History SoYouWantTo / WriteACompleteMonster

* OffstageVillainy: If the audience doesn't actually see the villains committing their heinous acts (or, at the very least, the consequences of said acts), it will be harder to view them as a genuine threat than if they see firsthand what crimes the Complete Monster is willing to commit. This does not mean viewers need to see every single evil action your CM commits, but the audience should at least be shown enough to display what kind of evil person your character is ([[WesternAnimation/Ben10 Ma Vreedle]] is established as TheDreaded In-Universe, is said to be banned from 27 solar systems and banned in 12 for her horrific crimes, and at one point visibly freaks out Vilgax, an actual Complete Monster who has crossed the MoralEventHorizon to destroy multiverses in a season finale prior, but her actions are no different from any other joke villain, so it's impossible to tell how bad she actually is; whereas [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Redd White]] only committed one horrific personal crime on-screen, but the sheer amount of compiled offscreen evidence of him blackmailing people and driving them to suicide is enough to establish a pattern for him to count).

* AllThereInTheManual: Just like with WordOfGod statements, if a villain's worst acts or possession of agency are only mentioned in supplementary material and there's no evidence the villain can commit these actions or have agency in the work itself, they cannot qualify. On the other hand, if a villain's redeeming quality is only referenced in supplementary material and we see no evidence that the villain demonstrates said qualities in the work proper, they can still count ([[VideoGame/RachetAndClank2002 Chairman Drek]] is said in the manual to [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas never forget his mother's birthday]], but since his mother is never mentioned anywhere in the game, he still counts).

* AllThereInTheManual: Just like with WordOfGod, we only go by what is in the actual work itself. If a villain's worst acts, possession of agency, or whatever are only alluded to in the manual or artbook or something similar, with no in-work evidence, we don't count those. However, it also works the other way around; if a villain's redeeming quality is only referenced in the manual, it won't be considered disqualifying ([[VideoGame/RachetAndClank2002 Chairman Drek]] is said in the manual to [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas never forget his mother's birthday]], but since this is never mentioned in the game, he still counts).

* HeelFaceTurn[=/=]HeelRealization[=/=]TheAtoner: For obvious reasons, this trope must be avoided at all costs when writing these kinds of characters. If a villain stops their evil doings to help our heroes instead and it's made clear that it's not simply out of pragmatic reasons, or they [[HeelRealization realize the errors of their ways]] and turn good, no matter how viciously evil they were, they will be immediately disqualified from this trope ([[Anime/SSSSGridman Alexis Kerib]], [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow Arrowverse!Vandal Savage]]). Furthermore, villains who successfully turn over a new leaf will still factor into the heinous standard and might prevent other potential keepers from qualifying. In addition, if the villain was really awful beforehand, them suddenly turning over a new leaf can feel unearned and out-of-character, leading to fan backlash ([[Manga/{{Naruto}} Orochimaru]], [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Master Xehanort]], and [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse the Diamond Authority]] all fell victim to this). However, victims of HeelFaceBrainwashing can still qualify if it is made apparent that they are not reforming of their own volition ([[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan Dr. Regal]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Suguru Kamoshida]], [[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Darkrai]]). [[FakeDefector A fake Heel-Face Turn]], on the other hand, can further cement a character as a monster and automatically fulfill the irredeemable criteria ([[Characters/YuGiOhYamiBakura Dark Bakura]]) unless something else happens that causes them to genuinely switch sides and atone ([[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Dusknoir]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Goro Akechi]]). Unclear or unconfirmed turns can still allow the character to qualify, going sheerly off their actions within the provided story ([[Manga/{{Monster}} Johan Liebert]], [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Sousuke Aizen]], [[Manga/BlackClover Rades Spirito]]). In general, though, you will want to reserve these tropes for characters who consistently show some level of humanity, rather than abruptly making a vile monster pull a redemption arc.

