Best One-Shot Villain AU Fanfics
Villain AU one-shots under 10k words — the trope distilled to a single complete read. Curated from AO3, ranked by kudos.
Top 19 One-Shot Villain AU Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with villain au and falls in the short stories under 10,000 words range.
let it go
by Authoress
He’s got him this time. This time for real.
if you chose life
by Authoress
Payback is a bitch.
Through the Darkness
by mickeycmick
Rather than inheriting One for All, Izuku is born with All for One, yet not all is warm and bright.
And Be A Villain
by Evening_Bat
They were some of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. And now they were working together.
Soulmates
by asiankittee
Where Saitama is a very evil, crude villain… and I also think he has a terribly rude mouth.
Monitoring the Situation
by tsukinofaerii
The ventilation system on Tony's flying fortress is broken, heating up the cell where Captain America is being held prisoner.
The Sins of Stockholm
by paperficwriter
Genos should have known better than to follow him after their fight. In the dark, it's hard to see how far the drop is off the precipice.
Too Little Too Late
by West_8th_Avenue
When Genos had gone out in the middle of the night he had never imagined that he would come face to face with the strongest villain alive; Saitama. The college student had no idea what to expect from a heartless man like him. He thought that he was going to die that night by Saitama's hands, that he
Playing with Tin Soldiers
by paperficwriter
Genos challenges a villain and realizes he is outmatched in more ways than brute strength.
Sharing Toys
by paperficwriter
Mumen Rider discovers that Sai has introduced a new factor into their already complicated relationship.
Let Me Do All the Work Master
by asiankittee
Genos decides to do something very special for his master on Valentine’s Day and he’s completely in control. For the most part.
New Toy
by CheekyKichi
Genos meets a man that may be either very interesting or very dangerous.
Partners!
by PeterHaleforAlpha
Eddie Thawne needs help with a coup. He was sent by Captain Cold to the mysterious thief who calls himself the Flash.
Cyborg King
by orphan_account
King Genos ruled over every city with his destructive power that took him 3 years to obtain. He is the most feared and respected villain until a bald man with a black cape shows up to his palace claiming to be a villain for fun."Being a villain for fun doesn't exactly pay the bills."
I'd call you 'baby' but then you'd probably kill me
by Pomodoridori
Genos is a mobster and Saitama is a hitman. They love each other very much (even if they don't know it just yet).
Tony Stark: Back and Forth
by thenightetc
Villain au fanvid I made for Tony Stark. The worst part is it really wouldn’t take much to reinterpret him this way.
Face cards
by Divine_shot
A bored man meets a cyborg.
Leave it Colder
by thenightetc
This was going to be a Pitch tribute. Then certain of the lyrics really caught my ear and it was going to be a Jack tribute. Then it was going to be lighthearted Blackice.Then it turned into… this.Villain!Jack au Jack/Pitch fanvid, set to I Will Not Bow, wherein Jack accepts Pitch's "we could rule
What Could Have Been
by CheekyKichi
A Saitama that has developed without Genos realizes how important he is. He tries to find the Genos in his own universe, and succeeds.
More One-Shot Villain AU Fics on AO3
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About Villain AU
The hero goes dark: an alternate universe where a canonically good character chose — or was pushed toward — villainy. The best villain AUs keep the character recognizable, building their fall from traits canon already showed.
Watching a beloved hero's virtues curdle into menace is fascinating precisely because the logic tracks; readers love a fall that feels earned rather than imposed.
Common scenarios: The chosen one accepting the dark mentor's offer in chapter one, or a betrayed hero returning years later as the arc's most sympathetic antagonist.
About This List
This list of 19one-shot Villain AU fanfics spans 45,274 total words. Kudos range from 39 on the newest entries to 2,951 on the most established. 74% are marked complete — check the status flag before committing to a longfic. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (9 of 19 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: villain AU · Villain Saitama · AU · Power Play · Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence.
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