemyMine with Dib because he's disgusted by her methods, [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou but because she's stealing his job.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''
** ''[[TheMovie A Sitch in Time]]'' has [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Drakken]], [[ViolentGlaswegian Duff Killigan]], and [[McNinja Monkey Fist]] team up with [[HypercompetentSidekick Shego]] against Team Possible. During the course of the movie, Shego betrayed the other villains by stealing the [[MacGuffin Time Monkey Idol]] for herself, [[TakeOverTheWorld took over the world]], and made herself [[EvilOverlord The Supreme One]]. Bad girl.
** Ron's SuperpoweredEvilSide is this to effectively every other villain in the show. The first time he turned evil in "Bad Boy", not only is he a far better villain and scientist than Drakken ever was, he also cowed Shego into obedient submission and captured and nearly defeated Kim. The second time, in "Stop Team Go", he ruthlessly mows down an army of evil Wego clones, then tries to hijack the Attitudinator to complete his own plan, which completely blows Electronique's out of the water: turning ''Kim'' evil.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'':
** Mojo Jojo and Him end up in this kind of contest, attempting to show the [[ThePsychoRangers Rowdyruff Boys]] who's the [[HasTwoMommies better father]]. In the end, the Boys decide they're both pathetic and go out to fight the Powerpuff Girls on their own. (The most ironic thing about this episode is, the Girls don't appear at all.)
** Also, the girls were once defeated by an alien, who was using some of Mojo's ideas. When Mojo realized the alien was actually achieving everything he always wanted to, [[BerserkButton he went berserk]], beat the tar out of him, and forced him to admit that he's more evil.
** Only for the townsfolk, the PPG, and the narrator to all laud him as a hero, to his chagrin.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
** In ''Island'' Heather was this to [[TheBully Duncan]], who was [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusted by Heather's actions]] and said that at least he was "straight with people."
** ''World Tour'' gives us this little gem from [[ManipulativeBastard Alejandro]]:
--->'''Alejandro:''' ...because compared to me, [[AlphaBitch Heather's]] a saint.
** And Alejandro himself is less evil compared to [[DepravedKidsShowHost Chris]].
** And every single villain in the series to date (yes, even '''Chris''') are saints compared to [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Mal]] in ''All Stars'', lampshaded by former BigBad Alejandro.
--->'''Alejandro:''' But I am not the true villain, a greater evil is lurking.
** Also this line.
--->'''Alejandro:''' Mal doesn't belong in juvie. HE BELONGS IN JAIL!
** ''Pahkitew Island'' brings us the villainous duo of Max and Scarlett. Max is a [[CardCarryingVillain Card Carrying]] HarmlessVillain who declares Scarlett to be his sidekick, only for her to actually be stringing him along to take attention away from herself. When Scarlett finally reveals her true colors [[spoiler:by holding the remaining contestants hostage on the soon-to-explode island]], Max is left sucking his thumb in a TroubledFetalPosition.
* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'':
** This is the relationship every member of the Heinous family has with their offspring. When Lucius VI is [[HumanPopsicle unfrozen]], the first thing he does is chastise Lucius VII for not making everyone miserable enough.
** In "Heloise's Rival", a girl named Mean Jean comes to Miseryville and challenges Heloise to a "mean-off." [[spoiler:Heloise wins.]]
** Heloise in general is shown to be far more evil and better at making people miserable than her boss Lucius Heinous VII, who is an ineffectual BigBadWannabe with delusions of grandeur. Many episodes have Heloise outsmarting and humiliating Lucius with one of his own misery-making schemes. However, she's happy enough with being Lucius' employee that she will never take Miseryville and Misery Inc. from him.
* Franchise/{{DCAU}}:
** In the crossover episode between ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'', ComicBook/LexLuthor discovers that making a deal with ComicBook/TheJoker, and then trying to betray the MonsterClown when the latter failed to kill Superman for him, is a very bad idea. [[spoiler:It results in Joker taking Lex hostage, and then using a [=LexCorp=] developed bomber to attack Metropolis, specifically destroying buildings owned by Luthor. Which, as pointed out by Superman, apparently make up around ''half'' of all the buildings in Metropolis]].
** While ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} doesn't show up anywhere near as much as most other villains like Lex Luthor or Gorilla Grodd, [[KnightOfCerebus when he does show up]], there is no question as to the BigBad is. Even Brainiac falls before him.
** The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "Meltdown", where [[BigBad Blight]] gives a CurbStompBattle to Mr. Freeze.
* ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever''. The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003 Shredder]] is this when compared with his [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 1987 counterpart and Krang]]. At first, 1987 Shredder hoped they could form a BigBadDuumvirate with him... then he discovered Ch'rell was murderously violent and Karai's involvement allowed him to take over the Technodrome, and all of 1987 Shredder/Krang's assets, upgrade them to his own means, and use them in a plan to destroy the Multiverse. The 2003 Shredder considers the '87 villains incompetent and worthless, and eventually has them imprisoned when he can't stand them any longer (except Bebop and Rocksteady, who he allows to serve him....BIG mistake.)
* ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'' has at least two episodes featuring Big Evil trying to usurp Prime Evil's status as the main BigBad. The first episode even had Jessica commenting that Big Evil makes Prime Evil seem to be a good guy. Both episodes invoked the EnemyMine trope by having Prime Evil teaming up with the heroes against Big Evil.
* Played for laughs in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'' where the title character tries to form a LegionOfDoom; the plan falls apart because everyone at the meeting claims that he or she is the most evil and the most fit to lead the group.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** Doofenshmirtz goes through this three times, first when Agent P gets reassigned to the Regurgitator, making the OWCA drop Doofenshmirtz down to a "minor threat". He's extremely offended by this and decides to take care of it... only to realize how bad the Regurgitator really is, and starts working for him (hey, the job came with maternity leave). [[spoiler:Being as incompetent as he is, his incompetence actually defeats the Regurgitator, puts him in jail and his threat level goes back to normal]].
** Later said word for word by Doofenshmirtz to his more evil counterpart (Doofenshmirtz-2) in ''[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension Across the 2nd Dimension]]'', due to the latter's actual competence in doing evil and maintaining his rule of his Tri-State Area for 5 years.
** Later said in ''Recap/PhineasAndFerbSaveSummer'', where Aloyse von Roddenstein (or Rodney for short) happens to be far worse than Doof-2 and the Regurgitator combined, as he created a machine that will send the Earth into a new Ice Age, something which everyone is completely horrified to hear about; even Doofenshmirtz openly objects to Rodney's plot, knowing that it will endanger the entire world population.
* In ''WesternAnimation/PotsworthAndCompany'', one knows the villain who replaced the BigBad is the eviler one when the heroes resort into tricking the GreaterScopeVillain into firing him and rehiring the original BigBad.
* Happens occasionnally in all series of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' franchise:
** In the original series, the Season 2 finale has [[EvilCounterpart Kevin 11]] finding and freeing [[ArchEnemy Vilgax]] to help him find and kill Ben. This is quick to end up with the two fighting each other (and Vilgax owning Kevin). They eventually team up, but Kevin then attempts to betray Vilgax, which results in both of them ending up trapped in the [[PhantomZone Null Void]]. Basically, their attempts to prove who's eviler than whom ends up their downfall.
** [[EvilSorcerer Hex]] ended up being betrayed by his niece and BastardUnderstudy [[DarkMagicalGirl Charmcaster]] in her debut appearance.
** Surprisingly averted for most of the Highbreed story arc in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', despite the Highbreeds being [[ScaryDogmaticAliens basically Nazi aliens]], and as such technically enemies to everybody. The only villain who ended up fighting them however was [[ManipulativeBastard Darkstar]], who is portrayed as irredeemable.
** Season 3, on the other hand, has a quite impressive fight between Vilgax and [[EnemyWithout Ghostfreak]], with the latter beating out the former.
** ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': Season 1 has [[MagnificentBastard Aggregor]] vs [[EvilOverlord Adwaita]] (though he manipulated him and attacked him from behind rather than fighting him directly), and later Aggregor vs Kevin 11; Season 2 had a brief Charmcaster vs Adwaita and, eventually, a melee between the [[KnightTemplar Forever Knight]], [[EldritchAbomination Diagon]] and [[GalacticConqueror Vilgax]]. [[spoiler:Vilgax wins.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'', Duke Igthorne had a SpotTheImposter situation with Princess Calla magically disguised as himself and Zummi had just magically altered his voice to give it a much higher pitch so the Ogres could not tell them apart by their voices. To prove his identity, Igthorn proposed a nastiness contest in which the one who was nastier to the Ogres would be the real Igthorn.
* The Italian series ''Farhat: Il Principe del Deserto'' has a magnificent example, done by the BigBad, the demon Egokhan, to TheDragon Rashid as a warning against [[TheStarscream betraying him]]:
-->'''Egokhan:''' You are cunning, evil and treacherous, but I am Egokhan, don't ever forget it.
:: Later in the same episode, Egokhan catches Rashid betraying him, and he gives us this gem...
