It’s a staple of the Final Fantasy series. It’s happened in several pen-and-paper roleplaying games I’ve played with friends. And I’ve seen it in several movies, most egregiously in Equilibrium and Resident Evil: Afterlife.

The hero walks into a big, impressive room, where the main villain awaits. They exchange dramatic dialogue, then fight to the death.

Final Boss Syndrome.

Think about it for a second. While the protagonist is beating up henchmen, the bad guy is staring at a closed door. Where does an archvillain find the time to wait around until the good guy shows up? For that matter, why not use the time to, I dunno, leave a booby trap and sneak off?

Maybe they use the time to stretch out before the big showdown. That might be it.

I guess it bothers me so much because I don’t see real evil act like that. The boss battle format is too honorable for real evil.

Temptation, for example, is insidious. It sneaks up when you’re most vulnerable and attacks your weakest point. When you’re doing well, it bolsters unhealthy pride. When you’ve made a big mistake, it attacks your self-esteem. It doesn’t let up. It doesn’t fight fair.

Evil prefers assassination plots to duels. It’s more ninja than samurai.

…which brings up another point. Why, in fiction, are so many villainous CEOs so skilled in hand-to-hand combat? Don’t they have evil companies to run?