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2
3[[foldercontrol]]
4
5!The A-Team
6
7[[folder:As a Whole]]
8[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bmtg3mzawmzk0nl5bml5banbnxkftztgwnjixnjgzote_v1_sy1000_cr006741000_al.jpg]]
9* ATeamFiring: [[TropeNamer Obviously.]] They ([[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy and the villains]]) both fire ridiculous amounts of bullets at the climax of almost every episode, to practically no effect. However, it's implied that they're not really trying in these cases, given that they're shown to be extremely accurate shots when they put their minds to it. (Hannibal can shoot a rope in half or shoot a strap on a bag without harming the carrier.) Or to be specific, they're ''trying to miss''
10* BadassCrew: A prototype example. Maybe the first in primetime TV. They are a team and each is awesome in his own way.
11* BandOfBrothers: From the almost father-and-son-like relationship between Hannibal and Face (or between Hannibal and Murdock) to VitriolicBestBuds B. A. and Murdock, to Face and Murdock's OddFriendship (really, how can a suave con man and a crazy pilot be best friends? Just ask Face and Murdock), you can tell they're more like a family than just a team of ex-military acquaintances. For instance, in the Season 2 finale, when Murdock gets shot in the chest during a job in the middle of nowhere, they pull out all the stops and even face possible capture by the military in order to save him. They even include the "we can insult each other, but when outsiders do it we close ranks" bit.
12* BashBrothers: Very much so. Hannibal knows the strengths and weaknesses of each of the other three team members, and knows exactly how to best use their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Different as they may be, when they all fight together, it's a bad day for slimeballs everywhere.
13** Face and Murdock especially seem to be this. They have a very effective tag-team fighting style.
14** Doubly so for Murdock and B.A. They usually drive each other nuts, but together they are a force of nature.
15* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: A great deal of their operations are to people/groups who did them favours.
16* BigDamnHeroes: The A-Team bursts in at the last minute to save the day a lot. Even if it's not for a civilian, they tend to take turns doing this for each other.
17* ClearMyName: The premise of the fifth season, though it never came to be before the show was canceled.
18** This is also what forced the team into hiding. "The Crime They Didn't Commit" was eventually revealed to be a bank robbery in Hanoi, Vietnam, which they were in fact ordered to do, but the man who gave them the order was killed and all evidence of his orders destroyed.
19** In the fifth season premiere, they ''were'' cleared of the robbery when [[spoiler: a former Vietnamese colonel testified in their court-martial that their commanding officer sent them to rob a bank in order for them to be captured by the North Vietnamese]]. Of course, by that time [[spoiler: the A-Team was being tried for the murder of their commanding officer]].
20* TheCon: Sometimes they pull a con together (rather than just Face doing it) and what the con looks like often depends which of the A-Team are involved. There is:
21** Face and Murdock. Usually, this mostly involves Murdock taking on a role and confusing the hell out of the mark so anything Face says after that sounds reasonable.
22** Face and B.A. tend to have a {{good cop bad cop}} thing going. Face providing a nice way out of whatever B.A. threatened.
23** When Hannibal and Murdock team up for a con, the mark ends up so confused that Hannibal and Murdock simply get away with whatever they're trying to pull and the mark is left standing there with their mouth open trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
24** Hannibal and Face usually play a very slick game of a larger-than-life bigshot and his BeleagueredAssistant to make the mark think that there's a new large fish in town.
25** Murdock and B.A. (a duo that only happened [[Recap/TheATeamS3E7TroubleOnWheels once]] [[VitriolicBestBuds for obvious reasons]]) pull a DarkerAndEdgier variant of Hannibal and Face's typical con in which Murdock plays the role of an insane criminal big shot and B.A. acts as his enforcer.
26* DestructiveSaviour: Very much so. The millions of dollars worth of property damage the A-Team causes ''per episode'' would be enough for them to be considered criminals even if they weren't already wanted by the government.
27* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: Hannibal is The Realist, Face is The Cynic, Murdock is The Optimist and B.A. is The Apathetic.
28* FourTemperamentEnsemble: While Murdock is definitely sanguine and Face is definitely Phlegmatic, B.A. and Hannibal toss the Melancholic and Choleric balls back and forth all the time.
29** Face has several melancholic episodes, though that job usually belongs to B.A. whose default setting seems to be "surly". Hannibal is usually choleric, but sometimes he veers into sanguine when he's really enjoying himself.
30* FriendToAllChildren: B.A. is the biggest example, but they all ensure that children around them are safe and kept/rescued from harm or trouble. The episode "Bad Time on the Border" has them break up an immigrant exploitation scam with an appeal from an escaped child.
31* GoodisNotSoft: They are military soldiers, after all. They don't treat villains with respect or empathy, but as they are villains they don't get any and most of their enemies are deceitful and corrupt, which means they wouldn't be called on if the law could be any help.
32* HasAType: Their work is open to any in general, but they prefer to work for ex-military clients.
33** They don't follow rules too strictly, and they respect clients who are brave enough to come to them for help and who realize that the right thing isn't necessarily the lawful thing.
34* HeroWithBadPublicity: They are fugitives on the run, but are an urban legend for anyone who is in trouble and needs help the law can't assist with. Some episodes have their clients take issue with their methods.
35* ImprobableWeaponUser: The A-Team has welded together and used weapons ranging from soda cannons to cabbage guns. These are always more efficient than the machine guns their opponents typically use against them (or vice-versa, for that matter).
36* MacGyvering: Generally once an episode, involving vehicles. One episode had them locked in a cell with nothing of use at first glance, so what do they use to get out? [[spoiler:''the beds!'']]
37* MilitaryMaverick: All of them.
38-->'''Decker''': "Everybody heard the reports from 'Nam on these guys. They were the best because they're fast, sharp, and unorthodox."
39* TheMostWanted: They're a group of former soldiers that were FrameUp for a crime they didn't commit and were expulsed. After that, they were chased by the army and now act as an undercover group helping people in need, becoming US' most wanted team.
40* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: No matter how messy a situation gets, they don't ''ever'' abandon one of their members.
41* OddFriendship:
42** Face and Murdock. The insane, delusional, wise-cracking pilot and the suave, handsome, unrepentant Con Man probably shouldn't be best friends, but they are. Then again, they're both chameleon-like tricksters during scams. In fact, of the whole team, they're probably the most alike. You just can't tell at first glance.
43** Murdock and B.A. Murdock's the Ace Pilot in the team; B.A.'s afraid of flying. And that's just the start of their differences. At the end of the day, however, each has the other's back without reservation. Lampshaded by the song "Opposites Attract" being played over a {{Montage}} of the two of them at the end of "Curtain Call."
44--->''We're opposites''\
45''We're idiots''\
46''But we're still friends.''
47* OvertOperative: Quite often the team goes by their well known names instead of an alias, even when they're supposed to be undercover.
48* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: In theory, The A-Team are a band of mercenaries who lease their skills out for cash so they can stay on the run. However, they never seem to ever participate in a job that's even slightly shady and they rarely seem to get paid for whatever they do.
49* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: As Face once put it, "On our own, we're just a bunch of misfits, but when we're together...now that's something special." The leader of the outfit is addicted to his own adrenaline. The mechanic and Big Guy is in desperate need of anger management classes and has to be knocked out every time they need to travel by airplane. The con-man is, you might say, very easily distracted by the presence of pretty women. As soon as he breaks the team pilot and in-house medical advisor out of the psychiatric ward, they're on their way. Aren't you glad you just hired The A-Team?
50* ReturningWarVet: All of the regulars that stayed throughout all five seasons were Vietnam War veterans who were traveling America trying to escape the individuals hunting them.
51* ShellShockedVeteran: All of them were affected badly by the war, to various degrees.
52* ThouShaltNotKill: They never kill anybody onscreen, but it's not clear how much of this is due to their own methods, and how much of it is just the television show trying to remain family-friendly (especially since they get into gunfights on a regular basis and we often see people surviving things that would clearly be fatal in real life). No one in the A-Team has a strongly voiced opinion against killing and even less against guns - as Vietnam veterans and a former Special Forces unit, it's a foregone conclusion that they have killed people before. Hannibal at least seems to have a rather blasé attitude toward killing. During the final season, when the team is on trial, he's asked if he's killed anyone and he replies matter of factly, "That's what you do in a war." Nonetheless, he passes up multiple opportunities to kill one of the villains of the week, even when they've sorely provoked him, and the team as a whole much prefer to simply beat the tar out of the villains and leave them tied up for Colonel Decker to put in jail.
