History Franchise / ZORRO

[[redirect:Literature.{{Zorro}}]]

[[redirect:DerivativeWorks.{{Zorro}}]]

[[quoteright:283:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zorro1_3543.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:283:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons "From the Z to the O to the double R O, He's the dude in a mask from the barrio."]]]]

->''"Out of the night, when the full moon is bright, comes a horseman known as Zorro..."''

Zorro is a mysterious masked and black-clad {{swashbuckl|er}}ing rider who fights injustice in Spanish UsefulNotes/{{California}} in the early 19th century.

The sleepy ''pueblo'' of Reina de UsefulNotes/LosAngeles could be Paradise. The weather is sunny, the ''señoritas'' are pretty, the ''caballeros'' are handsome, and the land is rich with promise. But alas! The new governor is a tyrant who oppresses the natives, overtaxes the peasants, and seeks to rob the proud, upstart ''hidalgos'' of their lands and wealth to give to himself and his cronies. He has the army firmly under his control, and has placed corrupt officers to enforce his will upon the people.

But there is one man who the governor cannot stop, one man who rises up to fight for justice, who inspires the people to resist and take control of their own destinies. That man is ''Señor'' Zorro, The Fox, whose cunning is legend, whose swordsmanship is unsurpassed, whose black-clad, masked form slips in and out of the night like a ghost. You may know him by the ragged letter "Z" he carves into the cheeks or clothes of wicked men who have lost duels to him, and leaves at the scene of his adventures. He discomforts the powerful and corrupt, and helps the poor and oppressed. Truly, this Zorro is a hero!

But who is this mysterious Zorro behind his mask? Well, it is certain that it cannot be [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Don Diego (de la) Vega]], even though Don Diego is certainly the right age and of good family. [[UpperClassTwit For Don Diego is a useless fop who reads poetry, disdains violence and any form of sweat-inducing activity, and sniffs a perfumed handkerchief when in the presence of his lessers]]. No, it cannot be he.

Or can it?

Alternatively, think ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' if moved to California, and following in the footsteps of ''Myth/RobinHood'' as opposed to rescuing aristocrats from the guillotine.

Zorro was first created by Johnston [=McCulley=] for the novella ''The Curse of Capistrano'' serialized in All-Story Weekly Magazine in 1919. The [[{{Swashbuckler}} Swashbuckling]] story was complete in itself, without much room for sequels. Creator/DouglasFairbanks Senior read the novella, loved it, and convinced his studio to buy the rights so he could star in a movie adaptation, ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1920). It was a huge success, inspiring [=McCulley=] to write a sequel, ''The Further Adventures of Zorro'', and a total of sixty Zorro stories altogether, ending with ''The Mask of Zorro'', printed posthumously in 1959. A more recent [[{{Literature/Zorro}} literary portrayal]] was written by Creator/IsabelAllende in 2007, with a significant amount of ContinuityNod to previous works.

Perhaps the most iconic ProtoSuperhero of all, Zorro has inspired ''many'' other heroes, such as Franchise/{{Batman}} (including within the story - nearly every retelling since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' has the Wayne family coming home from a ''Zorro'' movie on [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} that fateful night]]), Roronoa Zoro of ''Manga/OnePiece'', and Puss in Boots from the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' franchise.

For a list of ''Zorro'' adaptations and derivative works, see [[DerivativeWorks/{{Zorro}} here]].
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!!''Zorro'', in his various incarnations, provides examples of:

