History VillainDecay / Film

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader despite often being the face of the franchise gets hit with this in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''. Whilst in the Original Trilogy Vader goes virtually unstoppable and undefeated as TheDragon up until the third movie where Luke finally overpowers him when enraged (which Anakin quickly makes up for it by taking down Palpatine in his HeelFaceTurn) the EU media by comparison were far less concerned with maintaining Vader’s threat and badassery. Notably Legends Vader almost got killed because a random surviving Jedi pressed one of the buttons on his suit, on another occasion well-prepared Tusken Raider was able to critically injure him and most infamously of all [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashedII Galen Marek aka Starkiller]] his edgy clone could defeat and trap him. Miraculously these years of Villain Decay were actually undone by the Disney Canon which thanks to the Darth Vader comics, ''Film/RogueOne'', ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediSurvivor'' reestablish Darth Vader as TheDreaded OneManArmy whom even a highly capable assassin droid calculates is impossible for him to kill and just gives up.

** Dr. Hämsterviel also undergoes this in the ''Stitch!'' anime. In [[Creator/{{Madhouse}} the first season]], it's shown that he's now freed from Galactic Prison (which he has been stuck in during the first series), is more actively scheming against Stitch, and now possesses several of the experiments that he funded the creation of. In the first season finale, Hämsterviel actually brainwashed his former partner-in-crime Jumba to suck the magic out of the Chitama Spiritual Stone and transfer its power to himself, becoming so powerful that he easily overpowered Stitch and used a special vacuum that shrunk him and put him in a nigh-unbreakable American football-shaped glass container. Hämsterviel only lost when Yuna rescued Stitch and the Spiritual Stone temporarily transferred the rest of its power to the experiment, leading to him getting defeated in a one-to-one showdown, losing his stolen power, and getting arrested and sent to Galactic Prison along with Gantu and Reuben. In [[Creator/{{Madhouse}} the second season]], he, Gantu, and Reuben escape imprisonment but fail to defeat Stitch again, and Hämsterviel is unable to regain that stolen power. In the DenserAndWackier [[Creator/ShinEiAnimation third season]], a new big-eared humanoid alien character named Delia takes of Hämsterviel's position as the BigBad, and he becomes subservient to her. He also suffers more humiliating defeats than in the first two seasons and goes through a CoolAndUnusualPunishment each time he fails her, then gets arrested ''again'' along with her, Gantu, and Reuben at the end of this season.

*** In ''WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'', Gantu finds himself stranded on Earth attempting to capture [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments Jumba's experiments]] for Dr. Hämsterivel, with very few successes and he makes quite a number of bungles in the attempt.
*** In ''WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch'', Hämsterviel replaces Gantu with Leroy and his clones, and Gantu makes his HeelFaceTurn, joining forces with Jumba, Pleakley, Lilo, Stitch, and Reuben to defeat Hämsterviel's army of Leroy clones, being reinstated as a captain by the Grand Councilwoman with Reuben as his first mate.

*** In [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch the original film]], after Jumba has failed to retrieve his Experiment 626 whom Lilo names Stitch, the Grand Councilwoman sends Gantu to recover Stitch. He puts both Lilo and Stitch into the containment pod, only for Stitch to escape and help Nani, Jumba, and Pleakley rescue Lilo. After failing, Gantu is forcibly retired and lives on Earth.
*** In ''WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'', Gantu finds himself attempting to capture [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments Jumba's experiments]] for Dr. Hämsterivel, with very few successes and he makes quite a number of bungles in the attempt.

*** In the ''Anime/{{Stitch}}'' anime, set years after ''Leroy'', Gantu lost his position in the Galactic Armada again (the English dub establishing that he was [[DisproportionateRetribution dishonorably discharged]] for [[DreadfulMusician singing karaoke badly at a United Galactic Federation holiday party]]) and returned to Hämsterviel's employ, becoming much more subservient to him (whereas in the first TV series) and getting obsessed with a soap opera. He is also even less successful and gets humiliated more often in this series.

** Megatron is the menacing SealedEvilInACan BigBad of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]], destroying whole cities and causing the only on-screen fatality of the movie. By the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]], he's just TheDragon to the ''real'' BigBad, The Fallen, and more or less just argues with Starscream for the second half of the movie [[spoiler:despite managing to ''kill'' Optimus, which is negated by how he gets stomped by the [[CameBackStrong revived and stronger Optimus]]]]. In ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', he's injured for the entirety of the film due to still suffering from the beatdown he got at the end of the last movie, doesn't get a single kill, and [[spoiler:gets defeated along with the Bigger Bad in a matter of seconds]]. [[spoiler:Then ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' comes around and the NotQuiteDead Megatron [[BrainUploading uploads his brain]] to a new body, regaining his menace in the process under the new name of Galvatron]]......only to suddenly return to calling himself Megatron again in [[Film/TransformersTheLastKnight the next movie]]. [[spoiler:Worse, he's once again the mook to the real big bad and gets ONE scene with Optimus that is nothing more than a 30-second CurbStompBattle that ends with him getting tossed away from combat and out of the movie.]] The planned final movie would've clearly killed him off for good [[FranchiseKiller had the failure of this last one not done the entire series in.]]

