History Main / ExposeTheVillainGetHisJob

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', Sulley actually ends up becoming [[spoiler:the new CEO of the titular power plant]] after exposing [[spoiler: Waternoose's evil plans to kidnap and torture children for maximum scream harvest]]. Sulley then proceeds to [[spoiler:convert said power plant from one relying on children's screams to one relying on children's laughter (which is considerably more powerful--Mike, for example, was able to fill his laugh-quota on his first kid for the day)]].

* Early on in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', In a fit of rage Dr Merlot [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021230 exposes Dr Beetle's plans]] to Baron Wulfenbach. It backfires a few pages later when the Baron "[[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030127 rewards]]" him with Dr Beetle's whole estate and duties. And makes it clear that ''any'' mistake on Merlot's part will get him sent to [[GeniusLoci Castle]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Heterodyne]]. [[spoiler:Merlot is later found in the castle; his flashback explains he made a colossal, murderous mistake.]]

* Early on in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', In a fit of rage Dr Merlot [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021230 exposes Dr Beetle's plans]] to Baron Wulfenbach. It backfires a few pages later when the Baron "[[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030127 rewards]]" him with Dr Beetle's whole estate and duties. And makes it clear that ''any'' mistake on Merlot's part will get him sent to [[GeniusLoci Castle]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Heterodyne]].

It's a tricky business discovering one of your underlings is a traitor, especially a high ranking one. Apart from the feelings of betrayal, you've now lost a (probably [[NoDelaysForTheWicked quite efficient]]) member of your workforce and the rest of your underlings are reeling from the revelation, given how much esteem and trust they needed to have for the holder of that position. Not to mention that group of heroes you had take him down is going to want paying and you need to reward that one MauveShirt who helped smoke him out as well....

This is when, after taking down a villain, their job is reallocated to someone else as a reward for defeating them. If the villain was TheMole (in which case they might just have left the organisation in question) then the BigGood or another benevolent figure will promote or hire either TheHero or one of his allies. A popular variation is for a low ranking member of the authority figure's organisation (typically someone who reported directly to the villain and got suspicious) who decided to help the heroes to be promoted to the villain's former position. If the villain was a corrupt ruler then his former subjects might [[OfferedTheCrown make the hero their new leader]].

* In the straight to video sequel ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', the Sultan offers Aladdin the job of Grand Vizier, which [[BigBad Jafar]] held. In a variation he defeated Jafar in the previous film and the Sultan makes the offer at the beginning, with Aladdin deciding to turn him down at the end (and settle for "merely" being a prince) because he feels that he's an adventurer at heart who couldn't bear staying in the palace all day signing papers.

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Back in the 60s, Principal Prickly was good friends with the principal of Third Street School at the time, Phillium Benedict. When Benedict told Prickly about his plan to get rid of recess to bump up test scores, Prickly called in the Superintendent to sort out the problem. The superintendent fired Benedict and gave Prickly the job; this totally wasn't what Prickly had wanted to happen, but Benedict accused Prickly of betraying him in order to steal his job and never forgave him for it.

* Peter Parker does this to Eddie Brock in ''Film/SpiderMan3'' when he exposes Brock's fraud with that "Spider-Man with his hand in a cookie jar" photo. Though in this case it was already a competition between the two that Brock won by cheating. Since he was disqualified, Peter got the job by default, the same way he would have if anyone else had done the exposing.

* In ''Film/MrDestiny'', Creator/JamesBelushi's character Larry is placed in an AlternateUniverse by a GuardianAngel (played by Creator/MichaelCaine), which shows what his life would've been like if he'd succeeded in a high school baseball game. He ends up the president of the company where he works (in his own reality) in middle management. After this new reality turns into a disaster for him, he ends up back in his reality with no time having passed. However, he also has knowledge that the company's VP is planning to secretly buy up all the shares for cheap using a faked merger as a front. Larry bursts into the boardroom just in time to expose the CorruptCorporateExecutive and then runs home to see his real wife. At his surprise birthday party, the company's president visits him and lets him know that the culprits confessed to everything and were fired. As a bonus, Larry is offered the position of the VP and a company car (a Mercedes).

* In the fourth season finale of ''Series/{{Angel}}'', [[spoiler: Angel Investigations get to start running the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram and Hart.]] It's an {{inver|tedTrope}}sion, since they [[GoodRunningEvil accept an offer to take over]] their BigBad's operations so that they can ''later'' expose the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn, the cabal affiliated with W and H. The general public always regarded the firm as somewhere between a VillainWithGoodPublicity and a bunch of AmoralAttorney types.

* In ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'', Finch is made Vice President over Advertising after exposing his predecessor as an alumnus of the boss's former rival school.
* ''The Broken Jug'' (Der zerbrochne Krug) by Heinrich von Kleist has judge Adam trying to cover up his own crimes. His secretary Licht helps discovering the truth in order to get the position as judge himself.

* Early on in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', In a fit of rage Dr Merlot [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021230 exposes Dr Beetle's plans]] to Baron Wulfenbach. It backfires a few pages later when the Baron "[[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030127 rewards]]" him with Dr Beetle's whole estate and duties. And makes it clear that ''any'' mistake on Merlot's part will get him send to [[GeniusLoci Castle]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Heterodyne]].

