History Main / VileVillainLaughableLackey

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzag]] this with the Yiga Clan. It's {{Inverted}} in the relationship between their leader, Master Kohga, and the rest of the clan; while the generic Yiga Footsoldiers and Blademasters are portrayed as a genuinely dangerous threat (albeit with a few comedic quirks), Kohga is a portly, lazy, incompetent goofball who's played mostly for laughs. However it's PlayedStraight as the clan as a whole is working in service to the main antagonists of each game (an AnimalisticAbomination MadeOfEvil and the DemonKing Ganondorf, respectively), both of whom are absolute monsters who don't get even a single moment of levity.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': [[BigBad Charles Montgomery Burns]] is a horrible person who is willing to harm anyone and everyone for his own personal gain. His right-hand man, Waylon Smithers, on the other hand, is a genuinely nice guy (obedience to Mr. Burns and his creepy crush on him notwithstanding) who tries his best to help others, and is only evil due to his UndyingLoyalty to Burns.

* Harley Quinn in some of her appearances is this to ComicBook/TheJoker in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' thanks to her often being PlayedForLaughs in a less harmful way than The Joker usually is.

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' is an unusual case in several ways. [[SmallNameBigEgo Zim]] is a VillainProtagonist and an underling for TheEmpire, and characters from TheEmpire higher up than him are indeed far, ''far'' more capable, competent, and serious than Zim is. However, they don't actually care about conquering Earth: sending Zim to Earth is their idea of making him ReassignedToAntarctica.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Emperor Belos serves as the series' very stern and serious KnightOfCerebus [[BigBad main antagonist]] who lacks any quirks or visible redeeming qualities and whose ultimate goal [[spoiler:is [[FinalSolution the complete annihilation of life in the demon realm]] with only a scant few of its inhabitants aware of his monstrous plan]]. Meanwhile, the rank-and-file coven scouts and coven guards often have comical personal behaviors and their own personalities, with even the coven heads possessing some of their own quirks and behaviors, with even the most bloodthirsty one, Terra Snapdragon having her own funny BlackComedy type moments, something not even Belos has.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Hordak and Shadow Weaver are cold, cruel, and menacing, and Catra is self-destructive in ways that can be uncomfortable to watch. However, the bad guys also have Scorpia (who's big, kind, and ditzy) and Entrapta (a GenkiGirl MadScientist) to lighten the mood a bit.

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'': Sailor Iron Mouse wasn't a very serious villain, but when she failed, she was rightly [[TheMobBossIsScarier terrified]] of [[YouHaveFailedMe how her boss would react]]. Naturally, when Galaxia decided she’d had enough of Iron Mouse's failures, [[spoiler:she promptly appeared before her and removed her bracelets, killing her.]]

* ''Manga/SuperwomenInLove'' has villains that, for the most part, are utterly harmless. One is a [[GirlsLove yuri]] fetishist willing to interrupt her own allies when she sees it, one is an {{otaku}}, and one is functionally the otaku's caretaker. Only two villains are legitimately threatening: the co-protagonist who [[DefectingForLove defected for love]] in the first chapter, and X, [[BigBad the leader of the organization]]. Unlike the others, X is cunning and ruthless, constantly having the upper hand, willing to get her hands dirty, and very willing to play the long game. Even when she loses, she appears to take it completely in stride and is more amused by it than upset. Even when she just shows up to [[NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine take the main character on a dinner date]] to learn more about her and has no ulterior motives, she's significantly more threatening than the other three villains while fighting.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': The Yiga Clan and their leader Master Kohga are shown to be fairly goofy due to their obsession with bananas, their silly dialogue even when ambushing Link, and Kohga's FatBastard design. They all serve Calamity Ganon, an AnimalisticAbomination trying to [[LeakingCanOfEvil break its seal]] so it can destroy Hyrule.

** ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'': Scratch and Grounder have this dynamic with Dr. Robotnik. The pair are cartoonishly gormless goons, unlike Robotnik who, while comedically conceited and blundering, can be very a dangerous and worthy foe for a superhero like Sonic.
** ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl Snively]] was comical compared to his ruthless and evil uncle, Dr. Robotnik, who was treated as a clearer threat as a ruthless EvilOverlord in this take. However, Snively was known for insulting Robotnik behind his back and did have plans to overthrow him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'': Ivanod Spigot and Dunder, the two bumbling [[RedScare Thembrian air force men]], they are very comedic. Spigot is much more cruel than Dunder, but they both contrast with the much more threatening High Marshal.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]],'' Mother Brain may not be as dangerous as her ''[[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Metroid]]'' counterpart, but she is treated as a genuine threat by the characters. Her minions, [[VideoGame/KidIcarus Eggplant Wizard]] and [[VideoGame/PunchOut King Hippo]] however, are total failures whose antics provide most of the show's slapstick humour. Mother Brain both verbally and physically abuses the pair constantly. Averted whenever [[VideoGame/MegaMan Dr. Wily]], [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} Dracula]] or VideoGame/DonkeyKong show up, as they’re usually portrayed as more competent than King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard.

