Sociopathic Soldier: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|'''Trombley:''' Sergeant, I didn't get to shoot.

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# First, the kind who are swept up in [[Patriotic Fervor]] or similar and are doing it because they're convinced their cause gives them the right to be as brutal as they please (racism, [[Fantastic Racism]] or otherwise might be involved). [[Pay Evil Unto Evil|They might think the enemy genuinely are scum who deserve whatever is visited on them]] (or slightly more likely, they will not believe/not care about this but use it as an excuse anyway).

# Then there's the second kind, the [[Psycho for Hire]] who just joined up ''for'' the [[Rape, Pillage and Burn|plunder, rape and massacring of civilians]] and doesn't care whose banner they're doing it under. If he wasn't in the army he'd be a [[Serial Killer]].

# The third kind is your regular neighborhood boy who has been [[Slave Mook|conscripted into the army]], has absolutely no interest in war, hates it all and has only his own personal survival at stake. He's nothing but [[Cannon Fodder]] and he knows ~~it--with~~ nothing to gain from the fighting, the knowledge that he [[We Have Reserves|is expendable]] tips him over the edge into madness. This kind hates everybody, including his own officers, though it's the enemy civillians who will likely bear the brunt of his wrath. Expect lots of [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]]; [[Fragging]] incidents may occur.

# The third kind is your regular neighborhood boy who has been [[Slave Mook|conscripted into the army]], has absolutely no interest in war, hates it all and has only his own personal survival at stake. He's nothing but [[Cannon Fodder]] and he knows it—with nothing to gain from the fighting, the knowledge that he [[We Have Reserves|is expendable]] tips him over the edge into madness. This kind hates everybody, including his own officers, though it's the enemy civillians who will likely bear the brunt of his wrath. Expect lots of [[Rape, Pillage and Burn]]; [[Fragging]] incidents may occur.

# Finally there's the fourth kind; he was a [[Nice Guy]] at one time, just trying to take care of his buddies and protect his home - but then [[Despair Event Horizon|he saw something that broke him inside]], and now he just wants to [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|get things done as efficiently as possible]]. This would be the [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]], and he's a ''lot'' more dangerous than the other three - he's neither stupid, crazy, or angry, just [[I Did What I Had to Do|pragmatic]].

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* Many, many examples in ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' and ''[[Gundam Seed Destiny]]'', from ZAFT troops executing surrendered Earth Forces personnel, to [[Fantastic Racism|Blue Cosmos]] lunatics who gleefully launch [[Nuke'Em|nuclear weapons]] at ZAFT's home bases in the Plants. The [[Tyke Bomb|Extended]] are particularly vicious about it, although [[Brainwashed and Crazy|that's not]] [[Psycho Serum|entirely their fault]]. The ZAFT veterans who try to [[Colony Drop]] Earth at the start of ''Seed Destiny'' are an especially good example, as is Yzak Joule before his [[Character Development]] sets in.

* Given that [[Hellsing|Millenium]] was made up entirely of volunteers from the Waffen-SS, it can be assumed that its soldiers were this ''before'' being made into vampires. [[Blood Knight|After]][[Complete Monster|wards...]]

* Dilandau Albatou and his Dragon Slayers from ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]'' combine this with [[Tyke Bomb]], [[Teens Are Monsters]], ~~and--in~~ Dilandau's case--[[Pyromaniac|Pryomania]] and a side of [[Moral Myopia|hypocrisy]]. Dilandau gets to burn and kill whoever he wants to, but god forbid [[Minor Injury Overreaction|anyone so much as touch Dilandau]]. He's pretty much a [[Psycho for Hire]] who only works for one employer.

* Dilandau Albatou and his Dragon Slayers from ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]'' combine this with [[Tyke Bomb]], [[Teens Are Monsters]], and—in Dilandau's case--[[Pyromaniac|Pryomania]] and a side of [[Moral Myopia|hypocrisy]]. Dilandau gets to burn and kill whoever he wants to, but god forbid [[Minor Injury Overreaction|anyone so much as touch Dilandau]]. He's pretty much a [[Psycho for Hire]] who only works for one employer.

* ''[[Kagerou Nostalgia]]'': The vast majority of the soldiers in [[Evil Overlord|General]] [[0% Approval Rating|Kiyotaka]] [[The Starscream|Kuroda]]'s employ fit into this category. Given that they're sent into battle alongside demons, with orders to butcher and kidnap as many civillians as possible, this is more or less a part of the job description.

* One could make the case for several ''[[Naruto]]'' villains, although given the nature of the setting comparing them to regular soldiers is iffy. Pre-[[Heel Face Turn]] Gaara is a solid example though, as are all 7 Swordsmen of the Mist.

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* Maggot from ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' is perhaps one of the better pre-Vietnam examples in film.

* The military in most of [[Zombie Apocalypse|George Romero's films]]. [[Writer on Board|Just because.]]

* ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' has a scene with a particularly sociopathic door gunner on a helicopter. He's had 157 confirmed ~~kills -- all~~ implied to be ~~civilians -- plus~~ 50 water buffalo.

* ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' has a scene with a particularly sociopathic door gunner on a helicopter. He's had 157 confirmed kills—all implied to be civilians—plus 50 water buffalo.

{{quote|'''Private Joker:''' Any women or children?

'''Door Gunner:''' Sometimes.