-->'''Egokhan:''' You don't understand, you don't want to understand. You mortals are ''nothing''! You are just pawns that can be sacrificed for the one great design, [[EvilIsHammy my only, absolute, uncontested, all-powerful]] ''[[EvilIsHammy might]]''! I tried to make you understand, I warned you to be loyal, but you ''refused to understand!'' So now I shall punish you.\\
(''Egokhan sets on fire Rashid's skyscraper and the '''whole town''' to burn the MacGuffin Rashid was supposed to destroy'')
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'':
** When the original Negaduck becomes supercharged as an energy-throwing, telekinetic PersonOfMassDestruction, his creator Megavolt is looking forward to all the crimes they'll commit together. Negaduck scoffs at him and says that committing crimes is small potatoes, but [[OmnicidalManiac complete destruction of everything]] is what he's ''really'' into.
** While Quackerjack himself is a VillainousHarlequin, he's far more comedic and ineffectual than the MonsterClown Paddywhack, who is an intangible demon who feeds on fear. Eventually, Paddywhack puts Quackerjack in his place and seals him inside his own magic box.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Bart is an infamous troublemaker, but he learns he can't hold a candle to [[PreachersKid Jessica Lovejoy]]. Before the episode, she was kicked out of boarding school. During the episode, she steals from the collection plate, which appalls Bart, and frames him for it.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', the babies are tired of Angelica bullying them, so they leave her to play with a kid named Josh, who acts nice at first but then turns out to be even worse, and in the end, they have to be rescued by Angelica.
* In Season 5 of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', Darth Maul ends up on both ends of this trope. Alongside Pre Viszla's Death Watch, Maul conquers Mandalore. When Viszla betrays and imprisons him, Maul challenges Viszla and defeats him in single combat, leaving Maul the uncontested ruler of Mandalore. However, this attracts the attention of [[BigBad Darth Sidious]], who is less than pleased at his competition. One CurbStompBattle later, Maul is reduced to cowering and pleading while Sidious taunts him between bouts of [[ElectricTorture Force lightning]].
* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Lord Dominator, as such she's described by the series creator as a better hater than Lord Hater.
** Hell, her VillainSong (directed at Lord Hater, no less!) is called "I'm The Bad Guy".
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''; Preston Northwest is your typical rich SmugSnake. In the Season 2 finale, he asks Bill Cipher if he can join in on the Apocalypse. [[spoiler: Bill thought it would be funnier to [[BodyHorror rearrange Preston's face]] instead.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Mr. Cat and Olaf both greatly despise each other, despite both being villains. Olaf is much eviler than Mr. Cat since Mr. Cat does care about the heroes deep down whereas Olaf doesn't and wants them dead.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Ludo and Toffee. [[spoiler: Toffee has bigger plans for Star and Queen Moon while Ludo has ever barely managed to obtain Star's wand. His scheme is so good he possesses Ludo's body/half of Star's wand without Ludo knowing it.]]
** End of Season 1 [[spoiler: Toffee wins Ludo's castle and minions by simple persuasion.]] Marco later relates Toffee [[EvilLawyerJoke to a lawyer.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'': While Zurg is an Evil Emperor and CardCarryingVillain, when he tries working with an [[EvilTwin evil Buzz Lightyear]] from the MirrorUniverse, he is quickly reduced to a sycophantic, eager-to-please nervous wreck, afraid of being seen as "soft" by his new partner. The same goes for the MirrorUniverse!Zurg, who "found himself in a new line of work"[[labelnote: note]][[BurgerFool the burger guy at Cosmo's]][[/labelnote]] after evil Buzz rose to power.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'':
** "Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!" handily demonstrates that [[CreepyChild the titular character]] is far more disturbing and sadistic than prominent RoguesGallery members Flintheart Glomgold and Mark Beaks given [[EvenEvilHasStandards how disturbed they are]] by his antics.
** Also played for laughs when aspiring ConMan in training Louie tries to team up with his Uncle Scrooge FriendlyEnemy and OldFlame [[FemmeFatale Goldie]] [[EvilMentor O'Gilt]] for a scheme only for her to immediately backstab him and rob him blind.
--->'''Louie:''' How did this go so wrong so quickly?! \\
'''Goldie:''' Rule number one, kid. If you want to pick a pocket, you gotta get close. Better luck next time, rookie. \\
'''Louie:''' Rookie?! I'll have you know I am the [[EvilTwin evil triplet]], OK!? \\
'''Goldie:''' Sure, you're the scariest bunny in the pet shop.
** In "Glomtales", it's a RunningGag that everyone considers Magica de Spell to be Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s greatest enemy and the leader of the VillainTeamUp, which frustrates Glomgold to no end.
--->'''Scrooge:''' I knew this day would come... Magica's grand revenge!\\
'''Glomgold:''' I'm clearly standing in front!
[[/folder]]

