The Man Behind the Man/Playing With
Basic Trope: The true Big Bad is revealed after the Disc One Final Boss is defeated.
- Straight: Lord Bad is defeated, but Emperor Evulz is the real villain all along.
- Exaggerated: Lord Bad was a flunky to Baron Cruel, the Big Bad... who was a flunky to the Big Bad Count Dastardly... who was a flunky to the Big Bad Duke Egregious... who was a flunky to Big Bad King Overly Long Gag... who was a flunky to the final Big Bad Emperor Evulz.
- Lord bad is only a Elite Mook/ Mook Lieutenant of Emperor Evulz.
- Justified: Lord Bad is commanding Emperor Evulz's forces in the region as the Emperor has matters to deal with elsewhere.
- Averted: Lord Bad and Emperor Evulz have no connection to one another.
- Lord Bad is the real Big Bad, while Emperor Evulz is stronger, but has no connection to the story and is planning nothing involving the protagonist or his affairs.
- Inverted: Emperor Evulz is just a figurehead with Lord Bad pulling his strings.
- Subverted: Emperor Evulz is not the real villain despite the heroes suspecting this trope.
- Double Subverted: Except for the fact that he's just pretending to confuse the hero.
- Deconstructed: Emperor Evulz and his minions are so wrapped up in a web of schemes that nobody knows who's really in charge.
- Reconstructed: Emperor Evulz remembers that he is, not his minions.