* ''WesternAnimation/LoliRock'': [[BigBad Gramorr]] is a ruthless and treacherous EvilSorcerer who will stop at nothing to take over Ephedia by destroying the princesses and acquiring the [[MineralMacGuffin Oracle Gems]]. He would have to rely on [[BrotherSisterTeam Praxina and Mephisto]] to accomplish this, but their track record of being defeated by the princesses every single time leaves them much to be desired. And while Praxina is at least [[DarkActionGirl competent and wicked enough to be a challenge]], the same can't be said about [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Mephisto]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': [[BigBad Mr. Burns]] is a horrible person who is willing to harm anyone and everyone for his own personal gain. His right-hand man, Smithers, on the other hand, is a genuinely nice guy (obedience to Mr. Burns and his creepy crush on him notwithstanding) who tries his best to help others, and is only evil due to his UndyingLoyalty to Burns.

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': [[MookCarryover Throughout the five seasons]], the Dark Hand [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Enforcers]] serve as easily beatable ComicRelief henchmen for the {{Arc Villain}}s.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Hel and Thrym in the sixth arc. Hel is the serious villain working towards her goal of [[spoiler:ending the world so all of the souls of the dwarves are condemned to her realm]] while her consort Thrym is a goofy DoggedNiceGuy who isn't taken seriously by Hel or Thor.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]],'' Mother Brain may not be as dangerous as her ''[[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Metroid]]'' counterpart, but she is treated as a genuine threat by the characters. Her minions, [[VideoGame/KidIcarus Eggplant Wizard]] and [[VideoGame/PunchOut King Hippo]] however, are total failures whose antics provide most of the show's slapstick humour. Mother Brain both verbally and physically abuses the pair constantly.

** [[HypercompetentSidekick Inverted]] in ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons''. "Bowler Hat Guy" is a [[LaughablyEvil laughably]] [[BigBadWannabe incompetent]] [[HarmlessVillain doofus]] who wastes a huge amount of time on plans that are either [[EvilIsPetty petty]], impractical or both, and never work because he [[DidntThinkThisThrough never actually plans ahead]]. [[spoiler:[[TheDogWasTheMastermind DOR-15]], on the other hand, is the [[DragonInChief real brains behind the operation]], a [[AIIsACrapshoot murderous robot]] using Bowler Hat Guy as a [[UnwittingPawn pawn in her schemes]] to take over humanity and rebuild it as a [[BadFuture terrifying, smog-choked dystopia]] in [[{{Egopolis}} her own image]]. DOR-15 has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and once a [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified Bowler Hat Guy]] has served her purpose in her plans for the Bad Future, she promptly [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness disposes of him]].]]

* ''VideoGame/JimmyAndThePulsatingMass'': The Petty Thugs are, as their name suggests, a group of petty thugs who mainly engage in PokeThePoodle acts like shaking people. Their employer, the titular Pulsating Mass, is a genuinely terrifying EldritchAbomination who aims to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy the world]] and single-handedly takes the game into SurpriseCreepy territory.

-> ''The unhinged man began to speak, in a phony accent. "I've got a delivery for a Mr. Bludvist, is there a Mr. Bludvist here?"\\

* Team Galactic's boss Cyrus in ''Manga/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure'' is a KnightTemplar OmnicidalManiac. The Galactic executives -- Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars -- are intimidating but this ability does not extend to grunts. B-2 is a near literal ButtMonkey who is constantly getting attacked on the butt and isn't a real threat. Subverted with some other Galactic grunts though [[spoiler:when they try to bomb a tournament]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'', the main villain is Mrs. Tweedy, a dead serious, totally merciless farmer who abuses her chickens (the protagonists) just because she can. Her HenpeckedHusband, Mr. Tweedy, is a ButtMonkey who provides some of the funniest lines in the movie.

** Pictured above from ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'': Creeper is comically drawn (by comparison) and cowardly and he routinely suffers the abuse of the terrifying Horned King. His eagerness to please his boss makes him paradoxically both a very cruel minion and a ridiculous lap-dog.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'': Lady Tremaine is never PlayedForLaughs, but her awkward daughters and [[BuffoonishTomCat buffoonish cat]] are. In a rarity for Disney, it's actually the buffoonish cat that gets the (apparent) DisneyVillainDeath rather than Tremaine ([[spoiler:he does appears in the sequels so, he survived]]).

** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameDisney''. Minister of Justice Claude Frollo is perhaps the darkest Disney villain of all time with his genocidal agenda and lust for Esmeralda. To contrast his primary lackeys Brutish and Oafish Guard are certainly unpleasant and dangerous but are subject to a lot more comedic comeuppance (their attempt to chase Esmeralda via CrowdSurfing leads to them receiving a hard landing, Brutish Guard gets sat on twice by Phoebus' horse Achilles). This is played straight with Frollo's {{Mooks}}; the rank-and-file are humiliated much more often while the visored soldiers are [[EliteMooks much more competent and dangerous]], giving Phoebus serious injuries by shooting him and breaking the cathedral's door enough that Frollo can enter.
** {{Inverted|Trope}}, but {{downplayed|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989''. Ursula is a cunning, manipulative BigBad, but has a bombastic, hammy and snarky personality to boot. Her eel minions, Flotsam and Jetsam, are creepy with only sporadic moments of comedy.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': The cunning, manipulative Scar has three stupid, unfocused and constantly bickering hyena minions. Very much downplayed, as the hyenas, despite their stupidity, [[NotSoHarmlessVillain can pose a real threat to the protagonists]] and in the end [[spoiler:they turn against their master and kill him]].

** [[HypercompetentSidekick Inverted]] in ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons''. "Bowler Hat Guy" is a [[LaughablyEvil laughably]] [[BigBadWannabe incompetent]] [[HarmlessVillain doofus]] who wastes a huge amount of time on plans that are either [[EvilIsPetty petty]], impractical, or both, and never work because he [[DidntThinkThisThrough never actually plans ahead]]. [[spoiler:[[TheDogWasTheMastermind DOR-15]], on the other hand, is the [[DragonInChief real brains behind the operation]], a [[AIIsACrapshoot murderous robot]] using Bowler Hat Guy as a [[UnwittingPawn pawn in her schemes]] to take over humanity and rebuild it as a [[BadFuture terrifying, smog-choked dystopia]] in [[{{Egopolis}} her own image]]. DOR-15 has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and once a [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified Bowler Hat Guy]] has served her purpose in her plans for the Bad Future, she promptly [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness disposes of him]].]]
** In ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', Hopper is a cruel, sadistic and dead-serious grasshopper, but his brother Molt is a bumbling and amicable MinionWithAnFInEvil. [[spoiler:Molt pulls a HeelFaceTurn at the end of the film after Hopper is lured into a trap and eaten by bird chicks.]]

* ''Film/OneHundredAndTwoDalmatians'': This Disney live-action sequel sees Cruella's butler Alonzo taking the role of the laughable lackey instead of Jasper and Horace. He has repeated ButtMonkey moments where his hand gets hurt in slapstick moments, particularly during his heists of puppies for Cruella's latest fur coat idea that requires the eponymous 102 dalmation puppies' skins, and it almost seems like his injured hand was intended to be symbolic of his villainy, [[spoiler:as he throws his sling off just as he's cementing his HeelFaceTurn near the film's climax]].

* ''Film/Carrie1976'': While [[AlphaBitch Chris Hargensen]] is [[AdaptationalJerkass even more horrible here than in the book,]] her boyfriend Billy Nolan has been DemotedToDragon in this version, and is a dim-witted buffoon who is mainly comic relief, and who Chris [[ManipulativeBitch plays like a fiddle]] throughout the whole movie.
* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': PlayedWith by [[Characters/MonsterVerseKingGhidorah King Ghidorah]]'s MultipleHeadCase. Ghidorah overall is extremely malevolent and dangerous, but the head named San/Kevin (the left-side head) is generally a goofball and a dunce, and for it he gets bitten and pushed around by the central head Ichi (who acts more serious and much more {{sadist}}ic).

* ''Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation'' has the threatening Dragon Lord, and his puny minion Wick.

** ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'' has [[DaddysLittleVillain Nadira]], the daughter of [[BigBad Ransik]]. While a legimate threat, Nadira is nonetheless a BrattyTeenageDaughter whose villainy mostly involves petty crimes likes stealing clothing and jewelry. This in a sharp contrast to Ransik's supervillainy, whose only comedic moments involve doting on Nadira.

* ''VideoGame/BugFables'': The Wasp King is a vile tyrant who is unfailingly brutal to his allies and enemies alike, and darkens every scene he appears in. His right hand man General Ultimax is a shrill goofball who thinks he's tougher than he really is, and when his boss fights go poorly for him, he's reduced to a cowering wreck who can only fight by frantically slapping the heroes in a mad panic.
* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'': Balrog is an anthropomorphic soap bar and a one-man GoldfishPoopGang who's pretty friendly to the heroes. He's partnered with Misery, a sorceress with a no-nonsense personality and who forces Balrog to do all the grunt work; however, both of them are subservient to the wearer of the Demon Crown. That person is Dr. Fuyuhiko Date, a MadScientist out to TakeOverTheWorld by turning the cute Mimigas into his personal zombie army.

