Line #22 Main/TheGeneralissimo


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7	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Fakkadi.jpg]]]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350:"There are no offensive stereotypes in the glorious [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Socialist Democratic Federated Republic]] of [[{{Qurac}} Carbombya]]!"]]
9
10	->''Dear Lisa, as I write this, I am very sad. Our president has been overthrown and--\
11	''[voice changes to that of a man]''\
12	'''--replaced by the benevolent General Krull. All hail Krull and his glorious new regime! Sincerely, Little Girl.'''''
13	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E2CapeFeare Cape Feare]]"
14
15	A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The military dictator of a [[FictionalCountry fictional third world state or nation]] (often located in [[BananaRepublic Latin America]], [[{{Ruritania}} Central or Eastern Europe]], [[{{Bulungi}} sub-Saharan Africa]], or [[{{Qurac}} the Middle East/North Africa]]). Almost invariably rules a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny or a BananaRepublic, though other flavors of [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] are not unheard of. The most popular setting is a banana republic on a picturesque tropical island, but regardless of setting, the general's residence is always steeped in wealth and luxury while his subjects live in utter poverty. Almost AlwaysMale, and often either LargeAndInCharge or TheNapoleon[=/=]MisterBig. If they do have families, they will naturally be ThePatriarch as a parent, and their children are spoiled, sadistic hedonists that treat the nation as their personal playground. They typically have a wife and several [[TheMistress mistresses]], or a harem of [[TrophyWife trophy wives]], and their views on women often lean towards the [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]]. In the field, they're usually a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.
16
17	His reign tends to be characterised by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, [[KangarooCourt judicial killings]], extrajudicial killings, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections nepotism]], corruption (particularly embezzlement and bribery), and [[ThePurge frequent purges of any subordinates he finds suspicious]]. His political viewpoints ([[StrawmanPolitical if he even has any]]) usually veer towards [[DirtyCommunists Communism]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Fascism]], [[CommieNazis some combination of the worst aspects of both]], or just no-frills authoritarianism. Of course, none of this will stop him from [[GloriousLeader proclaiming himself "The People's Liberator"]] or otherwise [[FakeUltimateHero billing himself as a great hero]]. He may rule alone, or he may be the head of a military junta. On occasion, another person may be the official head of state, but they'll be just a [[PuppetKing figurehead]] for him to rule through, if not [[AuthorityInNameOnly sidelined entirely]].
18
19	He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at an institution run by a [[SinisterSpyAgency sketchy foreign intelligence agency]], [[ColdBloodedTorture getting trained in the art]] of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common subplot is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow him, with a hammy [[UsefulNotes/FidelCastro Castro]] or [[UsefulNotes/CheGuevara Che]] {{Expy}} as their fearless leader. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train [[FormerRegimePersonnel his own insurgents]] to overthrow the new revolutionary government, which is [[FullCircleRevolution just as repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology at all, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.
20
21	Tends to be based on one or more real-life military dictators ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed living]] or [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed dead]]), and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' of these guys that they created their own term to describe such leaders, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudillo caudillo]][[note]]Caudillo can also be an affectionate term used to describe especially popular statesmen or military leaders that have positive reputations in their home countries, such as UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle y Ordonez, and Colombia's Jorge Elicier Gaitan[[/note]]. Of course, people from other regions are also common influences. See [[Analysis/TheGeneralissimo the analysis page]] for more information.
22
23	Usually this character is DressedToOppress in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and a CommissarCap (often a comically large one), though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. If he wants to project an image of holding legitimate authority beyond force, he may don an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste expensive suit]]. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself]]. Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but plentiful self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tinpot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).
24
25	Compare and contrast TheWarlord, who imposes his rule through pure military pressure instead of installing himself at the head of a functional country like the Generalissimo does, although the more far-sighted kind of Warlords may have ambitions to become this trope.
