History MemeticBadass / Literature

* [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn]] (aka [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking General]] Franchise/SherlockHolmes InSpace) can win a galactic war with a [[JokeCharacter TIE Fighter]] and [[SherlockScan an art history book.]]

*** There used to be a street called Skitter, but it had to be changed because nobody crosses Skitter and lives.

* Tyler's Van among [[FanHater anti]]-[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilighters]] due to it's "heroic attempt to kill Bella" which would have ended the series prematurely. "Team Tyler's Van" has even been created to oppose [[OfficialCouple "Team Edward"]] and [[FanPreferredCouple "Team Jacob"]].
* [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Major Jasper Whitlock]], better known in Southern Texas and Mexico as The God of War.

* [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn]] (aka [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking General]] Franchise/SherlockHolmes InSpace) can win a galactic war with a [[JokeCharacter TIE Fighter,]] three TabletopGame/{{Chess}} pawns, and [[SherlockScan an art history book.]]
** This is incorrect. He wouldn't need the pawns.

* Vergere is an unusual variant on this, in that she's not so much of a MemeticBadass as she is a Memetic MagnificentBastard. She is, basically, the embodiment of the TricksterMentor and EccentricMentor. Was she an unorthodox Jedi? Was she a former Jedi who fell to the Dark Side? Was she an out-and-out Sith? Was she some, all, or none of the above? Fans love to disagree. It's stated in canon has it that she's [[spoiler: a Sith]], but that comes from an accomplished liar, and even if one accepts that ([[BrokenBase and many don't]]), her exact motives are unclear. Heck, her ''catchphrase'' when speaking to Jacen is "Everything I tell you is a lie." Except for when talking to Nom Anor, when her catchphrase is "Everything I tell you is [[JediTruth the truth]]."

* Levels of Victor Cachat worship on the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' page make him one of the Wiki/TVTropes-specific examples.

*** He doesn't just have a sword cane, oh no -- he has an ''[[UpToEleven umbrella concealing a sword concealing a gun!]]''

*** Indeed, even though he was a top-class MagnificentBastard alive, Thrawn's in-universe Memetic Badassery was so incredible that he was actually [[UpToEleven more of a threat dead than alive!]]

** Series/{{Sherlock}}, the show that translated the mythos to the 21th century, choose to portray Mycroft as a man that had full control of the CCTV-network (of London, which is the largest and most dense in the world,) a man who was asked by Sherlock to "try not to start any wars tonight", is introduced as "having a minor role in the British government, if he isn't being the CIA or MI6 for fun" and who asked Sherlock to relocate a stolen Goverment Flashdrive with a street-value of £600.000.000 since he was busy elsewhere. So this {{Fanon}} is alive and well.

* In universe example: Voldemort can kill you with his eyes.

*** Moreover, Vetinari's reputation for nigh-invincibility among fans is such that you'd never guess that he ''lost'' the only hands-on fight we've seen him engage in since his student days. (Granted, he was taken by surprise and was up against Mr. Tulip, who in terms of physical combat--and [[HiddenDepths art appreciation]]--may be well a Bad''everything''.) His true Badassedness rests in his ability to turn any sort of conflict into a verbal one, at which he is the Snark Codifier.

*** Not to mention that he failed his Stealth class for not showing up-''even though he never missed a class!'' Think about that for a second. [[ParanoiaFuel And then take another look over your shoulder.]]

*** He doesn't just have a sword cane, oh no--he has an ''[[UpToEleven umbrella concealing a sword concealing a gun!]]''

** Thrawn's second-in-command and successor Gilad Pellaeon also has this reputation. He's a BadassNormal--no Jedi powers, no Mandalorian training, no crazy alien strategy powers--and yet he kept the Imperial remnant together, more or less on his own, for approximately fifteen years. ''That's nearly as long as the Emperor's reign''. He even (somewhat) overcame the JediMindTrick of Joruus C'Baoth.

* Sixes, a character from ''Literature/LordsOfTheSith'' who ''doesn't exist'' except as a typo. To elaborate, early prints of the book had an error (corrected in later printings) where Darth Vader — while reminiscing on clone troopers he served with in the Clone Wars — misnames [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Fives]] as Sixes. Cue an entire new {{Fanon}} character being made based around that name, who is typically portrayed as an [[Series/RedDwarf Ace Rimmer]]-esque ParodySue who is the coolest, most beloved person in the galaxy, [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter constantly outshines Fives]], is totally resistant to the Force, and regularly intimidates people like Emperor Palpatine into subservience.

** He frightens an EldritchAbomination that feeds on fear. It's like drowning a fish - it's not clear how that's even possible.

