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6'''Warning''': Beware of Unmarked Spoilers!
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9* ''Literature/AgeOfFire'': Since the first three novels all take place at roughly the same time, [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Wrymmaster]] -- the BigBad of the first book -- is this for the latter two. It's his minions and allies that set the events of the series in motion, scattering the three sibling protagonists and sending them all on their own individual storylines. And while he only shows up in the first book, his presence is still felt in the other two to varying degrees.
10* In ''Literature/AlexRider'', Zeljan Kurst is the leader of SCORPIA, and the one who orders the {{Big Bad}}s of ''Snakehead'' and ''Scorpia Rising'' to carry out their plots, though he never comes face to face with Alex.
11* ''Literature/AlienHunters'': Emperor Lore only shows up a few times via hologram messages and gives out orders to [[BigBad Skrum]] and [[TheDragon Grotter]]. Besides that, he never shows up in person or directly impacts the plot, even though he's Skrum's boss and a major figure in the Skelkrin Empire.
12* ''Literature/{{Allegiant}}'':
13** It's revealed that Jeanine Matthews, the BigBad of the first two books, obtained the serums used for execution and mind controlling Dauntless members from the Bureau of Genetic Welfare, the mastermind behind the experiment in Chicago and several other metropolitan cities for more than eight generations.
14** It's also revealed that the experiment was done to produce genetically pure children from the genetically damaged, who were the subjects of an earlier experiment to "correct" human genes of their "imperfections". So, ultimately, whoever had the insane idea to do the "correction" in the first place is this.
15* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'':
16** The Council of Thirteen are the political heads of the Yeerk Empire, but only appear in one book, a VillainEpisode where they're more focused on judging Vissers One and Three than the conquest of Earth per se. Visser Three is the commander of operations on Earth and consequently functions as the BigBad. The main plotline ends with his defeat.
17** Crayak is a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien who plays TheChessmaster throughout the galaxy to encourage mass genocides of entire species for no reason; in a series full of shades of grey he's one of only a handful of characters who qualify as pure evil. However, he only becomes directly involved in the story a handful of times and isn't terribly invested in it. The implication is that he and his [[EvilCounterpart Good Counterpart]], the Ellimist will continue their long "[[CosmicChessGame game]]" millennia after the Animorphs' series has ended.
18* Quite a few of Creator/LairdBarron's {{Cosmic Horror Stor|y}}ies (specifically the short stories "The Broadsword," "The Men from Porlock," "Mysterium Tremendum," and the novel ''Literature/TheCroning'') feature a race of {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s with insidious intentions for humanity, who are the spawn of an interplanetary entity only known as Old Leech.
19* In ''Literature/BattlefieldEarth'' [[DirtyCop Terl]] and [[EvilCripple Limper]] are the direct threats. The Catrists are revealed to be the masterminds behind the empire opposing humanity... and are dead by the time their existence is revealed.
20* ''Literature/BazilBroketail'': Waakzaam the Great, also known as the Dominator. He used to be one of seven divine beings, created by the Great Mother in order to mold the worlds she created into their final shape, and then die and unite with them. Waakzaam was the only one to renege on his duty, as he was not satisfied with how he and his brethren's work came out and thought he could improve it. Sadly, his attempts at "improving" the worlds has universally led to unspeakable cruelties, including massacres of their inhabitants and installing tyrannical rulership. He has already devastated twelve worlds that way and [[spoiler:in book six, he finally makes an appearance in person, intent on making Ryetelth suffer the same fate]].
21* In the ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'' and ''Literature/TheMalloreon'', the King of Hell is mentioned several times as a demon god SealedEvilInACan who controls the [[TheLegionsOfHell single nastiest faction in existence]], but because he isn't part of the conflict between the Light and Dark Prophecies, he to all practical intents and purposes sits the series out. A couple of his top minions ''do'' show up in supporting villain roles, but were likely acting independently.
22* ''The Brethren'', by Creator/JohnGrisham, makes reference early on to one Natli Chenkov, a Russian politician and Communist hardliner who is suspected of planning to stage a coup and start a war the director of the CIA doubts America can win. The main action of the book involves three former judges (the titular Brethren) who run a blackmail scheme from prison and unwittingly hook the congressman whom said CIA director hopes to install as President to beef up the military and block Chenkov's ambitions, bringing down the CIA's wrath on them. Whether this makes Teddy Maynard (the CIA director) the BigBad (albeit a WellIntentionedExtremist) or the Brethren [[VillainProtagonist Villain Protagonists]] (albeit sympathetic ones) is arguable, but Chenkov is hardly mentioned after the initial explanation.
23* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'':
24** ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': The BigBad of the first two books is Luke Castellan, and the third has Atlas. However, both are only servants of the Kronos, who steps down to BigBad for the last two books in the series after being freed [[SealedEvilInACan from Tartarus]].
25** ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': Though it might be nitpicking quite a bit, but all things in this universe, including the BigBad Gaea can all ultimately trace ancestry to [[PrimordialChaos Chaos]], the void beneath [[{{Hell}} Tartarus]] where everything that falls down would dissolve into nothingness. But well, all things are all things; the good guys wouldn't exist without Chaos either, so it's like saying that the Abrahamic God is this because everything is ultimately His creations. It only really counts as this because Akhlys refers to it as "my father"; whether she means it literally or metaphorically is anyone's guess.
