History Main / MilitaryMaverick

* ''Film/TheDirtyDozen'''s Major Reisman. All of the Dozen are actually mavericks (or much worse) but they ''definitely'' face consequences for it.

* Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, USN from ''Film/TopGun''. "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash." -- "You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead."

That being said, this trope ''is'' TruthInTelevision to some extent. However, these folks are much more common and tolerated in non-professional insurgent armies, guerrillas, and during {{civil war}}s, where the entire society goes bananas.

* Most smaller White armies in the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Russian Civil War]] consisted of mostly these types. Ataman Semyonov and Baron UsefulNotes/RomanVonUngernSternbergcome to mind.

* Most smaller White armies in the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Russian Civil War]] consisted of mostly these types. Ataman Semyonov and Baron von UsefulNotes/UngernSternberg come to mind.

Still, most instances of this would have far more consequences in RealLife than in fiction (and so does everything). Note that the higher up you are in the chain of command, [[CynicismTropes the more likely you are to get away with stuff]]. There are no recruits and privates who can get away with acting like a Military Maverick in fiction does. Or at least, if there are right now, give it a few days. You might get away with disobeying orders and regulations on rare occasions or under unusual circumstances, but doing so to the point of recklessness is a good way to end a military career with a plain and simple dismissal at best, or capital punishment at worst. [[DontTryThisAtHome So it goes without saying...]]

* Isamu Alva Dyson from ''Anime/MacrossPlus''. Reckless, insubordinate, short tempered and not even punishment details wanted him. Eventually transferred to Project Super Nova as a test pilot since the only thing keeping him in the military was that he was ''that damn good''.
* Elizabeth Beurling of ''Anime/StrikeWitches'' fame is a maverick herself, taking little heed to the brass and disobeying them at almost every turn (from simple things like smoking and going to the pub late at night to more complex things like refusing to use the new striker units), she is rather skilled in combat and has no ranged weapons instead just uses her kukri and cuts up enemy soldiers, grant she does have a rather gloomy personality to her. The girl has got issues but she can hardly care less. Not surprising given she was at least somewhat based on the real life maverick George Beurling. See RealLife below for more details.

** Wedge Antilles is a major maverick. He's led Rogue Squadron into defecting (temporarily) from the New Republic itself.[[note]]Despite his extremely public resignation, one of his superiors "forgot" to file the paperwork...along with covertly providing Wedge with the equipment he needed...and thus ''retroactively'' made his actions an officially sanctioned mission.[[/note]] He was ready to leave again during ''Starfighters of Adumar'', when faced with the choice of doing what was ordered or what was right. But he and the Rogues are the best of the best, delivering the impossible, and they do get called on their behavior. Wedge created [[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]], an entire squadron of misfits specifically organized for unconventional warfare after seeing how the fleet had become hamstrung by being forced into the role of legitimate government (see the Space section)--and, though not even thirty, found himself feeling like a tired old man when confronted with their antics and tactics.

* Creator/DerekRobinson's character of CH3, in ''A Piece of Cake''. An American pilot and soldier of fortune who for political reasons is posted to Hornet Squadron in time for the Battle of Britain, he becomes unpopular not just for having more combat experience than all the British pilots put together, he is highly critical of the British command an tactical philosophy. It doesn't help that experience proves him right, although not before several pilots are killed in action.
* The foul-mouthed Guiness-drinking cynic and anti-Literature/{{Biggles}} Major Wooley, in ''Goshawk Squadron''. A working class Brummie who made it into the UsefulNotes/WW1 officer corps, his superiors would dearly like to sack or demote him, but as he is an accredited Ace, they dare not.
* Mackenzie "Mac" Calhoun, of ''Literature/StarTrekNewFrontier'', was specifically picked to command the ''Excalibur'', the [[OneRiotOneRanger only ship in the sector]], because he was basically the CowboyCop of Starfleet.

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** It's made obvious at the start of the series that the only reason she was able to get away with all the crap she pulls is because she's just ''that damn good'' and the ''Galactica'' herself was under the command of an officer who was going to be retired soon. Later, she was one of a few dozen fighter pilots left in the whole of humanity in a little fleet almost completely dependent on pilots for defense. There was a good chance she'd get discharged in normal times, but when you're down to 40...

