History Main / WickedCultured

* [[VillainProtagonist Alex]] from ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'' dresses in the heighth of fashion, speaks in a most gentlemanly goloss, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick beats and rapes random strangers]] to the strains of Beethoven's Ninth. He's possibly a TropeCodifier; he ''was'' doing all of this almost twenty years before [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]]. Alex's affinity for music especially places him into this category, and [[JerkAss he will fist you skorry on the rot]] if you dare to interrupt the opera ''Das Bettzeug''.

* Although he's a terrifying BodyHorror (it's implied that he "[=ReMade=]" himself by choice), the gangster Mr. Motley of ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'' is definitely this. He's well informed about what's going on in the avant-garde art scene and has this very SophisticatedAsHell way of speaking in which in a cultured voice and with [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Big Words]], he talks about things like his philosophy on life and which of his rivals he plans to kill.

* [[Literature/{{Nightrunner}} Lynn Flewelling]] apparently is ''in love'' with them.. "Nightrunners" gives us first Lord Mardus. Gentleman, with high intellect and large interests, which are just as broad as the ones of one main character. Extraordinarily well mannered. Polite even to the prisoner he plans to bloodily sacrifice. Really, if you didn't know [[spoiler: he aspires becoming the Avatar of a God of Destruction]] you'd really like him. Later Ulan (who starts out not really a villain but extremely pragmatic. And sadly if the main characters achieved their goal his clan would suffer, [[NothingPersonal so]] [[spoiler:Later it turns out that not only HE is responsible for the mess of Seregil's life, he also doesn't hesitate supporting rather nasty experiments just to prolong his life.]] ... and then we met Yakobin. Nice fellow. Has a good taste of tea. And dislikes beatin up his sleves more than necessary - actually he is REALLY civilized and intelligent. Oh, have I mentioned he is an [[spoiler: alchemist who creates [[CreepyChild child-like clones of you]] to brew some medicine of them and kills them when they won't fit your expectations? Just to make you suffer the whole creation process once again?]]. The ''Tamír'' triad again gives us Nyrin. Court wizard. Soft-spoken. Well mannered. Handsome. Apparently a good lover if you happen to be his mistress. Oh... and aspiring to rule from the shadows. And more or less directly responsible for countless assassinations of female members of the royal bloodline.

* General Zaroff from "Literature/TheMostDangerousGame" is your typical aristocratic big game hunter, with an eloquent manner and a taste for the final things in life. He's also a depraved serial killer.

* Vlad the Impaler in ''Literature/CountAndCountess''. Cruel, sadistic, and ruthless in his quest to "free Christendom," he is nevertheless learned in the history of past civilizations and can refer back to Scripture off the top of his head. And he likes traditional Romanian dance.

* ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' has Machiavelli. Well-dressed, well-spoken in an absurd amount of languages, esteemed art collector...and MagnificentBastard immortal in service to an evil god.
* After concluding his DeadPersonImpersonation in the first novel by forging a will from his impersonee leaving everything to himself, VillainProtagonist Tom Ripley of the ''Literature/{{Ripliad}}'' novels lives the good life in a French chateau, becoming a talented dabbler in art (both as an expert and as a painter), music, and fine cuisine. In between entertaining guests, he likes to amuse himself by carrying out odd jobs for gangsters, and once in a while (i.e. at least once per novel) kills the odd person who gets too close to exposing his past

* Most Forsaken in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' fit this trope perfectly. Not surprising, given that they are from a much more civilized time where they were among the highest-ranked scholars and wizards in the world. [[TheDragon Ishamael/Moridin]] is probably the most obvious; a handsome, well-dressed man who lives in his own elegant palace in the middle of [[GardenOfEvil the Blight]] and is fond of chatting metaphysics with his Archenemy in-between attempts to kill each other, all in spite of being a nihilistic OmnicidalManiac. Asmodean (a passionate musician who was already a renowned performer as a child) and Graendal (a former psychologist who actually has fairly sophisticated tastes, as much as she'd like you to think she's a vapid hedonist) are up there too.
* Zeljan Kurst, one of the leaders of SCORPIA in ''Literature/AlexRider'', was formerly the head of the Yugoslavian secret police and one of their chief interrogators. He had a love of classical compositions, particularly Mozart, and would often conduct sessions with one of these playing in the background. Prisoners who survived could never again hear that specific composition.

