History Main / VillainousWidowsPeak

* Both Norman Osborn and his son Harry have one in ''Franchise/SpiderMan''.

* {{Dracula}} is usually portrayed in films and other adaptations as having one. It's since a requisite part of the ClassicalMovieVampire's appearance. Especially so since the HammerHorror versions in which Dracula is played by ChristopherLee.
* [[StarWars Grand Moff Tarkin]]. Well he ''is'' played by PeterCushing....

A form of ShowTheForehead that can overlap with ForeheadOfDoom. See also BaldOfEvil, where there's no hair left up top.

* Notably [[PlayingWithATrope employed]] in the RealLife deliberately shaven ''sakayaki'' tonsure of historical {{Samurai}}, supposedly developed along with the topknot (''chonmage'') to allow a better fit when wearing a helmet. Younger Samurai were obliged only to shave and shape their [[ShowTheForehead immediate hairline]] into a highly defined widow's-peak, but older Samurai would extend the tonsure [[ForeheadOfDoom well past]] the crown, while retaining the widow's peak for as long as age-induced baldness would allow, [[ShortHairWithTail sometimes growing]] their topknots into shapes that could be folded back over the tonsure, improbably making this style overlap with both BaldOfAwesome and a comb-over. This fashion was gradually adopted by the wider Japanese culture in latter periods, but is now only seen, like topknots themselves, on sumo wrestlers.

* GhostRider foe Lilith is a pretty extreme case.

* Mephisto and Lilith from ''Film/GhostRider''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', all three members of the Fire Nation royal family have widow's peaks, though none of them very pronounced.

* Black Manta II from ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''.

[[quoteright:350:[[DragonBallZ http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vegeta_majinsaga_8987.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:His forehead tells us he's not exactly a nice guy.]]

In real life, the widow's peak (a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead) is a result of a lower-than-usual position of the intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead and is a dominant inherited trait. The term widow's peak is from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead is an omen of early widowhood.

* Vegeta from ''Manga/DragonBall'', as seen in the trope picture, as well as Raditz.

* TheJoker.

* In AlanMoore's ''TopTen'' story "Deadfellas", in which Hungarian vampires are analogous to [[TheMafia Sicilian mobsters]], the younger vampires laugh at the older "vidow's peak Vlads" for their horror-movie behavior and dress style, much as the {{real life}} "Mustache Petes" were derided and ousted by younger and less honor-bound mobsters.

* There are several characters from TheTriganEmpire who have this, mostly villains.

* Oddly enough, JohnnyTremain's widow's peak is described in-story as a sign of ''wisdom''. Presumably the trope has changed over time.

* Eddie Munster from ''Series/TheMunsters''.
* Dr. Chaotica from the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' holodeck program "The Adventures of Captain Proton". As an {{expy}} of Ming the Merciless, it's required.

* Tywin Lannister in ''GameOfThrones''. Justified because it is actor's Charles Dance real hair, while the character's counterpart from the ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' books sports a BaldOfEvil after completely shaving his head

** Dracule, of course, bears one as well during his apparition here.

* Ryo Narushima from ''Manga/Shamo''.

* Ghost Rider foe Lilith is a pretty extreme case.

* Savinkov from ''VideoGame/KGB''.

* Maximilian from ''VideoGame/Rochard''.

* Serafine Savoy from ''Webcomic/Lackadaisy''.

* The Duelist from ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011''.

!!Examples

* In AlanMoore's ''TopTen'' story "Deadfellas", in which Hungarian vampires are analogous to [[TheMafia Sicilian mobsters]], the younger vampires laugh at the older "vidow's peak Vlads" for their horror-movie behavior and dress style, much as the {{real life}} "Mustache Petes" were derided and ousted by younger and less honor-bound mobsters.

* Vegeta from ''Manga/DragonBall'', as seen in the trope picture.

* DoctorStrange had one when first introduced (as a good-but-unnerving "master of black magic" who was meant to seem vaguely demonic). He still has it, but it's milder now that he's an unambiguous hero.

* In the ''StarTrekEnterprise'' two-parter "In a Mirror Darkly", Mayweather's MirrorUniverse counterpart has a widow's peak.

* Although less pronounced than most of the examples on this page, all three members of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Nation royal family]] have widow's peaks.
* A young Dr. Wily had one in the Series/MegaMan cartoon.
* Though not as pronounced as other examples, Vlad Masters of WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom clearly has one, furthering his vampire-like appearance.

In real life, the widow's peak (a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead) is a result of a lower-than-usual position of the intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead. The term widow's peak is from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead is an omen of early widowhood.