** In the show itself the only reason he was even allowed to accompany the Atlantis mission is because of luck, skill and the support of more alternative thinking higher-ups Elizabeth Weir and General O'Neill. He impressed O'Neill by performing a HighSpeedMissileDodge with a non-combat helicopter to escape an alien drone and then got Weir's attention by discovering he had the Ancient gene and could command their technology seemingly without effort. As Weir was a civilian diplomat rather than military commander, his rebellious streak didn't put her off (especially as it was motivated by personal loyalty) and she persuaded his superiors to let him onto her expedition since establishing a base in an entirely different galaxy required out-of-the-box thinking type people. Still, the mission's military commander Colonel Sumner, a far stricter by-the-book officer, didn't like Sheppard for his past and made it clear he wasn't welcome. Later after Sumner was killed Sheppard became Weir's second in command so Sheppard's superiors tried to replace him. Luckily Weir stepped in to defend him and he was safe with her support, but it was still obvious many of the other military commanders disliked him.

* Maniac, from ''VideoGame/WingCommander'', is generally agreed to have earned his [[CodeName callsign]]. At times, the protagonist, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, has as well. Some say he's a subversion. Ironically, he got his callsign because in his Academy Days where unlike most other hotshot cadets there, he was actually the most by-the-book cadet, and thus a "Maverick" when compared to others.

* A documented real-life ''subversion'' (not merely aversion) was going on with test pilots, at least back in the early '70s. Creator/HunterSThompson wrote an article depicting the Air Force's test pilots as almost frighteningly sane, rational, by-the-book, methodical fliers who were as much scientist as warrior--which makes some sense, given their vocation. Hence the old saying: what's the difference between God and an Air Force pilot? God doesn't think he's a pilot.

* John [=McCain=], who was more than happy to point this out. This dated back all the way to his time at the Naval Academy, where he graduated 5th from the bottom of his class due to just barely studying enough to pass in classes that he wasn't interested in, and achieving membership in the "Century Club" of cadets who received over 100 demerits. After graduating, he became a bomber pilot and was known for being an extremely reckless flier, crashing several times and once colliding with power lines when he flew too low. It's likely that he got away with more than most junior officers could have because his father and grandfather were both admirals.

* The Whistlers of ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' were a family of soldiers blacklisted from service after a sister's treason, who joined the thieves' guild out of desperation. When caught stealing by General Wellsbury, Tea Whistler had the chutzpah to tell her that they'd make excellent spies. They lied, they stole, they ignored orders, and they turned the tides in the [[CivilWar War of the False Eldest]], since their duties were expanded from spying to wreaking general mayhem behind enemy lines.
* This trope is given an extensive treatment in the first volume of ''Literature/ReflectionsOfEterna'': the [[OverrankedSoldier youthful and overconfident general]] Oscar Fenschau is manipulated by [[TheChessmaster Marshal Alva]] to walk right into the enemy's trap in direct violation of his orders, so Alva's own forces can flank and rout them. Afterwards, Alva has Fenschau court-marshaled and executed for insubordination, and when [[WhatTheHellHero his other officers confront him]] (reminding him how often Alva ''himself'' ignored orders and regulations), calmly explains to them that had Fenschau defied his orders ''and'' won the battle by himself, [[SavedByTheAwesome he would have been made Marshal soon]] (like Alva did in his time), but since he disobeyed orders and lost his men, he is better off dead before [[UnfitForGreatness he causes any more harm to his own army]].

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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Initially a green commander in charge, Robb Stark frequently ignores senior bannermen who try to rein him in. This is apparently the main reason he gives Tywin Lannister such hell on the battlefield — none of Tywin's commanders can predict his movements because, between his inexperience, boldness and confidence at his success, he's willing to take risks none of them would dream of taking, and pulls them off.
* Hawkeye Pierce and, for that matter, about half the cast of ''Series/{{MASH}}''. The only reason Hawkeye is rarely, if ever, [[UltimateJobSecurity charged for being such a loose cannon]] is because they need as many medical personnel as possible and [[BunnyEarsLawyer can't afford to lose him as Chief Surgeon]].

* VideoGame/SabresOfInfinity has Sergeant Harlech, a boisterous soldier who has little respect for authority or discipline, and has the lowest loyalty stat of of the available sergeants.

