History Main / PrivateMilitaryContractors

* In ''[[FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'', the Armacham Technology Corporation intends to market its [[SuperSoldier Replica soldiers]] as a PMC. Armacham also keeps a smalla rmy of heavily-armed mercenaries as part of both their Security division and their "Black Operations" division; the former protects Armacham assets while the latter eliminates threats and cleans up evidence of their [[CorruptCorporateExecutive extensive misdeeds.]]

* In ''[[FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'', the Armacham Technology Corporation intends to market its [[SuperSoldier Replica soldiers]] as a PMC.

** The majority of the enemies in both ''Assassin's Creed II and ''[[AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Brotherhood]]'' are also ''condotierri'' working for the Borgia family. There's also a distinct visual difference between the Borgia mercenaries and the ''condotierri'' working for Mario Auditore and Bartolomeo (and, by extension, the Assassins).

* ''FireEmblem'' has a number of mercenaries within the games.

** Note that the [=PMCs=] are also used as a callback to the original ''MetalGear,'' where Big Boss built Outer Heaven as a refuge where disillusioned and disavowed soldiers could go, effectively becoming mercenaries, or a sort-of proto-PMC. His goal of creating a world where soldiers are always needed is essentially fulfilled by the War Economy [[spoiler: which is probably one of the reasons why he renounces his original beliefs at the end, it's clearly not a good thing]] and the parent company that owns the five major [=PMCs=] is ''actuality named'' "Outer Heaven".

In stark contrast, the "''corporate mercenary''" is usually just a RedShirt of some kind, and the "character" takes the form of the PMC corporation itself. Corporate mercs are usually depicted as being up to no good, or are the hand-puppets of some shadowy organization which is itself up to no good. They are portrayed -- when anything more than RedShirts -- as amoral, ethically-challenged, and professional but hardly ever inclined to argue with Corporate Headquarters. They are almost never the "good guys" in recent years. Their parent company usually has a name based loosely or thematically on "Blackwater" in a thinly-veiled Expy of that real-life PMC -- examples include "Blackriver", "Red River", "Blackthorne", and "Starkwood".

A PMC can provide a villainous [[TheEvilArmy Evil Army]] if one doesn't actually want to insult any real country's Armed Forces. If their too ''much'' of an army, then they are an NGOSuperpower.

* ''AceCombat Zero: The Belkan War'' has beleaguered Ustio hire mercenaries to bolster their forces. You, Cipher, are one of them. Admittedly, though, no organizations are outright named.

** Though in various important ways, this mercenary company was [[BackedByThePentagon Backed By The Government]], including most of its members being serving US servicemembers who were permitted to separate from the US military without suffering any of the usual penalties of leaving the military before your term is up. The means by which they were able to procure a sizable number of for-the-time modern warplanes is noteworthy. Do you think Blackwater could get a hold of a Fighter Group's worth of [[CoolPlane F-16s]] so easily, even if they had that kind of money?

* Dendarii Mercenaries from {{Lois McMaster Bujold}} ''Vorkosigan Saga'' are basically this. At the current moment the whole Galaxy knows by heart that they are [[spoiler: Barrayaran irregulars]], but they still snatch contracts on the side from time to time.
** "Whole galaxy" resolves to: The Empire of Barrayar, likewise Cetaganda, and Jackson's Whole. Everyone else is nominally still in the dark, although others may know that Admiral Miles Naismith is actually Auditor Miles Vorkosigan.

* ''The Wild Geese'' (1978) depicts the recruitment of a mercenary force to free an imprisoned African leader, only for the force to be abandoned when their sponsors strike a deal with the current rulers of the country.

* In ''StrikeCommander'', PMCs have become quite powerful, and operate their own armoured and airborne vehicles. They work for different nations to augment armies and carry out percision strikes. The player belongs to one such unit that specializes in F-16 fighter jets. The game takes you all around the world as your squad assists in other countries' wars. Stocking inventory for your squad means buying sidewinder missiles and laser-guided bombs, among other things.

A PMC can provide a villainous [[TheEvilArmy Evil Army]] if one doesn't actually want to insult any real country's Armed Forces.