** [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn]]. The guy collects art. Then he studies it, [[AwesomenessByAnalysis learns the loopholes in the creators' culture]], [[MagnificentBastard uses them to steer them into the exact position he wants them]], and systematically [[CurbStompBattle beats them]] until they surrender. The one time he was unable to gain insight through a culture's art, he was forced to utterly destroy them, although he still looks at their art and believes that he's finally starting to understand (this species, tellingly, was the Khaleesh - the most well-known of which is General Grievous). He's even able to acknowledge the artistry in [[spoiler:his own assassination]]. Thrawn's [[AffablyEvil Affably Imperial]] and in some depictions, he's [[OfficerAndAGentleman not strictly a bad guy]], and always [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]].

* In many ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' continuities, Brainiac 5's unfathomable intelligence causes him to start out as an InsufferableGenius, then slowly becoming more and more sinister.

* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'': V is a VillainProtagonist with a good cause, and he applies this trope to himself, quoting the line, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm [[ManOfWealthAndTaste a man of wealth and taste]]," from the Rolling Stones's "Sympathy for the Devil." He plays the piano, writes his own songs, grows roses, has an enormous vocabulary (most of it starting with "V")... He has a reason - his art collection is 'rescued' from the CulturePolice, and his over-eloquent theatrics are meant to be a contrast to the bland and menacing fascist government.

* Lord Cedric from ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' has two passions: ancient books and deception. Fittingly, his home on Earth doubles as a bookshop with a preference for ancient books and he has many contacts among booksellers, and has deceived people from the very first story until [[spoiler: his death]], with one victim falling in his deception in spite of being forewarned to not trust him (Cedric even described ''exactly'' what the poor victim was thinking).
* The eponymous protagonist of ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'' is a merciless murderer and an {{Impossible Th|eft}}ief, but is also a fine collector of arts, has created a collection from his most beautiful loots, and took offense at Ginko thinking he'd steal a priceless but objectively ''horrible'' golden statue.

* While the Evronian from ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'' are introduced as a race of ruthless and brutal EmotionEater aliens, Branch Leader Gorthan is one: unlike others, he has developed emotions (though not at the extent of humans) and a deep fascination with Earth culture. He's introduced quoting Shakespeare to his confused underlings, in his second appearance he quotes the Little Prince as he's about to crash on Earth and, after revealing that his time is limited, [[OneLastSmoke asks for a good book]]. In the reboot he's a connoisseur of Evronian culture, even going as far as losing himself in a simulation machine which makes him the hero of an ancient Evronian saga. That being said, he's still an evil conqueror from an alien planet.

* Say what you want about Bob from ''ComicBook/GetJiro'', but he clearly has an appreciation for the foreign cuisine he specializes in. His first scene shows him preparing ''Blanquette de veau'' as a demonstration to his staff, practices proper sushi etiquette at Jiro's establishment (which has been established as SeriousBusiness to Jiro) and bemoans to him that it's the kitschy establishments that keeps his businesses stable.

Compare the less sinister VillainsOutShopping, VillainousFashionSense, and ManOfWealthAndTaste. Contrast with LowerClassLout (for an uneducated and uncultered villain). The exact opposite of this is a GentlemanAndAScholar (unless he is AffablyEvil). Someone who keeps trying to be this but whose plans end up ''less'' clear, simple, and effective may have a ComplexityAddiction, or might only be WickedPretentious.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's al Ghul]] is always portrayed as this. [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler the Riddler]] and [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]] often are as well, although they're more DependingOnTheWriter. [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] is sometimes this, but is just as often shown as WickedPretentious.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's al Ghul]] is always portrayed as this, as are [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler the Riddler]], [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]], although they're more DependingOnTheWriter. [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] is sometimes this, but is just as often shown as WickedPretentious.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] is usually portrayed as being this, as is [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler the Riddler]], [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow the Scarecrow]], and [[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's al Ghul]].
** {{Subverted|Trope}} in one issue of ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'' which portrays the Penguin as ''claiming'' to be cultured, and to be improving his {{Mooks}}' minds, but actually having DelusionsOfEloquence, and flying into a rage if one of them actually knows enough to point this out. (This is in keeping with his portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', especially "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE47BirdsOfAFeather Birds of a Feather]]", where he genuinely believes he's fitting into high society, while they see him as a joke.)

** Film/DrNo spent one million dollars on an underground fish tank, and [[HistoricalInJoke stole]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._No_(film)#Filming Goya's portrait of Wellington]].

->''"I'm the bon vivant of violence, a licensed psychiatrist''
->''Who dines on highest society to the sound of violins!"''
-->-- '''[[Literature/SilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]]''', ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory''

** {{Subverted|Trope}} in one issue of ''ComicBook/BatmanAdventures'' which portays the Penguin as ''claiming'' to be cultured, and to be improving his {{Mooks}}' minds, but actually having DelusionsOfEloquence, and flying into a rage if one of them actually knows enough to point this out. (This is in keeping with his portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', especially "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE47BirdsOfAFeather Birds of a Feather]]", where he genuinely believes he's fitting into high society, while they see him as a joke.)

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:

** Loki in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' shows great knowledge of Midgardian history, noting that humans love to follow strong leaders. In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' he's shown to be an avid reader. His mother Frigga sends him books to his prison cell to appease him.
** N'Jadaka/Killmonger in ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', despite a major part of his character being his general ''disrespect'' for Wakanda (or most anyone else), reveals a detailed knowledge of old African artifacts as what might be a side effect of his search for loose Vibranium. Of course, [[WickedPretentious he lacks as much cultural respect for those as he does anything else]], only concerned with how they might benefit him and stealing one that ''wasn't'' from Wakanda simply because "it looked cool."
** Xu Wenwu, the [[spoiler: real Mandarin]], in ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'', shows signs of this, as evident by how [[spoiler: he decided to refrain from killing Trevor Slattery - the fake Mandarin from ''Film/IronMan3'' - for mischaracterizing him purely because Wenwu found Slattery's one-man performances of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' entertaining.]]

* [[Comicbook/TheJoker Jeremiah Valeska]] on ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' is an example. He was a child prodigy, becoming an engineer before the age of fifteen, and he seems to be knowledgeable in other scientific fields, like physics and chemistry. He’s also a fan of classic movies, and is almost never seen wearing anything but tailored (though [[ColorCodedCharacters eccentrically]] colored) suits.

Compare the less sinister VillainsOutShopping, VillainousFashionSense, and ManOfWealthAndTaste. Contrast with LowerClassLout (for an uneducated and uncultered villain). The exact opposite of this is a GentlemanAndAScholar (unless he is AffablyEvil). Someone who keeps trying to be this but whose plans end up ''less'' clear, simple, and effective may have a ComplexityAddiction.

* Dr. Hannibal Lecter, as he appears in ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', is as fitting an example as his [[Literature/RedDragon literary]] and [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs film]] counterparts, if not more so because the series is set before his discovery and incarceration by the FBI. He enjoys the finest wines and coffees, going so far as to create a custom beer reserve that's brewed in Cabernet Merlot barrels to impart a wine flavour (and incidentally brains), enjoys the local opera, has gorgeous artworks on display in his home and office and wears very expensive and stylish suits. It all stems from Hannibal's AGodAmI and his innate need to demonstrate his superiority over others.

*** All things considered, Megatron certainly fits the bill. From his aristocratic accent to his quoting Earth literature, one doesn't doubt that if it had been possible for him to sip a nice chilled glass of red, BW Megatron would have been. Perhaps while doing the SlouchOfVillainy in his command-chair or soaking in his energon hot tub. The fact that he bathes with a rubber ducky manages to reduce his cultured aura not one bit, impressively. Also he strokes his T-rex head arm while in his robot form, the same way Franchise/JamesBond villain Blofeld caresses his pet cat.