* Literature/TakeshiKovacs. This is a man who will happily torture-murder (permanently) anyone whom he has judged to be a bad person. Or merely for getting in his way. Or for having the wrong religious convictions. Kovach has endured subjective months in simulation being mutilated whilst inhabiting a female body. What did he do when he escaped? He calmly strolled through the facility perma-killing everyone he saw, and coolly strutted out the front door with a head wrapped in a jacket.
* Literature/WarriorCats: [[EnsembleDarkhorse Mousewhisker]] on Vicky's Website/{{Facebook}} page. [[http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150254063017454&id=100000657920607 They have even started making]] [[Website/ChuckNorrisFacts Mousewhisker Facts]].
** Also Mapleshade.
** Purdy.
* Sir Nigel from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Literature/TheWhiteCompany is so unstoppable he defeated a bear with a handkerchief.
* Samwise Gamgee from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. It helps that he singlehandedly bested the arachnoid spawn of an Eldritch Abomination and stormed a castle full of Orcs, overawing the survivors with his presence alone and leaving rumors of a grim Elvish lord.
** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs in general]]. They iz made for fighting and winning. And singing (about eating you.)
** The One Ring is ''incredibly'' seductive. Countless humans and Elves fell prey to it in ''minutes''. Galadriel nearly fell to the Dark Side just looking at it for a few seconds. Gandalf is terrified out of his wits at the thought of what it would do to him. When it tries to corrupt Sam Gamgee, the result is an EpicFail.
* Levels of Victor Cachat worship on the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' page make him one of the Wiki/TVTropes-specific examples.

* In-universe: [[ParodySue Major ________ de Coverley]] in ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo''. Everyone is too scared to ask his first name. He was able to bring an end to a loyalty oath clusterfuck with two words. Then again, those words were "Gimme eat", so...

* Among fans of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Bela. Bela is ''ta'veren'', Bela is the Creator, Bela is a Darkfriend, or Bela will kill the Dark One. For the uninformed, Bela is a horse. Not a CoolHorse, but a damned reliable one.
** In universe, Matrim Cauthon. [[Myth/NorseMythology He hung himself from a tree to gain knowledge, his spear never misses when he throws it at people, he never loses at dice...]] Then again, at least two of those are true, so...
*** It would be better to say that Mat wins at dice even when he loses.
* If it can physically be done, {{Franchise/Zorro}} could do it with style. If it cannot physically be done, {{Franchise/Zorro}} could do it with even more style.

* The Longknife family of the ''Literature/KrisLongknife'' series are another in-universe example - at least, the ones that are considered "one of ''those'' Longknifes" - not totally a good thing, as many people would prefer to avoid associating with them.
* Tyler's Van among [[FanHater anti]]-[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilighters]] due to it's "heroic attempt to kill Bella" which would have ended the series prematurely. "Team Tyler's Van" has even been created to oppose [[OfficialCouple "Team Edward"]] and [[FanPreferredCouple "Team Jacob"]].
* [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Major Jasper Whitlock]], better known in Southern Texas and Mexico as The God of War.

* Franchise/{{Dune}}. Multiple examples.
** Paul is so badass that he has been deified by his followers.
** Fremen in general are pure badass. Sardaukar win against any ten or so normal house guards. Fremen wipe the floor with Sardaukar. Even in the sequels, where Fremen undergo a serious downgrade due to better living conditions, there is still no-one who can take even a single one on.
** Duncan Idaho was so badass he earned everyone's respect and then was resurrected endlessly for at least the next five-thousand years.
** Leto II was badass enough to actually become a Sandworm. You know, that monster that is cameod in every game that has a desert level. The only thing that could kill him was water. According to his own plan. It could even be argued that Leto II is more {badass than Paul, since he accepted the Golden Path whereas his father was terrified by it.

* From Literature/{{Fablehaven}}, Patton Burgess. We learn he actually did almost everything he's known for and deliberately kept a number of them ''secret.''
* The 'titled' pilots in ''Literature/StoneKing'' are in-universe examples. Subverted in that while all are at least competent titan pilots, none of them are anywhere near as badass as they are generally believed to be.
* Rachel from ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}''. She will morph into an elephant and STOMP YOU FLAT!
* ''Literature/SongAtDawn'' Alienor is so widely known as an Iron Lady that there are in-universe ballads of her leading an army of amazon in battle against the muslims.
* ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'': To members of the LDS church, Captain Moroni. In one of his first appearances he is described in this way: "If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (Alma 48:17). He then spends the next twelve or so chapters proving it.
** The man can beat you up WITH A LETTER!
** There's also Nephi, the very first prophet in the book: [[MemeticMutation "Bro, do you even lift?"]]

* ''Literature/MaryPoppins''. She defeated Voldemort and The Antichrist!

