History Main / ForTheEvulz

* The final arc of ''ComicBook/Batgirl2009'' deals with the Reapers, a semi-cult of college students with advanced combat armor who have been running around Gotham for a few weeks. In their final battle, after Batgirl foils their individual schemes for money and power, Batgirl asks them why they were doing any of this in the first place. The response was the simple "because we ''can''."

* ''ComicBook/JLA1997'': Prometheus has this exchange with [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] during "World War III", the last arc of Creator/GrantMorrison's run:

* The "Reaver-Cleaver" killer from ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' confesses to one of the protagonists that he only does what he does because it's fun; amused at having gotten away clean with killing a man in a drunken hit-and-run, he just kept on killing to see how far he could push his luck.

%%* In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', this is [[spoiler:Fiona Fox]]'s reasoning for [[spoiler:turning traitor and joining Scourge, Sonic's anti-universe counterpart]].%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample

* In ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage'', this trope is explicitly stated to be the motivation behind Baxter Stockman's plan to blackmail the city with his mousers. He's using the Mousers to rob banks as well. When April O' Neil tries to explain that [[CutLexLuthorACheck he could have made millions of dollars legally]], Baxter replies that he just did it because "it was FUN!"
* In ''Thanos Annual'' #1, ComicBook/GhostRider talks about various evil acts committed by [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] for no reason in particular. He stalked a man for his entire life and inflicted various misfortunes on him every year on his birthday (including murdering his father, breaking him up with his girlfriend, burning down his grad school, etc.), stopped a chain of events that would have led to a woman curing all diseases and ending hunger, and murdered an alien species' "god" and destroyed their afterlife because he "was curious".
* Gary "[[StepfordSmiler The Smiler]]" Callahan, the PresidentEvil of ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}''. He flatly tells protagonist Spider Jerusalem that he ran for President simply because he likes to hurt people and wants to do it on as grand a scale as possible. By the time he's done, Spider is almost nostalgic for Callahan's predecessor, a thinly veiled UsefulNotes/RichardNixon stand-in dubbed "The Beast".
* Loki in ''ComicBook/TheUltimates2'':

** Nearly all depictions of [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]] depict him as being motivated by either sadism or a deliberate drive towards evil.

*** Victor Zsasz, a foe who, even more than the Joker, just likes to kill people. That's it. Unlike the Joker he does not have schemes, plans or esoteric motivations, he just likes to kill. When Black Mask, the criminal mastermind who managed to take control of ''all'' crime in Gotham City after the ''ComicBook/BatmanWarGames'' crossover, tells Zsasz that he has potential for greater evil as a part of Mask's criminal empire, he asks Zsasz what he would like to do. Zsasz's reply is simple: "I like to hurt people."

*** A Strix in the opening of the Strix chapter of ''Wicked Dead'' speaks of his decaying possessions, and how he/she doesn't know who he really is anymore, or why he does all these terrible things. "...and I wouldn't have it any other way."

* In ''Thanos Annual'' #1, ComicBook/GhostRider talks about various evil acts committed by [[Characters/MarvelComicsThanos Thanos]] for no reason in particular. He stalked a man for his entire life and inflicted various misfortunes on him every year on his birthday (including murdering his father, breaking him up with his girlfriend, burning down his grad school, etc.), stopped [[ForWantOfANail a chain of events that would have led to a woman curing all diseases and ending hunger]], and murdered an alien species' "god" and destroyed their afterlife because he "was curious".

** [[Characters/CarnageCletusKasady Cletus Kasady]] and his [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage symbiote]] are motivated to wreak havoc simply because they can. It isn't the symbiote's influence on Cletus, either -- he was a [[TheSociopath psychopathic]] SerialKiller before he ever bonded with it, and if anything, ''he'' had more of an influence on ''it''.

Most people have logical motivations for their actions, so by extension most villains have logical motivations for (morally) reprehensible actions and intentions. {{Ambition|IsEvil}}, [[KnightTemplar zeal]], {{greed}}, {{pride}}, [[DrivenByEnvy envy]], {{lust}}, [[UnstoppableRage wrath]], [[DirtyCoward fear]], {{love|MakesYouEvil}}, [[ThePowerOfHate hatred]], [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain bigotry]], {{revenge}}, [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery misery]], [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]], [[TheResenter resentment]], [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds anguish]], [[MisanthropeSupreme misanthropy]], [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]], [[DarkAndTroubledPast a troubled]] [[FreudianExcuse childhood]], [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans the desire for utopia]], [[FameThroughInfamy fame]], [[VisionaryVillain and other warped "ideals"]] can all drive people to evil in ways that we understand and may be familiar with. If a villain's motivations can just be understood, they can [[KirkSummation be reasoned with]] -- sometimes.

Of course, Administrivia/TropesAreTools without fail. Poor writing of this trope can lead to StupidEvil territory when villains do [[EvilIsPetty petty]] things or even [[TooDumbToLive dumb things that lead to their own downfall.]][[note]]though it can also be used to deconstruct this, as it's a great way to show off just how asinine, pointless, and childish blind cruelty and petty displays of dominance really are[[/note]] Laziness in regards to this motivation can also lead to writing a GenericDoomsdayVillain, since some writers tend not to put any characterization behind the motive to make it believable.

Some variants of For the Evulz characters, such as the StrawNihilist and most notably Comicbook/TheJoker, compensate for this character flaw using philosophy; they question and challenge the heroes' concept of justice, order, reason, and the workings of the world, especially when it's a CrapsackWorld where those who do evil without any reason whatsoever can [[KarmaHoudini get away with it]]. These people are very likely to give a BreakingSpeech that deconstructs the other characters' assumption that there should be a logical, beneficial, realistic reason behind every behavior.

* In ''Fanfic/TheLastSon'', Franchise/{{Superman}} sums it up rather nicely about ComicBook/TheJoker:
-->'''Superman:''' He's a completely different breed from anyone else; [[FantasticRacism Creed]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the F.O.H.]]... even [[TakeOverTheWorld Doom]]. I didn't understand it, the first time I came here… but Joker is true evil; the kind that doesn't exist for wealth, or for power, or for any goal; he's the kind of evil that exists simply because it ''wants'' to exist.

* Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses did a sketch about the Joker from ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' trying to come up with an origin story. After several rather ridiculous attempts, he decides to forsake the attempt altogether.

** Then we have the Strix, who being TheUnfettered now, primarily prosecute vampires for this reason.