---> '''Dinobot:''' [[spoiler: Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly. [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} The rest... is silence]]...]]

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Lestat is a ruthless vampire who's also very into fine clothing, food and opera.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Lestat is a ruthless vampire who's also very into find clothing, food and opera.

** [[MadScientist Sinister]] is an intellectual who uses quotes from people like T. S. Eliot and Alfred Lord Tennyson as {{Trigger Phrase}}s for his brainwashed TykeBomb.

* Sigfried in ''Film/GetSmart'' fits this very well (whereas the original in [[Series/GetSmart the TV show]] was AffablyEvil). He is essentially TheMeanBrit as a Bond villain and is paradoxically, calm and cultured while being ChaoticEvil. This is particularly apparent at the end when he is in his car listening to and conducting the same music being played by an orchestra in which he has placed a bomb that will kill the president and everyone else inside.

* Toyed with in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' with Christopher Clodd/[[spoiler:The Executor]]: He seems to be a connoisseur of the arts, but it's eventually revealed that he actually considers ''bad'' films, such as ''Film/ManosTheHandsOfFate'', or the filmography of Creator/UweBoll, to massively influential "good" films, believing that fame is fleeting, while infamy is forever.
* This is what ''WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses'' is ''trying'' to be, but he's actually more of a Wicked KnowNothingKnowItAll.

** The ComicBook/{{Shade}} is a Victorian-era gentleman who has stopped aging thanks to his darkness superpowers, he is droll, well-dressed, cultivates roses, and enjoys fine art and food. However, he only pursued a life of crime because he was [[WhoWantsToLiveForever bored with immortality]], and eventually did a HeelFaceTurn.

Compare the less sinister VillainsOutShopping, VillainousFashionSense, and ManOfWealthAndTaste. The exact opposite of this is a GentlemanAndAScholar (unless he is AffablyEvil). Someone who keeps trying to be this but whose plans end up ''less'' clear, simple, and effective may have a ComplexityAddiction.

* Perturabo, in ''Angel Exterminatus'', proves to have a surprising amount of classical education and a remarkable gift for designing beautiful architecture, given that his Legion's combat specialisation is to sit in a muddy trench hurling bombs at buildings. He's [[TheResenter quite bitter]] about how everyone just thinks of him as Siege Guy and assume he has no appreciation for culture.

** In ''Film/Batman1989'', the Joker enjoys classical (or at least orchestral) music, and he plays it on three "romantic" occasions: Percy Faith's "A Summer Place" while meeting Vicki in a museum café; Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" while bringing some flowers (which, in a vile twist, are already wilted) to Vicki's apartment; and a sentimental waltz while he is, uh, ravishing Vicki on the roof of the city's Gothic cathedral. Interestingly, the latter piece -- Music/DannyElfman's "Waltz to the Death" -- is actually quite beautiful and grand and would be completely innocent were it not exclusively associated with a disfigured mass murderer. He also quotes Edgar Allan Poe to Vicki in one scene -- and, fittingly, it is a line from "[[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe The Raven]]", which is about a deceased sweetheart (Joker had murdered his previous love interest, Alicia, in order to free himself up for Vicki). He's also a fan of Francis Bacon, it seems. He is also mentioned in his police file as having an aptitude for art, which puts an interesting perspective when he and his goons vandalise most of the works at the Gotham Museum of Art (or when he dismisses most of Vicki's photography... except the ones of war and death). Presumably, he fully appreciates and understands all of this stuff on an artistic level, but still felt like smashing it up to bring it up to his own [[MadArtist twisted sense of aesthetic standard]]. When he brings Alicia in, she says "Jack, you said I could watch you improve the paintings." Then there's Jack/Joker's fashion sense. The first thing he does on seeing Knox is critique his tie.

* In many ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' continuities, Brainiac 5's unfathomable intelligence causes him to start out as an InsufferableGenius, then slowly becoming more and more sinister.

