| 1 | ->''"I see you still believe that I'm the Dark Lord. [...] I am now supreme commander over Lord Vearn's armies! I am Hadlar, the Dark Commander!"'' |
| 2 | -->-- '''Hadlar''', ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'' |
| 3 | |
| 4 | In the natural progression of the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil, a stronger BigBad will replace the previous villain for the new season. However, what happens if the previous villain is still here? One of the things the former BigBad can do now is to work for the new BigBad as his [[TheDragon Dragon]]. This is Demoted to Dragon in a nutshell. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | This occurs by default when a GreaterScopeVillain takes a more direct[[note]]albeit not necessarily ''[[OrcusOnHisThrone active]]''[[/note]] role in the storyline but the former BigBad is still serving them. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Demoted Big Bads will frequently become TheStarscream or a DragonWithAnAgenda, especially if the only reason they were demoted was because the other BigBad happened to have an advantage and the alternative would mean certain death. Better to lay low and wait for the right moment... |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Although, some Dragons will do the opposite: [[TheCreon They will happily accept the new position]], be actually loyal to the new BigBad and have a trustworthy relationship, often because the Dragon will realize that he works better and more efficiently by working for someone else, and the Dragon may actually become a much bigger threat than when he was the main villain thanks to the help and resources of the new one; effectively an inversion of ThePeterPrinciple. However, that good relationship might not last, and it may be the BigBad [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness that betrays him instead]]. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Compare QuicklyDemotedLeader, which overlaps when a StarterVillain suffers this trope. Contrast DragonAscendant, the inverse, and BigBadDuumvirate, when the previous BigBad isn't explicitly subservient to the new one. See also BigBadWannabe, which overlaps if the demoted villain insists that he's StillTheLeader. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | '''Beware of unmarked spoilers.''' |
| 15 | ---- |
| 16 | !!Examples: |
| 17 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 20 | * ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': After Shigaraki defeated Re-Destro the leader of the Meta Liberation Army, he becomes a subordinate of his when they form the Paranormal Liberation Front and declare war on the Heroes. |
| 21 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': During the Enies Lobby arc, Rob Lucci is TheDragon to Spandam, albeit of the DragonInChief variety. When the pair are reintroduced post-TimeSkip, Spandam has been demoted, and is now subordinate to Lucci. |
| 22 | * In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion,'' after Homura [[DemonOfHumanOrigin becomes the devil]], Kyubey is turned from a potent and incomprehensible chessmaster to a lapdog whom she apparently {{Mind Rape}}s at the end. |
| 23 | [[/folder]] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 26 | * In ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'', Robotnik is Demoted to Dragon twice. First in the Drakon arc, he makes a deal with Emperor Ko-Dorr -- the Drakons would provide Robotnik with resources and transport, and he in turn would deliver the Chaos Emeralds. Then, in the Shanazar arc, Robotnik worked for Princess Kupacious as Grand Vizier. Both times he was [[DragonWithAnAgenda using them to further]] [[TheStarscream his own goals]], and he was a [[DragonInChief far greater threat]] than Princess Kupacious. |
| 27 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Fray}}'', the vampire Icarus used to be the boss of all the vampires in Manhattan, (or Haddyn, as the FutureSlang of the world calls it) but willingly chose to give that up and become TheDragon to VisionaryVillain and UndeadChild Harth. |
| 28 | * In ''ComicBook/SecretWars1984'', ComicBook/{{Ultron}} attempts to pick a fight with '''ComicBook/{{Galactus}}'''. This goes about as well as one would expect, and Ultron is later reprogrammed into serving as TheDragon to Doctor Doom. |
| 29 | * In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsUnite'', Doctors Eggman and Wily -- the main antagonists of their own series and the BigBadDuumvirate of the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide previous crossover]] -- are press-ganged into the service of [[AIIsACrapshoot Sigma]]. It doesn't take long for the two of them to go [[TheStarscream full Starscream]], either. |
| 30 | * During the events of the Phoenix Five and later being refugees from the law, Comicbook/{{Magneto}} recognized and submitted to Comicbook/{{Cyclops}}'s greater strategic genius. |
| 31 | [[/folder]] |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 34 | * Carmen Cole, the BigBad of the novel ''Literature/{{Hottie}}'' by Jonathan Bernstein, becomes TheDragon to Emperor Vakudos in ''[[http://alaxr274.deviantart.com/gallery/37280372 Hottie 3: The Best Fan Fic in the World]]''. |
| 35 | * Matt Pinfield, the BigBad of Series/TheNakedBrothersBand animated special "Supetastic 6", becomes TheDragon to Princess Jody in the SpinOff, ''[[http://fanfiction.wikia.com/wiki/Hottie_x_Supetastic_6:_March_Madness Hottie x Supetastic 6: March Madness]]''. |
| 36 | * ''FanFic/ThePowersOfHarmony'': Eclipse (formerly Nightmare Moon) ends up forced to serve [[BigBad Cetus]], her own creation. Naturally, she's [[TheStarscream not pleased with this]]. |
| 37 | * ''FanFic/MyLittleMagesTheNightmaresReturn'' has [[{{Necromancer}} Chrysalis]]. Fifty years ago, she led one side of a war between the living and the Undead, but was defeated and forced to go into hiding, before [[BigBad Nightmare Moon]] recruited her for her new QuirkyMinibossSquad. |
