History Main / KingpinInHisGym

Compare MobBossSuitFitting. Contrast with SlouchOfVillainy. In a way, the inverse of VillainForgotToLevelGrind.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', David Xanatos enjoys sparring in a dojo. [[AffablyEvil Xanatos being Xanatos]], he {{subvert|edTrope}}s the usual use of this trope, showing how badass he is by ''losing'' to his BattleButler and then commenting on how surprised he was that Owen has improved.
-->'''Owen:''' Would you prefer I pretend to lose, sir?\\

** In season 3, Fisk pays Jasper Evans to shank him while he's bench-pressing weights in the rec room, to make it look like Fisk is being targeted for snitching.

* Just before he is forcibly transformed into ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'s EvilCounterpart Anti-Spawn, Jason Wynn is seen sparring with two soldiers dressed as ninjas. They don't last long.

Some [[BigBad Almighty Overlords]] like to do more than [[OrcusOnHisThrone lounge around on]] [[CoolChair nice chairs]] in their [[EvilTowerOfOminousness fortresses]]. They'll go for a bit of [[TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential self-improvement]] instead. Some may get a TrainingMontage or two, while others may pursue a DangerousForbiddenTechnique or ForgottenSuperweapon in parallel with TheHero. Regardless of how they choose to better themselves, showing a villain building his prowess can be a menacing taste of what's to come when the heroes finally reach his doorstep. Like [[OrcusOnHisThrone our good old friend]], however, they don't pose any direct physical threat to the good guys at the moment.

One of the ways to show that a villain's AuthorityEqualsAsskicking. However, if the training sessions are shown to be [[CurbStompBattle a walk in the park]], [[FridgeLogic one wonders how they will make the villain any stronger]]. That said, anyone with a fitness regimen will tell you that ''gaining'' muscle is a lot harder than ''maintaining'' muscle, which might be the intention of this trope. If the villain is a [[MsFanservice Miss]] or MrFanservice this may also be WorkoutFanservice. [[VillainsOutShopping Shopping]] is another popular hobby of villains.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Both Prince Zuko and [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] each spend one of their respective first appearances practicing their firebending. Zuko demands to learn the advanced techniques even though Iroh insists he hasn't mastered the basics yet. Azula, on the other hand, does the advanced bits flawlessly -- but ''completely'' freaks out [[spoiler:({{foreshadowing}} her ultimate VillainousBreakdown)]] when ''one hair'' falls out of place.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS2E11SolarPower Solar Power]]", while it's not really "in a gym", Lex Luthor is seen practicing archery -- for bonus points, he does this while on the phone with Lois Lane and asking her "Do you really think I would jeopardize the safety of this planet just to settle my personal grudge against Superman?". And then hitting a bullseye with a shit-eating smirk.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Tombstone does this. Fitting, since this adaptation [[CompositeCharacter promotes him to the Kingpin's usual role]]. ([[ExiledFromContinuity They couldn't use the trope namer himself due to rights issues]].)

* ''Film/DodgeballATrueUnderdogStory'' occasionally cuts to scenes of the villain of the piece practicing advanced martial arts, using electrodes on his nipples to stave off temptation, and otherwise forcing himself to remain fit. At the end of the film, [[spoiler: when he loses his gym and his fancy exercise tools with it, he becomes morbidly obese in depression]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'': The episode Tablet of Time shows Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) in his private gym with three muscular gentlemen restraining him while the news is talking about the Tablet of Time on a background television. When he learned the possible price of the artifact, he gains enough enthusiasm to effortlessly throw off all three of them.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/TheMuppets'', where the CorruptCorporateExecutive BigBad is shown practicing fencing with Bobo in his office, but Bobo is visibly letting him win and barely even moving his foil.

* WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries: The episode Tablet of Time shows Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin) in his private gym with three muscular gentlemen restraining him while the news is talking about the Tablet of Time on a background television. When he learned the possible price of the artifact, he gains enough enthusiasm to effortlessly throw off all three of them.

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': The BigBad Makoto Shishio has a scene where he is practicing his swordsmanship during the Kyoto Arc.

* General Silver from ''Manga/DragonBall'' is shown working out at least once in order to beat Goku. It doesn't work.
* Geese Howard hadn't been the BigBad since the first ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' OVA, but in the third, Billy Kane finds him training in the woods. After receiving the report on the heroes' activities, Geese busts out a Raging Storm that obliterates some of the surrounding vegetation.

