Line #118 Main/WickedPretentious


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7	[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Music/IggyAzalea I'm so fancy, can't]] [[Music/CharliXCX you taste this gold?]]"]]
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13
14	->'''Wanda:''' But you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?\
15	'''Otto:''' Apes don't read philosophy.\
16	'''Wanda:''' Yes, they do, Otto. They just don't understand it.
17	-->-- ''Film/AFishCalledWanda''
18
19	A villain whose air of cultured good breeding serves to enhance their evilness, but they only put it on as an act. A WickedCultured villain is genuinely educated, sophisticated, refined, and well-mannered; this guy on the other hand, is crass, unrefined, and with mere delusions of class. Perhaps the soft-spoken "respectable" businessman never got out of the habit of carrying a [[SinisterSwitchblade switchblade]], or the ruthless RichBitch trying to [[SocialClimber climb the social ladder]] can't help but drop cues as to her humble upbringing.
20
21	Sometimes this can be explained as lack of culture driving the character to villainy, as they can't find acceptance among high society and so decide to say ThenLetMeBeEvil.
22
23	Compare and contrast with WickedCultured, of course, with LowerClassLout, and also TheUpperCrass; NouveauRiche characters who are outright evil are usually this trope, but nothing's stopping old money from also fitting it. See also DelusionsOfEloquence, DelusionsOfLocalGrandeur (newsreaders believe they are local celebrities due to their jobs), FeigningIntelligence, InferioritySuperiorityComplex.
24	----
25
26	!!Examples:
27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* Frieza from ''Franchise/DragonBall'' is a businessman who drinks AGlassOfChianti and acts sophisticated and aristocratic. However, beneath that elegant personality lies a [[MoodSwinger mood-swinging]] PsychopathicManchild [[HairTriggerTemper with anger issues]].
31	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Jose Porla fashions himself a GentlemanWizard who cares about good manners even toward those he kidnapped. But beneath the thinly-veiled façade is an arrogant GreenEyedMonster whose envy over the titular guild’s esteemed reputation drives him to wage war. The fact that he intends to ransom Lucy to gain her family’s fortune while crushing Fairy Tail into nothing further exposes him as a petty and greedy man at heart.
32	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': [[Characters/JujutsuKaisenMahito Mahito]] is a StrawNihilist who loves to wax philosophical on human nature and believes he’s the only one who understands the true nature of the soul and what it means to live. He’s also a misanthropic PsychopathicManchild who uses this ideology as an excuse to murder hundreds, never mind that, once his beliefs are thrown back in his face, [[OriginalPositionFallacy he will quickly abandon them]] to save his own skin.
33	* ''Manga/OnePiece''
34	** Ex-pirate captain Kuro plays the part of a well-dressed, urbane butler named Klahadore as part of his plan to murder a young girl and make off with her fortune. When his plan starts hitting roadblocks, he breaks out his WolverineClaws and shows the bloodthirsty savage he actually is, frightening his right-hand man Jango in the process.
35	--->'''Jango:''' To avoid scratching his face with his "Cat Claws"...he pushes his glasses up his nose [with his palms]. It's proof that he hasn't forgotten how to kill!
36	** Marine Lieutenant Fullbody pretends to be a sophisticated and cultured wine connoisseur to impress women and keep up appearances as an OfficerAndAGentleman. When Sanji calls him out on the façade he quickly averts NiceToTheWaiter and even assaults his date in anger, receiving a CurbstompBattle by Sanji for his troubles. Ironically, after getting demoted[[note]] and befriending the aforementioned Jango [[/note]] he drops the persona and starts {{inver\|tedTrope}}ting the trope, becoming openly crass and silly [[TookALevelInKindness but also considerably nicer]].
37	* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Sugou Nobuyuki acts sophisticated, and appears as such to most. Beneath the mask, however, he's a self-absorbed, arrogant psychopath who's nothing but a creepy PsychopathicManchild, as those who've seen his true self can attest.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Books]]
41	* [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] from ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' is from an upper class family but is also a brutal gangster. Several stories show that he just doesn't fit in among Gotham's social elite despite his best attempts. This ''is'' DependingOnTheWriter though as sometimes he is shown as genuinely WickedCultured and sometimes even more refined (if also more murderous) than the elite he hobbles with.
