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9
10->''"It is better to be the right hand of the Devil, than in his path."''
11-->-- '''[[{{Slimeball}} Beni Gabor]]''', ''Film/TheMummy1999''
12
13The Dirty Coward is the slime of the earth, working exclusively for themselves and shamelessly retreating from harm's way even if that harm is about to hit the AllLovingHero that [[AFriendInNeed just saved their life two seconds ago]]. They'll take every advantage, [[CombatPragmatist are not above using dishonorable tactics and dirty tricks]], and [[PushedAtTheMonster they'll be more than happy to push someone (including their friend) at the danger just to save their own skin]], but [[OriginalPositionFallacy they'll cry and moan every time the tables are turned]] and [[MoralMyopia someone uses the same tactics against them]], [[WhoWillBellTheCat asks for a volunteer]], or reminds them of [[ThePromise that promise they made]]. Often full of vicious plans for anyone they dislike, [[NotInThisForYourRevolution as long as they aren't in need of that person's skills at the moment]].
14
15Though the Dirty Coward may be a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] (or a SocialDarwinist), they're certainly not [[SociopathicHero heroic]] [[HeroicComedicSociopath or]] {{comedic|Sociopathy}}. And if they're a bastard, they're ''certainly'' not meant to be {{magnificent|Bastard}}. [[SmugSnake They're usually only marginally competent to start with, and even the cleverest of them tends to be short-sighted]]. Even when they know that breaking ranks will leave a hole in the defenses that will let the enemy in, leading to far more danger for them in the long term, they will generally run for it anyway (and get shot InTheBack). Their allegiance almost always lies with whoever can cause them the most immediate harm, even if that threat isn't likely to last. They'll be happy to badmouth people to their faces when they can not immediately hurt them, only to attempt to curry favor when the roles reverse. Dirty Cowards are especially prone to suffering a KarmicDeath, usually at the hands of whatever they were trying to run from, and are similarly likely to suffer a VillainousBreakdown. Dirty Cowards often flip-flop from smugness to groveling depending on whether they have the advantage at the moment. An arrogant villain might beg for his life when the heroes have him at their mercy, only to take advantage of the heroes' lowered guard to escape or strike back, then mock them for their carelessness.
16
17Other times it can be subtle. Confronting fear isn't always punching the right person in the face -- sometimes the cowardice can come from running from one's responsibilities. A DisappearedDad or MissingMom that [[ParentalAbandonment went to get milk]] one day as opposed to [[DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou having a seriously good reason]] can be an example. [[CannotSpitItOut Other forms]] of estrangement can be the result of cowardice on either party's side, though who's right depends on the author.
18
19Usually a villain unless [[PlayedForLaughs used comically]], although they may sometimes be [[JustForFun/DyingLikeAnimals a certain type of civilian]] that gets in the way. When used as a villain, this is a cheap way to make the heroes look good in comparison, [[BlackAndGrayMorality even if they're not]] [[DesignatedHero everything they should be]]. Villainous Dirty Cowards tend to fall squarely into NeutralEvil, since they are first and foremost out for their own hides at the expense of others. One of the best ways to demean the BigBad is by making them out to be a coward. It's doubly ironic if [[TheDreaded the one who brings fear into the hearts of others]] [[PaperTiger turns out to be a pathetic joke]] who [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritically]] makes others feel weak because they are really the weak one and try to hide it. After all, only TheBully can bring the "dirty" into the Dirty Coward trope.
20
21It's tough to make a main character into one of these without them coming off as [[TheScrappy more slimy and irritating]] than funny. Unlike most villains, the dirty coward [[SmugSnake doesn't even have finesse]], which can make them extremely annoying. The dirty coward may or may not have [[FreudianExcuse a horrific past to explain their actions]], but it doesn't usually redeem them, at least not in the minds of the audience. When their backstory doesn't seem all that convincing, but convinces TheHero, it can be seen as a [[WriterCopOut major cop-out]].
22
23The best way to make this character tolerable is to make them at least somewhat clever. Some enlightened self-interest can occasionally be mixed in, although too much of any trait other than cravenness tends to change the character into something else.
24
25May be on the receiving end of a CowardiceCallout. May {{Level Grind|ing}} in courage if they realize "MyGodWhatHaveIDone".
26
27The Dirty Coward is pretty much almost AlwaysMale, for the [[DoubleStandard dubious reason]] that [[StayInTheKitchen women aren't expected to be brave in the first place]], and [[MenAreTheExpendableGender are allowed to sacrifice others to save themselves]]. FridgeLogic may lead to the NeutralFemale coming off as a DistaffCounterpart to the Dirty Coward.
28
29May be the MilesGloriosus, and even believe his own brags when out of danger. The FearlessFool may invoke this to persuade his companions to [[YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb act like idiots]]. A FairWeatherFoe could be considered a social form of this, acting mean to their enemies if they can afford to, but are willing to act nice if acting mean could have consequences. Cases of WouldHurtAChild and BadPeopleAbuseAnimals often have undertones of this, since they involve harming something innocent and unable to defend themself. Not to be confused with the CombatPragmatist, who may employ tactics that can be considered dirty and cowardly but does so out of cold calculation rather than fear. Contrast the LovableCoward, who numbers among the good guys and has foibles portrayed far more sympathetically, generally due to [[AtLeastIAdmitIt their not trying to pose]] as anything ''but'' a coward. Even then, they will often face their fears and ultimately still risk their lives if the chips are really down (as will the CowardlyLion). TheSoCalledCoward is by definition mistaken for one of these; if they don't want to be, they'll say "NobodyCallsMeChicken." See also TheBully (characters who are brave enough when tormenting those weaker than they are, but [[ThinSkinnedBully showing their true colors]] in the face of those equal to or stronger than they are), OriginalPositionFallacy (where one holds a moral position on the assumption that they will receive the benefits, without considering that they may be among the ones to suffer from said beliefs), SoreLoser (where someone isn't afraid of death or injury so much as they are of losing, though many Dirty Cowards are also Sore Losers), and OpportunisticBastard. Does not apply when [[KnowWhenToFoldEm retreating really is the most practical option one has]]. Often overlaps with ScrewThisImOuttaHere, where someone enters a situation that they don't want to be a part of, so they decide to just leave.
30
31This Trope might apply to a CowardlyBoss, but it more often applies to a GetBackHereBoss. Compare VillainsWantMercy.
32Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease
33
34----
35!!Example subpages:
36
37[[index]]
38* DirtyCoward/AnimeAndManga
39* [[DirtyCoward/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]
40* DirtyCoward/{{Literature}}
41* DirtyCoward/LiveActionTV
42* DirtyCoward/VideoGames
43* DirtyCoward/WesternAnimation
44[[/index]]
45
46!!Other examples:
47[[foldercontrol]]
48
49[[folder:Advertising]]
50* ''Advertising/SupermanVsNickOTeen'': Nick O'Teen usually tries to run or slink away when Superman shows up. Justified because Superman has a variety of superhuman abilities and [[VillainousUnderdog Nick O'Teen has none]].
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Comic Books]]
54* ''ComicBook/BlackMoonChronicles'': When Wismerhill first goes on a campaign against the empire, some cities who surrender before his army can sack them take groveling to a degree that disgusts their conquerors and pillagers, even offering their wives and daughters.
55* ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'':
56** Edmund, the main character from the "Yellow Belly" arc. Edmund has been a snivelling, pathetic wuss his entire life, and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt doesn't exactly improve that. At first, it appeared to be understandable as he was a teenager in a situation beyond his control and his cowardice did keep him alive. However, his cowardice gets progressively worse as he constantly runs from danger and abandons the people who have helped him. [[spoiler:[[DeathByIrony Ironically, when he does finally man up, he's killed]] by a vengeful biker he saved because his cowardice caused the death of one of her friends and he was manipulated into ''[[ILoveTheDead raping her corpse]]'' to make it look like the Crossed did it, ''and'' [[TooDumbToLive he was stupid enough]] to confess this after going to insane lengths to cover up his AccidentalMurder in the first place.]]
