Laughably Evil

An laughably evil character is a purely comedic type of villain/antagonist that is evil yet they are downright enjoyable and entertaining as diabolical characters whose antics & shticks are done in the form of comedy/entertainment.

NOTE: This trope should not be confused with a comic-relief villain. These kinds of antagonists have a wide range, the list ranges from ruthless villains that are taken seriously in the story and treated as a threat to be reckoned with, but still have funny moments like having a cruel or witty sense of humor that not only makes the viewer laugh/entertained, but also makes them more heinous, twisted, and threatening than before (ex. Hades from Hercules and Shaw from Open Season), to being depicted as bombastic and ridiculous-looking villains who have committed serious misdeeds throughout the story despite their goofy and campy presence that makes viewers not take them seriously (ex. Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants and The Red Guy from Cow and Chicken).

See more about the trope on its own following page

Why This Trope Rocks

 * 1) They solely exist for providing tons of amusement value to their continual acts of villainy, and many of their humorous and comic traits are downright perfect for the entertainment value. Some of these villains' shticks can reach 'comic relief' levels of being fun and charming to watch!
 * 2) They tend to have a strong sadistic sense of humor, which brings a level of charm to their nefarious traits while doing both; posing a threat and partaking in villainous actions all while making you laugh at the same time.
 * 3) Even when there are shows, games, or movies where the protagonists (or side characters) aren't viewed as the most interesting, compelling, or funny, several of these villains tend to be such a riot that viewers get hyped to see the villains for their hilarious and entertaining antics that can make a show or movie much more exciting and rewatchable just for them stealing the show (or it makes video games replayable).
 * 4) * Likewise, some of these villains' antics can potentially redeem a bad episode, or a bad scene from a good episode that took place, given the right amount of timing and writing for that episode.
 * 5) Despite most of them being rather laughable, it's a great detail for making the viewer remember that their actions are still taken seriously in the story while having comical traits & moments, especially with having the right amount of balance to their traits of being formidable and humorous.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Even though comedy is subjective, there are viewers that can find some of these villains' comedic traits rather tiresome, too mean-spirited/sadistic, unfunny, poorly written, or forced.
 * 2) * If they're not treated as a threat or have too many humorous moments even though they're meant to be intimidating, this typically makes them fall into the territory of Flanderization and/or Character derailment with making them become incompetent shells of their former selves. Especially when trying to make them more "funny" or "ridiculous" was meant to make them lovable and entertaining when it didn't make them any better in terms of executing their traits, and it just makes them more of a joke than necessary.
 * 3) Since these type of villains have many comedic moments to count, it often confuses the rules on how to make villains a genuine threat and what even is a "comic-relief villain" since they're similar in terms of being comedic villains, but are very diverse by purpose.
 * 4) * The definitive "Laughably Evil" villain is a silly and threatening villain who is funny in appearance or behavior, but their actions are taken rather seriously in the story compared to a comic-relief villain, who while they can share similar qualities of Laughably Evil villains with having their evil or nasty moments, but they are typically meant to be unthreatening and humorous to make the audience laugh in relief (ex. Dr. Weird from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Professor Monkey-For-A-Head from Earthworm Jim and Robbie Rotten from the LazyTown show).

Examples of well-written laughably evil villains

 * Aku (Samurai Jack)
 * Al McWhiggin (Toy Story 2)
 * Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)
 * Constantine (Muppets Most Wanted)
 * Dan (Dan Vs.)
 * Mr. Crocker (The Fairly OddParents, seasons 1-8)
 * Dimentio (Super Paper Mario)
 * Dr. Evil (Austin Powers)
 * Dr. Ivo Robotnik "Eggman"
 * Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog; This incarnation has often been considered to be easily a fan-favorite outside of internet memes)
 * Eric Cartman
 * Evil the Cat (Earthworm Jim)
 * Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
 * Hades (Hercules)
 * Harry and Marv (Home Alone 1 & 2)
 * Heinz Doofenshmirtz
 * Invader Zim
 * The Joker (Batman)
 * Katz (Courage the Cowardly Dog)
 * Lex Luthor (Superman: The Movie)
 * Light Yagami (Death Note)
 * Lord Dominator (Wander Over Yonder)
 * Lord Hater (Wander Over Yonder)
 * Mephisto (Marvel)
 * Mojo Jojo (The Powerpuff Girls)
 * Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)
 * Nimura Furuta (Tokyo Ghoul :re)
 * Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
 * Pain and Panic (Hercules)
 * Robbie Rotten (Especially his original stage play incarnation, Glanni Glaepur)
 * Roger Smith (American Dad)
 * Sheldon J. Plankton
 * The Red Guy (Cow and Chicken)
 * Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons)
 * Scar & The Hyenas (The Lion King; the latter especially)
 * Scratch and Grounder (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog)
 * Shaw (Open Season)
 * Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 1990s)
 * Skeletor (He-Man franchise)
 * Syndrome (The Incredibles)
 * Taurus Bulba (Darkwing Duck)
 * Tobi (Naruto)
 * Vector (Despicable Me)
 * Vicky (The Fairly OddParents, seasons 1-5)
 * Yosemite Sam (Looney Tunes)

Examples of poorly-written laughably evil villains

 * 9 Egyptian Gods (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 3 - Stardust Crusaders)
 * Aiden (Minecraft Story Mode)
 * Ally Cassandra, Bozwell "Boz" Buzzard and Sid "Sidney" the Vicious Shrew (Bubsy)
 * Aloysius O'Hare (The Lorax, 2012)
 * Amanda Banshee (The Wacky World of Tex Avery)
 * Carl (Talking Tom & Friends)
 * Dingle Kringle (Elf Bowling The Movie: The Great North Pole Elf Strike)
 * Evelyn Claythorne (Meta Runner)
 * Lord Betrayus (Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures)
 * Lex Luthor (Superman: Brainiac Attacks)
 * Mr. Greene (Norm Of The North)
 * Mr Freeze (Batman and Robin)
 * The Storm King (My Little Pony: The Movie)
 * Skeletor (Masters of the Universe: Revelation)
 * Shinji Matou (Fate franchise)
 * Shuji Ikutsuki (Persona 3)
 * Sir Rothbart (The Swan Princess Christmas)