History Main / TheDevilIsALoser

* ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'': PlayedWith regarding Skeletor, InUniverse several people (The Sorceress, Trioclops, Mer-Man) bring up the sheer number of times of times Skeletor has failed to succeed and his raging ego respectively. That said the series leans very heavily into NotSoHarmlessVillain territory regarding Skeletor as he is depicted as legitimately dangerous by way of being capable of cold blooded murder and surprisingly smart plans.

* Being the resident SatanicArchetype and god of the Greek underworld, EveryoneHatesHades in the Disney animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. He's got a job that's the cosmic equivalent of janitorial duty and is [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating looked down]] by his fellow gods. It's done to show how estranged and out-of-touch he is with them, and it's implied he's despised for the cruel way he treats mortals as pawns for his sick amusement. Even his lame pun is met with [[ToughRoom cold stares and silent scowls of contempt]]. But when Zeus makes a joke about his workaholic nature, the entire pantheon [[HypocriticalHumor bursts into laughter]], while Hades walks out in anger. The deep resentment for the unpleasant job he's currently in while his fellow gods get to lounge in Mount Olympus is what drives him to overthrow Zeus and condemn his fellow gods to Tartarus. Being the SoreLoser that he is, Hades also throws petty temper tantrums whenever his EvilPlan gets thwarted or when his minions fail to do his tasks. In the animated series, it's revealed there is a Deity Approval List among gods with Hades consistently holding the lowest rank. Ironically, the fan base really ''likes him'' because of his HairTriggerTemper and [[LargeHam hammy personality]].

* [[GodOfEvil Apep]] from ''Anime/OhSuddenlyEgyptianGod'' is portrayed as this, interrupting Ra's travels multiple times and failing to be so much as aknowledged ''once''! In his defense though, [[SarcasmMode Was anyone at their best]] [[AffectionateParody at that series]]?

-->-- ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''

* A rare instance where this is ''not'' played for laughs: in C. S. Lewis' ''Literature/{{Perelandra}}'', the Devil is perfectly capable of feats of supreme intelligence, strength, and many other virtues -- which is precisely the trouble; he doesn't really like to use them, ''because'' they're good things. He's a [[EvilIsPetty petty]], spiteful bastard who'll just as soon kill frogs or rip up chunks of turf for the pleasure of killing ''something'' as corrupt as an entire world.

[[folder:Comics]]
* Neron, Creator/DCComics's version of the Devil, fits often:

* ComicBook/{{Loki}}, brother of Thor, isn't technically ''the'' devil, but thanks to SadlyMythtaken and EveryoneHatesHades being in-play, he's often treated as if he is, with Loki being depicted as the God of Evil for some time. In which case it becomes this trope because the ''entire'' reason Loki is a villain is because the other Asgardians regard him as something of a nerd compared to them, and he got so sick of their shit he decided to start pulling pranks with his magic that eventually escalates to KillThemAll plots. A big part of Loki's CharacterDevelopment during the 2010s was him coming to realise that so long as he tries to be this, he'll be a predictable loser who always gets defeated, so he masterminded a complex gambit that eventually lead to several reincarnations that transformed him into a new entity that's neither good nor evil. So far, his term as a Chaotic Neutral entity has been more-or-less successful.

[[folder:Fanfic]]
* This is the premise of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' {{Mary Sue Hunter}}s story ''Fanfic/TheGameOfTheGods''. In it, [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]] attempts to derail the books by inserting various {{Mary Sue}}s in it, but ends up getting them killed through a loose grasp of the lore, the cleverness of his opponents, and sheer lack of common sense. By the end of the story, [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain he's become rather pitiable]].
* ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse:'' Tirek is, aside from [[RealityWarper Discord]], the most terrifying and dangerous villain in the setting. His power at its height was equal to [[PhysicalGod Celestia]], and the mere thought of him potentially escaping his prison panics Luna enough that she decides it's a better option to ''obliterate'' the island he'd escape onto, even though the Element Bearers are on it, rather than risk him getting out. [[spoiler:And he's been so utterly broken by what Luna did to him a thousand years ago, he's a broken shell of his former self, utterly afraid of leaving Tartarus. Not that he's got a problem with it.]]
-->'''Grogar:''' You have become nothing more than a wretched, pathetic coward.
-->'''Tirek:''' '''The cowards survive.'''

