Line #43 Main/MyBelovedMinions


1	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/example_1.PNG]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[VillainProtagonist Gru]] kissing his minions goodnight.]]
3	->''"I think I've had just about enough of you, guy! You made my minion cry! NOBODY makes my minions cry except ME!"''
4	-->-- '''Giovanni''', ''WebAnimation/EpithetErased''
5
6	This trope is when a villain shows compassion for their [[EvilMinion minions]]. Maybe they show it subtly, through giving medical care when one of them gets hurt or discreet birthday presents left on a minion's bed. Or perhaps they show their love with more [[LargeHam ham]], showering their minions with hugs and bedtime stories like a {{doting parent}}. Either way, the villain is shown protecting their minions to show to the audience that they care for them.
7
8	This trope is often used as {{Foreshadowing}} that the villain isn't as bad as their earlier appearances tell us and that they might be headed for a HeelFaceTurn. Maybe their minions are the reason for LoveRedeems, or perhaps their lackeys help the villain realize that GoodFeelsGood. It is for this reason that this trope can be played for either [[PlayedForDrama drama]] or [[PlayedForComedy comedy]], as the conflict between doing evil and caring for people is inherently full of drama and the juxtaposition of a bad guy and them doing very kind things is quite humorous. It is common for users of this trope to imply that the villain and their minions are like a [[FoundFamily family]], with [[VillainousParentalInstinct the villain being the parent and the minions their children]]. Because this trope is about caring for others which is innately wholesome, this trope is sometimes used to justify DracoInLeatherPants in fanfiction. If the villain is shown [[NiceToTheWaiter caring for those beneath him]], he can't possibly be that bad of a guy, can't he?
9
10	A villain of this type will never kill or maim a minion for [[YouHaveFailedMe a single error]], [[VillainousDemotivator to make a point]], or [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness because they are no longer useful]]. This might be because they are genuinely AffablyEvil, or they might just be a PragmaticVillain who believes that people who feel appreciated and respected will work harder and be [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal more]] [[TheDogBitesBack trustworthy]] than terrorised slaves. On the other hand, if a minion actively betrays them, or shows truly shocking negligence or incompetence, [[BewareTheNiceOnes they might suffer an extremely nasty fate]].
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12	A SubTrope to PetTheDog, BenevolentBoss, EvenEvilHasStandards, and EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily. Related to VillainousVirtues, and VillainousFriendship. Sometimes related to AntiVillain, AffablyEvil, or VillainousParentalInstinct and FoundFamily, if the villain and their minions are particularly close. A SisterTrope to EvenEvilHasLovedOnes, and the EvilCounterpart to AFatherToHisMen. Contrast BadBoss, who treats their minions like crap.
13	----
14	!!Examples:
15
16	[[foldercontrol]]
17
18	[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
19	* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'': Jail Scaglietti is a MadScientist extraordinaire with a knack for world domination, but his one redeeming trait is the genuine care he shows towards the Numbers -- a squad of hitwomen he had genetically engineered to act as his field agents. Side stories featuring them show that he treats all of them as daughters, even the ones whose genome contains none of his own DNA, [[spoiler:although this takes a darker twist in the finale when it is revealed that [[{{Squick}} he had each Number implanted with an embryonic clone of himself]], so he could cheat death as long as at least one Number escaped capture and gave birth to his clone (who'd then inherit his memories)]].
20	* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'': William is very attached to all of his underlings, from his brothers to Moran to even the newest member in Bond and the ones seen on screen least often like Moneypenny and Patterson. He refers to them as his trusted companions and even goes shopping to buy them matching gifts at one point, and he's extremely protective of each and every one of them.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Fan Works]]
24	* The titular character from ''Fanfic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan'' bills himself as a textbook EvilOverlord, which makes confusing to his enemies the way he so effortlessly unites [[EqualOpportunityEvil creatures of all species and backgrounds]] under his rule. His kindness is his main selling point; He first developed his army by killing their old BadBoss and setting up a system in which all of them would remain fed and cared for, and began specifically targeting individuals with abilities useful to him to offer care and a purpose for their allegiance. Because of this, his armies are fiercely loyal to him and willing to repay his generosity tenfold.
25	-->'''Darth Vulcan:''' Hear my words and heed them. Artful Dodger is my minion. His voice is MY voice. His power is MY power. When he speaks, you shall obey him regardless. I ALONE shall decide when and if he has overstepped his bounds. If you assail him, I will know. If you refuse to heed him, I will know.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
29	* ''Franchise/DespicableMe'': [[VillainProtagonist Gru]] not only remembers each and every minion's name out of the hundreds he has, he also makes sure his minions have a good place to sleep and gives them all a goodnight kiss on the forehead, much like a parent.