** If it's a work that includes any iteration of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', expect [[BigBad The Shredder and/or the Foot Clan]] to be the top dog when it comes to villainy. Pretty much every other villain, even the other series' respective BigBad, is nothing to his power and influence. [[spoiler: Just ask [[Film/{{Frozen}} Hans]] and [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Lord Ozai]].]]

* [[Creator/Iron117Prime Iron117Prime]]'s works have a tendency to utilize this trope on whoever is the CrossoverVillainInChief of said work.

-->'''[[spoiler:Fermet]]:''' Your existence ''itself'' is a world-destroying evil.

-->'''Filch:''' Oh yes. Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me. It's a pity they aren't still using the old punishments. You probably wouldn't be so quick to break the rules if you'd end up hanging by your thumbs from the ceiling for a day or two.
-->'''Harry:''' Sounds like something my father does to people on his days off.

-->'''Makuta:''' Dark Hunter. If you believe that you can "deal with me", then you know nothing of Makuta! (shatters bonds, advances) You have challenged me. Wounded me. Imprisoned me. Dared to place your petty ambitions above my wishes. You sought to make time your ally, Shadowed One-- now let it be your death! (hurls Shadowed One against time-creature Voporak, the former begins to rapidly age)

-->'''Makuta:''' You...made a...mistake, Karzahni. You see, I don’t get nightmares... (backhands Karzahni and sends him to the ground) I give them. Your shadow plays are impressive, tyrant – but never forget who is the true master of shadows. (proceeds with the MindRape)

--> "Good."

-->'''Truth:''' I shall become a god!
-->'''Gravemind:''' You will be food.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', you can become this if you are cunning enough yourself, [[spoiler: you can tell the [[ObviouslyEvil Beggar]] is an Abhorrent Beast in disguise by seeing him eating a corpse. Why dealing with him on you own when you can [[ThrowEmToTheWolves send him to Iosefka's Clinic?]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', the Dark Brotherhood versus the Morag Tong. Both are MurderInc, but the Morag Tong is [[ProfessionalKiller government contracted and has a strict code of ethics]], while the Dark Brotherhood is comprised of PsychoForHire criminals who practice a ReligionOfEvil. Ditto, to a lesser degree, for the ThievesGuild and the Camonna Tong: the former has a strict code of ethics as well and favors clean, stealthy burglary and smooth talking, while the latter is made of [[TheSyndicate xenophobic thugs who just kill and plunder]].