| 38 | * ''FanFic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan'' has this happen to Chrysalis in relation to the titular VillainProtagonist. However, due to a combination of MadLove and being genuinely impressed by him repeatedly, she doesn't mind much. |
| 39 | * ''Fanfic/PersonaEG'': |
| 40 | ** The dark persona user Eris, a.k.a. [[AdaptationalVillainy Fluttershy]] seems to be the main enemy of ZIT, but it is eventually revealed she is working for the far more powerful and dangerous Mephistopheles, a.k.a. Sunset Shimmer. |
| 41 | ** Though she had already been trying to perform a HeelFaceTurn by the time it was revealed, Sunset herself was later revealed to have been an UnwittingPawn to the Zodiac Shadows and it seems that the real BigBad the whole time was actually Juan the Janitor, a.k.a. Red Flag. |
| 42 | * ''Fanfic/LadybugInAHalfShell'': At an earlier point in time, Shredder found and strong-armed Hawk Moth into his services. |
| 43 | * In ''FanFic/TheRWBYLoops'', this happens to Cinder. See, Cinder was introduced as a looper before canon introduced [[BigBad Salem]], TheManBehindTheMan. Due to the way the loops work, Cinder really ''was'' the BigBad, before the expansions made it retroactively Salem all along. And while Unawake!Cinder is content with the arrangement as long as she gets the Fall Maiden's power, Looper!Cinder is annoyed because her entire motive, Awake or not, was personal power. As a Looper, she's more powerful than Salem and has the experience of being powerful and beholden to no one to contrast it with. |
| 44 | * ''Fanfic/CodePrime'' features an example where TheDragon of one villain is demoted to being TheDragon of ''another'', [[TheManBehindTheMan nominally lower-ranked villain]]. Due to Cornelia continuously failing to defeat the Autobots or Black Knights without the assistance of the Decepticons, her father decides to make her Megatron's subordinate in all conflicts with the Autobots or Black Knights (she still retains her privileges as Viceroy in all other matters. Cornelia is ''enraged'' by this, but has no real way to go against the decision. |
| 45 | [[/folder]] |
| 46 | |
| 47 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 48 | * Poor King Ghidorah of the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' franchise. He started out as the BigBad in ''Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster'' and was considered the ultimate evil in the universe. The next film, ''Film/InvasionOfAstroMonster'' reduced him into the mind-controlled pet of an evil alien-race. And he's pretty much been that way ever since. [[CharacterRerailment At least until]] ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019''. |
| 49 | * James [=McCullen=] spends most of ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' as the BigBad. Then his MadScientist revealed himself as Cobra Commander, Turning [=McCullen=] into his Dragon Destro in the process. |
| 50 | * ''Film/HellraiserBloodline'': After Angelique summons Pinhead to help her with John Merchant they stand on roughly equal ground. When Merchant tricks them, Pinhead drags her back to Hell for her failure and makes her a part of his retinue of servant Cenobites. |
| 51 | * ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' |
| 52 | ** The Orc Leader Azog is the main villain, pursuing Thorin and Company. However in ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'' the Necromancer Sauron tells him to stop hunting Thorin so he can lead his troops. This means Azog sends his son and Dragon Bolg to continue the hunt. |
| 53 | ** In the book, Bolg was the commander of the goblin army during the Battle of Five Armies, since Azog was already dead before the events of ''The Hobbit''. But since Azog was SparedByTheAdaptation long enough to participate in the Battle of Five Armies, Bolg only serves as the leader of the reinforcements from Mount Gundabad, as well as being an opponent for Legolas to fight. |
| 54 | * In ''Film/TheLoneRanger'', Butch Cavendish was the BigBad in the 1981 film ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger'', but here, he's Cole's right-hand man. |
| 55 | * In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', the previous film's BigBad Davy Jones is demoted to being TheDragon for Cutler Beckett. Justified by Beckett possessing [[SoulJar the heart of Davy Jones]], and therefore being quite capable of having Jones killed and [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt replaced]] if he doesn't obey Beckett's orders. And in the climax, Davy Jones regains control of his heart, going into full DragonInChief mode. |
| 56 | * While Darth Vader was DragonAscendant in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' sees him not only taking orders from the Emperor, but losing his role as TheHeavy too. |
| 57 | * While Shredder is TheHeavy of ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesOutOfTheShadows'', he's Kraang's chief enforcer and is carrying out his agenda. [[UnwittingPawn Shredder]] isn't ''aware'' of this, however, believing they're equals. Kraang shows up at the climax [[EvilerThanThou how wrong he is]] once he actually makes it to our dimension. |
| 58 | * ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'' |
| 59 | ** In ''Film/Transformers2007'', Megatron is the BigBad. In the second film ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'', he's resurrected, but the BigBad is The Fallen. |
