History MotiveDecay / ComicBooks

* Herr Starr from ''{{Preacher}}'' is an example of this as intentional character development. At first he is a WellIntentionedExtremist, but after a series of unfortunate events that leave him mutilated, he becomes disaffected and gives up on his quest to better the world and merely seeks revenge. He openly states, after being told that he is a monster, that "Yes, I suppose I am. I became one a long time ago. At first in order to save the world. Now merely for the sake of vengeance."

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' {{archenemy}} the [[NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] began his career as a ruthless businessman who sought to take over the criminal underworld, having already conquered the world of business. A number of failures at the hands of Spider-Man slowly downgraded his motives into ever more personal revenge on the spider, to the point where eventually Norman Osborn's entire life revolved around Spider-Man.

* {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} of JackKirby fame. His motive was to find the Anti-Life Equation and enslave the universe. Forty years later he just keeps showing up to mess with Earth and the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. He finally managed to get back on track in ''FinalCrisis''.
* Averted at the end of ''FinalCrisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' with [[spoiler: Superboy Prime. He finally manages to get back home to Earth Prime but, at the end of the story, he wants to go back to the DC Universe(s). This is because Earth Prime is essentially ''our'' Earth, complete with DC books; Prime forgot that people can just pick up a book with him in it and see what a sociopath he is. As a result, everyone on his Earth knows he's a maniac, he lost his girlfriend (and either killed her or beat her up savagely), and his parents are dead fucking afraid of him; the reason he wants to go back is because at least in the Multiverse, Prime had superpowers]].

* Similarly, in ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'', [[DoctorOctopus Doc Ock]] bobbed up and down from wanting to complete his life's work, world domination, petty thievery, and just wanting revenge on Spidey for past humiliation. Usually excused by the fact that the accident made him plumb crazy, and the [[AIIsACrapshoot AI in his arms was screwing with him]]. Plus his short foray into trying to cure AIDS! To be fair, in-universe it was believed that he was trying to create some form of biological weapon. Only the readers knew that he was searching for a cure purely to save [[spoiler: his first love.]]

* {{Darkseid}} of JackKirby fame. His motive was to find the Anti-Life Equation and enslave the universe. Forty years later he just keeps showing up to mess with Earth and the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica. He finally managed to get back on track in ''FinalCrisis''.

* Minor Franchise/{{Batman}} began as a high-tech vigilante who was targeting drug dealers. His origin revealed that he had been a junkie who had robbed a liquor store to score money for drugs, and killed the owner who turned out to be his father. After being arrested, he cleans himself up and declares war on the drug trade. At the end of his debut story, it was revealed the mysterious benefactor who supplied his high-tech weaponry was a drug lord who was using Black Spider to remove his competition. Later appearances tended to use Black Spider as a hitman, without any mention of his hatred of the drug trade.

* The major point of contention with fans of the ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog series and Ian's interpretation of the Dark Legion; before he took over, they were written as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s focused only on undoing a [[StrawCharacter Straw Political]]-based technology ban and be reintegrated into main Echidna society without having to sacrifice their MachineWorship lifestyle, and have at several points [[EnemyMine sided with the other Echidnas against shared threats]]. After Ian took over? They got [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into generic MechaMooks who [[TheAssimilator force-cybertize other people into their ranks]].

* SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker has his motives originally being a killer clown with almost no motive in his first appearances of the GoldenAge, to just a common criminal after things like money in the SilverAge. However, it is averted nowadays, since his insanity means his reasons and motives to do anything can change at the drop of a hat. Most commonly they're a combination of ItAmusedMe and ForTheEvulz.

* In a rare positive version of this trope, LexLuthor, ''{{Superman}}'''s ArchEnemy, started out wanting revenge on the Man of Steel for making him bald (yes, really. This happened in the SilverAge, when goofy motivations abounded...) even though it was also because Superman accidentally destroyed his lab as well as the lifeform he created which Luthor attributed to jealousy. Nobody complained much when this motive decayed away, even though none of its replacement motives for being Superman's nemesis are as clear-cut. Lex himself would tell you that he's doing it to prove to humanity that they don't need an alien savior and that when Superman is gone and humanity rules itself again (with Lex, as the smartest and best human, naturally in charge), he'll [[ReedRichardsIsUseless use his genius to cure cancer]] and rescue kitties and make the world wonderful. Superman would counter that by pointing out that [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo he ''was'' gone, for a year]] (and until he came back, it seemed like he'd be gone forever), and Lex spent the year... plotting ways to kill Superman.

