![]() When a character fills this role because the Big Bad is merely physically absent from the main story, and/or not as important to the hero, then the superior is a Greater-Scope Villain (if the Dragon is operating entirely or almost entirely on their own). The Dragon-in-Chief doesn't need this theatre, making their position as the true Big Bad clear from the start. The Man in Front of the Man is a related, but different trope where the position of the The Dragon as the actual Big Bad is kept hidden until The Reveal, thus The Dragon is less likely to act like a true Dragon-in-Chief in order to keep the jig up from the audience as well as the in-universe characters, including the supposed Big Bad, who might not be aware that they are being manipulated. In these occasions, the Villainous Friendship between the two may be one of their most dangerous assets-a deadly inverted version of The Power of Friendship. It is occasional that the Dragon-In-Chief truly is loyal to the ostensible Big Bad, but in occasions like these their superior is liable to be done in either before the Dragon-in-Chief is, or afterwards in a Post-Climax Confrontation. Occasionally, their warnings turn out to be right. ![]() This is when they start to complain about their master’s unambitious and/or just plain incompetent way of running things, though the Big Bad might retort that their way is from experience and The Dragon's ways will ultimately lead to ruin. They may start off as junior partners in the Big Bad's business: after years of hard (but fun) living as a dangerous felon, they have found themselves steady employment with the Big Bad and hope to take over the business some day or retire on the fortune made from their latest Master Plan. The Dragon-In-Chief will typically think the Big Bad either lacks ambition, or is just an idiot. The Hero treats, or comes to treat, The Dragon-In-Chief as the actual main villain of the story, and very often It's Personal with the Dragon. The Dragon-in-Chief is not simply the main villainous driving force behind the plot, even if they did not initiate it, but they are such to the point that the Big Bad is pushed aside or even endangered by them, and rendered less important by comparison. The supposed main villain, for their part, is relegated to Big Bad Wannabe as they seriously or even fatally overestimate The Dragon's loyalty, or are just too afraid of them to be able to keep them in line. This character tends to have almost no respect for the Big Bad due to their comparative lack of vision, courage or common sense. They're nominally subordinate to another villain, but typically so much smarter, stronger or more skilful, and just as evil if not more so (and almost always scarier) that it's clear who's really the bigger menace. The Dragon-in-Chief is a version of The Dragon who serves as the de facto Big Bad of the story, even if they're supposedly not the one in charge. Just because you're officially in charge, that doesn't always mean you're really in charge. Tywin Lannister, Game of Thrones, " Mhysa"
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