History Main / Bigbad

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[[caption-width-right:350:''"Everything that has transpired in this trope has done so according to '''[[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine my]]''' design."'']]

* TheBigBadWolf: The TropeNamer of "Big Bad" is the evil Wolf from classic FairyTales, such as ''Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs'' and ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''.

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* EvilOverlord: The classic Big Bad for many works of HighFantasy and similar adventure tales is an evil dictator/emperor/warlord who runs [[TheEmpire the evil empire]].

!!Related tropes:

!!Examples:
[[index]]
* BigBad/AnimeAndManga
* BigBad/ComicBooks
* BigBad/FanWorks
* [[BigBad/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
* [[BigBad/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
* {{BigBad/Literature}}
* BigBad/LiveActionTV
* BigBad/ProWrestling
* BigBad/TabletopGames
* BigBad/VideoGames
* BigBad/VisualNovels
* {{BigBad/Webcomics}}
* BigBad/WebOriginal
* BigBad/WesternAnimation
* BigBad/OtherMedia
[[/index]]
----

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Everything that has transpired in this trope has done so according to '''my''' design."'']]

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1299448327072316600

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[[caption-width-right:310:[-''"[[GambitIndex Everything that has transpired in this trope]] has done so according to [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine my]] design."'']]-]

-->-- ''Literature/{{Lullaby}}''

[[noreallife]]

!!Examples:

* BigBad/{{Literature}}

* BigBad/{{Webcomics}}

[[caption-width-right:310:[-[[GambitIndex Everything that has transpired in this trope]] has done so according to [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine my]] design.]]-]

When you look at a season-long story or a major StoryArc and you can identify one problem being the cause of everything, that is the Big Bad. In its most general form, a Big Bad will be at the center of the MythArc rather than just any StoryArc.

This trope is not a catch-all term for the biggest, ugliest villain of any given story. In fact, it doesn't have to be a villain at all, as we just said. If it is a villain, though, it should be identified correctly; the badass leader of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad outlaw gang]] that causes the most personal trouble is ''not'' the Big Bad. The [[CorruptCorporateExecutive railroad tycoon]] who is ''using'' the gang as muscle is the Big Bad. TheManBehindTheMan is very common for this trope, leaving the reveal of the big bad as TheChessmaster behind it all and proving themselves far more clever and resourceful than the VillainOfTheWeek. Sometimes the Big Bad is the grand enemy of an entire franchise as an OverarchingVillain. At other times, the Big Bad is an ArcVillain who causes trouble for a period of time only to be replaced by another Big Bad.

[[NoAntagonist Here's some comfort]].

It is one of the most well-known tropes on the TV Tropes community, being the first to have over [[OverdosedTropes fifty thousand wicks]], and is currently the [[StealthPun most wicked trope]] on the site. This is probably because it's incredibly common.

!!Example subpages:

