History GreaterScopeVillain / LiveActionTV

* Franchise/TheWalkingDeadTelevisionUniverse: The franchise as a whole has the Civic Republic Military. First appearing in Season 8 of [[Series/TheWalkingDead2010 the mothership series]] as a mysterious group with {{Black Helicopter}}s that Jadis' scavengers have some secretive arrangement with, Season 5 of ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'' further expands on them by making it clear they have supply depots all over the country, are monitoring survivor enclaves everywhere, and are willing to [[HeKnowsTooMuch kill anyone who learns of their existence]]. ''Series/TheWalkingDeadWorldBeyond'' finally makes them the main antagonists, explaining that they're the military wing of a fully reestablished and functioning city-state, which they view as civilization's last chance of survival [[WellIntentionedExtremist which they are willing to do anything to protect]]. Even then, there's still a Greater-Scope Villain in the form of Major-General Biel, the head of the CRM, who signs off on all their actions (while keeping it a secret from the Civic Republic's civilian leadership), but remains TheGhost throughout ''World Beyond''.

** Ruby was one of a group of DemonLordsAndArchdevils called the Dark Ones, who once unleashed HellOnEarth with the Necronomicon until they were [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the underworld]] ( Ruby excepted, as she sold the others out). The recurring threat in Season 3 is them escaping to pick up where they left off, finally succeeding in the GrandFinale.

* On The Secret Circle [[spoiler: John Blackwell]] is the Big Bad but his ancestor Francis Balcoin is considered the most evil witch of all time.

** Season 3: "It", the Inhuman banished to the mysterious planet that Simmons was sent to that is worshipped by HYDRA. However, it escapes in Ward's body in the mid-season finale and become the BigBad for the rest of the season.

** A more elusive Greater Scope Villain would be Rassilon, founder of Time Lord society, who [[DrivenToMadness deliberately drove mad]] [[ArchEnemy The Master]] in order to use him as his UnwittingPawn.

* ''Series/{{Revenge}}'' has the [[NebulousEvilOrganization Americon Initiative]], the domestic terrorist group who the Graysons laundered money for (which they then framed David Clarke for). Initially just a part of the backstory, they later started influencing the story again in late Season 1 via their assassin the White Haired Man, and in Season 2 seem to be stepping down to knock the Graysons out of the BigBad position.

** By the end of season 4, Terry Silver has become this to Kreese. While both are skilled fighters and masterful manipulators, Terry has Kreese beat on both counts ''and'' has extensive financial resources to draw from.
** Kim Sun-Yung is this for the series and the ''Film/TheKarateKid'' franchise overall, as he was the one who taught Kreese and Silver the brutal style of martial arts that Kreese based Cobra Kai upon.

** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'':
*** The Helheim Forest. While it's the central reason ''why'' the Riders are fighting Inves and each other and later on the Overlords, it takes a backseat to the overall conflicts. Case in point, even when Takatora reveals its true nature and ''why'' Yggdrasil is fighting it, Kouta still finds a reason to oppose Yggdrasil more than Helheim. An even bigger case in point? Near the finale, ''all'' the villains are taken care of save for Helheim, whose avatar personally appears and reveals himself to two {{big bad wannabe}}s (who both wind up getting pushed out of the conflict soon after). The final battle isn't with him, but rather with [[TheRival Kaito]] who had obtained the same level of power as the Overlords. The closest thing [[TheHero Kouta]] did to defeating the actual Greater Scope Villain is moving his operation away to a far off distant planet, and depending on how you view his reaction, the avatar of Helheim is cool with it.
*** Yggdrasill's resident MadScientist [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Professor Ryoma Sengoku]] serves as this for most of the ''Gaim Gaiden'' spin-off films. He supplied Alfred with his Genesis Driver in ''Baron Gaiden'', created the Forbidden Ringo Lockseed used by Idunn in ''Zangetsu Gaiden'' and in his film ''Duke Gaiden'' took part in the experiment that created the BigBad Kugai Kudo, technically making him the Greater-Scope Villain to [[VillainProtagonist his own story]]. Kugai Kudo himself serves as this in ''Baron Gaiden'', as he gave Shura his Lockseed and is hinted to be behind his EvilPlan in that film.
*** The ''Gaim Gaiden'' films also introduce another Greater Scope Villain for the entire series, Amagi Kureshima, top executive of Yggdrasill and patriarch of the Kureshima family. Amagi was the one who oversaw Yggdrasill's [[OrphanageOfFear Zawame Child Care Facility]], where children were experimented on with the power of Helheim and raised to be future Yggdrasill employees. Said facility was responsible for the upbringing of Touka Akatsuki/Kamen Rider Idunn and Ryoma Sengoku. Furthermore, he was also the one who headed the experiment that gave Kugai Kudo his powers. Despite all this though, he only gets a brief flashback scene in ''Duke Gaiden'' and [[PosthumousCharacter is dead]] by ''Zangetsu Gaiden''.

** The ''Film/SpaceSquad'' {{crossover}} films all have Prophet Fumein, the leader of the [[LegionOfDoom Genmakuu]] criminal organization comprisedof revived Series/MetalHeroes villains [[Series/KyojuuTokusouJuspion Mad Gallant]], [[Series/JikuuSenshiSpielban Hellvira]] and [[Series/SekaiNinjaSenJiraiya Demost]] may have each been the present BigBad of their respective films, but all of them answer to Fumein.

** Ultraman Tregear has also appeared as the manipulator behind several villains. He corrupted Leugocyte, the BigBad of ''Series/UltramanMebius'' and gave Murnau in the ''Series/UltramanOrb'' movie her powers. The League of Darkness in ''Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes'' was also his doing.

** Carmine Lupertazzi. After he and his empire are referred to merely as "New York" in the first two seasons, he finally appears in-person during Season 3. Despite being a longtime ally of the Dimeo crime family, Carmine's organization is almost universally viewed by Tony and his associates with wariness and suspicion (not least because the former regularly uses its vastly greater size and resources to coerce the New Jersey mobsters into "sharing" their profits on local business ventures). After the relationship between the two families deteriorates in Season 4. Members of the Lupertazzi crime family, Johnny Sack and later Phil Leotardo, ultimately becomes the story's preeminent antagonists.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has the Pah-Wraiths. They’re introduced fairly late in the game but have little bearing on the overall story beyond a few episodes centred on their enmity with [[BigGood the Prophets]] and fallen [[TheDragon Dragon]] [[BigBadWannabe Dukat]] starting to worship them after he lost his shit in Season 6. Then, in the very last episode, after the looming BigBad of the series is dealt with, they suddenly become ''very'' important. If Dukat had successfully unleashed them, they would’ve destroyed the entire ''universe''.

* ''Series/{{Willow}}'': The Crone it turns out is TheManBehindTheMan to Queen Bavmorda, the [[BigBad main villain]] of the [[Film/{{Willow}} original film]]. She indoctrinated Bavmorda and turned her evil to begin with.

* ''Series/Charmed1998'': The Source of All Evil in in the first three seasons.