Totally Dark Villain Qualifications

The Total Darkness category is supposed to contain the worst villains of all time. They are totally irredeemable, dark, cruel, purely evil, taken completely seriously, and highly ambitious villains who know the difference between light and dark, but are never able to choose the right paths in life, although they recognize the entire difference. They commit various or many massive and unspeakable crimes, and have no feelings or sympathy towards others, if they have emotions at all.

## Categories that cannot apply to Total Darkness

* Predators - They cannot apply since predators are either amoral or they just intend to hunt for food.
* Amoral - They have no ability for recognizing the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, dark or light.
* Affably Evil - They are not capable of being totally dark, since they have some manners which shows sympathy towards others.
* Protective Villains - They're only intending to protect another's life and have him kept safe from other villains or hazards, though sometimes, they can betray the hero, not because they have no sympathy, but because they prefer other ambitions towards protecting somebody's life.
* Tragic Villains - They are motivated by tragedy, and that shows emotions and sympathy in their own personality. Even the most chaotic villains motivated by tragedy cannot be totally dark.
* Redeemed, Protagonists, On & Off, and Remorseful antagonists - They cannot be totally dark since they've changed their ways, and have turned to the good side. Even if they were presented as totally dark villains at first, the change in that character's personality and turn to the good side makes him/her a current protagonist or anti-hero.
* Anti-Villains/Anti-Heroes, etc. - They are not fully evil, and they often have sympathy, emotions towards others, and/or sense of conflict. They often realize their mistakes and change their ways, or at least become remorseful at some point in the story.
* Honorable - This type of antagonist still has honorable traits. As such, they usually treat their foes and followers with respect and demonstrate some extent of mercy or fair play. They never resort cheating to win, they may avoid fighting people that are weaker, they may suppress their own power, and they may keep their end of a bargain that they promise to keep if they lose or if the hero does something they ask. Numerous times, these traits often result in the villain redeeming themselves. Many Honorable characters have a common theme of finding a "worthy opponent" and thus want the hero they fight to be strong or get stronger.
* True Neutral, Lawful Neutral, and Chaotic Neutral - They are in-between good and evil, although they are technically villains as they have done some crimes or mistakes during their journeys. Villains who are totally dark can only go under the Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil, and Chaotic Evil alignments.
* Emotional Villains - They are always motivated by emotions, and they often have sympathy and good qualities within their personalities.
* Comic Relief - They are not taken completely seriously, and are played for laughs way too much for them to qualify.

## Categories that can rarely qualify a villain to be totally dark

* Extremists - Usually, they are motivated by extreme measures, and they do crimes from a point where they go beyond the normal status of a villain. They do not always mean to be evil, but sometimes, they can be totally dark. For instance, Yon Rogg takes his conquering goals and battles to extreme measures, trying again and again to exterminate and control the Skrulls. However, he has all the qualities of a totally dark/pure evil villain (committing massive crimes, having no emotions or sympathy towards other people, etc.), and the extreme has taken him further and further until he reached an irreversible point in which he became an emotionless, killjoy, and nihilistic tyrant.
* Animal Villains - Usually, they do not get to realize the difference between good or bad, and they serve either as amoral antagonists or villainous predators. However, animals can sometimes be as advanced as humans, or have a character which is advanced, wise, and cruel enough to be totally dark. For instance, Tortoise John tries to rule his lands with an iron fist and a lust for money, which causes him to become an unfeeling, monstrous, heartless, and sociopathic brute.
* Nemesis and Revenge Seekers - They are motivated by revenge, and the nemesis does not usually start the war between him/herself and the protagonists and/or the other antagonists of the story. However, in some cases, these villains can cross borderlines and lose any good quality such as empathy or kindness, and can become completely dark villains. Sometimes, in very rare cases though, even a nemesis-type villain can be totally dark, as he/she becomes obsessed with revenge and loses his/her good qualities, thus becoming a totally dark nemesis type villain.
* Hero's Lover/Friend of the Hero - They are usually villains who really love the protagonist or another character who is not evil during the storyline's events. However, in very rare cases, they later reveal that their love, friendly attitude, support, and even emotion towards the hero is just a ploy or manipulation. In that case, even a friend or love interest of the hero or other character can be totally dark.

## Notes

* Just because other websites agree that some villains qualify to be totally dark does not necessarily mean that this website agrees with them.
* A villain who is a Hate Sink *does not* always qualify as Totally Dark. Being hated and repulsed by the audience isn't enough. They have to reach *all* criteria to qualify.
* In order to propose your own TD villain, read these rules before you write the proposal.