!!Examples

* BigBad/WebComics

* BigBad/{{Other}}

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* The main antagonist of ''Animation/MotuPatlu'' is John the Don, who always tries (and fails) to harm Motu and Patlu. John is assisted by two minions named Number One and Number Two.
* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' features Wolffy, the main antagonist of the entire show. His goal is to successfully catch and eat the goats. He often works with his wife Wolnie and the other wolves.
* ''Animation/VirTheRobotBoy'' features Mad Max, who always tries to capture and destroy Vir with the help of his minion Timbaktoon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
* ''Literature/{{Aladdin}}'': [[EvilSorcerer The Sorcerer]] goads Aladdin into recovering the items containing the Genies, and makes off with one of them. Since the Genies can't directly oppose each other, Aladdin has to defeat the Sorcerer himself.
%%* ''Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves'': [[DesertBandits The Chief Bandit]].
%%* ''Literature/AraTheHandsome'': [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] [[{{Yandere}} Seramis]].
%%* ''Literature/BabaYaga'': [[ChildEater Baba Yaga]].
%%* ''Literature/{{Bearskin}}'': {{Satan}}.
* ''Literature/{{Bluebeard}}'': [[TheBluebeard Bluebeard]], trope namer for serially marrying and serially killing a succession of wives.
%%* ''Literature/TheBrennenTownMusicians'': [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain The Chief Robber]].
%%* ''Literature/BrotherAndSister'': [[WickedStepmother The stepmother]].
%%* ''Literature/TheCatKnTheDovrefell'': [[AllTrollsAreDifferent The leader troll]].
%%* ''Literature/ChildeRowland'': [[TheFairFolk The King of Elfland]].
* ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'': [[WickedStepmother Cinderella's stepmother]] abuses her relentlessly with the aid of her biological daughters. She later attempts to pass her own daughters off as Cinderella to the prince.
%%* ''Literature/DavidOfSasun'': [[NephariousPharaoh King Melik of Musr]].
%%* ''Myth/NoraOfKelmendi'': [[AntagonisticGovernor Vultsi Pasha]].
* "Literature/TheDeathOfKoscheiTheDeathless": The titular, immortal evil sorcerer abducts Prince Ivan's wife and threatens to kill Ivan should he attempt to rescue her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Literature/TheBible'':
** The Pharaoh in the ''Literature/BookOfExodus'', enslaving the Israelites and doing everything he can to defy the will of God, even after accepting defeat. Serving as the greatest opposition to Moses and God outside of the personal flaws of the people of Israel, the horrid Pharaoh serves as the UrExample of the Big Bad, predating most examples of the trope by centuries or millennia. The age shows, as the Pharaoh is killed long before the end of Exodus, which details the travels of the Israelites from the Red Sea and God's revelation of the Mosaic Law, as opposed to more contemporary Big Bads who tend to provide conflict for the entire work.
** While it's less clear from the written text, ''Literature/TheTalmud'' and Midrash seem to set up the sorcerer Balaam as the main Big Bad of the Torah's overall narrative, with Pharaoh as more of an ArcVillain. There are midrashim that state that Balaam not only [[TheCorrupter advised Pharaoh to oppress the Israelites in the first place]], he also fought a war against Moses during the period of Moses' exile (before he encountered the burning bush) and [[EvilCounterpart had the same prophetic potential of Moses himself]]. He also gets his own VillainEpisode near the end of Numbers, and is ultimately killed in the FinalBattle before the Israelites enter the Land of Israel. Some even claim that he was a reincarnation of Laban, giving him some parts during Genesis as well.
** [[EvilChancellor Haman]] in the Literature/BookOfEsther, who tries to convince the Persian Emperor to wipe out the Jews.
** {{Satan}} in the Literature/BookOfRevelation. Satan (as the dragon with seven crowns) corrupts the world with the Whore of Babylon, attempts to get people to worship the Beast from the sea, is revealed to be the Serpent from [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Genesis]] and ultimately, battles the armies of Heaven until he is thrown into the Lake of Fire.
** [[CorruptChurch The Pharisees]] in Literature/TheFourGospels, who try to challenge Jesus at every turn and are the only people who Jesus gets mad at throughout his travels. Notably averted with {{Satan}}, who [[GreaterScopeVillain is a background character with minimal involvement in what happens]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* The titular ''Pinball/BlackKnight'' serves as the main antagonist in every game in the series. While the first game [[NoPlotNoProblem has essentially zero narrative]], ''2000'' at least sets him up as the player's opponent through its theme song ("Beat the Black Knight!"), and ''Sword of Rage'' has an ExcusePlot explaining that he's invading your lands with the help of his many allies.
* ''Pinball/CirqusVoltaire'' has the lead Ringmaster, Voltaire, who serves as the final obstacle in the player's journey to join the titular circus.
* Craig, the "Keeper of the Wall" from ''VideoGame/CrueBall'', who stymies [[MetalBandMascot Alister Fiend]] from playing loud music at night. [[spoiler:By the end, it transpires that TheManBehindTheMan - and by proxy the ''actual'' Big Bad - is Mr. Gore, the Spirit of Anti-Metal.]]
* ''Pinball/DialedIn'' has [[FunWithAcronyms Dialed In Electronics]], the manufacturer of the super-powerful phone that the protagonist accidentally comes into ownership of. The WizardMode consists of them directly doing battle with the player.
* ''Pinball/JunkYard'' has Crazy Bob, the owner of the titular junk yard, who repeatedly attempts to stop the player from sneaking in and causing havoc.
* The Kingpin in Creator/{{Capcom}}'s unreleased ''Pinball/{{Kingpin}}'' is the head of the Big City's mob and primary opponent for the player character ("the Kid", a newbie criminal).
%%* The Beast from ''Pinball/{{Krull}}'' is both Big and Bad.
* Mafiasaurus Rex from ''Pinball/PoliceForce'' is the last criminal the player must deal with, awarding a Jackpot when jailed.
%%* ''Pinball/TheShadow'' has Shiwan Khan.
%%* The Brain Bugs in ''Pinball/StarshipTroopers'' fill this role.
* ''Pinball/DialedIn'' has the shadowy company [[FunWithAcronyms Dialed In Electronics]], whose secret project to manufacture a phone that could cause various disasters backfired when it ended up being sold to a random guy (the player character). Several modes (including the climactic WizardMode) center on their attempt to take back the phone by force.
