History BigBadWannabe / WesternAnimation

** Season 3 has [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Earth Queen]] Hou-Ting, who plans to take back Republic City with an enslaved army of airbenders. When Korra and her crew search for new airbenders after Harmonic Convergence, she tries to hinder their search but Korra sees through her deceptions and rescues the airbenders. In her next appearance, she sets up a deal with Zaheer and the Red Lotus, who agree to take Korra from her in exchange for the location of the airbenders. When Zaheer finds out she does not have Korra, he and his group easily fight off the Dai Li and kills her. Due to her cruelty and wastefulness, Zaheer is seen by most of the population as a hero.

* Billy Billions from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' considers himself Ben's archenemy. The thing is, Ben had ''never even known he existed'' before Billy confronted him with killer robots and started talking about "their" past. He, later on, attempted to drive Ben out of the hero business with his own superhero team called, "The Vengers". Ben doesn't even ''remotely'' take them seriously, and he just pulls an AchillesInHisTent and sits back ''literally watching paint dry'', all while waiting for them to collapse on their own due to their clashing egos rather than dealing with them directly.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'': In season 3, Mama Binturong is first introduced as an elderly mob boss-like figure who terrorizes the jungle she lives in with an iron paw. And when she later joins up with Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora, her skill at planning results in several clever ideas that ''almost'' [[NearVillainVictory allow her and her partners to achieve victory]]. But while she is capable of putting up a good fight against Bunga in particular if you [[BerserkButton so much as mention tuliza]], her elderly age, small size, and general lack of true combat ability prevents her from being that much of a threat in combat against any member of the lion guard that isn't Bunga. And for all her skill as an EvilGenius, the same elements that prevent her from posing a credible threat in combat scenarios also leave her forced to rely upon stronger and more combat experienced animals such as her porcupine mooks in her debut episode and [[CatsAreMean Makucha, Chuluun]], and [[MaliciousMonitorLizard Ora]] in all her subsequent episodes in order to allow her plans to be properly carried out. And even with her being the one responsible for making the plans, it's all too clear that Makucha is the one amongst the group who's really in charge.

*** [[spoiler: Downplayed with Emperor Belos. He spends most of the special in a highly weakened state with his body falling apart and is only able to weakly drag himself around, largely irrelevant for a large portion of the episode. But by the end of the special, Belos is able to maneuver himself into a position that allows him to become the FinalBoss of the series in the GrandFinale.]]

* Billy Billions from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' considers himself Ben's archenemy. The thing is, Ben had ''never even known he existed'' before Billy confronted him with killer robots and started talking about "their" past. He, later on, attempted to drive Ben out of the hero business with his own superhero team called, "The Vengers". Ben doesn't even ''remotely'' take them seriously, and he just pulls an AchillesInHisTent and sits back ''literally watching paint dry'', all while waiting for them to collapse on their own due to their clashing egos rather than deal with them directly.

* Billy Billions from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' considers himself Ben's archenemy. The thing is, Ben had ''never even known he existed'' before Billy confronted him with killer robots and started talking about "their" past. He, later on, attempted to drive Ben out of the hero business with his own superhero team called, "The Vengers". Ben doesn't even ''remotely'' take them seriously, and would rather ''literally watch paint dry'' than devote even a ''smudge'' of attention to them.

** Silco himself becomes this by the end of the season, he is undeniably the most dangerous crime lord in the Undercity, but is weighed down by his attachment to Jinx. [[spoiler:His favoritism alienates Sevika, who only stays loyal during the chembaron's attempted coup due to Finn being a pathetic SmugSnake; Jayce only offers to give him his nation of Zaun because he knows his Hextech will massacre the Shimmer-enhanced soldiers, with Silco ultimately unable to accept the deal due to it requiring him giving up Jinx; and Jinx herself proves to be too uncontrollable, becoming the main threat for the first season's climax as she goes rogue and takes him hostage before accidentally gunning him down]].

** Darth Maul, Savage Oppress, and the Death Watch are certainly dangerous antagonists in their own right and they talk a big game. However, the second their schemes start interfering with [[BigBad Palpatine's]] work, Palpatine heads to Mandalore personally and [[spoiler: effortlessly curb-stomps Maul, kills Oppress, and cripples Deathwatch.]]

