History Main / SociopathicHero

* Dexter Morgan from ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' is a prime example. A SerialKiller ([[SerialKillerKiller albeit of other killers]]) who has to emulate emotions to go unnoticed by others, and is only motivated by his urge to kill. He is actually diagnosed as a psychopath by a psychologist who knows his true nature late in the show.

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' is the comic book mascot of this trope. He is, by far, the most popular costumed "superhero" who kills his enemies rather than put them in jail -- and he's been doing it way before UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks.

* Sgt. Bothari in Literature/VorkosiganSaga is a multiple rapist and murderer, who gets sexually excited by killing and when watching a pregnant prisoner be abused by her captors. Knowing this, he depends on the structure of his military service and the guidance of the lord and lady he serves to show him what is right and what is wrong. That said, [[JustFollowingOrders the only crimes he is known to have committed were while under orders]], and all but one were after he had been deliberately driven insane by torture and drugs by his commander. He may have committed others before he placed himself under orders in order to let others make decisions he knew he could not.

* Kullervo from Literature/TheKalevala is one of the best examples. His EvilUncle Untamo kills Kullervo's tribe and failing to kill Kullervo due to his magic, raises him badly, leaving Kullervo impulsive, cruel, and mentally ill. For example, when his Uncle tells him to look after a baby, he tortures and kills the child for no reason. When he avenges the murder of his tribe, he apparently kills Untamo's entire tribe. Kullervo ends up DrivenToSuicide after finding his family dead.

** Subverted with Creator/GeorgeLazenby, Creator/TimothyDalton, Creator/PierceBrosnan and Creator/DanielCraig’s Bond who are TruerToTheText in this regard. While still ruthless, their Bonds can display genuine care for their loved ones and other humanising traits like the book version. The Craig version especially, although in many ways the most violent and sociopathic Bond, is the only one who’s been shown [[ManlyTears crying]] and by the time of ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' has found something [[spoiler:a family]] that truly brings out humanity in him, though he’s bewildered and frightened by the prospect.

** Dame Creator/JudiDench’s [[IronLady M]] is a pretty big example of this in the Craig era, as she repeatedly invokes TheNeedsOfTheMany and treats Bond’s grief-stricken assurance that he’ll never trust again at the end of ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' [[spoiler:after Vesper’s death]] as him having “learned his lesson”. {{Deconstructed}} in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' as M’s poor lack of compassion towards her own agents is a driving force behind the BigBad Silva’s motivation to kill her after M abandoned him, with her “Regret is unprofessional” line understandably being a BerserkButton for him. [[spoiler:To her credit M by the end is genuinely regretful of the choices she’s made in her career and glad for what humanity 007 still possesses, feeling she “did get something right”.]]

* ''Film/JamesBond'' might well be the most iconic example of this in film. While ''technically'' he is TheHero of the franchise and repeatedly saves the world on the behalf of [=MI6=] and England, anyone who barely mourns at loss of the woman he’s slept with before moving onto another one, brutally kills thousands of henchmen and happily throws villains in various death traps and heavy machinery [[BondOneLiner before cracking wise]] can easily classified as a sociopath something multiple of the actors who have portrayed him agree with. Worth noting this is a marked difference between the literary and film Bond, in the books Bond while very much of his time doesn’t actually like killing and does have the capacity for compassion and grief as seen with Vesper and Tracy. However Creator/SeanConnery’s portrayal (the most famous one) set the standard for Bond being a cold-hearted cad so this trope got cemented with Bond.
** Subverted with Creator/GeorgeLazenby, Creator/TimothyDalton, Creator/PierceBrosnan and Creator/DanielCraig’s bond who are TruerToTheText in this regard. While still ruthless, their Bonds can still display genuine care for their loved ones and other humanising traits like the book version. The Craig version especially, although in many ways is the most violent and sociopathic Bond is the only one who’s been shown [[ManlyTears crying]] and by time of ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' has found something [[spoiler:a family]] that truly brings out humanity in him, though he’s bewildered and frightened by the prospect.
** Also downplayed with Sir Creator/RogerMoore’s Bond while largely emotionally unattached like Connery’s he was still [[LighterAndSofter significantly nicer and more gentlemanly]] which is why the edgier Timothy Dalton Bond was so jarring for audiences at the time.
** Damme Creator/JudiDench’s [[IronLady M]] is a pretty big example of this in the Craig era, as she repeatedly invokes TheNeedsOfTheMany and treats Bond’s grief-sticken assurance that he’ll never trust again at the end of ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' [[spoiler:after Vesper’s death]] as him having “learned his lesson”. {{Deconstructed}} in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' as M’s poor lack of compassion towards her own agents is a driving force behind the BigBad Silva’s motivation to kill her after M abandoned him, with her “Regret is unprofessional” line understandably being a BerserkButton for him. [[spoiler:To her credit M by the end while dying in Bond’s arms is genuinely regretful of the choices she’s made in her career and glad for what humanity 007 still possess feeling she “did get something right”.]]

