History Main / MaliciousMonitorLizard

* ''Film/{{Komodo}}'' is about a colony of Komodo dragons living on an island in North Carolina, killing the humans that visit the island.

* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': Komodo dragons are just one of the [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou numerous dangerous animals living on]] [[IslandOfMystery the Rook Islands.]] They can attack you from nowhere, and [[MadeOfIron they take a ton of gunfire before going down.]]

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]

Subtrope of ReptilesAreAbhorrent. For monitor lizards pretending to be dinosaurs, see {{Slurpasaur}}. Contrast LovableLizard, for more benign lizards. See also SnakesAreSinister and NeverSmileAtACrocodile for other villainous reptiles, as well as StockDinosaurs for their ancient cousins the Mosasaurs.

For series featuring [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs prehistoric life]], expect the prehistoric monitor lizard ''Megalania'', an extinct Australian species that was at least twice the size of the modern Komodo dragon (but in fiction tends [[PrehistoricMonster to get exaggerated in size and ferocity]] to dinosaurian proportions). Another common examples are mosasaurs, which are not truly dinosaurs but rather large, aquatic monitor lizards that may fill a role as a ThreateningShark in prehistoric-set works.

In fiction, monitors will usually be a generic kind. If a real-life species does get chosen, it usually be the Komodo dragon; this is partially because Komodos are the largest kind of monitor and look rather intimidating and partly because it's [[SmallTaxonomyPools the only species audiences will be familiar with]]. Even so, Komodo dragons are a SeldomSeenSpecies especially compared to geckos, chameleons, iguanas, and even frilled lizards.

* ''Anime/Aggretsuko'': Tsubone (named Scatherine in the fan subs), an anthropomorphic Komodo dragon, is a mean-spirited, sometimes downright sadistic senior secretary who acts like a MeanBoss to the protagonist.

* In ''The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill'' (the 2015 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill''), Cranky the goanna is the tyrannical 'IOwnThisTown' mayor of Greenpatch and Blinky's constant nemesis.

* ''Anime/AggressiveRetsuko'': Tsubone (named Scatherine in the fan subs), an anthropomorphic Komodo dragon, is a mean-spirited, sometimes downright sadistic senior secretary who acts like a MeanBoss to the protagonist.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Whether by accident or design, many reconstructions of theropod dinosaurs have monitor lizard-like traits; in particular, [[RaptorAttack featherless renditions of dromaeosaurs]] look like bipedal Komodos. Special mention should go to the first reconstruction of a ''Megalosaurus'', [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/London_-_Crystal_Palace_-_Victorian_Dinosaurs_1.jpg as depicted at Crystal Palace in London]], which looks like a [[MixAndMatchCritter cross between a monitor lizard and a wolf]].
* The last giant reptilian predator in the fossil record, ''Varanus priscus'' a.k.a. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania megalania]], which went extinct as recently as 40,000 years ago, was estimated to be as big as 15 feet long, and weighing over 700 pounds. Also, it was believed to be venomous...
* The mosasaurs are Cretaceous sea lizards that are like flippered, shark-tailed monitors. There's evidence that they even had forked tongues.
[[/folder]]

* In Myth/OceanianMythology, Hi'iaka is tasked with bringing a young chief named Lohia'u to her sister, Pele (after the latter began to miss him after they hooked up at a party weeks before). Along the way, they face many adventures. In particular, Hi'iaka has to fight off giant monitor lizards with ''mana'' contained in her skirt. (Unfortunately for Hi'iaka, and [[TakenForGranite more unfortunately for her friend Hopoe]], this delays them quite a bit, and Pele gets jealous.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheWildAdventuresOfBlinkyBill'' (the 2015 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill''), Cranky the goanna is the tyrannical 'IOwnThisTown' mayor of Green-Patch and Blinky's constant nemesis.

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joanna.png]]]]

* ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'': Komodo dragons act as the SharkPool. Whilst Bond escapes them, they end up devouring an unfortunate Mook.

* Budzo, the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresInZambezia'' is a vicious monitor lizard with a taste for birds' eggs who was responsible for killing the protagonist's mother.
* ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'' features [[PunnyName Joanna, a goanna]] who serves as Percival [=McLeach=]'s RightHandAttackDog who has a massive appetite for eggs, including the eggs of the giant eagle Maharute. Also provides the page image.

* Komodo dragons act as the SharkPool in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''; whilst Bond escapes them, they end up devouring an unfortunate Mook.
* The thriller film ''Film/{{Komodo}}'' is about a colony of Komodo dragons living on an island in North Carolina, killing the humans that visit the island.
* [[AllThereInTheManual According to supplementary material]] the raptors in ''Film/JurassicWorld'' have monitor lizard DNA mixed in, presumably explaining their lack of feathers.
** There's also the park's ''Mosasaurus'', effectively a sixty-foot-long marine monitor lizard that ''eats great white sharks.'' It's actually a downplayed example--the only time it kills human is by accident, and in the climax, it proves instrumental in defeating the Indominus Rex.