53* TrueCompanions: They are like a family. Given a LampshadeHanging in "There Goes the Neighborhood", when they buy a house as part of a scheme, and the head of the neighborhood watch asks if they're gay, forcing the team to correct him quickly to keep B.A. from pounding him, or in "Lease With an Option to Die", when B.A.'s mother states she doesn't have to worry about B.A. being apart from his family because the team ''is'' his family.
54* UndyingLoyalty: The whole show is filled with moments of the team proving their loyalty to each other. Notable examples include "Curtain Call", which begins with Murdock being critically injured {{taking the bullet}} for Hannibal. Hannibal flatly refuses his plea for the rest of them to ditch him and get themselves out (and B.A. agrees with him), and Face makes it quite clear that he is willing to risk capture and being sent to prison in order to get the proper medical supplies to save Murdock's life. Later, in the beginning of Season 5, Hannibal, Face, and B.A. are willing to face the firing squad so Murdock won't have to, and Murdock threatens a general to get them out safely. Don't worry, they all make it out just fine.
55* TheVietnamVet: They're Vietnam veterans and forced to go on the run after one of their missions was mistaken for a crime. Many members of the military police that chase them were also involved in the war, including Colonel Decker who was mentioned to have perpetrated some actions that the army tucked him away in disgrace for before resurrecting him to capture the A-Team.
56* WalkingTheEarth: Because they're wanted by the military, though they typically stick to the Los Angeles area. They occasionally travel very far afield (most notably in a lot of season five, and in the season four premiere "Judgment Day").
57* WeHelpTheHelpless: They've taken on the role of mercenaries who only take jobs from people who can't get help from anywhere else.
58* WronglyAccused: Played with. They ''did'' in fact rob the bank of Hanoi, but their commanding officer told them it would stop the war. He subsequently died, leaving no evidence that the team hadn't gone rogue and done it for the money.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:John "Hannibal" Smith]]
62!!'''Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith'''
63[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7c29f3bd85894a14031080464de980dd.jpg]]
64->Played by: Creator/GeorgePeppard (series), Creator/LiamNeeson (film)
65->Played by: Creator/DominiquePaturel (French, series), Samuel Labarthe (French, film)
66
67The leader of the team.
68
69'''Tropes:'''
70* BadassBoast: Quite adept at delivering impressive boasts to his enemies.
71* BornLucky: He's either extremely lucky or a bloody wizard. No matter what the situation, he will find a way to come out on top.
72* CatchPhrase:
73** "I love it when a plan comes together"!
74** Also, "Nice, [insert name of team member who did something really well]" (or just "Nice.")
75** "What do ya say, [name]?" -- his standardized greeting
76* CheshireCatGrin: When Hannibal grins, it can mean anything from a team member having to do something he doesn't like to the antagonist of the week's scheme going up in smoke. Or as Face puts it in "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E1DiamondsNDust Diamonds N' Dust]]":
77-->'''Face:''' That's not even a real smile. It's just a bunch of teeth playing with my mind!
78* TheChessmaster: He is a brilliant tactician.
79* ChronicHeroSyndrome: He might be a bit less likely to take a request for help at face value, but only because he wants to make sure that it's someone who really needs help (and is not looking to take down himself and his team). He ''hates'' it when anybody uses their power to oppress those who are weaker, and won't refuse anyone who is genuinely in trouble. Even though he says they work for pay, he often waives the fee or makes Face "calculate" their expenses to be something that the person can afford.
80* CigarChomper: Almost always has a cigar in his mouth (whether lit or not).
81** The cigars that Hannibal was always smoking were actually from the personal humidor of Creator/GeorgePeppard.
82* ColonelBadass: "Hannibal", in this case, has nothing to do with the {{Serial Killer}}, but rather the Carthaginian general who almost brought down the Roman Republic. This Hannibal is that good. "I love it when a plan comes together."
83** On the rare occasions when he wears dress uniform, one of his ribbons is the Congressional Medal of Honor.
84* CoolOldGuy: The oldest member of the team and one of the coolest.
85* DeadpanSnarker: He's quite snarky, usually towards his enemies.
86* {{Determinator}}: Once he's taken on a job, nothing will stop him from finishing it. That goes double if whatever the job is involves protecting his team.
87* TheGadfly: Hannibal sees irritating people as a valuable tool, but he also likes to do it just because it amuses him. On occasion he'll even briefly mess with members of the team.
88* GuileHero: He is the one who comes up with all the plans and strategies, and while he ''can'' defeat many opponents in a physical fight, he prefers outwitting them.
89%%* TheHero
90* HiddenDepths: The origin of Hannibal's enmity with Decker reveal this. He and Decker have a nasty bar brawl over Hannibal's anger at Decker targeting NVA hospitals. Hannibal's attitude here was very much not the norm at the time.
91* IShallTauntYou: While he likes to taunt the [[VillainOfTheWeek villains of the week]] just to mess with them, he sometimes does it to goad them into doing something foolish. He's basically Bugs Bunny in human form.
92* TheLeader: Hannibal is primarily a Mastermind type; he's the man with the plan who organizes the others and is almost perpetually one step ahead of all their adversaries.
93* ManipulativeBastard: Definitely a heroic example. He ''loves'' playing mind games with his enemies, with the objective of pissing them off and bringing them to ruin (sometimes by [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs pissing them off so they will do something that will bring them to ruin]]).
94* MasterOfDisguise: He does this at the start of every episode, but he only uses it to fool potential clients until he decided they were O.K. Then he'd take off the disguise right in front of them.
95* TheMenFirst: In "Curtain Call", he surrenders to Decker so they can get medical help for Murdock, who is critically injured. Possibly played with as [[ISurrenderSuckers the team proceeds to fake out Decker and drive away]]. Then in the fifth season, he confesses to a murder he didn't commit so the prosecutor won't go after Murdock.
96* NervesOfSteel: He never loses his cool, even when a plan is going {{off the rails}}.
97* OldSoldier: Despite his age, he kicks ass just as much as the other members of the team. Furthermore, in "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E21DeadlyManuevers Deadly Manuevers]]", he shows he has no trouble keeping up with the younger members during training (even outdoing the much younger Face). No matter what the situation, he will find a way to come out on top.
98* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His first name is seldom spoken, not even by his own teammates.
99* PapaWolf: The other members of the team may be capable, gutsy grown men with dozens of battles under their belts, but that doesn't mean Hannibal will not take it personally if he feels they're in actual trouble. This shows up as a major part of the plot in "Deadly Manuevers"[[note]]he is rougher than usual with the people he believes (mostly correctly) are involved with kidnapping Face, B.A., and Murdock[[/note]] and in "Mind Games"[[note]]he becomes more serious and aggressive after Face is abducted, even explicitly telling the guy they're interrogating that his involvement is one of Hannibal's grievances against him[[/note]] and at moments throughout the series when a villain threatening one of the others gets cold-cocked by Hannibal, coming to the rescue.
100* PaperThinDisguise: Some of his "disguises" are along the lines of a bad wig and maybe a mustache. Somehow it manages to fool even his fellow teammates from time to time.
101* PhraseCatcher: He's the target almost any time someone refers to someone being "on the jazz."
102* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Technically, he has a day job as an actor, but his work with the A-Team means that whenever he's seen around a movie set, he's usually pulled away by some business (much to the dismay of the other people on the set).
103* RebelRelaxation: If he's not in uniform, he's prone to slouching against things.
104* RedBaron: His nickname is a reference to the Carthagian general who almost took down Rome. This Hannibal is equally dangerous (though only to the villains of the week).
105* SameFaceDifferentName: George Peppard also played a crook in the fourth season's opener "Judgement Day".
106* SmugSmiler: Whenever he's dealing with the bad guy of the week (or with the army), he often smirks confidently, something his enemies find incredibly infuriating.
