Nightmare Fuel / Villainous (Cartoon Network)

aka: Villainous

When Black Hat tells you to do something, you better do it.

Despite being a comedy series focusing on a merchant selling goofy doomsday devices, once Black Hat reveals his true intentions, he goes from a comical bumbling villain to a vile monstrosity amongst other Cartoon Network villains.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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In General

• Black Hat is already an evil villain, with how he treats his minions, kills off heroes, and such. But you haven't seen the WORST of it, for Black Hat isn't just the biggest threat of his world, but the ENTIRE Cartoon Network Multiverse. He's the reason why so many villains like Vilgax or Aku became threats to their respective heroes. And remember, this also consists of [adult swim] and Toonami, meaning that characters such as Evil Morty and The Intruder are also likely under his thumb.
• It's a fact that Darkseid is part of the Black Hat Organization. Not only that, the villains from Star Wars like Palpatine or General Grievous might be potential members and they are now part of the Disney Universe (which also has Marvel Comics and Fox under acquisition). Black Hat and his forces may have invaded Cartoon Network, DC Comics, Star Wars, Disney, Marvel Comics, and Fox. Yikes.
  • Remember all of the horrendous acts that happened within those shows such as Joker brainwashing Tim Drake, Him taking over the Earth in an alternate future and many more. Did they do these on their own or did Black Hat had a hand on them?
  • That's not even getting into the anime the network has aired over the years. The likes of Frieza, Wiseman, Yami Bakura and Naraku are bad enough by themselves, but add in the idea of someone even more evil than all of them combined assisting in their operations, and the terror factor is bumped up to eleven.
  • For more potential ties: Batman crossed over with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at one point, and Nickelodeon currently owns the franchise, which already opens up the possibility of the Black Hat Organization invading the shows in that shared universe. And then there's all the Transformers cartoons that were exclusive to Cartoon Network; by that logic, he likely has a hand in Hasbro's series, meaning he could have financed the likes of the Decepticons and Cobra among others. And then add in the fact that several DreamWorks SKG shows have aired on both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, notably Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon; not only are those franchises invaded (which already gives way to the likes of Lord Shen and Grimmel), but universes also owned by DreamWorks such as Shrek, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Tales of Arcadia and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts may have had involvement from Black Hat.
  • Speaking of Black Hat invading Disney, remember that Disney owns Gravity Falls. And while that alone is horrifying since the titular town of full of weird and horrific creatures, it becomes even scarier when you remind yourself of a certain someone...
  • And then there's Sonic Boom, which not only makes Black Hat potentially a financer for Sega's franchises, but considering the mainline Sonic is a regular in Super Smash Bros. which includes various villains such as Bowser, Ganondorf, Ridley, Sephiroth, Kazuya Mishima and Dracula...yeah, this just got From Bad to Worse.
  • Hell, while we're at it it, I think it would be safe to say that every villain that has ever lived EVER had the potential to be associated with Black Hat and his organization.
• You know the saying, "Why do the bad guys always get the good stuff"? Black Hat Organization sells technology meant to advance the goals and ambitions of evil, which have been utilized by numerous well-known villains. I think it's safe to say that we now officially know WHY bad guys get all the good stuff.
• During the English trailer, one of the advertisement lines for offered services includes, "...or just a parent with a terrible child..." The fact that any parent would agree to that is horrifying on it's own, since it's obvious that children aren't safe from the Black Hat organization, but the reality that they boldly advertise this speaks Nightmare Fuel levels to the sway that they have over their universe's Earth. One of the Villain Orientation videos advertises the Black Hat Organization summer camp, where aspiring kid villains go to hone their skills and become the evil masterminds they know they can be.