* {{Acrofatic}}: Sergeant Garcia is often portrayed as this, being surprisingly agile and an accomplished swordsman despite his build.
* AlternateCompanyEquivalent:
** Franchise/{{Batman}}. In addition to the basic similarities, some stories have established that the movie the Waynes went to see on the night they were murdered was 1940's ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1940}}'' (with {{setting update}}s in some cases, such as in ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' where they go to see ''Film/ZorroTheGayBlade'' instead).
** Franchise/TheLoneRanger, another masked vigilante in TheWestern, too. They even had [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cYek2RdUqhQ/VhXVVd90I4I/AAAAAAAAB68/3iP6ABhdM9Y/s1600/vol1.jpg simultaneous cartoons]] in the 80s and [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/a3/a5/eaa3a513898afa74bf5b4c9de44c3d48.jpg comics]] [[https://www.dynamite.com/images/TNDeathZorro04CovFrancavilla.jpg crossovers]].
* AnimalMotifs: In name only, while his name means "fox" he never utilizes foxes visually.
** ''Literature/KaiketsuZorori'', the Japanese children's book character loosely based on Zorro, is literally a fox.
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Zorro is Spanish for fox. He would be type II in that he has no animal-based powers, weapons, or even an animalistic costume but he does assume the name of an animal.
* AnimatedAdaptation:
** ''[[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1981 The New Adventures of Zorro]]'', a 1981 series from Creator/{{Filmation}} and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now known as Creator/TMSEntertainment), and ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1997'', a 1997 series from Creator/WarnerBros
** A 1996 Japanese anime complete with TransformationSequence and a theme song by Masaki Endo. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yc6RPXiftM&feature=related Observe.]]
** Also worth mentioning is the TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture adaptation ''WesternAnimation/ZorroGenerationZ''.
** There's also ''WesternAnimation/ZorroTheChronicles'', the first CGI-animated series in the franchise.
* AntagonisticGovernor: The Mayor (''Alcalde Mayor'', or just ''Alcalde'' for short) of Los Angeles in California. A rich and powerful tyrant that Zorro squares off with time and time again. Some adaptations such as ''The Mask of Zorro'' upgrade this to the actual Governor of California.
* BadassNative:
** The Native American warrior Moonstalker in the Topps comic book.
** Isabel Allende's novel made Zorro himself part-Native American through his Badass Native mother, therefore a ''mestizo'' (mixed blood) instead of the traditional ''criollo'' (pure Spanish but colonial-born). This detail has sometimes been carried over in later versions. This also meant that Diego got Native American training from his mother's tribe added to his origin backstory.
** Bernado, in most incarnations, is this as well.
* BerserkButton: Hinting that Senorita Lolita (heroine and love interest in the original novel) has morals that are at all questionable is a good way to get your ass kicked by El Zorro.
* BigEater: Sergeant Garcia usually is portrayed as one. Y'know, [[DontExplainTheJoke because he's fat]].
* BilingualBonus: The DIC series was set in and around the town of El Pueblo. Yes, the town of "The Town".
** "Zorro" is Spanish for "fox", which is mentioned in the opening theme of the 1950's TV series.
* ButtMonkey:
** Poor Sergeant Garcia...
** Corporal Reyes takes this a step further, being Garcia's personal butt monkey.
* CallingCard: Zorro's trademark "Z".
* CattlePunk: The 2005 movie.
* CanonDiscontinuity: At the end of "The Curse of Capistrano", [[spoiler:the main villain is dead, and Zorro publicly unmasked, revealing his identity to everyone.]] By the third book, neither of those events had ever happened.
* CanonImmigrant: The Zorro we know with his small hat, cowl, and preference for using a sword is from the Douglas Fairbanks 1920 film and the pulp series was changed to reflect it. See EarlyInstallmentWeirdness below for more details.
* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Even the parody [[Film/ZorroTheGayBlade Zorro: The Gay Blade]] just changed the color of the costume.
* ClothingDamage: A favorite trick of Zorro's, especially in the television series, where carving the flesh of his opponents would have violated broadcast standards. Or, in the case of the movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones, pure {{Fanservice}}.
* CoatHatMask: A classic example.
* CollectiveIdentity:
