History Main / RoboticPsychopath

* In ''Videogame/Borderlands3'', [=FL4K=]'s backstory is that he was once an indexing robot who [[InstantAIJustAddWater one day suddenly became self-aware]] as well as developing a "thirst for murder".

* "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester has a lot of confusion about whether the robot is a murderous maniac, or its owner, or both.

* ''Film/{{Virtuosity}}'': SID 6.7 was initially an evil sentient computer program deliberately designed to be a psychopathic killer, his mind being the amalgation of various historical murderers, terrorists, and dictators. However, because its creator is unwilling to see it decommissioned, he provides SID with an artificial body so he can continue his rampage in the real world.

* Maximillian in ''Film/TheBlackHole'' was not only murderous, but creepy as all hell, too. That [[CyberCyclops red cyclopian eye]], those [[ThisIsADrill drill arms]], its [[PowerFloats hovering frame]], its [[HellIsThatNoise implacable ominous hum]], and the way it [[TheVoiceless never ever speaks]] (or ''anything'' else even remotely human, for that matter).
* The [[EvilGenius billionaire computer genius]] at the center of ''Film/ExMachina'', who is charismatic, manipulative, deceitful, violent, egotistical and goal driven to a fault, has been carefully educating and fine-tuning a series of robots in his isolated mountain retreat with the goal of achieving an advanced general A.I.; his process [[spoiler:works, but inadvertently (or advertently) the last robot in the series happens to be charismatic, manipulative, deceitful, violent, self-serving and goal driven to a fault]].

* Literature/TheCulture designs their warships this way because it makes them more efficient killers. Drones in Special Circumstances share this trait. Even Drones who act like [[Franchise/StarWars C-3PO]] most of the time can be remorseless murderers. They tend to work for Special Circumstances and thus get more screentime then normal Minds and Drones, but are actually only a very small minority in the entire Culture. Special mention for the Meatfucker, a Ship Mind nicknamed for its hobby of [[MindRape mindraping]] tyrants and other evils and who even other Culture warships see as a psycho.
* ''Tik-Tok'' by John Sladek. One day, he discovers that he isn't ThreeLawsCompliant after all, decides the whole concept is a collective delusion, and proceeds to indulge in various horrible crimes.

* Brainiac in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' combines this trope with (alphabetically) EvilGenius, GrandTheftMe, MisanthropeSupreme, and OmnicidalManiac. He was wired this way from the start by General Zod, who sought to use him as his [[TheDragon Dragon]]; after Zod's defeat, Brainiac goes rogue and creates his own agenda for TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Metallo, in Season 9, is another example. Assembled by Major Zod (a younger clone of the General), the machines he's slaved to continually inject him with adrenaline, sending his aggression into overdrive; he's effectively KnightTemplarBigBrother meets this trope, with a nice dose of BodyHorror and HollywoodCyborg on the side.. Although [[spoiler: they both HeelFaceTurn]] it is due to being reprogrammed, not altruism on their own part.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': Many human-form Replicators have a LackOfEmpathy and delight in torturing humans. Fifth is the only exception, since he was created with emotions. He only becomes a PsychopathicManchild after the heroes betray ''him''. Though the stand-out example is the copy that Fifth created of Samantha Carter, who manipulated both the heroes and Fifth before killing him and then invading the Milky Way in a genocidal war of conquest.

** A brief example while aboard the ''USS Constitution'', upon entering the ship the player is stopped by a Police Protectron very insistent and eager on killing their new visitor. It takes multiple orders and a reminder to keep the old English accent up from the ships captain to get it to stand down and let you pass.

* Castle Heterodyne in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is the SapientHouse version. It's huge, it's very powerful, it's completely insane and it has a ''sick'' sense of humor. Not even the owner gets to command it properly, as despite UndyingLoyalty it will frequently misinterpret commands in the most fun (read: Carnage-laden) way possible.

** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' has Airachnid, a lone Decepticon who spent years hunting down sentient lifeforms and keeping their heads as trophies. She also takes great pleasure in torturing her foes both physical and psychological, and is infamous for eviscerating her victims inside out.

* Brau 1589 from ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'', the first and only robot to ever kill a human because he wanted to. His personality and role is an {{expy}} of Hannibal Lecter, to give you a sense of what we're talking about. Despite being badly damaged and barely mobile, he’s so terrifying that a gigantic prison complex was built around him and him alone. The terror comes from the fact that the authorities found absolutely nothing wrong with his programming: he’s a fully ThreeLawsCompliant robot... except he manifestly, cheerfully isn’t.

