History Main / TheProudElite

* ''Literature/PosterGirl'' is unique amongst dystopian fiction in primarily focussing on the elite of such a setting, after the revolution overthrew them. The main character served as the titular Poster Girl for the tyrannical delegation and beings the story locked inside a ghetto alongside the other survivors of the former elite. Many of the prisoners still act like they are part of the high society and look down on the people outside of the ghetto, some even still holding weddings and fancy dinner parties... while wearing old third hand clothing and feeding of canned rations. On a darker side their pride also causes them refuse the regimes crimes.

* Cort Myshtigo in ''Literature/ThisImmortal'' comes off as a cold and arrogant EntitledBastard who flaunts his family's influence, as well as his own as a wealthy and influential galacto-journalist, but he shows surprising insight into the cultural differences between Vegans and humans as well as into the personalities of those around him. [[spoiler:He also shows surprising depth by being able to play that role ''and'' see through Conrad's motivations while dying of an incurable desease. His humor in his last letter to Conrad helps to endear him to Conrad even more.]]

* Seto Kaiba of ''Manga/YuGiOh'' is [[Fiction500 one of the world's leading industrialists]], [[TeenGenius young, intelligent]], one of the leading players of Duel Monsters, and [[TallDarkAndSnarky incredibly aloof]].

* Dr. Nero, headmaster and founder of the eponymous school in the ''Literature/HIVESeries'', fits this to a T. Always dressed in expensive suits and conducting himself as the successful man that he is and wants his students to emulate, it is only after six books that we find out he is a [[spoiler:HurtingHero, who lost Elena, "the only woman he ever loved" to Anastasia Furan, her own sister.]] This TragicVillain status is foreshadowed only by his numerous references to having watched many other G.L.O.V.E. members die through a variety of circumstances he obsessively tries to avoid. He spends an entire chapter in book two [[DrowningMySorrows drowning his sorrows,]] but never lets his weakness be seen to his students.

* [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce Wayne]] is handsome, and, while charming, tries to be aloof enough that he makes people think he's a bit arrogant. However, when he catches criminals as Batman, he'll get them jobs at Wayne Enterprises. Even the Ventriloquist got a second chance once on an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries New Batman Adventures]]''.
* [[Characters/EmmaFrostWhiteQueen Emma Frost]] of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. As a member of the Hellfire Club, she was literally one of the most influential people in the world, and is known to be incredibly wealthy. She herself says she has the best body money can buy, and is a very powerful telepath, and- since she got together with ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}- basically second-in-command of the X-Men. She's also a complete bitch who can't go a day without acting like one. But no matter her flaws, she genuinely cares for all her students, and genuinely loved Cyclops.
* Another example from ''X-Men'', and an unintentional foil to Emma Frost, is Mr. Sinister. Both characters are amoral manipulators who affect the persona of the EvilBrit, both are from high-class families and both have egos the size of cathedrals, but while Emma started evil and became a DefrostingIceQueen, Sinister started (at least in his backstory) as a TragicVillain before JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and becoming one of the most despised {{Manipulative Bastard}}s in all of Marvel Comics.

[[folder: Film]]

* Seto Kaiba of ''Manga/YuGiOh'' is [[{{Fiction500}} one of the world's leading industrialists]], [[TeenGenius young, intelligent]], one of the leading players of Duel Monsters, and [[TallDarkAndSnarky incredibly aloof]].
* Tatsuya Shiba, of ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', is this trope despite being '''very''' low politically. Regardless of his incredible self-control, apathy and submissiveness in every situation, everyone who meets him gets the impression that he is not remotely intimidated by their [[SuperpowerfulGenetics bloodline]] and they should be somewhere else. This is one reason why Mayuri gets suspicious of his student persona.

This man is of elite status, often due to [[BlueBlood heritage]], [[PrincelyYoungMan wealth]], or both. Most people are willing to bend over backward to please him. He is tall, fit, and good looking. He carries himself with elegance and acts with sophistication. He is highly intelligent and quite competent at his pursuits. And he knows all this.

He treats almost everyone around him with a thin veneer of polite disdain, coming off as [[IceQueen cold]], [[{{Pride}} arrogant]], and [[{{Jerkass}} uncaring]]. He values rationality and logic and cares little for people and emotions. Kindness is beneath him.

At least on the outside. While some Proud Elites are truly that cold, hard-hearted, and arrogant, with no redeeming features, most Proud Elites have a [[BeneathTheMask carefully hidden]] [[HiddenHeartOfGold warmer, kinder side]]. Their gentler, nicer side will generally [[SugarAndIcePersonality only come out around certain people]] or in situations where they can pretend a disinterested or self-serving rationale for their kind actions. Occasionally, a Proud Elite is not deliberately maintaining his cold, arrogant outer persona; he unintentionally comes off that way, generally due to shyness or some other form of social awkwardness.