* {{Dracula}} is usually portrayed in films and other adaptations as having one. It's since a requisite part of the ClassicalMovieVampire's appearance. Especially so since the HammerHorror versions in which Dracula is played by ChristopherLee.
** In AlanMoore's ''TopTen'' story "Deadfellas", in which Hungarian vampires are analogous to [[TheMafia Sicilian mobsters]], the younger vampires laugh at the older "[[VillainousWidowsPeak vidow's peak]] Vlads" for their horror-movie behavior and dress style, much as the {{real life}} "Mustache Petes" were derided and ousted by younger and less honor-bound mobsters.
** Otto von Chriek from {{Discworld}} is not a villain, but he tries to evoke the ClassicalMovieVampire look and therefore has one.
* Julian from ''KindredTheEmbraced''.
* {{Satan}} sometimes has one.
** FrankZappa's 'Titties & Beer' features the devil as a little guy with a red suit and widow's peak.
** MarvelUniverse villain and Satan-expry Mephesto has one.

* TheRiddler is more often than not depicted as having one.

* Eddie Munster from ''TheMunsters''.
* Vegeta from ''DragonBallZ''.
* In Alexander Kazantsev's ''Destruction of Faena'', the eponymous planet is inhabited by the two "races": the "longfaces" (humans who have the widow's peak) and "roundheads" (the rest), with the former generally being major assholes who [[FantasticRacism believe themselves to be the master race]]. Kazantsev was probably satirizing the racism based on the skin color with this one.
* Raven actually ''[[ArtEvolution grew]]'' one over the course of the ''New ComicBook/TeenTitans'', eventually inspiring a plot concerning her father Trigon.

* Dr. Fu Manchu "with a face like Satan" is sometimes represented as having one.
* Dr. Chaotica from the ''StarTrekVoyager'' holodeck program "The Adventures of Captain Proton". As an Expy of Ming the Merciless, it's required.

* The Master from ''Series/DoctorWho'' had one of these in some of his incarnations. Most noticeably on Roger Delgado.
** They gave Roger Delgado that widow's peak for the role--I guess they thought it looked more sinister than a receding hairline. (They also widened the white streaks in his beard.)

* Although less pronounced than most of the examples on this page, all three members of the [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Fire Nation royal family]] have widow's peaks.
* In the ''StarTrekEnterprise'' two-parter "In a Mirror Darkly", Mayweather's MirrorUniverse counterpart has a widow's peak.
* [[SternTeacher Mrs. Jeepers]] in [[BaileySchoolKids the Bailey School Kids series]] is described as having one, and her students suspect that she is a vampire.

* A young Dr. Wily had one in the Series/MegaMan cartoon.
* Hikawa of ''[[ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne]]'' has a very impressive one.
* Gene Simmons of {{KISS}} has a very prominent one while in make-up.
* Kazuya Mishima of the {{Tekken}} series sports one, as well as the appropriately malevolent demeanor.
* ''{{Sinfest}}'' depicts both the devil and his "[[ReligionOfEvil fanboy]]" with one.
* Notably [[PlayingWithATrope employed]] in the RealLife deliberately shaven ''sakayaki'' tonsure of historical {{Samurai}}, supposedly developed along with the topknot (''chonmage'') to allow a better fit when wearing a helmet. Younger Samurai were obliged only to shave and shape their [[ShowTheForehead immediate hairline]] into a highly defined widow's-peak, but older Samurai would extend the tonsure [[ForeheadOfDoom well past]] the crown, while retaining the widow's peak for as long as age-induced baldness would allow, [[ShortHairWithTail sometimes growing]] their topknots into shapes that could be folded back over the tonsure, improbably making this style overlap with both BaldOfAwesome and a comb-over. This fashion was gradually adopted by the wider Japanese culture in latter periods, but is now only seen, like topknots themselves, on sumo wrestlers

* Oberyn Martel of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' has one, and while not totally unsympathetic is a jerk who will go for AnythingThatMoves and is known for fighting with [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned weapons]].
* Though not as pronounced as other examples, Vlad Masters of DannyPhantom clearly has one, furthering his vampire-like appearance.
* [[StarWars Grand Moff Tarkin]]. Well he ''is'' played by PeterCushing....
* Evil Willow in {{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}.
* DoctorStrange had one when first introduced (as a good-but-unnerving "master of black magic" who was meant to seem vaguely demonic). He still has it, but it's milder now that he's an unambiguous hero.

* Maxie of ''PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' fame has this, though he's more a WellIntentionedExtremist than anything else. There's also Lawrence III, from the second movie.

[[DragonBallZ http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vegeta_majinsaga_8987.jpg]]
[[caption-width:320:His forehead tells us he's not exactly a nice guy.]]

* Ming the Merciless in ''FlashGordon'' may or may not have had one, but the metal skullcaps he wore were clearly evocative of that shape.

[[redirect:VillainousVidowsPeak]]