History Main / IntercomVillainy

* Villains throughout the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'' are primarily heard over public intercoms played throughout buildings and neighborhoods they've hijacked. They give their minions advice on how to find Batman, complain about their performances, and threaten them in ways appropriate to their characters. However, the most notable examples of this trope are as follows

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': In the sub-game ''Revenge of Meta Knight'', the crew of the Halberd airship you're storming would throw threats at Kirby over the intercom while also conversing with themselves. They become increasingly irate the further you go through. In ''Super Star Ultra'', the new sub-game ''Revenge of the King'' also has this in Dedede's Castle stage, mainly with Dedede and Bandana Dee.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': You hear Dr. Breen through public address systems throughout the game. In the final chapter, as you approach his office, he talks to you directly through the building's intercom.

* In ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', Colonel Konrad starts giving Walker some {{Not So Different Remark}}s / {{Breaking Speech}}es over a radio Walker finds soon after the [[spoiler: white phosphorus]] incident. Except [[spoiler:it's all actually in Walker's head, who slowly goes insane,—and the radio has no batteries in it.]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Joker does this to Batman in the graphic novel ''Comicbook/TheKillingJoke''.
[[/folder]]

* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Starship Mine" starts with the villains only talking to each other over their hijacked starship's comm systems. Once Picard starts chatting on the same channel, they start to talk to him alone in attempts to demoralize him, scare him into surrendering, and goad him into revealing his knowledge about the ship.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. Used in "Babel One", to set up TheReveal--when our heroes make it to TheBridge to confront their enemy face-to-face, they discover it's a remotely-piloted drone and the man talking to them is actually light years away.

* ''Videogame/{{BioShock|1}}'' After a certain point, the tyrannical Andrew Ryan will start communicating with you via the portable radio you picked up at the start of the game, even as you hunt him down. This becomes even more common once you realize [[spoiler:Sofia Lamb does the same in the [[Videogame/BioShock2 sequel]]]].
%%* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'': Handsome Jack does this through the echo system.

* ''[[Videogame/DeBlob DeBlob 2]]'': Although he's technically speaking gibberish, Comrade Black taunts you throughout the final level, promising that you can't get to his orbital hypno-ray in time. He even gets kind of meta, telling you to access the menu and quit the level.
* ''VideoGame/{{Duke Nukem I}}'': Dr. Proton mocks Duke in some levels via videophone.
* In ''Videogame/{{Fable}}'', during fights with Jack of Blades' minions, he constantly taunts you telepathically, with cruel but hilariously accurate imitations of your own AnnoyingVideoGameHelper guildmaster.

* ''VideoGame/{{FEAR}}'': In the third game, a succession of psychic commanders taunt you (they seem to really hate the Point Man, possibly because of his connection to Alma, and thus the highly traumatic "upgrades" they were given).
%%* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar2 Gears of War 2]]'' offers a subversion of this when Cole takes over the speaker system the queen is using for giving orders he offers this little gem.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Manhunt}}'' you are trapped in some sort of sick cinematographic experiment and the director follows you around and trolls you through the earpiece.
* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': In the final level, Nicole Horne taunts you as you make your way to her in the Aesir Corporate Building.
* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'': Porky taunts you over an intercom as you travel to every floor of the Empire Porky Building EXCEPT the 100th floor.
* ''VideoGame/MysteryCaseFiles'': Escape From Ravenhearst -- Charles Dalimar included an audio system in the underground areas specifically so he could tell the Master Detective what she's supposed to learn about him in this area.

** [=GLaDOS=] is a malevolent supercomputer with a quick wit and a sharp tongue that cracks wise about the player's perfomance almost constantly in her CreepyMonotone. In this case, the fact that she's an actual, malicious character and not just a series of prerecorded messages [[TomatoSurprise is a major plot twist]], [[ItWasHisSled though it's well-known now]].
** Wheatley from ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' attempts to provide the same sort of demoralizing commentary as [=GLaDOS=] after he betrays Chell, but without any wit, he just relies on childish insults and insecure boasts about his intelligence.