* ''Pinball/AvengersInfinityQuest'' has ComicBook/{{Thanos}}. The plot begins when his ComicBook/BlackOrder successfully deliver the all-powerful Infinity Gems to him, leading ComicBook/{{the Avengers}} to travel back in time to take them first and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong. Furthermore, the fight against him is one of the game's final {{Wizard Mode}}s.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* The true villain of ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' is [[spoiler: Jonah Magnus, posing as Elias Bouchard]]. The Powers themselves can't manifest on Earth and may not even be sentient; the Powers' Avatars consider themselves players, but [[spoiler: Magnus manipulates them into creating the conditions to pull off the only ritual that actually works]].
* ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' has the [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Sky/Night Queen]], who rules the stars and has exterminated all other life in the galaxy. She sends her stars and constellations out across the galaxy to do so, and when they arrive on Earth, they meet resistance in the form of the titular MagicalGirlWarrior team, Sequinox.
* In ''Podcast/TheHiddenPeople'', the big villain of the first season is The Magister, an eternally old [[TheFairFolk Faerie king]] who had lorded over the Unseelie Court and humanity for millennia uncontested after killing the Hidden People's actual god.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'' has a fairly obvious one. The Godmodder. This isn't completely the case in the second one, where some of the screwiness seems to have a little grounding outside of the Godmodder's influence, but everything in the first game was at least indirectly the Godmodder's fault.
%%* Dr. Rex of ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG''. [[spoiler:At least, until it gets [[HijackedByGanon Hijacked By Baron Typhonus]].]]
* ''Roleplay/OutpostDefenders'' has Clark, the leader of Cordis Die. Almost all of the events in the story are about taking him or one of his major minions down.
* ''Roleplay/PokemonRiseOfTheRockets'' started out with Sleight, the ultimate ruler of Team Rocket, as the primary Big Bad. As time has gone on, however, it has shifted to the point where John Ford can be considered the Big Bad of the entire conflict. That being said, there is almost always more than one Big Bad operating at a time, creating a continuous BigBadEnsemble across the story.
* In ''Roleplay/RollToDodgeSavral,'' the Witch Cathy, the in-game persona of the game master, acts as the ultimate villain, given that she destroyed the previous game master's world and de-powered all the other player characters. In Savral's past, she turned the northern half of the world into a barren wasteland, sicced a horde of man-eating elves on the rest of the world, and caused mass-genocide. She's also responsible for creating the game's demonic, trolling unicorns, which cause never-ending problems for the player characters and wreak havoc on the world as a whole.
%%* ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'':
%%** Missingno, also called The Anomaly and He Who Must Not Be Numbered.
%%** 'M in the Unova arc.
%%** Ardos in the Ranger Regions.
%%** Napoleon in the Alternate Timeline.
%%*** [[ThanatosGambit DAMN IT, NAPOLEON!!!]]
%%** Annoski during the Keystone arc.
%%** [[VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}} The Master]] and [=PEFeDOS=] during PMD-R.
%%** AU!Alduin in [=RtAU=].
%%** The Ghost Lord in Conquest.
%%** Cipher for Unova-2, Holon, and Orre.
%%* Black Shadow in Roleplay/SuperSmashBrothersLifeItself is this [[spoiler:Tabuu might be next.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'': [[OutlawCouple Daniel "Rooster" Hannigan and Lily St. Regis]]
* ''Theatre/TheCrucible'': [[ManipulativeBastard Abigail Williams]] manipulates the girls of Salem into obeying her and gets them all to help accuse others of witchcraft, condemning innocent men and women to imprisonment and death in order to escape punishment for her own evils.
* ''Theatre/{{Faust}}'': [[{{Satan}} Mephistopheles]]
* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'': "[[StageMom Mama]]" [[VillainProtagonist Rose Hovick]]
* ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'': Subverted, as there is no official main villain in the show. The Witch might come off as the villain at first, but as the show progresses, we learn that her actions are very much justifiable, and eventually, she becomes extremely sympathetic ([[spoiler: mainly after Rapunzel's death]]). The Giantess, while being a major antagonistic force, simply wanted justice for the death of her husband, and the chaos and death that she had caused are often portrayed as accidents (considering that she was near sighted and had lost her glasses). The only character to be truly evil and despicable is the Wolf, and even he's given a hint of sympathetic light (''"Ask a wolf's mother!"'').
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': InspectorJavert. Being one of the only lawful characters in the entire show, he naturally opposes and antagonizes every main character: he tries to arrest Valjean multiple times, he defends Fantine's rapist by having her arrested instead, he threatens Eponine and the Thenardiers with arrest (and is presumably already familiar with the latters' antics), and spies on and directly opposes Marius and Enjolras's revolution. Curiously, despite being the main villain, he is not the most evil character in the show: that honor goes to the Thenardiers, who are full-blown ChaoticEvil compared to Javert's Lawful Neutral, and worst of all, [[KarmaHoudini get away with it all]].
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare has various antagonists in his plays. The comedies tend to lack them though; if a major antagonist ''is'' present in a comedy, they will rarely be legitimately evil. [[note]]This list is incomplete. Feel free to help.[[/note]]
** ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': Claudius usurped the throne that rightfully belongs to Prince Hamlet, who spends the play plotting to kill Claudius.
** ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'': [[ManipulativeBastard Iago]] misleads every character in the play so he can ruin the life of the title character.
** ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'': [[VillainProtagonist The title character himself]] kills the good king Duncan and ruins Scotland with his corrupt reign, acting as the main villain despite being the protagonist of the story.
** ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'': [[OverprotectiveDad Baptista Minola]], whose ruling that Katherina must marry before Bianca is the cause of the play's conflict.
** ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'': [[CardCarryingVillain Aaron the Moor]] is the one who tips the various revenge schemes over the edge by instigating a rape and murder, framing innocent parties and causing their execution, and manipulating just about everyone in the play out of a desire to do evil in his life.
** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': [[FeudingFamilies The heads of the Montague and Capulet families]], whose feud is what causes Romeo and Juliet to hide their relationship, though Tybalt is the most antagonistic, pursuing vendettas against the younger Montagues and challenging Romeo to a duel which is what precipitates the final tragedy. [[spoiler:He dies about halfway through, though.]]
%%** ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'': [[GreedyJew Shylock]] [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation or Antonio and Portia.]]
%%** ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'': [[BastardBastard Don John.]
%%** ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'': [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Malvolio.]]
%%** ''Theatre/KingLear'': [[BigBadDuumvirate Goneril and Regan]] at first, later [[BastardBastard Edmund.]]
%%** ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'': [[ManipulativeBastard Cassius]], who convinces Brutus to become part of the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar, making him largely responsible for the bloodshed that ensues.
%%** And of course, Richard III, the VillainProtagonist of ''Theatre/RichardIII''.]
* Noh theater: This archetype is called the ''waki'', facing off against the ''shite'' (TheHero). The ''waki'' may be accompanied by a ''wakizure'' (TheDragon).
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': [[HangingJudge Judge Turpin]] [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation or]] [[LadyMacbeth Mrs. Nellie Lovett]], though no one can deny that later on, [[VillainProtagonist Sweeney becomes the true villain]].
* ''Theatre/TheResistibleRiseOfArturoUi'': Arturo Ui, though [[GreaterScopeVillain from an in-universe perspective his threat is overshadowed by]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler.
* ''{{Theatre/Urinetown}}'': [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Cladwell P. Cladwell]] head of the Urine Good Company.
* ''{{Theatre/Wonderland}}'': [[spoiler: [[VillainWithGoodPublicity The Mad Hatter]]]]
* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'': The [[GangBangers rival gang leaders Riff Lorton and Bernardo Nunez]], [[BigBadEnsemble opposed to one another]], carry out the gang war that [[StarCrossedLovers separates the two leads]]. [[spoiler: Both are killed in the Act One Finale, and Bernardo's DragonAscendant Chino Martin takes over as main antagonist.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' has Makuta Teridax, the arch-enemy of the BigGood, Mata Nui, and he's about as much of a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] as Palpatine or Voldemort. It's worth noting that he actually ''wins'' and usurps the "god" of the world and gains ''control of the universe''.
-->"Little Toa, you have not yet begun to see even the barest outlines of my plans. I have schemes within schemes that would boggle your feeble mind. You may counter one, but there are a thousand more of which you know nothing. Even my ... setbacks ... are planned for, and so I shall win in the end."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''WebAnimation/BananaNanaNinja'': Banana Shop of Horrors, the Big Bad is I.R. Kostlowski, the manager of the [=PriceCo=] Supermart who refuses to stop selling bananas for food after hearing the banana ninja's [[WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack pleas to free them]]. He engages Baninja in a [[SwordFight pencil-to-tiny sword]] BossBattle to defend his "best wholesale contract."
%% * The Big Bad of ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' fits this to a T, down to his identity being unknown until the brilliantly timed closing epigraph of the penultimate chapter: [[spoiler: "'Tis the time's plague when madmen lead the blind." -- King ''[[MeaningfulName LEAR]]'']]
* ''WebAnimation/BunnyKill'' had a different Big Bad for each installment. (each takes place in an {{alternate continuity}}, you see.)
** Smoke in ''Bunny Kill 1''.
** Dust in ''Bunny Kill 2''.
** Professor Sludge in ''Bunny Kill 3''.
** Flint in ''Bunny Kill 4''.
** Smoke again in ''Bunny Kill 5''.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Chadam}}'' has the evil Viceroy, whose experiments directly led to the Pallids, while he killed many innocent people for his own gain. The day isn't saved until Chadam defeats him personally.
%% * The EvilTwin from ''WebAnimation/DusksDawn'', right down to laughing evilly about evil things, having a VillainSong and proclaiming that "[he's] having so much fun".
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Eel, although he isn't introduced until episode 7. He once built a machine that manufactured Spell Balls, which turn whatever they hit BrainwashedAndCrazy. The machine was destroyed, scattering the Spell Balls across the land. Many other villains strive to collect them, but Eel is the only one who can outright control ones that are nearby.
* ''Machinima/GamingAllStars'': ''The Ultimate Crossover'' has one between [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]], [[VideoGame/HalfLife G-Man]], and [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot Dr. Neo Cortext]]]], though the latter doesn't have much influence on the plot until near the end. ''Remastered'', on the other hand, changes the lineup to Eggman (Who has more screentime and more overall impact on the plot) and [[VideoGame/{{Killzone}} Colonel Mael Radec]], who appears far less often in-series but is given more promotion by the series trailer and [[spoiler: ultimately outlives Eggman, only being ousted by the GreaterScopeVillain once he thinks everything is going swimmingly for him]].
