The Big Guy / Live-Action TV

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• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:
  • Grant Ward. He's recruited due to his stellar field record, and is usually the one who does the most fighting.
  • Agent May also fills this role, as a Cute Bruiser, especially since Grant has stopped being on active status with the team. She's a legendary badass in SHIELD (known as "the cavalry" for a spectacular solo rescue mission).
  • In the second season, after training from May, Skye begins to fill this role while May is busy as Coulson's Number Two. She's normally the one on overwatch, battles enemy agents in hand-to-hand, and near the end of the season gets one long shot of clearing a room of about a dozen hostiles by herself. And that's not even getting into the powers she receives halfway through the season, which she doesn't have full control of, but are strong enough to bring down a building if she lets loose.
• Angel: Gunn and Connor. Gunn tended to get called "the muscle" a lot, and the fear that this meant dumb muscle was a big part of his character arc. Connor was something of a subverted Big Guy, his slight, boyish appearance contrasting with his incredible strength and ferocity.
• The Aquabats! Super Show!: Crash McLarson most resembles a Class 2. His special power is shifting into super size heights, sometimes triggered by his emotions.
• The A-Team: B.A. Baracus.
• Babylon 5: G'Kar.
• Blake's 7: Gan from the first season is an interesting variation on the trope; he would count as a classic Class 2 by dint of his backstory, having sought out and killed his wife's murderer -with his bare hands according to Fanon- but he was subsequently implanted with a 'limiter chip' that restricts his aggression. Also a mild subversion on account of being the Big Guy in a series where Gareth Thomas is playing the Hero. Though, to be fair, he is a pretty nice guy anyway (At least compared to some of the others on the show. * coughAvoncough!* )
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
  • Willow, but she's an interesting case as she can fit as The Lancer, The Smart Guy, and The Heart depending on what's needed, and who is around. However, she is repeatedly stated to be the heaviest hitter in the group once she properly develops her magic powers, even exceeding Buffy herself.
  • Spike was once described by Buffy herself as the "strongest warrior they have", and thus he is often used as the meat shield by the scoobies. It helps that he's a Blood Knight who loves fighting and only really joined because he wanted to beat stuff up and his Restraining Bolt stopped him from doing that without help from the scoobies. He's also been shown to be quite cunning on occasion, but most of that is eclipsed by his Butt-Monkey status.
• Chouseishin Series:
  • Chouseishin Gransazer: Of all twelve Gransazer, it's professional boxer Naoto Matsuzaka / Sazer Tawlon, who's their physically toughest member and who acts as their strong man.
  • Genseishin Justiriser: Reika Motomiya isn't one of the Justirisers, but she is a Badass Normal who acts as Mio's bodyguard and is physically skilled enough to handle Zakoal all on her own.
  • Chousei Kantai Sazer X has Gordo, a portly member of the Sazer-X support crew who wields a mace and fights with blunt force.
• Doctor Who: Rory Williams is a mix of a Class 2 and Class 5, particularly after he Took a Level in Badass.
• Farscape: D'Argo. Anthony Simcoe is 6'5" even before camera tricks are used. Then throw on the qualta blade and military training, plus the prospect of Luxan hyper-rage, for additional fear factor. He's a hybrid of two and three - while not a full Gentle Giant, he does form genuinely close bonds with his shipmates and had a tender relationship with Chiana until she cheated on him with his son, and as for type three:
  D'Argo: John, I've never put this into words before, but I love shooting things!
• Firefly: Jayne Cobb, the brutal, thuggish mercenary on the team. Type one - a gruff, surly man with little in his life beyond guns, money and intimacy-free sex - although there were some hints that he had a well-concealed better nature, and if the show hadn't been cancelled he could well have developed into a type two, at least among friends.
  • River fits the Cute Bruiser type, as well as the Gentle Giant (that shouldn't be ticked off type) and Violently Protective Girlfriend type. Mess with her brother-and you're toast.
  • Also, to some extent, Zoe. Her husband mentions her being able to kill him with her pinky.
• Game of Thrones:
  • Hodor is a Stone Wall version of this. He is very tall and has a wide frame, but he is a Reluctant Warrior who only fights when Bran wargs into him. He instead uses his strength and durability mostly for defensive purposes such as guarding/shielding and carrying the crippled Bran. Unfortunately, he suffers from Big Guy Fatality Syndrome, performing a Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Two things Robert Baratheon is proud of during his Glory Days are his Heroic Build and his combat prowess. He routinely would cave in steel breastplates with his fearsome warhammer.
  • Wun-Wun served as the muscle for the Northern army led by Jon Snow during Season 6. Bonus points for him being literally a giant. Unfortunately, he also suffers from Big Guy Fatality Syndrome near the end of said battle, dying from multiple injuries concluding with a fatal arrow shot to the eye.
  • They don't come much bigger than Gregor Clegane. They don't call him The Mountain for nothing. In the books, he's even bigger, towering at near eight feet tall.
  • Brienne is massively tall and muscular, and her status as Action Girl cannot be denied.
