History Main / InspectorJavert

** Nearly all of the films have one in pursuit of Ethan Hunt (IMF superiors Kittridge and Brassel in the [[Film/MissionImpossible1996 first]] and [[Film/MissionImpossibleIII third]] films respectively, inspector Sidorov in the [[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol fourth]], CIA agent Hunley in the [[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation fifth]], and Briggs in [[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne the seventh]]). The [[Film/MissionImpossibleII second film]] is the first exception.

* The crossover spin-off game ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' has [[VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth Orie]] and [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Weiss]] fall under this upon confronting Ragna after finding one his [[RunningGag badly-drawn wanted posters]]. Hazama, [[VillainHasAPoint of all people]], [[WhatTheHellHero calls them out on it]].

* The hotel concierge in ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' is religiously devoted to busting Kevin for "credit card fraud"(ie using his dad's credit card without permission) so much so that he threatens to call the police on Kevin, thereby scaring him into the streets, instead of contacting a social services agency and kindly asking Kevin about the matter. When Peter and Kate show up at the hotel, they're quick to chew him out over it.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica in ''Target X'' feels personally responsible for all the killings ComicBook/{{X 23}} has carried out because she slipped his grasp after her field test by masquerading as a wounded survivor. He reveals he's been tracking her down ever since (approximately ''six years'') and is obsessed with bringing her to justice. He's driven to the point where he completely ignores [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock's]] attempts to warn him that S.H.I.E.L.D. won't care really about justice but instead will use her as a weapon the same way she was used by the Facility. Before he can actually turn her over, however, he recognizes the truth of this and that Laura was as much a victim as the people she killed and lets her go.

* ''ComicBook/IronMan:'' Tony became this during ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'', maintaining that "the law is the law is the law" and everyone had to obey it, regardless of how pissed off his former allies got with him (on account of Tony flagrantly ignoring anyone's civil rights in the process) and how unusually cruel things got (the example of Cloud-9 stands out--ok, sure, undergo mandatory training or be arrested sounds bad enough, but then she was forced by Gyrich to become a ColdSniper and nobody batted an eye and this is the ''least'' that was done by the government using the Registration to step on people's faces). He spent a lot of time between Civil War and ''Secret Invasion'' hunting the New Avengers because of this, and in one [[BullyingADragon spectacularly stupid move]], tried enforcing the law on ''Thor'', who was... [[CurbStompBattle not amenable]]. Making it worse, afterwards, Tony said he wouldn't have done anything differently.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': Barbara tends to come off as such towards Terry. It's shown to its greatest extent in "[[Recap/BatmanBeyondS2E14Eyewitness Eyewitness]]", in which Spellbinder uses his [[MasterOfIllusion illusion technology]] to make Barbara believe that Batman had murdered Mad Stan in cold blood. When he is exposed and promptly arrested, Spellbinder takes the time to [[EvilGloating taunt]] Barbara: "You were ''so'' ready to believe the worst [in Batman], it was ''easy''." Barbara [[HeelRealization even acknowledges herself]] that she screwed up big-time and gives Terry a public service award as an apology.

* ''Film/{{Serenity}}'': In the ''The Horseshoe Nails'' series by Dyce, the Operative actually ''takes'' the name Javert. The second Operative appears to take the name Marius, although this is only mentioned in passing. 'Marius has been shot, which is keeping with [[Literature/LesMiserables the literature]] but should not be encouraged.'

* Nearly all of the ''Film/MissionImpossible'' films have one in pursuit of Ethan Hunt (IMF superiors Kittridge and Brassel in the [[Film/MissionImpossible1996 first]] and [[Film/MissionImpossibleIII third]] films respectively, inspector Sidorov in the [[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol fourth]], CIA agent Hunley in the [[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation fifth]]) and Briggs in [[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne the seventh]]). The [[Film/MissionImpossibleII second film]] is the first exception.
** ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'' stands out as a very technical example, as the 'Javert' equivalent, CIA agent August Walker, is [[spoiler:actually the BigBad, who is working as a mole in the CIA to try and provoke them into going after Hunt. A plan that ironically goes wrong when his boss, Sloane, pulls a Javert move of her own and orders the arrest of all of the agents (including Walker) to interrogate at CIA HQ in Langley, forcing ''everybody'' to go rogue in order to finish their missions.]]

* The Operative in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' is a case where a government assassin fits the character type. He's after River in order to [[HeKnowsTooMuch protect the Alliance's secrets]], and doesn't ask what those secrets are because [[KnightTemplar he believes wholeheartedly in the Alliance's vision of a "world without sin."]] He only stops when [[spoiler:[[HeelRealization his idealistic vision of the Alliance is shattered with the knowledge of River's secret]]]].

* ''Film/DarkCity'': Inspector Frank Bumstead hotly pursues protagonist John Murdoch for a series of murders that John is innocent of. [[spoiler:The reality-twisting alien Strangers have created the murders but were interrupted before they could create the murderer!]] John is eventually arrested, but Frank's open mind has been picking up on the real story: when John demonstrates [[spoiler:worldview-shattering abilities to manipulate reality himself]] Frank is ready to be recruited to fight the real villains. [[spoiler:And then he gets hurled into space]].
** Bumstead is actually a subversion since he quickly figures out John is innocent based on his behavior, and he only pursues John to find out what the hell is going on.