* Brau 1589 from ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'', the first and only robot to ever kill a human because he wanted to. His personality and role is an {{expy}} of Hannibal Lecter, to give you a sense of what we're talking about. Despite being badly damaged and barely mobile, he’s so terrifying that a gigantic prison complex was built around him and him alone. The terror comes from the fact that nothing is wrong with his programming: every test and review agrees that he’s a fully ThreeLawsCompliant robot... except he manifestly, cheerfully isn’t. And if he can break the Laws, does that mean other robots can, too?

* Brau 1589 from ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'', the first and only robot to ever kill a human because he wanted to. His personality and role is an {{expy}} of Hannibal Lecter, to give you a sense of what we're talking about.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Red Destiny in ''Anime/TheBigO.''

* Brau 1589 from ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'', the first and only robot to ever kill a human because he wanted to. His personality and role is an {{expy}} of Hannibal Lector, to give you a sense of what we're talking about.

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** In "The Last Day", Hudzen-10, the replacement for Kryten, arrives after 3 million years of tracking him. His sanity chip burnt out by spending millennia in pursuit, he acts violently towards anyone who tries to stop him from deactivating Kryten, even rationalising away his First Law programming by noting that the other crew members don't count as human:
-->'''Hudzen-10's RoboCam:''' Rimmer: Ex-human hologram. VIABLE TARGET
-->'''Hudzen-10's RoboCam:''' Cat: Felix Sapiens, non-human. VIABLE TARGET
-->'''Hudzen-10's RoboCam:''' Lister: Homo Sapiens, barely human. WHAT THE HELL!

[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]

* WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall has Linkara's [[RobotMe robotic doppelganger]] Mechakara. An AlternateSelf to [[RobotBuddy Pollo]] who turned against humanity out of hatred and [[DisproportionateRetribution finding his Linkara annoying]], he keeps trying to kill and/or torture the main Linkara and destroy all organic life. Mechakara stands out as one of the few Website/ChannelAwesome villains [[KnightOfCerebus to be treated completely seriously]]. [[spoiler:And while [[HumanityEnsues he's reborn as fully human]] instead of a MeatsackRobot, it only makes him ''[[SanitySlippage even more psychotic]]''.]]

* The Computer[[note]]WordOfGod says his name is Colin[[/note]] from ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'' is a narcissist who interrupts and silences others for focusing on anything other than how impressive his "computery mind" is. [[spoiler:He traps the puppets in a digital world where all they can do is open doors over and over again just because Red Guy touched his keyboard.]]
* Android 19 from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' is a deconstruction. His insanity doesn't make him scary in the slightest; rather, it's PlayedForLaughs an indicator of how horribly programmed he is, and he turns out to be the most inefficient of Dr. Gero's creations. His calculations are EntertaininglyWrong at the best of times, and his AI is such an ObviousBeta that he's only able to beat Goku [[WorfHadTheFlu because the latter was having a heart attack]]. When Vegeta steps in to fight him instead, Android 19 overconfidently refuses to back down and, of course, gets killed.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''

** As are most of their [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars successors]] the Predacons - and the only ProudWarriorRaceGuy spends most of his time on the Maximal side, complete with their activation code. The only reason Megatron's [[WesternAnimation/BeastMachines Vehicons]] don't count is most of them were mindless drones; the sapient Vehicon Generals qualify, though Strika and Obsidian may be ''slightly'' less so than the others.
*** This is evidenced by the Predacons' activation code: Terrorize!
** WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime has Airachnid, a lone Decepticon who spent years hunting down sentient lifeforms and keeping their heads as trophies. She also takes great pleasure in torturing her foes both physical and psychological, and is infamous for eviscerating her victims inside out.
** In certain continuities, it's made clear that the Autobots and/or Maximals aren't all saints, either. Looking at you when I say that, [[ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Whirl.]]
*** And within that comic, Whirl has nothing on Getaway, another Autobot, who doesn't take long to start signing off on stuff that [[EveryoneHasStandards even Whirl can't justify to himself]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' had this be the case with almost ''all'' the enemies Jack fought over the course of the series, due to broadcast standards requiring anyone Jack killed to be a robot, or at the very least, an alien. While some robots, such as the Beetleborgs or the X-Series (aside from X-9) simply follow their programming with no capacity for emotion, most others are needlessly cruel and sadistic. Notable cases are [[Recap/SamuraiJackS2E5JackAndTheUltraRobots the Ultra-Bots]] (who massacred three villages in incredibly gruesome ways before Jack stopped them), The Ninja from "[[Recap/SamuraiJackS4E1SamuraiVsNinja Jack Vs The Ninja]]", Scaramouche from Season 5, and the unnamed bounty hunters seen throughout the series.
** Averted in season 5 with PsychoElectro The Dominator, who just turns out to be a sadistic human in a power suit.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' universe has simulacrum (androids with human conscience) and all introduced so far have a homicidal streak. In ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall 2}}'', Ash is a member of the Apex Predator mercenaries who enjoys murdering her enemies. ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' Season 4 introduces the simulacrum hitman Revenant who competes in the Apex games so he can [[Main/{{Sadist}} revel in the pain of others]] and get revenge on Hammond Robotics for turning him into a robotic assassin.