** In some of the novels, Bernardo also wears the Zorro costume in order to distract and mislead pursuers. Bernardo has also been known to play the part of Zorro to divert suspicion from Diego while he has an alibi (such as being imprisoned or questioned on suspicion of being Zorro). Zorro's friend and sometimes love interest/accomplice Lolita Pulido has also donned the mask.
** In Isabel Allende's novel Diego has a second Zorro outfit and sword made for Bernardo to throw villains for a loop, and Isabel de Romeu butts in with Bernardo's Zorro costume when the villain is smart enough to have both Diego imprisoned and his men keep an eye on Bernardo in case he donned the Zorro outfit. The epilogue makes clear that in the end Diego is the main Zorro, but both Bernardo and Isabel would wear his costume if needed and can kick just as much ass as him.
** In ''Film/ZorroTheGayBlade'', Don Diego and his brother Ramon both are Zorro. The brothers' father was too, although he's deceased at the time of the movie.
** In ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'', Anthony Hopkins plays the original Zorro (Don Diego de la Vega) and Antonio Banderas is his trainee [[spoiler:and later son-in-law]], Alejandro.
** In the 1997 animated series Diego de la Vega was not the first Zorro, but the original was unknown and shrouded in legend.
** The brief TV Series ''Zorro and Son'' was actually ''about'' an older Don Diego training his son, Don Carlos, to take his place.
** In one of the animated series episodes a soldier is about to be executed upon suspicion of being Zorro, when Zorro himself intervenes and frees him. The soldier in gratitude ''also'' assumes the identity of Zorro in another part of old California, so in this continuity there ends up being ''two Zorros'' at work in different places, thus reinforcing the secret identity of both.
** In the anime version, Bernardo also wears the Zorro costume. But in this continuity he is much younger than Don Diego, so he is called by the other name ''Little Zorro'', and plays the role of KidSidekick rather than a fake Zorro.
** In the 2015 animated series, Bernardo again assumes the identity to defer suspicion away from Diego. Diego's sister Ines also dons costume, when she thinks her brother isn't being pro-active enough.
* CoolHorse: Tornado
* CoolMask: And how.
* CostumeCopycat: One of the hazards of having a SecretIdentity. Although Zorro himself has used it for his benefit...
* CostumeDrama: Penchants for fashion in (Imperial Spanish) UsefulNotes/LosAngeles are OlderThanTheyThink.
* CrazySurvivalist: Buck Wylde from the Topps comic book series.
* CunningLikeAFox: The 1950's TV series theme song mentions "Zorro, the fox so cunning and free...", which is especially meaningful since "zorro" is Spanish for "fox".
* CuteMute: Diego's servant, Bernardo.
* DancingIsSeriousBusiness: Both in ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1940) and ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro''.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Very obviously.
* DashingHispanic: Zorro himself, and some of his enemies, especially TheDragon of any given story.
* DatingCatwoman: Zorro and ComicBook/LadyRawhide in the Topps comic series.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** In his first appearance Zorro wore a sombrero and a poncho, his mask covered his whole face and he used a saber instead of a rapier but mainly threatened people with a pistol.
** Originally the titular character's name was Don Diego Vega, only to morph in later stories into the more aristocratic sounding Don Diego ''de la'' Vega, which would become the default for the character.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: In the comics written by Don [=McGregor=] (for Topps and Dynamite), Zorro has an elaborate underground base that rivals the Batcave. The [[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1981 Filmation series]] likewise gave him an underground lair accessed by a hidden passage in his hacienda.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: In the 1940 movie, Diego Vega comments on a sergeant's big bullwhip, saying that he commiserates his poor horse. The sergeant is shocked and reassures him: He would ''never'' whip his dear horse, the whip is just for peones who don't cough up their taxes quickly enough.
** In the anime adaptation Raymund clamps down on [[TheDragon Gabriel]]'s [[StalkerWithACrush obsession for Lolita]] as soon as he's made aware that he broke an arsonist out of jail to blackmail her into marrying him and then kidnapped her, all but stating the only reason he's not having him tried and executed is that the entire garrison (including him) would be dishonoured if that got out. He's also quick to stop anyone whose thefts prevent someone from paying their taxes, and conveniently ignores that one of those people is paying them with money ''Zorro stole in his presence from the thief''.
* ExpressiveMask: In the comic book versions.
* {{Expy}}: Eugene Palette's "Fray Felipe" in the Tyrone Power version is suspiciously similar to his Friar Tuck in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood''.
* FatIdiot: More often than not, Sergeant Garcia is portrayed as this.
* FeudalOverlord: Even though the setting of the story is in colonial rather than medieval times, the villains often fit this trope.
* FightDracula: Zorro clashes within the ''Dracula vs. Zorro'' mini-series from Topps Comics.
* {{Flynning}}: In (almost) every film, stage, and TV version. Averted in the 1940 remake ''The Mark of Zorro'' -- Creator/TyronePower and Creator/BasilRathbone were both highly skilled fencers and it shows.
* FolkHero: He's an iconic character for Latin America. Without a doubt, Zorro is ''the'' best-known fictional Hispanic hero in the World.
* ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself: Used in [[Film/ZorroTheGayBlade The Gay Blade]].
* GratuitousSpanish: Any English-language adaptation is likely to be full of this.
** The 1990 series takes it a step further by referring to the evil mayor as the "alcalde" and the town the series takes place in as the "pueblo".
* GuileHero: He calls himself "[[CunningLikeAFox Mr. Fox]]" for a reason, you know...
