History Main / ThebigGuy

---> '''Captain America:''' Hulk... [[PhraseCatcher smash]].

* Grimlock is a Class 1 this in ''Transformers Meta''.

* [[ThePrankster Socrates]] of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'' is easily Class 4.
* Rika, Ryo, Beelzemon, Kazu and, surprisingly enough [[spoiler: Jeri]] all fit this role in the ''FanFic/TamersForeverSeries'', being the best straight up fighters on the team.
* Achmed from ''FanFic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids''. He's not "big" or "strong" but he's definitely a BoisterousBruiser [[TheRockStar Rock Star]], putting him squarely in Class 4.

* Hefty and Duncan [=McSmurf=] (the CaptainErsatz of Gutsy from ''Film/TheSmurfs'' film series) in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf''.

* ''Fanfic/CrossCases'': Sam Winchester is the tallest character in ''Supernatural'' at 6'5" (195cm), a fact that he is evidently used to when he first meets the 6'9" (206cm) Harry Dresden and is surprised to have to look ''up'' at someone for once. This is PlayedWith a bit in that the shorter of the two, Sam, fights like a brawler and is, in Harry's words, built like a brick wall, contrasting against Harry's aikido fighting style and lanky build. Sam lampshades it in his narration by calling the two of them a pair of scruffy NBA rejects.
-->'''Crowley:''' "I didn’t think they came bigger than you, but you’ve gone and found yourself a giraffe."

* Rocko [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sasquatch]] from ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' is the GentleGiant type. And hey, he [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20110122.html punched out a giant robot!]] (Well, he punched it right in the off-button without realizing it).

If she's playing the tough guy straight, her softer side is often a secret cache of girlish habits which [[HugeSchoolgirl she finds embarrassing]]. On rare occasions, she may be revealed to be a ButchLesbian, a {{Tsundere}}, or even a ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend.

When there are TwoGirlsToATeam, the Big Girl and TheChick commonly form a TomboyAndGirlyGirl pair. Most of the time, the Big Girl is the tomboy and the Chick is the girly girl.

Can have some overlap with ScaryBlackMan, TheStrongman and the ProudWarriorRaceGuy especially when dealing with [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves.]] Often a victim of BigGuyFatalitySyndrome.

'''Note''': The Big Guy may ''not'' necessarily be the strongest on the team, [[ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges (and usually isn't by the end).]] They just have to be the one who ''specializes'' in fighting or physical duties.

'''Note''': The Big Guy may ''not'' necessarily be the strongest in the team, [[ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges (and usually isn't by the end.)]] They just have to be the one who ''specializes'' in fighting or physical duties.

While most are passionate and unflinchingly loyal, what holds them back from [[TheLeader leadership]] among the core team is being DumbMuscle. They know how to [[PutTheirHeadsTogether knock heads together]] but don't do much in the way of strategy. Despite this, [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority as renowned warriors]], they may still exercise authority over the [[RedShirtArmy supporting players]] [[MenOfSherwood troops]].

Like the name implies, they're usually the largest or the strongest member of the team, in charge of heavy lifting. If someone needs to bust open the door, hold the line against the enemy, break down boulders, or [[MundaneUtility help you move your furniture]], you turn to them.

In a fight they're often the one who holds off the {{mooks}} while the others challenge the BigBad. While TheLeader and TheLancer fight [[BashBrothers side-by-side]], The Big Guy can be a OneManArmy. Against stronger enemies they might end up suffering TheWorfEffect; getting trounced to set up the villain as a credible threat.

While most are passionate and unflinchingly loyal, what holds them back from [[TheLeader leadership]] among the core team is being DumbMuscle. They know how to [[PutTheirHeadsTogether knock heads together]] but don't do much in the way of strategy. Despite this, [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority as renowned warriors]], they may still exercise authority over the [[RedShirtArmy support]] [[MenOfSherwood troops]].

