[[PulpFiction http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Samuel_L_Jackson_Jules_770.jpg]]
[[caption-width:355:[[SamuelLJackson You talkin' to me?]]]]

-->'''Mr. T:''' Sucka, you have a choice: you can face prison or you can face ''me''.\\
'''Crook:''' Prison! Prison!

In many series, there will be a character who is much larger and more intimidating than most everyone else, very strong, often quite quiet, and very often they will be black.

Sometimes they can be the TokenMinority, sometimes they're a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, and sometimes they're a GentleGiant. But the fact remains that when you get right down to it, they're a ScaryBlackMan.

Authors will often claim this is not actually done in a racist way (not intentionally, anyway), as most anybody who is so much larger than the other characters will usually be equally scary (unless they're also [[BoisterousBruiser outgoing or jolly]]). However, perhaps because of a lack of very large Asians who aren't sumo or very large white people who aren't professional wrestlers in a cameo role, they are often black. (This is the same reason that a HugeSchoolgirl usually isn't mean, either.) However, media generated in the U.S. or territories influenced by U.S. media depictions cannot escape the legacy of the Big Black Buck (as featured in such influential films as D. W. Griffith's pro-Klan propaganda film ''Birth of a Nation'') or the savage ([[NobleSavage noble]] or not). Amongst other reasons, when much of the creating population and the consuming population is not of African descent, then the Black Guy becomes other, and as such, easier to position as an imposing, scary force.

The few black characters in {{anime}} are usually some variation on this.

See also ScaryMinoritySuspect. Often Crosses over with GentleGiant, GeniusBruiser, ProudWarriorRaceGuy, and TokenMinority, as noted both above and in the examples below. Compare AngryBlackMan.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Dutch from ''BlackLagoon'' -- though despite his somewhat menacing appearance he's [[SubvertedTrope not very scary once you get to know him]], being one of the most cool-headed and easygoing people in the show. He certainly has nothing on [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_black_lagoon_nightmare_fuel.jpg Revy]].
** Well, like just about everyone else in this anime, he's also an unflinching killer. So his scariness/lack thereof is relative.
* Jet Black, from ''CowboyBebop'' -- not black, but he is plenty large, and (when he wants to be) frightening enough to fit the bill.
* Swamp Gordon from ''CoyoteRagtimeShow''
* Briareos from ''{{Appleseed}}'' is a rather hidden example. Although he's almost entirely machine, pictures drawn by creator ShirowMasamune have shown that he was black before becoming a cyborg, and he fits otherwise.
** It's also worth noting that, based on evidence from the movie ''Appleseed Ex Machina'', the artificial skin under Briareos's armor is ''literally'' black -- as in, the color of a car tire.
*** In that movie Briareos is more Asiatic than black, though - the artists wanted him to be a traditional pretty-boy, apparently.
* Slightly different version - Chad from ''{{Bleach}}'' is a scary GentleGiant Mexican.
** Initially played straight with Zommari Leroux, then promptly subverted when he uses [[OneWingedAngel Ressurection]].
*** ThisTroper likes to call him [[FanNickname Pumpkincar]].
** [[CompleteMonster Yammy]] [[DumbMuscle Riyalgo]] isn't actually black, but he's dark skinned, as well as bigger than any two major characters put together.
* Bob from ''TenjhoTenge''. His physique's not the only thing that's scarily large. IfYouKnowWhatIMean.
* Gray from the ''GunsmithCats'' manga.
* BlasterKnuckle. The Entire premise is about having an intimidating black protagonist kick vampire/demon KKK ass.
* Killer Bee and Kidoumaru from ''{{Naruto}}'' are both this, but approached from opposite ends with some subversions thrown in for fun. Killer Bee not only looks the big and scary part right down to sporting shades and rapping, he also [[spoiler: beats the living tar out of Sasuke (who'd by then had been pretty infamous for pulling victory out of freaking nowhere)]]; then he turns around, [[spoiler: fools the Akatsuki, and fakes his death *all so he can go on vacation*]]. Kidoumaru, on the other hand, looks no scarier than the other members of his FiveBadBand, the Sound Four...right up until the retrieval squad members from Konoha have to face him alone and realize he's an amoral, easily-bored sadist gamer who thinks Knife-A-Naruto is a great pastime; he's also able to reason his way around the powerful Hyuuga clan's AchillesHeel and start nailing the clan's prize genius, whom nobody but the Kyuubi vessel has been able to put the hit on in the manga up 'til now, with arrow nukes.
** The Raikage--Killer Bee's brother--is more of a straight example: he's [[LargeAndInCharge huge]], intimidating, and seems to be angry most of the time, which is manifested in his tendency to break furniture and [[ThereWasADoor walls]] (granted his anger is shown to be fairly justified, and he did shed some ManlyTears when [[spoiler:trying to get a team of his to focus on saving his brother]]).
* The main (possibly only) black character in Death Note was a tall, ugly, hulking goon of [[HeroicSociopath Mello]].
