Line #22 Main/PresidentSuperhero


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16	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pressupes.png]]]]
17	[[caption-width-right:350:"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, beat up Lex Luthor."]]
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19	A [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent President]] (or otherwise Chief of State) of a sovereign country ([[CreatorProvincialism most likely]] the good ol' [[EagleLand US of A]]) who happens to have superpowers -- and does use them for heroics as a side job. Or who, alternatively, fights crime in a [[BadassNormal Batman-like fashion]]. Quite often a result of AsskickingLeadsToLeadership (and sometimes of [[RankScalesWithAsskicking the opposite]]).
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21	If it's a super''villain'' who rules a country, see PresidentEvil.
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23	SubTrope of ActionPolitician. Compare GodEmperor, SorcerousOverlord, BenevolentMageRuler, and EmperorScientist.
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25	See also RoyaltySuperpower; unlike a monarch, the presidential superhero will generally not try to legitimise his rule by virtue of his powers.
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27	----
28	!!Examples:
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
32	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': The Fuhrer President of Amestris, "King" Bradley, is a LightningBruiser who still punishes crime by himself, even when [[EyepatchOfPower he's got an eyepatch]] and pushing past middle age. Even when his army is made up of State Alchemists with elemental powers, he still surpasses them easily with little more than super-speed, super-strength, and his sword. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope As it turns out]], he's actually an artificial homunculus bred by [[BigBad Father]] for being the leader of the country, hence his superhuman attributes and all-seeing eye beneath his patch, making him more of a PresidentEvil.]]
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Comic Books]]
36	* ''ComicBook/TheBoys'': Subverted by an interviewed women saying she wouldn't vote for a super in the White House, as it'd be like voting for Jesus. [[spoiler:The Homelander does briefly sit behind the presidential desk after brutally murdering the previous occupant, but his sanity's long gone by then.]]
37	* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'':
38	** Near the end of the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel line, Captain America was elected to the presidency of the United States, and apparently did a very good job aside from his [[AdaptationalJerkass complete lack of diplomacy]] resulting in incidents like telling state governors to solve disputes between themselves on their own instead of asking for his mediation or preventing them from seceding by force. However, he resigned following [[DividedStatesOfAmerica the "Divided We Fall" arc]].
39	** At least two issues of Marvel's ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' explore what would have happened if Captain America were elected President, one after being thawed from the ice, the other in the 40s after winning the war at the head of an entire army of Super Soldiers. [[spoiler: Except in the latter story, [[SubvertedTrope the president was actually the Red Skull's brain in a clone of Cap]], and the real Cap ultimately dies in a HeroicSacrifice to defeat him [[InSpiteOfANail after Namor thaws him out of a block of ice]]]]. Incidentally, [[spoiler: the first story ''also'' ends with Cap sacrificing himself to defeat the Red Skull]].
40	** In ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'', that world's Captain American (here Colonel America) served as president sometime before the outbreak, apparently only serving a portion of a term. It comes up as his fellow zombies ask if he knows of any secret continuity-of-government facilities where they could find more living humans (specifically Congress) to devour.
41	* In ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' #0, James Rhodes meets with the President for what he thinks is a standard briefing, but which turns out to be an appeal for Rhodey to hang up the War Machine suit and run for President himself, in order to head off a rumored campaign by [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]].
42	* ''ComicBook/ExMachina'': After retiring as the Great Machine, the world's only superhero, Hundred runs for mayor of New York City off of his fame and wins. The series follows his tenure in the role and his future political aspirations. It ends with [[spoiler:him becoming President John [=McCain=]'s vice president, with implications that he will soon rise higher]].
43	* The ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' once visited an AlternateUniverse where Tony Stark is President, but it's not clear if he's Iron Man in this reality.
44	* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' was one of these during his brief tenure as mayor of Star City, dealing with political problems while still maintaining his superhero identity.
45	* The Immortal from ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' is Abraham Lincoln as a superhero.
46	* The ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperheroes: Millennium'' miniseries that documented the centuries between the present day and the Legion had Kara Danvers become President Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} by the mid-21st century.
47	* In ''Comicbook/LordHavokAndTheExtremists'', Tin Man (the Comicbook/IronMan expy) was elected President of the United States of Angor after proposing a SuperhumanRegistrationAct, with Americommando (Captain America) as VP. Following Tin Man's death, Americommando becomes President and appoints Blue Jay (Ant Man) as his Vice-President, while continuing the draconian policies. [[spoiler: He ends up stripped of office and imprisoned, with President Blue Jay presumably following a more moderate course.]]
48	* In the comic books based on ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', it's shown that Camilla Hombee, the President of the United States, moonlights as a Captain America {{expy}} named Victory. Apparently, she revealed her secret identity to the public to win the election.
49	* In ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'', an attempt to assassinate UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan fails because [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent The White Event]] has given him [[HealingFactor regenerative powers]].