* ''Literature/KindlingAshes'': In-universe example-Baltair is amused to hear that tales of his exploits have grown wild in his absence. He can tear down castle towers with his claws and burn entire military companies with a single breath of fire!
* The Weed of Crime bears bitter fruit. TheShadow never fails.
* The White Fox in Literature/ShadowsForSilenceInTheForestsOfHell, a bounty hunter who criminals tell scary stories about around the campfire. [[spoiler: It's Silence Montane herself, a mother and innkeeper who hunts down the criminals who pass though her rest stop]]
* The ''Literature/AxisOfTime'' trilogy turns [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Harry]] into one. After being among those accidentally sent into the middle of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he personally forms the SAS early in order to conduct raids into German-held territory and even saves Churchill from an assassination attempt by Otto Skorzeny (a RealLife example of this trope). At the end of the trilogy, it's off-handedly mentioned that Harry choked Skorzeny to death. That's right, he's so badass that him killing another badass in hand-to-hand combat doesn't even get a description.
* ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' fandom has a field day with Major Phandys. Canon: he was sent to arrest Hauerd Wylsynn and killed him after the man murdered few of Phandys' soldiers, which earned him a job of "[[BodyguardBetrayal protecting]]" vicar Rhobair. Fanon: Major Phandys is a DoubleAgent. He {{Mercy Kill}}ed Wylsynn, he conspires with Rhobair and may or may not be a lover of the goddess of spymasters, Nynian. He's spying on world's top espionage agency and makes them think he's loyal to them. He's just waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.
* According to fans of ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', no one can survive a verbal confrontation from the mistress of all {{Deadpan Snarker}}s, Elizabeth Bennet. She'll rip you to shreds and you'll thank her for the honor.
* In-universe, the titular character of ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel.'' He's a ProtoSuperhero, CulturedBadass, master of ObfuscatingStupidity, RefugeInAudacity, and the BatmanGambit. Not to mention that he's TheDreaded for [[HorrifyingTheHorror Robespierre and the entire French Republican government.]] Sir Percy Blakeney can be [[MasterOfDisguise absolutely anyone]]. No prison can hold him; no army can stop him; no one can outwit him.

* Roland Deschain from The Dark Tower series is an almost mythic figure due to his status as the last gunslinger.
* The fandom has decided that Sariel and Tabbris Moon of ''Literature/HereticalEdge'' can infiltrate anything and spanner any plot. This is only a slight exaggeration of what they actually do.
** Similarly, Wyatt Rendall is prepared for everything and Joselyn Atherby's charisma is a weapon of mass defection. Though the last one is more like the Skitter facts ... memetically over the top and 100% canon.
* ''Literature/MrMen'' has the [[NoExportForYou France/Greece-exclusive character]] Mr. Crosspatch, who will beat anybody up for anything short of bumping into him.
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' fans treat Constance the Badger this way. Canon: She is the Badger Mother of Redwall Abbey who sometimes has to use her natural strength to prevent her friends from getting into harm. Fanon: She is a MamaBear who will actually throw a table at you in order to stop you from taking over Redwall Abbey.

** He's also one in universe. At one point, ''five'' wizards, each individually at least as powerful as he is if not more, all of whom have decades if not centuries more experience than him, balk at the prospect of subduing him because of his [[Awesome/TheDresdenFiles previous exploits]].

** Series/{{Sherlock}}, the show that translated the mythos to the 21th century, choose to portray Mycroft as a man that had full control of the CCTV-network (of London, which is the largest and most dense in the world,) a man who was asked by Sherlock to "try not to start any wars tonight", and who asked Sherlock to relocate a stolen Goverment Flashdrive with a street-value of £600.000.000 since he was busy elsewhere. So this {{Fanon}} is alive and well.

* Vergere is an unusual variant on this, in that she's not so much of a MemeticBadass as she is a Memetic MagnificentBastard. She is, basically, the embodiment of the TricksterMentor and EccentricMentor. Was she an unorthodox Jedi? Was she a Sith? Was she neither? Fans love to disagree. Canon has it that she's [[spoiler: a Sith]], but even if one accepts that ([[BrokenBase and many don't]]), her exact motives are unclear. Heck, her ''catchphrase'' when speaking to Jacen is "Everything I tell you is a lie." Except for when talking to Nom Anor, when her catchphrase is "Everything I tell you is [[JediTruth the truth]]."

* Tyler's Van among [[FanHater anti]]-[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Twilighters]] due to it's "heroic attempt to kill [[MarySue Bella]]" which would have ended the series prematurely. "Team Tyler's Van" has even been created to oppose [[OfficialCouple "Team Edward"]] and [[FanPreferredCouple "Team Jacob"]].