History GoodIsNotNice / Film

* The titular Batman from the [[Film/Batman1989 1989 film]] definitely qualifies.

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', with only Captain America as the exception. Tony Stark is an arrogant, conceited JerkAss with problems with authority, but his goal is to make up for his past failures. The Hulk is a raging monster who cannot tell friend from foe during his temper tantrums, but just because he doesn't like you doesn't mean he won't protect you. Thor still has shades of being a BoisterousBruiser who smashes first and asks questions later, but he follows his heart and demonstrates UndyingLoyalty to his family, friends, and to Earth itself. Hawkeye and Black Widow are agents (and former criminals) who won't hesitate to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do what needs to be done]]. Also, Black Widow is duplicitous and very rarely shows anything real about herself. That doesn't stop the two of them from being loyal to each other and to their comrades. And Nick Fury, who employs every single dirty trick to meet his ends. Fortunately, his ends are preserving worldwide freedom.
** In fairness to the rest of the Avengers Captain America stops being an exception and plays this straighter in later movies. Particularly in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' where despite his heart being in the right place Cap goes against the government, beats ups SWAT officers, attacks and fights off his teammates including a newly joined 15 year-old boy (albeit a superpowered one) and is forced to sacrifice the allies who were on his side to escape with his best friend Bucky whom he is partly doing this all for which does make Cap a kind of WellIntentionedExtremist. [[spoiler: The only time Cap crosses the line is when it's revealed he kept the secret of Tony's parents's assassination secret from him for two years at which even the arrogant, conceited JerkAss Tony is allowed to give Cap a WhatTheHellHero]]
*** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' lampshades this [[spoiler: when the older and experienced 2023 Captain America runs into his younger naive 2012 self and its like [[CharacterDevelopment they're two completely different people]]. 2023 Cap even cruelly takes advantage of his younger's self feelings about Bucky's death to overpower him]].
** ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}''. Their members are Star-Lord (womanising, cocky thief), Rocket (a bad-tempered thug raccoon who spends his spare time making bombs to blow up moons), Gamora (a cold-blooded assassin raised by ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'', of all people) and Drax [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Destroyer]] (who gets introduced trying to kill someone in prison, and seems genuinely surprised being a hero means you can't kill people for annoying you). [[MemeticMutation What a bunch of a-holes.]] They do have their own exception, though, in [[TheHeart Groot]] ([[GoodIsNotSoft though even he's perfectly willing to impale bad guys and smile about it]]). And they ''do'' save the galaxy, when they have to.
** [[Film/AntMan1 Hank Pym]] a bitter and GrumpyOldMan who drove away most of his friends and co-workers due to being an InsufferableGenius, but he is firmly on the side of good.

* Shifu in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' is unquestionably on the side of good, but is irritable, harsh to his students and insulting towards Po.

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. Their members are Star-Lord (womanising, cocky thief), Rocket (a bad-tempered thug raccoon who spends his spare time making bombs to blow up moons), Gamora (a cold-blooded assassin raised by ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'', of all people) and Drax [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Destroyer]] (who gets introduced trying to kill someone in prison, and seems genuinely surprised being a hero means you can't kill people for annoying you). [[MemeticMutation What a bunch of a-holes.]] They do have their own exception, though, in [[TheHeart Groot]] ([[GoodIsNotSoft though even he's perfectly willing to impale bad guys and smile about it]]). And they ''do'' save the galaxy, when they have to.

* Carrie in ''[[Film/ViciousFun]]'' has no time for niceties and doesn't so much as smirk unless she's in the middle of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill stabbing a serial killer at least a dozen times.]]

* Carrie in ''[[Film/ViciousFun]]'' has no time for niceties and doesn't so much as smirk unless she's in the middle of [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill stabbing a serial killer multiple times.]]

-->"Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel?"