* Subverted in ''HajimeNoIppo'', where rookie boxer Jason Ozma has the perfect ScaryBlackMan looks... but is a cheerful, sweet GentleGiant outside the ring.
* This shows up in Getter Robo, of all places. This trope shows up at /least/ in Neo Getter vs. Shin Getter Robo, Getter Robo Armageddon, and New Getter Robo, though it could've appeared in many different mangas. The funny thing is that the gigantic hulking black man is invariably beaten by the main character in the episode they appear in, then never shows up again. They mostly go without a name, too.
* Played for laughs in KaleidoStar, when Jerry the Policeman (a GentleGiant) has to go to Japan with Ken to visit Sora. People actually ''ran away'' from him in the streets of Tokyo.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Character Actors]]
* Any character ever played by Michael Clarke Duncan. He notably played Kingpin (in the comics, a white character) in the ''{{Daredevil}}'' movie, partially due to being the largest qualified actor casting could find.
** Which led to a version of the same character in a ''Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}}'' adaptation also being black.
** But he's damn cuddly in ''TheGreenMile'' and ''{{Armageddon}}''.
*** And he's also very friendly in RealLife.
** And with his voice work as Commander Vachir in ''KungFuPanda'', he returns to being a TalkingAnimal version of this trope. Although the rhino's hubris and smugness end up rendering him a lot more impotent than most [[ScaryBlackMan ScaryBlackMen]] tend to be. The fact [[YouALLLookFamiliar the entire contingent of guards at Chorh-Gom are based off of his character design]] only makes things worse, since it gives us a whole fleet of [[ScaryBlackMan ScaryBlackMen]] who become cannon fodder for the resident {{Badass}}.
*** This troper (who knows some Cantonese) wonders whether the above is at all related to the fact that the prison's name is (if you pronounce it differently than it's spelled, more like "chaw gaam") actually Cantonese for "go to jail."
*** Considering that we're talking about ''[[ShownTheirWork Kung Fu Panda]]'', almost certainly.
** In the otherwise unwatchable remake of ''PlanetOfTheApes'', he plays an amusingly big scary black ''gorilla''. And man, [[LargeHam does he have fun with it]].
** Deconstructed in the ''CSI: NY'' episode "The Closer" in which his character cited his height, build, and deep voice as effectively damning in any murder trial. So of course he lies about possessing the murder weapon (a hammer), is found out by CSI use of AppliedPhlebotinum and is sent to death row. Fortunately [[ClearMyName his name is cleared]] by use of newer, shinier AppliedPhlebotinum.
** He was even the ScaryBlackMan in ''The Scorpion King'', an impressive feat given the main character is The Rock as an Akkadian killing machine.
** He guest-starred on an episode of TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody as Coach Little, a basketball coach who was both a ScaryBlackMan and a DrillSergeantNasty (Coach Type.)
* Any character ever played by SamuelLJackson, [[{{Badass}} amongst other things]].
** Though ''BlackSnakeMoan'' subverts this somewhat, as he's trying to rehabilitate Christina Ricci's character.
** And not so much in JurassicPark... or ''Loaded Weapon''.
* Similarly, many characters played by LaurenceFishburne. Jackson and Fishburne are, in fact, frequently mistaken for one another.
** Even [[PeeWeesPlayhouse Cowboy Curtis?]]
* Any character ever played by Keith David.
** Even Goliath on ''Gargoyles''?
*** Especially Goliath on ''Gargoyles''.
**** But not [[JusticeLeagueTheNewFrontier The Centre]].
* Mr. T, although he is rather more outgoing than most [[ScaryBlackMan Scary Black Men]].
** To make up for this, a recent SoBadItsGood Snickers ad gave him '''[[RuleOfCool a tank with a Snickers logo on the front]]'''.
* VinDiesel is mixed-race, but he often fits the mould.
* So does Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
* B-movie actor Tom "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Tiny]]" Lister. 6'5", ripped, cross-eyed, and very shouty. Even [[http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0001474/HH/0001474/iid_994221.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Lister,%20Tommy%20%27Tiny%27 his IMDB headshot]] is scary.
** But was a major awesome {{subversion}} of himself as [[TheFifthElement President of Earth]].
* Ving Rhames from ''PulpFiction''.
** He parodies his scary black guy role in IKnowPronounceYouChuckAndLarry.
*** And he plays a nerd in MissionImpossible
* Kevin Michael Richardson.
* Lester Speight, better known as [[GearsOfWar Augustus Cole]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzToNo7A-94 "Terrible" Terry Tate, Office Linebacker]]. '''''WOOO!!'''''
* Terry Crews definitely qualifies as Damon in Friday After Next. I've got seven words for you: "I like my fish wet and squirming."
** He was great as President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho in {{Idiocracy}} though...
*** Most of his roles are as a Scary Black Guy, but they've all been ruined after he played Chris's father in EverybodyHatesChris. Watching him as a psychopath in ''Gamer'' induces much {{Narm}}. Not that Gamer was good to begin with.
