If you asked a bunch of players and DMs what the evilest, most despicable, and villainous alignment in the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons is, more likely than not, they would answer Chaotic Evil. These characters crave violence and mayhem and will commit heinous acts just to fulfill their own selfish desires. They are usually not capable of forming long-lasting criminal organizations and thrive in chaos. Nobody could ever predict their next move, no matter how hard they tried, since they have zero regard for laws, traditions, or codes of conduct. Some DnD fans may say that this unpredictability makes them even more dangerous than their Lawful Evil counterparts, especially when they occupy positions of power.
All of this makes Chaotic Evil characters best suited for the campaign’s big bad evil guys, but some players also choose to try their hand at appropriating this alignment for their own creations.
If you want to learn more about this alignment, what makes it stand out among others, and get a few examples from pop culture, then keep reading!
Pop Culture Examples of Chaotic Evil
The quote that usually follows this alignment: “Some people just want to watch the world burn” comes from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and is about Batman’s archenemy – the Joker. This supervillain is the epitome of Chaotic Evil – a psychopath with no moral compass and a sadistic sense of humor. Throughout his comic book and on-screen appearances, he has committed an ungodly amount of unpredictable, deranged, and grotesque crimes, causing physical and psychological damage everywhere he went. Even though Joker is a prime example, a few other Batman villains also deserve a (dis)honorable mention here – Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and even some versions of the Riddler.
A great example of Chaotic Evil in the Marvel Universe is Carnage, the antagonist of Venom and Spider-man. Carnage was created when Cletus Kassady, a psychopathic and sadistic serial killer bonded with a symbiote who then fed on his rage and gave him the ability to exact it upon others. Many Marvel fans consider this villain to be one of the most twisted, evil, and insane ones Spider-man has ever faced, and with good reason too. Green Goblin and Scorpion are other antagonists of this superhero that can be considered Chaotic Evil too.
Ultron is another supervillain from Marvel that certainly deserves a place on this list. His belief that humanity should be wiped out and replaced by machines makes him one of the evilest supervillains in that cinematic universe.
If you’re more familiar with Harry Potter, I can give you a few examples of this alignment in that universe too. The first is Barty Crouch Junior, a Death Eater who disguised himself as Mad-Eye Moody in the fourth book/movie. This character was known for using one of the three unforgivable curses to torture Neville Longbottom’s parents to insanity. Additionally, he trapped Alastor Moody and impersonated him in order to deliver Harry Potter, a literal child, to Voldemort so he can kill him, punished students cruelly, bewitched them during the Triwizard tournament, and even caused Cedric Diggory’s death. If that doesn’t scream pure, sadistic evil, I don’t know what does.
Another really good representation of Chaotic Evil in the Harry Potter universe is non-other than Bellatrix Lestrange. She was Barty Crouch’s accomplice in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom, murdered and inflicted pain on others just for the joy of it, was a pure-blood supremacist, and was willing to eradicate all half-blood and muggle-born witches and wizards. In my opinion, she was the epitome of chaos and pure evil every time she appeared.
Lastly, if Game of Thrones is more your style, I’ve got two great examples for you. The first one is Ramsay Bolton who is, in my mind, the perfect representation of this alignment – the physical and psychological pain and suffering he inflicted first on Theon Greyjoy, and later on, Sansa Stark puts him at the top of the most hated character list for many fans of the show. Besides him, there’s also Joffrey Baratheon, a boy king who truly enjoyed torturing people, (including his wife-to-be), was childish, truly selfish, and didn’t even shy away from murder. There are people who would argue that Joffrey was Lawful Evil, but I am definitely not one of them.
A dishonorable mention from the GoT universe is the Mad King, Aerys II, who liked to play with wildfire use it to torture people and planned to blow up an entire city and all its inhabitants with it. Even though we haven’t seen his evil deeds on the show, all the information we got about him signals that he truly was Chaotic Evil, so I believe he rightfully deserved his place on this list.
Differences Between Lawful, Neutral, and Chaotic Evil
By this point you’ve probably gathered that Chaotic Evil characters are bad guys, right? But what makes them different from Lawful Evil or Neutral Evil villains? Like with all other alignments, the point is that their end goal is always to be evil, but the way they do it differs depending on where they land on the Lawful/Chaotic axis. I’ll give you an example situation and let’s figure out how the three different evil alignments would react to it.
