History Main / ReturningBigBad

* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', the BigBad Tigerstar is killed at the end of the first series. However, he returns to the books in the latter half of the second series, visiting his sons Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw in their dreams and trying to get them to follow his plans; ultimately, by the time of ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsOmenOfTheStars Omen of the Stars]]'', his spirit is able to physically fight living cats and he faces TheHero Firestar once more.

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'': Go on. Guess who comes back.

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnofJafar'': Go on. Guess who comes back.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReturntoNeverLand'': Captain Hook is still causing trouble, and this time kidnaps [[SpinOffspring Wendy's daughter Jane]] and takes her to Neverland.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'': Shere Khan is out to get revenge on Mowgli for burning off his tail and humiliating him, [[KnightofCerebus and is far viler and less comedic this time.]]

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': M. Bison (known in Japan as Vega), the most recurring villain in the Street Fighter series, has returned in numerous games and spin-offs as the main villain even after being defeated, replaced or even killed by other villains like Akuma, Gill or Seth.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimaton/TheLionGuard'' has Scar eventually be revived in the form of a fire demon who wants to get revenge on Simba and destroy the Pride Lands.

** ''Series/PowerRangersCosmicFury'': Lord Zedd from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' is brought BackFromTheDead in ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoFury Dino Fury]]'', and becomes the main villain for the 30th anniversary season.

* In ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'', the BigBad Evox is a sentient virus that was after the Morphing Grid. [[spoiler:The second season revealed that he is actually Venjix from ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', having hidden his code in Scott's Cell Shift Morpher, as hinted in the finale. When the Morpher was experimented on by Nate using Morph-X and snake DNA, the components mixed with the Venjix virus, turning him into Evox and granting a hunger for the Morphing Grid.]]

** After spending four seasons absent from the series, the Daleks make their triumphant return in Season 9's "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E1TheDayOfTheDaleks The Day of the Daleks]]." A season later, they return again when they are revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheMan behind the Master]], employing him to start an interstellar war.

* [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Gul Dukat]] in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. Dukat first appeared in the pilot episode and was the de-facto BigBad of season 1, which mostly had VillainOfTheWeek stories, and was a recurring villain throughout the seasons 2 and 3. In season 4 he was eclipsed by the [[TheEmpire Dominion]] and went through a quasi HeelFaceTurn, but midway through season 5 he joins up with the Dominion and becomes TheHeavy of the Dominion War arc, even capturing the titular station. After being defeated be again becomes a recurring villain until the end of season 6, where he starts worshipping the [[LegionsOfHell Pah-wraiths]]. He is one of the two main villains of season 7, alongside the Female Changeling, culminating in him becoming TheAntiChrist. He is the last villain to be defeated in the show, dying in a duel with [[TheHero Sisko]] in the last few minutes of the finale.

** In the season six finale, "To Where and Back Again", Queen Chrysalis, the antagonist from the season two finale "A Canterlot Wedding" comes back and launches a near-successful takeover of Equestria [[spoiler:which includes capturing the main heroes, only for to be defeated thanks to Starlight Glimmer alongside Trixie, Discord, and reformed changeling Thorax]].
** A unique version in the final season: [[spoiler:Throughout the season, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were recruited and {{Demoted to Dragon}}s by Grogar, but began plotting behind his back. In the GrandFinale, they successfully double-cross him, with it revealed that he was actually Discord in disguise as part of a crazy plan to help boost Twilight's confidence to help her become ruler of Equestria, leaving the villainous trio free to take back their roles as a BigBadTriumvirate]].

%% * One of the main villains of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is Evil Morty, a MagnificentBastard who repeatedly [[TheBadGuyWins manages to accomplish his goals]] and outsmart plethoras of other Ricks and Mortys in the multiverse, including the main duo. The Season 5 finale, "Rickmurai Jack", [[spoiler:sees him succeed in escaping the Central Finite Curve]], and this same episode also introduces a new GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Rick Prime, the man who killed Main Rick's family decades ago]]. The next season and a half focuses heavily on Rick's efforts [[spoiler:to track Rick Prime down for {{Revenge}}, and only manages to do so while part of an EnemyMine with Evil Morty in Season 7's "Unmortricken". By the end of it, Rick has successfully killed Rick Prime, while Evil Morty has once again gotten what he wanted and leaves unimpeded, with leverage to keep Rick from coming after him and hinting that he may have use for Rick again in the future]].

* Happens quite a bit in ''Series/DoctorWho'' thanks to the large RoguesGallery. You'll have villains like the Daleks and Cybermen who serve as the Big Bads for one or a few seasons, dip out for a bit only to return as the Big Bads for a later season.

** Alien Empera was originally set up in ''Series/UltramanTaro'' as the GreaterScopeVillain for the whole series. After appearing in several stage shows, Empera finally makes a proper TV debut in ''Mebius'' as [[TheManBehindTheMan the real mastermind]] behind the monster attacks in that series. He nearly returned again in ''Film/UltramanMebiusGaiden'', but his resurrection was stopped.

* ''VideoGame/PockyAndRocky'': ''Reshrined'' sees Black Mantle, the main antagonist of the first SNES game, returning to get his revenge on Pocky.

* One of the main villains of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is Evil Morty, a MagnificentBastard who repeatedly [[TheBadGuyWins manages to accomplish his goals]] and outsmart plethoras of other Ricks and Mortys in the multiverse, including the main duo. The Season 5 finale, "Rickmurai Jack", [[spoiler:sees him succeed in escaping the Central Finite Curve]], and this same episode also introduces a new GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Rick Prime, the man who killed Main Rick's family decades ago]]. The next season and a half focuses heavily on Rick's efforts [[spoiler:to track Rick Prime down for {{Revenge}}, and only manages to do so while part of an EnemyMine with Evil Morty in Season 7's "Unmortricken". By the end of it, Rick has successfully killed Rick Prime, while Evil Morty has once again gotten what he wanted and leaves unimpeded, with leverage to keep Rick from coming after him and hinting that he may have use for Rick again in the future]].

* One of the main villains of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is Evil Morty, a MagnificentBastard who repeatedly [[TheBadGuyWins manages to accomplish his goals]] and outsmart plethoras of other Ricks and Mortys in the multiverse, including the main duo. The Season 5 finale, "Rickmurai Jack", [[spoiler:sees him succeed in escaping the Central Finite Curve]], and this same episode also introduces a new GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Rick Prime, the man who killed Main Rick's family decades ago]]. The next season and a half focuses heavily on Rick's efforts [[spoiler:to track Rick Prime down for {{Revenge}}, only to succeed in doing so while part of an EnemyMine with Evil Morty in Season 7's "Unmortricken". By the end of it, Rick has successfully killed Rick Prime, while Evil Morty has once again gotten what he wanted and leaves unimpeded, with leverage to keep Rick from coming after him and hinting that he may have use for Rick again in the future]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': After [[Characters/RickAndMortyEvilMorty Evil Morty]] left the Central Finite Curve in "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS5E10RickamuraiJack Rickmurai Jack]]", Rick Prime--Main Rick's nemesis who murdered his wife--was set up as the new BigBad for the series. Now, in episode "[[Recap/RickAndMortyS7E5Unmortricken Unmortricken]]" though, Rick Prime gets majorly OutGambitted by Evil Morty--who returns and forms an EnemyMine with Rick and Morty out of self-preservation--and is [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten to death by Rick]]. Evil Morty, meanwhile, steals Rick Prime's schematics for the Omega Weapon, and while he mostly just wants to be left to his own devices and is merely taking them as a deterrant, he does hint that he may have use for Rick again in the future, once again leaving him as the biggest overarching threat in the series.

* ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'': [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine Emperor Palpatine]] returns after being killed in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', revealing that he created Supreme Leader Snoke via cloning; as a result, he is responsible for the majority of the events in the Sequel Trilogy.

* ''Franchise/KamenRider'', back in the Showa Era, had a tendency to reveal that the BigBad of ''every season'' was actually the first season's villain, the Great Leader of Shocker, in disguise, even though he [[BackFromTheDead was destroyed by the heroes]] OnceASeason. The explanation is that he's [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil an evil spirit more than he is a man]]. This has become much rarer since the franchise came back with ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga''... but it still happens, most recently, the Great Leader returned in ''2015''!

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': [[spoiler:Season 15's BigBad, the Crystal King, is revealed in "A Sinister Shadow" to be the latest incarnation of the Overlord, the BigBad of Seasons 2 and 3. Despite last being seemingly killed by Zane, the Overlord, being the embodiment of evil, can never be destroyed. He's been bidding his time, resurrecting Harumi after her death in Season 9, and has instructed her to build an army out of [[KryptoniteFactor Vengestone]]. This means he's also the GreaterScopeVillain for King Vangelis, Season 13's main villain, who had been supplying him with Vengestone before his defeat.]]