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' and its sequel have it become increasingly obvious that Peter Wisdom [[spoiler a.k.a. Regulus Black]], the ruthless Director of [=MI13=], is an example of this trope, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters being every bit as ruthless as the things and people he opposes]], it being made abundantly clear that he's willing to do ''anything'' in defence of his country. Multiple characters remark after meeting him that there's something thoroughly unnerving about him. His status as this, though, is cemented when he bluntly states to Thor that the sole reason he's going along with the Avengers plan to send Harry back to Hogwarts as part of his recovery following [[spoiler:what the Red Room did to him]] and his resultant [[spoiler:bout of Dark Phoenix mania]], when he is potentially literally too dangerous to live, is not [[PetTheDog because he's feeling nice]]. It's because he's decided that it's the best of a bad bunch of options: this way, he can actually affect the outcome, and because [[WouldHurtAChild putting a bullet in Harry's head wouldn't work]] -- and if he thought it was necessary, and that it would work, he'd do it in a heartbeat (though he does admit that he'd feel guilty).

* If Snake Plissken gives even a fraction of a damn about the people who die helping him, he certainly doesn't show it. Early in the first film, Snake coldly averts AlwaysSaveTheGirl walking straight past a drugged out woman about to be raped by a bunch of vagrants without so much as a look of concern.

* If Snake Plissken gives even a fraction of a damn about the people who die helping him, he certainly doesn't show it. Early in the first film, Snake coldly averts AlwaysSaveTheGirl walking straight past a drugged out woman about to be raped by a bunch vagrants without so much as a look of concern.

* Alex Mercer from ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' is a very complex case, but he ends up being well-intentioned in the end, saving New York from destruction. It doesn't prevent him from being an AxeCrazy PsychoPrototype who savagely kills his enemies, consumes people (though the player can choose whether to eat civilians or not), and has a hard backstory behind him. By the time [[VideoGame/Prototype2 the second game]] rolls around, he's [[RogueProtagonist definitely no longer a hero]] -- but no longer a sociopath, either.

-->'''Dr. Bowman''': You wanted your security upgraded. What would be the point of asking for something I know you're going to agree to?\\
'''Florence''': ''[head in hands]'' Okay, I'm not going to get upset because you really don't know why I'm upset.\\
'''Dr. Bowman''': Everything I did was logical. One day I'll understand why that makes ''me'' the one who's nuts.

* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' has Jason Spades, who considers himself a hero... y'know, except for that whole "[[AxeCrazy wanting to kill Daisy]]" thing.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' we have Belkar, an AxeCrazy [[{{Hobbits}} halfling]] that specializes in killing and dealing pain with two daggers. WordOfGod makes it VERY clear that Belkar is 100% ChaoticEvil. For most of his screen time, he fits better into HeroicComedicSociopath, though there have definitely been moments where his impulsive bloodlust causes drama and even setbacks for the rest of the team. For example, during [[LawfulGood Roy]]'s afterlife judgment, it's mentioned that Belkar would normally cause Roy a lot of karma demerits if the team weren't so good at directing Belkar's violence toward the villains. After coming to the conclusion that he needs to [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0606.html fake character development]], Belkar has become more cooperative with the rest of the team. In other words, he's gone from being a sociopath to... being a slightly higher-functioning sociopath.

* Alucard from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' (more so in the manga/OVA). He has no regard for human life (though [[spoiler: he does admire humanity deep down]]), will kill at any opportunity [[KidWithTheLeash if allowed]], and [[BloodKnight enjoys the thrill of war]]. He does at least attempt to limit his body count to those who actually are a part of the battle he's in.

* Alucard from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' (more so in the manga/OVA). He has no regard for human life (though [[spoiler: deep down he admires humanity]]), will kill at any opportunity [[KidWithTheLeash if allowed]], and [[BloodKnight enjoys the thrill of war]]. He does at least attempt to limit his body count to those who actually are a part of the battle he's in.