* While not exactly a villain, the Raikage in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is introduced lifting huge dumbbells in his gym. Oddly enough, he's the only leader of any group that's been seen training at all so far, despite the setting being a WorldOfBadass supernatural ninjas.
* Tao Ren is shown pumping iron in the lead-up to his first official tournament fight with Yoh, who doesn't exactly share his obsessive work ethic. Since Ren is a ball of issues and ''Manga/ShamanKing'' the rare shonen series where UnstoppableRage ''does not help'', Yoh's mellower approach works in his favour.
* One ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'' episode combines this with DangerRoomColdOpen by opening with [[TheStarscream Starscream]] kicking ass on a bunch of Autobots... which dissipate into holograms.
* Hanayama in ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler'' is essentially this. He is the head of the most powerful yakuza gang, yet he doesn't believe in using weapons, and relies more on his brute strength and martial arts training to eliminate any threat that stands in his way.

* A variation in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''. Andro takes Paul and John to his private gym, where he urges them to use the equipment. Paul refuses because [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength he's afraid of breaking the stuff]], which is when he finds out that Andro is also [[SuperStrength super-strong]]. Agreeing to a strength test, Paul finds himself helplessly flattened out under a weight he can't budge, which Andro casually lifts off him--one-handed, which sends Paul into paroxysms of jealousy. Among other things, he realizes that Andro put him in this position to show him just how much stronger than Paul he is.

* In the Twenty Gyarados Bill Gaiden sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', the title character was seen training along with his Magikarp as he tried to evolve them to Gyarados, to become physically stronger himself.

* [[Franchise/{{Rocky}} Rocky Balboa]]'s major opponents got their own {{Training Montage}}s, which often told viewers something about their character: [[Film/RockyIII Clubber Lang]]'s dungeon-like basement emphasized his monstrosity while [[Film/RockyIV Ivan Drago]]'s almost clinical routines (and his steroid use) showed his lack of "heart". Rocky's most famous [[TheRival Rival]] Apollo subverted it; his "Training" for his [[Film/{{Rocky}} first fight]] with Rocky was spent arranging promotional materials for the fight, showing how he didn't take the upcoming match seriously and wrote it off as a given that he'd win.

* In the Creator/JetLi film ''Film/FistOfLegend'', the BigBad General Fujita gets a scene showing him training by hammering nails into boards with his bare palms, smashing slabs of rock, and letting a team of students break thick wooden rods over his body, to establish his overwhelming power and [[MadeOfIron resilience]] in combat.
* A similar montage appears in Creator/BruceLee's ''Film/FistOfFury'', the film that ''Fist of Legend'' is based on, showing the Russian Petrov bending metal bars and hammering nails into a board with his bare hands.
* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', Commodus practices his swordsmanship against multiple opponents, showing that wealth and power have ''not'' made him soft.

* In the first ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'', Kurt walks in on Tong Po preparing for his upcoming fight with his pro kickboxing older brother, and sees him almost knock down a giant pillar in the arena with his knee strikes. He begs his older brother to pull out of the fight after seeing how freakishly strong Tong Po was, but his brother doesn't listen and ends up getting killed in the ring.
* In ''Film/DragonTigerGate'' the Big Bad is introduced and almost exclusively shown in his personal training area... including the climactic battle.
* ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'' shows [[BigBad Richlieu]] sparring in his off-hours. With three opponents, no less.
* The main villain in ''[[Film/TheTransporter Transporter 2]]'' practices Kendo against multiple opponents in his introductory scene.

* Memnon in ''Film/TheScorpionKing''. Mathayus sees him ordering an underling to fire an arrow at his chest, while Memnon is getting ready to block it with his sword, a skill he's known for. At the end, [[spoiler:he utterly fails to block Mathayus's arrow]].
* In ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane'', crime boss Eddie Kim is shown practicing karate while ordering the title plan. Could have been a ChekhovsGun for an eventual Kung Fu faceoff with Creator/SamuelLJackson, but [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot nope.]]
* In ''Film/KickAss'', Frank D'Amico is shown training in the gym to show he's a step above his mooks, later on even using his skills against a hapless superhero cosplayer. His son is shown [[WhatTheFuAreYouDoing clumsily messing around with some weapons]].
* From ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' we have [[ColonelBadass Col. Quaritch]] lifting weights, who comments on the fact he needs to keep his muscles in top condition in Pandora's low gravity.
* When the time travelers are first brought before Lord Oliver de Vannes in ''Film/{{Timeline}}'', he is practicing his swordsmanship skills with a {{mook|s}} using wooden swords. He then has the Mook [[spoiler:take out a real sword during a thrust and kill one of the time travelers, simply because he's French]].
* In ''Film/OnceUponATimeInChina2'', when Wong Fei-Hung meets General Nar-Lan Yuen-Shu (Creator/DonnieYen) for the first time, he's busy working out his martial arts form before surprising Wong with a sparring match, establishing that he's Wong's equal, and not schlubby ArmchairMilitary cum bureaucrat like the rest.
* The Cynthia Rothrock movie ''Film/HonorAndGlory'' shows the villain putting himself through an intense workout scene, allowing the audience to see that he won't be a pushover during the final fight.
* In ''Film/{{Swashbuckler}}'', BigBad Lord Durant is shown in his ''salle'' practicing against three sparring partners when Major Folly arrives to deliver more bad news. Having already wounded two his partners, Durant kills the third as an expression of his displeasure.