Traits common to the Big Guy include:
* A typical tough guy. The gruff, mean, sometimes scarred and withdrawn warrior. Could go so far as to be a [[TheBerserker Berserker]]. In an entire FiveManBand of ass-kickers, their big guy is most likely be ready to punch you in the face for smiling at him.

* A GeniusBruiser who can also fill the role of TheSmartGuy. This character is rare, (presumably also for balance reasons) as TheSmartGuy is traditionally unimposing and the NonActionGuy. The polar opposite of the DumbMuscle This version uses their Strength intelligently, and may be diligent in their training and studies.

* TheBrute, an exaggerated tough guy to the point of being a bully, and normally EvilCounterpart to any of the other Big Guys. He may be too [[DumbMuscle dumb]], or too savage to do anything else for the team, but he's kept around because he's good in a fight.

'''Powers and skills common to the big guy are:'''
* The Big Guy will often be the band's [[AnAdventurerIsYou "tank"]]; a MightyGlacier who serves as the strongest physical fighter, but also the slowest and least proficient at magic. Alternatively, he's just a StoneWall taking the hits for others. The lucky ones are those who are [[LightningBruiser as fast as they are strong]].
* Most Big Guys [[WeaponOfChoice tend to prefer big, heavy weapons]] [[AnAxeToGrind like axes]] [[DropTheHammer or hammers]] ([[{{BFG}} or oversized guns like bazookas or chainguns]] if in a modern/futuristic setting).

More women are filling this role, which used to be a rarity unless the ''[[AmazonBrigade whole team]]'' [[AmazonBrigade was composed of women]]. Since physical strength is usually a masculine trait, she may be a tomboy, {{Ladette}}, or [[BrawnHilda mannish]]. But you can flip this on its head by making her the Amazon: [[StatuesqueStunner big]], [[BoobsOfSteel and]] [[AmazonianBeauty beautiful]].

** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': While ComicBook/EttaCandy was not the strongest nor biggest of the trio consisting of she Wondy and ComicBook/SteveTrevor that dealt with most villains, she was the one who would confidently charge in and fight rather than try for sneakiness like Steve or talking the villains down or pretending to be captured in order to learn more about their opponents. For this reason she was often kept back to charge in once Steve and Diana's attempts at a less violent solution failed.

* Ben aka The Thing of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Giants Potsdam Giants]] were an entire ''regiment'' of Big Guys, with a minimum height of 6 Prussian feet (6'2", or 1.88 meters). They were recruited (or drafted, or outright pressganged) from all over Europe and even the Ottoman Empire for their height because taller men could load muskets faster. King Frederick William I of Prussia tried to breed men with gigantism by forcing the Giants to marry taller-than-average women (it didn't work). Subverted in that [[RealityEnsues the health problems associated with gigantism]] made them less-than-effective soldiers[[note]]They mainly served as the royal bodyguard rather than front-line troops as a result[[/note]], and Frederick the Great ultimately downsized the unit to a battalion. They were eventually defeated by Napoleon and disbanded as a unit in 1806.

* At 6'7", Lucca Schmerler is by far the tallest member of Mental Cruelty, to the point of being the subject of many memes from the fandom (which the band regularly shares). He lampshaded it in a Digital Tour Bus walkthrough, where he admitted that he had to claim the largest bed meant for two people in the RV that the band was renting because he couldn't comfortably fit anywhere else. A photo that he took with [[Music/SignsOfTheSwarm Dave Simonich]] in front of a height chart showed that he towered over Simonich, who, at 6'1", is not a small man himself.

** Regardless of continuity and which version of the Villainy Inc. is currently running about the super strong Giganta is the villainous team's muscle.

** ComicBook/SheHulk when she was with the team as well

** Piotr aka Colossus of the ComicBook/XMen is the poster child for Class 2, who replaced Class 5 GeniusBruiser Hank [=McCoy=] / The Beast when he first appeared. Sometimes they're both on the team together...at which point the bad guys should generally start running.

* Though only three-apples tall, ''TheSmurfs'' have Hefty in the comics and the cartoon show and Gutsy in the live-action movie.

