Line #15 Main/InfernalBackground


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2	%% Image restored per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1654566910011359100
3	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
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5	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hellsquid.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:"Oh, puh-leez. ''I have no soul.''"]]
7	%%
8
9	-> ''"The roaring fire behind her... made her glow, as if she'd been sent from hell."''
10	-->-- ''Literature/{{Wax}}''
11
12	When a character is plotting something wicked, flames often appear in the background. The fire often comes out of nowhere, although the character may actually stand in front of a burning object for the same effect. Either way, it is simply meant for dramatic effect. The use of this trope can vary on the SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: it can be used in a serious way, to make a character seem legitimately intimidating, or it can be used in a silly way, due to its somewhat over-the-top nature.
13
14	The character may do an EvilLaugh while the flames appear.
15
16	SubTrope of EvilIsBurningHot.
17
18	Compare BackgroundHalo (that is, the evil variant involving horns), BattleAmongstTheFlames, FireballEyeballs, OutOfTheInferno, and DevilishHairHorns. Contrast HolyBacklight.
19
20	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with having demonic ancestry.]]
21	----
22	!!Examples:
23
24	[[foldercontrol]]
25
26	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
27	* Seen in a few episodes of ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}''.
28	** In episode 7b, Flowertchi sees a flower that represents passion and instantly absorbs that personality trait, with the scene accompanied by flames in the background.
29	** In a later episode, flames appear behind Himespetchi when she gets angry.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
33	* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Big M. getting mad at Little M. tends to be accompanied by flames in the background.
34	* In the ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' episode "Martial Art", Lamput notices his popcorn has been destroyed and gets mad at Specs Doc and Skinny Doc for it. Both the hero from the martial arts film he had been watching in the theater auditorium and a bunch of flames appear as he shrieks at them.
35	* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', flames often appear behind Wolnie whenever she gets angry at Wolffy.
36	* In the ''Animation/SimpleSamosa'' episode "Meethi Masi", when Samosa is finally sick of his aunt and cousins constantly being an annoyance to him, he gets angry and proclaims he's going to find a way to drive them out. As this happens, a flame can be seen behind him.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	* Pops up in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'' to cap off Asuna's ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend moment in Season Two, accompanied by the mother of all {{Death Glare}}s and OminousLatinChanting courtesy of ''Film/TheOmen''. The entire display is enough to make Sugou have a minor VillainousBreakdown despite the fact that, as a System Admin in a virtual world, Asuna is incapable of actually harming him.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
44	* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'': At the end of "[[VillainSong Are You In or Out?]]", flames appear behind Sa'luk and some of his minions, which leads to a FadeAroundTheEyes when the flames go out at the end of the song.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'': The song "[[VillainSong Hellfire]]", where Frollo sings about his VillainousCrush on Esmeralda, is sung in front of a fireplace. Later, it's backed by {{Hellfire}}.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
49	* ''Film/BlackPantherWakandaForever'': Downplayed. When [[spoiler:Killmonger is speaking to Shuri]] in the ancestral plane, manipulating her into becoming vengeful and wrathful like him, pillars of fire rise up one by one in the room and in the area outside. They don't completely fill the background, but they do get more prominent as the scene goes on. Considering that [[spoiler:an evil man in the spiritual realm]] is manipulating someone, the Satanic imagery is very clear.
50	* Invoked in ''Film/MaryShelleysFrankenstein'' during the Monster's ThenLetMeBeEvil moment. After unwittingly scaring away a family and concluding that he really ''is'' a monster, he burns down their house. The scene ends with a shot of him, with his back to the burning house, and vowing to get revenge on Victor.
51	* In the 1995 film adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', there is a dramatic scene with Iago, where he monologues to the audience about his evil plan while standing over a chessboard, and a fire is burning in the background.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* In ''Literature/{{Wax}}'', there is a scene where one of [[BigBadDuumvirate the two main antagonists]] is described as appearing to glow because of a fire behind her. This happens as she grins, having come up with a plan to cover up her attempt to attack one of the heroes -- [[VillainWithGoodPublicity she wouldn't want to hurt her PR, after all]].
