Line #11 Film/Kingsman


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kingsman.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Manners maketh man."'']]
3
4	->''"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior to your former self."''
5	-->-- '''Harry Hart / "Galahad"''', quoting '''Creator/ErnestHemingway'''
6
7	''Kingsman'' is a British action spy franchise created by film director Creator/MatthewVaughn and comic writer Creator/MarkMillar. The title refers to a tailor shop in Savile Row, London that [[CovertGroupWithMundaneFront serves as a front]] for a [[TheOrder private international]] [[CloakAndDagger spy agency]], dedicated to preserving peace and saving innocent lives without interference from world governments. Kingsman agents, [[ThemeNaming who take their codenames from]] [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legends]], dress and act like the QuintessentialBritishGentleman, but possess [[BadassInANiceSuit fearsome skills]] and high-tech gadgets which they employ in their fight against megalomaniacal villains. Overall, the franchise is [[AffectionateParody a good-natured play]] on TuxedoAndMartini SpyFiction and classic [[Film/JamesBond British]] [[Series/TheAvengers1960s spy]] [[Film/HarryPalmer characters]].
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9	Vaughn and Millar developed the concept during the production of ''Film/KickAss'', first publishing a comic under a different title and then adapting it into a feature film that's since spawned a sequel, a prequel and further comic books in the film continuity.
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11	The film franchise is dormant since the acquisition of [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]] by Creator/{{Disney}}, though sequels to ''The Golden Circle'' and ''The King's Man'' are currently in development.
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13	The ''Kingsman'' films might take place within the same shared universe as [[spoiler: ''{{Film/Argylle}}'']].
14	----
15	!!The ''Kingsman'' franchise includes:
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17	[[AC: Comics Books]]
18	[[index]]
19	* ''ComicBook/TheSecretService''[[/index]] (2012-2013): Written by Creator/MarkMillar with art by [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Dave Gibbons]], the comic follows LowerClassLout Gary London as he's recruited to [=MI6=] by his uncle Jack, just in time to stop a MadScientist's plot and teach everyone a lesson about British classism.
20	* ''Millarworld Annual'' (2016): One shot story, "Kingsman: Mum's the Word" written by Philip Huxley with art by Myron Macklin. Eggsy visits his mother for dinner only find that there is an unexpected guest.
21	* ''Kingsman: The Big Exit'' (2017): Written by Rob Williams with art by Ozgur Yildirim, ''The Big Exit'' follows Eggsy as he is tasked with safeguarding the controversial Brexit "divorce fee" on its journey to Brussels.
22	* ''Kingsman: The Red Diamond'' [[/index]](2017-2018): Written by Rob Williams with art by Simon Fraser. After saving [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Prince Phillip]], Eggsy comes up against the Red Diamond, a mining magnate intent on crashing the world's computers and seizing all the material wealth of gold and jewels.
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24	[[AC: Films]]
25	[[index]]
26	* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' (2015): When a Kingsman agent is killed on a mission, [[LowerClassLout Gary "Eggsy" Unwin]] (Creator/TaronEgerton) is recruited as a potential replacement, while his mentor Harry Hart (Creator/ColinFirth) uncovers a scheme by tech billionaire Richmond Valentine (Creator/SamuelLJackson).
27	* ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'' (2017): With Kingsman is in a critical state after an attack by new villain Poppy (Creator/JulianneMoore), Eggsy teams up with their American counterparts, the Statesmen, including Agents Whiskey (Creator/PedroPascal) and Tequila (Creator/ChanningTatum), tech support Ginger Ale (Creator/HalleBerry), and their leader Champagne (Creator/JeffBridges).
28	* ''Film/TheKingsMan'' (2021): A {{prequel}} [[PeriodPiece set in the early 1900's]] during TheEdwardianEra and UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, chronicling the formation of Kingsman. Stars Creator/RalphFiennes in the main role.
29	* ''Kingsman: The Blue Blood'' [[/index]] (TBA): Reportedly the {{grand finale}} of the Eggsy-Harry duo. [[https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2482185/yes-kingsman-3-already-has-a-script The script is ready]].
30	* ''The King's Man: The Traitor King'' (TBA): A sequel to ''The King's Man''. Reportedly set during the Interwar Period and tracks a fictionalized version UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's rise to power and the Kingsman organization's actions during that time.
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32	[[AC: Animation]]
33	* ''#TBT to That Time Archer Met Kingsman'' (2017): A short shown at the San Diego Comic Con with Eggsy meeting [[WesternAnimation/{{Archer}} Sterling Archer]].
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35	[[AC: Video Games]]
36	* ''Kingsman: The Golden Circle Game'' (2017): A MatchThreeGame released to tie in with the release of ''The Golden Circle''
37	* ''Kingsman - The Secret Service'' (2017): A mobile game that includes RunAndGun gameplay and base management.