26
27	Note that generalissimo (Latin ''generalissimus'', the absolute superlative of "general") ''is'' a legitimate rank in some militaries, denoting a '''six-star general'''.[[note]]In the United States, the equivalent is ''General of the Armies'', only held by John J. Pershing after World War I and posthumously to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur was proposed to be promoted in preparation for the Invasion of Japan, as the invasion would involve enormous amounts of manpower and a would have a large command staff[[/note]] The trope namers come from many dictators who awarded themselves with this rank primarily due a big ego and bloated sense of self-importance, but you don't necessarily need to be a dictator or incompetent commander to be a Generalissimo -- many RealLife Generalissimos have been brilliant and competent field commanders. The first to bear the rank was Albrecht von Wallenstein, the Imperial commander-in-chief in the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar. A similar (theoretical) naval rank of ''admiralissimus'' exists; so far, only Haireddin Barbarossa of the Imperial Turkish Navy and Albrecht von Wallenstein have borne it.
28
29	Contrast the BenevolentDictator.
30	----
31	!!Examples:
32
33	[[foldercontrol]]
34
35	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
36	* ''Anime/{{Daimos}}'': [[PlanetBaron Olban]] of [[SpaceRomans Planet Baam]] organizes regular killings on [[AngelicAliens his own people]], who are already survivors of a genocide. To retain his position, he sends the true heir to the throne, [[ConqueringAlienPrince Richter]], off to war, [[spoiler:after managing to successfully frame the human race for the assassination that took his father]]. Olban also has the [[MayDecemberRomance hots]] for the [[spoiler:daughter of the man he assassinated, [[PrincessClassic Erika]], and seeks to marry her to legitimize his position. [[spoiler:In a dramatic turn of events, it turns out that while Erika agreed to marry him, she secretly planned to kill him as revenge for him killing her father. Later, her and Richter team up to have him disposed.]]
37	* Gihren Zabi of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''. Zeon itself has shades of being a third world country compared to TheFederation, and while he's technically [[TheEvilPrince the son]] of the actual Sovereign, Gihren serves as the Zeon's ''de facto'' ruler through his position as Prime Minister and tremendous CultOfPersonality.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Blogs]]
41	* The Venezuelan NewsParody ''Blog/ElChiguireBipolar'' will sometimes show off this trope's traits on presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, but it most notably comes up in the entry [[http://www.elchiguirebipolar.net/14-02-2014/maduro-me-llamaran-dictador-pero-voy-a-hacer-todo-lo-que-hace-un-dictador/ Maduro: "They'll call me a dictator, but I'm going to do everything a dictator does."]]
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Books]]
45	* ''ComicBook/BenoitBrisefer'' has one such island BananaRepublic with three generals (army, navy and air), who are constantly taking and retaking the palace from each other and declaring themselves Arch-Generalissimo or other inflated titles. Meanwhile, the dirt-poor inhabitants have grown used to all this nonsense and carry on life as usual (it helps that the soldiers are all remarkably inept, employing ATeamFiring to the fullest).
46	* In a ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' story from the 1970s, Jakarra, T'challa's cousin, stages a coup and declares himself the absolute leader of Wakanda and first guardian of the panther cult, planning to use his superior technology to {{take over the world}} and briefly becoming this trope.
47	* ''ComicBook/ChickTracts'': "Fat Cats" is set in a fictional Latin American country features a group of rebels fighting against the corrupt, repressive regime of the military dictator known only as "El Supremo". The RebelLeader and eventual Premier, a man named Carlos, [[FullCircleRevolution ends up becoming no better when he takes power]].
48	* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] is a rare example of a tinpot dictator who is personally powerful to back up all of his threats and boasts. While [[{{Ruritania}} Latveria]] is a small backwater country that he brutally oppresses, the populace are generally well taken care of and Doom uses his scientific genius to raise the otherwise insignificant country to a world power capable of destroying the world several times over.
49	* ''ComicBook/DeKiekeboes'': Bibi Pralin Gaga, a parody of UsefulNotes/IdiAmin, is a recurring villain in the series. Sstoeffer is a Hitleresque dictator of a BananaRepublic in South America, while King Sacha is the equivalent in a {{Bulungi}} country. Tzervostuhr is an Eastern European dictator in ''De Roze Rolls'', an album that introduces many other former dictators who have fled to a political asylum. In ''De Eén Zijn Dood'', president Rhottzaq is another Eastern European dictator.