* ''VideoGame/HeartOfDarkness'': TheMaster is a terrifying figure, but his most direct underling is a pink trunk-nosed servant, who looks and sounds comical, cowers in fear before the BigBad or the hero, and ends up helping Andy defeats his boss.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] again. She's just as dangerous as in her original film, and significantly more ambitious. Her sidekick? The bumbling WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}. To a lesser extent, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 the Gullwings]] also count but they quickly [[HeelFaceTurn switch sides]].

** Koramar, the captain of the ship at the Iron Docks, is confident in his army, even as they players slaughter them while working their way through the instance. His first mate Zoggosh is much savvier than his captain and is thus afraid of the players. As justified as his fears are, Zoggosh's cowardice is PlayedForLaughs, giving the two of them this dynamic.

** Professor Coldheart is a scheming CardCarryingVillain, but has a goofy and idiotic sidekick named Frostbite whose very character design is comical.

* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Taurus Bulba]] is a pretty intimidating and uncomical villain, whilst his trio of henchmen, Hammerhead, Hoof and Mouth, are depicted as pretty goofy.

** The witch Hydia is a scheming, calculating and evil, and has two inept daughters with no motivation for villainy who tend to serve as the butts of jokes and the target of their mother's abuse.

** Squirk is an immortal squid monster who wants to flood Dream Valley, who is assisted by the much smaller and less effective Crank, a miniature lobster, who spends most of his time on air getting punched about by his boss and their enemies.

* ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'': It's often hard to take Murky Dismal seriously, even if he is Rainbow Brite's nemesis through the series. In the premiere, he was working for an evil sorceror only known as "The King of Shadows" and while this setup lasted, Murky and the King of Shadows had this dynamic. After the King of Shadows' death and [[DragonAscendant Murky's promotion to]] BigBad status, Murky's idiotic assistant Lurky is even harder to take seriously than Murky, so he ends up creating this dynamic with him.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Hordak and Shadow Weaver are cold, cruel and menacing, and Catra is self-destructive in ways that can be uncomfortable to watch. However, the bad guys also have Scorpia (who's big, kind and ditzy) and Entrapta (a GenkiGirl MadScientist) to lighten the mood a bit.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Silverhawks}}'' has Mon*Star, his gang consisting of hardened, monstrous badasses with lethal machinery, all dangerous. Except for Mon*Star's YesMan (actually ''named'' Yes-Man), a timid, [[SnakePeople snake-like]] humanoid whose sole purposes seems to be operating the machine that exposes the Moon Star of Limbo's energy conveniently to Mon*Star's throne, and agreeing with everything Mon*Star says.

** In Season 2, the Trix were DemotedToDragon and the status stuck, but they weren't laughable until Season 3, when they repeatedly lost battles immediately upon engaging the Winx and began some minor infighting.
** In Season 7, Brafilius is a comical, bumbling villain who acts as a lackey for his more serious sister, Kalshara. [[spoiler:He eventually ends up having this dynamic with the Trix, who are once again serious.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'': The egyptian priests Hotep and Huy, being voiced by Creator/SteveMartin and Creator/MartinShort respectively, have their funny moments. Neither of the two Pharaohs that they work for do.

** Inverted in the Sun & Moon season where Jessie captures a [[BedsheetGhost Mimikyu]] who is always portrayed as a fairly competent opponent to Pikachu. Instead of capturing Pikachu, Mimikyu wants to kill him, making it a case of the Vile lackey to the Team Rocket Trio’s Laughable villains.

* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'': Dr. Fuyuhiko Date has this dynamic with Balrog. The Doctor is a MadScientist out to TakeOverTheWorld by turning the cute Mimingas into his personal zombie army, while Balrog is an anthropomorphic soap bar and a one-man GoldfishPoopGang who's pretty friendly to the heroes.

* ''Film/SkyHigh2005'': The villain Royal Pain is a villain whose [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds sympathetic backstory]] produced a lifetime of bitterness and a desire for vengeance, and who turns [[FauxAffablyEvil genuinely nasty]] during a climax that comes as close to evoking a [[SpreeKiller school shooting]] as you can get in a PG-rated Disney family comedy. Royal Pain's henchman Stitches, meanwhile, is PracticallyJoker minus any of the competence, existing mainly as the butt of jokes, his master's [[TheChewToy chew toy]], and [[spoiler:a cover story for Royal Pain's SecretIdentity as Gwen Grayson, posing as her father]].

* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'': Experiment 625, AKA Reuben, works for the series' main villain Gantu. While Reuben has all of Stitch's abilities, he has zero motivation and isn't serious at all. Played around with since Reuben's laziness often led to Gantu being the sole ButtMonkey of all their failed schemes, with a lot of the former's snark stemming from it.