Badass Gay: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Harmony:''' Oh, God, how did you get away?
'''Gay Perry:''' I shot him with a small revolver I keep near my balls.
|''[[Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]]''}}
{{quote|''I'm a bad motherfucker, don't you know - and I'll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get one fat boy's asshole.''
|'''[[Nick Cave]] and the Bad Seeds''', "Stagger Lee"}}
With the fading tradition of portraying gay people as sissies, bitches or [[Depraved Homosexual|perverted]], and with some young people using the word "gay" as if it meant "incompetent" or "stupid", it still requires some skill to successfully make a character completely [[Badass]] while at the same time having the character directly or indirectly engage in same-sex romance. If done well, the contrast between the negative stereotypes and the awesomeness of the character can enhance the character(s) and/or the plot quite a bit. [[Author Appeal]] (or in cases gone wrong, [[Author Tract]]) may be involved. Note that gay romance ''or'' a Gay/bi identity is enough for this trope - it doesn't have to be both.
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This trope has no inherent connection to [[Manly Gay]] or [[Agent Peacock]]. Sure there is some overlap, but you don't ''have'' to be muscular, macho or pretty to be a badass. Lesbian characters on this trope tend to avoid macho/butch stereotypes as well as the [[Ms. Fanservice|lesbianism intended for a male audience]] stereotypes, being feminine yet both proper and cool.
In recent years, with LGBT relationships becoming more accepted and characters in fiction being open about it, this Trope can easily overlap with [[Battle Couple]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Fire Emblem (no connection to [[Fire Emblem|the video game]]) from the series ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]''. Appears to be just a [[Camp Gay]] character, but is a superhero and a successful CEO who dabbles in various business affairs ''for fun''. He can get very serious when needed, though he rarely ever is. His costume even looks like a cross between [[Batman]]'s and [[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman|Gatchaman]]'s.
* General Blue from ''[[Dragon Ball]]''. He may be a homosexual, but he's immensely powerful enough to defeat Kuririn and take on Goku. His homosexuality helps in some sense because Bulma tried to sexually distract him and he wasn't affected.
* Shinobu Sensui from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]''. Yeah, he's a villain, and [[Misanthrope Supreme|he]] [[Black and White Insanity|has]] [[Split Personality|a]] [[Face Heel Turn|LOT]] [[Nietzsche Wannabe|of issues]], but he's also a [[Young Conqueror|martial-arts prodigy born with a very strong spiritual sense]] and the [[World's Strongest Man]] {{spoiler|until his death}}.
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' has the lesbian version of this in Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Utterly ruthless in their mission, willing to sacrifice individuals to save the world (sadly for them they're in an idealistic series) and are shown to be entirely refined. Also they're always fan favorites.
* Another pair of lesbian
* While Leeron from ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' may be incredibly [[Camp Gay]] and not a direct fighter, he is still the main mechanic for the show's [[Humongous Mecha]] and one of the first to embrace Kamina's [[Beyond the Impossible]] philosophy.
* ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]
* The transsexual demon Arachne from ''[[Angel Sanctuary]]''.
* Bon Clay, Ivankov, and his followers from ''[[One Piece]]'' are probably among the gayest characters yet they seem kick a whole ton of ass.
* ''[[Air Gear]]'' has Yasuyoshi Sano, otherwise known as "Aeon Clock" who fights on par with King-level Storm Riders despite not having any form of Regalia.
* Kunzite and Zoisite from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', quite possibly the first LGBT anime couple that the dub translators had no problem with. In fact, the only real complaints fan had was that it was a [[Relationship Upgrade]] from how it was in the manga, little more.
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Bitchy Butch]]'' is one... in her daydreams.
* Wallace Wells from ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]''. Bacon, anyone?
