The Right-Hand is the most powerful, loyal, trusted, and authoritative henchman of the main villain, being also the next-in-command and usually the second-to-last villain taken down by the hero.

Almost all right-hands are totally loyal to their master (some even worship their masters like gods), but there are some that are at their side just for personal interests or feelings. While the main villain usually provides a mental challenge, the Right-Hand usually provides a physical challenge; as such, it is not uncommon for a Right-Hand to be even mightier than the main villain.

In some works, the Right-Hand appears more often and gets more screen time than their master, in order to make the main villain more mysterious and therefore more frightening. A main villain can also have several Right-Hands, either with different responsibilities or as a replacement of one who has died. Sometimes, a Right-Hand can survive his master's demise and seek to revive him or to accomplish his master's goal on his behalf. They are also The Heavy sometimes.