57** Oliver, whose storyline is literally called "TheQuisling", allies himself with an [[EliteZombie unusually intelligent Crossed]] he nicknamed Smokey, who keeps him alive and safe from the other [[HatePlague mindless Crossed]] who obey him [[LesCollaborateurs in return for being led to survivors]]. However, he eventually snaps out of this when he realizes that Smokey might not be the only intelligent Crossed around, and that if the planet is to survive, Smokey has to die.
58** Cody in the final arc. He makes a deal with Smokey as well, but goes even further than Oliver did, actively assisting Smokey in his attempts to build a new Crossed civilization. He snaps out of it when he realizes he's effectively going to raise his own offspring to be raped and murdered.
59* Creator/GrantMorrison's ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' has an expy of [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]] who acts competent and tough when he has the advantage, but becomes a sniveling coward whenever he doesn't.
60* Dr. Venom from the early run of ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'' was a damn near epitome of this. Any chance he could backstab someone else, he would, and if he got caught, he would plead for mercy on his hands and knees.
61* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'': The Sinestro Corps member Amon Sur gleefully slaughters many Green Lanterns because he knows that the Lanterns [[ThouShaltNotKill cannot kill their enemies]]. Then the Guardians of the Universe rewrite the Book of Oa during the ''ComicBook/SinestroCorpsWar'', authorizing the Green Lanterns to use lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. When Amon Sur sees that the Lanterns can now kill, he immediately abandons his post and runs away to save his own skin.
62* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', Lucifer has no respect for Remiel because of this. He thinks that the only reason Remiel remained loyal to God was fear and not true loyalty. Lucifer also guesses (correctly) that Remiel whimpered and wailed when God made him the new steward of Hell in Lucifer's place. Lucifer contrasts Remiel with his silent friend Duma and guesses (again correctly) that Duma was the one who had the courage to actually take the Key to Hell.
63* Roark Junior, the Yellow Bastard from ''ComicBook/SinCity'', has a bit of a MeaningfulName. Not only is he [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation yellow-skinned]], but he is also more than willing to run away from a fight and whine about it. If he makes an attack, expect it to be a sneaky one.
64* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': Anti-Sonic/Scourge the Hedgehog, Sonic's MirrorUniverse [[EvilTwin counterpart]], loves to talk a big game and throw his weight around, but whenever someone stands up to him or puts up a better fight than he expected, he folds like a lawn chair. Best shown in issue 172: Scourge tries to break into Sonic's house in the middle of the night to attack him, only to be confronted by [[PapaWolf Sonic's father Jules]], who rather than back down to Scourge's threats, stands up to him and matter-of-factly states that he had fought on the frontlines in the Great War of Mobius Prime, that he would not simply lay down, and that if he did die, Sonic would be truly livid; that's all it takes for Scourge to retreat.
65* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
66** {{Subverted|Trope}} by Roderick Kingsley, a.k.a. the Hobgoblin. While his twin brother Daniel really was a spineless wimp who lived up to this trope, Roderick merely made himself ''look'' like this to get people to underestimate him. Having his cowardly brother act as his stand-in helped a good deal. This usually led to him sabotaging his competitors' companies and destroying their reputations before buying them up cheap, or to keep anyone from thinking that he could be a cold-blooded MagnificentBastard like the Hobgoblin.
67** Played straight with Angelo Fortunato, the oft-forgotten second ComicBook/{{Venom}}. After he got ahold of the symbiote, [[BigBadWannabe he brags about how it puts in the same league of supervillain as]] [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]] or Characters/DoctorDoom and kills a random civilian to prove it. But once Spider-Man gains the upper hand in their one and only battle, he immediately turns tail and runs, disgusting the symbiote, who declares Angelo to be an unworthy host, and it ditches him just as [[DisneyVillainDeath he's leaping between two buildings]].
68** Kaine falls into this during the ''ComicBook/GrimHunt'' arc. He's so terrified of the Kravinoffs that after they capture Araña and Arachne, he insists to Peter that they can't win and their best option is to "run and screw the rest." Spidey responds by decking Kaine in the face and giving him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, absolutely disgusted that Kaine shares his DNA and memories yet acts like a selfish coward. This actually reaches Kaine, who subsequently knocks Peter out, dons his costume, and dies fighting the Kravinoff family in his place.
69* ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'': Captain Boomerang was a notorious one in the John Ostrander run. He’d gladly sacrifice several teammates to ensure his own survival. This trait, [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain along with several other less noble character traits]] have been greatly reduced in modern comics to make him more likable.
70* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
71** Doomsday, [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman the monster that once killed Superman]], is normally a mindless bundle of rage and power. When he was granted intelligence, he was revealed to be this trope in the end. All his new intelligence did was make Doomsday painfully aware of his own crippling fear of death -- deep down, he's terrified of anything that could possibly be a threat to his life, which in his mind is ''everything''. (The entire reason he's so powerful is because he was repeatedly cloned and let loose on a DeathWorld until [[LamarckWasRight some bizarre process of Lamarckian evolution]] made him capable of surviving the worst it had to offer. It took a '''LOT''' of clone generations.)
72** Manchester Black, a member of the Elite from ''ComicBook/WhatsSoFunnyAboutTruthJusticeAndTheAmericanWay'', is a cocky, arrogant, and cheerfully murderous AntiHero who lectures Superman on how his [[GoodIsOldFashioned brand of heroism is outdated]]... as long as he has his ludicrously powerful teammates and immense psychic powers backing him up. The moment he's isolated, BroughtDownToNormal, and facing a vengeful Supes, he immediately breaks down and cries like a scared little girl, [[HumiliationConga on live TV]]. When he comes back to trouble Supes again, he hides behind waves of {{Mooks}} and psychically tortures [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane a helpless, powerless mortal woman]]. [[spoiler:The second incident turns out to be a subversion:Black isn't afraid of death -- he actually ''wants'' Superman to kill him under false pretenses to "prove" that Supes isn't a true hero. When Supes refrains from killing Black even in the face of such extreme provocation -- up to and including the apparent murder of his wife Lois -- Black immediately fixes everything and then commits suicide because he can't live with the truth: rather than being an anti-hero, he had become just another supervillain]].
73** The Phantom Zone criminals of the Pocket Universe in ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlSaga'' are shown to be this when faced with death by that world's Green Kryptonite radiation. General Zod is ready to throw Quex-Ul and Zaora under the bus to save his own skin, and Zaora is left pathetically begging for her life, promising to show pleasures to Superman for her freedom.
74* ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'':
75** ''ComicBook/UltimateDaredevilAndElektra'': Trey took a gun, set a trap for Elektra and was ready to kill her. But she was ready for him, took him from the back by surprise, forced him to drop the gun... and the rest is too humiliating to detail.
76** ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'': Flash accused Kong of being a coward during the attack of the Green Goblin. Kong replied that everybody reacted as cowards back then.
77** ''ComicBook/AllNewUltimates'': Taskmaster will not stay to fight against the giant. That wasn't in the contract!
78* In ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}'', Kombo, the NominalHero sidekick of Violine, tries to save his own skin whenever danger looms, and is resigned to the apparent fate of whoever he abandons. Other characters always drag him back onto the good side, though, to his disgruntlement. Despite this, he is not treated as a villain, and the heroes insist on dragging him along anyway. After the heroes are saved, [[MilesGloriosus he will boast that it was all him, even when he has done nothing at all]].
79* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Prof. Ainchent does fairly well with all the spookiness in King Aknaten's tomb, until ComicBook/WonderWoman, Etta Candy, Bobby Strong and Glamora Treat all fall down a trap door, at which point he essentially declares, whelp they're dead, runs all the way back to his plane and flies back to America before even bothering to make a report. Steve Trevor is not impressed and forces the professor to show him exactly where the cursed tomb is.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Fan Works]]
83[[AC:Examples by source material:]]
84* Near '''all''' ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''-focused fics have the Civilian Council of Konoha as this, to the point that they are either described as: wetting themselves, blabbering like babies, sweating like mad, knocked out, crapping themselves, or all the above by the tiniest amount of KillingIntent from Naruto or other characters. This is also common in any fics that focus on bashing Sakura.
