Non-Action Big Bad: Difference between revisions

The [[Big Bad]], as everybody knows, is the ultimate evil in a work of fiction ([[Bigger Bad|or not]]). But, what exactly makes him such a threatening villain? Is it because they're [[The Chessmaster|cunning]]? [[Eviler Than Thou|Eviler than anybody else]]? Or maybe because they're powerful? In practically every work of fiction centered around action, the latter is the case. Well, not always.

 

 

 

 

* The Major from ''[[Hellsing]]''. For an [[Omnicidal Maniac]] enamoured of war and carnage, he noticeably lacks any combat involvement and limits himself to inspirational speeches.

** [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Hilariously]], he can't even shoot a disobedient soldier standing ''right in front of him'', despite emptying an entire clip of ammo at him. Eventually, he just has his more loyal [[Mooks]] do the killing for him.

* Gato in the first arc of ''[[Naruto]]'', which ended up being his undoing after he tried to dispose of Zabuza, only for him to turn on and kill him. After that, [[Authority Equals Asskicking]] took full effect.

* Sakyo of ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' is head of the antagonists in the Dark Tournament Saga, even if Toguro overshadows him in plot importance. He also knows he can't fight, despite being the fifth member of Team Toguro, so he says that the outcome of Toguro's match will decide the outcome of his, thus enabling whoever wins it to win the tournament.

* {{spoiler|Kyubey}} from ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]''. He never ''actively'' bring the girls into harm, he simply {{spoiler|gave the girl their wishes and let them fight [[Monster of the Week|witches]] as [[Magical Girl|magical girls]] as payment}}. There are only two reasons to consider him a villain at all: he doesn't value individual human life at all (and [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good|doesn't even understand the idea]]), and he is directly or indirectly responsible for just about everything bad that happens in the series. The reason it's all arguable is that {{spoiler|he's doing it to prevent [[Apocalypse How|total universal destruction due to entropy]].}}

* Dr. Tenma in the 2003 version of ''[[Astro Boy]]''.

** ''[[Gundam Seed Destiny]]'' has a [[Big Bad Ensemble]] of [[Complete Monster|Lord Djibril]] and [[Dark Messiah|Gilbert Durandal]]. Both have more than enough resources (and [[Axe Crazy|madness]]/[[Manipulative Bastard|manipulative ability]]) to make up for their lack of frontline combat skills, with Djibril heading a world-wide network of hate-groups, and Durandal as ZAFT's new [[President Evil]].

 

* ''[[Sin City]]'' baddies tend to invoke this trope. The Roarks, Ava Lord, Wallenquist, and even the Colonel never get their hands dirty and are likely incapable of doing so. Instead, they send dirty cops, mooks, hitmen, and assassins to do their jobs.

* [[Lex Luthor]] most of the time. He does have a battlesuit, but he tends to get in fistfights a lot less than he uses his [[Manipulative Bastard]] and [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] aspects.

 

 

* Cutler Becket from the ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' movies. He loves to sit and enjoy his tea while he watches his armies fight against the pirates.

* Dieter von Cunth in [[MacGruber]], for all his fearsome reputation, just stands there and gets his ass kicked when the finale comes.

 

* Grand Admiral Thrawn from ''[[The Thrawn Trilogy]]''. He's actually implied to be at least a decent fighter, and is described as being powerfully built, but he has no interest in engaging in combat himself- it's strategy and trickery that hold his interest, not brawling. [[All There in the Manual|The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook]] gives him [[Authority Equals Asskicking|ridiculously high stats]], but then again it's made so that fans can roleplay through the events of the trilogy, and they might be able to force a physical confrontation.

** Explicitly averted in one of his later ([[Flash Back|but chronologically earlier]]) appearances. One of Thrawn's intricate plans includes a requirement for an elite bounty hunter's involvement. The bounty hunter is the linchpin of the plan, and would have to be given more information than such an inherently mercenary individual should be trusted with. Thus, Thrawn simply puts on a suit of Mandalorian armor and assumes the role himself.

 

* Obviously the First Evil in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' who having no physical form must resort to [[Mind Rape]] as well as [[The Dragon]] and his [[Elite Mooks]]

 

 

 

* Doctor Robotnik from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games. You'll never see him fighting outside an [[Humongous Mecha]].

* Gabriel Roman from ''[[Uncharted]]: Drake's Fortune''.

* Henry Leland in ''[[Alpha Protocol]]''. {{spoiler|He can be the final boss, but the fight is [[Anticlimax Boss|a joke]] and its made clear that this is just an act of desperation.}} {{spoiler|Sergei Surkov}} is also one.

* The head of the terrorists in ''[[Silent Scope]]''.

* John Brightling in ''[[Rainbow Six]]''. Once you reach his lab, he surrenders.

* In the arcade version of ''[[The Combatribes]]'', the main heroes spent the last two stages chasing after a man in a suit who fits the image of a stereotypical crime boss. When the crime boss is cornered in the final stage, he is betrayed and killed by his [[Bodyguard Babes|female bodyguard]] Martha Splatterhead, who proceeds to fight the player in her boss' place.

* Dr. Curien, Goldman, and the Mysterious Man in ''[[House of the Dead]]'' series.

** In the ''Old World Blues'' DLC, there's Dr. Mobius. While he spends the entire DLC siccing his Robo-Scorpions on you in as maniacal a manner as possible, when you actually meet him he turns out to be a heavily senile and grandfatherly old brain who can barely remember half of what he says. Most of his more maniacal rants are due to him taking Psycho. You can fight him, but he's hardly a match for you. Similarly, {{spoiler|The Think Tank at the end are equally pitiful in combat, though it's made clear early-on that without their pacification field there's nothing stopping you from curb-stomping them.}}

 

 

* Subverted by Tombstone from ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]''. Spider-Man pretty much invokes this trope, right before Tombstone beats him in less than five seconds.

* Dr. Claw from ''[[Inspector Gadget]]''. He doesn't lift a finger throughout the show, or even [[The Faceless|deigns to show his face.]] He just dispatches his [[Mooks]], then escapes at the last minute once Gadget defeats them.

** He ''has'', however, personally engaged in vehicle-to-vehicle combat with the Inspector a few times, usually at the beginning of an episode before the plot's kicked off.

** He smartly built weapons into his container for [[Young Justice]], however.

 

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[[Category:Villains]]