* [[InterpolSpecialAgent Blake]] from ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. While his previous actions (manipulating girls' feelings, giving third parties access to Interpol's info in exchange of equipment, taking away dangerous Pokemon without authorization) foreshadowed he was this, what really confirmed it was when he was willing to [[spoiler:push a very damaged Genesect in order to unfreeze the Musketeers, when confronted for the cruelty of this, he answered that he doesn't understand how that is cruel — if Genesect gets hurt he will just heal it.]] He outright admits that concepts like "fear" and "pity" are unknown to him, shocking Whitley and Kelden the Keldeo, with the latter realizing that he wasn't collected with his emotions like his masters, he just doesn't have any.

* A depressingly large number of characters in the ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' "The Dark Age" story arc fall into this trope, especially in the last act.

** The Blue Knight is a skeletal vigilante who hunts down and kills anyone associated with the criminal underworld, whether it's a mob boss or a {{Mook}} fencing stolen goods. He is eventually succeeded by the Blue Knight'''s''', a squad of armed vigilantes.

** Subverted by Hellhound, one of the first DarkerAndEdgier heroes. Despite having the demonic background, monstrous appearance, torn leather and chains costume, and [[DarkAgeOfSupernames "edgy" name]], is actually a NobleDemon who respected the [[TheCape Silver Agent]] and is friendly with the old-school heroes.

* Finesse from ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' is specifically a sociopath [[note]]She considers that she might be autistic but rejects it because she has no other signs[[/note]], unable to comprehend other people's emotions or feel any of her own. Over the course of the series, she learns to decipher how people feel enough to take responsibility for her actions and has developed camaraderie, if not exactly an emotional bond, with her friends. The final issue shows [[spoiler:that she is genuinely upset by her inability to connect with others emotionally]].
* In ''Bloodstrike'', the whole second Bloodstrike team is this. They save lives and fight tyranny and evil, but none of them are heroic. Deadlock, for instance, claims to hate himself, and hate everyone else even more.
* The Scarab, the source of ComicBook/BlueBeetle's powers, will default to lethal force for almost any situation. Thankfully, Jaime keeps it in check. It starts to get better with Jaime's influence.
* [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Billy Butcher]] in ''ComicBook/TheBoys''. A [[EvilBrit violent, unstable, and manipulative]] {{expy}} of ComicBook/ThePunisher, as well as a deconstruction of the archetype, showing how seriously messed up someone like this would actually be. He was all but stated to have high-functioning psychopathy, to the point that he would literally dissociate from his actions and go into an UnstoppableRage when pushed hard enough. He had a [[MoralSociopathy strong sense of honor and morality in spite of this]] and combining the two with his FantasticRacism against DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals easily put him on a slippery slope to HeWhoFightsMonsters. In his own words [[MoralityChain his wife Becky]] was the one thing preventing him from ending up a violent thug, and after she was gone he became a CrusadingWidow that was driven so far down the DespairEventHorizon he was willing to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath kill and torture]] every superhero he could get his hands on [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge all for the sake of his revenge]]. [[spoiler:In the final arc of the series, he goes JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, as the true extent of his ManipulativeBastard tendencies are revealed when he becomes a TeamKiller [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the sake of]] his FinalSolution against Supes.]]

* Dr. Niles "Chief" Caulder, founder of the ComicBook/DoomPatrol, is a genuinely altruistic man who wants to make the world a better place and help people. He's ''also'' a [[MoralSociopathy borderline sociopath]] who will do anything, no matter how ethically questionable, to accomplish his goals. This includes [[spoiler:purposefully causing the accidents that gave the team their powers and ruined their lives, so he could craft them into superheroes]].
* Similar to Damian, Sam 13 of Marvel's [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen Earth-65]] is the (cloned) descendant of his timeline's Captain America, and while he works for the good guys in S.H.I.E.L.D. as Cap's sidekick, his upbringing as a designer super-soldier didn't come with compassion or respect for human life.
%%* Cassie Hack of [[ComicBook/HackSlash Hack/Slash]] fame is the most literal example of this trope. %%How?