42	** In ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures'', one of the first things that the Penguin is shown doing is to encourage his personal gang to learn new words on their own, then -- as an encouraging teacher -- show that he's ahead of them by defining whatever they bring up... even if he ''doesn't actually know'' and has to make something up.
43	* [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin]], of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' and ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' fame, [[VillainWithGoodPublicity actively cultivates his image]] as a SelfMadeMan and a philanthropist with refined tastes, hiding from the public at large the violent mobster he truly is.
44	* In ''ComicBook/StarmanDCComics'', Simon Culp is a violent racketeer, cultist and murderer, delighting in taking his revenge on society, which has ostracized him for his proclivities and dwarfism. He makes it a point to dress immaculately and very much prefers to limit himself to talking in French, especially since he feels his own native Cockney makes him look vulgar.
45	* Burt Schlubb and Douglas Klump from ''ComicBook/SinCity'', who are described as having "DelusionsOfEloquence", and who are nearly incapable of not peppering every sentence with [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness pretentious twenty-dollar words]] delivered in the most stilted, wordy ways possible. This in spite of the fact that they're two no-name thugs who get no respect from anyone, [[ButtMonkey least of all the story]].
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
49	* ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'': Warren T. Rat pretends to be quite cultured, quoting Shakespeare and playing the violin... neither of which he's able to do correctly.
50	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': [[spoiler:Ernesto de la Cruz]] is a musician, singer, and actor who's proficient with folk songs like "La Llorona" as well as modern ones, and he takes the time to admire Miguel's performance. However, he has no genuine appreciation for whatever art form he performs. Everything he does, [[AttentionWhore he does to attract attention to himself]] and [[OnlyInItForTheMoney gain fame and wealth]]. Above all else, he is also [[spoiler:a plagiarist, as he takes credit for works of other people.]]
51	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'' has Professor Padraic Ratigan, a Moriarty {{Expy}} who tries to pass himself off as a [[ManOfWealthAndTaste Mouse of Wealth and Taste]], but his BerserkButton, coupled with his VillainousBreakdown, only serve to show the audience how beastly he really is.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
55	* In ''Film/BatmanReturns'', the Penguin was born deformed due to inbreeding and his parents, to avoid scandal, quietly disposed of him. Growing up as a carnival [[TheFreakshow freak]], he returns to Gotham but doesn't fit in among the upper crust because of his atrocious manners.
56	* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'': Richmond Valentine, who rolls in high-class circles but is an upstart tech mogul who dresses poorly and serves fast food at meetings. This contrasts with the protagonist, Eggsy, who is generally regarded as a street thug but whose journey is all about finding his own variety of class.
57	** Charlie is a haughtier, elitist example, being Eggsy’s PrivilegedRival during his time in Kingsman Academy and frequently putting him down for being common-born. He’s kicked out when exposed as a DirtyCoward, later tries to sell Eggsy out to the BigBad, and drops the pretentious part entirely in [[Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle the second movie]] to become the movie's thuggish [[TheDragon dragon]]. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Eggsy in their final confrontation, remarking that he is more of a gentleman than Charlie will ever be.
58	* ''Film/AFishCalledWanda'': Otto is a violent thug who thinks reading Creator/FriedrichNietzsche makes him much more intelligent and cultured than [[KnowNothingKnowItAll he really is]]; he thinks Aristotle was Belgian, confuses Buddhism and Social Darwinism of all things, and believes the London Underground is a ''political movement''.
59	* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'''s main antagonist Calvin Candie ''thinks'' he is charming, intelligent and cultured, but is actually cruel, petty, stupid and disgusting. Despite presenting himself as a lover of French culture, insisting on being addressed as "Monsieur Candie", and naming one of his black slaves after the protagonist from ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'', he doesn't actually speak French and is not even aware that Creator/AlexandreDumas is part black himself. The greatest challenge facing Schultz and Django during their stay on Candie's plantation is flattering him and playing along with his hypocrisy without revealing their utter disgust.
