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| - In many conflicts between good and evil, who is going to be doing the lion's share of Chewing the Scenery? The villain(s) more likely than not. It's one way they are Obviously Evil and Drunk on the Dark Side. As for why, it's not known for sure. Maybe it's a reflection of their total lack of inhibitions. Maybe they've decided that since they've already punted a few puppies, called down the lightning, and donned the Spikes of Villainy, they may as well have fun with it. And maybe the moral depravity of their act is balanced by how much fun they are to watch. Or this is used to indicate how Power and Evil feel Good. Whatever the reason, scenery is an important part of every villain's daily balanced breakfast. That isn't to say the heroes never get to have such moments, but the villains will get the clear majority of them. Of course, when they both do, the awesomeness factor increases tenfold. A Genre Savvy Villain Protagonist will act hammy just because it's expected. Also, when the villains are pretending to be good guys in some stories, they don't really act hammy, but when they show who they really are, they let loose, almost as if being a Large Ham is their true nature. Often overlaps with Ham and Cheese. Contrast Soft Spoken Sadist (the villain is the calmest one in the room). But if a hero is a Large Ham, or there is a World of Ham, it's not this Trope (unless the villain manages to still out-ham everyone). Examples of Evil Is Hammy include:
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