50	* The ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}'' series pokes fun at both real-life dictators such as UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, UsefulNotes/JosefStalin, UsefulNotes/IdiAmin, UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein, UsefulNotes/FidelCastro, as well as self-created ones, like Daris, a Mexican dictator introduced in ''De Man Zonder Gezicht''.
51	* The 19th volume of the Malaysian comic book ''Profession'' ('''Chinese:''' 职业人气王 ''Zhíyè rénqì wáng)'' has General Damon. When the ruler of the W-country falls ill, he takes control of the country and tries to eradicate those who oppose him, causing the disappearances of a few officers, and teams up with terrorists to plunge the country into civil unrest, destroying (almost) all communications stations in the country and blaming the innocent people of W-country for the terrorist attacks. (Look at [[https://imgur.com/nHWAhvc this]] double-page if you're interested.) When the main character Ivan (a reporter) and his friends travel to the country to aid the residents of the W-country, [[spoiler:they get Attap (known as Yata in the original Chinese version), the leader of a neighborhooding country, to overthrow Damon and stop the terrorist attack in the final chapter]].
52	* ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'': Dictators embodied by this trope are a source of comedy in the stories ''QRN sur Bretzelburg'' and ''Le dictateur et le Champignon''.
53	* ''ComicBook/TexWiller'': One of the antagonists of a mini-arc set in Mexico is basically aiming at this position, but his plans are thwarted, and he eventually comes back for revenge in another arc.
54	* Franchise/{{Tintin}} has encountered several of these, notably General Alcazar (although he becomes [[BlackAndGreyMorality relatively]] more heroic later) and General Tapioca. Notably, Alcazar's men in ''[[Recap/TintinTintinAndThePicaros Tintin and the Picaros]]'' are modeled after Cuban revolutionaries, and Alcazar himself dresses like Fidel Castro while sporting Che's sideburns and facial hair.
55	* In one of the ''ComicBook/WilqSuperbohater'' stories, a beautiful woman asks the superhero to find her dad - who happens to be a leader of a military junta, a part-time tyrant, and an aficionado of torture and corruption, as she proudly declares.
56	* In the Chilean comic ''Zombies en la Moneda'', after a ''second'' ZombieApocalypse, the president of the country ends up being [[spoiler:a zombified UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet]]... something like that, it's a bit confusing. None other than one of the real-life inspirations for this trope.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Fan Works]]
60	* The Literature/{{Discworld}} of Creator/AAPessimal introduces the LatinLand of Paraquat, which is of course ruled benevolently and wisely out of its capital city La Ciudad del Generalissimo Augusto Richochet by the Head Of Everything and President For Life, Generalissimo Augusto Richochet.
61	* Lieutenant Obsidian from ''Fanfic/InkopolisChaos'' got her way into power purely through using fear. She only became an elite because DJ Octavio was sick of her killing his own soldiers, and she became the leader due to the other lieutenants/commanders fearing her and giving her total power once Octavio was imprisoned, crowning her the new Octarian leader.
62	* ''Fanfic/TarkinsFist'': Following his coronation as Emperor of the First Martian Empire, Aveo Yos eschews the robes of traditional Imperial nobility for the uniform of an Imperial Grand Admiral. [[spoiler:Even after democratizing the Empire Phasma tends to prefer her naval uniform as a second lieutenant over more traditional robes.]] On the Earth side Hugo Chavez II, the President of the Union of South American Nations, is said to have worn a General's uniform during the Americas War.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
66	* General Gilmore from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasLittleSpaceWar'' overthrew the ruling party of Planet Pirika, establishing himself as their new leader as he enforces a ruthless dictatorship on its citizens. The ex-President, Papi, was saved by the LaResistance and forced to flee to Earth, unintentionally stumbling into Nobita and friends, with the rest of the movie revolving around the gang trying to restore Papi's rule and bring back peace to the planet.
67	* In both ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' and [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 its 2019 remake]], Scar murders his way to power by killing his brother Mufasa, [[EvilUncle tries to kill his nephew Simba]], crushes all dissent, and annihilates his land's natural resources. [[ItsAllAboutMe "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want"]] sums his rule up. Scar's rule over Pride Lands [[TheCaligula proves to be disastrous]] mainly because of his incompetence and laziness. A JustifiedTrope, as he wasn't properly raised to be king, so he [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome doesn't realize]] that there's more to this than just openly threatening others whenever they complain about his reign. Because of this, he refuses to acknowledge his disastrous rule, [[BerserkButton openly threatens]] those that complain, and earns a ZeroPercentApprovalRating from all animals for his tyranny, including his hyena lackeys, who secretly think Mufasa was a better king than Scar could ever be.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
71	* General Emilio M. Vargas from ''Film/{{Bananas}}'', who, at the beginning of the movie, has the previous president assassinated, then takes over. He is himself later overthrown by Esposito, a Fidel Castro [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed stand-in]], who literally [[DrunkWithPower goes mad with power]] right after victory and has to be replaced.
72	* ''Film/Commando1985'': [[BigBad General Arius]] is the former President of Val Verde and by John Matrix's reckoning a very cruel leader. His plan is to exploit Matrix's role as a hero of the revolution that got him kicked out to make him assassinate the current president and allow Arius to lead a MilitaryCoup to retake his power. Which he is forcing Matrix to do by kidnapping his daughter Jenny. [[RoaringRampageOfRescue Big mistake]].
73	* ''Film/TheDictator'': [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard Admiral General Colonel Doctor Shabazz Aladeen, Democratic President-For-Life, Invincible and All-Triumphant Commander, Chief Ophthalmologist, Brilliant Genius of Humanity, Excellent Swimmer Including Butterfly, and Beloved Oppressor and Ruthless Protector of the Precious and Expendable People of Wadiya]] is an outrageously over-the-top example who makes every other example on this page look downright subtle and nuanced, [[http://www.republicofwadiya.com/biography.php as made clear in his biography]]. A few of these are [[GeniusBonus direct references to historical dictators]], including Bashar al-Assad of Syria (an actual ophthalmologist) and UsefulNotes/JosefStalin (who was in fact called "Brilliant Genius of Humanity").
74	* The BigBad's main goal in ''Film/DieHard2'' is to free a dethroned one for money.
75	* [[http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Shaddam_Corrino_IV Emperor Shaddam IV]] in ''Film/Dune1984''. (The Emperor in [[Literature/{{Dune}} the novel]] is actually a {{Modest\|Royalty}} [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Royal Who Actually Does Something]], who happens to be on the wrong side of history.)
76	* ''Film/TheExpendables''' mission is to eliminate one such general. He is ''slightly'' more sympathetic than the usual examples, as he's the puppet of an even crueler and sociopathic rogue CIA agent.
77	* In ''Film/TheGreatDictator'', the head of Bacteria -- being a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed stand-in for UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini -- is portrayed like this.
78	* ''Film/JamesBond'':
79	** ''Film/LicenceToKill'' has [[http://www.universalexports.net/Movies/license-cast.shtml Hector Lopez]], the President of Isthmus. He is portrayed as more PunchClockVillain than dictator, as his country is effectively a [[PuppetKing puppet]] of TheSyndicate.
80	--->'''Franz Sanchez:''' You were very quiet when I was arrested. Remember, you're only president... [[ImpliedDeathThreat for life]].
81	** General Medrano from ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' is a much straighter example, but is still a BigBadWannabe considering that he'll still be a puppet of Quantum once in power.
82	* The main villain of ''Film/SpecialForces'' is General Hasib Rafendek, a general who seized power from the Moldonian President who is a mere [[PuppetKing puppet]] under his control. As a dictator, Rafendek had no qualms legalizing ethnic cleansing on a regular basis and denying education to lower-class citizens.
83	* ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'': Corto Maltese is a small island nation off South America which has recently gone through a MilitaryCoup against the brutal pro-American Herrara family, which has replaced them with the [[FullCircleRevolution equally brutal]] anti-American General Silvio Luna. [[spoiler:After Harley shoots him dead, his [[TheDragon right-hand man]] General Mateo Suarez takes over briefly before being killed by Starro. When the other generals are debating who to replace Suarez, [[LaResistance pro-democracy rebels]] burst in and shoot them all dead after a general stupidly goes for his sidearm.]]
