The old boy-scout maxim of "be prepared" and the G.I. Joe motto of "knowing is half the battle" could never have prepared the heroes for this Villain. The Outside Context Villain is, quite simply, a curve ball that no one saw coming. Named for the Outside Context Problem from the Iain M Banks book Excession. Compare Giant Space Flea From Nowhere, but played dramatically. Compare also Diabolus Ex Nihilo, where such a villain is used to shake things up and then discarded. Contrast Generic Doomsday Villain and Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond. Examples of Outside Context Villain include: