Line #24 Main/ActionDuo


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples and badly written ones have been commented out.
4	%% Every single example on this page needs to make three things clear:
5	%% One character is a physical fighter, once character is an survivor of the action and they have some sort of relationship.
6	%%
7	%%
8	%%
9	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1322397371010567200
10	%% Image kept on page per IP thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1482328342078020100
11	%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
12	%%
13	[[quoteright:349:[[Film/{{Zombieland}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/columbus_tallahassee.jpg]]]]
14	[[caption-width-right:349:Left to right: "[[ActionSurvivor Columbus]]" and "[[ActionHero Tallahassee]]."]]
15
16	Believe it or not, the ActionHero and ActionSurvivor aren't so different that they can't share the spotlight in the same story together.
17
18	When both are paired they create an Action Duo similar to SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan and RedOniBlueOni; only these two will be practically opposites in just about every possible trait, most notably combat skill. The ActionHero, in the context of this dynamic, is of course MadeOfIron, skilled at brawling and shooting, and brave enough to wade through any firefight. However, he will often be saddled by the plot with baby-sitting the ActionSurvivor, who can [[NonActionGuy (at best)]] [[FragileSpeedster run and dodge extremely well]], through endless firefights that may be targeted at ''him''.
19
20	If the NonActionGuy at least manages to compensate by being TheSmartGuy, you have BrainsAndBrawn. If the ActionHero [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining sacrificed a basic skill for their awesome training]], the Action Survivor will help [[UpbringingMakesTheHero round them out]]. And if they're [[TheLoad not good for anything else]], at least the Action Survivor can play TheHeart and/or MoralityPet to an Action Hero who's become a KnightInSourArmor or otherwise hardened by his violent past. Expect these disparities and constant action to make them VitriolicBestBuds. However, if they're compatible enough with each other in that they each manage to kick equal amounts of ass, they're probably BashBrothers or a BattleCouple.
21
22	The plot usually requires the ActionHero either protect the ActionSurvivor as they try to escape a ClosedCircle, or with an EscortMission with the Survivor as a LivingMacGuffin. Occasionally, the Survivor takes up the role of SideKick and "sells" [[TheSmartGuy his skills]] as useful to the ActionHero on his mission. They usually form a working partnership, even becoming friends.
23
24	A common portrayal is playing the two as ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy pair, normally with the badass being a short range fighter and the action survivor supporting from cover. The roles can occasionally be reversed, however: A ColdSniper handing his BumblingSidekick an ax and using him as [[TheBait Zombie Bait]] is not unheard of.
25
26	----
27	!!Examples:
28
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder: Advertising ]]
32
33	* This was the dynamic between the Esurance special Agent and the former customer turned employee in the commercials, before they ran their course and dropped the special agent angle.
34
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
38
39	%%* [[BadassPacifist Rock]] and [[DarkActionGirl Revy]] from ''Manga/BlackLagoon''.
40	%%* Manga/{{Toriko}} and Komatsu.
41	* Yuuki and Zero sometimes take on this role in ''Manga/VampireKnight'', [[spoiler:especially at the battle against Rido.]]
42	** [[spoiler: In recent chapters as well when fighting Kaname.]]
43
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder: Comic Books ]]
47
48	* Yorick Brown and his bodyguard Agent 355 in ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan''. She kicks ass; he opens handcuffs and locked doors and quotes pop culture.
49	%%* Jeb and Tommy from Creator/DCComics' ''ComicBook/StarRaiders'' graphic novel, as appropriate for a band of SpacePirates.
50	* This is ''exactly'' how Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz start out in ''ComicBook/GreenLanterns''. Though both are [[EnsignNewbie relative newbies to their powers and duties]] for whom [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive the Call just won't hang up]], Simon is ''far'' more combat-ready with his Power Ring and is the ActionHero archetype, preferring the "direct approach" to problems - which often equates to "[[HotBlooded jump right in with brute force]]"; his idea of planning ahead is to keep a loaded handgun as "backup" in case the Ring fails. Jessica, meanwhile, is the consummate ActionSurvivor half of this trope: her introduction in a prior ''Justice League'' arc established her as a chronic InnocentBystander running and hiding from both real and imagined threats for literal in-universe ''years'' as part of her {{backstory}}...and note, all of that was ''before'' the entire planet started getting [[EmotionBomb Emotion Bombed with rage energy]] in the opening arc of ''Green Lanterns''. In this book, she vastly prefers the cautious, strategic approach that might keep everyone alive; her first thought when the Red Lantern Corps invades is even "[[SupermanStaysOutOfGotham shouldn't we]] call [[TheCavalry the Justice League]]?" And until the very end of the "Rage Planet" arc, she can't even generate a HardLight construct...which means she can't utilize the "[[ImaginationBasedSuperpower greatest weapon in the universe]]" in anything except mostly-defensive functions like flight, which results in her relying on Simon to do most of the physical attacking and in her spending much of the climactic battle of "Rage Planet" curled up in hiding, while she tries to tamp down her panic attack. Part of Simon's character growth in that arc is learning that her cautious approach has merits because even he has limits, while hers is about [[HeroicWillpower overcoming her fear]] enough to wield her Power Ring to its full, ''proactive'' extent - not unlike [[spoiler:the [[ActionSurvivor narrator]]'s]] development from ''Film/{{Zombieland}}''.
51
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder: Film ]]
55
56	%%* Jack Traven and Annie Porter in ''Film/{{Speed}}''.
57	%%* In ''Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard'', John [=McClane=] is the badass and Matthew Farrell is the ActionSurvivor.
58	* Tallahassee and Columbus in ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'': "Columbus" spends almost the entire movie in InternalMonologue about how one has to be cautious and plan carefully in various ways to avoid dying in an AfterTheEnd zombie-filled world, demonstrating that he's a classic ActionSurvivor. "Tallahasee", in contrast, delights in playing the ActionHero role in a world filled with acceptable targets for his aggression, and is the more proactive zombie-killer of the two. Tallahassee's direct approach and Columbus' smarts and caution lead them to being a good post-apocalyptic team.
59	%%* Beck and Travis Walker from ''Film/TheRundown''
60	%%* Neville Flynn and Sean Jones in ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane''. Sean does shape up, though, when the snakes threaten the remaining passengers while Neville is off fixing the plane.
61	%%* Col. Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson have some elements of this in the original ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' movie. O'Neill spent most of the film just wanting to blow everything to hell, while Jackson was basically wondering ''what'' the hell was going on. They avert this in the [[Series/StargateSG1 series]], however, when Daniel [[TookALevelInBadass took a level]].
62	%%* Edward and Bella during the action sequences in the ''Film/{{Twilight}}'' movie.
63	%%* Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski and Nicholas 'Oz' Ozeransky, ''Film/TheWholeNineYards''
64	%%* John Mason and Stanley Goodspeed in ''Film/TheRock''
65	%%* Roy Miller and June Havens, ''Film/KnightAndDay''
66	%%* Optimus Prime (or Bumblebee) and Sam in the first three ''[[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Transformers]]'' films.
67	%%* In ''Real Men'' CIA agent James Belushi shanghais insurance agent John Ritter as a stand-in for an identical agent who was assassinated en route to communicate with aliens. They switch roles to some extent by the end of the film.
68	%%* Pedro and Nico from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}''.
69	%%* Hansel and Gretel from ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters''
70	%%
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder: Literature ]]
74
75	%%* ''Literature/ClearAndPresentDanger'' has Literature/JackRyan as the ActionSurvivor. Towards the end he teams up with a soldier who's more of an ActionHero.
76	* In several of the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' novels, Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan Vorpatril make up this team: Miles does the strategic thinking while Ivan is dragooned into helping him and doing the physical stuff which the brittle-boned Miles can't.