* HeelFaceTurn[=/=]TheAtoner: For obvious reasons, this trope must be avoided at all costs when writing these kinds of characters. If a villain stops their evil doings to help our heroes instead and it's made clear that it's not simply out of pragmatic reasons, or they [[HeelRealization realize the errors of their ways]] and turn good, no matter how viciously evil they were, they will be immediately disqualified from this trope ([[Anime/SSSSGridman Alexis Kerib]], [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow Arrowverse!Vandal Savage]]). Furthermore, villains who successfully turn over a new leaf will still factor into the heinous standard and might prevent other potential keepers from qualifying. In addition, if the villain was really awful beforehand, them suddenly turning over a new leaf can feel unearned and out-of-character, leading to fan backlash ([[Manga/{{Naruto}} Orochimaru]] and [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse the Diamond Authority]] both fell victim to this). However, victims of HeelFaceBrainwashing can still qualify if it is made apparent that they are not reforming of their own volition ([[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan Dr. Regal]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Suguru Kamoshida]], [[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Darkrai]]). [[FakeDefector A fake Heel-Face Turn]], on the other hand, can further cement a character as a monster and automatically fulfill the irredeemable criteria ([[Characters/YuGiOhYamiBakura Dark Bakura]]) unless something else happens that causes them to genuinely switch sides and atone ([[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Dusknoir]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Goro Akechi]]). Unclear or unconfirmed turns can still allow the character to qualify, going sheerly off their actions within the provided story ([[Manga/{{Monster}} Johan Liebert]], [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Sousuke Aizen]], [[Manga/BlackClover Rades Spirito]]). In general, though, you will want to reserve these tropes for characters who consistently show some level of humanity, rather than abruptly making a vile monster pull a redemption arc.

* HeelFaceTurn[=/=]TheAtoner: For obvious reasons, this trope must be avoided at all costs when writing these kinds of characters. If a villain stops their evil doings to help our heroes instead and it's made clear that it's not simply out of pragmatic reasons, or they [[HeelRealization realize the errors of their ways]] and turn good, no matter how viciously evil they were, they will be immediately disqualified from this trope ([[Anime/SSSSGridman Alexis Kerib]], [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow Arrowverse!Vandal Savage]]). Furthermore, villains who successfully turn over a new leaf will still factor into the heinous standard and might prevent other potential keepers from qualifying. However, victims of HeelFaceBrainwashing can still qualify if it is made apparent that they are not reforming of their own volition ([[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork5TeamColonelAndTeamProtoMan Dr. Regal]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Suguru Kamoshida]], [[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Darkrai]]). [[FakeDefector A fake Heel-Face Turn]], on the other hand, can further cement a character as a monster and automatically fulfill the irredeemable criteria ([[Characters/YuGiOhYamiBakura Dark Bakura]]) unless something else happens that causes them to genuinely switch sides and atone ([[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Dusknoir]], [[VideoGame/Persona5 Goro Akechi]]). Unclear or unconfirmed turns can still allow the character to qualify, going sheerly off their actions within the provided story ([[Manga/{{Monster}} Johan Liebert]], [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Sousuke Aizen]], [[Manga/BlackClover Rades Spirito]]).

** Beware with {{Villain Protagonist}}s, ''especially'' if they have redeeming qualities, as they'll often heavily increase the heinous standard especially if they are horrible enough. If a VillainProtagonist goes out of their way to be as depraved as possible alongside multiple other villains, there's a very high chance nobody can qualify or the number of villains that can become more limited than usual.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Related to the BigBad, if a villain is the cause of all suffering of a work (or at least contributed to a sizable portion of it), they'll usually qualify regardless of heinous standard if they are also horrible enough ([[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]], [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Erebus]]). That said, they cannot be MadeOfEvil or have BlueAndOrangeMorality even if they're behind everything, including actual [=CMs=] (This is the reason why most Greater-Scope Villains in the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' and the Chaos Gods in both ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its [=40k=] counterpart cannot qualify, despite their worshipers sometimes can).