85[[AC:Examples by title:]]
86* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'':
87** Alan Jonah is viewed as this by both San and Vivienne Graham, who observe he'll put anyone's life on the line or straight-up sentence them to certain death without pity or mercy in the name of the so-called greater good, even someone who he genuinely cared about; but he'll ''never'' willingly risk his own life. He also proves to be not quite as strong as he thinks he is with his couple brief {{Villainous Breakdown}}s.
88** One of Jonah's subordinates, Guard B-04, is basically just an immature bully who makes crude, childish and vicious taunts at San and Vivienne solely for shits and giggles, and who only dares taunt them whilst there's a containment field or a large number of armed guards between him and the TwoBeingsOneBody hybrid.
89* Gilda in ''Fanfic/AceCombatTheEquestrianWar''. When torturing Medley and threatening to rip her wings off, she uses her as a living shield, much to Rainbow Dash's disgust.
90* ''Fanfic/BadFutureCrusaders'': [[TheSpymaster Featherweight]] relies on his status to intimidate others, and his changeling minions to fight them for him. When neither works, he runs away with his tail between his legs.
91* In ''Fanfic/TheBeastofGusu'', after the attack on Cloud Recesses (mostly) fails, Wen Xu reveals his cowardice when facing a pissed off Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian as a wolf, begging for his life and insisting he will give them information if they take him prisoner. Wei Wuxian can tell he’s lying and laughs.
92* This is Wheatley's FatalFlaw in ''Fanfic/BlueSkyWaffles'', where he shows this trope twice, and both times cause Chell to be genuinely pissed off at him:
93** In one instance, he considered just abandoning a wounded Chell away from [=GLaDoS's=] wrath just to save his own skin, but relents at the last second.
94** In another instance, he suggested to Chell to just leave the residents of Eaden to [=GlaDoS=] and go away together.
95* ''Fanfic/TheBoysRealJustice'': As the battle between the Seven and the Legion of Doom goes wrong for the former, A-Train and the Deep try to run, but Black Manta, Doctor Polaris, and Grodd catch up and maim them. Manta cuts Kevin's arm off while Polaris breaks both of A-Train's legs, and Grodd almost bites off Reggie's head.
96* ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'': Hobbes, intended to be a LovableCoward or CowardlyLion, ends up [[CharacterDevelopment developing]] into this in Season 3. WordOfGod confessed it was due to unintentional {{Flanderization}}, and it was finally taken down a notch by Season 4.
97* ''Fanfic/CatRa'': {{Discussed|Trope}}. Adora eventually comes to this conclusion about Catra in her own version of the iconic scene from "Promise", believing Catra was never a true friend and always ran when they got in trouble, leaving her to take the rap.
98* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfRemnant'': This is Klein's opinion regarding Jay Winchester. While Klein honestly believes that Salem is a true goddess who deserves his worship, he believes that Jay is simply an opportunist trying to ensure that he'll get to survive Salem's wrath.
99* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': Kallen calls Suzaku one, telling him straight to his face that his DeathSeeker attitude is not a quest for redemption [[spoiler:for killing his father]], but a coward’s way out due to his refusal to accept his mistakes.
100* ''Fanfic/CorrinInPeril'' has Odin and Laslow, who eagerly verbally, physically and even sexually abuse a defenseless Corrin, but panic and run for help when the Hoshidans attack. Odin flees when the battle turns against him, while Laslow cries CrocodileTears and gives a false apology in hope of being spared, only for Ryoma to finish him off. This is in stark contrast to canon, in which they not only bravely serve in combat, but as Owain and Inigo, have previously fought in the main story of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', as well as the BadFuture.
101* ''Fanfic/ADevilAmongstWorms'': Makima describes Lung as this, stating that whenever adversity become too great, his will becomes broken along with his power, contemptuously noting that he lacks a sliver of courage or a fraction of [[{{Determinator}} Denji's valor]]. [[BerserkButton He does NOT take this accusation well]] and tries to prove the Control Devil wrong in fighting her... but fails and ends up trying to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere run for his life]] when she proves to be [[UnderestimatingBadassery too strong]] even in his most powerful state.
102* ''Fanfic/FriendshipIsFailure'': Stone Heart in "Write in the Head" uses a magical typewriter to enter ponies' dreams. One of his targets is Spike, ''a defenseless child'', over his connection with Twilight. Rather than own up to his actions and face punishment for his crimes, he uses the typewriter to reverse time and erase everyone's memories of him.
103* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': The homophobe, despite having brutally beaten and nearly raping Italy, ran like a pansy after Italy convinced Germany and Japan to stop beating the crap out of him.
104* Alexander Valentine of ''Fanfic/HereInMyArms''. At first, he's smugly gloating over Tsukune and his harem and boasting of his superiority, but the very ''instant'' he discovers that [[spoiler:Tsukune's a Blood Sage]] and that Inner Moka is released from her seal, he changes his tune, shamelessly begging Moka for forgiveness and trying to run for his life. Inner Moka even lampshades his attitude change right before she literally beats him to a bloody pulp:
105-->'''Inner Moka:''' What happened to all that confidence you had, weakling?
106* ''Fanfic/IWillNotBow'':
107** Noboru provokes a fight with a golden slime against Alice and the others' warnings, and when the slime calls for help, uses a [[{{Teleportation}} teleport crystal]] to escape, leaving the others to fend for themselves; Alice and Mai are the only survivors, and only because Ren, Riku, and Helios [[BigDamnHeroes heard their screams and saved them]]. He proves just as cowardly in real life, [[spoiler:forcing Alice to grovel before him to prevent him from posting a video to ruin Dan's reputation, and gleefully beating her up and calling her worthless to her face... only to completely FreakOut and beg for mercy when Dan shows up and beats him senseless.]]
108** Yamato, Sugou's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. It's most pronounced in chapter 8; he openly calls Kirito's group [[PitifulWorms maggots]] and takes great delight in gloating about how much stronger he is than them and how he LovesTheSoundOfScreaming... but the minute Kirito, possessing Kayaba's ID and admin privileges, {{depower}}s him, he screams like a little girl and immediately tries to make a break for it.
109** Rotto [[spoiler:uses Luna as a HumanShield against Rin during a tournament and slowly beats her to a pulp while she can't fight back. When he's beaten up by Lilly in the next chapter, he begs for the mercy he didn't show Rin; Lilly gives him none.]]
110** In the Caged Canaries arc of ''The Lost Stories'', Sugou's men [[spoiler:molest Alice, then tinker with her mind and force her to attack Ren, watching and laughing as she attacks and tries to kill him with sadistic glee. When Alice breaks free of the brainwashing and Ren turns his attention on them, they immediately lose all their bravado and freak out, the last one standing even [[VillainsWantMercy begging Ren for mercy]]]].
111* Zazu in ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures''. In ''Zazu's in Charge'', he's willing to abandon Simba and Nala in order to save himself from Scar and Hago.
112-->'''Hago:''' You can't escape us now.\
113'''Zazu:''' Actually, I could always fly away.\
114'''Simba:''' And leave us behind? You chicken!\
115'''Zazu:''' When things get very serious, I look out for my own best interests. In a situation like this, I find you very irrelevant.\
116'''Nala:''' You ''are'' a chicken! You'd leave us to die just so you could save yourself?\
117'''Zazu:''' I'd love to say no, but unfortunately the answer is yes.
118* It is acknowledged in ''Fanfic/LostBoy'' that when Snotlout is not being a FearlessFool, he will rig a fight through cheating and underhanded tactics to give his opponent no real options.