77	%%* These are par for the course in Maillardet's Academy in ''Literature/ThePosterChildren''. The main duos of the first book are Zip and Mal, one a speedster, the other an excellent fighter, and June and Ernest, one preferring strategy (though she can [[PlayingWithFire provide firepower]]), one with SuperStrength.
78	* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'', Jerin and Cira become this. While she's good at fighting, Jerin is very talented at sleight of hand and lockpicking. While he was just [[spoiler: kidnapped, and needs to escape]], she got herself into the action intentionally.
79	* In Literature/FireAndHemlock, Polly and Tom are this, which Polly insisting that she's a hero in training and he's her mentor, while he is a rather reluctant hero. She wants him to kill dragons, while he thinks that a bit much, and would prefer to tame them, anyway. They eventually compromise on a giant [[spoiler: who is not killed, but chased away in the end]].
80	* In ''Literature/BooksAndBraun'', Mr Books is actually the archivist, which doesn't stop secret agent Eliza from dragging him with her when new adventures call - the reason she met him is because he unwittingly got into trouble and she was sent to rescue him. She learnt to value his intellect on this occasion.
81	* ''Literature/DeadBeat'': Savvy medical examiner Butters is paired up with the powerful wizard fighter Dresden. In later books Butters never quite outgrows the flavor of an ActionSurvivor with his cautious prep work but becoming a [[spoiler:Knight of the Cross with a lightsaber]] makes him an ActionHero in his own right.
82	* ''Literature/TheFatalDream'': Daniel Nymph Junior and Trevor Lee, otherwise known as FBI agents 010 and 020, are a literal example of this. The team-up of Trevor with Peter Stelth at the Battle of Zuytdorp also qualifies.
83	* The main pair of ''Literature/AlongTheWindingRoad''. Arthur is a skilled hunter and fighter, and while Charlotte technically hunts zombies, it's pretty clear combat with anything less shambling and brainless isn't her specialty.
84	* In ''Literature/{{Simulated}}'' Sam and Benjamin fight together against the anti-virus program and then later team up again to retrieve the book from the Good Gracious host.
85	* ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'': This is [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Bobby Pendragon's]] dynamic with many of the other travelers, especially Loor, until he [[TookALevelInBadass Takes a Level in Badass]] in book 6.
86	* ''Literature/VirgilColeEverettHitch'': There are a few pairs of gunslingers wandering the west. The titular duo have been partnered up for 15 years at the start of the series. In the first book, they go up against a pair of brothers, Ring and Mackie Shelton. ''Resolution'' introduces another pair, Cato and Rose.
87
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
91
92	%%* Weirdly, the Doctor from ''Series/DoctorWho'' sometimes plays ActionSurvivor to more military-style companions such as TheBrigadier or Captain Jack Harkness. Other times, however, the Doctor and his companion will subvert the trope by being a GuileHero and Guile Survivor, respectively.
93	%%* Dillon and Ziggy from ''Series/PowerRangersRPM''. Dillon is a gritty MadeOfIron amnesiac much like ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}; Ziggy...hides behind a chair and makes shadow puppets. Not that the latter [[ChekhovsSkill ends up being less important]] than the ability to bust heads...
94	%%* Funnily enough, AntiHero Derek and ActionSurvivor [[TheReliableOne Stiles]] from ''Series/TeenWolf'' pretty much embody this trope in every other scene they have together.
95	%%* in ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' whenever [[TheBigGuy Elliot]] and [[PlayfulHacker Hardison]] are paired together on a mission, it tends to become this
96	* From the first, there is a lot of tension and distrust between ''Series/{{Firefly}}'''s Mal and Simon. Despite the distrust, when Simon is about to let himself be killed for his sister in "Safe" Mal comes in leading the team in a rescue party, demanding they let the two go. When Mal is in danger in "War Stories" Simon's aim is too poor to be of any help but he still manages to survive.
