Big Bad is a term originally used by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series to describe a major recurring adversary, usually the chief villain or antagonist in a particular broadcast season. It has since been used to describe annual villains in other television series, and has also been used in scholarly work discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The term "Big Bad" was originally used on American television program Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which aired 1997–2003). According to author Kevin Durand (2009), "While Buffy confronts various forms of evil during each episode, each season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had its own 'big bad' villain who dominates throughout the season. The power of the 'big bad' always threatens to end the world, but Buffy ultimately overcomes him or her in the season finale."
The term was originally used in the episode "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", in which Buffy Summers describes the newly soulless Angel as "the big bad thing in the dark". The phrase may originate in various fairy tales (particularly "Three Little Pigs" and the related song) about the "Big Bad Wolf". The phrase "big bad" by itself was first used on screen in Season 3, in the episode "Gingerbread" where Buffy says that an occult symbol is harmless, "not a big bad".
Like a wild train rollin' so wild and full of steam
Once you get us going It's like nothing you have seen
With some fire in your belly you move a little faster
And the Devil in your makes you hit a little harder
So where do you draw the line and tell yourself no more
is it When your back's against the wall Or you're crawlin' on the floor
It's always work, work, work some more Until they say it's time
So fight the fight worth fighting and things will turn out fine. and I say
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy
Big and bad as we can be say
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy
Big and bad as we can be
This is what it means when we swing on you brother
So now that we know who we really trust
There's plenty room for them but there's more room for us
When your feet don't touch the ground there's nothing you can say
Just jump inside enjoy the ride, and make the big boys pay
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy
Big and bad as we can be say
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy
Big and bad as we can be
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy
Big and bad as we can be say
Lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, be lordy, lordy, lordy