** {{Subverted|Trope}} in one issue of ''Comicbook/BatmanAdventures'' which portays the Penguin as ''claiming'' to be cultured, and to be improving his {{Mooks}}' minds, but actually having DelusionsOfEloquence, and flying into a rage if one of them actually knows enough to point this out. (This is in keeping with his portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', especially "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE47BirdsOfAFeather Birds of a Feather]]", where he genuinely believes he's fitting into high society, while they see him as a joke.)

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Sam Starfall from ''WebComic/{{Freefall}}'' is a chronic petty thief and general rogue. Despite this, he's extremely well-read and a skilled debater and orator, quoting the Bible and justifying his viewpoint to introduce a culture of crime to a perfectly innocent population with arguments from fields as widespread as psychology, mythology, biology, and politics.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] for laughs with the [[BigBadWannabe Professor]] from the WesternAnimation/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat cartoons. He ''pretends'' that he's going out to the opera while Felix is babysitting his nephew Poindexter, but Felix sees right through it and knows that he's really going to watch a wrestling match.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'''s RoguesGallery:

** The Fiddler, as well, was a classically trained violinist and musical virtuoso who sometimes claimed he was DoingItForTheArt. This was {{lampshade|Hanging}}d once when Deadshot asked him why, if he was classically trained and had a genuine Strad violin, why he called himself the Fiddler, like "...an inbred hick".

** The ComicBook/{{Shade}}. A Victorian-era gentleman who has stopped aging thanks to his darkness superpowers, he is droll, well-dressed, cultivates roses, and enjoys fine art and food. Though he only did crime because he was [[WhoWantsToLiveForever bored with immortality]], and eventually did a HeelFaceTurn.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': ComicBook/DoctorDoom has four Rembrandts. He used to have five, until he burned one because it ''offended'' him.

* ComicBook/ThePenguin, one of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s major villains, is usually portrayed as being this. As are ComicBook/RasAlGhul, ComicBook/TheRiddler, and ComicBook/TheScarecrow.
** Subverted in one issue of ''Comicbook/BatmanAdventures'', which portays the Penguin as ''claiming'' to be cultured, and to be improving his {{Mook}}s' minds, but actually having DelusionsOfEloquence, and flying into a rage if one of them actually knows enough to point this out. (This is in keeping with his portrayal in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', especially "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE47BirdsOfAFeather Birds of a Feather]]", where he genuinely believes he's fitting into high society, while they see him as a joke.)
* ''ComicBook/SinCity'': Manute speaks in a very polite and eloquent manner. He seems to have little regard for hookers and "the dregs of Sin City". When Dwight implies Manute's only serving the BigBad because she slept with him (her usual MO), Manute finds the suggestion vulgar and insulting. Mere sex is no reason to follow anyone.
* Magneto in ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen''. Despite his disdain for humanity, he has his minions steal all of the greatest works of art that they can before he begins a scheme intended to wipe out the entire human race, reasoning that humanity's only worthwhile creations (to paraphrase his terminology) deserve better than to be destroyed with their makers.

* ComicBook/{{Thanos}} is presented this way in ''ComicBook/Eternals2021''. When he attacks Lemuria and confronts Thena’s lover, the Deviant artist Tolau the Delirious, he takes a moment to appreciate and criticise Tolau’s latest statue, acknowledging the artistry.
* Tarn of ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' is described thusly: [[BreadEggsMilkSquick "music lover, classical scholar, and mass murderer.”]] One of his favorite methods of execution is reading poetry while altering his voice's frequency to make the victim's spark explode.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Countess Draska Nishki is a high-class woman with expensive tastes that chose to turn to a life of blackmail and spy wrangling in order to continue to be able to afford her lifestyle.

-->(About Earth)"An extremely interesting planet. Too bad we have to destroy it.