60	* The titular thief Albert Spica from ''Film/TheCookTheThiefHisWifeAndHerLover'' is a mafia boss that has taken control of the La Hollandais restaurant where he dines every day with his wife and crew. He fancies himself an intellectual and elite, ordering French food (while mispronouncing the words), musing about philosophy and shaming his group for using improper utensils. In reality, he is a gross, abusive, heartless man. He tortures and kills people he believes have crossed him (regardless of whether they actually did it or if it warranted the punishment), publicly brutalizes his wife and various patrons at the restaurant, harasses Michael for reading while at the dinner table, and this is just what we see on screen. He is so bad, that both the kitchen staff and his own men turn on him by the end of the film.
61	* ''Film/TheMenu'': Tyler initially appears to be a charming foodie with a deep understanding of cuisine who is ecstatic to be dining at a high-class restaurant hosted by his idol, Julian Slowik. But it becomes increasingly clear that he’s largely interested in impressing Slowik and looking like he understands his cooking, even as the chef's murder plot unfolds. His attempts to show off his [[KnowNothingKnowItAll “knowledge”]] are very surface level and earns no attention or respect, and when he’s [[spoiler: instructed to make something himself, he fails spectacularly.]] Oh, and for the “Wicked” part? [[spoiler: He knew Slowik was going to kill everyone but still dragged Margot into it [[ItsAllAboutMe just so he can have the plus-one required to attend]]. Quite tellingly, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Slowik is absolutely disgusted with Tyler]] and takes pleasure humiliating him into being DrivenToSuicide.]]
62	* Santino, the BigBad of ''Film/JohnWickChapter2'', fancies himself a sophisticate and the perfect candidate for a seat at [[GreaterScopeVillain The High Table]], when really he just thinks he is above [[HonorAmongThieves the rules]] that the Criminal Underworld has established and [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating has earned few real friends for it]]. His father passed him for his sister to inherit the position and instead inherits an impressive collection of Renaissance art that is put on display at the Met, something he views as just "paint on canvas."
63	* In ''Film/BloodAndBone'', the BigBad James does everything he can to preserve his image (wearing fine suits, avoiding alcohol and swearing, owning a painting of UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan), but the mask slips every time he is inconvenienced or even contradicted. Other characters wind up dead soon after.
64	-->'''Mob boss:''' I've heard you've become quite the golfer.\
65	'''James:''' Yes. But unfortunately, I've just lost my golfing partner.
66	* ''Film/DieHard'': Hans Gruber is sharply dressed and brags of his classical education, but mangles a quote about UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat badly enough to reverse the meaning, to say nothing of comparing himself to one of the world's most famous conquerors while he struggles to maintain control of a single office building long enough to rob the owners.
67	* In ''Film/TheHouseThatJackBuilt'', [[VillainProtagonist the titular Jack]] is a sadistic serial killer who likes to posture himself as a brilliant philosopher and [[MadArtist "artist"]], framing his killings as justification for his pessimistic worldview, while also expressing admiration for fancy things like wine, Greco-Roman architecture, and the works of Creator/WilliamBlake. However, Verge frequently cuts through the BS to remind Jack (and the audience) that not only is Jack very much still a monster, [[SmallNameBigEgo he's in fact nowhere near a diabolical genius as he thinks he is]], very frequently [[UnreliableNarrator exaggerating details of his stories to make everyone other than him seem stupid]], with evidence showing that he avoided suspicion not because he was careful with his work, but because of [[PoliceAreUseless police oversight]] or sheer dumb luck. Verge indirectly calls out Jack as putting on his "cultured" visage simply to impress him.
68	* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3'': [[Characters/MCUTheHighEvolutionary The High Evolutionary]] tries to come off as an erudite EmperorScientist and shows an interest in culture and music, but it’s abundantly clear that he’s little more than a [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]] PsychopathicManchild whose more concerned with playing God and torturing his creations for failing to meet his impossible standards. He really doesn’t understand anything about the culture or science he invests himself in, and when his creations fail him in ''any'' capacity (or causes [[EvilIsPetty a blow to his ego]]), he responds with cruelty of the highest order. The Guardians are not impressed by his love of classical music and musing on humanity during their first meeting (especially on account of learning the sheer trauma he inflicted on Rocket), and when called out on the mess of a society he created he decides that it’s unsalvageable and chooses to [[CivilizationDestroyer burn it to the ground]] rather than own up to his mistakes. The end result of all this is an unbearable HateSink and one of the most despicable villains in the MCU.