* After WorldWarI}}, lots of discharged and out-of-work German soldiers formed PMCs called ''Freikorps''. They were frequently employed as HiredGuns to put down leftist uprisings in postwar Germany and would later go on to form the core of the Nazi ''Sturmabteilung'' (storm troopers), with many high-ranking officers of the Third Reich getting their start as ''Freikorps'' commanders.

"And as long as there is war... we will always have a job."''\\
-- '''Anonymous'''

PrivateMilitaryContractors are mercenaries, soldiers and other combatants employed by a private company or other organization and fighting on behalf of clients. While such soldiers of fortune are regarded with wariness in most settings (and most times and places in real life), they're generally considered distinct from criminal enforcers, mafia hit men, and the like.

In the real world, they are usually ex-soldiers from countries like the former USSR or South Africa, often with decent to slightly-above-average equipment. (This still remains true, though some prominent PMCs like Blackwater/Xe actively recruit former US military personnel; this, as well as the openly stated views of Blackwater's founder, at least in part fuels accusations against Xe of [[KnightTemplar somewhat ulterior motives.]]) In fiction, though, they tend to get all the latest and most expensive vehicles and support equipment as well, and are often recruited and trained by the company itself. Fictional mercenary groups often hire unique individuals or groups of various special types of fighters: {{ninja}}s, {{ronin}} {{samurai}}, dishonored [[KnightInShiningArmor knights]], [[FunctionalMagic mages]], [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]], and [[TheRemnant left-over warriors of defeated organizations, nations, or races]] that need to make ends meet. Some [=PMCs=] are just a RagtagBunchOfMisfits.

These characters can be both heroic and villainous; in a conflict they usually are allied with the richest party's faction, but sometimes have a [[HonorBeforeReason strict honor code]] that prevents them from switching sides mid-battle. If they get ''too'' enthusiastic about their job they may become [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] and try to start WarForFunAndProfit. On the other hand, they do have to deal with the risk of [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness their employers double-crossing them when the job's done]]. And if their clients run out of money before the fighting's done, things will get ugly in short order in one or more of many ways.

In recent years there's come to be a distinction between a ''"mercenary company"'' and ''"corporate mercenaries,"'' especially in Western (American) television and movies. The traditional mercenary who hires ''himself'' out (or himself and [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a dozen of his bestest buddies]]) is seen as somewhat honest, with at least a personal code of honor of some kind (even if it's just "do the job, get paid"); determined to accomplish the mission for which he has been paid and takes his reputation very seriously; and is scrappy yet skilled. This character is usually played moderately sympathetic, or at least as an AntiHero. They will typically have some attention given to their, quite possibly colorful, personalities.

In stark contrast, the ''"corporate mercenary"'' is usually just a RedShirt of some kind, and the "character" takes the form of the PMC corporation itself. Corporate mercs are usually depicted as being up to no good, or are the hand-puppets of some shadowy organization which is itself up to no good. They are portrayed -- when anything more than RedShirts -- as amoral, ethically-challenged, and professional but hardly ever inclined to argue with Corporate Headquarters. They are almost never the "good guys" in recent years. Their parent company usually has a name based loosely or thematically on "Blackwater" in a thinly-veiled Expy of that real-life PMC -- examples include "Blackriver," "Red River," "Blackthorne," and "Starkwood."

A [=PMC=] can provide a villainous [[TheEvilArmy Evil Army]] if one doesn't actually want to insult any real country's Armed Forces.

Mercenaries are the basic, land-based version of this trope; at sea and in space, they're [[{{Pirates}} privateers]] operating under letters of marque.

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'', Mana Tatsumiya explained that she was once a part of one of these. She traveled to so many battlefields across the far corners of the globe that main lead Negi questioned whether she could [[OlderThanTheyLook actually be 15 years of age]]. Keep in mind, at the time she was ''7-10''. Also, Nagi Springfield's group the Ala Alba used this as a front for their work in the {{Muggle}} world.

** The Grass Country Arc was about gathering info from TheMole as a prelude to assassinating Orochimaru, and in the course of which a plot to assassinate Sasuke was uncovered. The following arc revolved around a mission to assassinate Akatsuki duo Hidan and Kakuzu before they captured Naruto. We ''do'' see stuff like that, though admitedlly these are all security matters and not hired mercenary missions.