50	* {{Deconstructed}} in ''ComicBook/{{PS238}},'' [[spoiler:Principal Cranston]] used to be POTUS for a short time, having used his secret PsychicPowers to get there. When exposed, this resulted in a near-coup and him resigning from office. It's implied a revised Constitution outright bans metahumans, or at least metahumans-in-hiding or those with certain power sets, from holding office.
51	* In the original ''ComicBook/SquadronSupreme'' Kyle Richmond is the President while also secretly being the Batman expy Nighthawk.
52	* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
53	** The concept of Supes possibly being president goes back to the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] when ComicBook/JimmyOlsen had a dream about it. Some aspects of it are examined as to how Superman being the president would be different; for instance, the splash panel shows an emergency situation. President Superman tells [[BodyguardingABadass the Secret Service men to get behind]] ''[[BodyguardingABadass him]]''. Also, at the end, when the possibility is mentioned in some way to the Man of Steel, Supes points out that he ''couldn't'' be president as the U.S. president has to be a native, and he wasn't born in the United States.
54	** Happened with the "main" reality's Superman, in one of the ''ComicBook/{{Armageddon 2001}}'' possible futures explored by Waverider.[[note]]At that point, Superman's canonical origin was the [[ComicBook/TheManOfSteel John Byrne version]] in which, Jor-El launched Superman's UterineReplicator into space so he was "born" in Kansas.[[/note]] And as if being Supes and Prez weren't enough, he also ends up with a Franchise/GreenLantern ring. [[spoiler:He resists and manages not to get DrunkWithPower.]]
55	** In Earth-23 of the post-''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' [[TheMultiverse multiverse]], a [[RaceLift black]] Superman named Calvin Ellis is President of the United States in his secret identity.
56	** In the {{Elseworlds}} story ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' (later Earth-30 of the post-''52'' multiverse), the Soviet-raised Superman becomes Premier of the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin. He uses his powers to both fight crime and improve the living standard of every citizen in the expanding Soviet state, but also [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill eliminates all free will]].
57	* ''ComicBook/{{Uber}}'': [[spoiler:After the Soviet leadership attempts ([[NotQuiteDead but fails]]) to have Maria killed because of her unreliability, she flattens the Kremlin before killing Stalin. She then decides to rule Russia by herself and replace communism with anarchism, declaring herself the "Protector" of the new state.]]
58	* ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'': One story had ComicBook/TheMightyThor as President. He agreed to let the Skrulls give everybody on Earth superpowers, which turned out to be a planetwide poisoning plot ([[ComicBook/FantasticFour Ben Grimm]], who'd gotten rid of his powers and didn't want new ones, ended up as the only human able to fight back as a BadassNormal). Grimm then goes to the past and prevents the invention that allowed Earth to contact the Skrulls, and thus he SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.
59	* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: In issue 7 Diana views a possible future through the Magic Sphere in which she is elected president of the U.S. in the year 3000 in her secret identity as Diana Prince while still acting as Wonder Woman.
60	* The epilogue of ''ComicBook/XMenTheEnd'' reveals that Kitty Pryde has eventually become President of the United States.
61	** Cyclops is President in a possible future seen in an issue of ''ComicBook/XMen''.
62	* In the fourth issue of ''ComicBook/RoyThomasAnthem'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:FDR survived the bombing of the White House... sort of. His brain was intact, but his body was too damaged, so Agent 76 transferred his brain into a robot body. He became the first Anthem, managing to put down enough Axis forces to keep the American Midwest free, but the robot body eventually burned out, too, necessitating another radical procedure.]]
63	[[/folder]]
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65	[[folder:Fan Works]]
66	* Downplayed but invoked by Roy Mustang in the post-series fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13561569/1/How-Ed-Became-President-and-it-was-all-Mustang-s-Fault How Ed Became President and it was all Mustang's Fault]]''. While 35-years-old Edward Elric doesn't have his alchemy and is focused on raising his family, he still has the reputation and fame he had as the Fullmetal Alchemist, hence why Mustang makes him run to be Amestris's first president[[note]]Mostly because the other candidates are interested in making war with other countries[[/note]]. Ed denies being an effective president, despite not only running for two turns but also improving Amestris throughout, such as approving funds for education and improving relations with neighboring nations.
67	** Played straight with Roy, who stepped down as the Fuhrer and ran for the Prime Minister's office.
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69
70	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
71	* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'', [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade Wilson]] is President. Still no match for an evil Justice League, obviously.
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74	[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
75	* [[UnreliableNarrator If you believe]] what ComicBook/{{Magneto}} says in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy was a mutant]]. And Magneto [[NotMeThisTime didn't assassinate him]], but was actually curving the bullet in an attempt to save his life that was stopped by someone knocking him out. According to the filmmakers, if he was telling the truth, JFK's powers were likely a form of MindControl by way of {{Telepathy}}.
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78	[[folder:Literature]]
79	* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': In the final arc, Marco mentions that Jake could have run for President and everyone would have voted for him, but Jake's guilt over his actions is too heavy for him to accept that kind of responsibility.