26** In one of the short stories included in ''Literature/TheDemigodDiaries'', it's revealed that all of the demigods' deaths due to monsters throughout the history can be attributed to Lamia, a queen who had [[JerkassGods her children killed by Hera because she had a relationship with Zeus]], who had [[RevengeByProxy woven a spell that caused all demigods from then on to possess a certain smell that attracts the attention of monsters]]. Notably, Lamia herself is [[KarmaHoudini still alive and kicking]], as she is protected by her mother, [[MamaBear Hecate]] (even though, y'know, Hecate's ''own demigod children'' might have been the victims of Lamia's spell as well).
27** ''Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo'' reveals that, through out Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries, the mortal threats [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Luke]] and [[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus Octavian]] were themselves being helped by a greater scope villain -- The Triumvirate. They turn out to be the villains in this series.
28* Jimmy Cap from ''Literature/CatChaser'' is Andres' mob partner and Jiggs' boss, but he spends the book off in Buffalo and out of reach.
29* Creator/DaleBrown's books have portrayed the Chinese presidents and high commands that tacitly condone the generals' and admirals' actions as this, in contrast to the Russian presidents who have directly been {{Big Bad}}s.
30* In ''Literature/TheChathrandVoyages'', it's established early on that [[EvilSorcerer Arunis]] (most dangerous individual member of TheBigBadShuffle the series has going on) worships entities called the Night Gods. These gods later turn out to be very real, and Arunis doesn't just worship them, he [[AGodAmI wants to be one]]. They've set him a task to complete before they'll accept him into their ranks -- namely, scouring Alifros, the world where the books are set, of life -- but otherwise take no direct part and Arunis (and the other villains) stand and fall by their own merits.
31* ''Literature/TheLastBattle'' reveals that the chief Calormene god Tash was this all along throughout ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''.
32* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'':
33** Arawn Death-Lord, who played the role of the BigBad for ''The Book of Three'' and ''The Black Cauldron'', is this for ''The Castle of Llyr'' and ''Taran Wanderer''. By ''The High King'', he's the BigBad again.
34** There's also Gwyn the Hunter's unnamed lord. Even Gwydion doesn't know his name or identity, but believes that he's greater in power than Arawn -- although not necessarily evil, since Gwyn's function (basically a GrimReaper figure) is a necessary one.
35* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'': The ultimate enemy is Perimal Darkling (think TheCorruption on a cosmic scale), which appears to be largely mindless and is in no sense a "person", nor does it seem to have desires beyond consuming the whole universe. [[ImmortalityImmorality Master Gerridon]], nominally TheDragon, generally serves as the primary antagonist.
36* [[EldritchAbomination The Nameless]] in the ''Literature/ColdfireTrilogy''. He/she/it/they (it's complicated) is far and away the most powerful evil in the series, but while it features prominently in the backstory of [[VillainProtagonist Gerald Tarrant]], the bad guy actually responsible for the conflict is [[TheCorrupter Calesta]]. The Nameless's only real role in the present-day story is to punish Tarrant for apparently backing out on the DealWithTheDevil they made.
37* Creator/BrandonSanderson's ''Literature/TheCosmere'': The Shard Odium is shaping up to be the most powerful evil, though some WordOfGod indicates that something more subtle but even more dangerous ''may'' be out there. Odium takes the role of BigBad proper in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''.
38* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': The King of Hybern is this in ''A Court of Thorns and Roses''. He's not directly involved in the conflict and Amarantha is the primary antagonist, but it's because of him that Amarantha has power in the first place.
39* ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'': Azathoth is a manifestation of perfect amoral chaos who creates and destroys, kept asleep by the Lesser Outer Gods with 'pipes and drums' so his awakening doesn't ''destroy the universe'', but never does anything except listening to music. Most of the other powerful {{Eldritch Abomination}}s (Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth) also take a very distant role in most of Lovecraft's stories, a notable exception being "The Call of Cthulhu". Nyarlathotep is a bit more hands-on, and August Derleth's Mythos stories frequently feature the likes of Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth about to personally emerge everywhere before being halted by a DeusExMachina or [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu explosives]].
40* In ''Literature/DanielFaust'' the Kings of Man are behind the Network, an occult criminal organization with its fingers in more pies than you can shake a stick at. They're not demons, but dwell primarily in the VoidBetweenTheWorlds.
41* ''Literature/DarkShores'': The Seventh god, also known as the Corruptor. Gods of Reath usually do not interfere directly and only act through their chosen. And while Derin's queen Rufina, the BigBad of ''Dark Skies'', is marked by the Seventh, Lucius Cassius, the BigBad of ''Dark Shores'', might be acting independently. Or not.
42* In ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'', [[TheHeartless the Serpents]] are led by the Royal One, but though he appears in the fourth and fifth books, afterwards he plays no direct role in the story, leaving the jobs of TheHeavy of the series and TheFace of Serpents as a faction to his minion [[ManipulativeBastard Sang-drax]]. [[AntiHero Haplo]] also speculates that the Serpents as a whole are merely the minions of some even greater evil power, but if this is true, such a power never makes itself known directly.
