History Main / VillainBasedFranchise

* ''{{Castlevania}}'' games are linked by its main villain Dracula.

* The ''{{Friday The 13th}}'' series featuring Jason Voorhees. The first movie did not feature Jason as the killer, but his [[AxCrazy crazy]] [[MamaBear mom]] instead.

* The heroes asking the question cycles depending on the series, but they're ''always'' asking the question "Where in |the World/America/Time/etc.| is CarmenSandiego?"

* Though just Villain ''Named'' Franchise (all games star Samus, after all): both ''{{Metroid}}'' ([[PersonalSpaceInvader a really dangerous alien species]]) and ''MetroidPrime'' (though it gets a new name and a new look in the second installment). (Perhaps you could say that from their point of view, Samus is the villain.)

* Though the ''MetroidPrime'' subseries keeps quite a few links from [[{{Metroid}} its source series]], the trilogy is named after the enemy that serves as the final boss in all three games.

* Every Kingdom Hearts game is linked by the same mysterious evil figure who just won't stay dead.

* ''TheSlenderManMythos''. Many authors, many situations, 1([[WildMassGuessing ?]]) EldritchAbomination.

* Though just Villain ''Named'' Franchise (all games star Samus, after all): both ''{{Metroid}}'' ([[PersonalSpaceInvader a really dangerous alien species]]) and ''MetroidPrime'' (though it gets a new name and a new look in the second installment).
* In one way or another, the main stories of the FatalFury and ArtOfFighting series seem to revolve around Geese Howard. By the time KingOfFighters [[UpdatedRerelease 2002 UM]] comes around, he's also present in that as a secret boss, [[BeyondTheImpossible out-bossing]] a considerable cast of [[SNKBoss SNK bosses]]. Also, in [[CapcomVsWhatever Capcom Vs SNK]], [[MemeticMutation Geese is ratio 6]] when fought as a boss, since you fight him twice as ratio 3, when the highest a character goes in the game, [[StreetFighter Gouki]] as a secret character, is ratio 4.

* The ''Warlock'' trilogy featuring the titular character.

A series linked by a recurring villain. The heroes and the locations may change or be dropped, but the central link remains the villain.

* [[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]], though he [[{{Badass Decay}} becomes more and more of a protagonist]] as new books come out.

Very popular with SlasherMovies, probably because the heroes can die off in the end without ruining the series. Often though, the villain protagonist will appear to die at the end, to allow closure to the series if another one is not made. OrIsIt ending optional.

Not the same as a series with a VillainProtagonist. Each installment may introduce a whole new set of heroes, but they may still the guys we follow around and (supposedly) root for.

Not the same as a series with a VillainProtagonist. Each installment may introduce a whole new set of heroes, but they are still the guys we follow around and (supposedly) root for.

* ''TheScorpionKing'' was the hero in his own movie, but before that, he was the [[SealedEvilInACan ancient evil]] the heroes fight at the end of ''[[TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy Returns]].''

* ''KingdomHearts''. Dear lord, Kingdom Hearts. If something's gone wrong, you can bet that ''some'' permutation of Xehanort was involved at one point.

* The [[FinalFantasy Ivalice]] [[IvaliceAlliance Alliance]], where most of the people actively trying to save the world are either {{Anti Villain}}s or ChaoticNeutral, and anyone that's of purely good alignment are just {{Xanatos Sucker}}s at best.

* Possibly {{Silent Hill}}, [[EldritchLocation if a place can be a villain]].
* [[{{Kingdom Hearts}} KINGDOM HEARTS]]. Dear lord, Kingdom Hearts. If something's gone wrong, you can bet that ''some'' permutation of Xehanort was involved at one point.
* Metroid Prime in the MetroidPrime trilogy, although it gets a new name and a new look in the second installment.
** The {{Metroid}} race themselves for the franchise.

* CommandAndConquer revolves around Kane.

* The [[FinalFantasy Ivalice Alliance]], where most of the people actively trying to save the world are either {{Anti Villain}}s or ChaoticNeutral, and anyone that's of purely good alignment are just {{Xanatos Sucker}}s at best.

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]
* TheJoker had [[TooGoodToLast a very short-lived spin-off of his own]] in the seventies, [[CardboardPrison with his own lair under his cell at Arkham Asylum]] and everything.
* [[{{Anti Hero}} Venom]], of [[{{Spider-Man}} Spider-Man]] fame, had his own spin-off as well.

* ''{{Castlevania}}''

* ResidentEvil centers around the Umbrella Corporation and its successors.

* Really, it's the opponents that make ''PunchOut''.

* This isn't actually the case in the ''{{Digimon}}'' anime SeriesFranchise, but Fox Kids seemed to think it was when they created an online game to generate publicity for the ''DigimonTamers'' dub. The final boss was a rather OffModel Vamdemon/Myotismon, a major villain from ''DigimonAdventure'' and ''DigimonAdventure02''.

* ''{{The Legend of Zelda}}''. Zelda, and even Link himself, are different people in each game, but Ganon(dorf)? The exact same one the last Link killed/sealed away "forever."

** Errr, the title {{Metroid}}s themselves count.

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