| 60 | ** In ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'' while initially appearing to be the one in control Megatron is soon ousted from the role of BigBad to [[FaceHeelTurn Sentinel Prime]] after he briefly presumed they were equal partners [[note]]it is ultimately realizing this that pushes Megatron to betray Sentinel, leading to both of them being killed by Optimus[[/note]]. Meanwhile in ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' it initially appears that Megatron is in a BigBadEnsemble with Quintessa, before it is later revealed that he is working for her, taking he role of Dragon after Nemesis Prime overcomes Quintessa's brainwashing and becomes Optimus again. Even in ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' where Megatron, [[MeaningfulRename or rather Galvatron]], is working towards his own agenda, it is simply as the less of the BigBadEnsemble, ultimately fleeing in the final battle while the Autobots fight Lockdown, the main BigBad. |
| 61 | * In the ''Film/WrongTurn'' series, Three Finger is the default leader of the cannibal hillbillies. But in the [[Film/WrongTurn5Bloodlines fifth]] and [[Film/WrongTurn6LastResort sixth]] films, he takes orders from other members of the family -- [[EvilOldFolks Maynard]] in the former, and [[BrotherSisterIncest Jackson and Sally]] in the latter. In the first case, he actually seems [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership intimidated into service]], while in the second it's more a case of TeethClenchedTeamwork. |
| 62 | * ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'': |
| 63 | ** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': In a Meta sense; serving as the BigBad in two movies, William Stryker is Dr. Bolivar Trask's second-in-command in 1973. In-Universe, it’s more of a DragonAscendant. |
| 64 | ** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Magneto ''isn't'' the leader of the supervillain team; this time around, he plays second fiddle to Apocalypse. |
| 65 | [[/folder]] |
| 66 | |
| 67 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 68 | * Brokenstar was the BigBad of ''Into the Wild'', the first book of the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series. Then he gets driven out of his [[TheClan clan]] and killed, leaving [[BigBad Tigerstar]] in control of his army. Later in the ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsOmenOfTheStars Omen Of The Stars]]'' arc, Tigerstar and Brokenstar meet up in the afterlife and Tigerstar becomes Brokenstar's dragon. |
| 69 | * [[TheChessmaster Caine Soren]] is reduced to this briefly during ''HUNGER'' (the first of many sequels to ''Literature/{{GONE}}''). He bounces back though. |
| 70 | * Occurs in ''Literature/NeedfulThings'', where John "Ace" Merrill, the BigBad from ''Film/StandByMe'', becomes a lackey for Leland Gaunt. |
| 71 | * Happened in the backstory of the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant''. The three Ravers[[note]] ''Moksha'' Jehannum, ''Turiya'' Herem and ''Samadhi'' Sheol[[/note]] (formerly human, bodiless possessing demons) were the Land's reigning supreme evils for centuries, possibly millennia- at least until [[GodOfEvil Lord Foul the Despiser]] showed up to seize the throne of BigBad ''de jure''. In the process, he made the Ravers his [[CoDragons chief minions]] (an arrangement which worked out well for the Ravers; Foul was as evil as they were, far more powerful, and an extremely subtle [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]], so allying with him made them if anything even more dangerous[[note]]and they think they'll get godhood themselves when Foul busts free of the Arch of Time, though it's unclear if Foul can actually deliver this[[/note]]). However, by the time the actual books take place, this is entirely a matter of legend; the Ravers are well-known primarily as Foul's minions, and are even described as such in the books' glossaries. |
| 72 | * A rather... tense... version in the later books of ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle''. Lord Xar is a SorcerousOverlord and MagicKnight; Kleitus is an [[OurLichesAreDifferent undead]], [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal]] ImplacableMan {{Necromancer}}. When they meet, Xar is able to force Kleitus into serving him by the simple expedient of being too powerful to kill (and Xar can't just kill Kleitus because he doesn't know the one spell that can destroy him). It's explicitly stated that Kleitus follows Xar around and does his bidding not out of any sense of loyalty, but out of the pure hope that he can be there when Xar slips up and use the opportunity to [[TheStarscream finish what he started]]. Xar, of course, is fully aware of this and doesn't trust Kleitus as far as he can kick him. |
| 73 | * ''Literature/TheMentalState'' is essentially a story of a SociopathicHero contending with a series of [[ArcVillain Arc Villains]]. Most of them end up as underlings for the story's [[HiddenVillain true Big Bad]]. One of them even becomes TheDragon to TheHero! |
| 74 | * In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'', after Ash begins acting more openly and reveals himself to be TheManBehindTheMan, he forces Thorn to become his right-hand-man - something Thorn resents, but has no means of combating. |
| 75 | [[/folder]] |
| 76 | |
| 77 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 78 | * The Series/{{Arrowverse}}: Damien Darhk serves as the BigBad of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' Season 4. He then migrates to ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' and joins a BigBadDuumvirate in Season 2, playing second fiddle to Eobard Thawne and constantly spatting with his [[CoDragons co-dragon]] Malcolm Merlyn. Come Season 3, he becomes merely TheDragon to the time demon Mallus, before [[HeroicSacrifice giving up his life]] to save his daughter. |
| 79 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' |
| 80 | ** When Angel became Angelus, former BigBad Spike became Angel's Dragon. |
| 81 | ** Mr. Trick, after having [[DragonHisFeet abandoned]] his master, Kakistos, to the Slayers, seeks to install himself as the next BigBad and TheManBehindTheMan. Cue the Mayor forcibly recruiting Mr. Trick. |