** In ''2'', there's [[VideoGame/SaintsRowIV Zinyak]], who forms alliances with [[AliensAreBastards other aliens]] to form the largest threat seen in the series, and to a lesser extent, [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Shinnok]], who only appears once but leads the forces of Netherrealm against the Earthlings on a scale almost as large as Zinyak's invasion]].
* ''WebAnimation/{{Glitchtale}}'' has [[AntiVillain Chara]] in Season 1 after Frisk's HeelFaceTurn in the first episode (although W.D. Gaster briefly serves as an InterimVillain) and [[spoiler:[[ArtificialHuman Bête]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Noire]]]] in Season 2 after [[DiscOneFinalBoss Jessica Grey]] is revealed to be a BigBadWannabe in the first episode. [[spoiler:In both seasons, the supposed Big Bad becomes a DiscOneFinalBoss and the role goes to [[EldritchAbomination HATE]], the GreaterScopeVillain and OverarchingVillain for the entire series.]]
%% * The "Shadowy Figure" to Stinkoman from the 20X6 universe from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''. Too bad we never see him...
%% * In [=KlayWorld=]: Off The Table, King Womp is this. [[spoiler:When he and his fellow "aliens" (that is, peach-colored clay people instead of blue ones) come upon the Table's Klaymen, his reaction seems neutral... at first.]]
%% -->[[spoiler:'''Womp:''' ''(makes his appearance, looks at the Klaymen)'' Wow. We've got a lot of stuff to improve here. ''(approaches Klaymen, folds hands behind back)'']]
%% -->[[spoiler:He proceeds to explain that his people journey all around the world, finding other clay civilizations and accepting them into their own... and says that the blue Klaymen are the worst.]]
%% -->[[spoiler: '''Womp:'''... I'm gonna be honest. You guys are probably one of the worst clay men we've ever run into. You're just blobs; there's nothing special about you. But I'm gonna do you a favor. I'm gonna cut you all apart, and we're gonna build you into something better.]]
%% -->The whole time, he has a scarily calm, reasonable, deadpan delivery (courtesy of Jason Steele) that sprinkles Nightmare Fuel through the Uncanny Valley.
* ''WebAnimation/HTFPlus'': Evil Pinkie Pie.
* ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'' had the Sheriff as its first Big Bad, who got killed relatively quickly, followed by [[KungFuJesus Jebus]] and eventually [[MonsterClown Tricky]]. Then the [[HumanoidAbomination Auditor]] showed up and things ''really'' hit the fan.
* In ''WebAnimation/MarioBrothers'', King Koopa is this with his army of troops. He personally kills Luigi and plans to kill the Princess and Mario.
* ''WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory'': Ridiculously Epic, who [[DetonationMoon destroys the moon]] AND [[StarKilling the sun]] in the series trailer alone.
* ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'':
** Season 1 has Shay Van Buren, who competes with Mackenzie for Prom Queen title, and both fight to have Deandra on their side.
** Season 2 has Tanya Berkowitz, the leader of the opposing cheer team and an old enemy of Deandra. her cheer squad and Mackenzie's compete for the territorial rights of the local mall when the mall of their turf is burned down.
** In season 3, [[spoiler: Jenna Darabond]], who is revealed to have sparked off all the events from Seasons One and Two in a very long, very complex plan to take revenge on all members of the Cheer Squad. She takes the final step of her plan in this season as she tries to make the cheerleaders uncool by overrunning the town with hipsters.
** Season 5 has the French Modeling Team, who are the main enemies of the USA team, [[spoiler:and the ones to have kidnapped the first USA team.]]
* In the WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyMeets, in The Joker Meets My Little Pony, Zod and Chrysalis in Superman Meets My Little Pony, Slenderman in ??? Meets My Little Pony.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Volume 1 introduces petty villain Roman Torchwick who has begun stealing Dust from the city for unknown reasons, although he is the initial villain that Team RWBY clashes with, he is being controlled by [[TheHeavy Cinder Fall]], who is introduced properly in Volume 2. The first three volumes consist of the heroes trying to uncover what the villains are up to but being thoroughly unprepared for the truth. [[spoiler:When [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] is destroyed in the Volume 3, climax, the Big Bad of the show is introduced as [[TheDreaded Salem]], a woman who controls and even shares the [[ObviouslyEvil inhuman appearance]] of the world's [[AnimalisticAbomination Creatures of Grimm]] and who has a very personal grudge against Beacon Academy's headmaster, [[BigGood Professor Ozpin]]. It's not until Volume 4 that the heroes learn Salem even exists and Volume 5 is when they learn about a SecretWar that [[CompleteImmortality Salem]] and [[ResurrectiveImmortality Ozpin]] have been engaged in for [[ForeverWar thousands of years]]; she is trying to obtain four ancient [[ArtifactOfPower Relics]] that the Gods left in the world and which are being protected by the four Academies. Only in Volume 6, after confronting Ozpin about the secrets he's keeping, do the heroes learn the AwfulTruth about why Salem and Ozpin are enemies, why they're both immortal... and that Salem is [[InvincibleVillain impossible to kill]].]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{Xionic Madness}}'' has [[EldritchAbomination XV]] in episodes 1, 1.5 and 2, [[NonActionBigBad The Overseer]] in episode 3, and [[spoiler:Kary-08]] in episode 4.
%% * ''WebAnimation/SonicForHire'' has had a few of these per season.
%% ** Eggman: Season 1, although turned into a Joke Villain and eventually [[HeelFaceTurn an ally for Sonic]].
%% ** [[TheMafia Mario]]: Seasons 2 and 6.
%% ** [[spoiler:Tails]]: Had a FaceHeelTurn for the last two episodes of Season 3 and entirety Season 4. [[HeelFaceTurn He turned back to normal in Season 5]] and got turned into a ButtMonkey.
%% ** [[VideoGame/StarFox Fox McCloud and Falco Lombardi]]: The only real major villains Sonic deals with in Season 5. [[spoiler:Falco]] dies and [[spoiler:Fox]] gets his crew back.
%% * ''WebAnimation/SuperMarioBrosZ'''s primary Big Bad is Mecha Sonic, though Bowser and [[spoiler:Dr. Eggman]] are a close second.
%% * ''WebAnimation/TVTomeAdventures'' has a lot of these, however, it is safe to say that [[spoiler: Dark Eyes Of Anubis takes the cake. The original programmer of the Forbidden Power (Kagemamoru) and the D-Bug and manipulator of both Voltarius and EXE, he despises TOME and all who play it. Unfortunately, we never get to see him on-screen, as the series was cancelled right before his arc.]]
%% ** [[spoiler: The Forbidden Power]] counts in ''{{WebAnimation/TOME}}''.
%% * In ''Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story'', [=GC3000=] seems to be the leader of the cranes.
[[/folder]]

