History DirtyCoward / Literature

** Everyone views Severus Snape as an evil coward after he [[spoiler: kills Dumbledore. Until as it turns out, Snape was actually the bravest hero of them all, even if he's still not a nice guy. In fact Harry, who once loathed Snape intensely, remembers him as the bravest man he ever knew even naming one of his sons after him.]]

* ''Literature/OliverTwist'' has Noah Claypole, a [[TheBully bully]] who picks on anybody weaker than him, but shies away from more serious crimes because he thinks they're "too dangerous", even balking at stealing old ladies' bags. He torments Oliver, but is terrified when [[BewareTheNiceOnes Oliver attacks him after he insults the boy's mother]]. [[spoiler:He ends up selling out Fagin in order to save himself from prison, and becomes a police informer because it's the safest and easiest job he can think of]].

** ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'': Morgoth Bauglir is very hesitant to risk his own life and fleeing from lesser enemies. He alone among the Valar knew fear, putting him at great disadvantage to the other Valar. It's probably because he knows that unlike other Valar, he won't be re-embodied if he dies. The fact that the injuries he suffers [[WoundThatWillNotHeal no longer heal]] is probably also a factor.

* The Slotter Key government in ''Literature/VattasWar'' qualifies. Instead of attempting to rally a defense against the SpacePirates after an attack on planets biggest [[MerchantPrince merchant family]] instead turns against them to protect themselves. In addition the President plans to scrap what little protection it has in it's small number of {{Privateer}}s in order to keep the pirates happy.

* Greg Stillson in ''Literature/TheDeadZone'' proves to be this when he [[spoiler: grabs up a small child to use as a human shield during an assassination attempt]].

* In ''Franchise/JurassicPark1993'', Ed Regis, the Public Relations manager from [=InGen=], proves himself to be one when the power goes down and the ''T. rex'' shows up. He abandons Lex and Tim, John Hammond's grandchildren, in the car with the door open in order to save his own ass and hides in a group of nearby boulders. Grant and the children later find him after they regroup... just in time to see him dispatched by the '''juvenile''' ''T. rex'' who came along after the adult. [[Franchise/JurassicPark1993 The film version]] [[CompositeCharacter hands this role off to]] Donald Gennaro, the lawyer sent to inspect the title park, who hides in a nearby outhouse after ditching the kids, only to suffer the ignominious honor of being [[TheCanKickedHim nommed on the can]] when the ''T. rex'' knocks the outhouse building down and finds him.

* In ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', Ed Regis, the Public Relations manager from [=InGen=], proves himself to be one when the power goes down and the ''T. rex'' shows up. He abandons Lex and Tim, John Hammond's grandchildren, in the car with the door open in order to save his own ass and hides in a group of nearby boulders. Grant and the children later find him after they regroup... just in time to see him dispatched by the '''juvenile''' ''T. rex'' who came along after the adult.
** [[Franchise/JurassicPark The film version]] [[CompositeCharacter hands this role off to]] Donald Gennaro, the lawyer sent to inspect the title park, who hides in a nearby outhouse after ditching the kids, only to suffer the ignominious honor of being [[TheCanKickedHim nommed on the can]] when the ''T. rex'' knocks the outhouse building down and finds him.

* Literature/CiaphasCain ([[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!!]]) claims to be this, scrambling for cover whenever the shooting starts and only doing his job [[ProfessionalSlacker when it makes things more comfortable for him]]. Many people (including his editor) think that he really doesn't give himself much credit and that at least some of his heroic deeds are genuine, and even if they're not, his unerring instinct for heading towards the area least likely to see combat is always rewarded by uncovering a hitherto-undiscovered ambush, unexplored backdoor into the base (and Necron tomb), and daemon prince summonings.

** Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew [[spoiler:sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort to save his own life. When Sirius Black tried to confront him about this, he loudly announces that Sirius committed the murder, uses a blasting charm, then transforms into a rat. This makes it seem that Sirius Black was the one who sold out Harry's parents and killed the Muggles]. When exposed, he runs off to join Voldemort again, simply because he has no one else who will take him in. Sirius even describes him as always looking for bigger people to protect him]. Which kind of leads one to wonder why Wormtail was sorted into ''Gryffindor'' of all places. Although his inner Gryffindor qualities show when he [[spoiler:ultimately remembers the debt he owes Harry and hesitates to bring Harry and his friends up to Bellatrix. This causes his hand, which only lets him obey Voldemort, to turn on him and kill him]].

* Joffrey Baratheon in Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' reveals himself as this in his EstablishingCharacterMoment, apart from being a RoyalBrat to the Stark family. Whereas his father is a widely known BoisterousBruiser noted for his bravado and strength, Joffrey is a weakling ([[BoisterousWeakling while still being boisterous]]) who can only bully others and get away with it because of his status. He claims to be both vicious and manly, but is often put in place by his dwarf uncle Tyrion [[StupidEvil when he steps out of line]]. Unfortunately, he's also TheCaligula, and uses his power as King to drive King's Landing into the ground.

** Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew [[spoiler:sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort to save his own life. When Sirius Black tried to confront him about this, he loudly announces that Sirius committed the murder, uses a blasting charm, then transforms into a rat. This makes it seem that Sirius Black was the one who sold out Harry's parents and killed the Muggles]]. Which kind of leads one to wonder why Wormtail was sorted into ''Gryffindor'' of all places. Although his inner Gryffindor qualities show when he [[spoiler:ultimately remembers the debt he owes Harry and hesitates to bring Harry and his friends up to Bellatrix. This causes his hand, which only lets him obey Voldemort, to turn on him and kill him]].

* Nadreck of Palain Seven from the ''Lensman'' novels is this. Cowardice is a racial trait of the Palainians that they admit to openly, but it turns out to be a subversion because the subterfuges he stoops to in order to get the job done with the minimum of personal risk make him an extremely dangerous opponent.