Deserved superiority
Tropes and Archetypes
Index: Underlings | The Villainous Way of Command | The Villain’s Apprentice
The Quest for thy Hate | M for Mystery | Farm Commonwalker Weaponized Love
The Definition
The Big Boss or the Big Bad, is the head honcho, at the very top of the command pyramid or at the very least, has full control over his or her theater of operations. Having a competent Mid Boss and a bunch of Lieutenants to lead a vast (or not that ginormous) army of Underlings, our Big Bad can deal with issues of strategic importance.
Depending on the type, your Big Bad could be a mighty combatant, just as capable of commanding swarms of Underlings from the front, or a scheming Machiavellian, who plots the doom of our Hero/Heroes from a towering fortress. Regardless, we know and are shown that the Big Boss is clearly malevolent. He or She does not care about the little people and would often crush entire cities (or planets) if it advances their goals.
In some cases, the Big Bad is a well-hidden person, of whose existence the Heroes/Hero haven't even the slightest idea. 'Till a certain point in our Story, we present a Mid Boss, or a Dragon, to our viewers/readers/players and they are led to believe that this is the top villain.
Regardless, one of the main characteristics of our Big Boss is his or her ability to efficiently lead/manipulate/scare into obedience Mid Bosses and Lieutenants. Again, this choice depends of exactly how you have worldbuilt and storytold their Underlings to operate.
Naive fools and delusional activists require daft manipulation and/or sly propaganda. Throngs of thuggish Underlings would be best whipped into a killing frenzy by fear. Witnessing the fate of those who failed their Master getting shot on the spot, spaced, or force strangled would, if not guarantee loyalty, force obedience.
Last but not least, intelligent troopers are inspired to do their best by a charismatic General who either leads from the front issues competent orders from his or her bunker, and does not throw their lives in vain.
The best and the worst
If Kylo Ren was Disney “Star Wars” most inconsistent and poorly conceived Villain's Apprentice, then “Supreme Leader” Snot... erm... I meant Snoke is one of the worst Big Bad's in recent cinematic history. It does not help that the loons who wrote him couldn't decide what they were doing; let's face it, they usually have no idea where they are and what words are coming out of their gobs, let alone having enough wisdom to comprehend the gravity of their own actions.
Big Bad Snot is leader only on hologram. There is nothing of his ever properly storyshown, only forcefed to the audience in the way of telling. When this “supreme” Snot finally emerges on the screen in the flesh, despite claiming to have full control of his apprentice, to the extent of reading Kylo's very thoughts, he is dispatched in a most inglorious manner.
Without a proper fight.
Not even the tiniest of force lightings.
No resistance, just the dumb look on his face...
For a Big Bad lauded to be mighty and indeed, he did display control over the Force, Snot is simply dumped into the bin. Many suspect that, because those in creative control at Disney lacked a sound plan, and indeed, stumbled around like headless chickens story and character wise, their otherwise imposing supreme leader turned to be such a disappointment.
On the other hand, Emperor Palpatine, though Disney writers attempted to clone his villainous archetype in their supreme leader Snot, was a masterclass example of a Big Bad.
Truly malevolent, this Machiavellian Sith Lord was easily capable of pulling strings behind the scenes and fooled the entire Jedi order. A genius manipulator, master of the Dark Side and a skilled swordsman to boot, Sheev Palpatine plotted the demise of the Republic in absolute secrecy. None was the wiser until everything unfolded nigh exactly as he had planned.
While he did get defeated in the end, Emperor Palpatine displayed leadership and organizational qualities. He was quite capable of taking care of things personally, when the Force hit the fan. Including and not excluding his awesome powers of manipulation, if that “ultimate poweeeer” Force lighting and red lightsaber couldn't do the job.
Tips&Tricks
Though many of the tips and tricks I noted in my previous articles can be applied here, there are certain things that are best suited to the Big Bad.
Boldness – The Big Boss is a Big Boss for a reason. It wouldn't hurt to storyshow and storytell that our top baddie is not afraid to get his or her hands dirty, when he or she needs to. Does not matter if he personally presides over the corporal punishment of a coward, or summarily executes some Underling who screwed up really, really, and I mean reaaaaly bad, public displays of even justice would only strengthen that character.
An example from my own writing is the villainous journey of one Lord Omasa. Another Taz'aran and the iconic Big Bad of the series, his introduction includes a display of leadership, punishment, and organization. Assigned a new starship, Lord Omasa finds his new command incomplete and exposed to outer space. The frontier base his vessel's hull was laid is infamous with rampant corruption and a favorite spot for lazy officers to bribe their transfer to.
