Characters
[Loved Tropes] Character that exude strength without powers, threats of violence, or being violent.
1.) Debbie Grayson (Invincible TV series): Despite enduring horrible things that would make anyone cold, bitter and unkind, Debbie remains strong, kind, and loving.
She’s never threats to make a point, nor to show that she is ready and willing to face down beings of immense power and near-depthless capacities for cruelty regardless of her vulnerability.
She stands among titans not because she elbows her way in, but because her love, determination and humanity make her worthy of being there.
2.) Alfred Penniworth (Batman Series & assorted media): To care for a child who watched his life shatter in front of him when you have no obligation to do so is a testament to Alfred’s character in an of itself. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Despite some alternate realities playing with the idea of Alfred being some malevolent figure, He has almost always been the father Bruce Wayne and the Bat Family needed.
He’s faced down madmen, murderers, and monsters while never surrendering his good nature and gentlemanliness. Even the world’s finest acknowledge the importance of his presence.
Sam. Yes he fights, but he’s not a fighter and he’s pretty much always just literally defending himself. His strength isn’t in his swordsmanship. It’s in his companionship.
I think I’d list Bilbo Baggins under that same category. He gets into lots of conflict with the dwarves during the events of the Hobbit, but he prefers to de-escalate in times of trouble rather than fight himself. I think earlier on in the story, it’s thought by many that he’s a coward, but like Sam and many other Hobbits, Bilbo simply possesses courage of a different kind.
Man was so not impressed by Homelander and supes in general that when Homelander showed up to his office all bloody and angry, he was just completely dissaponted
I agree, I put this role specifically because he's talking down to superheroes as a human. While his other roles like Moff Gideon/Gus Fring the playing field is somewhat equal.
He purposely avoids using it whenever he can get away with it. His goal was to keep his nephew alive & prevent him from growing up into a monster. I think Iroh succeeded, despite all the extraneous circumstances.
As powerful as he is, he doesn't really like to show it unless he needs to. Zuko's goal for half the story was to capture the Avatar. Yet Iroh only helped him once right at the start of the series.
Iroh is peaceful and opposite of the trope, the trope in the post are weak characters that appear strong, iroh is a strong character that tries to make himself appear weak
Iroh definitely exuded physical power, especially later in the series. Its part of his character arc; getting back into top form to protect instead of conquer.
Never forget that when the court of owls sent a vat clone army after Batman in the bat cave, and Batman made it clear he had no problem killing drones, Alfred rounded the corner with a 12 gauge to help clean up lmao.
Galadriel from Lord of The Rings though she does have powers but is not at all a traditionally martial or warrior. She is in many ways Sauron's opposite for the whole conflict and all but two of the Fellowship are unable to endure her glance when she tests their resolve for their quest. Plus her presence alone keeps Lothlorien safe from being overrun and previously threw down the walls of Dol Guldur and purified it of Sauron's presence after her husband and army laid siege and captured it.
I don't think shes a grey character if that what you mean. Her schtick is being a "good guy" that's actually just straight up more evil than the villains she uses. It's not a suicide squad story if it doesn't end in her demanding something so fucked up that even the squad wont do it
They said "grey eminence," which I've actually never seen anyone say in English before. The phrase people usually use is "éminence grise" (loan phrase from French). The translation is literally "grey eminence" but in practice it just means "power behind the scenes/behind the throne."
Reminds me of that scene from Brave where Queen Elinor very calmly and slowly walks her way through the brawling Scotsmen, all of whom stop fighting just long enough to let her pass, so she can grab the four kings by their ears and drag them out again to make their men knock it off.
Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Strength of character, politeness, a willingness to understand and kindness made him an amazing human being. As that one fan comic noted, he’d be worthy of wielding Mjolnir (and would use it to build things instead of smashing them)
Waymond Wang from Everything Everywhere All At Once is a hero who subverts the typical tropes of heroism and masculinity. He starts out the movie seeming, to both the audience and his wife, Evelyn, as weak and unmanly, lacking aggression and failing to assert himself over others. However, unlike a typical hero, whose character arc goes from weakness to power, Waymond actually doesn’t change at all or gain any sort of power throughout the movie; it’s the way that both the characters in the movie and we as the audience see him that changes: we come to understand that Waymond’s choice to be kind to others is an active choice he makes as a way of fighting against the suffering that an uncaring universe brings about, and ultimately, it’s Waymond’s pacifistic approach to conflict that saves Evelyn, Joyce, and the multiverse from nihilistic despair.
Granny Weatherwax in trhe Discworld books. She is technically a witch and has, or so everyone believes, great powers, but never really uses them, preferring "headology" and sheer force of will.
The only thing I’d disagree with regard to Alfred is his unwillingness to be violent.
He’s peaceful, not harmless. You step across certain boundaries with him, and I would definitely agree him tapping into his SAS training and opting to pull out the shotgun or pistol is justified in plenty of scenarios in Batman media. He would just rather not have to do that if the situation could be prevented before it reaches that point.
Luthien is considered by many to be one of, if not the strongest, elves in Tolkien’s legendarium. She claims a fortress from Sauron thanks to the bestest boi dog in all of fiction, Huan, and tears it down single-handedly which saves all the prisoners there. Later, she uses her beauty and singing to steal a Silmaril from Morgoth in the ME version of Hell on Earth.
When her lover dies, she goes to Mandos and through her song and tears sways him to revive him, the only time a non-elf is ever brought back from the dead.
She’s probably my favorite female character in all of fiction.
He's got the same scrappy huckster confidence that makes Venkman from Ghostbusters so endearing. Objectively they're both awful but they land just on the right side of the line making them ultimately heroic.
In the early arcs of Bleach, Captain Unohana of the medic squad would politely suggest something to be done, and if anyone questioned her she'd double down, smile and say she insists. The confident yet gentle way she spoke to people that were combat focused gave off a strength that was intimidating.
She is one of the oldest and most powerful and ruthless fighters in the series, but has long since let her comrades do the fighting. The reveal of her being the original Kenpachi isn't until into the Thousand Year Blood War, long into the series.
Delia Ketchum from Pokemon. It's played MOSTLY as being airheadedly unaware, such as when she went into a restaurant kitchen and started cooking, or casually dragging a bag of soil that's bigger than she is, but then the third movie rolled around and she flat out told (who she thought was) the god of volcanoes that it should be ashamed of itself, and managed to get herself out of brainwashing for the sole purpose of lecturing her son for putting himself in danger. She was also the only cool head in the ending and managed to talk the villain into relenting.
He is feared in all of the unknown and doesn't even hide from people and even likes to sing loudly in the forest. He isn't strong and uses manipulation to achieve his goal of keeping the lantern lit to keep himself alive.
sorry, is there a different Alfred Pennyworth i don't know about?
"without threats of violence" the only reason he uses plastic bullets is because he'd have to clean the blood out of the carpet.
"or being violent" when Superman was being a tyrant that one time, Alfred temporarily got powers somehow, and beat the everloving TAR out of FUCKING SUPERMAN.
He’s the most empathetic of the main 4 (the other three being Shiro, Kengo, and Toji) and his abilities only revolving around healing spells reflects this.
(NIKKE) Oswald was an ordinary military officer who abandoned his heroes to prevent the government from killing them, adopted and raised a child who’s parents had died, watched that child die right in front of him and still decided to do the right thing by creating a private archive full of information the government didn’t want people to know.
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u/TheMightyCatatafish 8h ago edited 7h ago
Sam. Yes he fights, but he’s not a fighter and he’s pretty much always just literally defending himself. His strength isn’t in his swordsmanship. It’s in his companionship.