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* In [[Sergio Leone]]'s ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'', [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|The Bad]], [[Complete Monster|Angel Eyes]], does a magnificent impression of one of these, infiltrating [[American Civil War|Union]] lines as a sergeant. He tortures prisoners for information, and generally runs his prison camp as though it were Auschwitz (despite the protestations of his Lieutenant). His [[The Dragon|right hand man]] and [[Torture Technician]] [[Dumb Muscle|Wallace]] is a straight example, being a Union soldier, and a total thug.

** However, it is averted by the Union soldiers Tuco and Blondie encounter later on, who are led by a likable, humorous fellow who happens to be [[A Father to His Men]], {{spoiler|making his sudden death during the ensuing battle a surprisingly tear-jerking moment for a bit character}}, and there's also a younger lieutenant who seems to be an ordinary man caught up in a war he does not understand.

* [[Complete Monster|Ewan McStarley]], Vinnie Jones' character in ''The Condemned''~~-- an~~ SAS operative who became a [[Condemned Contestant]] after setting fire to a Rwandan village, executing 17 men, raping 9 women, and torturing various others.

* [[Complete Monster|Ewan McStarley]], Vinnie Jones' character in ''The Condemned''—an SAS operative who became a [[Condemned Contestant]] after setting fire to a Rwandan village, executing 17 men, raping 9 women, and torturing various others.

* Victor Creed in ''[[X-Men (film)|X-Men Origins: Wolverine]]'', considering his attempted rape of a local during Vietnam, as well as the implied killing of civilians while firing from a helicopter during the same war.

* The eponymous slasher in ''[[Uncle Sam]]'', pre-death.

* All the [[Private Military Contractors]] in ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'', particularly Wainfleet<ref>who was likely inspired by the character from [[Full Metal Jacket]]</ref>, as well as all the pilots other than Trudy, with them all being led by a [[Colonel Kilgore]].

* All the [[Private Military Contractors]] in ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'', particularly Wainfleet,<ref>who was likely inspired by the character from [[Full Metal Jacket]]</ref> as well as all the pilots other than Trudy, with them all being led by a [[Colonel Kilgore]].

* In the ''[[Doom]]'' movie, Sarge shows himself to be this, at one point {{spoiler|killing the rookie member of his team for refusing his order to kill a room full of unarmed civilians}}. Small wonder, then, that he {{spoiler|mutates into the protagonist's final adversary after becoming infected}}.

* ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]'' grows closer and closer to this trope as the movie goes on, finally culminating in {{spoiler|the massacre at Tafas.}}

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** [[Shown Their Work|Justified in that]] the series takes place in a medieval period. There are no conscripts or discipline; the only difference between a French or British invasion from a Viking raid was the scale and technology. In fact, a Viking raid would often be cleaner, as they would be operating on their own schedules and thus be better fed and less desperate than any soldier. ''[[And Knowing Is Half the Battle|Ahem--]]''sorry.

* Andrea from ''The Zone'' series of [[WW 3]] novels by James Rouch. A stunningly beautiful East German woman with a [[Mysterious Past]] and a passionate hatred of communists. She bonds with various soldiers (though never sexually) long enough to absorb their specialist skills, then callously severs the connection to move on to the next teacher. Warning: Keep away from prisoners.

* ''The Things They Carried'' has Azar, who, at one point, [[Kick the Dog|blows up a squad member's puppy]] and mocks everyone. At one point, when he's scared shitless, he claims his [[Jerkass~~|Jerkassery~~]] is a defense against fear, but he's probably lying again to save his ass.

* ''The Things They Carried'' has Azar, who, at one point, [[Kick the Dog|blows up a squad member's puppy]] and mocks everyone. At one point, when he's scared shitless, he claims his [[Jerkass]]ery is a defense against fear, but he's probably lying again to save his ass.

* Hakeswill in ''[[Sharpe]]''. Senior officers love him (except the ones with real integrity), everyone who knows [[Complete Monster|what he's really like]] loathes him.

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** He's also got a [[Complexity Addiction]] - he uses a missile to try and kill ''one person''. Think about that for a minute.

** Lieutenant Trotter is also an example. Disciple of [[General Ripper]] Slade Wilson, she willingly engages in kidnapping, brainwashing, and human experimentation in the supposed interests of protecting the US from metahumans. A [[Lawful Evil]] [[Knight Templar]] whom even Flag believes needs stopping.

* The Sontarans of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fame are an entire race of [[Super Soldier~~|Super Soldiers~~]] who behave this way towards their enemies. The one exception is the [[Combat Medic]] that the Doctor encounters in "A Good Man Goes To War" who demonstrates that their sociopathy is learned, rather than ingrained. One could argue that most [[A Nazi by Any Other Name|Daleks]] fall under this trope as well, committing genocide at the drop of a hat.

* The Sontarans of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fame are an entire race of [[Super Soldier]]s who behave this way towards their enemies. The one exception is the [[Combat Medic]] that the Doctor encounters in "A Good Man Goes To War" who demonstrates that their sociopathy is learned, rather than ingrained. One could argue that most [[A Nazi by Any Other Name|Daleks]] fall under this trope as well, committing genocide at the drop of a hat.

* Detective Carter's backstory on ''[[Person of Interest]]'' has her serving as an Army interrogator in Iraq. She managed to talk a detainee into giving up the location of an insurgent supply cache in exchange for protecting him and his family from said insurgents. Then the soldiers Carter was working with killed him offscreen after [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|he led them to the cache]].