* HeelFaceTurn: Used nigh-literally at the end of Film/ZorroTheGayBlade: The entire town has revolted, and the bad guys are reduced to the governor, his wife, and a single squad of soldiers protecting them from the surrounding mob. The captain of the squad, seeing which way the wind is blowing, orders, "About FACE!"... and the soldiers are now pointing their guns at the governor. (They thus turned on their heels for an [[VisualPun about-face turn]].)
** In anime version, Sergeant Gonzales (equivalent of Garcia, but with more likable and humorous personality) changes sides and starts to fight for Zorro in the final story arc.
* HookHand: Lucien Machete in the Topps comic.
* HorsebackHeroism
* HotDrinkCure: Exploited in the comic story "The Return of Zorro", when Zorro tells the woman he's helping to ask for some hot milk to quiet her nerves, which will enable him to slip out when the door is opened.
* HotterAndSexier: The Hispanic SoapOpera and the Creator/IsabelAllende book.
* HunterTrapper: Buck Wylde from the Topps comic book series.
* IdenticalGrandson: In the 1925 film ''Don Q, Son of Zorro'', the title character is played by Creator/DouglasFairbanks, who had played Zorro himself five years earlier.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers:
** Being able to carve a "Z" in an opponent's cheek with one fluid movement of his sword certainly counts.
** The 1990 TV series has Zorro somehow ''picking the lock on a trunk with the tip of his sword''.
** The 1940 version also includes the famous bit in which Don Diego slashes a candle -- with no apparent result -- until he lifts the candle to reveal he has ''sliced it in two.''
*** In the 1957 TV show, Comandante Monastario (himself a sort-of {{Expy}} of the villain from the 1940 film) gets a moment of this; he slashes at a candle and seemingly misses, only to demonstrate to the Licenciado that he has indeed cut it in half before blowing it out.
*** Itself hilariously parodied in ''Film/TheCourtJester'', in which "Giacomo" ''blows'' on the candles, and they fall apart.
*** ''Zorro the Gay Blade'' also parodied this by having Diego slash at a candle, apparently missing, but as soon as the Aldante turns his back Diego picks up the severed candle and [[CouldntFindALighter uses it to light his cigarette before]] discreetly putting it back.
*** [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072448/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_15 In a Mexican Zorro film from 1975]], Zorro slashes at a candelabra horizontally and then again vertically. All the candles fall off, and the one in the center splits in two.
* InstantKnots: Used in conjunction with his whip.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Don Diego]] in ''The Mask of Zorro'', and also in the Dynamite Comics continuity, in a crossover with its version of Franchise/TheLoneRanger. Unlike ''Mask'' which is about PassingTheTorch, the Dynamite storyline emphasizes an EndOfAnAge with the changing times. Tellingly, [[spoiler:Zorro dies by gunshot in both,]] but in the movie [[spoiler:he takes it in the front and is able to kill his enemy before he dies some minutes later in his daughter's and successor's arms]], while in the comic, [[spoiler:he's unceremoniously shot InTheBack, dies alone and it's up to the Lone Ranger to avenge him]].
* KnightOfCerebus: While for the most part Zorro is able to claim victory and carve a "Z" in most of his opponents, there are a few villains who have been able to give Zorro some serious trouble and take things up to a darker and more serious tone in the Kaiketsu Zorro anime.
** The episode "Killer Guitar" introduced Sabat, an assassin and a sniper who [[InstrumentOfMurder hid his rifle inside his guitar]]. His episode marked the first time a villain actually killed another character on-screen(a newspaper guy who had been writing against the army). Sabat also came close to killing Zorro but fortunately, Zorro was prepared and blocked the bullet with armor. Sabat was also the only one-shot villain whose legacy lasted beyond a single episode as his brother would come back for revenge against Zorro in a later episode.
*** Zig-zagged with the guitar killer's brother, Sodom. In terms of pure villainy, he took it a step further than most other villains, being smart enough to figure out Zorro's identity after hypnotizing the entire town until he found out Diego was the man behind the mask from Bernardo and attempting to murder Diego's family. However, when it came to actual fighting prowess, Sabat's brother ended up faring no better than most of the other One-Shot villains and was defeated by Zorro in short order.
** "Tears of Clown" introduced a magician named Black with a magical pendant that gave him both telekinetic and hypnotic powers. Black's magical powers proved potent enough that with the help of his pendant, he was able to inflict a serious psychic beatdown on Zorro, throwing him all over the place. After that [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]], Black nearly unmasked Zorro but thanks to a distraction by his allies, Zorro regained his HeroicSecondWind and turned the tables on Black.
** "The Order To Kill Zorro" introduced Teo Angelo, a former schoolmate of Diego's and the man who taught Zorro everything he knew about fencing. After falling from grace and deciding that one needed to have money in order to be powerful, Teo took on an assignment to kill Zorro, his former friend and pupil and was able to defeat Zorro in the two fights they had, making him the only opponent in the series who was able to out-fence Zorro completely.