In any decent {{Team}}, someone's gotta be the powerhouse.

* ''ComicBook/DoubleJumpers'': Milo The Barbarian from the video game "Dungeon Lords 2" fit this role. Said role fell to Milo Jenkins after [[FreakyFridayFlip the two swapped bodies]].
* Teamed with the Franchise/{{Justice League|of America}} or otherwise, Franchise/{{Superman}} is usually considered the big guy or the big gun for the team, and is a mix of [[GentleGiant Class 2]] and [[GeniusBruiser Class 5]], although he's simultaneously TheLeader and TheHero.
* Subverted in the ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' storyline in which ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' joins [[Franchise/GreenLantern Guy Gardner's Red Lanterns]]. She was tinier than her teammates... and the most powerful ''by far''.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Dynamo5}}'', this role is shared by Scrap and Scatterbrain. Scrap is a CuteBruiser, while Scatterbrain has sheer size on his side (he's a star football player.)
* "[[ElegantGothicLolita Gothic Lolita]]" from Adam Warren's ''{{ComicBook/Livewires}}'' miniseries is a textbook CuteBruiser.
* Jerom, from ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'' (Spike and Suzy), would be a typical example of a Class 2 character, save for the fact that he's a bit stocky.

* Piotr aka Colossus of the ComicBook/XMen is the poster child for Class 2, who replaced Class 5 GeniusBruiser Hank [=McCoy=] / The Beast when he first appeared. Sometimes they're both on the team together...at which point the bad guys should generally start running.
* "Strong Guy" of ComicBook/XFactor, whose name came from him explicitly LampshadeHanging this trope during a press conference.
* Hourman, being the physically strongest and toughest of the original line-up, is the original BigGuy of the GeniusBruiser kind (being a genius Chemist who achieves his power through a pill he created) for the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, since Superman was usually little more than cover-decoration. Though the magnitude of his power varies in how it is depicted, within his Hour of Power, the Man of the Hour has even fought Superman toe to toe. And, though not typically showcased, his Miraclo pill also gives him superhuman speed, making him the second fastest JSAer after The Flash himself.
** After acquiring his atomic powers and his Atomic Punch, the original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, also would qualify as the BigGuy of the JSA, of the PintSizedPowerhouse variety.
* Atom Smasher (formerly Nuklon) was the BigGuy and GentleGiant for the original ComicBook/InfinityInc, an incarnation of the Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica and much of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, until he did a FaceHeelTurn (he later turned back). His godbrother Damage has more or less taken up this role in the current JSA, who until [[spoiler:Gog repaired his face]] was definitely a Class 1. Atom Smasher is presumably a reserve member and still drops in on occasion, usually when the team takes on Black Adam.
* Vlad in ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' is a classic Class 3.

* Molly from ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' is a very typical Cute Bruiser.
* Channon Yarrow of ''ComicBook/{{Transmetropolitan}}'' is a relatively subtle Big Girl-- to be fair, being physically imposing by comparison with Spider Jerusalem isn't that hard. Still, she doesn't easily fit into any of the subtropes.
* Apollo of ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'', the team's calm, cheerful FlyingBrick.

* Bully, a non-Nazi skinhead from German comic ''ComicStrip/{{Rudi}}''.
* Kilowog is this among the ComicBook/GreenLantern Corps.
** Guy Gardner, among the Earth born Lanterns.