* A lot of the BigBad characters from the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise fall under this description, including Char Aznable from the original ''Characters/MobileSuitGundam'', Paptimus Scirocco from ''Characters/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', Haman Kahn from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'', Char (again) in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', and Meitzer Ronah in ''Characters/MobileSuitGundamF91''. Non-UC Proud Elites include Treize Khushrenada from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'''s Lord Djibril, who has the dubious honor of being both the least completent ''and'' least sympathetic person on this list. Most of the others have softer moments, either in their original appearances or in adaptations.

* King Thranduil, the ruler of Mirkwood in ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy, fits this to a tee. Made even more prominent by the fact he's an elf and as everyone knows, you CantArgueWithElves. He's very tall and handsome, dresses beautifully, is intelligent, a good fighter and well aware of all of it. He typically projects an aloof, cold and condescending demeanor, cares little for what happens outside his own kingdom, doesn't like to be challenged and is (usually) obeyed without question by his subjects. That said, he does have a softer side hidden deep down. He genuinely loves his son Legolas and is revealed to care for his captain Tauriel in a fatherly manner as well. He's quite chummy with Bard and offers the refugees of Lake-town aid after their home is destroyed, although he states that he's not doing it out of kindness, but because he wants his property returned and wants to keep them from being an obstacle. Finally however, he puts aside his feud with the dwarves to help defend them from orcs. It's also strongly suggested the cause of his coldness is rooted in [[spoiler: the tragic death of [[TheLostLenore his wife,]] Legolas' mother]] and King Thror wrongly denying him the gems of Lasgalen [[spoiler: which the theatrical films imply and the extended edition confirms [[TragicKeepsake belonged to his wife]]]].

* Dr. Nero, headmaster and founder of the eponymous school in the ''Literature/HIVESeries'', fits this to a T. Always dressed in expensive suits and conducting himself as the successful man that he is and wants his students to emulate, it is only after six books that we find out he is a [[spoiler: HurtingHero, who lost Elena, "the only woman he ever loved" to Anastasia Furan, her own sister.]] This TragicVillain status is foreshadowed only by his numerous references to having watched many other G.L.O.V.E. members die through a variety of circumstances he obsessively tries to avoid. He spends an entire chapter in book two [[DrowningMySorrows drowning his sorrows,]] but never lets his weakness be seen to his students.

** The Clave, they seem to be having some feudal fantasy wherein they perceive themselves to be a kind of warrior-nobility charged with protecting the mundane peasantry. Modernity has, if anything, had an inverse effect on social change here. While as recently as the 19th Century the Clave would employ the Mortal Cup to grant [[SuperEmpowering Ascension]] to select mundanes, by the time [[spoiler: Jocelyn]] made off with the Cup it was no longer being used anyway. Likewise, while past generations of Shadowhunters could sometimes get away with marrying mundanes (their children would always be Nephilim regardless), the Clave started aggressively cracking down on these kinds of relationships. As a result their population was dangerously shrinking by the turn of the Millennium.

* In the 2013 stage adaptation of ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Willy Wonka becomes an example of this trope. He's fabulously successful and ''fiercely'' proud of his achievements as a chocolatier RenaissanceMan, and is far more interested in showing off the wonders of his factory and keeping the Golden Ticket tour group on schedule than getting to know them. And when the brats in the group get themselves into trouble despite his warnings, he has NoSympathy even when the consequences look to be lethal! However, there is [[SugarAndIcePersonality a sugary heart under the ice]]: His strange, beautiful factory, indeed all that he creates, is borne of a drive to make the world a lovelier place; he doesn't care if a given "work" will make him money or not. He sees his imagination and artistic drive as what make him ''truly'' elite, and when the adults on the tour pester him as to what the Chocolate Room is specifically ''for'' (as opposed to a personal work of art), he's rather hurt. And as it turns out, [[spoiler: he engineered poor Charlie Bucket's Golden Ticket find after meeting him while disguised as a tramp and realizing the boy might be a kindred creative spirit -- his frosty treatment of the boy is a facade]].

* Characters/EmmaFrostWhiteQueen of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. As a member of the Hellfire Club, she was literally one of the most influential people in the world, and is known to be incredibly wealthy. She herself says she has the best body money can buy, and is a very powerful telepath, and- since she got together with ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}- basically second-in-command of the X-Men. She's also a complete bitch who can't go a day without acting like one. But no matter her flaws, she genuinely cares for all her students, and genuinely loved Cyclops.

* EmmaFrostWhiteQueen of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. As a member of the Hellfire Club, she was literally one of the most influential people in the world, and is known to be incredibly wealthy. She herself says she has the best body money can buy, and is a very powerful telepath, and- since she got together with ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}- basically second-in-command of the X-Men. She's also a complete bitch who can't go a day without acting like one. But no matter her flaws, she genuinely cares for all her students, and genuinely loved Cyclops.

* ComicBook/EmmaFrostWhiteQueen of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. As a member of the Hellfire Club, she was literally one of the most influential people in the world, and is known to be incredibly wealthy. She herself says she has the best body money can buy, and is a very powerful telepath, and- since she got together with ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}- basically second-in-command of the X-Men. She's also a complete bitch who can't go a day without acting like one. But no matter her flaws, she genuinely cares for all her students, and genuinely loved Cyclops.

