"What have you heard? That bad guys would rather confess than be interrogated by him? That his steely gaze can cool a room by five degrees? That he can only be killed by a silver bullet, like a werewolf? They're all true, except for the silver bullet part. Might give him indigestion or heartburn, but I don't think it'd kill him. Any other questions?" —
Tony DiNozzo on
Gibbs,
NCIS
A specific form of
Memetic Mutation when the fandom of a series exaggerates a character that is simply
badass, and sometimes not at all impressive to preposterously epic god-like levels. Despite the name, it doesn't necessarily have to be a widely known Internet meme, and is sometimes just an in-joke among the fan-base. In some cases,
the writers agree.
Often overlaps with
Fan Wank. Fear too the
Memetic Molester.
In-universe, this can be the result of being
Shrouded in Myth, or a
God Mode Sue if done poorly.
When down to a historical character, it's
Historical Badass Upgrade.
Compare
Memetic Sex God,
Testosterone Poisoning.
Examples go on subpages.
