Lantern Jaw of Justice: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|'''Butt-head:''' Huhuh, look at his face!

'''Butt-Head:''' I think it's a '''butt'''crack!

'''Beavis:''' Well I guess that would make sense, since like, there's just a bunch of diarrhea coming out of his mouth.

 

A square jawline. A protuberant chin. A manly cleft. Somewhere along the line (possibly around [[Superman]]'s time), artists decided that these, more so than anything else, were ''the'' defining facial feature of [[Knight in Shining Armor|really heroic]] (or [[Dumb Muscle|really strong and dumb]]) characters. Perhaps to an even greater extent than [[Heroic Build|broad shoulders, barreled chest, and absurdly large biceps,]] the surest sign of a character's strength and manliness lies in his chin.

 

 

If a character with a jawline like this crops up in an American [[Western Animation]] production, there's a really good chance he'll be voiced by [[Patrick Warburton]]. Also common in [[Captain Space, Defender of Earth!]].

This has some [[Truth in Television]], as scientists have noted that there is a definite correlation between jaw size and testosterone production.

 

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* Major Alex Louis Armstrong of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' has a mighty chin ''[[Catch Phrase|that has been passed down the]] ♥♥♥ [[Catch Phrase|Armstrong line for GENERATIONS!]]'' ♥♥♥

** Alphonse actually has one built into his armor if you look closely.

* Gaav from ''[[The Slayers]]''. He is a [[Badass Longcoat]], he has the Heroic Chin... but he is a villain! Well he's a villain because he's trying to kill Lina. When Amelia accuses him of being a villain, he's quick to turn the tables and point out Lina is technically a villain, and so is Amelia by association, causing a short [[Heroic BSOD]] on Amelia's part.

* Bonaparte, Leona's ''tank'' from ''[[Dominion Tank Police]]''.

* Depending on the character designs, the title character of ''[[Lupin III]]'' is at times depicted with one of these, despite being a master thief. However, his rival, [[Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist|Inspector Zenigata]] is usually drawn with one. In the manga series, Goemon has a pretty manly chin, too.

* Though an antagonist, Bartholomew Kuma of ''[[One Piece]]'' is decidedly on the side of [[Knight Templar|"Justice,"]] and appropriately has a very, very manly jawline, as Sanji finds out the hard way when he attempts to kick it and nearly breaks his leg. {{spoiler|Of course, it ''is'' made of metal...}}

*** Interestingly enough, [[Complete Monster|Shiliew of the Rain]] has a massive chin, and while he once served as [[The Dragon]] to Magellan in the defense of Impel Down, he eventually joins Blackbeard as his new Dragon after his [[Ax Crazy]] tendencies go a little too far.

* Inverted in ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'', where the character with the huge cleft chin is the [[Big Bad]], Fae Wong Reed.

* Takahata and Gateau from ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', highlighting Asuna's preference for masculinity over [[Bishonen|boyish charms and androgyny]].

* Kamina from ''[[Gurren Lagann]]''

 

== Comic Books ==

* [[Superman]], as stated above, has had one for such a long time that he may well be the [[Trope Maker]]. But, if anything, [[Batman]]'s is even ''more'' dimpled and protuberant.

** It's certainly more prominent, at any rate, given that it and the lips are all we actually see of his face.

* British comic hero ''Bananaman'', as a parody of the genre, naturally possesses one of these.

* Even as a gangly teenager, [[Captain America (comics)|Steve Rogers]] had a bit of this going on. As Marvel's foremost [[The Cape (trope)|Cape]], he tended to have a strong chin no matter who was drawing him. Lampshaded a little when a new love interest, Bernie Rosenthal, was introduced in the 80's - she had a chin cleft, and the first thing she said to him was that he had one too.

 

== Film ==

* Possibly the main reason why Aaron Eckhart was cast as Harvey Dent in ''[[The Dark Knight]].'' A subtle nod to the standard heroic archetype? Or maybe he's just a damn good actor. Possibly both. Nolan ''did'' comment on Eckhart's facial features making him look like a movie hero from the 50s, after all.

** ''[[Riff Trax]]'' mocks this mercilessly:

{{quote|'''Bill:''' His hatchet-jaw cuts through any crowd!}}

*** And that's one of their ''nicer'' cracks about it.

{{quote|''Look at that, Daddy's got a butthole in the middle of his face!''}}

* Don't forget [[Bruce Campbell]], especially in ''[[Evil Dead]]''. His (hilarious) autobiography is even called ''If Chins Could Kill''.

* Parodied in ''[[Bullshot]]'' (1983) where the hero is always walking around with his jaw stuck out.

* Parodied in ''[[Heavy Metal (animation)|Heavy Metal]]'', most prominently with Captain Sternn, on trial for twelve murders, fourteen armed robberies, twenty-two counts of piracy, eighteen counts of fraud, thirty-seven rapes, and to top it off... [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|one moving violation.]]

* The comic book [[Iron Man]] was never drawn with chin on his helmet but the [[Iron Man (film)|movie version]] from the Mark II armor up has a protruding chin that does make him look more heroic.