* The major point of contention with fans of the ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog series and Ian's interpretation of the Dark Legion; before he took over, they were written as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s focused only on undoing a [[StrawCharacter Straw Political]]-based technology ban and be reintegrated into main Echidna society without having to sacrifice their MachineWorship lifestyle, and have at several points [[EnemyMine sided with the other Echidnas against shared threats]]. After Ian took over? They got [[FLanderization Flanderized]] into generic MechaMooks who [[YouWillBeAssimilated force-cybertize other people into their ranks]].

* Marvel villain TheHood originally had some sympathetic motives for becoming a supervillain, such as supporting his family. He gradually began to love the power his new hood and boots granted him more than he loved them. When he lost the hood and boots that allowed him to channel the power of Dormammu, he leaped at Loki's offer to repower him with the Nornstones. When he lost those powers almost as soon as he got them, he didn't take it very well. Then he went after the Infinity Gems. He seems to be addicted to power for its own sake.

** GrantMorrison's ''[[ComicBook/AllStarSuperman All-Star Superman]]'' gives Luthor's obsession with beating the Man of Steel a simple explanation that in hindsight makes complete sense: If it wasn't for Superman, Luthor would be running the planet.

** In an issue of ''{{ComicBook/Spider-Girl}}'', there's reports that Magneto's been spotted (despite disappearing some time ago), and everyone's on high alert, with the X-People, Avengers, and ComicBook/FantasticFour on the lookout, cautioning anyone to call in back-up if they see him. When Spider-Girl and a young X-Person spot what looks like Magneto, they quickly come to the conclusion that it's just someone posing as the powerful mutant because, come on, would Magneto ''really'' be robbing a bank? [[note]]They're right, and go at him alone in order to spare him the utter beating that would result from every hero in the Tri-State Area dropping on his head.[[/note]]

** To be fair to Deathstroke, he'd already become plenty unstable during his own series, which took place during TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. Then his [[DemonicPossession demon-possessed]] son Jericho (whom he'd had to ''kill'' years earlier) took over his mind, spent months tormenting him with every hideous thing he could imagine (and vice-versa), and forced Deathstroke to kill his MoralityPet Wintergreen and ''mount the man's head on a plaque''.

** If someone ever points that out, Lex will respond by simply claiming that Superman has "ruined" him and ''turned'' him evil. This is pretty consistent with Lex's general NeverMyFault attitude.

* Most {{Batman}} villains abandon their initial drive for an obsessive personal vendetta against Batman. In some stories, Batman actively encourages this, because keeping their hate focused on him means they're not going after innocent people.

* SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker has his motives originally being a killer clown with almost no motive in his first appearances of the GoldenAge, to just a common criminal after things like money in the SilverAge. However, it is averted nowadays, since his insanity means his reasons and motives to do anything can change at the drop of a hat.

* The Mekon in DanDare originally wanted to conquer Earth for his scientific ends. The third time he encountered Dan, however, he appeared to be simply after revenge, with a plan to watch Dan die in an airless space capsule. In fact, however, he was subverting the trope because his main aim was the logical one of wanting to eliminate somebody who'd proved a threat to his plans. As soon as he thought Dan was dead, he set about trying to recover his lost powerbase on Venus. And in the next Mekon story, Dan returned to Earth to find that the Mekon had conquered it in his absence.

* The ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Venom}} could be said to have lame motivations from the start, wanting revenge on Spider-Man for exposing the truth about Eddie Brock's shoddy reporting when he should have arguably done a better job himself. This trope is [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in the various [[AdaptationDistillation screen adaptations]] of the Spider-comics, as both the 1990s cartoon and ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' cartoon, as well as the ''[[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man 3]]'' movie, all take their time to build up Peter Parker's animosity with Eddie Brock, giving him more and better reasons to hate Spider-Man than he ever had in the comics, and making their animosity more personal. In the original comics, Eddie Brock was unveiled without much buildup, but subsequent takes on the Venom character develop Eddie Brock on his own, before any contact with the symbiote.

** There was one comic where Ock had a rival who'd stolen his design for the arms. There was a three-way between Ock, Spidey, and the rival in a hotel, and when the rival took out some support columns Spidey tried to get people out. Ock braced the falling ceiling and got people out - but then let it fall on Spidey and went off to get at that rival. He never lost sight of his objective and went into "get Spider-Man 'cause I'm a bad guy and that's what bad guys do!" mode. It seems he's gotten out of this. Of course, he'll be back ''again,'' and will need a reason.