** "A Prelude To the Collapse" introduced an enforcer for the South India Trading Company named Death who was quite possibly Zorro's most powerful opponent in any incarnation. Originally sent in to bring Kapital back to Spain, he found himself fighting Zorro in a dispute over Kapital's notebook. After leaving Zorro in critical condition, the South India Trading Company inspector pretty much got to [[TheBadGuyWins sail off into the sunset with Kapital]], though he did show himself to be somewhat of a [[NobleDemon Noble Demon]], promising Zorro that the South India Trading Company would never harass California again(while in the Japanese version with English subtitles, he promises Zorro that Kapital would be put on trial and made to pay for his crimes, in addition to encouraging Zorro to continue to fight for peace and justice).
** Epically {{Subverted}} in "The Sword from Japan": the episode revolves around a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], [[AbsurdlySharpBlade believed to be able to cut through another sword and kill the man wielding it]], and the three-way fight between the soldiers supposed to deliver it to the governor (Raymund had bought it as a gift for the governor), a group of bandits that want its incredible cutting power, and Zorro, who aims to keep it out of from anyone who could use it for evil, but when the bandit leader gets his hands on it and attacks Zorro is discovered it was a ''[[HilarityEnsues bamboo fake.]]''
*** Beyond epically subverted with [[spoiler: AntiClimaxBoss and the BigBad of the series, Commander Raymond himself. Even though he was THE main villain of the series and the final opponent Zorro faced, he doesn't really last much longer than most of the other One-Shot villains who fought against Zorro and got cut down. In the final battle of the series, he attacks Zorro but only fares for a few seconds before Zorro kills him for good.]]
* LampshadeHanging: At one point in the '50s live-action series, Don Diego tells the villain of the week that Zorro would be around his age, build, height and social class.
* TheLancer: Corporal Reyes to Sergeant Garcia. Bonus points because because he actually is one of the lancers (a type of soldier) who answer to Sergeant Garcia.
* LegacyCharacter: Several of the adaptations have featured Zorro's descendants or an unrelated person taking up the sword to fight for justice.
* MagicalNativeAmerican: White Owl, Zorro's maternal grandmother in the Isabel Allende novel, is a shaman who trains him. It's why he adopts the fox as his symbol, as it's his spirit animal. A version of White Owl also appears in ''The New Adventures'' (as Grey Owl, and not stated to be his grandmother), ''Generation Z'' (as an unnamed SpiritAdvisor who appears as a young girl) and ''The Chronicles'' (as Zorro and his sister Ines's grandmother Tainah, who is training her granddaughter).
* MasqueradeBall: Always a great place to hide a masked man.
* MasterSwordsman: Obviously.
* MeaningfulEcho: In the 1940 movie: "to raise fat children and watch the vineyards grow" accompanied by the hurling of the sword so it sticks in a beam in the ceiling.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Sergeant Garcia, at his most sympathetic. On his defense, he never is truly evil, he just follows his superior's orders. When the evil governor isn't around and the town is under García's control, life is ''much'' easier for everyone. On one occasion he even [[DressingAsTheEnemy dresses as Zorro]] to try to free some unjust prisoners ''from his own jail!''
* MountainMan: Joe Crane from the Disney TV series.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Zorro meaning "fox".
* NonPoweredCostumedHero: One of the earliest "superheroes".
* ObfuscatingDisability: Bernardo is mute, but often pretends to be deaf as well.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Except in the Disney version, where Don Diego is an open crusader for justice, but supposedly inept at combat instead.
* OpeningNarration: From the [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Filmation]] [[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1981 animated series]].
--> "As Don Diego, I pretend to be afraid. But with a mask as my disguise, I ride into the night, and raise my sword in the name of justice! For I am... Zorro!"
* OutsideContextProblem: The comic book "Zorro: Swords of Hell" sets Zorro against a ZombieApocalypse.
* PirateGirl:
** Scarlet Fever from the second ''ComicBook/LadyRawhide'' miniseries from Topps Comics.
** As well as Lucia the Pirate from the Filmation cartoon.
* PopculturalOsmosis: Thanks to countless bits of derivative media ranging from parodies to Christmas tree ornaments, most people who've never read or watched an actual Zorro story can still name him on sight.
* PowderTrail
* PresidentEvil: The evil governor of California.
* ProtoSuperhero
* PublicDomainCharacter: It's complicated. With 1919 being the year of the character's first publication, he is public domain in the US, but [[http://www.zorro.com/about/ Zorro Productions Inc.]] claims to "control the worldwide trademarks and copyrights in the name visual likeness and the character of Zorro." While this isn't strictly true, Zorro Productions Inc. has litigated in spite of court decisions and disputed and even disregarded rulings that the character is in the public domain. In other words, while there's no copyright (at least in the US or Canada), they will still likely sue people for using the character. It's all enough of a headache to navigate that in at least one instance of change-through-homage, Creator/{{Nintendo}} made the female Mexican sniper "The Fox" in ''VideoGame/CodeNameSteam'' as a vaguely defined daughter of Zorro instead of just using the man himself.