38
39	!!Franchise-wide tropes:
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41	* AffectionateParody: Of "gadgets, tux and martini" SpyFiction. It's basically a love letter to the Creator/RogerMoore and Creator/PierceBrosnan eras of the ''Film/JamesBond'' series by Matthew Vaughn.
42	* ArtifactOfDeath: The position of 'Lancelot' within the organization. ''Every single one in this series'' dies in [[CruelAndUnusualDeath very cruel circumstances:]] [[spoiler: the very "first", Conrad, is mistaken as a German spy and is shot by his own comrade; the "would-be" Lancelot in the first movie, Eggsy's father, gets blown to bits covering Harry from a suicide grenade explosion; the "previous" Lancelot was sliced in half by Gazelle; the "last" Lancelot, Roxy, didn't even know what hit her when a missile nuked the Kingsman compound, flattening everything in it.]] In fact, Eggsy only survived the whole ordeal because he ''failed'' to gain the Lancelot position, always [[PlotArmor conveniently placing him out of harms' way.]]
43	* BadassInANiceSuit: Kingsman agents dress impeccably and kick ass. To be expected since their initial cover is a tailor shop.
44	* BlackComedy: A staple of the franchise. Plenty of horrible deaths are rendered in a hilarious manner.
45	* BoomHeadshot: Across the three films released so far, a dramatic headshot serves to end the second act and set up the third-act climax.
46	** ''[[Film/KingsmanTheSecretService Secret Service]]'': [[spoiler:Harry is shot by Valentine.]]
47	** ''[[Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle Golden Circle]]'': [[spoiler: Whiskey is shot by Harry.]]
48	** ''Film/TheKingsMan'': [[spoiler:Conrad is shot by a British soldier in the trenches.]]
49	* CentralTheme: Class and classism are a common thread in the franchise.
50	* CovertGroupWithMundaneFront: A component of the DeconReconSwitch.
51	** The Kingsmen are officially a group of high-priced tailors. Thing is, when your clientele are among Britain's wealthy and powerful who are grieving for the sons they lost in World War I, their collective fortunes (which are now heirless) are ''more'' than enough to finance an ElaborateUndergroundBase and a dozen modern "knights."
52	** The Statesmen distill $80 whiskey that is apparently [[{{Beergasm}} worth every penny]]. However, selling ''hundreds of thousands of bottles every year'' means that they not only have a Kingsman-style EUB under their distillery in Louisville, Kentucky; they're a nationwide label with skyscraper office buildings in every major city in the US.
53	* DeconReconSwitch: In the vein of ''Kick-Ass'', the whole franchise enjoys picking apart SpyFiction while reminding us why we still love the genre.
54	* GenreThrowback: To the more over-the-top Film/JamesBond films where gadgets, tuxedos, and colorful villains with over-the-top plans reigned supreme. With the [[BloodierAndGorier violence]] and [[ClusterFBomb vulgarity]] turned up to eleven, of course.
55	* GentlemanAndAScholar: It's a requirement to perform well as a Kingsmen agent and is given more emphasis than the standard SpyFiction will devote. The Kingsmen are well-educated, well-groomed, articulate and polite, and their training includes dinner etiquette, proper formal attire, and how to conduct yourself when meeting with royalty and government officials. If you want to be a spy who can infiltrate the echelons of high society without raising suspicion, you have to know how to act the part properly.
56	* LighterAndSofter: The films, compared to the original graphic novel.
57	* TheOner: Commonly used in action scenes.
58	* TheOrder: Under the TuxedoAndMartini veneer, Kingsman agents see themselves as knights, following a code of conduct in service of a greater goal.
59	* PresidentEvil: Both U.S. Presidents in the first two movies are real pieces of work [[spoiler:being perfectly okay with allowing the deaths of millions of people.]]
60	* RetCanon: After the success of the movie, pretty much all references to ''The Secret Service'' in Mark Millar's comics act as though Gary London had always been Eggsy Unwin and the organization had always been called Kingsman.
61	* SharedUniverse: TheStinger of [[spoiler:''Film/{{Argylle}}'']] reveals the film might take place in the same universe as the ''Kingsman'' films.
62	* SharpDressedMan: Kingsman agents always dress in bespoke suits (which double as a ''ridiculously'' effective BulletproofVest), as befitting their cover as tailors.
63	* SoundtrackDissonance: The films have some oddly-effective music choices, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" in ''The Secret Service'' and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" in ''The Golden Circle''.
64	* SpecsOfAwesome: A signature part of the Kingsman look are their glasses, which double as a heads-up display.
65	* SpyFiction: A gleeful TuxedoAndMartini example. The comic is packed to the gills with LampshadeHanging, though the films are no slouch.
66	* ThemeNaming: Members of Kingsman take their codenames from [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legends]]. Field agents include Galahad, Lancelot and Percival, their tech support officer is Merlin, and their leader is Arthur. Their American off-shoots, the Statesmen are mostly named after alcoholic drinks, including Arthur's counterpart Champagne, Whiskey, Tequila and [[OddNameOut Ginger Ale]].
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Context Film / Kingsman