* [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340485/ Kevin Grevioux]] was one of these in his role as Raze, the scary black werewolf, in ''Underworld''. Most of his ScaryBlackMan-yness was due to his awesome voice, though.
* Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays one in every role, and has yet to subvert his typecasting.
* Chico Roland, who starred in several Japanese films and shows in the 50s, 60s, and 70s(His most notable role was Pagora the kaizo-ningen(Reconstructed Human) in WarriorOfLoveRainbowman), usually as villains or musclemen.
* Tony Todd's made a decent career out of this trope.
* What, no mention of the late, lamented, Julius "Shogun of Harlem" Carry? Shame on you.
* Charlie Murphy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* The second Tattooed Man, a GreenLantern villain, is a huge black ex-Marine (and a member of the Geoff Johns Awesomely Revamped Villains Club). Unlike the previous bearer of the powers, this Tattooed Man knows how to use his powers to maximum effect.
** It took ''{{Batman}} wielding a Power Ring'' to stop him.
** Interestingly, the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' Green Lantern, John Stewart, is ''also'' a huge black ex-Marine. He's only scary to bad guys.
* Killer Croc's pre-croc form is typically black.
* Thunderball of Marvel's Wrecking Crew. He's also the smartest of the group.
* Tombstone is a bizzare example, as, despite being technically black, he's an albino, meaning his skin is chalk white.
* Barracuda from [[ThePunisher The Punisher]] series. Run while your legs are still attached.
** This trope is [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in the one-shot, "The Cell" (also written by Ennis). Frank has just entered prison when the corrupt guard points "Squeak" out to him (named so because [[PrisonRape he doesn't use lubricant]]), a SBM and "the toughest guy in Rykers" and mentions how he'll soon be "paying Frank a visit". [[spoiler: Cue Frank just grabbing the guard's baton and breaking it over Squeak's skull, killing him.]]
---> '''Frank:''' Tell them to send the second toughest guy.
* Uriel in {{Lucifer}} is the only black angel (the only non-white angel actually) and sufficiently scary that he spends most of the series in charge of Heaven. Whether he's a good guy or not is a matter of interpenetration.
* Bishop from XMen, at least after his FaceHeelTurn. He is willing to destroy entire timelines just to kill one child.
* Marvel's Luke Cage is the heroic entity of this trope.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Revenge of the Nerds'' pulls out a whole squad of 'em, when the Tri-Lamb head gives Gilbert the support to speak out in front of the Alpha Betas.
* Kynette of ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'' is an evil martial-artist who [[CompleteMonster dispassionately guns down a helpless teenage boy]] for just having ''seen his face.'' Of course, this allows us to cheer when Sylvester Stallone [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice shoves his evil heart LITERALLY into a stalagmite.]]
* Hightower in the ''PoliceAcademy'' movies.
** Directly referenced in a {{Discworld}} context by a scary troll, Detritus, who appears in an exact [[strike:rip-off]] parody of the "Your uniform doesn't scare me!" gag.
* The Duke, portrayed by Isaac Hayes, in ''EscapeFromNewYork'', is a villainous Scary Black Man. He's the Duke of New York! He's A-number one!
* Idi Amin, as portrayed in ''The Last King of Scotland'' and in ''RealLife'' itself - especially when threatening his frightened Scottish Doctor.
* Danny Trejo is a Scary Mexican Man in everything he has ever done, particularly his brief role in ''Grindhouse''.
** He's got his non-scary roles though, like Enrique and Octavio (YourMileageMayVary) in KingoftheHill, Machete in the SpyKids movies, and "Spyder" Rudner in the {{Monk}} episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Jail" (sure he plays a violent inmate, but [[spoiler: he does save Monk from being killed by a gang of neo-Nazis before the big reveal, and not only that, he doesn't kill Monk once he finds out he's really an undercover cop]]).
** And he is a friendly janitor in the {{Halloween}} remake.
* In ''Mississippi Burning'', the FBI brings in a professional ScaryBlackMan to intimidate the corrupt mayor into revealing who committed a hate crime.
* From the movie ''The Last Dragon'', we have Sho'Nuff! Shogun of Harlem!
* John Coffey from ''TheGreenMile'' can be considered an example of this due to his massive size, spooky healing powers and the fact that [[spoiler: he is a convicted child murderer, though he turns out to be innocent as the film progresses.]]. He is also a {{Gentle Giant}}. Played by Michael Clarke Duncan.
* Manute from SinCity. Also played by Michael Clarke Duncan.
* ''Kidulthood'' has Uncle Curtis, a cruel and terrifying Jamaican crime boss.
* Kingsley Shacklebolt came out kind of like this in the ''HarryPotter and the Order of the Phoenix'' movie.
