These villains may not actually be evil as much as they lash out to assert themselves and find their place. They are similar to the tragic villains, but the defining characteristics of an insecure villain is that they are lying to both themselves and others. Alternatively, they might act in a deranged and/or homicidal manner due to severe pain inflicted upon them and can sometimes be victims of abuse or neglect (e.g. Crona, Spinel, Zuko, Thaddeus Sivana, Ash Graven, Ticci Toby, Yuno Gasai, Andrew Detmer, Dave, New Goblin, Joker, Goro Akechi, Kylo Ren and The Phantom). Furthermore, not all insecure villains are tragic in nature. Some use their lack of confidence as an excuse to lash out or make themselves look like more of a victim than they are. The same applies to villains who bring any poor treatment they experience onto themselves.

Usually, these villains just need those who understand them or acceptance, yet it is also common for insecure villains to be too far gone and too absorbed in their own troubles to want or accept help. In some cases, they can be psychopaths if their insecurities prevent them from feeling genuine empathy for others (e.g. Tom Ripley, Charlie Walker, Eric Cartman, Prince Hans, Penguin, Montgomery de la Cruz, Krog, Tsukasa Yugi, Pitch Black, Ellen, Hiro Shishigami, and Baekmore).

Ironically, many also qualify as arrogant and/or egotistical as they often delude themselves into thinking that they deserve more respect. These villains suffer from a superiority complex where they feign grandeur and self-righteousness to hide their flaws from others and themselves (e.g. Yokai, Tai Lung, Prince Charming, Dr. Flug Slys, Tetsuo Shima, Darth Vader, Plankton, Zim, Azula, Count Bleck, Bryce Walker, Rick Sanchez, Herrscher of the Void, Esdeath, Davy Jones, Makima, Dracula, Shredder, Lord Shen, Rob, Rex Dangervest, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, John Doe, Roxanne Wolf, and Megamind).

Not to be confused with Hypocrites, who pretend to have beliefs that they don't really have simply because they believe they are above other people. This is specifically for villains who tell lies to themselves and others in an attempt to hide their flaws and are therefore not completely evil, though the two can overlap.

HIGHLY IMPORTANT: Villains who are Pure Evil can NEVER be in this category, because these villains are truly evil and never seek to make up for their evil actions or negative traits, nor do they seek anything positive (e.g. love, friendship, acceptance) from any possible pain they had suffered (e.g. Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, Koba, Infinite, Peter Pettigrew, Yoon Gwi-nam, Muzan Kibutsuji, Syndrome, and Dio Brando). The same applies to villains who lack insecurity, even if they are not Pure Evil.

Another Note: to qualify, villain's insecurity should be played for sympathy. If they're not played for any kind of sympathy (e.g. Randall Boggs, Ercole Visconti, Doma, Kaigaku, Riddler (Arkhamverse) and Envy (2003)), then they don't count, even if they're not Pure Evil.