69	* ''Film/TheNightOfTheHunter'': Reverend Harry Powell presents himself very charismatic, well-spoken man of God who has a natural talent for charming people with fancy speeches and biblical anecdotes. This is nothing more than an act to hide the greedy, misogynistic, and bloodthirsty SerialKiller he really is. He flies off the handle at the slightest bit of resistance and carries a switchblade which he has no qualms about threatening to cut off a little girl's fingers with.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Literature]]
73	* ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'' presents this as the RunningGag of its VillainProtagonist, the yuppie {{serial killer}} Patrick Bateman, who makes a pretense at being an aficionado of fine food, clothing, and music. Close inspection will reveal that he's only interested in these things because they're popular fads, and actually has little understanding of any of the subjects. Among other things, the SnootyHauteCuisine he gushes about ranges from [[HauteCuisineIsWeird bizarre to inedible]], his clothes are hopelessly mismatched, and all of the musicians he praises were seen at the time as ridiculously cheesy. Creator/BretEastonEllis came from a wealthy background, and this was his roundabout way of [[WriteWhatYouKnow showing that off]], writing Patrick as somebody whose tastes would ''sound'' impressive to an ordinary person but who would come across as a clown to somebody from that world.
74	* ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces'' has protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly. While he is genuinely intelligent, he fancies himself as a peerless philosopher when all he really is is a fat, lazy slob.
75	* ''Literature/TheGodfather'': It's noted that the oldest and most experienced wiseguys try to seem the most respectable but also wear the cheapest suits. This is deliberate on their part. They want you to know that they are accustomed to getting their hands dirty, and that respectability hasn't changed that.
76	* Rita Skeeter from ''Literature/HarryPotter'', like any good {{paparazzi}}, uses some very [[PurpleProse flowery vocabulary]] in her writings that does nothing however to hide either the gossipy nature of them or the cheap, petty mean-spiritedness that they possess.
77	* ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheDurbervilles'' makes [[Literature/SherlockHolmes Colonel Moran]] out to be a strange inversion. Despite being raised in a good family and famed for his distinguished military career, he just doesn't give a damn about his reputation and is quite happy living as a thug and a murderer who only feels at peace when his life is in danger.
78	* ''Literature/JamesBond'' villains get this treatment a lot. The average Bond villain is NouveauRiche, vulgarly showy with his wealth, adorns himself with attractive female assistants a fraction of his age, has notable deformities that he calls attention to by trying to hide, and one or two of them even cheat at "gentlemen's" games.
79	* Chrysler Peavy from ''Literature/MortalEngines'' is a {{pirate}} leader who began having delusions of being an honorable mayor after seizing control of the suburb Tunbridge Wheels and now plans to turn it into the world's first respectable pirate suburb... a goal which he utterly fails to achieve since none of his crew share any of his ambitions, and he himself is still a ruthless pirate at heart.
80	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Tywin Lannister is a variation; he makes a big deal about maintaining regal composure in public, but he can stray into hypocrisy sometimes, like when he arranges for [[spoiler: his enemies to be killed over dinner, something that's the epitome of bad taste in the SacredHospitality culture of Westeros; plus, despite calling it unfitting, he's apparently been seeing whores secretly for some time.]] However, he ensures the former is carried out by another house (who do indeed get ostracized by their peers,) and he is so discreet about the latter that his own family are shocked to discover it, so unlike most examples on this page he is smart enough to both maintain appearances and avoid the backlash when convenience requires him to play dirty. His understanding of the pretenses necessary to stay in power fully fit with his reputation as [[DragonInChief "the king who never wore a crown."]]
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
84	* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory''
85	** ''[[Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakShow Freak Show]]'' has both halves of its BigBadEnsemble:
86	*** Dandy Mott, a wealthy heir who attempts to present himself as a cultured gentleman to the people he's trying to charm, but it's all an act. It takes remarkably little resistance from the other party to make him lose his cool and cause his real personality, that of a murderous [[PsychopathicManchild childish sociopath]] who [[SpoiledBrat throws temper tantrums the instant things stop going his way]], to show through.
