Woman Supervillain Emoji
U+1F9B9 U+200D U+2640 U+FE0F:supervillain_woman:Skin tonesAbout Woman Supervillain π¦ΉββοΈ
Woman Supervillain () is part of the People & Body group in Unicode. Added in Unicode E11.0. Type on GitHub and Slack to use it. On Discord it's . Click copy above to grab it, paste it anywhere.
Works in iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Instagram, Twitter, Gmail, and every app that supports Unicode. Pick a skin tone above to customize it.
Often associated with bad, criminal, evil, and 4 more keywords.
Meaning varies across cultures, see cultural notes below.
Scroll down for the full story: meaning, trends, combos, and more.
How it looks
What does it mean?
A woman in a cape and mask, designed as the supervillain counterpart to π¦ΈββοΈ woman superhero. On paper, she's a comic-book antagonist. On the internet, she's the emoji flag for TikTok's villain era.
Added in Emoji 11.0 (June 2018) as part of the fantasy-character expansion, π¦ΉββοΈ sat quiet for four years. Then TikToker @padzdey started posting about entering her villain era in mid-2022. The framing caught. By late 2022, #villainera had 28M+ views and π¦ΉββοΈ was the default emoji attached to the caption.
The timing wasn't coincidental. Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero) spent 8 weeks at #1 starting October 2022. Netflix's Wednesday dropped November 23, 2022 and hit 1B hours in 28 days. Cassie Howard's Euphoria S2E8 monologue ('I can play the fuckin' villain') had already gone viral earlier that year. π¦ΉββοΈ became the catch-all emoji for a concentrated cultural moment about women refusing good-girl programming.
The point of the trend isn't cruelty. It's boundary-setting framed provocatively. The provocation is the point: if declining to be accommodating gets you labeled a villain, wear the label.
The villain era. On TikTok, Instagram, and X, π¦ΉββοΈ is the dominant self-empowerment emoji for women in 2023 to 2025. 'Entering my villain era π¦ΉββοΈ' captions range from breakup posts to gym selfies to career announcements. The Euphoria S2E8 audio ('I can play the fuckin' villain') plays underneath tens of thousands of these videos.
Dark feminine aesthetic. π¦ΉββοΈ pairs with the dark feminine energy aesthetic that emerged late 2021 as a counter to clean-girl minimalism. Contoured brows, smoky eyes, red lips, all-black wardrobes. Jenna Ortega's Wednesday dance to The Cramps' 'Goo Goo Muck' concentrated the look into a single clip. π¦ΉββοΈ is the emoji shorthand for that whole aesthetic package.
Pop music scaffolding. The trend got a soundtrack: Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' ('it's me, hi, I'm the problem'), Olivia Rodrigo's all-american bitch, Doja Cat's 'Paint the Town Red' ('mm, she the devil, she a bad lil bitch'). Each track gave π¦ΉββοΈ more ambient cultural weight.
Playful mischief. Not every π¦ΉββοΈ is manifesto-level. 'Ate the last slice π¦ΉββοΈ,' 'planning a surprise party π¦ΉββοΈ,' or 'blocking my ex's new girlfriend π¦ΉββοΈ' are the domestic register. The humor comes from calling minor assertiveness villainy.
The critique. Chartered psychologist Kimberly Wilson told Bustle the framing can rationalize actual harm: 'You can't just say I'm learning how to set boundaries, you have to be like I'm entering an era.' Healthy boundaries don't require hurting specific people. π¦ΉββοΈ carries both readings now, empowerment and justification, and the context determines which.
It represents a female supervillain from the comic book tradition. In practice, people use it for the 'villain era' trend (setting boundaries, choosing yourself), playful mischief, dark feminine energy, and comic book discussions. It's less about actual evil and more about empowerment through assertiveness.
The Hero/Villain Family
What it means from...
If your crush sends π¦ΉββοΈ, she's either referencing something playfully evil she did, entering her "villain era" (meaning she's prioritizing herself), or warning you she's in a mischievous mood. All of these are signals of confidence, which is generally a good sign.