| 82 | ** Also subverted when the Mayor attempted to do this to Angelus. Angelus initially goes along with it (in a very openly-[[TheStarscream Starscreamish]] way) but it turns out the Mayor failed to actually take Angel's soul, and he was just [[TheMole playing along to get information from Faith]]. |
| 83 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 84 | ** The episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E3FrontierInSpace Frontier in Space]]" has the Master working under the Daleks, who are employing him to start a galactic war. Although the Master is still technically the main antagonist as TheHeavy for most of the special, while the Daleks aren't revealed until much later on. |
| 85 | ** A species-wide example regarding the Daleks, who were collectively the Big Bads of ''Doctor Who'' until post the "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]" serial which introduced Davros, creator of the Daleks. Following this the Daleks tended to act as minions for Davros, who served as the BigBad of most of the Dalek stories in the classic series since his introduction. |
| 86 | ** Ironically in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth The Stolen Earth]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd Journey's End]]" this relationship is reversed, with Davros having been deposed and clearly demoted to being a minion of the [[KingMook Supreme Dalek]]. |
| 87 | * ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Crais briefly experiences this once Scorpius deposes him as captain of his Peacekeeper battleship, but takes the first opportunity to desert and [[WildCard do his own thing]]. |
| 88 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': |
| 89 | ** Houses Stark, Lannister, Arryn, and Martell were kings or regnant princes before they bent the knee to the Targaryens and became wardens. |
| 90 | ** The wildling chieftains who serve under Mance Rayder, such as Tormund and Styr, all agreed to become this. |
| 91 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 92 | ** Most CrisisCrossover events will feature multiple previous main villains return as minions of the crossover's overarching event. In most cases, these returning villains go unvoiced aside from battle sounds, although in some instances they have more personality. |
| 93 | ** The three Gorgom Priests are TheHeavy for most of ''Series/KamenRiderBlack''. When they revive Shadow Moon in the latter half, they become CoDragons to him. |
| 94 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'': Once Kazari makes the mistake of helping Dr. Maki turn into a new Greeed using the [[ArtifactOfDoom Purple Core Medals]], he's swiftly demoted to the doctor's dragon. Kazari never realizes this, at least not until he finally outlives his usefulness and Maki guts him like a fish. |
| 95 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': Ryoma Sengoku gets revived in the ''Drive'' crossover by Megahex to carry out his will. Not that he minds much, as he views being a part of Megahex's HiveMind to be [[GodhoodSeeker equivalent to being a god]]. |
| 96 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'': Once Tenjuro Banno, creator of the Roidmudes, successfully acquires a new body to host his mind, he quickly promotes himself to lead villain and forces the remaining Roidmudes to work for him. Given how intensely the Roidmudes despise Banno, this soon brings about their HeelFaceTurn. |
| 97 | * Darken Rahl is the BigBad of the first season of ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker''. Then he's killed in the season finale. Come season 2, the [[TheDevil Keeper]] has become the new BigBad, seeking to kill every living thing, with the Rahl's soul being his Dragon. Not only that, but he reveals that he has ''always'' served the Keeper after making a DealWithTheDevil for more power, and all his murders and slaughters were partly to appease his master. Then again, Rahl is a dick either way and really enjoys killing. Of course, he turns out to be a DragonWithAnAgenda and betrays his master by the end. Additionally, in the episode where Zedd's spell goes awry and rewrites history, Rahl becomes Richard's willing assistant, after Richard brainwashes him. Then the spell is broken, and Rahl is back to his old self. By the end of season 2, Rahl finds a way to return to the world of the living and turns his back on the Keeper. |
| 98 | * Regina Mills, the BigBad of the first season of ''Series/OnceUponATime'' becomes TheDragon to her mother Cora in the second. |
| 99 | * In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Mr. Greer willingly and ''happily'' demotes himself to the role of TheDragon after succeeding in his two-season mission to install Samaritan, an ArtificialIntelligence unfettered by morality, as the show's new BigBad. His goal is to put ''all of humanity'' in the control of AIs, believing them to be logical, incorruptible and superior to human leaders in every way. |
| 100 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': |
| 101 | ** [[TheHeavy Snide]] is the main antagonist for the first half of ''Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge'' season 2. After his [[DiscOneFinalBoss defeat midway through]], he becomes the general of [[GreaterScopeVillain Lord Arcanon]]. It's revealed during the climax that he was actually TheMole in Arcanon's team and was allied with [[HijackedByGanon Sledge]] the whole time. They're set up as a BigBadDuumvirate at first, but it soon becomes clear that Sledge is the ''real'' BigBad and Snide one of his CoDragons. |
| 102 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'': Sledge and Snide return during the Crossover between ''Dino Charge'' and ''Beast Morphers'' as lieutenants of Evox/''Venjix''. Sledge is later killed and replaced by Goldar, TheDragon and [[TheHeavy Heavy]] of Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers. |
