>>103471488
>Depending on the nature of the character, he may be an overly optimistic fool or someone who might actually be able to pull it off. If the character is badass enough, the heroes might be forced to try to stop him from toppling the original villain. Sometimes the Starscream may try to ally with the heroes against his master in an Enemy Mine ploy; whether they accept his offer typically depends on who they see as the better alternative, if any, and what the downstream consequences will be. Usually fond of playing Commander Contrarian to their boss' schemes (deservedly or not), who will normally Neck Lift them into kowtowing to their will. It can be hard to justify why the Big Bad keeps them around and doesn't Shoot the Dangerous Minion, but it may be so the Big Bad has a reason to always keep his guard up (and thus can rest assured that he will never become too complacent). Or perhaps the Starscream is simply a powerful asset whenever he actually obeys the main villain, so it's worth keeping him around despite the risk of betrayal.
>In some cases, the Starscream may actually start the series as a staunchly loyal supporter of the Big Bad. Unfortunately, when the boss turns out to be an inept General Failure who's more interested in juggling the Villain Ball than actually succeeding, the Starscream becomes fed up with the boss's idiocy and decides that the villainous organization would be more successful with him in charge. A former Big Bad who has been Demoted to Dragon by a new, bigger and badder villain is very likely to become the Starscream as well, biding his time while plotting against the new Big Bad in order to reclaim his former seat of power.