"In this world, it's kill or BE killed! " |
Villains who champion the motto "survival of the fittest". They differ from Nazis and Supremacists in the fact they do not always value race or nation; they value individual strength and often seek to create a society or world in which only the most ruthless of individuals exist to father the next generation.
Social Darwinists are not always intentionally villainous; some genuinely believe the philosophy is good. However, application of the philosophy often leads to the formation of Fascist states (such as the Fourth Reich) or anarchy in which people must fight to survive.
The most famous example of a Social Darwinist in fiction is the Marvel supervillain Apocalypse, who became obsessed with the concept and did not care whether someone was human or mutant as long as they had enough strength to survive. His "son" Holocaust also served as an extreme example and went as far as stating that "none will be strong enough to survive in the world I will create.".
As mentioned above, the Social Darwinist is often confused with the Nazi or Supremacist, but they are different concepts. The Nazi and Supremacist are often racist while the Darwinist is usually not and merely believes that the ancient rule of "only the strong survive" is just. There are even some scientists (fictional and real) who try to support the theory that humans should abandon the "weak" in favor of the strong, resulting in many abuses of power.
Often, Social Darwinism leads to the villain's downfall, as they may be occupied with infighting rather than getting rid of the protagonist.
Good examples of Social Darwinists, as well as Apocalypse, are Flowey, Ultron, General Esdeath, Megatron and Fire Lord Ozai.
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All items (214)
- Adolf Hitler (Downfall)
- Adolf Hitler (Indiana Jones)
- Adolf Hitler (LOTM: Sword of Kings)
- Akihiko Kayaba
- Akrak Couteau
- Albert Wesker
- Alex Mercer
- Alex Wesker
- Amon (Starcraft)
- Andrew Detmer
- Apo
- Apocalypse
- Apollyon
- Apostles of the Slavery
- Arlong
- Arnim Zola
- Aryana Westcott
- Auditor
- Aurozia
- Azariah Kyras
- Azariah Kyras's Chaos Space Marines
- Azwel
- Gareth (The Walking Dead)
- Gargoyle (Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water)
- Garrosh Hellscream
- Gate (Megaman X)
- Gellert Grindelwald
- General Gaius
- General Gaius' Warmblood Army
- General Lavernius Dayton
- General Mandible
- General Roth'h'ar Sarris
- General Woundwort
- General Zod (Man of Steel)
- Georg Weissmann
- George Woodman
- Gihren Zabi
- Gill (Street Fighter)
- Ginis
- Godom Empire
- Godom Empire (Mystical Laws)
- Goliad
- Gravik
- Great New Empire (GNE)
- Gremmy Thoumeaux
- Sandor Clegane
- Satyajit Shyamalan
- Sauron (Lord of the Rings)
- Scolar Visari
- Selina Strawberry
- Sentinel Prime
- Shade (Rock Dog)
- Shadow the Wolf
- Shao Kahn
- Sheriff Vaisey
- Shiaryh Myfella
- Sima Yi
- Sinestro
- Sir Crocodile
- Sir Isaac Ray Peram Westcott
- Skedar Warriors
- Soldier Boy
- Solf J. Kimblee
- Sturmbannführer Lance
- Superfly
- Surtr/Metal Beak
- Sylar