One of my favorite tropes is “Villain Decay”. It’s not a redemption or reformation - the character themself doesn’t necessarily change morally or behaviorally, but the as the stakes become higher and more serious antagonists are introduced, the original villain seems harmless and friendly in comparison.
like jack spicer who was the main villain in xiaolin showdown until his hired underlings went awol and proved to be much more competent? and then chase young resurrected wuya and was a major player so at that point he was a minor inconvenience?