Line #124 Main/AuctionOfEvil


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11	[[quoteright:261:[[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AuctionOfEvil.jpg]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:261:[[MotorMouth Twentyfivetwentyfivedoiheartwentyfive? Twentyfivefromthegentlemanintheback, doihearthirty?]]]]
13	->'''Tucker:''' They're probably trying to steal the artifact, then sell it to the highest bidder.\
14	'''Caboose:''' Oh, they're like evil [=eBay=].
15	-->-- ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue''
16
17	Proof that EvenEvilHasStandards, The Bad Guys [[TruceZone will show some sport]] and allow for other baddies to meet underground and place bids on a Destructive Piece of AppliedPhlebotinum or other significant {{Doomsday Device}}s. Or maybe he does it because he'd love to make some bucks.
18
19	Does not always involve the classic "English auction" (that's the "going once, going twice" sort), instead using sealed bids. It's more refined that way, and if the price is millions of dollars, it's easier to handle that way.
20
21	Since [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slave-taking is a form of villainy]], a [[SlaveMarket slave auction]] would also fall under this trope. This is more TruthInTelevision than many other examples, though, as most slave societies (e.g. the United States, before the Emancipation Proclamation) did commonly sell their slaves at auctions. This may be the heroes themselves being put up for auction, often for the right of the highest bidder to slice them up, or it may be someone or something important to the heroes that's on the block. In this case, the good guys may go undercover to make a bid themselves, but this gambit rarely turns out well. Often, especially in pornographic works such as {{Hentai}}, the slaves are {{Sex Slave}}s.
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23	A form of VillainsOutShopping, although it can (and usually does) have more plot significance than most.
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25	WelcomeToEvilMart is a less competitive form of villain commerce. See also ArmsFair.
26	----
27	!!Examples:
28
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
32	* In episode eight of the {{Hentai}} ''Cool Devices'', Maya is captured by slavers and sold at an English-style auction, starting at 200 credits and being raised to about 360 before Estilgar [[WhammyBid bids five million on her]].
33	* ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'' featured one selling [[spoiler:stolen national treasures and abducted girls]].
34	* A major plot arc in ''Anime/HunterXHunter'' takes place during the Yorknew City Auction, the largest in the world, as well as its underground mafia counterpart. Naturally, the Genei Ryodan [[spoiler:shows up, massacres everyone, and makes off with the goods.]]
35	* Literature/LostUniverse opens at one of these. This develops into the female lead being put on auction. Played for laughs, as there are no bids, [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe much to her distress]].
36	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' the Human Auctioning House (or the [[UnusualEuphemism Public Employment Security Office]] as [[BlatantLies the Marines call it]]) is the center of the slave trade; ironically, while it deals in human slaves, more exotic species are worth far more. In one arc the crew's friend Camie the Mermaid gets kidnapped and sold there (live mermaids being especially valuable). The Straw Hat Pirates attend the local slave auction and try to buy her freedom, even if it costs them every beri they have (which at the end of the Thriller Bark arc, is quite a bunch). But a [[AristocratsAreEvil World Noble]] crashes the auction and throws a WhammyBid which is way more than Luffy and crew can match. Guess it's time to switch to plan B: [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome punch the guy who bought her in the face, rescue the girl, and tear the whole place apart, even though it meant they'd bring the entire World Government upon them.]] [[spoiler:After the two-year TimeSkip, the place is shown to have fallen apart since the World Nobles stopped frequenting it.]]
37	* The ''Manga/TokyoGhoul :re'' auction arc revolves around an auction where humans are bid to be eaten by wealthy ghouls.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Books]]
41	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
42	** UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age\|of Comic Books}} story ''Crime of the Month Club'' had the Joker operate one of these, where he sold plans for heists to various criminals. Of course, this being Joker, the plans are pretty far-fetched (one such crime involved robbing the Gotham Gas Works, then using the gas to fill up a hot air balloon so the robbers could escape... methane actually is lighter than air, but not enough for this to really be practical).
43	** Steve Englehart wrote an issue of ''Batman'' called "The Malay Penguin" in which Hugo Strange set up an auction of Batman's secret identity to his enemies, including Penguin and the Joker. It's a similar situation as "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne" listed in animation.
44	** ''ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison'' has a [[TimeyWimeyBall Timey-Wimey]] story in which one strand involves Hat-Man (previously the second Mad Hatter, before the first one returned) auctioning off the Joker's Joke Book.
45	** The Mirror House in the Batman ([[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]]) storyline ''ComicBook/BatmanTheBlackMirror'' sells both functioning villain tech and morbid "souvenirs" like the crowbar that the Joker used to kill Jason Todd.
46	* ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'':
47	** In issue #186, ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} team up to find and stop an auction that the Fadeaway Man is holding to sell off loot he has stolen.