* GreaterScopeVillain: Related to the BigBad, if a villain is the cause of all suffering of a work (or at least contributed to a sizable portion of it), they'll usually qualify regardless of heinous standard if they are also horrible enough ([[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]], [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Erebus]]). That said, they cannot be MadeOfEvil or have BlueAndOrangeQuality even if they're the ones behind everything (This is the reason why most Greater-Scope Villains in the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' and the Chaos Gods in both ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and its [=40k=] counterpart cannot qualify).

* GreaterScopeVillain: If this type of villain is the cause of multiple heinous acts that directly respond to him, even without his direct involvement, there is a very good chance that this trope truly applies to them ([[Franchise/StarWars Palpatine]], [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemptionII Leviticus Cornwall]], [[Manga/AttackOnTitan Fritz]]).

* BigBad[=/=]GreaterScopeVillain: While being the archvillain is far from a requirement, being the cause of the heinous happenings most important to the story gives heroes and audiences a strong incentive to go against them. These villains also tend to have higher resources than their lesser brethren and can thus do way more harm if they are Complete Monsters.

* HateSink: By its own nature, if you purposefully create a character to be as unlikable as possible so nobody will root for them, you automatically fill the lack of sympathetic motives, irredeemable, and taken seriously criteria for them. Bonus points if your Complete Monster reflects or is a critique of truly repugnant and loathsome individuals [[RealismInducedHorror who actually exist in real life]]. ([[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]] is explicitly stated by WordOfGod to be made after the real estate speculators that Creator/AkiraToriyama describes as the "worst kind of people"; the MCU version of [[Characters/MCUTheHighEvolutionary the High Evolutionary]] is deliberately designed to be the most detestable villain in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and [[VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns Dr. Angus Bumby]] was confirmed by WordOfGod to have had his backstory left vague so it wouldn't create any sympathy for him.) You don't need a direct confirmation however; the character's actions can speak for themselves ([[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]], [[Literature/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]], [[Series/GameOfThrones Joffrey Baratheon]], [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas Frank Tenpenny]]).

* HateSink: By its own nature, if you purposefully create a character to be as unlikable as possible so nobody will root for them, you automatically fill the lack of sympathetic motives, irredeemable, and taken seriously criteria for them. Bonus points if your Complete Monster reflects or is a critique of truly repugnant and loathsome individuals [[RealismInducedHorror who actually exist in real life]]. ([[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]] is explicitly stated by WordOfGod to be made after the real estate speculators that Creator/AkiraToriyama describes as the "worst kind of people"; the MCU version of [[Characters/MCUTheHighEvolutionary the High Evolutionary]] is deliberately designed to be the most detestable villain in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and [[VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns Dr. Angus Bumby]] was confirmed by WordOfGod to have had his backstory left vague so it wouldn't create any sympathy for him.) You don't need a direct confirmation however; the character's actions can speak for themselves ([[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]], [[Literature/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]], [[Series/GameOfThrones Joffrey Baratheon]], [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto Frank Tenpenny]]).

The CompleteMonster. The most vile and depraved kind of villain in all of fiction, coming in all shapes and sizes: the SerialKiller, the SerialRapist, TheGeneralissimo, the CorruptCorporateExecutive, the MadScientist, TheSocialDarwinist, the DiabolicalMastermind, the OmnicidalManiac, the [[GodIsEvil Capital G Himself]], the SatanicArchetype, and many more. If written correctly, a Complete Monster can add some quality to even a mediocre work, keeping the tension up and the audience cheering for their blood.

* TheGeneralissimo: Due to the notoriety that RealLife dictators/military rulers have for crimes such as genocide, corruption, mass murders, state terrorism, and more, along with the brutal and undiplomatic nature they exhibit in their actions, one might indeed expect that a significant portion of them could have the potential to be Complete Monsters ([[Series/TwentyFour General Benjamin Juma]]).