* The eponymous ogre of the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' films initially just wants to be left alone in his swamp. Then he agrees to rescue a princess in exchange for clearing out the exiles in his swamp, and things spiral from there.
* Basil of Baker Street, from ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'', is condescending and rude. Children coming to his office to say their fathers were kidnapped are told "I have no time for lost fathers!" Of course, this turns out to be because he's focused on trying to apprehend a local crime lord named Professor Ratigan, whom ironically happens to be very FauxAffablyEvil, the polar opposite of this trope.

%%* Kerchak from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' also counts.
* Quite the literal example from ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': while the arcade game characters fulfill "good guy" and "bad guy" roles while the game is being played, offscreen their actual personalities greatly vary. Many "bad guys" are nice, gentle people while various "good guys" or "innocent bystanders" are mean, condescending and/or InnocentlyInsensitive (Felix...). [[spoiler:Or in the case of Turbo, who was the main protagonist of his game, psychotic, attention-obsessed, spiteful, murderous and insane.]]
* {{God}} in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''. See the Religion and Mythology section.

* TheManWithNoName from the ''Film/DollarsTrilogy'' is a classic example of this trope.

* Film/{{Hancock}} starts off like this. He goes out of his way to help people in need and stop criminals, and he also doesn't commit murder, with one possible exception right near the end of the movie. He's also an alcoholic with a short temper who isn't afraid to use his powers to intimidate people he doesn't like.
* From the first ''[[Film/TheProphecy Prophecy]]'' movie, regarding biblically correct angels:
-->"Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel?"
-->"I'm an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why."
* Bernie La Plante played by Creator/DustinHoffman in ''Film/AccidentalHero''. La Plante is an unscrupulous thief who nevertheless can't help but do good deeds like rescuing people from a crashed airliner.

* A theme of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series. More general examples include the strict Jedi code and the lengths the well-intentioned pro-republic characters are willing to go to in order to keep the galaxy together. ([[spoiler:For example, an army of clones whose genetics are modified to make them obedient, as a means of crushing the separatists, was created, and Mace and Yoda didn't object at Palpatine's announcement of this.]]) In addition, in the [[Literature/RevengeOfTheSith novelization]] for ''[[Film/RevengeOfTheSith Episode III]]'', Kenobi and Yoda make quite clear they have nothing against sacrificing anyone, including each other, if it would end the war a day earlier.

* The titular Batman from the [[Film/Batman1989 1989 film]] definitely qualifies.

* [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} John Rambo.]] He may be on the good guys side, but the mountain of corpses and LudicrousGibs he leaves in his wake proves he's not exactly the nicest guy around.
* While Thorin in ''Film/TheHobbit'' is unmistakably one of the protagonists, he can often be incredibly stubborn, proud, harsh, and quick to criticize, as well as discriminating against all things elvish. Well, he is ''the'' stereotypical [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarf]].
* ''Film/{{Gamera}}'': Gamera is the FriendToAllChildren and [[DestructiveSaviour a walking, turtle-shaped natural disaster to everyone else]].
%%* Spider from ''Film/{{Elysium}}''.
* Chuck Hansen in ''Film/PacificRim''. The Australian may be doing everything in his power to protect and save humanity from the {{Kaiju}}, but don't expect him not to insult or sneer at the people around him, especially if he believes [[ThePerfectionist they're incompetent or just not worth his time.]] The only person he's truly nice to is [[HeroesLoveDogs his English bulldog, Max.]]
* ActionHero Snow in ''Film/{{Lockout}}'' is snide, sarcastic, and deeply cynical throughout the movie. He's also constantly rude to the woman he's trying to save, including cutting her hair against her will and punching her to make her pass for a male prisoner.

* Merlin from ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService''. He comes across like a {{Jerkass}} to his students, but he is doing so to keep them in reality and to test them to see if they truly are Kingsmen material.
* The Axe and Cross of ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'' has been mankind's bulwark against witches for centuries, but it didn't make them nice. They sentence witches without giving them a chance to speak, they are merciless in their prosecution of magic, they keep dark secrets from Kaulder to keep him working for them and they treat their top hunter as little more than a tool.
%% * Wolverine from the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' films.
* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Mystique is brisker and stricter with the young X-Men than Professor X.
* The various church members from ''Film/EndOfDays'' know that the best way to foil Satan's plan of siring the AntiChrist on Earth is to kill Christine, the one woman he needs to impregnate, and are more than willing to do it once their hit on the Prince of Darkness himself fails. Even Jericho, who is fighting tooth and nail to save Christine, makes it ''very'' clear he's willing to kill her to foil Satan as well when he puts a gun to her head orders Satan and his minions to back off.