107* SpecialPersonNormalName: While nobody ever calls him by it, his name is John Smith -- one can hardly get more ordinary than that. Of course, the person behind the name is anything but ordinary.
108* StarringSpecialEffects: In universe example. His "day job" of acting is built on playing various monsters in B-movie monster flicks.
109* TheStrategist: His specialty. His preferred strategy is to manipulate their target into making rash and stupid moves, then drawing them into a trap.
110-->"I love it when a mark's angry; they don't think straight."
111* TeamDad: Hannibal smiles at (and sometimes plays along with) Murdock's antics like a parent watching their young child act out fantasies, he can keep B. A. under control, and he reminds Face to keep his wandering eye in check and focus on the task at hand. He also has this cute habit of referring to the other members of the A-Team by their military ranks (Captain, Lieutenant, and Sergeant, respectively), even though they've all technically been discharged, and they often refer to him as "Colonel." He always has unwavering faith that his men will get the job done, and his nerves of steel are likelier to be rattled by something threatening Face, B.A., or Murdock than him.
112* ThrillSeeker: Hannibal enjoys living on the edge. While his exploits with the team are also because he has severe ChronicHeroSyndrome and [[WeHelpTheHelpless likes helping people who can't get help any other way]], he loves the high-risk nature of the work and the requirement of going face to face with supposedly unbeatable people and situations that it involves. The others refer to this is as Hannibal being "on the jazz" and have varying reactions to it.
113* WigDressAccent: Takes every opportunity to put his acting skills to use, taking a great deal of glee in using wigs, fake facial hair, and various costumes.
114* TheWonka: He's very unorthodox, in charge of the team, completely addicted to danger, comes up with brilliant and crazy plans, and is easily as crazy as Murdock, if not more so (it's just he, unlike Murdock, doesn't look like it at first glance). Lampshaded by Face.
115-->'''Face''': "Hannibal, sometimes I think you're crazier than Murdock."\
116'''Hannibal''' ''(laughs and [[CheshireCatGrin grins]])'': "Sometimes I am."
117* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: In-universe. Being a fugitive, the best acting jobs Hannibal can get are Z-list {{People in Rubber Suits}} roles, yet he treats them as if he's [[OscarBait going for an Oscar]]. This appears in his introductory scene in "[[Recap/TheATeamS1E1MexicanSlayridePartI Mexican Slayride Part I]]". When Face and B.A. turn up to warn Hannibal that Lynch has found them again, Hannibal is in the middle of filming a B-movie about a monster called the Aquamaniac. He tells the others to hold on a moment, as he's just gotten a hold on his character and proceeds to reel off a description that is much more complex than the filmmakers probably had in mind.
118* WeaponSpecialization: His sidearms are either a nickel-plated Smith & Wesson Model 59, or a stainless steel Smith & Wesson Model 639. Unusually in "Black Day At Bad Rock" he is seen carrying a Browning Hi-Power.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Templeton "Face" Peck]]
122!!'''Lieutenant Templeton "Face"/"Faceman" Peck'''
123[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/faceman.jpg]]
124->Played by: Creator/DirkBenedict (Creator/TimDunigan in the pilot) (series), Creator/BradleyCooper (film)
125The team's con man, who would get whatever you needed. A true womanizer.
126
127'''Tropes:'''
128* AffectionateNickname: Hannibal sometimes calls Face "kid." Granted, he's old enough to be Face's father, but it also underlines the quasi-father/son relationship that they have.
129* BadassInANiceSuit: He's usually well-dressed, but don't let that make you think he can't out-think or out-fight you, if you're a bad guy.
130* TheBarnum: Face genuinely revels in being a Con Man, and never shows signs of wanting to reform. He seems to love the scheme just as much as the payoff. [[FridgeBrilliance This makes sense when you think about it]]: Face, though not a coward by any stretch, often shows signs of not liking violence that much. He probably likes trying to con people so they can get away without a shootout or fistfight - not that he doesn't enjoy the con for its own sake, mind you.
131* BeleagueredAssistant: Tends to put on an air of this. Somewhat justified as he is always expected to miraculously produce whatever Hannibal (or anyone else) needs for a plan, and they'll never let him forget that he "can get anything, anywhere, anytime". He laments it thusly in "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E3WhereIsTheMonsterWhenYouNeedHim Where is the Monster When You Need Him?]]":
132-->"[[DudeWheresMyRespect I lie, I cheat, I steal, and I just don't get any respect.]]"
133* BewareTheNiceOnes: He can be a very nice guy, and as a ConMan, his charm is disarming. However, he's former Army Special Forces, just like the rest of the team, and many bad guys forget that to their peril.
134* BigBrotherInstinct: Face is younger than Murdock, but they both have their share of 'big brother' moments when it comes to looking out for each other. There's a bit of a running thing where one of the bad guys of the week is giving Murdock trouble in a fistfight. Cue Face appearing suddenly and punching the guy, either taking him out or allowing Murdock time to recover and deliver the last punch.
135* BrokenAce: He's handsome, suave, impeccably dressed, and so charming few people can resist the urge to give him whatever he asks... and also insecure about losing all of this, upset that he's never had a family, and has commitment issues out the ears due to everyone he's relied on in his life abandoning him, either by walking out or dying.
136* TheCasanova: If there is a woman within a hundred miles of the team, Face will find her and (almost always) at least land a date with her.
137* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
138** In early episodes he is depicted very much as a suave but general hustler, often seen in leather jacket and jeans and merely trying to make a life for himself while on the run. By the second season his interests tend towards more cultural facets, such as country clubs, art purchasing, and wine tasting - albeit often obtained via, or used in, various cons - and his wardrobe reflecting this, containing more tailor-made suits and up-market designer items.
139** He is sometimes also seen to be enjoying smoking expensive cigars, a trait shared by Hannibal. This trait was written in to reflect Dirk Benedict's own love of cigars; the early first-season episode "A Small and Deadly War" shows a contradiction to this - while smoking a cigar as part of his guise on a scam mission with Amy, he throws it away and comments "How can Hannibal stand those things?". The very next episode broadcast and produced, "Black Day at Bad Rock", shows him to be contently puffing on a cigar for the first of a number of times in the series, suggesting that the character may have grown to like them.[[note]][[AlternateCharacterInterpretation Or, perhaps he was trying some of Hannibal's private stock, and perhaps Hannibal favored cheap cigars that Face couldn't stand.]][[/note]]
140* TheCharmer: Part of Face's appeal and Creator/DirkBenedict is quite famous for his characters that often fall into this trope.
141* ChickMagnet: He can attract women even when he's trying to focus on someone else.
142* CommitmentIssues: Any time any girl starts talking about making things more permanent, he's out of there faster than a bolt of lightning. Lampshaded many times by women who see through his charms.
143* ConMan: His profession when the team doesn't have a job on hand, and he puts those skills to (literal) good use when they are on a job.
144* CoolCar: His Corvette, of which he is very protective.
145* ConsummateLiar: He can lie his way into anywhere. Lying his way ''out'', however, is not always such an easy task.
146* CulturedBadass: Subverted. He's cultured, but not as much as he likes to pretend (or would like to be, for that matter).
147* DeadpanSnarker: All the time. What with all of his companions being extremely quirky, he is never short of things to snark about.
148* DistractedByTheSexy: All the time. Unless he's pretty royally ticked off, is in immediate danger, or one of his companions is hurt, keeping Face on-task can be a full-time job for the rest of the team when there is a beautiful woman around.
149* DistressedDude: He gets captured, beaten, and tied up with some frequency, though that doesn't necessarily mean he won't have freed himself by the time the rest of the team arrives.
150* EthicalSlut: By his own standards. He won't 'put the moves on' a woman he considers a friend (though this might also be because things would then get complicated) and he would never, ever force a woman (one of the few times a bad guy has managed to get a rise out of him was accusing him of doing so).
151* TheFace: Not surprisingly, Face fulfills this role by procuring rides and equipment for the team. You need a towtruck/limo/cab company? The Faceman can get that for you with some smooth moves and a silver tongue.
152* TheFixer: He gets the team whatever they need, usually by scamming it from somebody else (and other times by just being inventive).
