The Losers

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
The Losers are about to shoot you. Don't worry, you probably deserved it.

Pooch: You're talking about declarin' war on the Central Intelligence Agency.
Cougar: They started it.

The Losers is a largely unknown comic book series by Vertigo Comics about Black Ops who were betrayed by their handler, a CIA mastermind called Max, and presumed to be dead. Years later, the Losers come back for some payback. The series run for 32 issues (August, 2003 - March, 2006). A film adaptation was released in April 23, 2010 that was pretty much Adaptation Distillation (most of the first volume and some parts of the fourth).

Named after a DC Comics squad of the same name who fought in World War II, but are otherwise unrelated.

Members:

There are five volumes encompassing the entire story:

  • Ante Up (2004)
  • Double Down (2004)
  • Trifecta (2005)
  • Close Quarters (2005)
  • Endgame (2006)
Tropes used in The Losers include:
  • Actor Allusion: the office scene ends with Jensen (Chris Evans) claiming to possess telekinetic powers.
    • Which he received from a "secret government experiment".
    • Might be more of a coincidence, but at the start of the film you get a close-up shot of aflag star and Jensen talking about how he died for this country.
  • Adorkable: Jensen (at least in the movie).
  • Anti-Hero: The majority the losers Are Type IV, while Aisha is a Type V.
  • Anyone Can Die
  • Ascended Extra: Wade only appeared in the first few issues of the comic before dying horribly. In the film he's placed as Max's Dragon.
  • Badass Bookworm: Jensen, especially in the movie.
  • Badass Grandpa: Stegler. Never mentioned how old he is, but he's noted as being a bit of a dinosaur around the CIA offices.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: Since this series is mostly about the CIA this trope pops up quite commonly with the most noteworthy examples being Clay, the leader of the Losers, and Max.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Couple times. The Losers for the children and later Aisha for the Losers.
    • In the finale of the comic, Pooch shows up to save the team from the oil rig, although only Jensen makes it.
  • Bittersweet Ending: The Losers stop Max's plan to start World War 3 and insure global American dominace, but Aisha betrays the team and kills Clay by dropping a WP grenade next to him. Cougar is mortally wounded trying to escape, and ends up detonating a nuke to destroy Max and his country. Aisha's last appearance has her fighting 100 of Max's goons with no indication she got far enough away from the blast in time. Jensen and Pooch manage to make a clean getaway and it's made clear nobody who wants them dead knows they survived.
  • Bolivian Army Ending: Aisha.
  • Brick Joke: In the movie (see Real Men Wear Pink below). After the first appearance of the Petunias tee, Jensen is shown doing research on their opponents, the Marigolds - which turns out to be comprised entirely of Huge Schoolgirls. Later during the credits, we see the actual match.
  • But for Me It Was Tuesday: In the movie, Max does not remember setting up anyone and has no idea who Clay and his team are. Wade has to remind him about Bolivia for Max to even get a vague recollection. Max claims he can't be bothered to remember every time he has someone betrayed and/or killed.
  • Car Fu: Twice in the Montserrat part of the book. The first time Clay takes out a paratrooper in mid-air. The second time they hijack a tilt-a-rotor by driving into it...and on top of the unsuspecting welcoming committee.

Clay: Remember where we parked.

Jensen: I ain't never felt more heterosexual in my entire life an' you gotta go spoil it!

Roque: See you in hell, Pooch.
Pooch: I'll be waiting.

  • Jerkass: What Max is to literally everyone around him.
  • Kick the Dog: How else do you explain blowing up a helicopter full of children?
    • Of course, the movie is one long continuous Kick the Dog moment for Max.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Camera-guided, anyway. After Roque captures Pooch and cuts off one of his fingers, he prepares to blow his head off. Then Jensen, remote-piloting a bomb-disposal drone, shoots Roque with the drone's shotgun.
  • The Last DJ: Agent Stegler is a textbook case.
  • Male Gaze: All the guys (those in the audience included) for Aisha. But can you blame them?
  • Mexican Standoff: Aisha vs. the Losers. Includes a Crowning Moment of Funny from (an unarmed) Jensen:

Jensen: Ohhhhh...shit. She's got a gun and...it's pointed at my dick. CLAY, IT'S POINTED AT MY DICK!!
Pooch: Would you rather it was pointed at your face?
Jensen: I KNOW IT MAKES NO SENSE, BUT YES!
[Aisha aims at his face]
Pooch: Better?
Jensen: Not...really.

  • Mythology Gag: Max in the Movie sometimes wears a white glove or a black glove on his right hand depending on the scene. This is because in the comics, Max is actually two people who are twins.
  • Name's the Same: The Losers (original), who fought Nazis and dinosaurs.
    • There is a possible Shout-Out to the original in the comics; Clay shares a surname with one of the original Losers, and he mentions that his grandfather was in World War II. Pooch is named after the dog kept by Gunner and Sarge of the original squad, as well.
  • Never Found the Body: Lampshaded when Roque turns up alive and well unexpectedly and belts the crap out of Clay, telling him to always check for a body. Clay takes it to heart; after a later episode wherein the hunt for Roque winds up sinking a couple of ships, someone asks if Clay thinks Roque is dead. Clay says he won't believe it until he sees a body.
  • Nice Hat: Cougar: "Never touch the hat."
    • Jensen gets one too. A PIRATE hat. Of course, the situation he uses it in, well...:

Clay: Jensen, I have to ask... are you hacking in your undies again?
Jensen: No way, Jose! I'm wearing a HAT.

  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Dear god, just about every volume has at LEAST one.
  • Nonverbal Miscommunication: When on top of a tall building, villain nods to his agent, who then throws a businessman down. Villain then "complains" that it wasn't that kind of nod and he just wanted the agent to beat the victim.
  • Offscreen Teleportation: Max is described to have the ability to be in more than one place at a time.
    • 'Cause he is twins.
  • Oh Crap: In the book, Pooch points out that the drone behind Roque is equipped with a shotgun. And Jensen is remote-aiming it at him.
    • Come to think of it, there's a LOT of moments like this.
  • Outrun the Fireball: with a schoolbus in the opening of the movie.
  • President Evil: Max's grand plan.
  • The Quiet One: Cougar
  • Race Lift: Aisha goes from Afghan to Bolivian.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Literally in The Movie with Jensen in a Petunias (his niece's soccer team) tee. "What? They're in the playoffs..."
  • Red Right Hand: Max in the Movie has a nasty burn on his right hand, so wears a glove on it almost all the time. The glove is sometimes black and sometimes white.
  • Sadistic Choice: Lampshaded in the climax of movie.
  • Sedgwick Speech: A mook even uses the "couldn't hit an elephant at this distance" line shortly before getting a bullet in the head.
  • Shoot the Money: The sequence on top of the telescope seems to have benn put in purely to amp up the "exotic locale" factor.
  • Shout-Out: Jensen sneaking through an office, even saying "I need an exit."
  • Shut Up, Kirk: In the book, Clay is stalking Wade through a hangar, ranting about how he knew it would come down to the two of them. Wade says "You talk too much" and shoots him through the shoulder.
  • Single-Minded Twins: Max
  • Sixth Ranger Traitor: Aisha is suspected of being one initially, but then it turns out Roque is really The Starscream and Aisha goes all Big Damn Heroes on them. In the book the same thing happens at the start, but then right at the series conclusion she reveals that she's been one all along, and now they've served their purpose she doesn't need to save them.
  • Small Girl, Big Gun: Aisha bailing out the Losers with an RPG. More like Regular Girl HUGE Gun, really.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Clay, Cougar and Max. And Aisha. Maybe. It's not clear if she died in the book.
  • Steal the Surroundings: The eponymous group steal an entire armored car to obtain the hard drive it was carrying.
  • Taking You with Me: Clay to Max.
  • The Movie
  • This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: "That's right, bitches! I got a crossbow!"
  • War for Fun and Profit: One of the ways that Max gets his funding for his grand plan is P.A.M. (Policy Analysis Market) a special program that reads changes in the stock markets as a way of predicting terrorist attacks and also allows investors to earn huge profits by betting on the probability of said attacks. Max also runs a special outfit called P.2.O.G. (Proactive Preemptive Operations Group) whose objective is to provoke terrorism. You do the math.
  • With Catlike Tread

Roque: Gee, I hope they don't see us sitting in this bright yellow Pinto.
Clay: Are you ashamed to be seen in an American classic?

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