* [[ComicBook/ScarletSpider Kaine Parker]], Spider-Man's self-proclaimed evil clone. While he actually was an evil clone, an assassin, and a classic NinetiesAntiHero for a while, he eventually grew out of it, becoming a reluctant hero, protecting the innocent (and often [[SirSwearsALot cussing them out]] [[TooDumbToLive for being so stupid]], since he's not exactly [[GoodIsNotNice Mr. Nice Guy]]). However, he still has absolutely no compunction of killing or torturing if he deems it necessary - and that's before he gets the ability to transform into a borderline EldritchAbomination.
* Griffin (the Invisible Man) and Mr. Hyde in ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''. [[spoiler:Griffin commits a FaceHeelTurn. Hyde does not, and takes Griffin's betrayal... Poorly]].

* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' is the comic book mascot of this trope. He was, by far, the most popular costumed "superhero" that kills his enemies rather than put them in jail. And he's been doing it way before the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age of Comics]].
* Scott Pilgrim from the [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim eponymous series]] can come across as this, given that he casually murders people who challenge him to a fight without a second thought.
* Marv from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' is the definition of sociopath, in fact on multiple occasions he describes himself as nothing more than a wild animal. On the other hand, Marv tends to over-exaggerate his foibles because no one ever told him otherwise. He is ugly; therefore he is dumb. He has a mental disorder; therefore he is a psychopath. While Marv relishes committing violence against those who deserve it, he has also come to the aid of innocents, such as a homeless man who was nearly immolated by a street punk.

* Five from ''ComicBook/TheUmbrellaAcademy'' almost makes Punisher look humane in this regard as apart saving the world from the apocalypse, he’s a cold blooded monster who barely reacts to the death of Pongo, happily reduces henchmen to LudicrousGibs and in epitome of this shoots his JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope sister Vanya in the back of head — to the shock of even TheCowl AntiHero of the team Diego (though she survives). The reason Five is like this is likely due the fact he time travelled to the BadFuture as a boy and was stuck there for many decades before becoming an assassin for the TimePolice so in a sense he’s never really grown up having never learned to grow past the cold arrogance he had as a child something symbolically reflected by the fact he gets stuck in his 10-year old body when returning to the present. The [[Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy Netflix adaptation]] however softens Five into a GoodIsNotNice character, who takes no pleasure in killing.
* Rorschach of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' to an extent. He is more than willing to torture and kill if he believes good will come of it. He is also the target of a large MisaimedFandom that admires his absolute dedication to his cause.
--> '''Rorschach:''' Lying. Do it again - break finger. Not joking.

** Ozymandias, as in order to save the world he was willing [[spoiler:to kill everyone in Manhattan.]]

* ''Fanfic/CheckmateAnlaShok'' features Wolfe, a District 2 Victor (their second to join the Rebellion) who is actually selected to be a tribute by Mags and Lyme due to the hope that someone of his nature (egotistical, gloating, and a largely remorseless killer) winning the Hunger Games after such a long string of Career victories will embitter the outer Districts and make them more eager to rebel. He does show some CharacterDevelopment during his Games, coming to care about some of the other tributes. He works dutifully with the Rebellion partially due to liking the sense of importance, partially out of loyalty to Lyme, and partially because ItsPersonal after what went down in his games. He retains the killer's mentality that saw him through the Hunger Games and has a limited appreciation for the better world they're trying to achieve. [[spoiler: Even after surviving the war, [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty he elaborately murders several Capitol citizens involved in using Victors as]] {{Sex Slave}}s and kidnaps Katniss largely just as an "audition" to the security forces so that they'll be convinced to give him a job as a BoxedCrook and give him something meaningful and stimulating to do]].
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' and its sequel have it become increasingly obvious that Peter Wisdom [[spoiler: a.k.a. Regulus Black]], the ruthless Director of [=MI13=], is an example of this trope, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters being every bit as ruthless as the things and people he opposes]], it being made abundantly clear that he's willing to do ''anything'' in defence of his country. Multiple characters remark after meeting him that there's something thoroughly unnerving about him. His status as this, though, is cemented when he bluntly states to Thor that the sole reason he's going along with the Avengers plan to send Harry back to Hogwarts as part of his recovery following [[spoiler: what the Red Room did to him]] and his resultant [[spoiler: bout of Dark Phoenix mania]], when he is potentially literally too dangerous to live, is not [[PetTheDog because he's feeling nice]]. It's because he's decided that it's the best of a bad bunch of options: this way, he can actually affect the outcome, and because [[WouldHurtAChild putting a bullet in Harry's head wouldn't work]] - and if he thought it was necessary, and that it would work, he'd do it in a heartbeat (though he does admit that he'd feel guilty).