84	* In Film/TheThreeStooges' shorts making fun of Hitler ''et al.'' ("Film/YouNaztySpy" and a sequel or two), Field Marshal Curly is like this.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Literature]]
88	* In Latin America, there's a whole genre of books dealing with this trope called the "dictator novel". Like the name implies, they tend to focus more on the man with the power rather than the country itself. These are often centered around fictional or past dictators in Latin American nations, and the writer [[TakeThat indirectly criticizes]] contemporary Latin American dictators through the plot. A famous example is ''Literature/TheAutumnOfThePatriarch'', with the dictator (unnamed) as its protagonist.
89	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
90	** Mentioned in ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' as "Some people are born to kingship. Some achieve kingship, or at least Arch-Generalissimo-Father-of-His-Countryship.", possibly referring to Franco.
91	** In ''The Compleat Discworld Atlas'', Istanzia, following the collapse of the Omnian Empire, is ruled by a military junta, the leader of which has [[{{Egopolis}} named the capital city Georginople after himself]].
92	* ''Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat'' gives us the real-life Rafael Trujillo, one of the most despised and infamous caudillos in all of Latin American history, and very likely the inspiration behind this very trope's existence.
93	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': As the Empire falls apart due to the EvilPowerVacuum caused by Palpatine and Vader's deaths at Endor, many high-ranking officials decide to jump ship and carve out their own tinpot dictatorships, often granting themselves grandiose titles like "High General", "Prince-Admiral" and "Omnipotent Battle Leader".
94	* "Mad Dog" Branzillo of ''Literature/ASwiftlyTiltingPlanet'' rules the fictional South American country Vespugia. The plot revolves around going back in time and changing events so that Branzillo becomes a benevolent ruler instead.
95	* ''Literature/TheTomorrowSeries'': The unnamed enemy country's leader is only called the General, implying this trope.
96	* ''Literature/VictoriaANovelOf4thGenerationWar'': William H. Kraft is a DesignatedHero example, being the leader of the "good guy" faction in the book's heavily {{dystopia}}n post-apocalyptic setting. Otherwise, he still fits every detail of the stereotype.
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
100	* Parodied in an episode of ''Series/ThirtyRock''. Elisa's grandmother hates Jack because he bears a [[ActingForTwo striking resemblance]] to the Generalissimo, the villain of her favorite soap opera. Jack (being the President of NBC) acquires Telemundo and attempts to have the Generalissimo killed off. Unfortunately, since the show is apparently broadcast live, the actor playing the Generalissimo goes OffTheRails when the female protagonist attempts to shoot him.
101	-->''[subtitled in Spanish]'' "Ha! You missed! You missed again! And now, this potion's gonna make me live forever!"
102	* ''Series/{{Inazuman}}'' has [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Führer]] Geisel, who usurped Emperor Banba's tyrannical and genocidal regime, [[EvilerThanThou put an even more tyrannical and genocidal regime in place]], and rules over [[LandOfOneCity Despar City]] with an iron fist.
103	* In ''Series/MissionImpossible'', the IMF is occasionally tasked with dealing with these. In the pilot episode, the team has to retrieve nuclear warheads being held in the hotel the Generalissimo uses as his party headquarters.
104	* ''Series/VagrantQueen'': When the BigBad Lazaro [[TheCoup takes over the Republic]] [[spoiler:through use of the [[MindControlDevice Steerzad]]]], he dubs himself the "Grand Supreme Leader" and puts his face on the national flag.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Music]]
108	* Liv Jagrell, the singer for the Swedish heavy-metal band Sister Sin, dresses as a rare female version of this trope for the music video of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDjOlhqWuy0 "Chaos Royale"]] (a song about how accepting her as dictator of the entire world will be much better than the current system).
109	* Music/WeirdAlYankovic:
110	** Al is tasked with killing two of these types in his ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-CG5w4YwOI Party in the C.I.A]]'' video. [[spoiler:But after he botches an assassination one of them ends up abducting and killing him.]]