* Arqon of ''Viper's Creed'' is a [=PMC=] tasked with the elimination of "Mech Bugs", stray war machines from a war that ended eight years prior to the story, and still attack cities at random. It is a notable example since the main characters are a pilot and his operator working for Arqon, plus their companions and the overall staff make up most of the cast. Basically the anime is ''about'' the [=PMC=].

* ''HammersSlammers'', from the eponymous DavidDrake novels. While Drake mostly uses them to tell stories based on historical events, their mercenary nature plays an important role in their characterization. In the series background, war has become so very expensive that mercenaries are common, and usually the most competent soldiers. The Slammers interact with other mercenary companies and are sometimes shortchanged by their employers. At other times, they play both sides off against each other.
* Dendarii Mercenaries from [[{{LoisMcMasterBujold}} Lois McMaster Bujold ''Vorkosigan Saga'']] are basically this. At the current moment the whole Galaxy knows by heart that they are [[spoiler: Barrayaran irregulars]], but they still snatch contracts on the side from time to time.

** Likewise the Friendlies from the same series. Although from a religious PlanetOfHats, the Friendlies live on poor resource worlds, that to survive they have to be hired out as mercenaries. Unlike the Dorsai though, the Friendlies suck at warfare, but their cheap price and numbers make up for it.

** Aurodium Sword is basically a [=PMC=] (of the real-life "non-mercenary" sort) that provides personal security for [=VIPs=].
** The [[{{ProudWarriorRaceGuy}} Mandalorians]]?

* The "Free Companies" mentioned in ''{{TheCulture/Consider Phlebas}}'' by Ian M. Banks. The SpacePirates the protagonist hooks up with like to call themselves one, but don't quite make the grade.

* In P.C. Hodgell's ''ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'', the Kencyr people live in a resource-poor area but are exceedingly good at fighting; they make ends meet by hiring their troops out as mercenaries. Judging by examples in the series, about a quarter of the Kencyr peoples are mercenaries out on contract at any one time. Their rigid honor code makes them sometimes difficult employees, but their skill keeps them hired.

* ''SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004). The Flying Legion, clearly inspired by the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_tigers Flying Tigers]].

* ''BloodDiamond'' has plenty of mercenaries, with Leonardo [=DiCaprio=] playing a former [[strike:Zimbabwean]] Rhodesian merc-turned-diamond smuggler.
* The mooks in ''{{Shooter}}''.

* Spoofed in the 1985 comedy ''{{Water}}'' about an island in the West Indies that strikes a deposit of pure mineral water. Annoyed at the competition, the French hire a group of mercenaries to blow it up.
-->'''French agent:''' "This is a dangerous mission, and some of you will die. But remember, in a world gone mad, you will die for a principle that you all hold close to your heart. Money!"\\\
'''Mercenaries:''' "Viva franc! Viva deutschmark! Viva dollar! Viva numbered bank account in Switzerland!"

* ''TheHurtLocker''. The protagonists run across a unit of British [=PMCs=] who've captured two Iraq insurgents for the bounty.

* ''{{Battletech}}'' is full of mercenary armies, such as the Gray Death Legion or Wolf's Dragoons. Many of the high-grade mercenary armies are a match for or even superior to the best armies of the various governments. The Gray Death Legion, for example, was one of the few Inner Sphere units to come out with wins in their initial clashes with the Clans.
** BattleTech also has both honorable mercs (The Grey Death Legion, Wolfs Dragoons, The Kell Hounds) and dishonorable ones (the Crater Cobras, Little Richard's Panzer Brigade, the Waco Rangers). Many Pirate groups are failed mercenary units.
** This made a certain amount of sense in the setting back when even owning a rare and semi-irreplaceable HumongousMecha made you a military force all by yourself. As the time-line has advanced and 'mech manufacture has become common it doesn't really make sense for governments to rely on mercenary units the way they are depicted to. Then again [[RuleOfCool playing a mercenary is really awesome]].
* ''{{Fading Suns}}'' has the Muster guild, which offers many kinds of muscle for hire, but began as, and is still mostly made of, mercenaries.
* Pretty much the driving force behind ShadowRun. Only instead of actual [=PMCs =] its a RagtagBunchOfMisfits thrown together by circumstance to "run the shadows". Of course there's nothing stopping the DM from ''making'' a [=PMC=] for the players to join. True [=PMCs=] do exist in the game's backstory - two of the most prominant are 10,000 Daggers and MET2000.
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' features an entire specialized army of Kroot Mercenaries that can be fielded as a separate army all their own, or as a component force of other armies. Though most often they are used by the Tau to compensate for their CripplingOverspecialization.
** ''WarhammerFantasy'' has a similar army in the Dogs of War. In the storyline, these mostly hail from Tilea, an analogue of Renaissance Italy and the Condottieri.
*** Plus the Empire's Free Companies, supposedly mercenary divisions but basically equivalent to militia. Odd since the regular Empire infantry dress like real-life Landsknecht mercenaries, and are closer in organization as well.

