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Miles Gloriosus

See Volstagg run. Run, Volstagg, run!

I hear you been tellin' about how you killed all them Jenkins brothers. With one bullet wasn't it? Ain't that right? All these good folks here believe your little stories, don't they? Why, they believe you're just a stone killer, don't they? Seems these folks trust you. They think you're gonna save their little town. They think you're gonna save their little souls! But we know better, don't we?

— Rattlesnake Jake, Rango

He's a soldier; he's a real man! Just listen to all his exploits and how the very gods are afraid of him! Admire his pristine uniform and shiny medals that prove his valour! He loves danger! He will seek out any peril to test himself against!

Just don't put him near an actual fight.

The Miles (pronounced "ME-lays"^note) Gloriosus is usually a soldier, or claiming to be one. Great White Hunter, Gentleman Adventurer, or other dangerous occupations are also possible. Miles is Always Male — women aren't usually expected to distinguish themselves in danger.

The Foil of The So-Called Coward. Since he is invariably all talk, falling for his stories is a mark of the Na�ve Newcomer. Those who are not taken in may, in peace and quiet, find him more or less amusing, which depends on his skill on storytelling, but when trouble arises, he is always The Load. May be No Hero to His Valet — type 1 only. Often considering himself God's personal gift to women, he is frequently part of a Love Triangle, his stories making him triumphant, until danger reveals to the heroine which man really is admirable.

May be a Small Name, Big Ego, but may also be running a con — and may be proud of his cleverness rather than his alleged prowess. It can be hard to tell because one of his chief traits is his utter shamelessness. No matter how clearly he was reduced to quivering terror by the merest hint of danger, as soon as the danger ends he will snap back to the boasting mode, making it hard to tell whether Believing Their Own Lies is in effect. He is incapable of realizing that people might think better of him if he says Think Nothing of It.

Any annoying braggart may be taken for the Miles Gloriosus, which is why subverting this, having them turn out to be brave and good at fighting -- or even just competent -- is a surprise. Such surprises often fall under Glory Seeker; he may also go for glory at the expense of others: Glory Hound.

Named for a stock character in ancient Roman theater — the term translates "boasting soldier."

Particularly annoying subtrope of Fake Ultimate Hero and particularly egotistical subtrope of The Munchausen. Inverse of the Cowardly Lion. Similar to Lord Error-Prone. If the plot ever forces him to stand and actually act like the badass he claims to be, then it's Becoming the Boast. Villainous versions may overlap with Hero Syndrome.

Compare Smug Super, Nominal Hero, and Phony Veteran.

Contrast Shrouded in Myth, Armchair Military and Badass On Paper. Subtrope of Paper Tiger.

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Audio Adaptations

General Alexander Bruce in the Doctor Who Big Finish audio drama The Roof of the World. He does come through when the chips are down, however.

Professional Wrestling

This is the traditional personality of a heel in Professional Wrestling. They talk a good game about how badass they are, and might be able to take on some of the lower level guys, but they turn into a Dirty Coward when facing the top-tier faces, revealing that all their talk was a bunch of hot air. In the territorial days, this was an Enforced Trope in Memphis.

Web Comics

In Sinfest, Slick and Squigley, boasting of their gangster cred, decide to take on Satan -- who doesn't even twitch. His Right-Hand Attack Dog is enough to make them run.

Web Original

In the Adventures of The League of S.T.E.A.M. episode, "Tall Tails", Crackitus, Thaddeus and Jasper boast about encounters they've had with the Kraken. Until it actually arrives...
Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a variant: he's an arrogant blowhard, but he's also as tough and brave as he says. The only reason he's brave, however, is because he is so super-strong and Nigh Invulnerable that he has never been injured in his life. It's telling that he flees, crying like a baby, the very second that he feels pain for the first time.
"I think this is what pain feels like!"
- To be fair, if you had never felt any pain before, how would you react? And it wasn't just any pain, he was at ground zero for a small explosion. Contrast this, however, with Dr. Horrible's reaction; he's felt pain all his life, much of it at the hands of Captain Hammer, so he simply gets up and brushes himself off. Karmic justice indeed. Until the twist.
In V4 of Survival of the Fittest, Jimmy Brennan is built almost entirely on this trope, pissing his pants and losing his shit in one thread, and bragging about all the ass he's already kicked in the next.
Illustrated well in this Skyrim machinima, which paints the Dragonborn as a cocky mercenary who brags about his dragonslaying skills but runs away screaming when he encounters an actual dragon (or even a wolf).