* ''FanFic/JewelOfDarkness'': At the climax of the Jump City Arc, Midnight takes the time before initiating her master plan to toast it with her minions. And a later flashback shows her attending a production of "Theatre/{{Faust}}" with Slade and reading "Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo" while waiting for it to start.
* ''FanFic/NightsFavoredChild'': [[TheDragon The Inquisitor]] has a collection of fine art, and in his downtime he likes listening to classical music and reading.
* ''FanFic/{{Hivefled}}'''s portrayal of the Grand Highblood has him as this trope; he's far more eloquent and less foul-mouthed than Gamzee, capable of carrying out elaborate plans, [[ReligionOfEvil deeply religious]], always very polite when LeaningOnTheFourthWall, and a great painter. His best work was painted [[MummiesAtTheDinnerTable in the blood of a lover he murdered]], and when speaking to the readers he implies he plans to rape and torture them to death in the same way he did two and a half thousand teenage trolls and attempted to do to his own children.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

** In ''Film/Batman1989'', The Joker enjoys classical (or at least orchestral) music, and he plays it on three "romantic" occasions: Percy Faith's "A Summer Place" while meeting Vicki in a museum café; Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" while bringing some flowers (which, in a vile twist, are already wilted) to Vicki's apartment; and a sentimental waltz while he is, uh, ravishing Vicki on the roof of the city's Gothic cathedral. Interestingly, the latter piece -- Danny Elfman's "Waltz to the Death" -- is actually quite beautiful and grand, and would be completely innocent were it not exclusively associated with a disfigured mass murderer. He also quotes Edgar Allan Poe to Vicki in one scene -- and, fittingly, it is a line from "The Raven," which is about a deceased sweetheart (Joker had murdered his previous love interest, Alicia, in order to free himself up for Vicki). He's also a fan of Francis Bacon, it seems. He is also mentioned in his police file as having an aptitude for art, which puts an interesting perspective when he and his goons vandalise most of the works at the Gotham Museum of Art (or when he dismisses most of Vicki's photography... except the ones of war and death). Presumably, he fully appreciates and understands all of this stuff on an artistic level, but still felt like smashing it up to bring it up to his own [[MadArtist twisted sense of aesthetic standard]]. When he brings Alicia in, she says "Jack, you said I could watch you improve the paintings." Then there's Jack/The Joker's fashion sense. The first thing he does on seeing Knox is critique his tie.
** In ''Film/BatmanReturns'', The Penguin character was averted from this: he's portrayed as the grotesquely deformed scion of a wealthy family who dumped him in the river and left him for dead when he was still a baby. Although obviously intelligent and certainly no stranger to fine clothes, this version of the Penguin is quite vulgar, with thuggish manners and distasteful sexual appetites. The character is also portrayed in this manner in the ''[[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity Arkham City]]'' video game. He clearly ''thinks'' he's Wicked Cultured though.
* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
** [[Characters/MonsterVerseHumans Walter Simmons]] in ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'' is a ManOfWealthAndTaste who presents a charming demeanor and a fondness for fancy glasses of alcohol. He's also the CorruptCorporateExecutive responsible for building Mechagodzilla and [[spoiler:knowingly instigating Godzilla's rampages on populated cities]] all to feed his own ego, and he shows signs of [[{{Narcissist}} narcissism]] and [[TheSociopath high-functioning sociopathy]].
** {{Downplayed}} with Alan Jonah in ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''. In the film, he can be seen retrieving a bottle of alcohol alongside his Mooks when they're sitting around their hidden base and refusing to do anything about King Ghidorah's gllobal apocalypse. In the {{novelization}}, his MookLieutenant Asher at one point presents him with a twenty-five-year-old Laphroaig, prompting Jonah to comment that someone had good taste.

[[caption-width-right:288:Doom is such a considerate host. [[MusicalAssassin The last bit, though...]]]]

* Captain Hook of ''Literature/PeterPan'' is generally portrayed as cultured, and often something of an AntiVillain. Peter, by contrast, is a feral tyrant, ruling by whim but setting strict rules for the Lost Boys. (In some adaptations this is taken farther: Peter is incapable of learning or memory and murders the Lost Boys if they don't follow his rules.)