History Main / HistoricalBadassUpgrade

* The ancient Spartans are often depicted as top-of-the-top of soldierly skill, an elite and incorruptible ProudWarriorRace, but their actual track record in combat was a lot more lackluster. While having an edge over most other Greeks, their training methods were at best AwesomeButImpractical, their [[CripplingOverspecialization over-reliance on heavy infantry]] came back to bite them on multiple occasions, and at least some of their biggest victories can be attributed to enemy blunders or to having, for a change, cared to look at the bigger picture beyond immediate soldiering. Additionally, writers tend to upplay their performances against Persia, and downplay most other periods--they failed to dislodge Athens for decades in the Peloponnesian War due to their inability to sustain campaigns until they relied on Persian support, needed Persian aid again in the Corinthian War, were soundly defeated by Thebes in the Theban-Spartan War, and ended up utterly crushed by Macedon and again by Rome (under which rule their famously harsh culture became a trashy tourist attraction for Roman aristocrats). Curiously however, they were already on the receiving end of Badass Upgrade in their own times (by other Greeks to boot), so a writer trying to avoid it faces a weight of tradition to overcome.

* The ancient Spartans are often depicted as top-of-the-top of soldierly skill, but their actual track record in combat was a lot more lackluster. While having an edge over most other Greeks, their training methods were at best AwesomeButImpractical, their [[CripplingOverspecialization over-reliance on heavy infantry]] came back to bite them on multiple occasions, and at least some of their biggest victories can be attributed to enemy blunders or to having for a change cared to look at the bigger picture beyond immediate soldiering. Additionally, writers tend to upplay their performances against Persia, and downplay most other periods--they failed to dislodge Athens for decades in the Peloponnesian War due to their inability to sustain campaigns until they relied on Persian support, needed Persian aid again in the Corinthian War, were soundly defeated by Thebes in the Theban-Spartan War, and ended up utterly crushed by Macedon and Rome. Curiously however, they were already on the receiving end of Badass Upgrade in their own times (by other Greeks to boot), so a writer trying to avoid it faces a weight of tradition to overcome.

* ''Series/TheSpanishPrincess'' featured Catherine of Aragon [[PregnantBadass donning a suit of armor and partaking in a battle while pregnant]]- even personally killing James IV of Scotland. While the real Catherine ''did'' navigate England through wartime despite being heavily pregnant, and is agreed to have given a RousingSpeech to the English troops to boost their morale, she did not directly participate in the battle, and she certainly didn't kill James VI herself.

* ''Film/TheKingsMan'': In addition to his usual HistoricalVillainUpgrate, this version of UsefulNotes/GrigoriRasputin is presented as being an excellent fighter in combat and [[MasterSwordsman with the sword]], fighting the movie's good guys ''at once''. That's a far cry from the historical Rasputin who was basically a NonActionGuy and a preacher and mystic.

* ''Film/TheKingsMan'': In addition to his usual HistoricalVillainUpdate, this version of UsefulNotes/GrigoriRasputin is presented as being an excellent fighter in combat and [[MasterSwordsman with the sword]], fighting the movie's good guys ''at once''. That's a far cry from the historical Rasputin who was basically a NonActionGuy and a preacher and mystic.

->''"So, all in all, just a normal day in the life of Creator/LeonardoDaVinci. Turn lead into gold, paint the most famous portrait of all time, and invent the first hang glider. And I bet it’s not even 9 AM."''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''ComicBook/TheManhattanProjects'' feature robot Wernher Von Braun, irradiated skull Harry Daghlian, [[spoiler: cannibal Evil Twin of]] Oppenheimer, [[spoiler: evil parallel universe]] Einstein, and FDR [[spoiler:AI]] meeting aliens, discovering wormholes and fighting robots zen powered by death monks.

** Bossa Nova Heartstrings, Blue's older identical twin brother, is based on Jesse Garon Presley, Music/ElvisPresley's older identical twin brother who came out [[TragicStillbirth stillborn]]. While he came out stillborn like his character inspiration, Bossa Nova was adopted by the [[TheGrimReaper Three Deaths]], giving him a ([[MassiveNumberedSiblings rather large]]) surrogate family of his own. His noble upbringing influenced him to eventually become something great - an [[PhysicalGod Alicorn god]] - despite being dead, and being a Death god means he's still rather powerful despite not being a "[[TheAce prodigy]]" deity like his younger brother.