History Main / BadHabits

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Holo in ''SpiceAndWolf'' dresses as a nun occasionally. Or more accurately, she dresses in habit that is very nun-like without actually belonging to any denomination - she wouldn't want actual Church officials to ask about her credentials.
** In Season 2, Amati refers to Holo as a "nun of convenience", having taken no formal vows or affiliated herself with any church. The novels state that women travellers do this to attempt to avoid trouble, assisted by nuns regularly hiding their denomination while travelling to avoid sectarian violence.

* Duo in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''.
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in his backstory: he was an orphan who had been adopted by a priest that made him wear the clothes as part of leading him into becoming one himself (having been an orphan and a scoundrel adopted by a priest himself), and continued to wear the style after he had been murdered by the Alliance troops.

* Played straight in ''SamuraiChamploo'', with a fake priest (and fake European) who command Christians to produce more guns to avoid hell and reach paradise, so he can sell them. Of course he also kidnaps and threatens to kill (forcing her to marry him) at least one woman.

* Flintheart Glomgold dressed up as a nun in Creator/DonRosa's ''The Last Lord Of Eldorado''. [[RuleOfFunny Humorously]], despite ''having a beard'', he was only discovered when he got into a fight, because the real nuns learned better style than that in their judo classes. (Scrooge himself, being GenreSavvy, wasn't fooled for an instant, though.)
* The hero of the franco-belgian comic ''ComicBook/{{Soda}}'' is a NYPD cop who is afraid to tell his mom his job, because she has heart problems, and keeps her believing his son is a clergyman. He usually switches his clerical outfit for street clothes as soon as possible, but more often than not things conspire to force him to keep it and do his police work dressed as a priest.
* The pre-eminent crime lord in ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' is the Deacon, who dresses and acts like, well, a deacon. It's not a disguise, however, but simply part of his motif.
** It also fits well with his ArchEnemy, The Confessor. [[spoiler: Who is also a vampire, but...a surprisingly nice guy.]]

* Q dresses up as a Greek Orthodox priest (complete with false beard) in ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly''.

* Sheldon Sands from ''OnceUponATimeInMexico'' dresses as a Catholic priest, replete with extremely fake beard, for a {{confessional}} scene.

-->'''Castor Troy:''' You know, I never really enjoy the Messiah. In fact I think it's fucking ''boring''. But your voice makes even ''hack'' like Handel...seem like a ''genius''.

* Kambei's introductory scene in ''SevenSamurai'' has him rescuing a child from a hostage situation by cutting off his topknot and having monks shave his head and lend him some robes. In his guise as a monk, he brings food so that the hostage-taker will lower his guard, and then rushes in and kills the hostage-taker and saves the child.

* ''TheMaskOfZorro'': In his first time out in the mask, the [[LegacyCharacter new]] Franchise/{{Zorro}} runs into a church for sanctuary, and the priest, an old friend of the original Zorro, hides him in the confessional booth. He find himself improvising his way through a confession with [[LoveInterest Elena]], who is there to confess, well, feelings of lust for Zorro.
* ''AngelsAndDemons''. The Illuminati killer dresses as a priest when dumping a fatally stabbed victim in the middle of St Peter's Square.

* Done in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' by Cribbins, a former partner-in-crime of Moist von Lipwig.

* ''{{Literature/Malevil}}'' has Fulbert. Aside from a gaudy silver cross he doesn't dress like a priest and he is unwilling to discuss his credentials as an ordained holy man as well. He convinced La Roque and once they entrusted him with their weapons and food he became their oppressive SinisterMinister. Later it's revealed that he has [[BecomingTheMask Become The Mask]] and believes [[spoiler: his cruelty and Vilmain's marauders]] to be a NecessarilyEvil sent by God.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Master takes over the village of Devil's End as their charismatic new vicar, Mr. Magister.

* In ''Series/TheATeam'', Face wore a clerical collar as a disguise. It was somehow enough to cause people to perceive him as [[ChristianityIsCatholic a Catholic priest]].

