History Literature / TheExecutioner

* LoveInterest: Valentina "Val" Querente, whom Bolan met in the first novel, though their relationship didn't continue. [[HeroesWantRedheads April Rose]] was introduced as an electronic spying specialist for Hal Brognola at the end of Bolan's Mafia War arc; she later became MissionControl at Stony Man. Although [[GirlOfTheWeek beautiful women continued to pop up on every mission]], Bolan never slept with any of them until after April's death.

* CoolGuns / ICallItVera. 'Big Thunder', Bolan's stainless steel [[HandCannon .44 [=AutoMag=]]], and 'Belle', his silenced Beretta Brigadier (a civilian Beretta M1951), sometimes fired GunsAkimbo. They were later replaced by a Beretta 93R and .44 Desert Eagle, with the occasional use of "Little Lightning" (a Mini-Uzi). Able Team uses silenced Beretta 93R's (with [[LaserSight tritium night sights]] and [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells steel-core bullets]] for extra penetration) modified by CIA weaponsmith Andrzej Konzaki. Carl Lyons lacks faith in their stopping power, so Konzaki created a Colt .45 with the same capabilities -- as well as Lyon's Crowd-Killing Device, a modified [[{{BFG}} Atchisson Assault Shotgun]] whose effects are [[MoreDakka devastating at close quarters]].

* GunPorn: The Gold Eagle novels usually have trading-card stats of relevant weapons. Plus every CoolGun on the planet must have been used by the protagonists at one time or another. The members of Phoenix Force all use different firearms (reflecting their different backgrounds) [[FridgeLogic even though standardization of ammunition, magazines and spare parts]] would make more sense.

* AnAxeToGrind: The Orishas in ''Crisis Nation'' wield iron African axes as their weapon of choice.

* HandCannon: One of Bolan's regularly carried handguns is the massive .44 Desert Eagle; before this he used the [[RareGuns .44 [=AutoMag=]]].

* AllCrimesAreEqual: Being in the Mafia (no matter how distant the link) is punishable by death. Doesn't matter if you just are an errand boy, you are guilty and must die.

* KnifeNut: Bolan occasionally goes up against these, such as the group of Southeast Asian pirates/terrorists in Blood Tide.

* PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad: In "Vegas Vendetta", comedian Tommy Anders (real name Giuseppe Androsepitone) is doing a stand-up comedy routine about how Paramount removed the word "Mafia" from ''Film/TheGodfather'', and jokes that they're now going to change it to ''The Stepfather'' after militant atheists objected to the word was religious propaganda. Then he pretends to get a call from ABDFBHC (A Better Deal For Broken Home Children) objecting to ''The Stepfather''. Then Anders starts going on a rant over this trope and forgetting he's supposed to be making his audience laugh, because he's being pressured by the real Mafia and doesn't find it amusing.

* WarriorPoet: Bolan is very well read -- each novel begins with a couple of quotes from a literary work, then a quote from Bolan's [[{{Diary}} journal]] giving his own take on it. His favorite book is ''Literature/DonQuixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes, as Bolan often sees himself as WindmillCrusader.

* GirlOfTheWeek: Bolan encounters a beautiful woman in every novel. [[CartwrightCurse Some die]], others [[TemporaryLoveInterest live to be encountered in future novels]] (such as the Ranger Girls, who turn out to be federal agents). The ForgottenFallenFriend trope was somewhat averted; dead allies often weighed on Bolan's conscience past the novel they died in, such as Cuban ''[[ActionGirl soldado]]'' Margarita and federal agent Georgette Chebleu. In the early Pendleton novels Bolan would have sex with them, but when Gold Eagle took over they gave Bolan a regular LoveInterest with April Rose and Bolan never had sex with any GirlOfTheWeek until after she died.

* GirlOfTheWeek: Bolan encounters a beautiful woman in every novel. [[CartwrightCurse Some die]], others [[TemporaryLoveInterest live to be encountered in future novels]] (such as the Ranger Girls, who turn out to be federal agents). The ForgottenFallenFriend trope was somewhat averted; dead allies often weighed on Bolan's conscience past the novel they died in, such as Cuban ''[[ActionGirl soldado]]'' Margarita and federal agent Georgette Chebleu. In the Don Pendelton series Bolan would have sex with them, but the Gold Eagle series gave Bolan a regular LoveInterest with April Rose and [[DevotedToYou Bolan never had sex]] with the attractive GirlOfTheWeek until after she died.

* GirlOfTheWeek / TemporaryLoveInterest / CartwrightCurse: Bolan encounters a beautiful woman in every novel, though he doesn't necessarily sleep with them. Some die, others live to be encountered in future novels (such as the Ranger Girls, who turn out to be federal agents). The ForgottenFallenFriend trope was somewhat averted; dead allies often weighed on Bolan's conscience past the novel they died in, such as Cuban ''[[ActionGirl soldado]]'' Margarita and federal agent Georgette Chebleu.