111	** Al himself dresses as one for the ''Mandatory Fun'' album's cover art.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
115	* Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE was less about the title belts, {{tournament\|arc}}s and [[ItsPersonal grudge matches]] usually associated with pro wrestling as the invading [[PowerStable Monster Army]], led by [[Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada Generalissimo Takada]], usually took center stage. Unlike most examples, Takada actually did have supernatural powers to go with his grand self-given titles (hence ''[[WrestlingMonster Monster]]'' Army), but despite these and enough money to buy the HUSTLE promotion, he was frequently defeated.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Video Games]]
119	* ''VideoGame/AMCSquad'' has Prokhor Vilmos, the leader of the fascist political movement known as the Imperial Union and the ruler of Russia after his cronies take over the government. Wearing a Tsarist-style uniform with a gaudy shako, his reign of terror is so bloody that it prompts Highwire, then a high-ranking officer in the Earth Defense Force, to go AWOL and lead a rebellion against Vilmos and the Union, with the help of his longtime friend James Stanfield.
120	* A recurring trope in the ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}}'' series:
121	** Prime Minister Torrez of the Democratic Republic of Sahrani (DSR), who orders the invasion of the monarchy in South Sahrani.
122	** Former President of the DSR Ramirez/Richardicz (the in-game name is different from the manual and published material for some reason), he supposedly died before the events of Armed Assault. [[spoiler:He was actually alive and hiding in Rahmadi, directing the invasion from the shadows.]]
123	** Colonel (later President) Muhammad R. Aziz of [[{{Qurac}} Takistan]], a pretty obvious Saddam Hussein {{expy}}. He led a socialist coup to overthrow the old Takistani monarchy, ruling the country for two decades with an iron fist. After the country's lucrative oil wells and refineries are sabotaged by CIA-backed pro-royalist rebels, he attempts to invade the southern neighbour country of Karzeghistan and results into a UN-sanctioned NATO invasion, and in his death.
124	** Georgious Akhanteros, the commander-in-chief of the Altis Armed Forces (AAF) and ''de facto'' president of the Republic of Altis and Stratis.
125	* ''VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany'' has Zavomir Serdar, dictator of the fictional country [[{{Countrystan}} Serdaristan]]. His role is mostly comic relief and TheLoad to B Company.
126	* In ''VideoGame/BionicCommando1988'', the evil dictator trying to re-activate the secret [[ThoseWackyNazis Imperial Army]] superweapon is named Generalissimo Killt in the American release of the game. He has the stereotypical dictatorial appearance, in that he dresses exactly like [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] and looks like a slightly melted [[Series/{{Brookside}} Brian Regan]], and is characterized with the expected arrogance and military fervor. [[spoiler:He also kind of gets HijackedByGanon when he gets killed off by a revived Hitler.]]
127	* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' features a corporate version in the form of Handsome Jack. While Jack lacks the military background or chest full of medals, he regularly bills himself as a hero and claims to be civilizing Pandora, a miserable DeathWorld, throughout the game. Jack rules over the planet with an iron fist, suppresses dissent by sending his army to destroy any resistance, cultivates a cult of personality from both Hyperion workers and Pandoras, and puts up statues and posters of himself everywhere. His ideal city for Pandora is also a massive Egopolis dedicated to himself and telling everyone what a great hero he is. The final episode of ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' also hints that he regularly kills his own employees, with [[spoiler:AI Jack interrogating his workers to find Rhys's location, and casually gunning them down with a turret if they can't answer immediately]].
128	* The setting of ''VideoGame/{{Brigador}}'' is the city of Solo Nobre, which was ruled by a man who is literally known as Great Leader. Great Leader rose to power through a revolution that chased the corporations that previously owned the city offworld, and his government was a corrupt dictatorship that enforced its rule through martial law. The game begins a few hours after Great Leader's sudden death, with the city erupting into widespread violence as various political factions try to gain power.
129	* General Raul Grasiento, who appears in ''VideoGame/BrokenSwordIITheSmokingMirror'', who has a crush on Nicole (much to her dismay), and George notes that he had all the medals in the wrong side of the chest. In a variation of the trope, he isn't the leader of his country, Quaramonte. That position belongs to his mother. [[spoiler:In an even odder variant, he pulls a HeelFaceTurn towards the end, and helps the heroes save the day.]]
