These characters are More than Meets the Eye. They are badasses but are lacking in traits typically associated with your average everyday Hollywood Action Hero so their true strength may come as a surprise to both the viewer and whoever is unlucky enough to piss them off.
They're the badass you least expect.
This character is a badass, but you wouldn't expect it because they are...
- Action Dad - a dad
- Action Fashionista - too obsessed with the latest trends.
- Action Girlfriend - someone's girlfriend
- Action Politician - a politician
- Action Mom - a mom
- Action Survivor - someone who lacks the asskicking skills
- Adaptational Badass - not a badass in the original
- Agent Peacock - too much of a girly male
- Almighty Janitor - too blue-collar
- Ambadassador - an ambassador
- Ambiguously Trained - currently in a mundane profession
- Awakening the Sleeping Giant - a neutral person/faction
- Badass Adorable - too cute
- Badass Bookworm - too geeky
- Badass Bureaucrat - a paper-pusher
- Badass Bystander - just some random passerby
- Badass Normal - a normal around a bunch of superhumans
- Badass on Paper - unimpressive in person
- Badass Pacifist - sincerely not gonna physically fight
- Badass Preacher - a preacher
- Badass Santa - Santa Claus himself
- Badass Teacher - just teaching his students until you threatened them and It's Personal
- Beware the Nice Ones - too nice
- Beware the Quiet Ones - too quiet or shy
- Beware the Silly Ones - Being the Plucky Comic Relief
- Blind Weaponmaster - blind
- Bodyguarding a Badass - letting others fight for them
- Brilliant, but Lazy - too lazy
- Brought Down to Badass - Brought Down to Normal
- Bullying a Dragon - not going to use their strength, right?
- Campy Combat - fights too flamboyantly
- Charles Atlas Superpower - a normal that can do superhuman feats after intensive training
- Chef of Iron - a cook
- Clark Kent Outfit - hiding it under their clothes
- Combat Medic - The Medic
- Cool Old Guy - a man who is too elderly
- Cornered Rattlesnake - weak and cornered
- Cowardly Lion - too afraid
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass - too stupid, incompetent or ineffectual
- Cute Bruiser - too cute
- Damsel out of Distress - a damsel
- Dancing Royalty - unskilled
- Deadly Doctor - a doctor
- Dork Knight - too dorky
- Effortless Amazonian Lift - just a strong girl
- Emotional Bruiser - easily aroused emotionally
- False Innocence Trick - just an Innocent Bystander... right?
- Fighting Clown - too funny-looking or -acting
- Fluffy the Terrible - given too cutesy a name
- Girly Bruiser - too girly
- Good Is Not Dumb - not that smart
- Good Is Not Soft - a forgiving person
- Goo-Goo-Godlike - a baby
- Handicapped Badass - handicapped
- Heartbroken Badass - too despondent
- Heart Is an Awesome Power - gifted with a seemingly lame superpower
- Heroic Neutral - someone who'd otherwise mind their own business
- Hypercompetent Sidekick - a skilled sidekick
- Iron Woobie - too sympathetic
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery - not gonna start a fight in that dress
- Killer Rabbit - too cute and harmless-looking
- Kung-Fu Jesus - too Messianic
- Lady of War - too refined to get her hands dirty
- Lethal Harmless Powers - someone with primarily non-lethal powers
- Lethal Joke Character - a Joke Character.
- Let's Get Dangerous! - not an actual threat...
- Little Miss Almighty - a little girl, or looks like one
- Little Miss Badass - a little girl, or looks like one
- Mama Bear - a mom (or a motherly person)
- Martial Pacifist - a peace-loving person
- More Deadly Than the Male - a proper lady
- Minored In Ass Kicking - so smart and sophisticated that they see ass-kicking as beneath them
- Mugging the Monster - not going to hit back, right?
- Muggle with a Degree in Magic - an unpowered individual in the middle of powers
- Nerd Action Hero - too nerdy
- Never Mess with Granny - a little old lady
- Non-Powered Costumed Hero - too ordinary
- Nothing Nice About Sugar and Spice - too girly
- Not-So-Harmless Villain - a Harmless Villain
- Not So Weak - too meek to defend themselves
- Obfuscating Disability - hiding it by being disabled
- Obfuscating Insanity - hiding it by acting insane
- Obfuscating Stupidity - hiding it by acting stupid
- Papa Wolf - a dad
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse - too small
- Pop-Cultured Badass - too nerdy
- Pregnant Badass - pregnant
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse - a dainty-looking princess
- Real Men Wear Pink - someone who has less than manly pastimes
- Religious Bruiser - a religious person
- Reluctant Warrior - someone who'd rather not fight
- Retired Badass - retired
- Savage Setpiece - just part of the background
- Silk Hiding Steel - too quiet and refined
- The So-Called Coward - a supposed coward
- Specs of Awesome - wearing glasses
- Stronger Than They Look - weak-looking
- Submissive Badass - subservient to other people or principles
- Success Through Insanity - too insane
- Super-Strong Child - a little child
- Took a Level in Badass - not a badass previously
- Tranquil Fury - too calm
- Unconscious Objector - already losing consciousness
- Unskilled, but Strong - lacking the skills to apply his strength
- Violently Protective Girlfriend - someone's girlfriend
- Waif-Fu - a petite female
- Weak, but Skilled - lacking the strength to apply their skills
- Who's Laughing Now? - originally a wimp
- Will Not Be a Victim - apparently already conquered
- Xenafication - previously not an Action Girl
Then again, anyone might turn out to be a secret badass. Even if they never wanted to be in the first place.