* Literature/TheBible:
** The Pharaoh in the Literature/BookOfExodus, enslaving the Israelites and doing everything he can to defy the will of God, even after accepting defeat. Serving as the greatest opposition to Moses and God outside of the personal flaws of the people of Israel, the horrid Pharaoh serves as the UrExample of the Big Bad, predating most examples of the trope by centuries or millennia. The age shows, as the Pharaoh is killed long before the end of Exodus, which details the travels of the Israelites from the Red Sea and God's revelation of the Mosaic Law, as opposed to more contemporary Big Bads who tend to provide conflict for the entire work.
*** While it's less clear from the written text, TheTalmud and Midrash seem to set up the sorcerer Balaam as the main Big Bad of the Torah's overall narrative, with Pharaoh as more of an ArcVillain. There are midrashim that state that Balaam not only [[TheCorrupter advised Pharaoh to oppress the Israelites in the first place]], he also fought a war against Moses during the period of Moses' exile (before he encountered the burning bush) and [[EvilCounterpart had the same prophetic potential of Moses himself]]. He also gets his own VillainEpisode near the end of Numbers, and is ultimately killed in the FinalBattle before the Israelites enter the Land of Israel. Some even claim that he was a reincarnation of Laban, giving him some parts during Genesis as well.

The term "Big Bad" was popularized in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', being possibly based on TheBigBadWolf archetypes used in old fairy tales such as ''Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs'' and ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''. It was characteristic of Buffy's Big Bads for their identity or nature, or even the fact that they are the Big Bad at all, to remain unclear for a considerable time. Occasionally, characters would even refer to themselves as "the Big Bad" -- whether they were a true Big Bad or just a BigBadWannabe is another matter. The structure of Buffy placed the Big Bad as being crucial to the HalfArcSeason, half the episodes are {{filler}} dealing with unrelated enemies while the other half involved the ongoing MythArc with the Big Bad. Each season can easily be defined by who the Big Bad was.

