Index: Underlings | The Villain’s Apprentice | Deserved superiority
The Definition
This is one of the most important individuals, as for the Underlings and Elite Underlings to be their successful trope selves, they need adequate leadership in the field. One cannot expect the Big Boss, or the Mid Boss (also known as the Villain's apprentice) to personally command each troop of disposable minions. Therefore, before I say more about the Lieutenants, we have to talk about the special Underlings.
The Elite Underling is one who has, due to some reason, achieved veterancy. Clad in a better version of the common Underling's armor, armed with a modified weapon, this underling is often assigned special duties, following some form of advanced training. When other Underlings can oft be sacrificed and thrown at the Hero/Heroes like the cannon fodder that they are, the Elites can expect and deserve much better treatment.
These veterans are given special orders, and since their skill and gear are better, their commanders expect them to succeed.
The Lieutenant is someone who has military education, command experience, and is following the Big Boss's orders to a tee. More often than not, the Villain's Lieutenant is an ex Elite Underling, who, after achieving some great villainous feat, was sent to the Big Boss's military academy. Or... they were personally tutored by one of the Mid Bosses.
The Villain's Lieutenant has been provided with an even better gear than the Elites. Perhaps a prototype suit of armor, or a trophy weapon he'd taken from one of the Hero's soldiers they killed? Whatever the case, these Lieutenants are bad news for the Heroes since they can maximize the common Underling's meager potential, and utilize the full might of the Elites...
“Lieutenant” might not refer to that rank, specifically, as it is often the case that a Villain's Lieutenant could be a general of one entire Underling army; commander of Elite corps; or some other Underling type.
The best and the worst
In recent years none have failed so miserably or in such an epic fashion employing even the simplest of literary devices, archetypes, and tropes, as Disney writers. Come their much hyped version of this trope, Captain Phasma; to say that this character has been underutilized would be an... understatement. While other Villainous Lieutenants actually do something, and are at the very least some form of a threat for the Hero/Heroes, Phasma gets her “chrome-dome” handed to her, and with ease.
Throughout this boring slop of a trilogy, Phasma does not display any leadership skills whatsoever, nor is she even somewhat capable a combatant. Finn (yet another terribly misused character) and Rose Tico, a maintenance worker, wipe the floor with a stormtrooper commander. Captain Phasma gets to theatrically stomp around in her shiny boots, waves her blaster rifle (also quite shiny) menacingly, has a few desperately uncool lines, and that is basically as they say, it.
Though near perfect in his role as Saruman's first Lieutenant, the Uruk-hai Lurtz was created for the movies and is not canonical. A skilled warrior with insane pain tolerance, Lurtz fights almost on par with Aragorn, and nearly kills him during their insanely cool duel. Moreover, Lurtz proves to be a capable leader since not only the brutish Uruk-hai under his command obeyed him, but he led them exceedingly well and successfully chased the Heroes down.
Lurtz needs no lines even... he mostly growls! Seriously, this is such a memorable Villain's Lieutenant, that I've talked to people who could replicate Lurtz's snarls and his iconic “Sarumaaaan!”
Tips&Tricks
Since the Villain's Lieutenant comes from the ranks of Elite Underlings, in this article I will share a few things about better utilizing their potential too.
Worldbuild the Villainous Way of Command – These lieutenants are best utilized when they have command training, or were under the wing of competent Mid Bosses. You could do this by Storyshowing one Elite Underling survive the Hero/Heroes during their earlier adventures. He or she suffers in a hospital until recovery; gets promoted, re-trained, outfitted, and eventually returns in command of another troop of Elites.
This trick will also promote consistency throughout this story, though take care and do not overuse it. A minor character here and there is fine, but the reader might be overwhelmed if you are constantly showering them with throngs of these.
Storytelling the menacing Lieutenant's ability during a short convo between Mid Bosses or other Lieutenants about organizational improvements made to their Big Boss's underling army. Just mentioning that said Lieutenant took a command course in their new officer academy and was among the top graduates is more than sufficient. When telling, one would do best to not overindulge; say a few chosen items to aid your setup and pair these with equal amount of storyshowing, so the later payoff is times more satisfying.