* Toshio Wakagi in ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' wanted the titular MagicalGirl behind bars because she was a vigilante. In his defense, she ''was'' going out of her way to show the police up, and ultimately had no problem with her when he realized her bigger motivation was [[ChronicHeroSyndrome a complete inability to let a crime go unpunished or not help someone in need]].

->'''Orie:''' You are... Ragna the Bloodedge, aren't you?\\

** This is pretty much how the Aamaterasu Corporation Peacekeepers operate, targeting anyone who appears suspicious because they're coincidentally near a crime scene. [[DirtyCop They let actual criminals go]] and leave those who have no relevance whatsoever to a crime alone, on the other hand.

** [[spoiler:The reason [[BigBad Makoto Kagutsuchi]] brought the original Number One (Yuma Kokohead) to Kanai Ward was because he saw his original as a threat to Kanai Eard, and his plan revolves around replacing him as his clone to keep Kanai Ward safe from any outsiders trying to expose its secret.]]

** This is pretty much how the Aamateraau Corporation Peacekeepers operate, targeting anyone who appears suspicious because they're coincidentally near a crime scene. [[DirtyCop They let actual criminals go]] and leave those who have no relevance whatsoever to a crime alone, on the other hand.

** [[spoiler:The reason [[BigBad Makoto Kagutsuchi]] brought the original Number One (Yuma Kokohead) to Kanai Ward was because he saw his original as a threat to Kanai Eard, and his plan revolves around replacing him as his clone to keep Kanai Ward safe from any outsiders trying to expose its secret.]]

* ''Literature/BinkleAndFlip'', being a light-hearted kid's book set in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals, has Willie Weasel the policeman who spends every single story trying to stay ahead of the two eponymous trouble-making rabbits and their latest get-rich schemes, including posing as a fake doctor, pretending to be a fake FortuneTeller in a fair, and being unlicensed chimney-sweeps. HilarityEnsues ''all the time''.

* ''Literature/LesMiserables'' and all of its adaptations [[note]]Which, on this wiki, include [[Theatre/LesMiserables the musical]], the [[Film/LesMiserables1935 1935 film]], the [[Film/LesMiserables1998 1998 film]], the [[Series/LesMiserables2000 2000 miniseries]], the [[[[Film/LesMiserables2012 2012 film]] and the [[Series/LesMiserables2018 2018 miniseries]].[[/note]].

* ''Literature/LesMiserables'':
** The book named the trope with the original Inspector Javert. In his face, the narrator describes seeing "what could be called [[PureIsNotGood all the evil]] of good." Javert subverted the trope of maniacal lawfulness once in the book: during the street brawl of Fantine and Monsieur Bamatabois, he thought her guilty of everything and refused to hear how she had been attacked because she was a prostitute. A character true to the spirit of the trope would have accused both of them. This is a display of idealism rather than [[LawfulStupid stupidity]]--Fantine, being a prostitute, was already a law-breaker, whereas Monsieur Bamatabois was 'innocent.' Similarly, he refuses to accept that Jean Valjean was not necessarily in the wrong when he stole a loaf of bread, and he follows Valjean mercilessly for decades for what amounted to a parole violation. Worst of all, [[spoiler:even after Valjean saves his life, Javert still can't make himself admit that he's wrong, and is actually DrivenToSuicide for his failure, in effect killing himself over his failure to accomplish a goal that never had any real importance.]]\\

* ''ComicBook/IronMan:'' Tony became this during ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', maintaining that "the law is the law is the law" and everyone had to obey it, regardless of how pissed off his former allies got with him (on account of Tony flagrantly ignoring anyone's civil rights in the process) and how unusually cruel things got (the example of Cloud-9 stands out--ok, sure, undergo mandatory training or be arrested sounds bad enough, but then she was forced by Gyrich to become a ColdSniper and nobody batted an eye and this is the ''least'' that was done by the government using the Registration to step on people's faces). He spent a lot of time between Civil War and ''Secret Invasion'' hunting the New Avengers because of this, and in one [[BullyingADragon spectacularly stupid move]], tried enforcing the law on ''Thor'', who was... [[CurbStompBattle not amenable]]. Making it worse, afterwards, Tony said he wouldn't have done anything differently.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'': The G.U.N Commander, who wanted Shadow captured, dead or alive. [[spoiler:Thankfully, he gets better after learning the truth regarding Shadow and what happened on the ARK, even going as far as to invite him over to visit him and his family in the Expert Mode ending.]]
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': Played straight with Silver, thinking Sonic was the Iblis Trigger. [[spoiler: He's actually right, [[OurHeroIsDead but not in the way he predicted]]]].

* Sheriff Loomis is a more realistic example in Film/TheWraith. At first he was this for a long time with Road Pirate, Packard Walsh; waiting and watching him slip up. However, when the Wraith comes into the picture, he's on his pursuit list too, even though he doesn't really care since it's only Packard's gang the Wraith is after. [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure He does everything in his power to investigate the Wraith]], even opening up a cold case regarding [[spoiler: Jamie Hankin's murder]] as it was one of the leads that clue him in to the Wraith's identity. [[spoiler: He gives up when Packard dies and the Wraith is no longer around.]]