* Prince Humperdinck in ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'', with his Zoo of Death. In fact, we first see him wrestling an ape.

* Benito Ramirez of the ''Literature/StephaniePlum'' books actually does train in a gym, being a boxer. He uses it to great effect to terrorize women.
* Prince Xizor inverts this in ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire'': He has an "[[CoolChair exercise chair]]" which stimulates his muscles while he [[SlouchOfVillainy lounges around]] in his fortress, giving him exercise without him having to lift a finger. He has constant problems with the chair's voice-chip pronouncing his name, though. Darth Vader is also seen training against lightsaber-wielding battle-droids, which helps to characterize his frustration with his inability to fight an opponent with the power of the Force.
* One ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' villainess is a decent swordsbeast, as we see her TrainingMontage consisting of slaves throwing vegetables at her to be sliced midair. Unfortunately, like most Redwall villains she turns out to be hopelessly inept when her opponent is armed and angry.
* In ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', the AxCrazy werewolf Wolfgang is introduced doing one-handed push-ups, followed by one-handed ''handstands''. Oh, and he does this stark naked. While both his parents are in the room. Well, they're already naked around each other in wolf shape...
* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', Galbatorix qualifies. For one, [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething he actually rules the Empire he's in charge of.]] He also [[spoiler:breaks into the minds of the Eldunari he has under his power to make him even more powerful]]. Third, he searches for [[spoiler:the true name of the Ancient Language of magic, which would give him power over all spellcasters and over magic itself.]] He succeeds on all three accounts.
* In ''Literature/TheGrimnoirChronicles'', Madi has one scene where he spars against his rank and file subordinates - starting with five-on-one odds and working his way up from there. He honestly congratulates the one man who actually manages to hit him.
* In the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', [[ManipulativeBastard Ysanne Isard]] talks to an EnemyMine while using a weight machine with no sign of strain. Notably, Isard never actually fights people herself, preferring schemes and {{Manchurian Agent}}s. Apparently she believes the old adage about healthy body, healthy mind.

* Played for laughs in ''Series/DoctorWho'' when the Delgado Master, locked up in a sea fortress, exercises on a rowing machine. It doesn't seem to be working, though--the Doctor remarks that the Master has put on weight!

* In Season One of ''Series/TheWire'', [[BigBadDuumvirate Avon Barksdale and Russell "Stringer" Bell]] were shown working in the gym and on the basketball court while planning gangland operations.

