: TLDR: Yes, but give us someone we know whom the hero can defeat. Let's go to TvTropes and Star Wars for this. Let's define some terms first. In a story there are very commonly two antagonists,

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TLDR: Yes, but give us someone we know whom the hero can defeat.

Let's go to TvTropes and Star Wars for this.

Let's define some terms first.

In a story there are very commonly two antagonists, the Big Bad, and the Dragon. I think Star Wars is the best stereotypical example of the characters. The Emperor is the Big Bad, and Darth Vader is the Dragon.

Here are some things that define the two. The Big Bad is evil to the core. He is the reason bad things are happening. He is the brains. He may be strong or weak, or maybe just strong in his home base. Maybe he can't leave his home base. The Big Bad may be frail and not be able to act for long periods of time.

The Dragon has some honor. The Dragon does not have the weaknesses of the Big Bad. He may be weaker in theory, but is much better suited for going out and harrasing the hero on the hero's terms.

And we are back to the question. You can hide the Big Bad, but in that case you most likely need a Dragon, and you can't hide the Dragon. Star Wars, the first movie (Hope Awakens) is a great example of this. We see the Emperor in a hologram for a moment. That scene does not need to be there. We can just know that Darth Vader works for someone. We can get a feeling of how evil he is just based on Vader.

So when you create a narrative just make sure that there is a Dragon. Let the protagonist battle him. The protagonist can then achieve his goals. IS it to survive and escape? is it to save the word? is it to get the girl? It does not matter, at some point the Dragon and the Hero can come head to head (or not) and the hero can use his heroic strengths to exploit the Dragon's tragic weakness. We can also know that the Big Bad orchestrated the conflict. He planned it, he did things to help the Dragon, and then he dissipated back into the shadows before the hero ever found out who he was. The story will be satisfying as long as the Dragon lies bleeding.

And maybe we will learn about the Big Bad in part two?

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