87	*** Stanley, who attempts to put on an air of a charming, worldly salesman type, but is actually a sleazy ConMan who will commit murder for a quick buck and spends much of his time in the company of male prostitutes.
88	** ''[[Series/AmericanHorrorStory1984 1984]]'' gives us Margaret Booth. She displays shades of this early-on, but it's initially overshadowed by her faux-[[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]] personality. She really dives headfirst into this trope following the timeskip, however. She cultivates the image of a stylish and fashionable businesswoman, but her modus operandi of buying up famous murder sites and turning them into tourist attractions is seen as in extremely poor taste even in-universe, as she's on the verge of losing money over it.
89	* While [[AdultsAreUseless adults]] in ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017'' are all TooDumbToLive in one form or another, Count Olaf takes this to another level with his {{delusions of eloquence}} and sophistication. He believes himself to be a MasterActor when really people only fall for his disguises because they are all dumber than him, and he is considered terrible while on stage. [[BookDumb He is terrible at math and grammar]] and he [[KnowNothingKnowItAll uses words incorrectly at a failed attempt to seem smart]]. Even his title - ''Count'' Olaf - is [[FakeAristocrat a title he gave himself]] to make him seem more impressive. In a lot of ways his home acts as a perfect visual metaphor for himself; a massive mansion that is clearly uninhabitable inside and out in plain sight of an otherwise lovely neighborhood. Ironically, later on in the series, it's suggested that much of his WickedPretentious status is, in itself, [[ObfuscatingStupidity an act]], as he is able to quote a Philip Larkin poem while [[spoiler:bleeding to death]]. This suggests that Olaf fashions himself in opposition to the intellectual and cultured members of VFD, and therefore gives the outward impression of a LowerClassLout.
90	* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': [[Characters/TheBoys2019Homelander Homelander]] gets a moment of this in Season 3, when he states he’s been reading up on UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr and claims to relate to him as a victim of persecution who "spoke truth to power." This new "enlightenment" of his stems from him being upset over the public [[EntitledBastard not giving him the admiration he thinks he's owed]] and his evil deeds finally catching up to him, to the point he StoppedCaring about consequences and has elected to do whatever he wants. Right after going on this spiel, he further negates any point he may have by making the Deep eat an octopus alive ForTheEvulz.
91	* In the first season of ''Series/Daredevil2015'', it's made clear that Wilson Fisk is a violent gangster despite his attempts to pass himself off as an upper-class philanthropist. He owns a closet full of suits with the same black color, owns a bunch of cufflinks he never wears, flips over a table with imported Chinese tea on it because a fellow mob boss insulted him, and his idea of "[[VillainousGentrification beautifying]]" Hell's Kitchen is forcing all the inhabitants out so he can bulldoze it to put up luxury condos. More subtly, he has to get a recommendation from James on what wine to bring on a date, and shows bad manners by smudging the glass with his fingers.
92	* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': White supremacist and attempted CopKiller Gordon Pratt attempts to present himself as a refined, educated revolutionary. He even owns a copy of ''Literature/TheRepublic'' in the original Greek, which he brags about whenever he isn't smugly mocking Lewis and Pembleton (who are black) with alleged "scientific evidence" of how black people are genetically inferior to white people. Pembleton manages to provoke him into a VillainousBreakdown by challenging him to read a passage; while he cannot, Pembleton can. Pembleton then dismantles his façade by revealing that he's actually [[SubParSupremacist a high school dropout who flunked all of his classes]] and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech mocks him for being such a pathetic failure]].
93	* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': Dennis Reynolds is a narcissistic creep who often sees himself as a cultured intellectual who's above everyone else, but he's pretty much a pathetic and immature delinquent who's not as cool and intelligent as he believes himself to be. His intellect and Ivy League-background only makes him slightly smarter to the rest of the Gang, and he fares horribly when interacting with normal people. And that's not even going into his petty, manipulative nature.