48	** An issue starring ComicBook/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} featured an underworld auction where one of the items being sold was the location of the cave containing the Clayface protoplasm.
49	* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': In ''ComicBook/SteveRogersSuperSoldier'' #4, Myron Smith sells vials of the super-soldier serum to generals and world leaders at an auction.
50	* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': The Network is a mobile black market for supervillains, complete with auctions for big-ticket weapons and famous stolen items.
51	* ''ComicBook/GenerationX'': In ''ComicBook/GenerationX2017'' #6, some of the mutant students attend a villain auction where nano-sentinels are being sold to the bidder who offers the highest amounts of kills.
52	* ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'': In ''ComicBook/Hawkeye2012'' #4, at a villain auction in Madripoor, a tape that shows [[spoiler:Hawkeye killing a dictator]] is being sold off.
53	* ''ComicBook/HeroesForHire'': Sidewinder holds an evil ''online'' auction for a select group of collectors featuring antiques stolen just a few hours before. He'd been working this angle for a few months by the time his latest attempt was foiled by the intervention of the Heroes for Hire.
54	* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': In ''ComicBook/IronMan2012'' #1, Iron Man crashes an auction where kits of the Extremis enhancer are sold.
55	* ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Adventures #6]]'' as seen above, with time-travelling villain Chronos on the seller's podium. In this issue [[spoiler:the whole thing is a BatmanGambit by the man himself (and the rest of the League) to capture all the attending supervillains. The gambit sees Batman disguise himself as Chronos while the other six members each disguise themselves as another villain in attendance (Superman as Solomon Grundy, Wonder Woman as Catwoman, Flash as Warp, Martian Manhunter as Parasite, Green Lantern as Count Vertigo, and Hawkgirl as Roxy Rocket) and lure the villains into Chronos' island lair to attend the fake auction of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The villains do eventually catch on, but by the time they do, their numbers have dwindled so much that the Justice League has an easy time mopping them up.]]
56	** This happened to the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica in the mainstream DCU comics as well, in an early [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ''JLA'' story, "For Sale: The Justice League!" (''Justice League of America'' #8, 1961). A common gangster manages to find a device which he can use to control the JLA members and auctions them off to various crooks to use as aides in committing crimes. Turns into a case of LetsYouAndHimFight as well, since basically all of the crooks decided to go for the same target as one of their fellow bidders. In the end [[spoiler: none of the heroes actually succeed in stealing anything, as Snapper Carr absconds with the goods himself while everyone else is distracted by the fights.]]
57	* ''ComicBook/{{Shakara}}'': After the Earth is destroyed on the first few pages of the comic, [[LastOfHisKind the last human]] (who was stuck on the International Space Station) is captured and brought to an interplanetary slave auction. The slavers only included the {{Puny Earthling\|s}} as a novelty item.
58	* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'':
59	** ''ComicBook/StarWarsDoctorAphra'': The ''And the Enormous Profit'' arc centers on Aphra assembling representatives of most of the galaxy's criminal organizations in order to sell the [[SoulJar Rur crystal]] off to the highest bidder. Though things get complicated when [[spoiler: her droids sabotage things in an attempt to [[TheStarscream kill her]]]].
60	** The BatFamilyCrossover ''ComicBook/StarWarsWarOfTheBountyHunters'' is built around this trope, as [[spoiler: the resurgent [[Film/{{Solo}} Crimson Dawn]]]] steals the frozen-in-carbonite Han Solo from Boba Fett when he's en-route to Jabba's palace and then puts it on sale to the highest bidder at an assemblage of all the galaxy's major crime syndicates (and the Empire). Fett gets Solo back in the end([[ForegoneConclusion Of course]]), but a lot happens to the Galaxy's criminal underworld in the meantime.
61	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In ''Creator/MarvelKnights Spider-Man'', the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote was auctioned to the highest bidder by Eddie Brock himself. (Eddie was determined to give up being Venom and was actually planning to donate the money to charity, most likely not telling them where the money came from.) All the top villains were in attendance, as were scrubs like the Looter. Mobster Don Fortunado won and gave it to his wimpy son Angelo in hopes that it'll toughen him up. Angelo got himself killed pretty quickly and the symbiote found its way to Macdonald "Mac" Gargan, formerly the Scorpion, who had it until ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'' (after which it ended up on, of all people, Flash Thompson).
62	* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]] is sold to the gentleman wearing the Superman cape in ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen'' [[http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/jimmy-olsen/117-2.jpg #117]].
63	* ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'':
64	** In ''Wolverine'' #9 (2011), after Mystique was killed by Wolverine, her body was auctioned off to the Hand.