* In ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'': Crassus has a scene in which he spars against a retired gladiator, but he knows that his teacher will always hold back, so he offers the gladiator his freedom if he manages to kill Crassus. Crassus shows that he's SurpassedTheTeacher by killing him with his FinishingMove: a BareHandedBladeBlock.
* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', we see Ra's Al Ghul sword-sparring with a group of League members; like the Trope Namer was wont to do, he kills the last man standing after knocking out the others.
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'':
** In season 2, when Frank Castle is first brought before Wilson Fisk in the prison, Fisk is bench-pressing weights.
** In season 3, Fisk pays Jasper Evans to shank him while he's bench-pressing weights in the rec room, to make it look like Fisk is being targeted for snitching.
* ''Series/IronFist2017'': Harold Meachum is frequently shown going to town on his punching bag or sparring with a physical trainer, to help establish that he's [[GeniusBruiser a physical threat in addition to a white-collar criminal]].
* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', near the end of season 1, when we see Cassandra Savage for the second time, she's sparring with a group of soldiers and easily bests them before berating them for their sloppy performance, pointing out that [[ComicBook/VandalSavage her father]] won't tolerate this from his finest.
* The young MorallyBankruptBanker George Warleggan in ''Series/{{Poldark}}'' is a NouveauRiche who has molded himself into the epitome of cultured gentility. Although George has a bit of a SlobsVersusSnobs dynamic with his ArchEnemy, Ross Poldark, who comes from the gentry but is a man of the people, the expectation of George being a SissyVillain is subverted, as George regularly trains with a professional boxer, often while plotting against Ross. It's implied that George does this so he can win against Ross in physical combat in the same way he aims to win against him through economic chicanery. Indeed, in one episode where the two drop social pretenses and get into a bare-knuckle fight, George is evenly matched with the brawny Ross thanks to a combination of all of his training and simply from [[CombatPragmatist fighting really, really dirty]].
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', BadassNormal DarkActionGirl Tess Mercer is often seen in her mansion practicing her fighting skills, such as Aikido or Kickboxing.
* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Queen Maeve is shown easily defeating a number of burly men in her gym whom she's sparring with.
* ''Series/BlackLightning2018'': Tobias Whale is shown having a sparring match against an underground fighter and expressing disappointment to his henchman at how easily he wins. Said henchman then moves to shoot the fighter when he gets up for another round, only for Tobias to stop him, express admiration for the man's spirit, and beat him up a second time.
* ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'': The episode "The Wrong Man" shows Jess Latham, a wealthy man trying to cover up his son's murder by lynching an innocent man, is shown lifting weights when his lynch mob assembles. He later surrenders to the Lone Ranger, allows himself to be disarmed, and [[ISurrenderSuckers decks the Ranger so hard he flies across the room]].

* The Son from ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'' is seen training with a punching bag at one point, showing that he's no slouch when it comes to violence.
* Mine is introduced this way in ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'', to foreshadow the fact that despite seeming to only be a businessman who relies on his intelligence, he's also quite competent in a fight.

* Though not shown on-panel, dialogue states that ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'''s villain, Xykon, spent the duration of Roy's absence researching new spells and crafting magic items, the EvilSorcerer's equivalent of working out. [[RPGMechanicsVerse The nature of reality there]] renders him incapable of doing this for longer than 8 hours per day, and, as a lich, he doesn't sleep, either. As such, he generally spends the rest of his day messing around in a bid to alleviate his boredom, which is what the reader ''usually'' sees whenever Xykon is present. And by "messing about", we mean "coming up with inventive and horrific ways to kill prisoners, and making book on how long they last in the acid tank with the mutated sharks."
* Anita, either BigBad or [[TheDragon Dragon]] in ''Webcomic/ErrantStory'' (you can argue it either way), is introduced getting a workout to hone her already awesome combat skills.

* Both Prince Zuko and [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] each spend one of their respective first appearances in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' practicing their firebending. Zuko demands to learn the advanced techniques even though Iroh insists he hasn't mastered the basics yet. Azula, on the other hand, does the advanced bits flawlessly -- but ''completely'' freaks out [[spoiler:({{foreshadowing}} her ultimate VillainousBreakdown)]] when ''one hair'' falls out of place.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', mobster [[TheDon Rupert Thorne]] is in his private gym, punching a bag while a henchman -- named Jake -- holds it for him and urges him on. Thorne is clearly getting a little tired, but then Jake says, "Come on, boss! No wonder the Batman is runnin' rings around ya!" Thorne snarls and [[BerserkButton punches Jake in the face]], knocking him out. Then he grabs a towel from another thug, mentioning before he leaves, "Oh, and when Jake here gets up, tell him he's fired." Moments later Bane arrives, this episode being his first appearance. When Thorne threatens to withhold payment for Bane after a recent job was nearly bungled, Bane responds by punching the bag so hard it flies off its fixtures.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', David Xanatos enjoys sparring in a dojo. [[AffablyEvil Xanatos being Xanatos]], he {{subvert|edTrope}}s the usual use of this trope, showing how badass he is by ''losing'' to his BattleButler and then commenting on how surprised he was that Owen has improved.

