Sadists are people who feel joy at seeing their victims suffer, either physically or mentally. This kind of cruelty is also known as "Schadenfreude" (from Schaden = "injury"; Freude = "Joy"), though that term generally refers to cases where the sadist derives pleasure from pain inflicted by something other than themselves.

These villains can be Delusional, for example, if they convince themselves that their enemies must suffer and take enjoyment in doing so.