** The ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' Starscream seems like a big threat to start off with, killing one of the Autobots in the first ten minutes, competently leading the Decepticons and showing some signs of beating his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder when he displays concern for Megatron’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, he is extremely vulnerable to {{Villainous Breakdown}}s and thinks he’s far tougher than he actually is, the humiliation piling up until he’s left badly damaged with no allies and is [[PutOnABus forced onto a bus]] for the rest of the season. [[spoiler: In a surprising moment of clarity on his part during the hunt for the Omega Keys, he ends up realizing this and how acting on his own he has no hope of ruling Cybertron even if he collects the keys. So instead he uses them to convince Megatron to take him back and remains loyal to him for the rest of the series.]]

** [[spoiler:Moon Butterfly and the [[Characters/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilTheMagicHighCommission Magic High Commission]] support Mina Loveberry's scheme to overthrow Eclipsa as ruler of Mewni -- both realizing too late that Mina is too insane to be controlled and won't stop at just removing Eclipsa from power. Moon gets the worst of it, getting stabbed in the back by Mina the moment she tries to stop her. With the exception of Heckapoo, who realizes they messed up and goes to help stop Mina, the Magic High Commission are all too busy celebrating their "victory" to notice the damage caused by Mina and are largely irrelevant for the entire finale. Their deaths due to the destruction of magic is almost an afterthought.]]

* Plankton from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' is described by Karen as "1% evil, 99% hot gas". He thinks he's an EvilGenius but he fails to grasp even the simplest concepts, to the point that he once forgot how to blink.

** Season 2 has [[spoiler: Varrick]], who is a competent enough villain and got even farther than Tarrlok ever did, but ultimately the real {{Big Bad}}s [[spoiler:Unalaq and Vaatu]] are out of his league. He initially attacked [[spoiler:Unalaq]] to start a civil war. Then, he plans to bring Republic City into the war by bombing a peaceful demonstration and robbing Asami's company, blaming the north. When Mako catches on to his plans [[spoiler:he gets the gangsters Mako is forced to work with helping him rob Asami's last resources forcing her to sign interest over to him, and frames it all on Mako]]. His next plan though, [[spoiler:kidnapping the President, exposes him and he is arrested]]. He ultimately is forced to enter an EnemyMine with the heroes and help stop [[spoiler:Unalaq]] by giving them his ship. Ironically, despite all of this (and running afoul a few other nasty villains), he ends up surviving all the way to the end of the series.

** King Sombra legitimately ''was'' the BigBad at one point, but that was way back in the third season. Since then the good guys have gotten several layers of magnitude more powerful, [[CantCatchUp whereas he's been dead]] and thus [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind remains exactly the same]]. The real BigBad of the final season, Grogar, uses this as a lesson, allowing Sombra [[XanatosGambit to try and fail in order to make the point that none of them can succeed alone]]. It doesn't help that Sombra TookALevelInDumbass from "CrazyPrepared NoNonsenseNemesis" to "LeeroyJenkins SmugSnake."

** The penultimate special "For the Future" has a few examples:

* Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' is a textbook example. He has ambitions to take over the Tri-State area, the classic evil scientist motive of revenge, and the technology to boot. No matter how hard he tries, however, he is a complete laughingstock in the eyes of ''every'' villain.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' has [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerHordak Hordak]] start out as the main villain for the first four seasons who was seeking to conquer all of Etheria and defeat the Rebellion. [[spoiler:But, we also find out he’s a clone of his emperor, Horde Prime and served as his general until an error in his cloning caused a crippling illness, and he’s been trying to earn his respect and retake his position. By the end of the fourth season, Horde Prime took offense at his clone brother’s attempt at making his own empire, and sentences him to be reconditioned and demoted, effectively establishing himself as the true BigBad of the series]].

** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] himself is actually this. While Cartman has been the BigBad on occasion, his schemes only work if he can manipulate people into following his whims. If he can't do that, he's reveals himself to be a very petty and inept dumbass whose plans backfire tremendously on himself. This is shown with his interactions with his mother during ''The Streaming Wars'', who has become wise to Cartman's tactics while Cartman just ends up getting breast implants. In fact, Cartman would end up homeless and miserable if he remains evil, with the only thing that he managed to accomplish is driving everyone away from him with his awful behavior to the point where not even Butters wants anything to do with him.