-->''"Let's try it her way. Fatty. Adopted fatty. Fatty-fatty-no-parents."''

* Much to the chagrin of real life American Big-Box stores, especially UsefulNotes/Walmart, the code to access the intercoms, which generally stays the same across the entirety of the chain's stores, has been available on the internet for quite some time; all it takes for an enterprising prankster to broadcast whatever's on their mind is to simply find a telephone that's been left unattended, punch in the code, and HilarityEnsues! Here's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVSlrFJykxI a compilation]] of intercom-related mischief.

** Similarly, the sequel, ''Banjo Tooie'', introduces the "Eagle-Eyed Foreman", a nameless, faceless corporate goon who informs you of certain goings-on and sics robotic drones on you if he spots you on one of his many security cameras.

* Jigsaw from the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' series communicates with his victims exclusively via pre-recorded messages on microcassette tapes. This prevents the victims from taking their anger out on him while allowing him to instruct them about his traps.

* Jigsaw in the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' series communicates with his victims exclusively via pre-recorded messages on microcassette tapes. This prevents the victims from taking their anger out on him while allowing him to explain his traps and manipulate them into falling into them.

!Examples:

[[AC:ComicBooks]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''

* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Starship Mine" starts with the villains only talking to each other over their hijakced starship's comm systems. Once Picard starts chatting on the same channel, they start to talk to him alone in attempts to demoralize him, scare him into surrendering, and goad him into revealing his knowledge about the ship.

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. In "Babel One", aided by the voice of Creator/BrianThompson to set up TheReveal--when our heroes make it to TheBridge to confront their enemy face-to-face, they discover it's a remotely-piloted drone and the man talking to them is actually light years away.

* Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse:
** In [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE40IfYoureSoSmartWhyArentYouRich one episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', the Riddler broadcasts criticisms of Batman and Robin as they make their way through a labyrinth based on a video game he designed. They expect to find him in the center of the maze, but to their surprise, he's already on a plane out of the city.
** In his [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E21And22WildCards second appearance]] in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', the Joker hosts a news broadcast covering the Justice League's attempts to disarm bombs he's planted throughout Las Vegas. He even put TV screens on the bombs so they can watch him while they work! This all turns out to be a publicity stunt to get good ratings [[spoiler:so he can brainwash as many people as possible]].

[[AC:[[Series Live-Action TV]]]]

Villains in action fiction and especially {{video games}} sometimes use an intercom system, telepathy, or some other means of remote communication to [[{{troll}} relentlessly mock]]

This is often used to characterize the villain and help establish a relationship with the player while keeping them well out of shotgun range.

Compare EnemyChatter.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

Villains in action fiction and especially {{video games}} sometimes use an intercom system to [[{{troll}} relentlessly mock]]

* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Power Play" starts with the villains only talking to each other over their hijakced starship's comm systems. Once Picard starts chatting on the same channel, they start to talk to him alone in attempts to demoralize him, scare him into surrendering, and goad him into revealing his knowledge about the ship.

* In ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', Colonel Konrad starts giving Walker NotSoDifferent {{Breaking Speech}}es over a radio Walker finds soon after the [[spoiler: white phosphorus]] incident. Except [[spoiler:it's all actually in Walker's head, who slowly goes insane,—and the radio has no batteries in it.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{FEAR}}'': In the third game, a succession of psychic commanders taunt you (they seem to really hate the Point Man, possibly because of his connection to Alma, and thus the highly traumatic \"upgrades\" they were given).

* In ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'', Colonel Konrad starts giving Walker NotSoDifferent {{Breaking Speech}}es over a radio Walker finds soon after the [[spoiler: white phosphorus]] incident. Except [[spooler:it's all actually in Walker's head, who slowly goes insane,—and the radio has no batteries in it.]]