* A minor subversion of this character appeared briefly in ''[[DarkKnightTrilogy The Dark Knight]]''. Towards the end of the film, the Joker sets up [[TheSadisticChoice a prisoner's-dilemma-type situation]]: two ferries, stalled in Gotham Harbor, both loaded with explosives. One ferry is carrying prisoners, the other is filled with civilians. The captains of the ferries have the detonators--to ''each other's'' boat. If one boat blows up the other, then it will go free. If neither boat destroys the other, they'll ''both'' be blown up in a few minutes. The captain of the prisoner's ferry is struggling with the decision, when a very large, very scary black man (Played by Tiny Lister) in prisoner's orange and chains comes over to him. He states that the captain knows what he needs to do, but doesn't have the guts to take a life--but ''he'' does. He convinces the captain to hand him the detonator, [[spoiler:then immediately throws it out the window and into the water.]] [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome One of the most powerful]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming moments in the movie.]]
* In the film ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'', a ScaryBlackMan played by Ving Rhames joins the Fire Department and is remarked by others as AxCrazy due to his [[TheStoic silent and cold behavior]]. Later on he is inspired by Chuck and Larry's marriage to come out of the closet, from that point displaying traits of CampGay.
* Baron Samedi in ''Live And Let Die''. Especially scary as it is implied that he cannot be killed, even by Bond (he's the voodoo god of the dead, after all).
** From the same film, Tee Hee - fella with the metal arm - also qualifies.
* Serrano from the ''Major League'' movies starts off as an example, then subverts it all to hell after becoming a Buddhist in the second film.
** He wasn't so much scary as he was awesomely hot in that skimpy pair of undies while lifting weights.
* If an interracial porno has a black man in it, he's guaranteed to be Scary, often with some sort of gangsta gimmick even if that just means wearing a bandana and/or a pair of Timberland boots while otherwise nude. "Watch as Susie/Billy is split in half by T-Dawg's massive 12-inch black cock!"
** Inverted, possibly, by anything starring [[HotAmazon Yvette Bova]] or [[HotAmazon Desiree Ellis]]
* A rare female example would be [[TheDragon Mayday]] in the JamesBond flick ''AViewToAKill.'' Despite not being male (arguably), Grace Jones fit this trope to a T and her character was far more memorable than the BondGirl in that movie.
** Same goes for her role in ''Conan the Destroyer.'' Grace Jones is a scary lady.
*** Or [[FetishFuel fetish fuel]], depending on whom you ask. Her advice to the princess on how to attract a man sums it up: "Grab him! And take him!"
**** She is alternately depicted as both a HotAmazon and a [[ScaryBlackMan Scary Black Woman]] in the film ''Boomerang''.
* The Black Panther cell in ''Forrest Gump'' has a handful of Scary Black Men, and one MalcomXerox ranting about TheMan.
* Another rare female example is Mabel King's rendition of Evilene, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the 1970s film version of ''{{The Wiz}}''.
* Raze in ''{{Underworld}}'' and prequel ''Underworld: Rise of the Lycans''. Played by Kevin Grevioux, who possesses what is possibly the deepest, most gravelly voice known to man.
* ''DiaryOfTheDead''. The teenaged protagonists are captured by what appear to be black gang members led by a softly-spoken BadAss who is the embodiment of this trope. The group are visibly nervous, with the MsFanservice of the group pulling her coat across her cleavage for the only time in the entire movie. It turns out they're ex-National Guard who end up (after some aggressive negotiating) giving them the supplies they need -- which ironically enough are stolen by a group of white National Guardsmen.
* In ''[=~The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T~=]'', the only black person in the entire movie (if I remember correctly) was the bare-chested elevator operator in the executioner's hood. Those EYES! And the song was freaky, too, as he talked about the "assorted simple tortures" awaiting the prisoners in the dungeon. Even the normally unflappable Mr. Zabladowski was visibly unnerved by him.
* In the 2009 version of ''[[TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree The Taking of Pelham 123]]'', the trope is subverted when a female hostage consults an black male one if he has a plan to fight their abductors. The annoyed man asks if she is asking because he's black, but she explains that she saw he was wearing a ring that marks him as a veteran of the elite US Airborne paratroopers.
* ''{{District 9}}'' has the Nigerian gangsters, especially the leader Obesandjo who is confined to a wheelchair but is still scary as hell.
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgWvLkTkTBY Who's that guy]]? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTD06QaeBhE&feature=related The world may never know]].
* Officer Earl Devereaux from the animated ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs''. Extra points for being voiced by Mr T.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Tom Robinson in ''ToKillAMockingbird'' is accused of this. [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Of course, it's wrong.]]
* In the Alamut Hassan, leader of the Ismailis, had a personal regiment of African eunuchs of massive stature bearing maces. They stood within the fortress never saying a word just glaring at people. One thinks Hassan deliberately put them at the top of his extremely tall stairway just to give people a scare.
* Subverted in Richard Wright's short story ''Big Black Good Man'', which turns out to be ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* [[HPLovecraft Nyarlathotep]], though for [[CosmicHorror rather unusual reasons]]. [[UnfortunateImplications Still Unfortunate, though.]]
* ''TheWheelOfTime'' plays with this. Most dark-skinned characters (Juilin, Siuan, Leane, and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many, many others]]) aren't villains, with the exception of the sadist [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Forsaken]] Semirhage, the resident Scary Black Woman.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Teal'c, from ''{{Stargate SG-1}}''. Lampshaded when SG-1 gets sent to a prison planet, where O'Neill tells him to, "Look scary and take point."