** The character of Zorro is public domain in Canada for a different reason—in that country, the standard copyright term is the author's life plus 50 years. Since Johnston [=McCulley=] died in 1958, Zorro and all other characters in the literary series became PD in that country in 2009.
** However, Zorro is still under copyright in the EU and Australia. Both entities changed to "life plus 70 years" terms within 50 years of [=McCulley's=] death.
* PublicExecution: Two of these are attempted in ''Zorro's Fighting Legion'', one by firing squad, and the other by hanging. The Legion manages to save both potential victims.
* RearingHorse: The classic victory pose for Zorro is his black horse rearing up while Zorro thrusts his sword in the air.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Sergeant Garcia, full stop. Once the horrible Captain Monasterio is defeated, Garcia takes his place and things immediately become ''way'' nicer than before. [[spoiler:It's too good to last, as [[ArcVillain The Eagle]] soon arrives...]]
* TheRemnant: Colonel Augustus Barton and his renegede Confederate bushwhackers in ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger and Zorro: The Death of Zorro'' from Dynamite Comics.
* RoyalRapier: His signature weapon in adaptations (he used a cavalry sword in the original novel), along with a whip.
* SceneryPorn: While every set of Spanish California in every incarnation may qualify, the one for the Disney TV series is arguably the most prominent.
* SecretKeeper: Many, depending on the story. Most often, Don Diego's mute manservant Bernardo.
* SignatureHeadgear: Zorro's iconic black Cordobés.
* StabTheSky: When his horse rears.
* StopOrIShootMyself: Doña Lolita, the heroine of the original Zorro novel, does this with a dagger forcing the Alcalde's guards to let her escape.
* StoryArc: Disney's ''Zorro'' is especially notable for being a show that used arcs in the 1950s, when most other television was strictly episodic.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: ComicBook/LadyRawhide from the Topps Comics series.
* SwallowTheKey: The television series with Duncan Regehr twisted this -- at the end of one episode, he chained up the alcade in the town square and forced the alcade to swallow the key.
* {{Swashbuckler}}: The most shining example coming from America in the genre.
* SwissArmyWeapon: Lucien Machete's HookHand in the Topps comic.
* SwordFight: Every Zorro story has at least one.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Zorro himself. Except for the anime version who is [[AdaptationDyeJob blondish instead of dark-haired]].
* TransformationSequence:
** The ''Kaiketsu Zorro'' anime had one. Technically, it was just Diego putting on his costume really fast, kind of like [[Anime/SailorMoon Tuxedo Mask]].
** The Filmation version also had one.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Captain Ramon, the antagonist of the first Zorro novel, is killed in a sword fight with Zorro at that novel's climax. When Johnston McCulley wrote the sequel, Ramon is inexplicably alive and well again.
* UpperClassTwit: Most people that know Don Diego think he's this.
* UtilityBelt: Albeit an example that doesn't involve an actual belt. On most occasions, Zorro is armed -- at minimum -- with a sword, a knife, a pistol, a bolo, a lariat, and a set of lock-picking equipment. He often also carries a rope and graple-hook. Sometimes he'll have even more weapons and equipment than that. In the pulp stories, Zorro has a pistol as a backup weapon, but with the technology limitations of the time, seldom relies on it.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Zig-zagged with Commander Raymond in the Kaiketsu Zorro anime. The Spanish army and its commander were clearly hated by the populace but Raymond proved adept at manipulating public opinion, always positioning himself at the right time and place to make himself look more generous than he really was. A notable instance was where Zorro had implicated the army and a corrupt merchant named Diaz in stealing grain from the people. As soon as he was exposed, Raymond acted quickly, shooting Diaz and then promising the people that they could have their grain back while allowing Zorro to leave unharmed as a gesture of good will for "helping" the army uncover Diaz's corruption, thereby avoiding an angry riot and looking like a ReasonableAuthorityFigure. So while Raymond didn't have a one hundred percent approval rating, he was still smart enough to know how to make himself look reasonable enough in the public eye to avoid outright rioting.
* {{Weredragon}}: In the ''Series/OnceUponATime'' multiverse, the local Zorro was capable of shapeshifting into a dragon. In this form, he fathered a child on a similarly transformed [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]].
* YouFightLikeACow: Usually against lesser opponents. You can tell when an opponent is actually challenging Zorro, because he is too busy to quip.
* ZorroMark. [[TropeNamer Well, duh]].