153* ForHappiness: His general philosophy. He's always out for his own happiness (however, not at the expense of others', unless they can afford it -- e.g. his cons on the rich -- but he doesn't really consider this serious, because they've got more money than they can possibly use anyway). He (unlike Hannibal) doesn't get a rush out of the fights or helping people, but he does like to see good people happy and he'll fight for that.
154* GoodWithNumbers: He's brilliant with numbers. Naturally he's in charge of the team's finances, which he keeps record of in a little black book (not that he needs it — he's really good at mental math).
155* HandsomeLech: It helps that he's an awesome ConMan who tends to scam his way into penthouses, so he can make women believe he's rich and powerful.
156* HeroismWontPayTheBills: He's usually the first to remind Hannibal of this when Hannibal is inclined to feel generous; however, this is just because he feels someone needs to remind people of practical needs, and is just as likely to waive the bill as Hannibal is when faced with someone who needs help and can't afford it.
157* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Murdock. They run scams together, tease each other constantly, they're almost always together in the background (usually goofing off) and Face even tells Murdock "You were always the one I thought I could count on," during a serious argument.
158* HiddenDepths: He's a big fan of detective comics. He learned some of his first cons from them.
159* IHaveManyNames: While the whole team had a ton of aliases, Face takes the cake for most names, even without counting aliases. According to the episode "Mind Games"...
160-->"Actually, your name was originally Alvin Brenner. You had it legally changed to Al Brennan, then to Al Peck. ...then to Holmes Morrison, then Morrison Holmes, and ''then'' to Templeton Peck."
161* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Is extremely proud of his looks, his charm, and his way with the ladies, and will proudly boast about it to anyone, but he's extremely worried about losing any of those things and is extremely manipulable when anyone suggests he's losing his touch.
162* TheLancer: He's the practical, cynical, and grounded personality to Hannibal's risk-taking, idealistic, and mercurial one.
163* LovableRogue: All of the members of The A-Team are this since the bad guys are so one-dimensionally horrible, but Face probably fits here the most since he's the slick and charming ladies' man (and Con Man).
164* ManipulativeBastard: He can manipulate almost anybody (especially women) into doing anything.
165%%* MetaGuy
166* MrFanservice: Both out, and in, story.
167* MrViceGuy: He's even more prone to try to live large than the rest of the team, does cons even between assignments, is a big-time womanizer, and a few times during the show needs to remind Hannibal that they are ''mercenaries'' (in the sense that they ''are'' doing the deed of the day for ''some'' amount of money). Still is a pretty reliable member of the team.
168* NotInTheFace: As it essential to his cons (and it ''does'' draw the ladies), he's rather understandably concerned about not receiving wounds to his face. Says this trope word for word at least once, and in variations many other times. Naturally, it's a running gag that he keeps getting hit in the face.
169* NumberTwo: To Hannibal. He keeps things running smoothly and makes sure anything relating to Hannibal's orders runs smoothly. Strangely enough, however, Face does not usually take over command of the team those rare times when Hannibal is out of the picture, but instead often defers to (and acts as NumberTwo) to whoever comes up with a plan, only taking charge if no one else has come up with something.
170* OddFriendship: Himself and Murdock. The insane, delusional, wise-cracking pilot and the suave, handsome, unrepentant Con Man probably shouldn't be best friends, but they are. Then again, they're both chameleon-like tricksters during scams. In fact, of the whole team, they're probably the most alike. You just can't tell at first glance.
171* OhCrapSmile: Any time any of his schemes or cons go wrong or any time any of Hannibal's plans go wrong, he gets a fearful grin on his face.
172* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Only people from his past or some of his girlfriends call him anything other than his nickname.
173* OnlySaneMan: The most normal of the team and knows it.
174* OrphanageOfLove: While he's rather bitter about not having a family, he never speaks of the orphanage where he grew up with anything other than fondness.
175* ParentalAbandonment: He was dropped off at an orphanage when a baby.
176* PrettyBoy: Face is less masculine-looking than the other three but is noted as being quite attractive in-universe. Sometimes the antagonists do actually namedrop the trope when referring to him.
177* SarcasticDevotee: Despite his snarky comments, he's still loyal to the team.
178* TheScrounger: His greatest specialty. In a NoodleIncident he even scrounged up a '53 Cadillac convertible in the middle of the Vietnam jungle (all he has to say about that is: "trade secret").
179* SharpDressedMan: His preferred style of dress is much more classy than the other members of the team.
180* TaughtByTelevision: In "[[Recap/TheATeamS1E5ASmallAndDeadlyWar A Small And Deadly War]]", he mentions that he learned most of his best cons from ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''.
181* WeaponSpecialization: He seems to have an affinity for heavier caliber revolvers as opposed to the rest of the teams .45 or 9mm automatic pistols. He usually carried a Colt Trooper .357 Magnum with a nickel finish and rosewood grips although he sometimes used a blued Smith & Wesson Model 29. He was usually seen to use a Ruger Mini-14 or an Uzi when he needed more firepower.
182[[/folder]]
183
184[[folder:H.M. Murdock]]
185!!'''Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock'''
186[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hm_murdock.jpg]]
187-> Played by Creator/DwightSchultz (series), Creator/SharltoCopley (film)
188
189'''Tropes:'''
190* ABNegative: He has a rare blood type, which comes into play in "Bad Day at Black Rock" when B.A., who has the same blood type, needs a transfusion.
191* AcePilot: If it has wings, Murdock can fly it...and might even be able to land it safely!
192* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Subverted. He never really lets something distract him, he just adds it into whatever goal he has.
193* BadassAdorable: Murdock has ginormous, expressive puppy-dog eyes, a child-like demeanor and sense of wonder and imagination... and served two tours in Vietnam, got three unit citation awards and a silver star (the third highest military decoration in the United States armed forces), worked in the C.I.A., was considered the best and most badass pilot during Vietnam, all of which skills (on top of a ''very'' sharp mind) makes him as dangerous as he is adorable.
194* BadassBookworm: From the latest psychology book to [[Creator/RayBradbury Bradbury]] to [[Creator/HermanMelville Melville]] to Creator/SinclairLewis to Creator/RaymondChandler, he's frequently either reading an eclectic range of books, referencing, quoting from them, or pretending he's a character (either inspired by or) directly from a book -- oh, and, as a member of the A-Team, does it really need to be mentioned that he's badass?
195* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's generally a friendly, up-beat, compassionate, and easy-going CloudCuckooLander who is quite difficult to get angry, but anyone those who have managed to tick him off will sooner or later find themselves being given a helping of poetic vengeance, and those that have managed to (heaven help them!) piss him off found themselves confronted with an [[UnstoppableRage unstoppable]] lance of [[TranquilFury coldly focused fury.]]
196* BewareTheSillyOnes: Just because he talks to imaginary animals and people, adopts various ridiculous personas, breaks into song at almost any opportunity, and just generally acts in eccentric and silly manner, doesn't mean he can't kick ass while doing any number of those things at the same time.
197* BigDamnHeroes: Single-handedly rescues the rest of the team more than any other one member.
198* BriefAccentImitation: He does this with a considerable frequency, liking to jump from one accent to another (or one impression to another) as his whim takes him.
199* BunnyEarsLawyer: Completely and totally mentally unbalanced, prone to assuming make-believe identities and over-personifying objects and is just flat-out loony -- who happens to be a crack military pilot and in general just as capable as he is kooky.
200* CasanovaWannabe: As the "Hunk Man" in "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E9MindGames Mind Games]]", oh so very much. When Face is released on a government pardon Murdock tries to replace him. It doesn't go well.
201-->'''Murdock:''' You sound like a... groovy chick. I'm a six foot, square-jawed bundle of fun. I've got a [[CoolCar 'Vette]], it's hot, I like to talk about... whales! I like sushi, and sharing. Perhaps I could squeeze you into my date-filled calendar book, say Friday? ... ...huh, must've got cut off.
202* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Naturally. It's never made entirely clear whether he's actually insane or just acting so he can keep living in the Veterans Administration Hospital. One way or the other, he's a textbook example of a Cloudcuckoolander, which B.A. absolutely hates.