** Ronen Dex from ''StargateAtlantis'' fills the same role.
* Worf, from ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''; beneath the fairly dark makeup is black Michael Dorn.
* In the live action ''You'reUnderArrest'', American football player turned pro kickboxer Bob Sapp played a villain. At 6'5" and 375 lbs of muscle, the fact that he was black was a relatively minor component of his scariness. The fact that he was in a Japanese show made him look like a bleeding ''kaiju'' in comparison.
* Tyr, from ''{{Andromeda}}''.
** I'd argue that one. Tyr appears to belong to a race best classified 'miscellaneous' or 'all of the above', especially the way he looked pre-haircut, and the actor seems to have been cast for precisely that, for several rather apparent reasons: 1) as the ultimately superior son of a superior race, it would be very very un-PC to have him look especially white (and a Hitler-Jugend posterboy would have come across as epic fail in America at least), 2) since his culture practices selective breeding, that would be the expected appearance of 'the best of all worlds', and 3) he was picked as the most obvious EstrogenBrigadeBait in the series, and looks that would appeal equally to women of all races, without leaning too heavily in any direction, are top choice here. Women observed to never show any taste for black men whatsoever absolutely drool over Tyr.
*** Plus, his erudite nature and upper-class Euro-ish accent leans toward subverting black stereotypes, not supporting them.
* Toberman, one of the few black characters in the classic ''DoctorWho'' (in the episode "Tomb of the Cybermen").
* The Haitian on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''.
** In Volume 3, a black villain named Knox inadvertently takes advantage of this trope seeing as how fear powers his SuperStrength. UnfortunateImplications, away!
** Later, we are introduced to the Hatian's brother, who is quite possibly the scariest black guy yet to be seen on the show. Although his power is invunerability, it is off for most of his appearance. Just to give you an idea of how scary he is.
** Before the writers got lazy and started playing the UnfortunateImplications completely straight, they brilliantly subverted this trope with DL Hawkins. His white, blonde wife Niki first describes him to the police as a terrifying, unstoppable felon who's committed a string of brutal murders. When DL actually shows up, he turns out to be a devoted, cuddly father who was actually ''framed'' for the killings - by his frail-looking white wife, no less, whose [[JekyllAndHyde psychopathic, super-strong alter ego]] actually committed them.
* Hawk, from ''SpencerForHire''.
* Vaughan Rice, from ''Series/{{Ultraviolet}}''.
* ''TheKnightsOfProsperity'' lampshades this, as Rockefeller is explicitly referred to at one point as "our big scary black dude", a label he has no problem with.
* Bounty hunter Jubal Early from ''{{Firefly}}''.
** He's actually quite slightly built, but makes up for it with the scary.
** There's also the Operative, who is a very chilling and calm kind of scary; and Shepherd Book, whom Zoe refers to as "the scary preacher" in ''Better Days'' when he [[spoiler: beheads a killer attack robot with a single swing of a sword.]]
* ''{{Scrubs}}'' has played with this trope:
** Turk and JD frequently play "World's Tallest Doctor" by having JD stand on Turk's shoulders. They once did it the other way round. People ran.
** Hooch is a bit of a subversion, since he is not physically imposing at all: short and kind of skinny. He only fits the trope because, well, Hooch is crazy.
** Leonard the security guard is a more typical example, especially since he has a hook for a hand.
* Mr. Eko on ''{{Lost}}'' , played by the aforementioned Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Especially in his first few appearances, where he spends most of his time not talking, looking mean and beating people with what Sawyer sarcastically calls his "Jesus stick".
* Simon Adebisi from ''{{Oz}}'', another role played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. For most of the show's run, Adebisi is the official "toughest guy in Oz," which is impressive given that most of prisoners on the show are AxeCrazy and have an average life expectancy of about three episodes.
* ''LawAndOrder[=:Criminal Intent=]'' lampshades this in one episode where the Captain comments that they can't arrest a suspect for being a "large, scary black man".
* Chris's father from ''EverybodyHatesChris'' (played by the aforementioned Terry Crews) is a ScaryBlackMan. Chris's mother is even scarier.
* Wyatt, the new executive agent in ''PrisonBreak''.
* B. A. Baracus from ''TheATeam''. He's played by Mr. T. Most goons seem suitably cowed when he gets in their face.
* ''{{Chuck}}'' has several:
** Big Mike, the Buy More manager, is rarely seen actually being scary (his usual laziness is punctuated with occasional angry yelling) but all the employees are terrified of him.
** Michael Strahan had a cameo as an employee from a rival store who terrorizes Morgan until Anna beats Michael Strahan's character up. ("Chuck vs. the Break-Up")
** Michael Clarke Duncan appeared as a villain and even said to Chuck, "I assume you find me imposing. I was going for imposing." ("Chuck vs. the First Date")
* Uriel on ''{{Supernatural}}'' is a scary, black, possibly evil angel. He [[HumansAreBastards does not like humanity]] and he has threatened to go against his orders and destroy the Winchesters as well as an innocent town.