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/GoodSatan'' begins with Satan binging on junk food and reluctantly doing business on his couch. In Heaven, he is shunned by everyone and ignored. When Satan finds out that the SecondComing means redemption and admittance into Heaven, God deflates these hopes and tells him that that won't happen.
* ''Film/{{Bedazzled 1967}}'' contains possibly the most literal example ever, in which Satan [[spoiler: loses a wager with God and is sent to a VillainousBreakdown]].
* In the ''Film/{{Bedazzled 2000}}'' remake the Devil [[HotAsHell (a beautiful woman)]] grants wishes to a man in exchange for his soul, but each wish [[JackassGenie results in a humiliating failure]]. It turns out that the Devil is actually harmless, since [[spoiler: God owns all people's souls; they can't be sold!]] She's just a practical joker.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHauntedWorldOfElSuperbeasto'': Dr. Satan is not Satan himself but some nerdy guy styled after him. In other words, "the guy pretending to be the devil is a loser".
* Zigzagged in ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny''. Old Scratch wins the rock off here against the two protagonists (and his performance here is ''[[EvilIsCool wicked awesome]]'', hammed up by Music/{{Nirvana}} drummer Dave Grohl, who portrays him) but he’s OutGambitted in the end and banished back to Hell by the duo anyway.
* In the Brazilian movie ''Film/OAutoDaCompadecida'', the Devil appears as an AmoralAttorney trying to damn the main characters after their deaths. While he is depicted as a very sinister figure whom everyone else is scared shitless of, TheHero [[FearlessFool makes fun of him all the time]] because he [[EvilSmellsBad stinks of sulphur]]. The Devil also avoids looking at Jesus (who serves as the trial's judge) because his power is too holy for him to withstand and attempts to take his form in a pathetic attempt to emulate him. This trait is more pronounced in the original play, where he dresses himself in all white to pass himself as God.
* Being the resident SatanicArchetype and god of the Greek underworld, EveryoneHatesHades in the Disney animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. He's got a job that's the cosmic equivalent of janitorial duty and is [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating looked down]] by his fellow gods. It's done to show how estranged and out-of-touch he is with them, and it's implied he's despised for the cruel way he treats mortals as pawns for his sick amusement. Even his lame pun is met with [[ToughRoom cold stares and silent scowls of contempt]]. But when Zeus makes a joke about his workaholic nature, the entire pantheon [[HypocriticalHumor bursts into laughter]], while Hades walks out in anger. The deep resentment for the unpleasant job he's currently in while his fellow gods get to lounge in Mount Olympus is what drives him to overthrow Zeus and condemn his fellow gods to Tartarus. Being the SoreLoser that he is, Hades also throws petty temper tantrums whenever his EvilPlan gets thwarted or when his minions fail to do his tasks. In the animated series, it's revealed there is a Deity Approval List among gods with Hades consistently holding the lowest rank. Ironically, the fan base really ''likes him'' because of his HairTriggerTemper and [[LargeHam hammy personality]].

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light from ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}''. He even has a giant spoon in place of the usual pitchfork, and claims to be from ''Heck''. He's in charge of punishing small sins, like leaving the toilet seat up. He's a half-brother to the Pointy Haired Boss (and the Pointy Haired Boss was always their mom's favorite).
* From ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'':
--> '''The Devil''': (staring out his home window) Tell me, Margaret... Am I a butthead?
* In the Swedish comic ''Himmlens Änglar'' there is Fan, the Devil who is supposed to be the worlds greatest evil and yet his acts of villainy are hilariously petty and inept, with his most common trick being to try and make people slip on banana peels. He is also suffering from a serious case of ChronicHeroSyndrome, unable to stop himself from helping old ladies over the street, giving money to the poor and overall being a NiceGuy. He is aware of this and desperately tries to do something about his kindness, with zero success. It's to the point that even God is concerned about him.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'': Lucifer sucks at basic coding, game design, and is obsessed with girly ponies. He kidnaps souls and makes them play his games because they're just ''that'' bad.

* Being the resident SatanicArchetype and god of the Greek underworld, EveryoneHatesHades in the Disney animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''. He's got a job that's the cosmic equivalent of janitorial duty and is [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating looked down]] by his fellow gods. It's done to show how estranged and out-of-touch he is with them, and it's implied he's despised for the cruel way he treats mortals as pawns for his sick amusement. Even his lame pun is met with [[ToughRoom cold stares and silent scowls of contempt]]. But when Zeus makes a joke about his workaholic nature, the entire pantheon [[HypocriticalHumor bursts into laughter]], while Hades walks out in anger. The deep resentment for the unpleasant job he's currently in while his fellow gods get to lounge in Mount Olympus is what drives him to overthrow Zeus and condemn his fellow gods to Tartarus. In the animated series, it's revealed there is a Deity Approval List among gods with Hades consistently holding the lowest rank. Ironically, the fan base really ''likes him'' because of his HairTriggerTemper and [[LargeHam hammy personality]].

* The devil appears in the "Literature/TheStonesAreHatching" as a [[EldritchAbomination blot of pure darkness]] who comes to take the soul of Alexia's teacher in a flashback. However, he quickly turns out to be just as stupid as his folkloric counterpart when he is easily convinced by the teacher into going after his students instead, and then cannot even tell the difference between Alexia and her shadow, taking that instead.

* Conor [=McPherson=]'s play ''The Seafarer,'' has a character named Mr. Lockhart who is clearly a stand-in for good old Mr. Mephistopheles. He wastes an entire evening playing cards with a bunch of guys, some of whom are alcoholic, just to get one soul while tormenting him about his impending fate as much as possible, which truthfully is something typical for him, but this is NOT what makes him come across like a loser. No, what proves it is the exact WHY of his predatory behaviour, which becomes clear during a slowly-building VillainousBreakdown, where he all but openly cries about how much suffering his own choices have caused him and how sharing this suffering with the men that he manages to get his hands on is the only thing left to him.

