“ | Bad man. Good manners. | „ |
~ Ron Stoppable's description of Señor Senior, Senior. |
“ | Professionals have standards. Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet. | „ |
~ The Sniper to the interviewer. |
Villains who, despite their crimes, remain genuinely polite and friendly to 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.
To be genuinely Affably Evil, the following criteria must be met:
- 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.
- There is a difference between Affably Evil and Faux Affably Evil villains. The latter is a villain who usually sounds or pretends to be polite but a close observation reveals their willingness to throw the hero in front of a bus without a second thought (e.g. Commander Rourke, Ego, 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 villains turning Faux Affable are Dutch van der Linde, Enrico Pucci, Grant Ward, The Plutonian, Celestia Ludenberg, Billy Butcher, Mr. Krabs, Salem, Peter Griffin, Eric Cartman, Megabyte, and Walter White. Good examples of the opposite are Vegeta, Thanos (MCU), Magolor, Joker (Harley Quinn), Edward Nygma, Damien Darhk, Negan, Dr. Nefarious, Megatron (Cyberverse), Plankton, Sideshow Bob, Sir Pentious, and King Leonard Mudbeard.
- 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 blow up planets or kill children as a lifestyle (e.g. Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, Emperor Palpatine, Sebastian Shaw, Lord Cutler Beckett, Goku Black, Syndrome, 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 only if they have standards, some honor, and/or lines they are not willing to cross or if they do have good intentions (e.g. Thanos, Trevor Philips, Count Bleck, Raul Menendez, Joker (2019), Accelerator, Mammoth Mogul, Eren Yeager, Jevil, and Dodge).
They are the polar opposite of heroic jerks, who are heroes (and occasionally anti-heroes and antagonistic heroes) that are genuinely rude and mean in spite of being heroes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Pure Evil villains can NEVER qualify, because these villains are not genuinely polite 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, uncaring, 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. Although, Affably Evil villains can still get away with their crimes without redeeming themselves, even if their crimes are not severe enough, and should therefore fall under Karma Houdinis instead of Redeemed.
- Due to their affable nature, it is 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, Akihiko Kayaba, Esdeath, Todd Alquist, Dexter Morgan, Tony Soprano, Hannibal Lecter, and Rick Sanchez). The only exceptions are villains who narrowly manage to be not diabolical despite their ruthless nature (e.g. Hisoka Morow, Victor Zsasz, Henry Stickmin, Black Suit, Solf J. Kimblee, Jordan Belfort, Black Shadow, Alie Peters, and Alice Morgan).
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- Anastasia Tremaine
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- Anders Lindström
- Anderson Robotics
- Andre (Riverdale)
- Andre Kriegman & Calvin Gabriel
- Andrea Martinez
- Andreas Sanchez
- Andrei (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodines)
- Andrei Lysenko
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- Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne
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- Android 15
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- Angela Jitrenka
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- Angelcon
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- Angry Kid
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- Aniter
- Ankara
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- Anna (Silent Hill)
- Anna Morgan
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- Anti Guy
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- Antonio Cesaro
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- Antonius (The Hunger Games)
- Antpelt
- Anub'arak
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- Apocryphos
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- Appo
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- Archer Fordham
- Archibald's General
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- Are We Cool Yet?
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- Arf
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- Argit
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- Aria Montgomery
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