Don't forget, "They foiled this plan, but I had five more going on at the same time. I still win," will be "Ah, they foiled me, but everything is still going according to plan." (except there was literally nothing shown as a positive) [Thrawn got absolutely fucked as a character]
Don't forget, "They foiled this plan, but I had five more going on at the same time. I still win," will be "Ah, they foiled me, but everything is still going according to plan." (except there was literally nothing shown as a positive) [Thrawn got absolutely fucked as a character]
William Riker tells you you're wrong
It doesn't take much to make a villain seem like a winner despite losing to the heroes.
A. They had a backup plan that the heroes didn't know about.
B. The plan the heroes foiled was merely a diversion from the real scheme.
C. The heroes did stop the scheme, but ceded something else the villain actually/also wanted in the process.
Just have the bad guy gain ground and he seems like a major threat. The fact that modern writers can't understand this shows how... basic they are.