The Villain's Apprentice
Tropes and Archetypes
Index: Underlings | The Villainous Way of Command | Deserved superiority | The Quest for thy Hate | M for Mystery | Farm Commonwalker
The Definition
The Mid Boss, the Villain's Apprentice, or the Dragon, is often second in command after the Big Boss. While their Overlord deals with strategic matters of great import, the Mid Boss makes sure that their Lieutenants and Elite Underlings are given proper direction. Depending on the worldbuilding and villainous types, the Mid Boss might be loyal to a tee, secretly vying for his Boss's throne or... just in on the galaxy conquering plot for the fun of it.
In some instances, the Villain's Apprentice is exactly that, the most competent and powerful student of the Big Bad. He or she could've had “untapped potential” and were noticed by Lieutenants or the Main Villain themselves. Follow the baddie training montage and in a few years time, or less, we have one badass Mid Boss, who is only second to his master.
The Apprentice is well trained and outfitted with nothing but the best. A super unique, prototype mech, the ancient sword of most efficient slaughter, or the armor of smug invulnerability might be his or her gift, following a villainous quest. During this deadly task the Apprentice proves their worth, mayhap even besting the Hero's own beloved Mentor in combat.
Just like with the Villain's Lieutenant, the Apprentice may have a lofty rank like a Grand Admiral, Supreme Marshall, or something deliciously imposing and terror inducing. Regardless of the Universe, it should be best that this Mid Boss is actually capable of performing these duties or wise enough to delegate some of them to an equally as competent bunch of Lieutenants.
Of course, the Mid Boss need not be a military whiz, a stalwart champion of the forces of evil, or the shadowiest assassin. No, the unscrupulous politician, the corrupt police chief, and the unfeeling mafioso can perfectly fit that role. Regardless, all Villain Apprentices must be, at the very least, capable leaders.
The best and the worst
With the risk of sliding down the slippery slope of repetition, I shall once more reach for the lowest hanging fruit. Disney “star wars” has such low quality charactercraft, so inept in its bumbling attempts at bending the already existing worldbuilding to appease some ephemeral “modern audiences,” that I simply cannot resist.
Enter one of the most confused, inconsistent, and poorly conceived Villain's Apprentice – Kylo Ren. One who immediately displays otherwise miraculous battlefield prowess and force abilities, followed by uncontrollable fits of inept rage. His gob gets smashed by a space janitor and one untrained scrapper, but instead of putting him on a badass villain's journey or the path to redemption, this promotes even more and greater impotence.
Not even the shills really like him. One, because their manufactured affection has a price tag, and two... Shills have no words of their own, they read scripts.
Where Lurtz won fans' hearts and minds with but a few moments on screen and only a couple of lines of dialogue, Saruman shines as one of the best Villain's Apprentices ever. Corrupted by his lust for knowledge and fed the delusion that he could one day usurp the Dark Lord's throne, Saruman of Many Colors eagerly betrays the peoples of Middle Earth.
Employing his magical powers and knowledge to the best of his ability, he spawns a new race of orks – the brutally efficient, fearless Uruk-hai. Orks obey him as if he is the Dark Lord himself. Saruman is not only capable of efficient scheming, he is strong enough to best Gandalf in single combat. He orchestrates a massive and almost successful campaign to weaken the Rohirrim by way of the sword, the fire, and the subversion.
At the height of his villainous transformation, this Apprentice rules over his ever increasing domain with the iron fist of the Ork, and the poisoned dagger of Grima Wormtongue.
Tips&Tricks
Because Villain Apprentices come from a diverse range of backgrounds, the tricks to maximize that trope are best used sparingly.
Storyshow the Mid Boss's motivation – Depending on their reason for being a Mid Boss, one should strive to convey their motivation properly. The easiest way to determine said motivation is to ask yourself the question:
“What does he or she want?”
If a corrupt government official works as a right hand man of some malevolent alien entity, they may be promised dominion over Earth, following their master's successful conquest.
When your reader/player/viewer is storyshown what motivates that Mid Boss, then the threats are scarier, the villainous acts have meaning, and the Hero/Heroes feel endangered.
An example from my own work is the Taz'aran Lord, General Nedal. Now a fan favorite, this man had a most excruciating villain's journey; descended into alcoholism and almost embraced depression. Yet, despite his failings, he and the troopers he led found their hate back. Motivated by want for revenge, Nedal climbed up from the pit of self-loathing and despair.
Changed by this newly-found hate of his, the Taz'aran carved a new post for himself by way of victory against all odds. He donned the General mantle to lead all Coalition armies and became Count Omasa's second in command... with a dagger hidden behind his back, and a treacherous plot to replace him, of course.
Leadership matters – They are the Mid Boss for a reason! If not anything else, their leadership and organizational skill should be shown and told throughout the story. Perhaps the best way is to have someone tell, but only after your reader/player/viewer was already shown via a short scene. This will bolster the impact of that Apprentice and put even more weight behind his or her actions, no matter what they are.
The arsenal of villainy – Mid Bosses employ every little trick in their sleeve when facing the Hero/Heroes. Anything which you have devised as part of said arsenal best be storyshown at least once.
Maybe it is the Lieutenants that they trained and the Elite Mooks they organized/equipped that deliver a painful blow to their heroic enemies?
Or the superweapon, the secret prototype mecha, one that they have been developing in complete secrecy is what gave them the edge?
Mayhap 'twas the traitor, an infiltrator, or a beyond stealthy commando team, personally led/instructed by the Mid Boss, who stabbed the Hero in the back?
The Mid Bosses are where they are, exactly because Big Bosses expect that their orders would be followed to a tee, and a great degree of success, achieved.
The escape hatch – When their plan, and even the best of pots fail their meeting with the Heroes, the Villain's Apprentice best have a parachute. Nothing sucks more for the reader than scrapping a well-established, competent baddie early on. Moreover, evading the Heroes' wrath after hurting one of them, or killing their beloved Mentor, raises the stakes.
Consistent Worldbuilding – You have already built your Villain's foundations. The Underlings, Elite Underlings, and Lieutenants are exactly the baddies to construct your own Tower of Sauron. Without all manner of Mooks, adept and inept, the Mid Boss of for that matter, your Hero/Heroes cannot shine bright.
The lens of stupid – The more contrasts you setup early on, like for example the failure of incapable commanders and cowardly Mooks, the better. Now you can employ the lens of stupid and magnify the shine of your Lieutenants, Elite Underlings, and of course, the Mid Boss. The delivery of all payoffs that you have setup at the beginning is magnified manyfold.
A diamond shines even brighter beside a lump of coal.
The Indie opinion
The Villain's Apprentice is a much needed villain, if you wish to strengthen both your Heroes and your Big Boss. Having organizational efficiently, storyshowing and storytelling the supply tale of your massive Underling host is of utmost importance.
Of course, you need not go into too much detail – your reader/player/viewer needs not know the Big Boss's tax policy. Not unless said policy is an integral part of your story, does not hamper the pace, and sets important events into motion.
Worldbuilding cultural ties or conflicts between your Mid Boss, the Lieutenants, the Elite Underlings, and the Big Boss would vastly improve your story. Though, consider weaving any current day messaging into your universe, for they could quickly become dated depending on the way you used them...
“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.”
Honorable tags:
I know this type VERY well. It's very rare to watch an animated television program and not come across them.
Now, of course, I'm going have to put some of this into practice. Bwahaha!