----

[[index]]
[[/index]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Works featuring Zorro:
[[index]]

[[folder:Anime]]
* ''Anime/KaiketsuZorro'' (1996)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Audio / Radio]]
* ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1997) -- Full cast dramatized audio adaptaion of the original novel by Creator/{{BBC}} Radio featuring Mark Arden as Zorro. No known copies are available.
* ''Zorro and the Pirate Raiders'' (2009) -- Full cast dramatized audio adaptation of D.J. Arneson's rewrite of ''The Further Adventures of Zorro'' by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air featuring Kevin Cirron as Zorro.
* ''Zorro Rides Again'' (2011) -- Full cast dramatized audio adaptaion of D.J. Arneson's rewrite of the third novel by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air. Kevin Cirron returns as Zorro.
* ''The Mark of Zorro'' (2011) -- Full cast dramatized audio adaptation of the original novel from Blackstone Audio and Hollywood Theater of the Ear featuring Creator/ValKilmer as Zorro.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''Walt Disney Presents: Zorro'' -- Comics based on the 1950s live-action series, drawn by Alex Toth.
* ''ComicBook/LadyRawhide'' (1992 onwards) -- The [[BadGirlComic Bad Girl]] BreakoutCharacter from Topps' 1992 ''Zorro'' series, Lady Rawhide starred in several miniseries which included appearance by Zorro.
[[/index]]
* ''Zorro'' -- Series written by [[Comicbook/{{Grendel}} Matt Wagner]] for Creator/DynamiteComics, and continued in spin-off titles, some by other authors. Covers Zorro's entire career [[spoiler:up to and beyond his death]].
** ''Django/Zorro'' -- Limited series written by Wagner and Creator/QuentinTarantino. Django of ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' teams up with [[UpperClassTwit the unassuming old man]] Don Diego.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
[[index]]
* ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1920}}'' (1920) -- Creator/DouglasFairbanks as Zorro
* ''Film/TheBoldCaballero'' (1936) -- Robert Livingston as Zorro
* ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1940}}'' (1940) -- Creator/TyronePower as Zorro[[/index]]
* ''Zorro's Black Whip'' (1944) -- Zorro gets {{gender flip}}ped as "The Black Whip", played by Linda Stirling
* ''The Shadow of Zorro'' (1962) -- Frank Latimore as Zorro
* ''Samson and the Slave Queen'' (1963) -- Also known as ''[[CoolVersusAwesome Maciste vs Zorro]]''. Low budget Italian peplum starring Pierre Brice as Zorro
* ''The Avenger, Zorro'' (1972) -- Fabio Testi as Zorro
* ''The Galant Adventures of Zorro'' (1972) -- Jean-Michel Dhermay as Zorro[[index]]
* ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1974) -- Creator/FrankLangella as Zorro
* ''Film/{{Zorro|1975}}'' (1975) -- Creator/AlainDelon as Zorro
* ''Film/ZorroTheGayBlade'' (1981) -- A more comedic take starring Creator/GeorgeHamilton as Zorro
* ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' (1998) -- Creator/AnthonyHopkins as the old Zorro (Diego de la Vega) and Creator/AntonioBanderas as the new Zorro (Alejandro Murrieta)
** ''Film/TheLegendOfZorro'' (2005) -- Sequel to the above, Banderas returned as Zorro
[[/index]]
* Untitled reboot film (TBA) [[note]]Allegedly based on ''The Curse of Capistrano'', to be directed by Fede Álvarez (''Film/DontBreathe'', ''Film/{{Evil Dead|2013}}''). No word on it having any connection to either the CW, Creator/DisneyPlus, or Creator/PrimeVideo series that are concurrently in development.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
[[index]]
!!Zorro-centric series:
* ''Series/{{Zorro|1957}}'' (1957-1959 series) -- Creator/GuyWilliams as Zorro[[/index]]
* ''Zorro and Son'' (1983 series, 5 episodes) -- Henry Darrow as Zorro (Don Diego) and Paul Regina as his son Zorro Jr. (Don Carlos)[[index]]
* ''Series/{{Zorro|1990}}'' (1990-1993 series) -- Duncan Regehr as Zorro[[/index]]
* ''El Zorro, la espada y la rosa'' (2007) -- {{Telenovela}}-[=style=] series with Christian Meier as Zorro
[[/index]]
* ''Zorro'' (2024) -- Mediawan Rights and Creator/PrimeVideo original Spanish-language series with Miguel Bernardeau as Zorro.

!!Puppet shows:
* ''Series/LesMinikeums'', a French kids show with puppets, made a ''[[https://youtu.be/QkLNXXvuMXU Zorro]]'' ShortFilm around the release of ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'' in 1998.