** [[spoiler:Moon Butterfly and the Magic High Commission support Mina Loveberry's scheme to overthrow Eclipsa as ruler of Mewni -- both realizing too late that Mina is too insane to be controlled and won't stop at just removing Eclipsa from power. Moon gets the worst of it, getting stabbed in the back by Mina the moment she tries to stop her. With the exception of Heckapoo, who realizes they messed up and goes to help stop Mina, the Magic High Commission are all too busy celebrating their "victory" to notice the damage caused by Mina and are largely irrelevant for the entire finale. Their deaths due to the destruction of magic is almost an afterthought.]]

* Sasha and Grime in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' throughout Season 2. After failing to send a message to the Wartwood frogs in season 1, Sasha and Grime initially hatch a plan to take over Newtopia. The plan actually goes pretty smoothly throughout most of the season: they get the support of the other toad towers to raid Newtopia, Sasha is able to convince her friends that she's on their side, and they even successfully, if very shortly, snatch the Calamity Box and usurp the throne. However, things go south quickly afterwards: Sasha [[HeelRealization starts questioning her actions]] after [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Anne calls her out for being a horrible person,]] and Grime, in an attempt to cheer her up, accidentally unveils a [[spoiler: mural showing King Andrias' [[MultiversalConqueror true intentions]], which are ''way'' worse than what they had in mind.]] This kicks both of them into a realization that [[HeelFaceTurn they need to stop this evil]] before it's too late. Unfortunately, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Sasha's recent history of betraying Anne's trust multiple times]] makes reasoning with Anne impossible, leading her to unwittingly lead the true BigBad back into power.

** Zuko in the first season. Zuko is a more persistent threat than Zhao and a better fighter personally, but Zhao has an army at his command and is far viler. The climax of the season revolves around Zhao's plan to [[spoiler: kill the Moon Spirit and conquer the Northern Water Tribe]], and Zuko's attempt to capture the Avatar is reduced to little more than a side-story that pops up at an inconvenient time for the heroes. This ultimately turns out in Zuko's favor, though, since [[spoiler: unlike Zhao, he actually survives the season]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' episode "Granddad's Fight," the Freemans think Colonel Stinkmeaner is a serious threat from the way he easily took Granddad down the first time they crossed canes, and Stinkmeaner certainly seems to agree with them. Nope; Stinkmeaner was just ''obscenely'' lucky. Their rematch is an actual fair fight, Granddad doesn't hold back, and [[spoiler: he ends up ''killing'' Stinkmeaner completely by accident.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': After breaking up with the Joker, Harley seeks to replace him as the top villain in Gotham City. However, her attempts only make her seen as a regular criminal at best. When she tries to attract a big-league superhero like Superman or Batman, or try to join the Legion of Doom, it never works out as she hopes, being seen as a nuisance at best or a pest at worst. [[spoiler:Eventually she admits that she's not even sure how bad she is anymore and that being with Ivy is more important to her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' has Hordak start out as the main villain for the first four seasons who was seeking to conquer all of Etheria and defeat the Rebellion. [[spoiler:But, we also find out he’s a clone of his emperor, Horde Prime and served as his general until an error in his cloning caused a crippling illness, and he’s been trying to earn his respect and retake his position. By the end of the fourth season, Horde Prime took offense at his clone brother’s attempt at making his own empire, and sentences him to be reconditioned and demoted, effectively establishing himself as the true BigBad of the series]].

** In the sequel series '' WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'', Megatron's defeat has left a vacuum that many Decepticons are rushing to fill. A few (Soundwave, Cyclonus, and his team) show legitimate potential to reforge the Decepticon Empire. Most, however (Steeljaw, Glowstrike, the Stunticons, etc.). are just glorified henchmen who have gotten big heads since Megatron was defeated. The Stunticons are especially bad about this, as the only reason they manage to be serious threats at all is because of GameBreaker powers and equipment they stole from others; once Team Bee catches onto their tricks or starts using those tricks themselves, the Stunticons get completely curb-stomped.
** ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' (the other one):
*** This is Sky-Byte's life, especially after he loses his position as [[BigBad Megatron's]] [[TheDragon second in command]] to [[EvilTwin Scourge]]. Sky-Bite and his three Predacon underlings are hopelessly outclassed by everyone else in the series, but Sky-Bite keeps on trying to get the respect and prestige that he thinks he's entitled to.
*** Scourge could also be considered this. He's dangerous enough and comes pretty close to controlling Fortress Maximus, but once he reveals his plan and attempts the coup, it becomes clear that he's nothing compared to Galvatron, as he is quickly defeated and then brainwashed into being a fanatically loyal slave.
** ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars''