* Andrew Jackson. He led American troops into the then Spanish colony Florida, without an official approval from the Government. This is the [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools very rare]] case of it working out for the best because the U.S. managed to bargain for Florida and make it an official State, and Jackson is widely regarded as a hero, becoming the first Governor of Florida and then later the President of the United States.

* Most smaller White armies in the [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Russian Civil War]] consisted from mostly these types. Ataman Semyonov and Baron von UsefulNotes/UngernSternberg come to mind.

--->'''Miles:''' No, no, never send interim reports. Only final ones. Interim reports tend to elicit orders. Which you must then either obey, or spend valuable time and energy evading, which you could be using to solve the problem.
** He also counts on the "seniority lets you get away with more" front; when he is first admitted to the Imperial Service Academy, his father admits that "I think he will make a terrible ensign... but he might make a fine Chief of Staff one day." Miles is such an insubordinate ensign that Illyan ''has'' to either dismiss him, or shorten his chain of command so he has fewer people to disobey.
** Miles makes a career out of creatively interpreting orders and using an heavy dose of artistic license when writing his reports, much to the chagrin of his superiors. Keeping with the tradition of this trope, he never outright lies to a commanding officer and always carries out his orders, in spirit if not in letter. [[spoiler:And when he does lie, it gets him [[RealityEnsues permanently kicked out of the service]]]].

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* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': Jethro Gibbs doesn't cross the line with his agency's directives, unless he has to. Or needs to. Or ''feels like it''. Quite frankly, it's amazing that Gibbs has a ''job'' sometimes.

* Colonial Jessup from "Film/AFewGoodMen" makes no secret out of the fact that he thinks he is one of these, lampshading more than once how he considers himself to be successful for being able to do things other people aren't ready to do like punishing one of his subordinates in a way that is forbidden in the military. He is a fairly strange case since he claims that this case of him disobeying the rules was necessary in order to ensure that orders are always followed, and also because he is high-ranking enough and/or simply stationed on a place remote enough (on Cuba) that his violations of the laws of the military never got him into trouble prior to the film. Deconstructed since at the beginning of the film, a marine dies because of the illegal punishment he ordered, and when the military sends people to investigate, it becomes clear that high-ranking or not, Jessup still committed a crime for disobeying the rules, and will be punished himself for it.

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* Averted by Greer in ''Series/StargateUniverse''. There's no doubting he knows his job and is willing to give his life to protect even people he dislikes, but he displayed such a temper that an early FanNickname for him was [[IncrediblyLamePun Furious George]]. He also reputedly beat up a superior officer...and so was languishing in the brig waiting to be shipped back to Earth when the attack hit Icarus Base.

* ''Film/DownPeriscope'' is pretty much based on the idea of the main character playing the part of this trope, in fact he is under direct orders to do so in order to test how well other navy units do when the enemy doesn't follow the script. In particular, one of his crew is deliberately trying to be as big a nuisance as possible so he'll be discharged, because he really doesn't want to be in the Navy but his dad's an Admiral and won't hear of it.

* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'', which covers his early career from the novels. Horatio is particularly fond of DressingAsTheEnemy; in the first episode he forgets to strike the colors on a captured French frigate and refuses to have them hauled down later because it will let them ambush the corvettes attacking the ''Indefatigable'', despite what the Articles of War say.[[note]]Technically you were allowed to sail as close and as long as you liked under false colors, but you had to show the correct flag ''before'' opening fire.[[/note]] One fellow midshipman later accuses him of "cheating" tactics for stealing uniforms later, and he gets called incompetent by the (admittedly paranoid and insane) Captain Sawyer for firing a half-loaded gun to scare off a couple of frigates who caught them off-guard.

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** Sergeant John Forge from ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' apparently had discipline problems (with multiple promotions AND demotions) and a cocky attitude, once punched out a superior officer, and even brawled with a ''[[SuperSoldier Spartan-II]]''. He makes up for it by being extremely BadassNormal. Avery Johnson is another badass sergeant with a checkered past and a cocky attitude; he also happens be a [[spoiler:''Spartan-I''.]]

