Characters / Rambo

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• John Rambo
• First Blood
• Rambo: First Blood Part II
• Rambo III
• Rambo IV
• Rambo: Last Blood

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Main Characters

John Rambo

See his character page here.

Col. Samuel "Sam" Trautman

Colonel Samuel "Sam" Trautman

"You're always going to be tearing away at yourself until you come to terms with who you are. Until you come full circle."

Played By: Richard Crenna ^{Other Languages} Pierre Hatet (European French, First Blood)

Appearances: First Blood | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Rambo III | Rambo IV ^note Flashback (archive footage)

"God didn't make Rambo... I made him."

Colonel in the United States Army Special Forces, 5th Special Forces Group, later 1st Special Operations CMD. He is the Greater-Scope Paragon of the series, being Rambo's mentor.

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• Adaptational Heroism: Trautman is more of A Father to His Men type in the movie than in the book, where he was more of a Punch-Clock Hero and a Nominal Hero who doesn't get too close with his subordinates.
• Animal Motifs: He's described in the novel as resembling a sleek and efficient predator like a weasel.
• Big Damn Heroes: Subverted in Rambo: First Blood Part II. Despite having the helicopter close to the ground, he is forced by Murdock, and his mercenaries (by gunpoint) to abandon Rambo. He knew Murdock would regret that decision.
• Big Good: Of the films, as he was the one who recruited, trained and commanded Rambo on missions since Vietnam. He is also a Parental Substitute for him and was able to talk Rambo into surrendering in the climax of the first film.
• Colonel Badass: But really, what did you expect from the man who trained Rambo?
• Greater-Scope Paragon: He become this of the fourth film in his absence following the death of his actor Richard Crenna in 2003 five years prior to the fourth installment's theatrical release, due to his influence on Rambo.
• Hero of Another Story: The DVD extras contain a biography of Trautman, revealing that he served with distinction in the Korean War; it can be presumed that his combat experience in Korea is what helped established a more civil relationship with the first film's Big Bad Teasle who is a fellow Korean War veteran like Trautman.
• Ignored Expert: Teasle intentionally ignores Trautman's advice on how to handle Rambo, despite the track record so far.
• Kicked Upstairs: Explains to Rambo that he was shuffled off to a do-nothing desk job at the Pentagon some time after the war ended:
  Rambo: I tried to get in touch with you, but the guys at Bragg never knew where to find you.
  Trautman: Well, I haven't been spending much time there lately. They've got me down in D.C., I'm shining a seat with my ass.
• The Mentor: He's the man who recruited Rambo into Special Forces and trained him to be a One-Man Army.
• Morality Chain:
  • Usually the only one who can talk Rambo out of his more screwed up moments. He was able to talk Rambo out of going through with his massacre while he's been pushed, and not only lived, but even convinced him to surrender!
  • In the first film, Trautman also tried to be this towards Teasle, presumably as Teasle himself is not only a fellow military vet, but specifically a fellow Korean War vet like Trautman who likely understood how he felt. Unfortunately, Teasle does a Redemption Rejection towards Trautman's attempts to reason him that leads him to be wounded by Rambo in battle.
• The Pardon: He offers Rambo this in the beginning of the second movie; conduct a top secret assignment (take photographic evidence of existence of POWs in Vietnam), and get pardoned for the crimes he committed in the first movie.
• Parental Substitute: Lampshaded with his first words on screen.
• Save the Villain: In the first film, he make this trope clear about his intent:
  Col. Trautman: I don't think you understand. I didn't come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him.
  Sheriff Teasle: Well, we all appreciate your concern Colonel, I will try to be extra careful.
  • Trautman up to the end of the first film made good on his word on this when he talks down Rambo into surrendering and to not kill Teasle, though not without accepting Teasle to be absolutely Beyond Redemption despite being Not Worth Killing when Trautman and Rambo shared a look of scorn towards the Dirty Cop as he is loaded onto an ambulance.
• Schrödinger's Cast: His relationship between Rambo and him is completely different in the novel than in the films (more akin to that of psychiatrist Dr. Samuel "Sam" Loomis and his homicidal mental patient Michael Myers, as the two Sams are handlers of the young maniacs and were sent to stop them), also Trautman is a Captain in the book.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In the fourth film, Trautman only appears briefly in a flashback scene. It's never mentioned what happened to the character following Rambo III. This was probably done out of respect for actor Richard Crenna, who passed away in 2003, five years before the release of the fourth movie.

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