* In the first episode of ''MorkAndMindy'' Mindy thought Mork was a priest lost in the woods. Turned out he was wearing a regular black suit with white shirt and tie, but he put it on backwards.
* This is used in ''Series/AlloAllo'' multiple times. Herr Flick and Smallhousen are disguised as monks and trapped in a building for several episodes.

* ''PrisonBreak'''s Carmelita/Sister Mary Francis is apparently a prostitute who wears a nun disguise.

* Emerson, Chuck and Ned disguise themselves as "Vatican investigators" to look into the murder of a nun in the ''PushingDaisies'' episode "Bad Habits". Emerson adopts the pseudonym "Father Mulcahy" ([[ShoutOut as from M* A* S* H]]) while Chuck calls herself "Sister Christian" ([[ShoutOut a reference to]] the song). Note that their rather obvious aliases are partly responsible for their being discovered, in an excellent example of the intended deceived not being as thick as the protagonists thought.
* In ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Nate dresses up as a Catholic priest in "The Wedding Job". It is interesting because he was actually studying to be a priest at one point before becoming an insurance cop and later thief.
** We also get Hardison as a priest and Parker as a nun in "The Beantown Bailout Job."
** "The Miracle Job" features a variation on this: Nate is trying to help out an old friend, now a Catholic priest, against that friend's will. The friend demands Nate see him in the confessional so they can talk in private about what's going on. Nate goes along with it -- but sits in the priest's side of the box. After their conversation is over and the priest leaves, [[spoiler: Nate lingers in the priest's half long enough that the mark's assistant comes in to give his confession, which allows Nate-pretending-to-be-the-priest to push the assistant towards publicly exposing the mark later in the episode.]]

* On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer,'' Angelus first encountered Drusilla when he was killing a priest in a confessional; she entered the other compartment unaware of what was going on, and he pretended to be the priest during her confession. It turns very creepy very fast, as she's very religious and he tries to convince her that her visions make her inherently doomed to damnation.

* In 21st-century ''[[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined Battlestar Galactica]]'', the Cavil-model Cylons tend to adopt priestly identities when infiltrating Colonial society. Included here instead of SinisterMinister as it seems likely that they didn't go to the lengths of actually being ordained, although it's never clearly stated on-screen.

* ''MidsomerMurders'': In "A Sacred Trust", Jones disguises himself as a nun in order to trap a murderer.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''TerryAndThePirates'', Cap'n Blaze and his gang disguise themselves as monks when they set up an opium farm inside a monastery.
* 'Father' Lamont in the ''ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise'' arc "Milord", who poses as a priest in order to abduct girls for a porn and snuff film ring.
[[/folder]]

* ''{{Traveller}}'' Classic adventure ''Action Aboard: Adventures on the King Richard''. The space pirate Nightshade masquerades as a nun to infiltrate the starship King Richard.

* In one chapter of ''EternalDarkness: Sanity's Requiem'', your character discovers that [[spoiler:the old church he is visiting to see a religious relic is actually home to a cult that worships an ancient evil.]]
* [[VideoGame/GabrielKnight Sins of the Fathers]] has Gabriel Knight wear a black shirt, and a priest's collar, and mousse his hair in order to convince an old lady he's a priest. [[FridgeLogic Never mind that if he shows up without said shirt or collar, the lady won't recognize him, even though he might later on pull the trick anyway, not even taking into account the moussed hair thing.]] [[FridgeBrilliance It's a good thing she's blind as a bat.]]
* The Acolyte class' costume in ''RagnarokOnline''.
* In one of the missions of ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}: Blood Money'', this is an option - you're infiltrating a 'hick' wedding in the swamps of Louisianna, to assassinate the groom and the father of the bride (leaving the bride with a healthy inheritance, one might perceive). One of the more showy (if unwise) ways to execute the groom is to take out the priest, steal his clothing, and then call the 'dearly beloved' together for the final ceremony... and then pull out a gun in the middle of the ceremony. Ideally right after the 'Till death do you part' bit. (This will get you involved in a dangerous gunfight, since most of the guests are armed, but has the advantage of confirming your suspicions - the bride will be heard saying "Well, FINALLY!" when you gun down her groom.)
** The sequel Absolution had a trailer featuring a hitsquad of female assassin's called The Saints who wear nun habbits as disguise. They take these off when going into combat wearing latex fetish outfits with insane high heeled platform boots underneath, keeping their weils on. As if to make fun of this, the trailer shows them quickly being taken out by the main character. To add insult to injury later trailers try to play up how badass and dangerous the woman are including showing them fighting in a jungle in those outfits. However like the original trailer they are not really dangerous in the game either.
* Though not a Christian example, Rao from ''{{Okami}}'' is a cross between this and MsFanservice when it's revealed that [[spoiler: the real priestess Rao is dead, and Ninetails assumed her form to infiltrate Sei-An and obtain the power of Himiko's crystal ball.]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twomules_8634.jpg]]

