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Reluctant Ruler (view source)

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== Film ==
* Maximus from ''[[Gladiator (Filmfilm)|Gladiator]]'', although he, of course, doesn't get to rule.
* In the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Filmfilm)|Lord of the Rings]]'' movies, Aragorn refuses to pursue the throne until he absolutely has to to save Middle-Earth. In the original books, taking the throne was on his to do list... but not very high up.
* King George VI in ''[[The King's Speech]]'' (see [[Real Life]], below).
 
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** Nobby is actually offered the position of king of Anhk-Morpork but runs away from the offer not because he would not want the job but because he is afraid of what Commander Vimes would do to him. He would make a horrible king.
** Come to think of it, Sam Vimes wasn't exactly wild about becoming Duke of Ankh, but that's more to do with his dislike of hereditary privilege; wielding quite considerable authority in his role as [[Da Chief|Commander of the City Watch]] is a different matter.
* The Man In The Shack in ''[[The HitchhikersHitchhiker's Guide to Thethe Galaxy]]'' subverts this to a deliberately extreme extent, in that he's not so much reluctant as unaware that he even is a ruler, and apparently is unwilling to accept that there's anything to rule in any case. In fact, the people who gave him that power decided that anyone who actually wanted to be in charge couldn't be trusted with the job, so the guy who makes all the decisions needs to be someone who doesn't even know the rest of the universe exists.
* Emperor Gregor from the [[Vorkosigan Saga]] attempts to bunk off from being emperor during one of the early books. He's mostly scared by the history of insanity in his family though.
* From ''[[Prince Caspian]]'':
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"I -- I don't think I do, Sir," said Caspian. "I'm only a kid."<br />
"Good," said Aslan. "If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not." }}
* A non-ruling example: Tom Bombadil from ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|Lord of the Rings]]''. The Council of Rivendell considers giving the One Ring to Tom since he has no care for such things and would not use it for evil. In the end they decide that because he would be so careless with such a powerful device he may lose it and it could end up in the wrong hands.
* Both {{spoiler|Emperor Rene and King Alexander}} in the [[Arcia Chronicles]] hate their jobs but are placed among the best sovereigns Arcia ever had. Subverted with Anhel the Light, though, who actively pursued the throne, started a rebellion, and is remembered as a great ruler. Then, [[Double Subversion|subverted again]], {{spoiler|in that the historical perception of the just rulers is [[Written Byby the Winners|twisted by the Church]], whereas Anhel actually did enough evil in his life to be reborn as the mightiest among the [[Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]}}.
** In ''[[Reflections of Eterna]]'' cycle by the same author, the only guy who is reasonably suitable to take the Taligian throne in the face of the impending cataclysms, {{spoiler|Roque Alva}}, has so far managed to ingeniously evade this obligation for six books in a a row. Yeah, it seems like a recurring motif of the author.
* In the John DeChancie science fiction comedy book, ''Living with Aliens'', it is revealed that all of galactic civilization runs on this premise. [[The Federation]] figured out that people who want power should never have it. Their solution is to find the people who want to be rulers the least and ''force'' them, against their wills, to rule over the galaxies. This leads to them running away constantly and spending all their time getting high and abducting people from earth to molest and probe them for fun.
* In Julian May's Galactic Milieu series, the job of Dirigent (ruler of a planet) is traditionally given to someone who doesn't want it.
* In Megan Whalen Turner's [[The Queens Thief|The Queen's Thief]] series, {{spoiler|Eugenides}}, the {{spoiler|Thief of Eddis}}, marries the queen of {{spoiler|Attolia}} because he's in love with her, but he doesn't want to be king.
{{quote| ''"He didn't marry you to become king. He became king because he wanted to marry you."''}}
* ''The Icarus Agenda'' by [[Robert Ludlum]] has a conspiracy of [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Well Intentioned Extremists]] who want to give America a good President, implying one who didn't seek the power for its own sake, but recognise that one such would be unlikely to volunteer for high political office or to beat the more power-hungry and politically wily candidates if he did; their solution is to find a suitable candidate and manipulate his career without his knowledge.
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* The Roman Emperor Claudius, at least the way he's portrayed in ''I, Claudius'' and ''Claudius the God''.
* King Cinhil Haldane in ''[[Deryni|The Legends of Camber]]'' trilogy. He had been a cloistered priest for many years when he was found and removed from his monastery. He was persuaded to give up his vocation and accept a wife and a crown, but he didn't like it, and he came to blame Camber for his misery.
* [[The Messiah|Raamo]] in the [[Green -Sky Trilogy]] is actually ''terrified'' by the prospect of becoming one of the ruling Ol-Zhaan, to the point of trying to telepathically scream at the people looking at him with awe that he's just an ordinary Kindar. It's his reluctance that tips off Neric and sets the bigger plot in motion. {{spoiler|later, we learn that D'ol Falla had intended this as a [[Batman Gambit]]. The only one who could set things right was someone who wouldn't be caught up in the trappings of power.}}
* King Zachary Hillander of the [[Green Rider]] series. He was the younger son and expected to govern Hillander Provice while his elder brother Amillton ruled, but King Amigast finally saw [[The Evil Prince|Amillton]] for what he was.
* Jenna Heap in ''[[Septimus Heap (Literature)|Septimus Heap]]'' is reluctant to become a Queen at first, but she grows more accepting over the books.
* A downplayed example in ''[[Ciaphas Cain|The Traitor's Hand]]''. Cain remarks that the local planetary regent, being the chief bureaucrat rather than the usual aristocratic appointee, is considerably more sensible than the average governor. He suggests that "the absolute last person who should end up with power is the one who wants it".
* In [[The Tamuli]], the Isle of Tega builds its entire government on this. Nobody asks to be nominated for public office; as soon as you're nominated, you're placed under guard, and if elected your possessions are sold and the proceeds put into the treasury. At the end of your five-year term, if the economy prospered, you get your money back with proportionate interest. If it floundered, you could lose everything. Many officials have worked themselves to death for the good of the republic.
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== Live Action TV ==
* {{spoiler|Martok}} in [[Star Trek]]:[[Deep Space 9]] episode ''Tacking Into the Wind''
* ''[[Babylon Five5]]'': ex-Narn Ambassador G'kar is both stunned and hesitant when told he has become [[The Messiah|a religious icon to the Narn]], and outright refused leadership of the government after overthrowing the Centauri. He eventually accepted spiritual, if not political, leadership, but only because the public wouldn't take no for an answer.
* Claudius in ''I, Claudius'' becomes this after he's proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guard following his nephew Caligula's assassination. He really wants to make Rome a true republic again, but the Guard literally forces him into the imperial role and Claudius realizes he has to accept or risk having himself and his family slaughtered. Much later, however, {{spoiler|he decides to marry his corrupt niece Agrippina and let her unhinged son Nero succeed as emperor, to force the Romans to get sick of monarchy. He only succeeds in insuring that his only son and only loyal adviser die.}}
 