119-->'''Hiccup:''' Snotlout - the only time we actually fought, I had you down[.] And you - the coward that you are - had the twins pull me off you and hold me helpless as you beat me up. And then you whined to your parents that we had fought and they beat me as well. You held me helpless with a knife at my throat and assaulted me. You never fight fair! So which of us is the coward, Snotlout? You challenge me now when I am still healing and have only just lost a leg! Are you afraid of me in a fair fight?
120* If their encounter with Raven is any indication, the Space Ponies of ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'' will go out of their way to avoid fighting someone whose power cannot be determined, even if they are a member of a so-called inferior race. Some brave ponies!
121* Maiko in ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection'' never fights fair and ''never'' fights her own battles. She got Gamagoori's position by killing the true winner of the Naturals Election at the last minute after spending the entire thing hiding. She also refuses to fight anyone she's afraid of, like when she sent her men after Gamagoori despite her being a Three-Star and him not even having a Goku uniform at that point. She even spends the entire Naturals Election in the story hiding out in her manor watching everything unfold.
122* Alfe in ''Fanfic/ANewProblem'' ran away when Horace and Roba were being attacked by a bear.
123* ''Fanfic/OldWest'': Benjamin Hares is a conman who left his pregnant wife Grace penniless and homeless to escape the people he owed. When he returns and fails in selling Grace's lands so that the BigBad would cover his debts, he resorts in his desperation to [[DomesticAbuse assaulting Grace]] to make her obey, actually relishing in it. [[OhCrap All the bravado evaporates]] when he realizes he has brought that way upon himself the UnstoppableRage of Rattlesnake Jake, the same one whom he acted condescendingly towards earlier. [[spoiler:Benjamin then spends his last moments as the coward he is.]]
124* Harry in ''Fanfic/PartiallyKissedHero'' tortures his foes horribly when they can't fight back and avoids direct confrontation when they can fight back. He will never enter a fight where there is a chance to lose.
125* ''Fanfic/PassionOnDisplay'': Mineta screams and runs in terror when Bakugo is about to kill him for sending the entire class a private video with him in it.
126* ''Fanfic/RanmaSaotomeChiMaster'' has Qiáng Wang, a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad boss]] who wants revenge on Ranma and his guru for destroying his organization. He goes after Ranma because he's the weaker of the two, and because [[RevengeByProxy killing him will hurt her]]. When he finds out he underestimated the pigtailed martial artist, he flees from the fight they're having, leaving a BrainwashedAndCrazy Ryoga to kill him. It's also mentioned in the backstory that he ran away both times his organization was dismantled.
127* Janos Slynt in ''Fanfic/RobbReturns''. [[spoiler:Jon chooses not to send him to the Wall, knowing the message this might send.]]
128* In [[https://salthaven.tumblr.com/post/189536099637/not-too-much-salt-alya-and-nino-get-lila-to this]] "Salty Prompt" for ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', Lila Rossi ''abandons'' the three young children she was babysitting (Chris Lahiffe and Ella and Etta Césaire; Nino and Alya's younger siblings) during an akuma attack, allowing said akuma to kidnap and brainwash them.
129* ''Fanfic/ShiningAndSweet'': In "Bullying Blues", when being grilled by [[BullyHunter Aran Ryan]] about which one of them is Veronica (who had previously assaulted Katrina), Claire nearly immediately gives Veronica up and backs away to protect herself.
130* ''Fanfic/ThreeStrikes''
131** Trigger calls Count a coward when he turns tail and runs with the other Spares when Mr. X arrives, which may have spurred him to return and help Tabloid deal with Mihaly’s wingmen. He grows out of it later, and by the time they joined LRSSG, Count is actively assisting Naomi in battles.
132** Brigadier General Clemens is also one, which is used to the advantage by the LRSSG when they threatened that he would be sent into a penal unit to be punished for his crimes. Clemens immediately breaks and sells out his co-conspirators in the plot against Trigger without hesitation.
133* ''Fanfic/TheUnexpectedRookie'': For all of his bragging about being a better racer than Mcqueen and his students, Chick Hicks is the first to flee the race track [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl screaming]] when the Decepticons attack while the Autobots and Radiator Springs cars stay and fight them off.
134* ''Fanfic/TheVow'': After Shen kills Master Thundering Rhino and subdues Masters Ox and Croc, Lord Juan attempts to sneak away and leave his fiance Lianne behind, only for Shen to kill him as well.
135* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': In one story, Spectra's smuggling companion ditches her at the first sign of trouble, leaving her alone, naked, and defenseless in the middle of nowhere with a Giant Frog actively trying to eat her.
136* [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition First Enchanter Monette]] in ''Fanfic/WalkingInCircles'' always looks out for herself first, even if she has to look away when injustices happen to innocent mages despite the fact that it's her job to be their voice. She's one of Evelyn's constant reminders about what's wrong with the Circles, thus giving her one more reason to see them gone.
137* The government of Lesotho is portrayed as this in ''Fanfic/WorldwarWarOfEquals''. The Lesotho government actually keep their promise to seek peace with the invaders and surrender, despite being kilometers away from any of the fighting. They get invaded by South Africa to deny The Race a safe landing zone into Africa and all of the country's leaders are arrested under charges of treason.
138[[/folder]]
139
140[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
141* Iago of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. For much of the second movie ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'' onward, he spent a lot of time looking out for himself almost exclusively (he even makes up a whole song about it), although unlike many of the examples here, he can be courageous and selfless. Two examples come up in the second film.
142* Gaston of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' acts all smug and tough, taunting Beast throughout their fight in the climax, but when Beast fights back and has Gaston at his mercy, he pathetically begs for his life. Then he stabs Beast in the back when he let his guard down. [[KarmicDeath He gets shoved by Beast into the ground below for his trouble.]] It's even worse in the live-action adaptation.
143* ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'': Upon being cornered by Mater in the climax of the film, [[spoiler: Miles Axelrod is forced to deactivate the bomb he put on Mater and expose himself as the leader of the Lemons]] to avoid getting himself killed.
144* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': Ernesto del la Cruz is first proven to be a coward when Hector attacks him upon learning that he poisoned him with wine. Without making an effort to fight back, Ernesto calls his security guards for help. At the climax, Ernesto finds himself outnumbered by Hector and Miguel’s family and runs from them once again calling his security guards for help. As Ernesto is about to throw Miguel off the building, he warns Miguel’s family to stand back with a nervous look on his face. Even Miguel calls him a coward.
145* In ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'', this is practically the Boov's [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. As Oh himself puts it: "When probability for success drops below fifty percent, Boov give up." Captain Smek is even worse, often shoving aside other Boov to ensure his own safety. Part of Oh's CharacterDevelopment is moving beyond this.
146* The grasshoppers in ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' end up fleeing from [[spoiler:the ants when they finally rebel against them]]. The only exception is their leader [[BigBad Hopper]], who is furious when his own gang leaves him for dead.
147* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'', when the Omnidroid figures out Syndrome's remote was giving him an advantage, it blasts it off and Syndrome flees very quickly while screaming, even pushing a man out of the way.
148* In ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'', the rich guy who bought the Incredibile is being interviewed with the car shown in the background. When it blows a hole in the wall with its missile launchers and drives away he is shown trying to hide behind the interviewer, who is less than pleased.
149* Kent Mansley in ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' reveals himself as this when he has a nuclear missile launched at the Giant, standing about ''five feet away from him''. Upon realizing he's doomed the entire town, he immediately hijacks an army jeep and tries to drive away and save his own skin.
150-->'''Mansley''': Screw our country! I WANNA LIVE!
151* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''
152** The minute Simba has Scar cornered at the pinnacle of Pride Rock, he pathetically begs for mercy, and Simba sentences Scar life in exile, never to return. Scar seemingly complies... [[ISurrenderSuckers then viciously attacks Simba]] leading to the final battle.