** Admiral Preston J. Cole was probably the biggest of all, to the point his first notable victory during the war with the Insurrection was ''because'' he made an incredible breach in military protocol by shooting a missile into the enemy vessel [[ISurrenderSuckers that was only possible because he sent a surrender and shot it into their docking tube to gut the ship.]] The top brass wasn't sure if they should give him highest honors or have him court-martialed. Afterwards, he continued to distinguish himself with unconventional strategies and tactics fighting the Insurrection and later the Covenant.

* Axton from ''VideoGame/Borderlands2''. Once while assigned to protect a foreign dignitary he just let the guy get captured, traced him to an enemy outpost and blew it up ''with'' the guy still inside. [[RealityEnsues He got discharged]] shortly before the events of the game.

** Jacob Taylor, one of your squadmates in ''2'', is a former Alliance soldier who's only working for Cerberus because the Alliance refuses to get involved in the colony attacks due to red tape. Despite Cerberus being MildlyMilitary at best, and Shepard's squad being an extreme RagtagBunchOfMisfits, he acts the same way he would at the Alliance, and is the only squadmate who makes it a practice to salute.

* VideoGame/RazingStorm has Shin as the team's maverick. He tends to wind up alerting enemy presence, wreck jeeps and get his friends killed because he gets too far out into the open.

* British Commandos sergeant Jack O'Hara (AKA "the Green Beret", AKA "Butcher"), from the ''Videogame/{{Commandos}}'' series. He was sentenced to fourteen years of hard labour after striking an officer. His sentence was suspended upon volunteering for the commandos. According to the tutorials, he is violent and undisciplined, but is more of a nightmare for the enemy than he is for his superiors.

* TruthInTelevision: Special Forces units ''do'' tend to be more lax on the rules. Partly because [[BunnyEarsLawyer as elite units their superiors let them get by with more]]--which is as much because special forces tend to recruit soldiers who are self-disciplined and don't need micro-managing, yet are capable of using their initiative, as out of respect for their capabilities--and partly because they're often assigned covert missions where traditional military behavior can be detrimental.

*** According to the book [[FromBadToWorse it was worse than that]]; both Captain Steele and the Delta SFC generalized the Rangers as having been young and inexperienced and seemed to see the Rangers as not adopting the deeper understandings or self-discipline. Egregious examples would include Rangers unknowingly firing on Delta positions at least twice without checking first, and a trio of Rangers attempting to imitate ''how'' he was taking cover, apparently not understanding that he was doing so ''only because'' he'd [[GunKata found a spot where the cover let him fire with impunity]]. Unfortunately one of those Rangers would be mortally wounded while in this position due to being exposed.

** Many Space Marine chapters interpret the Codex Astartes differently, and go their own way about implementing it. Then there's the [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]]. Who do not give half a damn about what the Codex has to say.
** The Space Wolves themselves have their own take on the problem, due in part to their method of recruitment (a Wolf Priest selects a badly-wounded warrior from one of Fenris' many clan wars, and the recruit is made aware that he has been chosen to make war on the Emperor's enemies for all eternity). Where other chapters only use veteran Marines in melee assault teams, Space Wolves give their newest members a sword and a boltgun andpoint them in the enemy's direction, viewing it both as good training and an opportunity to remove the weak and unlucky. The survivors can then move on to become Grey Hunters and Long Fangs (Tactical and Devastator Marine equivalents), while those whose enthusiasm for melee combat never abates can get a bike or jetpack to continue on their chosen path.

* In Roleplay/AdvanceWarsEternalWar, we have the Pink Queen. "Our units are under attack? Who cares? Do you like my new eye-liner?" Robyn too. She'd rather stare at the sky than go to war.

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* Maniac, from ''VideoGame/WingCommander'', is generally agreed to have earned his [[CodeName callsign]]. At times, the protagonist, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, has as well. Some say he's a subversion. Ironically, he got his callsign because in his Academy Days where unlike most other hotshot cadets there, he was actually the most by-the-book cadet, and thus a "Maverick" when compared to others.