* Three of the five featured [=PMCs=] in ''MetalGearSolid 4''; the first two encountered have their members portrayed as mercenaries in that they're performing offensive operations, while those of the third are identically dressed and equipped like the first (since the second was in South America) but are performing security... and [[spoiler:executing curfew violators in an effort to root out "resistance members."]] All three are operating for the governments of the countries where they're found, although in the South American location the rebels have hired a local [=PMC=] of their own, and the militia have local [=PMC=]s assisting in the Middle East. Of note is Werewolf, which seems to field only unmanned units for recon and security.
** Note that the [=PMCs=] are also used as a callback to the original ''Metal Gear,'' where Big Boss built Outer Heaven as a refuge where disillusioned and disavowed soldiers could go, effectively becoming mercenaries, or a sort-of proto-PMC. His goal of creating a world where soldiers are always needed is essentially fulfilled by the War Economy [[spoiler: which is probably one of the reasons why he renounces his original beliefs at the end, it's clearly not a good thing]] and the parent company that owns the five major [=PMCs=] is ''actuality named'' "Outer Heaven."

** In the first game, the player is a member of the PMC Executive Operations ([=ExOps=], see Real Life Examples for why this name was chosen). In the sequel, the player presumably still works for [=ExOps=], though after the tutorial level and the [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder refusal of the CorruptCorporateExecutive to sign the damn check]], he goes into business for himself to bring him down, while Fiona and the rest of the support staff tag along for opportunities for fun, profit, and lulz.

** The final mission of the game is an assault on the [[spoiler:very same (corrupt) [=PMC=] headquarters that the player characters have been working for in most of the game, and at the end they decide to found their own [=PMC=] ''that won't plot attacks on American forces in order to build a case for privatizing the U.S. military'']].
* In ''Red Alert 3: Uprising'' it turns out the war-weary Allies are now relying heavily on the PMC / weapons developer Futuretech, who were able to hire large numbers of veteran disenfranchised soldiers following the end of the war, to provide a great deal of their security.
* In ''Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.'' you play as a former Air Force working for a PMC fighting an alliance of anti-American South American states known as Las Trinidad who defects back to the Air Force once the PMC betrays the U.S. because Las Trinidad made them a better offer. To be fair, the immediate flip-flopping of the PMC for the better offer ''is'' mentioned as being against the Reykjavik Accords that legitimized [=PMCs=] in the first place, and at the end of the game, [[spoiler: in addition to repealing the Accords, the US carries out a private and probably illegal operation to assassinate the CEO of the PMC after an international manhunt fails to find him.]]
* In ''Act of War: Direct Action'', powerful mercenaries can be purchased for a limited time with "insurance" money, if the mercenaries survive half of the money is given back to you, if not you don't see a return on your deposit. The mercenaries are tiered as "Offical" (Heavy Infantry and Medics), "Unofficial" (AA-Guns and Tanks) and "Illegal" (Fighter Jets and Low Yield Nukes). They also play a minor role in the storyline. When Richter goes rogue and flees the USA, he ends up having to rely on mercenaries for a few missions. The missions contain some debating regarding the morality of using mercenaries during which it is mentioned that a good chunk of the mercenaries were trained by the US (including Richter's own brand of special forces) even though Richter remains ethically opposed to their use.

* In ''FarCry 2'', the main enemies of the game are members of two [=PMCs=], augmenting the local forces of each faction. The APR hired American PMC [=MacGrudder=]-Powell, while the UFLL hired Bastion UK.