203* ConfusionFu: Very often in his fights, in tactics when he's the one making the plans (usually helped that when he's in charge of the plans, he has precisely one goal in mind: rescuing somebody he cares about, and "not beyond doing ''anything''" to accomplish that), and when he's part of a con with Face (wherein his job is pretty much to make the mark so confused and off-balance that anything Face says after that sounds reasonable).
204* ConsultingMisterPuppet: He sometimes converses with a sock puppet. Another great way of annoying B.A.
205* CrazyEnoughToWork: Most of the gadgets he makes when without the steadying practicality of his team mates (often, fortunately for them), like his one-person balloons made out of trashbags, deck chairs, and hair dryers.
206* CrazyInTheHeadCrazyInTheBed: A LighterAndSofter version. Of the whole team, he is the member who got the second most GirlsOfTheWeek aside from Face. He is also more than a little nuts (and oftentimes the women find that cute).
207* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: When Murdock stops acting crazy and started being Badass, usually at an episode's climax.
208* CuddleBug: Often to his teammates' massive discomfort.
209* {{Cuckoosnarker}}: Howlin' Mad Murdock is one of the kookiest soldiers of fortune around, whose quirks have included, but are not limited to, launching a society for the freedom of golf balls, having an invisible dog and taking on a number of different personas. He can also be quite snarky when he gets the urge.
210* DeadpanSnarker: Surprisingly, since he's not usually the picture of clear thinking, but can be very much so, especially as he tends to be able to see the complete picture, (unsurprisingly) the craziness, and the risks involved in Hannibal's plans better than the others. An example occurs in "[[Recap/TheATeamS1E10WestCoastTurnaround West Coast Turnaround]]":
211-->'''Hannibal''': "This [situation] is your classic Western! We're the cowboys in the box canyon. Easterland and his Indians have got us trapped."
212-->'''Murdock''': [[SarcasmMode "Oh, maybe we could trade our way out of this with beaver pelts."]]
213** His protectiveness of Face has led him, on occasion, to moments of snark bordering on downright rudeness when he's dealing with people who he thinks are mistreating or using Face. See "Family Reunion" for a prime example.
214* {{Determinator}}: He won't let anything stand between him and helping his team or someone he cares about.
215* ExtremeOmnivore: Paint, shaving cream, whole raw eggs... Face lampshades it after the shaving cream
216-->'''Face''': "Murdock, you're always eating such weird stuff. Doesn't it ever get to you?"
217-->'''Murdock''': "Of course not. *coughs* Look! Bubbles!"
218** And again:
219-->'''Murdock''': "All this talk about food is making me hungry."
220-->'''Amy''': "Murdock, we weren't talking about food, we were talking about parking tickets."
221-->'''Face''': "Well, anything sounds appetizing when you're a human garbage disposal."
222* FleetingPassionateHobbies: Often has them.
223* FunPersonified: He's literally CrazyIsCool. Sadly this is toned down in the last season.
224* FunTShirt: Lots of them as one of the quirks of his character, most of them designed by Schultz himself.
225* TheGadfly: Towards B.A. Half of what he does he seems to do just to get a rise out of B.A.
226* GuiltComplex: Often utters the words ItsAllMyFault or variations on them any time he fails to protect someone or feels that someone has been captured, has been hurt, or will be hurt because of something he's done or failed to do, though his self-blame in the matter is almost always unreasonable. This self-blame often leads to some of the most heartbreaking moments for the audience regarding the CloudCuckooLander, seeing his [[StepfordSmiler light-hearted mask]] slip and seeing the cracks beneath. About the worst thing a bad guy can do to Murdock is give him a BreakingSpeech about how a friend, ally, or client getting hurt or about to be hurt is his fault. May be a case of FridgeBrilliance suggesting that part of his mental issues and why he dislikes being in charge might be dealing with feeling responsible for deaths of other soldiers under his command or protection.
227* HeroesLoveDogs: One of his recurring quirks is his imaginary dog Billy. Exploited during "Deadly Manuevers", when the villains capture him by luring him with an apparently injured dog.
228* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Face. They run scams together, tease each other constantly, they're almost always together in the background (usually goofing off) and Face even tells Murdock "You were always the one I thought I could count on," during a serious argument.
229* HiddenDepths: Murdock may be a goofball, but don't let that fool you into thinking he isn't as smart, or as dangerous, as the other members of the team.
230* ImaginaryFriend: He has a few, most notably his invisible dog, Billy, who is mentioned in several different episodes.
231* ImprobablePilotingSkills: If it's got wings or rotors, he can fly it.
232-->'''Face''': "I got us a Gulfstream. Can you fly it?"
233-->'''Murdock''': "Hey, brother, if it's got wings, I can fly it."
234-->'''Face''': "Great."
235-->*beat*
236-->'''Murdock''': "Hey, Face, what's a Gulfstream?"
237* InsaneEqualsViolent: Subverted; Murdock is said to be insane (though there's some debate if that's true), but the times when he is aggressive have nothing to do with it. He may be completely off the wall, but unless someone is threatening his friends or an innocent, he's also no more dangerous to be around than his teammates.
238* InSeriesNickname: H.M. not only stands for his nickname, but also his real name, which we are never told.
239* LargeHam: He chews the scenery quite often.
240* LastNameBasis: Only the occasional girlfriend calls him anything other than 'Murdock.'
241* LetsGetDangerous: He's usually crazy, but when he drops the act and gets serious he becomes even more awesome.
242* LethalChef: (in the film) His idea of cooking steak involves seasoning it with gunpowder and putting anti-freeze in the marinade.
243--> '''Face:''' I got a little Bell's Palsy last time.\
244'''Murdock:''' It's only ''partial'' paralysis. Come on, take it like a man!
245* LimitedWardrobe: He's almost always seen in a baseball cap, a customized A-2 leather flight jacket with a picture of a tiger and the words "Da Nang 1970" on the back, a pair of khaki pants, and a pair of black Converse sneakers. He also often wears a t-shirt with a comical caption or a picture of cartoon characters on it. Schultz said in a later interview that he was the one who devised the captions on the shirts, saying it was his "one constant contribution to the show."
246* LunaticLoophole: A non-fatal variant; Murdock occasionally ends up being the only member of the team to escape arrest.
247* MadHatter: Proudly declares his madness.
248* ManChild: He often plays video games in his room and likes watching cartoons like WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker or WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and sometimes will even repeat a Looney Tunes' character's catchphrase like Porky Pig's "th-th-th-that's all folks".
249* MessyHair: His hair is quite frequently unkempt, which fits with his off-the-wall personality.
250* TheNicknamer: Mostly towards B.A. and Face, but usually only uses the nicknames a couple of times before coming up with a new one (and in Face's case, he usually comes up with variations or plays on Face's nickname). Is also implied to be the one who came up with the "Face/Faceman" nickname.
251* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: None, except for when he does realize it and invades it anyway for fun.
252* ObfuscatingInsanity: Murdock was eccentric (and often plays his CloudCuckooLander -ness to an absurd degree to get people to underestimate him) and likely did suffer from some form of PTSD, but was definitely not mad. His team had to break him out of a mental institution in almost every episode. However, at times he faked more extreme insanity to get into an asylum in order to break someone else out, or take down a gun smuggling ring or something. Of course, he might have exaggerated the problem more regularly for the free accommodation and the nurses, or just to irritate B.A. When the situation called for it, Murdock could act completely sane and coldly competent.
253* ObfuscatingStupidity: He is [[SouthernFriedGenius extremely smart]], but generally plays dumb to keep people underestimating him. He does this so well, that even Face -- though not Hannibal -- who knows him well, will fall into underestimating him[[note]]See "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E16SayItWithBullets Say It With Bullets]]" and "The Taxicab Wars"[[/note]].
254* OddFriendship: Himself and B.A. Murdock's the AcePilot in the team; B.A.'s afraid of flying. And that's just the start of their differences. At the end of the day, however, each has the other's back without reservation.
255* {{Omniglot}}: He can speak several languages, claiming that one day he had a headache and could suddenly speak several Asian languages fluently. He also imitated various accents several times per episode.