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* All four of the protagonists (and their pilot) in ''VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany''.
* VideoGame/SabresOfInfinity has Sergeant Harlech, a boisterous soldier who has little respect for authority or discipline, and has the lowest loyalty stat of of the available sergeants.
* Commander Michael [=McNeil=] of ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'', who is defined by his headstrong aggressiveness, most notably in the final mission, where he refuses to obey orders to wait for reinforcements before assaulting Kane's headquarters.
** Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' also disobeys orders, but is arrested immediately upon his return from the battlefield. Of course, he doesn't spend more than a few hours in jail, but his boss is explicitly described as unusually tolerant of his quirks, "which makes him the ideal boss for Havoc". Note that while his motives are admirable ("They're torturing civvies, we can't ''wait'' six hours."), he hijacked a hovercraft that couldn't really be spared to go off and assault the enemy base single-handedly immediately after a previous attack had failed, and when there was absolutely no reason to not simply wait a mere six hours for reinforcements to arrive.

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* If it is a cousin of the CowboyCop then Creator/ClintEastwood has to be here somewhere. Gunny Highway from ''Film/HeartbreakRidge'' fits pretty well. At least the part of annoying your superiors. And isn't there some sort of regulation that forbids the [[DrillSergeantNasty drill instructors]] from firing live ammunition at their recruits?
** Well, if there is, there'd be two outs: He isn't a drill instructor, and he isn't firing *at* them; he's firing at places he's told them not to be.
* Colonial Jessup from "Film/AFewGoodMen" makes no secret out of the fact that he thinks he is one of these, lampshading more than once how he considers himself to be successful for being able to do things other people aren't ready to do like punishing one of his subordinates in a way that is forbidden in the military. He is a fairly strange case since he claims that this case of him disobeying the rules was necessary in order to ensure that orders are always followed, and also because he is high-ranking enough and/or simply stationed on a place remote enough (on Cuba) that his violations of the laws of the military never got him into trouble prior to the film. Deconstructed since at the beginning of the film, a marine dies because of the illegal punishment he ordered, and when the military sends people to investigate, it becomes clear that high-ranking or not, Jessup still committed a crime for disobeying the rules, and will be punished himself for it.
* In ''Film/StarshipTroopers'', the Mobile Infantry seems to be entirely run by these people and they encourage this behaviour in recruits. Fraternisation between male and female troopers is rife, discipline is incredibly lax, and the only time anybody is disciplined is Rico when he gets a squadmate killed during a [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety horribly unsafe]] live-fire exercise (and he is still shown sympathy for explaining his actions with "I wanted to win, sir!")

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* TruthInTelevision: Special Forces units ''do'' tend to be more lax on the rules. Partly because [[BunnyEarsLawyer as elite units their superiors let them get by with more]]--which is as much because special forces tend to recruit soldiers who are self-disciplined and don't need micro-managing, yet are capable of using their initiative, as out of respect for their capabilities--and partly because they're often assigned covert missions where traditional military behavior can be detrimental.
** Mark Bowden's book ''Black Hawk Down'' goes into detail about how this could cause friction with more conventional units. The Army Rangers at Mogadishu in 1993 practically idolized the Delta unit (reputed for extraordinary autonomy and flexibility) as the top rung of the special forces ladder, but company commander Captain Steele was concerned that Delta's "cowboy" ways would rub off too much onto the younger Rangers (not to mention that he thought that "they could be comically arrogant") who needed discipline, while a Delta sergeant first class had an even lower opinion of the Rangers' basic competence, and of Steele in particular. The movie would allude to the tensions with the "this is ''my'' safety sir" scene and then the Delta SFC's {{Expy}} arguing with Captain Steele on the battlefield nearby other Rangers. (The movie version left out that the real Delta who inspired the "safety" scene defied Captain Steele ''in full view of other Rangers'', without the immediate urgency of combat as an excuse.)
*** According to the book [[FromBadToWorse it was worse than that]]; both Captain Steele and the Delta SFC generalized the Rangers as having been young and inexperienced and seemed to see the Rangers as not adopting the deeper understandings or self-discipline. Egregious examples would include Rangers unknowingly firing on Delta positions at least twice without checking first, and a trio of Rangers attempting to imitate ''how'' he was taking cover, apparently not understanding that he was doing so ''only because'' he'd [[GunKata found a spot where the cover let him fire with impunity]]. Unfortunately one of those Rangers would be mortally wounded while in this position due to being exposed.
* There is a story about a regulation for "Green Berets" (United States Army Special Forces) in Afghanistan to wear regular uniforms and to shave after a photo came out of a topless Green Beret in a ''keffiyah'' on the scene at an averted assassination attempt. Not only would it make them more visible, but the shaving cost them street cred in a country full of traditionalist Muslims...so when one of the brass ordered a team to regularly send photos of themselves with their (changing) radio frequency to show compliance, the team simply kept sending back the first and only clean-shaven photo, with their latest frequency ''Photoshopped'' in.