* The ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' villain ComicBook/{{Venom}} could be said to have lame motivations from the start, wanting revenge on Spider-Man for exposing the truth about Eddie Brock's shoddy reporting when he should have arguably done a better job himself. This trope is [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in the various [[AdaptationDistillation screen adaptations]] of the Spider-comics, as both the 1990s cartoon and ''{{WesternAnimation/The Spectacular Spider-Man}}'' cartoon, as well as the ''[[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Spider-Man 3]]'' movie, all take their time to build up Peter Parker's animosity with Eddie Brock, giving him more and better reasons to hate Spider-Man than he ever had in the comics, and making their animosity more personal. In the original comics, Eddie Brock was unveiled without much buildup, but subsequent takes on the Venom character develop Eddie Brock on his own, before any contact with the symbiote.

* Recurring ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' character ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} the Terminator a.k.a. Slade Wilson started out as a [[HitmanWithAHeart ruthless, though not unscrupulous assassin]] who honestly didn't have any great animosity towards the team and originally only came into conflict with them as part of fulfilling a contract that his son died trying to complete. When he dropped the contract he actually became rather amiable towards his former targets and actually counseled grief stricken members of the team on occasion and teaming up with them fairly regularly. While his relationship with the team eventually went sour again, it really doesn't explain him suddenly becoming a CardCarryingVillain and doing things like injecting his only surviving child with a PsychoSerum and implanting a [[GreenRocks chunk of radioactive kryptonite in her eye socket]] and nuking Bludhaven to spite Nightwing (a character he had previously had a lot of respect for). When pressed for a reason why he'd become such a monster his only answer was because he blamed Nightwing and the Titans for all the loss he's experienced in life, namely his children dying/abandoning him, despite the fact that it had been established that his sons had died under circumstances out of both the Titans' (and Slade's) control and his daughter abandoning him was unquestionably his fault. Since then, Deathstroke has engaged in nothing but wanton villainy.Nightwing actually calls him on all of this.

* Recurring ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' character ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} the Terminator a.k.a. Slade Wilson started out as a [[HitmanWithAHeart ruthless, though not unscrupulous assassin]] who honestly didn't have any great animosity towards the team and originally only came into conflict with them as part of fulfilling a contract that his son died trying to complete. When he dropped the contract he actually became rather amiable towards his former targets and actually counseled grief stricken members of the team on occasion and teaming up with them fairly regularly. While his relationship with the team eventually went sour again, it really doesn't explain him suddenly becoming a CardCarryingVillain and doing things like injecting his only surviving child with a PsychoSerum and implanting a [[GreenRocks chunk of radioactive kryptonite in her eye socket]] and nuking Bludhaven to spite Nightwing (a character he had previously had a lot of respect for). When pressed for a reason why he'd become such a monster his only answer was because he blamed Nightwing and the Titans for all the loss he's experienced in life, namely his children dying/abandoning him, despite the fact that it had been established that his sons had died under circumstances out of both the Titans' (and Slade's) control and his daughter abandoning him was unquestionably his fault. Since then, Deathstroke has engaged in nothing but wanton villainy, leaving him [[CharacterDerailment devoid of any of the complexity of his original characterization.]] Nightwing actually calls him on all of this.

* The major point of contention with fans of the ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog series and Ian's interpretation of the Dark Legion; before he took over, they were written as {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s focused only on undoing a StrawPolitical-based technology ban and be reintegrated into main Echidna society without having to sacrifice their MachineWorship lifestyle, and have at several points [[EnemyMine sided with the other Echidnas against shared threats]]. After Ian took over? They got [[FLanderization Flanderized]] into generic MechaMooks who [[YouWillBeAssimilated force-cybertize other people into their ranks]].

** GrantMorrison's ''[[AllStarSuperman All-Star Superman]]'' gives Luthor's obsession with beating the Man of Steel a simple explanation that in hindsight makes complete sense: If it wasn't for Superman, Luthor would be running the planet.

* Minor ComicBook/{{Batman}} began as a high-tech vigilante who was targeting drug dealers. His origin revealed that he had been a junkie who had robbed a liquor store to score money for drugs, and killed the owner who turned out to be his father. After being arrested, he cleans himself up and declares war on the drug trade. At the end of his debut story, it was revealed the mysterious benefactor who supplied his high-tech weaponry was a drug lord who was using Black Spider to remove his competition. Later appearnces tended to use Black Spider as a hitman, without any mention of his hatred of the drug trade.