* ComicBook/EmmaFrost of the ''ComicBook/XMen''. As a member of the Hellfire Club, she was literally one of the most influential people in the world, and is known to be incredibly wealthy. She herself says she has the best body money can buy, and is a very powerful telepath, and- since she got together with ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}- basically second-in-command of the X-Men. She's also a complete bitch who can't go a day without acting like one. But no matter her flaws, she genuinely cares for all her students, and genuinely loved Cyclops.

Often overlaps with TallDarkAndHandsome, ByronicHero, JerkWithAHeartOfGold, MagnificentBastard, InsufferableGenius, and TallDarkAndSnarky. Compare the IceQueen.

* Reggie Mantle from ''The Franchise/ArchieComics''. He comes from a well-to-do family, gets high grades, is captain of whatever sports team is the focus of the story, tends to have women swooning over him, and ''boy does he know it''. Hilariously, he's a triple-layered jerk: Aloof and rude to people in general, beneath that a fun-loving prankster JerkAss to his circle of friends, and ''beneath that'' has a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold genuine heart]] and sincerely cares deeply about his friends.

* King Thranduil, the ruler of Mirkwood in ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy, fits this to a tee. Made even more prominent by the fact he's an elf and as everyone knows, you CantArgueWithElves. He's very tall and handsome, dresses beautifully, is intelligent, a good fighter and well aware of all of it. He typically projects an aloof, cold and condescending demeanour, cares little for what happens outside his own kingdom, doesn't like to be challenged and is (usually) obeyed without question by his subjects. That said, he does have a softer side hidden deep down. He genuinely loves his son Legolas and is revealed to care for his captain Tauriel in a fatherly manner as well. He's quite chummy with Bard and offers the refugees of Lake-town aid after their home is destroyed, although he states that he's not doing it out of kindness, but because he wants his property returned and wants to keep them from being an obstacle. Finally however, he puts aside his feud with the dwarves to help defend them from orcs. It's also strongly suggested the cause of his coldness is rooted in [[spoiler: the tragic death of [[TheLostLenore his wife,]] Legolas' mother]] and King Thror wrongly denying him the gems of Lasgalen [[spoiler: which the theatrical films imply and the extended edition confirms [[TragicKeepsake belonged to his wife]]]].

* ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'': Most of the students of Tootsuki Academy come from wealthy/influential families who hold a degree of prestige in the culinary world, and many of them look down on protagonist Soma Yukihira for his humble roots as the heir of a speciality-of-the-day diner in a middle-class district.

* Koon from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' is as cocky as they get. Hatsu loves to call him out for this. Problem is, Koon has something to back up his attitude.

* Miles Edgeworth of the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' franchise wears the trope description like his fitted magenta suit. He was adopted into class and wealth but by young adulthood he is right at home with stiff collars and stiffer manners... and he's more than a bit of a JerkAss, especially at first. Over time, his more abrasive tendencies wear down to GoodIsNotNice, with a heavy dose of TheDeterminator, and his [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]] starts to show whenever an innocent or someone he cares about is being wronged.
** The above is true, minus any redeeming qualities, for Manfred von Karma, Edgeworth's mentor. Franziska von Karma, his daughter, is similar: when CharacterDevelopment sets in she slowly grows into a {{Tsundere}} but has too much pride to [[DefrostingIceQueen defrost]] entirely.
* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' has an interesting example: Tori is a straightforward version of this trope, viewing himself as superior to 'peasants' as a result of high being heir to a very wealthy toy company. (However, he does undergo CharacterDevelopment as he becomes friends with others in his year, particularly [[PennyAmongDiamonds Hajime]]). Tsukasa, on the other hand, is the image of a SpoiledSweet PrincelyYoungMan - except when he's around ''Tori'', who his family treats as inferior due to him being NouveauRiche compared with the long-established Suou family. However, Tsukasa also undergoes CharacterDevelopment and realises eventually that the pressure he puts on Tori is no different than the pressure his family puts on him, and they come to get along better. [[VitriolicBestBuds To an extent, anyway.]]

* King Thranduil, the ruler of Mirkwood in ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy, fits this to a tee. Made even more prominent by the fact he's an elf and as everyone knows, you CantArgueWithElves. He's very tall and handsome, dresses beautifully, is intelligent, a good fighter and well aware of all of it. He typically projects an aloof, cold and condescending demeanour, cares little for what happens outside his own kingdom, doesn't like to be challenged and is (usually) obeyed without question by his subjects. That said, he does have a softer side hidden deep down. He genuinely loves his son Legolas and is revealed to care for his captain Tauriel in a fatherly manner as well. He's quite chummy with Bard, offers the refugees of Lake-town aid after their home is destroyed and puts aside his feud with the dwarves to help defend them from orcs. It's also strongly suggested the cause of his coldness is rooted in [[spoiler: the tragic death of [[TheLostLenore his wife,]] Legolas' mother]] and King Thror wrongly denying him the gems of Lasgalen [[spoiler: which the theatrical films imply and the extended edition confirms [[TragicKeepsake belonged to his wife]]]].

Frequently used in Japanese works, although by no means exclusive to them. Japanese examples will frequently be {{bishonen}}.