History Main / KarmicButtMonkey

This is a ButtMonkey whose misfortune is well-deserved and a repeated case of LaserGuidedKarma. Maybe they're just enough of a {{Jerkass}}. But far more frequently they are a fully-blown baddie. If the character is an outright villain, they are very rarely the BigBad - they are generally a lackey or a particularly incompetent [[TheStarscream Starscream]]. For many, this can make the Karmic Butt-Monkey come off as [[JerkassWoobie more pitiable than anything else]], becoming easily mockable for the fandom.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Childe is tasked with [[spoiler:stealing Rex Lapis' gnosis]]. To accomplish this, [[spoiler:he deceives the Traveler to lead him to it, but when that doesn't pan out, he summons [[EldritchAbomination Osial]] to threaten Liyue and draw Rex Lapis out]]. Outside of that, he's an AxCrazy BloodKnight (albeit a weirdly AffablyEvil one) with a massive body count. He's later not pleased to find out [[spoiler:La Signora and [[GodInHumanForm Zhongli]] had already negotiated for the gnosis and Childe was only an unwitting pawn used to test Liyue, who was never meant to succeed]]. On top of that, [[spoiler:he's wrongfully blamed for Rex Lapis' 'murder', [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating ruining his reputation]]]]. Then, come to Fontaine where [[spoiler:he loses his Vision, [[MiscarriageOfJustice goes to jail for a crime he did not commit]], and becomes badly injured after a 45-day battle with the ArcVillain of that chapter.]]

* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseHumans Maia Simmons]]. She's not nearly as steely as [[SmugSnake her father]] believes her to be, and it shows – of course, since she's also an obnoxious, stuck-up RichBitch, to say nothing of her [[DaddysLittleVillain villainous actions]], her misfortunes are quite satisfying. After the bridge of the naval carrier is temporarily flooded, the camera focuses on a drenched Maia standing on her own, vomiting seawater. After the [=HEAVs=] cross the Vile Vortex's boundary into the HollowEarth, Maia is the only one onboard Team Kong's HEAV who needs to make use of a barf bag due to the effects of the trippy ride; an occurrence which Nathan predicted precisely before they went in. [[spoiler:To say nothing of the [[UndignifiedDeath embarrassingly comical]] way that Maia causes her own death]].

* ''Website/GoAnimate'': Whenever a troublemaker causes some kind of mischief, destruction, or chaos, they will ''[[CantGetAwayWithNuthin always]]'' be punished for it. They'll either be [[GroundedForever grounded for a ridiculously long time]] and/or receive [[HumiliationConga "Punishment Days"]] from their [[AbusiveParents parents]].

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Childe is tasked with [[spoiler:stealing Rex Lapis' gnosis]]. To accomplish this, [[spoiler:he deceives the Traveler to lead him to it, but when that doesn't pan out, he summons [[EldritchAbomination Osial]] to threaten Liyue and draw Rex Lapis out]]. Outside of that, he's an AxCrazy BloodKnight (albeit a weirdly AffablyEvil one) with a massive body count. He's later not pleased to find out [[spoiler:La Signora and [[GodInHumanForm Zhongli]] had already negotiated for the gnosis and Childe was only an unwitting pawn used to test Liyue, who was never meant to succeed]]. On top of that, [[spoiler:he's wrongfully blamed for Rex Lapis' 'murder', [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating ruining his reputation]]]].

* Calvin of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' is lazy, a BrattyHalfPint, self-centered, and has a NeverMyFault complex and [[ItsAllAboutMe an ego the size of a planet]]. He also CantGetAwayWithNuthin, bringing it upon himself most of the time.
* Nermal from ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' is a SmugSnake BitchInSheepsClothing who will boast about his cuteness and insult Garfield at any opportunity he gets. As a result, he almost always gets mailed to Abu Dhabi or thrown out the door by the latter.
** Garfield himself isn't immune to this either, especially on Mondays and when he's on the fence, though whether he deserves it or not depends on what he's doing at the time and if he's just minding his own business.

* Nermal from ''ComicStrip/Garfield'' is a SmugSnake BitchInSheepsClothing who will boast about his cuteness and insult Garfield at any opportunity he gets. As a result, he almost always gets mailed to Abu Dhabi or thrown out the door by the latter.
** Garfield himself isn't immune to this either, especially on Mondays and when he's on the fence, though whether he deserves it or not depends on what he's doing at the time.

** Charlos the Celestial Dragon has committed several atrocities, like beating up slaves for no reason, making women sex slaves even if they are married, shooting sick people and trying to buy a mermaid princess, Shirahoshi, as a slave. So, he deserved being disrespected by Zoro, being punched senseless by Luffy and even being clubbed by a fellow Celestial Dragon, Mjosgard.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin is lazy, a BrattyHalfPint, self-centered, and has a NeverMyFault complex and [[ItsAllAboutMe an ego the size of a planet]]. He also CantGetAwayWithNuthin, bringing it upon himself most of the time.