94	* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'' episode "Hammer into Anvil" takes its name from a scene in which the new Number Two - established as the cruelest and most ruthless Number Two yet - quotes [[Creator/JohannWolfgangVonGoethe Goethe]]'s line that "You must either conquer and rule or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be the anvil or the hammer." However, he is clearly unaware of Creator/GeorgeOrwell's famous coda to the line, "In real life it is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about." Number Six, who apparently ''does'' know the Orwell quote, has [[CurbStompBattle little difficulty]] in utterly destroying his would-be oppressor, driving him to [[VillainousBSOD a complete meltdown]] through simple mind games.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Music]]
98	* Music/RobCantor: Mr. Fluglemeyer in the unreleased song [[https://youtu.be/GHGWyIh6ooI "Cuckoo"]] dreams of being in the upper class, but it's clear from the lyrics that he's a crude and horrible person who cheats his customers, uses child slaves, and just wants everyone to do his bidding. The song itself uses the tune of Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's "Fur Elise," just to hammer in how he attempts to appear cultured.
99	* Music/JimCroce: The titular character of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is a violent, womanizing thug who likes to make a show of himself with fancy clothes, diamond rings, and vintage cars.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
103	* Wild Red Berry grew up poor and had no formal education. He would habitually read poems and dictionaries in search of words he did not hear anyone using in an effort to confound listeners, but often [[DelusionsOfEloquence did not grasp the full meaning of these words himself]].
104	* Wrestling/WilliamRegal has historically tried to project the image of English dignity and sophistication whenever he manages to win an "international" contest or title belt. He will lightly clap at the accomplishments of other wrestlers, bow to ladies (if they are "English"), critique the cadence of others' speaking, but the man is a carney conman hooker who is at best "working class" when he tries to posh up, and is a self-admitted dirty rotten scoundrel with hate in his heart deep down.
105	* Gentleman John Lynx, a manager in Prairie Wrestling Alliance ''tries'' to convince people he regularly consumes fine culture--he often apes an upper-class British accent [[OohMeAccentsSlipping (which he invariably fails to maintain)]], wears a nice suit (complete with cufflinks), and will sometimes recite poetry and make literary references. Those references betray his lowbrow taste in literature, and he's had more than one tantrum at ringside.
106	* Wrestling/AllysinKay is a militant gangster that likes blasting {{murder ballad}}s on the radio and watching contact sports on television. Still, she wants people to think the is globally cultured and a regular consumer of the fine arts, which she attempts to accomplish by imitating wrestlers who are like Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada. These attempts have more than once fallen flat. Marti Belle, Kay's rival turned [[EnemyMine ally of convenience]] turned TagTeam partner comes from acting and fashion backgrounds, and ''is'' more culturally learned than Kay, but nonetheless tries to appear classier than she actually is in imitation of Kay.
107	* Lady Chardonnay Darcy, the Queen Of Chavs...she learned chavs are considered low class so she dropped that claim and hired a butler named Savoy in attempt to look more regal, but didn't know how to react when Wrestling/SoloDarling scoffed at the idea of a chardonnay drink, much less as a title of royalty.[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
110	* ''Tabletopgame/DungeonsAndDragons'': The Nalfeshnee are a race of demons who often have delusions of grandeur and see themselves as a twisted form of aristocracy within their home plane, the Abyss. When not fighting against or bullying others, they host ritual banquets in a twisted mockery of those conducted by mortal nobles, eating [[EatenAlive the flesh of still-living creatures]] with rusted utensils.
