Dark Priests/Dark Priestesses don't necessarily have to be literal priests as the title of this category might suggest, as long as they are a part of a religious organization or cult or adapt a religious behavior to further their villainous goals. While not mandatory, they often have a position of power in their religion that they use to manipulate the masses or escape punishment for their crimes. They often commit their villainous deeds out of a delusional belief that they are serving their God(s) and religions, while in fact corrupting and betraying everything they stand for, thus making them hypocrites. In other cases, they may not even believe in the beliefs they preach and merely use them as an excuse to commit their villainous acts.