256* OnlyKnownByInitials: H.M. not only stands for his nickname, but also his real name, which we are never told. Creator/DwightSchultz was told that 'Howlin' Mad' ''was'' Murdock's real name, but whether this was just the writers pulling one over him... However, if this was so, it makes it into something of a case of SelfFulfillingProphecy.
257* OnceAnEpisode: Breaking him out of the asylum. Until the final season, in which he was devastated to learn that he'd been declared sane and released permanently.
258* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: There's a handful of instances where he drops his idiot routine and becomes deadly serious. It's a signal the excrement has just hit the jet turbine.
259* PhraseCatcher: He's the target of B.A.'s CatchPhrase "Shut up, fool!"
260* PopCulturedBadass: He loves Creator/MarvelComics, is constantly referencing movies and TV shows (from Franchise/MontyPython to ''Franchise/StarTrek''), loves playing arcade games (he even has some in his room in the asylum) and his Atari (he even tried finishing a level while in the process of being abducted) and, like the rest of the team, is not someone to be messed with.
261* RaisedByGrandparents: He implies this.
262* RhymesOnADime: Especially in "Black Day at Bad Rock."
263* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: When he feels so inclined, he can talk in words that make him sound like a college professor rather than a pilot.
264* ShellShockedVeteran: More visibly so than the others; B.A. says Murdock went crazy after his helicopter crashed in Vietnam. No matter the current (as in, during the show) state of his sanity (there has, and is, much debate about how much of it is put on), it is recognised (both by himself and his teammates) that he needed psychological help after Vietnam.
265* SouthernFriedGenius: Extremely smart (possibly to genius level) and, if his accent is anything to judge by, from the south.
266* SupremeChef:
267** In "Cup 'A Joe", despite B.A.'s complaints that he's crazy and will poison the diners with his cooking, Murdock turns out to be quite good at it. Face says that his crepes remind him of the kind one of his girlfriends used to make.
268** In contrast to the LethalChef trope mentioned above, the movie shows Murdock being this (the team ''love'' him "nuking" (applying gunpowder to) their steaks, and promising to make (and having made) food for B.A. calms him considerably when [[BerserkButton he is angry about having had to fly]]).
269* TalkativeLoon: To Hannibal and Face's amusement, and B.A.'s constant annoyance. He is constantly talking (whether in English, French, or some other language or accent), singing, and spouting whatever comes into his head.
270* TalkingToThemself: He occasionally makes up theatrical scenes or has a persona with a sidekick where he has intense conversations between two or more characters/personas, including between a sock puppet who is a sidekick to a superhero and his alter ego (that's three voices, not including his own), and two personas who are flirting with each other (one of which has a [[IAmVeryBritish very posh British RP accent]]).
271* TeamChef: After a job where he was the chef for a diner, he liked cooking so much that he becomes this and the others happily let him do so as he's quite good at it.
272** The film version is just as good and unorthodox in the kitchen as he is in the cockpit. The gunpowder-and-antifreeze steaks were apparently a recurring request of the team's, and his coconut curry tapenade is about the only thing that can calm B.A.'s temper when he's been duped into flying.
273* TerribleArtist: In "[[Recap/TheATeamS3E23BeverlyHillsAssault Beverly Hills Assault]]", Murdock is shown to be actually terrible while undercover as a painter.
274* TranquilFury: What happens when someone truly pisses him off. For example, he once calmly beat unconscious a man responsible for shooting Face, [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge then continued to beat him]] until he was dragged off the guy.
275* VitriolicBestBuds: Murdock sometimes takes a break from being a pest in B.A.'s general direction to insult B.A. directly and sometimes does things like encouraging B.A.'s fears that getting his blood will make B.A. like him. However, it's clear that they care about each other quite a lot. Murdock really does try well-meaningly to help B.A. learn to deal with airplanes, among other instances of sincerely meant aid.
276-->'''Murdock''': "I'm worried about [B.A.]. It's been almost a full day and we haven't insulted each other; I think I may go into withdrawal soon."
277[[/folder]]
278
279[[folder:"B.A." Baracus]]
280!!'''Sergeant Bosco Albert "Bad Attitude" Baracus'''
281[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ba_baracus.jpg]]
282->Played by: Creator/MrT (series) Rampage Jackson (film)
283->Played by: Creator/HenryDjanik (European French)
284
285'''Tropes:'''
286* ABNegative: He has a rare blood type, which comes into play in "Bad Day at Black Rock", when he needs a transfusion and the team has to spring Murdock from the V.A., because he has the same blood type.
287* AlmightyMom: Has one.
288* AndStarring: "And Mr. T as B. A. Baracus"
289* BadassDriver: "Nobody drives my van but me."
290* BewareTheQuietOnes: He is pretty quiet, and he is [[TheBigGuy the strongest]] and [[HairTriggerTemper most short-tempered]] member of the team.
291* TheBigGuy: The biggest and strongest member of the team.
292* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards both Face and Murdock. He's allowed to verbally abuse them and threaten them with physical violence on a regular basis, but if anyone else tries it, they'll find themselves on the wrong end of B.A.'s fist "Knockout". A little odd in his case, seeing as, when you do some figuring, [[BigLittleBrother B.A. may actually be younger than Murdock]], and possibly younger than/the same age as Face. He's still protective of them. But he'll never admit that he likes either of them, especially not Murdock.
293%%* BoisterousBruiser
294* BreakoutCharacter: The face of the franchise (weirdly not Face himself). Though everyone is well liked from the series, B.A. and his actor Mr. T is the most notable from the series. Even people who haven't seen the series can name this character first. He got so popular his actor got his own SaturdayMorningCartoon and a variety of other stuff today.
295* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He has a soft spot for kids.
296* CatchPhrase:
297** "Shut up fool!" to Murdock. [[note]]However, ''not'' "I pity the fool." That was one for [[Film/RockyIII Clubber Lang]], that through MemeticMutation became one for Creator/MrT as a whole.[[/note]]
298** "He's on the jazz" about Hannibal.
299** "I ain't flying/I ain't going on no airplane!" when he believes the others will try to get him to fly.
300* CatchphraseInsult: B.A. likes to call people who annoy him "fool" and "sucker."
301* EmbarrassingNickname: "Scooter", the nickname his mother gave to him because of his fondness for scooting a toy truck around as a boy. It only appears in two episodes, though.
302* EmotionalBruiser: He's a tough, intimidating ScaryBlackMan but is often shown as a friend of little children.
303* EnragedByIdiocy: He often gets angry because of Murdock's wacky antics.
304* FriendToAllChildren: Surprisingly. He may be a big, tough guy who can easily smack down the villains of the week, he earned his nickname "Bad Attitude" by striking officers, he's punched his own teammates in the mouth... but he loves kids, and they seem to love him as well. He also turns into a Papa Wolf quickly whenever children are threatened or bullied.
305* GadgeteerGenius: His specialty is in creating anything that needs building.
306* GeniusBruiser: B.A. may not seem intelligent at first blush, but he was part of a crack commando squad, like the rest of the A-Team, and is an incredibly skilled builder and fabricator. B.A.'s ability to design and build whatever weapon or equipment is needed from a pile of junk became a recurring trope throughout the entire series. B.A. is also large and muscular, and in combat, seems to favor throwing his opponents.
307* GentleGiant: B.A. is very imposing and strong. However, when he's in love he's bashful and very teddy-bearish and when interacting with kids, he can exercise an unusual amount of gentleness and patience, considering his normal grouchy and short-tempered nature.
308* GoodIsNotNice: Despite his "bad attitude", he's still a heroic and loyal character.
309* GotMeDoingIt: To his immense annoyance, he occasionally picks up whatever verbal tic Murdock has going on for the episode, like rhyming or speaking like he's in a Creator/RaymondChandler novel.
310* HairTriggerTemper: He's the easiest of the team to enrage, especially when he's near Murdock.
311* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Though it's never expressly stated, it's pretty obvious that B.A. is the only one who's allowed to be mean to Murdock and Face. He frequently verbally abuses them and threatens them with physical violence (Murdock is his main target, but Face gets quite a bit of this too, at times). And then you'll get a scene where the team is facing the slimeballs of the week; Murdock and Face, the physically weaker half of the team, frequently find themselves fighting a mook who's too big for them to handle. Cue B.A., who proceeds to knock the sucka's lights out. Five minutes later he's back to insulting Murdock and Face and threatening to beat them up himself.