* Although [[spoiler:Black]] is one of the more heroic characters in ''Film/{{Exam}}'', he has no problem lashing out at those who go too far, specifically White, whom he has punched, tied down and knocked out.

[[/folder]]

** In fairness to the rest of the Avengers Captain America stops being an exception and plays straighter in later movies. Particularly in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' where despite his heart being in the right place Cap goes against the government, beats ups SWAT officers, attacks and fights off his teammates including a newly joined 15 year-old boy (albeit a superpowered one) and is forced to sacrifice the allies who were on his side to escape with his best friend Bucky whom he is partly doing this all for which does make Cap a kind WellIntentionedExtremist. [[spoiler: The only time Cap crosses the line is when it’s revealed he kept the secret of Tony’s parents’s assassination secret from him for two years at which even the arrogant, conceited JerkAss Tony is allowed to give Cap a WhatTheHellHero]].
*** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' lampshades this [[spoiler: when the older and experienced 2023 Captain America runs into his younger naive 2012 self and its like [[CharacterDevelopment they’re two completely different people]]. 2023 Cap even cruelly takes advantage of his younger’s self feelings about Bucky to overpower him]].

* Basil of Baker Street, from ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'', is condescending and rude. Children coming to his office to say their fathers were kidnapped are told "I have no time for lost fathers!" Of course, this turns out to be because he's focused on trying to apprehend a local crime lord named Professor Ratigan, whom ironically happens to be very FauxAffablyEvil, the polar opposite of this trope.
* In ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'', [[BigGood The Great Prince of the Forest]] is a abusive parent by being too aloof towards his son. The 2006 sequel gives him CharacterDevelopment, turning him into a much more loving father.
%%* Kerchak from ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' also counts.
* Quite the literal example from ''Disney/WreckItRalph'': while the arcade game characters fulfill "good guy" and "bad guy" roles while the game is being played, offscreen their actual personalities greatly vary. Many "bad guys" are nice, gentle people while various "good guys" or "innocent bystanders" are mean, condescending and/or InnocentlyInsensitive (Felix...). [[spoiler:Or in the case of Turbo, who was the main protagonist of his game, psychotic, attention-obsessed, spiteful, murderous and insane.]]

* Chief Bogo in ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'' is [[BrutalHonesty blunt about his (often negative) opinions]], [[HatesSmallTalk has disdain for niceties]], is easily annoyed, appears somewhat prejudiced against small animals at first, and is a stubborn stickler for procedure. Yet, he's one of the most consistently honest characters in the movie, willing to accept he was wrong after being shown proof, and [[spoiler: the TokenGoodTeammate among the city's major authority figures]].

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. Their members are Star-Lord (womanising, cocky thief), Rocket (a bad-tempered thug raccoon who spends his spare time making bombs to blow up moons), Gamora (a cold-blooded assassin raised by ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'', of all people) and Drax [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Destroyer]] (who gets introduced trying to kill someone in prison, and seems genuinely surprised being a hero means you can't kill people for annoying you). [[MemeticMutation What a bunch of a-holes.]] They do have their own exception, though, in [[TheHeart Groot]] (though even he's perfectly willing to impale bad guys and smile about it). And they ''do'' save the galaxy, when they have to.

* ''Film/{{Gamera}}'': Gamera is the Friend to All Children and [[DestructiveSaviour a walking, turtle-shaped natural disaster to everyone else]].

* ''Franchise/{{Gamera}}'': Gamera is the Friend to All Children and [[DestructiveSaviour a walking, turtle-shaped natural disaster to everyone else]].

* The titular Batman from the [[Film/{{Batman}} 1989 film]] definitely qualifies.