Let’s pretend that our evil character wants to become the ruler of the realm, so how would they do it? If a Lawful Evil person was a contender for the throne, they would probably want to make his actions seem lawful, at least in their own twisted way, so they might try to prove that the king’s bloodline isn’t pure and he isn’t the rightful heir or try to get his council to declare him mad and incapable of ruling. He might even go the route of marriage, marry the heir to the throne and rule through them. A Chaotic Evil character, on the other hand, might poison, kidnap, or straight-up murder the king while he sleeps. A Neutral Evil character doesn’t worry about law or chaos, he is selfish to the core and doesn’t really care in which way the king is eliminated, it’s just important that he is. Think of all the sneaky acts that Littlefinger did in the background just to advance himself in the world.
Chaotic Good, Neutral, and Evil Comparison
If we compare all the Chaotic alignments, we can see that they all have different goals in mind, but none have very much respect for authority, laws, or traditions, but value freedom very much.
Let’s use the same situation from the previous section, and imagine that three characters, a Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, and Chaotic Evil were all contenders to the throne currently occupied by a dying king. What would they do?
In my opinion, a Chaotic Good character would want the throne to go to a most competent person, even if it weren’t them, especially since they shy away from laws and tradition. They would probably try to find the cure for the ailing king or find an appropriate heir. We already went through what a Chaotic Evil person would do – they would commit atrocious acts just to grab the throne and all the power for themselves. A Chaotic Neutral character wouldn’t concern themselves with good or bad, right or wrong and they would only wonder what suits them and their wishes. Since they are free-spirited, they probably wouldn’t jump at taking their place on the throne, but might decide to do so in the end.
Best Class Options in DnD 5e
Some alignments are a better fit for certain classes than others, so let’s give a few examples of what works well for Chaotic Evil characters.
In my mind, an evil barbarian can be super fun to play. Since this class is inherently chaotic (especially the ones that choose the Path of the Berserker), a raging tribal warrior who enjoys killing can be a good choice for the antagonist of your next campaign. My top pick would be a barbarian who took the Path of the Zealot and calls upon the war gods every time he rages.
The other option that immediately comes to mind is a sorcerer. Even though you can certainly play a good sorcerer, playing an evil one makes a bit more sense to me. It would make for a darker and more mysterious and interesting character. If you believe in the saying that magic corrupts, this is your chance to make a very nuanced character who perhaps, slowly descended into madness and paranoia overtook his entire life influencing everything he did later on.
You can also go for a theological theme for your character and play a cleric or paladin since both of their alignments mimic their deities’. Even though it’s more usual that both of these classes are good, an Oathbreaker paladin can be a great choice for Chaotic Evil, and a cleric serving an evil and mischievous deity like Loki is also a good candidate for this alignment. A wizard and warlock are good options for you if you want to play a spellcaster.
Best Backgrounds for Chaotic Evil Characters
Similarly to classes, certain backgrounds are a better fit for this alignment than others. Of course, this is just my opinion and you could probably tweak the ones that I didn’t recommend in order for them to suit your character.
A charlatan background can be a great jumping-off point for a Chaotic Evil character. You can create a con artist who tricks people out of their hard-earned money for a living. This sort of character would thrive in social situations and can also serve as the spokesperson for the party.
A criminal is also a pretty good choice since breaking the law is pretty much their M.O. Since we’re on the subject of criminals, a pirate background can give you a lot of inspiration for your backstory and roleplay, think of all the “Arrr!” jokes just laying around.
An outlander who despises the civilized “city folk” and the negative impact they had on nature and wants to destroy them for it can be a good villain.
If you want to play a sort of evil Aladdin-inspired character, why not go for an urchin, a person who had to fight and steal to survive? I believe that this person would be pretty disillusioned with the law and the people in charge. Also, the constant struggle to survive might turn them evil and make them crave revenge.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chaotic Evil
To round off this guide on Chaotic Evil, let’s go through a few top googled questions about this alignment.
Is Loki Chaotic Evil?
Loki is usually portrayed as Chaotic Evil since he tricks people with malicious intent, has no regard for rules or traditions, and just does what he wants. But, if you’re wondering solely about the MCU Loki played by Tom Hiddleston, you could argue that he is Chaotic Neutral. He does usually side with the villains, but that’s only because he is getting something out of them.
Can Chaotic Evil Be Good?
Well, I believe that they can do some good deeds, but I don’t think a truly evil character can be considered good (unless you do a redemption arc for them).
Can a Paladin Be Chaotic Evil?
The short answer is yes, they can be whichever alignment you wish them to be. The rule that they had to be Lawful Good was eliminated after the third edition.
