History BigBadDuumvirate / WesternAnimation

* The Quintessions from ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', being many villains that work together and being that each has multiple personalities. During G1's third season, the Autobots had to contend with the Decepticons and the Quintessions (who sometimes worked together to achieve their own mutually exclusive ends).

** [[spoiler:In ''[[WesternAnimation/MetalocalypseTheDoomstarRequiem The Doomstar Requiem]]'', after Magnus objects to the Metal Masked Assassin killing Ishnifus Meaddle (who [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed himself]] to facilitate Dethklok's escape from the Revengencers), the latter decides that [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness Magnus is no longer of any use]] and {{impale|dWithExtremePrejudice}}s him on a metal rod, [[KilledOffForReal meeting his end]] after Dethklok returns and [[NotEnoughToBury obliterates him]] after [[EleventhHourSuperpower being empowered by the Doomstar]]. Magnus escapes before the building crumbles, and survives his injuries long enough to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself]] after the event he just witnessed [[HeelRealization makes him realize he was the villain instead of the hero]].]]

** [[spoiler:In ''[[WesternAnimation/MetalocalypseTheDoomstarRequiem The Domstar Requiem]]'', after Magnus objects to the Metal Masked Assassin killing Ishnifus Meaddle (who [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificed himself]] to facilitate Dethklok's escape from the Revengencers), the latter decides that [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness Magnus is no longer of any use]] and {{impale|dWithExtremePrejudice}}s him on a metal rod, [[KilledOffForReal meeting his end]] after Dethklok returns and [[NotEnoughToBury obliterates him]] after [[EleventhHourSuperpower being empowered by the Doomstar]]. Magnus escapes before the building crumbles, and survives his injuries long enough to [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself]] after the event he just witnessed [[HeelRealization makes him realize he was the villain instead of the hero]].]]

* In seasons 4 through 6 of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Anti-Cosmo, the leader of the anti-fairies, and HP, the leader of the pixies, seemed to have equal claim to the title of BigBad. This is especially notable in season 6, where the two never appeared without the other. Which is an odd pairing considering HP wants to [[LawfulEvil impose order]] and is teaming with someone who obviously doesn't share that goal.

* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': As a general rule, Hell's Overlords work alone even if they are not hostile to one another. Vox, Velvette and Valentino, a trio of Overlords that [[CorruptCorporateExecutive governs some of Hell's most influential industries]] (television, fashion and pornography, respectively), is collectively known as "the Vees". They use the same building as their headquarters and regularly hang out together when they're not working on their own businesses. Whereas the rest of the Overlords (with the possible exception of [[HiddenAgendaVillain Alastor]]) try not to upset the status quo too much (since [[KnowWhenToFoldEm that would risk extermination at the hands of Heaven]]), the Vees have no such qualms, and constantly hunger for more power for themselves. It's implied that this is because they are among the youngest of the current Overlords, and as such lack maturity and caution (not to mention respect for their fellow Overlords).

** General Crozier and Cardinal Ravenwood could be considered the first season's Big Bad Duumvirate (with the Metal Masked Assassin as their [[TheDragon Dragon]]).
** In season 2, the Metal Masked Assassin and Edgar Jomfru act as the season's Big Bads when they form the Revengencers, appearing in several episodes of the season. Could possibly be considered a triumvirate after they establish an alliance with Lavona Succoboso in the season finale.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', the [[GalacticConqueror Homeworld Gems]] are ruled by a group called the Diamond Authority, which, at present, to consists of Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, and White Diamond, [[spoiler:though White Diamond holds more authority than Blue and Yellow with both of them fearing her]]. Older versions of their ArcSymbol also included a Pink Diamond, [[UnPerson but it's conspicuously absent from modern Gem Machines]]. We later discover that there ''was'' a Pink Diamond and [[spoiler:Rose Quartz shattered her... Or so everyone thought, until Steven finds out while in Pearl's Gem, he sees that the Rose Quartz that shattered Pink Diamond was actually Pearl, and that [[FakingTheDead the REAL Rose Quartz never shattered Pink Diamond]]; [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter she WAS Pink Diamond. ALL ALONG]]]].

* The Quintessions from ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', being many villains that work together and being that each has multiple personalities. During G1's third season, the Autobots had to contend with the Decepticons and the Quintessions (who sometimes worked together to achieve their own mutually exclusive ends).
* Moog Magister and Hector Sinestro in ''WesternAnimation/MonsterAllergy''.

* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
** ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward]]'', the two main villains were invading alien Sh'Okanabo and [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt C.E.O.]] Darius Dun. Despite different goals and storylines, they established a resource-sharing relationship, where Darius gave Sh'Okanabo the stolen plans for nephew Cody Jones' time window, in exchange for the assistance of the turtle clones Sh'Okanabo had created.
** In [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987 cartoon]], the conventional opinion seems to be that Shredder is TheDragon and Krang is the BigBad, but that could easily be just because TheDragon is a much better-known trope than Big Bad Duumvirate. There is no question that Shredder sees himself as a BigBad in an equal partnership with Krang, and it usually seems as if most of the characters agree (Krang may be the only one who sees himself as Shredder's boss). And in an alternate history where the villains succeed in [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]], who is the natural choice for the position of Emperor? Hint: The episode isn't titled "Krangville."
* In seasons 4 through 6 of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Anti-Cosmo, the leader of the anti-fairies, and HP, the leader of the pixies, seemed to have equal claim to the title of BigBad. This is especially notable in season 6, where the two never appeared without the other. Which is an odd pairing considering HP wants to [[LawfulEvil impose order]] and is teaming with someone who obviously doesn't share that goal.
* ''WesternAnimation/KulipariAnArmyOfFrogs'' has [[ScaryScorpions Lord Marmoo]] and [[GiantSpider Queen Jarrah]], the former of whom teams up with the latter so she can destroy the Veil, and he can take over the Amphibilands. Jarrah, despite her hatred of Marmoo, continues to work with him, as she needs him to kill the Turtle King and assist her army [[WeHaveReserves in terms of size and strength]].
* In season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'', Metal Masked Assassin and Edgar Jomfru act as the season's Big Bads when they form the Revengencers, appearing in several episodes of the season. Could possibly be considered a triumvirate after they establish an alliance with Lavona Succoboso in the season finale. In a less blatant example, General Crozier and Cardinal Ravenwood could be considered the first season's Big Bad Duumvirate (with Metal Masked Assassin as their [[TheDragon Dragon]]).

