History PlayingWith / DragonTheirFeet

* '''Subverted''': The trope appears to be played straight... But after Drake is killed, it's revealed that Evulz was OnlyMostlyDead.

** Evulz has been captured or killed, but his plans would ''still'' have succeeded had Dirk not stopped Drake.

** Evulz dies ''in the first act''. The rest of the movie is spent hunting down the rest; Drake, [[DarkChick Faye]], [[EvilGenius Dr. Crazystein]], and finally [[TheBrute Tiberius]].

** (Of exaggeration 2) Bob dies first. Evulz and his army moves in to hunt down the rest: Dirk, [[TheLancer Lance]], [[TheChick Arro]], [[TheSneakyGuy Dag]][[TheSmartGuy ger]], and finally [[TheBigGuy Axel]].

* '''Lampshaded''': "Oh, crap. There are three of them and I'm no good at combat. Where the hell is Drake when I need him?"

** Emperor Evulz is the main threat of the story, with General Drake as his chief enforcer. Evulz is killed by Dirk and company during the climax, but Drake is mysteriously absent. He returns for a PostClimaxConfrontation to try and [[AvengingTheVillain avenge Evulz]].

** (Of exaggeration 2) Bob dies first. Evulz and his army moves in to hunt down the rest: Dirk, [[TheLancer Lance]], [[TheChick Arro]], [[TheSmartGuy Dagger]], and finally [[TheBigGuy Axel]].

* '''Exaggerated''': Evulz dies during TheCenterpieceSpectacular halfway through the movie. Drake becomes a DragonAscendant and spends the back half trying to pick up where Evulz left off.

** Dirk and friends know that it would be smarter to kill Evulz and stop his plan first, then mop up his enforcers later.

* '''Inverted''': Dirk is NumberTwo in an organization intending to cleanse the land of evil. Evulz attacks his headquarters and kills Bob, the BigGood. Dirk goes into hiding, and Evulz spends the movie hunting him.

** This scenario has Evulz and his henchmen defeated, and most of the henchmen, save the right-hand man, Drake, have been executed. Drake, after getting wounded enough to yield, is dragged over by both [[TheLancer Lance]] and [[TheBigGuy Morningstar]], making him ForcedToWatch as Evulz gets brutally executed through a DeathOfAThousandCuts, before getting stabbed in the back for his troubles, and dumped somewhere to die (he does survive and the story is in his perspective now). {{What The Hell Hero}}es.

** Drake is an invincible [[GodModeSue God-Mode]] VillainSue who wins big in the SuperpowerLottery. Evulz himself, on the other hand, is a blind idiot in a wheelchair who has cancer. Without Drake to serve as a bodyguard, Evulz lasts less than a second in battle.

** Fully aware Dirk will go after Emperor Evulz next, Drake hurries to warn his master and provide him the weaknesses he discovered in Dirk. Yet by the time he's finally arrives, Dirk has already vanquished his boss- Drake's resolve broken that he failed Evulz.
** Drake is disarmed, but not killed. He is ForcedToWatch as Evulz is brutally killed by Dirk. He refuses to accept his failure and flies into UnstoppableRage, desperately trying to take the heroes down in revenge.

** This scenario has Evulz and his henchmen defeated, and most of the henchmen, save the right-hand man, Drake, have been executed. Drake, after literally getting wounded enough to yield, yet not wounded enough to fall, is dragged over by both [[TheLancer Lance]] and [[TheBigGuy Morningstar]], making him ForcedToWatch as Evulz gets brutally executed through a DeathOfAThousandCuts, before getting dumped somewhere to die (he does survive and the story is in his perspective now). {{What The Hell Hero}}es.

The Big Bad's dead. His right-hand man should be over at DragonTheirFeet.

* '''Invoked''': Drake admits to being a coward and leaves the scene when Dirk confronts Evulz.

* '''Defied''': Evulz is fought for a while while Drake is absent. When he is about to die, Drake jumps in and blocks a potential killing blow. Dirk spends the next 2 minutes fighting him and later kills him.

** Drake, after literally getting wounded enough to yield, yet not wounded enough to fall, is dragged over by both [[TheLancer Lance]] and [[TheBigGuy Morningstar]], making him ForcedToWatch as Evulz gets brutally executed, before getting dumped somewhere to die (he does survive and the story is in his perspective now). {{What The Hell Hero}}es.

** Drake, after literally getting wounded enough to yield, yet not wounded enough to fall, is dragged over by both [[TheLancer Lance]] and [[TheBigGuy Morningstar]], making him ForcedToWatch as Evulz gets brutally executed. {{What The Hell Hero}}es.

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%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???
%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

** [[GenreSavvy Dirk and friends know that it would be smarter to kill Evulz and stop his plan first, then mop up his enforcers later]].

* '''Discussed''': "They always waste time fighting the right-hand man. In reality, it would be a better idea to cut the head off the snake first."

** Dirk and friends know that it would be smarter to kill Evulz and stop his plan first, then mop up his enforcers later.

** ItsPersonalWithTheDragon, and the writers decided that having the final battle be against Drake, the fight would be more climactic.

** Drake is an invincible VillainSue who wins big in the SuperpowerLottery. Evulz himself, on the other hand, is a blind idiot in a wheelchair who has cancer. Without Drake to serve as a bodyguard, Evulz lasts less than a second in battle.

* '''Parodied''':
** Evulz is killed around ''5 minutes'' into the 3-hour movie. Until the very end, there's NoAntagonist.
** Drake is an invincible VillainSue who wins big in the SuperpowerLottery. Evulz himself, on the other hand, is a blind idiot in a wheelchair who has cancer. Without Drake to serve as a bodyguard, Evulz lasts less than a second in battle.

* '''Played For Laughs''': Emperor Evulz, being an impatient individual, loudly curses out the absent Drake the moment Dirk shows up to fight.

* '''Parodied''': Evulz is killed around ''5 minutes'' into the 3-hour movie. Until the very end, there's NoAntagonist.

* '''Played For Drama''': Fully aware Dirk will go after Emperor Evulz next, Drake hurries to warn his master and provide him the weaknesses he discovered in Dirk. Yet by the time he's finally arrives, Dirk has already vanquished his boss- Drake's resolve broken that he failed Evulz.

** The fact Drake actually survived Dirk's heroic rampage