“ | Though some may call it revenge, I prefer to think of it as justice... over single-minded scientists and corrupt politicians. | „ |
~ Clive Dove. |
Vigilantes are those who take matters of the law into their own hands and punish Criminals (or at least people they perceive as criminals), often going against more legal authorities to do so. Although vigilantes are romanticized in fiction (such as with Batman, Robin Hood, etc.) in reality they tend to be near-remorseless and efficiently-brutal killers.
These villains normally think they are doing the world at large a favor by "taking care" of crime or other things that displease them, usually through the application of lethal force (often believing they are "taking out the trash"). Most vigilantes view themselves as better people and get annoyed or even furious at a hero's attempts to stop them. When revealing darker shades of themselves they can even cross over with Social Darwinists, Game Changers or Contradictions.
This is what makes them a source of trouble for heroes who see dark mirrors of what they could have become; by ignoring justice systems a vigilante ends up killing wrongfully or improperly convicted people (usually Scapegoats or Pawns) and thus take innocent lives.
Vigilantes can be motivated by the following reasons and many more:
- Beliefs: Some are motivated by the belief that the justice system is broken or rigged so it will not punish criminals enough thus leading them to believe they must take "justice" (maybe literally) into their own hands.
- Revenge: Vigilantes are most commonly motivated by factors such as pain and retribution. Some target Criminals who wronged them personally and were not caught, seeking them out as revenge. Others can be motivated by getting back at people who weren't Criminals at the start such as those who simply bullied or tormented them or someone close.
- Delusions/Mental Sickness: Vigilantes can be spurred into a killing spree by mental impairments such as schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorders. This can cause irrational behaviors and make them believe people are doing bad things when they're not.
- Impartial Corrections/Righteous Anarchy: Vigilantes are also able to take the shape of Revolutionists who are justified to an extent in their actions, though not entirely right to begin with.
For sake of this particular wiki this page only features Vigilantes who have little-to-no heroic traits. If you want more heroic examples of them see here.
Note: Vigilantes cannot be Purely Evil as they are part of anti-villainous alignments whose goals are at least even remotely noble. Their intentions are good and they seek to bring justice but Villains that seek their own twisted or hypocritical forms of it should go under Delusional and/or Lawful Evil instead of this category (e.g. Akainu).
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- A.J. the Alien
- Aaron Davis (Earth-42)
- Aarti Kaushik
- Abby Russell
- Abigail Walker
- Aces and Eights
- Adam Meiks
- Adriana Petrescu
- Adéwalé
- Agent 47
- Agent Bishop
- Agent Liberty (Supergirl)
- Agent One and Agent Two
- Agâh Beyoğlu
- Aileen Wuornos (Monster)
- Air Force One Angel
- Akihiko Kayaba
- Akiko Yonehara
- Alan Crawford
- Alan Cunningham
- Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)
- Albert James Moriarty
- Alberto Falcone
- Albi Briscu
- Alessa Gillespie
- Alex and Ash
- Alex Mercer
- Alex Romero
- Alexander Anderson
- Alexander Luthor, Sr.
- Alexi Leonov
- Alopex
- Altair (Re:Creators)
- Alucard (Hellsing)
- Alyce
- Amanda Waller (DC)
- Amazo (Injustice 2021)
- Ambulance Clown (Joker 2019)
- Americop
- Americops
- Amon (The Legend of Korra)
- Anarky (Arkhamverse)
- Anarky (DC)
- Andreas Sanchez
- Andrew (2019 Blacklist)
- Andy & Chris
- Andy (Stranger Things)
- Andy Richards
- Angel of Death (Black Scorpion)
- Angela Baker (real)
- Angela Jitrenka
- Angela Wheatley
- Anna Manni
- Anna Morgan
- Anniyan
- Another Shinobi
- Anti-Bully Squad
- Anton Phibes
- Aptom
- Aranea Serket
- Archer Dunhill
- Arkham Knight (Arkhamverse)
- Arkham Knight (DC)
- Arkillo
- Armando Silang
- Artemis Entreri
- Arthur Harrow (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
- Arthur Morgan
- Arthur Pruitt
- Arthur Tunney
- Arya Stark
- Asher Forrester
- Atrocitus (DC)
- Augustus Landor
- Aureola
- Avacadwoe
- Azrael (Arkhamverse)
- Azrael (Batman)
- Band-Aid Nose Man
- Bando (Elfen Lied)
- Bane (DC)
- Barbara Kean (Gotham)
- Baron Triumph
- Baron Zemo II
- Bass (Mega Man)
- Batang Divisoria
- Bates (Clock Tower)
- Batman (Frank Miller)
- Batman (Justice Lord)
- Batman (Red Son)
- Batman the Silenced
- Baxter (Black Mirror)
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- Becky Butler
- Becky Lynch
- Belly Button Eater
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
- Benjamin Cameron
- Benjamin Krupp
- Benjamin Willis
- Benson Dunwoody
- Beth Salinger
- Bible Dude
- Big Fee
- Big Worm
- Bigby Wolf
- Biker (Hotline Miami)
- Bill O'Neil (Judas and the Black Messiah)
- Billie Lurk
- Billy (Feed Me Billy)
- Billy Bickle
- Billy Butcher (comics)
- Billy Butcher (TV Series)
- Billy Chapman
- Billy Ray Snapper
- Billy Skags
- Bingo (The Banana Splits)
- Birdman (Birdman)
- Bitch Ass
- Black Adam (DC Extended Universe)
- Black Adam (DC)
- Black Cat (Spider-Man: Web of Shadows)
- Black Siren (Arrowverse)
- Black Spider
- Blackfire (Titans)
- Blade (Puppet Master)
- Blaine (Unwind)
- Bleez
- Blind Eye Society
- Blitzo
- Bloodaxe
- Bloodsport (DC)
- Bloody Mary (Supernatural)
- Blue Hawk
- Blue Nation
- Blume Corporation
- Boba Fett (Star Wars)
- Bobbin
- Bomb Guy
- Box Assassin
- Boyd Schuller
- Brad Bellick
- Breathless Mahoney
- Brenda Bates
- Brett Kincaid
- Bridget Wilson
- Bridgette Bleu
- Bridgit Pike
- Brittnay Matthews
- Bronze Tiger
- Bronze Tiger (Arkhamverse)
- Brotherhood without Banners
- Bruce Irvin
- Brutale
- Bryce Jarvis
- Burt Hartman
- Bushmaster (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
- C.C.
- Cable (X-Men Movies)
- Cain (Supernatural)
- Caipora
- Caleb (Blood)
- Calvin "Freckle" McMurray
- Calvin Lucien
- Cameron Henry
- Camille Ferros
- Camille Raquin
- Canal Crew
- Candyman (Candyman)
- Cansu Aksoy
- Cao Cao (Legend Heroes)
- Captain America (Marvel Ruins)
- Carl Finster
- Carl Hartman
- Carl Johnson
- Carl Lee Hailey
- Carlos Guzmán
- Carnage (The Amazing Spider-Man Video Games)
- Carrie White
- Casey Spencer
- Cassiopeia (League of Legends)
- Cathy (Fuelled)
- Catman
- Catwoman (Burton and Schumacherverse)
- Catwoman (DC Animated Universe)
- Catwoman (DC)
- Catwoman (Reevesverse)
- Catwoman (Telltale)
- Cayetana Grajera
- Cecilia "Dame" Perrin
- Celia (Island of Death)
- Celia Penderghast
- Centaurs (Harry Potter)
- Chad (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil)
- The Chainsaw Vigilante
- Char Aznable
- Charles Bliss
- Charlie Duffy
- Charlie Venner