Affably Evil

Usually, villains have a personality or manner that underscores how evil they are. They may kick puppies for giggles, be particularly insensitive, or might just be too unknowable to be anything but evil.

Then there are villains who are Affably Evil. There is absolutely nothing separating them from being normal, polite people except for the fact that they want to Take Over the World or use human souls to power their Artifact of Doom. They're not the Stepford Smiler or the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing— their affability is a genuine part of their personality, not a mask. If they have underlings, expect them to be a Benevolent Boss. In one way, they're the opposite of an Anti-Hero. They may Pet the Dog on occasion, but won't hesitate to kick it with steel-toed boots the next second if it helps them accomplish their Evil Plan. They may well be a Villain with Good Publicity because, after all, being evil doesn't mean you have to be  anti-social.

If this trope gets exaggerated, this villain will invite the hero out to tea, offer them a favorite dish, talk friendly, try to appeal to the hero's better nature, and convince the heroes that the villain's plan isn't worth getting involved in or is even worth joining. Of course, if the hero still won't change their mind, the villain will remind them that they are, after all, still a villain. It may or may not involve a Death Trap, depending on how nice the villain really is when crossed. Of course, inviting the hero's mom out to tea might send a stronger message. The friendliness of said villains can serve to humanize these guys. In situations with Evil Versus Evil, they are often A Lighter Shade of Black in this conflict.

Usually a Wicked Cultured, charismatic Magnificent Bastard. They are sometimes comedic or a Well-Intentioned Extremist who really believes that they are right. More often than not, they are a form of Anti-Villain because a straight villain wouldn't easily be so genuinely good-natured. Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor is not true for them, and their affability even makes them easy to "compliment" with an Insult Backfire. Captives of an affably evil villain won't be kept in dungeons, but in a Gilded Cage. Even an outright psychopath can come off as this if charismatic and funny enough. In fact legitimately insane characters can at times balance this with Faux Affably Evil more easily than sane ones, since the contrast is explained by their mental instability.

In the event an Affably Evil villain does undergo a Villainous Breakdown, the very traits that make them so pleasant often serve to make their breakdown extremely creepy or outright scary. A kind, friendly man suddenly going into a psychotic rage is made all the more scary by the simple fact that he was previously so nice and kind. If they keep their inviting personality while going Ax-Crazy, they may cross into Faux Affably Evil territory with only skin-deep manners which is a much more frequent behaviour than a truly kind criminal.

Compare: Contrast: Good Is Not Nice is the Inverted Trope, and such good guys are particularly good at giving the Affably Evil a proverbial punch in the nose. When both Good Is Not Nice and Affably Evil are used, you may end up with Polite Villains, Rude Heroes. I'm Not Hungry is often dealing with this villain. A villain will sometimes engage in Too Funny to Be Evil to achieve this effect. No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine is a subtrope in many instances.
 * Ambiguously Evil: If someone is such a nice guy, can he really be a villain? (Yes.)
 * Anti-Villain: A villainous character that is in a moral grey area, sometimes overlaps with this trope.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Basically the Evil Counterpart of this trope.
 * Churchgoing Villain: A villain who doesn't see any reason being a criminal should stop him from being devoutly religious.
 * Equal-Opportunity Evil: It's just not polite to be prejudiced, even if you are a villain.
 * Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: Villains are mutually nice to each other.
 * Evil Virtues: Polite and friendly villains will often hold "good" morals and values in order to win support for his followers.
 * Family Values Villain: A villain who holds to good old fashioned down-home family values, because Even Evil Has Standards.
 * Friendly Enemy: When the main villain of the work is  legitimately  friends with the protagonist.
 * Gentleman Thief: Steals things only from people who deserve it, and is very polite and classy about it.
 * Go-Karting with Bowser: The villain puts aside their differences with the hero to play a game or spend some quality time together.
 * A Hero to His Hometown: Can sometimes be seen as affably evil by other characters in-story, even if they're not actually a villain.
 * A Lighter Shade of Black: A villain that will often be the lesser of two evils in an Evil Versus Evil situation.
 * Lovable Rogue: Technically on the side of wrong, but he's so darn likeable, he becomes an Anti-Hero.
 * No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: The villain captures the hero and treats him to a fancy formal dinner.
 * Noble Demon: A villain with standards who never goes the extra mile to be truly monstrous.
 * Obliviously Evil: A villain that doesn't realize that he or she is a villain. It should probably be obvious as to why this trope applies to this type of character.
 * Pragmatic Villain: A villain who may be affable for his own reasons. Some definitely overlap with this trope.
 * Punch Clock Villain: The villain may not be exactly evil, depending on what their villainous duties are — they simply have a job to do, and their employer just happens to be evil. Of course, if that job involves something like brutally slaughtering innocents, their apathetic detachment makes them not much better.
 * Too Funny to Be Evil: The villain's good sense of humor makes people think he couldn't possibly be a bad guy.
 * Villain Respect: They respect the hero as their rival, and consider them a Worthy Opponent. Sometimes, they'll also help the hero out, against Eviler Than Thou villains.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: This trope may be the reason  why  he is so popular with common people.
 * Villains Out Shopping: Affably Evil behavior in otherwise normal villains. Often a trait of a Card-Carrying Villain, especially in the more ironic portrayals.
 * Baddie Flattery: The villain gives the hero some compliments, but only as a ploy to confuse them or throw them off guard.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: The character hides a more sinister side behind a nice facade — unlike them, Affably Evil characters are genuinely nice.
 * Complete Monster: The most heinous characters played seriously with no redeeming or altruistic qualities. They are 0% nice (though may be Faux Affably Evil).
 * Enemy Mine: The villain realizes he needs to cooperate with his enemy to achieve a common goal. That doesn't mean they have to be nice about it.
 * Faux Affably Evil: A villain who adopts an affable demeanor that isn't genuine, basically mocking Affably Evil. They'll chat pleasantly with their victims while engaging in Cold-Blooded Torture, or hum cheerfully to themselves while setting an orphanage on fire. Unlike Affably Evil characters, they're genuinely mean, and often do things For the Evulz, but it might not be obvious just by talking to them.
 * Good Is Not Nice: The opposite of this trope. The guy's a hero, but is rude, crude, and sometimes,  sometimes  even outright cruel.
 * Good Is Not Soft: A hero is genuinely nice but ruthless to their enemies. Essentially the good version of this trope which could be interpreted as "(very) affably Anti Heroic".
 * Harmless Villain: When the villain is not necessarily affable, just no one to be scared of.
 * Laughably Evil: The villain derives humor from their crimes. There's nothing necessarily nice about them, and usually just serves to showcase that Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor.
 * Lovable Traitor: It's obvious you can't trust him, but he's still all right to hang out with.
 * Nice Guy: The heroic opposite of this trope, when  The Hero  is outright nice.
 * Terms of Endangerment: Kind words as a sign that the villain is about to do something especially terrible.
 * Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: The hero is dismayed to be seen as the kind of person the villain would be nice to.