* Johnny in ''[[Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers]]''. Seriously, his jawline steals half the scenes in that movie.

* ''[[Cars]]'' featured an automobile version of Jay Leno named Jay Limo, who is a large limousine with an oversized bumper.

* ''[[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd]]''. Love him or hate him, but Sly Stallone had the perfect chin for the title role.

 

== Literature ==

* In ''Me, by Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente'', a parody of the life of [[Large Ham|Jesse Ventura]], [[A Prairie Home Companion|Garrison Keillor]] makes reference to a part of Navy SEAL training where "a Naval Surgeon gave us cleft chins."

* In ''[[Tour of the Merrimack]]'', dim-witted Vice-President Sampson Reed is described as having one so dramatic that his nickname is "The Chin".

* In the web-novel ''[[Domina]]'', occasional mention is made of [[The Hero|Derek's]] "strong chin."

 

* Dr. Clayton Forrester, villainous [[Mad Scientist]] of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' had a chin cleft and was quite proud of it. He even invented <s> "chin underwear"</s> "chinderwear" in one episode. Interestingly, after Clay's departure, Mike and the bots would mock the male leads of films like ''[[Devil Doll (film)|Devil Doll]]'' and ''[[Time Chasers]]'' for their chin clefts: "Ugh, his chin-butt is engulfing her!"

* Robbie Rotten from ''[[LazyTown]]'' has a really big chin that he's quite proud of, but he's [[Camp Straight|not at all 'manly' in other ways]]... and he's a villain.

* Flabber from ''[[Beetleborgs]]'' who some people think was based on Jay Leno.

* ''[[Chuck]]'' - under pentathol, Chuck tells John Casey, "Your jaw was sculpted by Michaelangelo himself."

* Both futuristic journalist Edison Carter and his AI counterpart [[Max Headroom]] have lantern jaws, though given Max's preference for snark and mischief over heroism, the "justice" part usually only applies to Edison.

* Captain Jack Harkness, from ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[Torchwood]]''.

* ''[[Misfits]]'' actor [http://pics.livejournal.com/shocolate/pic/004whyy9 Iwan Rheon] is a very attractive example of this trope. A pretty pertinent one too, {{spoiler|as his character ultimately [[Take a Level In Badass|takes a level in badass]] and becomes [[The Hero]] of the series, despite spending the first two seasons as a [[Butt Monkey|put-upon]] [[Hollywood Nerd|nerd]].}}

* ''[[Burn Notice]]'''s Sam Axe. The guy's played by ''Bruce Campbell''.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* [[Dick Tracy]] ''invented'' the heroic chin.

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* A running joke that crops up every time Sargent Slaughter appears is a commentator reference to his chin always preceding him. This is more of an [[Informed Attribute]], seeing as his chin is actually pretty normal.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* [[Running Gag|Bruce Campbell]] is such a good example that it's a feature of Ash's character in the ''[[Evil Dead]] 2'' RPG rulebook.

 

== Video Games ==

* Captain Falcon of ''[[F-Zero]]'' and [[Super Smash Bros.|FALCON PUUUUUNCH]] fame.

* ''[[Freddie Hardest]]'' from the obscure self-titled MSX games had as his only distinguishing feature a chin the size of a pair of melons.

** And now we present you with your regular mention of '''''Captain Gordon, <s> Defender of Earth</s> Possessor of Lantern Jaw!'''''

** The Wood Golem monster type also has an impressive jaw line.

* All three main characters on the TV show-within-a-game ''Republican Space Rangers'' from ''[[Grand Theft Auto IV]]''.

* An easy half of the classes in ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' have one of these. The Soldier class epitomizes this, essentially just a great, big, yelling chin that kills people.

*** Slightly justified. Deathwing needs his armor plating because his body is being torn apart. Without his massive chin, his lower jaw would eventually ''fall off.''

* [[Running Gag|Ash]] in the ''[[Evil Dead]]'' games.

* Playable character from ''[[Time Splitters]] 2'', Hank Nova is described in his gallery info as having "the squarest jaw the galaxy has ever seen."

* For a nonhuman counterpart, ''[[Monster Hunter]] Tri'' has the Uragaan, whose chin is its most prominent feature. The chin can even be broken, but don't expect it to go quickly.

* ''[[Samurai Warriors]]'' gives us the astounding and noble [[Badass]] Honda Tadakatsu, whose in-game model gives him quite a square jaw to go with his powerful physique. ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'', of course, then cranks this [[Up to Eleven]] by giving Tadakatsu a chin so pronounced ''it gets its own armor covering.''

* ''[[Full Throttle]]'', '''Full Stop.''' You can see that chin from the tiny, tiny page art.

* ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'': Baleog the Fierce, being the offense class out of the trio, has a particularly large chin.

* 'Guts Man', both in ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' and ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'', quite literally has the squarest chin in existence. It's so square as to be perfectly rectangular and often looks like a box attached to the bottom of his face, giving him an enormous underbite. Whether he's actually ''heroic'' or not depends largely on the universe and circumstances, but there are at least two instances of Guts Man being on Mega Man's side.