43* The Shadow Lord in ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'', an [[EvilOverlord Evil Overlord]] and part-time ascended [[CosmicEntity Cosmic Entity]], is responsible for most of the immediate antagonists of each book but is rarely seen or directly faced. While the focus shifts towards the Shadow Lord as the endgame villain in the later books of each series, the primary focus stays on a smaller-scale villain (though often orchestrated by the Shadow Lord himself). Exceptions where the Shadow Lord could be considered the BigBad are the finales of the first and especially second series.
44* Despite the fact that most adaptations have established ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'' in the public consciousness as "merely" a very powerful vampire, in the original novel it is openly stated that his vampirism is the result of a damning DealWithTheDevil and only a sample of the dark sorcery that he has been taught in the occult academy of the Scholomance. This black magic that has transcended the natural limits of life and death makes him nothing but a mere student (if a very good one) who will always serve the powers of darkness and his headmaster, Satan himself, by crawling in the shadows of his hideous unlife and never become a teacher himself.
45* In ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'', the evil deities frequently play this role in the novels, such as Hiddukel in the Taladas Trilogy, or Takhisis in Chronicles. There is also Morgion in the Minotaur Wars Trilogy.
46* Throughout the first few volumes of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry fights standalone monsters of the book, but eventually begins to suspect that there may have been a single guiding hand behind all of them. His suspicions are partly confirmed in ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'', when his mentor Ebenezar [=McCoy=] agrees that the circumstances are too much to be just a coincidence, and the two of them dub this hypothetical group "[[TheManBehindTheMan Black Council]]". Later, in ''Literature/ColdDays'', Harry arrives at a conclusion that the AncientConspiracy he envisioned may not be what he thinks it is, but rather something right out of the [[CosmicHorrorStory Cosmic Horror Genre]], and is told its name is "Nemesis". That said, its influence is only ever felt indirectly, and it has only ever spoken through intermediaries. It's still unclear whether the Black Council is controlled by it, or perhaps working alongside it. ''Literature/PeaceTalks'' has basically confirmed the Greater Scope Villain of the entire series is the Outsiders. They're constantly trying to break into our reality, and if they ever get in, "[[ApocalypseHow Everything stops. Everything]]" (implying a potential class 6, but on a cosmic scale). Nemesis is one of theirs (described as an infiltrator) and they are implied to be connected to the Black Council as well.
47* The last two ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' novels written by Creator/FrankHerbert before his death detail the battle between the Bene Gesserit and the invading Honored Matres; it is eventually revealed that the Matres have returned to the planets of the old human Imperium because they are being chased by some malevolent force, which is never clearly identified (at least by Herbert; his son co-wrote further novels identifying this as [[spoiler:omnicidal machine intelligences]]).
48* ''Literature/{{Edgedancer}}'': Nale is the main antagonist, as he doesn't believe the Desolation is coming and is trying to stop the people who have the means to stop it, but the novella reveals that he's been set on this path by another Herald, Ishar, who convinced him that the signs of the upcoming Desolation are anything but. Whether the latter is treacherous or merely insane, he's certainly a bigger problem going forward.
49* In ''Literature/EmpireOfTheEast'', the eponymous evil [[TheEmpire empire]] is ruled by mortal men, particularly by Emperor John Ominor, the BigBad. It was founded, however, by Orcus, the king of all demons, whom Ominor overthrew in a coup and imprisoned. It will probably not surprise anyone to learn that Orcus eventually escapes.
50* ''Literature/EphemeralPrince'' reveals the Lord, Rizec, is responsible for ruining the lives of Edgar, Lina, Soan, and Xiri, causing them to become the main villains of the [[VideoGame/StarStealingPrince prequel game]]. He had his underling, Zuan, manipulate Soan into eating the demon Xiri, leading to Xiri going insane and manipulating Soan to destroy his own kingdom. He also torched the kingdom of Sabine, forcing the residents to flee to the remains of Soan's kingdom and pushing Edgar and Lina over the DespairEventHorizon. This leads to the couple backstabbing Soan to steal his power and sealing Xiri inside of Snowe, causing the events of the game.
51* Lindsay Buroker's ''Literature/FallenEmpire'': The initial villains are various criminals and thugs, but as the series progresses, the machinations of an evil [[PsychicPowers Starseer]] who is also the protagonist's uncle become more and more apparent. In works by Buroker herself and authors in Amazon's Kindle Worlds program set before the events of the main series, [[TheEmperor Emperor Markus of House Sarellian]] is the ultimate villain even if the on-page antagonists are various Imperial soldiers.
52* The Bellon-Tockland Institute in Creator/DeanKoontz's ''Literature/FalseMemory'', a semi-fascistic psychology think tank. The main villain of the book, [[MeaningfulName Mark Ahriman]], is a psychologist who develops a form of mind control and employs it both on behalf of the Institute and for his own deviant amusement; the trouble he causes for the main characters stems from his grudge against the stepfather of two of them, another academic who spammed Amazon with with negative reviews of Ahriman's work, as well as a previous affair with the wife/mother which ended badly. Although we do see Ahriman manipulate a patient into biting off the nose of the U.S. President as a "message", and the Institute's connections are used in the BackStory to explain how he has escaped any accountability for his murderous pastime, the Institute's plans have no direct bearing on the novel's events and [[VillainWithGoodPublicity they are ultimately cleared]] [[KarmaHoudini of any connection to Ahriman]] after the protagonists break his control on them and another one of his unstable pawns randomly kills him.
