Villains who are insecure sometimes lack self-esteem or confidence. This may range from believing that they are monsters or thinking that they don't have what it takes to be successful. These villains may not actually be evil as much as they lash out to assert themselves and find their place.. They are similar to the tragic villains, but the defining characteristics of an insecure villain is that they are lying to both themselves and others. Alternatively they might act in a deranged and/or homicidal manner due to severe pain inflicted upon them and can sometimes be victims of abuse or neglect (e.g. Spyro Doomfire).

Furthermore, not all insecure villains are tragic in nature. Some use their lack of confidence as an excuse to lash out or make themselves look like more of a victim than they are. The same applies to villains who bring any poor treatment they experience onto themselves. In some cases, they can be psychopaths if their insecurities prevent them from feeling genuine empathy for others

Usually, these villains just need those who understand them or acceptance, yet it is also common for insecure villains to be too far gone and too absorbed in their own troubles to want or accept help. Ironically, many also qualify as arrogant and/or egotistical as they often delude themselves into thinking that they deserve more respect (e.g. Mr. Puzzles). These villains suffer from a superiority complex where they feign grandeur and self-righteousness to hide their flaws from others and themselves.

HIGHTLY IMPORTANT; A Complete Monster villain can never be part of this category, because Complete Monsters are truly evil and never seek love or acceptance to make up for their eventual insecurities. This is however an alternative category for villains who committed great-scaled and/or unforgivable crimes due to mere excuses which are far too petty to be considered tragedy or those who brought said tragedy on themselves (e.g. Celestia PepperJunkCure and SMG3).

• However, some insecure villains can still be psychopaths if their lack of confidence leads to lack of empathy (e.g. Jill Roberts and Clara Riddlesohn).