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rupert}}'', he ends up helping an elf who's behind on his...dust sprinkling. It turns out that his BadBoss had gone crazy and started keeping the gold the elves mined to make said dust, leading to said boss to be fired and said elf to be promoted.
* A variation: In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode Homer's Odyssey, Homer begins protesting against the Nuclear Power Plant's safety policy, and successfully works up a giant protest group. Mr. Burns calls him over to his office, and because most of Springfield thinks the Power Plant is irresponsible with safety, makes him a safety inspector.

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''; Back in the 60s, Principal Prickly was good friends with the principal of Third Street School at the time, Phillium Benedict. When Benedict told Prickly about his plan to get rid of recess to bump up test scores, Prickly called in the Superintendent to sort out the problem. The superintendent fired Benedict and give Prickly the job; this totally wasn't what Prickly had wanted to happen, but Benedict accused Prickly of betraying him in order to steal his job and never forgave him for it.

* The Hero in ''VideoGame/FableI'' is offered the post of Mayor of Bowerstone if they depose the current Mayor, Lady Grey, by finding evidence that she murdered her sister.

** Also in VideoGame/FableIII, but it's less exposing and more usurping that happens to the villain.

[[folder:Fan Works]]

* PEFE's backstory in ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers''. After its founders exposed the crimes of Pokefutures, they were given control of the company's remaining assets. This was in part an attempt by the Angelan Government to prevent a recession, as the prior company [[OneNationUnderCopyright had taken full control of the region's economy]].
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' ends with him taking the throne from the villainous king.

* Early on in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', In a fit of rage Dr Merlot [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021230 exposes Dr Beetle's plans]] to Baron Wulfenbach. It backfires a few pages later when the Baron "[[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030127 rewards]]" him with Dr Beetles whole estate and duties

* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate 2'' you can end up running a cell of the Shadow Thieves in this manner.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* In ''{{Series/CSI}}'' [[spoiler: Conrad Ecklie (who'd more or less stopped being a JerkAss by that point)]] is promoted to [[spoiler: Undersheriff]] after the previous holder of the position [[spoiler: turned out to be TheMole and [[KilledOffForReal killed Warrick Brown]]]].

[[folder: Tabletop RPG ]]

[[folder: Theater ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''; Back in the 60s, Principal Prickly was good friends with the principal of Third Street School at the time, Phillium Benedict. When Benedict told Prickly about his plan to get rid of recess to bump up test scores, he called in the Superintendent to sort out the problem. The Superintendent fired Benedict and give Prickly the job; This totally wasn't what Prickly had wanted to happen, but Benedict accused Prickly of betraying him in order to steal his job and never forgave him for it.

* Commander Shepard from ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' is offered a post as a Spectre after finding evidence that exposes another Spectre, Saren Arterius, as a liar and a traitor.

* In the straight to video sequel ''Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'', the Sultan offers Aladdin the job of Grand Vizier, which [[BigBad Jafar]] held. In a variation he defeated Jafar in the previous film and the Sultan makes the offer at the beginning, with Aladdin deciding to turn him down at the end (and settle for "merely" being a prince) because he feels that he's an adventurer at heart who couldn't bear staying in the palace all day signing papers.
* Franchise/{{Disney|AnimatedCanon}}'s ''{{Disney/Mulan}}''. In the end, Mulan is offered the job of the Emperor's incompetent aide. The aide wasn't the villain, but he was a {{Jerkass}} HateSink the whole movie.

** In a clearer example of the trope, this is how the original Avengers reclaimed their usual public roles.

* Shephard from ''Videogame/MassEffect'' is offered a post as a Spectre after finding evidence that exposes another Spectre, Saren Arterius, as a liar and a traitor.

* ''The First Casualty'' by Creator/BenElton. A detective sentenced to prison for refusing to enlist during WW1 is let out of prison to investigate the murder of an anti-war activist. [[spoiler:Turns out the secret service officer assigned as his minder was responsible for the murder,]] so the detective ends up getting his job, having decided that his efforts to be a conscientious objector were futile.

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut''; Back in the 60s, Principal Prickly was good friends with the principal at the time, Phillium Benedict. When he learns that Benedict plans to get rid of recess to bump up test scores, he called in the Superintendent to sort out the problem. The Superintendent fires Benedict and give Prickly the job, souring the relationship between the two and leading Benedict to become the BigBad.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Birthright}}'' has a classical character made this way, [[http://www.birthright.net/brwiki/index.php/Rah%C3%ADl_the_Falcon Rahil "the Falcon"]]. A minor noble learning magic wandered into the oldest human city on the continent soon after local CourtMage's death and noticed that both of the old guy's apprentices were too busy trying to control the court with spells. So he exposed their little games to the prince-paladin and guess who was the next CourtMage there?

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', where Naked Snake defeats the apparent traitor The Boss and inherits her title, becoming Big Boss, but [[spoiler: she wasn't a traitor; she'd pretended to be (and let Snake kill her) in order to [[ZeroApprovalGambit act as a scapegoat]]. [[ForegoneConclusion We all know]] [[StartOfDarkness where this leads]] [[BigBad Big Boss to]] in ''Franchise/MetalGear''.]]