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| - Evil sows the seeds of its own destruction. At least that's what every Aesop and fortune cookie says, anyway. There seems to be some truth to it, though, at least in fiction, because regardless of Genre Savvy, villains tend to inherently draw the kind of heroic attention to themselves that leads to their demise, or at least the demise of their Evil Plan. Basically, they're saddled with carrying their own version of the Idiot Ball: the Villain Ball. Inevitably, it's their own inherent Fatal Flaws that lead to their downfall, possibly even an apropos Karmic Death or Cool and Unusual Punishment.
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| abstract
| - Evil sows the seeds of its own destruction. At least that's what every Aesop and fortune cookie says, anyway. There seems to be some truth to it, though, at least in fiction, because regardless of Genre Savvy, villains tend to inherently draw the kind of heroic attention to themselves that leads to their demise, or at least the demise of their Evil Plan. Basically, they're saddled with carrying their own version of the Idiot Ball: the Villain Ball. Maybe their attempt at averting attention has the opposite effect, or (often due to Pride) they insist on taking a loved one of the heroes hostage in exchange for the MacGuffin and busting the deal, and make it personal for the hero, perhaps they feel insecure without Bauer involved in their most sensitive operations or maybe they just can't help threatening the innocent puppy to show that they really are the Villains, no really! Inevitably, it's their own inherent Fatal Flaws that lead to their downfall, possibly even an apropos Karmic Death or Cool and Unusual Punishment. Villains who are likely to carry the Villain Ball:
* Asshole Victim
* Card-Carrying Villain
* Designated Villain
* Evil Chancellor
* Harmless Villain
* Peek a Bogey Man
* Smug Snake
* The Starscream
* Villainous Harlequin
* Villain Ball Magnet, receiving the Villain Ball whether they want it or not Related Plots:
* And Your Little Dog, Too
* Bond Villain Stupidity
* Cut Lex Luthor a Check
* Death Trap
* Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat
* Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
* Evil Gloating
* Genocide Backfire
* Insult Backfire
* It's Personal
* Just Between You and Me
* Hostage for Macguffin
* Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal
* Murder Is the Best Solution
* Nice Job Breaking It, Herod
* Pride Before a Fall
* Revealing Coverup
* Villainous Demotivator Can lead to:
* Cool and Unusual Punishment
* Cruel Mercy
* The Dog Bites Back
* Hoist by His Own Petard
* Humiliation Conga
* Karmic Death
* Laser-Guided Karma
* Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
* Pay Evil Unto Evil
* Revenge Before Reason
* Self-Disposing Villain Sub-Trope of Evil Will Fail. See also Contractual Genre Blindness, often a choice when Evil Is Stylish. For villains who pass the Villain Ball, see Dangerously Genre Savvy. For those who pick it up and run with it, see Stupid Evil. Contrast Flaw Exploitation, No-Nonsense Nemesis and Pragmatic Villainy. Also see and contrast The Villain Makes the Plot. Examples of Villain Ball include:
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