He quickly takes command of the situation and executes all engineers who cut corners and stole from the construction budget, but only after they fix their mess and finish his vessel according to specs. Lord Omasa swiftly appropriates every cent that these sloths stole into his personal war fund. He scours the seedy depths of the space station for personnel of worth and hires everyone he deems useful with said funds.
It is the prelude to his own villainous journey, a thing I will write a separate article about and soon.
Earned uniqueness – Though it is true what the elder wordsmiths say and all stories have already been told, you would benefit from giving your Big Boss a defining characteristic. A skill they are really good at due to years of study and not just their prodigy status. Said skill could also be the result of rigorous practice and not only academic studies. Secret knowledge/powerful item they were bestowed with by the grace of their villainous ancestors, but only because he or she earned it after a trial. Something that, when employed, gives your Big Bad a definite edge over the Hero/Heroes.
Gravitas – Your Big Boss takes nearly everything he or she does, be it plotting the demise of the Hero/Heroes, dealing with some strategic issue, mayhap even cleaning their favorite sidearm, with the appropriate level of seriousness. This does not mean that they would never chuckle when the time is right, no, just that not every second line of theirs isn't yet another desperate attempt to make a current year joke or witless social commentary.
Giving your Big Bag enough Gravitas will greatly bolster their threat levels. In the case that one of your Heroes is a Joker Archetype, the contrast of seriousness and ludicrous can be a great asset for your story. Just remember that your Big Boss isn't the joker here, and even though he or she can be rightfully mocked by the Hero/Heroes, in order to assail their concentration, you might be careful so that your top baddie is not transformed into comic relief.
Subtle Malevolence – Your Big Bad is evil, yes, it is indeed implied in the “bad” part of the name. The baddest of baddies, he or she need not overdo it or risk becoming redundant. Planet or system wide genocide, slavery on a galactic scale?! Have no fear my fellow villains, we are oh-so-inclusive when it comes to oppression! Our grand army of Underlings do not discriminate and mass-exterminate everyone... equally.
However, the Big Bad will perform/organize/lead any heinous activity and with such nonchalant insouciance, that one would feel overwhelmed by their calm indifference. 'Twas as if said war crime (or whatever genocidal act) is but a simple daily occurrence for the Big Boss.
Deserved superiority – Either the Big Boss's faction (religious, military, or political), their race, or culture, has earned some form of superiority among its villainous peers. This is an important storytelling and storyshowing tool, yet rather different from current day Hollywood obsessions. The difference here is that said superiority has been earned through actions on the battlefield, economic prosperity, or scientific rigor.
The key here is that eventually, said superiority, as we all can testify by observing reality, morphs into a superiority complex. To what a degree would this affect the society or faction of your Big Bad, it is you who decides. You can even spawn wise villainous sages into your universe, scientists or writers, whose warnings of future woes, had the Big Bad or someone else wouldn't listen, become the cause of brutal in-faction conflicts, one on one duels between your Lieutenants, or a full blown ideological civil war.
For example, the Taz'arans in Starshatter are infamous conquerors and feared for their mercilessness and insidious tactics. However, one day they faced the Terrans and their many centuries of otherwise highly-successful strategies, combat doctrines, and spycraft were proved inefficient. They had to change and do so quickly, yet their leadership considered Humanity and its clients a mere speck. Moreover, said strategies were overwhelmingly successful when applied against other aliens, and the need for immediate change was... postponed.
The Indie opinion
Worldbuilding and charactercraft is key when conceiving your Big Bad. He or she may not be just an overpowering, overbearing villain, but a force for positive change, cultural growth, which will strengthen his or her race/faction/religion/society. You need not invest a lifetime of research into this universe of yours, but a solid, simple framework will work more than well and ensure continuous consistency.
As always, remember that everything you wordforge, it is for the advancement of your story, the growth of your characters, both Heroes and Villains, and the enjoyment of your readers!
“A diamond shines even brighter when placed beside a lump of coal.”
Honorable Tags:
Sauron from "Lord Of The Rings" is a literary example of this character- he's talked about and manipulates behind the scenes until Tolkien finally allows him to come on the scene.
Boom! What a great article. I like your analysis. I think villains are hard to make believable and you give some very good tips. But, as a roleplayer, I feel that good characters are even harder to make intriguing. Bad guys are fascinating, especially nowadays. Good guys often taken as fools just because they agree to do good. Just my twopence. Loved it, Knight, thanks!