Vigilantes

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“	Though some may call it revenge,I prefer to think of it as justice... over single-minded scientists and corrupt politicians.	„
	~Clive Dove explaining his goals.

“	No, no. I think you are confused. You're mixing up the law and justice. They are two different things. What you've said is how it should be done in accordance with the law. Of course,providing that there is law. But justice is something different.This is the justice.	„
	~Agâh Beyoglu refuses Cemil Havran's incarceration and convinces Nevra to kill him.

Vigilantes are those who take matters of the law into their own hands and punish criminals (or at least people theyperceive as criminals), often going againstmore legal authorities to do so. Although vigilantes are romanticized in fiction (such as with thePunisher, theRed Hood andBatman, etc.), in reality, they tend to be near-remorseless and efficiently brutal killers who sometimes target criminals for selfish reasons.

These villains normally think they are doing the world at large a favor by "taking care" of crime or other things that displease them, usually through the application of lethal force (often believing they are "taking out the trash"). Most vigilantes view themselves as better people and get annoyed or even furious at a hero's attempts to stop them. When revealing darker shades of themselves they can even cross over withSocial Darwinists,Game Changers orContradictions.

This is what makes them a source of trouble for heroes who see dark mirrors of what they could have become; by ignoring justice systems, a vigilante ends up killingwrongfully or improperly convicted people (usuallyScapegoats orPawns) and thus take innocent lives.

Vigilantes can be motivated by the following reasons and many more:

Beliefs: Some are motivated by the belief that the justice system is broken or rigged so it will not punish criminals enough thus leading them to believe they must take "justice" (maybe literally) into their own hands. In some cases, they will even target those who they believe are doing a poor job at enforcing the law.The Punisher,Teru Mikami,Cat-Woman,Lisa Simpson,Jason Todd,Darkwing II,Dexter Morgan,Clyde Shelton andThomas Wayne are great examples of this type of vigilante.

Revenge: Vigilantes are most commonly motivated by factors such as pain and retribution. Some target Criminals who wronged them personally and were not caught, seeking them out as revenge. Others can be motivated by getting back at people who weren't Criminals at the start such as those who simply bullied or tormented them or someone close.Billy Butcher,Jason Carver,Carrie White,The Bad Guys,Ellie Williams,Sasuke Uchiha andGil Yepes are good examples of this.

Delusions/Mental Illness: Vigilantes can be spurred intoa killing spree by mental impairments such as schizophrenia, PTSD, or obsessive-compulsive disorders. This can cause irrational behaviors and make them believe people are doing bad things even when they're not, or lead to them disproportionately punishing criminals.Rorschach,Travis Bickle,John Kramer,Cameron Henry,John Wade,Ronald Jones Jr andStain are good examples.

Impartial Corrections/Righteous Anarchy: Vigilantes are also able to take the shape of revolutionaries who are justified to an extent in their actions, though not entirely correct to begin with.Zaheer,V,Planetina,Laguna Husert,Lelouch vi Britannia,Magneto andAnarky are good examples of this.

For the sake of this particular wiki, this page only features Vigilantes who have little-to-no heroic traits or those who have become at least remotely evil over time. If you want more heroic examples of themsee here.

Vigilantes can be involved in law enforcement if their methods are both far beyond their legal authority and focused on stopping crime. These characters are almost always extremists.Damon Gant is a good example of a vigilante who is also part of law enforcement.

Note: VigilantesCANNOT bePure Evil as they are oftenmorally ambiguous,Anti-Villains,On & Off,Villains by Proxy,Extremists, and/orHonorable. Their goals, backgrounds, and actions aresympathetic, understandable, and questionable. Pure Evil villains that seek their owntwisted,delusional,false,perverted,debased orhypocritical forms of righteousness should go better underDelusional,Fallen Heroes,Control Freaks,Disciplinarians,Vengeful,Mentally Ill,Anarchists,Enforcers,Lawful Evil,Jingoists,Mongers,Paranoid, and/orFanatics instead of this category (e.g.Slade,Light Yagami,Albert Wesker,Judge Claude Frollo,Isaac Ray Peram Westcott,Captain Vidal,The Plutonian,Black Noir,Zamasu/Goku Black,John Doe,Joker,Vladimir Makarov,Emperor Belos,Masayoshi Shido,Grimmel the Grisly,The Batman Who Laughs,The Cook, andParty Crasher).