130	* General Viper in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', who rules El Nido with his Acacia Dragoons. [[spoiler:He's actually a rare heroic example; [[BenevolentDictator he might be authoritarian, but he's a good ruler]] and is only after Serge because he's being manipulated by Lynx.]]
131	* In ''VideoGame/EvilGenius2'', Red Ivan was given [[ShinyNewAustralia a country of his own]] after his stint as a Henchman in the first game that he called "Ivania". Unfortunately, he's been ousted via a democratic election by the time of the game and his goal is to eventually reconquer his nation and rule the world.
132	* ''Franchise/FarCry'':
133	** Pagan Min of ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' is the military dictator of the nation of Kyrat, having started off as a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad gangster]] who ingrained himself within the royal family before overthrowing them and taking over in a bloody civil war. He uses his position to take his anger out on the Kyrati populace while also cultivating a CultOfPersonality. Interestingly, while certainly a military dictator, Pagan doesn't dress like one, preferring a [[RealMenWearPink pink suit]] instead.
134	** ''VideoGame/FarCry6'' has BigBad Anton Castillo as a straighter example. He is the military leader of the definitely-not-Cuba island nation of Yara, and is clearly modeled after two infamous Cuban leaders given the setting; Fidel Castro by espousing words of strength while holding an iron grip on the populace, and Fulgencio Batista by wearing a well-tailored suit adorned with a few medals, statues of him all around, and having the military in his hand. All the while, he eagerly grooms his son Diego to [[HereditaryRepublic become his successor]], unpinning a grenade in his hand and giving him a SadisticChoice of either letting go and killing himself, or throwing it at protesters clearly furious with the current regime.
135	* In ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIron II'', Resigned Generalissimo is one of the possible traits for the Head of State.
136	* Queen-for-Life Deidranna in ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' splits the difference between this trope and GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, as the little Central American state of Arulco was a constitutional monarchy before she deposed her husband, got him arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges and turned the place into a {{Troperiffic}} BananaRepublic. Luckily for everyone who didn't hastily set about exploiting this state of affairs for personal gain, King Enrique escaped overseas with the help of the nascent LaResistance and spent several years scraping up the money to hire mercenaries to bolster their ranks.
137	* The villains of the ''VideoGame/JustCause'' series are all tin pot dictators of island nations who Rico Rodriguez (a "Dictator Removal Specialist") must topple through destruction of property and creative uses of grappling hooks.
138	* General Shimada from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfTianding'', the Japanese commander overseeing the military activities in Taipei during the Japanese occupation in the 1900s, who quickly turns the city into a hellhole with his ruthless dictatorship.
139	* In the [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 first]] and [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake second]] games the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series, Big Boss is this.
140	* Colonel Allende in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', who perfectly fits the archetype of "Corrupt Mexican military leader" as befits the adherence of the game to various kinds of Western films. John Marston does some work for him in order to get to his target Bill Williamson [[spoiler:but eventually turns completely against the government after Allende tries to have him executed (and is revealed to have been sheltering Bill all along)]].
141	* El Jefe of ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'' is a Fidel Castro parody whose actual occupation is a mercenary warlord who hires out his talents for conquering small nations.
142	* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'': DJ Octavio was a military commander during [[GreatOffscreenWar the Great Turf War]], and is the military leader of the Octarians in the present day. Given how much Octarian society has been driven by military needs ever since the war ended over a century prior (helped by a steady flow of propaganda intended to keep anger towards Inklings as high as possible), this makes him one of the main leaders of their society as well (assuming there even are any other major political leaders). He's also seen in a positive light by his soldiers, as even defectors like Agent 8 and Marina don't give his command as a reason for leaving.
143	* Giorgio Zott from ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis 3''.
144	* You can play as one of these in ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}''. One of the backgrounds, one of the outfits, and one of the hats are all called "Generalissimo", with the background having you take power in a military dictatorship, and the outfit and hat being a military officer's uniform with a big general's hat. To top it all off, you can put a beard on or mustache on your avatar as well. It's up to you how far you actually take this, however.