* Conor [=McPherson=]'s play ''The Seafarer,'' has a character named Mr. Lockhart who is clearly a stand-in for good old Mr. Mephistopheles. He wastes an entire evening playing cards with a bunch of guys, some of whom are alcoholic, just to get one soul while tormenting him about his impending fate as much as possible, which truthfully is something typical for him, but this NOT what makes him come across like a loser. No, what proves it is the exact WHY of his predatory behaviour which becomes clear during a slowly-building VillainousBreakdown, where he all but openly cries about how much suffering his own choices have caused him and how sharing this suffering with the men that he manages to get his hands on is the only thing left to him.

* ''Film/GoodSatan'' begins with Satan binging on junk food and reluctantly doing business on his couch. In Heaven, he is shunned by everyone and ignored. When Satan finds out that the SecondComing means redemption and admittance into Heaven, God deflates these hopes and tells him that that won't happen.

** He was enslaved to Thanos during ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet saga. He was once humiliated by the ComicBook/BlackPanther by being cut off from his power and the crap beat out of him. He was OutGambitted by Doctor Doom. Then in ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' he gets completely played and humiliated by the Leader SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}} of all people. The Leader even taunts him when Mephisto threatens him, claiming that while Mephisto ''might'' be more evil than him, he's definitely smarter.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' episode "Hot, Bothered, and Bedeviled" has Yakko, Wakko, and Dot acccidentally ending up in Hell and tormenting Satan, who comes across as a complete chump even amongst the show's villains.

* Irish folklore tends to portray the Devil as a total sucker who will buy just about anything. This is in contrast with other traditions where a DealWithTheDevil will end up with the person who made it being the fool, thinking they could trick the devil. In most stories, the protagonists will get away with swindling the devil without consequences and souls intact, and in the few where they do suffer some consequences, they tend to result either from character flaws on the part of the protagonists or the devil being a sore loser. For instance, the tale of Jack O'Lantern, where he ensured that he could not be taken to hell but neglected to make sure that he could get into heaven, and for this oversight will eternally wander the earth, carrying a lantern to keep evil spirits away. It's not surprising for a culture that evolved wordplay to an art form and considered that if someone was swindled it was the victim's fault for being an idiot. St. Patrick may have changed that (driving the snakes/liars from Ireland), but early Irish Christians, reading the Bible, seem to have been very unimpressed with the devil's intelligence by comparison. Swindling the devil is still acceptable, with the ordinary human protagonists playing KarmicTrickster.

* ''VideoGame/SunlessSkies'' has the colony of Devils living at the Well of the Wolf. The place is so horrible they're actually relatively selfless and helpful simply because they're to worn down by living there to be evil anymore. It's implied that Chorister Bees use Devils as a chrysalis and these are the ones that the bees hatched from, which may contribute to their condition. Upon witnessing this, the Repentant Devil is visibly shaken to see what the Devils have been reduced to after the Exodus.

* In the True Cheater ending of ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', [[spoiler: Catherine's father, the demon Nergal appears when Vincent proposes to his daughter to try to intercede. He's completely harmless, gets [[GroinAttack kicked in the nads by his daughter]] for interrupting, seems more concerned with playing video games, and ultimately gets overthrown by Vincent when he turns into an Incubus and takes over Hell. The ending's last shot shows him being used as a couch on which Vincent and Catherine are making out.]]

It's most common in medieval and more traditional UsefulNotes/{{Christian|ity}} portrayals to show him as a thug, dangerous but also easy to fool and really only waiting for someone stupid enough to sin. If he's intelligent, its only something he puts on when its convenient and discards at the first possibility, since his hatred for {{God}} extends to hatred for the wisdom He provides. The InvertedTrope to this, where Satan is a stylish, seductive badass, is a modern invention largely derived from ''Theatre/DoctorFaustus''.

If the Devil's job sucks enough then he may decide to leave it to someone else altogether; see ToHellWithThisInfernalJob. If the Devil sucks at his job enough then someone else might take it from him; see HellHasNewManagement.

Its most common in medieval and more traditional [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christian]] portrayals to show him as a thug, dangerous but also easy to fool and really only waiting for someone stupid enough to sin. If he's intelligent, its only something he puts on when its convenient and discards at the first possibility, since his hatred for {{God}} extends to hatred for the wisdom He provides. The InvertedTrope to this, where Satan is a stylish, seductive badass, is a modern invention largely derived from ''Theatre/DoctorFaustus''.

* Swedish comic ''Himmlens Änglar'' has poor Fan who is this to such a degree that he's TheWoobie.

* In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E21SantaClaus Santa Claus]]" Mike Nelson sings "The Devil is a Wiener" to the tune of the soundtrack.