The Dragon/Western Animation

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Transformers Generation 1 had Starscream as Megatron's most iconic Dragon.
    • On Transformers Animated, the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits manage barely against the two Brutes because of Blitzwing's uncontrollable temper and Lugnut being just the sort of big, tactless idiot that would be named "Lugnut". But The Dragon, Starscream, is an intelligence and focused force that towers over all the Autobots, save Optimus himself. He even takes out Optimus' commander in one shot. Scarier still is how this foreshadows Megatron, who is bigger than both Starscream and Optimus and Starscream can't put a dent in Megatron to save his life. Who knows what horrors await in Season 3 now that Starscream has cloned himself 4 times.
      • The Starscream clones haven't done much, but Megatron did show why he's the Big Bad and Starscream's The Dragon. In the two-part season finale, Megatron gets hit by an explosion with a 100-mile radius in a small Deus Ex Machina ball of Heroic Sacrifice. And all that does is damage him enough so that Optimus Prime can take him down with what is essentially the Autobot version of Marvel Thor's hammer.
    • Another show, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, has two dragons: Sky-Byte starts out in this role, but then is later upstaged by Scourge.
    • On Beast Wars, The Dragon role for Megatron is a little more sketchy, as it seems Dinobot fulfilled that role before his Heel Face Turn in the pilot episode. Later characters shifted in and out of the role, but it wasn't until Megatron put a Restraining Bolt on the psychotic Rampage that we had a solid Dragon. Dinobot II filled the role better later on because he was more loyal to Megatron.
    • Transformers Prime: Starscream is once again Megatron's Dragon, and is Dragon-in-Chief for a time while Megatron is comatose, during which Knock-Out is his dragon.
      • Now that Megatron has reawakened and Starscream has deserted him it appears Airachnid and Knockout have become Co-Dragons. Though when Airachnid tries to order the Decepticons to abandon Earth (and Megatron), Soundwave steps in and effortlessly stops her power grab.
      • After Airachnid's failed power-play she's still working for the Decepticons, but Soundwave seems to have supplanted her as The Dragon.
      • Airachnid eventually goes rogue, at which point newly-introduced Dreadwing is promoted the second-in-command position.
    • Interestingly, when Megatron realizes that Unicron's resurrection is imminent in the season one finale, he attempts to position himself as Unicron's Dragon. Unfortunately for him, Unicron considers him beneath notice which leads the infuriated Megatron to enter an Enemy Mine with Optimus to take Unicron down.
    • The Fallen is usually this to Unicron, betraying the other twelve original Transformers in the process.
  • On Kim Possible, Shego is the Dragon for Doctor Drakken. She is a good deal more practical, clever, competent and, well, better at everything else than he, even if she can't build doesn't care about building doomsday devices. In the Bad Future Movie, she becomes The Supreme One over the entire world, upstaging all the other bad guys.... and transforming Drakken into her own personal Dragon.
  • Princess Azula to her father, Fire Lord Ozai, in Avatar: The Last Airbender. As Ozai had stayed in his palace for the entire series until the Grand Finale, while Azula fought the heroes constantly and won, it was even entertained by fans that Azula was the real Big Bad of the show who would upstage her dad, but no.
    • The Lieutenant to Amon in Legend of Korra.
  • From Jem episodes: "The Beginning" to "Hot Time In Hawaii", Zipper is the Dragon for Eric Raymond. Zipper is arrested by the Holograms. In the same cartoon, Techrat and "The Stingers" could be considered Dragons to Eric at different times.
  • There are plenty of dragons in Teen Titans and a clear tendency among them to turn on their masters, beginning with Slade's failure to properly inspire Robin's loyalty or fear, continuing with Terra blasting him into a pool of lava, and Bumblebee very soon after her introduction as Brother Blood's apparent second in command. In the fourth consecutive season, Slade gets to be the dragon to the Big RED (film) himself. No points for guessing how that goes. In the fifth season, The Brain had much better luck with his Dragon (part of his Quirky Miniboss Squad) in the form of Monsieur Mallah: those two got their asses kicked together.
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, Darkseid's son, Kalibak, functions as his Dragon. Then Superman learns that, on top of everything else, Darkseid himself is even stronger.
    • Kalibak isn't really Darkeid's dragon - he considers him an annoying and incompetent liability, and refuses to let him fight Superman. Desaad or Granny Goodness are probably better examples.
