There were still some characters that needed an introduction, the most important being the main antagonist of the story. But the way I plotted the screenplay, there would be another change in location that introduced two of the remaining characters first.
I did this for a couple of reasons. One of the characters was only going to be in the story for a few scenes, and were vital to the inciting incident that the main character, Barclay, was going to have looming over him for the rest of the script, so it was important that I establish them and their importance to the plot.
The second character was a minion of the main antagonist. The outlaw in the opening sequence was also a minion, but different in that they were a brute, using force to accomplish things. This second minion was a polar opposite, but both would be working for the main antagonist. Their introduction would showcase that the main villain, who hadn’t been introduced yet, held sway over not just multiple characters, but multiple characters who had nothing in common with one another.
I would also use this purposeful delay to build up this main antagonist even more before he finally made an appearance. Characters would establish that he’s currently out of town, but still caution, even threaten one another, with what the repercussions would be once he returned and found out what was done in his absence. To them, it wouldn’t be a question of if he found out about things, maybe not even when. He would just know.
This delayed introduction would set the table for the type of adversary they were. They didn’t have to be present to be a threat. That they weren’t there didn’t matter if the people that worked for him were, because they would be driven by the hell they would have to pay if they didn’t come through for him.
There would also be the loosest of references to his backstory. Nothing would ever be explicitly stated, possibly because the characters didn’t know the full details themselves, but it would be just enough to add to the mystique around this character, building him up further until he finally entered into the story.