* HateSink: By its own nature, if you purposefully create a character to be as unlikable as possible so nobody will root for them, you automatically fill the lack of sympathetic motives, irredeemable, and taken seriously criteria for them. ([[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]] is explicitly stated by WordOfGod to be made after the real estate speculators that Creator/AkiraToriyama describes as the "worst kind of people"; the MCU version of [[Characters/MCUTheHighEvolutionary the High Evolutionary]] is deliberately designed to be the most detestable villain in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and [[VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns Dr. Angus Bumby]] was confirmed by WordOfGod to have had his backstory left vague so it wouldn't create any sympathy for him.) You don't need a direct confirmation however; the character's actions can speak for themselves ([[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]], [[Literature/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]], [[Series/GameOfThrones Joffrey Baratheon]], [[VideoGame/CaveStory Dr. Fuyuhiko Date]]).

* TerroristsWithoutACause and other TerrorismTropes: Nothing exemplifies better the face of the most absolute atrocity and heinousness in the 21st century than terrorism, whether of any ideology and/or cause, acts of mass murder and/or deliberate massive destruction specifically intended to cause terror in the population for political, ideological, and/or religious gain. Due to the trauma and atmosphere of fear that terrorism has induced in the 21st century since the UsefulNotes/WarOnTerror, these kinds of villains almost always have the potential to qualify as Complete Monsters ([[Film/TheDarkKnight Nolanverse!Joker]], [[Series/TwentyFour Abu Fayed]], [[Series/CriminalMinds Hayman Vasher]]).

* OmnicidalManiac: Working to wipe out all of existence, especially [[ForTheEvulz just because someone can]], is one of the most despicable goals a character can work towards and allows a villain to completely and utterly destroy whatever heinous standard they're piled up against in most situations ([[Characters/FinalFantasyVIKefkaPalazzo Kefka Palazzo]], all ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' movie Complete Monsters). Unless the character has a [=VERY=] good FreudianExcuse as to why they are going on their killing spree, they can expect to qualify ''very'' easily, and even if they cannot because they are {{Tragic Villain}}s with a good FreudianExcuse, it would often jack the heinous standard of your work way higher than it should.

* EvilIsPetty: Not only does your baddie want to blow up planets, but he also pushes grandmas down the stairs! When a villain goes out of their way to be as horrible as possible even in small ways, it's one of the most awful and horrifying qualities a character can have and emphasizes how selfish and childish they are. It's near impossible to play pettiness as a cool personality trait and it emphasizes the CM only cares about their own satisfaction ([[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Arthur Watts]] causes a massive traffic accident so he can cross the road; [[Film/SpiderMan3 Raimiverse!Eddie Brock/Venom]] wants to kill Peter Parker/Spider-Man for being exposed as a liar by the latter; [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Molag Bal]] frequently ruins the lives of random, innocent people who pose no threat to him because he can).

* EvilIsPetty: Not only does your baddie want to blow up planets, but he also pushes grandmas down the stairs! When a villain goes out of their way to be as horrible as possible even in small ways, it's one of the most awful and horrifying qualities a character can have and emphasizes how selfish and childish they are. It's near impossible to play pettiness as a cool personality trait and it emphasizes the CM only cares about their own satisfaction ([[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Arthur Watts]] causes a massive traffic accident so he can cross the road; [[Film/SpiderMan3 Raimi!Eddie Brock/Venom]] wants to kill Peter Parker/Spider-Man for being exposed as a liar by the latter; [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Molag Bal]] frequently ruins the lives of random, innocent people who pose no threat to him because he can).

* EvilIsPetty: Not only does your baddie want to blow up planets, but he also pushes grandmas down the stairs! When a villain goes out of their way to be as horrible as possible even in small ways, it's one of the most awful and horrifying qualities a character can have and emphasizes how selfish and childish they are. It's near impossible to play pettiness as a cool personality trait and it emphasizes the CM only cares about their own satisfaction ([[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Arthur Watts]] causes a massive traffic accident so he can cross the road; [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Molag Bal]] frequently ruins the lives of random, innocent people who pose no threat to him because he can).

* BreakTheCutie[=/=]KillTheCutie: If a villain goes out of their way to be as horrible as possible against the resident [[TheWoobie woobie]] or [[TheCutie cutie]] (or even worse, kill them outright), it will make the audience more likely to hate them more ([[VideoGame/BlueArchive Beatrice]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 MCU!High Evolutionary]]). Just don't make it too gratuitously horrible that the entire work becomes too tasteless.