** In ''FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud is ostensibly a mercenary for the first hour or so. [[spoiler: We find out later in the story that this is meant to be taken almost literally.]]
* In ''[[FirstEncounterAssaultRecon F.E.A.R.]]'', the Armacham Technology Corporation intends to market its [[SuperSoldier Replica soldiers]] as a [=PMC=].

** Collared is pretty much just the Lynx's hangout, as its members are already sold to specific corporations or are freelancers. The organization is pretty much tradition by this point.

* ''AceCombat Zero: The Belkan War'' has beleaguered Ustio hire mercenaries to bolster their forces. You, Cipher, are one of them. Admittedly, though, no organisations are outright named.

* General Shepherd's Shadow Company from ''ModernWarfare'' ''2'' have most of the trappings of [=PMCs=], though the SOCOM emblems they wear make their true nature somewhat difficult to discern.

**Furthermore, each of these companies has their own distinct styles. Eclipse, for example, makes heavy use of asari Vanguards, salarian Engineers, and mechs. The Blue Suns use elite squads of heavily-armed human, turian, and batarian soldiers. Blood Pack use regenerating vorcha and krogan troops, and a hefty amount of [[KillItWithFire flamethrowers.]]

* The ''{{Total War}}'' series often has mercenaries available for purchase. Particularly, in Medieval I and II and Rome. Justified given the time period and subject.
* In ''AssassinsCreed II'', Ezio can hire squads of ''condottieri'' troops to assist him in battle. They can't parkour around on rooftops, but they are very tough and carry heavy weapons, making them superior to most of the city guard. In addition, they allow Ezio to make flanking moves and attack enemy troops from behind, which are one-hit-kills.

* Tagon's Toughs from ''SchlockMercenary'' are one group in a universe full of them. "Pranger's Bangers" are another group encountered, as well as any number of single, independent antagonists that function more like {{Bounty Hunter}}s.

* Another example is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide XE Services LLC]], formerly Blackwater Worldwide, formerly Blackwater USA. Should be noted that it's their actions, command structure, and actions of their chairman and CEO (a former Navy SEAL) that separates themselves from more mundane contractors. That, and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide_businesses mind-boggling extent]] of both the access to equipment and the variety of businesses that they have. Ironically, though they were perhaps most notorious for their security work (and allegedly fighting alongside coalition military forces in Iraq in the 2004 Battle of Najaf), their chairman/CEO would eventually announce a scaling back of that work (due to the criticisms) in favor of the other services. Blackwater's also interesting in that they're one of the few mercenary companies to have been deployed in America. After Hurricane Katrina, they actually arrived ahead of the National Guard.

*After {{World War I}}, lots of discharged and out-of-work German soldiers formed PMCs called ''Freikorps''. They were frequently employed as {{Hired Guns}} to put down leftist uprisings in postwar Germany and would later go on to form the core of the Nazi ''Sturmabteilung'' (storm troopers), with many high-ranking officers of the Third Reich getting their start as ''Freikorps'' commanders.
**It is important to note that the Nazi party were not the only ones to hire the ''Freikorps,'' and one of the more notable examples of an opposing political movement which took on ''Freikorps'' personnel was the ''Stahlhelm'' ("Steel Helmets.")
* This is exactly what the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers Flying Tigers]] were, the only true mercenaries of {{World War 2}}

<<|LuxuryTropes|>>

* Numerous mercenary companies exist in George R.R. Martin's ASongOfIceAndFire, the most notable of which are the savage Brave Companions.

->''To provide a highly professional and confidential military advisory service to legitimate governments.''
->''To provide sound military and strategic advice.''
->''To provide the most professional military training packages currently available to armed forces, covering aspects related to sea, air, and land warfare.''
->''To provide advice to armed forces on weapon and weapon platform selection.''
->''To provide a total apolitical service based on confidentiality, professionalism, and dedication.''
->--'''Mission Statement of Executive Outcomes'''\\


->''"Snipin's a good job, mate! Challenging work...out of doors...I guarantee you'll not go hungry, 'cause at the end of the day; 'long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is going to want '''someone''' dead."''\\
--'''The Sniper''', ''TeamFortress2''