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Sometimes you have a goal in mind for your story, but you have no idea how to get there. For those times where the end justifies the means there is the Diabolus Ex Nihilo or "Devil from Nothing". The Diabolus Ex Nihilo is an enemy so foul, so horrible, and so evil that it needs no Backstory or reasoning. It just appears from nowhere, does its job of shaking things up and antagonizing the heroes, and then promptly dies. The Diabolus Ex Nihilo may get a back story in the future, but it would just be an exercise in retconning. See also Ass Pull. Examples of Diabolus Ex Nihilo include:

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  • Diabolus Ex Nihilo
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  • Sometimes you have a goal in mind for your story, but you have no idea how to get there. For those times where the end justifies the means there is the Diabolus Ex Nihilo or "Devil from Nothing". The Diabolus Ex Nihilo is an enemy so foul, so horrible, and so evil that it needs no Backstory or reasoning. It just appears from nowhere, does its job of shaking things up and antagonizing the heroes, and then promptly dies. The Diabolus Ex Nihilo may get a back story in the future, but it would just be an exercise in retconning. See also Ass Pull. Examples of Diabolus Ex Nihilo include:
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  • Sometimes you have a goal in mind for your story, but you have no idea how to get there. For those times where the end justifies the means there is the Diabolus Ex Nihilo or "Devil from Nothing". The Diabolus Ex Nihilo is an enemy so foul, so horrible, and so evil that it needs no Backstory or reasoning. It just appears from nowhere, does its job of shaking things up and antagonizing the heroes, and then promptly dies. The Diabolus Ex Nihilo may get a back story in the future, but it would just be an exercise in retconning. This trope can often appear in origin stories where it's more important that the characters are introduced than that they do something sensible. See also the Giant Space Flea From Nowhere, which serves roughly the same function in Video Game gameplay -- a boss that pops up at the end of a level for no narrative reason and with no explanation, just because there's supposed to be a boss at the end of the level or the game. Compare the Generic Doomsday Villain, who has no clear motive for their actions other than being "evil," even if they do in fact have backstory or context. Contrast Outside Context Villain, where the mystery behind a villain's origin, motive and abilities are the source of their threat. Consider Boring Invincible Villain, where them just showing up exemplifies It Got Worse. A Diabolus Ex Nihilo used by a writer to get out of a corner may be an example of Chandler's Law. Yes, this may also be a Diabolus Ex Machina if it succeeds in doing some damage. See also the Anthropic Principle where the appearance of an otherwise unexplained baddie forms the premise for the entire story. See also Ass Pull. Examples of Diabolus Ex Nihilo include:
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