The Villain II

The Villain II: Evil Rises Again?

The one who replaces the Villain either because The Villain Sucks, They're Better Than Their Boss, The Villain Can't Villain, or the original Villain retired from their job or life. This happens because the writer thinks the first Villain of the story needs to be replaced due to canonical reasons, has too many plot-related problems to continue being the main antagonist (e.g they have Power Flaws, have Vines Details, their ideals have been abandoned, invalidated, or become impossible to fulfill, or have real-life problems) and must be removed from the story altogether or must become a Retired Character, or just becomes plain uninteresting to the audience. This is where Villain II comes into play. They give the Hero a new goal and/or challenge, continue the plot, and hopefully don't piss everyone off the moment they're introduced.

Introducing a new main antagonist to the story means the Villain II might have a new lair to hang out in, extending the Hero's journey and keeping the story alive. And with a new character comes new abilities. The Hero is, at this point, forced to destroy all knowledge they have of their enemy and must start all over. However, the Villain II might not be a permanent change as the Villain I might Return To Power and resume what they were doing before the Villain II came around.