History Main / CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority

* ComicBook/JohnConstantine's defining trait; he's a BlueCollarWarlock who dares to kick the [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobs]] - [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney rich]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections well-connected]] or [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers supernatural]] - in the bollocks. {{Deconstructed}} in that while it always proves a worthy pursuit - he has no difficulty finding high-status AssholeVictims in desperate need of humiliation, pain and death - but going to war with the people who own the world inflicts a ''lot'' of collateral damage on [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized the world]], on [[HurtingHero him]], and on his allies. None of them let him forget that, either. Some of them suggest that he's not so much a champion of the oppressed so much as an [[AllergicToRoutine adrenaline junkie]] who uses powerful and amoral opponents as a source of [[SmitingEvilFeelsGood schadenfreude]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse'' has Hobie "ComicBook/SpiderPunk" Brown, a British Spider-Man from an alternate dimension whose main personality trait is "balking at authority": he proudly flaunts his anti-authoritarian attitude, praises Peter B. Parker's infant daughter for "taking a crap on authority" when she has an accident in [[ComicBook/SpiderMan2099 Miguel]]'s office, and [[spoiler:when Miguel calls for Miles's capture when he disregards his orders to let his "canon event" -- the death of his father -- take place, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quits on the spot]], then later gives Gwen a jury-rigged dimension-travelling watch so she can help Miles.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderverse'' has Hobie Brown, AKA: ComicBook/SpiderPunk, a British Spider-Man from an alternate dimension whose main personality trait is "balking at authority": he proudly flaunts his anti-authoritarian attitude, praises Peter B. Parker's infant daughter for "taking a crap on authority" when she has an accident in [[ComicBook/SpiderMan2099 Miguel]]'s office, and [[spoiler:when Miguel calls for Miles's capture when he disregards his orders to let his "canon event" -- the death of his father -- take place, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quits on the spot]], then later gives Gwen a jury-rigged dimension-travelling watch so she can help Miles.]]

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': All the cool kids and vampires rebel against authority even when the authority figures are being reasonable:

* ComicBook/JohnConstantine's defining trait; he's a BlueCollarWarlock who dares to kick the [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobs]] - [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney rich]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections well-connected]] or [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers supernatural]] - in the bollocks. {{Deconstructed}} in that while it always proves a worthy pursuit - he has no difficulty finding high-status AssholeVictims in desperate need of [[KickTheSonOfABitch humiliation, pain and death]] - but going to war with the people who own the world inflicts a ''lot'' of collateral damage on [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized the world]], on [[HurtingHero him]], and on his allies. None of them let him forget that, either. Some of them suggest that he's not so much a champion of the oppressed so much as an [[AllergicToRoutine adrenaline junkie]] who uses powerful and amoral opponents as a source of [[SmitingEvilFeelsGood schadenfreude]].

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* ''[[Anime/AngelBeats Angel Beats]]'': The SSS. Since it's the afterlife, they can get away with quite a lot.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Fanfic ]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

* {{Music/American Idiot}} plays this straight at first, with the main character Jimmy (styling himself "Jesus of Suburbia") leaving his town to live a punk life in the city. Then the trope is [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] when he eventually despairs and returns home to life the conformist life he rebelled against.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* One of the premises of ''TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk 2020}}'', the characters are typically depicted as being future Robin Hoods who use their skills to challenge the megacorporations who rule over the world with an iron fist. Heck, there's even an attribute called "Cool"!

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]

--> "Are you going to follow his orders just because he's the king?"

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

-->'''Ruth:''' The fire alarm is not a toy. It's not.
-->'''Sal:''' Shit, now ah ain't never wanted to pull a fire alarm so bad in all my life.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Wendy Corduroy from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''.

** Played straight with Bart, at least in the early years. This was his appeal as a merchandising icon during that time period.
* Parodied by the Goths (erm, [[InsistentTerminology nonconformists]]) in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.

* Riki in ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' is notorious in the slums for being a very headstrong and defiant BadassBiker rebel. So much so that he's admired by people who have not ever met him but heard of his exploits. He's aware of his status and proud of it until he is [[MadeASlave Made A Sex Slave]].

An offshoot of this is the LastDJ whose type of cool rebellion is quite effective because it comes from a place of knowing and understanding the rules before you try to break them.