80	* President Touches Clouds in the ''Literature/WearingTheCape'' series is a downplayed example. As a founding member of the Chicago Sentinels SuperTeam she parlayed her the prestige from her time working on the team into a successful political career that by the time the series has started has seen her elected as US President. Downplayed because the series recognises that her position is a full-time job in of itself that leaves her with no time for heroics.
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82
83	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
84	* In an alternate future of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Nathan Petrelli (who can fly) has been elected President. He uses his Presidential powers to round up all the other people with powers and get rid of them.
85	* ''Series/RealTimeWithBillMaher'': Mocked by Maher in his "New Rules" segment where he bemoaned the glut of superhero-themed movies and television series, not just for most of them being StrictlyFormula, but because it instills a mindset that TheOnlyOne can save the day. He then portrayed Donald Trump's presidency as the story of a superhero named [[AtrociousAlias "Orange Sphincter"]].
86	* The X-Presidents from ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. Hey, a President who has left office ''is'' customarily called "President" forever, so they do count.
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88
89	[[folder:Video Games]]
90	* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', within the Fifth Singularity, the mages of 1783 America summon the heroic spirit UsefulNotes/ThomasEdison (albeit a giant and LargeHam version of him with a lion's head and electric powers) to lead America after the invading Celtic Spirits kill the Founding Fathers. However, Edison is focused on defending America by controlling it like an industrialized factory and protecting America at the cost of the rest of the world [[spoiler:not helped that his mind was combined with every American President up to 2015, driving him mad]].
91	* [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mike Haggar]]'s ending in ''VideoGame/MarvelVSCapcom3'' has him being president with Tony Stark aka Iron Man as his vice president.
92	* ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'': Michael Wilson, veteran of the Arizona Conflict and 47th President of the United States, has been deposed in a military coup by his [[EvilChancellor running mate]], Richard Hawk. Now, he must take up the guise of Metal Wolf and take back America city by city, armed only with his MiniMecha and the power of '''[[PatrioticFervor burning American freedom!]]'''
93	* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowIV'': The series' protagonist, the Boss, is elected to the U.S. presidency after the prologue and technically remains the President throughout the game (never mind that [[EarthShatteringKaboom Earth is destroyed]] half-way through). Before that happens, however, the Boss gains superpowers... but only in the [[{{Cyberspace}} Simulation]], where nobody recognizes them as the president. They eventually get superpowers in the real world, too... but [[spoiler:become the GodEmperor of the Universe almost immediately thereafter]].
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95
96	[[folder:Web Comics]]
97	* The president of the United States and head of the government-run The Company in ''Webcomic/EvilPlan'' is [[http://evilplan.thewebcomic.com/comics/2144585/chapter-14-page-20-maam/ Emmie Oakley, cowgirl superhero.]]
98	* ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'': Mayor Kurgh is an alien warrior who actually conquered Shitropolis in an AlienInvasion, but has overall turned out to be a better mayor than the guy he replaced. One surmises a town with more supers per block than Marvel's UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity needs a super to run it properly.
99	* Poked fun at by ''Webcomic/MandatoryRollerCoaster'' in this Oval Office [[http://mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/81972679671/all-there-is daydream]]
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Web Original]]
103	* Parodied by Website/JibJab with their video "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFdAJRVm94 He's Barack Obama]]", which makes fun of the nearly messianic view some had of [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama President Obama]] when he came to office in 2009 by portraying him as a literal superhero who arrives to fix all of the United States' problems.
104	* Some of the [=NFTs=] released by Donald Trump depict him as a superhero. Notably one of him doing a DynamicAkimbo pose in a wrestling ring and another where he's unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the superhero costume underneath while shooting EyeBeams.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Western Animation]]
108	* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': In the Ultimate Alien future timeline, Ben 10,000 mentions that he was briefly President of Earth, "just long enough to defeat the third Vilgaxian invasion", but that apparently Gwen was better at the day-to-day stuff. In ''WesternAnimation/Ben102016'', we see her as the president in that timeline. As of the "current" future timeline by the end of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', Argit seems to have become President of Earth instead, [[CorruptPolitician which probably doesn't bode well]].
109	* Victory from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' is president of the United States in her civilian identity.
110	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' episode, "[[Recap/RecessS3E4ACareerToRemember A Career To Remember]]", [=TJ=] wants to be president when he grows up and also Senõr Fusion.
111	* One sketch in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' has UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush as a Texas-themed Superman expy "Captain Texas" who personally thwarts a nuclear attack by a cartoonishly evil terrorist. Of course it's then revealed that it's all an ImagineSpot by Bush himself.
112	* The 1960s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/SuperPresident''. President James Norcross has powers very similar to those of ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}, and he isn't afraid to use them. It ''was'' apparently supposed to be a secret that [[PaperThinDisguise Super President was, in fact, the President of the United States]], though.
113	* ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': In "What If... Ultron Won?" the battle between Ultron and Uatu takes them to a universe where a jumbotron screen shows Steve Rogers being inaugurated as President. Serves as a MythologyGag to the above-mentioned "President Captain America" examples under Comics.
114	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PresidentSuperhero