Big Bad
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Big bad is a term originally used by fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show to describe a major recurring adversary, usually the chief villain in a particular broadcast season.
For the spin-off Angel, the law firm Wolfram and Hart was the Big Bad present in the series, however, there were other major recurring threats that arose. While the format of the series didn't stick to an established Big Bad the way Buffy did, several characters and elements have represented significant season arcs, using the "Big Bad" term frequently.
The term has been later used in other fandoms, such as Charmed and Smallville to denote the annual villain. The short-lived series Birds of Prey actually used the term "Big Bad" on screen to refer to Harley Quinn. Similarly, in Veronica Mars, there is a Big Mystery revolving around a crime perpetrated by the Big Bad of the season.