97
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]
101
102	* "The Ugandan Giant" Wrestling/{{Kamala}} had this dynamic with Classie Wrestling/FreddieBlassie, Friday and Kim Chee. Blassie was a former wrestler who could reasonably handle himself but the other two totally relied on Kamala for protection.
103	* Cyndi Lauper played the action survivor role with Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano, who later became a wrestler himself, and more famously with Wendi Richter. She occasionally tied to help in matches but her main role was to sing their entrance music and act as a cheerleader.
104	* Wrestling/PaulBearer wasn't much of a wrestler later in his career, so he switched to managing others, most famously his sons Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/{{Kane}}, in which case he rounded them out [[TheQuietOne by being willing to speak]].
105	* Wrestling/JimmyHart, who had spent years evading pro wrestlers who wanted to beat the piss out of him and Wrestling/HulkHogan, who had spent years leg dropping pro wrestlers who wanted to beat the piss out of him, in Wrestling/{{WCW}}.
106	* The King Wrestling/JerryLawler has wrestled well into his 60s but since the turn of the millennium his most high profile role has been a commentator in WWF television where he wasn't on the active roster but proved very protective of his non wrestler partners such as Wrestling/JimRoss and Wrestling/JoeyStyles should they be attacked. Physically attacked anyway, he had no problem with them being insulted. Wrestling/AlSnow and Johnathan Coachman were the {{evil counterpart}}s to Jerry and JR specifically, Snow being more an AntiVillain who had to do Coach's fighting but nonetheless [[GreenEyedMonster coveted JR and King's jobs]].
107	* Wrestling/{{Konnan}} and Homicide liked to project the image of themselves being such a pair after injuries prevented the former from wrestling actively anymore. Konnan also set up one between himself and Puma on Wrestling/LuchaUnderground, though everyone suspected him of planning to back stab both of them.
108	* Ricardo Rodriguez was a professional wrestler but in Wrestling/{{WWE}} his wrestling role was downplayed in favor of being a VeryPunchableMan who followed around Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio. Then this was attempted again with Wrestling/RobVanDam. After Del Rio snapped and kicked Rodriguez's ass.
109
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder: Video Games]]
113	%%* Agents Archer and Kestrel in ''SplinterCell: Conviction''.
114	%%* Snake and Meryl in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. Or Snake and Otacon in the final level [[spoiler: if you let Meryl die]].
115	%%* Booker and Elizabeth from ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite''.
116	* Leo and Vincent develop into this over the course of ''VideoGame/AWayOut'' as they seek to escape from prison and take revenge on the mob dude that screwed them both over. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, when Vincent is revealed to be an undercover cop who was using Leo all along, the final battle the two of them fight is against each other]].
117
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder: Webcomics ]]
121
122	%%* ''Webcomic/RipAndTeri''. Hero and Survivor, respectively.
123	%%* Riff (ActionHero) and Torg (ActionSurvivor) in ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'', until Torg TookALevelInBadass in the "That Which Redeems" arc.
124	* Vesper and Corrick in ''Webcomic/{{Plume}}''. Vesper is a young girl who's never been to the "wide world", yet while somewhat lost, still pulls her weight and manages to engage the bad guys, while Corrick is an immortal guardian spirit of hers with very little that could surprise him anymore.
125	%%
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder: Western Animation ]]
129
130	* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' and her eventual boyfriend Ron Stoppable. Kim is pragmatically a superhero who uses acrobatics and gadgets to save the world, while Ron usually just tries to keep up.
131	%%* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Ben Tennyson]] with [[WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex Rex Salazar]] in [[WesternAnimation/Ben10GeneratorRexHeroesUnited Heroes United]] and with Rook Blonko in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse''.
132	* Joey and AP from ''WesternAnimation/AtomicPuppet''. One's an ordinary kid who loves superheroes, the other's an egotistical sock puppet who was originally a superhero, and together they fight as a single hero against supervillains, giant monsters, evil aliens, and anything else that threatens their hometown.
133	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ActionDuo