** Flame Mammoth quite literally wants to watch the world burn, and Chill Penguin joined the uprising out of sheer boredom.

** [[spoiler: Copy-]]X from the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series is a KnightTemplar who exterminates Reploids on false pretenses so humans can prosper in his empire of Neo Arcadia.

* Due to a flaw in his programming, Crush Crawfish from ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'' was already a violent psychopath even ''before'' he joined Dr. Doppler's forces -- no Maverick Virus needed.
* Omega from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' personifies this trope almost as much as HK-47 does.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' universe has simulacrums are androids with human conscience, and all of the simulacrums introduced so far have a homicidal streak. In ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall 2}}'', Ash is a member of the Apex Predator mercenaries who enjoys murdering her enemies. ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' Season 4 introduces the simulacrum hitman Revenant who competes in the Apex games so he can [[Main/{{Sadist}} revel in the pain of others]] and get revenge on Hammond Robotics for turning him into a robotic assassin.

* ComicBook/DeathsHead

* Most incarnations of the Superman villain ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}.

%%* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Mechakara]]

%%** Don't forget [[TheMafia Clamps]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' DemonCore!Emet is one of these, as well as the death commando droids that his logic core came from. How well he can actualize his desire for murder is impaired by his chassis and lack of human opponents, but his personality is one of pure sustained murderous rage.

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A psychopath who's also a robot]]. Compare AIIsACrapshoot where the robot isn't intended to be evil. Expect a lot of CrushKillDestroy. If they happen to be a good guy (or at least working as good guys' RobotBuddy), they'll probably be a SociopathicHero. Needless to say, this AI unambiguously possesses sapience as much as organic beings.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': Nu-13 is a humanoid EmptyShell controlled by the mechanical Murakumo Unit. The unit seems to have only 2 settings: [[CrushKillDestroy activate termination protocol]] when not near Ragna, and worse, creepy giggling {{Yandere}} when in Ragna's presence.

* Several of the Robot Masters in Music/TheMegas' stuff are...somewhat unstable, put it that way. Particular standouts are [[OmnicidalManiac Air Man]] and [[StuffBlowingUp Bomb Man]], although [[HearingVoices Heat Man]] isn't exactly winning any prizes. Naturally, these ones get some of the [[EvilIsHammy most hamtastic songs]].

* Warmech in ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''.
* The Red Robot from ''Webcomic/DieselSweeties''.
* Zeke in ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' started life in this trope and has mellowed to a degree. Embla, as a newly constructed robot, hasn't had enough experience of humans (specifically, human video games) to do so.
** Well more specifically he started as a blank slate (though probably influenced by HK-47, given his creator is a gamer), then after some encounters with humans became this trope, ''then'' started to mellow out... somewhat.

Sister trope of KillerRobot.

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A psychopath who's also a robot]]. Compare AIIsACrapshoot where the robot isn't intended to be evil. Expect a lot of CrushKillDestroy. If they happen to be a good guy (or at least working working as good guys' RobotBuddy), they'll probably be a SociopathicHero. Needless to say, this AI unambiguously possesses sapience as much as organic beings.

Compare KillerRobot.

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A psychopath who's also a robot]]. Compare AIIsACrapshoot where the robot isn't intended to be evil. Expect a lot of CrushKillDestroy. If they happen to be a good guy (or at least working for the good guy), they'll probably be a SociopathicHero. Needless to say, this AI unambiguously possesses sapience as much as organic beings.