 

* In ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', one character takes a missile in his chin, and when it's rebuilt he has one of these. Legs remarks that it looks heroic, like it belongs in a comic book...and then the narrator insists that, for the sake of the [[Fourth Wall]], the chin has to go.

** Surgical reconstruction and [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|Fourth Wall damage]] aside, there's a ton of lantern-jawed heroes in the comic: Kaff, Nick, Shep, Andy, Hob, Brad (after bulking up), Pranger, Doyt Gyo/Doythaban, hell, even ''Kerchak'' has the gorilla version...

 

== Western Animation ==

** ''Ka-chin!''

* ''[[Drawn Together]]'s'' Captain Hero, another superhero parody, also sports one.

* Buck Tuddrussel from ''[[Time Squad]],'' who is both super-heroic and [[Dumb Muscle|super-dumb.]]

* Pretty much all the guys in the [[DCAU]] have these, except the Flash. They're not pronounced, but they're there. Thank Bruce Timm's drawing style for this.

* Every (male) Cybertronian in ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' has a ''giant'' chin, even [[Cyber Cyclops|Shockwave]], who ''doesn't have a face''. [[Jerkass|Sentinel Prime]] is probably the most prominent example. He was an [[Expy]] of [[The Tick (animation)]], [[Actor Allusion|modeled after Townsend Coleman was cast as his voice actor]]. Lead character designer Derrick J. Wyatt lampshaded this on [http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/10/tfa-s3-chin-on.html one of his blog-posts] (titled "[[Transformers Headmasters|Chin On!]]") where he assured us the characters in season three will have no lack of chins:

* [[Samurai Jack]] started out with a prominent chin...that grew bigger and bigger as the show progressed. Eventually it took up exactly half the length of his entire face.

* Hacker from ''[[Cyberchase]]'' had a huge chin for no good reason. Inverted in that he is a villain character (but not a [[Harmless Villain|very good one]]

* Commander Feral of ''[[Swat Kats]]'' has the lantern jaw as well, though he is not the primary heroic figure on the show.

* Major Glory of ''[[Dexter's Laboratory|The Justice Friends]]'' clearly invokes this in his DCAU-style design.

* "Simon Belmont" from ''[[Captain N: The Game Master]]''.

* Jay Ward gave archetype hero-characters ''[[Dudley Do-Right]]'' and ''[[George of the Jungle]]'' prominent chins - and also made them dumb as fenceposts.

** [[Handicapped Badass|Joe]] plays it pretty straight, though

* Stan Smith from ''[[American Dad]]''.

** Fan outcry at Batman being drawn with a pointed chin was so great that it was squared off starting in the fourth season.

** Superman has one, and [[Martian Manhunter]] has [http://tvmedia.ign.com/tv/image/article/782/782754/the-batman-20070423011830449.jpg a huge one] as part of being a [[Rubber Forehead Alien]].

* Perry the Platypus of ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' also has a lantern ''bill'' of justicee.

* Jim Gordon in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', but not quite as much as Batman himself.

* Harvey from ''[[Thomas the Tank Engine]]''.

* Frosty superhero Man Arctica from ''[[Fanboy and Chum Chum]]''

 

== Real Life ==

** His autobiography is even titled ''Leading With My Chin''.

** And his [[Battle Bot]] (occasionally trotted out for an exhibition match) was called Chinkilla.

** And cosplays as Solid Snake.

* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Corporal_Patrick_Tillman.jpg Pat Tillman.] Considering he was a NFL football player who became a soldier who fell in the line of duty, it's difficult to get much more heroic.

** Ditto Craig T. Nelson (voice of Mr. Incredible). Though the years seem to be slowly eating away at his chin cleft.

* [[John Barrowman]].

* Michael Schumacher.

* It's mentioned in ''Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt'' that Adam West only got the part of Batman because he fit this trope more than another (better, apparently) actor.

* [[Matt Smith]].

* [[wikipedia:File:Urijah Faber 2008.jpg|UFC Bantamweight Urijah Faber]]

** Ol' Georgie didn't help his case any by not putting his dentures in for that portrait, but reconstructions of his face show that his chinny chin chin was indeed quite strong when his teeth were in his head. Besides, this is [[Badass|George Washington]] we're talking about; his chin could have been on ''backwards'' and he'd still be seen as a hero.

* Related to the above, portraits of [[Andrew Jackson]] [[wikipedia:File:Bustofandrewjackson.jpg|suggest he had one of these]]. Given the man was [[Our Presidents Are Different|President]] and a [[Four-Star Badass]] who had one foot knee-deep in [[Crazy Awesome]] and the other [[Kick the Dog|planted squarely up someone's ass, deserving or otherwise,]] he was probably entitled to the chin.

* [[Queen|Freddie Mercury]].

* [[Nintendo|Reggie Fils-Aime]], as amusingly exaggerated in [http://i.imgur.com/Enqpb.jpg his official Mii].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Animation Tropes]]

[[Category:Badass]]