65	** In a turn of events, a resurrected Mystique would later attend an auction in Madripoor for the remains of Wolverine's body in ''ComicBook/DeathOfWolverine: The Logan Legacy'' #5.
66	** In ''ComicBook/HuntForWolverine: Adamantium Agenda'', several [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]] go undercover on a [[SubStory submarine]] where genetic material of super-powered beings is auctioned off.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Fan Works]]
70	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3205899/1/All-s-Well-That-Ends-Well All's Well That Ends Well]]'' (part one of the Spirit Quintology, a series in which [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Lancer]] accidentally acquires ghost powers and becomes the hero Will Spirit) concludes with one of these - Skulker kidnaps Danny's entire class and auctions them off to other ghosts in exchange for weapons he can use, with Ghost Writer as the actual auctioneer. Among others, Paulina is bought by Kitty (who wants someone she can do girl talk with), Danny is bought by Vlad (for obvious reasons), and Ghost Writer bids on and wins Lancer after learning of their shared love for literature. Luckily for everyone involved, Danny and Lancer are ultimately able to escape partway through and use their powers to free the hostages.
71	* The ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/31685906 Awakening]]'' has several Class 1-A kids abducted and put up for auction. But giving Midoriya Trigger is a seriously bad idea as the vestiges awaken and cause chaos. Midoriya hangs in midair surrounded by lightning and Blackwhip, which frees everyone while the vestiges speak through Midoriya’s mouth yelling at the auctioneer. After backup heroes arrive, All Might is able to calm Midoriya but the vestiges keep lashing out in the hospital afterward and even when Midoriya returns to school, they “patrol” every couple days to check on the other students,
72	* ''Fanfic/TheChaoticMasters'': In Chapter 14, Viper brings Jade along as she infiltrates an auction of magical artifacts hosted by Roulette, Circe, and Vanessa Barone, which Robin also infiltrates alongside Zatanna and Constantine, and which Aqualad infiltrates for his own reasons. Aside from them, every other attendant is a villain, including but not limited to Jinx, the Dazzlings, the Penguin, Ra's al Ghul, Xanatos, Demona, Daolon Wong, and Alastor the Radio Demon.
73	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TheGreatRedPandaRescue'', Mei is kidnapped and sold at one of these.
74	* One of the stories in the fourth ''Fanfic/HalloweenUnspectacular'' centers around this. In a twist, the auctioneers ([[PoliceAreUseless incompetent police officers]]) aren't evil, but most of the items (having once belonged to an evil wizard) they're selling are (like the toaster that [[SealedEvilInACan houses an evil bread spirit]], the camera that transports [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Patrick]] back in time, the binoculars that show the worst fears of those who look into them, the Necronomicon, and the wizard's spellbook, which [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Sam]] uses to launch Paulina into space [[spoiler: and turns out to be a ChekhovsGun]]).
75	* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeries'': In the chapter "J-WITCH Meets The J-Team!", [[WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures Valmont]] hosts an auction for all of his recently stolen artifacts (including the [[WesternAnimation/WITCH2004 Heart of Kandrakar]]), which is attended by all of the Chan Clan's other prominent human criminal enemies, as well as [[CoDragons Daolon Wong and Cedric]] (who are there for the Heart). When the J-Team and Guardians crash the party, everyone starts fighting over the Heart, and it turns into a [[MeleeATrois massive brawl]].
76	* In ''Fanfic/APossibleEncounterForAPhantom'', The Faction hosts one of these to acquire additional funds, with the items being smaller, weaker Terrakons, and the auctioneer being Jack Hench.
77	* [[HumanTrafficking The Ark]] from ''Fanfic/WithPearlAndRubyGlowing'' have no problems doing this to those they capture. At least one protagonist had his virginity lost this way and it's hinted that they will even auction their victim's corpses off to [[ILoveTheDead necrophiles]].
78	* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44341639 Taken]]'' is a ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' fic where Bakugo, Midoriya and Todoroki end up in one of these. Midoriya ends up under the control of a villain named Hex who uses him as a PeoplePuppet and makes him fight his friends. Luckily they’re rescued, though there is an alternate ending fic where they are sold off that’s in progress as of March 2024.
79	* Another ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/45984871 The Waters of Lethe]]'' has Aizawa abducted to be auctioned. He’s tenacious and fights his captors along with making sketches that help convict the guys, but he’s hit with a powerful blast of amnesia quirk before he’s rescued. He remembers almost nothing and it takes so long to recover his memory that Present Mic was told to consider a long term care facility. Making things worse, Mic sees evidence in the case that shows one of the highest bidders on Aizawa was Garaki and the nomu makers. Yikes.
80
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
84	* In the animated short sold with some ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' [=DVDs=], now that Megamind [[spoiler:is no longer evil]], he starts selling his devices of doom in an auction. Proves very fun for one kid who buys his dehydration gun...
