Dark Messiah

A Dark Messiah is a figure that is held as a god, a messiah, or a similar icon by his or her supporters. Unlike a God Wannabe, not all Dark Messiahs seek worship and often their followers do so willingly rather than by force. People are willing to lay their lives down to protect and/or serve the Dark Messiah.

Often, he or she will rise in power and may be prophesied to rule or ruin the world, thus acting as a reverse of the traditional role of a "Savior". They differ from Dark Lords in the sense that the word "messiah" literally means "savior" or "liberator" by their followers; a Lord need not seek to save or protect their subordinates.

Villains who are openly worshiped and/or revered by large groups of followers and who take on the role of a morally disbelieving and dubious "Savior" (at least to said followers) belong here. This mostly includes Fanatics who commit atrocities in the name of God or religion, and present themselves as spokespersons or guardians of faith, albeit their own twisted view of what religion, and subsequently, the world should be.