** Kikimora, though she is more of a [[TheDragon Dragon Wannabe]]. While she has no intentions of usurping [[BigBad Emperor Belos]], she considers herself so important to his plans she's practically his right hand woman, while in reality she's barely a step above a henchman. This leads her to develop a bitter hatred of Belos's ''actual'' [[TheDragon Dragon]], Hunter the Golden Guard, to the point that she tries to have him killed ''multiple'' times, and [[spoiler:after his defection, gleefully tries to drag him back to Belos in the hopes of receiving a promotion.]] In

** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] himself is actually this. While Cartman has been the BigBad on occasion, his schemes only work if he can manipulate people into following his whims. If he can't do that, he's reveals himself to be a very petty and inept dumbass whose plans backfire tremendously on himself. This is shown with his interactions with his mother during ''The Streaming Wars'', who has become wise to Cartman's tactics while Cartman just ends up getting breast implants. In fact, Cartman would end up homeless and miserable if remains evil, with the only thing that he managed to accomplish is driving everyone away from him with his awful behavior to the point where not even Butters wants anything to do with him.

*** [[spoiler: Boscha has taken over Hexside and serves as the primary antagonist that Luz and the Hexsquad must face for that special. But it quickly becomes apparent that this isn't what Boscha really wants and is deeply in over her head. In the end, Amity manages to simply talk her down and she relinquishes control of the school.]]

* Kikimora from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', though she is more of a [[TheDragon Dragon Wannabe]]. While she has no intentions of usurping [[BigBad Emperor Belos]], she considers herself so important to his plans she's practically his right hand woman, while in reality she's barely a step above a henchman. This leads her to develop a bitter hatred of Belos's ''actual'' [[TheDragon Dragon]], Hunter the Golden Guard, to the point that she tries to have him killed ''multiple'' times, and [[spoiler:after his defection, gleefully tries to drag him back to Belos in the hopes of receiving a promotion.]]

** During Act 3 of season 1, Silco has to deal with a hotshot chem-baron named Finn who is trying to muscle him out of his position. Finn presents himself as a badass gangster; covered in tattoos, has a clearly prosthetic jaw that may or may not be replacing his real one, dresses very stylishly, and is clearly trying to give himself some sort of mystique with how he uses his cigarette lighter (holding it bizarrely by the lid while it's open). However despite the image he puts up (and despite the promos for the third arc displaying him as though he could be a threat), he is clearly out of his league. The first time he makes a push, Silco humiliates him. [[spoiler:And even though his second attempt seems to be more on track to success by recruiting Sevika, it turns out Sevika is firmly loyal to Silco and slashes Finn's throat, leaving him to die pathetically.]]

* King Sombra from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' legitimately ''was'' the BigBad at one point, but that was way back in the third season. Since then the good guys have gotten several layers of magnitude more powerful, [[CantCatchUp whereas he's been dead and so remains exactly the same]]. The real BigBad of the final season Grogar uses this as a lesson, allowing Sombra [[XanatosGambit to try and fail in order to make the point that none of them can succeed alone]]. It doesn't help that Sombra TookALevelInDumbass from "CrazyPrepared NoNonsenseNemesis" to "LeeroyJenkins SmugSnake."

*** Ratbat, in most modern forms of the franchise, tends to assume this role (when he isn't Soundwave's pet, anyway). Though he's a good planner and highly ambitious, capable of masterminding fairly complex political schemes while having a remarkable eye towards efficiency and logistics, he [[SmugSnake lacks the charisma to actually maintain his position]] (unless it's enforced by greater politics and the chain of command), his preference for BoringButPractical strategies means he's often perceived as a cowardly bureacrat, and he's a pretty lousy fighter in a world where AuthorityEqualsAsskicking.

** During Act 3 of the season 1, Silco has to deal with a hotshot chem-baron named Finn who is trying to muscle him out of his position. Finn presents himself as a badass gangster; covered in tattoos, has a clearly prosthetic jaw that may or may not be replacing his real one, dresses very stylishly, and is clearly trying to give himself some sort of mystique with how he uses his cigarette lighter (holding it bizarrely by the lid while it's open). However despite the image he puts up (and despite the promos for the third arc displaying him as though he could be a threat), he is clearly out of his league. The first time he makes a push, Silco humiliates him. [[spoiler:And even though his second attempt seems to be more on track to success by recruiting Sevika, it turns out Sevika is firmly loyal to Silco and slashes Finn's throat, leaving him to die pathetically.]]