** It certainly comes to show after the big reveal in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8100008/1/The-beginnings-of-the-Shadow the first story]], wherein it is revealed that [[spoiler: Mercury was perfectly willing to betray every “friend” and ally that he had made up until that point in order to kill Galbatorix with plan B: [[NukeEm nuking the Capital]],]] which he knows would have killed quite a large proportion of the countryside as well.
*** He is somewhat justified in taking it up to this level, as this was his plan B, just in case the Varden and other races failed with plan A (and would, therefore, be dead anyway), and considering that he was the seemingly the only one thinking of what were to happen if plan A failed, one can’t blame him for thinking ahead.

* Several characters in Peter Watts's ''Literature/{{Blindsight}}''; most prominently Jukka Sarasti, a potential murderer, a sociopathic vampire, but one who leads the crew against impossible odds, and who is possibly going out of his way not to offend their sensibilities.
* Severian the Torturer from the ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' series by Gene Wolfe. His values are so far astern from the reader's sensibilities that he sometimes comes across as shockingly cruel. In some instances, it seems he is ambiguous when describing events that are of great moral relevance to the reader, apparently because he sees no ethical dilemma in them. He shows a mixture of traits, some of which may be sociopathic, others of which may indicate a place on the autism spectrum.
** Partly this is due to Severian having been raised as a Torturer from infancy, and partly it is due to his status as a mnemonist. Having studied Abnormal Psychology at Miami University, Wolfe was likely aware of the case history of a real-life mnemonist (known as "S") who displayed a passive-receptive attitude, and a wealth of thought and imagination contrasting with a surprising lack of intellect. These traits are a significant plot point, with Severian unable to join the dots to see how he is being manipulated, distracting the reader with flights of fancy, and, in true Wolfeian style, leaving the reader to [[ViewersAreGeniuses figure out the true story]].

* Kullervo from Literature/TheKalevala is one of the best examples. His EvilUncle Untamo kills Kullervo's tribe and failing to kill Kullervo due to his magic, raises him badly, leaving Kullervo impulsive, cruel, and mentally ill. For example, when his Uncle tells him to look after a baby, he tortures and kills the child for no reason. When he avenges the murder of his tribe he apparently kills Untamo's entire tribe. Kullervo ends up DrivenToSuicide after finding his family dead.
* Glaeken Trismegestus in ''[[Literature/TheAdversaryCycle The Keep]]''. While not an actual sociopath (i.e. not suffering from any particular mental illness), he has lived for so long as an immortal on the fringes of human society and keeps himself from forming emotional bonds when he'll inevitably have to leave the person or outlive them, so he finds killing people very easy to do, and does so without remorse multiple times. When Carlos - the captain of the ship taking him from Greece to Romania - betrays him, Glaeken ''does'' initially let him live, but unfortunately, the guy has ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, forcing Glaeken to kill him not even two sentences later. He also rather cold-bloodedly murders the Romanian soldiers at the border, though since they're collaborators working with the Nazis, it's hardly as if they're undeserving victims. This is toned down in the [[Film/TheKeep film]].

* "The Power and the Passion": the viewpoint character in this Pat Cadigan short story is a violent, criminal sociopath who liked doing terrible things to people and is fine with doing them to vampires instead. Among his gifts for this task is — he claims — that one monster has an easy time recognising another on sight.

* Dexter Morgan, in the TV show ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', is a prime example. A SerialKiller ([[SerialKillerKiller albeit of other killers]]) who has to emulate emotions to go unnoticed by others, and is only motivated by his urge to kill. He is actually diagnosed as a psychopath by a psychologist who knows his true nature late in the show.

* The main character of ''Series/{{Revenge}}''. She proves several times over that she is willing to steamroll innocents to get what she wants.

* Jake Fitzgerald, a supporting character in ''Series/ScreamTheTVSeries'' is one, as he has little motive for wanting the blackmail money, he shows NoSympathy when his friends end up dead, and he is perfectly willing to lie and manipulate Brooke into trusting him but hating Will. Still, he supports Brooke when her friend died and risks his life to save his friend. In the end, he is one of the good guys and not a SerialKiller, but still has his issues.
* The quote supplier, the title character from ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', admits he is this. Sherlock has all the classic signs of a fictional sociopath: a general lack of empathy; self-centered behavior; total disregard for laws; and regular use of fake charm, lies, and manipulation to achieve his goals. Ultimately subverted, however, since when push comes to shove [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Sherlock really does care about his friends]]. It's suggested that Sherlock has tried to mold his mind into sociopathic thought patterns in order to function better as a detective.

