History Main / SerialHomewrecker

* In ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers of Victory: ComicBook/{{Bulleteer}}'', the former Golden Age heroine Sally Sonic has become a pathological homewrecker as a result of being stuck in a permanently teenaged body, deliberately seeking out married men and sleeping with them specifically to ruin their marriages. For added villainy, after she finds out that her latest target, Lance Harrower, died in an accident, forcing his widow Alix to rent out her house in order to pay the bills, she moves in under her civilian identity, ingratiating herself with the unsuspecting Alix so that she can eventually kill her.

* Music/MarinaAndTheDiamonds' song "Homewrecker" is from the perspective of a woman who jets between relationships, breaking up her lovers' marriages in the process, before moving on to the next one and leaving her lover brokenhearted. {{Deconstructed}}, as she's a BrokenBird who doesn't think she'll ever find true love.

->'''Killian''': Now what are you doing aboard my ship?
->'''Rumpelstiltskin''': W... well... you have my wife.
->'''Killian''': I've had ''many'' a man's wife.

While the trope in itself is quite gender-neutral, there is usually a DoubleStandard at play when it comes to depicting these characters.

---->'''Solange''': You like married women, don't you James?
---->'''Bond''': It keeps things simple.

* Film/JamesBond
** ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'''s Bond is completely this.
*** Bond's conversation with Vesper Lynd regarding his interest in women. Specifically, he initially rebukes Vesper, and when asked why she's not his type, he responds that she's "single." Subverted, in that he eventually does sleep with her. Double subverted when it's discovered she had a boyfriend all along.
*** Another example from the same film: Solange Dimitrios, the wife of Bond's first mark in the film, who even gives us this exchange, hinting that it's because either ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies or MarriedToTheJob is at play.

** ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies''. Bond sleeps with his former lover and current wife of the film's BigBad, Paris Carver. Alas, this ends badly for her. Though it's implied that she is killed because her husband finds evidence of their history together, not because she cheated on him.

* ''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'': Mikado Sanzenin is a man who wants to kiss as many women as he can, without giving a damn about such details as the girl's consent or marital status. This reputation becomes somewhat more literal than usual when it turns out that his signature double-team attack with Asuza Shiratori (which is to grab the girl of an opponent skating couple, wait until the guy tries to pull her away and then twist around like a tornado until one team member eventually lets go of the other, getting the guy badly hurt and hopefully breaking the team's mutual trust) has the name of "the Couple Cleaver".

You will hardly find a female homewrecker as a protagonist, but a male one can be at times. Much more frequently, this trope is relegated to side characters who exist as a hurdle to the main character's arc, tempting them to be [[YourCheatingHeart unfaithful]] as a [[SecretTestOfCharacter moral challenge]].

Put simply, these are people who prefer their sex buddies married, in a relationship or otherwise romantically involved. Perhaps it's the challenge involved in getting a committed partner to be unfaithful, or perhaps they have a morbid fascination with monogamy. For whatever reason, they'll bed a married woman in her husband's own home while he works late, or take a guy home with them from the club after seeing him with his girlfriend, and be completely okay with this behaviour.

** Joan [[EthicalSlut enjoys her sexuality]] and as she works at an advertising agency, she's mostly surrounded by married men who all want her. She has an affair with Paul Kinsey, but ends it because he bragged about her, a one-night stand with Harry Crane, and has a lengthy affair (covering a period of years) with professional partner Roger Sterling. Although Joan and Roger's relationship is loving, she implies later that she viewed sex as her purpose, as she feels intense guilt for [[spoiler:Lane's suicide]] because she feels she could have stopped it if she slept with him. However, Joan actually goes out of her way to tell her partners that she doesn't intend for them to leave their wives.

** Kelly's three closest friends, introduced in the later seasons, also have no qualms about sleeping with married men, or stealing boyfriends.

