The HERO is a combatant. His excellence as such is why he is the hero. The FOOT SOLDIERS OF VILLAINY are combatants. Their ineffectiveness against him is why he is the hero. The VILLAIN is what he is whether a combatant or not. He is dangerous to the hero regardless.
The best villain is the smartest character in the story. It does not matter that his underlings are slaughtered in droves with pathetic ease. His agenda is never about them. He has a grand scheme and so long as it comes to fruition, he wins.
The most difficult part of creating the perfect villain is to plan his brilliant plan. He is a genius... and showing it requires the intelligence of the storyteller. That is a problem if the storyteller is not actually smart.
The ultimate villain is wasted unless against the ultimate hero... and vice versa. Each can thrive without the other but never at their best. They are the perfect match.
The hero does not outwit the villain. On the contrary, he is tricked. He is manipulated into serving the very agenda he is trying to thwart.
The ultimate hero is someone beyond the sum of his parts. He is stronger than his superhuman strength. He is the personification of an ideal. He is the very thing he fights for.
The struggle of good against evil is spiritual. Though fought physically, it is beyond the physics.
The struggles in reality are worldly more often than not. The propaganda claims good against evil... but insincerely.
Our best fiction is the ideal, not the reality. It is our spiritual yearning for the triumph of good against evil. The ultimate hero represents goodness, even if as an antihero. The ultimate villain represents evil, even if sympathetic.
MORAL SUPERIORITY!
The FOOT SOLDIERS OF VILLAINY are an archetype with the very specific role of establishing a standard of ordinary by which the HERO is measured. He proves how extraordinary he is in proportion to how many of them he can outmatch till overwhelmed. The excellence of the actual villain becomes obvious when unlike the nameless baddies, he proves formidable, one way or another.
In the ultimate BOSS FIGHT, the VILLAIN is about to win when the HERO defeats him. This is whether the fight is combat or otherwise. The excellence of the hero proves not good enough. His actual GOODNESS is the decisive factor. The very thing he fights for prevails.
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