History Main / StarterVillain

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' has Nine-Toes as the first major bandit that you deal with before you move on to other areas. In contrast to the MegaCorp goons the player faces later on, he's just a [[EliteMook Badass]] with a special gun, [[WolfPackBoss some tough backup]] and [[TooMuchInformation memorable]] BossSubtitles.

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': [[DirtyCoward Kowase]] is the first of [[BullyHunter Maria's targets]], giving her no trouble whatsoever and [[BeneathSuspicion Maria not even showing up on his radar]] before she kidnaps him. Maria later notes that she specifically targeted him first because since he's a coward he's bound to run and escape if not dealt with quickly.

* In Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/NewXMen'', John Sublime fits this, despite being the ''second'' ArcVillain rather than the first. He's the least-powerful (a non-powered CorruptCorporateExecutive), has the least far-reaching scheme (selling mutant organs on the black market) and is defeated in the shortest amount of time (three issues) of all the major villains in the series, and he and his henchmen pretty much exist for the main characters to demonstrate their powers on. As well, the first ArcVillain, Cassandra Nova, actually ''wins'' in that arc (though neither the readers nor the characters know it at the time) and has to be brought down in a later one. [[spoiler:This, of course, makes it a particularly effective twist when the final arc reveals Sublime to have been the BigBad behind everything, and possibly, with a bit of AlternateCharacterInterpretation, the GreaterScopeVillain behind ''everything bad that had ever happened in any X-Men comic ever''.]]
* Franchise/{{Batman}} usually starts in adaptations and reboots by butting heads with the Gotham mob bosses or the corrupt police force which is ([[TokenGoodTeammate minus Jim Gordon]]) more than happy to blame all of the city's troubles on him. As Batman takes them down, maniacal super villains like ComicBook/TheJoker then step up to the plate. The actual first villain Batman faced in [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks his very first issue]] was [[CorruptCorporateExecutive crooked chemical baron]] Alfred Stryker, who fits this trope as he is non-powered, out of shape, and dead by the end of the issue. His first ''super''villain arrived a few issues later, in the form of [[MadScientist Doctor Death]].
* In ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's first [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] appearance, he battled Heinz Kruger, the Nazi spy who had murdered the scientist who gave him his powers. In a later story in the same issue, he faced his first supervillain in the form of Allied traitor George Maxon, alias the Red Skull, who would, of course, be revealed in time to be merely a decoy for [[ArchEnemy the REAL Skull, top-ranked Nazi Johann Schmidt]].

* ComicBook/IronMan's starter villain was the Vietnamese warlord Wong-Chu, who captured Tony and attempted to force him to develop weapons for him. [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard It backfired.]]
* Franchise/{{Tintin}} has many, depending on the adventure. A few that come to mind are the fakir in the Indian portion of ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'', Mitsuhirato in ''The Blue Lotus'', Puschov in ''The Black Island'', or Bab el-Ehr in ''Land of Black Gold'' and ''The Red Sea Sharks''.

* ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} starts off battling the Fixer, the gangster responsible for the death of his father. He doesn't survive the issue.
* In ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'', the first enemy Kamala faces is The Inventor.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* Back in his solo days at Quality Comics, DC speedster Max Mercury (then called "Quicksilver")'s first one was von Lohfer, a MadScientist who mind controlled the local police department to destroy an industrialist who [[TheyCalledMeMad called him a fake]] in a NoodleIncident. Given his [[DepravedDwarf diminutive stature]] and NonActionGuy status, Max made short work of him.
* Interestingly, ''ComicBook/MartianManhunter'''s debut story has NoAntagonist. The main conflict is that J'onn J'onnz is trapped on Earth by the well intentioned scientist Saul Erdel, [[DeathByOriginStory who dies of a heart attack]] shortly after. J'onn then impersonates a human police detective and most of the ensuing cases are with nondescript mobsters who the Martian plows through. The first crook who actually posed a threat to him was Alex Dunster, a thief who used a teleportation machine to steal technology from other planets.
* We first see ComicBook/TheInvisibleTerror battling De Pix, an international criminal out to get the formula that gives the Terror his powers. He's arrested at the end, and taken to serve a life sentence.

