Basic Trope: The Evil Overlord has his Mook army wear clothes that make it easy for the Super Team to spot them.
- Straight:
- The forces of Grolthar the Galactic Conqueror wear orange uniforms with Grolthar's emblem writ large across the chest.
- Emperor Evulz's troops wear colorful surcoats and have shields painted in bright colors (including a coat of arms, if applicable), and decorative pieces on their helmet (somewhat like the spike on a pickelhaube
).
- Exaggerated:
- The forces of Grolthar the Galactic Conqueror wear orange uniforms with Shoulders of Doom and Badass Capes.
- Emperor Evulz's entire army, right down to the support staff, has fluffy feather plumes, embroidered capes, and general Bling of War. You'd think he could find a better use for his budget...
- Downplayed:
- Grolthar's forces wear regular military camo but have his brightly orange emblem over their hearts.
- Evulz's army just wears plain steel but have one piece of their ensemble painted in his colors.
- Justified:
- Grolthar fears no one and wants everyone to see his Million Mook March.
- Grolthar's legions battle many different alien races with widely varying sensory abilities: Some see in the same spectra as humans, some see in the infrared, some "see" via echolocation, and so on. There is no way to make uniforms that camouflage the wearer against more than a small fraction of potential enemies, so Grolthar didn't even bother trying and instead went for intimidation.
- The forces in question aren't frontline soldiers, but the enforcers of Grolthar's order in conquered areas. They want to be highly visible, because they're there to remind people who's in charge, and of the authority they carry.
- The colorful unit is a medical corps; they want to be seen so enemies understand that they're not going to be an immediate threat and shouldn't be shot.
- The really fancy troops are an honor guard. Their dress is a) ceremonial, and b) needs to be highly visible to deter potential assassins by sheer intimidation.
- Emperor Evulz lives in a setting with a pre-World War 1 tech level. Camouflage genuinely isn't that important for an army in those eras because most battles are fought at very close range, but friendly fire is a major concern in the middle of a pitched battle. The colorful uniforms make it easy for Evulz's troops to tell at a glance if someone is on their side.
- Inverted: Grolthar's forces are all constantly camouflaged, to the point that they can be anywhere at anytime without being noticed by anyone, even in the most highly defended areas.
- Subverted:
- Grolthar's Mooks wear highly-visible uniforms that happen to be equipped with a camouflage feature.
- Evulz's troops wear colorful uniforms... in peacetime, for ceremonial purposes. In wartime, they switch to drab colors.
- Double Subverted:
- Due to budget cuts, the camouflage feature for Grolthar's Mooks stop working after 30 seconds of use.
- The drab outfits are somehow made unavailable (battle damage, theft, etc) and Evulz's mooks have to make do with their ceremonial wear. Hey, steel is steel no matter what's decorating it.
- Parodied:
- The forces of Grolthar the Galactic Conqueror wear neon orange uniforms with spotlights on the shoulders, a neon-colored emblem strobing across their chests, and every step is accompanied by loud squeaking sounds.
- Evulz's sigil is a target painted over the heart in very bright colors.
- Zig Zagged: Grolthar's minions start out in brightly-colored uniforms until they sustain enough casualties that a more subdued one is deemed necessary. Then Grolthar's scientists come up with fancy new Applied Phlebotinum which when painted on regular uniforms turns them nearly impenetrable... and neon green.
- Averted: Grolthar the Galactic Conqueror uses subterfuge and secret agents instead of all-out attacks.
- Enforced:
- The toys for Grolthar's forces need to be brightly colored to sell better in stores.
- Nuanced differences that still allowed the viewers to see who's who were not in the animation budget.
- Big battles get confusing to watch as well as participate in, so an obvious difference is needed so the audience can follow along.
- Lampshaded: "Now, my day-glo army — STRIKE!"
- Invoked: Grolthar insists that his army uses Highly Conspicuous Uniforms because anything less would imply cowardice.
- Exploited: Florthar the Galactic Terrorist has his minions wear Grolthar the Galactic Conqueror's minion outfit to shunt all of the blame onto his sworn enemy.
- Defied: Grolthar's Dragon is a Hypercompetent Sidekick who equips the Mooks with well-camouflaged uniforms to give them the maximum chances for success.
- Discussed: "Here comes Grolthar's neon marching band..."
- Conversed: "I forgot, which part of the Evil Overlord List says not to give your Mooks Highly Conspicuous Uniforms?"
- Deconstructed: The heroes easily snipe at Grolthar's army from faraway cover and send the Mooks retreating.
- Reconstructed:
- The heroes are so busy sniping at Grolthar's forces in front of them that they fail to notice the much larger team that has them surrounded.
- Grolthar's forces wear heavy armour as standard, such that the heroes plink away to little effect.
- The enemy might be better able to see Evulz's forces coming... doesn't mean they can do anything about it.
Back to Highly-Conspicuous Uniform