** Silco himself becomes this by the end of the season, He is undeniably the most dangerous crime lord in the Undercity, but is weighed down by his attachment to Jinx. [[spoiler:His favoritism alienates Sevika, who only stays loyal during the chembaron's attempted coup due to Finn being a pathetic SmugSnake; Jayce only offers to give him his nation of Zaun because he knows his Hextech will massacre the Shimmer-enhanced soldiers, with Silco ultimately unable to accept the deal due to it requiring him giving up Jinx; and Jinx herself proves to be too uncontrollable, becoming the main threat for the first season's climax as she goes rogue and takes him hostage before accidentally gunning him down]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': During the final arc, Silco has to deal with a hotshot chem-baron named Finn who is trying to muscle him out of his position. Finn presents himself as a badass gangster; covered in tattoos, has a clearly prosthetic jaw that may or may not be replacing his real one, dresses very stylishly, and is clearly trying to give himself some sort of mystique with how he uses his cigarette lighter (holding it bizarrely by the lid while it's open). However despite the image he puts up (and despite the promos for the third arc displaying him as though he could be a threat), he is clearly out of his league. The first time he makes a push, Silco humiliates him. [[spoiler:And even though his second attempt seems to be more on track to success by recruiting Sevika, it turns out Sevika is firmly loyal to Silco and slashes Finn's throat, leaving him to die pathetically.]]

** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] himself is actually this. While Cartman has been the BigBad on occasion, his schemes only work if he can manipulate people into following his whims. If he can't do that, he's reveals himself to be a very petty and inept dumbass whose plans backfire tremendously on himself. This is shown with his interactions with his mother during ''The Streaming Wars'', whose become wise to Cartman's tactics while Cartman just ends up getting breast implants. In fact, Cartman would end up homeless and miserable if remains evil, with the only thing that he managed to accomplish is driving everyone away from him with his awful behavior to the point where not even Butters wants anything to do with him.

* ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' has the Consortium, a CosmopolitanCouncil of [[GodhoodSeeker godhood seekers]] who were responsible for causing the [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent Nanite Event]] and later turn out to be the {{Mysterious Backer}}s for [[CreatureHunterOrganization Providence]]. After the TimeSkip, they replace Van Kleiss as the Big Bad and are hyped up to be some sort of UltimateEvil. In reality, they're a bunch of rich idiots with a SmugSnake complex who rely on their HypercompetentSidekick Black Knight in order to get anything done. When Black Knight decides to [[TheStarscream usurp them]], they are completely helpless to stop her. [[spoiler:Even after they fuse with the Meta-Nanites and are granted [[StoryBreakerPower story-breaker powers]], the group's [[UnskilledButStrong inexperience makes them ineffective]] to the point where [[TheHero Rex]] easily [[CurbStomp curb-stomps]] them, despite being outnumbered five-to-one.]]

** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] himself is actually this. While Cartman has been the BigBad on occasion, his schemes only work if he can manipulate people into following his whims. If he can't do that, he's reveals himself to be a very petty and inept dumbass whose plans backfire tremendously on himself. This is shown with his interactions with his mother during ''The Streaming Wars'', whose become wise to Cartman's tactics while Cartman just ends up getting breast implants. In fact, if Cartman would end up homeless and miserable if remains evil, with the only thing that he managed to accomplish is driving everyone away from him with his awful behavior to the point where not even Butters wants anything to do with him.

** ''[[WesternAnimation/SouthParkTheStreamingWars The Streaming Wars]]'' has Mr. Cussler and the water commissioner. They try to control the streaming services in Colorado, but end up getting killed by Pi-Pi and ManBearPig, the true {{Big Bad}}s of the special.
** [[FatBastard Eric Cartman]] himself is actually this. While Cartman has been the BigBad on occasion, his schemes only work if he can manipulate people into following his whims. If he can't do that, he's reveals himself to be a very petty and inept dumbass whose plans backfire tremendously on himself. This is shown with his interactions with his mother during ''The Streaming Wars'', whose become wise to Cartman's tactics while Cartman just ends up getting breast implants. In fact, if Cartman would end up homeless and miserable if remains evil, with the only thing that he managed to accomplish is driving everyone away from him with his awful behavior to the point where not even Butters wants anything to do with him.