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* The Military Order of UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa was created by the eponymous monarch during the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheAustrianSuccession to be awarded to [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austrian officers]] who showed "initiative" in battle leading to victory. This was specifically intended to encourage commanders in all branches (usually the Army, but sometimes also the Navy) to take risks, as the Austrian commanders kept losing battles for sticking too closely to doctrine and too conservatively to orders--in other words, the award was intended to ''create'' military mavericks. This eventually led to the (untrue) legend that an officer ''had'' to disobey orders in order to earn the decoration.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the Spectres are considered above all authority but that of the Council, and Shepard ''still'' manages to be a Military Maverick. Hell, one of the two alignments is ''called'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Renegade]]. And even playing the Paragon side of things, you end up [[spoiler:defying the Council and conspiring to get your ship back so you can save the day.]] And that's just the first game. In the second one, you can get in double the [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Lawyering]] and maverickiness between the Council [[spoiler:and [[MagnificentBastard The Illusive Man]]]].

-> '''Rean:''' If you were actual soldiers, you'd be in front of a court-martial right now!

* In [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric's]] early years as a State Alchemist, Roy Mustang made good use of his sense of honor and knack for trouble-making by sending him in the general direction of cowboy-prone situations with rumors of the Philosopher's Stone surrounding them. One assumed he was tolerated for his position as a rare State Alchemist, not doing anything particularly harmful, and passing the mandated yearly combat test with flying colours - the future possibility of their nation Amestris going to war and demanding Edward be called for duty is also mentioned at one point, so it could implicitly be that he's tolerated for potential future combat potential (and State Alchemists are portrayed as likely [[PersonOfMassDestruction having quite a lot of it]]) [[spoiler:It may have also been explained by him being later shown as designated as a sacrifice for the antagonists.]]

* Andrew Jackson. He led American troops into the then Spanish colony Florida, without an official approval from the Government. This is the [[TropesAreNotBad very rare]] case of it working out for the best because the U.S. managed to bargain for Florida and make it an official State, and Jackson is widely regarded as a hero, becoming the first Governor of Florida and then later the President of the United States.

* MI6 Agent 007, aka Commander Film/JamesBond. Spies tend to play things by ear as a rule, but Bond seems to revel in doing things that will give Q, M, and the British government a heart attack. The fact that he [[SavingTheWorld saves the world]] with clockwork regularity tends to offset this.

* Snake-Eyes, ''GIJoe'' (Reloaded continuity), is pretty much insane--and the most dangerous man alive. (In other continuities, he's simply the most dangerous man alive.)

* Revan and Malak in KnightsOfTheOldRepublic, before their MotiveDecay.

* Many Space Marine chapters from ''TabtletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' interpret the Codex Astartes differently, and go their own way about implementing it. Then there's the [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]]. Who do not give half a damn about what the Codex has to say.

** In the ExpandedUniverse, there's [[Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx Kurt-051]], who does a lot of things behind the back of his superiors in order to help his Spartan-[=IIIs=], and [[Literature/HaloTheColeProtocol Gray Team]], the most unruly trio among all the Spartan-[=IIs=] who were explicitly separated from the rest for covert operations ''because'' of their tendency to play fast with the rules to complete objectives.

** In the show itself the only reason he was even allowed to accompany the Atlantis mission is because of luck, skill and the support of more alternative thinking higher-ups Elizabeth Weir and General O'Neill. He impressed O'Neill by performing a HighSpeedMissileDodge with a non-combat helicopter to escape an alien drone and then got Weir's attention by discovering he had the Ancient gene and could command their technology seemingly without effort. As Weir was a civilian diplomat rather than military commander, his rebellious streak didn't put her off (especially as it was motivated by personal loyalty) and she persuaded his superiors to let him onto her expedition since establishing a base on the other side of the galaxy required out of the box thinking type people. Still, the mission's military commander Colonel Sumner, a far stricter by-the-book officer, didn't like Sheppard for his past and made it clear he wasn't welcome. Later after Sumner was killed Sheppard became Weir's second in command so Sheppard's superiors tried to replace him. Luckily Weir stepped in to defend him and he was safe with her support, but it was still obvious many of the other military commanders disliked him.