Between partners, π¦ΉββοΈ is usually playful: "I ate the last cookie π¦ΉββοΈ" or "making plans without asking you first π¦ΉββοΈ." It can also signal a mood shift: if she's entering her villain era, she might be setting new boundaries. Support it.
Among friends, this is hype fuel. "She told her toxic ex off π¦ΉββοΈ" or "entering my villain era and blocking everyone who wasted my time π¦ΉββοΈ." Friends celebrate each other's villain arcs because they usually mean growth disguised as pettiness.
In family chats, π¦ΉββοΈ is usually a kid referencing a movie or game character, or an adult sister/daughter being dramatically uncooperative about holiday plans. "Not coming to the family dinner π¦ΉββοΈ" is villain era with consequences.
At work, π¦ΉββοΈ is rare but powerful. "Just sent the email without CC'ing my boss π¦ΉββοΈ" is workplace rebellion. It's best reserved for casual channels with coworkers you're genuinely close to.
From strangers online, π¦ΉββοΈ in a bio signals someone who's embraced their assertive, boundary-setting side. In comments, it's used to celebrate someone's audacious behavior: "she really did that π¦ΉββοΈ."
Flirty or friendly?
π¦ΉββοΈ can be flirty in the "dark, mysterious, and confident" sense. Villain energy is attractive to many people. But it's more commonly used as a self-empowerment marker than a flirting tool. "I'm in my villain era π¦ΉββοΈ" is about her, not about you.
- β’π¦ΉββοΈ about herself = self-empowerment. Not directly flirting.
- β’'You bring out the villain in me π¦ΉββοΈ' = flirting with dark energy.
- β’π¦ΉββοΈ after doing something bold = confidence display, which can be attractive.
Not directly, but villain energy can be attractive. Confidence, assertiveness, and dark mystery are appealing to many people. 'I'm in my villain era π¦ΉββοΈ' is about her empowerment, not about romance. But confidence is always attractive.
Emoji combos
Origin story
The supervillain emoji was approved in Unicode 11.0 in 2018 as the antagonist counterpart to the superhero (π¦Έ). The proposal came from L2/16-160 and L2/17-244, part of the fantasy and fairy tale person expansion that also included fairies, vampires, elves, genies, merpeople, and zombies.
The design shows a person in a mask and villain costume, intentionally generic enough to represent any supervillain archetype without referencing specific copyrighted characters. Each platform renders it differently: some lean Lex Luthor, others lean Catwoman, others go for a generic masked figure.
The emoji's cultural life exploded with TikTok's "villain era" trend. The phrase, which gained traction around 2022, reframes traditionally negative behavior (setting boundaries, saying no, prioritizing yourself) as heroic through the villain metaphor. The irony is deliberate: calling self-care "villainy" highlights how women's assertiveness gets coded as "difficult" or "selfish." π¦ΉββοΈ became the emoji of that reframe.
Added in Emoji 11.0 (June 2018) as a ZWJ sequence: (Supervillain) + (ZWJ) + (Female Sign) + (VS16). Derived from proposals L2/16-160 and L2/17-244. Created alongside π¦Έ Superhero as the hero/villain pair. The gender-neutral π¦Ή and male π¦ΉββοΈ were released simultaneously.
Design history
- 2018Supervillain and Superhero added as a matched pair in Emoji 11.0 (June 2018)β
- 2018Both emojis get man, woman, and neutral gender variants with skin tone support
- 2022Cassie Howard's 'I can play the fuckin' villain' monologue airs on Euphoria S2E8 (Feb 27), becoming the trend's audio templateβ
- 2022Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' spends 8 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100; Wednesday hits 1B hours in 28 daysβ
- 2023Olivia Rodrigo's 'all-american bitch' and Doja Cat's 'Paint the Town Red' extend the villain-era pop canonβ
- 2024Wicked grosses $750M+ worldwide, the latest sympathetic-villain origin story to dominate the box officeβ
- 2025Villain era fragments into lifestyle content (home decor, GRWM mashups), a late-stage trend shiftβ
Around the world
The villain era trend is primarily an English-language, Western phenomenon. The concept of reframing assertiveness as "villainy" depends on the cultural expectation that women should be accommodating. In cultures with different gender dynamics, the metaphor shifts.