---> "Somebody once told me that the one who beats down the bad guy is not the good guy, but an even worse guy. And you, you're the worst guy in this Tower, aren't you? So why don't you punish that pathetically evil with me. Then I'll give you this."

---> "There's a line in the song about it. It goes... 'We are a race of total bastards.'" -- Thief

-->'''Joker''': When I compare your antics to the fiendish schemes I revel in, they pale like the moonlight you can dance with the Devil in.

-->'''Louie:''' How did this go so wrong so quickly?! \\

-->'''Scrooge:''' I knew this day would come... Magica's grand revenge!\\

* [[Creator/Iron117Prime Iron117Prime]]'s works have a tendency to invoke this trope on whoever is the CrossoverVillainInChief of said work.
** If it's a work that includes any iteration of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', expect [[BigBad The Shredder]] to be the top dog when it comes to villainy. Pretty much every other villain, even their respective BigBad, is nothing to his power and influence. [[spoiler: Just ask [[Film/{{Frozen}} Hans]] and [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Lord Ozai]].]]

-->'''Venom:''' ''I know I'm not the nicest guy on the Earth, but try to compare me with the rest of my team. Comicbook/{{Daken}} has to kill four people per day to count it as good, [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Bullseye]] once killed a kitty that got struck in a tree just to prove he can, ComicBook/{{Norman|Osborn}} seduced his son's girlfriend, and Comicbook/{{Ares}} is fricking GOD OF WAR. Next to them I'm looking like Creator/TomHanks''.

Compare MakeWayForTheNewVillains, when the bigger, eviler threat is a newly introduced character, and HijackedByGanon, when an older BigBad usurps a newer one.

See also EvilVersusEvil. May be part of an EvilVersusOblivion or TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil conflict. {{Anti Hero}}es (Type IV or V) and {{Anti Villain}}s generally have [[BlackAndGrayMorality another villain around who is eviler]]. Contrast ArsonMurderAndAdmiration, HolierThanThou, LesserOfTwoEvils, MoreHeroThanThou, ALighterShadeOfGrey. The villain claiming to be Eviler than Thou is showing that sometimes it's not true that EvenEvilHasStandards, while the villain they're claiming to be worse than (if it's true and the other villain proudly agrees) may be a straight example of EvenEvilHasStandards. Also one of the defining traits of a StupidEvil character (who is usually too idiotic or shortsighted to realize that they may have to work with someone again down the line and that betraying them tends to make this impossible); this is where the phrase "don't shit where you eat" tends to show up a lot, as villains with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder borne of this trope tend to have difficulty finding people who will work with them and will have to contend with a lot of other villains who want to kick their asses. In extreme cases it may lead to BodyCountCompetition particularly between public enemies and [[SerialKiller serial killers]] who will treat the number of their victims as proportional to their [[VillainCred criminal status.]]

** [[TheStarscream Starscream]] and [[BigBad Megatron]] acted like this ''all the time'' in G1 (and any number of alternate continuities). In general, the Autobots always teamed up with Megatron after he'd inevitably been betrayed by Starscream, because, while often more cowardly and incompetent than Megatron, Starscream's ambition was ''limitless''.

** [[TheStarscream Starscream]] and [[BigBad Megatron]] acted like this ''all the time'' in G1 (and any number of alternate continuities). In general, the Autobots always teamed up with Megatron after he'd inevitably been betrayed by Starscream, because Starscream's ambition was ''limitless''.

* Not exactly evil, but in the last ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'' story, a male model is straight-up immune to Tomie's [[CharmPerson seductive power]] by being even ''vainer'' than she is. To put this into perspective, Tomie is so vain that seeing any less than perfect depiction of herself gives her a brain aneurysm. His actions upon losing his beauty are also even pettier than Tomie's. Instead of just taking revenge on the particular Tomie who wrongs him, he intentionally creates new Tomies from innocent children to strip away their regenerative powers and watch them grow old.

* Not exactly evil, but in the last ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'' story, a male model is straight-up immune to Tomie's [[CharmPerson seductive power]] by being even ''vainer'' than she is. To put this into perspective, Tomie is so vain that seeing any less than perfect depiction of herself gives her a brain aneurysm. His actions upon losing his beauty are even pettier than Tomie. Instead of just taking revenge on the particular Tomie who wrongs him, he intentionally creates new Tomies from innocent children to torment them.