A brilliant example of this is, again, Lurtz's introduction. Seriously, go watch that movie!
Their new gear helps them – Elite Underlings and the Villain's Lieutenant have advanced versions of their mass-produced kit or prototype gear. Ideally, they would also be fielding a nifty gadget or slick-looking specialist armor; a cool way to differentiate between them and the common Mooks.
Visual storytelling is a grand way to maximize the use your newly made menacing Elites, and their brutally vicious Lieutenant. Don't just tell about it, have then use their gear; show that it gave them some sort of an advantage over the Hero/Heroes. You could also have the Elites and the Lieutenant traverse a terrain or survive environment otherwise deadly to the masses of ill-trained, fitted with common gear Underlings.
Training matters – Display why and how their new training (paired with better gear) prolongs the Elites' and the Lieutenant's life expectancy. You could, for example, show that they are much, much harder to kill. Demonstrate the pains that the Hero/Heroes experience trying to take these enemies down and how many wounds they suffer in the process. If you plan it beforehand, you could even have a baddie face-off; send your newly outfitted team of Elites and their Lieutenant to crush the underlings of a rival Big Boss.
In my own work, I'll have a special ops team with stealth gadgets get the drop on my Heroes. A squad of skilled commandos, led by someone who barely managed to survive one of the Main Heroes, is a great way to maximize your storytelling and worldbuilding.
One Taz'aran mecha pilot, Gubz, who suffers from severe PTSD and had his lost limbs replaced with cybernetics, makes a comeback as a Lieutenant. An Ace, he pilots a heavily modified version of his faction's mass-produced mecha, and is given command of his Big Boss's entire flight deck. Suffice to say, Gubz's traumatic experiences made him a highly motivated leader, laser focused on avenging the loss of his fellow pilots by the Hero's hand.
Competent commanders – Early on, you may have established the poor leadership of low Underling officers and sergeants. Now you can use this contrast, and make your newly-minted Lieutenant of the Elite Villain's space trooper corps (for example), shine! Had you employed the good vs bad commander trick, storytelling this becomes even easier, the cool factor higher, and the payoff, greater.
You could display their newly-gained viciousness by having them crush another group of baddies, or overwhelm/ambush and kidnap one of the Heroes.
Retreat! – The Lieutenants and their highly-trained Elites are definitely not like the disposable Mooks. Take care and allow them to retreat if the odds are not in their favor. Unless they are in a battle for their very lives, there is no way to retreat, or the life of their Big Boss is at stake, neither the Elites nor a capable Lieutenant should be treated like cannon fodder.
If they take casualties and survive, this unit and its commander can become a real pain the Heroes' behind. A reoccurring, death promising menace, all for the greater satisfaction of our dear readers, of course!
The Heroes will bleed – While the common Mooks are only dangerous to the Hero/Heroes in large numbers, or hurt them if they are way too overconfident and make a mistake, Elites and their Lieutenant are a scourge. Your protagonists will get shot, stabbed, slashed, kicked, and otherwise thrown across the proverbial deck, more than a few times.
Elite Underlings, especially if led by a competent Lieutenant, should most definitely be a force to be reckoned with. Of course, depending on your overall strategy, they might not be capable of killing your Hero, but incapacitation and/or mutilation should be all within their ability.
Again, one should be careful and not usurp the Big Boss's or Mid Boss's Hero crushing/killing privileges.
The Indie opinion
Establishing your Villainous armies with functional leadership (the bad commanders included for a much needed contrast) would definitely make your Big Boss and the Mid Boss or bosses, more menacing. The necessary legwork to build your Hero/Heroes up begins with having all kinds of baddies with varied abilities. Using Worldbuilding and the Environment only makes everything much more interesting and engaging for our readers! The universe then feels not only lived-in, but oh-so-gloriously menaced by every kind of villain.
From the lowliest thug, to the most Machiavellian, hiding behind the scenes Mandarin, all of these timeless tropes and archetypes exist to be used thriftily. In my humble indie author's opinion, balance between storytelling and storyshowing is the key to success!
