Villain Opening Scene: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Common in stories in which [[The Villain Makes the Plot|the villain and the plot are essentially synonymous]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* The first episode of ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' opens with Raditz landing on Earth and killing a farmer.

* In the North American version of ''[[Kirby Right Back At Ya]]'', the very first episode opens with an immense, evil crimson octopus Demon Beast/monster called Octacon attacking and eating a whole flock of sheep to a Cappy farmer's horror before flying back to King Dedede's castle. This scene actually switched places with the original Japanese opening scene where Kirby is flying through space asleep and eventually comes into orbit over Popstar in the dub.

** Also, the episode "Masher 2.0" begins with Knuckle Joe in a battle against a newly-rebuilt Masher 2.0. And not doing too well against it. At least he does well against its helpers, some of Nightmare's kaiju-esque monsters seen in Meta Knight's flashbacks.

* The tenth [[One Piece]] movie opens with [[Hero Antagonist|hero antagonists]] Garp and Sengoku looking on grimly and expositing as movie [[Big Bad]] "Golden Lion" Shiki [[The Worf Effect|worfs]] an entire Buster Call-sized fleet of Navy battleships.

 

 

== Films -- Animated ==

* ''Many'' films in the [[Disney Animated Canon]] have such a scene.

** ''[[Mulan]]'' opens with Shan-Yu and his army attacking the Great Wall of China. Mulan herself doesn't appear till scene three.

** ''[[Dinosaur]]'' actually begins with the film's [[Big Bad]], [[Carnivore Confusion|the Carnotaurus]] attacking the nest made by Aladar's mother, smashing all but one of the eggs (which was taken away by an Oviraptor, and later on a Pterodactyl, to Lemur Island) and presumably killing his mother.

** ''[[Tangled]]'' begins with the villainess finding the magic flower used by Rapunzel's mother to heal her illness (and later transferring its magic to her daughter's hair), only to have it snatched away by the King to heal his aforementioned wife.

** ''[[The Lion King]]'': Scar is the first character to speak in the film.

** Rare Pixar example: [[Cars|''Cars 2'']] begins with Professor Z and his henchcars discussing about their evil plan for world domination and killing an unsuspecting spy car by literally crushing him into a cube, only to run into Finn [[Mc Missile]], who had just infiltrated their lair.

* Rasputin from ''[[Anastasia]]''; he even gets his ''[[Villain Song]]'' for the cutscene.

 

 

* Several ''[[Godzilla]]'' films start off with either Godzilla or the monster he's going to fight in the films.

* The Joker's bank robbery in ''[[The Dark Knight]]''.

* Alfred Hitchcock's [[Reverse Whodunnit]] ''[[Rope]]'' opens with the two murderers.

** ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]'' opens with [[Serial Killer]] Uncle Charlie on the run from police.

* ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' opens with the Skeksis.

* Extreme case: the first scene of ''[[Predator 2]]'' is seen through the predator's point of view.

* All three original ''[[Star Wars]]'' films open with a shot of one or more Imperial Star Destroyers (though the Rebel Blockade Runner is seen first in ''A New Hope''). ''Return of the Jedi'' most closely fulfills this trope with its first scene featuring Darth Vader.

* ''[[Kung Pow]]'' starts with a young Master Pain (before he took on the name Betty) killing [[The Chosen One]]'s parents.

 

* ''[[Harry Potter]] [[Harry Potter (Franchise)/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows|and the Deathly Hallows]]'', opens with Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the Malfoy Manor.

** Although the Dursleys aren't all-out villains like Voldemort and company, ''[[Harry Potter (Franchise)/Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone|Philosophers Stone]]'' opens with a whole chapter dedicated to Uncle Vernon's day at work, interspersed with occasional references to the magical world we now know and love.

** And ''[[Harry Potter (Franchise)/Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|Goblet of Fire]]'' opens with a chapter about Voldemort murdering people, albeit from the POV of one of the victims.

* ''[[The Coldfire Trilogy]]'' by C.S. Friedman begins with a scene with the villain (although it's from the viewpoint of his wife).

* ''[[Intensity]]'' by Dean Koontz opens with a scene about the villain, from the villain's point of view.

* Ken Follett writes amazing books like ''[[The Key To Rebecca]]'' and ''[[The Eye Of The Needle]]'' where the villain starts out as the main character, with the readers' sympathies with him, and then the focus and sympathies begin to slowly shift to the hero.

* ''[[The Last Battle]]'', the conclusion to ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', starts with Shift finding the inspiration for his [[Evil Plan]].

* Each book in [[The Thrawn Trilogy]] starts off with a scene on an Imperial Star Destroyer, in a [[Continuity Nod]] to the original trilogy's openings with shots of a Star Destroyer. Its primary fuction is to establish Thrawn's tactical genius.

 

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'''s first episodes features [[Red Shirt]] soldiers getting attacked by Jaffas. Apophis' face is seen before Teal'c (and Teal'c is the first main character we get to see).

* ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'' opens with Number Six molesting the Armistice Officer and a Cylon Basestar destroying Armistice Station.

* Many episodes of ''[[Ultraman Tiga]]'' have a [[Villain Opening Scene]] featuring the current [[Monster of the Week]].

* ''[[Power Rangers]]'' began with Rita Repulsa and her goons being accidentally released by two astronauts investigating the planetoid her space dumpster was hidden on. She hammily declared her intent to attack the first planet she saw, which happened to be Earth.

* Both story arcs of ''[[Dark Season]]'' have one of these as the [[Cold Opening]] of the first episode.

 

 

* The first ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' opens with Natla's crash in the desert.

* '' [[Mortal Kombat]]: Deadly Alliance'' opens with the titular villains teaming up, and then killing the series' [[Big Bad]] and [[Chosen One]]. Deception opens with those two villains (and Raiden) apparently getting killed by an [[Eviler Than Thou]] Villain.

* Dr. Wily has one in ''[[Mega Man Powered Up]]'' where he appears on a TV Screen and announces his plans to the world.

* Dr. Robotnik has one in the spinoff Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, in which he explains his latest plan to Scratch and Grounder.

* In the Updated version of ''[[Panel De Pon]]'' in the Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Thantos's army is shown mind controlling everyone with a special song

** He does this in the first as well, but he is revealed to be an illusion created by Cordelia.

* ''[[Onimusha]] 2'' begins with Nobunaga [[Doomed Hometown|razing Jubei Yagyu's home village]].

* ''[[Fur Fighters]]'' opens with General Viggo giving a monologue about the group as the camera pans over their village. He then attacks the village and steals their children and spouses.

* The opening of ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' shows Ghetsis crowning the King of Team Plasma.

* In the opening cutscene for X's portion of ''[[Mega Man X|Mega Man X4]]'', a cloaked Sigma is having a discussion with the General about the Maverick Hunters, trying to convince him to fight against and destroy them.

** Also, Revenge of Meta Knight in both said game as well as the original Kirby Super Star opens with Meta Knight and his crew preparing to launch the Halberd, as Kirby speeds his way toward it on his Warpstar.

* ''Kirby 64'' gets one as well; it begins with a cloud of Dark Matter attacking and taking over Ripple Star while Ribbon tries to get the fairies' crystal to safety and away from the Dark Matter... only for the Dark Matter scouts Dark Rimuru, Dark Rimura and Dark Rimuro to smash the crystal into dozens of pieces.

 

 

== Webcomics ==

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' does this for the "[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=060814 Phoenix Rising]" arc. Also, the "[http://72.36.141.236/daily.php?date=081201 bROKEN]" arc begins with a section titled "Year in the Life of a Villain."