Authority Tropes

"For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

- Luke, The Bible

Tropes about the different effects and displays of authority and obedience.

Tropes about authority in general:
!See also:
 * Badass in Charge
 * Evil Overlord List
 * Royalty and Nobility Tropes
 * Politics Tropes


 * Zero Percent Approval Rating
 * Authority Equals Asskicking
 * Authority in Name Only
 * Asskicking Equals Authority
 * Badass in Charge
 * Bavarian Fire Drill
 * Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough
 * The Chains of Commanding
 * Challenging the Chief
 * Color-Coded Patrician
 * Cool People Rebel Against Authority
 * Corporal Punishment
 * Ermine Cape Effect
 * Fisher King
 * Forgot I Could Change the Rules
 * Grade School CEO
 * Humans Are Leaders
 * In Its Hour of Need
 * King On His Deathbed
 * Large and In Charge
 * The Leader
 * Leader Forms the Head
 * Physical Fitness Punishment
 * Please Spare Him My Liege
 * Reclining Reigner
 * Screw the Rules, I Make Them
 * Sham Ceremony
 * Staff of Authority
 * Still the Leader
 * Supporting Leader
 * Sword of Damocles
 * Teenage Wasteland
 * Under New Management
 * Young and In Charge
 * You Rebel Scum

Leader Characters of:

Any kind of Institution:

 * Badass Bureaucrat
 * Big Bad
 * Big Good
 * Cincinnatus
 * The Commissioner Gordon
 * Corrupt Bureaucrat
 * Corrupt Politician
 * Evil Overlord
 * Sorcerous Overlord
 * Emperor Scientist
 * The Generalissimo
 * Head in The Sand Management
 * The Hero
 * Iron Lady
 * The Man
 * Mister Big
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Permanent Elected Official
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Reluctant Ruler
 * Shadow Dictator
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm
 * Bait and Switch Tyrant
 * Unfit for Greatness
 * Vast Bureaucracy

An Apartment:

 * Landlord

A Company:

 * Army of Lawyers
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Honest Corporate Executive

The Kingdom:

 * Adipose Rex
 * The Caligula
 * A Child Shall Lead Them
 * Court Mage
 * The Emperor
 * Evil Chancellor
 * The Creon
 * Founder of the Kingdom
 * The Good Chancellor
 * The Good King
 * God Save Us From the Queen
 * The High Queen
 * The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask
 * She Is the King
 * Just the First Citizen
 * Princesses Rule
 * Puppet King
 * Regent for Life
 * Royal We
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something

Non-character tropes:

 * Awesome Moment of Crowning
 * Offered the Crown
 * Royally Screwed Up

And Love...

 * Bodyguard Crush
 * Lady and Knight
 * Psycho Supporter
 * Ruling Couple
 * Subordinate Excuse
 * Unequal Pairing

The Military:

 * The Brigadier
 * The Captain
 * Colonel Badass
 * Commanding Coolness
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty
 * A Father to His Men
 * Four Star Badass
 * General Ripper
 * Majorly Awesome
 * The Neidermeyer
 * Officer and A Gentleman
 * Sergeant Rock

Non-character tropes:

 * Field Promotion
 * The Mutiny
 * Anti Mutiny
 * You Are in Command Now
 * Time to Step Up Commander

School:

 * Dean Bitterman
 * Save Our Students
 * Schoolteachers
 * Apathetic Teacher
 * Cool Teacher
 * Badass Teacher
 * Psychologist Teacher
 * Evil Teacher
 * Fired Teacher
 * Hippie Teacher
 * Hot Librarian
 * Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher
 * Non Giving Up School Guy
 * Politically Motivated Teacher
 * Sadist Teacher
 * Scary Librarian
 * Schoolmarm
 * Stern Teacher

A Town:

 * I Own This Town
 * Ultimate Authority Mayor

Underlings:

 * I Control My Minions Through

Others:

 * Breaking Out the Boss
 * Bring Them Around
 * Ditch the Bodyguards
 * Doctors Orders
 * Government in Exile
 * Heroic Team Revolt
 * High Priest
 * Loyal to The Position
 * My Country Right or Wrong
 * My Master Right or Wrong
 * No Badass to His Valet
 * No Hero to His Valet
 * The Dragon
 * Evil Minions
 * Faceless Goons
 * Feudal Overlord
 * The Last DJ
 * Might Makes Right
 * Mooks
 * Elite Mooks
 * Mook Lieutenant
 * Mecha Mooks
 * Mistress and Servant Boy
 * The Necrocracy
 * Rebel Leader
 * Rebellious Rebel
 * Supernatural Elite