TheBigBadWolf, EvilOverlord, DiabolicalMastermind, TheChessmaster, ArchEnemy, TheManBehindTheMan, and often ManipulativeBastard are specific types of villains who are liable to show up as Big Bads. If they're a MagnificentBastard or HeroKiller, the good guys are in ''big'' trouble. The heroic counterpart of this character is the BigGood, who will very often be the focus of this character's attention over TheHero at the beginning of a series. If a work of fiction is conspicuously lacking a Big Bad, it may be a case of NoAntagonist.

The term "Big Bad" was popularized in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', being based on TheBigBadWolf archetypes used in old fairy tales such as ''Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs'' and ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''. It was characteristic of Buffy's Big Bads for their identity or nature, or even the fact that they are the Big Bad at all, to remain unclear for a considerable time. Occasionally, characters would even refer to themselves as "the Big Bad" -- whether they were a true Big Bad or just a BigBadWannabe is another matter. The structure of Buffy placed the Big Bad as being crucial to the HalfArcSeason, half the episodes are {{filler}} dealing with unrelated enemies while the other half involved the ongoing MythArc with the Big Bad. Each season can easily be defined by who the Big Bad was.

The term "Big Bad" was popularized in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. It was characteristic of Buffy's Big Bads for their identity or nature, or even the fact that they are the Big Bad at all, to remain unclear for a considerable time. Occasionally, characters would even refer to themselves as "the Big Bad" -- whether they were a true Big Bad or just a BigBadWannabe is another matter. The structure of Buffy placed the Big Bad as being crucial to the HalfArcSeason, half the episodes are {{filler}} dealing with unrelated enemies while the other half involved the ongoing MythArc with the Big Bad. Each season can easily be defined by who the Big Bad was.

EvilOverlord, DiabolicalMastermind, TheChessmaster, ArchEnemy, TheManBehindTheMan, and often ManipulativeBastard are specific types of villains who are liable to show up as Big Bads. If they're a MagnificentBastard or HeroKiller, the good guys are in ''big'' trouble. The heroic counterpart of this character is the BigGood, who will very often be the focus of this character's attention over TheHero at the beginning of a series. If a work of fiction is conspicuously lacking a Big Bad, it may be a case of NoAntagonist.

* The true villain of ''Podcast/TheMagnusArchives'' is [[spoiler: Jonah Magnus, posing as Elias Bouchard]]. The Avatars of the Powers, while much more active and visible from the start, are little more than a distraction [[spoiler: who don't realize their goals are literally impossible]].

%%[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
%%* ''Literature/{{Aladdin}}'': [[EvilSorcerer The Sorcerer]].

%%* ''Literature/{{Bluebeard}}'': [[TheBluebeard Bluebeard]].