*** [[TheAhnold The Catachans]], however, are an entire army of {{Rambo}}es (via the jungles of ''Film/{{Predator}}'') and as such have a special rule; before starting the game they roll to see whether an attached commissar has suffered an "unfortunate accident" miles away from the front lines.

* ''OnePiece'' has [[spoiler:Former]] Vice-Admiral Garp and Captain, turned Commodore [[spoiler:turned Vice-Admiral]] Smoker. Though, the latter is the only one known to have risked being kicked out. Interestingly, the naval forces of the One Piece world are referred to as the Marines.

* In [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Edward Elric's]] early years as a State Alchemist, Roy Mustang made good use of his sense of honor and knack for trouble-making by sending him in the general direction of cowboy-prone situations with rumors of the Philosopher's Stone surrounding them. One assumed he was tolerated for his position as a rare State Alchemist, not doing anything particularly harmful, and passing the mandated yearly combat test with flying colours. [[spoiler:It may have also been explained by him being later shown as designated as a sacrifice for the antagonists.]]

* Many Space Marine chapters from ''TabtletopGames/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' interpret the Codex Astartes differently, and go their own way about implementing it. Then there's the [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]]. Who do not give half a damn about what the Codex has to say.

* Colonel Jack O'Neill from ''Series/StargateSG1''. He manages to get away with it because his judgement in the field usually turns out to be correct in the long run, and the number of times he's saved the planet tends to give him some job security - plus, there's the fact that he can technically retire whenever he feels like it, having come out of retirement in the first place to lead [=SG1=]. Humorously, when real-life Air Force Chief of Staff General Ryan guest-starred AsHimself on the show, Richard Dean Anderson, who played O'Neill, asked him if he had any officers as insubordinate as O'Neill. The response, apparently, was [[RealityIsUnrealistic "Son, we've got colonels as bad as you, and worse."]]

* Jack O'Neill from ''Series/StargateSG1''. He manages to get away with it because his judgement in the field usually turns out to be correct in the long run, and the number of times he's saved the planet tends to give him some job security. Humorously, when real-life Air Force Chief of Staff General Ryan guest-starred AsHimself on the show, he was asked if he had any officers as insubordinate as O'Neill. He responded he had even worse officers.

** In the ExpandedUniverse, there's [[Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx Kurt-051]], who does a lot of things behind the back of his superiors in order to help his Spartan-[=IIIs=], and [[Literature/HaloTheColeProtocol Gray Team]], the most unruly trio among all the Spartan-[=IIs=].

* Though the players only see the units after they go rogue, [[Franchise/MetalGear FOX, FOXHOUND and Dead Cell]] are considered maverick units.

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* Wedge Antilles, in the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', is a major maverick. He's led Rogue Squadron into defecting (temporarily) from the New Republic itself.[[note]]Despite his extremely public resignation, one of his superiors "forgot" to file the paperwork...along with covertly providing Wedge with the equipment he needed...and thus ''retroactively'' made his actions an officially sanctioned mission.[[/note]] He was ready to leave again during ''Starfighters of Adumar'', when faced with the choice of doing what was ordered or what was right. But he and the Rogues are the best of the best, delivering the impossible, and they do get called on their behavior. Wedge created [[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]], an entire squadron of misfits specifically organized for unconventional warfare after seeing how the fleet had become hamstrung by being forced into the role of legitimate government (see the Space section)--and, though not even thirty, found himself feeling like a tired old man when confronted with their antics and tactics.
-->'''Wedge:''' Wes, they're doing it to me again.

-->'''Jagged Fel:''' If I may ask, how old were you when you first disagreed with your commanding officer, and later found out you were right?
-->'''Wedge:''' Twenty. Which is when I first had a commanding officer.

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%%* The entire plot of ''Film/KellysHeroes''.

%%* ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' is a British version.

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** At the climax of ''Honour Guard'', Gaunt [[spoiler: decides to defend the temple rather than remove the relics]].
** [[spoiler: Mkoll]] deserting in ''Only In Death'' [[spoiler: to recover Gaunt's sword. Unexpected, he also recovers Gaunt.]]
** Beldavyr in ''Only in Death'' [[spoiler: deserting his post in combat -- to restart the power source for the xenos guns. Fortunately for him, it worked.]]