“Tropes are a tool and like all tools they can be misused, abused, or employed with glorious success.”
Honorable tags:
The most important piece of information you hit on here is that of this archetype's introduction. Follow-through obviously matters as well, but it's how they're introduced that forms the foundation of whether or not we find their competency believable later on.
Looking at your examples of Phasma and Lurtz, we can see stark differences in their introductions which help to establish key aspects of their characters. Starting with Lurtz, he's the first of his kind that we ever see dug from the pits beneath Isengard. As soon as he rips free of that placenta-like encasement he's trapped in, the very first thing he does is grab the orc who was digging him out by the throat and mercilessly strangle him. This establishes two things - firstly, Lurtz's ability to kill. The orc he slew was armored, but Lurtz reacted so quickly that he was able to grab him by the throat and grip him so tightly that not only was he incapacitated, he was strangled dead in a matter of literal seconds. Secondly, it establishes his size. Lurtz and the other Uruks are comparatively massive next to the orcs, which are roughly the same size as men. He's large, powerful, violent, and efficient, and in the second half of his introduction we're shown his loyalty as he pledges himself to "Sarumaaaaaaan!"
Phasma's introduction, by contrast, is one that looks fantastic on the surface of it. During the First Order's raid on that Jakku encampment to find the map shard, we get to see Phasma march through its smoldering remains as her Storm Troopers finish gathering up the remaining survivors before laying waste to them. She stands out for her imposing height and the unique chrome armor she wears, and an attempt to establish her authority is made when she orders FN 2187 to submit himself for an equipment check and psych eval after failing to follow orders during the massacre. However, there's a thoroughly distinct difference between Lurtz and Phasma here - Lurtz is given an introduction where he's active. We see the type of creature he is from his very first actions, and that initial introduction is supported in his portrayal throughout the remainder of Fellowship. Phasma, however, takes no active role in leading her troops. She's not shown disembarking with the Storm Troopers she commands, she leaves the ship after they're done. She's never shown giving them orders because Kylo Ren does that himself. She's never shown taking part in the fighting, but instead is shown cornering one of our would-be heroes when he breaks away from the rest of the men to issue disciplinary orders. Phasma is supposed to be a Captain in the First Order's army, a rank of high standing and much responsibility. Lurtz, likewise, is given leadership over the first Uruk pack to find the Fellowship and reclaim the ring. We're told plenty of what Phasma is supposed to be, but never shown it. We're told plenty of what Lurtz is supposed to be, too, and then explicitly shown it right down to him killing Boromir and successfully fighting against Aragorn. Lurtz is a capable leader and warrior. Phasma is a glorified disciplinarian who gets undercut at every turn.
Throughout this boring slop of a trilogy, Phasma does not display any leadership skills whatsoever, nor is she even somewhat capable a combatant. Finn (yet another terribly misused character) and Rose Tico, a maintenance worker, wipe the floor with a stormtrooper commander. Captain Phasma gets to theatrically stomp around in her shiny boots, waves her blaster rifle (also quite shiny) menacingly, has a few desperately uncool lines, and that is basically as they say, it.
That's Disney for you. They don't know how to do Lieutenants or anything menacing.
That's a shame because once upon a time, they did a little movie called "Black Hole."
The movie had a Lieutenant in the form of a Robot named Maximilian and an excellent villain named Dr. Hans Reinhardt, played by Maxmillan Schell.
Disney has become lost in its "Princess" tropes and has sunk into the identity politics shit.
Unless your fictional army is just there to provide a light workout for an overpowered Main Character and cookie-cutter friends, it should be as close to real life as possible. The normal troops should have a minimum level of training. The lieutenants should inspire the normal troops to complete their tasks and care about survival. The mid-level bosses should have a more strategic overview of the tactics used and give their troops a passing level of care. The high-level boss should be even more so. In all this, everyone should grow and present more of a challenge for the MC and crew.
Unless you want to be Disney and use them as fodder.