Corrupting Influence

“	I took Gotham's White Knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. See, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!	„
	~ The Joker, referring to how he turned Harvey Dent into a killer.

A kind of villain (or evil artifact) who is able to attract people towards the Dark side, either by persuasion, temptation, or manipulation; by calling upon people's darkest desires and tempting them with the prospect of fulfilling their wishes or granting them power; or more simply because of the foul, evil energy that irradiates from it, so intense that it twists the mind of anyone who comes in contact with it and increases their inner darkness (sometimes by a mix of both, as seen with Malefor's case).

Those submitted to a Corrupting Influence grow increasingly manipulative and evil, depending on how the influence works and the way they are exposed to it. This corruption may only occur when someone is exposed to a Corrupting Influence (though the victim soon develops an unhealthy addiction to it or becomes convinced by the villain's arguments) or increase gradually over the time, but if nothing is done to stop it, the corruption will soon become permanent. Rarely, this can lead to Damned Souls as ones may go over the Moral Event Horizon.

Also, these villains are the polar opposite of Passively Empathic heroes who attract people to the good side.

Note that Pure Good heroes are completely immune to (or unaffected by or no longer subject to) Corrupting Influence, as they are incorruptible.