Thread:ShockwaveDude120/@comment-24439896-20191227214125/@comment-24439896-20191228045831

You have everything mixed up. The Big Bad is the villain who causes the plot, the Heavy is the villain with the most influence over the direct plot. Without a Big Bad there would be no plot, but without The Heavy the plot wouldn't affect the Hero. The two can overlap, but they're different things.

If we look to the example of the Original Trilogy, the Emperor is the Big Bad because he ruled the Empire and controlled the Death Stars, while Vader is The Heavy as the most prominent direct threat to Luke. He causes the direct plot to occur with his pursuit of Luke, but it's the Emperor who is the source of the problem by ordering Vader to bring Luke to him. If that makes any sense.