%%* ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'': [[WickedStepmother The stepmother]].

%%[[/folder]]

** {{Satan}} in the Literature/BookOfJob and the Literature/BookOfRevelation. In the former, Satan attempts to get Job to denounce his faith and strips away all his fortune from him. In the latter, Satan (as the dragon with seven crowns) corrupts the world with the Whore of Babylon, attempts to get people to worship the Beast from the sea, is revealed to be the Serpent from [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Genesis]] and ultimately, battles the armies of Heaven until he is thrown into the Lake of Fire.

This trope is not a catch-all term for the biggest, ugliest villain of any given story. In fact, it doesn't have to be a villain at all, as we just said. If it is a villain, though, it should be identified correctly; the badass leader of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad outlaw gang]] that causes the most personal trouble is ''not'' the Big Bad. The [[CorruptCorporateExecutive railroad tycoon]] who is ''using'' the gang as muscle is the Big Bad. TheManBehindTheMan is very common for this trope, leaving the reveal of the big bad as TheChessmaster behind it all and proving themselves far more clever and resourceful than the VillainOfTheWeek. Sometimes the BigBad is the grand enemy of an entire franchise as an OverarchingVillain. At other times, the Big Bad is an ArcVillain who causes trouble for a period of time only to be replaced by another Big Bad.

The term "Big Bad" was popularized in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. It was characteristic of Buffy's Big Bads for their identity or nature, or even the fact that they are the Big Bad at all, to remain unclear for a considerable time. Occasionally, characters would even refer to themselves as "the Big Bad" -- whether they were a true Big Bad or just a BigBadWannabe is another matter. The structure of Buffy placed the Big Bad as being crucial to the HalfArcSeason, half the episodes are {{filler}} dealing with unrelated enemies while the other half involved the ongoing MythArc with the BigBad. Each season can easily be defined by who the Big Bad was.

*** While it's less clear from the written text, TheTalmud and Midrash seem to set up the sorcerer Balaam as the main BigBad of the Torah's overall narrative, with Pharaoh as more of an ArcVillain. There are midrashim that state that Balaam not only [[TheCorrupter advised Pharaoh to oppress the Israelites in the first place]], he also fought a war against Moses during the period of Moses' exile (before he encountered the burning bush) and [[EvilCounterpart had the same prophetic potential of Moses himself]]. He also gets his own VillainEpisode near the end of Numbers, and is ultimately killed in the FinalBattle before the Israelites enter the Land of Israel. Some even claim that he was a reincarnation of Laban, giving him some parts during Genesis as well.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Glitchtale}}'' has [[AntiVillain Chara]] in Season 1 after Frisk's HeelFaceTurn in the first episode (although W.D. Gaster briefly serves as an InterimVillain) and [[spoiler:[[ArtificialHuman Bête]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Noire]]]] in Season 2 after [[DiscOneFinalBoss Jessica Grey]] is revealed to be a BigBadWannabe in the first episode. [[spoiler:In both seasons, the supposed BigBad becomes a DiscOneFinalBoss and the role goes to [[EldritchAbomination HATE]], the GreaterScopeVillain and OverarchingVillain for the entire series.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Volume 1 introduces petty villain Roman Torchwick who has begun stealing Dust from the city for unknown reasons, although he is the initial villain that Team RWBY clashes with, he is being controlled by [[TheHeavy Cinder Fall]], who is introduced properly in Volume 2. The first three volumes consist of the heroes trying to uncover what the villains are up to but being thoroughly unprepared for the truth. [[spoiler:When [[ExtranormalInstitute Beacon Academy]] is destroyed in the Volume 3, climax, the BigBad of the show is introduced as [[TheDreaded Salem]], a woman who controls and even shares the [[ObviouslyEvil inhuman appearance]] of the world's [[AnimalisticAbomination Creatures of Grimm]] and who has a very personal grudge against Beacon Academy's headmaster, [[BigGood Professor Ozpin]]. It's not until Volume 4 that the heroes learn Salem even exists and Volume 5 is when they learn about a SecretWar that [[CompleteImmortality Salem]] and [[ResurrectiveImmortality Ozpin]] have been engaged in for [[ForeverWar thousands of years]]; she is trying to obtain four ancient [[ArtifactOfPower Relics]] that the Gods left in the world and which are being protected by the four Academies. Only in Volume 6, after confronting Ozpin about the secrets he's keeping, do the heroes learn the AwfulTruth about why Salem and Ozpin are enemies, why they're both immortal... and that Salem is [[InvincibleVillain impossible to kill]].]]