53* ''Literature/TheFellOfDark'' centers on various factions attempting to stop or hasten the arrival of the first vampire Azazel. Azazel himself just stays in the background and flashbacks but is indicated to be far more dangerous then any of the various competing factions.
54* Creator/PaulFeval:
55** His two novels, ''Literature/JohnDevil'' (1862) and [[Literature/GentlemenOfTheNight ''The Mysteries of London'']] (1843-44), have the BigBad of each claiming to have met UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte on St. Helena in about 1815-1816. Both have their own reasons for the Wars against England, however, and Henri Belcamp in ''John Devil'' could have actually benefited Napoleon (Since the other's main narrative is set after he died), and Henri even more so is really about his own Ambition, he really wants to be the next Napoleon, freeing the first is merely for a PassingTheTorch moment. O'Brean in ''Gentlemen of the Night'' [[WellIntentionedExtremist is motivated by liberating and avenging Ireland]]. Both are [[BatFamilyCrossover made in continuity with each other]] via ''Literature/TheBlackCoats''.
56** ''Literature/TheVampireCountess'', uses Napoleon as the BigGood. The Greater Scope Villain of that story is [[VampireMonarch Count Szandor]] who [[FemmeFatale the title character]] is in love with.
57* In the ''Fever'' series by Karen Marie Moning, the Unseelie King is the ultimate evil force but makes no obvious appearance until the end of book five where he saves the day. But he's seemingly still evil, since he is still technically the originator of all the evil things going on because he created all the Unseelie.
58* ''Literature/TheFifthSeason'' and ''Literature/TheObeliskGate'': Father Earth himself, causing massive disasters and toppling civilizations because Orogenes cost him his only child; the Moon.
59* In ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'', a tie-in novel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' that's half PerspectiveFlip, while Hans is the main villain despite being [[PlotIrrelevantVillain indirectly responsible for the plot]], his father, the King of the Southern Isles, was responsible for shaping Hans into what he is. While Hans had a [[WellDoneSonGuy desire]] to appease his parents despite being TheUnfavorite of thirteen sons, they played a role as TheCorrupter to most of their sons, including Hans. By the end of ''A Frozen Heart'', their [[TheCorrupter toxic influence]] has slowly poisoned Hans into becoming an unfeeling and ruthless man, driving him to dehumanize everyone (namely Anna and Elsa) in his quest for power.
60* ''Literature/GhostRoads'': [[ImmortalityImmorality Immortal serial killer]] Bobby Cross, the primary villain of the series and the one responsible for murdering Rose and turning her into a ghost, would be nothing without the powers given to him in his [[DealWithTheDevil deal]] with [[EldritchAbomination the Crossroads]]. Rose hardly ever sees the Crossroads firsthand, and never faces them -- they're actually KilledOffscreen in this series, though their defeat is shown in the ''Literature/InCryptid'' books set in the same universe.
61* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheMiraclesDistrict'', the true villains are Ernest and Irena. They're both responsible for Ture's and Nikita's psychological instability -- and, by extension, Ture's actions in the story -- and Irena has been manipulating Nikita from the start to be her perfect little weapon.
62* ''{{Literature/Gone}}'': Caine is the BigBad, the counterpart to the hero, and the one who usually drives the plot. However, the Gaiaphage is an EldritchAbomination that arrived via meteorite, crashed into a nuclear power plant, {{Mind Rape}}s several main characters including Caine, and looks at the whole situation as a game, but rarely shows up and is usually just a vague threat in the background.
63* Morbin Blackhawk from ''Literature/TheGreenEmber'' rarely appears throughout the series, and he's never the direct source of conflict in any of the books. Nevertheless, Morbin's slaying of King Jupiter several years ago is what led to the country spiraling into turmoil, and every BigBad or ArcVillain is working for or with him to some extent.
64* Voldemort in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books was always the greatest threat. He was so feared in the Wizarding World, that many dared not speak his name. A minion of his may have appeared in every book, but ultimately it's Voldemort who set the chain of events to occur. Even as a child and a student, Voldemort (or Tom Riddle as he was known) had a [[CreepyChild suspicious and off-putting personality]]. Undoubtedly he was one who greatly fueled [[SnakesAreSinister stigma against the Slytherin house]]. With many of his vile, genocidal followers being mutually sorted.
65* Charles "Trout" Walker in ''Literature/{{Holes}}'', the even worse deceased grandfather to the BigBad. The entire plot ultimately stems from his [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain racially-motivated murder]] of Sam the Onion Man, which caused Green Lake to dry up and Sam's lover Kate Barlow to cross the DespairEventHorizon and become an outlaw, ultimately burying treasure in the desolate lakebed. Trout became obsessed with finding the treasure, even forcing his granddaughter to help him dig, [[FreudianExcuse which is why she forces other children to dig in the present]].
66* The planet Mesa and Manpower Inc. was eventually revealed in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series to be ultimately responsible for the long and bloody war between Manticore and Haven. When their role was revealed, ''then'' it was discovered they were merely a front for the secretive Mesan Alignment organization. Manticore and Haven were...less than impressed to find out just who was responsible for their long, bloody conflict. [[TheAlliance So they decided to do something about it.]]
67* Set, in Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' and ''Literature/{{Kull}}'' stories.
68* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'':
69** In the first book, Katniss is only interested in surviving the Hunger Games and not in taking down the government, so the main antagonists are the other Tributes. However, the other tributes are also just trying to survive; [[PresidentEvil President Snow]] is the only truly evil character. He is downgraded to BigBad in later books.
70** Snow implies that District 13 caused the Dark Days in an attempt to rise to power, only to back down when the Capitol defeated them and the rebelling Districts, causing the rise of the Hunger Games. He says this when he realizes that Alma Coin was playing this trope from the beginning for that exact same reason. Thankfully, Katniss decides to bump her down to the BigBad and off her afterwards.
71* ''{{Literature/Inda}}'': [[TheFairFolk The Lords of Norsunder]] are the ultimate malevolent force, but during the timeline of the series are largely uninterested in human affairs. [[EvilSorcerer Erkric]], the BigBad, came up with his schemes on his own but bargained with one of them for his powers, but when he failed to live up to his end [[EvilIsNotAToy she killed him]] and then departed.
72* Creator/IanFleming's ''Literature/JamesBond'' novels often have the Soviet Union sponsoring some or all the activities of a novel's main villain. Notably, ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'' reveals that SMERSH was behind the events of ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'', ''Literature/LiveAndLetDie'' and ''Literature/{{Moonraker}}''. SMERSH continues to be behind Literature/{{Goldfinger}}'s scheme to create economic chaos in the West.
73* ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles'':
74** Set is the BigBad of the first novel, but at the end, it is revealed that he is ultimately manipulated by Apophis, the Serpent of Evil who seeks to annihilate Ma'at, the essence of order. He takes up the BigBad spot in the next two books.
75** Again, like the Chaos example above, ''The Kane Chronicles'' also has its own nitpicky example: the Sea of Chaos (named Nu in the real-life mythology), located deep below Duat. It is the ultimate origin of everything in the universe. The sea attracts everyone who comes closer and would dissolve them if they touch it.
76* All of horror novelist Brian Keene's works are connected by the Labyrinth, in which dwell the Thirteen, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that existed in the PrimordialChaos before the birth of the universe. Among them, the Thirteenth is the most powerful and feared.
77* The Crimson King was presented as the central evil in Creator/StephenKing's metaverse; however, in an example of TheDevilIsALoser, when he's finally confronted in the GrandFinale of ''Literature/TheDarkTower'', he's revealed to be nothing more than an insane old man armed with nothing except [[Literature/HarryPotter suspiciously]] [[ShoutOut familiar]] flying grenades, who is promptly defeated in one of the most ignoble manners possible. It's later revealed he had relied on ancient technology to give him most of his seemingly multiverse-spanning omnipotent powers, and when he lost that through the efforts of various heroes on various realities he was reduced to the pathetic wretch confronted by Roland.
78* The Cthaeh is this for every evil in ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle''. It was the Cthaeh's manipulation that sparked the war between the Shapers and the Namers, the Cthaeh who arranged the creation of the Chandrian, the Cthaeh that set in motion whatever catastrophe is going on in the background as Kote tells his story to the Chronicler. How did it do it while being imprisoned for eternity in a tree? It simply spoke to the exact wrong person and told them exactly the wrong thing, knowing as TheOmniscient of every possible future that the words it had just dispensed had steered history down the worst path it could manage.
79%%* The Ix from ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles''. They trump Gwilanna hands down.
80* ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin'': Kthonia is the most powerful villain in this story but she is neither involved, aware of, or inclined to assist with Jihadain's EvilPlan. When Kalak kills Jihadain, however, she becomes the TrueFinalBoss.
81* ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'': The nation(s) that started the war that led to the evacuation that got the boys stranded on the island in the first place.
82* ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard'': Like the real-life mythology, Loki is presumably set up as the BigBad of the series, but the first book focuses more on his son, Fenris Wolf, and the fire giant Surt, while he is relegated to appearing in Magnus' dreams. He steps down to BigBad after being freed from his chains in the second book.
83* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
84** The Crippled God is the power behind the Pannion Seer as well as Emperor Rhulad Sengar in ''Literature/MemoriesOfIce'' and ''Literature/MidnightTides'', respectively, who are both the {{Big Bad}}s of their respective books, and is trying to hijack the Apocalypse Rebellion in Seven Cities.
85** The Forkrul Assail on Kolanse. While the [[BigBad Crippled God]] presents the immediate threat for most of the series and acts on his own accord, the Forkrul Assail are a step higher up by having captured his physical heart and sapping power from him, thus using him indirectly for their own means.
86* In ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', [[EvilMatriarch Eleanor Iselin]] is the BigBad running the evil plan to [[DayOfTheJackboot turn the United States into a dictatorship]], but she's being bankrolled by Communist China, who she [[TheStarscream intends to nuke back to the Stone Age once in power]] for selecting her son to be their [[ManchurianAgent brainwashed agent]].
87* ''Literature/MartinFierro'': All the misfortunes Fierro and all the [[{{Gaucho}} Gauchos]] suffer in that book are by design: RealLife PresidentEvil Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (who never appears at the book) had decreed the "[[{{Dystopia}} Conquest of the desert]]" so the Indians will be subjected to genocide and the Gauchos will be replaced by the Gringos (immigrants of European descent).
88* ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'':
89** Chancellor Paige, the head of all the mess that is WICKED. Eventually, though, the cruelty of that position gets to her and she decides to cut their losses and stop torturing people for a cure that might never come. Notable in that she is [[TheGhost never seen]] in the series, barring TheFilmOfTheBook.