'''Q, disguised as a Greek priest''': Well, that's putting it mildly, 007!

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' dresses up as a nun in the beginning of the game...and kills angels while still wearing that outfit.
** And after beating the game, you may buy the outfit as an alternate costume.

* In BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold, Batman disguises himself as a priest at the beginning of one episode to sit in at the deathbed confession of a sick mobhead to learn the name of the man hired to kill his parents, Joe Chill.

* In ''Film/TwoMulesForSisterSara'', ShirleyMacLaine's character dresses up as a nun while escaping from the French. It also helps her get help from Creator/ClintEastwood's character.

Religious clothing is visually arresting, and [[GoodShepherd priests, nuns, and monks certainly are perceived to have an inherent moral authority]]. In fiction, scoundrels or even heroes will dress up as a religious figure as a part of a disguise. This can be used for comedic or dramatic effect. The clothing of the Catholic Church is used for the most part, since all ChristianityIsCatholic in the movies.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twomules 8634.jpg]]

[[quoteright:247:[[Manga/HayateTheCombatButler http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amen_2666.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:247:Not your typical Praying Hands.]]

Not to be confused with the DaveBarry book ''Bad Habits''.

* The hero of the franco-belgian comic ''ComicBook/{{Soda}}'' is a NYPD cop who is afraid to tell his mom his job, because she has heart problems, and keeps her believing his son is a clergyman.

* In one ''Comicbook/GhostRider'' story has Johnny Blaze telling his back-story on a confessional before telling the priest that he knows that he is just a crook and giving him the taste of {{Hellfire}}.
* In one ''Comicbook/SuicideSquad'' story, ThePenguin is disguised as a Russian Orthodox priest while undercover on a mission in Russia.

[[folder:Film]]

* At the end of the first ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie, Jack Sparrow is [[LongList having his crimes announced]] just before he is about to be hanged. These include "impersonating [[TheVicar a cleric of the Church of England]]", provoking a smile of amused reminiscence from Jack.

* Done twice in the ''CannonballRun'' movies. In the first movie Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. play a pair of racers who dress up as Catholic priests, and in the second two women dressed as nuns (they're showgirls in a production who were at a restaurant, still in costume) end up accompanying two men dressed as soldiers (who are disguised for an edge talking to the police). The men slowly realize that these women don't behave quite like nuns...
* ''TheManchurianCandidate'': The [[ManchurianAgent brainwashed assassin]] disguises himself as a priest to assassinate the Presidential candidate of one of the leading parties of the United States.

* Whoopi Goldberg hid out as a nun in a convent from hit men in the movie ''SisterAct''.
* ''CharliesAngels: Full Throttle'' has the Angels disguised as nuns. And that's the sound of Theology flying out the window.

->'''JamesBond:''' "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned..."\\
'''Q, disguised as a Greek priest''': "Well, that's putting it mildly, 007!"

* In ''Film/FaceOff'', Castor Troy disguises himself as a priest in order to plant a biological bomb in the Los Angeles Convention Center. He then takes a little extra time to dance to a choir singing the Hallelujah chorus and grope a choir-girl.

* In the novel ''[[Literature/TortallUniverse Trickster's Queen]]'' by TamoraPierce, revolutionaries occasionally disguise themselves as priests of the Black God since the vestments completely obscure the wearer's face.
** Beka does the same thing in ''Bloodhound.'' Subverted in that, while not a priest, she does work for the Black God, so she has a legitimate right to wear the vestments.