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
59	* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'', Captain Holt's [[KilledOffscreen late]] [[SitcomArchnemesis nemesis]] Deputy Chief Wuntch sends him a videotape of her where she has a roaring fireplace as a background. Amy wonders when Wuntch recorded the video, and Rosa snarks that judging from the flames around her, it's probably a livestream.
60
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Video Games]]
64	* ''Videogame/{{Borderlands}}'': In Claptrap's Robolution DLC, the Vault Hunters are introduced to Mr. Blake, head of MegaCorp Hyperion's Mercenary relations decision. His introductory splash is backed with flames, which when coupled with his [[DevilishHairHorns pointy hairstyle]] makes him look like the Devil. However, despite seeming sinister at first, he [[DarkIsNotEvil turns out]] to a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who, despite being sarcastic and dour, [[HonestCorporateExecutive deals with the Vault Hunters honestly and pays them well for their efforts]].
65	* The [[https://youtu.be/EViHlhuI2SE E3 2014 trailer]] for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' ends with a close-up of a bloody Venom Snake as flames burn behind him. Subverted in the actual game, as while a similar scene does show up, the context behind it is more tragic than outright villainous.
66	* Invoked in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''. When Mephiles is manipulating Silver into thinking that Sonic is a dangerous madman, Mephiles gives Silver a vision of Sonic surrounded by flames.
67	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
68	** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'': In the intro of the game, Mario's nemesis Bowser appears standing in a field of flames. With Bowser himself darkened aside from his GlowingEyesOfDoom, the effect is pretty creepy... or badass.
69	** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'': Sephiroth's victory screen is unique in that it depicts him standing among flames, in reference to the Nibelheim Incident of his own game.
70	* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games, Ganondorf is often introduced like this
71	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' The Deku Tree shows Link a vision of Ganondorf riding his horse between two walls of flame.
72	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' shows Ganondorf standing in a ring of fire when the King of Red Lions explains who he is to Link.
73	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': Ganondorf does this first hand during the flashback scene where he meets [[spoiler:Zant]]. Ganon first appears as a giant ball of fire and pulls [[spoiler:Zant]] inside, where he appears as a giant flaming face surrounded by a flaming background.
74	* In ''VideoGame/{{Octogeddon}}'', each and everytime the titular octopus gets triggered, flames appear in the background while it roars in anger.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Web Original]]
78	* ''WebAnimation/TheMusicFreaks'': In the episode "[[Recap/TheMusicFreaksS1E10Karma KARMA]]", flames appear behind Zoey after she found out that Lia sent the audio.
79	* ''WebAnimation/ObjectOverload'': A fiery background appears around Pumpkin when he is explaining to Toothy's alliance how horrifying he thinks he is.
80	* ''[[Creator/RoosterTeeth Rooster Teeth Animated Adventures]]'': The background turns fiery [[https://youtu.be/-ed-tIZcphQ?t=19 here]] when Gavin discusses going on a rampage during a lucid dream, and [[https://youtu.be/o7ABSsu-ACM?t=104 here]] when Mad King Ryan explains why it doesn't matter if he recaptured the original Edgar the Cow after Michael freed him.
81	* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'': In Episode 15, Sugou threatens Kirito to Asuna's face, which causes her to deliver an extremely vicious threat wherein she threatens to give him a CruelAndUnusualDeath. Sugou remarks that the NarrativeProfanityFilter he has in place as admin is doing Asuna no favors, which is followed by a shot of a ''very'' angry Asuna with RedEyesTakeWarning set to a backdrop of flames and screams. This intimidates Sugou into having a minor VillainousBreakdown, followed by Asuna doing one of her usual attempts to escape her CardboardPrison while giving the guards an offscreen MookHorrorShow the moment Sugou blinks and lets his guard down.