  • House Umber are considered as the muscle of the North.
    • Greatjon Umber is a 6'5 1/2" Boisterous Bruiser who is head of the noble house.
  • Drogon is the largest dragon of the three.
• Giant Saver: Ye Wanneng, the Steel Guard, and an ex-soldier, fills this role for the team. While short of being a Genius Bruiser, he is also usually the most level headed and a Voice of Reason.
• Goodbye My Princess: Danchi's greatest warrior He Shi, whose actor is over seven feet tall.
• House of Anubis: Alfie seems to fill this role. While there isn't much physical violence for it being a kid's show, he's the strongest next to Patricia and has gotten physical before, usually when he's angry or afraid.
• Kamen Rider:
  • Kamen Rider Build: Ryuga Banjo, a tough former prize fighter who's not the brightest. After he undergoes Character Development and becomes The Lancer, Kazumi Sawatari steps into the role. While he isn't the most powerful Rider, he's a tough fighter who mainly uses brute force attacks.
  • Kamen Rider Saber: Kamen Rider Buster has a bulky Rider form and is the physically strongest Rider who fights by swinging a BFS.
• Knight Squad: Prudence, due to her being quarter giant.
• Legends of Tomorrow: Since The Team is very large, three people fill the role as the go to guys when it comes to ass-kicking; Firestorm, Sara Lance / White Canary and Mick Rory / Heat Wave. Firestorm is a metahuman with firepowers, Sara is a highly trained former assassin and Mick Rory is a tall and large Ax-Crazy Pyromaniac with a flamethrower who loves fighting.
• Leverage: Eliot Spencer is a perfect example of this trope, and they make no efforts to hide it either. His label in the show is "The Hitter" (sometimes the The Retrieval Specialist but it all adds up to the same thing), and he handles both the heavy lifting and the violence, to the point where he verges on The Brute on occasion. Interestingly, he is the shortest of the main guys, and shorter than the girls (when in they're in heels).
• Power Rangers:
  • Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Ninjor from the third season is a Class 2 Big Guy.
  • Power Rangers Dino Fury: Izzy takes on this role, being the most athletically skilled of the team (aside from Zayto, who's physically at least several years older than her and is a literal knight) and really packing a punch despite being the youngest and smallest of the team. She's a class 5 type.
  • Power Rangers RPM: Flynn McAllister is a Class 2.
  • Power Rangers Time Force: Katie has Super-Strength even when she's not morphed thanks to 31st century genetic augmentation. .
  • Power Rangers Zeo: Adam Park is considered by many to be The Big Guy during his seasons, due to his quietness and all around badassitude. In fact in his article, he's listed as The Big Guy.
  • Other Power Rangers Big Guys include Kai Chen (Blue Galaxy Ranger), Chad Lee (Blue Lightspeed Ranger), Danny Delgado (Black Bison Ranger), Dustin Brooks (Yellow Wind Ranger), Tommy Oliver (Black Dino Ranger), and Kevin (Blue Samurai Ranger).
• Misfits: Kelly is far more violent and confrontational than any of the males in the group, and was the only one to take decisive action when they were attacked by their Ax-Crazy probation worker, killing him single-handedly by knocking him to the floor and kicking his head in, although he was about twice her size. She isn't physically large (she's about average height and build) or notably "butch", and does actually have quite a caring and sensitive personality. But she can often seem imposing due to her anger management issues and will blithely maul anyone who insults her - in fact, due to her power of telepathy, she will occasionally attack people just for thinking something that offends her in some way.
• NCIS:
  • For most of the series it's actually been the "Big Gal"; Caitlin Todd (seasons 1 & 2) the former Secret Service agent, and Ziva David (seasons 3-11) the former Mossad operative. Both were the designated asskickers (though the others in the Five-Man Band aren't slouches, either). Former REACT agent Jessica Knight joined in Season 19, and while asskicking is not officially in her job description, her ability with an improvised Martial Arts Staff certainly took her colleagues by surprise.
  • Starting in season 14, Nicholas Torres embodies this trope in an apparently more traditional way but still with some unique twists (i.e something of a musclehead but surprisingly tech-savvy and with a well-developed strategic instinct from years of undercover work).
• NCIS: Los Angeles: Special Agent Sam Hanna is a former Navy Seal, the tallest and most muscular of the group, and something of a gym rat. Also seen speaking at least 4 languages and tends to be the most easy-going of the team.
• Night Court: Bull fits in the class 2 category. The tallest character in the show (and coming from a show where nearly all the main male cast members are over six feet, that's saying something), and shaved head make him come off as physically imposing, combined with him being rather strong as well, but he's really a sensitive soul, and while extremely goofy, later proved to have a genius level IQ and noted soft spot for kids.
• Noah's Arc: Alex is a class 4, being outspoken, boisterous and dramatic. Though kind, he is the most aggressive and confrontational of the group when threatened. He is also an Emotional Bruiser.
• NUMB3RS: Colby Granger.