* BenevolentBoss[=/=]MyBelovedMinions: This trope is usually used to show that a character, villain or hero likewise, cares well about their underlings. For a CM, this is usually off-limits, as they can show off a more caring side to the character and thus disqualify them, although villains with underlings who will always follow them regardless of whatever crime they're aiming for are still applicable with this trope ([[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Shan Yu]]). They can also pretend to show care for their minions, which is always limited in reality, since it shows that they actually care far more for themselves than their own subordinates/affiliates ([[Manga/{{Berserk}} Griffith]], [[Characters/OnePieceDonquixoteDoflamingo Donquixote Doflamingo]]). If a villain is the leader of a group wherein instead of flat-out abusing their underlings, none of the characters interfere with each other and act like individual entities doing their own thing, they did not show actual care to them and thus does not disqualify the villain from being a Complete Monster. The same goes for business partner relationships between two or more villains where betrayals don't occur. Long story short, they should fall under BadBoss instead.

* UnwittingPawn: While not as damning as a supposed MagnificentBastard turning out to be one of these (and some [=CMs=] like [[VideoGame/Persona5 Masayoshi Shido]], are this to other characters), if your villain is committing horrific acts under an incredibly vile villain's name out of genuine admiration rather than fanaticism, then it's likely for the audience to see your character as yet another victim instead of the truly despicable piece of work you intended them to be ([[VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls Monaca Towa]], [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 Excella Gionne]]). It's pretty much impossible to have your character genuinely associate with villains as awful and charismatic as Johan Liebert, Dio Brando or Albert Wesker and still have your character portrayed as a pure evil monster, rather than a tragic, naive fool that knows no better other than to trash their dignity into the floor. That is, if they didn't just backstab your character and lead them to a terrible death already.

* TheWoobie[=/=]JerkassWoobie[=/=]WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Complete Monsters are not characters that the audience should feel sorry for. While a Complete Monster can and will likely turn other characters into woobies, they themselves definitely cannot. If your designated CM tries to pass themselves off as a tragic villain, you need to make it clear that their past and/or motivations [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse do not justify the suffering they are inflicting onto others]].

