History Main / VillainByDefault

* {{Justin Bieber}}. Just {{Justin Bieber}}, it is obvious.

* [[Justin Bieber]]. Just [[Justin Bieber]], it is obvious.

* Subverted to hell and back again on ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'' with '''ThoseWackyNazis'''! No, really! Have we already mentioned that this manga is bizarre? To elaborate: At first, the Nazis are seen trying to revive an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ancient race of fossilized Mesoamerican vampires]], most likely for the sake of harnessing their power. However, later on it's revealed [[spoiler:that they were investigating them, from the very beginning, for the sake of finding [[{{Immortality}} a way to eliminate them]], as their resurrection would mean the end of the human race]]. While they get some KickTheDog, they ultimately cooperate with the heroes by virtues of there being a GreaterScopeVillain. They even give the hero, [[TheTrickster Joseph Joestar]], [[spoiler:a cool mechanical hand as a thank-you gift after he lost it in the final battle]].

[[caption-width-right:350:So he's a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]], a [[TheUndead Zombie]], and a [[YouDirtyRat Rat]]. [[PoorJudgeOfCharacter Must be a good guy.]]]]

* [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]] and similar beings.

* Quite simply ''everyone'' in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. When every major race in a setting is listed in ScaryDogmaticAliens, you know you're not looking at a happy galaxy. And it's not only human POV. For example, Eldars consider humans childish and ignorant at best while sharing humanity's views on other aliens.

** The bounty hunters in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', including Boba Fett, are portrayed (however briefly) as an unsavory bunch. Boba Fett, however, became unexpectedly popular, and has since been portrayed as a VillainProtagonist in a number of spinoff works.

* {{Necromancer}}s

* Subverted to hell and back again on ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'' with '''ThoseWackyNazis'''! No, really! Have we already mentioned that this manga is bizarre? To elaborate: At first, the Nazis are seen trying to revive an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ancient race of fossilized Mesoamerican vampires]], most likely for the sake of harnessing their power. However, later on it's revealed [[spoiler:that they were investigating them, from the very beginning, for the sake of finding [[{{Immortality}} a way to eliminate them]], as their resurrection would mean the end of the human race]]. While they get some KickTheDog, they ultimately cooperate with the heroes by virtues of there being a GreaterScopeVillain. They even give the hero, [[CrazyAwesome Joseph]] [[TheTrickster Joestar]], [[spoiler:a cool mechanical hand as a thank-you gift after he lost it in the final battle]].

'''Demonization:''' Oftentimes a character's occupation is not inherently evil, but has been demonized by Hollywood. Some examples would be [[EgomaniacHunter hunters]] (because they're bloodthirsty killers), land developers (who "rape the environment"), [[AmoralAttorney lawyers]] (who prey on others' misfortune, and [[EvilLawyerJoke just because they're lawyers]]) or [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate CEOs]] (because they're money-hungry). And don't forget scientists (especially those dealing with anything nuclear or genetic), who're often depicted as {{Mad Scientist}}s. Once demonized in the story, these ones are treated just as evil as a Nazi, terrorist, etc. For positions of Gods, the ones involving the Dead and Death almost inevitably [[EverybodyHatesHades get this treatment]]. Note that this has a postmodern effect, in that many people may now actually see such professions as wicked in and of themselves; on the other hand (and in all fairness), these tend to be professions that annoy people in the first place.

If the protagonist of the story is an AntiHero, such as a vigilante or mob boss, or is [[ClearMyName wrongly accused]], then any form of law enforcement will be the antagonist. Whether this is because they are ineffective, corrupt, [[InspectorJavert well-meaning-but-misinformed]], or just in the protagonist's way depends on the specific story.

* Tobacco company executives
* [[DirtyCommunists Communists]], especially for works written in the Western countries during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Even more so if they're actual KGB agents. The only exception is works made during World War II, when the Soviet Union was on the Allies's side.