** In "[[Recap/SherlockS03E03HisLastVow His Last Vow]]", this is averted in an IronicEcho:
--->'''Magnussen:''' No chance for you to be a hero this time, Mr. Holmes.\\
'''Sherlock:''' Oh, do your research. I'm not a hero, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. ''[[PreMortemOneLiner Merry Christmas!]]''

* While the original Vault Hunters of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' toed the line (especially Brick), most of the new Vault Hunters in the sequel qualify big time. Axton is a GloryHound who committed treason against his superiors and purposefully puts his allies in danger just so he can look like a badass, Salvador [[AxCrazy has way too much fun]] slaughtering his way across Pandora, and [=Zer0=] is a BloodKnight assassin who will kill ''anyone'' if the price and challenge is right. Even Maya and Gaige, easily the most moral of the new Vault Hunters, are more than willing to viciously taunt their enemies, making Maya a Type 2 {{antihero}}ine with hints of Type 3 and Gaige a Type 3.
** And then there's [[AxCrazy Krieg]]. If it weren't for the SplitPersonality reigning him in, he'd go from [[PayEvilUntoEvil slaughtering bandits and Hyperion personnel]] to [[OmnicidalManiac slaughtering everything in sight]].
** And most side characters count too. Tiny Tina is plainly stated to be a psychopath, Scooter murders all his mother's potential boyfriends, Moxxi runs underground fighting rings of the lethal variety for shits and giggles, and so on.

* 60% of what makes ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}'''s main protagonist Rufus unlikable is his jerkass personality. 40% is the fact that he solves half of his problems by blowing stuff up. Or setting up a domino effect. Or even killing people.
* Morrigan of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' is one of the StupidEvil variants: her answer to everything tends to be "Eh, we don't need to help them, let's just kill everyone." This has at least some justification since her only social interaction for most of her life came from her mother, who [[spoiler:might have intentionally crippled her emotionally in order to make her [[BodySurf easier to eventually possess]]]].
** The Warden can be played as such, which actually resonates with their entire order. Depersonalization is one of the reasons why the Wardens are such effective warriors, as we are often reminded the Grey Wardens can and will do ''[[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans whatever it takes]]'' to defeat the Darkspawn. Even if it means razing a city to the ground to ''save'' the people within.

** Averted in [[VideoGame/{{Drakengard 2}} the second game]]. Not because Caim has had a change of heart, just that the new main character Nowe is on the ''receiving'' end of his bad side.

* ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce EXTRAPOWER Attack of Darkforce]]'': Crown and Fool are only heroes by virtue of being leased to fight for the good guys. They are a pair of completely sadistic MonsterClown who only participate for the opportunity to enact more violence, and don't even discriminate if a friendly unit gets caught in the area of effect of their attacks. The heroes are even given a whistle that will pacify them on the non-zero chance that they decide to turn on the team.

* Reaver from ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' fits this trope to a tee. In ''Fable 2'', he's explicitly described as "The Hero of Skill", and yet he carries out so many evil actions that you are left wondering exactly how he's supposed to be better than the designated villain Lucien. In both games, you have to keep him as an ally! The reason that so many players wanted to kill him include:

** Returning in ''Fable 3'' as the evil, exploitative and cruel ruler of Bowerstone Industrial, where he shoots dissidents and happily uses child labour.
** Sicking various horrible creatures on the player as part of his Wheel of Misfortune.

* The villains of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', Saturos and Menardi, just utterly revel in this trope. On one hand, they're on a quest to save their village and the entire world by igniting the four Elemental Lighthouses, but on the other hand, they are absolute sociopathic ''dicks''. Some of their antics include beating a pair of kids to near death for eavesdropping on them, not caring in the least that they destroyed the protagonist's hometown [[note]]They ''did'' save the lives of the presumed dead villagers, but only to blackmail Felix into helping them as they needed a Venus Adept[[/note]] kicking a tree into the river they know is actually a cursed ([[AndIMustScream and still conscious]]) human, beating everyone at Venus Lighthouse to near-death[[note]]True they were defending themselves from the guards who attacked them, but they also attacked the innocent scholars for the hell of it and it's implied they would have outright killed everyone had Kraden not stopped them[[/note]], and overall just thoroughly enjoying every bit of it. Saturos has at least some standards, as he maintains an air of [[AffablyEvil Affable Evil]] and even scolds Menardi for threatening Felix at one point, but Menardi is a complete bastard who's in it ForTheEvulz.