| 103 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'': [[BlackKnight Void Knight]] is the main villain of season 1, but is overthrown by his wife [[VilerNewVillain Void Queen]] after the first quarter of season 2. After spending the second quarter of the season as the rangers' ally, [[HeelFaceDoorSlam he's captured]] and [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] by Void Queen into being her second-in-command. |
| 104 | * A strange variant in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s Season 10 episode, "Dominion". General Zod of Season 5, and Major Zod (his clone), the BigBad of Season 9, were fused into a single being by {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}, the Season 10 BigBad, and used as his surrogate in the Phantom Zone. |
| 105 | * ''Series/StargateSG1'' |
| 106 | ** Initial BigBad Apophis is hunted down by replacement BigBad Sokar and dies while hiding on Earth. In a later episode, one of the lesser Goa'ulds serving Sokar has a First Prime named Na'onak who turns out to be a regenerated Apophis in disguise. However, Apophis rapidly pulls a [[TheStarscream Starscream]] on both and reclaims the BigBad throne. |
| 107 | ** Later on, the new BigBad Anubis is defeated by O'Neill controlling the Ancient super-weapon. He is presumed dead, and Ba'al, whose rise to power is previously facilitated by SG-1 to counterbalance Anubis becomes their number 1 threat. Near the end of the Goa'uld rule, though, it's revealed that Ba'al has since become this trope after Anubis manages to come back and retake his empire. After the fall of the Goa'uld, Ba'al is the only real Goa'uld threat remaining. |
| 108 | * ''Franchise/SuperSentai'': |
| 109 | ** ''Series/DenshiSentaiDenziman'''s BigBad, Queen Hedrian, gets revived in the following series, ''Series/TaiyouSentaiSunVulcan'' to be Führer Hell Saturn's [[TheDragon Dragon]] in Machine Empire Black Magma. Although Hedrian is very [[TheHeavy proactive]] and quickly builds up her own power base within Black Magma, to the point where her relationship with Hell Saturn starts to more resemble a BigBadDuumvirate. |
| 110 | ** When the [[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger Black Cross King]] returns as the BigBad of ''Film/GokaigerGoseigerSuperSentai199HeroGreatBattle'', he revives Brajira of the Messiah (the BigBad of ''Series/TensouSentaiGoseiger''), Hades God Dagon (the DragonInChief of ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'') and Prime Minister Yogoshimacritein (the GreaterScopeVillain of ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'') as his subordinates. |
| 111 | * Yapool, the BigBad of ''Series/UltramanAce'', returns in ''Series/UltramanMebius'' as a minion of BigBad Alien Empera. |
| 112 | [[/folder]] |
| 113 | |
| 114 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 115 | * Wrestling/TheUndertaker, as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness, was clearly seen as the biggest threat in the Wrestling/{{W|orldWrestlingFederation}}WF at the time, to the point where it seemed even Wrestling/VinceMcMahon was getting face cheers over him and was being portrayed somewhat sympathetically. However, Taker began making references to a "Higher Power", and when it was time for the reveal, it was none other than [=McMahon=] himself who had been pulling the strings all along. The Ministry merged with The Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry, and Undertaker immediately became [=McMahon=]'s dragon. |
| 116 | * The Wrestling/{{n|ewWorldorder}}Wo were the main PowerStable during their time in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, but after WCW was bought out by the WWF, they were reduced to Mr.[=McMahon=]'s lackeys. |
| 117 | [[/folder]] |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 120 | * In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', Tatanga is the FinalBoss. In the sequel, Wario is the FinalBoss, and Tatanga is simply guarding one of his coins for some reason. It's implied he may have been working for Wario the whole time, given that Wario takes over when Mario was distracted by Tatanga. |
| 121 | * Played with in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''. Dr. Cortex was always Uka Uka's [[TheDragon Dragon]], but only after the latter's release in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' does this become apparent and he directly serves under him. In ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'', Cortex finally tires of Uka's abuse and overthrows him, making himself the true BigBad for the first time. |
| 122 | * Happened to Lechuck in ''VideoGame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'', though he does turn on the game's new villain in the endgame when they're defeated. |
| 123 | * ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'': [[GorgeousGorgon Medusa]], the villain of [[VideoGame/KidIcarus1986 the first game]], is actually reduced to this in ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising''. Though in what may have been an AuthorsSavingThrow in case this wasn't well-received, it's revealed that the Medusa in ''Uprising'' isn't actually Medusa, just a whole bunch of random souls Hades put together in a Medusa-shaped container. |
| 124 | * In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', Darth Sion starts out as one half of a BigBadDuumvirate with Darth Nihilus. During the events of the endgame, in which Nihilus dies and Kreia reclaims her identity as Darth Traya, he becomes the sole BigBad for a time, only to be forcibly demoted upon Traya's return. |
