History Main / VillainOpeningScene

Common in stories in which the villain and the plot are essentially synonymous.

* Similarly to the ''Buffy'' example, ''{{Blade}}'' opens with vampires having a rave (with a helpless human dude), which is crashed by the titular hero.

** [[Disney/TheRescuers ''The Rescuers Down Under'']] begins with [[EvilPoacher Percival McLeach]] successfully killing [[GiantFlyer Marahute's mate]] and immediately pursuing the fleeing large bird.

* Of course, the hundreds of episodes of shows with a {{Monster Of The Week}} (i.e. {{The X-Files}}, {{Supernatural}}, {{Angel}}), where the entire {{The Teaser}} involves said monster killing or attacking someone, and we don't see any main characters until after the opening credits.
* Many episodes of UltramanTiga have a VillainOpeningScene featuring the current MonsterOfTheWeek.
* PowerRangers began with Rita Repulsa and her goons being accidentally released by two astronauts investigating the planetoid her space dumpster was hidden on. She hammily declared her intent to attack the first planet she saw, which happened to be Earth.

* The opening of PokemonBlackAndWhite shows Ghetsis crowning the King of Team Plasma.
* In the opening cutscene for X's portion of [[MegaManX Mega Man X4]], a cloaked Sigma is having a discussion with the General about the Maverick Hunters, trying to convince him to fight against and destroy them.
* {{Castlevania}}: Rondo of Blood begins with a CorruptChurch headed by Shaft resurrecting Dracula.

* {{Kirby}} Super Star Ultra's Revenge of the King opens with King Dedede within his castle atop Mt. Dedede, protected from the inside by Spear Waddle Dees and guarded from the outside by Kabula.

* Aku from SamuraiJack. He even narrates the opening credits every week.
* The four villains at the start of {{The Powerpuff Girls}} episode "Meet the Beat-Alls" each plot to destroy the girls before deciding to [[IncrediblyLamePun band]] [[VillainTeamUp together]].
* A couple of ''DannyPhantom'' episodes opened with BigBad Vlad. The most devious one might be "Kindred Spirits" where the opening unfolded his plans to make a perfect clone

* PokemonBlackAndWhite avert the usual intro to title screen conventions. Normally, you see loads of Pokemon and stuff like that. This time round, you see Team Plasma crown N their new king.

* Kirby64 gets one as well; it begins with a cloud of Dark Matter attacking and taking over Ripple Star while Ribbon tries to get the fairies' crystal to safety and away from the Dark Matter... only for the Dark Matter scouts Dark Rimuru, Dark Rimura and Dark Rimuro to smash the crystal into dozens of pieces.

* [[Ptitleiihlp09n Kirby 64]] gets one as well; it begins with a cloud of Dark Matter attacking and taking over Ripple Star while Ribbon tries to get the fairies' crystal to safety and away from the Dark Matter... only for the Dark Matter scouts Dark Rimuru, Dark Rimura and Dark Rimuro to smash the crystal into dozens of pieces.

* Some of the JamesBond opening sequences. ''TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' focuses on Scaramanga. ''YouOnlyLiveTwice'' and ''{{Moonraker}}'' begin with spacecraft-hijacking before cutting to Bond. ''LiveAndLetDie'' opens with people getting murdered (though the cause only appears after the credits).

* Kirby64 gets one as well; it begins with a cloud of Dark Matter attacking and taking over Ripple Star while Ribbon tries to get the fairies' crystal to safety and away from the Dark Matter... only for the Dark Matter scouts Dark Rimuru, Dark Rimura and Dark Rimuro to smash the crystal into dozens of pieces.

* The first scene of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha A's'' involves [[BigBad Hayate]] and her [[ArtifactOfDoom Book of Darkness]], [[AntiVillain though villain is used in the loosest sense of the word here]].

* The opening of PokemonBlackAndWhite shows Geechisu crowning N the King of Team Plasma.

* ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}''. Okay, so it actually opens with the Merchant, but straight after it goes to Jafar.

* ''{{Stargate}}'' (the film) opens with Ra abducting his future host and slaves. (We don't see Ra himself, but we do see the host and Ra's ship).
** ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'''s first episodes features RedShirt soldiers getting attacked by Jaffas. Apophis' face is seen before Teal'c (and Teal'c is the first main character we get to see).