82	* ''WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'': In "THE BOOTLEG DIMENSION", a fiery background appears behind Professor E. Gadd when he warns Mario not to touch his malfunctioning PortalPicture that leads to the titular world.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Western Animation]]
86	* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': "Time's Arrow" does this with Joseph Sugarman [[spoiler:when he's implicitly threatening to lobotomize his daughter]]. Complete with his horse ears curving [[DevilishHairHorns like the devil's horns.]]
87	* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' first season finale "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E20GideonRises Gideon Rises]]", Stan is depicted as wearing a devil costume with a flaming background in a news report.
88	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'', when Mr. Cat gets really angry, the background behind him sometimes bursts into flames.
89	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
90	** In the episode "Toads and Tiaras", Lincoln has Lola's twin sister Lana fill in for her at a pageant while Lola's out with an injury. When Lola finds out, she is absolutely ''livid'', leading to a scene where the background briefly turns into a raging fire behind her.
91	** In "Butterfly Effect", Lincoln's Imagine Spot of Lisa getting angry with him over wrecking her experiments has flames appear behind her.
92	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': In "What the Big People Do", Tommy and Chuckie have a FantasySequence about being grown up and going to work. All goes well until they are called into [[MeanBoss The Boss]]' office. On the way, Chuckie tells Tommy about how his dad is always afraid that ''his'' boss will fire him. Both Tommy and Chuckie [[LiteralMinded take that to mean they're going to get charred]]. The boss turns out to be Angelica, [[DevilishHairHorns with her ponytails turned up to look like devil horns]], sitting in a big chair in front of a window that looks out on a blazing inferno. On either side of her desk is a [[FireBreathingWeapon bronze Reptar statue that shoots flames from its mouth]].
93	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'':
94	** In "Fractures", Glimmer is standing before a roaring fireplace [[spoiler:when she confines Adora and Bow to the castle.]]
95	** In "Mer-Mysteries", Hordak is shown standing on a rock formation with flames behind him, [[spoiler:having just destroyed Salineas.]]
96	* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': The interior of Aku's fortress has walls of flame, in both Jack's time and the BadFuture where Aku rules.
97	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': During Bart's [[NightmareFuel infamous]] ImagineSpot of Homer graphically melting, the background outside the car window becomes that of Hell.
98	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''. Spongebob claims that Krabby Patties are "good for your soul", causing him to gain a halo, wings, and a HolyBacklight as a CherubicChoir plays in the background. Squidward retorts by saying he has no soul, causing a fiery background to appear, complete with an EvilLaugh. [[MediumAwareness This surprises Squidward]], and the background suddenly disappears when he looks around in shock.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
100	** In "[[Recap/TotalDramaNoPainNoGame No Pain, No Game]]", Eva makes a surprise return to the show. Strong as ever and incredibly angry about getting voted off in the first place, her return is accentuated by an infernal background and ominous latin chanting.
101	** Gwen's plea for the Villainous Vultures to work as a team in "[[Recap/TotalDramaHeroesVsVillains Heroes vs. Villains]]" is met with deceitful agreement. As Heather, Jo, Duncan, Scott, Alejandro, and Lightning enter the confessional to voice their real thoughts, a SplitScreenReaction shows all of them laughing evilly against a backdrop of fire.
102	** Flamethrowers are part of the obstacle course in "[[Recap/TotalDramaTheObstaKillCourse The Obsta-Kill Course]]". After Mal throws a tire at Alejandro to prevent him from warning Gwen about Mal, two flamethrowers just so happen to shoot up on either side of the secret villain.
103	** As the demonic Mal dummy in "[[Recap/TotalDramaSundaeMuddySundae Sundae Muddy Sundae]]" rises up to laugh at Mike's efforts to stop him, a close-up with flames in the background and in the dummy's eyes occurs when Mal states that he'll never be defeated.
104	%%** When Mal, Mike's SuperpoweredEvilSide, makes his debut in "[[Recap/TotalDramaEvilDread Evil Dread]]", he says his first line of dialogue against this.
105	[[/folder]]

Context Main / InfernalBackground