“ | The guy may seem plush and huggable on the outside, but inside, he's a monster! | „ |
~ Buttercup describing Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear's true nature. |
“ | You give the impression of a gentleman... but you are the worst kind of madman. | „ |
~ Noriaki Kakyoin to Terence T. D'Arby. |
Faux Affably Evil is a term referring to villains who, at a glance, are similar to those who are the Affably Evil type, but with a lack of sincerity to their affable and sympathetic nature. Sometimes such villains are rarely, if ever wrathful or patronizing in front of the heroes, but they do not actually show genuine empathy towards others. As such, they are sounding polite (as well as acting nice and endearing) but not actually so, which causes their villainy to stand out more rather than less.
In some works, Faux Affably Evil villains break the Fourth Wall and reveal their true nature to the audience, while simultaneously pretending to be nice in front of the protagonists. Arrogant villains who give a sarcastic apology to their foes also fall under this category. However, the characters of the story and audience alike might not be aware of the Faux Affably Evil villain's true colors until they reveal them, whether unintentionally or intentionally. They could appear very much as a friend or ally before betraying or revealing their true colors to the heroes. Good examples include Prince Hans, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, Eddie Gluskin, Chelsea Van Der Zee, Dawn Bellwether, Ego, Rex Dangervest, Mother Gothel, The Director, Trundle, Barnabas, The Analyst, Professor Marmalade, The Beldam, Cyrus, Sir Miles Axlerod, Dimitri Rascalov, Chef Saltbaker and Chester V. These kinds of villains are commonly regarded as twist villains who can even have the audience fooled by their flattery and "friendly" attitudes.
Despite their lack of sincerity, some of these villains can actually be remorseful due to the fact that sometimes the hero can reach them in heart (e.g. Count Dooku, Anti-Pops, Lilly and Bryce Walker). They also can be insecure, tragic, redeemable, protective and/or honorable (e.g. Darth Vader, Humpty Alexander Dumpty, Gus Fring, Davy Jones, Early Cuyler, Azula, Jinx, Erik Killmonger, Catra, Beatrice Horseman, King Andrias, Lord Business, and Soldier Boy). In fact, some Faux Affably Evil villains can even be heroic in some cases (e.g. Eric Cartman, Peter Griffin, Mandy, Mr. Krabs, Gus Turner, Namaari, Stan Smith, Roger Smith, Angelica Pickles, Master Shake, Loki Laufeyson (Marvel), Kuvira, A-Train, and Kokichi Oma).
Note: Just because a villain is extremely evil and lacks any affable traits doesn't mean that they automatically fall under this category if they're openly hostile and violent towards everyone without showing any false politeness (e.g. Biff Tannen, Dabi, Montgomery de la Cruz, Shao Kahn, Yoon Gwi-nam, Rowdyruff Boys, William Wharton, Randall (Telltale), Ryker Grimborn, Adam, Frank Booth, The Dark Lord, Clarence Darby, Fliqpy, Kaigaku, Jang Deok-su, Big Jack Horner, Badger, Heather, Evelyn Claythorne, Cyclops, Randall Boggs and Master Xandred). However, this rule does not apply to villains who are hostile to almost everyone yet are superficially polite to at least one person (e.g. Zhan Tiri, Lord Commander, Victor, Queen Grimhilde, Bowser (Movie), The Ink Demon, Hopper, Protoboy, The Prototype, Muscular, Prince Joachim and Edwin Epps).
Also, if a villain is truly affable only to the people they care about, but never or rarely genuinely affable to anyone else (e.g. Obito Uchiha, Walter White, Doctor Eggman, Alastor, Homelander, Cersei Lannister, Herrscher of the Void, Dutch van der Linde, Mr. Krabs, Silco, Alma Reynard, Roadhog, and Mr. Millet), then they still fall under this category. Keep in mind, they can still have a tiny bit of genuine affability (unless they're Pure Evil), but their fake affability mostly overshadows it.
These types of villains can be considered the opposite of heroic False Antagonists.
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