153** The Hyenas from the same film also qualify, preying on those weaker than they are (cub!Simba, cub!Nala, and Zazu) while acting tough until a real threat such as Mufasa comes to make them run away with their tails between their legs. Also, they prefer to gang up on a defenseless individual like a bunch of bullies, which is fitting due to Hyenas being scavengers.
154* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': When Hal mistakes Megamind and Minion for robbers, he tries to make them go after one of his neighbors. Later on, as [[FromNobodyToNightmare Titan]], when he is faced by Metro Man (or so he thinks), his first instinct is to drop the "badass supervillain" act and flee in a panic.
155* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames'', while everyone else pitches in to help others during the climax, Principle Abacus Cinch instead [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere attempts to escape]]. Afterwards, she [[NeverMyFault refuses to accept responsibility]] for causing the disaster in the first place.
156* Disney’s ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'' gives us the treacherous but {{sissy|Villain}} mama’s boy Prince John. Prince John is greedy and abusive. He also plots revenge on Robin Hood. During the brawl at the archery tournament, Prince John attempts to smite Robin Hood with his sword, only to be disarmed by the latter. Prince John pathetically pleas, “Don’t hurt me! No, no, don’t hurt me!” Then he cries “Help! Help” as he runs and hides behind a barrel.
157* Roland from ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' is an example. He uses nearby fairies to act as human shields against an irate Marianne, even the girl he cheated on her with! He pressures Sunny to risk his life to make the love potion while he safely stays in the fairy kingdom. He hides when the goblins raid the Spring ball, despite being a fully armored soldier. The moment the odds are at all against him, he bails.
158* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'': Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear quickly shows himself to be this when Big Baby turns on him. After acting like an AbusiveParent to Big Baby and [[MotiveRant ranting about how toys are trash]], he quickly begs Big Baby not to leave him in the dumpster when Big Baby tosses him in. Big Baby understandably ignores his pleas. He shows his cowardice again during the incinerator scene where he begs Woody and his friends to help him, only to leave them behind to save himself immediately afterwards.
159* ''WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}}'': To save himself from getting eaten, [[spoiler:Creek]] makes a deal with the Bergens and leads them to the other Trolls.
160[[/folder]]
161
162[[folder:Music]]
163* ''Music/TheArrogantWorms'' have a song called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggl9tX9iu4g I Ran Away]]"; unsurprisingly, the protagonist resorts to ''every'' stated situation by running.
164* Frank Gallop played it for laughs in "The Ballad of Irving," who was {{Too Dumb to Live}} as well as a coward:
165-->The James Boys was comin' on a train at first sun,\
166And the town said, "Irving, we need your gun."\
167When that train pulled in at the break of dawn,\
168[[ExactWords Irving's gun was there, but Irving was gone.]]
169* The song "The End of the Line" by Music/TheStupendium and Music/DanBull is set in the world of ''VideoGame/ChooChooCharles'', where two train workers routinely sacrifice innocent people to [[MechanicalAbomination Charles]], who they accidentally unleashed, to avoid being eaten themselves.
170* Music/{{Sabaton}}'s song ''In The Name Of God'' is a ReasonYouSuckSpeech aimed directly at religious terrorists (particularly Al-Qaeda and their ilk), and it's mostly calling them this. [[TheParanoiac (It's not wrong, either.)]]
171-->Stand up and show me your face!
172* The song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNOSTTjbqg8 "Do anything you want to the girl (Just don't hurt me)"]] by Otis Lee Crenshaw is about a guy who professes to love his girlfriend, but bails on her when they get attacked by a mugger while on a romantic walk and leaves her at the robber's mercy.
173* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQfqQDPItnI "Hero for an Hour"]] by Tony Banks is about a man who overhears a kidnapping and briefly considers intervening before running away instead.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
177* ''Literature/TheIliad'':
178** Thersites talks tough, but Ulysses calls him the most pathetic of all Greeks.
179** Paris, one of the people responsible for the war, was a coward who was easily beaten by Menelaus in close range. So, he preferred to use his bow from a distance. However, as he was a great archer, he managed to kill Achilles... and immediately grew out of his cowardice, charging in the field and being nearly as good as [[TheAce Hector]].
180* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
181** Ares reveled in the bloodshed and chaos of war, but he actually wasn't that good a warrior and had low pain tolerance. His response to being wounded in the Trojan War was to cry and run back to Olympus.
182** When King Eurystheus enslaved Heracles for his Twelve Labors, he lorded over the hero, but when Heracles brought back the Nemean Lion's ''skin'', the Erymanthian Boar, and Cerberus, he would shriek in terror and hide in a huge jug until Heracles took them away.
183* ''Literature/TheBible'':
184** The wicked are described as such in [[Literature/BookOfProverbs Proverbs 28:1]]:
185-->''"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."''
186** According to [[Literature/BookOfRevelation Revelation 21:8]], the fearful is one of the sinners who will be cast into the [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Lake of Fire]].
187* Myth/ArthurianLegend: King Mark from the Tristan and Isolde part. Or at least he's like this in Malory's ''Literature/LeMorteDArthur''.
188[[/folder]]
189
190[[folder:Opera]]
191* Mime from Music/RichardWagner's opera ''Siegfried'' is a Dirty Coward to the core, but is often inappropriately played as TheWoobie.
192[[/folder]]
193
194[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
195* This is a classic {{heel}} character in ProfessionalWrestling. The Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan made a career out of this [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in Wrestling/{{WWE}} and Wrestling/{{Christian}} Cage was in this mode following his FaceHeelTurn in Wrestling/{{TNA}}.
196* In the late 90's following his infamous FaceHeelTurn, Wrestling/HulkHogan. While he might squash any challenger that came his way at a PPV, Hogan would often spend at a least a month hiding behind members of the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder talking trash as his future opponent would rip apart the {{jobber}}s in the nWo a few feet away.
197* Averting this trope is one of the reasons Wrestling/{{Kane}} is so popular, even as a Monster Heel. He will never back down and has gotten into the ring with guys far bigger than him. In the Royal Rumble match, he will always stare down the biggest guy in the ring, nod, and when it is returned the two will ignore everyone else until one of them is eliminated.
198* Wrestling/KurtAngle was famous for this in early WWE run (1999-2002)
199* This is one of the main reasons Xavier is the least popular Wrestling/RingOfHonor Champion to ever hold the belt. Superficially, his wrestling style resembled that of fan favorite Wrestling/LowKi, but while Ki was an intense, honorable and took on all comers, had an entire PowerStable to hide behind and in fact was a protected figure head of that stable who Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels set up after failing to win the belt himself. Even similar figures that came later like Wrestling/AdamCole were at least proactive. In fact, there was an angle where ROH set up a new number one contender's system just to ensure Xavier had to face a challenger.
200* Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} is very good at portraying this type of heel, though sometimes it's subverted somewhat when it is shown that the women who are in love with him actually ''want'' to risk their necks to save his, and do so without his prompting (see Wrestling/{{Lita}} and Wrestling/VickieGuerrero). Wrestling/CMPunk milked this trope as part of his Charles Manson-like cult-leader gimmick, with his skin-headed moll Serena ''smiling'' as he uses her as a human shield. Edge was such a coward as a heel that it wasn't unusual for him on house shows to spend up to ten minutes stalling outside of the ring before eventually locking up with his opponent.
201* Subverted by Wrestling/JohnCena, who acted this way until his full-blown HeelFaceTurn in 2005. Despite being very strong and tough in his own right, he would use a steel chain wrapped around his knuckles to knock out larger opponents and gain victories over them - and he ''still'' got cheered.
202* Wrestling/MichaelCole IS this trope following his FaceHeelTurn. To put it in perspective, he's put himself ''in a bulletproof glass case'' for his protection and constantly backs down when someone challenges him to a match.
203* Wrestling/BryanDanielson's heel run in WWE is borderline comical in this respect. It's a RunningGag that, if things get hectic while he's at ringside, he'll disappear from the action, but the camera will soon cut to a shot of him leaving up the entrance ramp huddling his World Title with Wrestling/{{AJ|Lee}} following close behind.
