History Main / SupportingLeader

* {{Slam Dunk}}: [[ScaryBlackMan Akagi]] is this in series. Uozumi is also this from Ryonan's perspective, as everyone sees Sendoh as the real hero of the team.

* Another example of the "child protagonists" type - Konstam Khan in ''The Homeward Bounders''. He's genuinely noble and heroic, and the FiveManBand wouldn't have a hope of winning against Them without him, but it's not his story.

Sometimes this character will be the true hero of the story, and the central character will be the SupportingProtagonist. When the leader ''is'' the protagonist, rather than a secondary hero, its AProtagonistShallLeadThem.

* [[TheMuppets Kermit the Frog]] acts as supporting leader in movies where he isn't the focus. Playing Captain Smollett in MuppetTreasureIsland and in MuppetsFromSpace. Gonzo and Rizzo even lampshade his RousingSpeech in the commentary of the latter because he pretty much gets one in very movie.

Compare BigGood. Contrast with HeroProtagonist.

* One could make a case for [[spoiler: Ocelot]] of the ''MetalGearSolid'' series. [[spoiler: He'd been scheming to take down the Patriots, and without him as a diversion for the Patriots' wrath, it's questionable whether Snake and co would have lasted as long as they did, much less saved the day. And, yes, this was all according to Ocelot's keikaku]].[[hottip:* :keikaku means plan]]

** In some ways, Mad Martigan is more of a Han Solo Expy. And Han himself borders on the Aragon role in the Star Wars films (first being the more experienced pilot who facilitates Luke's heroism, then later actually becoming the general who shuts down the Death Star shields so Lando can complete the bombing run).

** In some ways, Will (TheHero of the second book) becomes the Aragon to Bran in the fourth book. While the story is still told from Will's point-of-view, most of what is actually accomplished in the book is entirely Bran's doing.

* Captain Music (AKA Nat Wolff of TheNakedBrothersBand) from [[http://fav.me/d4a27sp Super Milestone Wars]]

[[quoteright:280:[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aragorn.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:280:The main character...[[SupportingProtagonist other than Frodo.]]]]

* Arguably, Tsuyoshi Kaijou/Akaranger becomes this in the legendary war in KaizokuSentaiGokaiger

* Prince Verity from [[{{RealmOfTheElderlings}} The Farsser Trilogy]].

* In ''FinalFantasyXII'' every character not named [[TheHero Ashe]], [[SupportingProtagonist Vaan]], or Penelo including the guests in the party.
** This seems to be a pattern for Ivalice stories: ''FinalFantasyTactics'' puts most everyone not named Ramza into the Aragorn mode. Especially Delita.

* In ''{{Metroid}} Prime 3: Corruption'', the Galactic Federation commander, Admiral Dane, serves this role, showing up to send Samus off on a special mission as the rest of his forces fight the bulk of the Space Pirates. In fact, this happens twice, on two consecutive missions.

* Colonel Graff in Ender's Game, anyone?

Sometimes this character will be the true hero of the story, and the central character will be the SupportingProtagonist.

* ''{{Bionicle}}'' has Toa Helryx, the first Toa and leader of the HeroSecretService. She and her organization coordinate forces throughout the Matoran World to unite against the Brotherhood of Makuta. [[spoiler: Though she's failed as of now, thanks to Makuta's EvilPlan succeeding, now Makuta's prisoner and confidant while he controls the Matoran World.]]

* Prince Barin in ''FlashGordon.'' Vultan fills this role to a certain extent as well, but Barin more so.

-->--'''''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King]]''''' [[hottip:*:TheFilmOfTheBook]]

->'''[[TropeNamer Aragorn]]:''' Draw out [[BigBad Sauron]]'s armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate.

* [[TropeNamer Aragorn]] from ''TheLordOfTheRings''. Remarkably, he is completely GenreSavvy about the fact that his role is to divert enemy forces away from the real heroes, rather than actually saving the day himself. Bard, the secondary character from ''TheHobbit'' who slays the dragon Smaug and leads the men in the final battle is another Middle Earth example. Arguably, Tolkien uses the ability to see oneself as merely one strand of a larger struggle or story as a mark of the humility that MAKES a leader great.

TheAragorn is a secondary character who [[{{Leader}} leads]] [[{{Heroes}} the forces of good]] in their struggle against the BigBad. TheAragorn isn't the main protagonist of the series, but generally gets a [[ADayInTheLimelight spotlight episode]] focusing on some important battle right as the actual heroes are off performing whatever task winds up actually saving the day. This character is often the {{Deuteragonist}}.

TheBrigadier and TheCaptain may be his underlings. The heroes who actually defeat the BigBad may also be in his or her chain of command, but they're more likely to be an independent force of their own; their personal struggle is usually for the GoldenSnitch while TheAragorn keeps the BigBad from winning by default.

* In ''TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'', Mendoza is very much TheAragorn to the child hero Esteban. Subverted a bit in that he's a lot more morally ambiguous than most other examples of this trope, being more the LovableTraitor than anything else.

* Many Spy Movie comedies that focus on The Other Guys as the protagonists (i.e. clerical staff or rookies who end up having to save the day because the real agents are dead) have a JamesBond Expy as TheAragorn. I.E. Carlos in the ''I, Spy'' remake, or Clark Devlin in ''The Tuxedo''.
* Optimus Prime was mildly downgraded from main hero to TheAragorn for protagonist Sam in the live-action ''{{Film/Transformers}}'' [[TheMovie movie]].

* John Sheridan started out as TheAragorn (and TheCaptain) in ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'', but morphed into the main character for the whole series.

* In ''{{Halo}} 2'', Master Chief becomes TheAragorn to the Arbiter. While Master Chief is supposedly the hero of the series, it is the Arbiter around whom the vast majority of the game's plot revolves, and ultimately he's the one to stop Tartarus and save the galaxy (temporarily, at least). Master Chief retakes the role of TheHero in ''Halo 3'', with the Arbiter dropped down to Sidekick / ProudWarriorRaceGuy status.

* Both Chief of Security Franklin Delarose (a decorated soldier) and Headmistress Elizabeth Carson (better known as superheroine Lady Astarte) got a chance to be TheAragorn in the Halloween stories set at SuperHeroSchool Whateley Academy in the WhateleyUniverse, when an unstoppable super villain led a small army against the school.