312* IncessantMusicMadness: Murdock's constant singing drives him up the wall.
313* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Usually bad-tempered and nicknamed "Bad Attitude" for a reason, but he's a FriendToAllChildren, and even though he acts like he can't stand Murdock, he deeply cares for him deep down, as shown several times in the series.
314* LactoseOverLiquor: B.A.'s favorite beverage is milk, which demonstrates his Gentle Giant nature when he's not in rage mode. It was the team's favorite way to slip in a sleeping pill to carry the bruiser onto an airplane (whenever a mission required them to travel long distances quickly).
315* MrFixit: He's a highly skilled mechanic and has an amazing talent for making impressive machinery out of just about any ordinary parts. He received his initial training in the Jamaican Defense Force. In Season 2, Hannibal once said to B. A., "With a pair of pliers and a little time, you could fix anything but dinner."
316* OnlyKnownByInitials: He's always referred to as "B.A."
317* OnlySaneMan: Believes himself to be, but, in his own way, is nearly as wacky as Hannibal and Murdock.
318* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: B.A. is so scared of flying that the experience can render him catatonic. The few times he willingly agrees to go on an airplane underline how important he finds whatever the cause is.
319* PapaWolf: None of the A-Team likes seeing children abused, but B.A. is the most blatant about it. One of the easiest ways to draw him into a case is to show him that there are children who have been harmed or are in danger of being harmed...and then woe betide the person who endangered them.
320* PerpetualFrowner: Rarely smiles, being a grump and all.
321* PutOnABus: IT ALMOST HAPPENED. Around season 4, which was a hard time for the show, Mr. T many times threatened to quit. Rumors say that NFL Player William "The Refrigerator" Perry would replace him. Luckily, Mr. T decided to stay.
322* ScaryBlackMan: He's played by Mr. T, a large, muscular African-American actor, and has the shortest temper of the entire group. Most goons (except the ones intent on BullyingADragon) seem suitably cowed when he gets in their faces.
323* TheTeetotaler: It's rare to see him drinking anything stronger [[LactoseOverLiquor than milk]].
324* TwoByFore: If he needs to go flying for a mission, and the usual sedative wasn't available for the job, he whips out a wooden plank instead.
325* VitriolicBestBuds: Murdock drives B.A. up the wall with his antics. A fair portion of B.A.'s dialogue is devoted to insulting him and trying to get him to shut up, and sometimes B.A. actually tries to throttle him. However, B.A. also told off at least one person outside the A-Team who complained that Murdock should shut up. He will also always come to the rescue if he's in trouble, and in "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E23CurtainCall Curtain Call]]", when Murdock is shot and in real danger of dying, he calls him his friend.
326* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: His fear of flying. He ended up giving one exception in one of the later episodes, when he learned that his mother was attacked by thugs; even then, he still had to be sedated within several minutes of flying. In another episode, he decides the cause (getting them pardoned) is enough to go on a plane; he still ends up passing out, but it's ambiguous whether they drugged him anyway, or whether he just went comatose (which happened on an early episode where he ended up on a plane).
327[[/folder]]
328
329!Other Characters
330
331[[folder:Allied members]]
332!!'''Amy Amanda Allen'''
333->Played by: Creator/MelindaCulea (seasons 1 and 2)
334[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amy_4.jpg]]
335
336'''Tropes:'''
337* AlliterativeName: A three part "A" name, "Amy Amanda Allen".
338* AudienceSurrogate: Mainly in the first episode, where she provides an outsider's perspective on the team.
339%%* BrainyBrunette:
340* InSeriesNickname: Triple A. She gets it in "[[Recap/TheATeamS1E2MexicanSlayridePartII Mexican Slayride Part II]]" after she reveals that her full name is Amy Amanda Allen.
341* IntrepidReporter: She blackmails her way into the team by threatening to write an expose on them. Her journalistic skills sometimes come in handy, such as in "Water, Water Everywhere", in which Hannibal has her take photos of the villains attempting arson and then blackmails them with the threat that Amy will release the photos to her paper and to the district attorney if any of them ever puts a toe out of line again.
342* TheOneWithAPersonalLife: Hannibal, Face, B.A., and Murdock are all ex-soldiers turned mercenaries after being falsely convicted of a crime they didn't commit. Amy, by contrast, is a reporter who has no such issues and can continue to live in everyday society.
343* OutOfFocus: After the pilot, the character had little impact in the following episodes, until she was...
344* PutOnABus: In the middle of season 2. It was mentioned that the team had helped her get an assignment in Jakarta.
345* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only female member of the team and the main cast. In the pilot she's an important character, but afterwards she's just more or less the "token girl".
346* {{Unperson}}: Besides the episode after her departure, in which Decker mentions she's working in Jakarta, Indonesia, Amy just vanished from the series. The final episode of the second season was "Curtain Call" in which Murdock was seriously wounded. While saving his life, we see flashbacks from previous episodes, and NONE of these flashbacks have Amy in them. They never even mention her again.
347
348!!'''Tawnia Baker'''
349->Played by: Creator/MarlaHeasly (seasons 2 and 3 (1 episode))
350[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tawniabaker.jpg]]
351
352'''Tropes:'''
353* AndStarring: Every episode in which she appears. Unlike Amy, she never was added into the intro.
354* NeverBeAHero: Tawnia wants to be involved with doing the dangerous stuff, but she's not so bright in field situations and Hannibal fobs her off with something that keeps her out of the way and makes her feel like she's doing something.
355* PutOnABus: She ends up leaving the Team in "The Bend in the River," after the Team locates her rich archaeologist fiancé and she gets married.
356* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Basically introduced to have another female character, after Amy is PutOnABus. It didn't work. Unlike Amy, she was never a full-time member of the team.
357* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Many people spell her name as "Tanya", between the strange spelling of her name and the fact that even the ''show'' spelled it wrong in her first appearance.
358* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: She replaced Amy midway through Season 2 and stayed through part of Season 3, filled an identical role of a reporter and {{the Smurfette Principle}}.
359* TheTeamWannabe: Desperately wants to be a full-fledged member of the team. Never happens.
360
361!!'''Frankie "Dishpan" Santana'''
362->Played by: Creator/EddieVelez (season 5)
363[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frankie_9.jpg]]
364
365Became a fifth member of the team in the final season.
366
367'''Tropes:'''
368* InSeriesNickname: "Dishpan", according to the opening titles, but this nickname is rarely used by other characters.
369* MildlyMilitary: claims to have served as a paratrooper but Murdoch is doubtful of this as he proves unfamiliar with the 24 hour clock system in one episode.
370* PromotedToOpeningTitles: In the first two episodes of that season, Frankie was only a guest star, as he was credited with "And Eddie Velez as Frankie Santana"
371* RememberTheNewGuy: Supposedly, Frankie had worked at the film studio for a long time. But before the fifth season, Hannibal, who also worked at the studio, never mentioned a special effects guy named Frankie Santana.
372* TheSixthRanger: More like fifth ranger who joins the team in the last season.
373[[/folder]]
374
375[[folder:US Army]]
376!!'''Col. Lynch'''
377->Played by: Creator/BillLucking (season 1 (2 episodes) and season 3 (1 episode))
378[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/col_lynch_tv_series.png]]
379
380'''Tropes:'''
381* ButtMonkey: Not at all bright, and Hannibal has such fun running around him in circles.
382* GloryHound: He only wants to capture the A-Team for the credit and the glory which he hopes will skyrocket his career.
383* InspectorJavert: In Season 1, with a one-shot return in Season 3.
384* TheNeidermeyer: Being a GloryHound would make him qualify.
385* PunchClockVillain: Depending on how you want to look at it. Is only after the A-Team because he's ordered to and because catching them might get him promoted.
386* PutOnABus: He made a comeback in season 3's episode "Showdown!"
387
388!!'''Col. Roderick Decker''' (seasons 2-4, and 1 episode in season 5)
389->Played by: Creator/LanceLeGault.