30	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': Ursula's main redeeming quality is that she genuinely cares for her underlings, Flotsam and Jetsam. They are playfully seen swirling around her as she pets them back, and when Ursula is singing "Poor, Unfortunate Souls", there is one moment where she playfully whispers to them. [[spoiler:When Flotsam and Jetsam are accidentally killed, their deaths are what actually trigger Ursula's RageBreakingPoint, as she ultimately seeks to avenge them until she meets her end as well.]]
31	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' treats his minion...[[ADogNamedDog Minion]], more like a friend than a servant. They are essentially HeterosexualLifePartners, have a very close bond, and will do just about anything for each other's sake.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
35	* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'': Hans Landa has a curious affection for his SS adjudant, specifically including him in his agreement to defect to the Allies. [[spoiler:When Aldo Raine shoots his second, Landa is very upset and furious, warning Aldo that he will be executed for his insubordination. Aldo disagrees, saying that his superiors only care about Landa.]]
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
39	* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'': Boba Fett's entire story arc is about ending the rule of idiot crime bosses who casually get their minions killed through stupidity. When one of his guards is injured protecting him, Boba lets him use his bacta tank to heal.
40	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': One of Scorpius's redeeming features is that he's a genuinely [[AFatherToHisMen concerned for the people]] under him. In one episode, he was outraged to discover that one of his junior officers was forcing pilots to test an experimental spaceship despite the fact that every single flight caused the pilot to die horribly, and ordered the man to [[UriahGambit perform the next test personally]].
41	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'':
42	** Black Cross Führer from ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger'' never punishes his minions for failure and in one episode actually shows up to personally prevent one of his generals from committing suicide.
43	** Queen Hedrian from ''Series/DenshiSentaiDenziman'', despite being a genocidal egomaniac, is shown to genuinely love her minions and actually mourns the deaths of the Vader monsters whenever the Denzimen kill them.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Video Games]]
47	* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'': The Snatcher, the soul-eating [[DealWithTheDevil contract-making]] ghost, gives stolen mail to his minions so that it's "almost like someone cares for them." [[spoiler:in fact, he's the one who gave their souls bodies in the first place, as [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Vanessa]] killed them all during her [[AnIcePerson icy rampage]].]]
48	* ''VideoGame/DaveEXE'': Should [[PapaBear Sylvester]] hear one of his Snitches screaming, he'll drop anything but chasing the player to run over to them. They also refer to him as their dad despite him being unrelated to them.
49	* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'': When Astor starts collecting Yiga Clan members' souls and turns the Malice warriors on Sooga and Master Kohga, Sooga tells Kohga to run away to save himself. Kohga, however, can't bring himself to leave his top henchman behind and instead fights alongside him. He may be a coward at other times, but he cares deeply for his followers. And the feeling is mutual; Sooga will give his life to protect Master Kohga.
50	-->'''Sooga:''' Master Kohga! Quickly, make your escape!\
51	(''Kohga is about to make his escape, but then...'')\
52	'''Kohga:''' [[AFatherToHisMen I can't split - you're my best lackey!]] (''[[VillainousValor Gets into his fighting pose.]]'')\
53	'''Sooga:''' [[UndyingLoyalty In that case... I will protect you]], [[HeroicSacrifice even if it costs me my life.]]
54	** When Kohga reappears later in the story, he's alone. Without saying a word, he kneels in front of Zelda and Impa, bowing so low his forehead brushes the ground. The narration afterwards confirms the Yiga clan joined forces with Hyrule. Kohga set aside his pride to save his clan.
55	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': Although he is [[AmbiguouslyEvil ambiguously antagonistic]], King Dedede is shown to care for his "minions," the Waddle Dees.
56	* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Arlecchino may be a [[TheMafia Fatui]] [[BossBattle Harbinger]], but she definitely cares about those in her orphanage that she trains to later be operatives for Snezneya. She absolutely refused to let Lyney have a Delusion, as they can eventually cause the death of the user.
57	* ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}'': [[spoiler:Mary the living painting]] has a good relationship with her artwork minions. She politely asks an artwork to move over in one of the endings, and it complies. She also likes to play around with the other artworks, and if Ib tries to break some mannequin heads, she will express concern for them.