* Cassandra Cain of ''[[{{ComicBook/Batgirl2000}} Batgirl]]'' is the Class 5 for the Bat-family.
* The Four Daves in ''ComicBook/RatQueens.'' Braga of the Peaches is a female version. So is Violet, though she's more a combination of CuteBruiser and LightningBruiser.
* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel
** Ben Grimm[=/=]The Thing from ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' is the strongest and largest member of the team. He's also pretty big when he's human, too.
** ''ComicBook/AllNewUltimates'' have Bombshell, whose power is ''to make things explode''.
** ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': The whole team combined had a hard time dealing with Hulk, but then Thor came and smashed his head into the pavement.
** ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'': By far the biggest and strongest of the team. He is the "go-to" guy when physical strength is needed.
* Arthur Korsky from ''ComicBook/{{Circles}}'' is a GeniusBruiser and a GentleGiant who is an expert painter and prefers to paint rather than fight. But with his strength, he can chase down criminals and knock them out with a mighty punch.
* Brute from ''ComicBook/HuntersHellcats'', is a hulking, well, brute of a man with a short fuse whose typical reaction to any prooblem is to attempt to smash it with his bare hands.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': While ComicBook/EttaCandy was not the strongest nor biggest of the trio consisting of she Wondy and ComicBook/SteveTrevor that dealt with most villains, she was the one who would confidently charge in and fight rather than try for sneakiness like Steve or talking the villains down or pretending to be captured in order to learn more about their opponents. For this reason she was often kept back to charge in once Steve and Diana's attempts at a less violent solution failed.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': While Etta Candy was not the strongest nor biggest of the trio consisting of she Wondy and ComicBook/SteveTrevor that dealt with most villains, she was the one who would confidently charge in and fight rather than try for sneakiness like Steve or talking the villains down or pretending to be captured in order to learn more about their opponents. For this reason she was often kept back to charge in once Steve and Diana's attempts at a less violent solution failed.

Like the name implies, they're usually the largest or the strongest member of the team, in charge of heavy lifting. If someone needs to bust open the door, hold the line against the enemy, break down boulders, or help you move your furniture, you turn to them.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Giants Potsdam Giants]] were an entire ''regiment'' of Big Guys, with a minimum height of 6 Prussian feet (6'2", or 1.88 meters). They were recruited (or drafted, or outright pressganged) from all over Europe and even the Ottoman Empire for their height because taller men could load muskets faster. King Frederick William I of Prussia tried to breed men with gigantism by forcing the Giants to marry taller-than-average women (it didn't work). Subverted in that [[RealityEnsues the health problems associated with gigantism]] made them less-than-effective soldiers, and Frederick the Great ultimately downsized the unit to a battalion. They were eventually defeated by Napoleon and disbanded as a unit in 1806.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Giants Potsdam Giants]] were an entire ''regiment'' of Big Guys, with a minimum height of 6 Prussian feet (6'1", or 1.88 meters). They were recruited (or drafted, or outright pressganged) from all over Europe and even the Ottoman Empire for their height because taller men could load muskets faster. King Frederick William I of Prussia tried to breed men with gigantism by forcing the Giants to marry taller-than-average women (it didn't work). Subverted in that [[RealityEnsues the health problems associated with gigantism]] made them less-than-effective soldiers, and Frederick the Great ultimately downsized the unit to a battalion. They were eventually defeated by Napoleon and disbanded as a unit in 1806.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Giants Potsdam Giants]] were an entire ''regiment'' of Big Guys, with a minimum height of 6 Prussian feet (6'1", or 1.88 meters). They were recruited (or drafted, or outright pressganged) from all over Europe and even the Ottoman Empire for their height because taller men could load muskets faster. King Frederick William I of Prussia tried to breed men with gigantism by forcing the Giants to marry taller-than-average women. Subverted in that [[RealityEnsues the health problems associated with gigantism]] made them less-than-effective soldiers, and Frederick the Great ultimately downsized the unit to a battalion. They were eventually defeated by Napoleon and disbanded as a unit in 1806.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Giants]] were an entire ''regiment'' of Big Guys, with a minimum height of 6 Prussian feet (6'1", or 1.88 meters). They were recruited (or drafted, or outright pressganged) for their height because taller men could load muskets faster; and King Frederick William I of Prussia tried to breed men with gigantism by forcing the Giants to marry taller-than-average women. Subverted in that [[RealityEnsues the health problems associated with gigantism]] made them less-than-effective soldiers, and Frederick the Great ultimately downsized the unit to a battalion. They were eventually defeated by Napoleon and disbanded as a unit in 1806.