* ''Franchise/Ben10'' did it several times in all three series:
** {{Big Bad}}s [[ArchEnemy Vilgax]] and [[EvilCounterpart Kevin 11]], respectively from season 1 and 2 of [[WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}} the original series]], teamed up at the end of season 2 in an attempt to take the Omnitrix from Ben. Kevin's betrayal eventually caused the alliance to fail and led to both of them being trapped in the Null Void.
** Vilgax teamed up with Albedo in the ''[[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce Alien Force]]'' finale in a new attempt to take the Omnitrix. Though the alliance was successful, Vilgax then betrayed Albedo, and Ben was able to defeat him alone.
* The BigBad of the second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' is initially set up to be Rushu, the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent king of Shushu]] until [[spoiler:Qilby]] becomes another Big Bad of the season and the two team up.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Book 2 ends this way, with [[TheDragon Princess Azula]] and [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]] teaming up to perform a coup on the Earth City capital, Ba Sing Se. However, from the beginning, both were planning to betray the other with Azula planning to take it for the Fire Nation and Long Feng planning to take control from the Earth King and have a more iron-fisted ruler for the Earth Kingdom. When the coup is complete, [[MagnificentBastard Azula]] turns Long Feng's own men against him, having impressed and terrified them with her ruthlessness and cunning, ending it with a [[BreakThemByTalking Breaking Speech]] to her defeated rival.
** In Book 1 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Amon is the direct big bad by lying, exaggerating, and manipulating non-benders to his cause by fabricating certain cases against benders, but Tarrlok inadvertently helps this along by mobilizing task forces against Non-benders, fueling their wrath against Benders. The real issues and greater scope enemy of book 1 is the conflict between benders and non-benders; but both brothers (perhaps unwittingly on Tarrlok's part, but regardless) are escalating the violence in the city, causing a Civil War in the process.
** In Book 2 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', it is possible that [[spoiler:Vaatu]] and Unalaq were this rather than [[spoiler:Unalaq being TheDragon to Vaatu. While Vaatu was far more powerful than Unalaq, he was largely helpless for most of the season until Unalaq's machinations allowed him to escape, and Unalaq did so out of his own ambition rather than any loyalty to Vaatu. This comes across most strongly in the finale, where they merge into the Dark Avatar and are treated as a single threat, rather than Vaatu overriding Unalaq ([[HijackingCthulhu or the other way around]]) like [[EvilIsNotAToy most similar situations]]]].
* In the 2006 revival of ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'', the main antagonists are a race of cat-like aliens called the Catatonians, led by Hannibal T. Hairball and his DragonInChief Cataclysm, as well as a CorruptCorporateExecutive named Ronaldo Rump. The Catatonians are invading Mars and try to stop Vinnie, Throttle, and Modo from rescuing Stoker so he can make a new regenerator that can be used to end the drought on Mars, while Ronaldo Rump wants Stoker to build a new regenerator because the one he has that he uses for his land development schemes is running low on power.
* In the PilotMovie for ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', WesternAnimation/HouseOfBloos, Terrence and Duchess team up around the second act to get rid of Bloo once and for all.
* In the second season of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', Professor Pericles and Mr. E serve as this in a downplayed example. While the two appear to be equal in power, Pericles is actually the dominant force of evil. Mr. E ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn as he realizes the evils he and his compatriots are sinking to, while Pericles stops treating Mr. E with any resemblance of respect and properly asserts his authority as the season draws to its' close.
* In a case of WhatCouldHaveBeen for the third season of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', if it had remained under Sunbow, the plan was for the Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xamot, to take over what was left of Cobra as "The Coil" and take what they saw as its best parts in a less military, more "criminal" direction.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', the [[GalacticConqueror Homeworld Gems]] are ruled by a group called the Diamond Authority, which, at present, to consists of Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, and White Diamond, [[spoiler:though White Diamond holds more authority than Blue and Yellow with both of them fearing her]]. Older versions of their ArcSymbol also included a Pink Diamond, [[UnPerson but it's conspicuously absent from modern Gem Machines]]. We later discover that there ''was'' a Pink Diamond and [[spoiler:Rose Quartz shattered her... Or so everyone thought, until Steven finds out while in Pearl's Gem, he sees that the Rose Quartz that shattered Pink Diamond was actually Pearl, and that [[FakingTheDead the REAL Rose Quartz never shattered Pink Diamond]]; [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter she WAS Pink Diamond. ALL ALONG]]]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' in later seasons have Duke Igthorn and Lady Bane as the recurrent villains, often appearing in the same episode with Igthorn's crush on her as a RunningGag.
* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'' has the five leaders of V.I.L.E. -- [[BrawnHilda Coach Brunt]], [[PsychoPsychologist Professor Maelstrom]], [[AristocratsAreEvil Countess Cleo]], [[MadScientist Doctor Bellum]], and [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai Shadow-san]] -- who run the organization by committee, with no one member appearing to have seniority over the others. [[spoiler: After [[GoodAllAlong Shadow-san]] defects at the end of Season 1, the other four spend most of Season 2 trying to [[EvilPowerVacuum fill his vacant seat]], ultimately settling on Roundabout, their DoubleAgent in British intelligence.]]