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
88	* ''Film/TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. Professor Moriarty sets up a mini-auction between Russia and France for the stolen Redcliff Document.
89	* ''Film/{{Amistad}}'': When Cinque is telling his story via flashbacks, many of the Africans that survived La Amistad's voyage from West Africa, [[MadeASlave were auctioned off in Cuba]] before the ship was taken over by Cinque and the other Africans still onboard.
90	* Near the start of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', Dr. Jason Woodrue (Floronic Man in the comics) holds an auction for Bane and his "Venom" super soldier serum. [[spoiler:Too bad that Pamela Isley, after having an entire shelf of chemicals dumped on her, turned into Poison Ivy and gave him a KissOfDeath before taking Bane with her as she burns down the lab.]]
91	* A DeletedScene in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' has Zemo turning up at one of these, claiming the Hydra weapon they're selling is rubbish, and then killing everyone with DeadlyGas so he can take the one item that is valuable, the notebook with the TriggerPhrase for the Winter Soldier.
92	* ''Film/ChaiLaiAngelsDangerousFlowers'': After stealing the Andaman Pearl, Dragon attempts to auction it off to a roomful of international criminals and other shady types.
93	* ''Film/Cradle2TheGrave'', magical super plutonium is being sold to a collection of the world's biggest, baddest baddies. The Chairman from ''Iron Chef America'' plays the seller.
94	* In ''Film/DOADeadOrAlive'', the BigBad's plan is to auction off his ultimate weapon: a pair of hi-tech sunglassess that enables its wearer to use any martial art imaginable.
95	* In ''Film/GetOut2017'', the older guests at the Armitage's party go off with Rose's father to play Bingo, a disguise for a silent auction where the guests bid on [[spoiler:who gets Chris's body]].
96	* ''Film/{{Hostel}} II'': One scene shows wealthy people typing on their cell phones/computers, bidding for the right to torture and kill the women displayed on their devices' screens. The bidding is in the tens of thousands of dollars.
97	* ''Film/JamesBond'':
98	** ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967''. La Chieffe sets up an "art auction" between the US, USSR, and Great Britain to sell a set of compromising photographs, culminating in a hilarious scene where each country believes that they are under attack.
99	** ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. After Blofeld launches his [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] equipped KillSat, he sets up "An international auction, with nuclear supremacy going to the highest bidder."
100	** ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe''. Cairo nightclub owner Max Kalba sets up an auction between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. over plans for a system that can track submarines underwater. Before he can do this he's killed by Jaws, an assassin working for the supervillain whom he stole the plans from.
101	** ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'' opens with Film/JamesBond infiltrating a weapons bazaar where various military grade weapons are being sold to terrorists.
102	** ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain''. Largo's mook attempts to auction Domino as a {{sex slave}} until James Bond rescues her.
103	* In ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'', the dinosaurs rescued from Isla Nublar get auctioned off at Lockwood's manor to attendees who include pharmaceutical researchers, extreme sport hunters, a Russian arms merchant, and a [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Texan oil millionaire who wants a pet triceratops for his kid]]. Owen and Stiggy the ''Stygimoloch'' interrupt events, but not before several of the dinosaurs have been sold and trucked off elsewhere.
104	* In ''Film/TheMasterOfDisguise'', the main villain steals all of the world's most valuable objects and then sells them on Black Market eBay.
105	* In the final act of ''Film/{{Mortdecai}}'', [[spoiler:Mortdecai and Johanna arrange for the painting with the bank account number to be sold at an auction disguised as another painting (although they are planning to let the buyer walk away with another decoy)]].
106	* This takes place at the end of ''Film/{{Steel}}'', with the BigBad attempting to auction off his (actually, stolen from the US Army) {{Energy Weapon}}s. However, being smart, he only sells them the weapons, not the means to maintain them or make more in order for them to keep paying for his services (right after offing his partner and hired thugs in a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness moment).
107	* ''Film/{{Taken}}'': The bad guys auction their kidnapped girls as sex slaves. Bryan infiltrates the place and tries to buy his daughter, but is discovered, forcing him to [[OneManArmy get her back the old-fashioned way]].
108	* In ''Film/WonderWoman1974'', DiabolicalMastermind Abner Smith steals a a complete list of U.S. field agents, their undercover identities and current assignments and plans to sell it to the highest bidder. He doesn't actually succeed in setting up the auction before the title heroine stops him.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Literature]]
112	* ''Literature/{{Caliphate}}'': The Christian slave girl [[BrokenBird Petra]] is sentenced by the sharia court to be sold off after being [[DefiledForever brutally raped]]. Her Muslim friend Besma tries to persuade her father [[ThePatriarch Abdul]] to stop Petra from being sent away, but his hands are tied. She gives some money to her servant Ismail to buy Petra's freedom because she knows Petra is [[SoBeautifulItsACurse too beautiful]] and even [[SexSlave worse things will happen to her]] if she ends up in the wrong hands. Ismail attempts to buy her at the auction, but is unable to top the other buyers' offers, even when Abdul [[PetTheDog gives him even more money]], and Petra ends up being sent to a harem.