| 125 | * In the arcade version of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', Machine Gun Willy is the leader of the Black Warriors and the final boss in the game. In the NES version, he's simply the last guy the player must face before the final battle against the player's twin brother, [[AdaptationalVillainy who became the main villain in the NES version]]. Note that while the sibling battle also occurs in the arcade version, it was an optional fight that only occurs if two people were playing, whereas in the NES version it's mandatory to completing the game. |
| 126 | * Sagat was the final boss in the original ''VideoGame/StreetFighterI''. In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', he's simply the last fighter the player must face before M. Bison. |
| 127 | * The Magician reappears in ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead 2'' as the penultimate boss before the final stage. He isn't any easier to beat, though. Probably doesn't count though, since he isn't related the bad guy's plan at all. He's a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere. |
| 128 | * ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' |
| 129 | ** In ''Fatal Fury Special'', Geese Howard is the last opponent the player must face before facing Geese's half-brother Wolfgang Krauser. In ''Real Bout Special'', it's the other way around. |
| 130 | ** Speaking of Geese, in the first ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' game, the main boss is an escrima-using crime lord named Mr. Big. In II, it's established that Geese defeated Big and took control of the underground in South Town. It's also why Big appears on the Villains team in KOF'96 alongside Geese and Krauser. |
| 131 | * Kageyana Reiji from ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' is the BigBad in the first game, but he returns in the third, where he's revealed to be TheDragon to TheManBehindTheMan Garshield Bayhan. |
| 132 | * In the Genesis version of ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe'', the player must face Death Bringer (a console-exclusive final boss) after defeating Death Adder (the final boss in the arcade version). |
| 133 | * ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni'' does this via plot expansion in an UpdatedReRelease. In the original DS version, Shadar the Dark Djin was the FinalBoss. The [=PS3=] version, "Wrath of the White Witch", keeps his original arc but continues afterwards, making him a DiscOneFinalBoss, and adds cutscenes revealing him as TheDragon to the White Witch from the start. |
| 134 | * As of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Xemnas, the [[BigBad Big Bads]] of the first and second game, respectively, have ''both'' been Demoted To Dragon under Master Xehanort (either that, or Master Xehanort was playing TheManBehindTheMan the entire time) For the record, these are all different incarnations/versions of the exact same guy. |
| 135 | * In ''VideoGame/BattleClash'', the space alien Anubis is the last boss of the game. In the sequel, ''Metal Combat'', it is revealed that Anubis was following orders from a race of alien invaders who were plotting to conquer the Earth as a replacement for their lost home. |
| 136 | * ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'' has former BigBad Lord Dearche becoming the subordinate of the Unbreakable Darkness, the true master of the Materials. At least, that was the plan. Then it gets subverted when the Unbreakable Darkness [[PowerIncontinence turned out to be more unstable than expected]] and unintentionally [[FightingAShadow destroys the physical bodies of the Materials in her introductory scene]], [[EnemyMine forcing the Materials to join forces with the heroes]] to stop/save her. Lord Dearche does eventually become the subordinate of the Unbreakable Darkness, but only after a HeelFaceTurn for everyone involved. |
| 137 | * ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' features Arfoire, the AnthropomorphicPersonification of {{digital piracy|IsEvil}} as the BigBad, who in the ContinuityReboot of ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2'' becomes the GreaterScopeVillain and the leader of her own gang of powerful software pirates. In mk2's sequel ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory'', she's merely a member of the Seven Sages, another group of supervillains plotting to wreak havoc across an AlternateUniverse Gamindustri. |
| 138 | * In ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', [[BigBad Zophar]] resurrects Magic Emperor Ghaleon, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', to serve as his Dragon. In the end, this backfires spectacularly. It turns out that being dead for a thousand years gave Ghaleon plenty of time to think about what he did wrong in his previous life, causing him to act as a StealthMentor to the heroes. Zophar had been quite prepared for the possibility of [[TheStarscream a straightforward betrayal]] and revived Ghaleon in such a way that he could simply withdraw his power and cause Ghaleon to instantly die. But it never occurred to him that Ghaleon would pull a HeelFaceTurn and [[HeroicSacrifice be entirely willing to die to stop him]]. |
| 139 | * Delekhan from ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'', though supposedly in charge, ends up the whole time to be working under the direction of Makala and The Six, which the player doesn't figure out until at least Chapter 6 (if not later) and the party doesn't figure out until Chapter 8 (of 9). |
| 140 | * In ''{{Videogame/Bayonetta 2}}'' the BigBad of this game, Loptr/Aesir tricks Balder, the big bad of the first ''{{Videogame/Bayonetta}}'' game, into serving him by making him think Loki, Loptr's good half, was the one who killed his wife. However, the Balder in the sequel was brought to the present via TimeTravel, and is not the same Father Balder from the first game, at least not until the end of the second game. |
| 141 | * ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' |