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': Kain really is a sociopathic hero, in that he was afflicted with some kind of mental illness seconds after he was born, making him megalomaniacal, anti-social (in the psychological sense of the term), and incapable of empathy. However, despite being a VillainProtagonist, he's the only real hope Nosgoth's got. [[spoiler: Him being afflicted by said mental illness was deliberately planned on the part of his adversaries, setting up so that the cause for said mental illness would occur just as Kain was born. What's more is that at the end of ''Defiance'', it is implied Kain was purified of it, and that he was now on the road to becoming a more traditional AntiHero - though due to the series being LeftHanging, it's left unanswered.]]

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the BountyHunter and PunchClockHero mercenary Zaeed. While he doesn't exactly always propose MurderIsTheBestSolution, he probably wouldn't be against suggestions for it, though he makes clear at a few points that [[EvenEvilHasStandards he has standards nonetheless]]. The same game features Jack, a biotic TykeBomb who's been so abused and beaten that at this point the only pleasure she finds anymore is in killing. It helps that the men who trained her would torture her any time she showed mercy, and inject her with drugs to get her to associate pleasure with killing.
** Depending on how the player chooses, Shepard can also be this trope too, wielding InsaneTrollLogic and shooting people on a whim. That's what gives us the Website/YouTube videos [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-eRfupYbA&feature=kp Commander Shepard is Such a Jerk]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjTuSQNLI4 Commander Shepard is Still a Jerk.]] If you want to believe Shepard is a megalomaniacal paranoid schizophrenic who happens to have a fixation on a threat that, coincidentally, happens to exist, go right ahead.
* Raiden from the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series was a child soldier in Liberia since 1989. He seems to be harmless in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' but in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' has him going back to his sociopathic, more psychopathic persona as a major plot point later on. However [[WellIntentionedExtremist Raiden was hell-bent on saving the children from being forced into being killer cyborgs since he wants to prevent them from experiencing the same horrific childhood he had]].
* Guybrush Threepwood, especially in ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', where just about everything he does, from stealing to framing people to blatantly cheating at things, is a jerkass move.

* ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'': You may think that [[spoiler:the Batter is doing the [=NPCs=] a favor by ridding the zones of the spectres they fear, but as the game progresses it becomes ever more clear just how little he cares for their existence]].

* A common interpretation of the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' ''[[VideoGame/Persona3 3]]'' and (to a lesser degree) ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'' protagonists - to max out Social links (and to attain power) the protagonists are capable of tailoring their personalities to be whatever is needed by the subject, in order to be loved and trusted. They're also capable of dating about every single girl in the game, at the same time, with no qualms at all - with the third game's male protagonist being ''required'' to do this to achieve full completion.

* Alex Mercer from ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' is a very complex case, but he ends up being well-intentioned in the end, saving New York from destruction. It doesn't prevent him from being an AxeCrazy PsychoPrototype who savagely kills his enemies, consumes people (though the player can choose whether to eat civilians or not), and has a hard backstory behind him. By the time the second game rolls around he's [[RogueProtagonist definitely no longer a hero]] - but no longer a sociopath, either.

* Interestingly, while ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}} IV'' is written with the clear expectation that you should be the diametric opposite of this, there is the fact that Virtues can't actually go below zero. So there's nothing stopping you from spending the first part of the game stealing, murdering city guards for money and experience, abusing the trust of blind herbalists by underpaying them for their services, and messing around with incredibly evil skulls... until you have a few levels under your belt, plenty of money, and reagents for your spells, at which point you turn into a living saint. Also, while giving money to beggars is Compassionate, doing so by giving one coin at a time (to maximise the reward) is questionable ethics.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Literature/{{Deviant}}: Insinuation, for a given value of "hero".
* Website/SFDebris AlternateCharacterInterpretation of [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Janeway]] is played like this (to the point of being the BigBad of the franchise). While it is done for humor there are several times where the Janeway in the show does something either as bad or ''worse'' than [=SFDebris=]-Janeway. In his review of "Latent Image", he compares his Janeway and the show's Janeway's solutions to the events of the episode. He gives up part way when he realizes that the real Janeway's solution was more extreme than her own ''parody''.
* Near the end of V3 of ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'', Dominica Shapiro [[HeelRealization realizes that she has become this]] [[spoiler: just before she throws herself at the terrorists' guns a-blazing in a bid to keep the escaping students safe, and to have some fun in the meanwhile]].