• Orphan Black: Helena once she joins the Clone Club after her Heel–Face Turn. While Sarah, Alison, and Art are competent in their own right, her being a Tyke-Bomb has instantly made her the group's de-facto "muscle".
• Prison Break: Linc.
• Revolution: Nora Clayton is the closest fit to this. She is a demolitions expert, which is a job reserved for The Big Guy. The episodes "Soul Train", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "The Love Boat", and "The Dark Tower" have her creating explosives that prove to be quite effective for the job.
• Ripper Street: Detective Sergeant Drake is the series' go-to guy for punching people and kicking in doors, and he got a reputation as a One-Man Army during his military service.
• Sanctuary: The aptly named Big Guy.
• Sea Patrol: Buffer, and more so his replacement Dutchy in season 4.
• Sherlock:
  • Sherlock's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold example and John's a Cute Bruiser Gentle Giant (that shouldn't be pushed too far) type and he does have Blood Knight tendencies since he is an adrenaline junkie. However, get them furious by messing with the other-you're in trouble.
  • John did kill two villains and threatened death on one of them, and Sherlock did kill Magnusson. We know where that gets him.
  • John's also The Lancer since grabs on to Moriarty and tells Sherlock to run-WHILE HE HAS A BOMB VEST strapped to him!
  • John is also the Butt-Monkey (somewhat.) Ironically, even though he's the Butt-Monkey, Sherlock, of course, seems to like him as a friend, and if he does something he doesn't want to do, it's for his friend's well-being.
  • For the series's Five-Man Band as a whole, Greg Lestrade serves as this in a metaphorical sense, as he is the one who actually arrests the criminals once Sherlock exposes them.
• Stargate Atlantis:
  • Ronon Dex is a Class 1. His nickname is even "Chewie".
  • One of the best scenes is Teal'c (who is, at this point, over 100 years old) and Ronon going at each other, while everyone else is making bets. Too bad Carter had to stop the fight, which at that point had been going on for over forty minutes!
• Stargate SG-1: Teal'c is a Class 2 with occasional Class 1 leanings.
• Stargate Universe: Sgt. Greer
• Star Trek:
  • Star Trek: Enterprise: Malcolm Reed is one of those rare Class 5 big guys. As the ship's tactical officer, he's not only the go-to guy for beating people up and blowing stuff up, but also for coming up with innovative new ways of doing both of those things. He uses his brains and technical know-how almost as often as his phase pistol, but he's still an extremely capable combatant, as shown when he engages in a no-holds-barred brawl with the leader of the MACOs.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation:
    • Worf is the Chief of Security on the Enterprise, and he's the most aggressive person on the ship.
    • Interestingly, Worf is not the strongest member of the crew. That honor would go to Data, whose non-aggressive programming prevents him from becoming a Type 5, barring some special circumstances.
  • Star Trek: Picard: Elnor is the best melee fighter among La Sirena's crew; he's a Master Swordsman with Qowat Milat Super-Reflexes and Romulan Super-Strength who can take on multiple opponents. He's also the tallest character in the main cast (his actor Evan Evagora is 6'1½").
• Supernatural: The Big Guy role depending on the episode, is usually shared between Dean and Cas. Sam Winchester looks the part but subverts this as his talents make him more suited to being The Smart Guy or The Hero. Sam being The Big Guy is usually a plot point because it means that there is something seriously wrong with him.
  • Dean even if he doesn't look the part. He's tiny compared to Sam and looks girly and vulnerable but is an incredibly brutal fighter.
  • Castiel, as the strongest ally the Winchesters have, is often called upon to do the heavy lifting when the Winchesters come across monsters too strong for them to beat (this is made apparent in season 5 where Castiel mows down angels by the truckload in contrast to the boys who can barely defeat one). He's also the shortest of the main characters (but not by much) and is described as a "nerdy angel dude".
• Super Sentai: Usually filled by the Yellow team member, although also often come in Blue or Black.
  • The Trope Codifier for Big Guys in the franchise is Daita Oiwa / Kirenger from Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, a burly fighter with a hot-headed temperament and a love of curry.
  • Jun Yabuki / the second Yellow Four from Choudenshi Bioman is one of the franchise's earliest female examples, being a sporty archer who joins the Biomen after the loss of the previous Yellow Four.
  • Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Luka Millfy / Gokai Yellow is another iconic female example, being the Gokaigers' tomboyish navigator.
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Cameron fills in this role, which is ironic, as she is easily the smallest and most waifish person in the entire cast.
• Ultraman: Daisuke Arashi. A trigger-happy Jerk with a Heart of Gold who wields the biggest gun of the Science Patrol. His Ultraseven expy Shigeru Furuhashi, likewise.
• The Vampire Diaries: Caroline. She even knocks Damon around like a ragdoll when she gets pissed enough.
• The West Wing: Joshua Lyman was the political equivalent of this trope in the Bartlett administration, functioning as the the President's attack dog and enforcer. Lacking subtlety, Josh was a political bludgeon, beating Congressmen, Senators, and Secretaries into line with threats, insults, and even outright blackmail.

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