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{{trope}}
{{trope}}


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[[File:whatisthybidding1 6117.jpg|link=Star Wars|frame|"What is thy bidding, my master?"]]
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Basics=
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[[File:whatisthybidding1 6117.jpg|link=Star Wars|frame|"What is thy bidding, my master?"]]
'''The Dragon''' is the [[Big Bad]]'s top enforcer. Some Dragons are ferocious fighters who leave the heavy thinking to the boss. Others are smart, detail-oriented administrators who oversee the day-to-day running of the evil organization. Either way, defeating the Big Bad almost always requires the hero to overcome the Dragon first. A common but by no means universal theme is to have the Dragon pose a physical challenge to the hero, while the Big Bad poses a mental or moral challenge.
'''The Dragon''' is the [[Big Bad]]'s top enforcer. Some Dragons are ferocious fighters who leave the heavy thinking to the boss. Others are smart, detail-oriented administrators who oversee the day-to-day running of the evil organization. Either way, defeating the Big Bad almost always requires the hero to overcome the Dragon first. A common but by no means universal theme is to have the Dragon pose a physical challenge to the hero, while the Big Bad poses a mental or moral challenge.
The Dragon will occasionally commit a [[Heel Face Turn]] when confronted by the heroes. If he does so, chances are very good that he will end up [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work|killing the Big Bad]] when the heroes [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|cannot bring themselves to do so]]; often by [[Taking You with Me|joining the villain in death]] as a [[Redemption Equals Death|final act of redemption]].
The Dragon will occasionally commit a [[Heel Face Turn]] when confronted by the heroes. If he does so, chances are very good that he will end up [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work|killing the Big Bad]] when the heroes [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|cannot bring themselves to do so]]; often by [[Taking You with Me|joining the villain in death]] as a [[Redemption Equals Death|final act of redemption]].
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Please note that effectively being the Big Bad's secretary, or just constantly hanging around them is not enough to be a Dragon. Like [[The Lancer]] for [[The Hero]], the Dragon is somebody the Big Bad can rely on (or thinks they can rely on) in a time of trouble to step up and beat the living heck out of the Hero, or maybe just take charge for a while, should the Big Bad not be around to do the job.
Please note that effectively being the Big Bad's secretary, or just constantly hanging around them is not enough to be a Dragon. Like [[The Lancer]] for [[The Hero]], the Dragon is somebody the Big Bad can rely on (or thinks they can rely on) in a time of trouble to step up and beat the living heck out of the Hero, or maybe just take charge for a while, should the Big Bad not be around to do the job.
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The Dragon related tropes=
Tropes related to The Dragon=
* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]] - when he achieves equal footing with the Big Bad.
* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]] - when he achieves equal footing with the Big Bad.
* [[Co-Dragons]] - Two or more characters split the Dragon role between them.
* [[Co-Dragons]] - Two or more characters split the Dragon role between them.
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* [[Dragon with an Agenda]] - when he has different goals from the Big Bad.
* [[Dragon with an Agenda]] - when he has different goals from the Big Bad.
* [[The Heavy]] - The "active" villain that drives most of the plot. This is more often the Dragon than the Big Bad, since most authors want to keep the Big Bad in the background and mysterious for most of the story.
* [[The Heavy]] - The "active" villain that drives most of the plot. This is more often the Dragon than the Big Bad, since most authors want to keep the Big Bad in the background and mysterious for most of the story.
* [[The Man Behind the Man]] - When the Dragon has his or her own Dragon, The Man Behind the Man is the Bigger Bad.
* [[My Master, Right or Wrong]] - When the Dragon does things he doesn't agree with out of loyalty to the Big Bad. They will often be an [[Anti-Villain]] in this case.
* [[My Master, Right or Wrong]] - When the Dragon does things he doesn't agree with out of loyalty to the Big Bad. They will often be an [[Anti-Villain]] in this case.
* [[Noble Top Enforcer]] - When the Dragon is an [[Anti-Villain]] that is considerably more virtuous than his master. Likely to turn on the Big Bad if their actions piss him off enough.
* [[Noble Top Enforcer]] - When the Dragon is an [[Anti-Villain]] that is considerably more virtuous than his master. Likely to turn on the Big Bad if their actions piss him off enough.
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{{noreallife|calling someone a bad person in [[Real Life]] isn't a good idea, not to mention subjective.}}
{{noreallife|calling someone a bad person in [[Real Life]] isn't a good idea, not to mention subjective.}}

{{examples on subpages}}
{{examples on subpages}}
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Authority Tropes]]
[[Category:Authority Tropes]]
[[Category:Boss Battle]]
[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]
[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]
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[[Category:Boss Battle]]
[[Category:Villains]]
[[Category:Villains]]
[[Category:The Dragon]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragon, The}}

{{related|The Man Behind the Man}}
{{related|Hypercompetent Sidekick}}
{{related|Psycho for Hire}}
{{related|The Consigliere}}

Latest revision as of 01:25, 6 February 2022


"What is thy bidding, my master?"
The Dragon is the Big Bad's top enforcer. Some Dragons are ferocious fighters who leave the heavy thinking to the boss. Others are smart, detail-oriented administrators who oversee the day-to-day running of the evil organization. Either way, defeating the Big Bad almost always requires the hero to overcome the Dragon first. A common but by no means universal theme is to have the Dragon pose a physical challenge to the hero, while the Big Bad poses a mental or moral challenge.

The Dragon will occasionally commit a Heel Face Turn when confronted by the heroes. If he does so, chances are very good that he will end up killing the Big Bad when the heroes cannot bring themselves to do so; often by joining the villain in death as a final act of redemption.

The Dragon is an integral part of the Five-Bad Band dynamic. If there's a Quirky Miniboss Squad, the Dragon is often the unofficial leader.

Please note that effectively being the Big Bad's secretary, or just constantly hanging around them is not enough to be a Dragon. Like The Lancer for The Hero, the Dragon is somebody the Big Bad can rely on (or thinks they can rely on) in a time of trouble to step up and beat the living heck out of the Hero, or maybe just take charge for a while, should the Big Bad not be around to do the job.

* Big Bad Duumvirate - when he achieves equal footing with the Big Bad.

The term "dragon" actually originates from folklore where the hero will often end up fighting an actual dragon before even fighting the more intelligent but weaker Big Bad and described as such in "The Hero Of A Thousand Faces", a non-fiction comparison of various fantasy heroes written by Joseph Campbell. Hence, dragons (or stand-ins for them) are often portrayed as a Big Bad's second-in-command.

For literal dragons and their permutations, see Our Dragons Are Different. Not to be confused with Dragon Lady, who is more likely to be a Big Bad than the Dragon, or Dragon magazine. Definitely not to be confused with The Savage Dragon. The heroic version of this trope is Number Two or The Lancer, or The Hero in a Big Good vs Big Bad scenario. No real life examples, please; calling someone a bad person in Real Life isn't a good idea, not to mention subjective.

Examples of The Dragon are listed on these subpages:
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