204* This trope defined Nemesis as PGWA Champion. The governing body, Special Events, gives every champion a large say who gets to challenge for the belt, and while this lead to many champions, most infamously Nikki Roxx, being ''[[NobodyCallsMeChicken accused]]'' of cowardice, Nemesis was the first to truly use this clause to put off title defenses for as long as possible.
205* Nicole Matthews has the dubious distinction of being the first Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} Champion who was also a coward. She won the belt with a {{fireball|s}} and even admitted in an interview that if she could be champion, ''anyone'' could. She later backed down from that stance, telling perennial rivals Kellie Skater and Tomoka Nakagawa they would never win the belt but quickly reverted to ducking them as much as possible after Nakagawa kicked her butt and spent most of her reign running from that fireball's victim, Madison Eagles.
206* For all his talk about being The Most Must-See WWE Superstar of All Time, Wrestling/TheMiz is willing to hide behind his wife's back to avoid a beating.
207* When Wrestling/SethRollins is in the Authority, he acts as if he is such a big shot but he rarely wins a match without back up from J&J security and Kane and will normally runs away if the tables are turn,
208* Whenevever he is losing in a tag team match, [[Wrestling/KevinSteen Kevin Owens]] will normally abandons his partner (usually after tagging them) and walks away.
209[[/folder]]
210
211[[folder:Radio]]
212* Major Bloodnok (Peter Sellers) in ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' is a coward through-and-through, and there's not a thing he won't do for money.
213** Also, everyone else. While deciding who gets volunteered for a dangerous mission:
214--->'''Seagoon''': I'm terribly sorry, but I have a wife and 63 children!\
215'''Bloodnok''': I too have a wife and children. That only leaves dear old - \
216[rattle of telephone]\
217'''Eccles''': Hello, hello, operator? Get me the marriage bureau!\
218[later]\
219'''Bloodnok''': Flatten me cronkler with spinach mallets. So, both of you have turned cowards, eh. That only leaves me. Two cowards, and me. You know what this means?\
220'''Seagoon''': ''Three'' cowards.
221* Thomas in ''Radio/OldHarrysGame'' (whose nastiness [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusts even Satan]]) has many horrible characteristics, but his dirty cowardice is among his defining traits. Though he does occasionally show signs of CharacterDevelopment, this is nearly always unwound by the end of the episode.
222[[/folder]]
223
224[[folder:Sports]]
225* The Unified Rules Of UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts require point deductions for "Timidity", including the avoidance of contact, the dropping of mouth guards and the faking of injury.[[/folder]]
226
227[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
228* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': Clan Steel Viper had this repuatation. While even their harshest critics would admit that a Steel Viper warrior was a brave and skilled fighter, the same could not be said of the Clan's leadership. In the Battle of Tukayyid, when seven Clans battled Comstar to determine ownership of Terra, the Steel Viper khans called a retreat sooner than any of the other Clans, despite Viper forces being close to capturing one of their objectives. They evacuated the world with the fewest casualties of any Clan. Ten years later (after not really participating in anything of note in the intervining decade), they challenged Clan Jade Falcon over the Falcons awarding a Bloodname to a Freeborn warrior. After several victories, they were routed and driven completely from their Inner Sphere holdings when the Falcon warrior in question got a single lucky shot that disabled the mech being piloted by the Viper khan. Finally, they initiated the Wars of Reaving to destroy the Clans they viewed as having been tainted by contact the Inner Sphere. After destroying a number of Clans that ''hadn't'' been in contact with the Inner Sphere and driving those Clans that still held territory in the Sphere out of Clanspace, they declared themselves the victors when the Khan of Clan Star Adder pointed out that the Vipers themselves were tainted by association with the Inner Sphere. The Steel Viper khan demanded to prove that they were not tainted by single combat between himself and the Star Adder khan without the use of weapons, and then shot the Star Adder Khan in the chest with a laser pistol. This final act of cowardace was all the proof that the remaining Clans needed that the Vipers ''were'' tainted and thus they became the last Clan destroyed in the Reavings.
229* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
230** Goblins are typically portrayed this way in every edition, due to their lot as one of the smallest and weakest of evil humanoids.
231** Kobolds were often portrayed this way until Third Edition, when the game decided to play up an alleged relationship to dragons and the race as a whole TookALevelInBadass.
232** The Craven feat in ''The Book of Vile Darkness'' invokes this trope: it gives bonus to [[BackStab Sneak Attack]] damage but penalizes will saves vs fear and specifically states that characters who are immune to fear aren't eligible for it.
233** Gray dragons aren't very keen on fair fights, and prefer to engage creatures that are land-bound and weaker than them. They will usually beat the retreat when faced with foes that prove to be tough enough to be a threat, or which can join the dragon in the air.
234** Air drakes eagerly lord over weaker creatures, but are quick to turn tail and run for their lives when confronted by more powerful beings.
235** The 3rd Edition Monster Manual describes [[BrainFood mind flayers]] as being this way: should they be in a fight that goes sour, they just flee and leave all their {{Mooks}} to die.
236* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The Ebon Dragon may be one of the Titans who created the world, and one of the most overwhelmingly powerful beings in existence, but his pitiful Virtues (especially Valor), the easily exploitable holes in his defenses, and the personality constraints of his Excellency make him an utterly rank coward. He will very rarely engage in a straight fight against anything capable of hurting him (which can be everything) and will ''never'' do so against something that has the slightest chance of killing him. Fortunately for him, being the Principle of Villainy makes one ''really'' good at talking your way out of trouble, or just plain running away.
237* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Ib Halfheart, [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=157923 Goblin Tactician]]. His tactical insights include:
238-->''"Everybody but me-- CHARGE!"''\
239''[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?name=Blinking+Spirit "Don't look at it! Maybe it'll go away!"]]''
240* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'': Creatures with the "Craven" ability, like orc {{Mooks}}, try to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee the scene]] as soon as their Hate points are exhausted.
241* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Umbral dragons have no interest in anything resembling a fair fight. They happily prey on those weaker than themselves, but as soon as a foe actually manages to strike back at them they flee back into the shadows to lick their wounds and plot ways to get revenge without actually having to expose themselves to harm.
242* ''TabletopGame/ATouchOfEvil'': If you select a Town Elder with the Coward Secret to join your Hunting Party, there's a very real risk of that Elder abandoning you in the middle of the fight.
243* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
244** The Skaven are sneaky, conniving, selfish, cowardly, and backstabbing, and each of these ratmen would gladly sacrifice their entire race for their own hides if not for their innate fear and paranoia. However, this does not make the Skaven race weak, as their disease-resistant qualities, large numbers, and dedication to keeping themselves hidden from mankind and the other races (to the point that they are regarded as a myth even when presented with irrefutable evidence of their existence) would make them a formidable foe that could potentially overtake the world if they could just put aside their in-fighting and distrust for each other for one millisecond.
245*** Taken to extremes with the Skaven special character [[MeaningfulName Tretch Craventail]], a coward even by the Skaven's admittedly nonexistent standards. His special rule [[BlatantLies "Stay Here; I'll Get Help!"]] allows him to abandon his own unit at any time and teleport into another, nearby unit.
246** Hobgoblins are quick to turn tail when the odds are against them. One example is a hobgoblin mercenary Oglah Khan, who constantly switches sides when the side he is on is losing. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Other Greenskins detest them for their cravenness and treachery]].
247* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
248** The Literature/NightLords are a legion of Chaos Space Marines who specialize in raids, terror tactics, and guerrilla warfare. However, their reliance on this kind of fighting means they are themselves rather cynical and cowardly, lacking the conviction of the other, more fanatical legions. Several Night Lords characters are also shown to be willing to abandon their own brothers in the name of self-preservation, a trait which is also symptomatic of many fallen Chaos Space Marine warbands.
249** ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'': The Spyrers. Justified by the fact that each and every one of them is a OneManArmy in a world full of {{Badass Normal}}s, so, if [[MassOhCrap a gang manages to kill one or even more of them...]]
250** Gretchin are small and craven, with Leadership 5 and a tendency to hide whenever anything makes a loud noise nearby. Possibly justified given that compared to a Gretchin's stats and equipment, [[PunyEarthlings Imperial Guard]] CannonFodder look like {{Space Marine}}s -- Gretchin are weaker, more fragile, slower, and have lower range, neatly explaining why they run like scared rodents as soon as the Ork who's pushing them into battle runs away. The Heralds of Ruin ''[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000KillTeam Kill Team]]'' rules hack has a Grot Rebels team, based on a mob type in ''TabletopGame/{{Gorkamorka}}''; because morale enhancement is so out of character for Grots, the upgrades to offset the penalty from their Mork-awful leadership rating are themed around the Grots compensating for cowardice with ''[[TooDumbToLive rank stupidity]]'', meaning they take fewer Rout tests because they're too stupid right now to realise they should be.
251[[/folder]]
252
253[[folder:Theatre]]
254* In ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'':
255** The public of The Burgundy Theater invokes this trope about Montfleury's RunOrDie decision instead of [[LastStand standing to Cyrano (who has threatened to kill Montfleury if he insists to act in a play)]] in the middle of Act I Scene IV. Subverted at the end of that scene, after [[SociopathicHero Cyrano kicks a Bore's ass and wounds De Valvert]], then [[FridgeLogic it is obvious that Montfleury displayed true valor]] despite Cyrano's prohibition to be in a scene. [[JerkAss The public still thinks that Montfleury is a Dirty Coward.]]
256** At Act II Scene III, Cyrano admits to himself he is one of those when he thinks to write a letter to Roxane and flee. Interestingly enough, he has a FreudianExcuse.
257--> '''Cyrano''' ''(To himself):'' [[LoveLetterLunacy I will write, fold it, give it her, and fly!]]
258--> ''(Throws down the pen):'' [[LampshadeHanging Coward!]]... But strike me dead
259--> [[CannotSpitItOut if I dare to speak to her]],... ay, even one
260--> single word!
261* Garcin from ''Theatre/NoExit''.
262* Played for laughs in ''Theatre/TheRivals'', where Bob Acres is persuaded by peer pressure to challenge his romantic rival to a duel, but then immediately starts coming up with excuses to call the whole thing off.
263* In ''Theatre/Titanic'' Ismay spends the first half confidently bragging about the titular ship and tests her limits. When his arrogance leads to the ship sinking, he flees in one of the first lifeboats. To make it even worse is that he knew that there were only enough lifeboats for half of those onboard.
264* Creator/WilliamShakespeare used this at least twice:
265** The [[MilesGloriosus braggart]] Parolles in ''Theatre/AllsWellThatEndsWell'' cravenly betrays his fellow soldiers when they make him think he has been captured by enemy forces.
266** More sympathetically is Falstaff.
267[[/folder]]
268
269[[folder:Webcomics]]
270* In ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'', [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2010/10/24/press-any-button/ CK himself has his moments.]] His [[http://ferretface99.deviantart.com/art/CK-Expressions-244764825 expression sheet]] even has him pushing Nin Wah into the line of fire for "fierce".
271* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', the [[GraveRobbing Grave Robber]] Bolo [[http://endstone.net/comic/issue-1-page-32/ tries to steal the Lightstone and puts the blame on his companion when caught]].
272* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Lucrezia Mongfish ''loves'' to lord over everyone and gloat whenever she comes one step closer to victory, but is quick to flee when things start going badly for her. [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100730 Von Pinn exploits this]] to threaten her into surrendering [[GrandTheftMe control over Agatha's body]] once she makes it clear that, even half-dead as she is, Lucrezia can't [[CompellingVoice control]] Von Pinn [[NoSell anymore]].
273-->'''Von Pinn:''' Heh. Your mother always was a ''coward'' at heart.
274* The Chief in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', who survived the massacre by hiding and ignoring the cries of his villagers. Afterwards, he becomes a cleric to start a path of redemption. Which comes to a [[TearJerker tragic end]] when he performs a HeroicSacrifice to prevent Kore from slaying his fellow goblins.
275* In ''Webcomic/ImpureBlood'', [[http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Issue05PAGES/ib105.html their ride dumps them in the city and leaves.]]
276* Malevolus the Blackguard from ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'' His sense of self-preservation prevails over any assignment he could be given, unfortunately for the Tantacallis. He's also prompt to threaten hostages in exchange of being let go unharmed, and is quick to surrender when things go south.
277* Lightning from ''Webcomic/{{Sidekicks}}'' all the way. Despite being a {{Superhero}}, he never puts himself in the line of fire unless he absolutely has to or he is [[BerserkButton provoked]] into doing so. It's no wonder that three [[spoiler:(four if you count Theo being overtaken by Metheos as the former dying)]] of his previous five sidekicks have died. He's also [[NiceJobBreakingItHero indirectly responsible for the destruction of the Committee headquarters.]]
278* Dr. Schlock, from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', is played for laughs in this manner: He helps the cast out more often than not, but that's only because Riff has a gun to his head. When he eventually gets into a situation he ''can't'' run away from, he's revealed to be [[CorneredRattleSnake more dangerous]] than he looks.
279* Homeroom teacher Ms. Seolim Lee from ''Webcomic/SurvivingRomance'' is a rare female example. Unable to accept the reality of being infected, she hides her symptoms by wounding herself and feigns sympathy with her class by lying about her actions since the outbreak. When Chaerin tries to reveal the truth she attempts to manipulate the students into sending her back into the zombie-infested halls.
280* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' gives you Paracule, a tall, haughty [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk jerkass]] with a green fish face, who in general calls everybody scum, is the first to abandon somebody, demands that people should be sacrificed for his ends or in his stead, sticks up for nobody, openly switches sides to gain the majority's favor, and has neither skill nor intelligence to back his behaviour up. He is known in the fandom as the ass, although he gained some popularity after one occasion where he "ruined" a dramatic moment in an epically hilariously stupid way. Why he survives is a [[MemeticBadass mystery to all]].
281* In ''Webcomic/WeakHero'', Jared Sun only cares for himself and will do everything in his power to bolster his reputation and connections while avoiding any sort of actual, physical battle. He was the only member of Wolf's gang to abandon the climactic battle between Ganghak and Eunjang, escaping down the emergency ladder while no-one was looking. This cowardice ends up being his undoing, as his lack of injuries alerts Wolf to something being off with him.
282[[/folder]]
283
284[[folder:Web Original]]
285* In Creator/AchievementHunter LetsPlay videos, if there is some sort of survival game they're playing, especially games like GMOD: Murder or ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'', expect Geoff Ramsay to be like this. In games like ''VideoGame/TroubleInTerroristTown'', the first words out of Geoff's mouth is "''I'm not the killer!''" Usually, it's true, but because he's so loud and adamant, they blast him early on just to make sure. In games like ''Dead By Daylight'', he'll easily leave the others to suffer at the hands of the monster, but start begging for help when he gets caught.
286* [[http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2365-i-was-psych-nurse-who-abused-patients-with-chokeholds.html This]] Cracked Article describes a nurse in a psych ward named [[VillainProtagonist Clyde]] and how he came to hate his patients, [[KickTheDog how he looked the other way while they were being abused, and how he regularly abused them as well]]. While he claims he regrets it and that it was wrong, [[NeverMyFault the constant excuses he makes by mostly blaming the system instead of himself and his fellow nurses]], makes him extremely hard to sympathise. Especially when he reveals that his TheLastStraw for him happened when he walked in on two of his coworkers ''[[ColdBloodedTorture force-feeding a patient shaving cream]]'', which nearly killed the patient, but instead of doing anything to intervene, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark Clyde just locked himself in the bathroom]]. For obvious reasons, the interviewer doesn't agree with him.