* In ''TwoMulesForSisterSara'', ShirleyMacLaine's character dresses up as a nun while escaping from the French. It also helps her get help from Creator/ClintEastwood's character.

* In ''TwoMulesForSisterSara'', ShirleyMacLaine's character dresses up as a nun while escaping from the French. It also helps her get help from ClintEastwood's character.

* Flintheart Glomgold dressed up as a nun in DonRosa's ''The Last Lord Of Eldorado''. [[RuleOfFunny Humorously]], despite ''having a beard'', he was only discovered when he got into a fight, because the real nuns learned better style than that in their judo classes. (Scrooge himself, being GenreSavvy, wasn't fooled for an instant, though.)

* In "At Bertram's Hotel" in the ITV series of ''MissMarple'', Canon Pennyfather turns out to be a Nazi war criminal in disguise.

* ''TheEqualizer''. A contract killer approaches Robert [=McCall=] asking him to help avert the assassination of a politician's wife, who's a former LoveInterest of both men. During a flash forward of how the hit would go down, the killer is shown disguised as a priest.

* ''Film/WereNoAngels'', the protagonists are escaped convicts who disguise themselves as priests to evade capture.

* Done by ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'' in his Abbe Busoni persona.
* SherlockHolmes [[MasterOfDisguise disguises himself]] as a Nonconformist clergyman in "A Scandal in Bohemia" and an as an old Italian priest in "The Final Problem."
* In the SvenHassel novel "O.G.P.U Prison" Porta and Tiny hire a hitman called "[[MeaningfulName Happy Release]]" who dresses up like a parson, complete with "soul remover".

* One of the Jackal's disguises in ''TheDayOfTheJackal'' is that of a Danish clergyman.
* Richard Marcinko's book "Holy Terror", in which his SEAL team goes up against a plot to blow up St. Peter's Basilica. Both the Islamic terrorists and the [=SEALs=] disguise themselves as various ministers, priests, and nuns-with no shortage of snarkiness from [[AuthorInsertFic Demo Dick]] about the unlikeliness of their disguises.

* In the ''GentlemanBastard'' series, the priests of the Thirteenth (the Crooked God) including the protagonist disguise themselves as priests of the twelve more respectable Gods.

* ''The Wrath of God'' by Jack Higgins (made into the above-mentioned movie starring Robert Mitchum). Van Horne is a bank robber who goes round in 1920's Mexico dressed as a priest with a Thompson submachine-gun in his Gladstone bag. When given a choice between the firing squad and killing a local despot, he's forced to play the priest over the long term and starts BecomingTheMask.
* Villains disguising themselves as clergymen or nuns is a common tactic in the novels of JTEdson. Examples occur in ''The Remittance Kid'', ''The Sheriff of Rockabye County'' and ''Diamonds, Emeralds, Cards and Colts''.
* Lin Chung dresses as an Anglican clergyman in ''The Castlemaine Murders'' to allow him to pass without comment in white society. PhryneFisher finds the sight of him in clerical garb quite arousing.

* [[Film/FaceOff Castor Troy]] disguises himself as a priest in order to plant a biological weapon in a public location. He takes a little time to grope a choir-girl while he's there, too.

* A slight twist on the trope occurs in ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'' were the main character disguises himself as a Shaolin monk, and talks his way past the suspicious monks by spouting {{Ice Cream Koan}}s at them.

* The hero of the franco-belgian comic ''{{Soda}}'' is a NYPD cop who is afraid to tell his mom his job, because she has heart problems and keeps her believing his son is a clergyman.

* In the ''GentlemanBastards'' series, the priests of the Thirteenth (the Crooked God) including the protagonist disguise themselves as priests of the twelve more respectable Gods.
* In the novel ''Trickster's Queen'' by TamoraPierce, revolutionaries occasionally disguise themselves as priests of the Black God since the vestments completely obscure the wearer's face.

* The pre-eminent crime lord in ''AstroCity'' is the Deacon, who dresses and acts like, well, a deacon. It's not a disguise, however, but simply part of his motif.