* One of the most memorably hilarious moments in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' is when the girls get a call from the Mayor (actually the Gangreen Gang making a prank call) to go and foil one of HIM's schemes. They break into his home... and find HIM ''doing aerobics''.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Mr. Burns makes Smithers work out on his behalf.
* Tombstone does this in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' -- fitting, since this adaptation [[CompositeCharacter promotes him to the Kingpin's usual role]]. ([[ExiledFromContinuity They couldn't use the trope namer himself due to rights issues]].)
* Count Dooku, a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, was shown sparring with General Grievous in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars''. Most other master vs. apprentice fights in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe tend to be cases of attempted KlingonPromotion although they ''could'' be considered training for the apprentices. (Grievous is not technically Dooku's apprentice, as he is not a Sith, or even a Force-user for that matter. The fact that he is one of the few beings that is formidable in lightsaber combat without being Force-sensitive is something that makes him truly unique as a villain.) There's also some foreshadowing here, as Dooku is advising Grevious on how to cover for his weaknesses -- which include lightsaber combat -- by exploiting his cybernetics as an instrument of intimidation and terror, using his elite robot bodyguard force to harass opponents beforehand, and to immediately run from any fight against a Jedi in which he doesn't already have a definite psychological advantage.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS2E11SolarPower Solar Power]]", while it's not really "in a gym", Lex Luthor is seen practicing archery -- for bonus points, he does this while on the phone with Lois Lane and asking her "Do you really think I would jeopardize the safety of this planet just to settle my personal grudge against Superman?". And then hitting a bullseye with a shit-eating smirk.
* Done three times in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003''. The first occurs with the Shredder, who gets a training scene in the episode "Darkness at the Edge of Town". The second occurs with Karai, whose very first scene is of her training. The third time occurs in a supplementary short of dubious canonity, also featuring Karai, which shows her apparently killing the four turtles... until its revealed that they're actually advanced training robots.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Lord Tirek, by far the most {{pragmatic|Villainy}} and level-headed of the group of villains, is spending his downtime pumping iron until Cozy Glow shows up to annoy him.

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingpin_cut.png]]]]

[[quoteright:300:[[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingpin_cut2.png]]]]

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', mobster [[TheDon Rupert Thorne]] is in his private gym, punching a bag while a henchman -- named Dicky -- holds it for him and urges him on. Thorne is clearly getting a little tired, but then Dicky says, "Come on, boss! No wonder the Batman is runnin' circles around ya!" Thorne snarls and [[BerserkButton punches Dickie in the face]], knocking him out. Then he grabs a towel from another thug, mentioning before he leaves, "Oh, and when Dicky gets up, tell him he's fired." Moments later Bane arrives, this episode being his first appearance. When Thorne threatens to withhold payment for Bane after a recent job was nearly bungled, Bane responds by punching the bag so hard it flies off its fixtures.

** Issue 350 of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' shows the recently-[[BackFromTheDead resurrected]] [[Characters/MarvelComicsRedSkull Red Skull]] practicing his hand-to-hand skills by slaughtering several of the [[Characters/MarvelComicsTaskmaster Taskmaster]]'s trained cronies... all of whom are dressed as Captain America. Later stories expand upon this: the Red Skull never tells his would-be appointments that he is going to fight them to the death, [[ForTheEvulz just for the added lulz of watching them panic when they realize that Skull was going to kill them]].

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** While his flunkies were making life a nightmare for Spider-Man, ComicBook/TheKingpin was shown performing some outrageous physical feats like bending steel bars and breaking large objects in preparation for his personal disassembling of Spidey. He is therefore the {{Trope Namer|s}}. A running joke with Kingpin is that he'll pay goons (more often than not, having martial arts training) to attack him for practice. If they lose badly to Kingpin, he'll fire them -- but if they put up an actual fight, then Kingpin murders them for making him look bad. He also tends to kill one of his practice partners in every match, so that the survivors will fight harder next time.
*** However, Fisk has learned the hard way that no matter how much he works out or how much he hones his fighting skills, the only reason he's ever held his own against Spider-Man is because Spidey restrains himself so much. Get Spider-Man seriously pissed off, as he once foolishly did, and the curb-stomp beating that Spider-Man inflicted on him was epic to behold. The fight ended with Fisk practically crippled and fully aware that Spider-Man could kill him any time he wanted. It'll be a cold day in Hell before Fisk ever does anything that stupid again.
** Eddie Brock's first appearance established him as a gym bunny, who channeled his rage against Spider-Man (prior to actually becoming ComicBook/{{Venom}}) via working out. He continues to do so, since the symbiote increases his strength geometrically. The stronger he can get, the stronger the symbiote can make him.
* Fellow Creator/MarvelComics villain [[ComicBook/IronMan The Mandarin]] beat six top martial artists during a training exercise.
* Subverted by ComicBook/LexLuthor. Shortly after coming back as his own [[CloningGambit Evil Clone]] (don't ask), he is shown training in martial arts in his gym. After his trainer hands him his ass in front of witnesses, he later tracks her down and murders her in cold blood. Inverted in his last days as President, when he is using Venom (a kind of super-steroid most notoriously utilized by ComicBook/{{Bane}}) to muscle up.
* Issue 350 of ''Comicbook/CaptainAmerica'' showed the recently-resurrected ComicBook/RedSkull practicing his hand-to-hand skills by slaughtering several of the ComicBook/{{Taskmaster}}'s trained cronies... all of whom were dressed as Captain America. Later stories expanded upon this: Red Skull never tells his would-be appointments that he is going to fight them to the death, just for the added lulz of watching them panic when they realize that Skull was going to kill them.