* ''[[The Authority]]'' has Midnighter. Who is gay. And quite quite badass:
{{quote|''Let me make this situation clear for you. I know what special abilities you have. I can see the enhancements. I can detect the increased electrical activity in your brain. I know what moves you're preparing to make. I've fought our fight already, in my head, in a million different ways. I can hit you without you even seeing me. I'm what soldiers dream of growing into. I'm what children see when they first imagine what death is like. I'm the Midnighter. Your Move.''}}
** His husband/love interest Apollo is quite badass as well.
* Rictor and Shatterstar from ''[[X-Men|X-Factor]]'', both of whom can kick plenty of ass with or without powers. While Shatterstar doesn't seem to think of love in terms of gender, Rictor recently{{when}} came out as gay and not bi, as previously assumed (he had been in on-panel relationships with women, but apparently never found them fulfilling).
* The current{{when}} [[Batwoman]] was ousted from the military after being caught in a relationship with a fellow female cadet. She fights shapeshifting animal henchmen with only her average strength and wits and has survived being stabbed in the chest.
* Wiccan and Hulkling from the ''[[Young Avengers]]''. Both are undeniably badass with one being a [[Reality Warper|reality-warping]] mutant and the other a [[Shapeshifting|shape-shifter]] {{spoiler|alien hybrid}}. They also happen to be in a happy relationship with each other and will do [[Beware the Nice Ones|unspeakable things to anyone that tries to hurt their boyfriend]].
* [[Lipstick Lesbian|Sarah Rainmaker]] from ''[[Gen 13]]'', obviously.
== Film ==
* In the parody film ''[[Stripperland]]'', the badass Tallahassee parodied character, Frisco, is revealed to be gay.
* In the film version of ''[[Watchmen (film)|Watchmen]]'' (but not [[Watchmen (comics)|the comic]]), the lesbian "Silhouette" was arguably the coolest of the first generation of superheroes. In both versions, the homophobia against her from other superheroes is used as a narrative tool to portray the superhero subculture as being morally bankrupt -- and indirectly led to her murder.
* "Gay" Perry in ''[[Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]]'' is a very tough [[Private Detective]]. In one scene, it turns out he's hidden a gun in his crotch, because if he's frisked by a man who knows he's gay it's the best hiding spot. When Perry uses it, Harry experiences a moment of confusion about whether there was a gun in there or it was "a gay thing".
* Though his sexual orientation is never spelled out for the audience, Wez from ''[[Mad Max|The Road Warrior]]'' is a terrifying mohawked berserker driven to murderous fury by the death of his younger, prettier companion, whom his boss, [[Evil Overlord|Lord Humongous]],
* Sir [[Elton John]] [[As Himself]] in ''[[Kingsman: The Golden Circle]]''.
== Literature ==
*
* In ''[[
▲* In Homer's "The Illiad", Achilles's desire to enter battle with Hector is ignited when Hector accidentally kills Achilles's male lover (thinking him to be Achilles). Note that the ancient Greek culture didn't divide people into heterosexual and homosexual but instead into active/dominant and receiving/submissive. One can assume that Achilles was the active/dominant in the relationship.
* In ''[http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=9163330075 Prinsessan Kristalla]'', the titular Princess Crystallia and her girlfriend have several badass moments, like when they save the dragon from all the [[Knight Templar]] "[[Windmill Crusader|heroes]]".
* In the final novel of the ''[[Slave World]]'' series, two female protagonists have to go on a daring rescue mission behind enemy lines - infiltrating the timeline they once belonged to, {{spoiler|as England is on the edge of getting psychopaths as their new rulers and the cold war between the timelines threatens to erupt into a full scale war between the worlds.}} The queen trust these women with this mission not only because of their well known intelligence and skill, but also because of the one thing that make her certain that they will never betray England at this crucial point in history: Their [[Property of Love|undying devotion]] to Lady Isobel and Lady Abigail respectively.
* Augustus of the ''[[Tour of the Merrimack]]'' series. A Patterner [[Cyborg]], he possesses both incredible physical strength and [[Awesomeness By Analysis]] abilities.
* Lee Farrell and Tedy Sapp in the ''[[Spenser]]'' novels by Robert B. Parker.
* Mercedes Lackey's ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' series has some gay, lesbian, and bi Herald characters, and as Heralds they're pretty much required to be badass, psychic soldier-rangers. Herald-Mage Vanyel was especially badass, being one of very, very few people to achieve the huge power of a mage adept, and almost single-handedly holding off an entire army that attacked his country. He was also pyrokinetic, telepathic, empathic, telekinetic, and clairvoyant, a skilled swordsman, an important
* ''[[The Steel Remains]]'' by Richard Morgan has a number of Badass Gay characters, but the standouts are definitely Ringil and {{spoiler|Seethlaw}}.
* Dekka from ''[[Gone (novel)|Gone]]'' is a lesbian example, and, as of ''Fear'', {{spoiler|Edilio}} qualifies as well.
* Cnaiür urs Skiötha from R. Scott Bakker's ''[[Second Apocalypse]]''. He is an unparalleled murderer, strategist, and tactician, as well as being one of the only characters that can resist Kellhus' manipulation and eventual domination.
* ''[[The Mortal Instruments]]'' has [[Invisible to Gaydar]] Alec Lightwood, demon hunting Shadowhunter and protective older brother, as well as his boyfriend, [[Camp Gay]] (technically bisexual) Magnus Bane, an immortal warlock and one of the most powerful characters in the series. Sister series [[The Infernal Devices]] gives us Magnus's ex-boyfriend Woolsley Scott, eccentric leader of the werewolf pack. Head vampire
** Lesbian examples include Aline Penhallow and her girlfriend Helen Blackthorn, both notable Shadowhunters.
== Live Action TV ==
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{{quote|'''Sam''': Larry hates it when I come home bloody.}}
* In season five of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', Willow has arguably grown past the slayer herself in badassery, powered by her relationship with Tara. (The sixth season is a completely different story, which is one of the main reasons why so many hate the sixth season.)
* ''[[Spartacus: Blood and Sand]]'' has this in spades. The first season has Barca and Gnaeus, the prequel season has Barca and Auctus, and the third season has Agron. Aversions are Pietros and (arguably) Nazir.
* In ''[[Torchwood]]'', Captain Jack successfully asks his male co-worker Ianto out on a date while they are in the middle of saving the world together.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "Day of the Moon", Canton Everett Delaware III is shown to be a badass government agent who helps the Doctor defeat the Silence after getting kicked out of the FBI for "wanting to get married" in 1969. Right at the end of the arc, Nixon asks him if the person he wants to marry is black, because he would be willing to push to overturn that law. "Yes," says Delaware, "''he'' is."
* In one ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', Jadzia Dax gets a girlfriend named Lenara Khan. When the mandatory [[Made of Explodium|technological disaster]] happens, Jadzia gets to be the [[Knight in Shining Armor]] and heroically save her beloved [[Damsel in Distress]] Lenara.
** Bonus points that neither the lovers themselves, their friends nor even their enemies even notice that Jadzia and Lenara are of the same gender, in spite of both of them being very feminine. They are, instead, persecuted because the
* Oka from ''[[Deep Love]]'' and nobody expected it because he also doubles as [[Camp Gay]], but when he rescues somebody from three tough men, wow.
{{quote|'''Oka:''' "Don't underestimate fags or else you'll pay for it!"}}
* ''[[Noah's Arc]]'': Wade, specifically after {{spoiler|Noah is gay bashed. Wade goes out and gets revenge}}.
* Richard Hatch, [[Ur Example|the very first]] winner of ''[[Survivor (TV series)|Survivor]]''. He did so by being a [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] [[Magnificent Bastard]].
* ''[[The Wire]]''{{'}}s Omar Little.
* On ''[[The Good Wife]]'', Kalinda Sharma, who smashes car windows and beats mean with baseball bats and saves the day once an episode. More badass bisexual, though; she doesn't seem to subscribe to labels much.
* Micheletto on ''[[The Borgias]]'' takes this trope up to eleven.
== [[Video Games]] ==
*
** In Origins, [[Bi the Way|Leliana]]. We really ought to invent a [[Badass French Person]] trope just for her. [[Tranquil Fury|For]] [[The Archer|many]] [[Game Breaker|reasons]]. [[Latin Lover|Zevran]], as well, though he is a bit [[Depraved Bisexual|depraved]], he's still pretty badass.
** In ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' there are five romance options among party members (Anders, Fenris, Isabela, Merrill, and Sebastian) and all except Sebastian are bi.
** In ''[[Dragon Age: The Last Court]]'' both the romance options - The Elegant Abbess and The Wayward Bard - are bi.
** ''[[Dragon Age: Inquisition]]'' takes this a step further, with two romance options - Dorian and Sera - who are openly gay, and only accept the advances of a protagonist of the same gender. Cullen, Josephine, and Iron Bull are bi, and the last one may well be the most badass of the whole crew.
* The ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series gives us the entire Asari race. All omnisexual, all biotics, all prepared to fling you across the room telekinetically if you piss them off.
** Worthy of mention: [[Adorkable|Liara]], [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|barely a hundred years old]] but already a more powerful biotic than most Matriarchs. If you [[Berserk Button|mess with Shepard]], [[Disproportionate Retribution|you will die. Your friends will die. Your allies will die. Everything you ever built will be torn down. And nobody will ever remember your name]]. Also, if you don't pay her back she will flay you alive. With her mind.
** [[Never Mess with Granny|Samara]]. She manages to pull off her [[Absolute Cleavage|red]] [[Spy Catsuit|catsuit]] at [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!|nine hundred years old]], uses biotics to crush cars, and she's a [[Knight Templar|Justicar]] to boot.
** And of course, [[Player Character|FemShep]] romancing [[Discount Lesbians|Liara]], [[Bi the Way|Kelly]] or [[Gay Option|Samantha]] qualifies as well.
** Also, as of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', a [[Player Character|Male Shepard]] romancing Steve Cortez or Kaidan.
* And the first case [[BioWare]] put out of the closet: Juhani. Jedi Guardian (built for fighting). So hand a [[Catgirl]] a lightsaber and enough Force Powers to knock you across a room with a temper that's kept in check mostly by the Jedi Code. Sweet lady, but don't piss her off.
* All of the canonically non-heterosexual characters in ''[[Metal Gear]]'' (Big Boss, Ocelot, Volgin, Raikov, Scott Dolph and Vamp) qualify to some degree. Big Boss is the most indisputably badass, although his bisexuality is never explicit [[Word of Gay|in game]] and is a [[Bi the Way|very minor facet of his character.]]
* In ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', the "Confirmed Bachelor" and "Cherchez La Femme" perks turn the male and female Courier into this. Curiously enough since both perks give a 10% damage bonus against enemies of the same gender as the Courier and the overwhelming majority of human enemies in the game are male, this means that the game ''encourages'' players who choose a male PC to make him gay for [[Min-Maxing]] purposes.
** Veronica is a lesbian, and she's quite comfortable in power armor and tends to punch things so hard they explode.
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* Venom from ''[[Guilty Gear]]'' has been confirmed gay and is very capable of kicking ass.
== Web Comics ==
* Kanaya Maryam of ''[[Homestuck]]'', by way of [[Word of Gay]]. She wields a [[Lipstick Lesbian|lipstick]] [[Chainsaw Good|chainsaw]] and was able to decimate two enemies who had killed two people each (including [[Lesbian Vampire|herself]]) - one by [[Groin Attack|kicking him in the bone bulge]], and the other by [[Half the Man He Used To Be|sawing him in half.]]
** There's also Dirk, aka the Alpha counterpart of {{spoiler|Bro Strider}}. Both sides of this trope are probably best encapsulated in the autoresponder's description of how he would confess to Jake:
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* Gabry and Liam both from ''[[This Is the Worst Idea You've Ever Had|This Is The Worst Idea You've Ever Had!]]'' Keeping the streets clean from asshole vampires by night, running an antique bookstore (that sells coffee!) by day...
* Adharia Kuvoe of ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' and her consort, Sedja. We should note that they already have a running body count on the show.
== Web Original ==
* Mille Chanteau of ''[[Ilivais X]]'' is incredibly strong-willed, consistently enthusiastic (unless [[Empathic Weapon|X is screwing with her temperament]]), superbly hammy, and head-over-heels for Iriana. While she is [[Bi the Way|interested in men as well]], the story undeniably is focused on their relationship. Similarly, Iriana, while nowhere near as tough and optimistic, at least TRIES to make people think she's a cold-blooded badass, and while she tends to fail, she does have her moments.
* Angel Dust from ''[[Hazbin Hotel]]'', mostly in the prequel comic and "Addict" music video. He was a brutal mobster while alive, and as a demon becomes [[Mad Bomber|Cherri Bomb's]] partner in gang wars against Sir Pentious.
== Western Animation ==
* [[Hello, Sailor!|Shoreleave]] from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]''. So very gay and so very awesome.
* ''[[American Dad
*
** George and Lance, [[Has Two Daddies| Bow's parents]]. Well, [[Retired Badass|Retired Badass Gay]], technically.
** Netossa and Spinnerella too, lesbian examples and a [[Battle Couple]]. .
* Sapphire and Ruby from ''[[Steven Universe]]''; one could say they were pioneers or a sort, being the first LGBT couple to have their actual wedding ceremony onscreen in Western Animation, and ''yes'', that included a [[Big Damn Kiss]] at the end.
* While ''[[Archer]]'' is a show where [[Everyone Is Bi]], sort of, Ray Gillette is openly gay, and also arguably the [[Only Sane Man]] among the cast.
* [[Word of God|Robert Smigel]] claims that ''one'' of the ''Ambiguously Gay Duo'' from ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' is indeed gay, but refused to say which. While the cartoons are clearly satire, whichever one it is qualifies for the Trope.
* While not officially confirmed, it is strongly implied that Olympia Hill (aka Majestica) and Barbara Keynes (aka Nightowl) from the ''[[Miraculous Ladybug]]'' special Miraculous New York are a lesbian couple; they certainly have the "badass" part, Majestica being a [[Distaff Counterpart]] [[Expy]] of [[Superman]], and Nightowl being the same to [[Batman]].
* Princess Bubblegum and her girlfriend Marceline from ''[[Adventure Time]]''; their feelings towards each other had been hinted for a long time before being confirmed in the episode "Come Along With Me".
* Luz and Amity in ''[[The Owl House]]'', both of them overlapping with [[Little Miss Badass]].
* Velma Dinkley of ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' fame; this was rumored to be the case for a long time, eventually confirmed in ''[[Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo]]''.
* Variation, Quagmire's father Dan - later Ida - on ''[[Family Guy]]'' is a Badass ''Trans''. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the only facet of her personality, making her sort of one-dimensional as a character.
== Real Life ==
* One by-product of the debate in the U.S. of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military is to raise awareness of ''how many'' already are serving with distinction, and have served throughout history.
* King Richard I the Lionhearted took this trope up to eleven; he was pretty much a [[Blood Knight]] [[Four-Star Badass|
* Homosexuality was very common among the armies of [[Badass Army|the Spartans.]]
* Alexander The Great, though debatable since he was after all Greek, some historians suspect his sudden death was brought on by heart break after his lover and man at arms had died, but before that in a stint of just 12 years he conquered his way through the entire Mediterranean, Egypt, Persia and only stopped at India because of monsoon season and his
* The Sacred Band of Thebes, 150 [[Battle Couple]]s of men and their lovers, so mighty that they handed the ''Spartans'' their asses a few times.
* [[Siegfried Sassoon]]. Yes, that's right, the First World War poet. When he wasn't writing (justifiably) angsty and horrific war poetry or protesting the war's improper prolongation, he was crawling out into No Man's Land on regular German-hunting patrols. Robert Graves, in his autobiography, describes him as flipping between happy warrior and bitter pacifist, and describes his battlefield activities with the words "wholesale slaughter". Consider that Graves himself was an active combat officer in one of the most godawful wars in history, and it gives you some idea of what Sassoon was like.
* Freddie Mercury.
* Comedian and talk show host Graham Norton was stabbed in the heart, and is absolutely fine, and this fact is hardly ever brought up.
* [[Elton John]] (''Sir'' Elton John, that is) actually saved [[Eminem]] from [https://www.theguardian.com/global/2010/jan/03/eminem-elton-john-drugs drug abuse].
{{reflist}}
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