287-->'''Interviewer''': [[WhatTheHellHero Still, though...]]
288* ''WebAnimation/DeadFantasy'': Aptly sums up what ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Final Fantasy]]'' fans thought about [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Hayate]]]]'s actions in episode 5. During live screenings, the crowd could be heard booing because he sent an entire squad of {{ninja}} after [[spoiler:[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Tifa]]]][[note]]who's one of [[Creator/SquareEnix SquareEnix's]] [[BreakoutCharacter most beloved characters]][[/note]], who'd been weakened during her fight with Hitomi. And stood idly by, [[WeHaveReserves not caring how many of his men died]], just to keep from getting his hands dirty. It isn't until [[spoiler:Tifa]]'s exhausted and bound in chains that [[SmugSnake he casually strolls up to her]] and finishes her off. At which point, a member of the audience shouts: "That's fucked up! C'mon!!" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpStJIdDUiw (heard at 4:31).]]
289* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': ??? mostly relies on his Franchise/{{Digimon}} to fight for him. As a result of rarely fighting, he can be bested in combat rather easily.
290** Psycho Man summons Darkness counterparts to fight for him. When they are dispatched like the lowly Mooks they are, he retreats through a portal.
291** Eel, the BigBad. After Killer defeats all of his brainwashed acquantinces and is ready to fight Eel, he distracts Killer by destroying a stand where a mongoose is and then has [[TheDragon Screech]] carry him away.
292* Several guests in ''WebVideo/EscapeTheNight'' qualify.
293** [[InsufferableGenius Matt]] from season one volunteers to perform an exorcism, only to try back out once he realizes he might die, at which point it is too late and everyone votes for him to go in and help anyway. He then accidentally kills his friend which paints him in a very bad light.
294** [[LovableRogue Jesse]] from season two acts tough, but is the first to run when trouble is around. He also begs and cries for his life while everyone else decides to FaceDeathWithDignity.
295** [[NonActionGuy Tyler]] might count, but he’s more of a LovableCoward.
296** [[DirtyCoward Colleen]] in season 4, when she is captured by monsters she starts to nervously talk a lot. She tries to join their allegiance saying, "I can help you do evil stuff and kill people if you let me go."
297* Liu Bei is absolutely this in ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', despite being the DesignatedHero. He'll abandon his family at the drop of a hat, avoid fighting at all costs, and burst into tears whenever things go wrong.
298* Everyone is this in [[ZombieApocalypse Fight of the Living Dead]]. It’s only after a few people have died that they realise they need to work together. After this only Vitaly remains a selfish coward.
299* ''WebAnimation/FoxyGetsHooked'': PlayedForLaughs. When a fight breaks out between Foxy and Freddy, Bonnie looks like he's going to aid Freddy... only to quickly take shelter in a rabbit cage, transforming into a shivering, realistic-looking bunny as well.
300* ''WebAnimation/LazyBumYakuza'': [[https://youtu.be/xSb-OMn5iSo Masaru Iwaki]] tried to join the Ooban clan after his own gang excommunicated him for selling drugs to teens, but they all whooped his ass. The Ooban boss also warns the former's son Tsuyoshi that Iwaki will rat him out to the cops when things get out of hand.
301* ''WebAnimation/MangaSoprano'': Near the end of ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8-gfzT4b0c I was forced to enter the contest, but my brother, a former yakuza, helped me out]]'', [[spoiler:Kairi showed up to the swimsuit contest his sister Kanade was forced into. When they got a glimpse of one of his tattoos, both of Maria's "friends" run off and betray her to save their own skins.]]
302* ''WebAnimation/MangaWaido'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RjgmhgDfrM this story]], [[spoiler:it's revealed Aya had a past affair with a married man. When held to task, she cowered to her parents and had ''them'' pay the alimony instead of paying it herself. In the present, she cowered to her boss when Fuyuki rejected her, confirming him of her true nature]].
303* Gaea from ''Franchise/{{Noob}}''. She blackmails and cons her own guildmates while thinking of them as human shields in battle and weasels her way out of contributing to her guild's common fund while frequently stealing from it. She even plays SquishyWizard, which makes her optimal battle strategy consist of taking cover (or sometimes attempt to ditch the battle while pretending to do so) and hitting enemies with powerful attacks.
304* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''.
305** Blake Belladona thinks she's a coward because she feels her response to problems is to run away. Even her Semblance reinforces her self-belief by creating decoys that take her hits for her. Examples she uses to "prove" she's a coward include her fleeing the team when she actually lets slip to Weiss that she's ex-White Fang and her abandoning Adam during the Black Trailer. [[spoiler:When she runs away to protect the people she cares about from Adam's vengeance, a physically and emotionally broken Yang bitterly judges her for running away because Blake hasn't told anyone why she's gone. In "Taking Control", Sun calls her out on constantly running away, informing her that contrary to what she thinks, constantly abandoning her loved ones and friends is anything but selfless and in fact hurts them more than the bad guys ever could; hearing this, combined with the discovery that Adam intends to usurp the White Fang and then destroy Haven Academy just as he destroyed Beacon, finally gets Blake to decide she's done running.]]
306** Despite having come to the elite Beacon Academy to train to become some of the world's top Huntsmen, when Team CRDL is attacked by a giant Ursa, they don't attempt to fight it. They turn tail and flee, abandoning Cardin and Jaune to face the monster alone. Cardin cowers in terror when the Ursa disarms him, leaving the combat novice, Jaune, to face it alone.
307** Raven Branwen's TheSocialDarwinist philosophy is, ultimately, a cover for this trope. She's trying to convince herself that she's being "strong" by doing whatever it takes to survive (in contrast to Lionheart, below, who [[AtLeastIAdmitIt admits his actions are caused by fear]]) and only abandoned the SecretWar against Salem because it would be foolish to outright oppose her, but the truth is that she's a coward and is abandoning the rest of humanity to save her own hide.[[spoiler: She winds up getting ''nothing'' out of her involvement in the plot because [[DidntThinkThisThrough she realized too late]] that the relic she thought she could use to bargain for her tribe's safety would just make her a target. So, rather than keep the prize that she backstabbed and defeated Cinder Fall for, she leaves the relic with Yang and flees empty-handed.]]
308** Though he serves as Salem's mole, Leonardo Lionheart desperately attempts to bolt from the conflict between her and Ozpin thanks to his paranoia of the latter. Raven wonders what Salem has on Leo to have turned him against Ozpin and, when Ozpin personally witnesses how Leo is behaving on Salem's behalf, he wonders what happened to Leo. Leo realises Oscar hasn't been Ozpin's host for very long and thus isn't truly Ozpin yet; he concludes that if he can deliver Oscar to Salem, Salem will grant Leo's release. [[spoiler:His cowardice eventually culminates in Salem deeming him no longer useful for her plans after the Battle of Haven]].
309** [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jacques Schnee]] is perfectly composed, smug, and arrogant as long as he's in control of a situation; his cowardice becomes readily apparent when things don't work in his favor. This is best shown in Volume 7; [[spoiler:after he's outed for collaborating with [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Watts]] to rig the council election in his favor, he's reduced to a sweating, stammering wreck who can only muster feeble lies in his defense before trying to make a break for it]].
310* ''WebVideo/SMPLive'': Schlatt is not above combat-logging and just generally running away from anything that he feels threatened by.
311* ''WebAnimation/StoryTimeAnimated'': When their boat fell over, Garth left [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbQGvMKhctc Regina]] to be eaten by the crocodiles. Fortunately Raven rescued her just in time.
312* In [[https://youtu.be/jIzL9sektoA?t=84 this video]] Creator/TessMasazza, author of the Italian Webseries ''Insopportabilmente Donna'', flees at the first hint that her new house might perhaps be haunted. It is a [[ParodiedTrope parody]] of the FinalGirl trope of HorrorFilms, after all.
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