* The 2011 film adaption of ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|2011}}'' shows [[BigBad Richlieu]] sparring in his off-hours. With three opponents, no less.
* The main villain in ''Film/{{Transporter 2}}'' practices Kendo against multiple opponents in his introductory scene.

* When the time travelers are first brought before Lord Oliver de Vannes in ''Film/{{Timeline}}'', he is practicing his swordsmanship skills with a {{Mook|s}} using wooden swords. He then has the Mook [[spoiler:take out a real sword during a thrust and kill one of the time travelers, simply because he's French]].

* Both Prince Zuko and [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] each spend one of their respective first appearances in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' practicing their firebending. Zuko demands to learn the advanced techniques even though Iroh insists he hasn't mastered the basics yet. Azula, on the other hand, does the advanced bits flawlessly -- but ''completely'' freaks out [[spoiler:(foreshadowing her ultimate VillainousBreakdown)]] when ''one hair'' falls out of place.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', mobster [[TheDon Rupert Thorne]] is in his private gym, punching a bag while a henchman - named Dicky - holds it for him and urges him on. Thorne is clearly getting a little tired, but then Dicky says, "Come on, boss! No wonder the Batman is runnin' circles around ya!" Thorne snarls and [[BerserkButton punches Dickie in the face]], knocking him out. Then he grabs a towel from another thug, mentioning before he leaves, "Oh, and when Dicky gets up, tell him he's fired." Moments later Bane arrives, this episode being his first appearance. When Thorne threatens to withhold payment for Bane after a recent job was nearly bungled, Bane responds by punching the bag so hard it flies off its fixtures.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', David Xanatos enjoys sparring in a dojo. As always [[MagnificentBastard subverting]] such things, he shows how badass he is by ''losing'' to his BattleButler and then commenting on how surprised he was that Owen has improved.

* One of the most memorably hilarious moments in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' is when the girls get a call from The Mayor (actually the Gangreen Gang making a prank call) to go and foil one of HIM's schemes. They break into his home... and find HIM ''doing aerobics''.
--> '''HIM:''' This figure doesn't come easy, you know. I took a little time off to get into shape.
* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Mr. Burns makes Smithers work out on his behalf.
* Tombstone does this in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' -- fitting, since that adaptation promoted him to the Kingpin's usual role. ([[ExiledFromContinuity They couldn't use the trope namer himself due to rights issues.]])
* Count Dooku, a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, was shown sparring with General Grievous in the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' animated series. Most other master vs. apprentice fights in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe tend to be cases of attempted KlingonPromotion although they ''could'' be considered training for the apprentices. (Grievous is not technically Dooku's apprentice, as he is not a Sith, or even a Force-user for that matter. The fact that he is one of the few beings that is formidable in lightsaber combat without being Force-sensitive is something that makes him truly unique as a villain.) There's also some foreshadowing here, as Dooku is advising Grevious on how to cover for his weaknesses - which include lightsaber combat - by exploiting his cybernetics as an instrument of intimidation and terror, using his elite robot bodyguard force to harass opponents beforehand, and to immediately run from any fight against a Jedi in which he doesn't already have a definite psychological advantage.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E15ThroughImperialEyes "Through Imperial Eyes,"]] when Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Lyste are admitted into Grand Admiral Thrawn's office, they see him sparring with assassin droids in a side room.

* Done three times in the second ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2003}}'' series. The first occurs with the Shredder, who gets a training scene in the episode "Darkness at the Edge of Town". The second occurs with Karai, whose very first scene is of her training. The third time occurs in a supplementary short of dubious canonity, also featuring Karai, which shows her apparently killing the four turtles... until its revealed that they're actually advanced training robots.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' Lord Tirek, the by and far most {{Pragmatic|Villainy}} and level-headed of the group of villains, is spending his downtime pumping iron until Cozy Glow shows up to annoy him.