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader despite often being the face of the franchise gets hit with this in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''. Whilst in the Original Trilogy Vader goes virtually unstoppable and undefeated as TheDragon up until the third movie where Luke finally overpowers him when enraged (which Anakin quickly makes up for it by taking down Palpatine in his HeelFaceTurn) the EU media by comparison were far less concerned with maintaining Vader’s threat and badassery. Notably Legends Vader almost got killed because a random surviving Jedi pressed one of the buttons on his suit, on another occasion well-prepared Tusken Raider was able to critically injure him and most infamously of all [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashedII Galen Marek aka Starkiller]] his edgy clone could defeat and trap him. Miraculously these years of Villain Decay were actually undone by the Disney Canon which thanks to the Darth Vader comics, ''Film/RogueOne'', ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediSurvivor'' reestablish Darth Vader as TheDreaded OneManArmy whom even an highly capable assassin droid calculates is impossible for him to kill and just gives up.

** Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader despite often being the face of the franchise gets hit with this in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''. Whilst in the Original Trilogy Vader goes virtually unstoppable and undefeated as TheDragon up until the third movie where Luke finally overpowers him when enraged (at Anakin quickly makes up for it by taking down Palpatine in his HeelFaceTurn) the EU media by comparison were far less concerned with maintaining Vader’s threat and badassery. Notably Legends Vader almost got killed because a random surviving Jedi pressed one of the buttons on his suit, on another occasion well-prepared Tusken Raider was able to critically injure him and most infamously of all [[VideoGame/TheForceUnleashedII Galen Marek aka Starkiller]] his edgy clone could defeat and trap him. Miraculously these years of Villain Decay were actually undone by the Disney Canon which thanks to the Darth Vader comics, ''Film/RogueOne'', ''Series/ObiWanKenobi'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediSurvivor'' reestablish Darth Vader as TheDreaded OneManArmy whom even an highly capable assassin droid calculates is impossible for him to kill and just gives up.

** Megatron is the menacing SealedEvilInACan BigBad of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]], destroying whole cities and causing the only on-screen fatality of the movie. By the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]], he's just TheDragon to the ''real'' BigBad, The Fallen, and more or less just argues with Starscream for the second half of the movie [[spoiler:despite managing to ''kill'' Optimus, which is negated by how he gets stomped by the [[CameBackStrong revived and stronger Optimus]]]]. In ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', he's injured for the entirety of the film due to still suffering from the beatdown he got at the end of the last movie, doesn't get a single kill, and [[spoiler:gets defeated along with the Bigger Bad in a matter of seconds]]. [[spoiler:Then ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' comes around and the NotQuiteDead Megatron [[BrainUploading uploads his brain]] to a new body, regaining his menace in the process under the new name of Galvatron]]......only to suddenly return to calling himself Megatron again in [[Film/TransformersTheLastKnight the next movie]]. [[spoiler:Worse, he's once again the mook to the real big bad and gets ONE scene with Optimus that is nothing more than a 30-second CurbStompBattle that ends with him getting tossed away from combat and out of the movie.]] The planned final movie would've clearly killed him off for good [[FranchiseKiller had the failure of this last one not done the entire series in.]]

* Loki in the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse''. He doesn't actually become less competent after his first defeats in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', but a combination of more dangerous villains and shared interests with Thor lead him to be less of a scary villain and more of an occasionally comedic {{antihero}}. He does try to betray the heroes on multiple occasions after that point, but, as his brother points out, he's become predictable.

** Both [[Film/TheTerminator the original film]] and [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay its sequel]] make it clear that Skynet sent a Terminator (later two) into the past once the human Resistance smashed its defense grid and were seemingly minutes away from destroying it completely. As additional sequels were made, however, Skynet suddenly gains more and more ability to send additional Terminators into the past, to a bewildering level that raises questions about just how omnipotent it was at the time. In ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', Skynet sends back a Terminator model that's explicitly more powerful than the T-1000]], while in the AlternateContinuity series ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', Skynet is constantly throwing Terminators into the past at various points in the timeline. ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' also reveals that Skynet has (a) a fully stocked line of T-800's on ice that can be activated and sent through time when needed, and (b) an AlternateUniverse version of Skynet has an "avatar" who somehow has the ability to jump into different timelines. ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' goes back to the well of "throwing whatever sticks" by revealing that Skynet sent multiple Terminators to different points over a twenty-five year span (even after it was explicitly destroyed in ''[=T2=]'') before revealing that [[spoiler:it was replaced with a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute called "Legion"]].