[[folder: Film ]]

Expect "authority" to be heavily tainted in TheWarOnStraw in some way or another, when the audience inevitably asks "[[DesignatedVillain What's so bad]] about [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure the authority figure]], anyway?". Indeed, {{deconstruction}}s and {{parodies}} of this trope [[DiscreditedTrope are becoming more and more common]]. Some works may point out that acting 'rebellious' to be cool is [[TheManIsStickingItToTheMan just another way to conform to a different authority]]. [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes Others might portray the rebel as a needlessly belligerent and pretentious douchebag]]. They might also remind us that "TheMan" is capable of good things (Governments protect people and provide services while big businesses produce things and hire people) as well as bad. This ValuesDissonance can result in audiences RootingForTheEmpire. See also SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers.

* ''Film/TheLastJedi'' plays with this, particularly in Poe's side of the plot; since Poe grew up on stories of the greatness of the Rebellion, he's utterly thrilled at being a part of the Resistance under General Leia... which leads him to regularly defy orders in order to perform greater heroic deeds, which ultimately cost more than they gain. It culminates in the final act when [[spoiler: Poe stages a mutiny against his superior office Holdo, whom he saw as an ObstructiveBeauracrat, only for Leia to stun and arrest him for nearly ruining their plan]]. Unfortunately, he may have been ''too'' cool, as the deconstruction went over most viewers heads, [[MisaimedFandom who didn't understand why the movie was treating him as in the wrong]], contributing to its already sizeable {{Hatedom}}.

* Virtually every American TV show made in the last forty years which even mentions government might as well flash "government, bad" on the screen in neon.
** The big exception being those that are BackedByThePentagon, and even they can push things pretty close.

* ComicBook/JohnConstantine's defining trait; he's a BlueCollarWarlock who dares to kick the [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobs]] - [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney rich]], [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections well-connected]] or [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers supernatural]] - in the bollocks. {{Deconstructed}} in that while it always proves a worthy pursuit - he has no difficulty finding high-status AssholeVictims in desperate need of [[KickTheSonOfABitch humiliation, pain and death]] - but going to war with the people who own the world inflicts a ''lot'' of collateral damage on [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized the world]], on [[HurtingHero him]], and on [[StuffedIntoTheFridge his allies]]. None of them let him forget that, either. Some of them suggest that he's not so much a champion of the oppressed so much as an [[AllergicToRoutine adrenaline junkie]] who uses powerful and amoral opponents as a source of [[SmitingEvilFeelsGood schadenfreude]].

A very common trait of a MarySue.

This is the general portrayal in fiction that any character who displays any sort of aloofness, indifference, or outright antagonism to an authority figure, for any reason, must be incredibly cool. Quite often the authority against whom the "rebellion" is directed is an ObstructiveBureaucrat, MegaCorp, EvilEmpire, or some variant. Usually the reason why TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified.

->''"You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel."''
-->-- '''Pee Wee Herman''', ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure''

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* Parodied in ''WebVideo/asdfmovie 4'', where a hip skateboarder flaunts a cop's demands to stop skating with, "You can't tell me what to do!" And then he explodes. Turns out, rebelling against authority by skating in a minefield is a bad idea.

Expect "authority" to be heavily tainted in TheWarOnStraw in some way or another, when the audience inevitably asks "[[DesignatedVillain What's so bad]] about [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure the authority figure]], anyway?". Indeed, {{deconstruction}}s and {{parodies}} of this trope [[DeadHorseTrope are becoming more and more common]]. Some works may point out that acting 'rebellious' to be cool is [[TheManIsStickingItToTheMan just another way to conform to a different authority]]. [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes Others might portray the rebel as a needlessly belligerent and pretentious douchebag]]. They might also remind us that "TheMan" is capable of good things (Governments protect people and provide services while big businesses produce things and hire people) as well as bad. This ValuesDissonance can result in audiences RootingForTheEmpire. See also SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers.

Expect "authority" to be heavily tainted in TheWarOnStraw in some way or another, when the audience inevitably asks "[[DesignatedVillain What's so bad]] about [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure the authority figure]], anyway?". Indeed, {{deconstruction}}s and {{parodies}} of this trope [[DeadHorseTrope are becoming more and more common]]. Some works may point out that acting 'rebellious' to be cool is [[TheManIsStickingItToTheMan just another way to conform to a different authority]]. Others might portray the rebel as a needlessly belligerent and pretentious douchebag. They might also remind us that "TheMan" is capable of good things (Governments protect people and provide services while big businesses produce things and hire people) as well as bad. This ValuesDissonance can result in audiences RootingForTheEmpire. See also SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers.