Iron Maiden/Characters

Subjective tropes goes to the YMMV page. If you're going to put a trope, check if that trope has a YMMV header.

Tropes which apply to everyone
""I have some... I collect them.""
 * Cool Plane: They go on tours in a customized Boeing 757 called "Ed Force One", piloted by Bruce Dickinson himself (who works as a commercial pilot between rocking).
 * Digital Piracy Is Evil: Averted. The band couldn't give less of a flying rat's behind if you downloaded their music. In fact, they encourage downloading of their music, and have even gone so far as to state "We're not like Metallica".
 * In an interview with Steve Harris, when asked about bootlegs

""... if you wanna record this song and you wanna put it on a world wide web - on the internet, so all your friends could listen to it - as long as you buy the album in September - we don't give a fuck my friends!""
 * The band also asked fans attending the first leg of Somewhere Back in Time to send over any video footage they took during the concerts, as they were hoping to include it in their documentary Flight 666.
 * In the Give me Ed 'Til I'm Dead Tour, Bruce said this once:


 * Distaff Counterpart: The all-female, California-based tribute band The Iron Maidens. Special mention should go to the lead singer, Bruce Chickinson.
 * A Good Name for a Rock Band: The band is named after a torture device, which appeared in the 1938 version of The Man in the Iron Mask and caught Steve's eye.
 * Gratuitous Panning: With 2 or 3 guitarists, they had to use it.
 * Great Balls of Fire: In addition to pyrotechnics, their shows include elaborate setpieces, a guy dressed as Eddie, and sometimes Bruce in costume and/or mask.
 * Start My Own: The less known drummer Thunderstick has also made a couple solo efforts after quitting Samson.

Eddie


Arguably, the true Face of the Band. He started as a creation of Derek Riggs for a punk band, which got rejected. Harris then picked him up, and the rest is history. Eddie has been part of the band since their very beginnings.


 * A Lady on Each Arm: In the Women In Uniform single cover.
 * An Axe to Grind: In Killers.
 * Art Evolution: See it for yourself: compare this and this to this and this.
 * Or, if you consider the fact that the first two are one artist, the latter two another: recent one from the first artist, and the first from the other.
 * CGI Actor: In the Dance of Death cover.
 * Evil Overlooker: In Brave New World and Rock in Rio
 * Glowing Eyelights of Undeath
 * Humanoid Abomination: In The Final Frontier. Or So It Seems...
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Cover of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" -single from 1993 depicts him as a devil impaling Bruce Dickinson, who was leaving the band, with a pitchwork.
 * Mascot
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Eddie has been a cyborg, the devil, the Grim Reaper...
 * Off with His Head: The original Maiden Japan cover had him decapitating the departing Paul Di'Anno.
 * People Puppets: He's controlling the devil (who in turn seems to control a regular human) in The Number Of The Beast.
 * Rise From Your Grave: In the covers of Live After Death and No Prayer for the Dying.
 * Take That: In the cover of Sanctuary he's seen murdering Margaret Thatcher.
 * Team Pet
 * Verbal Tic Name: He started as a head that hanged above the drum kit. When the band members mentioned it, the London accent made it sound like "'ead", which soon evolved into "Eddie".
 * Writer Revolt: He's much destroyed in Seventh Son of a Seventh Son because Derek Riggs wanted to have less and less of Eddie to draw. But a kind of Continuity Reboot occurred as the band asked a "full" Eddie in the follow-up No Prayer for the Dying.

Paul Bruce Dickinson - Vocals


""SCREAM FOR ME !!!""

"Arguably Iron Maiden's most well-known member, Bruce Dickinson sung in several bands before singing in Samson, band which was part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in the early eighties. In 1982, after Paul Di'Anno left the band, he was hired as the new singer. That same year, "The Number Of The Beast" came out, and the rest is known history. He has also a solo career, which comprises albums of Hard Rock, (Tattooed Millionaire) Grunge (Skunkworks) and Heavy Metal. (Accident of Birth, The Chemical Wedding and Tyranny Of Souls)"

"The man has done enough to be guaranteed an own page."

Adrian Smith - Guitar


"One of Maiden's main composers, Adrian joined the band in 1981, coming from Urchin. He was responsible for many of Maiden's biggest hits, and the band took a big hit in 1990 with his departure. He then had some Hard Rock projects (A.S.A.P., Psycho Motel) and played with Bruce Dickinson in two of his solo albums (Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding) before coming back to Maiden in 1999, along with Bruce."


