History Main / GoldColoredSuperiority

** Char Aznable changes his usual color from red in the original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' to gold in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'' [[spoiler:where he fights for the AEUG, piloting the Hyaku Shiki under the alias of Quattro Bajeena]] The idea being that the gold paint job is an anti-beam coating. He goes back to using red for ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', however. Even more iconic about this change is that Char caused [[CharClone an entire trope]] in part about his normal color scheme.

* Low purity gold alloy is often used as the coating on high quality magnets. The gold coating is not only far less corrosive, but is surprisingly far more durable than the standard nickle-ally plating.

* ''Literature/TheSunbearerTrials'': Of the three types of gods in this setting, the Golds, the Jades and Obsidians the Golds are the most powerful and important of them, with their gods being the gods are such things as all animals or fire.

* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'': To make himself stand out as the Smurf above all others, King Smurf from the comic book story of the same name (and its AnimatedAdaptation) wore a Smurf suit [[LessEmbarrassingTerm colored gold, which the other Smurfs see as yellow]]).
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': For a brief period, ComicBook/{{Cyborg}} was bonded to a morphing war-suit called the Omegadrome. This granted him a gold colored form and a number of other new abilities [[VoluntaryShapeshifting such being able to take human form.]]

* ''ComicBook/USAvengers'': One villain the U.S.Avengers first faced was the Gold Skull, a money obsessed villain. He happened to wear a suit of gold armor... which Toni Ho learned was ''real gold'' and not ''gold-plated'' as she happily tore it apart -- [[AwesomeButImpractical real gold might be shiny, but it's highly malleable.]]

This is LawOfChromaticSuperiority applied to the gold color. This has to do with the assumption that gold, as the metal, is rare, and thus something golden is standing for wealth and power.

Sometimes, the RedOnesGoFaster. Other times, the ''golden'' ones do.

* In ''ComicBook/MetalMen'' Gold is the leader, not counting Dr. Magnus (DaChief).
* ComicBook/IronMan is often called "The Golden Avenger" even though he's mostly red nowadays (although he once had a fully golden armor).
* To make himself stand out as the Smurf above all others, King Smurf from ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story of the same name (and its AnimatedAdaptation) wore a Smurf suit [[LessEmbarrassingTerm colored gold, which the other Smurfs see as yellow]]).
* For a brief period, ComicBook/{{Cyborg}} was bonded to a morphing war-suit called the Omegadrome. This granted him a gold colored form and a number of other new abilities [[VoluntaryShapeshifting such being able to take human form.]]
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': When Diana, ContinuitySnarl/{{Donna|Troy}}, and [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie]] put on full armor Diana, the strongest, most experienced and eldest of their number, wears gold.
* One villain the ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' first faced was the Gold Skull, a money obsessed villain. He happened to wear a suit of gold armor... which Toni Ho learned was ''real gold'' and not ''gold-plated'' as she happily tore it apart -- [[AwesomeButImpractical real gold might be shiny, but it's highly malleable.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice The fact that gold exists makes every other colours equally inferior.]]]]

* ''[[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'': Two of the most powerful {{kaiju}} of all, Ghidorah and Mothra respectively, produce golden light with their powers during the movie. Ghidorah has gold scales and he produces golden-yellow lightning, while Mothra produces gold light when she clears Ghidorah's stormclouds.

* ''Film/TheWiz'': The Emerald City starts green, but then an announcement from the Wizard changes everything red. "''I thought it over and green is dead / 'Till I change my mind, the color is red''" The residents turn red and sing its praises, and then there's another announcement: "''How quickly fashion goes down the sink. / Last week when you all was wearin' pink / Already for me red was old. / The ultimate brick is gold.''" It remains gold for the rest of the film.
* ''Franchise/StarWars:'' ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': Palpatine is in fact a powerful Sith master. His lightsaber has a gold plated hilt, and he kills no less than three out of the four Jedi masters who came to arrest him in a short amount of time.
* ''Film/TronLegacy'': An evil example. Clu, the administrator program gone full ZerothLawRebellion, is the only one with gold TronLines.

* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
** In ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' and ''[[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Justice League]]'', Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, has plenty of golden parts on her outfits, and she's a formidable warrior.
** ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'': When Arthur is brought before him in chains, Orm is the powerful ruling king who wears a golden costume. In the third act, it is Arthur who wears gold while Orm's armor has [[MetallicMotifs silvery elements]], visually imparting that he is about to lose to Arthur before their second duel even starts.

** Mark IV Soldier and Captain Constructs are distinguished from their lower-grade green counterparts by their full-body golden finish.
** You can rarely find Golden Apples growing on trees alongside regular apples. Using them in cooking results in meals that recover more hearts and/or have longer lasting buffs.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Mark IV Soldier and Captain Constructs are distinguished from their lower-grade green counterparts by their full-body golden finish.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': According to supplementary material, students at Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan are given robes that change color according to their grades. Only a student who achieves top grades in every subject will have their robes turn gold.