: This seems to be a case of leaving unanswered questions, or a sense of mystery in the story. It is quite possible for this to happen. I recall that the books A Series of Unfortunate Events

@Holmes449

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This seems to be a case of leaving unanswered questions, or a sense of mystery in the story.

It is quite possible for this to happen. I recall that the books A Series of Unfortunate Events quite often left that sense of mystery, pretty much right up to the end.

In the case of an individualized antagonist, it is also possible to accomplish. The cunning and nefarious mastermind who always escapes, leaving behind little evidence, would be a prime example. Agents may be caught and unmasked, plots upset, plans foiled... but if the villain always gets away and remains mysterious, yes, it can be done.

The cartoon Inspector Gadget also toyed with this idea. You never see the face of the villain, he always gets away. Technically though the villain is "known", at least to the audience, in that example.

While there needs to be a mechanism to reveal information, and also hallmark the acts of the villain, for example, a trademark of some kind as a symbol denoting that "the villain was here"; there is no reason that the villain HAS to be revealed, or ever even shown.

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