113	* ''Literature/TheDemonPrinces'' plays this trope straight, subverts it ''and '''inverts''''' it in the second book, ''The Killing Machine''. Interchange is a planet which specializes in kidnap victim/ransom exchanges, acting as intermediary between the villain and anyone who chooses to pay the ransom. Everyone wins, because the villain can rest assured he will get his money while the ransoming party knows that the person that they're coughing up for is guaranteed to be alive and well and in good health (in custody at Interchange, NOT in the villain's lair). In order to avoid the loathsome attentions of a master criminal (the BigBad of the episode), the heroine approaches Interchange and posts a "ransom" for ''herself'', far beyond the capacity of anyone to pay. How [[spoiler:Kirth Gersen]] goes about subverting the system is the subject of the first half of the book.
114	* ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'':
115	** In the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'' novel ''[[Recap/EighthDoctorAdventuresAlienBodies Alien Bodies]]'', agents of the most formidable powers in the galaxy gather at an auction to bid for the deadliest weapon ever created, [[spoiler:the body of the Doctor]].
116	** In the ''[[http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/Decalog3.htm Decalog 3]]'' story "Fegovy", an energy-based creature named Fegovy is auctioning off the priceless "Face of Humanity" to several criminals and warlike species. [[spoiler:The Doctor wins the auction by tricking the entity into selling off its entire collection in exchange for what it believes are Gallifrey's coordinates. It's actually just a childish insult the Doctor scribbled.]]
117	* In ''Literature/{{Eisenhorn}}: Malleus'', Eisenhorn infiltrates a clandestine slave auction where one of the villains is selling an Alpha-plus level psyker. The villain doesn't actually intend to sell the psyker, however, and is using the auction to flush out anyone that might be on his tail. Eisenhorn realizes this and comes prepared. The other buyers don't and are slaughtered by the villain's minions once the jig is up.
118	* In ''Literature/TheFinalWarning'', the Uber-Director [[spoiler:attempts to auction off the flock. He's thwarted by the flock using their 'skills' to distract the viewers... oh, and a hurricane]].
119	* Sex slave auctions are, naturally, common in the ''Literature/{{Gor}}'' series. [[DeliberateValuesDissonance The concept of 'evil']], however, isn't.
120	* In ''Literature/TheHuskyAndHisWhiteCatShizunErhaHeTaDeBaiMaoShizun'', the auction at Xuanyuan Pavilion features Song Qiutong being auctioned as a SexSlave, [[EatenAlive live meal]], or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs horrifying combination]] [[ConsumingPassion of both]] depending on the buyer's preferences. Ye Wangxi, a cultivator of heroic reputation, makes a WhammyBid to buy her, which confuses Mo Ran, who interprets this as a gallant rescue, over how Song Qiutong acted toward Ye Wangxi in the other timeline.
121	* ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'': In ''Hex and the City'', John Taylor works security for an auction of supernatural and super-science artifacts that attracts all sorts of disturbing, disreputable, or just plain insane "players" from the Nightside and elsewhere. [[spoiler:But even the worst of them are outclassed by the reality-warping extradimensional entities that crash the gathering to seek the prize item up for bid: a probability-controlling butterfly.]]
122	* ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'' has a member of the White Court abduct Harry Dresden and auction him off ''on [=eBay=]'' to all those he's severely pissed off. The bidding got up into the millions.[[note]]Harry does not make friends easily.[[/note]]
123	* In "Literature/TheSerialMurders", a villain who's worked out a way of using a soap opera full of NoCelebritiesWereHarmed characters as a [[VoodooDoll voodoo ritual]] offers the representatives of various organizations (including TheMafia, [[EvilInc Leech Enterprises]], a [[GovernmentConspiracy sinister immortal force within NATO]], and an [[UnwittingPawn easily manipulated government think-tank]]) an opportunity to "sponsor" the show.
124	* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': The sixth book, ''The Ersatz Elevator'', ends in an auction when the Baudelaires THINK that [[spoiler:Duncan and Isadora are hidden in an item called "V.F.D.", but it turns out that they're hidden in a large sculpture of a RedHerring]].
125	* ''Literature/ShadowPolice'': In ''The Severed Streets'', Costain and Ross discover that there is a quarterly auction of arcane artifacts in London -- held on the solstices and the equinoxes -- and attend one. While not necessarily evil, the auctions are definitely amoral and will accept all kinds of disturbing things as payment: blood, body parts, a year of suicidal depression, the ability to ever feel happiness...