 * Badass Beard
 * Creative Differences: He was tired of Iron Maiden's heavy sound, so he went to do his own project. ("Adrian Smith And Project", also known as "A.S.A.P.")
 * The Smart Guy
 * Start My Own: He made a solo effort called A.S.A.P. in the late 80's.

Janick Gers - Guitar


"He started in The Eighties playing in a band called White Spirit. Then, he played with several musicians such as Fish, Ian Gillan and groups and projects such as Gogmagog (where he played with Clive Burr and Paul Di'Anno, former members of Iron Maiden) and Bruce Dickinson's first solo album. It was in fact thanks to Bruce that he was hired for Iron Maiden, as replacement for the then exiting Adrian Smith. He never left the band since then, even when Adrian Smith came back in 1999."


 * Aerith and Bob: Inverted: Paul, Adrian, Dave, Michael, Steve... and Janick.
 * Keet: He's really, really hyperactive. No wonder Eddie normally chases him on stage.
 * Sixth Ranger: After Dickinson and Smith returned to the band. Specially, Smith asked to Harris that Gers shouldn't leave the band in order for him to return.

Dave Murray - Guitar


"The only member of the band, along with Steve Harris, which played in every album Iron Maiden recorded."


 * Bishonen: Oh so very much.
 * The Chick: According to the Five-Man Band page trope.

Steve Harris - Bass



 * Creator Breakdown: The X Factorwas an album Darker and Edgier than even Fear of the Dark. A lot of it comes from Steve Harris's divorce and his dad passing away. "Blood Brothers", from Brave New World is said to be about said death.
 * Fan Nickname: "'Arry"
 * The Hero
 * I Am the Band: He's the leader, founder, and only constant member of the band. In some albums, he even wrote or collaborated in all songs.
 * Lead Bassist
 * Not Christian Rock: He said he's not religious, even if many songs deal with spirituality. But the band is far from being Satanist.
 * Record Producer: After Martin Birch's retirement, he took part of the producing duties since The X Factor.
 * Step Up to the Microphone: Immediately before Maiden's second ever gig, Paul Di'Anno was arrested outside the club they were due to perform in for carrying a concealed switchblade. Ron Smallwood, their prospective manager, ended up ordering Steve to sing on the basis that he was the only one who knew all of the lyrics.
 * The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Steve Harris looks ok, but not spectacular. He is, however, the father of Lauren Harris (her sisters Faye and Kerry also qualify).

Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain - Drums



 * All Drummers Are Animals: He even kicks the bass drum instead of using a double bass pedal!
 * The Big Guy
 * Fun Personified
 * Funny Answering Machine: Any and all of the "Listen With Nicko" tracks.
 * Garfunkel: He can be seen as this, considering that all the other 5 members are prolific composers but he has only written one album track. But he compensates by being one of the best drummers in the business.
 * Stage Names: He picked up that nick because of his favourite puppet.
 * Studio Chatter: Nicko has one in each of the last three albums. Also, the "Listen With Nicko" tracks in the re-releases of The Eighties' singles.

Former members
Be aware that we're counting just those who recorded at least one album with the band. With that said...

Dennis Stratton - Guitar



 * Creative Differences: He left the band because, according to Steve Harris in the DVD The Early Days, he was composing stuff which wasn't fit for what Maiden was.
 * The Smart Guy: Before Smith's arrival.

Paul Andrews (Paul Di'Anno) - Vocals



 * The Lancer: Before Dickinson's arrival.
 * Name's the Same: He shares his "Paul" name with Paul Day, and Paul Bruce Dickinson, both former and current vocalists of Maiden.
 * Start My Own: He went on many solo projects as well. (Battlezone, Killers and the band Di'Anno) Sadly subverted in that the majority of Di'Anno's solo career is spent playing old Maiden songs, either live, re-recording them for "best of" compilations, or appearing on Iron Maiden tribute albums.

Clive Burr - Drums



 * The Big Guy: Before Nicko's arrival.
 * Littlest Cancer Patient: He left music due to multiple sclerosis. Maiden has since founded a research fund on that disease to help him.
 * Start My Own: After Maiden, he played on Trust (Nicko's former band) Gogmagog (along his former Maiden bandmate Paul Di'Anno) and several other projects.

"Blaze" Bayley Cook - Vocals



 * The Lancer: Before and after Dickinson.
 * Stage Names
 * Start My Own: He went solo when he left the band. Many Metal fans consider it way better than his Maiden years.