145	** If you don't want to make your own avatar, you can just pick a pre-made one, with predetermined traits, backgrounds, appearances, and outfits. These include real world caudillos such as UsefulNotes/FidelCastro of Cuba, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron of Argentina, and Manuel Noriega of Panama.
146	** In the early missions of ''Tropico 4'', "Generalissimo Santana" teaches you the finer points in running a country. [[spoiler:Eventually, he reveals himself to be a TreacherousAdvisor and frames you for the assassination of the US president so he can take over Tropico.]]
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Websites]]
150	* After the fiasco of the 2000 Presidential election, ''Website/TheOnion'' ran a shot of UsefulNotes/BillClinton photoshopped into a Generalissimo uniform with the title [[http://www.theonion.com/article/clinton-declares-self-president-for-life-191 "Clinton Declares Self President for Life."]]
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Web Videos]]
154	* ''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier'' uses this persona when running VideoGame/SimCity (and while he doesn't dress as Hitler, he does go through a WebVideo/HitlerRants). You can imagine the kind of WretchedHive the city becomes under his iron-fisted rule. On the other hand, their take on El Presidente of ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'' is a subversion. Despite his status as a blatant parody of Fidel Castro, the man is extremely friendly, a competent ruler in a strange GeniusDitz way, and would rather be mixing smoothies or writing terrible spy fiction than oppressing his people. It's telling that while he's still the leader of a communist dictatorship, he doesn't even need to strongarm or rig elections to be PresidentForLife [[spoiler:and ends up turning a captured CIA operative into his best friend just by being that damn nice]].
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Western Animation]]
158	* Roger briefly impersonates one of these in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''.
159	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'': Towards the end of the ''Vice'' arc, the cartel travels to San Marcos to meet "El Presidente" Gustavo Calderon, who's been at war with the rebels in his country. Thanks to Archer's typical bungling, a rebel attack and several other events (including his infatuation with Cherlene's country music), he ends up deposed by ''[[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Cyril]]'', of all people -- when he, Archer and Cherlene attempt to escape, he ends up getting mauled by a tiger. (Cyril ends up having to flee with everyone else when US Marines invade the place.)
160	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' has General Chiquita, president of the aptly named BananaRepublic in "[[Recap/DuckTalesAllowanceDay Allowance Day]]".
161	* ''WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois... l'Espace'' has General Pest, leader of Cassiopeia, who given the {{Expy}} of the RealLife Roman Republic with CrystalSpiresAndTogas that is that nation is closer to a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dictator dictator in Roman sense]]. That changes near the end of the series, [[spoiler:when he organizes a coup d'état and becomes the ''de facto'' leader of Cassiopeia. He does not get much time to enjoy it, however]].
162	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraKuvira Kuvira]] is a rare female example, who, however, acts in a very masculine manner and otherwise fits most or all of the stereotypes (except smoking, which apparently doesn't exist in the ''Franchise/{{Avatar\|TheLastAirbender}}'' universe).
163	* In ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', while Boris and Natasha are the most common antagonists to the Moose and Squirrel, they both answer to "Fearless Leader", the leader of [[{{Ruritania}} Pottsylvania]]. That being said, some episodes suggest Fearless Leader is actually a front-man for the seldom-appearing Mr. Big.
164	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
165	** All hail Krull and his glorious new regime!
166	** Another example had Bart call one up to find out if his toilet flushes in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere to the northern. El Presidenté's translator's English isn't the best and [[MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels he ends up telling El Presidenté that the rebels will win]], causing him to jump out the window.
167	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' had [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Abdul_Fakkadi_(G1) Abdul Fakkadi]], Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings of the [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Socialist Democratic Federated Republic]] of [[{{Qurac}} Carbombya]], pictured above. He is a not-so-subtle TakeThat at UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi (with his [[TheMagnificent long list of titles]] a probable reference to UsefulNotes/IdiAmin). (Which makes him the ''least'' racist thing about the episodes set there). Regardless, it was enough to make Creator/CaseyKasem (the voice of Cliffjumper, who had survived [[AnyoneCanDie the crucible]] that was [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie the 1986 film]]) quit the series out of disgust.
168	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheGeneralissimo