When the main antagonist of the story isn’t the most evil

[Alolan_Apples]

Normally, in a video game, movie, show, or book, the main antagonist is the most evil character of the story. But there are times where this isn’t the case. I’m sure we all have watched movies or played games where the most evil character isn’t the main antagonist, but rather another antagonist that is far worse than the main antagonist, based on intentions, standards, and other characteristics.

What are some characters in fiction do you feel are more evil than the main antagonist of the stories they came from?

 

[Bcat]

I think Death Note is probably a prime example of this trope, or at least it's one of my favorites

 

[Feferily]

Divinity 2 is a good example. There’s a small twist on who you’re fighting and it turns out that they’re a considerably lesser evil than what’s assumed.

Also the beginning of Avatar the Last Airbender. Azula is worse than Zuko, who first held the role of antagonist...

 

[staticistic1114]

High School Musical, never forget

 

[sweetpoffin]

pokemon black and white is a good example :v
f you ghetsis

 

[sunset_succulent]

renegades. i can’t help forgetting that the world is a grey area, and all isn’t good or bad. the lead character is literally a villain haha.

but you know, that isn’t a video game so i don’t know if that counts

 

[Alolan_Apples]

When I have to think of which main antagonists aren’t the worst of the villains, the two characters that come to mind are Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls and Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.

For the case of Mojo Jojo, we all know that he is the main antagonist of the Powerpuff Girls. We also know that HIM is the evil of all evil. Yet, even those two major Powerpuff Girls villains aren’t the worst of the Powerpuff Girls villains in terms of how evil they can go. A minor villain that killed the Powerpuff Girls in a 22-minute episode is even more evil than all the major villains. So evil that even that even TV Tropes labeled him a Complete Monster (something Mojo Jojo and HIM could never qualify for).

For the case of Mr. Burns, if you watched the Simpsons movie, you would know that Mr. Burns isn’t the most evil character from The Simpsons. While Mr. Burns is a greedy and corrupt executive, the one character worse than Mr. Burns is even worse than a handful of Family Guy villains (according to the Villains Wiki).

 

[usa-chan]

actually antagonists aren't always villains! antagonists are people who stand in the way of the protagonist's goal, or generally opposes them, therefore they're not always evil. villains, on the other hand, are generally evil and are antagonists. (if that makes sense?)

if you watch atla, zuko is a good example of this! in season 1, he's portrayed as the main antagonist to the gaang as his main goal is to capture the avatar. he serves as an obstacle to the gaang as they are trying to end the war that the fire nation started. however, this doesn't necessary make zuko evil; he's shown to be a character driven by honor and self-worth. he doesn't want to capture aang because he wants to kill the avatar, he needs aang to prove his worth to his father. zuko is shown to be compassionate and humane; this is later fleshed out in season 2!

ozai, on the other hand, is 100% the evil villain. like zuko, ozai is an antagonist to the gaang (since he wants to kill aang), however his reasons for doing so are what characterizes him as evil. he's power-hungry and lacks compassion for other people. he would do anything to ensure his strength and power, even if other people get hurt.

 

[Aerious]

When I have to think of which main antagonists aren’t the worst of the villains, the two characters that come to mind are Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls and Mr. Burns from the Simpsons.

For the case of Mojo Jojo, we all know that he is the main antagonist of the Powerpuff Girls. We also know that HIM is the evil of all evil. Yet, even those two major Powerpuff Girls villains aren’t the worst of the Powerpuff Girls villains in terms of how evil they can go. A minor villain that killed the Powerpuff Girls in a 22-minute episode is even more evil than all the major villains. So evil that even that even TV Tropes labeled him a Complete Monster (something Mojo Jojo and HIM could never qualify for).

For the case of Mr. Burns, if you watched the Simpsons movie, you would know that Mr. Burns isn’t the most evil character from The Simpsons. While Mr. Burns is a greedy and corrupt executive, the one character worse than Mr. Burns is even worse than a handful of Family Guy villains (according to the Villains Wiki).

I'm confused. Villains are typically intended to be evil, redemption arc or not. Mr. Burns isn't a good example of this -- he's an obvious jab at capitalism. It doesn't really matter if there's someone subjectively worse than him. He's still intended to be bad and a stereotype of what the creators think of capitalism. Mojo Jojo is still trying to kill PPG throughout the entire series. Does it matter that someone was worse than him? You're putting labels on what's worse despite the notion that someone else may think they're the worst. That's the entire concept of subjectivity.

If we're talking anti-hero, I'm a pretty big fan of Ganondorf in Wind Waker. At the end you learn that he intended to do what's right because his people were dying, then he became greedy. HSM is a bad example bc Sharpay isn't even the villain, her complaints and criticism were valid. She literally got Troy a summer job to pay for college after complaining about an inexperienced actress taking the lead role. Anyways, stream Fabulous on Spotify.

 

[Damniel]

I really enjoyed

Spoiler: Fire Emblem Three Houses Spoiler

Edelgard

as a sympathetic villain in Fire Emblem Three Houses, but the true evil in that game is the class system that plagues that world and our world (capitalism)

 

[radical6]

no one here knows what I'm going to talk about but

Spoiler: The Legends of Heroes Series, more specifically Crossbell and Trails of Cold Steel

President/Mayor Dieter. He had lived in Crossbell, a buffer state between two superpowers who could annihilate the city anytime they wanted. They often fought small wars against each other in Crossbell, resulting in numerous accidents. Crossbell could never arrest criminals or defend itself due to its status as a buffer state.

He worked together with the main bad guys of the series to recreate a goddess who could control mirage, time, and space in order to give Crossbell a chance. With the goddess at the side, Crossbell could become the world superpower because she basically could stop any weapon.

However the main characters of the game take the goddess back so she reverts back to her child form because they don't want to see her suffer. And of course its not very democratic to have a god backing you.