Villains who are motivated (at least partially) by envy or jealousy, these are villains who revile and despise the hero or someone else for possessing something that they lack, be it a physical possession or something conceptual and abstract, such as success, popularity, love, wealth, power, or something else entirely. Envy is a common motivation for villains even to the point of obsession. Fittingly, it is also one of the Seven Deadly Sins and is actually considered to be second only to Pride in severity. Being severely envious of someone else can also lead to early stages of mental insanity.

On the one hand, there are many envious villains who can become Complete Monsters if their jealousy is so strong that it makes them commit their heinous acts. On the other hand, they can also be tragic or insecure in that they are motivated, hardworking, and conscientious characters who genuinely have very little success or constantly fail at their goals, all the while being forced to spend their lives constantly confronted by others' wealth and success (e. g. Nightmare Sans).