Villain Orientation Videos

• Black Hat's inspection of Lord Boxman brings us a couple◊ of◊ unexpected Nightmare Faces. To say nothing of his reaction when Boxman helps the heroes get back home.
  • Even worse, it's revealed in that episode that Black Hat caused the Pompeii eruption out of anger.
• Think Dr. Flug can't be as evil or scary as his boss? Think again.
  Dr. Flug: From one evil genius to another, Mojo, this won't kill you...though you'll probably wish it did.
  • Not to mention the music and ambiance that plays during that particular instance.
    • This ends up becoming Nightmare Retardant in the Orientation Q&A video, which revealed that the injection turned Mojo into The Powerpuff Girls (2016) Mojo. Though some might find that scary for a whole other reason.
  • Don't forget when he threatened the KND when they tried to hack into the Black Hat Organization, while making his usual nerdy goggles look menacing and dark.
  Flug: "I present myself to warn you that if you continue on putting your noses where they don't belong, the fact that you are children won't be a factor that will change the result of our confrontation."
  • Fridge Horror hits if you catch the Freeze-Frame Bonus during the Q&A. Black Hat's newspaper has a headline of "Missing Kids" on the front page, with a picture of Sector V...
• Vilgax's ultimate fate during his inspection video: he tries on a Black Hat-brand Omnitrix and attempts to shapeshift into Black Hat himself...and turns into a horrific, two-headed, blob-esque fusion of himself and Black Hat, with the Black Hat half eating the Vilgax half before the creature is absorbed into the Omnitrix. Flug's justified response is to Kill It with Fire.
• During the orientation video for Nohyas, Black Hat brings out his own magisword. He then uses it to blow up a nearby planet with a single lightning bolt.
• The orientation video for Anti-Pops has Black Hat check on him, and ultimately finding him so wanting he furiously orders Flug to bring him up immediately, even as he's heading to his impending death. The terrified Anti-Pops instantly falls to his knees, while the terrified Pops is flung back through the portal into the Sun, viciously invalidating his sacrifice. Black Hat, furious, gives Anti-Pops an Iron Claw and orders Flug to contact another client and tell him "his order is ready". Smash Cut to Anti-Pops being messily licked and chewed on by a giant monster until his head cracks.
• Even if it's just a quick joke, it turns out that the Powerpuff Girls have been bamboozled for years, paving the way for a member of the Black Hat Organization to worm his way into absolute power in Townsville. Sure, he may seem like an affable, useless bureaucrat... but the admission of membership alone makes the Mayor look insanely suspicious... especially when it turns out Black Hat actually likes him to the point of giving him control over the city the Organization uses as testing grounds for his products!
• Small one, but Black Hat expresses a shocking amount of respect for The Lich. Considering how he sees the other Cartoon Network villains as pathetic failures of villains, that should say something about The Lich.