* Exploited in an episode of ''Series/RulesOfEngagement'', where Russell overhears an attractive woman saying to a friend that she prefers married men, as then there's no commitment. He then pretends to be a married man whose relationship with his wife is on the rocks, which succeeds in getting her in a hotel room with him. She suggests they try some bondage, and he eagerly agrees, getting ChainedToABed... at which point she promptly ransacks his stuff, robbing him blind and cheerfully leaving him there. Turns out, she's pulled this stunt on multiple men, and goes after the married ones specifically since they can't report it without explaining to the cops (and their wives) ''what'', exactly, they were doing in a hotel room with her.

* Ted from ''Theatre/TheGuyWhoDidntLikeMusicals'' is sleeping with the married Charlotte, and implies this is a pattern for him. However, it's also shown that he has sincere romantic feelings for her, making it hard to tell whether he genuinely is this trope, or if he's just claiming to be so he can cover up his emotions, since she still wants to stay with her husband.

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* In ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers of Victory: Bulleteer'', the former Golden Age heroine Sally Sonic has become a pathological homewrecker as a result of being stuck in a permanently teenaged body, deliberately seeking out married men and sleeping with them specifically to ruin their marriages. For added villainy, after she finds out that her latest target, Lance Harrower, died in an accident, forcing his widow Alix to rent out her house in order to pay the bills, she moves in under her civilian identity, ingratiating herself with the unsuspecting Alix so that she can eventually kill her.

** ''Film/CasinoRoyale'''s Bond is completely this.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'': Played with in that Mutsuki calls Touka a "homewrecker" for thinking she stole Kaneki from him. In truth the two came to realize their feelings for each other before Mutsuki showed up. Mutsuki wants his beloved Sasaki/Kaneki and is willing to murder Touka to get her out of the way once he realizes the romantic tension between the two. Mutsuki tries to earn Kaneki's love all in a {{Yandere}} fashion while knowing he might have romantic ties to Touka.

Compare and contrast archetypes such as TheVamp and TheCasanova. Can be the main character, but more often than not, this is relegated to side characters who exist as a hurdle to the main character's arc, tempting them to be [[YourCheatingHeart unfaithful]] as a [[SecretTestOfCharacter moral challenge]].

Subtrope of HasAType. Related to HoneyTrap. Usually found in {{Cuckold}} situations.

* This is fodder for a joke in ''ComicBook/RedEars''. A lothario is shown having sex with multiple different married women in a SexMontage, then shows him handing his male buddy at a diner a note from an angry husband who is threatening to kill him. His friend suggests calling off that affair, but is rebuffed. The problem is, [[ButForMeItWasTuesday the guy who sent the note didn't sign it]].

* ''Manga/PeachGirl'': Sae is known for stealing many a girls boyfriends away from him. Part of the plot in the manga is based on her trying to do this to Momo using tactics such as BedTrick and trying to blackmail Touji into dating her.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'': Played with in that Mutsuki calls Touka a "homewrecker" for thinking she stole Kaneki from him. In truth the two came to realize their feelings for each other before Mutsuki showed up. Mutsuki wants his beloved Sasaki/Kaneki as is willing to murder Touka to get her out of the way once he realizes the romantic tension between the two. Mutsuki tries to earn Kaneki's love all in a {{Yandere}} fashion while knowing he might have romantic ties to Touka.

*** Another example from the same film: Solange Dimitrios, the wife of Bond's first mark in the film, who even gives us this exchange.

-->'''Solange''': You like married women, don't you James?
-->'''Bond''': It keeps things simple.

Put simply, these are people who prefer their sex buddies married, in a relationship or otherwise romantically involved. Perhaps it's the challenge involved in getting a committed partner to be unfaithful, or perhaps they have a morbid fascination with monogamy. For whatever reason, they'll bed a married woman in her husband's own home while he works late, or take a guy home with her from the club after seeing him with his girlfriend, and be completely ok with this behaviour.

Indices: YourCheatingHeart, SexTropes, BetrayalTropes, HasAType, TropesAboutPerverts
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