| rdfs:comment | - When a character previously positioned as a Big Bad is revealed in fact to be a Disc One Final Boss, The Man Behind the Man shows his (or her, or its) face. The Man has deeper problems, deeper motives and so much power that the heroes will have to go through another round of dungeon diving just to stand a chance. When he reveals his reasons for being evil, expect the theme of the plot to unfold quickly and dramatically. Compare and contrast Bigger Bad, where a villain more powerful than the Big Bad exists, but is either not personally involved in the plot or is not a "person" to begin with.
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| abstract | - When a character previously positioned as a Big Bad is revealed in fact to be a Disc One Final Boss, The Man Behind the Man shows his (or her, or its) face. The Man has deeper problems, deeper motives and so much power that the heroes will have to go through another round of dungeon diving just to stand a chance. When he reveals his reasons for being evil, expect the theme of the plot to unfold quickly and dramatically. In many genres, the Man Behind the Man often has more sinister and apocalyptic goals than his predecessor. For example, while a puppet king or greedy corporation may want to take over the world, the real Big Bad may want to destroy the world, or even erase all of existence. And beware, lest you uncover the Giant Space Flea behind the man. Sufficiently complex plots may involve The Man Behind The Man Behind the Man and so forth; the Sorting Algorithm of Evil usually, but not always, applies in these cases. Can be reversed as "The Man In Front Of The Man", in which case a person you thought was the Big Bad's crony turns out to be the real Big Bad. See also Bastard Understudy and Dragon Ascendant. May be the one pulling the strings of the Puppet King. Contrast Puss in Boots and Decoy Leader. In some unsatisfying occasions, The Man Behind The Man may be The Man Behind the Curtain. If there is no first man to begin with, or the first man is very obviously not the Big Bad, it's a Hidden Villain. If the mastermind turns out to be an innocuous character who was quickly overlooked, then it's a case of The Dog Was the Mastermind. If the new Big Bad is revealed to be subordinate to an old one, then the plot has been Hijacked by Ganon. Compare and contrast Bigger Bad, where a villain more powerful than the Big Bad exists, but is either not personally involved in the plot or is not a "person" to begin with. Actually rarely involves The Man. This trope tends to come into play with terrorist (Western or otherwise) and/or African villains being implied to be supported by Red China or white characters (normally a Corrupt Corporate Executive). Only the white villains, however, will ever show up again. Examples of The Man Behind the Man include:
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