126	* One of the antagonists of ''Literature/{{Weaveworld}}'' is a salesman by trade, and he intends to sell the eponymous Weaveworld, which contains most of the world's magic and the MageSpecies that works it, to the highest bidder as a demonstration of his professional prowess. Of course, he never troubles himself with the moral implications of selling a world and its inhabitants.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
130	* In the third season of ''Series/TwentyFour'', an undercover Jack Bauer is trying to get a deadly virus when it turns into a sealed bid auction, with the other bidder being [[spoiler:Nina Myers]].
131	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': In "[[Recap/AngelS01E10PartingGifts Parting Gifts]]", Cordelia is kidnapped and her "Seer's Eyes" are put up for bid. And when it appears that they are about to be sold for much too low a price (from Cordelia's viewpoint) she takes over from the auctioneer to drive the price higher, and to buy time for the BigDamnHeroes to show up and rescue her.
132	* ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'':
133	** In the episode "Have Guns -- Will Haggle", thieves steal 3,000 highly-secret, brand-new rifles and stage an auction for the guns for buyers on the black market.
134	** In the episode "The Man from Auntie", an organization which [[ItMustBeMine steals items for collectors]] kidnaps Mrs. Peel and plans to auction her off to them.
135	** In "The Hour That Never Was", a team of technicians at a Royal Air Force base is brainwashed and given hypnotic programming by a team of criminals using ultrasonics. The BigBad intends to set up an auction of the brainwashed personnel to the highest bidder.
136	* Avon is paraded at a slave auction in the ''Series/BlakesSeven'' episode "[[Recap/BlakesSevenS4E7Assassin Assassin]]".
137	* Several episodes of ''Series/Charmed1998'' have shown that the demons have auctions for the souls bought through a DealWithTheDevil, and their own bazaar where they go for trading, and an enterprising demon can even make money by making a RealityTelevision audience for demon participants and a demon audience.
138	* Several episodes of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' involve online auctions of kidnap victims to (depending on the episode) either pedophiles or serial killers.
139	* ''Series/CutthroatKitchen'' has these in spades, as the items auctioned off are solely ways to handicap the other chefs. Swap out their fresh ingredients for some pre-packaged ones, take away their knives and replace them with plastic knives, bind two chefs together with a double apron...
140	* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': After Karen Page exposes a numbers racket at Union Allied, Wilson Fisk has his cronies reacquire the company's assets when they're auctioned off. In "In the Blood," Karen crashes one auction to sketch outlines of the bidders. Ben Urich drops in as well and tells Karen to bid on some of the smaller lots to avoid giving herself away.
141	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Crichton sets up one of these for the wormhole knowledge inside his brain. He doesn't intend to actually let the auction conclude, but merely uses the competition between the {{Big Bad}}s this stirs up as a cover for his real plans. Needless to say, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome it's awesome]].
142	-->'''Crichton:''' What am I offered for all the powers of the universe?
143	* ''Series/TheMagician'': In "Illusion of Black Gold", kidnappers attempt to auction off of a kidnapped scientist who has developed a process for extracting oil from shale.
144	* ''Series/MissionImpossible'':
145	** In the episode "Doomsday", an industrialist sets up an auction to sell weapons-grade plutonium and other items needed to produce an H-bomb to the highest bidder.
146	** In the episode "Speed", the West Coast's largest drug dealer steals 3 tons of amphetamines and sets up an auction in the criminal underworld to sell it to the highest bidder. The IMF must stop the plan so that the drugs don't reach the American public.
147	** In another, the baddie auctions off the "antidote" to a computer virus that can cripple military systems. The virus itself was free, since none of the attendees could use it without exposing their own systems.
148	* In ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'', Kendrix's Quasar Saber was put up for auction at a BadGuyBar after her death (she got better at the end of the series); to recover it, Karone disguised herself as Astronema (her SuperPoweredEvilSide that was banished forever in the previous series) winning it by doing a ''very'' convincing job of acting, placing a WhammyBid which she ups to [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse "and you all get to live".]] Unfortunately, her cover is blown by Trakeena, but she managed to escape with it after causing a BarBrawl, much like her brother did in the previous season. (Probably genetics.)
149	* A variation in ''Series/TheProfessionals'' episode "First Night". Criminals kidnap an Israeli minister and offer to sell him to the highest bidder -- government or terrorist -- that wants him returned safely or killed.
150	* In both ''Series/Roots1977'' and [[Series/Roots2016 the 2016 remake]], Mandinka warrior in training, Kunta Kinte is taken from his homeland in Western Africa and [[MadeASlave auctioned off to a Virgina plantation owner]].