* Especially if the hero is poor or common-born, there is a tendency that AristocratsAreEvil and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive the rich]] are often this way

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Being a comic book universe with a lot of BlackAndWhiteMorality (as most comic book universes have), the heroes of the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' have faced off against a metric buttload of bad guys who were villains by default. [[EvilLawyerJoke Corrupt lawyers]], gangsters, [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels bikers]], [[ProfessionalKiller hitmen]], big game hunters, [[ThoseWackyNazis neo-nazis]], [[CorruptCorporateExecutive evil businessmen]], white supremacists, [[HollywoodSatanism satanists]], [[ReligionOfEvil various other cultists]], voracious aliens, terrorists of every stripe and creed. And of course your average supervillain is in it for the greed and the breaking things. The number of villains that introduced shades of gray could be counted on one hand.
[[/folder]]

* {{Serial killer}}s (Unless they [[SerialKillerKiller only kill bad people]])
* {{Serial rapist}}s (as well as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rapists in general]])

** The bounty hunters in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', including Boba Fett, are portrayed (however briefly) as an unsavory bunch.

* [[DirtyCommunists Communists]], especially for works written in the Western countries during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Even more so if they're actual KGB agents.

Nazis and neo-Nazis are possibly the ultimate example of modern cinematic Villain by Default characters, since these need no additional characterization - most of society agrees Nazis were evil simply by [[ThoseWackyNazis being Nazis]], and neo-Nazis are even more evil because they're the really dedicated ones (as opposed to the occasional Nazi that was conscripted).

* [[TheAggressiveDrugDealer Drug dealers]]

'''Demonization:''' Oftentimes a character's occupation is not inherently evil, but has been demonized by Hollywood. Some examples would be [[EgomaniacHunter hunters]] (because they're bloodthirsty killers), land developers (who "rape the environment"), [[AmoralAttorney lawyers]] (who prey on others' misfortune, and just because they're lawyers) or [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate CEOs]] (because they're money-hungry). And don't forget scientists (especially those dealing with anything nuclear or genetic), who're often depicted as {{Mad Scientist}}s. Once demonized in the story, these ones are treated just as evil as a Nazi, terrorist, etc. For positions of Gods, the ones involving the Dead and Death almost inevitably [[EverybodyHatesHades get this treatment]]. Note that this has a postmodern effect, in that many people may now actually see such professions as wicked in and of themselves; on the other hand (and in all fairness), these tend to be professions that annoy people in the first place.

[[caption-width-right:350:So he's a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]], a [[TheUndead Zombie]], and a [[YouDirtyRat Rat]]. [[PoorJudgeOfCharacter Must be a good guy.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:So he's a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]], a [[TheUndead Zombie]], and a [[YouDirtyRat Rat]]. Must be a good guy.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:So he's a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]], a [[TheUndead Zombie]], and a [[YouDirtyRat Rat]]. [[SarcasmMode Must be a good guy.]]]]

* Anyone or anything in a SciFi show that claims to be a deity, [[NoSuchThingAsSpaceJesus even (or especially) if they have a good case.]]

* [[KnightTemplar Religious Fanatics]], especially ones who employ terror tactics (also, on the other end of the spectrum and less commonly portrayed, [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions militant atheists]])

Close relatives of AlwaysChaoticEvil, these characters are defined morally and narratively by ''what'' they are, rather than ''who'' they are. Inevitably, the Villain by Default is a member of an organization or class that society as a whole has agreed is evil. For this reason, they require little to no additional characterization to cement their position in the story or motives, and in fact, most Villain by Default characters receive none. Much of the time having to show a MoralEventHorizon for those characters might seem redundant, given that they were obviously beyond it with their whole criminal lifestyle.

* Soldiers, who are often portrayed as either as [[ArmiesAreEvil explicitly this]] or as a NobleProfession, depending on setting and often on the author's politics. When the former, they will either be AxCrazy or FacelessMooks - or [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Bandits by Any Other Name]], especially if this is a civil war/uprising/feud/separatist movement. Of course, what side they are on will also be a huge factor. In the majority of post-Vietnam media, soldiers on either side who participate in combat missions are portrayed as an example of GreyAndGreyMorality.

* [[PsychoForHire Mercenaries]].

* People who are [[InsaneEqualsViolent psychotic]]

Contrast with NobleProfession, where a character is stereotypically ''good'' because of their career path.