| 142 | ** In the first ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'' game, Shang Tsung appears as the Big Bad, with Goro as his Dragon. Starting with the second game, Shao Kahn overtakes his Big Bad status, where Shang Tsung becomes his one of his CoDragons, alongside Kintaro and later on, Goro. |
| 143 | ** While Shao Kahn gets replaced as main villain in later games, he never actually turns into this trope until ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' when the new antagonist, Kronika, enlists him in her LegionOfDoom by promising to restore him to Outworld's throne and he surprisingly goes along with it. |
| 144 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'' |
| 145 | ** Copy-X, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/MegaManZero1''. He CameBackWrong in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero3 Zero 3]]'' and resumes leadership of Neo Arcadia. However, it's obvious to everyone but Copy-X himself that he was just being manipulated by Dr. Weil, the true BigBad of the ''Zero'' series, and he sets Copy-X up to be killed by Zero again once he has [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness served his purpose]]. |
| 146 | ** [[SuperBoss Apollo Flame]] is the ArcVillain of the PostEndGameContent BadFuture storyline of ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce 2''. He then comes back as an underling of Sirius, the ArcVillain SuperBoss of ''Star Force 3's'' own post-game storyline. |
| 147 | * In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy Densetsu no Stafy 3]]'', Ogura, the Big Bad and final boss of the first two games, is revealed to be the Dragon of Evil, the Big Bad and TrueFinalBoss of 3. |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 151 | * In ''Webcomic/HarryPotterComics'', Voldemort is revived by a mysterious Necromancer for the sole purpose of being his Dragon (and fully opening the Chamber of Secrets). |
| 152 | * In the ''Start of Darkness'' prequel to ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', the EvilSorcerer PsychoForHire Xykon wrests BigBad status from his employer Redcloak through superior firepower unchecked by morality, decency, or self-restraint. Though Xykon acts more or less entirely ForTheEvulz and Redcloak fancies himself TheManBehindTheMan to his machinations, Redcloak remains otherwise completely subservient to Xykon's whims. |
| 153 | * In ''Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline'' Robotnik is demoted to the brute of The Syndicate in the ''Sonic Adventure 2'' arc. |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 157 | * On ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', Mechakara was the BigBad starting from the May 2009 episodes. After the storyline concluded in February 2010, Mechakara later reappeared as TheDragon to the new BigBad, Lord Vyce. Unlike other cases, Mechakara doesn't suffer from VillainDecay, becoming more of a threat due him being upgraded. |
| 158 | ** Played straight in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' where Mechakara infiltrates the Website/ChannelAwesome team for Terl, though he later [[TheDogBitesBack turns his attention on him and Zod, too]]. |
| 159 | * ''Podcast/Wolf359'' did this in the GrandFinale, and too a lesser extent in the second season. |
| 160 | [[/folder]] |
| 161 | |
| 162 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 163 | * ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'': Carface was the main villain of the original movie but in the sequel he played lackey to [[SatanicArchetype Red]] and to Belladonna in the series. |
| 164 | * [[Characters/Ben10Vilgax Vilgax]] from ''Franchise/{{Ben 10}}'' becomes the Dragon to [[EldritchAbomination Diagon]] in the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' season 2 finale, though he is hinted to be a DragonWithAnAgenda. This is confirmed in the GrandFinale, where Vilgax is a successful [[TheStarscream Starscream]], killing Diagon and absorbing his power to become the most dangerous villain the franchise. |
| 165 | * ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'': In the revival series, Candide Sampson is assigned to be the new boss of Principal Scudworth, who'll be monitoring him from a newly-installed room above his office in Clone High High School. |
| 166 | * In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' the Fright Knight became Pariah Dark's Dragon when he awoke. Though in this case, the Fright Knight was ''always'' Pariah's Dragon, his boss was just SealedEvilInACan when the Fright Knight was unleashed the first time. Vlad convinced him to turn against his master offscreen. |
| 167 | * In ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', this happens to Cobra Commander in the Sunbow series when Serpentor is created. Worsened after the events of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeTheMovie'', where Cobra is reduced to nothing more than a pet snake for the latter. When changed back in the Creator/DiCEntertainment continuation, Cobra Commander returns the favour to Serpentor by turning him into an iguana and retakes his position as leader of Cobra. |
| 168 | * Magmion was the BigBad of the first season of ''WesternAnimation/GormitiTheLordsOfNatureReturn''. Season 2 introduced Obscurio, and Magmion was reduced to his main henchman. |
| 169 | ** In season 3, Obscurio himself is revealed to be the first lieutenant of Magor and acts as the secondary antagonist of the season. |
| 170 | * Gideon was the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' in Season 1, but becomes [[SatanicArchetype Bill Cipher]]'s enforcer in Season 2 after Bill fulfills his WhenDimensionsCollide plan and brings about the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. |
| 171 | * Skeletor was the BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'', but became TheDragon to new villain Flogg in ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfHeMan''. However, Skeletor's role [[DragonInChief wasn't all that different functionally, as he constantly manipulated the clueless Flogg.]] |