151	* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E07QLess Q-Less]]", Quark auctions off a bunch of stuff brought through the newly discovered wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. One of the items up for auction turns out to be a [[NegativeSpaceWedgie dangerous crystal]] which has been causing power outages and other problems all throughout the episode, and -- of course -- nearly destroys the station.
152	* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS08E02WhatsUpTigerMommy What's Up, Tiger Mommy?]]", Plutus, God of Greed, steals and auctions off [[MacGuffin the Word of God]] [[spoiler:as well as [[LivingMacGuffin Kevin]]. Kevin's mother bids her soul to save him. Crowley possesses her in order to steal the Word anyway]].
153	* In ''Series/Warehouse13'', [[spoiler:this is the premise of the first SeasonFinale]]. %%If you're more familiar with the show/episode, please replace this with more specific information.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Podcasts]]
157	* ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' features one with, among other things, cloning pods. [[spoiler:Both Garfield the deals warlock and Barry Bluejeans are in attendance.]]
158	* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'': The Night Vale Sheriff's SecretPolice hold an auction of seized goods, including an original X-Men comic, a glowing coin, and [[spoiler:one community radio host]].
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]
162	* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' supplement ''C.L.O.W.N. (Criminal Legion of Wacky Non-conformists)''. The title villain group captured the supervillain Foxbat and auctioned him off to the highest bidder. The Birmingham, Alabama police department passed the hat and came up with $8.67.
163	* ''Espionage'' (and its remake ''Danger International''), adventure ''Merchants of Terror''. The villains steal a nuclear artillery shell and try to auction it off to a group of international terrorist organizations.
164	* ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'': In the sample adventure included in ''Strange Alchemies'', the Unknown Soldier auctions off the services of the Promethean named Lighthouse (who can see other Promethean's milestones). He accepts bids of favors and service, not money. Members of the Botherúd use the auction as a chance to wipe out a large group of Prometheans at once using a suitcase nuke.
165	* In ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' there is a black market for Ancient Martian artefacts and in one adventure the heroes can find themselves right in the middle of criminal auction for a teleportation device, up against Nazis, gangsters, con-men and deposed royalty.
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Video Games]]
169	* In the second ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations'', the fourth case centers around an illegal auction at the prosecutors' office for evidence from past cases, in which participants hid their identities using masks with voice-changers. The victim was a [[TheMole Mole]] posing as a buyer and trying to bring down the auctioneer. [[spoiler:The true murder weapon even turns out to be an auction gavel.]]
170	* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', this is how you "acquire" new demons. If the bids are too close, it passes from English-type auction to a sealed-type. In [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2 the sequel]], on the other hand, regular auctions always use sealed bids, while the rare Special Auctions remain English-type.
171	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure'', TheMafia hosts an annual "Schwarze Auction" where they sell off [[BlatantLies totally legitimately acquired art]] to the rich and powerful. The police can't do anything about it because said mafia has very powerful friends in the government, with the event being located at the personal mansion of the speaker of the Diet.
172	* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' Hordes of the Underdark expansion, you can buy a female human slave from the Illithid. You can either send her to fight or free her.
173	* An Auction of Evil is actually a major plot point in ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}: Munch's Oddysee''; the last eggs of [[LastOfHisKind Munch's species]] are being auctioned off in a can as "gabbiar" to some rich glukkons, a race whose [[PlanetOfHats hat]] is CorruptCorporateExecutive. Abe intends to use his ability to possess others to manipulate a foolish glukkon into handily winning the auction, then stealing the eggs.
174	* ''Phantom Thief Silver Cat'': Mineko plans to sell the Emerald Queen at one after using it as bait to lure Silver Cat. In one Bad End, Silver Cat herself is sold as a slave at the same event.
175	* ''VisualNovel/ThePriceOfFlesh'' starts off with one -- with you as the merchandise. The BigFirstChoice is determining who makes the winning bid.
176	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'': Wan Gin's auction in [[{{Wutai}} Kyogen]], where he attempts to barter both Agarte and Claire after promising to help Veigue and co. May double as a SlaveMarket as he does sell people in secret. Passing it up is a pretty bad idea, since it offers a lot of rare items and is needed in a rather big sidequest, but Wan Gin eventually gets his comeuppance.
177	* Most of the second act of ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' revolves around Aiden infiltrating an auction dedicated to selling runaway, kidnapped, and other type of missing girls as sex slaves. Although shutting down the auction (and the human trafficking ring behind it) is only an ancillary goal for Aiden during his mission, once he's presented with the opportunity he swiftly, and brutally, follows through.