390[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/decker_13.jpg]]
391
392'''Tropes:'''
393* ArchEnemy: For Hannibal, in particular.
394* TheBusCameBack: In the fifth season's "Trial on Fire".
395* ColonelBadass: The second Colonel who tries to catch the team and somewhat more competent than Lynch. He was picked for the job because of his unorthodox warfare techniques.
396* ColonelKilgore: Was said to be a little... 'enthusiastic' during the Vietnam war and perpetrated some actions that the army tucked him away in disgrace for before resurrecting him to capture the A-Team.
397* HeroAntagonist: Along with his units. Though he opposes the A-Team he's not evil or corrupt - just a soldier who honestly believes that the A-Team are dangerous criminals who must be brought to justice.
398* InspectorJavert: Is technically on the good side, but is after the WronglyAccused team. He doesn't seem to particularly care whether or not their innocent or guilty, it's just his orders to bring them in.
399* {{Jerkass}}: He's more ruthless than Lynch. When one of the team (Murdock) is shot in the second season finale, he gloats about how it will be the team's undoing, because their scramble to save their injured member will mess with their capability.
400* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Later on in that episode, he allows the team members to drive with Murdock in the van, so they could be with him if he died on the way to the hospital. Like all of the [=MPs=] who pursue the team he normally ends up arresting the villains they've defeated and when searching for them at a retirement community he and his men participate in their remembrance ceremony.
401%%* TheNeidermeyer
402* PutOnABus: After the early episodes of season 4.
403* SmugSnake: No matter how much he tries, he will never outsmart Hannibal.
404* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Lynch, though much more intelligent.
405
406!!'''Capt. Crane'''
407->Played by: Creator/CarlFranklin
408[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_a_teamcapt_crane.jpg]]
409
410Decker's right hand.
411
412'''Tropes:'''
413* NumberTwo: Decker's right-hand man.
414%%* PutOnABus
415
416!!'''Col. Briggs'''
417->Played by: Creator/CharlesNapier (season 3, 1 episode)
418[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colonel_20briggs_large.png]]
419
420'''Tropes:'''
421* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Never mentioned again after the episode "Fire", which is odd because the A-Team all talk about him like he was meant to replace Decker permanently.
422* TheNeidermeyer: Possibly the biggest one of the A-Team's various [[InspectorJavert Javerts]], since he doesn't respect them like Lynch and Decker.
423* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He only appeared in the episode "Fire!". Originally, Decker was suppose to appear, but actor Lance [=LeGault=] was unable because he was currently working on ''Series/MagnumPI''. Briggs really looked and almost sounds like Decker.
424* PutOnABus: After only one episode.
425
426!!'''Gen. Harlan "Bull" Fullbright'''
427[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/general_fulbright_jack_ging.jpg]]
428-> Played By: Creator/JackGing
429
430'''Tropes:'''
431* CharacterDeath: Shot dead in "The Sound of Thunder".
432* HeelFaceTurn: Shortly before his CharacterDeath.
433%%* TheNeidermeyer: At first.
434* RealMenWearPink: Gen. Fullbright's trademark white scarf. He luckily didn't wear it when he died.
435[[/folder]]
436
437[[folder:US Government]]
438!!'''Gen. Hunt Stockwell'''
439->Played by: Creator/RobertVaughn (season 5)
440[[quoteright:334:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stockwell.jpg]]
441
442'''Tropes:'''
443* AndStarring: "and also starring Robert Vaughn as Hunt Stockwell"
444* CatchPhrase: "Do it... my way!"
445%%* BatmanGambit
446* CoolOldGuy: It is Creator/RobertVaughn after all.
447* TheUnreveal: Unfortunately, the series was canceled before we would know if he really was a bad guy who only used the team for his own good, or actually wanted to clear their names.
448* WellIntentionedExtremist: A rare example of one as a protagonist. Stockwell is apparently on the side of American prosperity and world peace, but is also more than willing to use people, withholds vital information whenever it suits his purposes, and treats all of his operatives and even himself as expendable.
449
450
451!!'''Lt. Sosa'''
452->Played by: Creator/JessicaBiel (film only)
453[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jessica_biel_as_lt_sosa.jpg]]
454
455* {{Jerkass}}: She can come across as this, [[TheObstructiveLoveInterest even towards Faceman]]. Also see TheNeidermeyer below. However, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold she gets better]].
456* NeverMyFault: Whether she actually believes it or not, everytime Faceman brings up their story, she acts as if it's him the one who ruined it. Faceman, however, eventually [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech forces her to face the truth]]: she didn't end things between them because he failed her, or did something wrong. She run away because she realized that he was serious about them and she hadn't foresaw that so, instead of accepting that she was scared by it, she preferred to run away and blame him.
457* TheNeidermeyer: She is condescending towards the A-Team even before they were framed. Plus, one of the reasons why she is personally chasing after the A-Team is particularly because she thinks they're the reason why she got demoted from Captain to Lieutenant.
458* {{Tsundere}}: To Faceman.
459[[/folder]]
460
461[[folder:Other]]
462!!'''Col. Morrison'''
463->Played by: Various
464[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morrison.png]]
465
466'''Tropes:'''
467* KilledOffscreen
468%%* PosthumousCharacter
469
470!!'''Ray Brenner'''
471->Played by: None
472[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/group_photo.jpg]]
473
474Was actually a fifth member of the A-Team during the Vietnam war.
475
476'''Tropes:'''
477%%* TheFaceless
478* PosthumousCharacter: He's never even mentioned until the episode when the team tries to attend his funeral.
479
480!!Mrs. Baracus
481->Played by: Creator/DellaReese
482
483B.A.'s mother. A ''very'' formidable woman. She appears in only one episode, "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E4LeaseWithAnOptionToDie Lease With an Option to Die]]".
484[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ateamleasewithanoptiontodie111110_01.jpg]]
485
486'''Tropes:'''
487* AlmightyMom: Mrs. Baracus is a very formidable, feisty woman. She tries to stand up to the men harassing her and her neighbors before they break her arm by throwing her down the steps and she is able to keep B.A. in line.
488%%* CoolOldLady
489* LikeASonToMe: Mrs. Baracus loves Murdock and announces she wants to adopt him, much to Murdock's utter delight and B.A.'s (apparent) horror.
490
491!!'''The Narrator'''
492->Voiced by: Creator/JohnAshley (seasons 1-4, intro's only)
493
494John Ashley, who was the show's producer during the entire show, did the infamous voice in the intro who said "In 1972..."
495
496'''Tropes:'''
497* OpeningNarration: "In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit..." And you know the rest.
498%%* TheFaceless
499* PutOnABus: Sort of. He didn't do the opening narration anymore for the fifth and final season since its intro was heavily changed. (Respectively, now that the team is finally arrested and working for Stockwell, it became useless to say these lines.)
500
501!!'''Tia'''
502->Played by: Creator/TiaCarrere
503[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tia_carrere_the_a_team_rare_new_8x10.jpg]]
504
505Illegitimate half-Vietnamese daughter of General Fullbright. Fulbright recruited the A-Team in Season 4 finale to go to Vietnam with him and rescue her. They succeeded, although Fullbright was killed in the process, and then brought her to the US. Due to her father's death, her wanted status in Vietnam, and her illegal status in America, she was going to be an A-Team member, but it didn't happen.
506
507'''Tropes'''
508* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After her first appearance. As the series' renewal for the fifth season was uncertain, due to Tia Carrere's contractual obligations to ''Series/GeneralHospital'', she had to drop out, so Tia vanished with no explanation or further mention.
509
510!!'''Brock Pike'''
511->Played by: Creator/BrianBloom
512[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_team_pike.png]]
513
514The leader of the PMC Black Forest, Pike is one of the film's main antagonists, working with Morrison to steal the U.S. Treasury plates and fake Morrison's death.
515
516'''Tropes'''
517* DeadpanSnarker: He's mocking the incompetence of the FBI agents that are about to execute him, as one of them fails to put a suppressor on his pistol.
518* TheDragon: To Morrison, then to Lynch.
519* HypercompetentSidekick: He's much more competent than Lynch, openly mocking the agent's flaws and generally dictating their plans.
520[[/folder]]

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