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An '''evil laugh''' is a stock [[Megalomania|megalomaniacal]] [[laugh]] by a [[villain]] in [[fiction]]. In comic books, where [[supervillain]]s utter such laughs, it is variously rendered as '''Mwahahahaha!''', '''Muhuhahaha!''', '''Mwahahaha!''', and '''Mwa ha ha!''' or '''BooWHAHAHA!'''. (Compare [[Ho ho ho]].) These words are also commonly used on internet [[Blogs]], [[BBSes]], and games. There, they are generally used when some form of victory is attained, or to indicate [[superiority]] over someone else. The words are often used as either [[interjection]]s or nouns.
An '''evil laugh''' is a stock [[Megalomania|megalomaniacal]] [[laugh]] by a [[villain]] in [[fiction]]. In comic books, where [[supervillain]]s utter such laughs, it is variously rendered as '''Mwahahahaha!''', '''Muhuhahaha!''', '''Mwahahaha!''', and '''Mwa ha ha!''' or '''BooWHAHAHA!'''. (Compare [[Ho ho ho]].) These words are also commonly used on internet [[Blogs]], [[BBSes]], and games. There, they are generally used when some form of victory is attained, or to indicate [[superiority]] over someone else. The words are often used as either [[interjection]]s or nouns.


Revision as of 17:10, 4 December 2006

An evil laugh is a stock megalomaniacal laugh by a villain in fiction. In comic books, where supervillains utter such laughs, it is variously rendered as Mwahahahaha!, Muhuhahaha!, Mwahahaha!, and Mwa ha ha! or BooWHAHAHA!. (Compare Ho ho ho.) These words are also commonly used on internet Blogs, BBSes, and games. There, they are generally used when some form of victory is attained, or to indicate superiority over someone else. The words are often used as either interjections or nouns.

The evil laugh has been used for thousands of years to convey a villain's feeling of significance. For men it starts off as a low rumbling, in the back of the throat, slowly ascending to a loud cackle. For women, on the other hand, it begins as a hoarse scratchy sound, and then rises to a maniacal laugh- however, this could work either way. Some protagonists have been known to use an "evil" laugh, either as a product of mental instability or merely to display a feeling of significance as a villain would. Father Grigori from the video game Half-Life 2 is an example of this. [1]

The Evil Overlord List notes that evil laughter often distracts the villain from important details that the hero can use to escape or prevail.

Popular culture

Characters that use an evil laugh include:

Other notable occurrences of the evil laugh in popular culture include:

Professional wrestler Ted DiBiase was well known for an evil laugh whenever he performed as the Million Dollar Man during his run in the WWE. Although he doesn't usually laugh, The Undertaker does give a spine-chilling laugh once in while at the end of a promo, especially to his brother Kane. Also, The Boogeyman is known to use an evil laugh to coincide with his gimmick.

James Mitchell In Total Non Stop Action Wrestling will normally use an evil laugh at ringside and when conducting a promo in the ring.

The "evil laugh" has become an almost-total cliché in recent pop culture and is now almost only used in a comedy light or satire. For example, Gary Larson drew a Far Side cartoon which portrayed a lecture hall full of science students aspiring to be mad scientists. The mad science curriculum, asserts Larson, requires all students to take "one semester of maniacal laughter". In a similar vein, one panel in the webcomic A Miracle of Science show three mad scientists engaging in an impromptu evil laughter competition [2].

See also

External links

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