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* The first episode of ''{{Freakazoid}}'' begins with a news report on Cave Guy, a minor supervillain, wreaking havoc and confounding the police. The narrator then directs our attention to the [[{{Batman}} one hero with a chance at stopping him]], adds that he's owned by another network, and settles for a nerdy teenager named Dexter. [[IncomingHam Or is he...?]]
* Aku from SamuraiJack. He even narrates the opening credits every week.
* The four villains at the start of {{The Powerpuff Girls}} episode "Meet the Beat-Alls" each plot to destroy the girls before deciding to [[IncrediblyLamePun band]] [[VillainTeamUp together]].
* A couple of ''DannyPhantom'' episodes opened with BigBad Vlad. The most devious one might be "Kindred Spirits" where the opening unfolded his plans to make a perfect clone.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Several ''{{Godzilla}}'' films start off with either Godzilla or the monster he's going to fight in the films.
* [[TheDarkKnight The Joker's bank robbery]].
* Similarly to the ''Buffy'' example, ''{{Blade}}'' opens with vampires having a rave (with a helpless human dude), which is crashed by the titular hero.
* ''BladeRunner'': after some SceneryPorn, the first character we see is one of the replicants.
* Alfred Hitchcock's ReverseWhodunnit ''{{Rope}}'' opens with the two murderers.
* ''TheDarkCrystal'' opens with the Skeksis.
* ''{{Hellraiser}}'' introduces Frank and the Cenobites before the good guys, unfortunate victims of their schemes.
* Extreme case: the first scene of ''{{Predator}} 2'' is seen through the predator's point of view.
* ''{{Spaceballs}}'' opens with the bad guys' ship and its infamous "We brake for nobody" plate.
* Some of the JamesBond opening sequences. ''TheManWithTheGoldenGun'' focuses on Scaramanga. ''YouOnlyLiveTwice'' and ''{{Moonraker}}'' begin with spacecraft-hijacking before cutting to Bond. ''LiveAndLetDie'' opens with people getting murdered (though the cause only appears after the credits).
* [[FlashGordon "Klytus, I'm boooooored."]]
* All three original ''StarWars'' films open with a shot of one or more Imperial Star Destroyers (though the Rebel Blockade Runner is seen first in ''A New Hope''). ''Return of the Jedi'' most closely fulfills this trope with its first scene featuring Darth Vader.
* ''DirtyHarry'' begins with the first Scorpio murder. More accurately, it starts with a pretty girl taking a swim in a rooftop pool, then zooms out at length until we see the barrel of a sniper rifle...
* ''KungPow'' starts with a young Master Pain (before he took on the name Betty) killing TheChosenOne's parents.
* The prologue of ''[=~GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra~=]'' shows "Destro" [=McCullen=] being arrested and sentenced for sedition against King Louis XIII. The first scene of the movie proper is of Mr. [=McCullen=] presenting his amazing nanomachine warheads to the military.
* ''ClashOfTheTitans'' opens with ''a'' villain, King Acresius of Argos, crossing the MoralEventHorizon by sentencing his daughter and baby grandson Perseus to death by exposure in a sealed boat cast upon the waves. Of course, Acrisius dies only a few minutes later, so he's not the main villain of the film, but he is responsible for Perseus being raised as a commoner on an island rather than as a prince.
* ''StarTrekTheMotionPicture'' opened with V'Ger and ''StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'' opened with Sybok. (The status of both as true "villains" is somewhat debatable, though.)
** Somewhat less ambiguously, StarTrekNemesis opens with Shinzon (or, in any case, one of his co-conspirators) wiping-out the Romulan Senate.
* ''InglouriousBasterds'' starts up with a meeting between Col. Hans Landa and a dairy farmer. MoralEventHorizon, ahoy!

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* The first scene of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha A's'' involves [[BigBad Hayate]] and her [[ArtifactOfDoom Book of Darkness]], [[AntiVillain though villain is used in the loosest sense of the word here]].
* A lot of ''DetectiveConan'' stories open this way as well.
* The first episode of ''DragonballZ'' opens with Raditz landing on Earth and killing a farmer.

* ''The Last Battle'', the conclusion to ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', starts with Shift finding the inspiration for his EvilPlan.

* ''[[{{Discworld}} Guards! Guards!]]'' begins with a scene involving dragons and the villain trying to summon one of them in a ploy to replace Lord Vetinari with a king. [[spoiler: Once the dragon gets summoned, it proceeds to [[EvilIsNotAToy displace said villain's role as the villain]]]].
* Many of Robert E. Howard's ''ConanTheBarbarian'' stories begin with such a scene:

* ''HarryPotter [[HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows and the Deathly Hallows]]'', opens with Voldemort and his Death Eaters [[spoiler: in the Malfoy Manor]].
** Although the Dursleys aren't all-out villains like Voldy and friends, ''[[HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosophers Stone]]'' opens with a whole chapter dedicated to Uncle Vernon's day at work, interspersed with occasional references to the magical world we now know and love.
** ''[[HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' opens with two Death Eaters visiting [[spoiler:Snape]].

* Each book in TheThrawnTrilogy starts off with a scene on an Imperial Star Destroyer.

* The first episode of ''{{Freakazoid}}'' begins with a news report on Cave Guy, a minor supervillain, wreaking havoc and confounding the police. The narrator then directs our attention to the one hero with a chance at stopping him, adds that he's owned by another network, and settles for a nerdy teenager named Dexter. [[IncomingHam Or is he...?]]