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.
that’s how you end up in an elevator with your adopted emo god of mischief brother trying to convince him to stop being mildly evil for five minutes so you can defeat your mega evil older sister who is destroying your home planet