View source for Make Way for the New Villains

{{trope}}
[[File:monkey2 3627.jpg|link=Family Guy|frame|[[Card-Carrying Villain|A villainous pose]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgjcvxQjpKA can't hold a candle] to a [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]].]]

{{quote|'''Gunray''': The war is over! Lord Sidious promised us peace! We only want...
''{{spoiler|[[Killed Mid-Sentence|Before Gunray can finish, Anakin finishes him off]].}}''|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}86rsi9vD_LY This scene] from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Revenge of the Sith]]''}}

A subtrope of [[Evil Versus Evil]], this is for when a previous villain, whether a significant or minor one, is made significantly less of a threat (or in some cases outright killed) with the help of the next villain. The previous villain is put aside, to [[Title Drop|make way for the new villains]].

This often implies that the new villain is more competent, more evil, or for whatever other reason more threatening, but not necessarily. Cases where the new villain is ''less'' threatening instead can qualify as this trope, too. May be the result of [[Big Damn Villains]].

Compare [[Always a Bigger Fish]], which sometimes overlaps with this but not always and [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]. Also [[The Worf Effect]], depending on how they take them out. In video games, this is often the [[True Final Boss]].

{{examples}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* After Keith Giffen took over the second series of ''[[Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld]]'', he did a storyline where Carnelian is killed off to make way for the return of the first series' [[Big Bad]] Dark Opal. This lasts for one page in that issue and two pages in the following issue before Dark Opal himself is dispatched to make way for the new villains, The Child and Flaw.
* In the buildup to the Great Darkness Saga in the ''[[Legion of Super-Heroes (comics)|Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' (which Keith Giffen also worked on—he seems to love this trope), previous [[Big Bad]]s Mordru and the Time Trapper are found beaten and helpless to show how bad the villain behind the Great Darkness Saga (who turns out to be {{spoiler|Darkseid}}) is.
* In ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' the first thing Mysterio did when he showed up was shoot the Kingpin out of a window.
* In ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' when the Marquis of Death appeared he set [[Doctor Doom]] on fire and tossed him into prehistory. Unsurprisingly, he came back.

== [[Direct to Video]] ==
* ''[[Incognito Cinema Warriors XP]]'': Comically ineffectual, possibly senile Dr. Harrison Blackwood, who has been holding Rick and the 'bots captive, is {{spoiler|knocked out and shipped out for brainwashing in episode four by Jonathan Kincaid}}, who promptly reveals that he can shut down the 'bots, give Rick a brain aneurysm with the press of a button, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|reconnect calls through the viewscreen after being hung up on]].

== [[Film]] ==
* As implied by the page quote, {{spoiler|Anakin killing Gunray and his minions}} in ''[[Star Wars]]: [[Revenge of the Sith]]'' is an example of this.
* A non-lethal example is in ''[[Batman Begins]]'', when vicious crime boss [[Smug Snake|Carmine Falcone]] is trying to [[Blackmail]] corrupt psychiatrist Jonathan Crane... {{spoiler|who in turn sprays fear toxin in Falcone's face then and there, forcing Falcone into an intense panic attack and leaving him insane for the rest of the movie}}.
* In ''[[Jurassic Park]] 3'', a Spinosaurus appears out of nowhere and {{spoiler|kills a T. rex}} for no reason other than to announce how much more powerful and mean he is than the last big evil dinosaur.

== [[Literature]] ==
* Calvin {{spoiler|killing William Henry Harrison}} in ''[[The Tales of Alvin Maker]]''.
* In ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', Volrath, the [[Big Bad]] (actually their [[Dragon]], but for all intents and purposes) of the Weatherlight saga is missing and presumed dead after a climactic showdown near the end of the first half of the story. When he reappears midway through the second half, in sufficiently badass and grandiose fashion, it's only to be killed in a one on one duel to the death by  {{spoiler|Crovax}}, who becomes the new Ascendent Evincar.
* ''[[A Certain Magical Index]]'': Kakeru makes his entrance by easily defeating {{spoiler|the surviving Magic Gods.}}

== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* In "[[Star Trek: Voyager]]", Species 8472 is introduced by destroying an armada of Borg Cubes.
* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', the Anointed One (a little kid vampire who was held over from season one) is {{spoiler|shoved into a cage and hoisted into sunlight early in season two by Spike}}.
* ''[[Power Rangers Zeo]]'' has the Machine Empire {{spoiler|booting out Lord Zedd and Rita}}. Before that  {{spoiler|Zedd booted out Rita. She came back of course}}.
* This is done to  {{spoiler|Captain Crais}} by Scorpius at the end of the first season of ''[[Farscape]]''. In fact, it's done in three different ways: first, he manages to convince  {{spoiler|Crais's}} own bodyguards into obeying his orders and putting their boss in the [[Mind Probe|Aurora Chair]]; secondly, he takes over  {{spoiler|Crais's}} command carrier and has him stripped of rank and office; finally, just to drive home the fact that Scorpius is well and truly in control,  {{spoiler|Crais}} tries to kill him and ends up having his ass kicked for his troubles.
* In ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', Pearl {{spoiler|suffocating a baby-fied Forrester to death, and turning out to be more dangerous}}.
* In ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the old Daleks allow themselves to be killed by the new ones, agreeing that they're impure and should be destroyed.
** The Daleks were also subject to this in the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]], as they end brutally killed by [[Not So Harmless|Krotons]].
* Happens in [[Stargate SG-1]] when the Replicators start picking off the Goa'uld, who, up until that point, had been formidable enemies.
* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' loved to do this. [[Archnemesis Dad|Arthur]] announced his prescence by killing [[A God Am I|Adam]], and shortly afterward killing [[Mind Rape|Maury.]] Arthur in turn was killed off by [[Serial Killer|Sylar]], who had previously disposed of [[Four Eyes, Zero Soul|Bob]]. Then [[Knight Templar|Danko]] was killed by [[Knife Nut|Edgar]] on behalf of [[Manipulative Bastard|Samuel]]. And that's not even counting all the minor villains killed by Sylar.

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Family Guy]]'', the "evil monkey" getting a [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] from Dylan [Brian's son] is a clear case of this. While {{spoiler|the monkey later turns out to be a nice guy}}, up until that point he had been a villain, albeit minor. And, in that episode, the point was to show that Dylan was going to be harder to deal with than the monkey.
* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Princess Azula's first episode has her telling [[Anti-Villain|Zuko]] and [[Cool Old Guy|Iroh]] of their fugitive status and almost managing to capture them.

== [[Video Games]] ==

* In [[Super Robot Wars]] Z2: Rebirth Chapter,  {{spoiler|1=[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHkSmu91PRc Uther does this to Gaioh].}}
* [[RuneScape]]'s "Ritual of the Mahjarrat" quest officially, and properly, introduces the Dragonkin by having them  {{spoiler|gang up on a recently renewed and overpowered Lucien by [[The Worf Effect|kicking him to the curb]] and [[Impaled with Extreme Prejudice|impaling him with his own staff]].}}

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