* Colonel Ike Dubaku of Sangala from ''[[TwentyFour 24]]''.
** Even more so, his boss, General Benjamin Juma, played by the above-mentioned Tony Todd.
* Onyx Blackman in ''StrangersWithCandy'', played by Greg Hollimon. Also a BaldBlackLeaderGuy. Paul Dinello describes [[http://www.pauldinello.net/pdnetinterview.htm suddenly being nose to nose with Greg]] after a game where they all had their eyes shut.
* In an episode of ''SaluteYourShorts'', counselor Ug goes looking for his runaway campers at a movie theater. Since he does not plan to see a movie, he senses his presence to be awkward and tries talking friendly to the large black usher/bouncer. The usher remains silent and stone-faced. To be fair, the white woman at the refreshment stand treats Ug just the same, even helping the usher to throw Ug out the door when he crosses the line. But only when the camera's on the usher do we hear a beast growling in the movie.
* [[ChappellesShow Charlie Murphy!]]
* Gloriously subverted in ''SesameStreet'' where the main actor who plays Gordon is African American, but he is never depicted as anything but the ideal father figure. That extended to real life when the actor was hugged by a little girl who was sexually abused and feared all men, but she knew she could trust good old Gordon.
* Some {{Toku}} shows in the 70s and 80s such as WarriorofLoveRainbowman and DenshiSentaiDenziman had Scary Black Men as villains. In Rainbowman's case, the first Scary Black Man is drugged and made to fight the titular hero, he speaks perfect Japanese before he is drugged, then when he is drugged, he does [[UnfortunateImplications nothing but grunt]]. The drug wears off and he is vaporized much to the horror of Takeshi Yamato/Rainbowman.
* KamenRiderFaiz has the Crocodile Orphnoch, aka Mr. J. Like above, he only grunts and like the former, had UnfortunateImplications.
* Charlie and Alan in ''TwoAndAHalfMen'' encountered one as a {{bouncer}}.
* In the world of ''{{Friends}}'', it seems the entire reason for black men to exist is to stare at people threateningly. Most of the women are like that too.
* Chi McBride as CorruptCorporateExecutive Vogler in the first season of {{House}} serves as this. Averted later in his main role on PushingDaisies as a private detective who's more bluster than business. Also, he quite enjoys knitting.
* ''TheWire'' has a number of scary black men - WeeBey, Chris and Marlo are the first to spring to mind.
* This troper is amazed that James Doakes from ''{{Dexter}}'' has not been mentioned yet.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Former WWECW wrestler Big Daddy V is 500 pounds(!) of half-ScaryBlackMan, half-TheGiant; of course, the one thing (well, two things... possibly three) that's even scarier than his power and his quietness are his gargantuan man-boobs. I tells ya, those things are just creepy... Nelson Frazier, the man behind V, has actually been in the {{WWE}} off and on for 16 years, first as the rapper Mabel, then as the aristocrat King Mabel, then the gothic Viscera, and then as the world's largest love machine. However, he has always been a scary black man, as anybody who saw him break The Undertaker's face in 95 can tell you. Though at least, in those incarnations, he had a shirt.
* "The" Brian Kendrick had Ezekiel Jackson, a ScaryBlackMan, as his bodyguard. So far it has been played straight, although he was shown reading ''The Cat In The Hat'' for no apparent reason. He has also quoted Sun Tzu, so take that as it stands. Zeke is now on his own on the ECW brand.
* Amazing/Awesome Kong is a Scary Black Woman.
** Not to mention her mentor/inspiration Aja Kong, monster {{heel} of Japanese women's wrestling in the 90s (as well as a brief run in the WWF, most notably Survivor Series 1995). Half-black, half-Japanese, all {{Badass}}. As her [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome awesome]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ci8OfZrDZc&feature=related theme song]] put it:
--> God made the devil just for fun,
--> When He wanted the real thing, he made Aja Kong.
** Another Scary Black Woman of wrestling is Jazz, who towered over most of the other female wrestlers when she was in the WWE.
* WWE wrestler Mark Henry is a few inches shorter and a 100 lbs lighter than Frazier, but, at 6'1", 380 lbs, he's still a whole lot of Scary Black Man. Not to mention he's the WorldsStrongestMan and is well aware of that fact.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:TableTop Games]]
* WarHammer40000 has a Space Marine chapter that's an entire army of ScaryBlackMan called the Salamanders. Let me count the reasons. They have expertise with fire weapons, also making them an example of KillItWithFire. All fire based weapons (flamers and meltas) and hammers are master-crafted because they're also trained as black smiths. That means that you're also better off running from their Assault Terminators (who's armor makes them even larger and scarier than a normal Space Marine) who wield Thunder Hammers. In 5th edition, they're now examples of RedEyesTakeWarning as well. These guys are actually one of the nicer chapters around.