90** Then there's Katie [=McVoy=], a bit character who is only mentioned in two short letters published in ''The Maze Runner Files'' whose SmallRoleBigImpact involves suggesting the method to kill half of the world population using the V C321xb 47 virus AKA the Flare virus, which mutated unpredictably, as in, ''setting off all this mess in the first place''. By the events of ''The Maze Runner'', however, she is already long dead due to catching the virus and [[DrivenToSuicide committing suicide]] to prevent it spreading over as her [[DeathEqualsRedemption last act of redemption]].
91* The Widow (a.k.a. Indira Gandhi) in ''Literature/MidnightsChildren''. The fate that Saleem suffers in the climax is performed at her orders, but Saleem never encounters her directly, only her subordinates.
92* In ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'', Asmodeus is too busy overseeing the destruction of entire worlds to get involved in day-to-day evildoing. Until his son Magnus summons him in ''City of Heavenly Fire'', at which point he briefly appears in humanoid form and acts as a DeusExMachina before returning to his more cosmic interests. This is standard for all of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Princes of Hell]], most especially [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]]. While they can be summoned (or at least avatars of them can) they do not dirty their hands with normal villainy, instead focusing on warfare against {{God}} across TheMultiverse.
93* In ''Literature/TheMouseWatch'', the BigBad is {{Cyborg}} MadScientist Dr. Thornpaw. However, Thornpaw is working for a NebulousEvilOrganization called [[FunWithAcronyms R.A.T.S.]], whose leader is not introduced until the novel's epilogue. His name is Kryptos, and all we learn about him is that he wants to TakeOverTheWorld, he thinks rats (the species) "deserve more" than just ordinary lives, and he anticipated Thornpaw's failure and is ready to start another EvilPlan.
94* ''Literature/MySonThePhysicist'': Mr Cremona is a government physicist, and when a [[{{UsefulNotes/Jupiter}} Jovian]] expedition that went missing over four years ago with only enough supplies for one year suddenly phones home from {{UsefulNotes/Pluto}}, he immediately suspects extraterrestrial involvement. However, the alien threat merely colours the setting, making it urgent to communicate clearly and concisely with the recently re-acquainted expedition.
95* From ''Literature/TheNeverEndingStory'' we have the mysterious beings who created the Nothing and sent G'Mork to kill Arteyu. They are mentioned once by G'Mork and never play any role in the story after the Nothing is defeated. If they're even sentient creatures is up for debate.
96* ''Literature/NewSeriesAdventures'': Dalek X (the Dalek Inquisitor-General) serves as the main villain of ''Prisoner of the Daleks''. However, it is mentioned he answers to the Supreme Dalek.
97* Derek Leech, who appears in the background of various stories by Creator/KimNewman, is a monstrous hybrid of Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch, and also TheAntichrist. He is clearly plotting some kind of evil Tory apocalypse, but has been known to help sympathetic characters fight other evil types whose preferred apocalypses would [[EvilVersusOblivion clash with his own]]. There are some stories, including the short stories "The Original Dr. Shade" and "Organ Donors" and the novel ''Literature/TheQuorum'', where he plays a more directly antagonistic role, but even then usually he's enabling the story's main villain rather than being the villain himself and it's made clear that whatever the villain's up to is just a part of Leech's real plans.
98* In the ''Literature/{{Nightrunner}}'' series, the GodOfEvil Seriamaius seems to encourage his followers, especially necromancers, (and others) in villainous actions, but never appears as an actual character except in prophetic dreams. Granted, none of the more benign gods put in personal appearances either.
99* Quinn Dexter is the BigBad of ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy''; behind him and threatening [[ApocalypseHow the entire universe]] is the Dark Continuum.
100* ''Literature/NinaTanleven'': ''The Ghost in the Third Row'' has Andrew Heron, who doesn't appear at all but is revealed to have filled both his wife and daughter with stories about how he was innocent and was set up to take the fall for Lily Larkin's death, and unwittingly inspired Lydia to try to shut down the play based on the story of he, Lily and Edward Parker.
101* {{Big Brother|IsWatching}} from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''...maybe. He never actually enters the story, and the major Party officials (like O'Brien) do most of the villainy. Orwell intentionally leaves lots of questions about Big Brother unanswered. For example, how powerful is he, really? And is he a single person, a LegacyCharacter, or just the Party's fictional mascot?
102* In ''Literature/ProjectA75'', it is revealed that Mr. Pink was the one who instigated the events of the entire Literature/{{Looperverse}}. He was the one who sabotaged the bus crash that led to Ryan Rhodes going on a rampage, he was the one who sold [[Literature/ACaseInBucksville Jacob Lucas]] the lighter he used to burn his parent's house down, and he was the one who killed Ralph Leder's parents. In the future, he is the one who caused the dystopian future of ''Literature/ThreeHundredThirtyHours'' to be created.
103* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' has a very obscure, but nonetheless ominous, mention of a possible GreaterScopeVillain pervading the entire series in the book The Taggerung. Vulpuz is mentioned as both [[EverybodyHatesHades ruler of the Hellgates, where evil Redwall creatures go after they die]], and the ancestor of [[AlwaysChaoticEvil the foxes]] who are one of the most prominent evil species in the series.
