Affably Evil

Villains that are genuinely polite and friendly, they respect the heroes and everyone else they face. They will listen to what others tell them and likely tell a good joke right back, and their friendly and considerate nature often comes as a surprise to the heroes and possibly also the viewer. That said, they are still capable of losing their temper and will sometimes (temporarily) shed their polite nature if faced with defeat. Only true Affably Evil villains will regain (and retain) their polite nature after facing their defeat and will more likely than not, respect the heroes even more.

Since friendliness is a redeeming trait, it is not uncommon for affably evil villains to be redeemed or remorseful, or at least have the potential for such. Although, some don't.

Of course, the "Evil" is still there. They usually don't do good things and still turn others into scapegoats even if they do have standards. In fact, they can even have moments where they betray, trick, scam and manipulate others despite their friendliness (e.g. Stanley Pines). Sometimes it goes hand in hand with a mischievous personality (e.g. Francine Carruthers, the most notable of all The Pranksters).

To be genuinely Affably Evil, the following criteria must be met:

1. The affable nature is not a façade. Affably Evil villains really ARE that nice or at the very least, have good manners. Some Affably Evil villains are so nice that they would be good if not for their evil deeds and act like normal people when not on the clock. Note that Affably Evil refers to how the villain treats strangers and people new to them, while Protective or Abusers refer to how the villain treats people they know. Although, it is ironically possible for a villain to be protective of the very same people they abuse, or to torture the same people they are affable to; though this seems more like something a Faux Affably Evil villain would do. Keep in mind, an Affably Evil can have faux affable moments only if they have some need to fulfill. They would rather tell the truth, and will only lie if it benefits them, such as getting away with certain things.
2. There is a difference between Affably Evil and the much more common Faux Affably Evil villains. The latter are villains who usually sound or pretend to be polite but a close observation reveals their willingness to dispose of others without a second thought (e.g. Commander Rourke, Ego, Gil Yepes, Stringer Bell, Diane Simmons, The Beldam, Dr. Yung, Kip Snip, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, Scar, Joker, Bill Cipher, Ernesto de la Cruz, Doma, Mysterio, Judge Claude Frollo, Frank Underwood, and Dawn Bellwether). For a villain to be Affably Evil, they must not be that heedless to the lives and well-being of others, and their kindness can redeem them. Ty Lee, Akaza, Volt Luster, The Collector, Soon, Kronk, and Gabby Gabby are examples. That said, it is possible for an Affably Evil villain to become Faux Affably Evil over time and vice versa. Good examples of Affably Evil turning Faux Affably Evil are Dutch van der Linde, Enrico Pucci, Jimmy Conway, Grant Ward, Courtney (Total Drama), Celestia Ludenberg, Mr. Krabs, Salem, Peter Griffin, Eric Cartman, Megabyte, Prince Charming (Shrek), Starscream (Unicron Trilogy), Doctor Octopus (Raimiverse), and Walter White. Good examples of the opposite (i.e. Faux Affably Evil villains turning Affably Evil) are Vegeta, Thanos (MCU), Stewie Griffin, Magolor, Joker (Harley Quinn), Edward Nygma, Damien Darhk, Verosika Mayday, Negan, Dr. Nefarious, Lord Hater, Megatron (Cyberverse), Plankton, Mal, Eddie Brock, Sideshow Bob, A-Train, King Leonard Mudbeard, and Baldi Baldimore. and another example (i.e. Faux Affably Evils reverting back to Affably Evils) are Daffy Duck and Michael Corleone.
3. To add, Affably Evils usually don't hide their villainy from others, while Faux Affably Evils often do. Affably Evils also usually prefer to be open about their crimes, plans, and personality because of their honesty and kindness. But sometimes, they do hide their affability from their villainous friends and their enemies, with Manny Spamboni being a good example.
4. Affably Evil villains are usually only willing to hurt/kill people who actually get in their way, but otherwise, they are a perfectly nice, amiable person; Faux Affably Evil villains don't have that level of empathy and can sound polite but not stay true to it, which makes them Hypocrites in addition to Liars.
5. Affably Evil villains have lines they would never cross, even if those lines are unbelievably far out. A Faux Affably Evil villain could easily act polite, but still commit incredibly heinous crimes as a lifestyle (e.g. Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, Emperor Palpatine, Sebastian Shaw, Lord Cutler Beckett, Goku Black, William Afton (Five Nights at Freddy's), Syndrome, Gil Yepes, Micah Bell, and Judge Holden). However, it is quite possible for a Chaotic Evil, Genocidal, Cataclysmic villain, or even a Harbinger for Rebirth to be Affably Evil, as long as they have some standards, honor, and/or lines they are not willing to cross or if they do have good intentions (e.g. Thanos, Dracula, Trevor Philips, Count Bleck, Raul Menendez, Davoth, Arthur Fleck, Accelerator, Mammoth Mogul, Eren Yeager, Abby Anderson, Jevil, Lucifer, and Dodge).

They are the polar opposite of Heroic Jerks who are genuinely rude and offensive in spite of their goodness and heroism.

While it is common for Redeemed Villains to become affable once they redeem themselves, they should only be here if they were already affable before they redeemed themselves. Villains who only become affable after their redemption (e.g. Darth Vader, Sunset Shimmer, Kylo Ren, Vetvix, Lord Business, Starlight Glimmer, Gavin and Billy Hargrove) don't count.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Pure Evil villains can NEVER qualify, because these villains are not genuinely respectful or friendly to anyone, as this counts as a redeeming quality and would present the villain in a positive way, whereas Pure Evil villains are always selfish, hateful, psychopathic, hostile and irredeemable. However, a Pure Evil villain can be (and is very often) Faux Affably Evil. Similarly, Pure Evil villains can also be Sophisticated and/or Friend of a Hero if they were once true friends of the hero in the past. That said, there are several examples of Pure Evil villains who used to be genuinely polite before becoming worse over time (Thomas Sinclair being a perfect example of someone who was truly Affably Evil before permanently shredding his overall affable nature).

However, they can still fall under Karma Houdinis as many affable villains will still refuse to redeem themselves and instead get away with their crimes while still retaining their genuine nature altogether.

• It's extremely rare for Affably Evil villains to have very disgusting and unpleasant traits despite their friendliness (e.g. Todd Alquist).

• Due to their affable nature, it's nearly impossible for a genuinely Affably Evil villain to be a psychopath. If an Affably Evil villain does have psychopathic and horrific traits, they should be listed under paranoid and/or mentally ill instead (e.g. Nagito Komaeda, Todd Alquist, Akihiko Kayaba, Esdeath, Travis Bickle, Dexter Morgan, Tony Soprano, Hannibal Lecter and his TV counterpart, and Rick Sanchez). The only exceptions are villains who narrowly manage to be genuinely polite despite their ruthless nature (e.g. Hisoka Morow, Victor Zsasz (Gotham), Sōsei Akabane, Alastor, Black Suit, Solf J. Kimblee, Black Shadow, Alie Peters, Zan Partizanne, Alice Morgan and Oliver).