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': "The End of Flutter Valley" has the witch Hydia and Queen Bumble share the spotlight as antagonists. The two mostly work independently, but do so under a common plan and with the intention of coordinating their strikes in order to lure the flutter ponies into a trap and share the benefits of taking the Sunstone from Flutter Valley.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The final season has Grogar recruit all of the non-reformed big bads from previous seasons -- Queen Chrysalis from seasons 2 and 6, [[BackFromTheDead King Sombra]] from season 3, Tirek from season 4, and Cozy Glow from season 8. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that Grogar was actually Discord in disguise as part of [[EngineeredHeroics a convoluted plan to boost Twilight's confidence]], while Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow stab him in the back and go on to become the true final antagonists of the series as a united force.]]
* A couple from ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'':
** Lord Boxman--who's arguably the BigBad of the series (certainly of Season 1, and is the most consistent antagonist the heroes face)--teams up with his client, Professor Venomous, midway through Season 2 in a permanent alliance to co-run Boxmore and antagonize the Bodega heroes together. Even working together, they're still not the only major threat to the heroes, making them a Duumvirate that's also part of a BigBadEnsemble.
** In the series climax, [[spoiler:[[SuperpoweredEvilSide T.K.O.]] and [[SplitPersonality Shadowy Figure]] each perform a SplitPersonalityTakeover on their respective hosts, K.O. and Professor Venomous[[note]]Well, Shadowy ''claims'' that his was a SplitPersonalityMerge, but [[AmbiguousSituation it's implied otherwise]][[/note]], and "Shadowy Venomous" convinces T.K.O. to [[VillainTeamUp team up with him]], ousting Boxman when he protests their actions. It lasts for a couple of episodes until Shadowy Figure makes it clear that, despite them technically being father and son due to the relationship between their hosts, he didn't really care about T.K.O. and was just using him to get more power; T.K.O. subsequently beats Shadowy out of Venomous and [[KilledOffForReal destroys him for good]]]].
* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania|2017}}'' reveals that Carmilla, TheStarscream of Season 2, rules over her fiefdom jointly with her sisters [[EvilGenius Morana]], [[TheBrute Striga]], and [[FemmeFatale Lenore]]. While Carmilla herself is recognized as the nominal leader of the group, each of them as their own area of expertise and run things by committee.
** ''WesternAnimation/CastlevaniaNocturne'' has the alliance between Countess Erzsebet Báthory, the self-proclaimed [[DarkMessiah Vampire Messiah]] who intends to lead the vampires in [[TakeOverTheWorld conquering the world]], and [[SinisterMinister Abbot Emanuel]], who acts as Erzsebet's [[MookMaker Forgemaster]] in exchange for her using her forces to [[EvilReactionary crush the French Revolution, which he sees as a threat to the church]]. Each is planning to betray the other as soon as [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they're no longer needed]] [[spoiler: and by the end of the season, Erzsebet has proven herself EvilerThanThou, having completely broken Emanuel's spirit and reducing him to her servant.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Special Agent Mace and Agent Sieve were [[VillainOfTheWeek Villains of the Week]] in Book 1, but come Book 2, they're the primary recurring threat relentlessly hunting Mirror Tulip as she attempts to escape the train. Though Mace is the more senior and commanding of the pair, Sieve is shown to be more adept at manipulation and proves to be just as ruthless when pushed enough.

* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania|2017}}'' reveals that Carmilla, TheStarscream of Season 2, rules over her fiefdom jointly with her sisters [[EvilGenius Morana]], [[TheBrute Striga]], and Lenore. While Carmilla herself is recognized as the nominal leader of the group, each of them as their own area of expertise and run things by committee.

** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] manages to form one with [[HijackingCthulhu Cthulhu]] in the "Coon & Friends" trilogy where the two proceed to destroy everything the former doesn't like.

* The Almighty Tallest of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'', whom the titular VillainProtagonist serves. Normally it'd just be a singular EvilOverlord, but since [[AllThereInTheScript Red and Purple]] are the same height they're the joint rulers of TheEmpire (though Red seems to be a bit more competent).

* The Almighty Tallest of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' that the VillainProtagonist serves. Normally it'd just be a singular EvilOverlord, but since [[AllThereInTheScript Red and Purple]] are the same height they're the joint rulers of TheEmpire (though Red seems to be a bit more competent).

* Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania|2017}}'' reveals that Carmilla, TheStarscream of Season 2, rules over her fiefdom jointly with her sisters [[EvilGenius Morana]], [[TheBrute Striga]], and [[DarkChick Lenore]]. While Carmilla herself is recognized as the nominal leader of the group, each of them as their own area of expertise and run things by committee.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The final season has Grogar recruit all of the non-reformed big bads from previous seasons -- Queen Chrysalis from seasons 2 and 6, [[BackFromTheDead King Sombra]] from season 3, Tirek from season 4, and Cozy Glow from season 8. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that Grogar was actually Discord in disguise as part of a convoluted plan to boost Twilight's confidence, while Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow stab him in the back and go on to become the true final antagonists of the series as a united force.]]

* The Almighty Tallests of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' that the VillainProtagonist serves. Normally it'd just be a singular EvilOverlord, but since [[AllThereInTheScript Red and Purple]] are the same height they're the joint rulers of TheEmpire (though Red seems to be a bit more competent).

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': The final season has Grogar recruit all of the non-reformed big bads from previous seasons -- Queen Chrysalis from seasons 2 and 6, [[BackFromTheDead King Sombra]] from season 3, Tirek from season 4, and Cozy Glow from season 8. [[spoiler:Chrysalis and the latter two stab him in the back and become the true final antagonists of the series as a united force.]]