178	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfAssassinationTrilogy'': One of these is going on in the background of [[VideoGame/Hitman2016 the first game's]] first mission. A freelance spy ring is auctioning off a NOC list with the identities of every [=MI6=] agent in the Middle East to a cabal of shady characters, including the son of an East Asian dictator and an ArabOilSheikh with ties to terrorist cells. 47's mission is to shut down the auction by killing both of the spy ring's leaders.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Webcomics]]
182	* In [[http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20091012 this]] ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' StoryArc Torg and company infiltrate a supervillain auction for Dr. Shankraft's Displacement Drive. It quickly turns into a NastyParty.
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Web Original]]
186	* [[http://www.scpwiki.com/groups-of-interest#toc21 Marshall, Carter and Dark]] from the Website/SCPFoundation universe is a rival ArtifactCollectionAgency which regularly auctions anomalous artifacts off to the super rich. An interesting example in that they're not ''evil'' as such, but rather that they have a cavalier attitude to the consequences of their inventory falling into the wrong hands, and large sections of their catalogs are typically devoted to items with obvious PowerPerversionPotential. On at least a couple occasions, however, they've turned something even ''they'' thought was too [[PragmaticVillainy dangerous]] or [[EvenEvilHasStandards depraved]] to sell over to the Foundation, and have also ([[TeethClenchedTeamwork grudgingly]]) acted as broker to the Foundation when securing items from private collections.
187	[[/folder]]
188
189	[[folder:Western Animation]]
190	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
191	** In "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE7Harlequinade Harlequinade]]", a group of gangsters auction off a bomb only for it to be stolen by the Joker.
192	** In [[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE37TheStrangeSecretOfBruceWayne "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne"]], Hugo Strange tries to auction off Batman's SecretIdentity to The Joker, The Penguin, and Two-Face. In a twist, Joker ends up suggesting that they pool their money and collectively "purchase" the secret. Too bad for Strange, Batman switched the tapes...
193	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'':
194	** "Legends Of The Dark Mite": Catman attempts to sell a rare wild tiger.
195	** "The Mask of Matches Malone": Two-Face attempts to auction the Cloak of Nefertiti, which gives its wearer [[CatsHaveNineLives nine lives, as it was empowered by a cat goddess]]. Batman (disguised as the gangster Matches Malone), Catwoman, Huntress, and Black Canary infiltrate the auction. Just as they start bidding, some of the gangsters pull guns on Two-Face and try to take the cloak by force. Two-Face, Batman, Catwoman, Huntress, and Black Canary all fight them off, but Batman gets hit on the head and [[CriminalAmnesiac genuinely believes he is the gangster Matches Malone]]. He steals the cloak and goes on a crime spree.
196	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Captain Planet\|and the Planeteers}}'': Dr. Blight goes back in time to WWII in order to auction the atom bomb to the Axis Powers.
197	* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode 'In Like Blunt' had the villain turn his lair into an island resort and auction off a list of various S.H.U.S.H. agents' names. [[spoiler:All as bait to trap a rival. Of course, he still held the auction.]]
198	* A ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' cutaway has Stewie attending a perfectly normal auction, that just happens to offer a machine capable of enslaving humanity.
199	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' had a variation of this with a raffle, hosted by The Lobe, the winner being allowed to [[spoiler:set off the giant wooden horn which would play a note at Freakazoid's resonant frequency, shattering him]]. Naturally all of Freak's villains were there to get in on this. The winner ends up being Armando Gutierrez, but he drags out the countdown too long and Freakazoid ends up being saved by [=NormAbram=].
200	* In the Creator/RubySpears ''WesternAnimation/{{Mega Man\|RubySpears}}'' cartoon, one episode had Dr. Wily shrink entire American cities - specifically, UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} - and then encase them in glass before auctioning them off to the highest bidder. One scene of the Robot Masters driving around in their van also had Guts Man mention that UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, and UsefulNotes/LosAngeles were next on the list.
201	* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' episode "Space Sargasso". Lurker plans to auction off the captured title character to his enemies, but is interrupted before he can carry it out.
202	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': In the episode "Accomplices", the specs for the Rhino's suit are on the block.
203	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'', during the "Super Powers" era, had an episode where the Justice League infiltrated an intergalactic auction to prevent anyone from getting their hands on a piece of Gold Kryptonite, in order to protect Superman. The Kryptonite ended up in Darkseid's hands.
204	* {{Parodied\|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' animated series, in which Brainchild auctions off the Tick after turning into a two-headed hermaphroditic bluebird that only speaks high-school French and lays chocolate eggs. The auction is infiltrated by Der Fledermaus and Sewer Urchin, incredibly poorly disguised as supervillains "The Rake" and "Buckethead".
205	* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJusticeRevivalSeries'', a demonstration and auction for Metahuman teenagers is held in Biyala. Nightwing's team infiltrates the auction and rescues all the teenagers there.
206	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AuctionOfEvil