In East Asian pop culture, the "dark heroine" archetype appears in K-drama and anime but carries different connotations. In Latin American telenovela culture, the "villana" is a recognized character type: beautiful, scheming, and dramatically evil. The emoji maps to all of these cultural villains while being native to none.
Comic book villainy itself is a Western invention that's gone global through Marvel and DC movies. The emoji's mask and costume reference this specific visual tradition, which may not resonate in cultures without a deep superhero/supervillain framework.
A TikTok-driven concept where someone 'becomes the villain' by prioritizing themselves, setting boundaries, cutting toxic people off, and saying no without guilt. It's called 'villainy' ironically because assertive women are often labeled as difficult. π¦ΉββοΈ is the emoji of this trend.
Popularity ranking
Often confused with
Woman Superhero (π¦ΈββοΈ) is the hero counterpart. Same masked-costume visual but represents heroism rather than villainy. Use π¦ΈββοΈ for good deeds, π¦ΉββοΈ for delicious chaos.
Woman Superhero (π¦ΈββοΈ) is the hero counterpart. Same masked-costume visual but represents heroism rather than villainy. Use π¦ΈββοΈ for good deeds, π¦ΉββοΈ for delicious chaos.
Smiling Face with Horns (π) represents generic mischief and devilishness. π¦ΉββοΈ is more specific: it's about a character with power and intent, not just playful naughtiness.
Smiling Face with Horns (π) represents generic mischief and devilishness. π¦ΉββοΈ is more specific: it's about a character with power and intent, not just playful naughtiness.
They're designed as moral opposites. π¦ΈββοΈ (Superhero) represents heroism and good deeds. π¦ΉββοΈ (Supervillain) represents villainy, which in internet culture means empowerment through unapologetic behavior. They were released as a pair in 2018.
Do's and don'ts
- βUse it for villain era empowerment content
- βUse it for playful mischief and petty moments
- βUse it in comic book, superhero, and gaming discussions
- βPair it with π for the unbothered villain aesthetic
- βDon't use it to describe actual harmful behavior as empowering
- βDon't use it about someone else who didn't choose the villain label for themselves
- βDon't confuse villain era (boundary-setting) with being genuinely cruel to people
Not usually. While it literally represents a villain, most usage is positive: empowerment, boundary-setting, playful mischief. The TikTok 'villain era' reframed villainy as self-care. Only context determines if it's genuinely negative (rare) or empowering (common).
Caption ideas
Aesthetic sets
Type it as text
Fun facts
- β’The supervillain and superhero emojis were added as a matched pair in Unicode 11.0 (2018), proposed together in L2/17-244. They're one of the few emoji pairs explicitly designed as moral opposites.
- β’Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the hook 'it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me' becoming the dominant TikTok sound that paired with π¦ΉββοΈ.
- β’Jenna Ortega choreographed her Wednesday dance herself while running a 102Β°F fever. The scene became the single most influential Netflix clip of 2022 and anchored the dark-feminine aesthetic that π¦ΉββοΈ tags.
- β’Cassie Howard's 'I can play the fuckin' villain' line is from Euphoria S2E8, aired February 27, 2022. The audio became the defining overlay for #villainera posts.
- β’Each platform designs π¦ΉββοΈ differently. Google leans X-Men's Mr. Sinister palette; Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft ship generic masked figures. No two vendors match because there's no copyrighted character to anchor on.
- β’Joker (2019) was the first R-rated film ever to gross over $1B) ($1.078B), opening the sympathetic-villain studio era that Wicked closed in 2024 with $750M+.
- β’Olivia Rodrigo's all-american bitch (GUTS opener, September 2023) opens acoustic and explodes into pop-punk, musically staging the villain era flip from good girl to rage.
- β’The 2025 'villain era' home decor trend (moody lighting, deep colors, red wine, black candles) is a classic late-stage trend shift: the identity turned into a lifestyle vertical.