* Obscure DC hero Air Wave had as his first foe Snake Scalotti, a local crime boss whom the DA was having difficulty gathering evidence on. He's taken to prison at the end of the first issue and never seen again.

* The Wesley Dodds version of ComicBook/TheSandman had Boris Leland, a spy who stole plans for a device Wesley was planning to show at the New York World's Fair. He's taken to prison by the end of the first issue.

* The first foe of ComicBook/{{Gunsmoke}} we see is Ringo Moody, a cattle rustler and gambler trying to force a rancher to give him his property. He's gunned down within eight pages of his introduction.
* The first foe of the ComicBook/{{Yellowjacket}} we see is Jake Mallon, a jewel thief who chased a girl into Vince's house.

* The ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica first banded together to fight the invasion of the Appellaxians, an alien race of various bizarre types who sent several warriors themed after elements to Earth; whoever conquered the planet first would win the right to rule Appellax. Ultimately, the heroes who fought off some of the Appellaxians themselves teamed up to fight more of them together, forming the Justice League of America. However, thanks to the first published story (which was not the League's origin story in-universe) having the League battling Starro, and the relative few appearances by the Appellaxians in comparison, they're often forgotten and Starro is mistakenly attributed as being the League's first foe. (It doesn't help that various media adaptations and comics reboots have replaced the Appellaxians outright with other, more formidable foes, like ComicBook/Darkseid or the Imperium.)

* Lord Hikiji in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' is an interesting example, as he has yet to be properly defeated despite ending up a starter villain. The inciting incident of the comic is him killing Usagi's Lord Mifune in battle, and he's set up as the BigBad from the outset. But as the comic went on and the story's focus shifted elsewhere, [[DemotedToExtra his role greatly diminished]], though he never exactly ''left'' the story. Instead Hikiji settled into the role of a GreaterScopeVillain while Usagi frequently crosses paths with or foils the plans of Hikiji's various allies and pawns.

* ''Fanfic/WhiteDevilOfTheMoon'': [[Anime/SailorMoon Jadetite]], whose attack on Kyouya's wedding is the first battle between the heroes and the villains.

* ''Fanfic/HuntersOfJustice'': Upon arriving to Earth following Remnant's destruction and spending time recuperating and training with the Justice League, Teams RWBY and JNPR's first major outing has them helping the Batman Family stop the Scarecrow from spreading his fear gas throughout Gotham, making him their first DC Super-Villain that they encounter.

*** Scarlet Blaze (Adrestian Empire) has Duke Aegir and Lord Arundel, two of the [[AristocratsAreEvil greedy nobles]] who plotted to steal power from the previous emperor in a coup, prompting Edelgard to lead a surprise attack on the Imperial palace to retake control. [[spoiler:Both villains stick around for a long time to plot in the background and resurface as bosses in Part II, with Lord Arundel/Thales being one of the route's {{Final Boss}}es.]]

** An earlier example is the Hiruma brothers. Hiruma Kihei tries to sell the land around the Kamiya Dojo, and has his brother Gohei impersonate the Hitokiri Battousai while claiming to use the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu style of swordsmanship to ruin the reputation of Kaoru's dojo. In the anime, Gohei is made into a [[CompositeCharacter composite]] of himself and his brother with a different motivation (vengeful former student of Kaoru's father), but the same means of carrying out his plans.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' had an undercover Alliance agent as the villain of the pilot episode. Although he seems to be built up as a potentially recurring villain, the ending of the episode subverts multiple tropes when, during a PutDownYourGunAndStepAway / WeWillMeetAgain moment, Mal simply walks up and shoots him in the head. WordOfGod is that had the show continued past the first season, he would have turned out to have survived the shooting and would have come back (with a cybernetic eye!) to seek revenge on the crew. In fact, this is exactly what happens in the ''ComicBook/{{Serenity}} Those Left Behind'' comic book set between the series and the movie.

