History Main / DragonAscendant

* The [[WhatCouldHaveBeen intended "true" sequel]] to ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', called ''Shards of Chaos'', which along with a potential animated TV spinoff series, was ultimately cancelled due to ''The Lost Empire'' flopping at the box office and subsequently retooled and replaced with ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'', was going to have [[spoiler: [[FemmeFatale Helga Sinclair]]]] become the new BigBad by somehow surviving the final battle against [[spoiler: Rourke]] at the end of the first film [[WeCanRebuildHim and becoming a cyborg]] in the process, with [[spoiler: her]] main goal of trying to destroy Atlantis, unlike [[spoiler: Rourke]] being just to spite [[spoiler: Milo and Kida, Atlantis' respective new King and Queen]], as hinted by her [[LastBreathBullet betrayal]] towards [[spoiler: Rourke]] due to [[spoiler: [[ThrownFromtheZeppelin Rourke betraying her]]]] at the last minute before [[spoiler: his own death.]]

* The [[WhatCouldHaveBeen intended "true" sequel]] to ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', called ''Shards of Chaos'', which along with a potential animated TV spinoff series, was ultimately cancelled due to ''The Lost Empire'' flopping at the box office and subsequently retooled and replaced with ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'', was going to have [[spoiler: [[FemmeFatale Helga Sinclair]]]] become the new BigBad by somehow surviving the final battle against [[spoiler: Rourke]] at the end of the first film and becoming a cyborg in the process, with [[spoiler: her]] main goal of trying to destroy Atlantis, unlike [[spoiler: Rourke]] being just to spite [[spoiler: Milo and Kida, Atlantis' respective new King and Queen]], as hinted by her [[LastBreathBullet betrayal]] towards [[spoiler: Rourke]] due to [[spoiler: [[ThrownFromtheZeppelin Rourke betraying her]]] at the last minute before [[spoiler: his own death.]]

** [[SavageWolves Steeljaw]] from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsinDisguise2015'' plays this trope straight.

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'':

* ''Franchise/XMen''
** Exodus of Magneto's Acolytes succeeds his master in the ''ComicBook/BloodTiesMarvelComics'' story.
** Stryfe started out as ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}'s intended successor in the future, but after his "father" was killed in the future he decided he wanted revenge on him and so traveled into the past to assassinate a younger version of Big Blue. [[spoiler:It was ultimate unsuccessful, but he did put Apocalypse out of commission for a few years, as well as taking control of his QuirkyMinibossSquad the Dark Riders]].

* Myth/IrishMythology: When she isn't killed before her master, Ogarmach takes up the mantle of King of the World when Daire Donn is killed by Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Unlike her master, who wanted to conquer Ireland for the sake of expanding his empire, Ogarmach was more interested in slaughtering her enemies and their families for vengeance sake. Thankfully Fionn is able to overcome her the same as her master.

** After Sauron fell at the end of the Second Age, the Witch-king, leader of the Nazgûl and Sauron's most powerful and loyal servant, basically became the interim Dark Lord and launched a brutal (and centuries-long) campaign against the northern kingdom of Arnor, which had played such a large part in Sauron's downfall. Afterward, he gathered the other Nazgûl, captured the city of Minas Ithil (along with its Palantír), ended the line of Gondor's kings, and participated in the rebuilding of Mordor in preparation for Sauron’s return.

** After Sauron fell at the end of the Second Age, the Witch-king, leader of the Nazgul and Sauron's most powerful and loyal servant, basically became the interim Dark Lord and launched a brutal (and centuries-long) campaign against the northern kingdom of Arnor, which had played such a large part in Sauron's downfall. Afterward, he gathered the other Nazgûl, captured the city of Minas Ithil (along with its Palantír), ended the line of Gondor's kings, and participated in the rebuilding of Mordor in preparation for Sauron’s return.

* Sauron, the BigBad of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', was actually the DragonWithAnAgenda to Morgoth in the First Age. Morgoth was defeated and locked away in the void, but Sauron was [[DragonTheirFeet AWOL]] for that battle, and took up the mantle himself afterwards. He actually pretended that he had a HeelFaceTurn after the battle, and that he wanted to help rebuild. It's stated that he honestly did decide to give up... though only out of fear of being punished. When he was told that he wouldn't be given a blanket-amnesty but would have to stand trial to be forgiven, Sauron feared (probably correctly) that he would lose, so he ran.

* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Discord, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra]] were disciples of [[spoiler:[[GodOfEvil Grogar]], the Shadow King, and became BigBad threats in their own right after his was [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] by [[GodOfGood Harmony.]]]]
* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', Lucius Malfoy goes from being one of Voldemort's former chief lieutenants to the mastermind of an alliance between the remaining Death Eaters, HYDRA, and [[EvilSorcerer Gravemoss]], setting him up as the BigBad of the first book, a position eventually solidified by [[spoiler: [[KlingonPromotion killing Von Strucker and taking over HYDRA]]]].

* In ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'', Voldemort is permanently incapacitated in First Year with no casualties… but by the Third Year, Barty Crouch Junior has taken up the mantle of fear, and what he lacks in raw magical power he makes up for in stealth, intelligence, and unpredictability.
* The ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'': [[spoiler: near the climax of the [[BadFuture Dark World]] arc, Discord is mortally wounded by [[SixthRangerTraitor Rancor]], and transfers his remaining power to [[DaddysLittleVillain Fluttercruel]], allowing her to become [[OneWingedAngel a full Draconequus]].]]

** In ''Series/ChorikiSentaiOhranger'', [[spoiler:following the death of Emperor Bacchushund, his son Buldont rose up to both avenge him and finish what he started, becoming Baranoia's new emperor after transforming into Kaiser Buldont]].

* Abaddon of ''TableTopGame/Warhammer40000'' was the trusted second in command of the Arch-Traitor, Horus Lupercal. Following Horus' defeat during the Literature/HorusHeresy, Abaddon took command of the broken Sons Of Horus. Reforging them into the Black Legion with himself at the head.

** At first, it seems as if Azula from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' will be ascended when her father crowns her Fire Lord. Subverted in that, two seconds later, he crowns himself Phoenix King, removes all power from her position, and makes her stay home instead of fighting in the final showdown.

* ''Literature/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone'': While the [[spoiler:Wicked Devout's]] Generals Indigo, Scarlet, Hazel, Tangerine and Orchid are only acting as CoDragons to the Wicked God in technicality, they all serve as the deity's lieutenants who have clear-cut loyalties to the Wicked God. After becoming a deity by consuming a dust from the remains of the evil deity, they later continue the Wicked God's EvilPlan by planning to revive their master with a worthy vessel after Touya defeated him, making themselves the newest threat that Touya and his allies have to face.

%%* Prince Lotor from ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.

%% ** Grimer from ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' is loyal to his master until the very end, but when he realises that Robotnik is insane and unfit to serve, he quits and retreats to the shadows.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'':

* In ''Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday'', a prequel to the [[Film/{{Transformers}} 2007 film]], Starscream takes over as the leader of the Decepticons after Megatron's disappearance. After the Cybertronians encounter the ''Ghost-1'' in 1969, Starscream rightly determines that the technology of the primitive human spacecraft is too similar to Cybertronian tech to be a coincidence (even though, to his subordinates, he insists that it's a natural evolution of all technology in the universe), which must indicate that Megatron is on Earth. Unwilling to relinquish his position, he does everything possible to delay the discovery of Earth by his kin, [[spoiler:including destroying the ''Ghost-1'' and her crew in order to deny the same opportunity to the Autobots]]. While he obviously fails in the long term, it does take another four decades for them to find Earth. Note that the sequel films pretty much render this storyline non-canon.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': BigBad Syndrome's plan is [[spoiler: using the Omnidroid, a battle robot with AdaptiveAbility A.I. that learns from any tactics used against it, as a villain so that he can swoop in and play the hero. However, he programmed it a little [[GoneHorriblyRight too well]], and it managed to defeat him and become the final boss.]]

* ''Series/TheCompanyYouKeep'': The opening con has Charlie accusing gangster Patrick Maguire's aide of "being the one in charge," which the man denies. By the end of the episode, Maguire has been busted and the woman, Daphne, has now become the boss. [[DoubleSubverted It turns out though]] she'll only run things on the outside when he's in prison, and she's loyal to him (it turns out that he's her father).