* Not exactly evil, but in the last ''Manga/{{Tomie}}'' story, a male model is straight-up immune to Tomie's [[CharmPerson seductive power]] by being even ''vainer'' than she is. To put this into perspective, Tomie is so vain that seeing any less than perfect depiction of herself gives her a brain aneurysm.

* ''Creator/Iron117Prime'''s works have a tendency to invoke this trope on whoever is the CrossoverVillainInChief of said work.

* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1'':
** As the story goes on, it becomes increasingly apparent that [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Daolon Wong]] is worse than [[WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}} Prince Phobos]]. While Phobos is an EvilOverlord, he still has some [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]]; by contrast, Wong [[CardCarryingVillain relishes in being evil]] and actively works to try and make Phobos do so as well.
** When Phobos tells his other chief minion, Lord Cedric, that he has no intention of killing Elyon once he has stolen her magic, Cedric's thoughts reveal that he thinks Phobos is too soft and that like Daolon Wong, [[TheStarscream he's planning to usurp Phobos when the time is right]].
** When it becomes clear to Phobos that Tarakudo's plan to [[spoiler:make Jade the [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Queen of the Shadowkhan]] again]] [[NiceJobFixingItVillain only resulted in]] [[spoiler:her becoming the [[SixthRanger Guardian of Shadows]]]], he threatens to end his VillainTeamUp with the Oni King. Tarakudo responds by restraining the prince with his telekinetic powers and tells him [[TranquilFury in a calm tone]] that while he intends to keep his end of their bargain, he won't tolerate such a tone from Phobos in the future, or there'll be unspeakable horrors in store for the latter. Fearful for one of the few times in his life, Phobos relents.

* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': The Britannians are an empire of {{Social Darwinist}}s who brutally oppress everyone they conquer. However, for the most part they still operate with a certain honor code, if only to delude themselves into thinking they're in the right. By contrast, the Decepticons are even more brutal and [[CardCarryingVillain they fully embrace it]], not even trying to pretend to be anything else. [[spoiler: And in the end they prove themselves more powerful, easily crushing the Britannian military and destroying their capital, seizing control of all their territory.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': The title character is horrified when he finds out that [[spoiler:Titan/Hal]] turned out to be a villain who enjoys wreaking havoc out of pure spite.

[[caption-width-right:350: I don't expect ComicBook/{{Thanos}} is interested in any of your [[DealWithTheDevil deals]], Mephisto.

[[caption-width-right:350: I don't expect ComicBook/{{Thanos}} is interested in any of your [[DealWithTheDevil deals]], ComicBook/{{Mephisto}}.]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2309 Lil' Evil scorns the villains of fiction as less evil.]]

* The miniseries ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin three men]] sharing the identity of the Joker. The three Jokers represent different periods in the character’s history: the Criminal (the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Joker) is the most serious and the de factor leader of the trio; the Comedian (''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke'' Joker) is a sadistic psychopath; and the Clown (the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]/''ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily'' Joker) is LaughablyEvil and largely along for the ride. The Clown is executed by [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]] in the first issue, and the Criminal serves as the BigBad of the series, working towards a larger goal of creating the ultimate Joker by [[spoiler:exposing Joe Chill to the Joker Venom]], with the Comedian serving as his henchman and focussed mostly on tormenting Jason and ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}. [[spoiler:However, in the final pages of the last issue, the Comedian kills the Criminal,]] leaving him as the one true Joker. He [[MotiveRant explains]] to Batman that [[spoiler:unlike the campy and unimaginative Clown, or the Criminal who had plans and ideals, all he wants is to cause Batman pain until one or both of them is dead, even manipulating Batman into forgiving Chill so the Joker could be the person he hates the most]]. This is also a case of [[spoiler:AdaptationalVillainy, as ''The Killing Joke'' is the most sympathetic backstory ever offered for the Joker. He’s heavily implied to have been an abusive asshole even before becoming the Joker, and it’s revealed that his pregnant wife didn’t die, she faked her death to escape him.]]