!!Unrelated series:
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' (2018) -- He was intended to appear as Lily's father in Season 5, but the plan fell through due to copyright issues. He was namechecked in the SeriesFinale.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Zorro|1985}}'' (1985)
* ''VideoGame/{{Zorro|1995}}'' (1995)
* ''The Shadow of Zorro'' (2001)
* ''VideoGame/PulpAdventures'' (2016) includes a level where you play as Zorro[[note]]in context, it's part of a series of ShowWithinAShow levels representing the main protagonists reading books which contained clues about the villains' plan[[/note]].
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' (2016) -- one of the Personas in-game is Zorro himself.
* ''Zorro: The Chronicles'' (2022) -- based on the 2015 animated series of the same name.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The New Adventures of Zorro|1981}}'' (1981)
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The New Adventures of Zorro|1997}}'' (1997)
* ''WesternAnimation/ZorroGenerationZ'' (2006)
* ''WesternAnimation/ZorroTheChronicles'' (2015-2016)
[[/folder]]

[[/index]]

!!Puppet show

!!Unrelated series featuring Zorro:

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' (2018) -- He was intended to appear as Lily's father in Season 5, but the plan fell through due to copyright issues. He was namechecked in the SeriesFinale.

[[/index]]

* Untitled [[GenderFlip female-led]] series (TBA) [[note]] Currently in development at Creator/TheCW, the series was previously produced for Creator/{{NBC}}. The executive producers are the brother and sister duo [[Creator/RobertRodriguez Robert]] and Rebecca Rodriguez, with Sean Tretta serving as showrunner.[[/note]]
* Untitled Creator/DisneyPlus original series (TBA) -- {{Telenovela}}-[=style=] series with Creator/WilmerValderrama as Zorro

* He was intended to appear as Lily's father in Season 5 of ''Series/OnceUponATime'', but the plan fell through due to copyright issues. He was namechecked in the SeriesFinale.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In his first appearance Zorro wore a sombrero and a poncho, his mask covered his whole face and he used a saber instead of a rapier but mainly threatened people with a pistol.

* Untitled Creator/PrimeVideo original series (TBA)

Perhaps the most iconic ProtoSuperhero of all, Zorro has inspired ''many'' other heroes, such as Franchise/{{Batman}} (including within the story - nearly every retelling since Creator/FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' has the Wayne family coming home from a ''Zorro'' movie on [[{{DeathByOriginStory}} that fateful night]]) and Roronoa Zoro of ''Manga/OnePiece''.

* InstantKnots: Used in conjunction with WhipItGood.

* WhipItGood:
** In addition to his sword, Zorro usually also carries a bullwhip which he's nearly as good with. He can even use it for a short BuildingSwing.
** This is also the character's main weapon in ''Zorro: The Gay Blade'', he uses it [[OverlyLongGag even while engraving the "Z" mark]].

* ''Zorro Rides Again'' (2011) -- Full cast dramatized audio adaptaion of the third novel by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air. Kevin Cirron returns as Zorro.

* ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1997) -- Full cast audio adaptaion of the original novel by Creator/{{BBC}} Radio featuring Mark Arden as Zorro. No known copies are available.
* ''Zorro and the Pirate Raiders'' (2009) -- Full cast audio adaptation of D.J. Arneson's rewrite of ''The Further Adventures of Zorro'' by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air featuring Kevin Cirron as Zorro.
* ''Zorro Rides Again'' (2011) -- Full cast audio adaptaion of the third novel by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air. Kevin Cirron returns as Zorro.

* ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1997) -- Full cast audio adaptaion of the original novel by Creator/{{BBC}} Radio featuring Creator/MarkArden as Zorro. No known copies are available.

* ''Zorro and the Pirate Raiders'' (2009) -- Full cast audio adaptation of ''The Further Adventures of Zorro'' by Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air featuring Kevin Cirron as Zorro.

[[folder:Audio]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

But who is this mysterious Zorro behind his mask? Well, it is certain that it cannot be [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Don Diego (de la) Vega]], even though Don Diego is certainly the right age and of good family. [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob For Don Diego is a useless fop who reads poetry, disdains violence and any form of sweat-inducing activity, and sniffs a perfumed handkerchief when in the presence of his lessers]]. No, it cannot be he.

** ''Django/Zorro'' -- Limited series written by Wagner and Creator/QuentinTarantino. Django of ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' teams up with [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob the unassuming old man]] Don Diego.

* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: Most people that know Don Diego think he's this.

Think ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' if moved to California, and following in the footsteps of ''Myth/RobinHood'' as opposed to rescuing aristocrats from the guillotine.

Think ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' moved to California, and following in the footsteps of ''Myth/RobinHood'' as opposed to rescuing aristocrats from the guillotine.

->''"Out of the night, when the full moon is bright, comes the horseman known as Zorro..."''

** ''The New Adventures of Zorro'', a 1981 series from Creator/{{Filmation}} and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now known as Creator/TMSEntertainment), and ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1997'', a 1997 series from Creator/WarnerBros

* OpeningNarration: From the [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Filmation]] animated series.