111	* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': Belial, the Prince of Fire, likes to think of himself as a suave, sophisticated villain. What he ''is'' is a half-mad brutish pyromaniac who occasionally puts on a nice suit.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Video Games]]
115	* [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] once again:
116	** In the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'', the Penguin is depicted as a pushy, rude, arrogant, petty, sadistic, openly bigoted LondonGangster who is just as unrefined as the henchmen he looks down on, even ruining the exhibits of a natural history museum just to accommodate his criminal headquarters, yet nevertheless believes himself to be the height of sophistication and class because of his OldMoney family. Interestingly, unlike most versions of the character that came from wealth or faded glory and now try to keep up appearances, Penguin refused to better himself when he had the opportunity — sent to London by his parents to receive private schooling, he didn't fit in with his classmates and instead spent most of his time there with various street gangs, returning to Gotham with virtually no formal education, even worse etiquette, and a superiority complex as broad as the accent he picked up. He did make a sincere attempt to at least be admired by Gotham's wealthy elite when he unveiled the Iceberg Lounge, but Joker disfiguring a waitress the night of the grand opening humiliated Oswald and sparked their long-running feud. Even in terms of aesthetics, this Penguin is presented as a DarkerAndEdgier twist on tropes commonly employed by the character. [[labelnote: For example...]] he speaks with a guttural Cockney accent instead of the [[SmartPeopleSpeakTheQueensEnglish urbane facsimile of Received Pronunciation]] other adaptations use; instead of a classy cigarette holder, he's typically seen [[CigarChomper with a big, fat stogie clamped between his lips]] (and this habit has [[SmokingIsNotCool resulted in him needing a voice box]]); he eventually ditches the anachronistically upscale clothing in ''Arkham Knight'', in which he instead wears a rumpled, disheveled "business casual" outfit stained with food and sweat; and his [[HighClassGlass signature monocle]] upon closer inspection is actually [[EyeScream the bottom half of a beer bottle that got permanently embedded into his eye socket during a bar fight]].[[/labelnote]]
117	** The version of Penguin from ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries'' is AffablyEvil and superficially charismatic, but is nevertheless an ImpoverishedPatrician whose fall from grace turned him into a criminal mastermind bent on {{revenge}} against the Wayne family. Whether he's championing himself as a liberator of the downtrodden or enjoying the high life after taking over Wayne Enterprises, Penguin never stops being a brash, violent thug.
118	* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'': The prep clique are all like this. They come from privileged backgrounds and speak in fake "posh" accents, but are all spoiled, thuggish brutes.
119	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': Genesis Rhapsodos has this as a defining feature of his personality. He's one of the world's leading scholars on LOVELESS and is implied to have published writings about his theories to its meaning due to his obsession with it. Normally, this may make him come across as WickedCultured, but as his condition and sanity deteriorate and his desperation for a cure intensifies, he starts drawing parallels between the events of ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' and LOVELESS, and becomes convinced it is some sort of holy prophecy or legend that he must fulfill, making him less cultured and more crazy. As for LOVELESS itself, several characters do not have a high opinion of it; Cid, Sephiroth, and Hojo all dismiss its quality at different times, and the [=NPCs=] who form its fanbase are largely portrayed as the in-universe equivalent of the more obsessive ''Final Fantasy'' fans.
120	* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Ichiryusai Madarame poses as a respectable and talented artist when in reality he’s long lost his passion and makes a living [[PlagiarismInFiction stealing the works of his students]]. He admits to currently being in it for fame and fortune, and his MagnumOpus, the mural Sayuri, was made by a disciple he let die so he can claim Sayuri as his own. Perfectly fitting for the game’s [[SevenDeadlySins Monarch of Vanity]].
121	* Trade Prince Jastor Gallywix in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and it's spin-offs is considered greedy even amongst goblins who have greed as one of their [[PlanetOfHats racial personality quirks]]. He typically wears a top hat, dresses in [[PimpedOutCape fur-lined coats and capes]], smokes fancy cigars and flaunts his wealth to all who are watching. He's more than happy to abuse his underlings and in the goblin starting tries to sell the player and other goblins to slavers. He speaks, like most goblins, with a heavy Brooklyn accent is is said to have backstabbed his way up society to reach the top of the Bilgewater Cartel from being pretty much a street thug so his classlessness often shows through.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
125	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
126	** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': Manfred von Karma, ''THE'' AmoralAttorney, is a so-called "god of prosecution" who has proven the defendant guilty in every trial he's prosecuted for his entire 40-year career. He's very respected (and [[TheDreaded feared]]) in his profession. He [[ManOfWealthAndTaste dresses like an eighteenth-century aristocrat]]. Why is he here and not WickedCultured? The second he opens his mouth, he brazenly intimidates the judge, and during cross-examination he can't go five seconds without interrupting or insulting Phoenix Wright in some way. [[spoiler:And that's before you find out he murdered Gregory Edgeworth in cold blood for [[DisproportionateRetribution giving him a minor penalty]] on his otherwise [[ThePerfectionist perfect record]].]]
127	** Luke Atmey in ''Trials and Tribulations''. An arrogant AttentionWhore of a detective, he wears clothing just as fancy as the Von Karmas and attempts to come off as brilliant and urbane. [[spoiler:He's both a thief and a murderer.]] For bonus points, his tuxedo, monocle, large nose and unusual yellow hairstyle make him resemble both (again) the Penguin and [[AnimalMotifs an actual (rockhopper) penguin]].