104* The Otherness from the ''Literature/RepairmanJack'' series, a vast, impersonal cosmic force locked in an endless war to conquer the multiverse. In our world, its goals are carried out by the immortal [[BigBad Rasalom]] and his disciples.
105* ''Literature/TheRiftWarCycle'': Nalar, Raymond E. Feist's God of Evil, is slowly revealed to fill this role, and being imprisoned in another dimension, can do little more than be the influence for the various Big Bads in his books and the ''true'' BigBad, the Dread, has nothing to do with him. Leso Varen, his minion, fills this role as well (making Nalar a GreaterScopeVillain).
106* ''Franchise/{{RWBY}}'': In the novels ''Literature/RWBYAfterTheFall'' and ''Literature/RWBYBeforeTheDawn'', the primary villain of the story is the Crown. The story takes place from the perspectives of Teams CFVY and SSSN, who -- like most of Beacon and Haven's students -- enrol at Shade after [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Salem's actions]] in Vale (Volume 3) and Mistral (Volume 5). The Crown is a local threat, driven by local issues; while neither they nor the students know anything about Salem, it is strongly hinted that Headmaster Theodore and Professor Rumpole are simultaneously dealing with the local threat and monitoring Salem's activities elsewhere in the world because they know she'll be coming for them eventually.
107* Creator/DanielHandler's ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': The Man with a Beard but No Hair, and The Woman with Hair but No Beard are clearly much more important members of TheConspiracy than the fortune-seeking Count Olaf and the Baudelaire parents. In fact, they turn out to be very influential citizens of the state and pillars of the respectable society as they are Judges which immediately allows them some critical decision-making in public matters as well. Despite this their relevance and plans are not directly tied to the Baudelaire's story outside of two novels, and even then, Olaf is still the major villain, while they hang out in the background and act out their own plans, only slightly influencing Olaf's own.
108* The ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'':
109** The first two BigBad characters ([[VillainWithGoodPublicity Nefarian Serpine]] and [[GeneralRipper Baron Vengeous]]) were only the men they were because of their now-dead master [[SorcerousOverlord Mevolent]]. Mevolent was considered the BigBad of the setting prior to his death before the beginning of the series, but ''he'' wouldn't have gotten there without ''his'' master, the so-termed 'Nameless One'. Furthermore, Mevolent, along with Serpine, Vengeous, [[StandardEvilOrganizationSquad the Diablerie]] (whose [[IJustWantToBeSpecial leader]] is the BigBad of book three), [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Dreylan Scarab]] (BigBad of book four) and [[ManipulativeBitch Eliza Scorn]] (who is yet to be a BigBad but is still a significant threat in later books) were all primarily motivated by their [[ReligionOfEvil worship]] of the [[EldritchAbomination Faceless Ones]], evil gods who were themselves worshipped ([[EvenEvilHasStandards albeit also eventually banished]]) by the long-dead [[AbusivePrecursors Ancients]]. Meanwhile, possibly the most powerful magician in the setting is Mevolent's one surviving lieutenant, [[PersonOfMassDestruction Lord Vile]], who [[DragonWithAnAgenda wasn't actually loyal to Mevolent]] in the first place, simply wanting to [[OmnicidalManiac kill everything]], but has yet to significantly impede the heroes as he is usually kept mostly subdued on account of being Skulduggery's SuperPoweredEvilSide. And on the subject of {{SuperPowered Evil Side}}s, there are all these prophecies about how [[ApocalypseMaiden Darquesse]] a.k.a. Valkyrie Cain is destined to cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but seven books in she's still yet to come to the fore.
110* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has a BigBadEnsemble with Littlefinger, the Lannisters, the Boltons and Freys (although they're working, sort of, for the Lannisters), and the {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s Varys and Melisandre. Overshadowing them all by many degrees, however, are [[MonstrousHumanoid the Others]]. Not to mention the generalized threat of "myth" and [[TheMagicComesBack magic coming back]] in other dangerous, if somewhat less maliciously deadly, shapes to complicate ''everything'' they also represent.
111** The NeglectfulPrecursors of the current Lords and Ladies offer a different -- and possible straighter -- example. Martin goes out of his way to show that one VERY big reason that Westeros is such a CrapsackWorld -- almost on par with the {{Realpolitik}} -- is that [[CycleOfRevenge no one ever forgets their grudges]] [[SinsOfTheFather even when the people responsible are long dead]]. Oaths broken, wars fought, people killed -- the actions of the past shape the ways the nobility interacts in the present [[InherentInTheSystem and will continue doing so well into the future]]. Tyrion sadly lampshades how each generation puppets the generation that comes after from beyond the grave.
112* Salocin, the evil entity from ''Literature/SpectralShadows'', is basically responsible for all the evils in Ra's Universe. If there's something evil or something corrupt, chances are it can be traced back to him in ''some'' fashion.
113* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
114** The first six books of the ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'' series have [[MadScientist Borborygmus Gog]] as the BigBad. He's got a very long leash and a lot of discretion, but ultimately is employed by TheEmperor. Palpatine only appears once, in a call to the scientist.
115---> He [Gog] could order the deaths of hundreds if he wished. With his terrible knowledge he could engineer nightmares. But as powerful as the scientist was, the Emperor could snuff him out with little more than a thought.