Common misinterpretations
- β’Some people take 'villain era' literally and think the person is being mean. The trend is about self-empowerment through the villain metaphor. Calling yourself a villain is ironic commentary on how assertive women are perceived.
- β’The mask in the emoji sometimes gets confused with the Zorro or masquerade aesthetic. The intent is comic book villain, not carnival or costume party.
In pop culture
- β’Euphoria S2E8 (Feb 2022): Sydney Sweeney's Cassie Howard monologue ('I can play the fuckin' villain') became the audio template for #villainera on TikTok.
- β’Taylor Swift, 'Anti-Hero' (Oct 2022): 8 weeks at #1, the defining self-cast villain pop song. The 'it's me, I'm the problem' hook pulled π¦ΉββοΈ into caption-level ubiquity.
- β’Wednesday (Nov 2022): Jenna Ortega's goth-coded heroine and self-choreographed dance concentrated the dark-feminine aesthetic into mainstream reach.
- β’Wicked (Nov 2024): $750M+ worldwide. Elphaba's Defying Gravity arc is the largest-scale sympathetic-villain film released to date.
- β’Joker (2019): $1.078B, first R-rated film to cross $1B. Started the sympathetic-villain studio-economics era.
- β’Olivia Rodrigo, 'all-american bitch' (2023): the musical embodiment of the good-girl-to-villain flip, opening GUTS.
- β’Doja Cat, 'Paint the Town Red' (2023): #1 on the Hot 100 with explicit devil imagery; the Scarlet album was a deliberate villain-coded pivot from Planet Her.
- β’Classic female villains: Maleficent, Cruella, Harley Quinn, Cersei Lannister, Hela. The emoji carries 80 years of scene-stealing antagonists with it.
Trivia
For developers
- β’ZWJ sequence: + + + . Four codepoints.
- β’Skin tone modifiers: + skin tone + + + .
- β’Discord: . GitHub: . Slack: .
- β’The paired hero emoji π¦ΈββοΈ uses the same structure with instead of .
- β’Gender variants: π¦Ή (neutral), π¦ΉββοΈ (male), π¦ΉββοΈ (female). All from Emoji 11.0 (2018).
Emoji 11.0 in June 2018, alongside superheroes, fairies, vampires, elves, genies, merpeople, and zombies. It was Unicode's biggest fantasy character expansion.
Yes. All five Fitzpatrick modifiers: π¦Ήπ»ββοΈ, π¦ΉπΌββοΈ, π¦Ήπ½ββοΈ, π¦ΉπΎββοΈ, π¦ΉπΏββοΈ.
There's no specific copyrighted character to reference, so each platform creates their own villain design. Apple uses purple, Google uses green, Samsung uses red accents. This makes it one of the most visually inconsistent emojis across platforms.
See the full Emoji Developer Tools guide for regex patterns, encoding helpers, and more.
What does π¦ΉββοΈ mean to you?
Select all that apply
- Woman Supervillain Emoji (emojipedia.org)
- Supervillain Emoji (emojipedia.org)
- L2/17-244 Emoji Faces Proposed for Encoding (unicode.org)
- What's New in Unicode 11.0 (emojipedia.org)
- On TikTok, We're Entering Our Villain Era (Bustle) (bustle.com)
- Why Everyone on TikTok Is Entering Their Villain Era (Refinery29) (refinery29.com)
- Villain Era Psychologist Critique (Bustle) (bustle.com)
- Dark Feminine Energy explainer (Vice) (vice.com)
- Billboard: Anti-Hero 8 weeks at #1 (billboard.com)
- Anti-Hero song (Wikipedia) (wikipedia.org)
- Euphoria S2E8 transcript (scrapsfromtheloft.com)
- Variety: Ortega choreographed her own dance (variety.com)
- Wednesday dance (Netflix Tudum) (netflix.com)
- All-American Bitch (Wikipedia) (wikipedia.org)
- Joker (2019) Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- Wicked (2024) Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- Villain era home decor (Ideal Home) (idealhome.co.uk)
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