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': [[DirtyCoward Kowase]] is the first of [[BullyHunter Maria's targets]], giving her no trouble whatsoever and [[BeneathSuspicion Maria not even showing up on his radar]] before she kidnaps him.

*** Prince Zuko is an example by himself. He was the first villain in the series and was often a threat in early Book One episodes; however, he only met the Gaang a few times by the end of the season and acted as more of a mini-boss during the finale. After that [[{{Deuteragonist}} he has his own problems to worry about.]]
** ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': Amon and the Equalists are the first threats Korra faces in her journey as the new Avatar. While a legitimately dangerous bloodbender with the power to remove one's bending, the stakes are far less compared to future adversaries Korra eventually faces in later seasons: [=UnaVaatu=], Zaheer, and Kuvira.

* Nightmare Moon from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', although ([[InformedAbility supposedly]]) powerful, really only tries to mess with the ponies and slow them down rather than directly attack them. She basically exists as a training wheel villain for the [[TrueCompanions Mane Six]] to [[FireForgedFriends forge a friendship over while fighting her]]. The episode ends with her cured and turned back into [[DarkIsNotEvil Princess Luna]].
** King Sombra is this in season nine, since he was the only villain Grogar ([[spoiler:actually Discord in disguise]]) brought back who had all the power and ego from before (since the other villains suffered VillainDecay prior to that point). He is defeated without too much trouble and sets the stage for the Legion of Doom to attack later in the season. [[spoiler:After some scheming and planning, the trio of Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, after betraying Grogar/Discord, attack the ponies and lay waste over Equestria in the penultimate story and final two-parter of the show with a very cunning plan that almost works. The heroes needed the biggest ensemble of supporting, minor and background characters to assist them in winning what Twilight herself claimed was the last battle ever]].

** The first actual villainous Gem (the Gem Monsters are essentially animals and Lapis Lazuli is an AntiVillain) is Peridot, built up as a nearly robotic cold-hearted scientist who heralds Homeworld's potential return to Earth. And then she appears in the same episode as [[BloodKnight Jasper]], and suddenly she's an overworked minion whose biggest talent is getting out of dodge when things go pear-shaped. She notably avoids the normal fate of starter villains by having a HeelFaceTurn and gaining a RedemptionPromotion.

* The Snake Baron from the Black Swordsman arc of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' is the first major bad guy Guts faces in the manga. His first encounter with demons period is with none other than Nosferatu Zodd, who has gone on to be a recurring rival and occasional ally of the Black Swordsman. Chronologically, however, the first major bad guy Guts faces is the warrior Bazuso, whose defeat is what alerts the Band of the Hawk to Guts's talent.

* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'': Matthew Patel is the first Evil Ex-Boyfriend of Ramona that Scott encounters. He's mostly the equivalent of a WarmUpBoss, which he is in the video game. In the [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld movie]], he has the lowest point value of any opponent short of out-and-out mooks.

* Lord Hikiji in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' is an interesting example, as he has yet to be properly defeated despite ending up a starter villain. The inciting incident of the comic is him killing Usagi's Lord Mifune in battle, and he's set up as the BigBad from the outset. But as the comic went on and the story's focus shifted elsewhere, [[DemotedToExtra his role greatly diminished]], though he never exactly ''left'' the story. Nowadays, Hikiji's settled into the GreaterScopeVillain role.

* The Janitor in ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'' is the first real threat David faces, and proves almost too tough to defeat, exploiting David's KryptoniteFactor. Killing him and saving a family is the first time he is hailed as a hero, and his mentor Elijah later points out that defeating him is just the first step in David's burgeoning career as a real life hero.

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Johngalli A, the man responsible for Jolyne's incarceration. After Jolyne and Jotaro outsmart his Stand early on in the story, [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureEnricoPucci Whitesnake]] finishes the job by killing him.

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': [[DirtyCoward Kowase]] is the first of [[BullyHunter Maria's targets]], giving her no trouble whatsoever and [[BeneathSuspicion not even showing up on his radar]] before she kidnaps him.