* In ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'', most ReptilesAreAbhorrent, which holds true for the monitor lizards of Sampetra, who serve as shock troops for the pine marten Big Bad of The Pearls of Lutra.
* Subverted in the Komodo dragon chapter of ''Last Chance to See'' by Creator/DouglasAdams and Mark Cordwaine; unsurprisingly, since the point was to raise awareness of the Komodo dragon as an endangered species. But when Adams and Cordwaine arrive there, they're surprised to find a tourist trail where a dragon eats a live goat that's been staked out for it. The tourists talk in fascinated horror about this monster, and how easily it could do the same to them, but Adams's own view is that the lizard is just being a lizard, and if you want to blame someone for the fate of the goat, then HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

* The Komodo Bros. in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'' are a DualBoss, supposedly two of N. Brio's henchmen that try to block your path from helping Dr. Cortex.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Armello}}''[='s=] WorldOfFunnyAnimals, the monitor lizard Volodar is the HighPriest of a [[TheCorruption Rot]]-worshiping ReligionOfEvil. He's AffablyEvil, but preaches the glory of oblivion to all who will listen.

* Subverted with Komodo in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays''. He may be aggressive, but he's loyal and heroic. Played straight with his anti-matter counterpart, Komodo Monday, who's both entirely sapient and rather malicious.
* The short film ''WesternAnimation/{{Bilby}}'' by Creator/DreamworksAnimation opens with the eponymous bilby running from a hungry monitor lizard.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': Zig-zagged with Helga's monitor lizard. The two seem to get along just fine, but the lizard itself is still an aggressive predator -- something most notable when the school falls into chaos during Mr. Simmons's term as principal, during which the lizard can be seen in a hallway dragging a hapless student away.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheWildAdventuresOfBlinkyBill'' (the 2015 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill''), Cranky the goanna is the tyrannical 'IOwnThisTown' mayor of Green-Patch and Blinky's constant nemesis.

* [[LizardFolk Septarians]] from ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' are identified as lizards and bear long jaws most similar to those of varanids. While not all are evil a few have been prominent villains, most notably Toffee.
* ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeAndMartha'' has a recurring character who is a Komodo dragon. He is not malicious but rather creepy, and has a habit of popping up right behind George.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' has Eliza wanting to meet a Komodo dragon. Once she and Darwin find one, it tries to eat them.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'', the 'Got Venom' episode occurs in the Komodo Islands, and the first challenge is precisely to get some dragon venom. Owen gets temporarily blinded by the toxin, so he and Noah can't perform at their best and get eliminated from the race.

* ''Series/MonstersResurrected'' has an entire episode focusing on ''Megalania'', a 6-meter-long prehistoric monitor lizard from Australia, which, like every animal in the show, gets the PrehistoricMonster treatment.

Subtrope of ReptilesAreAbhorrent. For monitor lizards pretending to be dinosaurs, see {{Slurpasaur}}. Contrast LovableLizard, for more benign lizards. See also SnakesAreSinister and NeverSmileAtACrocodile for other villainous reptiles.

** There's also the park's ''Mosasaurus'', effectively a sixty-foot-long marine monitor lizard that ''eats great white sharks.'' It's actually a downplayed example--the only time it kills human is by accident, andn the climax, it proves instrumental in [[spoiler]]defeating the Indominus Rex[[/spoiler]].

* [[AllThereInTheManual According to supplementary material]] the raptors in ''Film/JurassicWorld'' have monitor lizard DNA mixed in.

* ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'' features Joanna, a goanna who serves as Percival [=McLeach=]'s RightHandAttackDog who has a massive appetite for eggs, including the eggs of the giant eagle Maharute.

* Whether by accident or design, many reconstructions of theropod dinosaurs have monitor lizard-like traits; in particular, [[RaptorAttack featherless renditions of dromaeosaurs]] look like bipedal Komodos.

Subtrope of ReptilesAreAbhorrent. Contrast LovableLizard, for more benign lizards. See also SnakesAreSinister and NeverSmileAtACrocodile for other villainous reptiles.

* In Myth/OceanianMythology, Hi'iaka is tasked with bringing a young chief named Lohi'ahu to her sister, Pele (after the latter began to miss him after they hooked up at a party weeks before). Along the way, they face many adventures. In particular, Hi'iaka has to fight off giant monitor lizards with ''mana'' contained in her skirt. (Unfortunately for Hi'iaka, and [[TakenForGranite more unfortunately for her friend Hopoe]], this delays them quite a bit, and Pele gets jealous.)

* In Myth/OceanicMythology, Hi'iaka is tasked with bringing a young chief named Lohi'ahu to her sister, Pele (after the latter began to miss him after they hooked up at a party weeks before). Along the way, they face many adventures. In particular, Hi'iaka has to fight off giant monitor lizards with ''mana'' contained in her skirt. (Unfortunately for Hi'iaka, and [[TakenForGranite more unfortunately for her friend Hopoe]], this delays them quite a bit, and Pele gets jealous.)