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''Anime/RedoOfHealer'' has an entire corrupt kingdom of {{Serial Rapist}}, mad conquerors, racists and slavers, but the protagonist Keyaru is a vicious SerialRapist who rapes and enslaves his enemies as revenge, starts a war against entire demonic realms and kingdoms to get back at people who abused him and most, if not all of his kills and rapes have AndIMustScream, ColdBloodedTorture or FateWorseThanDeath elements, so the heinous standard becomes so high that no one can count; whereas ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''Anime/RedoOfHealer'' has an entire corrupt kingdom of {{Serial Rapist}}, mad conquerors, racists and slavers, but the protagonist Keyaru is a vicious SerialRapist who rapes and his enemies as revenge and most, if not all of his kills and rapes also involve putting people in AndIMustScream situations, starts a war against entire demonic realms and kingdoms to get back at people who abused him and his entire battle harem is consisted of slaves he brought or brainwashed, so the heinous standard becomes so high that no one can count; whereas ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''Anime/RedoOfHealer'' has an entire corrupt kingdom of {{Serial Rapist}}, mad conquerors, racists and slavers, but the protagonist Keyaru is a vicious SerialRapist who rapes and enslaves his enemies as revenge, starts a war against entire demonic realms and kingdoms to get back at people who abused him and his entire battle harem is consisted of slaves he brought or brainwashed, so the heinous standard becomes so high that no one can count; whereas ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''Anime/RedoOfHealer'' has an entire corrupt kingdom of {{Serial Rapist}}, mad conquerors and other deranged deviants, but the protagonist Keyaru is a viscious SerialRapist who often commits crimes just as bad, if not worse, so the heinous standard becomes so high that no one can count; whereas ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* VillainProtagonist: It is ''very hard'' to write a story that revolves around a Complete Monster without the work falling into TooBleakStoppedCaring ([[VideoGame/EvilQuest Galvis]]). By definition, a Complete Monster is as unsympathetic as possible, while a protagonist is supposed to be, if nothing else, understandable and entertaining to watch; when all the audience is watching is somebody that we just want to lose already, it's hard to get invested in the work. This does not mean this is impossible to pull off with quite a few instances of this being done successfully with several well-reowned villains being such, but it is a balancing act that is very difficult to execute properly without demotivating the audience, and most of these series have elements of their plot that mitigates this somewhat, often by having them share near-equal screen time with a more sympathetic {{Deuteragonist}}. (Light Yagami takes a decent amount of time to fully fall into CM territory and his opponent L shares nearly the same degree of screen time, Patrick Bateman is an AllegoricalCharacter and Iago shares similar stage-time as the more sympathetic Othello.) Alternatively, you can have the work being an episodic series where the character isn't necessarily the main focus but is in an overall sense within a VillainBasedFranchise, particularly those in the slasher genre ([[Manga/{{Tomie}} Tomie]] and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] are examples of each one respectively). Villain Protagonists also factor heavily into the heinous standard of a work, so if you have one that is horrible enough but has legitimate redeeming qualities and they're stuck amongst a group of villains that are equallly depraved if not slightly worse, there is a very high odd that they will prevent those other villains from counting even if they cannot themselves, preventing the entire work from having [=CMs=] or at least limit the number of villains who can qualify unless they're so awful that it invokes legitimate [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgust]] amongst them (''VideoGame/TheCoffinOfAndyAndLeyley'' has a MegaCorp running an organ harvesting operation inside the Graves's apartment where residents are deliberately left to be starved to death so they can be trafficked for organs, but the VillainProtagonist Ashley Graves is a vile SerialKiller who subjected 6 people to CruelAndUnusualDeath, gleefully dissects and eats her parents, is horribly toxic and abusive towards her brother Andrew Graves and sometimes uses him as a proxy-killer, but she still likely cared about him beyond a possessive level thus nobody can count; whereas ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a franchise where the villain protagonist Kratos is a spiteful OmnicidalManiac who mercilessly and brutally slaughters innocents, enemies and entire pantheons alike and succeeds at destroying his home world but manages to mellow out slightly by the Norse era due to having a family. It's still conductive for Complete Monsters because he was motivated by Ares manipulating him to kill his original wife and child and he unleashed multiple massacres under Ares's name prior, but it requires a villain with no redeeming qualities and is so horrible that it evokes EvenEvilHasStandards from Kratos himself, at which only said Ares and the Raven Keeper can fulfill this bracket).

* UndyingLoyalty: This is essentially BenevolentBoss but with underlings instead of group leaders, and thus cannot be in place for most characters to count. To have UndyingLoyalty means that the villain cares deeply about their boss, which by definition gives a villain a caring and sympathetic side to their character. Exceptions usually include those who care more about the ideology of their superiors rather than their person ([[Franchise/HarryPotter Bellatrix LeStrange]], [[VideoGame/BravelyDefault Airy]]). Furthermore, if an underling serves under a leader but their relationships are only relegated to being business partners or individuals doing their own thing, it's still not considered loyalty ([[Anime/DigimonFusion NeoVamdemon and Gravimon]]).

* EvilerThanThou: You can introduce the Complete Monster into the fray to eclipse other villains and deliver a BreakingSpeech or CurbStompBattle to the former villains just to emphasize how evil they really are and a way bigger threat has entered the scene. Bonus when the villains they're eclipsing are sympathetic or [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]]. (The first half of ''Manga/BlackClover'' is largely spent on dealing with Patry and his underlings. Patry is a less than pleasant, yet somewhat sympathetic villain, but when the Word Devil, a.k.a Zagred shows up, he makes clear that he was ''way'' nastier than Patry, who is portrayed as an outright sympathetic character afterwards.)

