Villains who delight in chaos and destruction reign supreme as the perfect foils to heroes hoping to save the world. These bad guys play by their own rules, keeping us constantly guessing about their motives and what they’ll do next. Their mayhem knows no bounds as they gleefully wreak havoc on the world around them simply because they can.
They’re chaotic evil, and though frightening, they’re often the most fun villain to watch.
The Chaotic Evil Archetype
The chaotic evil archetype describes selfish villains who revel in the chaos of anarchy. They seek to dismantle trusted institutions and thrust the world into chaos, primarily for their own personal gain.
The label comes from the popular tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons, which describes nine major character archetypes. All of these transcend the game and easily apply to fictional works.
Dungeons and Dragons Character Alignments
Dungeons and Dragons character alignments provide ground rules for in-game character development. These alignments describe where a character falls on two scales: the good vs. evil scale and the lawful vs. chaotic scale.
The good vs evil scale describes a character’s morality. Do they do the right thing because it’s right and not because of gain? Will they risk themselves to help others, or are they inherently selfish? The morality axis can also be described as a selfish vs altruistic scale. Do characters risk their lives, fortunes, or positive outcomes to help others, or do they put themselves first?
The lawful vs chaotic scale describes a character’s ethics. Do they believe in law and order or personal freedom?
Character alignments pair the character’s place on the morality axis with their place on the ethical access, resulting in nine prototypes: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful evil, chaotic evil, neutral evil, true neutral, lawful neutral, and chaotic neutral.
With “nerd” culture on the rise, these guidelines became pop culture tropes, allowing fans to describe characters in all kinds of fiction, from comics to movies to video games.
Chaotic evil villains abound in fiction, often as compelling foes for our favorite heroes. They are fan favorites, usually revered as characters you “love to hate.”
What Does it Mean to Be Chaotic Evil?
Chaotic evil characters embrace their name. They are messy, ruthless, and downright cruel. They don’t care about rules and often want to destroy the system.
However, unlike chaotic goods or neutrals, they don’t fight the system for the sake of humanity’s freedom or to fight oppression. They disrupt the system for their own nefarious purposes.
Many chaotic evils hate the system because it provides people comfort and security. They delight in the pain and strife caused by their actions. They enjoy the suffering of others and thrive wherever chaos reigns supreme.
Most chaotic evils have a simple goal: bring down the system and allow evil to run amok. They want to destroy things, hurt people, and cause panic without pesky rules and laws getting in the way.
Personality Traits of Chaotic Evil Characters
Chaotic evil characters tend to fit the archetype. Though they may have varying motives, they often share negative personality traits.
Most chaotic evil characters are:
- Selfish – They care only about themselves and their desires
- Cruel – Many delight in causing pain and suffering
- Narcissistic – They think the world should revolve around them
- Manipulative – They’ll lie, cheat, and backstab to get what they want without a second thought
- Ruthless – They will do whatever it takes to get what they want
- Independent – Though chaotic evils could team up, their disdain for order often has them acting independently
These villains have an innate disdain for authority, reject the rule of law, and do whatever they want, regardless of the consequences to others.
How to Play a Chaotic Evil Character
More often than not, chaotic evil characters found in the game are enemies you need to battle rather than members of your own party. However, an experienced player may make their character tend towards chaotic evil.
Lucas Wyland, founder of Steambase and a long-time D&D player, says the chaotic evil alignment is crucial for a great gaming experience. “It allows for complex character development and storytelling,” he says, adding that it can also add an element of excitement to the game. “A chaotic evil character can serve as a wildcard, creating unpredictable and dynamic scenarios.”
If you choose to play in this alignment, be deliciously evil in your quest. Be selfish. Make decisions based on how they will impact you, and don’t worry about other players in the campaign.
Embrace the chaos. Wreak havoc on the campaign. Throw unexpected challenges at your opponents and attempt to divert them from their mission. Create problems for the sole purpose of watching others panic while trying to resolve them.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be evil in real life. The game should be fun for everyone, and if the havoc you cause spoils everyone else’s enjoyment, you may not be invited back. Be sure to limit your evil actions to things that make sense in the in-game universe. Follow the dungeon master’s lead; they’ll let you know if you’re taking it too far or spoiling everyone else’s fun.
Character Classes and Races Tending Towards Chaotic Evil
Although you can build your character however you want, a few character classes and races tend towards chaotic evil.
A class is a character’s job, such as a cleric or barbarian. It defines your character’s role in the party. According to Wyland, warlocks and rogues naturally lean into a self-serving lifestyle, so they fit well in the alignment.
The character’s race, such as elf, giant, or dwarf, gives them specific skills, abilities, and tendencies. Demons, tieflings, red dragons, and orcs have natural characteristics that help them fall into chaotic evil.
However, evil knows no limits. The beauty of D&D is that you can create any type of character you want. Make a chaotic evil white elf if you want – just make sure the backstory fits in-game.
Examples of Chaotic Evil Characters in Fiction
Some of the most intriguing and relatable fictitious villains fit the chaotic evil alignment. Although they may sway towards the neutral at times, their propensity towards misdeeds places them squarely on the side of evil.
The Joker
Batman’s most iconic villain, The Joker, epitomizes the chaotic evil archetype. He’s the yin to Batman’s yang, the perfect mirror, and the opposite of the lawful good trope Batman represents.
The Joker delights in wreaking havoc wherever he goes. His ultimate goal is to disrupt Batman, regardless of the cost. He has no qualms about sacrificing people, often in cruel ways, to achieve this goal.
The Dark Night Rises takes The Joker to a whole new level of evil. This Joker isn’t just playing a fun, chaotic game against the bat. He aims to destroy the entire system. Although his methods are evil (no benevolent or even neutral character threatens to blow up thousands of people), his motives are often sympathetic. Most of his actions highlight corruption running rampant throughout Gotham City, leading viewers to question who the true enemy is.
Angelus
Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s most sinister villain embodies the chaotic evil. Angelus, the soulless counterpart to Buffy’s loyal ensouled lover Angel, delights in causing pain and torment.
Angelus’s primary mission in life is to hurt people. He considered the emotional turmoil inflicted upon his victims a type of art, often lingering to spy on their reactions. The most heartbreaking example is when he sets Giles up to find Jenny Calendar’s body lifeless on the bed, surrounded by romantic candles and rose petals.
Season three’s powerful “Amends” showed viewers that toying with people wasn’t an exception Angelus made for his enemies but what he does in general. The businessman haunting Angel’s dreams questioned why Angelus set up his children in their beds as if they were sleeping. This short dialogue scene was a callback to the previous season’s brutal setup but also highlighted Angelus’s depravity.
Although his primary goal was to cause personal chaos, Angelus wasn’t against bringing the entire system down. His quest to awaken Acathla, the demon who would suck the world into a Hell dimension if allowed to rise, highlights his disregard for the human system and desire to thrust the entire world into chaos.
Loki
Loki personifies chaotic evil in the Marvel universe (and in Norse mythology). His sole motive is to disrupt the system his family puts in place, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process.
Loki sometimes serves on the side of good, but when he does, it’s usually for his own gain. He’ll join whichever side best suits his needs and switch instantly if he can get a better deal.
Character Alignments Are a Guide
Character alignments provide a baseline for how to play a particular character, but they aren’t unbreakable rules. A genuinely good character is capable of evil, just as evil characters can do good deeds.
Alignments are general rules of behavior that you should consider, but you don’t have to strictly adhere to them when you play the game.