* ''Film/JohnWick'': The movie relishes in showing Iosef Tarasov's suffering and terror in the face of John's vengeance, after Iosef played a major part in killing his dog and stealing his prized Ford Mustang. The entire movie makes it clear from how much of a Determinator John is and how much of a Dirty Coward that Iosef is that it's not a matter of if John will put a bullet in his head, but when he will. All of this started because Iosef felt insulted for John sassing him in refusal to sell his car on the spot.

** Supreme Allah is constantly subject to all manners of FrameUp{{s}} and attempts on his life, while all of his schemes constantly blow up in his face. Given that he's also an arrogant thug who [[KickTheDog once beat up the wheelchair-bound Hill for no reason]], it's hard to feel sorry for him.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' on '''[[Franchise/TomAndJerry Thomas "Tom" Cat]]''',[[note]] Though there are a few cases where Tom doesn't instigate every episode's conflict[[/note]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczKQAAVbaA&t=121s "Why is Tom and Jerry Genius?"]]

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' on '''[[Franchise/TomAndJerry Thomas "Tom" Cat]]''',[[note]]Granted, Tom doesn't instigate every episode's conflict[[/note]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczKQAAVbaA&t=121s "Why is Tom and Jerry Genius?"]]

This is a ButtMonkey whose misfortune is well-deserved and a repeated case of LaserGuidedKarma. Maybe they're just enough of a {{Jerkass}}. But far more frequently they are a fully-blown baddie. If the character is an outright villain, they are very rarely the BigBad - they are generally a lackey or a particularly incompetent [[TheStarscream Starscream]]. For many, this can make the Karmic Butt-Monkey come off as [[JerkassWoobie more pitiable than anything else]], becoming in an AcceptableTarget for the fandom.

* ''Series/{{Mash}}'': If anytime you see Frank Burns being a jerk, you won't have to wait wrong before misfortune befalls him in return.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Izaya becomes this in the final season and deserves every bit of punishment he gets, given he is a ManipulativeBastard [[{{Troll}} internet troll]] responsible for causing massive strife amongst numerous characters. Within the span of only a few hours, his plans fall completely apart, his minions abandon and betray him, his scheme to [[spoiler:kill Shizuo]] fails miserably and Izaya is beaten within an inch of his life before [[spoiler:he's forced to flee Ikebukuro permanently, with not a [[AssholeVictim single character giving a damn]]]] about his predicament.

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': Marie was a SpoiledBrat with an AllTakeAndNoGive relationship to her brother which caused his death, [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld in her past life.]] What followed, was a TraumaCongaLine of abusive partners and debt, ended by a husband killing her. Afterwards, Marie reincarnated in another world as an unwanted and abused child forced to pay her new family's debts. Marie proceeds to seduce five guys for GoldDigger reasons while making Olivia and Angelica suffer to make that possible, but then the five boyfriends proceed to endlessly make her suffer due to being RichInDollarsPoorInSense after going from RichesToRags. Marie's supposed to be TheChewToy, but WordOfGod admitted to making her UnintentionallySympathetic.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' on '''[[Franchise/TomAndJerry Thomas "Tom" Cat]]'''[[note]]Granted, Tom doesn't instigate every episode's conflict[[/note]], "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XczKQAAVbaA&t=121s Why is Tom and Jerry Genius?]]"

* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'': Zote the Mighty is a big-mouthed egotistical {{Jerkass}} who always belittles the Knight and treats it like a nobody, all while bragging about victories he never achieved. He's also extremely weak and always ends up in trouble. In fact, when the Knight meets him for the first time, he gets chewed on by the Vengefly King ([[spoiler:and can potentially die if you neglect to save him, complete with the achievement if you do so]]), and later he gets webbed up by spiders in Deepnest and gets captured by the Fools to fight in their Colosseum against his own will, to be humiliated in public.

Compare and contrast IneffectualSympatheticVillain, a villainous character who fails so often and so hard (often resulting in them harming themselves) that you can't help but pity them and yet there is all too often overlapping and they end up ''both'' laughed at and pitied by the audience. Contrast KafkaComedy, where pain all-too-often happens to someone who ''especially doesn't'' deserve it.

Compare and contrast IneffectualSympatheticVillain, a villainous character who fails so often and so hard (often resulting in them harming themselves) that you can't help but pity them and yet there is all too often overlapping and they end up ''both'' laughed at and pitied by the audience.

* ''ComicBook/TheBoys'': Rayner's assistant Monkey is constantly humiliated by Butcher (and got the nickname from an incident where a pair of monkeys had sex with his ears) and is shown to have a fetish for paraplegic athletes to the point of going to an event with a popcorn box [[ADateWithRosiePalms with a hole in the bottom]]. When he replaces Rayner as head of the CIA, he goes into full TyrantTakesTheHelm mode... which only lasts long enough for him to corner and try to rape a Paralympics competitor. Butcher steps in to save Monkey from a CurbStompBattle (a paraplegic athlete is still an athlete), explains that Monkey isn't right in the head, and has Monkey raped by his dog.