58	* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'': While it's subtle, Giovanni is implied to hold respect for his minions, to the point of stepping down and disbanding Team Rocket upon being defeated [[RuleOfThree a third time]]. The [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] of ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red and Blue]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]'' explore this further, with Giovanni specifically saying that he betrayed their trust upon stepping down and [[spoiler: his speech to his son revealing that he believes that he didn't make the most of his minions' potential. When his subordinates call out to him via the Radio Tower, he feels emboldened to rejoin them... [[ShaggyDogStory only for a young trainer to beat him once more, making him realize that all of that solo training was pointless.]]]]
59	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
60	** Bowser, the King of the Koopas, treats his subordinates with respect and admiration. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', he doesn't even mind that some of the members of his army have left him, he just wants them to have good lives now. ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' examines this further, with Bowser's equivalent of Mario & Luigi's [[SiblingTeam bro attacks]] being attacks done with his minion squads, while the remake's side-story, ''VideoGame/BowserJrsJourney'' makes this a key plot point in that [[RoyalBrat Bowser Jr.'s]] initial lack of respect towards the minions causes issues.
61	** ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': [[TragicVillain Count Bleck]] treats his minions rather kindly despite his plan to destroy all worlds, his punishments not being harmful whatsoever when his minions are out of line or screw up, such as writing a 1,000-page report. This is reciprocated, which proves [[spoiler:pivotal in restoring the Pure Hearts and destroying [[FinalBoss Super Dimentio.]]]]
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Web Animation]]
65	* ''WebAnimation/EpithetErased'': [[BigBadWannabe Giovanni]] constantly talks about how his minions are important, even to higher-ranked [[TheMafia Banzai Blaster]] authorities who think otherwise. Giovanni gives them emotional support and teaches them life lessons, and he's always got their backs. For example, when he learns how badly his new minion Molly has been treated by her family, he encourages her to stand up for herself and helps her work on her confidence.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Webcomics]]
69	* ''Webcomic/AddictiveScience'': Dr. Schmitt in some ways treats his genetically engineered monster/minion Eegor more like his child. For instance, wallpapering his room of the castle with happy flower designs because he wants his minions to grow up in a warm home full of love (so they'll be fully focused on battle and not their [[FreudianExcuse personal issues]].)
70	* ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'': The Knightmare Knight does evil things solely to keep his minions alive, as he is powered through fear and doing evil deeds makes people fear him. His minions are kept alive by said power, so if his power diminishes, so will his minions.
71	* In ''Webcomic/{{NIMONA}}'', Ballister shows a great deal of concern for Nimona, even when [[spoiler: part of her is destroying the city as a dragon-like monster]]. It's also implied he was this way to mercenaries he hired as minions in the past (until they were paid off to betray him), arranging board game nights. [[spoiler: This leads to the sweet part of a BittersweetEnding, when he angrily tells a doctor not to call her a monster, and realises she was Nimona in disguise (paying one last visit to let him know she survived, before disappearing for good).]]
72	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Tsukiko the {{Necromancer}} calls her [[OurWightsAreDifferent wights]] her "babies" and treats them like small children, even deploying them using the buddy system and reminding them to use their safety whistles. They reciprocate, [[spoiler:right up until her control over them is broken.]]
73	-->'''Tsukiko:''' Hello, little one. I'm your Mommy.\
74	'''Wight:''' I crave mortal flesh!\
75	'''Tsukiko:''' Awww, Baby wants his num-num, doesn't he?
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Web Original]]
79	* Though it varies from video to video, ''WebVideo/HitlerRants'' features Dolfy often expressing [[VillainRespect rather genuine fondness and respect]] for his minions whenever they offer to help him or when he finds their services useful in whatever ridiculous plan he tries to implement.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Western Animation]]
83	* In ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'', IneffectualSympatheticVillain Sir Pentious has this relationship with his AdorableEvilMinions the [[EggFolk Egg Boiz]]. Despite angrily bossing them around, he cries when Vaggie tries to make him get rid of them and allows them to sleep in his bed like pets.
84	* ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'': Sid Swashbuckle the pirate commits thievery with his [[NonHumanSidekick dog sidekick Arrby]], but he treats Arrby with nothing but respect. Sometimes Sid even steals to provide for Arrby, and when Sid's annoyed that he lost his treasure to the PAW Patrol, Arrby cheers him up by saying they've still got each other.
85	* Hank Scorpio of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a supervillain who casually threatens the UN and puts a Bond parody in a deathtrap yet also happens to be an excellent employer who treats Homer with far more respect than Mr. Burns ever did, going out of his way to build up a genuinely friendly rapport with him.
86	[[/folder]]

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