** Megatron is the menacing SealedEvilInACan BigBad of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]], destroying whole cities and causing the only on-screen casualty of the movie. By the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]], he's just TheDragon to the ''real'' BigBad, The Fallen, and more or less just argues with Starscream for the second half of the movie [[spoiler:despite managing to ''kill'' Optimus, which is negated by how he gets stomped by the [[CameBackStrong revived and stronger Optimus]]]]. In ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', he's injured for the entirety of the film due to still suffering from the beatdown he got at the end of the last movie, doesn't get a single kill, and [[spoiler:gets defeated along with the Bigger Bad in a matter of seconds]]. [[spoiler:Then ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' comes around and the NotQuiteDead Megatron [[BrainUploading uploads his brain]] to a new body, regaining his menace in the process under the new name of Galvatron]]......only to suddenly return to calling himself Megatron again in [[Film/TransformersTheLastKnight the next movie]]. [[spoiler:Worse, he's once again the mook to the real big bad and gets ONE scene with Optimus that is nothing more than a 30-second CurbStompBattle that ends with him getting tossed away from combat and out of the movie.]] The planned final movie would've clearly killed him off for good [[FranchiseKiller had the failure of this last one not done the entire series in.]]

** Megatron is the menacing SealedEvilInACan BigBad of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]], destroying whole cities and causing the only on-screen casualty of the movie. By the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]], he's just TheDragon to the ''real'' BigBad, The Fallen, and more or less just argues with Starscream for the second half of the movie [[spoiler:despite managing to ''kill'' Optimus, which is negated by how he gets stomped by the [[CameBackStrong revived and stronger Optimus]]]]. In ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', he's injured for the entirety of the film due to still suffering from the beatdown he got at the end of the last movie, doesn't get a single kill, and [[spoiler:gets defeated along with the Bigger Bad in a matter of seconds]]. [[spoiler:Then ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' comes around and the NotQuiteDead Megatron [[BrainUploading uploads his brain]] to a new body, regaining his menace in the process under the new name of Galvatron]]......only to suddenly return to call himself Megatron again in [[Film/TransformersTheLastKnight the next movie]]. Worse, he's once again the mook to the real big bad gets ONE scene with Optimus that is nothing more than a 30-second CurbStompBattle that ends with him getting tossed away from combat and out of the movie. The planned final movie would've clearly killed him off for good [[FranchiseKiller had the failure of this last one not done the entire series in.]]

** Megatron is the menacing SealedEvilInACan BigBad of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]], destroying whole cities and causing the only on-screen casualty of the movie. By the [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen sequel]], he's just TheDragon to the ''real'' BigBad, The Fallen, and more or less just argues with Starscream for the second half of the movie [[spoiler:despite managing to ''kill'' Optimus, which is negated by how he gets stomped by the [[CameBackStrong revived and stronger Optimus]]]]. In ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', he's injured for the entirety of the film due to still suffering from the beatdown he got at the end of the last movie, doesn't get a single kill, and [[spoiler:gets defeated along with the Bigger Bad in a matter of seconds]]. [[spoiler:Then ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' comes around and the NotQuiteDead Megatron [[BrainUploading uploads his brain]] to a new body, regaining his menace in the process.]]

** Somewhat subverted further in ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' with Smith's return. One questions why the machines would even re-create him after the trouble he gave them last time, but while his memories are kept and his menace is left intact (he nearly wins his rematch against Neo), he's only undermined in that he's not the main villain this time around and ends up teaming up with Neo and Trinity by the end in a brief EnemyMine situation. Played straight with the remaining agents in that they're phased out between movies for the rather terrifying "Horde Mode" setting that turns regular people in the Matrix into a violent, renetless mob.

** Somewhat subverted further in ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' with Smith's return. One questions why the machines would even re-create him after the trouble he gave them last time, but while his memories are kept and his menace is left intact (he nearly wins his rematch against Neo), he's only undermined in that he's not the main villain this time around and ends up teaming up with Neo and Trinity by the end in a brief Enemy Mine situation. Played straight with the remaining agents in that they're phased out between movies for the rather terrifying "Horde Mode" setting that turns regular people in the Matrix into a violent, renetless mob.