Category:Big Bad

The Big Bad may either be personally responsible for the events, or the biggest force in opposition of the hero's goals. A Big Bad could be a character with Evil Plans or it could be an omnipresent situation, such as a comet heading towards the Earth.

In a serial story, the Big Bad often exerts an effect across a number of episodes, and even an entire season. In a standalone cinematic story, their presence drives the plot.

This trope is not a catch-all term for the biggest, ugliest or even primary villain of any given story. The badass leader of the outlaw gang that causes the most personal trouble is The Heavy, not the Big Bad. This leaves the reveal of the big bad as The Chessmaster behind it all and proving themselves far more clever and resourceful than the Villain of the Week.

Sometimes the Big Bad is the grand enemy of the entire story as an Overarching Villain. At other times, the Big Bad is an Arc Villain who causes trouble for a period of time only to be replaced by another Big Bad with ambitious plans.