** They're not "black" as in "of dark complextion", but "black" as in ''black''. They're specially bred to be resistant to radiation burn, justifiying their color.
** True, but they also count under this trope because they have the nastiest army list in the entire Space Marines codex.
* Inquisitor Mordecai Toth from Dawn of War. A scary black man with a thunder hammer and a pistol. Made more {{Badass}} by the fact that he's demon-possessed.
** Don't remember ''that'' happening...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Near the end of {{David Mamet}}'s ''{{Edmond}}'', the main character ends up being the victim of PrisonRape by one of these.
* The titlular character in ''{{Othello}}'' is seen this way by his enemies, and (apart from the quiet part) can be played this way even.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Barret, from ''FinalFantasy VII'', who's pretty much Mr. T with [[strike:[[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed the serial numbers filed off]]]] a [[ArmCannon machine gun arm]].
** So much so that [[http://www.videogamerecaps.com/recaps/cast.php?game=2 Videogame Recaps]] renamed him that in their FinalFantasyVII recaps.
** This troper has always named Barret 'Mr. T' in every play through of FFVII, and insists that others do so as well.
* Back Alley Brawler from ''CityOfHeroes''... interestingly enough, he USED to be white, but was RetCon'd black when the designers realized that their NPC superhero lineup lacked a TokenMinority.
** As was Birdie from ''{{Street Fighter}}''; he does a LampshadeHanging on it in a win quote from ''Alpha 3'' ("Back then? Yeah, I was sick.").
* Balrog (M. Bison in Japan) and Birdie from ''StreetFighter'' play this straight. [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen Dudley]], on the other hand, is a subversion.
* Atlas from ''GodOfWar II'' (That would be Mr. Duncan again). Also Kratos to some degree; while he is white, his voice actor is black.
** And his skin is gray, thus splitting the difference! Everybody wins!
* Craig Marduk from ''{{Tekken}} 4/5'' is a white example.
* Kongol from ''Legend of Dragoon'' is an example, though he really doesn't have any specific ethnicity.
* Dr John of ''GabrielKnight'' seems to be a subversion at first - he has the build to be a ScaryBlackMan, but not the personality. [[spoiler:Until you discover he's in fact a PsychoForHire]]
* Heavy D! and Seth from ''TheKingOfFighters''.
* Zasalamel from the most recent ''[[SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]'' games. The [[EyesOfGold eye of solid gold]] and SinisterScythe merely add to it.
* Garcian Smith from ''Killer 7''.
* Joker (no, not [[{{Batman}} that one]]) in ''MegaManStarForce'' - particularly notable since he seems to be the only character in the series to [[spoiler:outright kill someone... albeit [[DisneyDeath temporarily.]]]]
* Potemkin from ''GuiltyGear'' is black (or at least very, very dark-skinned), enormous, and hugely strong -- he sketches in his spare time, but needs special supplies, as he breaks ordinary pencils just by trying to use them, applying several ''tons'' of pressure. He's also [[GentleGiant one of nicest guys in the entire series.]]
* ''Kung Fu's'' [[http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/kung-fu/ "fat black man"]].
* The Demoman from ''TeamFortress2''.
** Averted with Value's Zombie shooter, ''Left 4 Dead'', in which the only black character is the least assuming of the lot, being a fairly whiny (ex-)office worker, while the others are a complete thug; an old man who is a {{BadassGrandpa}} on account of being a War vet, and a female student who has the advantage of being {{GenreSavvy}} at least...
*** ''Left 4 Dead'' 2 has the fat black guy with the chainsaw, though.
* Kold from ''Tomb Raider: Anniversary.'' He's an extremely large, extremely strong black man (the chief henchman of the main villain), he speaks in a gravely, threatening voice, and he likes to stab people with his extremely large knife.
* Mr. Sandman from the ''{{PunchOut}}!!'' series.
** Especially in his Wii rendition, which has been compared to TheIncredibleHulk. This troper considers him to be borderline HighOctaneNightmareFuel. Which is great, because after he KO's you ("puts you to sleep," [[DontExplainTheJoke hence the name]]), you get to have nightmares about him.
*** He levels up in scariness in Title Defense mode where he gets pissed off at Little Mac for basking in the glory of his fans and the camera zooms in on Sandman's face. Also occurs in the in between round segments where he says something like "Did you brush your teeth, Little Mac? It's bed time!" and having a close up of his scary face.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* [[spoiler:Nagato Yuki]] in TheAbridgedSeries version of SuzumiyaHaruhi. Simply BadAss. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA9nwFksDko enjoy]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Scipio from ''TemplarArizona''. He's over six feet tall, built, proficient in several martial arts and works as a bodyguard. However, by personality, he's about intimidating as a cup of chowder, making him something of a {{Gentle Giant}}.
** I don't know, I've seen some damn scary chowder in my day.
*** [[{{Chowder}} "The Moldy Touch"]] comes to mind.
* Bruce Camaro from ''TheWotch: Cheer!'' is also not very intimidating, generally coming off as a BlackBestFriend-type and a BoisterousBruiser, but he's also a bodyguard, and has shown off his, um, [[BuffySpeak bodyguarding side]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Michelle Clore's Shadow in ''{{KateModern}}''.