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* Subverted with Martin Septim in ''[[The Elder Scrolls Four Oblivion]]'': {{spoiler|had he actually become [[The Emperor]], he would very likely be even better than his father, since he never wanted to become one in the first place. Additionally, his experience as a dark priest and later, a poor monk would certainly make him care for his subjects a lot.}} [[Player Punch|Alas...]]
* {{spoiler|Alastair}} of ''[[Dragon Age]]: Origins'' can become this. He can become considerably less reluctant about it if you select certain dialogue choices however. In a subversion, however, he proves to be a much better king after said dialogue choices than otherwise.
** Sebastian Vael in ''[[Dragon Age II (Video Game)|Dragon Age II]]'' is another take. He envied the fact that his older brother would inherit the throne and spent most of his early life as [[The Hedonist]]. His parents put him in the Chantry to stop him embarrassing them, but he found it gave him a purpose. Then political rivals murder the rest of his family, and he spends the game trying to choose between retaking his lands or serving the Maker. You can push him one way or the other.
{{quote| "When I ''wanted'' to rule, I would have been terrible at it. Now that I might be decent, I don't know if it's the right thing to do."}}
* ''[[Fate/stay Stay Nightnight]]'': Saber hates having been made king, having never wanted it but doing it anyway for the good of her people. She did the best anyone could, but her dislike of being king at all (and the ensuing lack of drive) meant she was never well-loved by her followers or her people and the [[Dirty Business]] she was forced to do as a king eventually led to her kingdom tearing itself apart. She wants the Grail so she can wish for [[Heroic Self-Deprecation|a better king to take her place in history]]. In ''[[Fate /Zero]]'', Rider delivers what is effectively a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] to her about it, claiming that her lack of desire for kingship meant she was never truly a king, just a "young girl playing at being a king".
* According to the [[Saints Row]] instruction manual, Julius claimed to be this when he started leading the 3rd Street Saints, though the Stillwater Police believe he's a natural gang leader.
** The Protagonist in the sequel, [[Saints Row 2]] however, is a subverted example, being happy with leading the Saints in Julius' place instead of just 'keeping his/her mouth shut and letting himself/herself being told what to do.' {{spoiler|He/she even outright states this when he confronts Julius, who was revealed to have rigged the boat to explode in the first game.}}
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