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Web Originals]]
131	* ''WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses'': Despite his sophisticated façade, Ask That Guy is less WickedCultured and more of a Wicked KnowNothingKnowItAll.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Western Animation]]
135	* Still ''more'' [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin Penguin]]:
136	** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Especially in the episode where, after a recent release from prison, he makes a genuine attempt at going straight and befriends a wealthy young socialite, only to learn that the whole thing was a PrankDate and her friends were laughing at his crass mannerisms the whole time. This leaves him so embittered and humiliated that he gets back into crime on the spot. Then flipped around after the retool; not only did he lose any similarity to the deformed Burton version, but as a fence and nightclub owner, he was a lot more WickedCultured, and lost any interest in avenging himself on high society. Although, in his words:
137	--->''"Living well is the ''best'' revenge."''
138	** ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': His EstablishingCharacterMoment involves him crashing a gala he wasn't invited to, quickly making a spectacle of himself with bad manners, feigning offense when he's asked to pay the cover charge (which he can't really afford) and then sneaking off with the silverware. He has a FreudianExcuse; his family used to be eminent and influential in Gotham before the Waynes started overshadowing them. He's a SpoiledBrat who never grew up, even after losing the means to be spoiled.
139	** ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': Despite wearing fancy clothes and running an upscale nightclub, the Penguin is an unapologetically ruthless and sadistic mobster with a decidedly boorish and unsophisticated demeanor. He abuses and kills his henchmen for petty reasons, takes his revenge against Harley Quinn in a flagrantly degrading and misogynistic way, and doesn't even try to pretend that he's not forcing his nephew Joshua to carry on the family business against his will. This is even reflected in his gang's dress code, as his male goons wear tuxedo-print t-shirts while his female minions wear skimpy leotards with bowler hats.
140	** ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls2019'': The Penguin is barely groomed, visibly unwashed and wears a sweater with the image of a dress shirt on it but is still confident enough to mock Barbara Gordon's blue collar status to her face. He doesn't even come from money or partake in any white collar business. All of his money is from blackmail, price gouging, vendor sabotage, rigged games and fixed elections.
141	* One-off villain Mad Dog from ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' is a crude, unsophisticated, low-class thug who does dirty jobs for quick pay, yet nevertheless he has a high opinion of himself and his lifestyle.
142	* King K. Rool, antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'', uses large words in an attempt to be sophisticated, yet throws tantrums like a child.
143	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' gives us Gerald Broflovski. As a lawyer, Gerald likes to drink AGlassOfChianti and acts [[SmugSnake smug]] and sophisticated. However, Season 20 reveals that Gerald is nothing more than an [[PsychopathicManchild immature]] man who {{troll}}s women on the internet for his own twisted amusement.
144	* ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'': Ribby and Croaks mention that they used to be rough-and-tumble fighters, but their mother helped them clean up their act, and now they're "respectable" types who wear pinstripe suits and run a high-class riverboat club. The problem is, Ribby and Croaks are still very prone to violence, and they have a {{Jerkass}} streak, making it clear that they're not quite as reformed or squeaky-clean as they think they are.
145	* ''WesternANimation/MiraculousLadybug'': [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugHawkMoth Gabriel Agreste]] presents himself as a stern, but respectable bigshot in the field of high fashion and lives in a large mansion. As the supervillain Hawk Moth, he presents a loud and bombastic personality and gives his minions gaudy costumes and names. [[spoiler:It's revealed later on that his real name isn't even Gabriel Agreste, and that he used to be a young restaurant worker named Gabi Grassette who built his whole legend from the ground up to seem more impressive]].
146	* ''[[WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesofPower She-Ra and The Princesses of Power]]'': Horde Prime carries a veneer of sophistication and appreciation for alien culture and arts that never deters from his megalomaniacal personality and horrifying, oft-times genocidal rule over most of the universe. He particularly enjoys keeping relics from civilizations he ravaged as a power play meant to demoralize his enemies and express his invincibility.
147	[[/folder]]

Context Main / WickedPretentious