* ''SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has a few examples from versions one and three, most notably Marcus Roddy, Darnell Butler, and Bobby Jacks. Marcus Roddy and Darnell Butler are made slightly less scary by the fact that they're [[GentleGiant Gentle Giants]], but Bobby Jacks is a professional boxer who has few qualms about playing the game to win, Marcus is one of the biggest students on the island during version one, and Darnell happens to be his school's most skilled fighter on top of being a star athlete, and strong enough that he is said to have once picked up a 6'11, ''300 pound'' player on an opposing football team and slammed him to the ground.
* There's a web meme that involves photoshopping the face of a black man into a dark area of an image where it's difficult to spot him, and captioning the image with "When you see it you'll shit bricks".
* Deimos, one of the bouncers at the Mars club, in ''BrokenSaints''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Roadblock from ''GIJoe''. Also a JiveTurkey.
* Freight from ''GIJoe Extreme''
* Heavy Duty from ''GIJoe Sigma Six'' (soon to be played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in TheMovie).
* Lothar from ''DefendersOfTheEarth''. His teenage son Lothar Jr. might grow up into one of these.
* Mr. T (again) from his self-titled cartoon.
* Cobra Bubbles ([[PulpFiction Ving Rhames]]) from ''{{Lilo and Stitch}}''.
* John Henry Irons/Steel from ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries''. (Though he was quickly established as a GeniusBruiser, he's no less scary for it.)
* First mate Kale (voiced by Dennis Haysbert, ''[[TwentyFour 24]]'''s Pres. Palmer) from the Dreamworks' "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas".
* Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet from Disney's ''Atlantis''. He's more of a Gentle Giant and BadassBookworm, as he is the only one who enthusiastically takes to the [[NoBiochemicalBoundaries exotic Atlantian food]] and utensils.
* As noted above, Commander Vachir from ''KungFuPanda''.
* Randy Robertson from ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}}'' mostly subverts the trope; he's huge, but kind and level-headed. When he's being serious, though, he's being ''serious.''
** May ThisTrooper point out Tombstone from the same series instead? Not only is he a ScaryBlackMan, but he's ''also'' an EvilAlbino with ''shark teeth''.
* If [[CodeMonkeys Black Steve]] isn't scary, he's sure as hell insane...
* Mr. Fixx, of ''BatmanBeyond'''s premiere episode. Voiced, interestingly, by [[StarTrek George]] [[{{Heroes}} Takei]], who has Japanese ancestry.
* In ''TheBoondocks'' episode "A Date With The Health Inspector," Tom DuBois has nightmares about being accosted in prison by The Health Inspector, a massively muscled and massively well-endowed inmate voiced by (and visually based on) Terry Crews.
** ''Well endowed?'' [[NightmareFuel The thing was touching the damn floor.]]
* Cyborg from the animesque ''TeenTitans'', though he's actually just a friendly goofball.
*Panthro, from Thundercats. "I'm gonna rearrange your ''bones'' for you, too!".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[http://www.blogger.com/profile/15947218651115865221 Wrath James White]] not only has the imposing look and a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Name To Run Away From Really Fast]]; he's also both an experienced professional fighter and an author of seriously disturbing horror novels.
** "If you have a weak stomach, a closed mind, rigid morals, and Victorian sexual ethics, then avoid my writing like the plague. Avoid me as well." *Awesome*.
* Idi Amin was mentoned in the Film setion but he was in RealLife, one of the worst men who ever lived. He massacred millions of his countrymen, created death camps, was accused of every crime against man and nature and was probably guilty of most. He was even accused of feeding his enemies, alive, to pet crocodiles!
** Accusations of cannibalism, however, probably, result from confusing Amin with his predecessor, Bopha.
*** Not necessarily. Quoth his own Minister of Health, Henry Kyemba:
---->''I am ashamed to admit that on several occasions he told me [[CompleteMonster quite proudly]] that he had [[ImAHumanitarian eaten the organs or flesh of his human victims]].''
* Mobutu Sese Seko, former dictator of Zaire (Now called the Democratic Republic of Congo). One story of his brutality is the execution of revolutionary Pierre Mulele, which was slow and agonizing as he could possibly make it. After he was tortured, Mobutu had [[EyeScream his eyes gouged]], [[GroinAttack his testicles ripped off]], and him dismembered, limb by limb, all while he was alive. [[NightmareFuel This was a public execution]] [[LaResistance to make an example out of him for anyone attempting a regime change]].
* Kimbo Slice.
* Mike Tyson, anyone? Especially considering how he's card-carrying aggressive/unstable.
* When Commodore Perry was sent to Japan to "open it up" for trading, he decided to make an entrance. That is to say, he got the two biggest black sailors on his ship and had them flanking him as he stepped off.
* [[JamesEarlJones James Earl Jones]] Army Ranger and the voice of Darth Vader.
[[/folder]]

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