116** The works set between ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' and ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' (including ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', the ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'', and the ''Literature/XWingSeries'') feature an array of villains of varying threat levels and goals, but almost all of them serve the Empire, [[VestigialEmpire even if in name only]], and would not have their power if it weren't for the Emperor, despite him being long dead at this point. The exception is ''ComicBook/DarkEmpire'', where the Emperor is BackFromTheDead and serving as the Big Bad.
117** In the ''New Jedi Order'' series itself, it's revealed by [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch the repentant Yuuhzhan Vong priest Harrar]] that his people became ScaryDogmaticAliens after their home planet was laid waste to by a race "more technological than animate." [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental materials]] would establish that this was the Abominor, an entire species of {{Mechanical Abomination}}s out to [[YouWillBeAssimilated assimilate]] everything they come across.
118** The Empire again in ''[[Literature/StarWarsRazorsEdge Razor's Edge]]''. Imperial Commander Degoren is after Leia because he received emergency orders to break off his usual sector-patrol duties and pursue her, since no other ship was in position to ambush her at the leaked coordinates. He knows that the Empire will reward him greatly for succeeding and and punish him severely for failure.
119** The WhamEpisode online novella ''[[http://www.starwarstimeline.net/Supernatural_Encounters.htm Supernatural Encounters]]'', which had been stuck in DevelopmentHell for over a decade before seeing release in 2018, reveals that the greatest villains of the Star Wars Legends universe were, are, and always have been the Old Ones, a pantheon of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s who members include such luminaries as [[Literature/FateOfTheJedi Abeloth]], [[Literature/TheCrystalStar Waru]], and the Bedlam Spirits from Alan Moore's Marvel UK comics. Among other things, they are the collective ManBehindTheMan to the aforementioned Abominor, the [[Literature/BlackFleetCrisis Yevetha]], the [[ChurchMilitant Pius Dea]], and the various mystical menaces from the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'' cartoon; one of them, Typhojem, invented the very idea of worship of TheDarkSide in the first place, thus without him the Sith and most of the other Force-using antagonist groups would never have existed. There is one villain even greater than the Old Ones, however -- Nakhash, Father of Shadows, a renegade [[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels Celestial]] of whom even this story says little but who appears to serve a role in the cosmology similar to [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Morgoth]] or [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]]. In fact, it's implied he tempted the first generation of Old Ones into evil in the first place.
120* ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'' gives us the ''first'' Marquis de Saint-Evremonde. By the time the story begins, he's already dead, but it's revealed in a flashback that he was the linchpin for everything bad that happened when he raped [[BigBad Madame Defarge]]'s sister, causing the good Madame to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge swear revenge and mark the Marquis' entire family and anyone who would help them for death]]. Unfortunately, [[RevengeByProxy this includes the completely innocent main characters]]. In fact, everything bad includes bad things that have befallen said completely innocent main characters, with Charles Darnay forced to reject his name and emigrate to England (and according to his uncle they would have him imprisoned if they could for doing) and Dr. Manette rotting away for most of his youth in the Bastille for refusing to condone said atrocities.
121* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
122** Melkor a.k.a. Morgoth was always the ultimate evil presence in Middle-Earth, but after his defeat and imprisonment at the end of ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Sauron took over the role of the active BigBad, overlapping with DragonAscendant. Morgoth was not destroyed, however, and Tolkien's writings indicate he will free himself in time to command the forces of darkness once again at the Last Battle.
123** Sauron himself as the Necromancer during ''Literature/TheHobbit'' -- he definitely exists and will later be revealed as the canonical ultimate evil, but has no direct role in the story's plot, except as a device to give Gandalf a reason to leave the group for chapters at a time to go get information on him.
124* ''Literature/Utopia58'': The [[LegacyCharacter original Father]] was the leader responsible for turning Isonomia into the eponymous FalseUtopia that it is, as well as being the one forcing the nation to fight off Zion and other nations who oppose Isonomia's regulations. The current Father and BigBad is his successor, Ellie.
125* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', the Dark Forest serve this role during the ''Power of Three'' arc. They are recruiting an army to destroy the Clans, and are made up of the most powerful villains the heroes have ever faced. However, this is mostly going on in the background, as the main driving point of the arc is uncovering the secrets of the past and defeating the villain Sol, who is trying to make the Clans destroy each other.
126* Several of Creator/TadWilliams' works feature an entity called Unbeing or Old Night, which is the representation of entropy and ultimate decay. It's never any of the {{Big Bad}}s, but is portrayed as being tied to their actions, and at least one (Hellebore of ''Literature/TheWarOfTheFlowers'') planned to deliberately unleash it.
127* The Void of ''Literature/TheWordAndTheVoid'' is the Greater Scope Villain to each of the trilogy's respective villains. Due to its status as an AllPowerfulBystander it never intervenes in the plot, and as such, has little impact beyond merely existing. CanonWelding by the author makes the Void the Greater Scope Villain of the [[LongRunner long running]] ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series as well, where it has ''less'' of a direct role.
128* ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'': IT is the BigBad, and the Man with the Red Eyes may be [=ITs=] [[TheDragon Dragon]], while the Black Thing is more a manifestation of Evil as a concept. On the other hand, [[Film/AWrinkleInTime2018 the 2018 film]] states that the Black Thing was created by IT, making IT the biggest villain of that adaptation.

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