| 172 | * Shendu, from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''. For the first season he was the one calling the shots but after his defeat he is forced into servitude to his demon siblings. Though in this case, he demoted ''himself'' so they'd stop beating the crap out of him for leaving them to rot in their prison. |
| 173 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 174 | ** In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom, Part 1]]", Discord ''thinks'' he and Tirek are a BigBadDuumvirate, but in actuality he's this trope and Tirek double-crosses him as soon as he is no longer important. |
| 175 | ** In the final season, Tirek, Cozy Glow, Queen Chrysalis are brought together into a LegionOfDoom under [[AncientEvil Grogar]], all of them becoming his Dragons. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, they don't like that idea and begin [[TheStarscream plotting behind his back]]. Coupled with the twist that Grogar was actually [[TricksterMentor Discord]] in disguise as part of a convoluted plan to boost Twilight's confidence, they end up taking back their BigBad status and become the true final villains of the series]]. |
| 176 | * Professor Pericles from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' acts as the BigBad of season 1 but in the second half of season 2 is revealed to be the Dragon to the Nibiru entity. |
| 177 | * [[Characters/TeenTitans2003Slade Slade]] from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' is demoted to Trigon's dragon when the latter tries to take over the world. An unusual case where the former BigBad is actually ''more'' of a threat to the heroes when he's serving as someone else's henchman, because Trigon gave him [[EmpoweredBadassNormal a truckload of powers in the bargain]]. |
| 178 | * In ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', Gantu acts as the main antagonist, though he's somewhat of a HeroAntagonist as he believes that Stitch is a threat to the galaxy and needs to be disposed of. However, after he is retired from being captain by the Grand Councilwoman, he ends up taking the role of TheDragon when he is hired by Dr. Hamsterviel in [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries the TV series]], though he has a partner on his own in 625/Reuben. |
| 179 | ** Dr. Hamsterviel himself is DemotedToDragon when he works for Delia in the [[Anime/{{Stitch}} anime]]. |
| 180 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': |
| 181 | ** Pythor takes over the Serpentine to serve as the Big Bad of season one. Come [[spoiler:season three]], he's revealed to be working for the Overlord. |
| 182 | ** The "Day of the Departed" special has Sensei Yang resurrect several previous Big Bads serve under him by distracting the ninja. Pythor (who's still alive) joins up of his own accord. |
| 183 | ** The Quiet One, the Big Bad of season eight, is working to resurrect Garmadon. They succeed in the finale and quickly step aside to become his Dragon in season nine. |
| 184 | ** Like "Day of the Departed," the Council of the Crystal King is again composed of former Big Bads (with the exception of the Mechanic, who never got higher than Dragon in his previous appearances). Kabuki Mask, who has the best claim to the actual "Dragon" position is [[spoiler:Harumi]], who proves to be more comfortable assisting a classic Big Bad than acting as one on their own. |
| 185 | * ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'': This is played with when [[EldritchAbomination Unicron]] shows up. [[Characters/TransformersPrimeMegatron Megatron]] ''wants'' to serve him, but Unicron doesn't give a crap about Megatron, viewing him as beneath him. Which is a total reversal of the G1 situation ("serve me or get ''eaten''") and the ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' situation ("you've actually been [[BatmanGambit serving me all along]].") where it's an unwilling Megs being made to work for Unicron until he can turn the tables. (If you go with the AllThereInTheManual RetCon that there's just one Unicron, it could be that the Chaos-Bringer has just learned that Megatrons don't make good servants.) |
| 186 | ** They do cross paths again in the finale movie. He still doesn't become Unicron's dragon. Megatron's dead body is hijacked by Unicron, and Unicron proceeds to torture Megatron whenever he speaks out of turn. |
| 187 | * The BigBad of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'', Steeljaw, has this happen to him not once, not twice but ''three'' times. First time happens when he gets recruited by [[GreaterScopeVillain Megatronus Prime]] to free him and bring him to Earth. Then, in the second season, Steeljaw winds up joining Glowstrike's crew of Decepticon criminals and working under her, though he later [[TheStarscream usurps her]] and takes control of her crew. Later, in the third season, Steeljaw gets freed by a group of [[MysteriousEmployer mysterious benefactors]] and winds up working under them, though they remain [[GreaterScopeVillain distant]] enough from the plot that Steeljaw could still be considered a BigBad. |
| 188 | * ''Wacky Races Forever'', the proposed sequel series to ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'', would have featured Dastardly and Muttley, the main villains of the original, as the bumbling henchmen of a CorruptCorporateExecutive. |
| 189 | * The Trix from ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' were the main villains in season 1. In seasons 2, 3, the 2nd movie, and 5 they work for the more powerful villains Lord Darkar, Valtor, the Ancestral Witches, and Tritannus. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
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