History Main / CutLexLuthorACheck

* Akihiko Kayaba of ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' has DoubleSubversion example, having created and sold an extremely popular total-immersion virtual reality game, presumably making truckloads of money off it. But then he decided to [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame remove the logout button and fry the brains of anyone who dies in the game]]. [[spoiler:He also enters the game himself, and eventually disables his GodMode, allowing Kirito to kill him... making him a meta-version of a TacticalSuicideBoss.]] Why? He wanted to be the villainous god common in [=JRPGs=], he even planned to be the FinalBoss. Nobuyuki Sugou even lampshades it in the Fairy Dance arc:
-->'''Sugou''': Mr. Kayaba was a genius, but he was also a fool. All he wanted to use his technology for was his game. He couldn't see the potential.

** For him, it really ''is'' a dilemma. His species [[DeliberateValuesDissonance values crime and roguery]], so a lucrative but secure job is far less appealing to him than a memorable con.

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': In his fight with Jonathan, Speedwagon's Oddjob-style hat shows that he's pretty inventive for a criminal in the slums of London. ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'' shows after his HeelFaceTurn, he used his own intelligence and resource to build himself a [[Fiction500 foundation]] with an influence that extends all across the globe.

* ''Literature/KonoSuba'': The {{succubi|AndIncubi}} in the setting have realized that instead of preying on unsuspecting men and being hunted down for it, it's much easier to simply set up a business that specializes in giving adventurers tailor-made {{Erotic Dream}}s in exchange for money and a small amount of life force. The end result is that the adventurers can release their pent-up sexual energy without hurting anyone, and the succubi get the energy they want plus a steady stream of income. The authorities still officially view the succubi as monsters but turn a blind eye to the setup because it's mutually beneficial to do so. [[spoiler: At the end of the first season, it actually helps save the town, as many of the male adventurers are motivated to participate in a dangerous mission to save the city because the Succubus Shop would be destroyed otherwise.]]
* Inverted in ''Manga/OnePiece'', when minor villain Wapol actually starts a new life and builds a massive toy-making empire by using his powers to recycle objects into toys. In fact, the alloy his power creates (dubbed "Wapometal") is apparently a unique and amazing compound, which makes him even richer when a scientist discovers its properties and Wapol begins capitalizing on that. Heck, thanks to this discovery, he even gets his own kingdom (Named the Evil Black Drum Kingdom) and marries a supermodel! Ironically back to being an evil King, but this time kinda better. Later in the series, Franky starts building tanks using the revolutionary metal.

** Edna is a deconstruction. She parlayed her skills gained designing super-suits for super-heroes into becoming a rock-star fashion designer after superheroes were outlawed, and has become richer than God. She is also [[ChallengeSeeker bored out of her skull]], since neither the materials nor the people she works with are anywhere near as interesting as the exotic polymers and ceramics and colourful characters she worked with during the Superhero era, and she jumps at the chance to design something for the Incredibles as soon as she gets the chance.

** What makes it even sadder is that all the money that was invested in making these biological weapons could have vastly improved the lives of the civilian world. All these villains could have helped people had they wanted to and still have made a huge profit off of it.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' sheds some light on Umbrella's madness: [[spoiler:the Simmons Family is Biohazard's version of TheIlluminati. The Family secretly controlled America since colonial times from the sidelines, and had a controlling influence on the Umbrella Corporation, giving them access to Spencer's research with every breakthrough]]. So, Spencer was at war with America all along, and some of his planned outbreaks were meant to brick his research from being stolen by 'them', while weeding out their potential spies.

** The police chief tries to invoke this on Sam, with slightly different point: he points out that Sam commits crimes for the challenge, but catching crooks is even more of a challenge. Doesn't work, alas.

** ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' features a villain who [[spoiler: built a HumongousMecha and what does he do? He uses it to destroy everything in his path to frame Shaggy. His motivation? Because his former classmate's rich and he's just an underpaid high-school teacher. Dude patent the hell out of it, the military applications alone would have made you a millionaire]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'':
** When the Crimson Binome's band of web pirates pillage Mainframe, Dot saves the day by [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath convincing him he could make more money as a legitimate businessman]].
** Megabyte could ''easily'' be the de-facto ruler of Mainframe if he cut the crap and went into business instead. In his own words viruses are "[[AlwaysChaoticEvil predatory by design]]" and are programmed to corrupt and conquer, and so that's what he does.