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* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'''s Malcolm Reynolds, in his time as an Independent sergeant, made something of a reputation for himself for unconventional tactics, a distinct willingness to defy the odds, and an absolute refusal to quit...even when, it might be said, he should have. He was an irregular in a nonprofessional insurgent army, so not unexpected.

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-->"Hm," Illyan said. "And yet . . . who shall I assign you to now? Which loyal officer gets his career destroyed next?"\\

** Miles makes a career out of creatively interpreting orders and using an heavy dose of artistic license when writing his reports, much to the chagrin of his superiors. Keeping with the tradition of this trope, he never outright lies to a commanding officer and always carries out his orders, in spirit if not in letter. [[spoiler: And when he does lie, it gets him [[RealityEnsues permanently kicked out of the service]]]].
* At the end of their initial run in the Literature/XWingSeries, the Wraiths (see above under "pilots") were transferred to the New Republic's Intelligence service. They don't become notably more by-the-book; indeed, they tend to become vastly quirkier although, in a twist, it's their ''commander'', Garik "Face" Loran, who picks up most of the weirdness. His approach to operational security is to never tell any of his subordinates ''anything'' that isn't immediately relevant to their mission, and Wraith operations carried out under his sanction include "persuade an Imperial admiral that a bomb is actually a very valuable sculpture" and "infiltrate the Imperial bunker using a fake [[BeneathSuspicion Gamorrean janitor]]". But his crowning achievement is the plot of ''Mercy Kill'', wherein he [[spoiler: suspects that his superior is actually part of a GovernmentConspiracy to bring back the Empire]] and so creates ''two'' teams of Wraiths, not telling each about the other and not telling his superiors about ''either''.

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* ''OnePiece'' has [[spoiler:Former]] Vice-Admiral Garp and Captain, turned Commodore [[spoiler: turned Vice-Admiral]] Smoker. Though, the latter is the only one known to have risked being kicked out. Interestingly, the naval forces of the One Piece world are referred to as the Marines.

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* Zack Lightman and [[spoiler: Xavier Lightman]] from ''{{Literature/Armada}}'' are both mavericks. Somewhat justified because they aren't really soldiers.

--->'''Han''': With my history, I'd be the laughingstock of the New Republic if I ever brought one of ''my'' officers up on charges of insubordination.\\
'''Wedge''': Yes, sir, I was sort of counting on that.

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--->'''President Luchenko''': Half of Earthforce wants to give you a kiss on the cheek and the Medal of Honor. The other half wants you taken out and shot. As a politician you learn to compromise, which by all rights means: I should give you the Medal of Honor, ''then'' have you shot.

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* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the Spectres are considered above all authority but that of the Council, and Shepard ''still'' manages to be a Military Maverick. Hell, one of the two alignments is ''called'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Renegade]]. And even playing the Paragon side of things, you end up [[spoiler: defying the Council and conspiring to get your ship back so you can save the day.]] And that's just the first game. In the second one, you can get in double the [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Lawyering]] and maverickiness between the Council [[spoiler: and [[MagnificentBastard The Illusive Man]]]].

-->'''General Garza''': "Ah, ''Major''. [[TranquilFury You have truly crossed the line this time]]. I don't even know where to begin. ''({{beat}})'' What made you think you could ''gun down a senator'' in the middle of ''an official hearing''? This is the Republic! You are ''not'' above the law!"
-->'''Trooper''': "Don't talk to me about laws -- you break them left and right!"
-->'''Garza''': "I've bent the rules a few times in my career, certainly -- but I've never killed an unarmed public official in the middle of the Senate Tower! You may ''think'' you can get away with anything, since there's a war on, but don't think there won't be consequences for this."
-->'''Trooper''': "I'm [[SuperSoldier your ultimate weapon]], Garza. [[BadassBoast There's no one you could send to stop me]]."

-->'''Putana''': Teacher, we’re disobeying orders, aren’t we?\\
'''Qwenthur''': If we pull it off, it’ll all cancel out in the end.\\
'''Putana''': Is that the [[WretchedHive Lost Angels]] way of doing things?\\
'''Qwenthur''': No, it’s more like a summary of my entire life.