* HateSink: By its own nature, if you purposefully create a character to be as unlikable as possible so nobody will root for them, you automatically fill the lack of sympathetic motives, irredeemable, and taken seriously criteria for them. ([[Anime/DragonBallZ Frieza]] is explicitly stated by WordOfGod to be made after the real estate speculators that Creator/AkiraToriyama describes as the "worst kind of people"; the MCU version of [[Characters/MCUTheHighEvolutionary the High Evolutionary]] is deliberately designed to be the most detestable villain in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and [[VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns Dr. Angus Bumby]] was confirmed by WordOfGod to have had his backstory left vague so it wouldn't create any sympathy for him.) You don't need a direct confirmation however; the character's actions can speak for themselves ([[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Shou Tucker]], [[Literature/HarryPotter Dolores Umbridge]], [[Series/GameOfThrones Joffrey Baratheon]], [[VideoGame/CaveStory Dr. Fuyuhiko Date]]).

* EvilerThanThou: You can introduce the Complete Monster into the fray to eclipse other villains and deliver a BreakingSpeech or CurbStompBattle to the former villains just to emphasize how evil they really are and a way bigger threat has entered the scene. Bonus when the villains they're eclipsing are sympathetic or [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]]. (The first half of ''Manga/BlackClover'' is largely spent on dealing with Patry and his underlings. Patry is a less than pleasant, yet somewhat sympathetic villain, but when the Word Devil, a.k.a Zagred shows up, he makes clear that he was ''way'' nastier than Patry, who is portrayed as an outright sympathetic character afterwards.)
* FateWorseThanDeath: Leaving somebody in a state where the rest of their life will be spent in complete agony or some other horrible fate is one of the most evil acts of sadism a villain can inflict and can easily qualify them, especially if they go the extra mile and subject them to AndIMustScream ([[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 The Raven Keeper]], most incarnations of [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio the Coachman]]). Some villains go even further and attempt to subject entire world(s) to their preferred flavor of this trope ([[VideoGame/EldenRing the Loathsome Dung Eater]], [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Fabius Bile]], [[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Elesh Norn]]).

* AGodAmI: Complete Monsters are very prideful and egostical by nature, so expect them to be totally convinced that they're all-knowing and all-powerful even if they are clearly not ([[Series/CriminalMinds Hayman Vasher]]).

* HatesEveryoneEqually[=/=]MisanthropeSupreme: Being a Complete Monster doesn't mean you have to enjoy brutally torturing or killing innocents. An alternative is you take no joy wrecking havoc, but you hate humanity or anything else so much that you just can't wait to turn the world into a living graveyard ([[Characters/FairyTail Acnologia]]).

* NonStandardCharacterDesign / UncannyValley: As opposed to designing the Complete Monster to look less threatening, you can also make them look completely different and/or out-of-place compared to the rest of the characters. A hulking GodOfEvil drawn with realistic outlines will stand out when other characters are drawn in puni-plush style will stick out and instantly make the audience know this guy is bad news ([[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime The Lich]], [[VisualNovel/MarcoAndTheGalaxyDragon Astaroth]]).

* TakeOverTheWorld[=/=]GalacticConqueror[=/=]MultiversalConqueror: Worldwide/galactic/interdimensional enslavement and conquest is a common motive for large-scale [=CMs=] who will crush everyone in their way so they can have the world under their heel, and characters who attempt world-scale takeovers are rarely considered sympathetic (Most [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]] incarnations, [[VideoGame/Bayonetta3 Singularity]], [[WesternAnimation/Ben10 Vilgax]]). However, regardless of scope, conquest ''per se'' cannot be relied on to pass the heinous standard, especially if it relies too much on FridgeHorror to do so.

* ThoseWackyNazis[=/=]DirtyCommies[=/=]ANaziByAnyOtherName: Because of the RealLife atrocities committed by Nazis and Communists in the 20th century and the subsequent natural proclivity for such organizations to commit incredible atrocities in fiction, loyalists of these groups are almost always never viewed sympathetically by the narrative and provided they're bad enough, they can easily qualify ([[Manga/{{Hellsing}} the Major]], [[Literature/TheHeroLaughsWhileWalkingThePathOfVengeanceASecondTime Princess Alesia]], [[VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}} Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse]]).