    • Mercy Graves probably counts as Lex Luthor's Dragon as a Ninja Maid type, but outside of her memorable Cat Fight with Harley Quinn in the "World's Finest" crossover, she never got to do much Dragon-ing. (After all, when your main adversary is Superman...)
  • The premiere of Batman Beyond has Mr. Fixx as Derek Powers' bodyguard, hit man, and all-around Dragon. He is killed off by the time it's over, but that's okay -- a little dose of I Love Nuclear Power, and Mr. Powers is set for the season.
  • In The Spectacular Spider-Man, Hammerhead is the Dragon for Tombstone.
    • Most of the major villain factions in the series have Dragons. Electro acts this role for Doctor Octopus, and Silver Sable for Silvermane.
    • During the Gang War arc, the Vulture takes over as Doc Ock's Dragon while Electro is in the asylum.
  • Cedric for Prince Phobos in WITCH.
    • In the second series, Raythar and then Shagon serve as The Dragon to Nerissa at various points. Raythar then briefly takes over Cedric's Dragon role to Phobos, before Cedric goes all Starscream and takes over, making Miranda his Dragon. Villainous second-in-commands for everyone!
  • Code Lyoko features Season 2 newcomer William Dunbar as the unwilling Dragon for an immaterial Big Bad in Season 4. Ironically, while William is "resurrected" numerous times after the heroes "destroy" him, his appearances are never treated only as annoyances, but instead are considered a real threat every time, thus keeping him from entering Mook territory.
    • Before this, in Seasons 2 and 3, a unique monster called "Scyphozoa" was fulfilling this role, directly enabling XANA's scheme (unlike the ordinary Mecha-Mooks). After William's conversion, the Scyphozoa was never again seen at the same time in Season 4.
  • In many adaptations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder switches between being the Big Bad and The Dragon, though he is the most consistent archenemy of the Turtles'.
    • It could be said that in the 80's cartoon, Shredder and Krang are better described as a Big Bad Duumvirate.
    • In the 2003 series, the role of the Shredder's dragon is initially filled by Hun, the Lightning Bruiser leader of the Purple Dragons gang. Eventually, he comes to share the role with female ninja Karai. Later on still, the role is taken by Master Khan, a Foot member trying to bring the organization back together after its apparent dissolution.
  • Go Bots: Crasher is Cy-Kill's giggling, psychotic henchwoman and is genuinely more powerful, more threatening and above all else, scarier then he is.
  • Fright Knight from Danny Phantom acted as one to both Pariah Dark and Dark Danny. It seems he would have played the same for Vlad, but their alliance is left ambiguous due to the original writer leaving.
    • And occasionally, Skulker plays this role to Vlad.
  • Allan in Tintin is the closest the series has to a Dragon. First he's an associate of Omar Ben Salaad, then ultimate Big Bad Rastapopoulos. A bullying, volatile, aggressive creep, the only person he kowtows to is his boss of the time, although he doesn't always respect him. His longstanding relationship with the Captain means he's good at mental cruelty too.
  • Jonny Quest episode "Dragons of Ashida": Sumi to his master Dr. Ashida.
  • In The New Adventures of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Skeletor was demoted to Dragon for the Big Bad Flogg. However, Skeletor was constantly manipulating Flogg from behind the scenes. In the action figures' mini-comics, the roles were reversed.
    • That said, in both the original show and the 2002 revival Skeletor would eventually be revealed as simply an agent of actual Big Bad Hordak.
  • Rhesus-2, a cyborg monkey with a penchant for brain puns, is the Dragon for Lord Nebula in Captain Simian and The Space Monkeys.
  • In The Fairly OddParents, the Lead Eliminator took on this role for The Darkness in the "Wishology" trilogy.
  • In X-Men Evolution, Mystique starts out as the Dragon to Magneto, before striking out on her own in the second season. Sabretooth then seems to take over the Dragon role. Later on, Mesmero serves as the Dragon to Apocalypse.
  • The Secret Saturdays Big Bad V.V. Argost has Munya, a silent zombie like butler who can transform into a giant half man/half spider.
  • In Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Warp Darkmatter is the Dragon to Big Bad Zurg.
  • The History episode of Home Movies has a comedic example: Evil George Washington, Picasso and Annie Oakley are planning to destroy the human race and George unveils his "killing machine, who also happens to be [his] favorite kitty" Mr. Pants, who is introduced with a catchy rap song.

Mr. Pants: I'm the roughest, toughest kitty in the land/My name is Mr. Pants, I'm the kitty cat man/Nobody's gonna stop me from having my way/My name is Mr. Pants and have a nice day

Sam: Dragons is so stupid.

Lex Luthor: "Young man, if you expect to detain me, please contact my attorney."

Back to The Dragon
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/The_Dragon/Western_Animation?oldid=1754011"