* Shadow Stalker of ''Literature/{{Worm}}''

* Xanauzumaki's AlternateCharacterInterpretation of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'' Link. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlibaEfqwKE From the first episode of Majora's Mask]]: (To the tune of the Hokey-Pokey) ''"You push your blade back in, you pull your blade back out, you push your blade back in, and you twist it all about. You stab and disembowel them until they start to shout, that's what it's all about, Second Verse!"''

* Mikoshiba Ryouma of ''Literature/WorteniaSenki'' is so into this that he bumps up against VillainProtagonist. He only cares about his own well-being, and the twin sister "War slave" sisters he owns, Lara and Sara. He cares not one whit about collateral damage and will do anything and everything he needs to in order to win a fight, except for sacrificing either one or both of Lara and Sara, even going so far as to buy children between 10 and 14 years old, ''by the thousands'', purely to make into soldiers for his army, and cares not a whit about collateral damage. He is considered extremely benevolent by comparison because the world he was dragged to ''is that much worse!''

* Fran, the 12-year-old deuteragonist of ''Literature/ReincarnatedAsASword'' is truly dedicated to the forces of good and even has the noble goal of "evolving" so people stop trying to genocide her race. Unfortunately, she needs to be given a reason to ''not'' kill people who annoy or antagonize her, and she sees nothing wrong with the liberal use of ColdBloodedTorture when she's seeking information regarding her current mission. She does have a nice FreudianExcuse that she was kidnapped and put into slavery shortly after her parents died, and was abused for four years, and her targets also prove themselves to be AssholeVictim bastards who deserve no mercy.

* This was part of Ayn Rand's SignatureStyle:

* Sgt. Bothari in Literature/VorkosiganSaga is a multiple rapist and murderer, who gets sexually excited by killing and when watching a pregnant prisoner be abused by her captors. Knowing this, he depends on the structure of his military service and the guidance of the lord and lady he serves to show him what is right and what is wrong.
** To be fair, the only crimes he is known to have committed were while under orders, and all but one were after he had been deliberately driven insane by torture and drugs by his commander. He may have committed others before he placed himself under orders in order to let others make decisions he knew he could not.

* Joab in [[Literature/BookOfSamuel the Book of Samuel]] is David's top general and supporter for his whole life, [[UndyingLoyalty loyal to God's chosen King]], a great warrior... and utterly ruthless and without remorse in his brutality, even killing Abner after he'd promised to serve David and admonishing his King for [[EvilCannotComprehendGood grieving his traitorous son Absolom]].

* Buttercup from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. While she is not evil, she has a massive LackOfEmpathy, [[BloodKnight a taste for fighting]], [[HairTriggerTemper a serious anger problem]], and is not above crippling the bad guys. "Makes Zen to Me", for example, has her brutally beating Fuzzy Lumpkins to the point of crippling him and leaving him in vegetable state, and although she had no knowledge of this, she willingly goes for a dinner without a hint of remorse. Yes she fights evil as much as her sisters but a disproportionately big part of it amounts to the pleasure that she gets from brutalising characters that she can get away with and still be classed as a hero, seeing as whenever she gets carried away even her teammates aren't safe from her bullying tendencies, especially Bubbles. And that's the people she actually cares about. She does seem however to also have a genuine dislike towards most villains (with the exception of Ace whom she considers following), so there is some sense of limits in her character.

* Stewie Griffin from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' started out as an incredibly {{sadist}}ic [[TheSociopath psychopath]] who constantly took advantage of situations, killed on a whim, and tried to kill his mother on multiple occasions. However, over the years, he TookALevelInKindness and occasionally fights enemies that are much worse than him. Sure, his homicidal and sadistic tendencies are still there, though not as much as before.

** Eric Cartman. When he is on the good side he'll still insult and suggest violent methods. He seems to be the default leader of the fourth grade boys in the case of a crisis, e.g. "Make Love Not Warcraft", "Marjorine", "The List". That said, his CharacterDevelopment has made him an HeroicComedicSociopath.
** Despite the fact that he is not nearly as malicious as Cartman, Kyle Broflovski has proved to be less sensitive than Stan and has had several moments where he has proved to be cold, callous, and willing to do reprehensible things, especially when his CharacterDevelopment comes into play.