The Series Proper

Pilot Episode: The Dreadful Dawn

• Somehow, Black Hat seems even more menacing in Flug's dreams than he does in person. And he was complimenting the not-so-good doctor!
  • Not only that, but when Flug wakes up, he says that it was a dream. If that's what Flug considers a dream, what are his nightmares like?
  • Alan Ituriel said the reason Flug sleeps in a cryo-bed is because if he tries to sleep normally, he's plagued with nightmares. So when he said, "At least it was a dream, and not the usual nightmares," he meant it.
  • In the initial shot, there's a hint as to what happened in Flug's "dream" - as he's lying on the road, the crushed remains of 5.0.5's flower and Demencia's mane are next to him.
• Flug's morning routine includes feeding Demencia, which entails dropping a captive hero into her habitat pit. We don't see the poor sod afterwards, suggesting that Demencia very well may eat people.
  • Hell, just how deranged Demencia seems after being lifted out of the pit. Cackling insanely, strapped into a straightjacket, and breaking out of her metal bonds with ease before bounding off with a Slasher Smile. If you weren't familiar with her Laughably Evil side and Poke the Poodle tendencies, you'd be forgiven for thinking that she was even worse than Black Hat!
• Black Hat can summon people to his office at will, and as Flug demonstrates, this involves folding the person inward on themselves until they snap out of existence and re-fold into view at the foot of his desk. The process is, exactly as painful as you'd think it is, and it takes Flug a second to crack and snap all his bones back into place.
• While explaining the needs of the latest client, Black Hat doesn't bother turning from the window to address Flug. First his eye twists back into his skull in an attempt to see Flug behind him (which probably works for him). Then he just morphs his body so that his front is facing him. This includes his clothes tearing to re-arrange themselves accordingly, and his teeth and eyes sliding through his gray flesh. All the while,his reflection remains the same as it was before with his eye returning to look at Flug and speaking exactly like the real Black Hat, clearly establishing Black Hat as a Humanoid Abomination.
• When Flug's first plan goes sideways, prompting the team's retreat, they discover that Sunblast is following them to Black Hat's lair. Cue Black Hat himself calling them up to demand a progress report, subtly implying that if they don't have the problem wrapped up soon, they'll have much more to worry about than some hero.
• The minute Flug prompts Demencia into action by telling her that Sunblast said that for Penumbra and Black Hat would make a cute couple, Demencia goes absolutely berserk. The ensuing pummeling takes place off-screen, but Flug's horrified reactions, to the point where he has to gag back nausea, suggest it might be better that way.
• Black Hat's reaction to Penumbra's grateful praise and asking how she can pay for such an amazing service is a rather monstrous Slasher Smile, complete with his visible eye turning blood red. One has to wonder just what, exactly, if not just her soul, was in the contract that he had her sign.
  • The contract's terms are actually visible for a split second, and is as pretty as you expect. It details that the contract's terms and conditions could be forged without the villain's knowledge with only mere unspoken thought alone on Black Hat's part, that attempting to disagree with the contract after, or even before signing it will result in "Black Hat Organization having the right to do with the villain as it sees fit for such grave accusation." And explicitly outright states that the price villains must pay for this first time service is their soul. And that future services can be paid with other things, ranging from the mundane, like "Hat Coins", stolen goods, and L'American Express, to the downright horrifying, like conquered planets, sanity, and souls.
  • If one looks very, very closely just after Penumbra signs, the pen melts in her hand and melts into her shadow... which immediately leaves her and merges with Black Hat's.
• Wrapping up the episode? Black Hat is not pleased that Flug, Demencia, and 5.0.5. led SunBlast to his lair. Transforming to a monstrous state, he looms over the terrified trio, snarling in rage.
  Black Hat: HOW DARE YOU BRING A PATHETIC HERO TO MY DOMAIN!!! YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T NOTICE?! YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!!!!!
  Demencia: Sooo... what's the plan, doc?
  Flug: Run.

Episode 2: Boo-lldozing

• Black Hat noticing a random guy after transporting Flug, Demencia, and 5.0.5 to his domain and telling them to help their next clients. It's funny at first until he takes a picture of Black Hat. And the phone starts to glitch. Then he starts snarling at him ferociously.
  • During a door gag, it is revealed what Black Hat is doing to this random character: stuffing him inside of his own phone with an unnerving Slasher Smile. And that's the last we see of Black Hat for the entire episode, leaving the guy's fate unknown...

Episode 3: The VVV

• As Adelita is signing the contract, Black Hat's shadow suddenly turns monstrous with his demonic laughter echoing as it attempts to grab Adelita's shadow before it goes back to normal.
• Black Hat demands Dr. Flug to bring Demencia back to her senses by fighting her. Dr. Flug fearfully asks if he'd rather set up a job site online to get someone else to do it, Black Hat then looks unamused for about a few seconds before suddenly lunging out of the screen; assuming a more monstrous form, and telling him to do it "NOW!" (Or he tells him to "OBEY!" in the English dub) in a Voice of the Legion. Said monstrous form is used as the page's image.
• Speaking of which, if you thought Demencia on her own was batshit insane, just wait until you see how she looks while controlled by Mascara Macabre! She has Mind-Control Eyes, looks absolutely feral, has razor-sharp teeth, and speaks in a Voice of the Legion. And then there's her strength, the fact that she can tear through two huge Hatbots and defeat about a hundred fighters in mere seconds says it all.
  • And Flug has to defeat Demencia in this state or die by Black Hat later (which he demonstrates how furious he is by his Grin of Rage and him snapping an air tank in half). Neither choice will end well for Flug.

Other

• This fanmade comic which gives a headcanon for how Black Hat became a villain. This dub makes it even more haunting.
  Demencia: So he sold his soul to the Devil, big deal, it doesn't sound like a half-bad bargain!
  Flug: He didn't sell his soul to the Devil. He replaced him.
• In the official mobile game Maldad Mecánica, it's revealed that Hatbots have human brains inside of them.
• While it isn't necessarily horrifying, the way Miss Heed uses her pheromone powers on villains seems rather unethical. Uh, yeah. How is she a hero, again?

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